MOG - Takeshi Kovacs's Posts

New Raconteurs song

Takeshi Kovacs — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 04:08:39 GMT

So, yeah, listening to this album, "Consolers of the Lonely" I can't wait to buy an electric guitar and start figuring this out... wait, then track 3... and I have a piano. Those lyrics, um, Jacko, what's going on? You in my head,man? You comprehending me?

"in the corner of my heart your ignorance is treason"

Right on. O - and don't by any stretch feel that this song is indicative of what the rest of this album sounds like... it's an oasis of a genius in a crowd.

Tak

Needlecast - I Side With The Seeds, You?

Takeshi Kovacs — Wed, 11 Jul 2007 11:29:40 GMT

Cpunks,

"Dark green enough to be blue" - when writing lyrics/poetry, I believe there is a balance one has to achieve between economy of words and the message. There also needs to be a delicate balance between the abstract and the concrete - the more abstract, the more meaningful however with a dash of concrete, the meaning is not grounded. I have had some issues with Jeff Tweedy's lyrics in the past "I am an American Aquarium drinker" (HUH?)and with the album "Sky Blue Sky" he's sorted all those issues out.

"Side With the Seeds"

Tires type black Where the blacktop cracks Weeds spark through Dark green enough to be blue When the mysteries we believe in Aren’t dreamed enough to be true Some side with the leaves Some side with the seeds

The treetops nod the rain applauds The park grows dark And the swings all slowly die But you and I will be undefeated by agreeing to disagree No one wins but the thieves so why side with anything

The streetlights glow Comes and goes When the sun comes back As we all can plainly see Embracing the situation Is our only chance to be free I’ll side with you If you side with me

Needlecast - Mysterious Instincts

Takeshi Kovacs — Fri, 23 Mar 2007 15:41:23 GMT

Cpunks,

Just when I had the universe neatly categorized and tucked into this three ring binder in my office, I thought about a curve ball. Instincts. Huh? Where do they fit in? How can I find the connection between instincts and music...? I quote from all knowing Wikipedia: "Instinct provides a response to external stimuli, which moves an organism to action, unless overridden by intelligence, which is creative and more versatile." So, this means that instincts are not creative by nature... umm then why is it that whenever a rad beat comes over my personal airwaves, I instinctfully tap my foot and groove out? I don't believe it's a learned behavior thus ruling out the "overridden by intelligence" theory, it's just happening. And, how much of musical talent is instinctful? AND people, music is damn near the definition of "creative and versatile". So, I'm all confused. Where does music fit in to the biological paradigm of instincts and why does it not fit neatly into the definition?

I've attached my favorite song right now (has been my personal number one for about 6 weeks running) and I beg you to think about the questions in this post, and think about what your body wants to automatically do, when you hear this.

Tak

Needlecast - Hello I am Your Mind

Takeshi Kovacs — Tue, 20 Mar 2007 02:19:06 GMT

Cpunks,

So, I'm a thinking and when I'm not thinking, I'm writing about thinking. I did the random thumb twirl this morning and stopped on Evanescence. Naturally I had to listen to the new one "The Open Door" and I started to immediately think about "Fallen" the first Evanescence CD that owned me for months in 2003. I had to explore why the music from the new CD was leaving me wanting...

"Hello, I am your mind Giving you someone to talk to Hello..."

"If I smile and don't believe Soon I know I'll wake From this dream"

"Don't try to fix me I'm not broken Hello I'm the light Living for you so you can't hide.... don't cry"

So, I switched to "Fallen" and started thinking about the hooks that this CD had in me and why. There is a lyrical flow to this CD, one that is quite powerful, a sense of loss, a sense of hope, and sense of helplessness, general emotions that many, many people feel on a daily basis. We all reach a point in our lives where the fuckin' pieces don't seem to fit and the need for a screaming guitar solo (like the one from Haunted) outweighs our need to take care of ourselves. So in a way, this CD was a nice way to escape the very emotions that were being sung about... I'm not totally forgetting my questions, i'm just reveling in the musical manifestation of them. The music is nothing new, really, maybe a bit Linkin' Parkish but place "My God, My Tourniquet" on top of it and the relationship between Amy Lee's lilting strength and the entity that she is singing about pops. All emotional inputs and their sources are questioned.

"I lay inside myself for hours"

I've attached "Hello", one of my favorite songs from this album because it just tears me in two. The simple power of laying in total despair only to discover that when all else has totally atrophied, a single breath, a single thought can ignite life, can turn it all around, whatever it is... HELLO. Absolute beauty in thought, and absolute healing in thought, concepts that just can't help but be hopeful to someone out there, or someone in here.

Tak

Boulevard of Clearings at the Broken Path of Dreams

Takeshi Kovacs — Sat, 10 Feb 2007 09:11:25 GMT

Cpunks,

I was running through the gardens when I saw a wooden fence gate surrounded by leafy growths and greenery. You could make out an overgrown path that led straight back into dark overgrowth, you could hear the buzz and tickle of hundreds of thousands of insects and feel the oppressive humidity of oxygen producing water eaters. I ran by at my blistering 10 minute mile pace and the following vision came to mind.

I stop and try the gate, it's locked and rusted, so I climb over, it takes effort to leave this earth sometimes. I walked down the path and find a cave, the cave is more like a tunnel with a sharp kink in it because I can see the glow of light and I can hear the pops of and laughter of partying. I stop and listen... it's live music. It's amazing music, filled with harmonies and layers that could baffle and crumble statues could kill pigeons on the spot. That's when I realized it was Bob Marley harmonizing with Janice Joplin. I crept around the corner and there they were, all the legends around a bonfire passing a bong and a bottle and jamming. I was stunned blown over... (I actually started running faster at this point, my eyes closed, hot air in my lungs and feet not really hitting the ground) there was Jimi and Jim laughing and passing a zippo, there was Bob and his dreads just glowing and smiling like I've always known they would, magical benign groove snakes, independently weaving a halo of peace around all his neighboring partiers. The smell was something straight from the camp grounds of the gods, part compost, part burning debris, part sex, half alcohol, and a smidgeon of dope.

I stayed and watched them get it on for awhile, watched the wood burn, saw the smiles, heard the stories, and then turned around and started back. Funny, I've felt so much better since that day, because I know they all are safe and together.

Tak

Needlecast - I focused on Kansas City, miles away...

Takeshi Kovacs — Sat, 16 Dec 2006 04:34:35 GMT

This is an excerpt from one of my travel journals in '91 - I was on a twenty state, 6,000 mile journey and then I discovered the Blues...

"That's where I sit now, the city of fountains and weeping streets covered with slime and dust and the Blues. The city has been a therapeutic experience as well as a mind expansion. I realize how infectious enthusiasm can be. Come with me on my never-ending American quest for the wailing horns and sweat filled Blues. It really is a clashing effect with the instruments as extensions of the Bluesmen. The sweat pours because of the lights and efforts. There's a fevered delirium behind the eyes of the players. Why the sorrow? What propels your soul? Is it loneliness or alienation? Is it your lack of true social value on a lost continent or can it be just the oozing values of lost brotherhood? Compel and culminate me with you. Is it a celebration of a unique emotion that most people try or subconsciously are forced to forget? Tell, oh Blues spirit, why do you reside on the mighty Mo and how far back do you extend? Can I not be a part or am I just your prey? Evoke, my man, evoke your most provocative remorse and I'll feed that burn with my own. Purge me and cleanse me, take from me. Because when I leave and the smoke seeps back into the walls from whence it came, I'll smile and be free and take upon myself to spread your message. A message so heartfelt that it will burn my lips and then, then I in turn, will weep."

Tak

Needlecast - Jeff Buckley The GeniusMythLegendGuy

Takeshi Kovacs — Sat, 02 Dec 2006 05:32:25 GMT

Cpunks,

This is my second post about Jeff Buckley, specifically this EP. I truly do love this music.

It opens to perhaps two people politely clapping, not really sure who this young kid is, obviously an American, a bit snide, and too young to really matter.

Jeff Buckley approaches the mic and says -

"This is a song about a dream"

there begins some of the most emotionally charged rock you'll ever hear. There is strength in his vocal range, as if by some sheer miracle his gift to the world was the ability to express all human feelings and all 256 million colors of our minds. I have openly wept to this music, I'm not ashamed of it, I can't help it that I jump into music and life like it's a fucking hot tub filled with open minded stewardesses (that all look like my wife) and floating islands of mixed drinks.

The first song ends and more join in the clapping - people are putting down their drinks, their papers, their conversations and are looking at each other like, who the hell IS this. He's one guy with one electric guitar, no way he can top that... then the first notes of Eternal Life hit and the place goes quiet. His words wrap around everyone like a smoky mist, we are witness to greatness, we've stumbled upon a masterpiece, a moment, a happening, we are seeing a huge star in a small, small place, he has just one way to go, doesn't he? Yeah, straight to stardom, then the grave. I hate to say this, but his death makes the audience even more appreciative now, I bet.

"There's no time for hatred only questions where is love? where is happiness? what is life? when is peace? when will I find the strength to bring me release?"

The third tune Je n'en Connais Pas La Fin plays right into what makes this guy different, he's not afraid to take a few risks. This is not an easy one to play, technically, probably the most difficult song on the album, but after the final notes, of "The Way Young Lovers Do" you do forget about this third tune. It's almost as if he's warming up for the final tune. Speaking of the last tune - it's truly epic. As a 10 minute tour de force of scat, and guitar jam and vocal ranging, your hair will get tired of standing on end during this one. Jeff hit's note that are only meant for cherubs and really excited cats. For pure energy, this last song showcases his youth and his otherworldly talents on the mic. I mean you believe him like he just had a young lover's kiss last night!

Jeff Buckley, I forever miss your talent and continue to keep my ears open for your second coming.

Tak

Needlecast - Sippin' Guitar Notes in the Dark

Takeshi Kovacs — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 04:36:51 GMT

Cpunks,

You know what I really like to do sometimes? I like to push my self to the absolute limits of wakefulness, you know to the point where every movement is exaggerated and labored, the state where the eyelids are so at home in the closed position and your breathing becomes so deep that the excess oxygen is just coursing through your body and your thoughts become hard to hold on to. This is when I like to turn off all the lights, grab my classical guitar and start playing with my eyes closed. The chords are automatic and your brain is so totally drifting in and out of what you are playing that something sub-conscience takes over and you are off completely into another world. "A world of never ending happiness, you can always see the sun..."

Tak

Needlecast - Who needs to know how to play to make music

Takeshi Kovacs — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 17:05:55 GMT

Cpunks,

Oh, check this out - now anyone can make music.

Tak

Needlecast: My Musical Fall

Takeshi Kovacs — Sun, 12 Nov 2006 05:40:48 GMT

Cpunks,

My iPod backlight just winked on and nobody touched it. There wasn't even a breeze in the room, or so much as a train going by a mile away. I'm listening to "Seasons of Wither" on Aerosmith's masterpiece, Get Your Wings, and thinking about the fall so far. I've had some good moments this short season. Like watching my 4 year old take off on his bike without the training wheels for the first time, and hearing him give out a little yell of triumph. There was no wobble, no uncertainty, just plain joy of accomplishment and freedom. Reconnecting with old friends over every bottle of wine in the house. I've also accumulated so much good new music this fall: Silversun Pickups, The Twilight Singers, Mother Love Bone, Mudhoney, Uncle Tupelo, Babe the Blue Ox, Grizzly Bear, Hand of Doom, and the list goes into some Bonnie Prince Billy, frikkin' Mew, Powderfinger, Michael Franti, and The Libertines. A leaf pulls away from a tree, and a song hits my computer. I'd love to just pile them all up and go for a mighty leap through cold air and splash and schish right in. Rock on my Moggers. I've got to go, obviously my iPod has something it wants to say to me.

Took this shot down the road from my crib.

Tak

N33dlecast - Gettin' Tantric With It

Takeshi Kovacs — Fri, 27 Oct 2006 02:04:27 GMT

Cpunks,

I've come to the realization that music has a personal shelf life. You can't attach a "best if used by date" label to it because it's so totally subjective. I have to note that since I've been exposed to so many new bands through the magic of MOG, my personal "use by time frame" is getting to be a shorter and shorter amount of time. It was just last week that I downloaded a new album, and this week, it's old and, well ready for disposal. I won't say what music it is because, again, this is a subjective thing. I think what's happening is my metabolism for music has sped up to super speeds.

There was a time, when I would carefully guage the worthiness of an album before consumption, thump it for echos like a watermelon, if you will. Now, I don't even bother to chew it, the firehose is on and I'm not deeply appreciating my finds. I quickly determine what is going on my PC and what is not, be it by a quick 30 second blip from iTunes, or a quick download from a friend. What has happened to me can be reversed, it's just something that I have to conscientously work at. I have to go Tantric.

I want to listen to something until I feel the communion with the whole universe and its cycles of evolution and dissolution. I want to ride the polarities of all life energy through the music in order to fully appreciate it. I want it to grow on me, and I want the discovery to be more than just a download away. I want to reach the fourth level of consciousness with it, so that I start to remember the past lives of musicians that inspired the musicians and in turn feel their relatives, their desires, their ground. I want to move with it, time and again until the tension pulls me from my corporeal form and floats me towards the back of some metacosmic void. I want the music to touch the seminal fluid in some way that is so ultra non suppressive that the pleasure from it keeps me humming and thrumming for days.

In short, I want my expiration date on music to just go away.

Tak

Needlecast - Quote

Takeshi Kovacs — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 15:40:19 GMT

Cpunks,

"Being as this is a .44 Magnum, the most powerful handgun in the world, and would blow your head clean off, you've got to ask yourself one question, 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk?" - Dirty "Debra" Harry

May the drinking commence.

Tak

Needlecast - MOG By line

Takeshi Kovacs — Sat, 21 Oct 2006 02:21:49 GMT

Cpunks,

I normally just ride the waves as they push me about, laughing profoundly most of the way, but when I hit something in the water, I stop and take notice. Today's MOG by line:

This so perfectly sums up the MOG experience for me so far. So thanks to whoever came up with this one - you know how to smash the edges and get to the heart of things.

Tak

Needlecast - How did we get here?

Takeshi Kovacs — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 16:01:27 GMT

Cpunks,

We know who, and what we are, now it's time to find out how we got here.

Proceed with caution, this may deeply disturb animal lovers everywhere.

Tak

This is all in fun, in no way is this a slight of MOG or the MOG community, please accept me as the spreader of good cheer.

Needlecast - Who are you?

Takeshi Kovacs — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 15:45:21 GMT

Cpunks,

Now that we know what we are.

Click here to discover who we are inside, and who we strive to connect with outside.

Tak

Needlecast - What are you?

Takeshi Kovacs — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 15:41:22 GMT

Cpunks,

Some people have distinct ideas about who they are in the Galaxy.

Click here to take a step closer to knowing me, yourself and those in your trusted list.

Tak

Needlecast - Sharing Mixes

Takeshi Kovacs — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 04:21:43 GMT

Cpunks,

We've been sending mixes across the country or globe to one another since we've come together and I want to tell you why I like it so much. See, when I hear a mix someone's made for me, I imagine that mix of music in what I imagine their surroundings to be like. Like a friend from NYC shared a mix with me, and I visualized myself in a New York cab with headphones on digging into the groove, lights and exhaust rebounding off of the rain slick street, feeling tired but vibrant all at once. Letting the notes wash through the whole experience.

Just as playlists are connected to our inner selves, they are also a reflection of our surroundings and who we are within those surroundings. There's a reason why music touches us so. It's not something missing, but an augmentation to the mundane, or excitement of life. So, as we get our MOG mixes, and read our notes explaining why we were killed with whatever songs, look at the return address, put in the CD, close your eyes and visualize what possibilities in this person's life led to this particular collection of songs. Try to imagine that music in that place, put yourself there. These are songs that not only have meaning for you, but meaning or a connection to the lives of the Moggers on the other end.

Tak

Needlecast - Now I'm Free, Freefallin'

Takeshi Kovacs — Mon, 16 Oct 2006 23:44:01 GMT

Cpunks,

It was a cold dusk outside of Zurich even though it was well into Spring. I had spent the day driving through Italy and then Switzerland to meet my buddy at his Jump Zone (JZ). I get there, after driving through small villages and making turns that never made it onto the Mapquest directions. - BTW, when you encounter something that doesn't correspond with the computer everything gets disorienting, it's like there is shimmer in all space and time. "Ummm, was I suppose to see a two barn town right before I take a left?" "FUCK! it's only been 4.4 kilometers, but I can't see a turn for another few clicks." - So, I finally get to the JZ and my buddy runs up to me, and said hurry up, man, I'm paying for you to go up. WTF. I don't skydive. I'm over a hundred kilos, doesn't that disqualify me? Next thing I know I'm rigged up in this outfit and some guy, the jump master it turns out, is explaining the nuances of emergency skydiving to me and telling me, in German and most emphatically, not to jump under any circumstances, because I have no training.

"Here, you hook your thumbs in here and pull away from your body, otherwise, splat."

So, before I can get my bearings I'm in a small Cesna floating up to about 18 thousand feet or something. The Alps are all around me, clouds pouring around them like cool water around mogels, and the sun is about to set - beautiful, martian beautiful. I'm up front, next to the pilot, facing the adreneline junkies that have been at this all day. They are all young, some singles, some couples, some have cameras taped to their helmets, they are all jittering in three different languages, nervous, laughing, living it as far out on the edge as they can afford to go. I sit and wonder, how many of them committed crimes to be in this airplane right now?

We hit a spot on the instrumentation and leveled off. seemingly by telepathy, a youngin' is ordered to open the cabin door. There's about twelve people in the back of the plane, and within 20 seconds, it's just the pilot and me. He reaches for a metal pole, grabs the cabin door with it and slams the door shut. He gives me a nod, and pushes the stick as far forward as it will go, and we go into a nose dive! My feet are straight up in the air, and I go weightless, this is freefall, only with an mechanized monster strapped to me. I'm at it's mercy. We plummet for about a minute and a half and he abruptly lands. It was the last run of the day for him, I realized, for his wife was waiting for him in the hangar. I got out, stumbled over to the runway and watched folks lazily drift down to the tarmac, now that looks like a much safer way to travel.

Tak

Needlecast - Digital Audio Playas

Takeshi Kovacs — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 14:39:04 GMT

Cpunks, I ran across this article this morning and thought I'd share with the MOG community. There was some recent discussion about the iPOD and there's an interesting quote in this article about the Microsoft Zune.

"Of course, the whole point of the big ad bucks is to give Zune that "cool" factor that is a heavy element of the iPod's success."

I've come to think that in the MOG community it is not the iPod that is slammed so much, but this marketed "cool" factor that is slammed. There are many aspects of the iPod that are technically awesome, the little wheel on the front comes to mind, but because many people swear by them or claim elite status, "indie" lovers tend to shy away from it. Hey man, it's mainstream, can't be too good, remember, the larger the group, the lower the mean (average) opinion gets, right?

Well, whether you want to follow the iPod lemmings or groove to a different playa, this article will lay out what's available.

Tak

Needlecast - Hot Mower Blade Meets Dried Turd

Takeshi Kovacs — Sun, 15 Oct 2006 13:28:17 GMT

Cpunks,

Dustin Hoffman creeps me out. I should correct myself, OLD Dustin Hoffman creeps me out. "Marathon Man", "All the President's Men", "The Graduate", "Papillon" and even "Kramer vs. Kramer" were all excellent films and should have solidified this man's star on the walk of fame, but then he just got creepy to me. Maybe it's his mouth, which has never looked right without lipstick after "Tootsie" or his see through characters like in "Meet the Fockers". I can't place it.

Perhaps he personifies my fear of getting old and irrelevant or the desperation associated with aging stars. I cringe every time I see a Robin Williams in a movie add. Shouldn't these roles be given to younger, hungrier, up and coming talent? In Robin's case, he's probably still working off his Coke habit from the Eighties, consequently the comic relief stuff was the last time that he really made me laugh. If Whoopie Goldberg has enough decency to fade away, why can't these guys? If I made millions within a stretch of say, ten years, I'd retire, check out music and just travel the world - I wouldn't pop back in the limelight, everytime I'm thrown a script. I wouldn't put my hair in a mini ponytail and try to fantasize that I was hip, that only worked with one guy, John Travolta. Scientology aside, he faded, then with some help, came back with a fervor, reinvented and cool - again he has faded. Most people realize when their set of waves have come and gone, so they trudge up to the beach and hang out. Not old Dustin Hoffman, he hangs out on his outdated surfboard, in the calm waters and looks at people and smiles that fake upper bridge smile, head moving back and forth looking for attention.

I'm not saying we should cull these people from the entertainment industry all together; there are bound to be roles for them. Hey, look at Jack Nicholson, he's made a career on being a creepy OLD guy, but then, he is getting all the good creepy old guy roles. Would you have seen "About Schmidt" if Dustin Hoffman was the star? Nope, don't think so.

It kind of goes the same with musicians, although, it's a different bell curve in the music business. Some guys get creepy - Elton John - some guys get cool - JJ Cale. Some get better with age - Bonnie Raitt, some get worse - David Lee Roth, Billy Idol. Some don't get noticed until long after they are gone - Nick Drake, Jeff Buckley. And some purposely just decide to burn out, we all know who they are/were. I'm not saying that everyone should have the capacity to reinvent themselves like the Beastie Boys or Radiohead, just that there needs to be a guy that goes through the industry and notices the timer is almost up on some things.

Tak

Needlecast - Arc Angels - A bit of Rock History

Takeshi Kovacs — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 21:27:45 GMT

Cpunks,

Ever wonder where Stevie Ray Vaughns rhythm section went? The first thing they did after SRV's untimely demise was keep it rockin' in his spirit. They grabbed a couple of SRV pupils (Charlie Sexton and Doyle Bramhall II) and formed the band "Arc Angels". The two lead men eventually split the band up, cuz there ain't ever room for two alpha dogs. Their album is flavored and completely basted in Stevie Ray's blues rock guitar heroics. It's dated now, as others have followed in the path, but at the time this was the first to carry the torch. Funny to note, that with two fully functioning front men, they can't come close to the Master SRV. Check it out if you're interested.

Rock it out,

Tak

Needlecast - Rose Tattoo

Takeshi Kovacs — Fri, 13 Oct 2006 01:46:54 GMT

Cpunks,

Ever wonder where Bon Scott and AC/DC got their inspiration from? Well there's a little known Aussie band that was born and bred from the same pub circuit as the Rock and Roll legends - they are ROSE TATTOO. Apparently they were incredible to see live, very energetic and very, well, Bon Scott like. They've had a colorful history which has led to many different versions of this band.

This is one of those albums that you cherish in your collection, and show off to friends when you remember it! I've had it for years and "discovered" it again this afternoon. Good Aussie Pub Rock and Roll.

Enjoy Moggers!

Tak

Needlecast - Come With Me if You Want to Rock!

Takeshi Kovacs — Sun, 08 Oct 2006 17:26:53 GMT

Cpunks,

Just another Sunday afternoon - enjoy some rock from my boys the Beatsteaks. My boy Boozelegs turned me on to them awhile ago. They have some new stuff. Here you go and crank it.

Tak

Needlecast - Casualty of the Psychic MOG Wars

Takeshi Kovacs — Sat, 07 Oct 2006 19:48:26 GMT

Cpunks,

It is with a heavy heart, that I bow out as the next casualty of the MOG WARS! Done in by this awesome mix of mostly female artists:

Pleasure is Mine - Bjork File it Under Fun from the Past - Marianne Faithfull Big Exit - PJ Harvey Let's Go Together - Jefferson Starship Paper Bag - Goldfrapp Aganju - Bebel Gilberto Carey - Joni Mitchell (one of my favorite songs at the moment!!) A Room with a View - Pizzicato Five Ando Meio Desigado - Os Mutantes Nierika - Dead Can Dance Lili Marlene - Marlene Dietrich Dazed, Beautiful and Bruised - Catatonia Boy Cried Wolf - Patti Smith Stereolight - Boss Hog PIN - Yeah, Yeah, Yeahs Ivo - Cocteau Twins Embrace - Low

Since I already mailed off my mix - I guess I can't pass on the dossier to my MOG killer. PS - The above picture is the cover of the mix cd I got in the mail today - great art should get recognition!

Cheers and good game,

Tak

Needlecast - OOOOHHHHMMMMMM

Takeshi Kovacs — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 12:12:21 GMT

Cpunks,

Ever had insomnia? Well remain sleepless no more!

Ever had a day so stressful that your head felt like a gyroscope? Just click here and enjoy some of the most relaxing sounds to meditate to, sleep to, or just relax to. It's 8AM EST and I'm going back to bed. And no, this is not a picture of me, just a dramatization.

Tak-diddy

Needlecast - Getting to Know Me

Takeshi Kovacs — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 03:40:36 GMT

Cpunks,

"Very well, where do I begin? My father was a relentlessly self-improving boulangerie owner from Belgium with low grade narcolepsy and a penchant for buggery. My mother was a fifteen year old French prostitute named Chloe with webbed feet. My father would womanize, he would drink, he would make outrageous claims like he invented the question mark. Some times he would accuse chestnuts of being lazy, the sort of general malaise that only the genius possess and the insane lament. My childhood was typical, summers in Rangoon, luge lessons. In the spring we'd make meat helmets. When I was insolent I was placed in a burlap bag and beaten with reeds, pretty standard really. At the age of 12 I received my first scribe. At the age of fourteen, a Zoroastrian named Vilma ritualistically shaved my testicles. There really is nothing like a shorn scrotum, it's breathtaking, I suggest you try it." - Mike Myers

Tak

Needlecast - Appointed duty

Takeshi Kovacs — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 03:54:48 GMT

Cpunks,

As appointed by Kid Charming's post from yesterday. I dug around in my collection and ran across a CD I bought when it came out in the nineties - Buddy Miles "A Tribute to Jimi Hendrix". I was sitting around my apartment with some friends cultivating the art of hanging out, when as usual we started talking about music. Well, I was in a huge Jimi Hendrix phase and we were talking about his band of gypsies - trying to name them all. Well someone piped in with Buddy Miles and I had never heard the name before. Consulted the Encyclopedia of Rock and Roll and found out that he was the drummer. The NEXT day, I was in my favorite spot at lunch, perusing the CDs at the local music store and I see this CD. I picked it up just because of the conversation. It didn't sit well with me at the time, so I shelved it and didn't really listen to it again until today almost 9 years later.

The album is a live show, in Geneva Switzerland, with his old buddies, Kevon Smith on Guitar and Joe Thomas on Bass.

The show is a tribute to Jimi, but they really cover the gambit of cover songs. The rendition of Come Together is damn funky with a bass solo that includes the Flintstones theme song in the middle of it. They throw down on the classic "Knock on Wood" and also move us through the Hendrix tune "Red House". The raucous Peter Gunn/Take me Higher/Superstition medley is so damn epic, it's just fun. I can't believe I blew this CD off - God, so much music is wasted on youth.

ONE complaint - the production sucks. The vocals are way too low for me. There is so much depth and richness to the vocals and they are just lost in a heavy guitar / bass foreground.

Mogmail me if you are interested in this one.

Tak

Needlecast - The Seed I leave behind

Takeshi Kovacs — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 04:29:37 GMT

Cpunks,

Listening to the MOG mix and someone threw the Roots "The Seed 2.0" - now that is some awesome new music. I haven't heard anything this good in a long time. I shout to the world you've got to hear this song - your head will bob and your toes will tap.

Tak

Needlecast - Not Enough Fly

Takeshi Kovacs — Tue, 03 Oct 2006 03:12:37 GMT

Cpunks,

I'm listening to some of my older stuff - and I popped in Alice In Chains "Jar of Flies" - why is this brilliance only 7 songs? It's too long to be an EP and too short to be a regular album. WTF was this some marketing genius? Some evil twist of fate.

BTW this mini album is incredible and one that I consider to be AIC's best work, even if it's a bit stunted. Hey, Jeff Buckley has his EP greatness in "Live at Sine", so why not these guys.

Any other great EPs out there? Oh I just thought of one - Tori Amos "Crucify" the cover of "Smells like Teen Spirit" is haunting.

Tak

Needlecast - AND the greatest TV show theme of all time is...

Takeshi Kovacs — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 14:35:40 GMT

Cpunks,

Yesterday, Slantera put us to the test, on this post right here. But to settle this argument, I will post the single greatest TV theme song in the history of all television - nothing will grab you by the heart, the nads and the knees at the same time, like this tune - I beg you, press this button, and say you agree.

BUTTON

Tak

Needlecast - I Sing the Body Obnoxious

Takeshi Kovacs — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 12:24:28 GMT

Cpunks,

I ask you, what is the most obnoxious music you can think of, and why? Is it the Violent Femmes? Liza Minelli? Limp Bizkit?

My favorite is "Hollerin'" - It's a collection of world famous hog callers from Spivey corner. This little baby is guaranteed to clear a room, should you ever want folks to leave early.

Now what can you come up with to top this!

Get a sample Holler track at this site.

Tak

Needlecast - Dose of Ska

Takeshi Kovacs — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 21:26:28 GMT

Cpunks,

Thought I'd do my civic duty and share some ska with you, tonight. All ya have to do is just click on the arrow button to hear the song.

Let's hear it for all things SKA!!!!

Tak

Needlecast - The Cusp of Decades in da Club

Takeshi Kovacs — Wed, 27 Sep 2006 13:09:42 GMT

Cpunks,

"In common parlance, a cusp is an important moment usually regarded as a decision point upon which consequent events are determined." - Wikipedia

There is this weird lumping of all music according to their decades - "Oh, that is so eighties!" or, "It's got this mad 60's vibe to it, I can't stop listening."

Well, what about the music that falls on the cusp? The music that spans two decades (the year in between, 1970, 1980, 1990, 2000) or one hit wonders that defy logical classification from both decades? So, I ask you, "Is Dee Lite an eighties group? or a nineties group?" Are cusp songs really the missing links between the decades? Here are some club examples of cusp songs from 1990. Notice the influences of Hip Hop, house, techno, Salsa - these all led to higher planes of existence in the 90's from the primordial cesspool of the eighties. Enjoy.

Dee Lite - "Groove is in the Heart"

"Lambada"

Tak

Needlecast - Lonesome Whistle

Takeshi Kovacs — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 15:33:36 GMT

Cpunks,

I've been really diggin' in the dirt, uncoverin' musical roots over the last couple of days and I heard this Hank Williams song "Lonesome Whistle" and I love it. So, I tried to get a vid, but I found this Beck cover. The mouth harp is a nice touch - and I have a hell of a lot a respect for Beck after watching it.

Tak

Needlecast - Moshing - Did Body Odor Start it All?

Takeshi Kovacs — Sat, 23 Sep 2006 04:38:30 GMT

Cpunks,

I was five when I questioned religion, and I was 15 when I questioned dancing. I was in a cheesy German tropical club called "Manilas" and I had finally made it to the magical dancefloor. The music was god awful EuroSynthPop and I'm sure Laura Branigan was around the corner somewhere and I was shuffling my feet, hormones popping wondering to myself, "If an alien species were to just rip the roof off of this club, how the hell would we explain our behavior to them?" I mean gyrating to music in some animalistic mating ritual only slightly civilized, how many ways can I communicate - "I'm fifteen, I just had my first Mai Tai, and my hair doesn't naturally part in the middle, but underneath I'm a sexual savage waiting in front of this floor length mirror, just for you. See my Members Only jacket, hear me roar, baby." That's the exact moment that I knew clubing wasn't for me. From there on out, I sought out bars, the seedier the better - no dress codes, no umbrella drinks, and no pastels.

The bars in Germany were pretty much like bars anywhere else in the world, with the one exception - no real drinking age. The Beer and Pretzel was where I cut my liver into the painful existence of a teenage partier. This was a great rockin' bar downtown and it was always wall to wall drunken idiots. The building it was in was easily 500 years old and all the windows were sealed shut to keep the neighbors from complainin' there were no fire codes, there was no ventilation, it was one heaping mound of smokin', stinkin', shot drinkin' metal heads, and we didn't fuck around. This was where I think the seeds of moshing were planted. Just to get a beer, I had to mosh my way to the bar. The music was Maiden, Scorpians (ALOT OF SCORPS) Crue, Y&T, Slade, Priest, Dokken, Def Leppard (two armed drummer version) and just plain classic rock (only back then it was still just rock, only time has made it classic).

Then one night, it happened - the big brawl - tear gas, broken chairs, blood, glass, spilt beer, cigarette burns, and probably somewhere in the corner - the black death plague itself. This is how it started. One guy is weaving his way up to the bar, when this big ass hairy sasquatch, leather vested mother humper is lifting a huge tray of expensive shots over his head. Well, this guy gets shoved right into his arm pit - and I'm not talking a glancing blow, but a squared on face plant. Sasquatch jumps - cuz, hey, a face to the underarm is insulting and a bit ticklish - and drops the shots all over the place. The other guy is scratching at his face like there is acid dripping on him and flayling about like he just got a nail chewed off by a car door. Pretty dramatic, if you ask me. People started to push both of them and then the Clash came on - ALL HELL broke free and it was on. We started jumping into each other, smashing chairs and just going crazy in this bar, nothing was sacred. This was my first mosh pit, I was loving it. Eventually it moved outside, then the Polizei came, but we were long gone - we went back to this place every weekend, our patronage made up for damage. I often wonder if that big guy had had a sport/lemon scented deodorant on; would my life be different?

Tak

Needlecast - Amazing Guitarist Day

Takeshi Kovacs — Wed, 20 Sep 2006 12:30:42 GMT

Cpunks,

SWozniak started it out with this post and I thought I'd add to the party with this gem I found this morning. Enjoy folks,

Tak

Needlecast - Mis-match

Takeshi Kovacs — Mon, 18 Sep 2006 13:59:06 GMT

Cyberpunks,

In July of 1967 Mr. Jimi Hendrix was the opening act for The Monkees at Forest Hills, NY. Can you imagine this crowd? The pop crowd standing in awe watching Hendrix and the freaked out Hendrix fans floating through the Monkees. I see this as the ultimate mis-match between opening group and headliner. AND the opening act went on to superstardom and rock legend status where the headliner just sorta faded into the past like the instamatic camera. Can you think of any recent examples of this? You know, where you saw an opening act just blow away the headliner, or an opening act that you think will become legendary while the headliner will fade into obscurity?

THE MONKEES!!!

Tak

Needlecast - There's no crying in baseball, and no fear in rock and roll

Takeshi Kovacs — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 20:43:53 GMT

Cpunks,

I love going to concerts. I love the anonymous feel of a mob but there is an underlying feeling of desperate fear for me, too. I developed into an accomplished skanker and mosh pit robopunk thanks to my deep ska roots in Germany. I think my propensity to slam is a way for me to get over the fear of the crowd and the need to belong to the musical expression of the moment. I list my first concert as Blue Oyster Cult, and it was always vogue to come back from a concert and say how close you were able to get the stage. I remember the slow crush and the intimate feel of hundreds of strangers all around me. The engergy was beyond this world - girls riding on shoulders taking off their tops, guys throwing beer at each other, people sneaking cigarettes and blowing smoke in your face all very sublime to the music and the costumes and the blow your head off guitar solos. The start of every song would bring a sway to the crowd and we'd forget where we were as we went blindly into rock ectasy. There were probably whole sections where people didn't actually touch the floor - they were held in place by the crush (like that old Hasbro game - Don't Break the ICE) and if just one person went down we'd all go down in a fit of stampeding teenage euphoria. Was I scared, you damn right I was scared. I was scared sober, I was in total sphincter hold mode - I kinda liked my life and I didn't want to go out like this. Traumatized and scarred, and yes the beginning of a lifelong adrenalin addiction. Little did I know at the time, that concerts can be absolutely huge and the small crowd I was in for my first show pales in comparison to arenas and festival crowds.

Is there fear in Rock and Roll? Oh yeah, and I'd have it no other way.

Tak

Needlecast - Local Library Haul

Takeshi Kovacs — Thu, 14 Sep 2006 01:04:11 GMT

Cpunks,

Check this haul I made at the local library tonight:

John Coltrane - A Love Supreme Bo Diddley - His best (I know a "best of" gateway) Eva Cassisdy - Eva By Heart Indigo Girls - Back on the Bus, Y'all (saw this tour wanted to hear this for years) Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run (Great album never got around to buying)

Got a local music gold mine right around the corner from your house and it ain't illegal, yet. Take advantage people.

Tak

Needlecast - Back in Black

Takeshi Kovacs — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 20:30:20 GMT

Cpunks,

Black is everywhere, not just fingernails. I wonder why?

Black Mountain Jack Black Black Eyed Peas Black Stone Cherry Welcome to the Black Parade (song) The Black Angels Black Star The Black Mages Black Sabbath Black Flag Johnny Cash (the man in black)

OOOO Black Betty Bam Ba Lam Whazup?

Tak

Needlecast - To "Best of" or not to "Best of"

Takeshi Kovacs — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 12:57:41 GMT

Cpunks,

Do you remember that episode of Welcome Back Kotter, when Kotter was sick on the Bed/couch and the sweat hogs climbed through his apartment window becuase they missed their teacher? They sat around and thought back to the events in school and the episode turned into a "best of" comedy for each character for that season. Now I don't know if this is the first "best of" ever, maybe they did it on I Love Lucy, too, but the fact is, it's not that enjoyable and I consider it kind of an off show... so why are "best of" albums sold in such quantities. The songs are taken out of context, how can they possibly be enjoyed? That one's obvious right, every hit on the radio is really just a song taken out of the context of the album and sold separately and a "best of" compilation is really nothing but a numbers game in relation to how these radio singles sell and the higher the seller, the closer to the top of the playlist on the album, because that is what you bought it for, the hits.

I have alot of these "best of" compilation cds in my library, only for older artists. I bought the Best of Dylan before I bought Blood on the Tracks - this might be sinful looking back in retrospect, but it really was a gateway to greater things. If used properly as a gateway I believe they are good - I now have many Dylan CDs after that initial taste test. However, if you riddle your collection with a bunch of "best of" cds, it's like you are trying to build a buffet out of supermarket food samples. You can't fully digest an artist without getting the full meal. IF all you got were the hits, you might believe that they were good and filling, when in reality they were just bite size bits of brilliance in an otherwise unremarkable meal.

I like this one. The "best of" cds with a couple of new tracks or alternate versions. The marketing devils decided that they would rope in the hard core fans into the madness, the newbies weren't enough. Here's an instance where being able to download just one song at a time is actually a good thing for music. Oh, here's one, when the devils try to disguise a "best of" by calling it, hush, "The Greatest Hits".

What about the slick marketing at the end of last century? The 20th Century collection - I bet 98% of the moggers out there have one of these CDs. Coooool, Steppenwolf! Heeeeyyyy, I don't get enough of the Mamas and Papas on the classic rock radio station - here's a cd, now where is Monday, Monday, aaaa there it is. Happy now.

Anyway, whether they are used as gateways (which is cool) or just ways to represent an artist or genre in your collection (which is not cool) they all feel like contractual obligations to me, and the symbiotic record companies get their pay days. - So, just sign right here Audioslave, that's three studio albums and a "best of". - Whether it's a sitcom flashback episode or a compilation of greatest hits from '90-2000, the "best of" format is here to stay, and only you can decide whether you like it or not.

Here is my best of list of "Best of"s:

Beatles - One Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers Greatest Hits 20th Century Collection - James Brown, Jerry Lee Lewis, and the Allman Brothers respectfully U2 greatest hits '90 to '00 The best of Simon and Garfunkel

Tak

Needlecast - Love and Rockets - 80's Indie

Takeshi Kovacs — Wed, 13 Sep 2006 01:53:23 GMT

Cpunks,

I went to literally tens of shows in Munich in the Eighties. We'd saddle to the bar in the boot room and ramp up, then hit the U-bahn and go to the Circus Krone or the Theatre Fabrik and check out whoever. Bands like Midnight Oil (incredible show), Ziggy Marley, Peter Tosh, Bauhaus, Shiny Gnomes, Fury in the Slaughterhouse, Peace Love and Guitars and one of my favorite shows was Love and Rockets. The stage was decked out like the set of "The City of Lost Children", the band wore these vintage bi-plane leather helmets and wind goggles and the air was thick with smoke - no need for special effects. I was right up front when they burst into this jam - one of my favorites off of the "Express" record. Check it out - it's not goth, it's not rock, it's not glam - it resides somewhere in between - phenomenal show. Enjoy - oh, and this isn't available on iTunes, guess they haven't gotten this far yet.

Tak

Needlecast - Bad Poetry

Takeshi Kovacs — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 13:17:27 GMT

Cpunks,

As there seems to be a bit of poetry floating around the MOG world I wanted to contribute. Good morning.

When I'm blue I start to chew on the fat of you

When I care What you wear I shoot myself

Tak

Needlecast - Rare Album in my collection

Takeshi Kovacs — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 04:31:38 GMT

Cpunks,

I was just flipping through my vinyl tonight, and I found this one

It's the self titled first album of Pink Floyd - and you thought Piper's at the Gates of Dawn was their first. The cool thing is the vinyl is pink, not the traditional black.

I found this in a second hand record shop in Germany during the mid eighties. I was a heavy Pink Floyd user at the time.

Tak

Needlecast - John Mayer being cool?

Takeshi Kovacs — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 22:54:17 GMT

Cpunks,

Just when you were ready to dismiss John Mayer as a soft rock wannabe, along comes a clip to swing him back into the cool camp. I love the underlining commentary this has on marketing mass music - and the participants are oblivious to the humor. Shout out to Jay for sending this my way.

Enjoy, Tak

Needlecast - Tribute to NYC

Takeshi Kovacs — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 11:08:13 GMT

Cpunks,

Just a little something to commemorate the day.

Here's to all the people directly and/or indirectly affected by the heinous events that day 5 years ago.

Tak

Needlecast - "Dread"ful

Takeshi Kovacs — Mon, 11 Sep 2006 05:30:04 GMT

Cpunks,

While elbow deep in the big chicken wire hamper of bargain tapes, my buddy received a vision. The vision was one where an overweight Elvis impersonator can co-exist with an all reggae band and perform Led Zeppelin cover tunes, and then his hand, all scratched up from scrapping aside old cassette tapes, found this:

The masterpiece 5,000,000 by Dread Zeppelin. By midnight of that boozy, hazy night; that turned out to be the best 99 cents spent on music in the history of economics and humankind. I have to say the adsurdity of this mix is tame by todays cross pollenization of humor and Rock ala the Tenacious D standard, but there is something there. AND I beg all you late night moggonites to find a funnier first listen.

Tak

Live Dread Zepp...

Needlecast - Music reviews

Takeshi Kovacs — Sat, 09 Sep 2006 19:38:59 GMT

Cpunks,

I haven't the means to supply my habit like I'd like, however I have been gathering music steady all summer. The following are some of my purchases/acquisitions with a little review:

Green Day - Warning. I was VERY surprised by this CD. It's found it's way into my ears quite often, especially during long road trips. Tracks like "Misery" and "Jackass" really separate this CD from their earlier work. Great to hear a band explore their rock and roll side after realizing that the suburban punk scene was over. I don't care if this is a re-invention piece for longer shelf life - it's excellent through and through.

Guster - Lost and Gone Forever. Well, this was a MOG recommendation and I have to say - I really like it. The bongos are sweet and the harmonies set my mind reeling. Great mellow fall music. I wonder what else this band has that may be better... hmmm.

Black Stone Cherry - Black Stone Cherry. A free download from iTunes that turned into the find of the summer for me. I thought them average at first until I popped on the headphones - something about headphones that really brings out the brillance of studio magic. Their vids on their official website are awesome. Good southern rock and roll with a dash of naivete, and a whole lot of attitude.

Priestess - Hello Master. I liked this much better after the 1st listen than I did the 3rd. I tried the headphones and my love just diminished. "Run Home" is still my fav of the summer, but this band lost traction.

Audioslave - Revelations. The verdict is still out on this one. The album will have to grow on me, very rhythm orientated, need my funky baseline.

Iron Maiden (just a little subliminal advertising)

The Fray - How to Save a Life. Starts real strong and just sort of peters out into a mush of all the same melodies. I love it when an album lulls you in songs 6 and 7 and then WANGO - slaps you around for a couple of tracks before the big finish. The Fray doesn't really do this. Don't get me wrong, I like the CD - musically fine and lyrically just how cool is the line. "Eight seconds left in overtime, you're on my mind"

Franz Ferdinand - Well, I've been giving these folks another chance - still parsing through my emotions. It's always better on holiday. duh!

So, this is my list of notables... if you have any recommendations I'm open.

Tak

Needlecast - Great Concerts 1

Takeshi Kovacs — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 16:02:59 GMT

CyberMogs,

Decided to post a little concert experience in europe circa '93. The venue was the Rock Torhout-Werchter show and the artists were as follows:

Levellers, Sugar, The Tragically Hip, Sonic Youth, The Black Crowes, Faith No More, Neil Young with Booker T & the MG's, Lenny Kravitz, and Metallica.

It was the summer of 1993. We sent a small group of camping veterns ahead on Wednesday to set up our perimeter, somewhere close to the bathrooms and close to the main stage. The bulk of us drove up on Friday in a five car/van caravan. None of us had tickets. We find the camping grounds and our friends and we start hitting the kegs that they have on ice for us. We are drinking in liter mugs (mosses) like it's some kind of contest and around 3:30 someone breaks out the tequila. Several bottles later the sun is about an hour away and about five of us decide we were going to go down to the concert fields and see if it would be possible to sneak in. We are wandering all over the Belgium country side like misguided WW2 AWOLS and then as if we stumbled into the field of flowers before the Emerald City, we all pass out on the ground like dropped matches. I "wake up" about twenty minutes later (the sun hasn't come up yet) and take a drink of my beer, stand up, and wander off. It's at this time that I blackout. Next thing I know, the sun's about at 8:30 and I'm standing at the very gates of the concert, my moss in one hand (about two thirds empty) and a Press Pass on my shirt. Every one is excited and babblin' in Flemish which up to that point, I've never understood - it was coming in very loud and clear, I knew exactly what everyone was saying, for all I knew, I was speaking it fluently. People starting chanting for the folks to open the gates and I took a loong drink of my beer. Blacked out again. I wake up a little while later, still at the gates only on the ground, people are stepping over me, my moss is gone, my press pass is gone, and there's some music, a band called the levellers, playing in the distance. I go buy a couple of tickets and stumble back to the campground - everyone is freakin' out on me. "Let's go, let's go, fill the Boda Bags, and grab the coolers, we have a show to see."

About 1:00 the screwdrivers from the Boda Bags kicksed in and Faith No More blurrrs out to be replaced by Neil Young who fades into Lenny Kravitz who blinks into Metallica. There are more than 200,000 people by this point and all of them are screaming, "Seek and Destroy"!!!! I hide in my tent until the group finds me, and feeds me, man does not live on alcohol alone - but I used to test the theory a bit.

Tak

Needlecast - Rubbing Elbows

Takeshi Kovacs — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 14:00:14 GMT

Cyberpunks,

As we continue to roll and rock through life, we are constantly meeting and running into new faces all the time, especially those of us that live in larger cities. I'm curious, has your destiny put you in contact with a musician that you weren't expecting? I have several of these stories, most involving beer and concerts and me wandering around back stage without a pass. But I remember one time...

I lived in Heidelberg and lived in the "Alt Stadt" (Old City) downtown. My little subculture of bohemian, livin' in the shadow of the counter culture friends used to inhabit the tourist and student bars downtown. Every year (February, I think) in the town hall they threw a Vampire Ball - very cool masquerade party where people spend hundreds of Euros on costumes. My favorite was the couple who dressed all in mid nineteenth century aristocratic formal wear, painted themselves pale white and slowly walked through the halls of the 450 year old building as if ghosts gawking at cell phones. They were frightening to see after a few plum shots and countless liters of beer. Anyway, I'm dancin' and jivin' on the dance floor, dancin' with anyone who will look at me. Of course, everyone thought my costume was a peasant, little did they know that's how I always looked. So, I've been dancin' with this groovy older woman for awhile, just having fun and my buddy pulls me aside and says, "Dude, you're dancing with Chaka Chan!" - No, the woman that sang "I feel for you?" "Yeah, get me a beer." I half expected to see Sheila E and Tina Turner walk in the room next. Anyway the night progressed into a blur, as usual, and I lost sight of my dancin' queen but not before I got the chance to party with her for a few hours. Turns out, she lived in the next town over, Schwetzingen, and liked the night life in Heidelberg. Then again, it could have just been a clever costume, I'll never know.

NOW, my moggers let's hear your stories - we all have them.

Tak

Needlecast - Playlist pleasure

Takeshi Kovacs — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 19:03:12 GMT

Cpunks,

I decided to sort my entire collection by track and I'm only partially through the "Track 1"s and I love it. I'm always hearing intros, and welcomes, and "It's a pleasure to be here tonight" along with awesome kick off songs. I strongly recommend this type of shuffle because it puts you in such an awesome mood. Next up for me - Neil Young, Black Eye Peas, Incubus, Cake, Radiohead, the Sex Pistols, then Dido. Should be fun.

Tak

Needlecast - Selling Out

Takeshi Kovacs — Thu, 31 Aug 2006 17:38:53 GMT

Cpunks,

I ask the MOG world - what is the most blatant example of a band selling out that you can think of? The band Starship comes to mind for me. What about you?

Tak

P.S. - I'm doing research for a later post on selling out... I have very specific feelings and opinions on this subject, but I want to hear your examples first.

Needlecast: Battlin' the Robots

Takeshi Kovacs — Wed, 23 Aug 2006 01:40:27 GMT

Cpunks,

Lovely July '05 morning - bright new day sun, long shadows and the usual brain cobwebs that accompany every morning for the non-caffeinated. I popped in The Flaming Lips and hit the road. The car was starting to get comfortable and "Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots Pt. 1" hits the speakers as I pull onto the Interstate. If you are like me, you detest ambient road noise so you crank up the car stereo (so much that it's painful when you get back in the car at lunch or at the end of the day). This song was loud and I was really diggin' on it, light melody, nice beat, ease into the day. Then it happened - a blue RAV 4 swerves into my lane and my delicious morning shatters into panic. I cut the steering wheel to the left and my tire lights upon the dew soaked shoulder of the left lane - I'm doing 70 MPH and I lose control, fish tailing in the passing lane. The flaming lips continue to pour into me as I grapple with the steering wheel and I feel the first impact of my car as it connects with a concrete bridge that spans the boulevard below - my head cracks into the driver's side window and the whole world is spinning CDs are flying around my car, my cell phone lands on the floor somewhere out of reach and the chorus kicks in "Oh Yoshimi they don't believe me - but you won't let those robots eat me" and bang the back of my car slams into a guard rail and I'm flying across the traffic towards the access lane - where I finally stop and gather my wits. Where is that damn phone and what is this surreal music? People are surrounding my car trying to help me out of my seatbelt, and all I want is my cell phone. Need to contact family - the robots just took a major swing at me - I'm going down. "Are you OK?" "We'll call an ambulance." "I can't believe you didn't hit anyone else." "Did you see that Camry?"

The whole incident took approximately ten seconds and I can't listen to this song without this entire scene going through my mind. I can see everything: the dust on the dash lifting after impact, the feel of being at the mercy of physics - that up to that point were just taken for granted, the scenery outside the car moving in circles, and the tightness of my leg as I tamp (no, smash) the brake. My car was totaled and other than the soft spot on my forehead, I walked away unscathed. So much for those evil robots.

Here's a video of the song that triggers it all:

Tak

Needlecast - Dragon Revisited (Originated in a Lemontwist Post)

Takeshi Kovacs — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 02:30:22 GMT

Cpunks,

I came late to the party, so I'd thought I'd catch up by offering a bit of the dragon's perspective. The topic under discussion on the great original post was how emotional baggage brought to the stage, resulted in the musician's use of drugs and ultimately their demise.

There are places in your mind that you seem to go to when you are switched into playing a song, especially if you are vocalizing on top of playing a guitar. I like to compare it to those fuzzy posters made popular in the 90's. You know, the ones that you had to look "beyond" the picture and a 3D image would pop up. It's a very similar sensation when you play and sing. You have to let go of your total control on both and let them meld together and you really do go to a different spot in your brain. If you've ever played an instrument and sang along with it, you'll know what I'm talking about; if not, well, try to imagine doing data entry on a ten digit pad and reciting poetry to the beat.

For me, if I had too much alcohol, I can't readily get to that spot. I get all sloppy and slow and generally too hilarious to be so intraspective - but that's not to say that other people can't. It truly is a personal thing. Now, we as music listeners may not want to be a part of someone's addiction, but if we are groovin' on their music we are directly sipping from their high - oh, let's not even go towards Hendrix or the Beatles, or Blind Melon, Nirvana or Morphine. Who's to say that whatever influenced their brillance as musicians or artists was drug induced or not - we'll never know - but we're a part of it, and sometimes when success is a result we are enabling it. We as fans need to take partial responsibility. Can you honestly say that Jimi would have made Electric Lady Land without LSD in his life? Would we want him to have quit his habits if it meant that this album was significantly altered? Hard question. Fact is, we feed on their addictions, their sorrows, their joys, and their impurities for bad and good.

The first time I saw U2 was in the early 80's and Bono was a drunken wreck, he was climbing speakers and waving the Irish flag and completely throwing himself into his role of Irish Rock Star. Then I saw their Joshua Tree tour - and they were completely sober, serious, and very professional. The difference was amazing - through the empowerment of music, U2 was simmering in their self annointed responsibilities to their fans and the power of their words. It totally worked for them in a positive way. I still like the Unforgettable Fire tour better - because they hadn't figured out that there were streets with no names yet and that they couldn't give a shit whether they had found what they were looking for or not.

Then we have musicians like Brad Nowell who grooved us and rocked us to his own demise. This guy seemed to have everything going for him. Didn't we wonder what "tying off the dinosaur every night" meant? We knew, but we wanted more, baby. Then their self titled CD goes Gold or Platinum and he's ODing on a celebratory vein and where are we? Upstairs chanting for one more encore. We never knew it would end... look at how many decades we turned our backs on Ray Charles and his addiction, or turned the other way while Jim Morrison was singing about "The End".

I just feel that the drug use for many artists is the catalyst to their creative process, and whether or not it comes from making bad choices or surrounding themselves with bad influences only shows us how vulnerable we all are, and how wonderful when all the elements allign to provide the world with a beautiful piece of music and that those elements don't necessarily have to be beautiful themselves. Drugs will always be a part of music because we demand it to be.

Tak

Needlecast - Funkadelic

Takeshi Kovacs — Sun, 20 Aug 2006 02:51:20 GMT

Cpunks,

Winding down now... time is a blur. I've decided to revisit my collection by popping in some Funkadelic. The cover from this CD is quite a deterrent to the casual music buyer. Would you leave this on your desk for others to discover? The first rule of Funkadelic Club is you don't talk about Funkadelic Club... I think the third rule is you never leave the disc around to disturb the populace.

I picked the CD up without any real knowledge of who they were... I was kind of in a Parliment, Sly and the Family Stone phase and thought that this was similar to that - Oh, my God did I get a VERY pleasant surprise when it wasn't. The guitar work by Eddie Hazel on the title track still ranks up there with some of the all time great rock and roll solos. Check out the live vid of this song - and, cpunks, this is how the album opened up.

MOTHER EARTH IS PREGNANT FOR THE THIRD TIME - For Y'all have knock her up!

Enjoy, warning - it's lengthy, but worth it.

Tak

Needlecast - In Loving Memory Of

Takeshi Kovacs — Tue, 15 Aug 2006 04:18:49 GMT

Cpunks,

I would like to express my sorrow at losing a dear and close family member this last week with the following song... You know, nothing quiets the soul more than grief.

Tak

Needlecast - MOG question

Takeshi Kovacs — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 23:30:54 GMT

Cpunks,

If you were givin' the opportunity - who would you travel back in time to see and why?

Me - after I checked out Woodstock, I'd have seen the Allman Brothers live, then jumped in my time machine and tried to catch a performance of Sonny Rollins on the George Washington Street Bridge then sought after a Coltrane show - any Coltrane show. Because the early pioneers of Jazz were so switched into creativity's flow that inspiration would have just been a natural by-product.

How about you?

Tak

Needlecast - Rant

Takeshi Kovacs — Mon, 07 Aug 2006 03:45:56 GMT

Cpunks,

There is a fly in my room. I can't sleep. I think I'd rather fall face first on an open paperclip and have the sharp end lodge into one of my tearducts than try to sleep in a room with a fly. Whenever the fan minutely blows a hair on my arm, I'm whipping around like I have butterfly nets instead of hands with big fingers and mostly air. I feel like crawling in a corner, wrapping a blanket around me, and just retiring into a chrysalis of raw nerves to be reborn in the morning as twitching eyebrow man. I've got to find the rauchiest, hardest rock I have and blast the air in my room until the soundwaves pummel the little pest into submission. Now where is that Hall and Oats CD. God help us all, I'm going back in.

Tak

Needlecast - Music Collection Loathing Pt. 1

Takeshi Kovacs — Wed, 02 Aug 2006 01:04:42 GMT

Cpunks,

Have you ever let slip a word or phrase and wish you hadn't said it. So, you say, "I really hate that expression but I got nothin' else right now". It's this type of self loathing that is directly reflected by our music collections. I read a Mog post awhile back about taking it easy on someone's playlist choices, because it's a direct relationship between outward expression of what people are listening to, and their most inner expressions at the moment. Well, this inner expression changes over time and we're left with a CD collection of CRAP... It's not easy to "delete" a jewel cased CD as it is a file. Personally I don't get rid of anything anymore. I once sold off some CD's to liquidate and then a mere 6 years later I couldn't find my ICE-T Power CD - what the hell was I thinking selling that! Now, when I go to yard sales or look on bulletin boards the first thing I scan for is someone trying to have a better reflection of themselves by getting rid of "outdated" music. Now, sure, carting the Lemonheads halfway around the world makes me lose sleep, but we all have to live with our Michael Jackson "bad" decisions - it's who we are. I suppose, if I were in therapy, I'd just leave a list of every piece of music I'd ever bought, and sit in silence, because nothing speaks louder.

Tak

Needlecast - The Elusive Interpreted Ethos

Takeshi Kovacs — Thu, 27 Jul 2006 04:49:19 GMT

Cpunks,

I'm gliding over the dirty streets right now; through the tight intracranial back alleys towards the stoplight of rhetoric. I'm waiting for inspiration about how ethos controls music which in turn controls many through pathos. Where does the intertwining between what is going on emotionally in the listener and the appeal of the character of the music begin and end? Does there have to be a distinction? Does the style of the artist create the vibe or is it the emotion that creates the vibe? Adversely, the artist is only a small part of the equation - the rest is within the listener, the receiver, the interpreter of the ethos. Recently I tried my hand at writing lyrics and when I shared it with a musician friend of mine, he really liked it. The only thing was, he interpreted the song completely in a different direction than I intended. He said, and I paraphase, "that's cool, music isn't supposed to be a personal message to the world, but a broad message that can be taken personally."

Now, I don't know if that's true, but the beauty of it is, it could be.

Tak

Needlecast - Dylan Who

Takeshi Kovacs — Wed, 26 Jul 2006 03:41:56 GMT

Cpunks,

I ask you, can the man who played on the looong running British Sci-Fi show "Doctor Who" shown here: really be our favorite American Folk artist Bob Dylan? Does anyone really remember Bob's whereabouts between December 28, 1974 and March 21, 1981? I don't recall any public appearances by Bob Dylan during this time, and I never recall seeing Mr. Dylan smile publically. I think I've finally solved the mystery. To the Tardis, Romana.

Tak

Needlecast - Randomness

Takeshi Kovacs — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 02:03:34 GMT

Cpunks,

Trying to get my son to sleep, so I put on some old Portishead and it's got my thoughts buzzing. The CD is Portishead - Portishead and I'm wondering why it doesn't sound as good as the PNY live CD - not even close. Why? It's the same notes, the same musicians, same DJ, same rhythm, etc. What's missing? It's an emotional edge, an energy, a charge from the collection of electrical beings in the audience. I wish I knew what Beth G. was going through the day of the PNY show and whether all their shows were as good. Did anyone out there see Portishead live and were they as good as the PNY CD indicates they were/are?

Also wondering if there are any other examples of such a profound difference between studio vibe and concert vibe caught on CD. (Allman Brothers, The Roots, and Santana dont' count).

Tak

Needlecast - Mog Poetry

Takeshi Kovacs — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 22:55:55 GMT

I was not and then I was as far as MOG can tell

A finite fool in height and time And length and bredth as well

So if Mogging is all there is That's nothing new because I'll never be not For as long as I was not Before I was

Needlecast - Radiohead - Transition as Beauty - OK Computer Pt. 2

Takeshi Kovacs — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 15:02:47 GMT

Cpunks,

Let's face it, music is art. Plain and simple, right?

There is a famous sculpture in the Louvre, "Nike of Samothrace" or better known as the "Winged Victory" 190 BC. What makes this piece so remarkable is the way the sculptist captures the atmosperic moment between flying and landing, an alightment upon victory's field. There is true tension in the exact moment that the muscles shift from riding the wind to creating momentum on land. It's the transition captured in marble that truely amazes.

There is a famous 1909 painting by Pablo Picasso, titled "Portrait of Fernande Olivier". This early cubist painting translates three dimensional space to the canvas, and not by using converging lines as traditional geometric illusion but by converging frontal view with profile and background with foreground. I originally compared early Radiohead to early Picasso. As in the 1909 painting, OK Computer flashes the brilliance of what Radiohead would become after the 90's. The record acknowledges both new and old media and the artistic, creative clash between the two. In many ways it's an acceptance of change, and the freedom/remorse that change brings to all of us, it's as if the group mourns the past while reveling in the promise of the future. Again we see art in the transition, only unlike the Nike, Radiohead is taking off, not landing. Where Pablo Honey is a realization, and The Bends is the acceleration, OK Computer is the exact moment of transition, the plane has lift and speed, and the tires are touching the runway but completely uncompressed and ready to fold in.

And like all masterworks of transition, OK Computer deserves to be on a Museum wall or at least lilting softly in the background.

Tak

Needlecast - Supernova

Takeshi Kovacs — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 04:55:42 GMT

Cpunks,

As the owner of a healthy cable addiction, I've just caught up on the Rockstar show on NBC. UMMM, who wants to bet that Tommy Lee get's his @ss kicked by the Metallica dude before the end of the season? I like the shots of the crowd, especially when there is a lame hopeful on stage... this week it was an elderly asian woman swaying her arm back and forth and looking right up at the lights. I think she was trying to use the force to bring the spots down on the contestant. The audience is so staged, but there has been moments of unscripted wonders that keep the addiction alive.

Tak

Late Night Needlecast

Takeshi Kovacs — Mon, 10 Jul 2006 05:39:49 GMT

It's late for a Sunday night, past one thirty. The week starts early, and responsibilities rear up with the sun in the morning. What a perfect time to throw on Jeff Buckley's Live at Sin-e and just groove some Mojo Pin and The Way Young Lovers Do. Damn the Memphis river for swallowing this artist whole. I heard that they will be coming out with a movie about him soon. We love our tragedy don't we. May we all rest peacefully when it's our time. Buckley - timeless, eternal youth and hope - tomorrow comes early, indeed.

Tak

Needlecast - Praise for OK Computer - Part 1

Takeshi Kovacs — Thu, 06 Jul 2006 15:14:25 GMT

Cpunks,

Have you ever noticed that musical taste flucuates with the weather? This probably doesn't apply to more temperate zones (which totally explains reggae and salsa) but I have lived within the four seasons zone most of my life. Anyway, when the weather gets cold and nasty I always put on Wilco - anything by Wilco. I've never listened to Wilco after February or before October; it just wouldn't be right. If it's the summer months I'll play Flaming Lips - but I will never listen to them during the winter. Just the way I'm wired, I guess. If I wake up to rain, no matter the season - it's time for Radiohead's OK Computer. I have NEVER listened to this album in the sun and if I did, I think I'd be really uncomfortable, ill at ease, out of sorts and just not right.

Let me just say - this was my first and last time seeing Radiohead in concert. This tour was beyond amazing. I've seen Pink Floyd, I've seen the Stones, I've seen U2 many times, I've seen the Roots, Van Halen with David Lee Roth, Ozzy with Randy Rhoades and early Dire Straits. I've bounced in the pit at a Body Count show, I've wallowed in the mud at a Soundgarden, Faith No More, Alice in Chains, Guns and Roses outdoor festival and I would trade all this in for this one concert (okay, let me keep the Pink Floyd and one U2 show). There are moments in your life where you have reached the peak of what ever you are doing. Example, I was an open water diver, until I dove the Great Barrier Reef and I realized that I could pursue this hobby my entire life and never equal the experience I just had. That was the last time I dove - it's been sixteen years and I am still content that I did all I could. As much as Radiohead has grown musically/artistically there is no equal to OK Computer.

This CD, in my opinion, is the best CD of the 90's. I was in London when Kid A was released, and believe me, it was huge. I picked it up, played it and just nodded my head. They had to take a turn, a wide turn as they had reached the end of their rock album oriented vein with OK Computer. It rains alot in Germany so I played this CD almost on a daily basis for three years. That is not an exaggeration. I had a CD player in my comfortable little office and I had a job where I worked alone. Radiohead kept me company. I'm listening to it right now, and yes, it's raining over here on the East Coast today. Remember that I said that The Bends was a bridge to OK Computer? I'll explain this in my next post.

Tak

Needlecast - FREE Online Music

Takeshi Kovacs — Tue, 04 Jul 2006 13:46:49 GMT

Cpunks and New Music Enthusists,

I have a '77 Hofner classical guitar and I dabble in the sacred arts on occasion, nothing serious, just a fun form of expression (albeit with a timid voice). Anyway, I discovered a website for budding musicians where you are free to upload your own creations and many people have. Not everything is available for download but there is quite a bit there and there are a few undiscovered gems. Check out the site - and if you become a member (free) you can build a playlist that you can access from any computer. This has come in handy at work and friends houses - "Hey, check these guys out..."

http://www.audiri.com

Enjoy,

Tak

Safe and happy Fourth to all.

Needlecast - Somewhere Between Heaven and Hell

Takeshi Kovacs — Mon, 03 Jul 2006 16:10:00 GMT

Cpunks,

If you do not have this CD/music. Run out and get it. It has some of the most timeless rock and roll you'll ever hear. When I played it today, it was like the first time I heard it - it's like crack french fries - yummy.

"When She Begins to Rock, Honey I Begin to Roll!"

Needlecast - Radiohead's "The Bends"

Takeshi Kovacs — Sun, 02 Jul 2006 04:33:58 GMT

Cpunks,

Before broadband, the shroud of ignorance was wrapped nice and snug around many of us. I know it's banal to discuss the sweeping changes the internet hath brought upon us all, but there was a time when the realization of globalization caused disassociation with many traditions that were ingrained in many of us before the modems and the cat 5 cables came to roost. I believe the Bends is about this disassociation with traditions and the confusion it caused many people. "She looks like the real thing, she tastes like the real thing..."

I lived in Germany in '95 and the Germans have a very specific way that they introduce new roads to the world. They map out the route, they plan all the traffic changes and they build all the bridges first. It's not uncommon to drive by a field and to see a bridge in the middle of it connecting nothing, spanning nothing. The bridge just sits there. Then after three years they start building the roads and the traffic vision is realized. I asked around and found out why they did things in this manner, and was told, "We build the bridges three years in advance to allow for the earth to settle, then we build the roads."

At the time the Bends came out it was one of these bridges in a field. It seemed to be disconnected with anything that Radiohead did before and I couldn't see where the vision was going. I couldn't truly appreciate this CD until OK Computer came out, and then I understood the genius of this second album. Radiohead was not just a band with a strange, floundering sophomore effort (Spin Doctors anyone) they were a band with a purpose, a pulse, and a huge voice. It's full of nostalgia, fear, sadness, jubilation, confusion, comfort, style; it's one of those rare pieces of music that can cause very moving emotional swings - I can be sky high listening to the guitar solo on the title track and two songs later I'm crying about a green plastic watering can that symoblizes the trivial way cultivating life is regarded by big business - wondering why I'm accepting the dehumanization process of commercialism - and losing relationships due to self indulgent distractions. This album is absolute art and IMHO right at the top of the 90's musical food pyramid. Well, it's not quite at the top - that's reserved for their third album.

Next - OK Computer

Tak

Needlecast - Radiohead - 90's Greatest

Takeshi Kovacs — Thu, 29 Jun 2006 14:28:20 GMT

Cpunks,

This will be more of a running tribute needlecast than a single critique - simply put, Radiohead tops my list as the greatest band of the 90's, and I'd like to mog some of the interactions this music had with my life last decade. I was an expatriot college student in Europe during this entire decade.

It was a Sunday morning, and I was in the mental and physical rebuild period known to many as "hangover". I was in the tub soaking and the water had just drained out. Before I could get out - I heard the song "Creep" for the first time. The mixture of the music and the physical discomfort coalesced with the psychological justification of sobriety and caused a change in me. It was akin to accidentally bending hot plastic; the original form can never be attained again. I had to buy the newly released Pablo Honey. There was so much going on, musically, in the early nineties that this CD had it's place, but didn't stand out. Radiohead, like me, was just learning what having a voice meant. Remember Picasso was a genre painter before a cubist.

Next... The Bends.

Takeshi Kovacs

Needlecast - PANIC!

Takeshi Kovacs — Wed, 28 Jun 2006 16:42:29 GMT

Cpunks,

I say PANIC! Scatter for the exits like jittery terriers in a mosh pit, if someone puts this band over the airwaves. Yes, I've purchased their CD and yes, I've given it many listens, because I'm never quick to judge music - ever. I feel that all music has it's time and place, life has it's ugly moments after all. Example, what the hell do you play on your IPOD the morning after you lose your job and your girlfriend leaves you in a drunken stuppor for the guy you mistakenly told her she'd make a good match for? I'd probably throw on the "Hit songs of the Depression Era" playlist. With that said, someone MOG me a clue as to when PATD would be appropriate? OK, maybe if I stumble into a nightclub and I've been in an Eighties mood all day and the mistaken victim of a mushroom incident - probably a great time for this band. Then again, most music would qualify.

Tak

New Sounds - Get the Needlecast

Takeshi Kovacs — Tue, 27 Jun 2006 13:18:32 GMT

Cpunks,

As all you know completes you, there may be a band out there that helps define you. There is a band that retrofits you in a younger sleeve and calls upon memories of when The Clash or Social Distortion first made a splash in the music pool. That band is Arctic Monkeys. I just enjoyed their live set; and although sparse on material, they rocked what they knew and they were incredible doing it. I recommend this band and should you see their names on a tour schedule in a hall near you - by all means - go.

Tak