And that is one of these videos that I've been looking for a good opportunity to post for a while. Today, though, since we were going back to a heavy metal type theme, I thought I'd post another song by Rammstein:

Engel - Rammstein

(Video footage from the Muppet show, with Debbie Harry, James Coburn, & Dizzy Gilespie)

Here we have Rammsteins Engel, with footage that complements it very well; scenes from the muppet show. They go together well enough that I was thinking "Rammstein was on the Muppets?" till I noticed a clip from Animal singing "Wild Thing".

The footage of James Coburn and Blondie (Debbie Harry) fits in well, too. And that flute music is haunting.

I much prefer this, in fact, to the official music video:

Engel - Rammstein

"Hi, I'm a hot nearly naked chick with a suggestively draped snake! I'm going to make you lick beer off my foot, while two children with black eyes sing in a cage."

Say what? Give me the Muppets any day.

Lyrics, with a translation, are here, btw.

This is probably what it is like living on your own. I didn't actually mind it. Since I'm here by myself, for a couple of days, I can do what I like. More enterprising teenagers might organise some sort of "rave" or "party", or even get some people over for "drinks". Of course, I seemed to spend my time reading, listening to my music through the stero hifi (which is one of those awesome speaker systems that you can hear the quality difference of mpeg-3 compression, making me smug with my lossless formats), and cooking. Oh yeah, and I may have danced, a bit. But I'm sure most people do that.

Warning, what follows is a very descriptive series of sentences, which may be dull.

So, I found a recipe in Sam Stern's get cooking (link), for a sausage ragoo, which seems to me a fancy way of saying tomato sauce with sausages. Most of the stuff was in the house, I only had to go to Sainsbury's for mushrooms, fennel seeds, and small chillis (which they didn't have, so I got chilli powder instead).

Within the first ten minutes, I knew three things. The first was that chopping onions seriously stings, which I had forgotten, just like how I forgot that stinging nettles seriously sting. The second was that peeling garlic is fiddly, and crushing it without a garlic crusher is incredibly difficult, which is why my fingers now ward away vampires.

The third was that Dad called to tell me he's in hospital under observation, due to heavy chest pains suggesting an oncoming heart attack. Wow. That's really difficult to deal with when cooking, you know?

However, in my typical style, I quickly forgot about this when I realised that cooking to music was fun, and that I needed a bigger saucepan, because when the recipie calls for a large saucepan, it means it.

Also, eating raw mushrooms is surprisingly dull. You need to eat a large amount before you get any flavour, and then it's kind of gross.

Did you know that vegetable stock, or at least the powdered stuff, tastes exactly the same as Cup a Soup? I mean, it's almost if Cup a Soup is vegetable stock! (My dreams have been crushed.)

However, the dish turned out surprisingly nice, even if the sudden appearance of a duty I had been neglecting did make me compose a long email, which then caused me to forget the pasta, which is why I may have left it simmer a bit long. Although, I don't think you can really simmer things for too long, I mean, there was still liquid left.

At this point of the evening, it ceased to be evening, and then I was cooking into the wee hours of the morning, because I only started at ten o'clock, because I had forgotten I needed to eat. Eventually, the tiredness, and my Dad's hospitalisation got to me, and all I could do was stare at the dish for ten minutes, before eating.

Despite my increasing distaste for the world at large at that point, and the sense that I was a miserable failure (no, I didn't think I was George W. Bush), it was actually a nice meal, and will probably feed at least three of the family when they come back from Cornwall.

Even if I forgot the lemon juice.

This is "Heart of Glass" from 1978.

This is "Maria" in 1999 - OMG! She's fantastic!

A bit of background of her on imdb. She was an actress, playboy bunny, hairdresser, and Blondie!

Dyed her hair red for her role as James Woods's masochistic girlfriend in David Cronenberg's Videodrome (1983).

She was busy touring in London in 2005 and 2007! She was born in 1945!

Luzes semi-acesas, somente a ponto de causar uma penumbra interessante no local. Um chicano segura o seu destilado, enquanto presencia uma amiga beber um martini em velocidade não-recomendável - da mesma forma como uma criança comeria um pacote de confeitos de chocolate efusivamente. Essa menina, a propósito, vai ficar 'altinha' logo em seguida, e ao acordar não vai se lembrar que dormiu com o amigo na noite anterior.

Ligaram a jukebox.  Ao fundo, o som que se ouve é de uma vocal cantando um rock pop glamurizado - e com um sotaque britânico fortíssimo. Na hora, (tirando a parte do sotaque) me lembrou Blondie com um quê de Nancy Sinatra. A letra da música fala alguma coisa sobre inferno, até a parte que consigo ouvir. Depois dessa, uns sussurros conhecidos 'I know your only doing what comes naturally'. The Long Blondes, claro.

Emma, Dorian, Reenie, Kate e Screech (não necessariamente nessa ordem). Diretamente vindos de Sheffield, na Inglaterra, para ser a trilha sonora de uma sexta-feira qualquer. Mas, pra falar bem a verdade, a banda deixou de ser o meu foco depois que vi um guri de perto. Os olhos azuis diziam por si, duas pupilas que exclamavam 'Garota, seu desejo é uma ordem.'

Respondi 'Ok, já que tu virou a delimitação da noite, me faz um remix bem bacana pra essa música do Long Blondes que eu quero dançar fazendo cara de Guilt has nothing, nothing to do with it.'

E ele fez.

]]> http://mecanicos.wordpress.com/?p=207 Thu, 09 Oct 2008 17:12:30 +0000 mecanicos http://mecanicos.ta.wordpress.com/2008/10/09/as-musicas-mais-parecidas-entre-si/ A revista Rolling Stone na sua versão estadunidense divulgou recentemente  uma lista que compara 20 pares de músicas parecidas. Segundo a pesquisa, as músicas "Are you gonna be my girl" do Jet e a música "Lust for life" do Iggy pop são as mais parecidas.

Na lista abaixo, em negrito estão os nomes dos artistas e em itálico os nomes das músicas.

1. Jet “Are You Gonna Be My Girl” parece com Iggy Pop “Lust for Life”
2. Fergie “Fergalicious” parece com  J.J. Fad “Supersonic”
3. The Beatles “Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” parece com  Offspring’s “Why Don’t You Get a Job”
4. Bruce Springsteen “Born to Run” parece com  Blondie “X Offender”
5. Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit” parece com  Boston “More Than a Feeling”
6. Nazareth “Hair of the Dog” parece com  the Beatles “Day Tripper”
7. The Doors “Roadhouse Blues” parece com  Oasis “Put Yer Money Where Your Mouth Is”
8. Foo Fighters “Monkey Wrench” parece com  Elton John “Whipping Boy”
9. Sublime “What I Got” parece com  the Beatles “Lady Madonna”
10. Wilco “Walken” parece com  Spoon “Don’t Make Me a Target”
11. Akon “Don’t Matter” parece com  R. Kelly “Ignition” (Remix)
12. Billy Joel “Honesty” parece com  Elton John “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word”
13. Phish “Farmhouse” parece com  Bob Marley “No Woman No Cry”
14. Elastica “Connection” parece com  Wire “Three Girl Rhumba”
15. Bryan Adams “Summer of 69” parece com  Green Day “Jesus of Suburbia”
16. Def Leppard “Pour Some Sugar on Me” parece com  Weezer “Beverly Hills”
17. Natalie Imbruglia “Torn” parece com  The Black-Eyed Peas “Where is the Love”
18. The Kinks “Picture Book” parece com  Green Day “Warning”
19. The Killers “When You Were Young” parece com  Bruce Springsteen “Born to Run”
20. Pearl Jam “Given to Fly” parece com  Led Zeppelin “Going to California”

by [|-DaRio-|]

Blondie were bang into their flow by this point, succeeding ABBA as the singles band du jour, knocking the classics out at a rate to make Paul Weller jealous; not that he was far behind. I’m always seduced by a band that respects the single, that can put so much care in for so sustained a period. You know the suspects: Wham!, Erasure, Pet Shop Boys, Girls Aloud… hmmm. I feel like I’m coming out.

I shared a bed with Debbie Harry last year. Well, she draped herself across it, while I perched at the end, asking questions she’d answered a thousand times before. In all the excitement, my tape recorder broke, but she let me have an extra five minutes once I’d taught myself shorthand. Lovely. Anyway, that’s one for the After Dinner circuit.

Candy Floss Punk

Summer lovers, Mimi Soya, have grown up. This post pop-punk quartet from Brighton brought their own-brand of compulsive/obsessive motifs, purity of being and light lyrical montages to Staines Hobgoblin last week and we could tell they were now embarking on their second stage of metamorphosis from punkpop nymphs to stadium-sized superflys.

Back in 2007 when the band recruited their exciting blonde singer ‘Hero’, the music was crowd pleasing and sweet (like a walk up Brighton Pier with candyfloss on the lips and the peppermint wind blowing gently into your hair) and the attitude was casual and relaxed. But since playing live shows constantly around the South, the band have created an edge to their compact ballads that are more knowing and more potent. Songs have a strong blend of energy and of wry unspoken depth-of-feeling that speak directly to an audience and reflects deeply into the recesses of each soul.

MiMi Soya songs are smattered with hybrid Latin jazz influences but classically built-up with a powerpop style and a freshness and cleanliness that reminds the listener of the Indiana band ‘The Ataris’ or soundalikes ‘Sludgeworth’, or postpunkers ‘Jawbreaker’. These attributes, coupled with some handcrafted Biffy Clyro-like chord sequences mean that Mimi Soya often sounds more like ‘Buzzcocks’, ‘The Vapors’ or ‘The Chords’ than the much more evident, ‘Blondie’. The sounds are almost more than poppy and more than punky and the effect is a lightness and a transparency that almost makes you want to get up from your knees and shout Alleluia! It is life-affirming, positive-thinking, punk-feelgood and we all need a large dose of the stuff from time-to-time.

Now signed to LAB Records with Crown Management (‘Sugababes’, ‘Good Shoes’ etc) Mimi Soya are currently so hot that their hero "HERO" could start a fire on the dance-floor just with her smouldering looks and her trademark gasping scream.

Check MiMi Soya's patriotic drinking-songs of celebration next time they are in town...

http://www.myspace.com/mimisoya

© Neil_Mach
Oct 2008

Keep checking AdPontes-Staines for news, reviews, articles and gig-guide

Country musician Angela Siracusa has a sweet, unforgettable voice that is hard to forget. Her latest album Drawn to the Flame includes a variety of songs about remembering a past love and reminiscing about the memories permanently etched in one's mind. In "Train Ride," we can hear a sense of longing from a past loved one, and her delightful vocal and musical gifts. Listening to Siracusa's songs, we can see her listening to her heart, writing her songs, and contemplating on her newest masterpiece. The cover of "Call Me," originally by Blondie, is a refreshing song to listen to by Siracusa. We can see that she is a multi-talented musician who can sing more than one style of music; she has definitely made this song her own. Along with many in her album, Siracusa is a musician that is shaking up country music.

Catherine Spencer: Your music reveals the influence of old and new country. Which of the two do you feel more of a connection with?

Angela Siracusa: There is nothing like the traditional greats. I see it like this, the old is the root and the new is the fruit. With that being said, I feel a connection with both old and new. My creativity and ability to turn old into new and make it my own, is what I think I've done and it is what I love to do.

Spencer: Do you feel that country music has become increasingly focused on the physical attractiveness of its artists than in previous decades?

Siracusa: Being physically attractive has always been a part of marketing any artist. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder so what I think is an ideal body or face may be completely different from the person down the street. Although it seems being good-looking has become far too important in modern country music. I feel that music itself and personality will always prevail in the end, despite image. I don’t buy music because I like the way someone looks; I buy music because I like the way it sounds! The eye candy is not offensive as long as the music is good.

Spencer: What was it like opening for Sammy Kershaw?

Siracusa: The venue, staging, and lighting were top-notch and so was the treatment for us opening acts. Sammy was gracious and took time to meet us all. It was a successful evening of meet and greet.  Sammy’s fiddle player, Paul Kramer, will be joining me on The Billy Block Show in Nashville.

Spencer: You have a slick music video, a sharp website, and a professionally produced and packaged CD. Do you think there is even a need for a record label at this point for driven independent artists such as yourself?

Siracusa: The one aspect of being signed to a label that I’d love to benefit from is their superior distribution abilities. Unfortunately, most labels don’t support tours like they used to so other than the distribution, I’ll keep with the indie until the opportunity arises.

Spencer: You were a winner at the 2008 Niagara Music Awards. What advice would you give to younger country artists who are trying to accomplish feats such as that?

Siracusa: Take advantage of the internet and it’s swift ability to enter contests and sign up for festivals and concerts. Through Sonic Bids for example, I have been able to achieve efficient means of getting my EPK out to promoters. My Space has been my main source of networking power and Facebook is used for my immediate networking. It’s how I reach my fans even though I’m not performing in their city. I come to them via the Internet. It’s awesome. Just yesterday I found out through Sonic Bids that I have been nominated for the 2008 Ontario Independent Music Awards, held in Toronto on October 16th. Wish me luck!

http://www.angelasiracusa.com

Por el momento mientras organizamos las 2500 fotos que tomamos este finde semana les ponemos una cancioncita cool

To this I looked at him like he was crazy. What young lady was looking for me?

"Oh, Mr. Nova. She was a pretty little blond girl. She was in here asking if I had seen you lately." he said as he handed me my bag of junk food and cigarettes.

Being that I have only dated 3 blonds in my whole life this doesn't leave much room for play.

A) A girl I dated back in elementery school that was recently married.

B) Girl I dated in 9th grade who has no idea where I live, let alone shop.

C) Blondie...

So, what does this mean? Is Blondie lurking around my world? Do I address this issue with her? Ask her a little WTF? Was the clerk making some dumb shit joke? Why would he lie about it?

Last I heard Blondie went back to her old boyfriend that cheated on her and was just a general dick and dumb ass. More power to her on that one. I stand firm that Blondie is a great girl but she has SOOOO many things that she needs to work out its not even funny.

I am sure I will be consulting the females in my life to see their stand point on how to deal with this one.

Mr. Nova

Top-5 meiner Platten gerade:

Blondie - Parallel Lines
Manowar - Kings of Metal
Lorreena McKennitt - To drive the cold winter away
Amy MacDonald - This is the Life
The Hellacopters - Head off

I have to hand it to Dagwood for the quality of his procrastination. Whereas the average employee might hope to tackle his long-term projects in due time, Dagwood feels confident that those papers will sit on his desk in perpetuity. He even stares directly at his boss and extends his index finger while making the claim. If that's not authority, then I don't know what is.

Top! do Leitor:

Fábio Rochenback

Tops! da Equipe:

Daniel Dalpizzolo

Procurei citar alguns que, se fossem reais, renderiam muita história de esquina, se é que me entendem.

01. Ferdinand/Pierrot (Jean-Paul Belmondo – O Demônio das Onze Horas, de Jean-Luc Godard)
02. Ângela Carne e Osso (Helena Ignez – A Mulher de Todos, de Rogério Sganzerla)
03. Sandii (Asia Argento – New Rose Hotel, de Abel Ferrara)
04. Fritz Lang (Fritz Lang – O Desprezo, de Jean-Luc Godard)
05. Nada (Roddy Piper – Eles Vivem, de John Carpenter)
06. Dr. Mabuse (Rudolf Klein-Rogge - Trilogia do Dr. Mabuse, de Fritz Lang)
07. Leandro (Terry Savalas - Lisa e o Diabo, de Mario Bava)
08. A Câmera (uma câmera – Bang Bang, de Andrea Tonacci)
09. O Macaco (um macaco - Phenomena, de Dario Argento)
10. Rupert Pumpking (Robert de Niro – O Rei da Comédia, de Martin Scorsese)

Djonata Ramos

Mítico não sei, foda, com certeza.

01. Alex "Delarge" (Malcon Mcdowell - Laranja Mecânica, de Stanley Kubrick)
02. Don Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando - O Poderoso Chefão, de Francis Ford Coppola)
03. The Dude/Lebowski (Jeff Bridges - O Grande Lebowski, de Irmãos Coen)
04. Richard Blaine (Humphrey Bogart - Casablanca, de Michael Curtiz)
05. "Blondie" (Clint Eastwood - Três Homens em Conflito, de Sergio Leone)
06. Tony Montana (Al Pacino - Scarface, de Brian De Palma)
07. Bob Harris (Bill Murray - Encontros e Desencontros, de Sofia Coppola)
08. Robert Eroica Dupea (Jack Nicholson - Cada Um Vive Como Quer, de Bob Rafelson)
09. Norma Desmond (Gloria Swanson - Crepúsculo dos Deuses, de Billy Wilder)
10. Hal 9000 (um computador - 2001: Uma Odisséia no Espaço, de Stanley Kubrick)

Thiago Duarte

Uma cambada que com certeza estaria presente na capa se eu tivesse feito um Sgt. Peppers.

01. Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson - O Iluminado, de Stanley Kubrick)
02. Mr. Blonde (Michael Madsen - Cães de Aluguel, de Quentin Tarantino)
03. Rob Gordon (John Cusack - Alta Fidelidade, de Stephen Frears)
04. Jesse e Celine (Ethan Hawke e Julie Delpy - Antes do Amanhecer/Antes do Pôr do Sol, de Richard Linklater)
05. Bob Harris (Bill Murray - Encontros e Desencontros, de Sofia Coppola)
06. Bill Munny (Clint Eastwood - Os Imperdoáveis, de Clint Eastwood)
07. Pierrot e Marianne (Jean-Paul Belmondo e Anna Karina - O Demônio das Onze Horas, de Jean-Luc Godard)
08. Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson - Pulp Fiction, de Quentin Tarantino)
09. Dude (Jeff Bridges - O Grande Lebowski, de Joel Coen)
10. Snake Plisken (Kurt Russel -Fuga de Nova York/Fuga de Los Angeles, de John Carpenter)

Jaílton Rocha

Estou voando sobre o tema até agora, então resolvi fazer uma "relação de personagens". Ponto.

01. Paul Hackett (Griffin Dunne - Depois de Horas, de Martin Scorsese)
02. Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner - Os Intocáveis, de Brian DePalma)
03. Martin (Rutger Hauer - Conquista Sangrenta, de Paul Verhoeven)
04. Charlie/Augustus/Veruca/Violet/Mike (Freddy Highmore e outros - A Fantástica Fábrica de Chocolates, de Tim Burton)
05. Bernie Lomax (Terry Kyser - Um Morto Muito Louco, de Ted Kotcheff)
06. Beowulf (Ray Winstone - A Lenda de Beowulf, de Robert Zemeckis)
07. Oliver Rose (Michael Douglas - A Guerra dos Roses, de Danny DeVito)
08. Rodrigo Mendoza (Robert DeNiro - A Missão, de Rolland Joffé)
09. Teddy (Urso, voz de Jack Angel - A.I. Inteligência Artificial, de Steven Spielberg)
10. Wilson (Bola de Volei - Náufrago, de Robert Zemeckis)

Adney Silva

Gostaria de saber quem é o desgraçado que sugere esses posts malucos! Sim, por quê o tema dessa semana é o mais maluco de todos!!! Pelo menos ele permite a gente viajar legal na hora de fazer o top! Por isso, na condição de ser humano do sexo masculino, o primeiro não poderia ser outro. Afinal de contas, qual personagem que você conhece que traça no mínimo duas mulheres a cada filme durante mais de 40 anos, mesmo tendo seis rostos diferentes? Esse foi o critério de desempate em relação ao segundo colocado...

01. James Bond (Sean Connery/George Labenzy/Roger Moore/Timolty Dalton/Pierce Brosnan/Daniel Craig - 007, Vários)
02. Rick Blaine (ou qualquer personagem feito pelo ator) (Humphrey Bogart - Casablanca, de Michael Curtiz)
03. Ferris Bueller (Matthew Brodrick - Curtindo a Vida Adoidado, de John Hughes)
04. Harmonica Man (Charles Bronson - Era Uma Vez no Oeste, de Sergio Leone)
05. Marion Cobretti a.k.a. Cobra (Sylvester Stallone - Stallone Cobra, de George P. Cosmatos)
06. A Matrix (Efeitos Especiais - Matrix, de Wachovski Brothers)
07. Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum - O Mensageiro do Diabo, de Charles Laughton)
08. Os Pássaros (Efeitos visuais e sonoros - Os Pássaros, de Alfred Hitchcock)
09. Inspetor Closeau (Peter Sellers - A Pantera Cor-de-Rosa, de Blake Edwards)
10. O Falcão Maltês (Uma estátua - O Falcão Maltês, de John Huston)

Cassius Abreu

Tentei misturar de tudo um pouco, conforme a idéia do Duarte, e indo conforme minha memória pelos filmes; à exceção dos dois primeiros colocados. O primeiro porque quase ninguém ia lembrar e mudei muito minha posição ao rever o filme, além de ser o símbolo deste nosso especial atual; e o porquê do segundo vocês já sabem. De resto, coloquei religião, dois surtos de filmes de 1968, marcas de grandes atores, o símbolo universal da beleza e o da fanfarronice metafórica.

01. Jimmy (James Dean - Juventude Transviada, de Nicholas Ray)
02. Alex DeLarge (Malcom MacDowell - Laranja Mecânica, de Stanley Kubrick)
03. Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick - Curtindo a Vida Adoidado, de John Hughes)
04. Judas (Harvey Keitel - A Última Tentação de Cristo, de Martin Scorsese)
05. Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart - Casablanca, de Michael Curtiz)
06. O Monolito (Efeitos Especiais - 2001: Uma Odisséia no Espaço, de Stanley Kubrick)
07. Tadzio (Björn Andrésen - Morte em Veneza, de Luchino Visconti)
08. O Bandido da Luz Vermelha (Paulo Villaça - Bandido da Luz Vermelha, de Rogério Sganzerla)
09. O Oeste (Paisagem americana/italiana/espanhola - Era Uma Vez no Oeste, de Sergio Leone)
10. Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp - A Fantástica Fábrica de Chocolate, de Tim Burton)

Luis Henrique Boaventura

Levando ao pé da letra, citei os personagens mais 'cinematográficos', inexistentes, icônicos e que possuem sempre um poder gravitacional sobre tudo e todos nos seus respectivos filmes. Acho que ainda ficaram de fora o Don Vito, T-800 e T-1000 (Terminator 1 e 2), Tadzio (Morte em Veneza), Dixon Steele (No Silêncio da Noite), A (O Ano Passado em Marienbad), e todo o resto do top de femme fatales.

01. Sem Nome (Clint Eastwood - Trilogia dos Dólares, de Sergio Leone)
02. Jef Costello (Alain Delon - O Samurai, de Jean-Pierre Melville)
03. Harry Powell (Robert Mitchum - O Mensageiro do Diabo, de Charles Laughton)
04. Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick - Curtindo a Vida Adoidado, de John Hughes)
05. Ana (Simone Spoladore - Lavoura Arcaica, de Luiz Fernando Carvalho)
06. Overlook Hotel (um hotel - O Iluminado, de Stanley Kubrick)
07. Rick Blaine (Humphrey Bogart - Casablanca, de Michael Curtiz)
08. Hill Valley (uma cidade - De Volta Para o Futuro, de Robert Zemeckis)
09. O Inquilino (Jean Marais - Noites Brancas, de Luchino Visconti)
10. Você (o espectador - Prelúdio Para Matar, de Dario Argento)

Por otra parte, con lo de diva entenderemos a toda aquella artista femenina cargada de una fuerte personalidad, magnetismo, carisma, glamour, it, etc. Pues sí, ese tipo de figura farandulera que tanto pone a los gayers y demás hijos de Sodoma. Y como en la Nueva Ola surgieron unas cuantas, todas de su padre y de su madre, pues nosotras vamos a seleccionar cada una a tres de entre las que nos sintamos más identificadas. Bueno, yo a cuatro, porque soy la mas chula, y porque aquello de la nueva ola y su petardeo inherente, como que me toca mucho más.

Y me ahorro más enrollamientos y suelto, así como que ya mismo, mis cuatro divas nuevaoleras favoritas:

1. Blondie

Bueno, no es que me vuelva loca la Debbie Harris, pero en cuanto se piensa en el chochete más emblemático de la new wave, es Blondie la primera que viene a la cabeza. Y hay que reconocerle muchas cosas, pero más que nada la influencia brutal que tuvo -ya que todo grupo de rock con chica mona al frente desde entonces (sobre todo si era rubita oxigenada) inmediatamente se la presentaba como la "nueva Blondie" y si no que se lo digan a Wendy James -que tuvo que acabar hasta el c*ñ* de la comparación dichosa -que también se lo buscó, todo hay que decirlo.

De su enorme abanico de canciones marchosas no me voy a calentar la cabeza y elijo "Heart of Glass" de 1979, porque es una petardada inmortal de esas que siempre que suena, todo el mundo pierde los papeles. Y Jeborra pitopáusica la que me contradiga...

Y el vídeo es bastante honesto, es decir unos punkarrillas americanos tratando de subirse al carro de la fiebre del disco, tocando en la mismísima Studio54 con un garbo bastante avitaminoso, del que la cara de  "voy supercolocada" (porque lo iría) de la Harris -en dificil equilibrio aupada en unos tacones que parecen zancos- es más que ejemplar.

2. Nina Hagen

Y de la neue Deutsche Welle (osease la nueva ola alemana, que los teutones para eso de etiquetas no se calientan la cabeza) rescatamos a la punky de boutique por excelencia, -Nina Hagen- maestra de drags y soprano fracasada  -aunque ella dijera que rebelde y blablablá, diva-divísima gay en su momento y que ahora no la recuerda ni su madre -más que nada porque su madre decidió olvidarse de ella en cuanto la echaron de la escuela de canto.

Aquí no tengo dudas, me quedo con el inmortal "New York, New York" de 1982, una de las mayores petardadas que jamás se han cantado e interpretado.  Y recordad que New York hay que decirlo siempre dos veces.

Y os juro y perjuro que no es un travelo.

3. Kate Pierson y Cindy Wilson (The B-52's)

Esta medalla de bronce en este caso es compartida para las dos figuras femeninas de B-52's, aunque los otros tres boys -y especialmente el cantante, Fred Schneider- también se merezcan el estatus de divas nuevaoleras. Modelos de pasarela en sus tiempos más mozos, con eso del punk les entra a todos la vena musical y deciden montar un grupito para animar guateques que al final acabaría convirtiéndose en el icono indie-petardo por excelencia, con su visión retro-futurista del pop de los sesenta, sus peinados imposibles,  sus coros chillones, y un sentido acertadísimo de lo que es capaz de hacer mover el esqueleto reposeidamente del que grupitos punteros actuales, como los Ting Tings han aprendido mucho.

De entre toda su vasta colección de temazos me voy a quedar con "Girl from Ipanema goes to Greenland" porque es de los pocos videos de la primera mitad de los ochenta donde las dos chochetes ponen las voces. Y porque la propia canción tiene todos los elementos de absurdo, histrionia y kitsch que identifican tanto al grupo como a la nueva ola de marras

En fin, siempre dispuestos a quitarte todo vestigio de malrollito y para desgracia de Psygótica, siempre con éxito. No sé como se lo hacen.

4. Grace Jones

Merecidísimo diploma olímpico para la diva jamaicana. Y es que a más de uno/a le va a resultar chocante ver a una negra (con perdón) en algo tan blanquipálido a primera vista como era el punk y su derivado pop; pero es que sin el espíritu tocacojonero que el punk le pegó al pop, el éxito y la mera existencia artística de esta otra modelo metida a cantante, no se podría entender.

Surgida de la vorágine discotequera neyorquina -a la que ya hemos visto se apuntó hasta la misma Blondie- en su sonido se limitó a interpretar un exquisito soul-pop pero con una pose decididamente punk (o gamberra o petarda, como se quiera mirar) Pero es que la jodida aportaba un vozarrón impresionante a su estudiadísima actitud y a sus perfomances ultraelaboradas. Una combinación demoledora que nuevamente serviría de inspiración a miriadas de drag-queens.

Y yo, como ella, soy una esclava del ritmo...

_ _ _

Y como solo podía elegir a cuatro, me he visto obligada a dejar fuera del podio, a esforzadas aspirantes a divas, como como Annabella Lwin de Bow Wow Wow, las Go-Go's de Belinda Carlisle o las Bananarama (todas ellas, pero las de la primera época) y las Bangles. En cambio no me dió tanta pena descartar a la cansina Cindy Lauper, porque si, porque siempre me pareció una chillona hortera que se subió al carro tratando de vender un pescado más que vendido, pero tirado de precio.  E igual que de ella tampoco me he olvidado de cierta diva viejuna que por muy de reina que se haya encumbrado, surgiendo de lo mas popero-rastrero de la nueva ola, se dedicó más a copiar de otras que a aportar. Claro que esto en según que ambientes, y con la perra que tienen todos con la ambición rubia de bote, pues no se puede decir sin que te saquen los ojos (y lo peor no es que luego no te los puedas poner, es que el esmalte de uñas escuece)

Y sí, quedan unas cuantas mas a las que no he hecho mención, pero os recuerdo, criaturas ansiosas e impacientes, que en este post me he concentrado en las divas más petardas. Hay más iconos femeninos de la Nueva Ola, pero de ellos se encargarán Frikósmica y Psygótica en siguientes entradas. Pero que sepáis que las hemos tenido en cuenta a todas ellas, y que para ser una diva petarda de verdad hay que ganárselo, porque la competencia entre tanta loba, es feroz, atroz y no se me ocurre nada más que acabe en -oz, bueno sí, albornoz.

After hearing a low rumbling of "Who is As Of Now?", I decided to take it upon myself to check them out and bring some answers to the inquisitive masses. As Of Now  is a relatively new, up-and-coming alternative rock band based in Springfield, Missouri. Members are Tyson Dummermuth, guitar; Dennis Knapp, bass; Tim Keller, drums and hot female singer/guitarist, Mallory Bailey (or as Q102 describes her, "a fine-assed little lady"). Busy recording a new CD over the past few months, As Of Now is, as of now, ready to blast back into the live downtown music scene.

I caught up with the beautiful and vivacious Mallory Bailey for an interview to learn a little more about the band.

Blondie: Where did your band name come from?

Mallory: At the time we didn't have a name yet, and the boys were at the Saosin and Red Jumpsuit concert in 2007 and a girl asked what the name of our band was. Dennis replied with "As of now, we don't have a name yet." Then they all realized that's what we should be called.

B: How long has your band been together?

M: A year and six months (March of 07)

B: Are you all from the Springfield area?

M: I'm from Lebanon, MO. Tyson and Tim are from California, MO. Dennis is from Festus, MO, close to St. Louis.

B: How did you all meet and decide to form a band?

M: Dennis and I met our freshman year (in college) in a recording class taught by Darci Stevens. Tim and Tyson met me at a house gathering and knew that she (Darci) had been playing in an acoustic band with her friend Sarah Slaton. They asked if I ever wanted to play in a full band and I said I was interested. They Facebooked me the next day and I called Dennis right away. It went so fast from there!

B: What do you think of the Springfield downtown music scene?

M: It seems to have its ups and downs. Right now we'd like to see more venues open. We just want to play as much as possible and having more venues and people to come out to listen would really help out.

B: Who were some of your early music influences?

M: Mine were artists such as Michelle Branch when I first started playing at the age of 10. From there it went to harder music like Mudvayne and 10 years and such. Now I'm into almost every single artist you could name. Dennis I know liked more punkish music, and Tim and Tyson were into harder stuff as well. We kind of evened each other out when we met.

B: What do think makes or breaks a band's success?

M: Finding a sound and getting along definitely makes or breaks you. It took us almost eight months to really figure out our sound. We all had different opinions when we first started, and we still do, but it's all a part of life I guess. We fight like family and make up soon after. Love is a big part of our success. We not only love the music we make together, but also each other. It just amazes me that four different minds can write music like this... I'm so lucky.

B: You are releasing a new CD on Sept. 27th at the Outland Ballroom. Is this a first CD for As of Now?

M: Actually, we recorded a CD the first six months we were together. It didn't turn out the way we wanted to. Plus, it was early in the game for us. We thought we sounded so good on that CD, but then 12 months later we record again and realize how much better we've gotten. It's like night and day. Not that our first CD was terrible by any means, but our new CD shows how much we've grown!

B: Who writes your music?

M: It definitely is a combination of all of us. I write the lyrics, Dennis and Tyson write guitar and bass parts, and Tim breaks it down on the drums. Everything just kind of falls in place.

B: Where does the inspiration for song ideas come from?

M: My lyrics can come from heartbreak, love, experiences, family, or friend issues. Pretty much anything and everything in my life I can write a song about. Dennis and Tyson write songs that correlate to their moods at the time. I love every bit of it. Tim gets the feel from us-and of course he's our backbone.

B: Where did you record your new CD?

M: Engaged Audio with Kevin Gates

B: How much time did you spend in the studio?

M: More hours that we can count

B: Will you be touring with this CD release?

M: We aim to do some touring through pretty much any state possible next summer after Dennis and I graduate from Missouri State University.

B: Why did you choose the Ballroom for the kick off of your tour?

M: Jimmy and Kevin run the Ballroom amazingly (is that a word?). Snap, the sound tech, knows exactly how to run our sound and always does a great job with it. I know some bartenders and people that run the door too. It's just always a good time there.

B: While on tour, what do you do to pass the time between shows?

M: Listen to Dennis talk. HA! We either talk about what our plans for upcoming shows are or what we aim to do the night of a show as far as stage presence and crowd interaction.

B: Where are some of your fave places to play?

M: The Blue Note in Columbia is an awesome venue. We'd play there any day. The Outland Ballroom of course is always a top favorite, as well as Lindberg's who are always so good to us.

B: What has been your most memorable show to date?

M: Probably our first show. I remember how nervous we all were and the huge crowd we had. It was at Tim and Tyson's church with close to 200 kids in the crowd. We have it on video and make fun of ourselves. ha

B: What's the craziest thing a fan has done at one of your shows?

M: Nothing too crazy worth mentioning yet. If someone who reads this goes streaking at one of our shows, I'll pull you onstage with me and propose to you.

B: Are there any special rituals or habits you do before a show to pump up?

M: We paint our nails black and make sure to ride together to each show. After we load in and sound check we all kind of separate and think about the show and focus on making it even better than the last.

B: What is ahead for As Of Now?

M: Hopefully a full album release within the next year, touring next summer, and of course we are wanting to get signed. Playing music for the rest of our lives is the best thing we could ever hope for and the one thing we want more than anything.

B: Where can fans buy your CD after the show?

M: Of course all of our new merch will be available at the show. We plan on hanging out and talking to fans after we play that night also. We are selling CDs and T-shirts online at http://www.asofnowmusic.com if there are some people that aren't able to make it out.

B: Is there anything you'd like to say to your fans?

M: You have no idea how much you mean to us. Every single one of you, even if we don't know you personally, is the reason why we keep pushing on. You feed us with what we need and make us feel like we make a difference. Come introduce yourselves and chat with us after shows that you're at; we'd love to get to know you!

So there you have it. I hope that this has helped answer the question of "Who is As Of Now?". With a new CD, original rock and oozing sex appeal, I'm sure soon everyone will want to get to know As Of Now up close and personal. And don't forget to do something crazy, like, maybe... streak? I'll be sure to catch it and the onstage proposal on video.

Be sure to see them live at their CD release party at the Outland Ballroom, September 27th, 8 pm.

--Blondie

American singer-songwriter and actress, most famous for being the lead singer for the punk rock/New Wave band Blondie. She has also had some success as a solo artist, recording five solo albums. In the mid 1990s she also performed and recorded as part of the Jazz Passengers. Harry has also engaged in an acting career with over 30 film roles and several television appearances to her credit

Heart of Glass video:

We showed up around 6:30pm and ended up being standby numbers 29-31 for dress rehearsal. I've been to both dress rehearsal and the live show, and I'm a fan of dress. It's longer, you see things that are cut out, and you can still be home in time to watch it on tv.

I spent a decent amount of the 11.5 hours in line speaking with a friend about the Jonas Brothers. She writes for M Magazine.

Things I learned about the JoBros:

Anyways. SNL/NBC run such a well-oiled machine. A well-oiled chaotic machine. So even though we went through the metal detector, I still had some pretty serious doubts about whether we would get in. And they only let 20 people up, which was depressing... until they asked for 12 more. We were in!

As we walked to our seats (which were very far in the back and up in the corner), Sudeikis was in the process of warming up the crowd. He mentioned that everybody was going to enjoy themselves, except for us, because we were heading to the worst seats in the house and wouldn't see anything. But hey! At least we'd get to hear it! When you walk in and Jason Sudeikis makes a joke about you, you know you've made it. Kristen Wiig and Fred Armisen came out and played "Hanging on the Telephone" by Blondie, which is a song I was randomly obsessed with in college for no reason.

It's pretty impressive to watch them move around the sets and scenery, to watch the host and cast members have to start running after every sketch for the next costume change because THERE'S NO TIME AHHH.

It's great.

The other thing that I should note is that SNL is much, much funnier in person. There are scenes that I thought were funnier in person that I thought were a little flatter on TV. And there were scenes that I didn't think were that funny in person that ended up being even less funny on TV, so.. keep that in mind as you read this. I'm biased from the live experience.

Cold Open -- SNL had A LOT of buzz after the Clinton/Palin sketch next week, and unfortunately I think this somewhat missed the mark. They did actually manage to tackle several campaign issues (the dirtiness of the campaign, Palin's experience level, McCain's lack of knowledge about technology), and it was packaged well. I'm sure they're all truly upset that next week's debates are on Friday. That will be a long night for the crew -- you know they're going to have to be there until around 3am writing sketches and Update jokes based on that. Oh, the life and times of political comedians.

Monologue -- James Franco looks like the happiest person ever to be hosting SNL, so I think that this will be a good show. I don't know why, but his giant smile is telling me so. If he is smiling so huge right before he plunged into a not funny show, I will be disappointed.. I love Kevin Wo.

Cougar Den -- They are really good at hiding Amy Poehler's belly. It's impressive, actually. I have no idea why Cameron Diaz is there. It's so random and unexpected. Like, hey, we only have three chicks on the show, so we need another! Emo James Franco is still beautiful. And that is all I will say about his looks, scouts honor. The more sketches I see her in, the more I'm really starting to like Casey Wilson. Which is good, because there will be only two girls on SNL soon. I'm suprised they didn't start the season with another featured girl.

Agent 420 -- Bill Hader and Jason Sudeikis are pretty much my two favorite castmembers. I enjoy seeing the two of them together, especially when they're interrupted by Saul--er Agent 420. Kristen Wiig is the show's new singer now that Maya is gone. In dress rehearsal, this sketch was about an hour later than it was used here. And it ended with them all collapsed on the floor.

OJ Simpson Jury -- I was about 90% certain this sketch would be cut, and not only is it still here, they moved it up. The only part I really like is James Franco's flip out. "SERIOUSLY! AM I HIM?!" Bobby Moynihan should stick to anthropology sketches like this character. I love Andy Samberg's alien makeup, it distracts me from Kenan's bad OJ Simpson make-up. Before this sketch, Bill Hader (who just seems all around jolly and likes to wave at people in the crowd) caught us looking at him and made faces and waved to us. Hooray! Thank you for acknowledging us in the back in our one random three person section (there are no rows in front of us, and our view was pretty blocked by cameras, as Jason Sudeikis apparently knows all to well).

Digital Short -- This really is every CW show ever. The short was edited, which is sad, because we miss the great teen show exchange of "What's your name?" "What does it matter?" The older people trying to act like they're 15. The Blake Lively. Sometimes I wonder where Andy Samberg thinks of these things. Late night dreams?

TNT Shows - The Looker -- I don't know what it is about this, but I find it hysterical. Maybe it's James Franco's greasy ponytail. Maybe it's Fred Armisen's ability to stare creepily and expressionlessly for so long. Maybe it's Sudeikis' delivery of "Sonuvabitch!" Too bad the camera guy turned away as Franco delivered the, "WHY ARE YOUR GLASSES SO SMALL?" yell. Why are her glasses so small? And so creepy?

Kings of Leon "Sex on Fire" -- Let's be honest. I came into this not liking Kings of Leon. Though in a close-minded, I heard a few songs of theirs a couple of years ago and saw them live and just could care less. I thought they were gross and untalented. They've cleaned up a bit and started writing better songs, and I really like this, actually. Thank you, SNL for converting my opinion. And now I need to buy this album. I am kind of in love with Caleb Followill's voice. Even if he looks pretty nervous. People on TV should avoid chewing gum. I'm talking to you, Nathan Followill.

Weekend Update -- Seth Meyers doesn't really do much as a cast member on SNL anymore, so I live for seeing him and Amy on Weekend Update. They have always worked well together, and it's sad to think that those days are numbered. I find Seth Meyers to be a completely underrated straight man (in comedy, yo), but I suppose he's busy doing the writing thing. Jason Sudeikis' chest hair! Yes! Below that barrel he is wearing black dress socks and black shoes. It's pretty hilarious to watch someone walk across a set in a barrel with long dress socks. It's even weirder to see someone walking around in their green underwear. Thank you, Jason Sudeikis and Fred Armisen. After both were done, Seth remaked that "It's interesting when the best dressed guest was a guy in a barrel." Weekend Update is probably my favorite part of dress rehearsal, because Amy and Seth clearly have so much fun with it and are not afraid to screw around at dress. Before the George Takei joke, Seth actually stopped and started cracking up. He asked Amy for some Rosie Perez inspiration, which is great, because she does the best Rosie Perez impression ever, seriously. It can be so bad and so good at once. Amy also had a joke that she messed up on, which sadly ended up being cut. "Brad Pitt donated money to support gay marriage. He wants to be ready when Clooney finally proposes." She said "Cloonily" the first time, which turned into a little segment.

AMY: That's what I'll say when I meet him. "Cloonily I've met you!"
SETH: And he will say, "SECURITY!"
AMY: How'd you get into my trailer?

The Paw & Order joke was originally what closed out Weekend Update, but they moved it up earlier on because it didn't get too many laughs. Until they started playing the sound over and over. Seth wants you all to know that him and Amy watch a lot of L&O because they are "hip and cool."

NY Times -- I am not the hugest fan of this sketch. Though Will Forte being obsessed with polar bears is fantastic. This sketch was originally much earlier in the show, I'm glad it was rearranged. And sad it wasn't cut all together, actually. So many polar bear deaths just lead me to believe that Sarah Palin is right in being a polar bear hater. Only not, because I love polar bears.

Of Mice & Men alternate ending -- So, seriously, of the three sketches I thought would get cut, all three have been in the live show. This is weird. Though I do find this hilarious. I'm also confused by the amount to which Bobby Moynihan has been used. It's only been two episodes, of course, but they usually don't use the new guys too much straight away. James Franco should always dress like he is in this sketch, though, because it's fantastic. This one really appeals to the lit geek in me.

Yankee Stadium Stories -- I love this. Amy Poehler Is Rosie Perez. "Throw me the meatball!" Man, Yankee Stadium. I'm going to miss you. It's nice to be at SNL this weekend and sit in the Yankee Stadium seats. The seats in the balcony of the SNL studio are on-loan from George Steinbrenner. He told Lorne that he wanted the chairs back when the show was cancelled. Oh, useless information that you learn on the NBC Experience tour (very fun tour by the way. I'd recommend taking it before Conan leaves for California). There actually were three shown at dress, one with Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker, and another with Russell Simmons and .. I'm not really sure who Amy Poehler was supposed to be. Courtney Love? I missed the caption.

Kings of Leon "Use Somebody" -- I am in love with this song. Unfortunately for Lil Wayne last week, the SNL set isn't a great place for hip-hop performances, but the hollow space is fairly perfect for a haunting rock song. And Nathan is still chewing gum. He was chewing gum at dress, too, so we're running on like five hours of gum chewing. Nice.

Willem Dafoe -- This was my favorite sketch hands down. I love that they make fun of James Franco's squintiness. Bill Hader looks nothing like Willem Dafoe, but this is still hilarious. Andy Samberg's impression of Willem Dafoe is amazing, and spot on, clearly. And making fun of the mirror scenes from Spider-Man are great. It's the Michael Phelps Diet way of ending a show. End it with a great sketch so you can forget that they put some duds in there.

Closing -- Good times. I like that James Franco pointed Blake Lively out, because she's not on stage, but I've been informed that the whole Gossip Girl cast was at the show tonight. Chace Crawford actually showed up for dress, as well, because he knows as well as we do that the SNL experience is totally worth it. Also, he's beautiful, and wanted to make sure that I could see his beauty and stare at him with my head cocked to the side. Sigh. I am still curious as to why Cameron Diaz was there. It makes little sense to me. Have James Franco and Cameron Diaz even ever been in a movie together? According to IMDB, they were in The Holiday together. ..Ok.

The photos before/after commercials were stunningly good this episode, both for James Franco and Kings of Leon. Of course, James Franco is stunningly photographic, so that probably helps.

What WAS Cut is sad, because there were some really good ones in there:
A sketch in which James Dean and Liberace are in a movie together was a little too long, and only had a few funny moments, but it was worth it to see James Franco do his James Dean some more (if you haven't seen the James Dean movie that aired on TNT a few years ago, it's worth a rental) and Fred Armisen as Liberace was fun. I can understand why they cut it, but I'm disappointed. And since they did cut it, and we all sometimes need our James Franco as James Dean fix, I present to you, acting lessons with James Franco. James and his brother Dave(y) recreate a scene from Rebel Without a Cause. Brilliance.

The Suze Orman Show, which is always great, though, yes, too long. Kristen needed to review all of the cue cards before feeling ready to sit at Suze's desk. Then she nailed everything. Kristen Wiig, you are amazing.

Lovematchconnect.com. A website which is already fully functional, so I have no doubt that they will be airing this commercial at some point in the future.

And perhaps one of my favorite sketches of the night involved James Franco as the manipulative boyfriend that Kristen Wiig wants to break up with. Only she can't, because he manipulates people by crying hysterically and telling them what he wants them to do. By the end of the scene, he tries to get Amy Poehler and Casey Wilson to take off their shirts and kiss each other while Kristen is in the kitchen making the pasta (and garlic bread, etc, etc) that he bought to make for her. This was sold on James Franco's amazing ability to cry hysterically and speak at the same time. But I guess not to Lorne. Boo.

There was also an awful sketch involving old men trying to schedule a meeting but having to many other weird appointments, including one involving a glory hole.

Thank you, Urban Dictionary, for all of your help through the years.