Let's Eat!

Music for Compulsive Nibblers

(a mixtape from the '90s)







The other day, in between scoops of Breyer's Dulce de Leche and Almond Butter ice cream with fistful chasers of Skinny Pop popcorn, my omnivorous girlfriend Amy quipped, "Hey, I (mmmmmgrrr) wanna make a (mmmmmslllrrgggr) food-themed mixed tape (smack smack, slurp slurp). Where should I start?" That got me digging out my theme mixtapes from the '80s and '90s - way back before iTunes and CDs made finding, recording, and distributing songs so much easier; before downloads and file sharing, I had to rely on my own personal record collection (yes, every song listed below is from vinyl). Here's the print version of my "Let's Eat!" tape (recorded on a Maxwell UDII 90-minute cassette tape and taking its title from the Nick Lowe Live Stiffs LP song); please feel free to add to and update it! (It is, after all, rather dated - note how I didn't even have Weird Al's "My Bologna" or anything by Southern Culture on the Skids like "Banana Pudding" or "8 Piece Box.")





Amy sez: "Let's eat!"





Amy found her Cheeseburger in Paradise - and Super-sized it!



Side A

Beatles - Savoy Truffle

Collins Kids - Shortnin' Bread

Louis Jordan - Beans & Cornbread

Louis Jordan - Boogie Woogie Blue Plate

Wird Al Yankovic - Girls Just Wanna Have Lunch

John Mellencamp - Hot Dogs & Hamburgers

Nat King Cole - Frim Fram Sauce

Lambert, Hendricks & Ross - Home Cooking

Tom Waits - Eggs & Sausage

Nick Lowe - Let's Eat!

Undertones - Mars Bar

Lambert, Hendricks & Ross - Farmer's Market

R. Crumb & His Cheap Suit Serenaders - Get a Load of This

David Soul - Black Bean Soup

Frank Zappa & The Mothers of Invention - Call Any Vegetable



Side B

Andrew Sisters - Hold Tight (Seafood Mama)

Mounds/Almond Joy commercial

Earth Opera - Roast Beef Love

Oreos commercial

Cracker Jack commercial

NRBQ - Hot Biscuits & Sweet Marie

(Note: But how could I not also add NRBQ's "RC Cola and a Moon Pie"!)

Armour Hot Dogs commercial

Butterbeans & Susie - Hot Dog Man

I Love Bosco commercial

Chicquita Bananas commercial

Chordettes - Lollipop

Insiders - Love Like Candy

Ohio Express - Chewy, Chewy

Frank Zappa - St. Alphonso's Pancake Breakfast

Jimmy Buffet - Cheeseburger in Paradise

Frank Zappa & The Mothers - Muffin Man

Pink Floyd - Apples & Oranges

Steve Goodman - Chicken Cordon Blues

Jonathan Richman - Double Chocolate Malted

Jack Wild - Cotton Candy

Madison Square Gaga

This is Madison Square Garden last Tuesday night a few minutes before Lady Gaga took the stage. As you can see, there are just a few people there. I bought my tickets several months ago, and the two following shows on Wednesday and Thursday were also sold-out. The premise of the show is a Wizard of Oz like journey, where Gaga and her dancer friends are trying to make their way to the "Monster Ball." Along the way, they are met with many obstacles, including the F Train (quite possibly the worst subway line in New York), darkness, a twister, and a giant piranha that eats Gaga during "Paparazzi" and spits her back up. If you are a lover of spectacle, I don't need to tell you how much you should plunk down the cash and just go see this tour.

As Gaga went through practically all of her discography, she spoke about how much she loved New York and that even though she had been through hard times (drugs, bad boyfriends) she never gave up, and neither should we. She told us never to let anyone tell us we weren't worth it. She told us to put our paws in the air and to celebrate ourselves and to celebrate freedom. While these are all vague, general incitements to the power of indiviuality, I can't think of a better role model for the group of girls sitting behind me who probably ranged from 15 to 25 in terms of age. I could hear them singing the lyrics with Gaga, and I was pleased.

The sheer force of Gaga is impressive; if you're a hater and don't understand why she's so popular, I encourage you to watch her perform live, under a battlement of heavy clothing and heels so high they are practically stilts, Gaga dances, sings, and yells like a fiend from Hell, somehow never falling down from exhaustion or losing her voice. Her strength and her confidence is simply unparalelled. It is overwhelming and inspiriational.

Gaga herself was emotional. Playing three sold out nights at MSG is no small feat, and she knew it. She shined her disco-stick on the audience saying "let me get a loook at you." Her voice broke with tears. During "Bad Romance," when Gaga jumped, the entire auditorium was set in a blaze of light, almost like lightning had struck - she was stuck in mid-air during this moment, almost as if she were ascending to heaven. It's a snapshot I'll never forget.

Alejandro, and more.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Lady Gaga's long-awaited video, Alejandro:

Gaga looks like Evita Peron meets page-boy meets Madonna. The Fascist streak in this video is fairly appropriate to my reading material right now. I just started The Rise and Fall of The Third Reich and it's absolutely fascinating.

• In un-related news, my column at Bookslut is up. This month's is on Henry James' The Turn of the Screw. The issue also contains a delightful piece about stalking Dave Eggers, and a review of Justin Cronin's new epic vampire novel.

• My friend Peter will be on Jeopardy tonight if you want to tune in at 7pm EST!

I have been wildly allergic to everything lately, and I have five million thousand reviews to write, so I apologize in advance if there is radio silence on the blog. You know I still love you.

Songs of Sorrow: Lady Gaga

Paparazzi: Love and obsession. Facebook stalk-age. Anxiety to leave the communal space. Jealousy, rage, and the thin line between love and hate. The beauty of a lover can never be recreated outside of the relationship.

Poker Face: The mix of shame and excitement on being attracted to the same sex. "Bluffin" with your "muffin" because you only fall in love with men. Distraction. The need for orgasm. Ultimate power over the situation. Control.

Money Honey: Being your girl is all the money in the world. Of course, actual money would be nice, too.

I Like it Rough: Feeling insecure about your sexuality because you want to have sex more often and rougher than your boyfriend does. Men raised by women and only women. No rage, no play, the same, boring. You want the throw down. You get labeled as a slut. Little does he know you are the best thing, you are "shiny."

Bad Romance: I would rather have your resentment and anger than nothing at all.

Alejandro: Your jealousy makes me sick. Let me be free.

Monster: Your girlfriend tells you she slept with that guy, and he was an asshole. You sleep with him anyway because you are stupid. He totally consumes you, then dumps you on the side of the road. Ultimate pain.

Speechless: Daddy issues. Enough said.

Dance in the Dark: Your boyfriend thinks you're fat. You burn and seethe with rage and self-loathing. You are gorgeous, but he makes you feel like you're nothing. You dance in the dark with your friends. Depression and suicide loom. You hope and work back to self-confidence.

Telephone: I will ignore you because you refused to acknowledge me.

Teeth: There is no man who can equal your power. Torn between feeling wonderful about it, or awful. The overwhelming solitude.

New Gaga Video, "Bad Romance"

This new Lady Gaga video is so outrageous, I just had to share.

I Wish I Had a Sylvia Plath

Gawker tagged this interview with Ryan Adams for Shelf Awareness. For those of you who don't know, he's written a book! It's called Infinity Blues. I've got to get my hands on a copy. Here's Ryan's interview below, followed by my answers!

Book Brahmin: Ryan Adams

My name is Ryan Adams. I am going deaf from Ménière's Disease. I am 34. I am a recovering drunk and amphetamine addict. I am a visual artist first, a writer second, and I bang on guitars to sell my poetry to the dulled masses. I love, love, love donuts, skateboarding, my girlfriend, our dog, sunshine, Los Angeles, reading and daydreaming. I used to live in New York City for a long time. I fought like hell for the city when people left for Brooklyn and dumped every penny I could into the mission and the museums. I got shat on by the New York Times for long enough so I moved. I will always love David Letterman and 2nd Ave Deli forever. Akashic Books has just published my collection of non-music pieces, Infinity Blues.

On your nightstand now:

Cup of coffee, digital shitty hotel clock, broken channel changer holding up computer cable into wall socket and Reading & Writing Chinese: Traditional Character Edition by William McNaughton and Li Yang.

Favorite book when you were a child:

Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, Light in August by William Faulkner.

Your top five authors:

Edward Estlin Cummings, Henry Miller, W. H. Auden, Sylvia Plath and Anne Frank.

Book you've bought for the cover:

Paul Auster's New York Trilogy.

Book that changed your life:

Roget's Thesaurus.

Favorite line from a book:

"Once you have given up the ghost, everything follows with dead certainty, even in the midst of chaos."--Tropic of Capricorn by Henry Miller.

Book you most want to read again for the first time:

The Bell Jar.

Why you write:

It feels like the noble thing to do in a world of fake smiles, cowards and so, so many undocumented miracles if standing in the middle of parking lots and laughing for no reason was one. And to see how many times I can get away with the word unicorn in otherwise unsettled text. And vanity. Vanity. Vanity.

***

Book Junkie: Jessica

My name is Jessica. I am 23. I am a recovering shoe and tote bag addict. I am a performer first, a writer second, and I'd probably be a florist in some other life. I love, love, love french bulldogs and pugs, clothes, my boyfriend, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, spring, New York, reading and restaurant-ing. I used to live in Georgia for a long time. I still love the South and wax nostalgic, but mainly I just miss my family. I worked in publishing for a while until I got dumped. I will always love book parties and the New Yorker forever. I hope someday to publish a book of essays, the most unpublishable kind of book, ever.

On your nightstand now:

Glass of water, my journal, The Diaries of Louise Bourgeois, The Complete Unabridged Diaries of Sylvia Plath, The Complete Poems of Robert Lowell, and Brad Gooch's biography of Flannery O'Connor.

Favorite book when you were a child:

The Scarlett Letter. Young Young: Slightly Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.

Your top five authors:

Virginia Woolf, Sylvia Plath, J.D. Salinger, Vladimir Nabokov, and William Styron.

Book you've bought for the cover:

Ha! Paul Auster's Collected Prose.

Book that changed your life:

To the Lighthouse.

Favorite line from a book:

"Life; London, this moment of June." - Mrs. Dalloway

Book you most want to read again for the first time:

Franny and Zooey.

Why you write:

Writing I think is the ultimate test for the brain. I write nonfiction, so I'm always trying to hone in on getting my point across and being as concise as possible while introducing some artistry and creativity into the idea. I find it challenging, and I like a challenge.

Murder Mystery

Congratulations to Murder Mystery, my new favorite band. You guys have inspired me to write my first music post on this blog. A music review seems so overdue, and I have you all to thank.

Friday night my friend C. and I ambled down to the Lower East Side to see Murder Mystery play at the Mercury Lounge. Made up of a brother and sister duo that couldn't be cuter (Jeremy Coleman on guitar and vocals, Laura Coleman on drums), all four members of the band are adorably talented. Adam Fels is a spectacular bassist, and Graham Roberts, the newest addition to the band, is easy on the eyes, hard on the heart. Oh, he's also pretty good at the guitar.

I suppose this is part where I tell you who they sound like. In the words of Jeremy and Laura's older brother, "sort of like The Strokes meets the Beach Boys." I tried to describe them as "doo-wop-y," but that wasn't quite right, either. Honestly, I don't think I can compare them to anyone directly, which is a good thing. Although I will say that Jeremy's voice reminds me of the guy's from Silver Jews.

The band just returned from a US tour; the show on friday was their homecoming show. In other words, this band is about to blow-up.

Here's the meaty part of my review:

Murder Mystery is a band that actually has a great time when they play. They smile. There are dimples involved. And the four of them actually seem to like each other, and their audience. Their lyrics, for the most part, are happy. And there's no moping involved in the more serious songs. Indie Rock is dead, as far as I'm concerned, and Murder Mystery has proven that four kids can still get together and play music and it doesn't have to be pretentious.

Do check them out at their official site or their myspace. New Yorkers: they have an upcoming show March 6th at Piano's. I will be in Spain, but be there, or be square.