The BBC recently highlighted Portland in their "Close Up" series. What got their attention? The robust and wild local tradition of ZOOBOMBING. Participants careen down the West Hills, at night, on souped up children's bikes that they store in the bike pile seen above, outside Rocco's pizza on 10th Ave.
What about this seems like a good idea? EVERYTHING.
Frank Zappa, rabidly original guitar blasphemer, brings the august month of ROCKTOBER to a close.
Zappa's musical perfectionism and compositional talents served a brain that was iconoclastic, crude, wildly inventive, and completely unique.
His legacy extends beyond music as an outspoken advocate of free speech, taking a firm personal stand against censorship - including offering senate testimony against the PMRC in 1985.
My friend (ex-coworker and member of infamous rogue yarn group The Crotcheteers) Mary S. is highlighted in this video by OregonLive.
Mary runs the Mobile Chapel of Love, a Portland icon of... well, love. The bike powered chapel performs bothlegally recognized and above-the-law weddings, to anyone or anything you'd like.
Or rather, that you'd love... be that a bike, a Voodoo Donut, or the City of Portland.
Our marriage culture is more polarized than ever in America. As we (at the best of times) humbly discuss, and (worst of times) rant vitriolically about what marriage is and what makes it holy, let's take a minute to enjoy this. Whatever your views, it's a unique visual representation of something every husband or wife knows: much of your marriage is made of what you bring to it.
Alt rock at its apogee, I can never get enough of the ubiquitous Pixies. Pioneering the soft/loud dynamics later heard in Nirvana's grunge, and much of indie rock, they are quirky, endearing, harsh, ferocious.
Much more popular in the UK and Europe than in the states, my first exposure to their music came from a returning traveler from a European tour.
Black Francis' lyrics are an often bizarre stream of consciousness extravaganza, encompassing sea life, mind numbing parties, and biblical violence.
There will never, ever be another band like Led Zeppelin.
Their starkly original blend of gritty blues, shimmering acoustic instrumentals, and caustic rock redefined what was possible for a four man band to accomplish...
The Kinks were one of the most influential and under played bands of the British Invasion.
Literate, talented, funny, raucous, they helped shape punk, new wave, and mod, and even molded contemporary superstars like The Who and The Doors.
Their popularity has never really taken off, and most people know them only for one of the handful of singles that scored moderate commercial success. We should remember them for more.
Buddy Holly's brief career shaped rock n' roll more than any other early rocker.
It's impossible to overstate his impact.
His attitude, his electric style, his cool aloof, the swing of his leg and the punk cock of his head at the camera - all are his legacy beyond the twang and sparkle of his pop singles.
In the video below, I see Roger Daltrey, Joey Ramone, Elvis Costello, Robert Plant.
I see Slash, Bono, Patti Smith, and Trent Reznor.
Every rock star since Buddy picked up his signature Fender Stratocaster has been (conciously or not) channeling him.
I don't care who you are or what you listen to. You've heard Buddy Holly, you've seen Buddy Holly everywhere.
He usually sings with other people's voices, punches with other people's feet, winks with other people's eyes, but it's him.
The good friend of a childhood buddy, Tom Deslongchamp's art, animation and bizzarely original creativity has kept me captivated since middle school.
So, dear readers of Threeow, I thought I'd share the proverbial love.
Tom's world of kids, creatures, music, and talking hot dogs operates by a rigorous internal logic that is obviously there, somewhere, but terribly difficult to articulate.
His art by turns inspires, entertains and disturbs - often all at once. If you get it, you'll love it.
Thoroughly explore the archives -going back to '99- at his website.
One of the most incorrigibly prolific musicians of ... ever, Costello's produced (by my count) 22 studio and four live albums, numerous significant album collaborations with major artists, a library of single song collaborations, a classical ballet score for orchestra recorded with the London Philharmonic, two film scores, and more. The man is a musical polymath.
His compilations and "greatest hits" collections dwarf the entire catalogs of most rock musicians.
Costello's ability to write, to perform, to think both radically and traditionally is legendary, but most impressive is his pounding drive to make, to create, to always be developing his craft and pushing his boundaries.
He embodies the eclectic individuality that rock and roll is at its finest; the attitude of punk, the roots of blues and folk, the intricacy, harmony and evocation of the classical tradition. He's getting older, but he will never be "last year's model."
Seminal pioneer of glam-rock, master of the concept album, genre and gender bending Thin White Duke. David Bowie's flair for grit-glitzy rock and roll prophecy is and was sheer genius.
He's experimental without being alienating, danceable without becoming a commercial sellout. He can write, he can play, he can think, he can sing. He's pure rock, individual, artistic, mysterious, and a rebel.
Check out "Five Years" from Ziggy Stardust for a quiet taste of the goodness.
It's the 1st of Rocktober. As we kick off our Rocktoberfest, let's start close to home.
As in Portland.
As in my RAWKING COUSIN...
Growing up with Autry (she was like a second little sister through elementary school) was awesome, and I can't think of a better A to kick off Threeow's Rocktober Alphabet. She's local, talented, and tastefully over the top.
Rob Cullivan over at the Tribune summed it up well:
If Cyndi Lauper hadn’t acted so ditzy and Ani DiFranco joked a lot more, either woman might’ve been Autry, a Portland punk-meets-the Roaring ’20s singer-songwriter who’s so clearly out of her mind she just might be the sanest of us all. Not to mention she’s got a heckuva set of pipes and could hold her own against a lot of blues shouters if she so chose.
Here's an old version of one of her more out there tunes - "Bug". Enjoy. Find more at her myspace.
We made Reubens with it for lunch yesterday, and it's really, really good. Easy to make, packed with good-for-your-guts flora, and not sterile and acidic like storebought kraut.
Patti Smith says: "Horses couldn't drag me away from Paul's Rocktober Alphabet"
If you know me, you know that I passionately love all kinds of music, but have a special, intimate place in my soul for the searing, attitude-drenched glory that is rock and roll.
It hurts, it heals, it's sacred, it's profane, it's completely human.
Speaking the language of rock is speaking the language of the good/bad human heart - and our culture. It also... well... rocks.
This year, join me in the celebration of a month of alphabetically organized rock glory.
Prepare your face for an epic onslaught of outstanding rock artists in the first ever ROCKTOBER ALPHABET.
Look for "A" tomorrow.
P.S. Obviously there are 26 letter in the alphabet, and 31 days in Rocktober. Comment on a favorite post with a suggestion for filling in one or more of the 5 slots of that gap. Otherwise, it will be up to me...
Give the girl a hand!(Image from Dordogne, but not the art mentioned below).
The BBC reports on the recent discovery of ancient cave art in the Dordogne region of France. While any glyph/ancient human art is a big deal, this find has archaeologists excited. Why? Well, it's a bit of a human interest story.
Based on analysis of the artist's finger strokes, the most prolific artist represented is a five year old girl.
Beyond the snarky implications of "kids have always wanted to draw on the walls of their house", an interesting point in this story is that some of the young prodigy's designs are seven feet off the ground, meaning that the little one had to be lifted up to reach her "canvas" by an encouraging family or clan member.
Jess Cooney in the The Guardian's piece says:
"The art shows us this is not an activity where children were running amok. It shows collaboration between children and adults, and adults encouraging children to make these marks. This was a communal activity."
What a great visual picture.
It's easy for me to imagine my family living in a cozy French cave. When we do, I'm positive that (as a lovely stew of mushrooms and mammoth flesh simmers on the coals) Emily and I will be lifting our little girl up to decorate our dwelling with her grubby little fingers, just like great grandpa did.
Is it odd that I find this incredibly heartwarming?
Yesterday's "One Minute Physics" over at New Scientist is a fun summary of the Schrödinger's Cat thought experiment. But if you look at it, please understand that (in our universe) you're forcing the hand of reality. Do it. Or don't. Or do. Or don't.
