The Legoland Convention

Well, more music venting. This one is more personal in nature, but only because I'm not a huge fan of one artist, and a huge fan of the other. I just wish they had never gotten together:

This five-track EP, from an MTV2 special taped in November 2003, features Dashboard Confessional covering one of the most influencial alt-rock albums of the past 25 years, REM's "Automatic for the People", bringing these classic songs to a new generation of listeners. REM lead singer Michael Stipe joins Dashboard on "Drive", as well as for the Dashboard track "Hands Down". The EP cover of "Nightswimming" is an iTunes exclusive.

It better be good. It better be damned good.


"Nightswimming deserves a quiet night.
I’m not sure all these people understand.
It’s not like years ago,
The fear of getting caught,
Of recklessness and water.
They cannot see me naked.
These things, they go away,
Replaced by everyday."

"You, I thought you knew me,
this one laughing quietly underneath my breath.
Nightswimming."

Damien Rice sucks on the radio. Well, at least compared to the CD. I hate that.

Why can't art be art? Why is it that a song can't remain how it was intended to be? I understand it when people cover songs at some live gig or something. They have fun with it, they make it their own. They might be using another's words, music and ideas, but they either make it their own or make tribute to the original. But not on the radio.

Oh no. God forbid.

God forbid we let the original version go on the radio. I hate covers that are purely for profit. You can tell good covers from bad covers really quickly. A good cover is like the one's mentioned above, and you rarely, if ever, hear about them unless you were at the event (or a live album is made with the cover on it). A bad cover is when some rap or R&B "artist" rips off a song, adds lyrics that change the meaning of the song, and make a million bucks off it. When your only hit on the radio is a cover song, there's something wrong. Damned Ataris! Damned Lenny Kravitz!

And why is it that, if a song is to be on the radio, it needs a whole frickin rock band behind it? Cannonball had drums, and not just a little, but a whole rock beat. Or how about Dakona's new album? What ever happened to those songs I remember so well from Ordinary Heroes?

Do they think that art can't stand up on it's own merit? If it can't, then great! It shouldn't! Art should be made for the sake of the piece, not for the sake of the money it can make. If it makes money, great; if it doesn't, then oh frickin well. Or maybe I shouldn't be so upset about the art, but about the insult. Maybe what they're trying to say is that I can't appreciate the art, so they need to make it more appealing.

I guess I'm a bonehead.


"Still a little bit of your ghost your witness
Still a little BIT of your face I haven't kissed
You step a little closer each day
THAT I can't SAY what's going on"

"So it's not hard to fall
When you float like a cannonball"

my friend mike has the first four (4) seasons of 'super god robot force' on dvd. oh my! did i mention that my life in penticton is bizarro? when i come home everything is so completely different: i have to be the one to organize things all the time. c'mon, that's soo the opposite of what i'm like at school. and living with my family i have to try to be pleasant and 'actualized' so as not to worry them. do i even need to say anything more? ha ha! i can't wait to Arcee kick some ass!!

I've just learned some interesting news that none of you will care about, or even find slightly amusing (Holly, you'll frickin' love this). As you all know, one of my favourite all-time cartoons (and most of you don't quite share my passion) is Super God Robot Force. What the..... Did you want me to say that again? You heard me correct the first time: Super God Robot Force. Apparently Transformers was also known as SUPER GOD ROBOT FORCE!

Damn.


"Everybody's trying to break your spirit
Keeping you down
Seems like it's been forever
But there's another voice if you'll just hear it
Saying it's the last round
Looks like it's now or never
Out of the darkness you stumble into the light
Fighting for the things you know are right"

"Dare - dare to believe you can survive
The power is there at your command
Dare - dare to keep all of your dreams alive
It's time to take a stand
And you can win, if you dare"

My left pupil is larger than my right - significantly so. Very few people have noticed that. It takes a very observant person to see it. Also, that person would have to be looking intently into my eyes for a prolonged period of time. I could count on one hand the amount of people who have realized this. One of whom being my mother - who incidentally freaked out and thought maybe I would be blind in one eye or colour blind or something. Mom's are supposed to notice stuff like that anyways so I don't think she counts. Also, those who do notice have always been people close to me. Strangers just don't notice stuff like that. So, thank you kind sir for noticing the little things about me that generally go unnoticed. I like the feeling of being known.

Today is 4:00 in the morning.
And I can't sleep.
Hockey tonight.
Mmmm . . . hockey

I will admit that I have high expectations. In my own life strive for excellence and do things to the best of my ability. And I suppose I look for this in others too.
However it really sucks when your expectations don't meet reality. And I'm talking about both circumstances and individuals.
Does this mean then that I should lower my expectations?
I really don't think so. Becuase more often than not, my expectations are met and this makes something that much more worth it.
Lately, though, it seems like I'm setting myself up for disappointment.

And one other thing, I don't know about you...but I think that words carry a lot of power. I think we need to stick by our word and be careful with what we say if we don't mean to follow through with it.

There. That's my vent for now.