Pop Culture Blog: Music, Movie and Humor | Pye in the Face

Leveraging low-hanging synergies outside the vertical fruit box since 1999.

Archives for July 2005

En Route To Ruin.


in Heartwarming

I’m zipping along the tracks on the 8:45 out to Fitchburg. Jim is picking me up in Lincoln, after which we’ll spend another in a long line of evenings getting silly at the Red House. Saturday, we’re all headed down to Newport for Harko’s bachelor party. Golf in the afternoon, and Foxwoods in the evening. Gambling and golf are two things at which I most certainly do not excel, and I fully expect to return to Boston Sunday night with a sore back, a light wallet and a stab wound. And a new stripper girlfriend who is extremely mad at her father for something.

Jeeps the train’s speaker is friggin’ loud. Maybe I shouldn’t have sat right underneath it. Must be great for the hearing impaired, though. And perhaps even better at actually making healthy people hearing impaired. I have noticed many such trade-offs during my strange life so far. Like that one about tits and bulls.

You know what this laptop needs? A video game. I need to find a decent distraction for these long periods of internetless travel. Maybe a Tetris clone or one of those Nintendo emulators where you can play old cartridge ROMs on your PC. Yep – me, the open road and Rush N’ Attack. A winning combination if ever one existed.. Unless of course I ever plan on sleeping with a woman again.

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Friday’s Quizzlet: Kryptonite Beehives.


in Monday's Quotelet

Appetizer: Name 3 people whom you admire for their intelligence.
The Hanson brothers. Mmmmmbop? Try evil geniuses… bop. Notice how you never see the three of them and Al Zarqawi in the same room? I rest my case. And I like those Trivial Pursuit guys, too.

Soup: What’s the last food you tried that you really didn’t care for.
Tombeno made me try a bite of this ridiculously huge lobster when we were in Montreal. I wanted to be a good sport (he was so excited). I wanted to be open-minded and adventurous. But I ended up retching and gagging as soon as my teeth sank into the minging, fishy mess. What is it about seafood that people love so much? Please explain this to me. If I were frigging shipwrecked, I’d still be wandering around the island looking for a burger or chicken fingers off the children’s menu.

Salad: If you could rename your street, what would it to be called?
Pyeton Place. With less beehives. Okay, you got me. More beehives.

Main Course: When was the last time you were genuinely surprised?
At my inability to write anything funny today. IPA is my kryptonite, apparently.

Dessert: Share a household tip.
Mold always grows on the lower windowsills of my building in the North End. Said sills also happen to be my bedroom. Now… whether this is due to the proximity to street level, or my Dahmeresque disposal methods, is beside the point. Regardless, Clorox bleach kills mold dead.

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The Top 3 Of The First 48.


in

Perhaps you’d like to listen to me blather on about A&E’s The First 48 a little more? Fantastic then. As I’ve already mentioned, it’s basically CSI in the real world – cameras follow around seasoned homicide detectives as they bag dead guys literally, and then bag bad guys figuratively. I can’t get enough of it, and as I devour episode after episode On Demand as I try and get to sleep each night, I’ve slowly become sort of an authority on murder best practices. I’m going to condense a few time saving tips I’ve collected should you be contemplating the premeditated slaughter of another human being. Whatever I can do to help.

1. Try and stick to the prostitutes. The majority of the unsolved murders seem to be unfortunate streetwalkers whose families just assume they’ve been croaked anyway. “You found her dead in a ditch? That’s too bad, because her father and I always dreamed she’d end up decapitated and stuffed in a footlocker.”

2. Burn that shit. I mean seriously. When these cops find a corpse that’s been torched, they don’t know where to begin. No fingerprints, no DNA no driver’s license, no dice.

3. If you have an accomplice, be sure to kill them too. Maybe not right away, but do your best to get around to it. They’ll get arrested for something else and no matter how insignificant the charge (think jaywalking) they’ll flip on you for the previous murder. Like a flapjack.

I could continue, but I don’t want to be perceived someone who is sick, deranged and potentially dangerous. I am only trying to help those who truly are – get a leg up. Even if that leg used to be attached to a sex worker.

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Wednesday Wadio: 99 Problems / Scarlet Begonias.


in Wednesday Wadio

“Bastard pop is a musical genre which, in its purest form, consists of the combination (usually by digital means) of the music from one song with the acapella from another. Typically, the music and vocals belong to completely different genres. At their best, bastard pop songs strive for musical epiphanies that add up to considerably more than the sum of their parts.”

I’ve heard several of these so called Jay-Z “mashups” – Jigga meets The Beatles, J-Hova meets Linkin Park, etc. – but the best so far has been Zigga Jizzy Ho-Ho coming face to face with the Grateful Dead in the 13 song album “Jay-Z’s Dead”. The potential for patchouli and bling jokes here is so tremendous that I’m left speechless, but have a listen on Radio Pye and see if you’re struck with the sudden urge to bust a cap whilst playing hackey sack.

The meld of Scarlet Begonias and 99 Problems is my favorite tune, but other notables include Dirt Off Your Shoulders/Friend Of The Devil and December 4th/Dark Star. I’m not a huge Jigga fan and I’m only beginning to dip my toe in the Dead after years of violent resistance, but I think these conglomerations are extremely cool and I can’t wait to see what they come up with next as more and more underground DJs get into the ‘mix’. Hah, you see what I did there?

Have a look here for more examples – including KRS One vs. S Club 7, Jet vs. Christina Aquilera and Eminem vs. a slew of popular T.V. themes. Meanwhile, I’ll be here in my apartment making a 3-foot Hennessy bong.

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Sometimes, I Wish I Was Ted Kaczynski.


in

You know what I’m talking about. Living in a desolate cabin in the woods sans electricity or running water. Screaming at chirpy squirrels whilst dropping grumpys in a rusty bucket. Shooting rock salt out of a World War I era shotgun at anyone who gets within 25 feet of my humming hovel. Peace, quiet and exceptional filth.

“It was this lifestyle and the actual cabin that his attorneys would use to try to call his sanity into question during his trial. It was a defense strategy that Kaczynski said naturally greatly offended him.”

Offend away – because while I fully realize I have been truly blessed with a great many friends, this summer is running me ragged. And it’s only going to get more hectical. Weddings, bachelor parties, trips up North… pretty soon I’ll be living in the aforementioned cabin because I’ve spent all my money on nickel-plated cocktail blenders, hotel rooms and plane tickets – and not because I decided to “drop-out” of proper society or corrode conformity. Either way, I’d best get used to the idea.

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What Is The Deal With Chunky’s?


in Consumables

Has anyone been to this new place Chunky’s? I guess the two-word elevator pitch would be “Indoor Drive-In”. There’s one in Pelham and one in Haverill. I’m seriously considering getting a dog team, a compass and a flare gun together to see if I can go find one of these joints. It’s like Chuck E. Cheese with a DUI.

Well what we do here at Chunky’s is pretty amazing. First, we seat you at a table in one of our spacious cinemas. Depending on the cinema your movie is playing in, our tables are designed to accommodate 2 to 8 people. Your leather chair is the driver or passenger seat from a Limousine and will have one armrest, recline, and is on wheels. Your waiter or waitress will take your order so you don’t have to miss any of the good parts! Our menu selections currently include beer & wine, soft drinks, and a variety of pub-style food selections. Most theaters will open at least an hour before the movie starts. You may also order throughout the movie.

Is it somehow intrinsically wrong that I really want to go see Wedding Crashers at Chunky’s? This seems like a great idea that would be very popular in theory – so why does one need a sherpa, a Mohican scout and a divining rod in order to get out there?

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Friday’s Quizzlet: The Prayers, The Vitamins, The Vinegar.


in Monday's Quotelet

Appetizer: If you could make an even trade for any car, what would you drive?
I gave my car to charity a few years ago. I never used it, and it was dilapidating rapidly. Wow, that was fun to say – rapidly dilapidating. I live about as downtown in Boston as you can get and can walk to work. But a new car is definitely on my horizon. If I traded in what I have now (nothing) for the equivalent, I’d obviously end up with a ’72 Gremlin or a uni-rickshaw.

Soup: Take your phone number and add each number – what’s the total?
Let’s see here. The total is… carry the one… the total is a total waste of time. Which is perfectly at home here on Pye in the Face, but this is not your best work, Quizzlet. For shame.

Salad: When were you last outside, and what were you doing?
Two hours ago I was walking to work across Boston common in a black, long-sleeved button down and jeans. It’s casual Friday, afterall. Unfortunately, it’s also mid-July and strolling through Beantown is like being on the surface of Mars in a fur-lined snowsuit. So I’ll be hitting the gym for a shower in the not too distant future. It’s quite Presidential to walk into your office and then spend the next 30 minutes sweating all over interns, though.

Main Course: What’s your favorite restaurant, and what do you usually order?
I have a bunch, and I’ve already mentioned Greek Food below, so I’m gonna go off on a tangent and talk about Gagsters. I drove over to the American side of Niagara Falls to hit this place about 7 years ago, and it’s been on my mind fricking daily ever since. Huge, delicious square pizzas that can feed 6 people, tasty towers of Buffalo wing baskets with the best sauce I have ever tasted (so you know it’s vinegary). If you’re ever in the neighborhood (East Market Street) get your fat ass in there and make it a little bit fatter.

Dessert: Name 3 things in which you occasionally indulge.
Greek food is God. I will snarf down Saganaki and Dolmadakia like a blistered, twitching crack whore. I also have a weakness for NHL 2K5 and Hogan Knows Best at the moment. And here you thought I was going to say ‘crack’ or something. “Say your prayers, eat your feta and stay out of the meth labs, brother!”

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CSI: Sunnyvale Trailer Park.


in

Modern fingerprint technology, ultra-violet light and DNA evidence assist in the capture and conviction of a decent percentage of today’s criminals. But all of these practices would be nothing without old-fashioned police legwork and intuition. Take little Patty Trimble, for example. He had Ohio’s finest running in circles whilst in pursuit of him for the inhalation of harmful intoxicants. Through a combination of a full neighborhood canvass, an anonymous tip and that frigging thing they do with the superglue on the car windows – they eventually got their man.


Listen – I’m no Lex Luthor. But Patty, if you don’t want to get arrested for huffing spraypaint – maybe don’t show up three times in the same day to buy a can at the local Dollar Store store blathering incomprehensibly and looking like the lovechild of Craig T. Nelson and Golddust next time. I’m just sayin’.

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Reigning Quotelet Champ: Give ‘Er, Keo.


in Pye in the Face

Reaction to the Quotelets was fast and fierce when I started them a few months back. Recently though, the participation has petered out and I can’t help but think it’s because I’d never conceeded defeat. I am happy to announce that I’ve finally been unsurped, and I’m hoping that fact will breathe some life back into these little interactive literary bastards.

Way to go Keo – although only a handfull of us will get the joke, and I am not going to explain it to the rest of you for fear of being convicted of a hate crime, it was fricking hilarious and I’m officially giving you the conch. Your name has been added to the new current champ listing on the left, and I hope you stay there for many weeks. Send me a photo and I’ll add it too. And to the rest of you – this can be a lot of fun, so let’s keep ‘er going. Bragging rights get me out of bed in the morning.

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Wednesday Wadio: Okkervil River’s ‘For Real’


in Wednesday Wadio

I have been listening to these guys incessantly for 2 days now after a friend suggested I check the scene. “For Real” off Okkervil River’s 4th album, Black Sheep Boy, starts out quiet and measured, turns into a screaming spittle-fest fairly quickly and then gets all kinds of Neil Young on your ass during the denoument. Their other album I have heard, Don’t Fall In Love With Everyone You See, had me appreciating the country-esque more than I ever remember having prior, and I love the move they seem to have made into less Oakie rockingness. Texas by way of New Hampshire.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NsQC6rGjInc[/youtube]

I’ve added the song to Radio Pye, and it’s the first tune that will play when you hit the zap button – until next Wednesday, that is. If you like what you hear, visit their website – and check back in a week for another widiculous Wadio Wednesday. Since you can only listen to, and not download, these songs, I hope to avoid jail time at least temporarily. Enjoy the audio while you can.

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Farewell To The Inspiration For Twin Beds.


in Movies

Hardly a sudden passing at 91 years of age, but I’d still like to tip my hat to Geraldine Fitzgerald who passed away only this morning. You’ll remember her as the Grandmother who faked her own death and left son-in-law Rodney Dangerfield 40 million if he could sober up inside of a year in one of my top 5 favorite comedies, Easy Money. If you have never seen this flick, we now live in an age where ‘Tivo’ is a verb, so make some time and watch it.

Of course, while a part of my cherished canon, Mrs. Monahan is hardly the role for which she’ll be remembered. Her appearences in Wuthering Heights, Dark Victory and an Orson Welles production make Easy Money look like… well, Easy Money. But she had a great sense of the comedic (she also played Dudley Moore’s Grandmother in Arthur,) and I wanted to wish her a safe trip down the pearly pike.

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This Is Radio Pye.


in Musical

Few things are more embarassing in life, that don’t involve black latex body suits, than navigating to a crappy site – either carelessly or because you were misled – and then having a loud midi version of ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’ start playing in the middle of your crowded office. So for this reason I have stayed away from ever lacing any of my web pages with audio. But I’ve rethought my position somewhat after discovering RadioBlogClub. Streisand, however, can still suck a big tide prince or whatever.

Since the radio doesn’t start playing unless you turn it on, I feel much better about exposing you to my utterly illogical taste in music. If you don’t want to soak up some of my favorite all-time-tunes don’t switch the gaudy frigging thing on in the first place. However, if you’re curious about any of the music I talk about here on Pye In The Face, a free sample is just a click away in the left hand column. With no further ado – I give you Radio Pye.

The songs load up quick, and the quality is great. I wish the little bugger fit the column better, and I have yet to painstakingly try to match the colors to the rest of my template, but it works like a charm and I’ve uploaded about 20 songs so far which you can turn on and cycle through by hitting the “Zap” button in the upper-right hand corner. I’ve talked about Stompin’ Tom, The Doves, The Gorillaz, The Pixies, etc. and they’re all broadcasting live here 24 hours a day. I’m going to introduce a feature where I add a special song to the playlist every week and then introduce it into the lineup. And, whenever I mention a song, a speech, a comedy clip, etc. in a blog article – I’ll add it to Radio Pye so everyone can follow along. And also don’t think for a moment that I harbor any confusion over whether or not I’m the only person who gives a shit.

This radio plug-in may be gone tomorrow depending on the reaction (and more importantly its strain on my bandwidth) but you never know. It also might become a popular staple. Enjoy, and please let me know what you think/how much you want for those pictures of me in the bottom half of the catwoman costume.

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Au Revior, Sweet Montreal.


in

What a silly, slovenly adventure we had. I am in desperate need of sleep, but I wanted to get the carefully-edited gallery of multiple omissions up before I signed off – as I know there are many people who couldn’t be there who are more than a little curious. I will let the pictures speak/slur for themselves, and add some descriptions over the next week.


I will say this however – there were no assaults, deaths, arrests or witnesses to speak of. Doug had a great time, and all of his groomsy-bachelor minions did too. I could live in Montreal. I’m not kidding… I could get in a UHaul and move up there tomorrow. If I had one single solitary red cent left for the rental fee. And to think – I still have to get to Vancouver for the wedding. Anybody wanna buy a cat?

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