(Sweet glamor in Paris, that is some blond hair!)
Pitchfork waited for the man (I'm sorry, I just couldn't help it) this past September, and had a cordial interview with the noted curmudgeon. Also, I had a co-worker who used to run into Reed at a coffee shop by his apartment, and reported that he was actually a pretty decent guy. So maybe the jerkface routine is kind of a put on. Or not.
But you know what? Even if he is kind of mean, I don't really care. I don't need my musical heroes to be my friends, I need them to make good music. And I don't think that Reed could have made the music he did if he wasn't an asshole. You don't get the dismissive sneer of, say, "Beginning to See the Light" or whatever, from a man who smiles candy bars and rainbows. So ... yeah.
eh.www.amNY.com
]]>But for those in the fancy, he was much more than that.
Rechler inherited the famous Afghan-hound kennel of Sunny Shay (who died of a heart attack in the ring at a dog show in 1978), and Grandeur Afghans made their mark on the breed with dogs as famous as Shirkan and Tryst, the kennel's swan song.
In recent years, Rechler owned and backed very successful show dogs in other breeds, most recently the English-imported Akita, Macey, who won the Working group at Westminster this year and last.
Long Island, once bustling with famous, well-run kennels, is now more bereft of them than ever.
On mangagament rings: Yeah, that's a good idea! And men should get 20th anniversary and 25th anniversary rings too. (My dentist also dug the idea too. I think they were bigger fans of the name.)
1. Length of relationship. If you've been together a few months, no. If you've invested a significant amount of time in the relationship, there's more impetus to try to work it out.
2. Is it a pattern? A one-time mistake gets more leniency that a bunch of slip-ups. If you end up spending $80,000 in prostitutes (emphasis on the plural), that would give me a bit of pause.
3. Level of commitment. In other words, if you're married, especially with children, you have an obligation to try to work it out.
I don't believe in blindly standing by your (wo)man, but I do believe in trying to work it out, if there's a strong history.* There have been plenty of people criticizing Silda Wall-Spitzer's decision to, at very least, symbolically do so. Many say it sets a bad example for children. But I think Dina Matos, ex-wife of ex-NJ governor James McGreevey says it best:
“But you don’t know what the marriage is like,” Matos continued. “You don’t know what their relationship is like. They’ve been married over 20 years. I’m sure they have a long history together. There’s love there. There’s obviously now betrayal.”I'm not saying that these men should get off scot-free. If my husband cheated on me, best believe he'd be in the dog house for a looooooong time. And Silda is better than me -- I would not be able to be within 50 feet of Mr. Eliot Mess for a good while. However, I do think the gut reaction of kicking them to the curb is not necessarily a wise choice either. What do you think? Would you stay?
Also, bonus, The Pogues doing "Waxie's Dargle," a song which reminds me of the greatest triumph of my life: winning the quiz at the end of Dublin's Literary Pub Crawl. (Actually, my sister and I took second and third, but first prize was a t-shirt and the second and third prizes were bottles of Jameson. I think it's clear who actually wins there. And there's nothing more important in life than drinking, literature and winning — so, there you go. OK, I guess music's pretty important as well.)
eh.www.amNY.com
]]>It's pretty basic pop R&B. The Times is less kind: "On the Web page is a recording of what she describes as her latest track, 'What We Want,' an amateurish, hip-hop inflected rhythm and blues tune that asks, 'Can you handle me, boy?' and uses some dated slang, calling someone her 'boo.' "
Her bio:
About Ashley Alexandra Dupré
I am all about my music, and my music is all about me… It flows from what I’ve been through, what I’ve seen and how I feel. I live in New York and am on top of the world. Been here since 2004 and I love this city, I love my life here. But, my path has not been easy. When I was 17, I left home. It was my decision and I’ve never looked back. Left my hometown. Left a broken family. Left abuse. Left an older brother who had already split. Left and learned what it was like to have everything, and lose it, again and again. Learned what it was like to wake up one day and have the people you care about most gone. I have been alone. I have abused drugs. I have been broke and homeless. But, I survived, on my own. I am here, in NY because of my music. It started when I moved in with a musician during my odyssey to New York. One day, I was in the shower singing “respect.” He and his lead guitarist burst in, had me repeat it and it started. We wrote, rehearsed and toured. After recording a bit with them, I decided to move to Manhattan to pursue my music career. I spent the first two years getting to know the music scene, networking in clubs and connecting with the industry. Now, it’s all about my music. It’s all about expressing me. I can sit here now, and knowingly tell you that life’s hard sometimes. But, I made it. I’m still here and I love who I am. If I never went through the hard times, I would not be able to appreciate the good ones. Cliché, yes, but I know it’s true. I have experienced just how hard it can be. I can honestly tell you to never dwell on the past, but build from it and keep moving forward. Don’t let anyone hold you back or tell you that you can’t…because you can. I didn’t and here I am, just listen to it…. What we Want is my latest track. It’s really about trust, something my past has made very difficult for me to feel. This one was inspired by a guy, who taught me not to confuse my dreams with the sounds of the city…I hope you like it.
eh.www.amNY.com
]]>I was just listening to Mike Doughty's new solo CD, "Golden Delicious," and the first track, "Fort Hood," quotes from "Let the Sunshine In" in the chorus. I wondered to myself, "Huh, I wonder what that's about?" And Googled the song title, but for reasons above didn't expect much by the way of answers.
Damn. This is an awfully sad song.
eh.www.amNY.com
]]>This kid (Ronald Jenkees is his name) is fascinating. Check out more of his stuff on his MySpace or his web site.
In his own words: "Before you ask, I'm a perfectly normal and healthy guy, just a little geeky and different - but that's a good thing, not a bad thing."
UPDATE:
This one is also awesome! I can't stop watching this guy.
eh.www.amNY.com
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The somewhat unreliable singer has decided to problem solve by appearing as a cartoon in the video for her latest single "Break the Ice" (hear a remix here).
If you're bored, check out some Britney-thru-the-years photos here.
And, here are some... artistic... representations of Ms. Spears.
eh.www.amNY.com
]]>There is nothing crazy about men doing "his share" of housework. But the article (IMO) makes it out that a man will be "rewarded" if he does chores. For the record, I do housework. I don't like to but if you live by yourself, you have to(unless you are disgusting). If I were to get married, she would have to be keen on doing more of the day to day stuff than me. That is not my strong point. But there is nothing wrong with that. The article makes it looks like there is something wrong with men like that.
My stance? I don't agree with "housework is not my strong point, you'll have to do most of the work."
I suck at housework. I'm a messy person. And thankfully, I live with a guy who sucks at those things a little less than me. However, we still split the housework, because we both work, we both are busy and it would be unfair to expect one person to do more than the other.
However, studies show that, once you get married, things change. And that really gets my goat. Are we so entrenched in gender roles that we have no concept of fairness or ability to change? I don't think there's anything wrong with cleaning not being a strength, but I do think there's something wrong with not trying to get better. Many women suck at the cooking and cleaning just as much as men do; they just, as I said before, learn to get through it because the work has to get done.
I realize that there are couples in which men do the housework more than the women, and I am not saying all men are lazy. I'm simply saying that more men should do their part when it comes to the home, particularly when both are working outside of the home, too. I agree with Susan K -- the ability to change and do things because it's fair and makes life easier for your mate DOES show a higher level of care and concern, IMO.
I'll get off my soapbox now and let others speak. What do you think?
• Did ya catch the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction last night? Yeah, me neither. Idolator put together a great cheat sheet, if you want to fake it.
• The PLUG Awards were last week, and I shared my experience, but I neglected to mention any of the winners. Also, our sister site, Metromix, has a pretty cool photographic breakdown of the ceremony.
• Though everyone is pretty much more familiar with covers of Leonard Cohen than his actual recordings, the man goes on tour later this year, Brooklyn Vegan is reporting.
• I just caught an episode of this "Lil' Bush" show last weekend, and it's pretty funny. No "South Park," but still mildly amusing. What I didn't realize is that some of my favorite rock stars are involved with the show, most notably Iggy Pop as Lil' Donald Rumsfeld and Kevin Federline as Lil' Karl Rove! Learn more at Pitchfork.
• Eddie Argos (Art Brut) is a freaking nut! In a good way!
• And, of course, we're always on the look out for good pop music scholarship, so we were delighted to find this map of where exactly the area codes were where Ludacris' hos reside. Evidently, he's familiar with some ladies in the Midway and Wake Islands. According to Strangemaps (the above-linked site): "Only scientists are allowed to inhabit the Midway Islands, and only military personnel may inhabit the Wake Islands. Draw your own conclusion.” Although, 808 also encompasses Hawaii, so that datum is more sensational than anything else.
I was going to try to make this into a post about songs that mention area codes prominently, but the only other one I could think of was 2 Skinnee J's "718." Know any others? Leave 'em in the comments.
eh.www.amNY.com
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... and yes, JTK, I still owe you a response to your break-up songs. I'm working on it. :)
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