I'm shocked: I love Eminem

[Rick Munroe]

My CD carousel is currently filled with The Partridge Family, The Supremes, Heart, Dolly Parton and Duran Duran...so that should give you some idea of what I like musically (anything but hip-hop and classical). But I just watched Eminem's new video and he's got a new fan in me:

 

http://boss.streamos.com/qtime/interscope/eminem/encore/video/mosh-rev/300_mosh-rev.mov

[woodlawn]

RE: Living in the Past

 

>My CD carousel is currently filled with The Partridge Family,

>The Supremes, Heart, Dolly Parton and Duran Duran...so that

>should give you some idea of what I like musically

 

I don't know why it is that so many older people seem to fixate on the music that was popular when they were young and close their ears to more recent musical trends. What's wrong with the latest albums by The Offspring and 50 Cent?

[+ Lucky]

RE: Living in the Past

 

...or the Scissor Sisters?

[Rick Munroe]

RE: Living in the Past

 

>I don't know why it is that so many older people seem to

>fixate on the music that was popular when they were young

 

Actually, my Dolly Parton, Heart and Duran Duran CD's are all new releases, and I didn't really care for them when I was younger. I've always discovered things after the fact: as a little kid, my musical favorites were performers who were either dead or out of the spotlight: the Andrews Sisters, Connie Francis and Janis Joplin. Then, as a teenager, I started getting into some of the then-new stuff like Madonna and New Order, but I also discovered Steve and Eydie at that time, too. Now, I just buy whoever makes good music, and it seems like that is only currently being done by older performers.

 

Anyway, everyone should check out the video. It has a very important timely message.

[woodlawn]

RE: Living in the Past

 

>>I don't know why it is that so many older people seem to

>>fixate on the music that was popular when they were young

 

>Actually, my Dolly Parton, Heart and Duran Duran CD's are all

>new releases, and I didn't really care for them when I was

>younger.

 

Nice try, but I'm afraid you've dated yourself.

 

> Then, as a teenager, I

>started getting into some of the then-new stuff like Madonna

 

That is back when you were a teenager of 25? LOL!

 

> but I also discovered Steve and Eydie

 

Who?

 

> Now, I just buy whoever makes good music, and it

>seems like that is only currently being done by older

>performers.

 

I suppose it seems that way to older ears.

[Rick Munroe]

RE: Living in the Past

 

>Nice try, but I'm afraid you've dated yourself.

 

Dating myself? Well, lucky me because I'm a cheap date and I always put out. }(

 

I guess the jig is up. I'm really as old as Cher, and I guess my 7-year-old nephew, whose favorite group is The Monkees, must really be a 50-year-old midget.

 

Good luck dealing with your age issues. I have a date with a sexy Frenchman soon (oops, I'd better cancel that date with myself; I don't want to pull a Marcia Brady).

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

Scissor Sisters are AWESOME... Good call Lucky~

 

I started listening to their CD months ago when it hit the UK and really enjoyed their blending of music genres into something fun, a bit fluffy, but for great listening. A real sleeper of a CD IMO.

 

I'm also hooked on Franz Ferdinand. Another solid CD with very catchy lyrics and good beats.

 

This all being said, i've also got 'Jerry Springer: The Opera' in my changer as well. Methinks i've also got a few Cirque du Soleil shows in the mix too. Good driving music.

 

Growing up i was influenced by bands like The Beatles, The Eagles and Phil Collins. My parents taste in music pretty much rubbed off on me i suppose. Simon & Garfunkel's 'Sounds of Silence' was always a surefire winner with me as well. As i get older, i have stayed away from bubblegum pop (ie, Brittany Spears, Christina Im-A-Gorilla, etc) and gotten into much more layered, complex sounds. Bjork's new acapella CD is outstanding... Really amazing.

 

I wouldn't expect less from a gal who's married to Matthew Barney, an avant-garde performance artist who's flair for the theatrical has reportedly influenced Bjork on many songs & videos.

 

As for Eminem, his new video is creative and funny. I have a feeling that he's simply stringing along the MTV crowd while working on much deeper and creatively satisfying stuff. I see him being around as an artist for awhile. He's got that 'x-factor' as a performer that will keep him on the cutting edge of not only rap, but music in general.

 

 

Warmest Always,

 

 

 

 

Benjamin Nicholas

 

 

 

Benjamin Nicholas

[Rick Munroe]

>As for Eminem, his new video is creative and funny.

 

No, no, no. You didn't click on the link. You're thinking of another video, the one where he imitates Madonna & Michael Jackson. This one, "Mosh," the one I linked to above, is the new EXTREMELY angry and intense one where Eminem tells his audience to get out and vote on November 2. Watch it... and then go to http://www.mtv.com/onair/trl/vote/ and vote for it on MTV's TRL (they just premiered it there today).

[woodlawn]

RE: Living in the Past

 

>>Nice try, but I'm afraid you've dated yourself.

 

>Dating myself? Well, lucky me because I'm a cheap date and I

>always put out.

 

You? Cheap? That's something even your worst enemy couldn't say of you. Believe me, I know.

 

>I guess the jig is up. I'm really as old as Cher, and I guess

>my 7-year-old nephew, whose favorite group is The Monkees,

>must really be a 50-year-old midget.

 

I've never met your nephew, but I know of no reason why someone of your age can't have a nephew of that age.

 

>Good luck dealing with your age issues.

 

Thanks. Good luck dealing with your habit of using psychobabble instead of real arguments.

 

>I have a date with a

>sexy Frenchman soon

 

Really? How much is he paying?

[+ Lucky]

RE: I'm shocked: I love Jerry Springer

 

Jerry Springer: The Opera...did you see it? I can't wait for it to come to the US next year as it is one of the best things I have ever seen. I hadn't thought about buying the CD.

[VaHawk]

RE: Living in the Past

 

>>My CD carousel is currently filled with The Partridge

>Family,

>>The Supremes, Heart, Dolly Parton and Duran Duran...so that

>>should give you some idea of what I like musically

 

All excellent musical artists, at least, imo. I especially like the diclectic styles.

 

>

>I don't know why it is that so many older people seem to

>fixate on the music that was popular when they were young and

>close their ears to more recent musical trends. What's wrong

>with the latest albums by The Offspring and 50 Cent?

 

Perhaps for the same reason that so many younger people seem to be totally oblivious to music that is not currently in vogue and popular, and when they are older will fixate on the current music on the oldies stations of the future?

 

Besides a pot shot at Rick, was there any other reason you posted this rant, especially since what was on Rick's cd carousel not only spans a range of genres but also generations? Sounds like the kind of variety I would put on my own cd carousel.

 

Why does enjoying older musical artists from different genres mean that one has his mind closed to the current artists and genres? I like many artists and many genres, including country, blues, jazz, rock, rockabilly, bluegrass, gospel, hip hop and alternative, from all generations, and there is no telling what would be on my cd carousel at any given moment in time. I like Alicia Keyes, so I can't love Billie Holiday or Dinah Washington just as much, and if I happen to be listening to Billie, or even further back Bessie Smith, rather than Alicia at a given moment, that means I'm fixated on the older artists to the exclusion of current artists? That imo, is very bad reasoning.

[bluenix]

I found that Quicktime link slow. Here are some alternative formats:

 

Windows Media Player

http://boss.streamos.com/wmedia/interscope/eminem/encore/video/mosh-rev/000_mosh-rev.asx

 

Real Player

http://boss.streamos.com/real/interscope/eminem/encore/video/mosh-rev/000_mosh-rev.ram

 

I've always liked eminem. Laugh if you will, but his self-reflexive lyrics remind me of Emily Dickinson. The joke here, of course, is that he presents registering to vote as a subversive action. Just the thing to appeal to the MTV generation.

 

Meanwhile, he has nothing on the equally compelling Zach Allen:

 

http://www.zacharyallen.com/video-sunshine-tour-flv6.html

[guyinsf]

Well I just watched it. While I appreciate his attempt to make a statement, I will admit my old-fogey taste in music and state that with very few exceptions I just don't like rap. Eminem doesn't (and probably can't) sing. His talking, like most rap, is incredibly monotonous in its cadence. Probably the only musical elements in the record were lifted ("sampled") from somewhere else. All in all, a big yawn to me.

 

My most recent listening sessions involved the recent Matt Bianco SACD (a great album if you liked Matt Bianco and/or Basia), a homemade Grace Jones compilation, the "Living Stereo" SACD twofer of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 and Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2, and Etta James' "R&B Dynamite" (a compilation of her earliest recordings). Yes, I'm surely stuck in old fogeyland at the young age of 42.

[Rick Munroe]

>Well I just watched it. While I appreciate his attempt to

>make a statement, I will admit my old-fogey taste in music and

>state that with very few exceptions I just don't like rap.

>Eminem doesn't (and probably can't) sing. His talking, like

>most rap, is incredibly monotonous in its cadence. Probably

>the only musical elements in the record were lifted

>("sampled") from somewhere else. All in all, a big yawn to

>me.

 

I usually find most rap songs to be monotonous and I really dislike the usual message ("women are bitches and look at my bling-bling") so I thought it was really refreshing and exciting to see someone make such strong social commentary and actual take an interest in the world outside of his limo. I think this video is very cool, and I hope it will have some effect on the MTV demographic and get their lazy asses into the voting booths.

[+ Lucky]

RE: I'm shocked: I love Dracula

 

I thought the video sucked. The black hoods made for a good Halloween theme, though.

[Trixie]

RE: I'm shocked: I love Dracula

 

A friend of mine works for a major independent label distributing company, and every couple of months he sends me a package full of promo cd's of what are apparently the latest cutting-edge band of nearly every genre. And, for the most part, I find them dull, dull, dull.

I guess I am boarding in Old-Fogey Town!

I went and had a look at what was stacked next to my cd player (I have no carousel... my cd's are played one at a time.) And here's what I've been listning to most recently:

Doris Day, "16 Most Requested Songs" (and who wouldn't be listening to this?

Mamma Cass, "Mama's Big Ones"

Scissor Sisters (My saving grace from old fogey-dom)

X, "More Fun in the New World" (I haven't stopped listening to this one since it came out in 19(?)83... there are nights when I still dream that I am Exene Cervenka, drunk and on stage, wailing my lungs out.)

Joni Mitchell, "Don Juan's Reckless Daughter"

Musikas, "Prisoner's Song" (I don't know, I was possibly a Hungarian peasant in a past life... this music just fills me with hot, sweaty joy!)

 

Not the most current list, I suppose. But one must go with what makes sense to one, regardless of how out-of-fashion it seems.

 

La Trix

[SFViking]

>My most recent listening sessions involved the recent Matt

>Bianco SACD (a great album if you liked Matt Bianco and/or

 

Old-fogey-dom, indeed. What is an SACD? S-something, A-something CD?

 

This "What I'm listening to Now" thread is fascinating. Thanks to mention of "Jerry Springer: The Opera" I just ordered the import CD on Amazon.com ($41+, uff-dah!)

 

Several other items will cause me to start digging into the artists mentioned.

 

FWIT, I'm currently ripping Barbara Cook's "Mostly Sondheim" and "Cleo Sings Sondheim." (How much more stereotypically gay can you get?)

 

SF Viking

[Guest rohale]

I've seen a few of Eminem's videos and I find them to be quite funny. Eminem at his core is a brilliant lyricist. One of the great innovators of rap music has been Grand Master Flash. Quite recently in an interview with Ryan Seacrest, he described Eminem as the Bob Dylan of the Hip-Hop community. I find that fascinating because I think at this stage of his music career, he's probably reached the pinnacle of his success as a rap artist. He's marketed himself so much as part of rap music that it'll be difficult for a lot of people to think of him as anyone else but a rapper. Over time his age will be a factor. He may look 22 yrs old, but in reality he's in his 30's. His buying audience are mainly teenagers. For teens what's hot today will be stale tommorrow. Only time will tell what he'll do next after his music career winds down.

 

One of Eminem's biggest discoveries was helping Dido find an audience on the Hot Adult Contempary Charts. People tend to forget the other side of Eminem's' accomplishments.

 

In a previous post, SA-CD's were mentioned, I find this interesting. For the last fifteen years or so, analog Cd's have been the popular attraction with the buying public. Now a change is on the horizon. with a new disc called SACD's, these new technoligical CD's have arrived on the market. Here's the funny bit, record company executives are in a state of panic, they simply dont know to market these revolutionary CD's. To make matters worse for the Record Companies, I've even heard that artists like Peter Gabriel and Metallica in the future may only record albums that will be pressed on SA-CD's only. These artists are willing to set aside profit margins for the sake of artistical achievement, in turn it'll hurt the financial pocket books of so many record companies. These CD's sound really cool. It's amazing how much technology has changed over the last few decades.

 

This whole started thread started with Eminem and I find that artists like Fish and Marillion have the same impact in Britain that Eminem has had in America. I listen to a lot of music and especially when I'm on the road traveling. I try to listen to whats current, but for the most part the days of Top 40 Radio are long gone. Music genres have changed so much that it's become convulated nowadays.

 

Some of the newer artists that I listen to are Amy Keyes, Amanda Lyons, Taj Mahal, Kula Shaker, another great young Welshman in the form of Ronnie Preston, Peter Lawlor. Ray Wilson has such a lovely gravely voice. I wish he would come to America more often. He was the voice of Stillskin and Guranteen Pure. He's nowadays concentrating going solo. It'll be nice to see his career in full flight and have success that he so richly deserves.

 

Some of the older acts that I listen to are Pink Floyd, Phil Collins, The Beatles, Yes, Deep Forest, Enigma, Bjork and Calloway, just to name a few. I musn't forget to mention one of the greatest piano players in the history of rock music, Tony Banks. That man is absolutely brilliant. He's been rated better than Bruce Hornsby, Sir Elton John and Greg Phillanges. I've had the chance to see him, he's a genius in every sense of the word. He works with great chord progressions. He was the sound of Genesis. The problem was that if only Geneis fans knew what he brought to the band, they might have given his a solo career more of a listen to. I have tremendous respect for Tony Banks, he's a gentleman. Off course drummers such as Manu Katche, Bill Bruford and someone who I had the chance to meet three months ago. The legendary drummer for the Rolling Stones, Charlie Watts ( bless his heart as he is recovering from cancer ).

 

One of the nice things about music is that it transcends cultures and in out time and age Eminem has been one of the major influences to a alotta of the youth out there today. Just like Sinatra, Elvis and the Beatles in their day.

 

Rohale

[larbord]

I have always enjoyed Eminem's videos, and enjoy listening to his CD's, but can only do so in small doses. The intesity and anger in his music gets to be too much when I listen for too long.

 

I, too, would recommend "Jerry Springer: The Opera". I bought the CD in London last November, after seeing the show, and have almost worn it out from listening to it so much.:+

[guyinsf]

Super Audio CD. Depending on your point of view, it is either:

 

a) A playback medium that is capable of higher quality than CD. Samples the audio very differently than CD. While the processing needed to make an SACD creates a lot of ultrasonic noise (noise that should be beyond the range of human's hearing), the noise in the midrange band is lower. Embraced by audiophiles because it can sound more real and analog-like than even the best CD's. Also embraced by surround sound enthusiasts because it can contain multichannel mixes. Requires, at a minimum, a playback machine capable of SACD decoding. If multichannel sound is desired, then naturally the consumer has to have the appropriate number of speakers, an appropriate amplifier/preamplifier or receiver, etc.

 

b) A cynical attempt by the recording industry to sustain its profitability. Sony and Philips created the CD and their patent was running out, meaning that they would soon be getting a lot less revenue from other recording companies who would no longer have to pay to label their products a "CD." Also, more importantly, the data on an SACD is so far immune to home copying in the digital domain so it is a far more effective anti-piracy measure than any of the various technologies that have been developed for CD. You can't just stick an SACD into a CD or DVD-ROM drive in your PC and copy its contents. This means that not only can you not easily copy the disc for your own use (or for friends or family), but you also can't copy it and make it freely available to anyone on the Internet.

 

I think both are true.

 

Many SACD's are "hybrids", meaning that they also have a CD layer that plays back on any normal CD or dvd player.

 

>Old-fogey-dom, indeed. What is an SACD? S-something,

>A-something CD?

>

[woodlawn]

RE: Living in the Past

 

>Perhaps for the same reason that so many younger people seem

>to be totally oblivious to music that is not currently in

>vogue and popular,

 

An excellent example of circular reasoning: the only music popular with the young is the music that is popular with the young.

 

>Besides a pot shot at Rick, was there any other reason you

>posted this rant,

 

I don't believe I need to give you or anyone else a reason for any of my posts, do I? Considering that you were kicked off the board not long ago for your angry and contemptuous rants directed at others, I would think you'd be the last person to complain about that sort of thing. If there is anyone on this board who is in a position to chastise others for engaging in such behavior, it certainly isn't you.

 

 

>especially since what was on Rick's cd

>carousel not only spans a range of genres but also

>generations? Sounds like the kind of variety I would put on

>my own cd carousel.

 

I can only express my condolences for the narrowness of your musical tastes. By a strange coincidence, all of the artists he named became popular in the 1980s or earlier. You guys may find this hard to believe, but people did not stop making music twenty years ago.

 

>Why does enjoying older musical artists from different genres

>mean that one has his mind closed to the current artists and

>genres?

 

I have no idea. You'll have to ask people like Rick, who seem to give short shrift to any artist who broke out after the 80s.

[+ BenjaminNicholas]

RE: I'm shocked: I love Jerry Springer

 

DOH!

 

Okay Rick... Now i've got it. I agree that this new side of Eminem is an interesting one and refer back to my 'ain't seen nothing yet' post above. Should prove to be fascinating. Good call Rick

 

Lucky: I did have a chance to see the original cast of Jerry Springer in the West End last year. AMAZING SHOW. It was drop-dead funny and here's hoping that they import some of the very talented cast from the UK production. Actor Michael Brandon (... of the non 'monster' variety) did a dead-on Springer in the show. I've heard that producers are thinking of stunt-casting a celeb as Jerry in the San Fransisco run next year, which would be a real shame IMO.

 

I simply hope that US audiences are ready for such a rowdy show. I've heard people compare it to The Producers, which is like comparing Sesame Street to The Osbournes. A night & day difference. While San Fransiscans might eat this show up, i really can't see Broadway audiences accepting it. It's going to be a tough sell.

 

In any event, the live 2-CD set is available on Amazon.com, as is the newer 1-disc OLC (original london cast). I much prefer the live version for the audience reactions...

 

 

Warmest Always,

 

 

 

Benjamin Nicholas

[eastbayguy]

RE: I'm shocked: I love Jerry Springer

 

>DOH!

>

>Okay Rick... Now i've got it. I agree that this new side of

>Eminem is an interesting one and refer back to my 'ain't seen

>nothing yet' post above. Should prove to be fascinating.

>Good call Rick

 

DOH! indeed. Eminem was quoted on the news last night as saying that while he planned to vote, he hadn't decided (yet) who he'd vote for. If old Marshall really said that, his comment after releasing the video is difficult to understand.

 

Or is there some code in the video that I'm missing, what with being old and all...

 

Ever curious.

 

--EBG

[Rick Munroe]

RE: Living in the Past

 

>I can only express my condolences for the narrowness of your

>musical tastes.

 

If he were your neighbor and blasting his stereo, I would see the need to complain, but denigrating others online for something as personal as musical taste is truly pointless and a waste of time. But, oh yeah, that's your purpose around here. :+

[woodlawn]

RE: Holy Hypocrite, Batman!

 

>>I can only express my condolences for the narrowness of

>your

>>musical tastes.

 

>If he were your neighbor and blasting his stereo, I would see

>the need to complain, but denigrating others online for

>something as personal as musical taste is truly pointless and

>a waste of time. But, oh yeah, that's your purpose around

>here.

 

Golly, Rick, after all the dozens and dozens of occasions when you have jumped into a thread in which I was talking to someone else and made a derogatory remark aimed at me, I just can't help wondering where the fuck you get the nerve to complain when someone else does the same thing you do. It's like Bobby Knight complaining that someone else is showing bad sportsmanship, isn't it?