Music Nerding: Initiation

I have noticed that this joint is well-populated with music nerds.  And thus I believe, in my addled brain, that there may be grounds for formal discussions on this subject.  Therefore: Music Nerding, to which other regulars can contribute at will. Suggestions most welcome.

First, for your consideration: the incomparable Kristin Hersh, from 2007.

Not widely known or recognized, she’s been at this for over twenty years — first as a punk kid, with her punk half-sister Tanya Donnelly in Throwing Muses, then solo, and then with a thrashing side-project known as 50 Foot Wave (which released its first album about two weeks after the tsunami hit Indonesia and Thailand — forcing her onto CNN to hastily explain the audiological basis for the name, which is about as much time in the limelight she has seen in her entire career).  Oh, and she’s an all-American badass — battled mental illness and won, has four kids.  Solid.

Follow along for more, won’t you please?

Here’s one of the early ones, played in Providence, R.I. (near her ancestral home of Newport).  (The video’s crappy, but hey — it was 1987.  Ease off.)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9zjBPDy3RA0

And here’s a recent recording of a song from the 90s — which merited backing vocals from Michael Stipe on the original recording (sadly unavailable from the Youtube).

There’s this intensity in her signing that comes through live. She seems possessed. It’s very disconcerting, and powerful.

Anyways: discuss.  Or not.

37 Comments

I’ll check out after the Metallica minidoc on MTV 2. Ovation has a Phillip Glass doc on now. but I can’t hear it over the treadmill.

@redmanlaw: You work out on the treadmill while watching MTV? If only we could trade our couch for a treadmill. In the meanwhile, I will sit on my ass and watch the latest show on Food Network.

@SanFranLefty: And posting, too. I reserve internet time in the evenings for the treadmill. I have a desk on the arms for the laptop.

I for one am just impressed that Chicago Bureau embedded three videos.

I’ve heard that last song before. It’s fucking awesome. She has a couple of kids. Imagine if she were your mom and writing and playing all these spooky songs around the house. Makes me think of the interview with the spouses of Cannibal Corpse members in the latest Metal Edge magazine.

Loved “Your Ghost”. Played it twice. That’s the kind of song I could get obsessed with. Thanks for posting it.

@homofascist: That explains why the Batphone was strangely silent. Usually I’m halfway into my tights by now.

I refuse to participate in this thread unless Overlord Nojo allows me to post video. (Yes, I’m still bitching about that.)

I’m sorry I missed this post last night. Kristin H. along with Juliana Hatfield and later the gals from Veruca Salt inhabit my dreams. That is all.

Joan Jett is the ultimate badass, and it doesn’t matter if her music is kinda lame, she is so badass.

Shirley Manson. Cristina Scabbia.

Dark and moody.

@Nabisco: And Hugh Laurie inhabits mine. Seriously. I have had sex dreams about Hugh. Too funny!

I’m still technically boycotting this thread, but who’s that chick from Garbage that now plays a terminator on The Sarah Connor Chronicles? Ummm…Shirley Manson?

@redmanlaw: Yay! That was AWESOME! She totally kicks ass in Sarah Connor.

@JNOV: I have had sex dreams about Hugh. Prolly wrasslin’ with Bear Gryalls, amirite?

I totally heart girls with guitars, although not the girls from Heart so much. Gimme the Donnas, the Slits, the Runaways, even Suzie Quattro from the early days. I want a threeway with Kim Gordon and Kim Deal, and it could be totally platonic, I just want to be part of it.

ADD: Neko Case is totally badass too. I didn’t want her to feel left out.

@Nabisco: Haha! I have not had any sex dreams about Bear. But I have had several with Hugh — I think he trips that nerd wire I have. Bear is just amazingly amazing, and he’ll eat anything and describe just how foul-tasting it is. You’re just mad that I don’t have any love for Les Stroud anymore. He’s a big whiner.

Heart might be too pop for you, but they opened a shitton of doors for female guitarists. And the best female guitarist of them all? Charo. Coochie-coochie-coo!

Seriously, Nojo — why can’t we post video? Will we fuck up the site or something?

@Nabisco: I don’t know who Suzi Quattro is, but I love this Leather Tuscadero chick: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJZZ5o4d6q8

homofascist: Ooo–ooooo–ooooh. Catty!

Seriously: I had my problems with posting video. I’m better now. The nojo re-education program was fun. Nothing bad happened — not like you read in the papers. All hail nojo!

For those of you who may be unfamiliar with Cristina Scabbia of Italian goth metal band Lacuna Coil, here they are doing Depreche Mode’s “Enjoy the Silence”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqaUZkf52fs

and their first big US hit, “Heaven’s a Lie”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixxtnrWb17Y&feature=related

She also has a relationships advice column in Revolver, the world’s loudest rock magazine. You can friend her on FB and get posts in Italian.

@chicago bureau: Pfft to nojo. He won’t let me add video or pictures. Not like I’d go overboard or anything. Not like I used to post 18 gazillion pictures or videos at FNFF. Well, when I used to go to FNFF. Now I have nowhere to go to post my videos and pictures. Well, there is that now-defunct blog thing I sued to have, but that’s not the point. Not being able to suck up bandwidth here makes me a sad panda.

@Prommie: You’re yanking my chain, right? Cuz that is Suzi, of course. She was a nobody in the 70s, but one of my brothers had her album and it was musical lust at first sight.

@redmanlaw: I wish I could view/listen to youtube here in the factory. It would make my unproductive moments so much more enjoyable.

Oh, we almost forgot that nojo said this:

Usually I’m halfway into my tights by now.

Hot.

@Prommie: Joan Jett is the ultimate badass
Didn’t know you were into BDSM, Prommie. ‘Cause, as I’ve mentioned before, that’s her thing. So says a friend who should know.

@Nabisco:

Kim Deal!
ZOMFJWAH she does it for me.
I don’t think I could handle being in the same room with both Kim Deal and Kim Gordon. Even in The Land Where Ralph Wiggums Is A Viking, the circuit breakers pop.
Now I’m hearing “Kool Thing” in my head.

@Ewalda: I dug the bikini in the video for “Do you wanna touch me.”

PSA – SoCal Meeting of Stinque-y Minds w/Dodger, RML, TCatt. April 1 or 2, Santa Monica CA. Details to follow.

@chicago bureau: “Oh, we almost forgot that nojo said this:

Usually I’m halfway into my tights by now.

Hot.”

Do we get pictures? I think we should get pictures. Next jam?

@JNOV: You can’t post images or video in the comments because I’m an arbitrary ruthless dictator, and I hate them. They slow down page loads and impede the flow of conversation.

Plus, I hate Demetri Martin’s show and need to take it out on something.

@SanFranLefty:
Long story.
I’ll spill about my past glories some other time.
I just lived with him, I didn’t join in with his entertaining foibles, OK?

@nojo: Waaaah! The only person in my house who would post Demetri Martin vids is my kid. He adores him. I find him meh. But whatevs. I accept your status as ruthless dictator for now…

@JNOV: Demetri was an unrelated drive-by. I like his special, and I can’t fault him for being influenced by Comedy God Steven Wright, but his series is painfully lame.

Or maybe that’s just the geek all-nighter talking.

@nojo: Get some sleep. Unless more geek all-nighters would cause you to loosen your grip on the pic/video posting controls…

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