Satan: Alive and well in Chicago.

In an "unprecedented" move yesterday, Oprah Winfrey pulled her scheduled 10 year anniversary show about the Columbine shootings. She stated that she decided to pull the plug on the show due to the fact that airing the episode "focuses too much attention on criminals and murderers."

Okay, now correct me if I am wrong, but when you hold the star power that Oprah does, isn't making a public press release actually creating MORE attention for what happened in Columbine than if the show aired itself?

I don't know who her P.R firm is, or if it was an angle that Oprah herself came up with, but when you are one of the worlds most powerful celebrities and you make a public statement people listen and more importantly, it gets covered in all mediums. Whether it's online, news broadcasts, radio, magazine, newspaper, or water cooler talk, the attention you pay the horrific and tragic events that transpired in Columbine by making a press release actually command more focus than the show would have ever held if it had aired in the first place.

So my question is why do it?
If you are that powerful and you want to avoid bringing attention to what transpired in Columbine, why even consider making the episode or even talk about it in the first place?

I know why.

You are a publicity whore.

Only Oprah can feed this kind of bullshit to the unwashed masses and come out looking like she is a saint. I don't buy it. Her intentions are transparent and an obvious ploy for yet another projection of her "selflessness" and "sensitivity." Whether it's building schools in Africa, giving struggling single Mothers a new house and car, or canceling coverage of a sensitive topic, your prime objective is publicity. Plain and simple. So much so that coverage and focus on your "charitable" actions far outweigh the coverage of the people and organizations that actually require help and assistance.

For the record: In her attempts to sidestep bringing attention to criminals and murderers with her Columbine anniversary show she has decided A show about mothers released from prison will air in its place.

True story.
Now, if you will excuse me, I have some snacks to attend to.

Current Music Fixation: Mahogany

Ever have an album playing in your earphones and/or stereo and have it unfold in your head like a soundtrack to fleeting thoughts, memories, or whatever is going on around you at that moment?

Well I have. Matter of fact I almost always do when I am playing the album "Connectivity!" by Michigan born "dream pop" band "Mahogany."

As soon as the opening note on the first track of this album makes its way through my ears, I (without warning) get transported into some sort of imaginary audio "How it's made" episode. Images of bottles being capped on a machine operated factory production line, or sped up film of people getting off and on the subway trains in a busy terminal start to play out in perfect birds eye form. It sounds a little crazy I know. That's the beauty of music sometimes no?
The ability to take someones else's creativity and use it as a launching pad for your own?

Only their 2nd album in 10 years, Mahogany's 2006 release Connectivity! finds itself meandering through a plethora of musical arrangements and stylings in an almost unintentional way. From dream-pop vocals not unlike those of shoegaze era Britain, to 80's synth arrangements, and IDM drum timing (both electronic and real.) I find this album to be layered with just about everything. This is "probably" due to the fact that at the time of recording there were 8 members in the band all with their own individual input, and as such plays out like a "smörgåsbord" of sound and material that is sometimes hard to classify or label.

This album, or Mahogany's take on the genres I have mentioned, is not for everyone. It takes a little bit of an open mind and at times some creative listening skills to truly appreciate. If you can ween yourself off the tit of mainstream music and want to try your hand at something a little left of centre, download or head to your local music store and try to find this.

Now, if you don't mind, I have to call Murphy to let him know another of his recommendations made the blog so he can check mark it off his bucket list.

Fatty.

Current Music Fixation: The Modern Lovers

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6...Roadrunner, Roadrunner!"
As soon as these words enter your ear canal and pierce your eardrums you know you are in for something special. Lately I have been listening to the first (and only) full length studio album by 70's “proto-punk band” The Modern Lovers, which is simply named well…"The Modern Lovers."

Formed by Massachusetts natives Jonathan Richman and childhood friend John Felice, the band took form in 1970 after Richman moved to New York City to live and be in the presence of highly influential band the Velvet Underground. This in turn spawned the idea for Richman to return home and create The Modern Lovers.

This album plays out like many of the “proto-punk” era releases and has visible signs of creating a unique sound without a musical compass of days past to draw upon (with the exception of the Velvets.) Through the course of the album you can hear undertones of the Velvets and clearly see remnants of Richmans love for Lou and his band of urban outcasts. This is probably equal parts influence and equal parts John Cale production (he produced a handful of tracks on the album.)

Although the album was not released until 1976 (two years after they split up) the self titled album still sounds relevant decades later and the impact it had on Punk, New Wave, and Indie music is clearly identifiable and unmistakable. Case in point are tracks like “Astral Plane” which starts with a guitar riff that could be mistaken for Bay Area surfer punk or something on a Dead Kennedy’s album, or “I’m Straight” could be seen as idealism of Straight Edge living before Washington D.C hardcore punk band Minor Threat’s Ian MacKaye made drug free living an option for doped up teens.

All and all, from start to finish The Modern Lovers is an outstanding album. It runs the gambit of human emotion and covers everything from depression, love, anger, hope and hopelessness. Not to mention a few shout outs to Rock and Roll, Parents, the 1950’s, the State of Massachusetts, and AM Radio.

Has there ever been another band of this caliber to originate in the suburbs of Boston?
I am thinking the Pixies are forever in debt for paving the way out of the state of Massachusetts and into our ears.

Go grab it….I need some more “I told you so” in my life to do my best Murphy impersonation.

****Edit - Murph just pointed out Galaxie 500 as another band to make waves out of the Boston area. Slight oversight by me, slight moment of elite prickism by Murph....I kid cuz I love.