The Eels vs. Ted Kaczynski

I loved The Eels during the mid-'90s (many a fond dream of busing tables at the Red Robin to the sounds of "Novocaine for the Soul") and then again in the early '00s (though Traci still hates me for the time she was complaining about something and I responded to her with this quote, "Life ain't pretty for a dog-faced boy." Let that be a lesson to men everywhere, never refer to your wife as a dog-faced boy. In an context. Ever.).

I've tried in vain to enjoy just about anything from the past five records. Nevertheless, I still found it prudent to snatch up the opportunity to interview E, the one-named man behind the band.

I was worried he'd be a jerk but he was, in fact, quite cordial--if not a bit tight-lipped. If you'd like some more in-depth reading, check the article here. Or. if you're more aural, here are some of my favorite Eels tunes:

Souljacker
Woman Driving, Man Sleeping
Lone Wolf

Am I More Bone or More Thug?

I interviewed Flesh 'n Bone of Bone Thugs 'n Harmony the other day. Yes, the fine young men who brought us "I'll meet at tha crossroads, crossroads, crossroads..." back in 1995 are still around and making music.

Other than "Tha Crossroads," a song that I never really liked, I had little I wanted to talk to them about. Luckily, Flesh 'n Bone had no problem talking from the time he picked up the phone until he hung up, without me really having to ask any questions at all. The only real awkwardness happened before the interview really started.

From my article:

"There's nothing more rock 'n' roll than sharing a fake last name -- just ask the Ramones. But something that is awesome on stage can make things a little awkward in real life. Like my call to Flesh-n-Bone (brother of Layzie Bone and cousin of Wish Bone), founding member of Bone Thugs-n-Harmony.

When I called what was hopefully Mr. Bones' cell phone number, a woman answered.

"Hi, uh, is Flesh there?"

"What?" she answered, seemingly confused.

"I'm looking for Flesh. I mean, can I talk to Flesh?"

(I could feel my face getting progressively warmer. Something about asking a woman on the phone for flesh of any sort tends to make me feel a little awkward.)

"Oh, yeah. I'll get him."

Feel free to read the rest of the article here.

A Marketing Dad's Dream

Nothing makes a father more proud than when he helps create a cartoon tooth to market a dental insurance plan and then that tooth gets made into a mascot and a burping 8-bit video and some real videos...and then his kids actually think it's cool.

Curtis v. Cypress Hill

I've always loved that guy in Cypress Hill who just repeats stuff. B-Real does all the hard stuff and then Sen Dog just echoes, "I'm insane in the brain!" or "How I could just kill a man" or whatever the chorus may be. And it's like that on every song. Brilliant!

Curtis is our little Sen Dog. Paige comes up with all the original content and then Curtis just mimics her. The only problem is that he has a bit of trouble keeping up. And thus the messages get a bit mixed up.

Paige: I think it's Sleeping Beauty, Mom.
Curtis: I think it's Sleeping Booby, Mom.

Paige: Over my dead body! [Why she says this, I have no idea.]
Curtis: I don't wanna go potty!

Keep working on it, little buddy, and someday you'll rise up to play to a supporting role in a Latin-based, gangsta rap group on a constant crusade toward the decriminalization and legalization of marijuana.

No Means No

Curtis has a tendency to escape from my grasp while getting his diaper changed. Paige was so enraged by his birthday-suited visit to her room this morning that she promptly drew this picture and taped it to her door. It's entitled "No Nakey Boys Allowed."

Song of the Day: Tokyo Police Club, Favorite Colour

While I was in St. George for the annual Pearson Family Fun Days in August, I snuck down to Las Vegas to see my friend Ty and to check out Tokyo Police Club at the Beauty Bar.

Maybe there was something in the sweaty, after midnight, Las Vegas air as we watched the band in the little courtyard behind the bar, but I quickly developed a man crush on this song and singer Dave Monks. (Which is surprising, 'cause he's not really my type.)

Here's the recorded version, with a live version from Atlanta is below:

Modern Family

Everyone I know has recommended that we watch Modern Family because it's soooo funny. That's a lot of pressure to put on a person. I can barely watch YouTube videos with my friends at work because I'm so worried I won't laugh. (Noah just sent me this gem. I laughed. Uncomfortably.)

So far, Traci and I have completed the first disc of Season One. I laughed at the very first episode when the drivers' ed-sing daughter runs over her dad with the car. And really laughed when her boyfriend sings "In the Moonlight."

So, friends, Modern Family gets two thumbs up. Congratulations.

I only wish that Mitchell was played by Chris Elliott, circa Get a Life.

Snow White?

I was reading Snow White to Paige tonight when I realized I don't think I've ever seen the movie. I've seen those dwarfs and heard some of the songs, I'm sure. But seen the whole show? I really don't think so. I don't think I even know what the story's about.

It scared me a bit. The huntsman--or shall we say, the hitman--and the request to stick her heart in the jewelry box? A bunch of little folks digging for blood diamonds? Sheesh.

We only made it halfway through. It became difficult for me to read once I had to start covering my eyes.

(South)West Side is the Best Side

I took my kids to Fizz Fest [I don't know why it was called this, as there was no fizz and little fest] at Daybreak today [the Stepford Wives community on Kennecott's "reclaimed" land, in the SW corner of SLC] so we could see my old boss Joy's [who is a man] band play.

I think Traci would like to move to Daybreak, if it were located in Murray. I must admit, I do like a lot of the houses and all of the parks and stuff.

But I couldn't live there. Why? Because everyone looks like me. The quote-unquote Fest was filled with tons of balding, pasty-skinned guys in their plaid cargo shorts. All of 'em were with their mega-pregnant wives and their gaggle of kids and having just as much fun as me.

Nope. Daybreak doesn't need another me.

P.S.

I had this conversation with Paige.

[After meeting Joy] "Dad, your friend has dark skin."

"That's right, he does."

"Why?"

Sujfan, Katy Perry & Yo Gabba

Here's this week's music. Click the linky-links for the full review.

Sufjan Stevens - All Delighted People EP I generally find myself wanting to punch Sufjan Stevens in his pretty indie face, but I still love the tunes. Even better, this one is void of all of the cheesy horn lines that drove me crazy on Illinoise.

Katy Perry - Teenage Dream, Katy Perry "Hot N Cold" was Paige's favorite song for a long time, so I figured I'd pick up Katy Perry's new record. Bor-ing. I've learned a lesson. Never trust a four-year-old's music taste. (Who am I kidding, Paige has pretty good taste.)

Yo Gabba Gabba! - Music is ... Awesome! Vol.2 "All My Friends are Insects" by Weezer is sooo good. Hopefully, this will keep Dora the Explorer and those blasted They Might Be Giants CDs out of the minivan for a little while.

He Who Laughs Last

I was just teasing Curtis, but he got the last laugh.

CURTIS: Look at my orange monster truck, Dad.

ME: It's not orange, it's purple.

CURTIS: Yes it is orange...dingus.

Scratch Bob Itch Pants

Can't stop scratching since the lunch time conversation about bed bugs. It's the Paige and the lice scare all over again.

I spent the afternoon lotioning and re-lotioning to get the feeling of the creepy crawlers off my skin. Then I visited Bed Bug Registry (a real thing) to see if my coworkers would be bringing back any little buddies from their conference in DC.

Still Missing the Hills

I didn't realize how much I was missing The Hills until recently. I was watching a rerun of The Office where Kelly Kapoor was asked who should be branch manager. She offered up this gem:

"I love rivalries. Michael or Jim. Paris or Nicole. Heidi or LC. It's so much fun. But, I guess if I'm really thinking about it and answering your question honestly, I'd have to go with LC. Heidi's a bad friend. And her skin, is terrible."

The Only Reason I Go to Church Anymore...

...Is to check out the artwork on the sacrament programs, provided by the Primary kids. This one's my favorite. In this depiction, Goliath is not only a frightening giant, wreaking havoc on the Israelites, but also a monster in the paint. Shaq Fu ain't got nuthin' on Goliath--or The Big Phil, as his teammates call him.

Back to School Blues

Paige went back to preschool today. This year she moved from two days a week to four, which seems like a pretty big jump. All summer, she's been talking about how excited she is to go back to school but when the moment arrived, it was a different story.

She was a little weepy when she woke up, not wanting to go to school everyday or meet new kids. (Who could blame her?) But when I picked her up this afternoon, she was in very good spirits.

"Dad, I have a new best friend. Shaylee is in my same group and her favorite color is yellow, just like mine. We're twins!" First day and already a best friend? You can't beat that.

And it gets better. You can imagine how our little #1-Chipmunks-Superfan daughter's eyes lit up when Traci told her there was a boy in her class named Alvin. See, new kids are great.

Song of the Day: Gaslight Anthem, American Slang

Mix Social Distortion with Bruce Springsteen and you've got yourself a pretty great tune by Gaslight Anthem.

This Week's Reviews: Arcade Fire, Wavves, Matt Skiba

Feel free to check out this week's reviews for IN.



Arcade Fire - The Suburbs. Better than Neon Bible, not quite as good as Funeral. Still gave it 4 of 4 stars.

Wavves - King of the Beach. Trashy garage punk meets psychedelia. I enjoyed the first half of the equation.

Matt Skiba - Demos. Only interesting for heavy duty Alkaline Trio fans, and still not that interesting.

Cowboys and Emus

I relayed the following story to my Native American friend Steve.

Me: We're going to the park.
Paige: Which park?
Me: Murray Park.
Paige: What's Murray Park?
Me: It's the one with the big Indian statue.
Paige: What's an Indian? Is that like an emu?

Steve agreed to come to a Family Home Evening to explain the difference between America's indigenous peoples and Australia's largest native bird.

Self Realization

There is sometimes a brief weird moment after you drop your kids off and you get back in the car. The radio comes back on and you're absent-mindedly bopping along when you realize you're still listening to Dora the Explorer. No kids, just kids music. In that moment it becomes very clear that you're 30 years old and driving a minivan.