Ally McBeal

So I’ve been watching old TV lately.   Series on Netflix Instant.  Specifically, Ally McBeal. I watched this series when it first came out (hahahah I r an Old.)  The re-watching of  Ally McBeal has been surprising to me - I think it’s pretty fucking entertaining in spite of my initial recoil at the idea of watching it (again).

HOWEVER….can we (anyone who is also (re)watching Ally McBeal) bitch about Vonda Shepherd?  What the hell is up with her having a cameo singing moment in every single episode of this show????  I am so sick of that woman’s voice and all the cameos and all the singing she does.   She is dreadful!  Just awful!   She is the worst thing about this show, hands down.  Ugh. (Clearly I have feelings about this.)  Yet still, I continue to watch (I just mute the theme song and any time Vonda appears on screen).

I do have to say - I adore so many of the characters in this show as well as many of the storylines.  I’m surprised at how well it holds up over time. I’ll leave it at that instead of wondering if there is any dish about this Vonda chick and how the hell she got this “in every episode even for a minute” gig….There’s bound to be unsavory Hollywood gossip about this.  Right?  Well, I’m listening…

Source: purfrock

If you can’t make your impact in 4 minutes or less

One of the things I love about the songs of most genres before the late 80s, and, more significantly, the present, is that the length of the song was usually between 2 and 4 minutes.  When people give me requests at whorePOD events, I wince, because almost every song is close to five minutes or more in length.  And without good reason for such a length.  Unless there is a fantastic instrumental section, or some wonderful texturizing or layering (in the case of techno/electronic/industrial songs) - I’m going to be bored by the song after two and a half minutes.  There is just no need for two and three (or more) “repeat chorus” sections in a song.  This is unacceptable and tedious.  And if you are wailing about lost love or gettin’ some booty for over 4 minutes, you sound like a whiny loser.  You should be able to make your impact in under 4 minutes. If not, you’re just participating in self-congratulatory overkill.

I do remember loving extended versions of songs when they first started coming out.  These were especially good while indulging in illicit substances and dancing.  But I didn’t want to hear them in general.  Just in a club scenario.  Today, I love certain industrial/techno/electronic songs, and many of these are 5, 6 or more minutes long (:wumpscut is one that springs to mind).  There is a lot of layering and texture involved and the lyrics, even if repeated numerous times, are not usually the main impact point.  I also adore some remixes.  It’s amazing what can be done today with remixing.  But, as I said above, if you can’t make your impact (or point) in a song in 4 minutes or less (and you aren’t trying to be a remix/extended version) - it’s overkill and it’s tedious.  Go and see how it was done in much less time by previous artists.

I blame the steadily lengthening of songs today on extended dance versions of regular songs seeping into the mainstream.  And dubstep.  A lot of dubstep is a dull, repetitive abomination, no matter how many times there is a drop. 

So there’s that rant.  I’m hitting play on that Zeros CD again, and listening to how it’s done best.

Holy moly

I’m only a week behind on Tumblr and I’m getting a headache trying to catch up.  I only went to mid-Friday. Must stop.  If I missed anything good - it will come back around.  I’ll catch the redux.

One whirlwind down, another spiral begins!

The last few months have been exciting and busy.  Everything rose to a crescendo last weekend for the SF Punk Reunion, which we had been planning and organizing since January.  It was a smashing success!  I’ll be sporadically posting clips uploaded to YouTube of the reunited performing bands. 

Of course the day after the event, I came down with the flu.  So that was fun.  At least my body rallied me through, waiting to hit me with exhaustion and illness after the big weekend instead of during.  I’ve been recuperating as much as possible this week, but I already have other creative things lining up that will require my attention and energy.  You have to live life in order to have life!