In my younger days

I finally got to listen to the Eels new song (see yesterday’s post for the video and song).  It resonates, even got a little teary eyed.  While I liked the energy of the songs on Hombre Lobo, this is the kind of song that made me stand up and take notice of the Eels and E.  It has the feel, to me at least, of my favorite Christmas song from last year:  ”I’m going to stop pretending I didn’t break your heart.”  I also enjoyed the video to “In my younger days” – it has Bobby, Jr. for starters and E looks relaxed and not as self conscious as he has looked when he is trying to “act.”  And the music is beautiful – I’m not a musician but I enjoy the electronic tones and for lack of a better description I’m going to call them seagull-like noises that weave in and through the song faintly, in the background.  I know that doesn’t sound right but I don’t have the vocabulary to describe what I enjoy about the music.  Anyway…

I wonder if there’s a limit as to how many times one can place a youtube video on a blog – what the heck – its Christmas, enjoy  (at least this a different version of the song – in the past I’ve put up the version the Eels did on the Craig Ferguson show)

Eels End Times?

This is the new intro page to the Eels web page:

Apparently “end times” will arrive on January 19, 2010.  There is speculation as to what it all means (check out speculation at Estranged Friends forum if you’re interested).  I personally think that’s the date the beard gets it (and not a moment too soon I might add)!  To back my theory, here is a link to Spinner.com story wherein E supposedly sent in this:  10 Things You Didn’t Know About the Eels singer’s Beard which appeared about the same time the “End Times” front page did.  Case closed.  Frankly, I miss E’s face …. 

Listen up!

From the Eels website:  7/21/2009- EELS ON JIMMY KIMMEL LIVE:
EELS will appear on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live this Friday night, July 24th at midnight (Eastern/Pacific).

This is really more of a reminder for me.  I tend to forget things these days.  Truth be told, I’ve often been rather “absentminded.”  I remember being 23 and telling myself “remember this moment, so that when you’re old, you won’t think you’re losing your mind when you do stuff like this.”   I had been looking for a pencil for a good ten to fifteen minutes when I suddenly realized it was behind my ear.

Speaking of ears, guess what I get tomorrow?  Oh, go ahead, guess.  Its something that everyone around me has been begging me to get for a few years now.   I’m getting hearing aids.  Not just one, but two!  I’ve been losing my hearing for about five or six years now.  Possibly more.  It sort of creeps up on you (but since you can’t hear it, you don’t realize its creeping).  I didn’t realize the extent of my hearing loss until I put in the trial hearing aids.  Amazing what I’ve been missing.  Its a similar experience to putting on glasses for the first time and realizing there are leaves on the trees that before had been just a mass of green.

While I can be classified as a baby boomer (I know, you’re shocked, I write so young, huh?), I am considered young for the amount of hearing loss I’ve had (I have a doctor’s note to prove it).  I am chalking it up to being a poor immigrant child.  When I got to this country, unimmunized, I contracted most of the prevalent childhood diseases of the time – mumps, german measles, regular measles, chickenpox, whooping cough and scarletina (a milder form of scarlet fever) to name a few.  It is to the bout of scarletina from which I have decided the hearing loss stems.  It was also most likely helped along by a few of the concerts I attended in the 70’s – you know, the ones where you exited the arena completely deaf and had ringing in your ears for a couple of days (or maybe that was just me).

Anyway, I’ll hopefully be listening to the Eels on Friday night with my brand new ears (they’re really cool hearing aids – kind of makes me feel like a Borg).

Makes sense to me….

Since I have nothing clever to say I’ll differ to comments made by Mr. E:

6/26/2009- E ON MJ:
EELS leader Mark Oliver Everett aka E reflects on Michael Jackson’s artistic legacy at AOL Music today. Read it HERE. Furthermore, E tells EELStheband.com: “Michael Jackson was the King of Pop, Bruce Springsteen is The Boss, and I could not be The Assistant Night Manager of Rock without them.”

Letterman and Eels!

Mark your calendars!  From the EELS Oficial Website:

6/15/2009- EELS ON LATE SHOW WITH DAVID LETTERMAN:
EELS will make their fourth appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman, CBS this Wednesday, June 17th, at 11:30pm Eastern/Pacific.

Wonder what they’ll present – Fresh Blood or Tremendous Dynamite might be too scary for Letterman.  I’m guessing its going to be That Look You Gave That Guy.  Altho’ it might be fun to see E howling on stage….

UPDATE:  Just saw Eels on Letterman –  In My Dreams was the song E chose to perform.  Is it me or did he have this kind of Joachim Phoenix look to him. 

Your second chance

For those who didn’t get a chance to see the documentary Parallel Words, Parallel Lives on PBS’ Nova last fall when it first aired, well, here is your second chance.  I  highly recommend your viewing this extraordinary documentary.  I’m not sure how much weight my recommendation carries since you most probably don’t know me personally (and you should be thankful for that).  The documentary  provides insight into the quantum mechanics theory of many worlds proffered by Hugh Everett …  mind-blowing particularly for pea brains such as myself (let me provide Exhibit A as to my pea-brain-ness: I am the creator of this CLICK HERE).  It  also provides an introduction into the music of Mark Oliver Everett (aka The Eels, aka Mr. E) not quite mind-blowing but certainly soul-blowing (or at least providing Novocaine for the Soul). His music has taken up residence in my pea brain since I saw this Nova episode.  Here is a link to my previous review of the documentary REALITY HANGS BY A THREAD.  

Check your local PBS listings for Nova for air times -

Nova
Season 35, Episode 13 of 18 :  Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives 

Mark Oliver Everett, better known as E, is the lead singer of U.S. cult band the EELS. What most of his fans don’t know is that Mark’s father, Hugh Everett III, was one of America’s top quantum physicists. In 1957, Hugh Everett came up with a revolutionary theory that predicted the existence of parallel universes. The idea quickly seeped into popular culture, but only recently has it been accepted by mainstream physicists. The film follows the wry and charismatic Mark, who had been estranged from his father, as he travels across America to learn about the father he never knew. It is only by entering the paradoxical world of quantum mechanics that Mark can hope to understand why he was such a stranger to his own father

Field Mice, Head Lice…

I had this little snippet of music going through my head – listen:  Flyswatter   I knew it was an Eels song but I had to go through every dang Eels video on YouTube to find it.  I have a tendency towards OCD-type behavior doncha know.  Anyway, it is such a wonderful little riff (if that’s the right terminology – I’m no musician).  That little pattern of music just feels like a fresh splash of water on the face and opens up the mind to all sorts of possibilities – is catchy but not insipid yet has a certain fairy tale-ish kind of quality – like a remembered song from childhood.  The lyrics are equally as mesmerizing – almost makes me want to break out the old cels and animate (I won’t – too labor intensive and I’m just lazy these days).  Below is the “official” Eels video to the song:

Its fun, and Mr. E is cute as all get out but I think the images detract focus from the song itself  - a little too, and I hate to be critical but then who the hell is reading this stuff anyway but me – the video comes off as too young teenage boy (nun shedding habit, etc.).  I know all videos are aimed at teenage boys and this one is really very mild by comparison.  I would have liked a more surrealistic approach to the video .  I think the illustration on the cover is closer to what I perceive is the spirit of the song – but then what the hell do I know.  

Here’s just the song without the “official video” and some of the lyrics underneath (I’m OCD’ing again aren’t I…) … I may yet end up doing some illustrating if not animating …

Little field mice
Living under the house
Never eating much
Tough life for a mouse
And if you think you’re
Gonna be spared
You’re wrong

Field mice, head lice
Spiders in the kitchen
Don’t think twice ’bout
Whatever keeps you itchin’
Ice water, flyswatter
Gonna get you through
the day

Okay to be thoroughly anal about this – here, this is the quality that is missing in the Flyswatter video.  This is kind of steampunky before steampunk:  Last Stop: This Town