Guest director J. Christopher Arrison tries to make pajamas flattering.
Director’s Note: Dance for the Cure “The past twenty-four hours have been the proverbial emotional roller-coaster. We have been AMAZED by the response to Dana’s video blog (I refuse the term vlog). Thanks a million, everyone. It’s a terrifying time; sometimes we break down in tears, sometimes we put on our favorite music to oh so briefly forget. This is my thanks to all of you who have reached out.”
If you have a brain condition, staying active can help (depending on the condition. I am a writer-performer-comedian and freestyle dance enthusiast, not a doctor). Prior to my unfortunate brain news diagnosis, I spent a month recovering from a bulging lower back disk and ensuing sciatica and had trouble dancing from all that damn pain. With the help of my chiropractor, Tough Love Yoga Atlanta (hell yes metal yoga http://toughloveyoga.com), countless ice packs, a cardboard-based standing desk, and Game of Thrones from the “comfort” of my floor, I am dancin’ again.
This song has meaning to me due to what I’m undergoing with 1000mg/day of Keppra (aka Leviathan for those of you following the show). My language seizures have calmed down, but I am having many sleepless nights, can’t eat, and feel more methed out than Jesse Pinkman. It’s a Catch 22. The comedowns are difficult. Reading forum posts and watching videos of those of you who are taking keppra for epilepsy or other seizure disorders has helped me. Hopefully this post and show will help those of you searching in the dark like me. Stay strong, and keep dancing. We’ll weather the storm together.
Twenty Eleven
Here’s what I sent this year to the fun best albums email chain. As per usual, I got pretty carried away. Happy Nude Year!
Best Best 2011 2011
ALBUMS TO STICK IN YOUR POCKET Active Child - You Are All I See CANT - Dreams Come True - “Answer” Clams Casino - Everything Ever Ever Ever. Special love to the “Cold War” instrumental. Yum. Deafheaven - Roads to Judah (props to LaCombe for picking my workout playlists) Dirty Beaches - Badlands Dum Dum Girls - Only in Dreams Ford & Lopatin - Channel Pressure frank ocean - nostalgia / ultra - “strawberry swing” / “we all try” Holy Ghost! - s/t - “Do It Again” Little Dragon - Ritual Union - “Little Man” M83 - Hurry Up, We’re Dreaming - “Soon, My Friend” Mastodon - The Hunter - “Stargasm” (space sex? duh!) / “Creature Lives” (cat news at the end? double duh!) SebastiAn - Total Unknown Mortal Orchestra - s/t - “Nerve Damage” Washed Out - Within and Without - “Amor Fati” The Weeknd - EVERYTHING YOU TOUCH KEEP MAKING A BUNCH OF MUSIC PLEASE Zavala - The Dark Time Sunshine Vessel Instrumentals - “E.R.” Zola Jesus - Contatus - “Avalanche”
SONG JAMS THAT WEREN’T IN MY ALBUMS LIST OK Araabmuzik - “Electronic Dream” Battles - “Ice Cream” / “My Machines Off” Britney Spears - “Till The World Ends” / “Hold It Against Me” Class Actress - “Keep You” CunninLynguists - “Hard As They Come (Act One)” elite gymnastics - “o m a m o r i” Das Racist - “MICHAEL JACKSON!” EMA - “Marked” / “Butterfly Knife” / “Milkman” Gold Panda - “Fifth Ave” Hunx and His Punx - “Lovers Lane” JJ Feat Ne-Yo - “We Can’t Stop” :: Yep, I was on the bandwagon of people that listened to this song on repeat. Goddamn. Something about it made me want to write songs in my car at 4 in the morning. Lana Del Ray - “Blue Jeans” :: She is a love/hate kind of artist. Currently, I am in love with her but really worry about it dipping into hate. Lykke Li - “Get Some” Neon Indian - “Hex Girlfriend” Purity Ring - “Belispeak” / “Lofticries” The Rapture - How Deep Is Your Love? Wallpaper - “butt 2 butt” Wild Flag - “Romance” Young Galaxy - “Cover Your Tracks” :: I got in a groove at work where this little guy went on repeat. Sorry, officemates.
NOT TRADITIONAL ALBUMS BUT I LOVED YOU ANYWAY Killer Mike - Bang x3 Mixertaper Drive Soundtrack Blood Bros 2 LCD Soundsystem Live in NYC - “North American Scum” // “Trials and Tribulations” Hood Internet Vol Five - “Psycho Break” / “Chi Citizens” Wugazi - 13 Chambers
WE DIDN’T SPEND ENOUGH TIME TOGETHER. NEXT YEAR, I PROMISE. Youth Lagoon Com Truise Grimes John Maus SBTRKT Future Islands
SONG MOST LIKELY TO BE USED IN CAR COMMERCIALS AND/OR SHOW PROMOTIONS AS I HAVE NOW HEARD IT SEVERAL TIMES IN BOTH Black Keys - “Lonely Boy”
DISAPPOINTMENT TOWN Dear artists, Remember how much I liked your previous efforts? How I would shake people down in the alley and blast my D-battery boom box at them with your work? Remember how you made me smile, how I would lay my life down for you? To say the least, way to underwhelm the world, guys. The Lonely Island - Turtleneck and Chain. Too much Andy, too many unnecessary cameos, not enough OG fun. SAVING GRACE - “Jack Sparrow” - The production on this track rules. It also made me like Michael Bolton which I didn’t know was possible. Observe. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GI6CfKcMhjY Lady GaGa - Born This Way. More like: Born to Pander. Yikes. While I’m behind the message of the album, it felt pretty disjointed and soulless in parts. She’s a growing artist though. We all have our visits to disappointment town. SAVING GRACE - “Americano” / “Heavy Metal Lover” Rihanna - Talk That Talk SAVING GRACE: I still love you. Side Note: I historically love Radiohead but kind of felt the thick wave of meh arising as King of Mehs was rearing its shaky head. I also didn’t expect things from Beastie Boys so their latest effort, “The Meh Sauce Committee Fart Two,” was par for the course. Pleasantly surprised by the track “Lee Majors Come Again.” Download that and never touch the rest of the album.
REVISITS Prince & The Revolution - Purple Rain Twin Peaks Archive Magnetic Fields - I. I love this cover of “I Thought You Were My Boyfriend” because it’s dedicated “to all the men I’ve been cybering with lately”. oh no. how old are you? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AAn5Hz16VTo Britney Spears - Blackout. “Break the Ice” is an under-appreciated banger. Genesis - The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway
CAT NEWS OF THE YEAR Every year, this is the toughest category, but I think we have a standout. (This is my personal favorite and probably not the most interesting thing. If you want that, check this link - http://animal.discovery.com/videos/my-extreme-animal-phobia-kittens-scare-woman-to-tears.html) THE WINNER @nemuru_cat on Instagram http://web.stagram.com/n/nemuru_cat/ Japanese cat cafe that takes nothing but unattractive pictures of its cats. Most cat cafes take wistful portraits. @nemuru_cat catches its denizens freaking out by the vacuum. I’m into it. Also, every once and a while, a dude with a Darth Vader mask shows up to pose next to the furballs. I have no idea what’s going on, and it’s perfect.
NON-MUSICAL AUDIO OF THE YEAR Radiolab “Lost and Found” episode. The last story…so good… http://www.radiolab.org/2011/jan/25/ *If you’re into podcasts or looking to get into podcasts, get the Downcast app for you participating smart phones. Stream a bunch of stuff without having to eat up memory. Also, Stitcher sucks.
WORKED ON STUFF CORNER 2011 LICENSE 2 SHILL!!! Le Sexoflex - Juiceboxxx Maxi Single - Yeah, this song came out two and half years ago but the version that we could actually sell came out this year with an all new under the sea rap. http://lesexoflex.bandcamp.com/album/juiceboxxx-maxi-single Le Sexoflex - Tractor single, which may or may not be about the person who started this email chain - http://lesexoflex.bandcamp.com/track/tractor Tettix - Finest Designs - One of my most listened to albums of the year. Judson’s an incredibly talented producer and all around awesome guy. His lyrics have always hit home in a weird way. Had tons of funs making singy times for one of the tracks. http://www.tettix.net/albums/finest_designs.html Mike Schatz - Rusty Trombone - I used to perform this with Mike as his fake stage wife. Some of my favorite stage memories ever. Please notice my terrible fake guitaring in this video during a silent portion of the song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6ib221mvrK4
THIRTY PINK STONES PROJECT Did you read this far down the email? Wow, I’m sorry. I warned you I type a lot for this thing because I don’t understand off switches. Anypoops, I turned 30 in November, and as a surprise, my husband created a real life video game for me with personal messages and clues in song and video form from really awesome people. I’ve spent the last few days trying to chronicle the whole experience. Husband and friends of the decade. Christ. http://thirtypinkstones.tumblr.com/
Lastly, if you didn’t see Drive and are way behind in Breaking Bad, you messed up.
PEEP PEEP featuring STILETTO EFFECT - ICE CREAM TRUCK Dirty Down South ReRub
Just in time for the weekend sunshine, it’s a fresh new boner-jam right out the butt-oven! This one’s for all the homo boys runnin’ round shirtless, and Cazwell runnin’ round being’ sexy and shizz.
Peep Peep’s been drippin’ cream with Barry Brandon and JL! See what happens when their powers collide. Piedmont Park pool, brace yourself!
One of my favorite tracks from last year, on one of my favorite albums to date. It’s so hard to say goodbye. If you need me, I’ll be with the three other members of Boyz II Men.
In need of DJ and the Bear-apy
Tonight. Highland Ballroom. Go for the @BarryBrandon. Stay for the @babycourageous.
In anticipation of seeing a dance floor pop-off, I’m building a wishlist of songs and/or artists…underneath it all, it probably involves “100% Pure Love” and “The Scatman”. Help. These are not songs you should ever play.
2010 Music
A friend of mine puts together a fantastic best albums email chain every year. It’s kind of like those recipe swapping chains with none of the annoying rules…and I guess no recipes, either.
So here was my countdown for this year’s chain. Enjoy!
Tracks that got blasted in my sweet Hyundai and/or dance floor of a bathroom: “Fashion Party” - Das Racist “In Your Face” - Die Antwoord “Evil Boy” - Die Antwoord “Wat Pomp?” - Die Antwoord “All of the Lights” - Kanye West “Hell of a Life” - Kanye West “No One’s Gonna Love You” (Paul Epworth Mix) - Cee-Lo Green “Bulletproof” - La Roux (let’s be honest. the original isn’t nearly as strong as all of the remixes that have surfaced…especially the version on Lazerproof) “A/B Machines” - Sleigh Bells “Threshold” - Sex Bob-Omb / Beck / Brian LeBarton versions all got equal play “It’s Getting Boring by the Sea” - Blood Red Shoes “Dance Yrself Clean” - LCD Soundsystem “Drunk Girls” Original and Extra Tasty Crispy Holy Ghost! Remix - LCD Soundsystem “Bang Bang Bang” - Mark Ronson and the Business Intl. “You Gave Me Nothing” - Mark Ronson and the Business Intl. “The Ghost Inside” - Broken Bells “I Want to Be Well” - Sufjan Stevens “Ready to Start” - Arcade Fire “We Used to Wait” - Arcade Fire “The Suburbs (Continued)” - Arcade Fire (yeah, yeah, three songs off of the draggingest Arcade Fire album to date, but this lil album helped me deal with some unresolved teenage issues this year, so it gets some points) “Not in Love” - Crystal Castles feat Blobbert “Universal Butter” - Judi Chicago “Mad Ape” - Judi Chicago “What’s My Name?” - Rihanna “The Room Dubstep Mix” (aka Oh Hai) - Yes, this is my ringtone. The composer’s other stuff isn’t as great, but the second remix (Hey Babe / How Is Your Sex Life) has a nice “Hi Jonny / Hi Denny” etc breakdown. Both are available here: http://microwjupiter.webs.com/ “Jump on Stage” - Girl Talk “Strawberry Skies” - Games “Five Little Rooms” - Menomena “Photojournalist” - Small Black “Whole New Way” - Scissor Sisters “Red Paint” - Matt & Kim
Best Worst Song of 2010 “Shine” - Final Placement Pulled from YouTube and Vimeo several times over…and reposted typically under the title “Awesome Music Video.” My husband and I tried to cover this song at some point. We gave up upon the realization that whatever we did will never be as amazing as this. http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/1c16f6806d/awesome-music-video
Top 20 2010 albums/mixtapes bucket LCD Soundsystem - This Is Happening Sleigh Bells - Treats Kanye West - My Dark Twisted Album That Is EONS better than 808s and Heartbreak Maserati - Pyramid of the Sun Sufjan Stevens - Age of Adz Scissor Sisters - Night Work Die Antwoord - $O$ Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross - The Social Network score Scott Pilgrim vs. the World score Major Lazer & La Roux - Lazerproof Mixtape Mark Ronson and the Business International - The Record Collection Girl Talk - All Day Pantha du Prince - Black Noise Active Child - Curtis Lane EP Salem - King Night Arcade Fire - The Suburbs Games EP Broken Bells - S/T Rihanna - Loud Judi Chicago - Bright Lights, Fun City
Top Awesomes that are not in the Top 20: The National, Robyn, Crystal Castles, Cee-Lo Green, Das Racist, Yeasayer, Small Black, Teen Daze, Scott Pilgrim vs. The World Sdtrk, Tamaryn, Best Coast…which I didn’t own for some reason until now.
Number One Album heard anytime around Peep: Scissor Sisters - Night Work
Number One Album heard in Vassy’s car: Robyn - Body Talk
Number One Album heard through adjoining walls: Salem - King Night
Number One Album on everyone’s list last year that I don’t know how I lived without in 2009: The XX
Number One crush of 2010: Rihanna In the same way that I badmouthed Lady Gaga for months…then turned around and shoved her dance floor anthems down anyone’s throats in my vicinity, I fell in love with Rihanna this year. This digital short is what did it. I take it back, Rihanna. You are gorgeous and talented, and I really don’t care anymore that I never see you dance when you’re on stage. It’s ok. You don’t have to be Ginger Rogers. http://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/digital-short-ronnie-and-clyde/1257067/
Best Revisits of the Year: Low - Drums and Guns Death from Above 1979 - You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine Sparks - Angst in My Pants
Song of the Day 11/09/10: Jeff Buckley - “We All Fall in Love Sometimes”
WORK OUT ANTHEM OF THE CENTURY, GUYS! LET’S GET PUMPED TO THIS AND FLIP OVER SOME SEMI TRUCKS!!! WHERE IS MY PROTEIN SHOT?!?
I know I’ll get sick of posting these soon enough…it’s just worth so many points on my Epic Win quest list that I can’t deny it.
UPDATED with the correct link! Whoopsies!
Song of the day 11/06/10: Scissor Sisters - “Whole New Way”
This one goes out to my Flexxxholes. Been blasting this since getting my car serviced this morning. No, that’s not a euphemism, but I wish it were! Hey-ooooh!
Vassy and I sang this on repeat last Saturday getting ready for the 1113 Colquitt show. Still wrapped in my Le Sex blanket from last weekend. Hard to peek out.
documentary lover . girly gamer . curiosity bomb . tv sponge . catlady . music swapper . sweatin to the oldies 2 fan . bad movies champion . sex education wannabe . pop culture junkie . match maker . dumb stuff aficionado .
