hamilton

Why do bands feel the need to "announce a hiatus" all of the time? Why can't they just quietly not book a tour? And is there any real difference between just taking some time off and having a hiatus?

Ryan Adams, Demolition.

It's interesting that Jell-O has become the name by which gelatin is referred to, regardless of whether the item is Jell-O or some other brand name. It's kind of like Kleenex, or Windex - where a brand name has become the commonly-used name for the item itself.

John Coltrane, Lush Life

Happy Birthday, Sharon!!

I got a kick out of this. From The Toronto Star:

Happy Birthday!

Grant Green, Feelin' The Spirit

Congratulations!

5:30. Shocked.

Happy Birthday!

Sound quality at the Phoenix has always been notoriously inconsistent. It's one of the few venues I can think of where you often *need* to be at the front of the room in order to hear clearly. I've heard some horrible-sounding shows there. The last Dylan show there sounded decent, though.

True (but isn't snogging an activity that lends itself to fun messiness?)' date=' but at least it's [i']Canadian. Whipped cream? Chocolate syrup? Honey? Bah, give me chunky fries, cheese curd, and gravy, baby, that's food worth snogging with! Snogging is kissing and/or cuddling. While that may *lead* to activities that lend themselves to fun messiness, I'm not sure that snogging itself lends itself to fun messiness. Silly non-Anglophiles!

Crevice?

The Glove, Blue Sunshine An interesting one-off side project from The Cure's Robert Smith and Siouxsie & The Banshees' Steve Severin. Psychedelically experimental - apparently they did lots of LSD while writing and recording this album. Smith was contractually prevented from singing on any non-Cure recording, so they hired a Siouxsie sound-alike (who happened to be the girlfriend of Budgie, the drummer for the Banshees) to sing. The newly remastered Deluxe Edition includes a second disc with the original studio demos with Robert Smith singing lead on all of the songs, which is a very revealing look at what the album might have sounded like if circumstances had been different.

The last time she played at PJC was stellar. Hamiltonians should get out for this!

Mike Gordon stepped on my foot and apologized when Phish played the Concert Hall in August of '93. I was wearing sandles, so it kind of hurt - the stepping, not the apology. Iggy Pop also stepped on my foot during a Medeski Martin & Wood show at the Guvernment. He also politely apologized. He was playing next door at the Warehouse later that night, and I think he was touring whatever album it was where MMW played on a few of the tracks. Iggy Pop is a *really* small dude. Celebrities seem to enjoy stepping on my feet. I'm not sure why.

Doesn't it follow then, that the experience of the reviewer has been a personal one as well? That he/she didn't like the show/CD/song/artist because of reasons a, b, c or d? And that those reasons might be the exact same ones that made you like the show? Sure, every reviewer has his or her own prejudices. Ben Rayner probably knows that he isn't going to like the Phish show before he even gets to the gate. But don't most of us do the exact same thing, only with other forms of music? Ewwww, a new Justin Timberlake CD - that's gotta suck! Or deciding that we aren't going to like a band just because [insert name of independent rock magazine/newspaper here] says that this artist is pretty hot shit?

I must admit that Harper has done a lot less American ass-kissing than I had expected out of his administration, and has challenged the Americans more times on issues than I would have expected too. He also managed to do it without the histrionics of some other politicians.

But he didn't really admit that he was wrong to support the war - only that he wouldn't have supported it if he knew how badly the Americans would fuck it up. It stands to reason that if the Americans had done a better job, he would still stand by his original position, which is one that I cannot in good conscience agree with. Invading a nation under false pretences is wrong, regardless of how good a job the invading army does. Actually, invading a nation under *most* pretences is wrong.

That album really grew on me well after it came out. When it was new, I thought... meh. But years later, it hit me just how good it is! The beauty of Neil Young is that he will pretty much never do what you are expecting him to do.

One of the best "rock" biographies ever written - I hope you continue to enjoy it! I have a hard time picking a favourite Neil Young song or lyric... but I have to admit that On The Beach is one of my favourite albums of all time. I remember taping it from my aunt's vinyl copy waaaaaaaaaaay back in high school. I was so happy when it was finally released on CD!

Watch yourself! If you're not careful, smoothedshredder will accuse you of thinking that you believe that freedom of speech only applies to you and not to others. After all, that's what he accused me of when I pointed out that Harper should comment on what Liberal *leaders* think instead of what Liberal leaadership *contenders* think. I think I even used the phrase "shut his yap". FWIW though, I agree with you. Attacking American foreign policy is one thing; doing it just to pander to the portion of your electorate that you haven't yet appealed to is something else. I don't trust Ignatieff as far as I could throw him, and I probably couldn't even pick him up.

Echo & The Bunnymen, Crocodiles. I forgot how good these guys were, I probably haven't heard this album in more than 10 years. Still a terrible name for a band, though.

I thought this article was going to be about Iggy Pop.