I live in New York. I am a comedian, writer and actor. My day job is blogging for VH1.com. I write about the silly things celebrities and pop stars do, so you know...God's work.
You may have seen my writing on many other reputable websites (The Huffington Post, Hello Giggles, xojane.com, The Hairpin, Splitsider, The FW, etc.). I also write crazy blogs about Game of Thrones, Magneto and Jeff Goldblum.
Life's weird, right?
Catching Elephant is a theme by Andy Taylor
Betty Who, “Somebody Loves You”, aka my first favorite pop song of 2013
After rediscovering “Monster” on my iTunes this weekend, I finally downloaded Meg Myers’s EP and HOLY SHIT IT IS AMAZING AND I AM OBSESSED AND WHY ISN’T SHE FAMOUS BECAUSE CRAP SHE CAN SING AND HER SONGS ARE SO FUCKING GOOD AND CATCHY AND EMOTIONAL AND SHE’S LIKE A MODERN VERSION OF ALL THOSE POP/ROCK STRONG FEMME VOCALISTS I LOVED IN THE 90s.
This is “After You”, the love song on the album, and it is hands down the best love song I’ve heard since Jessie Ware’s “Sweet Talk” and “Wildest Moments” dominated my summer playlist. I can’t stop listening to it. Or “Adelaide”. Or “Curbstomp”. Or just the entire EP.
YOU NEED TO LISTEN!
PARTY AT GATSBY’S: HITS FROM THE EARLY 1920SThe Great Gatsby is set in the summer of 1922, a year when popular culture was defined by music. I took the liberty of collecting all the songs alluded to in the novel, as well a few hits from that era, into a little collection. Think of it as a soundtrack, of sorts. You might be surprised to find how relatively low-key some of the music is, as well as the notable absence of some Jazz Age hits- remember, 1922 and before only! (I’m a nerd and spent a few hours cross-referencing.) Hope you all like it!
Tracklist:
- Sheik of Araby- Harry B. Smith; Francis Wheeler; Ted Snyder
- Hot Lips- Paul Whiteman
- Ain’t We Got Fun- Gus Kahn; Raymond B. Egan; Richard Whiting
- Love Nest- Otto Harbach; Louis A. Hirsch
- Swanee- Al Jolson
- Limehouse Blues- Douglas Furber; Philip Braham
- Whispering- Paul Whiteman
- Avalon- Al Jolson
- Three O’Clock in the Morning- Paul Whiteman
Birthday party idea????
Dancing around to Kimbra qualifies as “working on my column”, right?
Lungs won the award for best British album at the Brit awards in 2010, but Welch says her new album is “more joyous”. Reflecting on a new-found maturity, she adds: “It’s partly what the new album’s about. Do I want to be stuck in teenage land, where everything’s free and easy? You know, is it time to grow up?”
Important thoughts. Amazing album.
One of the best times of my life was working at Lush in Covent Garden after college. At Lush, the staff was allowed to play its own music, but we kept certain consensuses. We all seemed to agree on Scissor Sisters, Robyn, the Kooks and most especially, Amy Winehouse. Back to Black had only just been released in the UK when I was over there, so we used to blast “Rehab” on repeat throughout the day. Whenever I hear the intro to this song I get transported back to the shampoo room in the old Lush store and I remember all the wonderful smells, joyous times and kind friends from that place.
I was hoping she would release another album, but recently gave up hope. It’s a damn waste that she’s gone. Her talent was ridiculous. Musically, she’s already influenced a generation of pop artists. I hope that her influence remains musical, though. You know people are going to try to martyr her now…which…is tricky. At least she left one masterpiece album behind. On that note, all I can think is how her fans should thank Mark Ronson and Salaam Remi for producing that album. They were the only two producers who really knew how to get the best out of her artistically and how to create music that complimented her voice.
RIP Amy Winehouse
I always start my days off by dancing. You should try it, too.
Fitz and the Tantrums, “Moneygrabber”
Dear Josh Ritter: Stop Killing Me
