:::::: Praise for the author: "And it's stupid that you aren't making money from them if you give them to anyone because the only thieves would be them." - PT
Our Sages whose Books are their Wives, May hunt the Philosopher’s Stone, And be proud of their Continent Lives, As if that themselves had none. But if they would come at the Prize, They ought to be Jolly and drink, For the true Modern Way to be Wise Is neither to Read or to Think.
The Blockhead must lose his Aim, The studies Old Aristotle For the ways that we rise to Fame, Are the Petticoat, Dice and Bottle Thus if you would climb to Pow’r And be a True Whig of Trust, Your way is to Drink and Whore, And neither be Learn’d of Just.
From “Vampy Weekend“‘s new album. I’ve liked some of their previous songs, but but but I have something against them I can’t put my finger on. Guess if I had to describe it, it would be a kind of precious, twee sensibility. ANYWAY, if you can get through your initial distaste enough to watch the first minute or so, this is actually pretty interesting. The video’s kind of cool, especially the lyrics. Gets bearable at second 26. Before that I was about to turn it off.
In all different types of art, for me, the line between authentically sweet and cloying is changing, somewhat mysterious, and thought-provoking. And this band is near that line.
Seems like there’s a whole trend too towards quietness and intimacy in indie/rock/pop music nowadays. See XX.
SHORT VERSION OF POST: Gets bearable at second 26.
I’ve never seen a band pimp out a city for its own profit more than Vampire Weekend does with New York in this video (in general?). And to have done it so blandly… Take away the massive text on screen (which only seems to serve as a crutch to help viewers pick their way past lyrics that are somehow at once both mumbled and breathless) and you are left with stolid and unoriginal black-and-white footage that’s about as interesting as your morning commute. Try harder, Vampire Weekend. Try harder. /dumps ice-cooler of Haterade everywhere.
Fair point. But but but, these lyrics are pretty darn good, “And punks who would laugh when they saw us together/ Well they didn’t know how to dress for the weather/ I can still see them there huddled on Astor/ Snow falling slow to the sound of the master.”
What am I saying? Dunno. But maybe, if people want to dislike Vampire weekend, fine. But we shouldn’t loathe them. And forgive Bieber for writing that stuff in the guestbook at the Anne Frank memorial. And forgive Lindsay Lohan! She could still get it together! Celebrities are America’s extended family!
Good on you (and through you, them) for extracting a nicely rhymed line where I was unable or unwilling to. But if celebrities are America’s extended family, then Bieber is its step-grandfather’s grandson who refuses to wear a collared shirt to Thanksgiving lunch when the rest of the country sprung for the jacket and tie. Also: from Canada.
Formula for determining the worthiness of a New York Times Sunday Styles trend story:
Let x represent a would-be trend (always assume a value of 1).
Let rrepresent the number of reported occurrences of x.
Let irepresent in square miles the total intersecting area within a 2 mile geographic radius from each point of occurrence. For national trend stories or for stories not occurring in any of the 5 major metro areas, refer to the Table of Radii at the back of the book (or on reference sheet provided). Please remember to bring your compasses to class.
Let P represent total months percolating from onset occurrence of x.
Let Trepresent the trend factor that denotes whether or not it is a trend.
The closer T is to zero, the more viable the trend piece. The farther value T is from zero, the less viable the trend piece.
The Archaic Greek Lion of Kea, thought to date to around the 6th century BC, sculptor unknown. Ioulida, island of Kea.
Though much ambiguity still surrounds this stone carved smiling lion, it is thought relate to the mythology of Kea, which was once known as “The Water Island”
The island was considered to be inhabited by water Nymphs. Due to its exceptional beauty, the Gods were jealous of the island and sent a lion down to ravage it of its beauty. The lion drove all the Nymphs out of the island and the island dried out.
The inhabitants of Kea then asked Apollo’s son, Aristaeus for help and he built a temple to the mightiest of all Gods, Zeus. This act pleased Zeus and he brought rain to the island and the nymphs back to it, as well. (x)
A lot of people don’t know this but, freshwaterwhales and I were raised by dolphins and sloths in college. It was complicated, but they worked out a joint-custody type situation. And when I say joint custody, of course I mean joints were involved.
