Building the Buffer

Okay, time to knock some of my rust and dust off with a quick list post. 

1. I apologize for being silent over here recently. I’d rather not go into the reasons or make any excuses, because that won’t help anything. I just want to get back on track and move forward. While I prefer to post essays upon completion, I’m going to take some time to work on a bunch of posts, so that I’ll have a buffer and hopefully avoid another false start.

2. Like last February, I am once again participating in the Music Writers Exercise hashtag (#MWE) on Twitter, which so far has helped jumpstart my daily tweets that have been quite sporadic the last few months. 

3. As always, if you’d suggest an album, feel free to do so with a comment or tweet. Only two rules: no McCartney and no Bowie. For… reasons. 

4. In case you didn’t know, V&B also has a Tumblr now! It’s kind of an extension of my Twitter. I have some plans and ideas for Tumblr-only content that should be cool and I’m very excited about.

Stay tuned!

"The Monkees" Rewatch: Dance, Monkee, Dance

“Dance, Monkee, Dance” kicks off with a phone call concerning an “opportunity of a lifetime” in the form of a free lesson from “the world’s foremost dance emporium, Renaldo’s Dance Au Go Go.” After some, er, difficulty Peter wins the lesson and enrolls for classes, but quickly learns his “opportunity of a lifetime” included a lifetime contract. Micky and Mike each try to find ways to get Peter out of the contract, but smartassery and hormones, respectively, land them in the same boat. Thinking their way out is to have someone on the inside, Davy goes to work for Renaldo as an instructor and they use his position to sabotage a day of new applicants.

I know I’ve been saying stuff like this a lot in recent entries, but I love this episode! It’s definitely one of my favorites and a big reason for that is “I’ll Be Back Up On My Feet,” which is great song and great romp. I also really love Miss Buntwell, Renaldo’s secretary. She’s a total riot, but of course, as a thirteen year old that love was tempered somewhat by fangirl jealousy and envy. Make no mistake, part of me still thinks “luckyyyyyyyy” when she kisses Mike, but luckily now it takes a backseat to how hilarious both her character and their scenes are.

That said, this is another Monkees episode that’s a bit difficult for me to write about. I’ve talked before about my concerns with spoilers, but in this instance it’s more about comedy being unfit for analysis. Then again, maybe I’m just inept at it and it actually is possible, but in a way it sometimes feels like it’s taking the fun out of it. Or, more accurately, talking the fun out of it. This feels particularly true of visual jokes, fourth wall breaks, and dream sequences like the trial in “Dance”:

“Dance, Monkee, Dance” also comes with a Monkees urban fandom legend, of sorts. See, toward the end of the episode Renaldo tries to hustle a room full of older ladies into more lifetime contracts and the boys try to scare them off. For a long time one of the women was said to be Bette Nesmith Graham, Mike’s mother. However, a recent Facebook post from Christian (Mike’s son) dispelled this myth. Luckily, said post came up not long after I watched the episode for this project and I didn’t end up making a fool of myself by babbling about that little piece of so-called trivia. I mention it anyhow because I think it’s funny and interesting how certain fandom headcanons proliferate even if no one quite knows how they started. (Or bothers to ever fact check.)

Related, I just love when Davy walks into the room full of ladies and in the midst of their chatter you can hear variations of “Isn’t he cute?” I like to think that wasn’t scripted or planned, mostly because I can totally see such comments following Davy wherever he went. And why wouldn’t they? Dude’s adorable!

"The Monkees" Rewatch: One Man Shy (Peter & the Debutante)

“One Man Shy” opens with the Monkees auditioning for a debutante’s party and landing the gig. Peter is immediately smitten with Valerie, but his shyness causes him to only stare longingly and steal her portrait instead of speaking to her. One day Valerie and her, in heavy airquotes, "boyfriend" Ronnie unexpectedly drop by the boys’ pad and discover the portrait. While snooty Ronnie threatens to call the cops, Valerie quickly forgives Peter when he admits to taking it. After Ronnie leaves the pad in a huff, the boys decide to go on the attack and sabotage a date between him and Valerie. Ronnie doesn’t take it well and decides to embarrass Peter and the boys with a round of lawn games. Only his plan “to show you what they were” backfires when Valerie asks Peter to be her escort for the party and it’s up to the others to teach him how to behave with a lady.

Oh, this is a good one. Seriously, I love this episode so much; Peter is adorable (“A beggar can look at a queen”), Valerie is awesome, Ronnie is punchable, and the writing is quotable and on point. Like:

Peter: I’m no good even by proxy.

And:

Davy: Hey, Peter, didn’t you ever have a crush on anybody?

Peter: Yeah, once.

Davy: So what did you do about it?

Peter: I took her to a Cub Scout meeting.

Micky: Didn’t anybody ever have a crush on you or nothin’?

Peter: I once got some threatening Valentines.

Mike: You told me you use to play spin the bottle.

Peter: Yeah, but I always lost.

“One Man Shy” also continues the thread I mentioned in my post about “I’ve Got a Little Song Here,” in that the episode centers on the boys banding together to help one of their own, while the show generally has antagonism come from some criminal activity or sticking it to some stuffy adult. Although in a way, this episode it’s a little bit of both, because they help Peter and stick it to the stuffy and awful Ronnie along the way. Speaking of which…

I’ve been looking forward to writing about this episode, because I find the whole Valerie/Ronnie relationship thing very curious and this finally gives me a reason to talk about it. I think the audience is supposed to read them as boyfriend and girlfriend (and certainly whoever wrote the episode guide on Wikipedia thinks so), but that reading never sat well with me. To me, it always felt like he was trying to be her boyfriend, and way too hard, at that. Take for instance, the scene with them looking at art in a park, the dude is a pretentious show off and Valerie is just not having it. Of course, a lot of his characterization is meant to make him look bad, so the audience will be even more likely to root for Peter. Still, even at the very beginning of the episode Valerie doesn’t seem like she cares for him very much. I always got the impression that maybe Valerie’s parents are friends with Ronnie’s folks and they want them to get together, but she’s not interested at all. Plus, she does seem rather taken with Peter and who can blame her? Though I will say one good thing about Ronnie, which is he one of the few people (if not the only one) to not buy the Monkees in disguises.

Back when I talked about “Success Story” I mentioned how some songs had been changed at various points once The Monkees went into syndication.  The song change in that particular episode I don’t think hurt the overall feel of the romp, but that does not hold true for “One Man Shy.” The first romp of the episode is a montage of the other Monkees showing Peter how to behave with a high class lady like Valerie. In between moments of Peter and Valerie talking, dancing, and playing ring around the rosy, the others try to teach him how to open doors for her, take her coat, pull out her chair, that kind of thing. When set to “I’m A Believer,” as it was originally, it’s all very adorable. In syndication, however, the romp was set to “Forget That Girl.” Don’t get me wrong, “Forget That Girl” is a great song, but it’s too sad and discouraging to not work in this context. A song with a line like “But now she's thrown herself above you” would only work if Valerie were as much of a snob as Ronnie, but she’s not. The entire point of the episode (and that scene in particular) is to give Peter confidence to go after this girl who quite clearly digs him, too. I guess it just goes to show that while the show existed as a vehicle to promote the music, the romp choices weren’t necessarily done haphazardly during the original run. Sure, “I’m A Believer” was their big single at the time “One Man Shy” originally aired and that certainly contributed to its use, but it’s also a much better fit thematically. 

"The Monkees" Rewatch: I've Got a Little Song Here

“I’ve Got a Little Song Here” begins with a mail delivery seemingly made up of mostly advertisements; one, for Peter, is for a bodybuilding school and another for High Class Music Publishing. Believing it a ticket to “a million dollar business,” Mike decides to submit his own song, “Gonna Buy Me a Dog.” He meets with Bernie Class, who promises to give the song to a movie star for an upcoming film as long as Mike gives him $100 for “legal fees.” Micky is convinced Class’s business is nothing more than a scam, so the others decide to gather proof. Unfortunately, while they spy on Class, Mike confronts the actress Class claimed to know and finds out the “crummy” truth.

As I’ve said before, I have a weak spot for Mike-centric episodes and this is certainly no exception. Mike’s initial excitement is endearing and oh, man, is his disappointment relatable. Said disappointment led to one of the best quotes in the episode (if not the season):

Davy: Well, what do you want to do?

Mike: Oh, I don’t know, I thought I’d just sorta sit around the house and fail.

Another great thing about the episode is how it shows how tight the Monkees are as friends. Yes, most of the episodes so far show them banding together for the sake of a common goal, but there’s something especially endearing about how Davy, Peter, and Micky come together to help Mike, whether through exposing Class, cheering Mike up, or getting his money back. Not only are these things all endearing, but they’re quite hilarious as well. For instance, exposing Class is the first job for one my favorite recurring gags, Monkee Men, and of course Micky’s performance as MD steals the scene.

Micky: No fawning. Why must they always fawn?

While I do love this episode, I find it curious that they’d write the episode with Mike as a songwriter but use “Gonna Buy Me A Dog” instead of one of his compositions. It’s not as if the show and records didn’t ever make use of his songs, it happened all the time. Hell, the episode’s second romp is set to Mike’s “Mary, Mary!” Why not use “Mary, Mary” instead? Eh. It doesn’t ruin the episode or any of the performances; like I said, I just think it’s weird. In weird way it’s almost symbolic of the fight for creative control the Monkees would eventually have against Don Kirshner, in the sense that their own capabilities and sometimes superior work had to take a backseat to lame nonsense seemingly just because. But now I’m just rambling. 

"The Monkees" Rewatch: Monkees à la Carte

In “Monkees à la Carte” the boys are fired from their job as, presumably, the house band at a restaurant after a couple of gangsters muscle out the original owner, Pop. They decide they should help Pop get the place back, which leads to them going undercover for the cops (want proof Fuselli is part of a crime ring called the Syndicate) while working for Fuselli as “chefs, dishwashers, musicians, hat check girls, cooks, cigarette girls.” When the Syndicate uses the restaurant for their first face-to-face meeting the boys take advantage of their ignorance and decide to impersonate the Purple Flower Gang in an effort to buy time until the cops come.

Even as Monkees episodes go, “À la Carte” is a weird one, at least in context of the series up to this point; eleven episodes in and already five episodes where the band gets mixed up in some criminal activity. This fact is made weirder when one considers the fact that the Monkees are meant to be teenagers or the very least 21 and under. Maybe it’s me, but even by frequently ridiculous Sitcom Logic the amount of criminals they run into is just bizarre. I realize given the magical realism and psychedelia to come in the series my thoughts on this aspect might seem pretty bizarre themselves. What can I say? Apparently my suspension of disbelief can take talking pot-aliens, but draws the line at a bunch of teenagers having run-ins with mobsters and spies. Go figure.

Or, maybe it’s just that I don’t know what else I could say about this episode, because, while it has its moments, it’s not that memorable for me. This is especially clear for me since the next three episodes rank as some of my big favorites, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

One thing I’d like to point out, though, is that I think the combination of “She” and “(I’m Not Your) Steppin’ Stone” makes “À la Carte” the strongest thus far in terms of music. Granted, this is a matter of personal taste, but the early song choices tend to be a mixed bag (especially if “Last Train to Clarksville” is involved.) But here, both tracks are fantastic and strong enough to stand toe-to-toe without one massively overshadowing the other. Plus, the romp for “Steppin’ Stone” with the guys messing about in a kitchen is a highlight of the episode.

Daily Album Digest: August 9 - 22, 2015

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Carrying on February's Music Writer's Exercise (#MWE), each day I listen to a new album and tweet a brief review of it. Then every two weeks compile those tweets here with some extra thoughts.

8/11: The Mynabirds' Lovers Know: Tracks like "Omaha" have a sense of grandeur while retaining a genuine emotional core.

Why? 2015 release.

Additional Thoughts: Multiple reviews compared a couple of the tracks to the Killers and I can certainly get behind that idea with the stipulation that the Mynabirds do so with actual sincerity. I mentioned it in the tweet as well, of course, but “Omaha” got some real chills out of me. It’s one of the most beautiful tracks I’ve heard so far this year.

8/14: New Politics' Vikings: Energetic and fun, though full of clichés... until the baffling and terrible final track.

Why? New release. I saw them open for Paramore and Fall Out Boy last year, but I had yet to check out any of their work.

Additional Thoughts: I remember liking New Politics well enough when I saw them. Evidently not enough to check them out immediately and perhaps I should’ve taken that as a sign. The album is energetic and fun, but any enjoyment is impeded by just how Fueled By Ramen they are. Take opener “Everywhere I Go (Kings and Queens),” which tries so hard to be like fun.’s “Some Nights” and fails utterly because, try as he might, vocalist David Boyd being no Nate Ruess. There’s also “Loyalties Among Thieves” that some lyric sites have credited to Pete Wentz, Patrick Stump, and Joe Trohman of Fall Out Boy. The album’s Wikipedia page, meanwhile, claims every track has been written by New Politics, which frankly, you could be forgiven for not believing considering how much it sounds like Fall Out Boy. New Politics’ inability to set themselves apart isn’t a new criticism, either. I found reviews of their debut that pointed out how much they seem to want to be the Killers and Franz Ferdinand. And funnily enough, the final track “Strings Attached” nearly turned out my opinion on the album until it turned on me. The track starts off as a blistering ska, sort of hardcore number and then after about three minutes of silence there’s a rap verse about having a “gold dick” and what sounds like folks high on helium. Then after another three minutes there’s a dance synthpop interlude calling a girl an STD. Delightful. Yick. I’ll give their other records a shot just to be sure, but as of now I just don’t know who these guys are for. I mean, if you don’t dig any Fueled By Ramen related artists, it’s doubtful they’ll convert you and if you do like FBR (as I do) they’re redundant.

8/15: Backstreet Boys' This Is Us: A marked improvement on previous work in terms of vitality. Highlight: "Undone"

Why? I have a list of discographies I want to get through. This time I decided to a walk down memory lane with the Backstreet Boys.

Additional Thoughts: I hesitate to call it a return to form, but I suppose if any BSB record could be called such it would be this one as it has more in common with the upbeat dance music of their international debut than adult contemporary/ballad focus of much of their output since then. I should also mention that while I find it an improvement on Unbreakable that doesn’t mean I necessarily find it good on its own. The music has much more life to it, which is great, in a way, but it’s not enough for me to ignore a lot of the lyrical faux pas, like “PDA.” Though the worst offender is probably “She’s a Dream”; the full lyric being, “She’s a dream, cause she knows me.” And it gets worse. The basic point of the song is that this girl is such an awesome wonderful person for the narrator, because she doesn’t have a TV or radio and she’s completely ignorant of his celebrity status which everyone (including him) actively keeps from her. It’s. Just. Baffling. Plus, personal gripe, I guess, I know it was co-written by T-Pain, but I don’t need to hear the Backstreet say shorty. Maybe A.J. McLean could’ve carried that off in 2000, but the rest of the group in 2009? No. It’s like a dad desperately trying to sound with it. I really like “Undone,” though, so there’s that at least.

8/16: The Rolling Stones' The Rolling Stones, Now!: Maybe it's me, but the cover of "Down Home Girl" is... uncomfortable.

Why? I actually wasn’t going to include this album, but didn’t have enough time to listen to another instead. Whoops.

Additional Thoughts: I’ve probably touched on this before, but the early Stones records are difficult to talk about. The abundance of covers is one reason; another is differences and overlaps in the UK and U.S. versions. There’s often so much overlap that for the most part I’ve decided to forgo most of them altogether as daily albums. But, as I said, I run low on time on this particular day, so I decided to bend the rules. Plus, I’m not sure if “Down Home Girl” was on an album I’d already discussed, but it’s a song that I didn’t want to pass without any comment. The song basically sings the praises of a Southern country girl with all these stereotypical things like “turnip greens,” but then there’s a line about working in cotton fields and the line, “Every time you monkey child.” And I just… no. Again, maybe it’s me, maybe I’m being overly sensitive or something, but it doesn’t sit well with me.

8/17: Backstreet Boys' In A World Like This: If only their ostensible maturity yielded more like the sweet "Madeleine."

Why? Finishing up the Backstreet Boys’ discography.

Additional Thoughts: The title track says, “In time like this when nothing comes from the heart” and much of this album proves that. The big exception to that, of course, is “Madeleine” which is genuinely touching. It’s perhaps the most touching thing they’ve done since “Shape of My Heart.” It’s just a shame that their idea of maturity manifests as empty platitudes and attempts to sound like OneRepublic as shown in “Show ‘Em (What You’re Made Of)”. (Ironic, considering the only song I like off This Is Us was actually co-written by OR’s Ryan Tedder.) That or metaphors comparing love to prison or war, which sound way more melodramatic than they are in practice. In fact, they could probably stand to use more melodrama in such cases. I mean, if you’re going to compare a break up to prison you might as well go all out.

8/18: Thee Tsunamis' Saturday Night Sweetheart: Feels like it's from an alt-universe 1950s full of rough girl bands.

Why? 2015 release that Spotify recommended.

Additional Thoughts: The second I heard tracks like “I Know” I immediately regretted not saving the “punk rock Pipettes” descriptor. It does sound like it’s from an alternate timeline or that it’s a live recording recently unearthed from someone’s attic, which might be due in part to the fact that it was apparently recorded onto tape. It’s great fun. I don’t know what I did to have my Spotify recommendations filled with so many awesome chick bands recently, but I’m really glad it happened.

8/19: Cloud Nothings' Attack On Memory: Such blunt lyrics are admirable when others get so caught up in arch metaphors.

Why? A review on the Needle Drop made me curious.

Additional Thoughts: Granted I do have a not-so-secret affinity for metaphors, arch or not. Still, there is value in getting straight to the point and saying what you mean. If I had any issue with the album, it wouldn’t be the lyrics, but Dylan Baldi’s vocals. The gritty, growly thing he does (most prominently on songs like “No Future/No Past” and “Wasted Days”) seems a bit affected. I know other complimented such things, but it didn’t really work for me. Even so, I like the album and “Stay Useless” in particular.

8/22: Green Day's Dookie: A bit juvenile at times, sure, but damn, if it isn't cathartic and fun.

Why? Maintaining motivation has been difficult lately, which means a “Longview” loop can’t be too far behind.

Additional Thoughts: I nearly didn’t choose this album as I’ve probably heard it in full while driving around with friends, but I figured since I made an exception for Backstreet Boys’ first two records I could make another one here. And while I would love to crack into this album more, it’s part of the RS500, so that must wait. However, unlike the other daily albums that overlap with the RS500, I’ve decided to bump this up in the queue, so a full Dookie post might come sooner than you think.

All albums available to stream on Spotify. 

If you'd like to suggest an album, comment on this entry or tweet me. 

"The Monkees" Rewatch: Here Come The Monkees (The Pilot)

In the series’ pilot “Here Come the Monkees,” the band auditions to play the sweet sixteen party of country club member’s daughter, Vanessa. After the band lands the gig, Davy and Vanessa hit it off immediately and begin dating; much to the chagrin of her parents, who worry how all the time she spends with him will affect her schoolwork. Despite her assurances to the contrary, Vanessa fails her history final, which puts the boys’ gig in jeopardy. They help her study for the make-up exam, but Mr. Russell still won’t let Davy near the house or the band near the party.

Like many a pilot episode it’s a bit drab and awkward in comparison to what the series would eventually become, so while I may not like it much I can’t rag on it too hard. Besides, the pilot contains flickers of the shows great qualities like the visual gags, costume changes, fourth wall breaking, and Micky flailing. It’s not as refined, sure, but that came with time. It’s also interesting to see the secondary characters that existed in an early version of the show, such as Jill and Rudy, the latter of which had the connection that got the band their audition for the Russell’s party. Not much is explicitly stated about them or their relationship to the band other than the fact they appear to work at a record store. It could’ve been cool to see more of these characters, especially since most of the adult figures in the series tend to be more antagonistic (like Mr. Babbitt) while Rudy seemed supportive of the band. I get why the show took the adults-as-mild-antagonists route, but more variety wouldn’t have hurt.  

I’ve noticed a portion of the episode that still causes, for lack of a better term, controversy is when Mike tosses a dart at a Beatles poster and it lands square in Ringo’s face. I should stress that most of the folks this upsets appear to be young Beatles fans and as such I’m far more sympathetic to them than other curmudgeons I’ve seen orbiting the Monkees. In all honesty, what kind of high ground can I really take? When I began watching the show I was literally twelve, in my The Beatles Are Sacrosanct phase (which I’ve probably never really left, but…), and yeah, it pissed me off. It’s an oversensitive and silly reaction, sure, especially given the real life relationship between the bands. But, again: Literally. Twelve. And I got over it quickly enough. I suspect (or hope) the same will happen for most.

However, one aspect of the episode that bugs me more as time goes on is the fact that Davy and Vanessa apparently stayed out until one in the morning. I know it was the sixties and allegedly “safer” times and all, but what kind of parent allows a fifteen (bordering on sixteen) year old to a) go out on a date on a school night and b) stay out on a date that late? Maybe I’m just too strict, I don’t know, but it seems wrong to me.

If there’s one aspect of “Here Come the Monkees” that I unequivocally love it is Mike and Davy’s screen tests. The producers included them after initial test runs of the pilot were received poorly. Obviously it worked as following screenings fared better and the show eventually got picked up. It’s easy to see why it worked. As I said earlier, the pilot is a bit awkward and stiff and the Monkees’ personalities don’t get much of a chance to really shine in it. Meanwhile, the screen tests are much looser and show Davy as super adorable and charming and show off Mike’s dry, kind of off-kilter humor. In fact the clips work so well that one could say that’s why episodes occasionally ran a “minute short” to make room for backstage interview footage.