Staff Blog
10-Track Mind: I used to DJ a gay dance night, and this was the gayest track.
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1. Bongwater – "Rock & Roll Part 2" (Double Bummer)
Ann Magnuson once described her music as a
"pop exorcism," and this song is no exception. Sludging up Gary Glitter's classic, Magnuson rambles a surrealist remembrance of dressing up like
Jimmy Page, but everyone thought she was Joe Perry from Aerosmith.
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2. Kate Bush – "Wuthering Heights" (The Kick Inside)
I spent many years blaming Kate Bush for the
sins of Tori Amos until I met a lesbian from Bryn Mawr who showed me the error
of my ways.
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3. Stereolab – "Miss
Modular" (Miss Modular EP)
My favorite band, but they make
me feel old. I made a T-shirt for SXSW
that said "I Still Listen to Stereolab," and an older, grown-up Gen Xer in cat
glasses came up to me, put her hand on my shoulder and said, from the bottom of
her heart, "I still listen to Stereolab too!"
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4. Royal Trux – "Waterpark" (Veterans of Disorder)
When I was in high school I skipped
my parents Fourth of July party to see Royal Trux in northern Kentucky, but
they canceled the show presumably because the lead singer relapsed and the band didn't tell anyone. Happy Birthday America.
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5. Breeders – "Driving on '9" (Last Splash)
I saw the Breeders perform at McCarren Pool in Brooklyn on a warm summer
day. We left early, but you could hear Kim Deal's girlish voice and
Kelley's violin echoing throughout Williamsburg
from blocks away. I miss 1994.
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6. The Flirts – "Calling All Boys"
I used to DJ a gay dance night, and this was the gayest track.
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7. Yeah Yeah Yeahs – "Date with the Night" (Fever to Tell)
My old roommate in
Williamsburg used to live with Karen O, and I would bug him to tell me
everything about her. "She wasn't really
there. But she used to go up to the roof
a lot and spray paint her belts." So
perfect.
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8. Francoise Hardy – "Voila" (Ma Jeunesse Fout Le Camp)
I went on a date last week. We
spent six hours together. Was it
love? Well, It could be. He told me that he'd never heard of Francoise
Hardy, but was a big fan of French chanteuses. I sent him the YouTube clip of this song as a post-date flirtation, and
we're going on our second date tomorrow. Coincidence?
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9. The Smiths w/ Sandie Shaw – "I Don't Owe You Anything" (The Smiths)
My
ex-boyfriend went to the gay rehab that Augusten Burroughs checked into for his
book Dry, and I made him a gay rehab Smiths mix. Apparently the CD was burned incorrectly, and my ex was left with a broken CD-R. I think Morrissey would appreciate that.
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10. Lush – "Blackout" (Split)
Many people thought of this brit-pop group as budget shoegazing, when I
always thought of them as budget twee pop. But hey, any band that sounds like Heavenly is good in my book.
Both Kate Bush & Tori Amos seem to inspire a lot of hatred for some reason. Is it because they can reach those “nail on the chalkboard” decibels? I guess Celine Dion can join that group too. At least Kate Bush & Tori grew out of straining their vocal cords.