Radiohead Takes Their Name Perhaps Too Literally

Everyone knows the Grammys are a joke of an awards show, but sometimes there are performances that make the evening worthwhile. Not worthwhile enough for me to actually watch the show live, but worthwhile enough that I'll check out clips on the Youtubes. One such example is the live performance of Radiohead (well, at least Thom and Johnny) doing "15 Step" with the USC Marching Band. Granted, I hate all things USC (yes, including you, Mr. Reefer), but I have to say that it was a pretty sweet performance, even including Thom's strangely involved rock-star moves (has he moved beyond the "Idioteque" spaz-attack? Let's hope not).

However, what may have been cooler is that from watching that clip I got a link to another video, which is the semi-official version of the "15 Step" music video. I believe the other members of the WDR crew would approve.

The Something Something of 2007!

A count down or something.

2007 was full of ups and downs. It was a roller coaster ride that brought us to this beautiful, rainy and occasionally snowy year of 2008. Anything can happen now, what with round numbers and all (and the numbers really are ROUND! Look at them!). But let's not dwell on the future; let's take a look at what was and can never be changed.



It's common knowledge that the WDR crew has a horrible habit of watching those VH1 shows about decades past (and occasionally those about weeks past, too). We do this to cope with the fact that the present sucks, and things are SOOOOO much better in retrospect.

So what was so great about 2007? What were the worst parts? Well, I'm not sure how to say this, but the following list isn't a best or worst of; it's just a list of crap that I came up with ... right now.

Oh, and there will be 14 items on the list. Because I said so.

WDR's First Annual Countdown or Something

14.) Lesbians!

This year, Jodie Foster grabbed the media spotlight not for her acting or some sort of political ramblings, but because of her sexuality. She is in a relationship with a woman. Let it sink in.

So, I didn't initially know why this was a big deal. In the words of Tourette's Guy, "That just means she likes what I like!" But upon further scrutiny, I realized what it was. You see, there was a point in time when Jodie Foster was "Kill the President Hot." This was a time when one extremely deranged guy thought that Jodie Foster would love him if he killed the president. Now, this woman is dating another woman? Dios Mio!

Yes, some other post should be done on this, but right now I'm getting tired of talking about this and I still have 13 more things to count down.

13.) The Rise and Fall of the Ducks

This year, we in Eugene saw our Ducks (and star Dennis Dixon) rise above all others, only to lose it all to fucking Arizona. Seriously. Wow.

The worst part was the Dennis Dixon Heisman situation, which if you recall, even I was skeptical about. Still, when it came down to it, Dixon was the front runner and would have taken the trophy if he hadn't been injured. But he was, and it sucked. Game over.

12.) Radiohead's "In Rainbows"

This has been the talk of so many other people/lists, that I'm not really going to get into it. But let me just say this: When are we going to get the second disc?

11.) The Return of Rage

Rage Against the Machine came back, we drove all the way to Berdo to see 'em and it was all worth it. Even with the heat and hundreds of retarded fans (who burns plastic bottles?) the show remains amazing.

10.) The Ducks Win the PAC 10 Championship Game

I added this mostly because it happened on my birthday and USC kids cried. Best birthday gift, guys!

9.) Britney Spears' Children Are Frightening

I know, who wants to hear crap about Britney Spears? No one (I wish). But the fact is that I've had to see her damned face and her kids on magazines at the grocery store and this issue has not been brought to light. THESE KIDS LOOK CREEPY. Then again, look where they came from.

8.) The Rice Burger Flavor Sensation!

OK, so Jonathan Stewart made this crazy burger with rice and salsa on it, and it was pretty good. Happy Cinco De Mayo!

7.) I'm Running Out of Things to Write

I'm just gonna skip this one.

6.) ELECTION TIME!

So 2008 is the actual election time, but we've been getting all sorts of shit about the election since the beginning of 2007 (or at least that's when I noticed it). I haven't really paid much attention to it because it's a little while off, and eventually I won't be able to get away from it. It's kind of like Christmas, but without religious barrier or any time constraints. It's balls-out MADNESS.

5.) INTERPOL!

New album from Interpol that was awesome (in fact, I listened to some of it today). My pick for new summer album.

4.) Queens of the Stone Age

I love these guys, but the latest album wasn't as good as I thought it would be. Sure, My expectations were high, but usually these guys meet them. Still, it was nice to get an album version of "I Wanna Make it Wit Chu," even though it's at a slower tempo than the live version I'm used to. But it did have a cool video.

3.) Superbad

If you've seen it, you know what I'm talking about.

2.) Eastern Promises

If you've seen it, you know what I'm taking about.

1.) The Most Horrible Thing My Eyes Have Seen This Year (courtesy of my roommate)


And no, it wasn't the picture above (not sure what so horrible about it, but Google found it...).

No, it was "Two Girls, One Cup" was horribly disturbing and awful. I'm not even going to link it here, so if someone else wants to force that upon you, they'll have to link it themselves (I'm looking at you, Joe). Seriously, this is fucked up shit. It even made Loveline's Dr. Drew feel queasy. I don't want to think about it any more. Just picture the worst thing you've seen, and it will be close.

_______________________

So there you have it: What a year! Let's just hope that 2008 makes things crazy again. I know it will.

Radiohead Is Talking Loco, And I Like It!

By now, most everyone who cares has heard the news about Radiohead's new album and the unique way they're releasing it. The entire WDR crew was put on notice yesterday morning, as I emailed out the news to Joe and Zhuang as soon as I woke up at the crack of noon. And everyone whose reaction matters has already responded--I mean, even TIME Magazine has commented on the news, and we know how everyone in the music world listens to what TIME Magazine has to say! (No, they don't, but the fact that they're even reporting it (and so quickly) is newsworthy nonetheless).

To sum up, Radiohead is offering right now two options of purchasing their own album: 1) A super-deluxe edition with a vinyl copy, a CD with bonus disc, and various other paraphernalia for a whopping £40 (damn you, weak American Dollar!) and 2) A Name-Your-Own-Price download. Which can be free, if you so desire (though, the news is that apparently is a minimum one-dollar processing charge). This second option is really the freaky deal here--I mean, there will always be superfanboys with loads of disposable income they're willing to piss away (and Radiohead quite rightly realizes that their audience has a significant percentage of this kind of folk)--and has the music industry on pins and needles waiting to see if it's a success.



Of course, the most notable thing about this (besides the potential giving-away-music-for-free aspect)is the fact that Radiohead is doing all this without a record deal in place. Their deal with EMI expired after Hail to the Thief was released, and it was widely assumed that they would eventually sign with someone to distribute their next album, though probably in very favorable terms to the band. This would be similar to the situation that Pearl Jam went through--both bands have their steady and dependable diehard audience that was willing to follow them regardless of label politics, giving the band most of the leverage. The amount of records sold at this point would be pretty much a given, so it's just a matter for adjusting to that. But Radiohead decided that they can do this pretty much on their own, and they're certainly correct--fans everywhere now know where the source for the new Radiohead record is, and that's Radiohead.com (even if the site is slow as shit). Why split the revenue with a label when you can just claim it all for yourself?


As has been pointed out many times before, most bands these days don't earn their payday from the selling of albums, but through touring and merchandise and so on, where their cut of the profits is much higher--30% say, instead of 1/16th the price of a disc. So even if Radiohead loses money in "selling" this album, they'll easily overcome it through touring, which should be no problem, considering they routinely sell out amphitheaters (much like Pearl Jam). But they might not even lose money at all--I doubt the recording expenses were that high, they don't spend money on advertising (look at all the free publicity they got with this gambit), and from the looks of it, a lot of people are generally being honest and giving the band a fair shake for what they think the album is worth (besides Joe Reefer--he's got babies and babies' mommas to feed). And of course, pretty much anything over a dollar gives the band a better cut than the sale of one actual disc.



But then there's the problem of people like me, who prefer to have a physical copy of the album in their possession (even though I listen to music mainly through my computer). It may be because of vanity (I do love having shelves and shelves overflowing with CDs), or because I have an unnatural tactile obsession (probably something I should see a doctor about), but dammit I want my album. Well, for idiots like me who aren't into this whole new wave of technology (it frightens, and it confuses me), In Rainbows will have a physical release next year. So "Hooray, Bear!" to that.

Plus, if you're the impatient type, here's a handy link for you--Rolling Stone previews the new album, track-by-track. And please, no bitching about returning to guitars and pleading for a "insert-your-favorite-album"-era Radiohead album. If they want guitars, they'll use guitars. If they want laptops, they'll use laptops. And if they want to use the horn of a wildebeest, they'll probably do that too. Why have them repeat themselves, when you already have the original? Let the artists be artists. Of course, if it blows, I'll fucking call them out on it.