The Stone Roses and Other Resurrections

A couple of weeks ago it was announced that legendary Manchester pop group the Stone Roses would be reuniting for two shows in their hometown next summer, followed by a subsequent world tour. I'm a big Stone Roses fan, but whenever something like this happens - a revered band reuniting more than 20 years past their prime - there's as much apprehension as there is excitement.

via imacsonline.com

Now I understand that it's unfair to expect the Roses to resurrect their past greatness in some impossible, ageless performance. It's unrealistic, and if we demanded that of all bands that get back together, we'd be disappointed eternally. However, in the case of the Stone Roses, it's justified.

You see, their last performance, more than 15 years ago now, was abysmal. Like hell-shakingly, mind-bludgeoningly abysmal. In fact, if you've never heard the Stone Roses before don't click that link. It will taint them in your ears and soul forever and make you think less of music in general.

Of course that doesn't mean I've lost hope entirely. It's very possible that lead singer, Ian Brown, was in the subterranean depths of a week long ether binge when that concert took place. If that was the case, let's hope he's kicked the habit come next summer.

Other bands I'd like to see reunite:

Neutral Milk Hotel (split 1999)
Talking Heads (1991)
The Smiths (1987)

Alternate Flicks for All Hallows' Eve

Halloween. At a time when many people are flexing their creative muscles in an attempt to come up with an original costume, the TV stations will have resorted to airing the same cinematic swill as they do every year. The Exorcist, The Rocky Horror Picture Show, and of course, Halloween. And if we're lucky, Donnie Darko or Scream.

Perhaps I shouldn't say cinematic swill, as all of these films are quite good. It's the monotony and predictability of playing them year after year after year (on a holiday that prides itself on surprise and terror no less) that has generated this blood-curdling disdain in me. So, I offer up five alternate flicks for All Hallow's Eve (complete with a ten word synopsis!)

Via davidlynch.de

Eraserhead (1977)
Some weird shit happens man. Like some seriously weird shit.

The Night of the Hunter (1955)
Serial killer / Reverend chases kids. Lillian Gish has a gun.

La Jetée (1962)
Future Paris. 28 minutes. Told through still photos. Time travel.

Suspiria (1977)
Disembodied eyes, witches, a room conspicuously filled with razor wire.

M (1931)
French. Swedish? I mean German. Anyways, a guy kills childs.

Some Songs are Bigger than Others: Outtakes

An album, regardless of whether it is a jewel or junk, is simply an opinion. During the recording, it's someone's opinion that decides which studio to use, which songs to play, and which instrumentation sounds best. Maybe even what brand of beer to drink. Afterwards, it's another opinion that deems how the songs should be mixed, which ones should go on the album, and what order they should be in. In my opinion that's a lot of opinions.

However, it does ensure that a great deal of thought is put into to creating the best possible product for the fans. A good thing. Yet somehow, after the fussing and the fighting, the discussing and the deciding, great songs are left off the album, driven into the tuneless melancholy hallways of musical obscurity, only to be brought out for drunken concerts and overpriced compilations.

Unless someone puts five of them on his blog (albeit a melancholy and obscure blog).

David Bowie - Velvet Goldmine
Recorded - 1971
Left off - The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (1972)
Released - As the B-side to the re-release of "Space Oddity" (1975)

Elvis Costello - Suffering Face
Recorded - 1985?
Left off - King of America (1986)
Released - Re-issue of King of America (1995)

The Smiths - This Night Has Opened My Eyes
Recorded - September 1983
Left off - The Smiths (1984)
Released - Hatful of Hollow compilation (1984)

via gothic-addiction.blogspot.com

Bob Dylan - Blind Willie McTell
Recorded - May 1983
Left off - Infidels (1983)
Released - The Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (1991)

Leonard Cohen - Store Room
Recorded - 1967
Left off - The Songs of Leonard Cohen (1967)
Released - Re-issue of The Songs of Leonard Cohen (2007)

Outdoor Advertising - Big Art Attack

It's a brave new world of guerrilla marketing and pseudo-event planning. At least that's what it feels like occasionally. Although I haven't been privy to much of this style of advertising myself - maybe that's a byproduct of living in Winnipeg - the words themselves have become common terms, both online and within my own schooling.

When I originally heard about guerrilla marketing, particularly the idea of an outdoor exhibition or performance of sorts, my mind immediately darted to the well-lit corridors of childhood, and to the classic television program , Art Attack.

photo via vtr.com

For those of you who aren't familiar with the show, the basic premise would involve master artist Neil Buchanan (pictured above) producing arts and crafts with the help of his handy PVA glue. The program was educational and entertaining. However, the real reason anyone watched was of course to see Neil's generation of the stunning Big Art Attack.



Although these pieces were produced entirely for the entertainment of the audience, a similar piece could theoretically be created to raise awareness of a product, gain media attention, or launch a brand. A large, outdoor work of art - under the guidance of Neil Buchanan himself - could shake the pillars of the advertising world in an intense and irreparable way. Imagine a monstrous Nike logo created entirely from kabuli chickpeas and stretched across the length of a football field. Or a simple, heartfelt slogan written entirely with the grey hairs of elderly hobos in mammoth proportions in an abandoned parking lot. It's a powerful thought.

Or maybe they're just talking about something different when they say "guerrilla marketing." Who knows.