I Can't Always Tell You What I Saw, but I Always Know What I Listened To

There are two albums I distinctly remember taking with me to the U.K. during the summer of 1994.

The Downward Spiral. Simpatico!

Both received heavy play on my early era Sony Discman. A brick. Nearly three jewel cases thick. Received for my twelfth birthday.

My dad did the driving. England. Scotland. Wales.

The soundtrack to a trip. On repeat.

Velocity Girl - Simpatico! Newtown Book and Record Exchange. New.

Yes, Dance

Nick texted me around 7:00pm.

I was killing time at Urban Outfitters before making my way to the performance at Penn.

He suggested I meet him at the Darker My Love show. The Asteroid #4 were also on the bill. Bobb was with him.

I figured my first experience with watching live dance would last until 9:00pm or 9:30pm.

There was no reason I couldn't make the show as well.

University City to Fishtown. No problem.

Between sets we discussed music. Whether I was wearing a t-shirt of an obscure 90s band. His move. My blog.

I asked for requests. He delivered.

Sugababes - Round Round. Sounds. New.

Questionable Associations

Their careers will always be related in my mind.

I began to read about both bands around the same time.

I first listened to both bands around the same time.

I bought the debut albums of both bands around the same time.

And the follow ups. And the ones after that.

With one release. I'd see the other.

Great debuts. Near-perfect second efforts. Strong thirds. Trailing off. One stronger than the other.

The pattern isn't absolute. It may not even exist.

Late 2008. The trend returned. A new release for one. A greatest hits package for the other.

Stereophonics - Pull the Pin. Amazon.com. Used.

Forever Linked to a Bachelor Party

The event started with early afternoon grilling in Conshohocken.

Dave made the burgers. They were delicious.

The secret was a packet of Lipton Onion Soup mix. A technique used many times since.

After eating, everyone piled onto a rented school bus.

Destination: Day Dreams.

A classy adventure into the Northeast. BYOB. BYOK.

The group brought their own keg.

It didn't last an hour.

It was only a matter of time before the alcohol of others was stolen. And stolen it was.

Before a fight between bachelor parties managed to occur, the group was back on the bus.

The party continued. Things began to wind down. An early start. A long day.

Sleeping on a couch in Bensalem sounded like a good idea. The alternative being a floor in Conshohocken.

Waking up at 2:00am. Making some calls. A drive to Philadelphia.

Listening to the Swiz discography to and from.

Remembering that detail. The night was the most important part of the day.

Swiz - No Punches Pulled. eBay. Used.

Four Letters, an I and an A

I had been hearing a lot about Mika. Mostly from the U.K. press.

I filed it away. Something to keep an eye out for.

The exact same thing had been done with Tiga. Filed away.

At AKA I confused the two.

Buying Tiga. Thinking it was Mika.

Once home, I realized I had made a mistake. It wasn't a real loss. I enjoyed the Tiga purchase.

A week or two later. I ordered Mika.

Mika - Life in Cartoon Motion. Amazon.com. New.

I'd Like to See Bjorn Again Singing Erasure Singing ABBA

Stumbling on Bjorn Again was inevitable.

My love of ABBA made sure of that.

Inevitable or not, the manner in which I first heard of Bjorn Again was surprising.

A Kurt Cobain interview. Referring to Bjorn Again as his favorite band in the world.

He might have been joking. I like to think he wasn't. Regardless. I had been introduced.

Bjorn Again - Erasure-ish. eBay. Used.

He's Something Special

Clueless introduced the world to a number of fine actors.

Hot Stacey Dash. Ageless Breckin Meyer. Trashy Brittany Murphy.

Sisto. Faison.

None matched the on-screen genius of Paul Rudd.

He made an already good movie, great.

He makes all projects better. Bad to good. Good to great. Great to perfect.
Romeo + Juliet. The Object of My Affection. Wet Hot American Summer.

All good films on their own. Add a dose of Rudd. They become something special.

His turn on Friends was a disappointment. Through no fault of his own. It was Friends after all. While the show may not have been worthy of his talent, it brought Paul Rudd into millions of homes. Adding to an already growing fanbase.

Anchorman saw Paul Rudd at the very top of his game. It is the kind of film that comes along once in a lifetime. It was only natural to have an actor of Rudd's caliber cast in the role of Brian Fantana.

As a Judd Apatow Player, Rudd continues to make those around him great. Like Lisa Kudrow before them, Steve Carell and Seth Rogan owe him so much. He is selfless. Sharing in Hollywood glory that is rightfully his. His alone.

Clueless. Cathy compact disc.

[Image via www.geocities.com]

Technical Difficulties

There has been a string of events keeping me from my daily updates.

Holidays. Funerals. And finally, DSL failure.

Regular posting to resume as soon as possible.

Hands Tied. Generation Records. Used.

Repost

Supersuckers - Must've Been High.

Please let me know if a link is down. I will repost. You can leave a comment in the original post or email me at hedancesfornickels@gmail.com.

If you would like something removed, please email me at hedancesfornickels@gmail.com.

My Favorite Band

They were my favorite band. One of dozens.

Some come. Some go. Some hang around longer than others.

Days. Weeks. Months. Years.

Once a favorite band. Not always the favorite band. Yet always a place close to me.

I bought everything. Everything available. Compact discs. Seven inches. T-shirts. Posters.

When the honor of favorite band is bestowed upon you. I deliver. I put forth the effort.

Nothing is forever. But for that moment. However brief it may be. It is everything. All consuming.

Right now. If you asked. The answer would be New Order.

Farside - Rochambeau. Amazon.com. Used.