jenny darling's blog

good news-
have a new job sort of...for a few months anyway.  can't really talk about it though.  i have to do two weeks of training, which is paid and that is nice. however...

bad news-
that means that i won't be able to see bloc party (BOO!) so if you live in chicago or an can get there and want to buy this ticket off of me, let me know.

good news-
scissors sisters tuesday night (still nothing to wear though), but that should be ace. 

good news-
placebo will be through town next month.  i also found out that humanwine will be playing at grand emporium.  so going.

everything else:
i got my charm bracelet back.  i got a single stranded one in black and silver.  it has a little heart with some of liza's fur inside, a kitty charm and some name blocks with her name spelled out.  it's really pretty. 

inland empire is an acid trip of a movie and as is usually the case with david lynch films, it has totally rearranged my brain.  everyone should totally go see it.  saw knife in the water on tuesday and that was rather lovely.  the old guy who either pissed himself or hadn't bathed in a year..not so much.

the matthew barney screening is tonight, if anyone wants to meet up, give me a ring on my mobile.

serious begging and totally unreasonable request..BUT!

THE HORRORS
West Coast Pop Art Experimental band - "1906" 
Mumbles - "Johnny Bachelor" 
The Jesus and Mary Chain - "Taste of Cindy" 
The Shangri-Las - "I Can Never Go Home Anymore" 
G-Clefs - "Cause Your Mine" 
The Night Riders - "Pretty Plaid Skirt (And Long Black Sox)" 
The Birthday Party - "Cat Man" 
Luca Babies - "Walking On Glass" 
The Gruesomes - "No More Lies" 
The Honeycombs - "Can't Get Through To You" 
Fuzzbox - "Rules and Regulations" 
July - "Dandelion Seeds" 
The Dragon Bros - "I Would Like To Live In Prison"

this was the tracklisting for the indie quad on 6mix that the horrors did and i totally want to find these tracks (not so much the obvious stuff like jamc or birthday party).  this was ages ago, but i haven't forgotten about it.  i have no idea how hard it would be to find some of these or if on a chance any of it is available in a digital format (which i doubt).  if someone could ever so kindly help me out, that would be ace.

i am seriously looking forward to seeing the horrors as they are my total favourite band at the moment.  seriously, they may be the most hated band since keane, but i love their crazy tunes, skinny bodies, black clothes and highly teased hair...man.  i feel like i need to add that on for effect.  make life a bit more fun like.  

for those who are not familiar --> http://www.myspace.com/thehorrors

and brmc are just *girlish sighs*  fantastic.  tomorrow is international fanboy/fangirl day according to me so you should totally make a post about your favourite band/actor/director/iron chef/whatever.  it will be fun.

i also got the new nyfa catalog and they have classes in london, dublin and portugal.  if i stay in the states, i'll do something in nyc.  see what happens in the next couple of weeks and plan accordingly.  also need to sort out my passport stuff.  wow.

XO!

"the course of true love never did run smooth"

course of love | valentine's 2007 mix  | tracklisting

ffor lovers / wolfman feat. peter doherty
first love / the maccabees
i hope i don't fall in love with you / tom waits
i lied i love you / longpigs
well, love does furnish a life / larrikin love feat. jamie t.
i love you, you weirdo / milky wimpshake
the most radical thing to do / the ark
loved despite of great faults / blonde redhead
i love you / the dandy warhols
she loves me, she loves me not / she wants revenge
smile / lily allen
who's sorry now? / connie francis
love is a deserter / the kills
the art of cooking for two / the lucksmiths
canopies and grapes / emmy the great
lonely sea / eric matthews
all you need is hate / the delgados

download: http://www.sendspace.com/file/xmyyax

looking back through some old mixes i have done got me thinking about a revisit.  first, a mix i made after my heart was ripped out of my chest and put in blender and set to puree.

love lost
Side One		Side Two
Artist:	Song:	Artist:	Song:
nick cave and the bad seeds	let love in	billie holiday	you let me down
pink floyd	hey you	jesus and the mary chain	dreamlover
audra	flowers	pulp	there's no emotion
black box recorder	goodnight kiss	this ascension	i wish
swans	goddamn the sun	miranda sex garden	fear
james	blue pastures	dusty springfield	all cried out
the divine comedy	everybody knows (except you)	black tape for a blue girl	is it love that dare not be
house of love	loneliness is a gun	roy harper	another day
fiona apple	sullen girl	david sylvian	nostalgia
julee cruise	into the night	soul whirling somewhere	i give up, goodbye
human drama	tears	colin newman	alone (on piano)
love spirals downwards	tear love from my mind

yup, made on 90 minute cassette.  i couldn't speak, so i used music to communicate my utter disappointment.  one thing i took from that situation was that some things just are not to be.  that and love relationships are for people that aren't me. 

looking back through some old mixes i have done got me thinking about a revisit.  first, a mix i made after my heart was ripped out of my chest and put in blender and set to puree.

love lost
Side One		Side Two
Artist:	Song:	Artist:	Song:
nick cave and the bad seeds	let love in	billie holiday	you let me down
pink floyd	hey you	jesus and the mary chain	dreamlover
audra	flowers	pulp	there's no emotion
black box recorder	goodnight kiss	this ascension	i wish
swans	goddamn the sun	miranda sex garden	fear
james	blue pastures	dusty springfield	all cried out
the divine comedy	everybody knows (except you)	black tape for a blue girl	is it love that dare not be
house of love	loneliness is a gun	roy harper	another day
fiona apple	sullen girl	david sylvian	nostalgia
julee cruise	into the night	soul whirling somewhere	i give up, goodbye
human drama	tears	colin newman	alone (on piano)
love spirals downwards	tear love from my mind

yup, made on 90 minute cassette.  i couldn't speak, so i used music to communicate my utter disappointment.  one thing i took from that situation was that some things just are not to be.  that and love relationships are for people that aren't me. 

guh, has it really taken this long to finish this?  yes, yes it has.  one thing we know now is that with october come and gone, there were no more us dates.  shame shame and shame again.  but moving on.

it was a good night and got some decent photos.  when dpt left the stage, it was just a swirl of people bustling about. sam and i got outside and hung out for a bit and apparently, so did everyone else.  whilst outside, finally caught up with another fan, mila.  and everyone just hung out and did nothing much besides speculating the movements of the band.  then the mean fat man comes around again.  then some more venue people are about talking about how you can't stand on the sidewalk.  we decide we don't care and keep hanging out and talking.  i got a sticker off a girl called jennifer who was down from canada and a her own story to tell.  let's just say it involved the mean fat man, confiscated fake ids, crabby customs people and foxy british dudes. read: dirty pretty things. but hey, that is someone else's story.

we go back inside for drinks and i get a text message from another fan i was supposed to meet up with.  caught up with her and spoke for a bit and then it was just a clusterfuck really.  everyone is back inside and apparently there is a game on of some sort.  more of the old hustle and bustle and we (me, sam and mila) start moving about the room until we are are in the corner with carl, didz and gary.  in a word awesome.  everyone is doing their thing and i find a moment in between pictures and autographs to congratulate carl on the show and how great it was.  he is all "aww, how sweet" and wraps his one good arm around me and gives me a squeeze and a kiss.  i do tell him that since he had the bum arm, he couldn't squeeze me to death like he did last time.  carl then responds: "oh, there will be other times."  great! 

more picturs and autographs and command to leave the premises because it is closing time later...sam tells me that "rick" told her that he knows where the band is going to after.  o rly, as the young peole say.  now, at this point i should say that i do not recommend running around places with people you don't know.  never mind, we did that.  BUT- there were three of us and one of him, soo..  mila returns and we share this new information and then there is the "do we/don't we" stuff happening.  of course we do.  i figure it will be really fabulous or a fabulous disaster...it was more latter than former, let's just say.  so now there are four of us after the crowd has dispersed and we get a cab.  no idea where we're going.  then at a stop light, "rick" ( really should stop qutoing his name like that) spots the bands hired car, proceeds to get out and run over  and come back, he now at least has an adress.  sam knows where the place is (estelle's) and off we go.  once there...rick has no money so the three of us girls has to chip in for the cab fare.  *sigh* 

it was just like a movie or something off a sitcom.  first, the club is like..i don't know what.  burly doorman and a bunc of people in the queue.  gary is there, so maybe rick wasn't lying.  rick talks to the doorman a bit and goes in...guess who is still standing outside?  welp.  then there is a bunch of standing around again and the rest of the band get there..or at least half of them and they go in.  it was all studio 54 with the beautiful people just strolling on in and everyone just waiting.  nevermind the club itself was more like studio -54, what a fucking dive!  anthony shows up and sam talks to him for a bit then they go in and  me and mila have to wait a minute longer, then we're allowed it.  later i hear something about a fire hazard and the place being packed out (which it was) and that joint was the size of shoebox.  seriously. i wasn't really impressed...may have had something to do with having to to go the toilet in serious fashion.  of course i couldn't because the line was outrageous and there was only like one toilet.  file this under toiliet bowl drama.  i finally get in and feel so much better and when i come out, i have to use a  bit of force to keep the dudes at bay.  and who would be on the other side, holding the door up? carl and anthony. 

i know i apologised already, but sorry carl.

the rest of the night was good music, too many people, creepy leering men (all of whom were not in bands) and then some real gentlemen (all of whom were in bands).  i guess it is one of those things where you had to be there.  i just liked hanging back and observing the madness.  rick came over to our table and chatted (so smitten with sam he was).  i think that is what this whole episode was about, showing off for a girl trying to impress her and her friends.  though he didn't make the best one when he tried to climb over the table, tipped over the table and the drinks that were sitting on it.  yeah, so glad i was wearing dark jeans cos that was a fiasco.  then there was the waitress who ripped me off... whatever.  in the end though, it was closing time again and everyone made their respective getaways.  carl now with a bit of dosh was off in a car with a bunch of people to presumeably keep up the party.  gary had an invite elsewhere but wasn't sure where he was going to go.  it was rather anticlimactic i thought, but it was so bad it was funny.  rick was off with carl and his posse.  when i was leaving chicago that sunday, i wondered what happened later that morning and if he finally got the boot.  he seemed like such a hangeron, him and his friend.  ah, his friend whose name i have totally forgotten was talking to carl about something useless and i remember think i had something "important" to tell him.  then once there, i promptly forgot it all and hugged carl instead.  that was really embarrasing.  the dude was saying carl must hate that sort of thing. yeah, having cute girls and boys hug and kiss you all the time...that must suck!   there was some blonde hanging like a third arm on him for most of the night as wekk,  in fact, when sam finally cornered him for a photo, blondie (in a rather intoxicated state) took it. oh, the hilarity.

yeah, you really should have been there.

from the start, the night was playing out like a track from the arctic monkeys record. in the midst of the waiting, met more people and heard more tales including those of two young canadian fans and their customs drama. yes, they got their fake ids confiscated, but carl did try to help the kids out and they did get to hang loose for sound check. then there was the mean fat man talking about taking people to jail or whatever.

"you don't want to go a chicago jail.."

yeah. that man was a real problem. he just "threatened" to make us a stand outside. the cop threats showed up again later cos we were standing out on the sidewalk. the inhumanity! stadning out on the sidewalk. this is filed under "what the fuck ever, man". another one for the file was the fat head in front of me who said he had no problem moving for pictures and such cos "he wasn't really that interested anyway". oh, are you for real?

moving on, entering stage left is the band of the hour. the boys looked great and sounded better. josh seemed to fit pretty well with the boys and carl looked more than a little awkward. you know he had the naked feeling being without his guitar. but, it did free him up stomp around a bit and do that sasskicking dance that he does. don't laugh, he was dancing and grooving, going witht the flow. the boy moves in his own way and we love him all the more for it. i was actually somewhat surprised that he could move around that much with his arm all slinged up (in a union jack sling, i may add). they opened with album opener deadwood. what a corker and great way to get things going.

they played a blistering set including tracks from waterloo to anwyhere and libs favourites death on the stairs and i get along. as the show moved onward, things got hotter and carl threw water on himself. yeah, great image. one thing about that last track: it is always great to hear it, but for some reason, it took on a bit of deeper significance on this night. it wasn't just a badass song, but a serious statement of intent. dpt totally blew me away. i remember everything from the libertines going down in flames and speculation about what carl would do next. then the band was coming together, the demos were coming and anticipation was growing. standing there, arm stretch away from the stage in this shoebox of a place, i was beaming like a mum. you just had this feeling that this band could do anything. that was a nice feeling, having that sense of hopefulness. i just started getting this feeling like this was just the beginning and that it could only go up and get bigger from here. but i digress, so getting back on track.

a few thank yous and sips of jamesons aside, it was all non-stop rock and roll greatness. people actually dancing and jumping around, singing the songs. none of that arms folded, holding up the wall crap. the material totally transfers to a live environment and the band were fucking tight. didz was an utter revelation. i hope he has picked up a new jacket though. it would be during this portion of our evening that more indie bum would appear. thanks josh for the arse memories. first he bent over for something and the pants were slipping down. i think during the encore he turned around and i noticed a patch missing from the back of his jeans. maybe it was a rip, i don't know, i just know that i saw bare boy bottom. carl's bottom whilst not exposed, was shown frequently. i am sure he had legit reasons to have his backside to the crowd...including making sure people get good shots for the frink thread on the dpt forum.

that is a purely educated guess, mind you.

encores are can be great when bands choose to do them. another fine opportunity for more tunes and in this case, for the band members to lose their clothes. carl also feeling naked without his guitar, probably felt naked not getting half naked. someone did roll his sleeves up though. also got to bear witness to the full on manliness that is didz. yes, i have photos. the biggest moment of the night wasn't josh's arse (not really) or the bare chests (really, i'm telling the truth), it was the band performing burma as part of the encore. a brilliant track that is omitted from the u.s. pressing of the album (what a jip) and that just put a big smile on my face. don't think i was the only one either. if you love a woman is....an odd song to say the least. may even be a bit rude if you have a think on it too much. but the backing is so good very good and sounds totally fantastic live. the lead single bang bang, you're dead was started off with that delightful trumpet solo courtesy of anthony before going in to full on rock assault. from the moment they set on stage until the final note, i felt like my heart was going to explode. my expectations were more than met, they were exceeded three-fold. carl has often spoke about being in short supply of confidence, if he was feeling a bit lacking or worried at all on this night, it sure didn't show. in fact, on record and in person, he sounds and looks like a man in total control. he has more charisma in one of his eyelashes than most people have in their whole bodies. i also loved how the band actually looked like band. four (oh wait, make that five for tonight then) against the world and they are so fucking ready for it. if there was anyone doubting whether or not carl & co. had the proper goods, performances such as this one would put that talk down really quick. the exciting thing though about the material that as good as these songs are, the b-sides they have put out this far are even better. maybe they will get some rehearsal time in and perhaps when they return in october we could get to hear some of them maybe.

part three...(yeah i know i said two parts, oh well..) soonish

while i try to make heads and tails of what all i have going on, nanowrimo, website business and that...i shall now share a tale from a couple of months back involving two bands, a nerve wracking bus ride and swarmy dudes galore.

- waterloo to chicago part 1

so thursday was the day from hell because i had nervous stomach all weak long.  that day was the absolute worse.  matters not helped by the fact that i had to change hotels.  ended up stuck at some joint totally on the other side of the world from where i needed to be at.  also, it was a place that the cabbies had the most difficult time trying to find.  i don't understand it, cab drivers are supposed to know where the hell they are going, no?  anway, before i even get to chicago, i have to get to chicago.  this involves a stress bus ride that begins with the most psychotic driver in the history of ever.  i am not joking.  she had already tossed off someone else on another trip.  this time around, popping gum sent her off the deep end.  i kid you knot, she is pulling over ON THE HIGHWAY and making threats to turn around if this guy does't lose the gum.  he must have thought she was joking before.  she wasn't.  fucking great.  that snafu aside the remainder of the trip was uneventful.  coming back sucked because the gate i was at and was instructed to be at by the departure screen was wrong....so, i had to spend 4 hours in the chicago bus station waiting for the next one.  it was late and made me late all the way back home.  didn't get back in to the city until nearly midnight.  had every thing gone to plan, i would have been back at 7. 

then there was the whole matter of the stupid people at yellow cab.  whatever, i'm not wasting energy on it.  why? because...

there is the show to talk about.   carrying on --
i met up with sam ahead of the show for drinks and food.  as good as the mac and chees was, neither one of us could really eat anything.  this portion of the evening is signifcant cos it is the first time we encounter the two.  the two are a couple of british guys just wandering about the venue.  we know they aren't in a band, but they seem to be "connected".  that is what we thought anyway.  we had to in the club through the side entrance cos you can't have drinks (read: alcoholic beverages) out on the street and i still had my g&t.  anyway, we go inside and spot gary who is talking to a couple of fans already in the queue.  i say hi and not much else.  it was really messed up cos i had met carl and gary before (they didn't remember me, which i didn't expect them to anyway.  especially carl, he would then remember the comments about babies and his sweaty nipples.  ah, the passage of time and memory loss, can be a good thing) but it was like seeing them for the first time.  we didn't get in line right away, but then through the throng of people and flashbulbs, we see carl.  sam is gobsmacked and so am i.  it is just like in the movies.  the beautiful woman/handsome man steps in to a room and all attention falls on them because they are so gorgeous. seriously, so hard to put in to words.  i kept thinking, people do not look like THAT in real life. sure there are good looking people and stylish, hip cats out there.  but, maybe it is star quality, sex appeal, it factor or whatever you want to call it.  whatever the "it" is, carl has it in abundence.  he didn't come all the down though and headed back.

so did we.

at this point, we figured it was a good time get in line.  as it happens, this would be our first interaction with the mean fat man.  we asked about the queue and he was like "i'm going to be nice and let you stand in here, i could make you wait outside with the rest of them" or something very similar.  my thought was whatever.  we see the two again, flittering about, darting in and out of doors and talking to people.  we also see josh paddington (the loner guitarist nicked off the paddingtons due to carl's broken collarbone and in ability to play...sort of.  i guess josh must have been at the bar forever, we didn't notice until a couple of people in front of  us wanted a picture.  he too is so much more gorgeous in person than the the photos would relay.  but, i found out today he was being a bit of punk to certain people and a whiner.  welp, you can't win them all, i guess.  other than that, we just hung loose and observed the scene.  when were next door, sam told me that she did not see one dude, it was girls.  as the night wore on though, the testosterone levels at schubas began to increase. all this time we kept seeing the two roving around.  they didn't look like roadies, maybe they were friends of the band.  although, as the events later in the evening unfolded, i just took to the thought they were pro blaggers really.  the one who we would know to be "rick" seemed the type, all the way down to making us pay for the cab.

however, it appears i am getting ahead of myself.  this happens post-show.  for now though, not much is going just standing around, waiting before getting the go ahead.  after we get our names checked off the list we go inside.  the place is super tiny, a shoebox venue.  initially, i had complained out of worry about the size.  in retrospect, i feel really lucky to have been there and seen dpt  like that, because from the looks of things, it probably won't be happening again.  so we find our spots towards the front of the stage.  first there weren't as many people, slowly but surely, that changed and when you looked back -- all you could see was bodies.  somehow, we managed to slowly get squeezed out.  nothing terrible, because we both could still see.  it was a hassle taking pictures due to the fat head in front of me.  the lights go down a bit after ten and first up is scissors fore lefty.

now, i know very little about this band save for the fact that they are from san francisco, lammo likes them a lot and they went down a storm at sxsw.  i was very surprised and impressed witht the material in a live context.  very different from what i was expecting.  the singer is cute as a button and the bass player was all smiles and full of energy.  the drummer reminded me of animal from the muppets.  and really, don't all of the best drummers remind you of animal?  during their set, i would get my first glimpse of indie bum crack.  it occurred midway through when the frontman decided to get off stage and sing and dance in the crowd.  his pants down just a tad and peek-a-bum happened.  i was amused.  at this point, let me tell you that there was no barrier and  the bands passed us literally getting on stage and off.  this.joint.was.small.  the singer twirls a girl around , gets back on stage, remains cute and they finish their set.   as the scissors boys gather their instruments and make way for dirty pretty things, the lights are back up and then the waiting begins again.