Los Angeles, I'm Yours (Day 109)

The Decembrists - "Los Angeles, I'm Yours"
Don't let the name fool you - - this is no love letter to Tinseltown. But it is hilarious. "Oh ladies, pleasant and demure // Sallow-cheeked and sure // I can see your undies," is one nice example. (Weirdly the melody also sounds like Elton John's "Bennie And The Jets.") Okay, so if you're a big L.A. booster, you probably won't be inviting The Decembrists to pay your post-plastic surgery party...but you could! That is, if you're willing to plunk down $50,000. This interesting article lists the fees for several bands to play a private party. The National? $20-25K. Wilco? $30-35. Is it me or does that not sound outrageous. I mean none of us mortals could afford it, but imagine you were a music-loving gazillionaire? I'd have Wilco come by the house and jam every few weeks. And on the bargain basement side, Bob Mould might do it for $3,500. Anyone want to join me in raising the funds for our own private concert by the Husker Du legend?
Grinderman - "Get It On"
Os Mutantes - "Cantor De Mambo"
Am I tastemaker, or what? This over-40-year-old band has hardly been part of the zeitgeist. But regular readers know they've been showing up on my work shuffle a lot. And, the next thing you know, their song "A Minha Menina" is in a current commercial. Running during the Olympics no less. Is some ad exec a secret WILTOMWTWT reader? Speak up! Here's the spot - - for McDonald's. Aye.



Sufjan Stevens - Live on KCRW
It may look like the playlist got cut short, but it didn't. Although it's only one track on my iPod, this is actually a 38 minute set of Sufjan music from Come On Feel The Illinoise recorded live on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic in 2005. It's amazing and (late adopter alert), also my first entree into S.S.'s music. One listen and I was hooked. In studio his sound is extremely warm, and with only a few band members on hand, appropriately more stripped down than on record. Seriously beautiful stuff. And still available - - if you're interested.

And then I got to work.

Today's Stats
Total songs listened to: 8
Total minutes of music (approx.): 45
Song with the most previous plays: "Los Angeles, I'm Yours" - 6
How I Rate Today's Playlist (1-10): 4
Miscellaneous factoid about my trip to work today: Since the Olympics are coming to a close (boo), I'll offer one more fun fact (read during my commute to work, natch). This time it's about the gold medal winning U.S. women's soccer team. Sadly I didn't see their final match...but I'll catch the movie that is most definitely going to be made about their goalkeeper Hope Solo! Check it out:

“I’m on cloud nine, just floating out there,” Solo said.

Referring to the death of her father last year, and the World Cup exile, Solo said she had been “through hell,” and if “one gold medal takes away all the pain in the world, then that’s fake.”

Still, Thursday’s victory was the end of a long, difficult journey.

Solo had been especially close to her father. She described him as a homeless man, but said he served as her inspiration with his candor and effervescence. She had dedicated a championship in the 2007 World Cup to his memory, only to have her plans come undone in the semifinal match against Brazil.

There was much about her father she did not know, including his real name. He was variously known as Jeffrey, Johnny and Jerry. He was a Vietnam veteran from the Bronx who moved to Seattle, lived in a tent and may have been in a witness protection program, Solo said. He died before many of her questions were answered.

After being estranged, Jeffrey Solo reconnected with Hope when she attended the University of Washington from 1999 to 2002. He attended her games, and she often took macaroni and cheese to the tent where he lived, a place where they talked for hours.

Am I the only one that thinks he'll be played by Robin Williams?