Thighs Wide Shut

been thinking a lot about the Gorillaz these (demon) days.  praying that album #4 happens.  if so, here are our suggestions for collaborators, and inspirations from their catalog

Chuck Berry, ‘Come On’

Robyn, ‘I’m In Love With The Robot’

Chris Difford from Squeeze, ‘Take Me I’m Yours’

Biz Markie, does he have any other songs?

Gaz Coombes of Supergrass, ‘In It For The Money’

Ghostface Killah, Raekwon and Cappadonna, ‘Daytona 500’
https://youtu.be/IkKxsYgv12M

Donovan, ‘Cosmic Wheels’

Lady Sovereign, ‘Hoodie’

Jason Lytle of Grandaddy, ‘AM 180’

Erick Sermon from EPMD, ‘Da Joint’
https://youtu.be/MK7a_P4jn3g

Jill Cuniff of Luscious Jackson, ‘Naked Eye’

Jack White, ‘What Goes Around’

Ya Kid K from Technotronic, ‘Get Up’
https://youtu.be/YUr18-AAt98

the two faux lezzies from t.A.T.u., ‘Nas Ne Dogonyat’

and in a huge sign of letting bygones be bygones, how about Liam Gallagher??? ‘D’You Know What I Mean?’

Gorillaz
Madison Square Garden
Rocktober 8th

Damon Albarn was once simply known as the frontman for the Brit-pop band called Blur, who were popular worldwide, but moderately successful in our neck of the shore (unless you count the amount of times ‘Song 2’ has been used in adverts and other stuffs).  Then something happened, something moist incredible: Albarn and his flatmate, renowned animator Jamie Hewlett,  cooked up an idea to make a virtual cartoon band, a Banana Splits meets a hodge-pudge of every musical style conceivable, that could possibly conquer this brave new world

Three albums later, the latest landing at #2 on the US Charts (with the other two within the top 20!), and the furthest thought is that the new world conquerers Gorillaz are a joke.  The combination of Albarn’s voice and vision, Hewlett’s visuals, ingenious producers (first Dan the Automator, then with Danger Mouse, and then Albarn alone!),  a large array of rappers (Del The Funky Homosapien, De La Soul, that dude from the Pharcyde), worldclass world musicians (Buena Vista Social Clubber Ibrahim Ferrer), and long loved, but lately ignored legends (Ike Turner, Bobby Womack) has equaled and continued to equal nothing short of brilliance.  People from the future (we pity you) will look back at marvel at these talents collaborating on what each album has become: a once in a lifetime opportunity, which will stand the test of time

Damon Albarn had finally cracked America, and we were better for it.  The Gorillaz’ first tour in 2002 was a rawkin, yet curious hocus pocus act, featuring incredible theatrics and toons, but left many a concertgoer befuddled and remote from the musicians, since they played the entire show behind a sheet in silhoutte.  Then came the landmark residency shows in Manchester and at the famed Apollo Theater, but 10 masterful shows in total isn’t really reaching your entire audience.  That was a mistake Albarn & Co wouldn’t let happen again, as their latest jaunt to support Plastic Beach is a global one, including multiple stops all over our country

And so, how is the show?  Uh, we saw Roger Waters’ can’t miss Wall show earlier in the week, and our early collected thoughts have the Plastic Beach extravaganza topping it!  Yes!!!!!!!  Sure, the other stops won’t include Lou Reed, Mos Def or Cibo Matto’s Miho Hatori reprising her Noodle ways, but that won’t make the show any less memorable or can’t can’t can’t can’t miss.  This show cannot be missed cause this show will never exist as it is again.  Ferrer, Turner and Dennis Hopper are all dead, and can no longer monkey around with Albarn on stage.  We hope and pray for the long life of Bobby Womack, but lettuce juss say you won’t be able to here him belt out ‘Stylo’ in 30 years time.  Also, how often will Clashers Mick Jones and Paul Simonon play together again, and with Albarn, and with the Hypnotic Brass Ensemble!!!!  O M GGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Blur was never big enough to play Madison Square Garden, and probably never will (booooooooo!!  although we’re glad we saw em at Hyde Park last summer), but the Gorillaz are, and they did, and even if the show wasn’t sold out, they owned the place and everyone’s attention in it.  Sure, not everyone was digging Def’s ‘Sweepstakes’ entry, but as we left da Garden, heading to the usual White Castle afterparty, people couldn’t help but shout ‘SWEEEEEEPSTAKES!!!!!!!!!’  We’re still screaming it

Gawd bless you Damon Albarn.  Now figure out a way to get Graham, Alex and Dave to the Garden Party

setlist

Orchestral Intro
Welcome to the World of the Plastic Beach
19/2000 (with Miho Hatori)
Last Living Souls
Stylo (with Bobby Womack)
On Melancholy Hill
Rhinestone Eyes
Superfast Jellyfish (with De La Soul)
Tomorrow Comes Today
Some Kind of Nature (with Lou Reed)
Empire Ants (with Yukimi Nagano)
Dirty Harry (with Bootie Brown)
El Mañana
White Flag (with Bashy)
To Binge (with Yukimi Nagano)
DARE (with Rosie Wilson)
Glitter Freeze
Sweepstakes (with Mos Def)
Plastic Beach

Encore
Cloud of Unknowing (with Bobby Womack)
Feel Good Inc. (with De La Soul)
Clint Eastwood (with Bashy)
Don’t Get Lost In Heaven
Demon Days

more pictures

+ watch the Gorillaz’ 44 minute triumph on Live On Letterman

Fran Healy
City Winery
Rocktober 7th

We wined, he shined.  He being Fran Healy of Travis fame, and of being the newly (hopefully only temporary) solo artist behind a mos eggsalad album, which was released this past week.  He played the songs from said album (they sounded juss as good! even if Neko Case was a no show for their duet), tossed in some Travis classics (‘Love Will Come Through’, ‘My Eyes’), and even took requests from the sometimes rowdy, sometimes subdued crowd (we were too far in the back to scream for the ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ cover).  We’ve now seen him and the boys, him and juss Andy, and now juss him alone, and honestly, one doesn’t rule over the other, cause they all rule!  Hell, we’d see him play underwater, in sign language, on Uranus!

Fran will be supporting Brandon Flowers on some solo dates next month!

bonus: peep this hot youtube clip he shared with everyone!

Nowhere Boy
Introducing… John Lennon
Official Website | Trailers & Mo

You know the story of the Beatles, and if you don’t then watch The Anthology, MULTIPLE TIMES [watch em here]!!!  But what about John Lennon’s story, before he was John ‘F&cking’ Lennon, the man, the myth, the legend we’ve all come to love, revere, worship and every other word that exists in a dictionary/thesaurus for ‘liking a sh%t-ton‘?  Yeah, what about John-boy, when he was a twee lad, a hero worshiper in his own time (Elvis, Buddy Holly), who did things normal teens did, like not care about school, and like totally care about bagging chicks?!  Yeah!  And what about his home life?!  What was the deal with him living and growing up with his auntie Mimi???  And having a loving, yet very strained relationship with his actual birth mother Julia????  Yeah, that Julia chick, who John later wrote a song for, with such telling lyrics as ‘Half of what I say is meaningless, But I say it just to reach you, Julia‘.  Yeah, what’s up wit dat??!?!!

Let’s take a dip in the Liverpool, shall we?  Yes, we will be passing by the gates of Strawberry Fields (it is foreals people!) on this magic mystery tour, but don’t expect this to be an all out Beatles origin story, cause it’s not, it’s a semi-Quarrymen origin story! But not really, although we do get to meet and jam with Paul McCartney (Thomas Sangster, that effin adorable tyke from Love Actually!!!!!) and George Harrison (Sam Bell).  If yer gonna ask where Ringo is, then you need to be Backbeated to death!!!  Nowhere Boy is purely a familial love triangle story between John (Kick-Ass‘ Kick-Ass Aaron Johnson, who kicks way more a$$ here than he did there), his uptight and well-meaning guardian Mimi (the always uptight Kristin Scott Thomas), and her flighty sister and his super-cool mum Julia (a heart-breakingly radiant Anne-Marie Duff).  Somewhere between all the hugs and shouting and secrets and lies is the sprouting of a musical prodigy waiting to turn into genius!  And since we know how history turned out for this Lennon guy, it’s a joy to watch the laughter AND the tears!  Big ups to Johnson, who is electric in Lennon’s shoes and sideburns.  Apparently the director was equally smitten with him as well.  Remember, this is the movie set where the now 43 year-old Sam Taylor-Wood fell for her now 20 year-old star Johnson!

How does the story end?  As history begins!  Ba-Hamburg!!!  But if you want the ending to the Lennon story, be sure to catch the killah and little seen The Killing of John Lennon

C’mon Ophelia Da Noise: can’t finger out which we heart more, Ophelia Lovibond‘s name or her EYES!!!???

Verdictgo: Jeepers Worth A Peepers

Nowhere goes somewhere, starting in LA/NY only tomorrow!

and until next thyme the balcony is clothed…

Roger Waters: The Wall Live
Madison Square Garden
Rocktober 5th

TEAR DOWN THE WALL!!!!!

ON SECOND THOUGHT, DON’T, EVERRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!  KEEP BUILDING THEM, ROGER WATERS!!!! ON STAGE AFTER STAGE, CITY AFTER CITY, UNTIL YOUR RESTLESS 67 YEAR OLD LITTLE HEART IS TIRED OF DOING SO!!!!!!!!!!!!!  IT’S BEEN A LIFELONG DREAM TO SEE THE WALL PERFORMED IN ITS ENTIRETY LIVE AND WHAT YOU PULLED OFF LAST NITE AT DA GARDEN WAS NOTHING SHORT OF A DREAM COME TRUE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TRULY AND REALLY AND SINCERELY, THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU MR WATERS!!!!!!

There was no David Gilmour (guess this wasn’t that one lucky show) or Pink (he wasn’t well, he stayed back at the hotel), but Roger and the sent along surrogate band brought The Wall to life in a moist spectacular fashion (juss like he did with his Dark Side of the Moon tour, which we saw twice! but this was even more spectacular!!!), combining elements of the original 1980 tour, the 1982 Alan Parker film and some new dazzling theatrics!!!!!  It was more than just a big arena concert, and more than just an ultra-elaborate stage production that bests any piece of theater playing 8 blocks north on Broadway!!!  It was an experience like NONE OTHER, and once Mr Waters departs this earth (unless we find the cure to death soon!), there won’t be another chance to experience this, so do whatever you have to do to see this show as it tours the globe, 9REALS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Price shouldn’t be a factor, cause this sh$t is PRICELESSSSSSSS$$$SSSS!!!!!!  We plan on seeing this show at least once more, if not 1383838 times more!!!  ANOTHER BESTNESS IN THE WALL PART III!!!!  COMFORTABLY FUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

mo photos from Jonathan Bayer