So I forgot to put up a Halloween post, which is incredibly lame. But there’s no way in hell I’m letting one of my favorite holidays go uncelebrated. (Somewhere online I saw the word “Halloweekend” used to describe the next few days, so I know I’m not the only one holding on just a little longer.) Call it a… Halloween retrospective. Yeah, that’s the ticket.
Two quick things to share…
Gram Parsons — “Streets of Baltimore” [Spotify/iTunes]
Would you punch me in the face if I started yet another post by bragging about a weekend beach trip? Go ahead… I deserve it 
On Friday evening, Mrs. YHT and I absconded to Nags Head, NC, where a few friends had rented a cozy little cottage — the kind that has gently warped floorboards and makes you feel like life is much simpler than you regularly perceive it to be. After a late night Michael Jackson/Girl Talk dance party and a Saturday afternoon spent battling a windy beach and the most violent non-hurricane ocean conditions I can remember seeing in the Outer Banks, we settled in for a low-key game night.
OK, so “low-key” probably isn’t the right word to use when you’re playing Cards Against Humanity. This was my second time playing the game, which can best be described as Apples to Apples‘ louder, hilariously evil twin. Here’s how it works: when it’s your turn, you draw a black prompt card, on which an incomplete sentence is printed. The rest of the players try complete that sentence with one of their white cards, on which appear a variety of (often offensive) phrases, and you get to pick the one you like best. A quick example, using actual cards from the game…
“The class field trip was completely ruined by ______.”
(For the record, I’d probably choose “Sarah Palin,” with “Another goddamn vampire movie” coming in a close second.)
The whole thing is a fascinating exercise in subjectivity and context. Black cards establish the parameters, white cards provide evocative specificity, and each player’s unique bias acts as a bridge between the two. Together, all three work hand-in-hand to form a complete and meaningful thought — I swear it’s funnier than I’m making it sound — and strangely enough, thinking about this process helped me understand why I love Cat Power’s new song “Manhattan” so much.
The Rolling Stongs — “Wild Horses” [Spotify/iTunes]
Pawn Stars is my writing kryptonite. The History Channel always seems to be showing it at just the right/wrong time, in hours-long blocks of unbridled predatory capitalism, and I can’t look away. It’s the perfect marriage of financial and emotional voyeurism. You get to cast judgement on how people do business — at least, how well they can haggle in a high-pressure situation — AND how they manage their lives in general, because selling something at a pawn shop is, under most circumstances, an act of desperation. The underlying message is chilling: everything has its price, as long as a buyer and seller can agree on one.
A similar battle goes on inside my head each time I step into a record store.
[Editor’s Note: Today’s the last official day of “OMG! OLYMPICS!” week. If you missed the previous posts, you can catch up by reading Day 1 here, Day 2 here, and Day 3 here.]
On the last official day of “OMG! OLYMPICS!” week, I’d like to send out a few special dedications…
Oh, sensory overload. How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.
You make me smile. You pick me up and take me away from where I’m standing. You crowd out rational thought, clearing bandwidth for an input onslaught. You make me forget everything, but I can’t forget you.
I walked into the National last Wednesday already overloaded, having tried to cram the entire Blitzen Trapper back catalogue into the fleeting hours leading up to the show. This was no easy accomplishment (as evinced by the fact that I failed to accomplish it), given that the Portland group has been on an album-a-year tear for nearly a half decade, their steady stream of high-impact songwriting resulting in a mountain of material that’s wildly rewarding climb.
The experience of seeing Blitzen Trapper live was just as overwhelming. There were so many notes. So many chords, key changes, harmonies, and brain-bending, soul-saving, dead-raising guitar solos… it was pure inundation, and I wish every one of you could have seen it (check here to see if they’re coming to a town near you).
My favorite example of Blitzen Trapper’s remarkable musical wealth (if you haven’t guessed already) has to be the lead guitar licks provided by frontman Eric Earley and guitarist/Moog-master Erik Menteer.
We may not be as close as Buster and Lucille Bluth, but I still love you, mom.
Happy Mother’s Day!
Bobby Bare Jr. — “Visit Me In Music City” (live)
It’s a war out there. Be safe. Be ruthless. And bring sunscreen. I’m currently waiting in long, sun-soaked line, wearing a chocolate brown t-shirt, braising like a rump roast.
Happy Record Store Day!
You Hear That 