LIVING JUST ENOUGH FOR THE CITY

Better living through memes.

This week: where should I live?

You Should Live in a Big City

You don't want anything in particular out of life... you want it all. You crave new and exciting experiences. And you get bored fairly easily. Only very big cities can keep you entertained and stimulated.

Where Should You Live?

Got it covered.

Everybody, sing with me:

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII LOVE! LIVING IN THE CITY!

So clean cut,

This is dF

PUTTING THE “MEAT” IN “MEAT PUPPET”, ETC

Via YesButNoButYes, something that has to be seen to be believed.

It’s not exactly NSFW, but it’s one of those WTF things you will never unsee for the rest of yr life.

Explanations here.

I’m going to bed now.

I’m yr puppet,

This is dF

BAD COVER VERSION 012: I GOT NO TIME TO FUCK AROUND

One of the fun aspects of cover songs is what happens to them when they go cross-genre – for  example, when punk bands take on stadium rock, either out of serious respect or ironic humor.

I’ve never really been sure which category this week’s cover song falls into, but it’s one of the first punk bands I ever heard covering a mainstream hit single, and it’s one of the songs that made me appreciate punk rock as a genre where you really could have a sense of humor.

THE SONG: “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love”

THE ORIGINAL: Van Halen

COMMENTS: Say what you will about Van Halen, but their first few albums were pretty amazing, and their debut was one of the most innovative and influential of its kind (and not just because of their hotshot guitar player). This song didn’t even chart when it first came out, but it’s still one of their best-known songs, and one of their most sampled. Bonus points for inventing the backstage rider.

THE COVER: Minutemen

COMMENTS: Typically for the Minutemen, they distill the essence of the song into about 40 seconds of raw punk energy. Bonus points for inventing the “Jamming Econo” philosophy (sort of the antithesis of Van Halen’s extravagant shows).

WINNER: Van Halen. I like the Minutemen version better for sentimental reasons, but I’d never argue that they took the song as their own.

Next week: Van Halen vs The Kinks!

My love is rotten to the core,

This is dF

52 RATS (#13 OF 52): THE ANTI-MICKEY

This week’s rat: Robert Armstrong’s Mickey Rat!



Noteworthy for several reasons, one being that he started out as a t-shirt image before Armstrong started the comic book, and the other being that Disney never tried to sue him for copyright infringement – though this was in the early 70s, when we had such a thing as Fair Use. If Armstrong tried it today, he’d be shipped off to Guantanamo.

The potentate of puke,

This is dF