Rant n’ Rave With John Will Not Be Seen Today

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , , on February 9, 2010 by jnagle4

Because John is still sick. Here is another Coronet film.

Seriously, sit quietly. I have a headache.

Rant n’ Rave With John Will Not Be Seen Today

Posted in Uncategorized with tags , , , , on February 8, 2010 by jnagle4

I know.  Where’s the content John? Where’s the hard hitting journalism we’ve come to know and love?  Well, this was going to be my critical week….and then I came down with the stomach flu! It’s awesome!  In the meantime, here’s a Coronet film:

Sit quietly at your desks while I pass out.

Will Hall Remembered

Posted in Updates with tags , , , , , on February 6, 2010 by jnagle4

Last week I posted my memories of Will Hall.  Here is his official obituary.

http://www.oleantimesherald.com/articles/2010/02/05/editorial/doc4b6c8983e3e87653476521.txt

Rest in peace Will.

The End of Fall Out Boy?

Posted in Music with tags , , , , , , , , on February 3, 2010 by jnagle4

According to various credible sources, Chicago emo juggernaut Fall Out Boy might be coming to an end.  Pointy banged exhibitionist Pete Wentz posted this on his blog today:

“There is the possibility that FOB will play again with out me or I will be a part of it when everyone is on the same page.”

Drummer Andy Hurley put a slightly brighter spin on things on FOB’s message board:

“I believe in us, and I believe we will get in a room, hash out the bullshit like in Some Kind Of Monster (haha) and we will be super stoked to do another record. I know all of us are already, but just not at this exact moment.”

I know it’s cool to hate on Fall Out Boy, but they could always be counted on for a good single.

Be prepared for a reunion tour with Panic! At the Disco in 2025.  Hopefully Wentz will be able to fit in the jeans.

Credit: AV Club

The Eternal Question: Replacements Edition

Posted in Music with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 2, 2010 by jnagle4

Band: The Replacements

Who They Are: Lovable drunks from Minneapolis led by sensitive fuckup, Paul Westerberg

The Contestants:

Let it Be

Released in 1984 by Twin/Tone Records

Vs.


Tim

Released in 1985 by Sire Records

The Pros:

  • “Unsatisfied,” “Androgynous,” “Sixteen Blue,” “Answering Machine”
  • Raw production
  • Intense guitar playing
  • Balances sensitivity with blasts of hard rock
  • Sums up the American teenage experience

The Cons:

  • Uneven (“Gary’s Got a Boner,” “Black Diamond,” “Tommy Gets His Tonsils Out”)

The Pros

  • Completely solid
  • Some of Westerberg’s best ballads (“Swingin’ Party,” “Here Comes a Regular”)
  • More accessible
  • “Left of the Dial,” “Bastards of Young”

The Cons:

  • Dated production
  • Bob Stinson is reined in
  • More restrained

The Verdict:

This was really hard, but I went with Let it Be.  It’s a sentimental favorite.   However, I’m sure Tim will have its defenders.  What do you think?

Goodbye Iggy

Posted in Essays with tags , , , , , , , , , , , , , , on February 1, 2010 by jnagle4

“Everybody wants to be special here. They call your name out loud and clear.” –The Replacements, “Here Comes a Regular”

I never actually met Will Hall.  I can count the number of times we messaged each other on one hand.  He spoke in giant blocks of blue text.  I didn’t even know his real name until last Friday night.  The name Will Hall meant nothing to me, but the persona he created certainly did.  I haven’t spoken to Iggy in almost five years.  I moved on from the message board where we “met.”  It’s not a real physical friendship, but I got a lump in my throat when I heard the news that he passed away.  I went back to my old stomping grounds at Metal Sludge and everyone was saying the same thing:  “This is really hard to explain to people who aren’t on this board.”  I don’t know if I can, but I’m going to try.

I got to know IggyPopWillEatItself in 2006.  I was writing a paper on vinyl collections, and he was one of my interviews.  Iggy was a music journalist disguised as a message board poster.  I’ve met anyone with more musical knowledge or passion.  His tone was conversational, but he always got his point across.  He didn’t have an elitist attitude.  He liked what he liked, and wanted to help people discover it too.  It was the purest form of rock criticism.  He turned me onto a lot of bands that I wouldn’t have given a chance otherwise.  The Replacements, John Coltrane, Elton John and Pretty Boy Floyd were on the same level.  He liked them, and that was the only thing that mattered.

He told me his name was Rob, a sly nod to Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity.  A couple of days after our conversation, I got a message in my box:

“Thanks for the interview John! I had a lot of fun!”

We didn’t talk much after that.  I was removing myself from message boards because I was tired of petty arguments.  When I got hired by 411Mania, I sent him the link and told him to apply.  He thanked me and complimented me on an article I had written.  It was the last time I heard from him.

I continued to lurk around Metal Sludge, just to catch up on the gossip, feuds and flame wars.  Iggy was the one constant.  Things would change, but he was always in the thick of it.  Metal Sludge gave him his voice.  It was his blog, his domain.

I hadn’t thought of Iggy in a long time, but I was stunned by the news of his death.  He was the heart and soul of that website.  He was also a major influence on my writing because he showed me that you could be critical of something and still be a fan.  I’m going to miss the big blue font.

Rest in peace Will.  I’m cranking Tim in your honor.