Summer Goodness: Superbad, Easy Street Records & The Gossip

Some more vacation tidbits...

Seeing “Superbad” was an unexpected treat. The movie - a vulgar, smartly filthy and warmly hilarious high school comedy is simply one of the funniest movies I’ve seen in a long time. Not only does it work as a “high school sex comedy,” its wonderful portrayal of adolescent male friendship is very affecting without getting too sentimental. Jonah Hill and Michael Cera are both great in their roles, and the juxtaposition of the badass soul music of the soundtrack with the futility of the the high school boys is brilliantly done. Go see it, if you haven’t already.

I was in Seattle for a couple of days and my hotel was around the corner from Easy Street Records, a superb record store that inspired me to buy a compact disc (Charlie Rich’s Behind Closed Doors) simply because it didn’t feel right to me to walk out of the store without buying something (which is something I can’t say about Virgin Megastore or the former Tower Records, never mind horrible chain stores with no selection). Easy Street, like Amoeba Records, is a store creates such a music rich environment that it is impossible, if you’re a real music fan, not to want to immerse yourself in tons of new music that you’ve never heard before. It is more than a store – it’s a shrine to the love of music, and they honor that love. Being there, you can’t help but rekindle your romance with music just a little bit more.

I did a lot of driving during the trip, and since I was in the Pacific Northwest, I figured I’d listen to some music from that area that I hadn’t gotten around to yet, which led me to the Gossip’s Standing In The Way Of Control a luminous dance/punk/soul album released last year. Lead singer Beth Ditto, a very full figured lesbian provocateur originally from Arkansas, sings with a full-throated passion that occurs as inspired by equal parts Iggy Pop and a myriad of soul greats. It may plays as indie rock, but it’s really indie/soul music – created by an eternal outsider who holds herself with power and dignity in a world that would nullify her.

I’m swamped with catching up on stuff. Bootleg Friday will happen tomorrow – and then expect fresh content starting next week. I'm excited for the fall.

Download: Lyle Workman (Superbad OST) - "Flashback Party Weekend"
Download: Charlie Rich - "Behind Closed Doors"
Download: The Gossip - "Standing In The Way Of Control"