Re: Hating fun.

1

Write it like this: "Remember the band ("fun.")?

I had the idea that ("fun.") was a super-group composed of previously successful musicians, yes.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 8:01 AM
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Another dude in fun. (sucks.) was apparently also in a different, allegedly better band before he was in fun. (sucks.).


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 8:04 AM
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3

Oops that should have had a link, lest it be pwned by a mere subset of heebie's comment.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 8:06 AM
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4

It's a long standing tradition. Family and the Spencer Davies Group were both immeasurably better than Blind Faith 40 odd years ago. (So were Cream, but they were a supergroup already.)


Posted by: chris y | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 8:11 AM
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This from 3 is funny:

Released during the heady, post-Illinois, pre-Neon Bible period of the mid-'00s, "Dokkoise House" is a time capsule from an era when cramming as many musicians onstage as possible didn't only seem like a good idea, it sounded like the best idea


Posted by: Stanley | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 8:13 AM
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4: Get off the Internet, Dad. No one cares about Quicksilver Messenger Service!


Posted by: Flippanter | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 8:21 AM
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7

Anyhow, supergroups have gone downhill since Velvet Revolver.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 8:27 AM
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8

5: my god that made me feel old.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 8:29 AM
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6 Well, they *were* better that The Dinosaurs!


Posted by: CharleyCarp | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 8:36 AM
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I like them better now that I know they are capable of creativity. The stardom should go to people like that, not people only capable of cynical striving.


Posted by: Cryptic ned | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 8:38 AM
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(Looking up the Dinosaurs, I see that there's a wiki page on supergroups. Which does not have the Dinosaurs on the chart. But does have Fun.)


Posted by: CharleyCarp | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 8:41 AM
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Some of those supergroups on wikipedia are pretty marginal. I don't think "side project with a zillion collaborators" or "band made up of people who have been in other, not-very-famous bands" should count.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 8:49 AM
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13

No one cares about Quicksilver Messenger Service!

Did anybody ever?


Posted by: chris y | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 8:53 AM
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I'm sure their mothers were proud.


Posted by: Stanley | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 8:54 AM
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I definitely hate fun. more than I hate Fun. I'm actually just fine with fun, though.

Wild Flag was another disappointing supergroup, but maybe that is just because the only real stars in the group were the ones from Sleater-Kinney, so they were just diluting their talent.


Posted by: rob helpy-chalk | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 9:00 AM
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5 the heady, post-Illinois, pre-Neon Bible period of the mid-'00s

Ah, that bygone era, now more a myth than a memory, that nigh-forgotten time we know only as... 2006.


Posted by: essear | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 9:01 AM
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Hey, I have a couple of their records, and I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in that. Saw Cip sitting in with the boys a couple of times, and that distinctive style is kind of fun.


Posted by: CharleyCarp | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 9:04 AM
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Back when everyone was in college and everything was new.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 9:06 AM
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Released during the heady, post-Illinois, pre-Neon Bible period of the mid-'00s, "Dokkoise House" is a time capsule from an era when cramming as many musicians onstage as possible didn't only seem like a good idea, it sounded like the best idea

I can well remember the record release show for Head of Femur's first album, which featured 20+ musicians on the not very big stage of Schuba's. But you know what? That was a good show and a good album.


Posted by: nosflow | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 9:15 AM
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And it was before 2006, too!


Posted by: nosflow | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 9:15 AM
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21

I'm actually just fine with fun, though.

My grandmother, in her livelier days, had an amusing rant against fun. Basically if you casually justified or described an event as being fun, she'd go off on how "meaningful" or "opportunity to learn" or "blah blah blah" were all better reasons to do something than just that it was fun, and we all worship at the alter of fun. Then you'd stammer that you were just trying to answer her endlessly nosy questions about your day yesterday and hadn't put that much thought into your use of the word "fun".


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 9:17 AM
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22

That Anathallo song is way better than that Format song.


Posted by: nosflow | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 9:17 AM
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There was also a rant about how, when I dropped Hawaii off at daycare, I shouldn't say "Be good!" because that was problematic for endlessly nonsensical ways, but I should instead say "Be kind!" because that was not problematic at all. I explained that I didn't say either of those things, I said "Have fun!" Which didn't actually provoke the above rant, because I don't think it registered whatsoever.

Also this was back when Hawaii was a baby and totally incapable of being good or kind or actively planning on fun.

Also now I say "Knock it out of the park, sweetie!" when I drop them off.


Posted by: heebie-geebie | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 9:19 AM
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I think I may dislike that Format song even more than I dislike the Fun songs, and here I thought I was at infinite dislike. I hate this kind of music so much!


Posted by: Robert Halford | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 9:22 AM
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Though Nosflow is right that the Anthallo (which I hadn't heard before) song sort of approaches OK.


Posted by: Robert Halford | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 9:26 AM
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26

Does everyone know about the amazing story of the lead singer of Lamb of God's trial in the Czech Republic?


Posted by: Robert Halford | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 9:28 AM
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27

You kids don't know what fun is.


Posted by: CharleyCarp | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 9:32 AM
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(For folks who don't click through, 27 is the Dinosaurs playing Hokey Pokey.)


Posted by: CharleyCarp | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 9:35 AM
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Which as meaningful as can be, since that's what it's all about.


Posted by: CharleyCarp | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 9:36 AM
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30

There's a button on the front of my monitor that says "FüN", but when I press it, all it does is give me the option of shifting to 4:3 aspect ratio. Oh, and "photo effects"--maybe that's where the fün happens.

For the sake of completeness, here's a song by the better band the guitarist used to be in. I'm really kind of bummed that Steel Train's defunct, because I really loved their last album.


Posted by: x.trapnel | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 10:39 AM
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Oh and also, this bit from the post linked in 3:

those three dudes put in their dues before moving on to pen the piano-pounding soundtrack for YOLO Nation

reminded me to ask--has UC Davis started trying to cash in on their jurisdictional luck by selling sweaters emphasizing their placement within YOLO County yet?


Posted by: trapnel | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 10:57 AM
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Oh, and I sort of agree with heebs' mother about fun being kinda weak sauce.

In other fun-related news, not only did I go on a rather successful date on Thursday evening, a date whose sequel is scheduled for tomorrow evening, but also I have managed to find a date to the concert of one of my very favorite bands, Frightened Rabbit, for this Monday--a band whose songs are often precisely about hooking up as an inevitably doomed strategy to avoid the emptiness of existence! It's going to be fantastic.


Posted by: x.trapnel | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 11:02 AM
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As someone pointed out here before, it's so awesome that the public transit system in Davis is called YOLOBus.


Posted by: Robert Halford | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 11:04 AM
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... although I suppose, in the spirit of 20 & 30, I should have characterized the dates not as "fun-related" but as "opportunities for growth."


Posted by: x.trapnel | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 11:06 AM
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I actually like fun. more than format (tho I haven't listened to all that much) but they are sure no Neil Young.

Actually back to 50-60s jazz again. Mingus, Basie, Pepper (ok I like the 76 sessions), Lee Morgan, Monk


Posted by: bob mcmanus | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 11:47 AM
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Of course, the Highwaymen are the best supergroup of all time.


Posted by: J, Robot | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 11:51 AM
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37

Wild Flag was another disappointing supergroup

On the one hand, yeah, it's hard to think of any real keepers from that album aside from Romance (great video, btw, if you haven't seen it). But on the other, they were simply mindblowing when I saw them live. Such stage presence. And I think maybe that's part of the "supergroup" thing.


Posted by: x.trapnel | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 12:39 PM
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38

I think all the proto-fun. songs linked in the post and comments sound pretty similar to fun. itself, actually. I guess they're somewhat better, although the one in 30 seems to achieve that mainly by blatantly ripping off "Born to Run."


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 2:28 PM
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39

Also, congrats on the date(s), trapnel.


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 2:32 PM
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40

New Pornographers is of course the best contemporary supergroup, although as in FUN¿ they are better known than most of their component parts with the possible exception of Neko Case. Because I'm a feminist supercool, I actually saw and digged Carl Newman's band Zumpano in Seattle in 1996, but I was underwhelmed by their second album so I was slow to get on board with Mass Romantic.

Mrs. K-sky on the song in 30: "I like this song. It's that nice rousing 'graduation music.'" Previously in that category: Keane.


Posted by: k-sky | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 3:20 PM
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You kids don't know what fun is.

But we know what it isn't!


Posted by: k-sky | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 3:29 PM
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42

Sex may not be fun, but it can certainly be an opportunity for growth.


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 3:53 PM
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43

Sex is super fun. The O-man was just trolling the blog.


Posted by: Stanley | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 3:56 PM
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44

It's not always fun.


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 4:22 PM
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45

It's always fun for somebody.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 4:23 PM
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46

I'm not totally sure that's true either.


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 4:25 PM
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But maybe.


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 4:26 PM
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48

Depends who hears about it, I guess.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 4:30 PM
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49

Yeah, I'm with Teo; sometimes, it's not fun for anyone.


Posted by: x.trapnel | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 4:31 PM
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50

Oh great, another thread saying Jared Diamond was wrong about something.


Posted by: fake accent | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 4:35 PM
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51

Somebody needs to have sex with Jared Diamond and report back.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 4:38 PM
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52

Who's single and closest?


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 4:38 PM
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I think he lives in LA, so probably Halford or k-sky.


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 4:39 PM
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54

Hm, neither of them is single, though.


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 4:39 PM
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Should I eat, then go to the bar or go to the bar and then eat?


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 4:43 PM
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Eat, then go to the bar, then eat, then go to the bar. Then repeat.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 4:44 PM
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And if you see Jared Diamond at the bar, you know what to do.


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 4:47 PM
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Somebody should be able to tell me my preference ordering when I'm confused about it.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 4:50 PM
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59

57 to 58.


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 4:51 PM
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60

Holy shit, I had no idea that Carl Newman of the New Pornographers was Carl Newman of Zumpano.


Posted by: redfoxtailshrub | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 5:30 PM
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61

The "A.C." is a little confusing, but that cute little lisp is hard to miss.


Posted by: k-sky | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 6:26 PM
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61 to 51?


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 6:41 PM
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Yeah, 60 seems maybe less surprising than that the Carl Newman of those bands is the A.C. Newman of A.C. Newman.

And the Dan Bejar of the New Pornographers is the Dan Bejar of Destroyer which, um, never mind, no one else likes Destroyer as much as I do.


Posted by: essear | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 6:51 PM
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I like Destroyer.


Posted by: Stanley | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 6:53 PM
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Not as much as essear.


Posted by: Eggplant | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 7:07 PM
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I don't even see destroyers.


Posted by: Opinionated incompetent Naval Watch | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 7:10 PM
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Nice watch.


Posted by: Beefo Meaty | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 7:37 PM
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D'oh.


Posted by: Moby Hick | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 7:38 PM
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I bet it was expensive.


Posted by: teofilo | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 7:38 PM
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I like Destroyer, but definitely not as much as people who like Destroyer.


Posted by: k-sky | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 7:51 PM
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But while we're on component Pornographers, have some Fancey.


Posted by: k-sky | Link to this comment | 03- 9-13 7:53 PM
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