Introductions to Two Reviews I Started But Unsurprisingly Did Not Finish.
I write a lot. I barely finish anything. In an effort to finally clear out my hard drive of those huge, space-filling Word 97 files, it’s time to spread the unfinished gospel to the world. I present to you: Decent But Unmotivated Week! Because I’ve got nothing better.
David Cross - Shut Up You Fucking Baby
For all those still angry that I’ve seen Radiohead and the Beta Band live when all you’ve seen is a giant puddle of water, I give you this: two years ago I drove up to Manhattan for what promised to be one of the greatest comedy concerts of all time. It was called Eating It, and it was a special edition of a weekly showcase that took place at the Luna Lounge. Where normally it was a few, under-the-radar comics that hadn’t yet earned their Comedy Central Presents episode, the show I was supposed to see was topped up with big names. Janeane Garofalo. Marc Maron. The Upright Citizens Brigade. God help me, even members of the State were supposedly reuniting. And headlining the show was the irrepressible David Cross.
If you don’t think you’ve heard of David Cross, you’re wrong. He may not be a big name celebrity, but he’s appeared in so many things that once you figure out who he is, you’ll be slapping your forehead like a Matt Groening character. Or something. But anyway: he’s one of the original “meta-comics” (and yes, even I’m getting tired of “meta” now), half the creative force behind HBO’s seminal Mr. Show, and he’s had cameos in more movies than you’d care to imagine. I was going to see him, live, and was willing to pay for tolls, gas, and parking for the drive to Manhattan to do so.
I think you see where this is going.
Mr. Cross never showed up, for reasons I don’t remember. The show as a whole was still pretty damn good, but I always felt like I had missed something special. With the release of his first solo comedy album, I’ve learned that I did.
Radiohead - Amnesiac
I have a riddle for all you loyal Dec readers that may sound like apostasy from the guy who drove 750 miles to Toronto to see Radiohead play live last fall. I want you to keep an open mind about it, even though, by now, your eyes have been drawn to the paragraph below and you are, as you come back to finish this sentence, seething in anger and rage and wanting to meet me so you can punch me in the face. I promise I will explain everything.
Here is the riddle:
Q. What do Radiohead and the Dave Matthews Band have in common?
A. They’re both better live than on albums.
Some of you may be wondering, what the hell is wrong with this kid? How the fuck does he compare Radiohead with Dave Matthews? How dare he say Radiohead is better live than on record? Didn’t he “get” the masterpiece that was Kid A? How it worked only as an album rather than a collection of individual songs?
Well, yeah. And don’t get me wrong, I liked Kid A. (Just ask my roommate, who was a second-hand listener to little else during September and October.) Also, with Dave Matthews, “better” remains a relative term. Finally, I am definitely pushing this comparison as a way to trick you, loyal Dec reader, into reading the rest of this article. But I digress.
Amnesiac, as most Radiohead fans know, consists mostly of songs that were recorded at the same time as Kid A. It has been described as a more commercial work than Kid A. It has been described as a warmer work than Kid A. It has been described as a return to their earlier, more accessible albums. It is none of these things. Yes, there are songs that are commercial and songs that are as warm as Radiohead gets.