The Lives They Lived

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If you have time to take away from all of your New Year's Eve preparations, there's a sweet piece in today's Sunday Times Magazine (devoted to remembering who we lost this year) about Adam Yauch.

Beastie Boys, "Something's Got to Give," 

from Check Your Head (Capitol, 1992) 

 
Fight for Your Right (Revisited) (Dir. Adam Yauch, 2011)

Take this moment to decide/If we meant it, if we tried

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I know this song has made its appearance on the blog before, so it's kind of lame to repost, I realize. But I'm getting ready for a move and this song is the perfect soundtrack. And I'd never seen the video. So.

The Weakerthans, "Sun in an Empty Room" (Reunion Tour, 2007)

Manipulated Minds Need to Make an Escape

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Blackalicious, "Swan Lake" (Solesides, 1994).

P.P.P.P.S.

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The John Lennon Letters was published earlier this month by Little, Brown. New York reprinted a few from 1971, the year after the Beatles broke up (click to enlarge).

 "Yoko...never, but never wears clogs 

(or anything resembling clogs...!)"

 "When people ask me questions about 

'What did George Martin really do for you?', 

I have only one answer, 'What does he do now?'"

 "Dear Linda and Paul, 

I was reading your letter and wondering what 

middle aged cranky Beatle fan wrote it."

"Yoko's been an artist before you were ever a groupie."

The Good Life

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Stills from the video for Creatures of Comfort's S/S 2013 collection. I want this house. It's so Northern Idaho ca. 1978 - which was pretty much paradise as far as I'm concerned.

I will have an outside shower one day.

...and also a dog.

 

See the video here (music by Victoria Bergsman of Taken by Trees).

Need vs. Want (Friday throwback edition)

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Don't ask me why I've been in the habit of getting nostalgic on Fridays, because I don't know. But apropos of that, one of my girls has a great story about waiting on L.L. Cool J. at Jackson Hole, the diner on the Upper East Side where she worked while she was at Hunter College in the early 90s. The story is . . . basically that she waited on him. But aside from thinking about L.L. as he existed back then, the best part of the whole thing is homegirl's description of what she was wearing that day (I have no doubt that L.L. approved).

 Cool James waaaay back.

My own decade spent listening to nothing but hip-hop and old soul and rocking Carhartts and Tims on the regular seems like it occurred in another lifetime. But lately I've been feeling inspired to bring some of that old flavor back into my repertoire.

Sooooo... 

6.9 mm Gold Cuban Chain Link Necklace,

$1063.99 online at this place (or some approximation).

Need.

The product description pretty much seals the deal:

Resonate happy memories with flicker of luminous 14k Yellow Gold Cuban chain. It is elegant in timeless fashion chain and has modern comfort fit to suit your urban lifestyle. Flash it plainly or with favorite charm pendant. You'll feel a boost of self-confidence everyday as you wear this with any of your choice clothes. 

Word. And while we're on the subject of Cuban links, this – from what remains one of my top five hip-hop albums of all time:

 
Raekwon f/ Nas and Ghostface Killah, "Verbal Intercourse," 
from Only Built 4 Cuban Linx (Loud, 1995)

Now That's A Remix

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...as Fab 5 Freddy said on Yo! MTV Raps, ca. 1994.

Craig Mack "Flava in Ya Ear" remix 

f/ Notorious B.I.G., Rampage, LL Cool J and Busta Rhymes

Not sure what made me think of it this morning. But while we're at it, the ladies' superstar equivalent for your Friday:

Brandy "I Wanna Be Down" remix f/ MC Lyte, Yo-Yo, and Queen Latifah

Had Me Believing

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Gotye f/ Kimbra "Somebody That I Used to Know" 

from Making Mirrors (Samples N' Seconds 2012)

Ghost City

Ms Mr "Hurricane" from Ghost City USA (2012)

Gimme

 
Diamond Rugs "Gimme a Beer" from Diamond Rugs (2012, Partisan)

Hearts I Believed In

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Cold Cave, "Love Comes Close," from Love Comes Close (2009, Matador)

Me and My Posse and MCA

Beastie Boys "The New Style" 

Beastie Boys "Paul Revere" — both from Licensed to Ill (1986, Def Jam) – one of the first rap albums I ever bought (and immediately memorized). It would be difficult to parse out, let alone explain, the level of influence that album has had on me.

Rest In Peace Adam Yauch.

Street Halo

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Burial "NYC" from Street Halo (2011, Hyperdub)

(Instagram in NYC, March 2012)

Current Obsession

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On repeat.

   
( thanks, Strath1.)

Like a Shadow

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Blouse "Shadow" (live version at le Consortium, Dijon). The song was released last year as a 7" on Sub Pop and much more is available from Captured Tracks.

Why Can't You

Simian Mobile Disco "Seraphim" directed by Aoife McArdle from Unpatterns (May 2012, Wichita)

(via Stereogum)

I Had A Dream

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Crystal Dorval aka White Poppy "I Had a Dream" from I Had a Dream (2012, Not Not Fun – cassette only, edition of 125)

(via GvB)

If You Want To Tell Me Something

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Dum Dum Girls "Coming Down" (edit) from Only In Dreams (2011, Sub Pop). Yeah I already posted it, but I hadn't seen the video and I cannot seem to get sick of this song. So there you have it.

Photo by Lauren Dukoff

Focus Break

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White Denim "Street Joy" from D (2011, Downtown)

Ten Decisions Shape Your Life

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The Strokes, "I'll Try Anything Once" (demo) (Rough Trade, 2006).

(I FINALLY watched Somewhere this weekend - probably the last person on the planet to have done so, but - it was so subtle and poignant and lovely...Sofia Coppola tells a story in images like nobody's business. Anyway. I'm not really a Strokes fan, but this song was perfect for the movie.)

(photo: Avon, Idaho, March 2012)