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I wasn't aware of Calvin Johnson for most of my life, but on a cold day in New York I picked this album up. I had no idea who he was, but I liked the cover. I do that a lot.
When I popped this on I wanted to turn it off a few seconds later, but something told me to wait, because it was 2005 and I should hear the guy out.
It's been years since then and I haven't purchased anything else by him, but dammit if I don't hum these songs at least once a month...especially Ode to St. Valentine.
I don't know if Mirah and Beth Ditto are your cup of tea, but they're on this record.
4 comments:
I actually don't have the courage to download this. Maybe later. Maybe much later.
I saw Calvin and his band, (what were they called?) open for Fugazi in Bellingham, Washington in, oh, 1989? Now, I'm not a violent man, but I really wanted to beat the shit out of Calvin Johnson. His music just had that effect on me. After the show, driving back to Canada, we stopped for Slurpees at 7-11. The girl from the band (what were they called?) was there, also buying a Slurpee. (We hadn't driven that far yet) We considered saying hi, but ended up largely ignoring her.
Beat Happening!
It may have been "Beating Happened" if you chose to go the other way...
Yeah, this album kinda grates on you, but there is something about its awfulness that attracts me. I don't encourage anyone to listen to it.
I went to a K Records talent show in an apartment in Olympia a few years back, and Calvin Johnson was attempting to juggle for the crowd. We were all sitting about 6 feet from him when he started juggling tennis balls, and we found out right away that he couldn't juggle at all. He moved up to soda bottles, which promptly exploded all over the wood floor, and then to knives, with their distinct "twang" as they stuck into the wood mere feet from living breathing humans. No one got stabbed, everyone was scared. I think to me that pretty much sums up his music.
But I do agree, there is something hypnotic about his voice... I often find myself doing little impersonations here and there, but no one ever gets the reference.
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