Hump Day Happy Hour - X

X is one of the most chronically underrated bands of all time. Do yourself a favor and get their first four albums (their entire catalog is pretty solid, but if you ask me, the Billy Zoom era is the band at its best). Here's an old video for "Your Phone's Off The Hook (But You're Not)" from their debut album Los Angeles (seriously, get it, you'll thank me).



Here's a bonus clip of the band promoting their 1983 album More Fun In The New World on Letterman, back when it was cool to hang out with Pee-wee Herman.



The whole world loves a sad song they don't have to sing,
Regis

Technically, It's Still Spring Training

Much to my excitement, my buddy Jon is back in town for the summer and probably most of the fall. As such, I now have someone to physically play some Star Wars CCG with - huzzah! We got together last week for a couple games, and once again I wondered why the hell I don't generally include Grimtaash or Monnok in my decks. I managed to prevail against a couple Catesian swarm decks with the decks I played at the April NoCo local regardless, and even pulled off a couple good plays. We've decided that we'll do some regular playing (oh, the sweet prospect of playtesting!) in preparation for upcoming summer events, like the planned Tatooine Regionals/Colorado States super weekend in Denver. Brace for impact, Greenland.

Of course, life is a big damn balance, so for every awesome development there's something like this terrible song (it's the kind of terrible I won't embed here, that's how truly awful it is). Seriously, how is there even a market for stuff like this? Can anybody actually like this affront to artistic decency, or is Uncle Jim the kind of music that hipsters buy for their poor hipster kids to enjoy ironically?

Yay cards, boo lousy hipster parents,
Regis

Hump Day Happy Hour - The Phenomenal Handclap Band

Anyone that knows me understands I have something of a weakness for disco and dance music (when properly applied). Seriously, the first half of Michael Jackson's Off The Wall album makes me move something every time I listen to it, and I will admit to enjoying "It's Raining Men" unironically (and, for the record, completely heterosexually). A week or so back while looking for something else I came across "You'll Disappear" by the Phenomenal Handclap Band, which has been knocking my socks off lately.



I guess we kinda won,
Regis

Uh, Thanks?

At church this Sunday, I was complimented on my guitar playing by one of my fellow congregants. He added that I reminded him of Danny Bonaduce from "The Partridge Family."

I'm pretty sure it was a compliment, and have been trying to take it as such (he was always my favorite character on the show; I always kind of wanted to punch Keith in the face and Laurie always struck me as kind of vacant, but that's beside the point). Also, I feel obliged to point out that Danny "played" bass, not guitar. At any rate, I can add another less-than-flattering celebrity comparison to my list.

Questionable Celebrity Comparisons I Have Received

• Gilbert Gottfried
• Hunter S. Thompson
  
• Ed Rooney
• Danny Bonaduce

In other list-related news, I am now aware of a second play that I have been in that starred Jimmy Stewart in the film adaption. I already knew about Bell, Book and Candle but You Can't Take It With You was news to me. I played Henderson, the Internal Revenue Department man, in a high school production (this was the play I learned to play accordion for, incidentally). The movie based on the play won the Oscar for Best Picture of 1938 and was directed by Frank Capra (who won Best Director) and starred one James Stewart as Tony Kirby. Luckily for me, I saw it was going to be on TMC and DVRed it. The film was quite enjoyable - watch it if you ever get the chance. I need to re-read the play (I still have the script) and compare the two versions since I don't remember much of the plot from the play (my part was small and limited to the first scene).

Come on, get happy,
Regis

Oh Boy, Another Video

I was exposed to WAY too much country music growing up, courtesy of my mother. If it was a single and on the country charts in the early to mid/late-nineties, there's a solid chance I can sing along with the chorus, if not a good portion of the verse - that's how bad it is. And while I can appreciate most genres of music, I don't really care for most country. Among the other "treasures" in her library of recorded country music, my mother has an LP of The Oak Ridge Boys Christmas, which has yet to make my list of good seasonal albums (nothing personal, ORB, it's just not my bag).

Lousy puns aside, I ran across this today (thanks, AV Club!) and had to put it up: it's the Oak Ridge Boys covering The White Stripes' "Seven Nation Army." While not quite as awesome as Loretta Lynn's album with Jack White (and their duet "Portland, Oregon"), this is pretty badass.



Make the sweat drip out of every pore,
Regis