WHY DOES EVERYTHING ON THE RADIO SOUND LIKE LA BOUCHE?

It seems we've hit a time warp and we're back in 1994. Or at least that's what you'd gather from listening to the radio. Yeah, I know. You probably don't listen to pop radio. But I do. This isn't a complaint, just an observation. But we're back in euro pop/disco clubland all over again.

You don't believe me? You don't care? Either way...













Ok, so now we've got better drum machines and synths, but hot damn if it isn't pretty much the same thing. And to think you thought the tandem of Nirvana/hip-hop had terminated this stuff, or at least relegated it to the club/dance music ghetto?
Wrong. Now it's back in full force on top 40 clear channel coast to coast. Your little brother/sister is probably bobbing along in the mirror to this as we speak, if not yourself. I wonder if there's any link between europop/dance music becoming popular during recessions? Calling all sociologists.
What a joke! This will always be around. As long as there are mesh tank tops, Redbull, hair gel and Long Island, this type of music will always exist. Got any poppers/GHB?

Now's the time in Sprockets when we dance.

Mark

I can't go on like this. THAT'S WHAT YOU THINK.

THIS, YES THIS, IS MY CONGRESSMAN

This is from February 2009. Not like theres more important things to be doing, right?

YOU'LL ALL BE DOING THIS BY LABOR DAY, DO IT TO IT LARS

I totally forgot about this. Maybe it's only for you 1 or 2 hardcore fans. We shot a commentary this summer for our "Ah La La" video for this show "The Worm" on Fuse. That's us in Derek's backyard. He's filming so you don't really get a chance to see his pretty face. We tried to shoot this several times on tour. I even asked a gal at Starbucks in Lincoln Nebraska to film us, but we just couldn't get our shit together. I don't think she wanted to do it anyway. She left shortly after I asked her, plus they were playing fucking Michael Buble really loud and no one needs to hear that shit.

Enjoy

It's Too Easy

Lord almighty, maybe I'm a sap but this trailer for "where the wild things are" is incredibly touching. Probably the best use of music in a trailer I've ever seen. This Arcade Fire song was written to be used for this. I could do without all the "inside all of us is..." advertising copy, but still I'm not afraid to say I was moved by the trailer. Of course, like many of several generations, this book has a special place in my heart. So yes, I will be going to see this movie. I'll bet almost the whole audience is 18-45. It's a kids movie for adults that, at the end of the day, dearly wish they were children. And we'll pay a nice price to feel that way again.

Mark



p.s.

In an interview with newsweek, they asked "where the wild things are" author Maurice Sendak what he would say to parents who thought the movie was too scary for children.

The 81 year olds reply? "I'd tell 'em to go to hell"
I love it

Mark

ABOUT A SONG - "Running with the Wasters"

This one came about in a very unusual way. I usually write the song on a piano or guitar, with all the melodies and chords planned out and the arrangement down pat before I even start setting up mics in the basement to demo it. The original demo I did of this about 3 years ago, I just had an idea for a vibe of a song. I was probably listening to a lot of New Order at the time. I don't remember. Anyways, this one I came up with the beat first. I wanted something different rhythmically, something where the drums don't switch to the cymbals on the chorus, where all the dynamics come from the vocals or instrumentation. Almost like a drum machine dance track.
I laid down the drums and then I used my favorite setting on the keyboard, bassoon, and tinkered around until I came up with a hummable melody over the chords and had vaguely mapped out a song. By the way, I never told anyone the secret ingredient to the song, but now's probably as good a time as any. The intro do do do hook is the first three notes from that song "Pure imagination" from the original Charlie and the Chocolate factory, the "Close your eyes and you'll see a world of pure imagination. I think people subconsciously associate the melody with childhood, but that's just my psychobabble from many hours of sitting in a van.
Anyways, I wanted the song to be an anthem, something the hordes would shout along to at a football or soccer game. In fact, the original working title on my Pro Tools was "Soccer Hymn", which doesn't even make sense. Of course, the song ended up being a little too melancholy to be a successor to "ole" or something along those lines. I also had kind of a hard time singing the doo doo doo's and I didn't plan on keeping them in the song, but the guys said we had to. They were right, clearly.
Lyrically, I don't know what to tell you. I never sit down and say I'm gonna write a song about a certain subject. I usually just sing stream of consciousness type gobbledeygook along to the melody until I find a line that sends me in a certain direction. So take what you want from the lyrics.
A small last note, I had this song in the can for a while and I don't think we were gonna do anything about it. No one else in the band seemed to be very excited by it. Months later, my roommate and a friend from out of town heard the song on my computer and were appalled that we didn't play it. So I can credit them with saving this song from complete obscurity. Believe me, the songs of ours that you've never heard would make you scratch your head and ask why we didn't put this or that on the album.
I hope this has been enlightening in the most profound way.

Later,
Mark

A LETTER TO A VERY SPECIAL PERSON

Hiya,

How's things brah? I'm sure you're probably bored out of your mind most of the time. I know most people think your job is exciting because they've seen so many cop shows on TV. But I know your life is as far as it gets from finding a dead porn star floating in a vat of KY jelly like they do on CSI. That's just TV. That stuff doesn't even happen to homicide detectives in Pittsburgh. And as we both know, you're far from being any kind of detective, much less homicide.
It must get awfully boring and mundane, sitting in your cruiser all day, hiding behind that awful billboard for "Dick's Sporting Goods". But I guess you gotta hide somewhere. If all the drivers on the road saw you in plain daylight, they'd all slow down and you wouldn't meet your quota for speeding tickets. Speaking of, I've always thought going 5 miles over the speed limit was kinda par for the course, right? I just figured the only cops that gave tickets for going 70 in a 65 were just anal retentive sticklers or at least really desperate to meet their quotas. Maybe you could explain better broseph, cause I don't get it.

While we're on the subject, how could you clock me going over the speed limit and not the guy in the right lane driving right alongside of me in his yellow H2 Hummer. I'm pretty sure he was going quite a bit more than 5 miles over the limit. Yet you let him go. I know, I know. Sour grapes. I can dig it brah. No hard feelings, I paid the ticket already. Money order from Rite Aid for $189.50. Kind of a big chunk of change for me these days. See, I'm a musician. Which means I'm broke most of the time. It's a tough way to make a living. But I'm sure you smell what I'm cooking. You're nearly 50 and you haven't made detective yet? Were you like one of those loose cannon cops in the movies who pissed off his superiors because he wouldn't play by the rules and they'd threaten you along the lines of "IF YOU DON'T CLEAN YOUR ACT UP MAZURSKY, YOU'LL BE HANDING OUT SPEEDING TICKETS IN PITTSBURGH THIS TIME NEXT MONTH!!!"
A bit dramatic, you think? I know. Figures. I went to school to write screenplays.
Hey that gives me an idea! Whadaya say to me riding along with you next week, watching you bust the bad guys, clean up the streets, solve the down and dirty---sorry, I got carried away. What was I thinking?

"You hide behind fucking billboards all day."

Whoah! Sorry about that. Maybe that came off as harsh. Doc says I can be a bit passive-aggressive sometimes. I guess this is one of those times. Again, a thousand apologies. Well, I guess I should wrap this up. Places to go, people to see, you know how it is. Wait. You don't. You fucking hide behind billboards all day. Which reminds me of a story I once heard.

My friends dad was driving down the highway. He's about 70 years old or so. A real live wire though. Anyways, an officer just like yourself, hiding behind a Tanning Salon billboard or something akin, screeches out and pulls him over for speeding. The cop walks up to the car and asks for his license and registration. Do you wanna know what the old man said?

"I fought for this country In Korea and you hide behind a fucking billboard just to give me a ticket!"

And do you know what?
The cop let him go.

I'm just saying.






Later,
Mark