That Time Of the Month - Your Monthly Mix From the Big Red Robot

Wow, two estrus-themed posts in as many days. I think I need to watch some sports or something. Butch myself up. Can you tell I live in a house full of girls?

Anyway, it's mixtape time. I made this mix in honor of R-Diggity's (aka: the Castlerocker Who Never Updates His Blog) 30th b-day this last month.

I met Ryan way back in the halcyon days known as the Early Nineties, when the world was a simpler place. We met in a guitar class full of stoners and hippies, the both of us falling between/outside those all-too prevalent (and seemingly eternal) subcultures. We sat in our little corner and made fun of them, giving them all nicknames, of which the only one I can remember was "Monkey Boy".

Ryan has always been a big proponent of rock of the classic variety. Being raised by a folky-hippie sort of dad, I had rarely heard Pink Floyd, Hendrix or the Zeppelin of Led, until, that is, I befriended my fellow pale brother, Mr. Ryan C. Adams. (the "C" stands for "Coolest") Over corndogs and Cokes on overlong high school lunch breaks, we rocked and/or mellowed out. In disappearing McDonalds' in the shadow of the Stratosphere and in yellow Bravo trucks we planned our escape from whatever teenagers long so badly to escape.

And now we're in our 30's. Cuh-razy.

I titled the mix It's All Fuss from a line in Spoon's "Finer Feelings". I figured that that song's theme of looking for transformative love fit the people we were all those years ago. Also, it gave me the chance to point out that he's saying "fuss" and not dropping the "F-bomb."

Here's the cover artwork:

These are some letterpressed guys I found in a type drawer in college. We had an assignment to come up with some quotes on hope, then typeset and print them. This page contains the quote "I hope I don't look too goofy 30 years from now." by none other than yours truly. I thought it fit.

And here's the tracklist:

01. The Decemberists - "16 Military Wives"
02. Paul McCartney - "Eat At Home"
03. Black Mountain - "No Satisfaction"
04. The Jimi Hendrix Experience - "Spanish Castle Magic"
05. The White Stripes - "Bone Broke"
06. Queens Of the Stone Age - "No One Knows"
07. Led Zeppelin - "The Song Remains The Same"
08. Pearl Jam - "MFC"
09. Pink Floyd - "Let There Be More Light"
10. The Secret Machines - "The Road Leads Where It's Led"
11. The Shins - "So Says I"
12. The Beach Boys - "Funky Pretty" (Live)
13. Neil Young - "After the Garden"
14. Of Montreal - "Forecast Fascist Future"
15. David Bowie - "Panic In Detroit"
16. Stephen Malkmus - "Kindling For the Master"
17. Spoon - "Finer Feelings"

Ryan digs the classic rock so rather than show him how hip I am, I tried to keep some familiar artists in there, but went for deep album cuts rather than whatever you can hear on some Clear Channel Classic Rock Clone station. When I hear "Funky Pretty" or "Eat At Home" on the radio, I'll know my work is done. Basically, I wanted to make a mix that he would enjoy, so I sandwiched some songs similar to the classics in-between. I'm all about exposing people to new and interesting things. That's why I wear this trenchcoat, if you know what I mean.

I thin it's pretty good mix, but you can download it yourself and let me know if you agree.