Author: cocokeevan

Dunce Flash: Mikey Makes Good

in: the press

A portion of The Billboard Hot 100, July 13, 2010

In case you can’t quite read this, this little chart, courtesy of Billboard, puts Mike Posner‘s “Cooler Than Me” at #6. On the Billboard Hot 100. Nationwide. Nationwide. Can someone anyone please explain to me how this has occurred? Okay, look, I’ve gotten my shits n’ giggles dancing to a Posner live show. And I have listened to his mixtape (the first one especially) dozens upon dozens of times. And “Cooler Than Me” was and still is my favorite track from said mixtape. But, really? #6? It’s been on the charts 10 weeks, and I’ve heard the song in five states. And there was a blurb in Entertainment Weekly about the guy. How has this possibly happened? How did the underdog triumph?

Mike Posner

Now, don’t get me wrong. Posner’s talented. He released that first mixtape, “A Matter of Time,” from his dorm room at Duke when he was barely 21. He snagged a record deal and a degree, touring on the weekends (including a stint at Northwestern’s Dillo Day in May 2009). This summer, he played Bonnaroo and is slated to play every date on the Warped Tour (and, though a former Warped diehard myself, that’s not saying much), and he’s managed to make himself a household name on Top 40 radio.

But does he deserve it? I mean, there’s a lot to be said, surely, about whether or not the music on modern pop radio qualifies as “good” (and I, for the record, am in that pseudo-snobby camp that says it usually is not), but Posner doesn’t really seem to fit that mold. He’s catchy, certainly, with a certain kind of nerdiness that nearly passes as being cool. It’s the way he mixes his beats and throws down his rhymes, almost with hesitation, sheepish, uncertain. You know the Yahoo commercial currently airing with the extra-nerdy guy lip-synching to a poorly done quasi-rap song?
(editor’s note: forgive the author. that “poorly done quasi-rap song”? kanye. Yo Kanye, I’m really happy for you, I’ma let you finish, but Mike Posner has one of the best videos of all time!)

It reminds me of Posner every time.

I’ve embedded the original cut of Posner’s hit single, “Cooler Than Me” from his first mixtape, “A Matter of Time.”


Mike Posner, “Cooler Than Me” (A Matter of Time version)

What do you think?
Is Posner pretty fly for a white guy or just another white (c)rapper?

And a pretty insightful comment from Bebe:
who would have thought we’d see the day
when mike posner was at #6
and eminem is at #10

(editor’s note: jimmy brooks walked again. and made a killer – and wildly popular – album. i guess anything’s possible. cheers, posner.)

About a Girl: Juggling

on: the girl

This may be a post far more worthy for, say, The Girl With the Hasidic Strap, but there’s a definite air of Dunce Cap here, too. Regardless, I’ll make it short.

Image courtesy of devianart

I’m starting to feel like myself again. Y’know, the old me? The one-time popular girl, the rock n’ roll aficionado, the brazen smarty-pants. It’s all starting to feel, I don’t know, natural again. The interview today helped, certainly, the one with a certain music journalist and amateur documentarian (or professional drinker – it’s anyone’s call) that will hopefully go up here late this week or early next. And it was more, too. It was driving along wet suburban streets with the radio blasting, hand to wheel, Atlanta all steamy from early evening rainstorms. And it was this song, too, a little.


Shawn Mullins, “Lullabye”

This may not seem like a terribly momentous occasion, feeling like I used to. But it is. It’s something big and real and, well, extraordinary.

Happy listening.

The Dunce Cap: July 5, 2010

in: heavy rotation

As a reminder – all of these mixes are hosted at 8tracks.com. You can click on the photo or link below to visit 8tracks and listen to the full mix.

Bust by sculptor Daniel Edwards

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 15: Let’s talk, and we’ll fill the air with imagery that lasts forever. (mix via 8tracks)

1. “Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?” – She & Him
2. “Foundations” – Kate Nash
3. “Head Over Feet” – Alanis Morissette
4. “Cannonball” – The Breeders
5. “Move You (SSSPII)” – Anya Marina
6. “The Frug” – Rilo Kiley
7. “Mr. Moon” – Kate Micucci
8. “She Wolf” – Shakira
9. “If” – Janet Jackson
10. “If You Fall” – Azure Ray

*BONUS TRACK: “And Darling” – Tegan and Sara

This week, it seems, is all about girrrrrl power. Now, if I’d been more of a formed person during the Riot grrrl era, I would have undoubtedly been a part of it. I would have started a ‘zine, scoped out the local clubs, sent fervent love notes to grungy rock stars (not unlike my mother’s letters to David Cassidy or my sister’s later supposed letters to Ralph Macchio). I am, in no uncertain terms, a feminist of the third wave (I almost typed reich, yikes), except I’m not averse to capitalist consumer goods, and I’m not entirely self-sufficient. But I do have a definite soft spot for women rockers that found its way into my heart about the time I saw Joan Jett live in concert. From there, it was Debbie Harry and Patti Smith and Siouxsie Sioux, and then I discovered the whispered, flowing lyricism of later feminine musicians, all flow-y skirts, floral patterns and young adolescent heartbreak. Like Evan Dando sans male genitalia.

So, in celebration of women, a mix of female vocalists. There’s more Zooey, Rilo Kiley and Kate Nash, but there are some surprises, I like to think, with Shakira and Janet Jackson, two women who just ooze sex appeal. It’s inspiring, certainly. Hot-ties. Kate Micucci is an adorable actress you’ve seen everywhere but likely never recognized; she was, among other roles, the ukulele played Ted fell for in the eighth season of “Scrubs.” And Tegan and Sara, a killer sister duo I actually overlooked for too long. And, of course, there’s the Breeders.

I have to admit – I have a bit of a Kim Deal complex. She’s possibly the coolest person I’ve never encountered. She was in Pixies, The Breeders and The Amps, and, not only that, she can play her f*!#ing instrument. Give me a teen pop sensation that can do that. She’s a clever and confident lyricist and vocalist – even Kurt Cobain praised her specific work before his death, commenting, “I wish Kim was allowed to write more songs for the Pixies.” Kurt. Cobain. Thinks. You. Are. Underpraised. Welcome to the big time. She’s really one of those women I will always admire, even though she’s not on the top ten list I posted earlier. There are just some women who are unspoken members of the top ten.

Happy listening.

(editor’s note – I know I put “Mr. Moon” on a previous Dunce Cap, and I never repeat a track, but this was a special edition, and it felt wholly appropriate for the mix. My apologies.)

The Rob Scrawl: Top 10 Laaadies

in: tens
wayne

Image courtesy of Paramount

As you may or may not have noticed, The Girl with the Dunce Cap is rather fond of regulars. Y’know, posts you’re expected to expect – Book Club, Dunce Flash, The Dunce Cap (TK tonight). And now, I’m launching just one more. The Rob Scrawl is a series of top ten lists. These lists consist of, like most other things on this blog, things I like. The things I like most or least or that remind me of something peculiar. Don’t pull that face – they’re fun! Wayne & Garth loved ’em too – scha-wing!

The Rob Scrawl is modeled after, even more than Garth & Wayne, one of my favorite fictional characters, Rob Fleming from Nick Hornby‘s High Fidelity. Rob was a list man. He made top five lists to chronicle the things he loved, from films to TV episodes to tracks to memorable moments. He is also a mix tape man, another thing we undoubtedly have in common. Rob is a Music Man, as I am a Music Girl, and he is a Romantic. I can’t deny that I am too. But, most of all, we’re loudmouths about the things we love, and that is, after all, what all of these lists are really about.

So without further ado, the first Rob Scrawl.

The Rob Scrawl: Ms. C & The Women

My internship today brought some pretty laughter-ridden culture conversation, which led to the usual rant about Kristen Stewart, Megan Fox and my obvious distaste for both. In response, my coworker accused me of being a bit anti-woman. So, to prove that I am not, in fact, anti double-X chromosome, I constructed my top 10 women list. These are women with charm and class, without the vacant eyes of Stewart or the half-assed performances of Fox. These are women I do have nice things to say about after all.

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This Rob Scrawl is in alphabetical order. In the future, there may be some preferential order.

Anna Quindlen: My favorite teacher once insisted to me that I had to be the next Anna Quindlen. I guess I took it to heart. I just finished her most recent novel, “Every Last One,” a heartbreaking work of stagging genius (ch’yeah).

Betsey Johnson: Don’t call her Cyndi Lauper. Betsey has an incredible style with a flair for color, and her clothes are gorgeous pieces for tea parties, proms or house romping.

Daria Morgendorffer: The classic high school misanthrope, Daria made braininess (and glasses! and sarcasm!) cool for girls, too.

Ellie Kemper: Sure, Ellie plays a sweet if hapless secretary on NBC’s “The Office,” but she’s a real comedy hotshot. Her video launched on Funny or Die (link NSFW), blowing (punny) into the common comedic consciousness. Now she writes for McSweeney’s and The Onion.

Judy Blume: Judy Blume defined girldom for most preteens, tackling the tough issues most fiction writers wouldn’t even begin to address.

Kate Nash: Kate Nash is darling with a kick. She’s a British songstress with a really hilarious personality and a pretty voice to match. That girl is sass.


Kate Nash, “We Get On”

Katey Sagal: Katey is the voice. So, okay, a lot of people know who she is, she of bouffant hair and leopard spandex, Ms. Peggy Bundy. But there’s more to Katey than just that. She’s a comedy legend. Leela? Spinelli’s mom? SMART HOUSE? It’s that voice. It’s the most soothing sound in the world.

Maura Johnston: Maura is an incredible woman. She’s tough, really, a girl in a boy’s town, finding music in the deepest recesses of the grimy big city. God, she’s cool. And incredibly talented. She isn’t editing for Idolator anymore, but she’s still writing. Something tells me she’ll never stop. Thank god for that.

Natalie Portman: This one is a total no-brainer. Natalie is gorgeous, brilliant, talented – and vulgarly hilarious? Who knew. The Israeli-American princess is one bad ass bitch.


The Lonely Island, “Natalie’s Rap”

Zooey Deschanel: The queen of gorge, Zooey is a star. Her beauty continues to stun me, and she is such an utter delight. Yo, she went to NU (for two quarters!), and that only makes me love her more. She’s an accomplished singer (with M. Ward in She & Him), actress and smile-r. Yeah, it’s almost an obsession.

honorable mentions: lisa simpson, jenny lewis, crystal renn, liv tyler, mindy kaling, christiane amanpour

Who would be on your top ten women list?
No Mileys here, please.

Dunce Flash: Fashion

in: the press

Yes, I have trouble dressing myself in anything more dazzling than a librarian cardigan. This, however, doesn’t mean I lack total fashion sense. Yes, the girl with the dunce cap is a budding (and closeted!) fashionista.

In fashion news:

Image from hollywoodlife.com

  • Like, totally! Classic designer Calvin Klein is bringing back the adorable dress Cher Horowitz (Alicia Silverstone) wears in “Clueless” – the white slinky number Cher wore on her date with Christian (the “cake-eater” with a love for Billie Holiday – “I love him!” – and Tony Curtis). InStyle reports the Calvin Klein minidress Cher’s father forbid her from wearing sans cover-up is currently in the works again, set to sell in L.A. boutique Confederacy and online at shopconfederacy.com, and premiering later this year in red and Cher’s classic white. It’ll cost a measly $916. Duh, Daddy. I hope this is the start of a Clueless fashion re-creation. I love the dress Amber wears to the party in the Valley, even if Cher wore it better. This is seriously the best thing to come from Calvin Klein since Mark Wahlberg modeled their underwear. [In Style]
    (editor’s note – after digging around a bit, it’s been determined the dress is now available in store and online. commence splurging/coveting.)

    (additional editor’s note – I also learned from The Frisky that designer Isaac Mizrahi has redesigned the vintage prom dress worn by both Kelly and Brenda on “Beverly Hills, 90210.” The dress, a black off-the-shoulder with a big, white taffeta bow, brought a major teen flashback when it premiered at Mizrahi’s resort 2011 runway show. For the stars of the teen drama, a show I rediscovered a bit late in my youth, it caused a near-meltdown of a total BFF-dom. Woah. [The Frisky])

Chuck Taylor All Star Dr. Seuss by Converse

  • Converse, you sneaky and smart retailers. You’ve captured my heart yet again. So, sure, the music geek in me definitely wanted the Kurt Cobain sneaks from the music collection last year. Or the Clash ones. Or, oh!, the Blondie ones. Channeling Debbie Harry? Check. But now you’ve done it again. Converse recently unveiled their Chuck Taylor Dr. Seuss collection, 17 designs for kids and kids at heart decorated with characters or elements from the beloved children’s books. They run between $35 and $65 in both hi- and lo-tops and feature The Cat in the Hat, Thing 1 and Thing 2 and the fish of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. They’re adorable and totally chic. I’m not sure that they’re available in retail stores, but definitely check them out on the website. I hope something tres geek is next – Roald Dahl characters, anyone?

Which movie/book would you most like to see recreated in fashion?
Please, no Twihards here.

The Dunce Cap: June 28, 2010

in: heavy rotation

From Anchor Tattoos and Piercings

The Dunce Cap, Vol. 14: I like the face you make and when you dance with me. (mix via 8tracks)

1. “Factory” – Band of Horses
2. “Boyfriend” – Best Coast
3. “She’s Electric” – Oasis
4. “You Always Make Me Smile” – Kyle Andrews
5. “Doctor My Eyes” – Jackson Browne
6. “Get You Back” – Oh Mercy
7. “Can You Tell” – Ra Ra Riot
8. “Fireworks” – Tender Trap
9. “Be Here Now” – Ray LaMontagne
10. “Rainbow Everywhere” – Wavves

Sorry this one’s coming oh-so-late, folks. It’s been a hectic week.

This week’s mix is a grab bag of songs n’ handclaps. We start off with the first single from the killer new Band of Horses album, Infinite Arms. Band of Horses is a band I’ve really been digging for a while now. They have a really reverb-y sound that allows for these soaring choruses and rushing guitar lines (see their excellent track “Is There a Ghost?” from 2007’s Cease to Begin), and they manage to convey emotion without sounding too heady. Then there’s a really terrific diddy from L.A.’s Pitchfork darlings Best Coast, an adorably cheeky song reminiscent of early girl groups. There’s my favorite Ra Ra Riot track (for the Duckster, of course), a cool Tender Trap track (say that five times fast!) and an entirely endearing song from Oh Mercy, a band I stumbled across while watching – like every other preteen in America…oh, wait – ABCFamily’s “Pretty Little Liars.”

It’s a playlist with a lot more sappy emotion than I usually permit, but, I suppose, I’m missing a certain someone, and it’s starting to show in my recent mixes. You’d like him too, y’know. Try not to gag; it’s really not too totally saccharine. Nothing with Wavves can really ever be marred – even by Jackson Browne.

Happy listening.

(editor’s note – this photo comes from Ryan and Brooke Cook. Happy Fourth. Stay safe and enjoy some of the Dunce Cap while you’re grilling out!)

Dunce Flash: Phillie Phanatic Sued – Again?

in: the press

Image courtesy of photojournalist Mary Schwalm

Hi folks. It’s time again for the latest installment of Phanatic drama. My favorite mascot – the cherubic green monster of Philadelphia Phillies fame – has gotten his jelly roll into some trouble. A 75-year-old woman from Wernersville, Pa., is suing the Phanatic (my pal Tom Burgoyne), the Philadelphia Phillies and the club’s minor league outfit, the Reading Phillies.

Grace Crass is seeking $50,000 in damages for injuries sustained during a 2008 Reading Phillies minor league game. The adorable cross between Telly Monster and those damned Sesame Street Honkers allegedly maneuvered his muffin top through the crowd, roughing up Crass and causing injury to her knees.

Crass’s attorney, John Speicher, claims Phanatic climbed atop Crass’s legs to the point of her crying out in pain, and says he expects him “to come to a deposition, stick his stomach and his tongue out at me and not say anything,” adding that people around him have said that this is “like suing Santa Claus.” Speicher mentions the Phanatic’s infamous anteater-like tongue in his commentary to The Philadelphia Daily News, but it was Phanatic’s giant structure which aggravated Crass’s arthritis.

Phanatic isn’t a rookie when it comes to litigation. Bob Jarvis, professor of sports law at Nova Southeastern University, in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., says that the Phanatic holds the “dubious record as the most-sued mascot in the majors.” In a study published in the May 2002 Cardozo Law Review, Jarvis mused that Phanatic likely held that ill-coveted honor because of both his girth and ready excitability.  He’s a mover, a shaker and a knee quaker.

The last major civil case in recent memory occurred when the Phillies had to pay a judgment of $2.5 million to a man at a paint store event when the Phanatic got out of control and decided to jump the patron and wrestle him into a rough-house bear hug, from which the man sustained serious back injuries and litigated for damages. FX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadephia had the last laugh on that one in 2009.

writes Rachel Levitin of We Love DC

Phanatic is a delight, though, and, again, my favorite mascot in all of sportsdom. He is a part of the game of baseball, and it’s sad to see him headed to court – again. He’s just bein’ the Jolly Green Giant, y’know?

Dunce Flash: An Open Letter to Katy Perry (from Jessie Spano!)

in: the press

Jessie Spano has heard her “California gurl” anthem – and she is none too happy.

Jezebel posted this open letter from Slater’s girl to candy queen Katy Perry, in which Spano (of the NBC sitcom “Saved by the Bell“) lambastes Perry’s track “California Gurls” for its generalization of girls from the Golden State.


Teaser from Katy Perry ftr. Snoop Dogg, “California Gurls”
watch full video at youtube

“My boyfriend is a macho pig and therefore enjoys your song and video very much, as it fits his limited view of femininity and sexuality,” writes Spano (played by Elizabeth Berkley in the series) in a hilarious characterization of her boyfriend, the brawny and Jheri-curled Slater, “namely, that I, a California girl (your intentional misspelling may be an homage of sorts, but that doesn’t make it any less offensive to those of us who enjoy proper English), should exist solely to provide sexual excitement whilst wearing a bra made out of whipped cream cans.”

The writer, Hortense, perfectly captures Spano’s burgeoning feminism while mocking the flimsy and superficial characterizations of my generation’s beloved “Saved by the Bell.” Spano tackles Perry’s frivolous sexism while lauding the tacky imagery of Perry’s music video. Pure hilarity. I can only imagine the fangirl letter Kelly Kapowski must have sent Perry – and the Farrah Fawcett-esque bikini poster of Perry clad in whipped cream brassiere that must don Zack Morris’s wall.

Check out Spano’s caffeine-induced (and much satirized) breakdown – mentioned in the letter – below.


Jessie’s Breakdown from “Jessie’s Song”
Season 2, Episode 9 (1990)

And from the Daily What via the Huffington Post, a graph by Tumblr user Nathaniel James capturing the spread of Spano’s caffeine intake in that very same episode.

“California Gurls,” which just reached number one in the U.K., is the electropop lead single from Perry’s upcoming third studio album Teenage Dream. The album is slated to hit U.S. record stores August 24. Dennis Wilson must be rolling in his grave.

Q & A: Los Campesinos! Bassist/Vocalist Ellen Campesinos!

on: journalistic writing

Conducted 4/28/10
Excerpted from a longer interview

Los Campesinos!

Twee indie pop group Los Campesinos! re-routed their U.S. April-May tour due to the eruption of Eyjafjallajökull volcano in Iceland, but the band salvaged its Chicago stop April 30 at the Metro. The band with a penchant for the glockenspiel, exclamation points and musical handclaps formed in 2006 at Cardiff University in Wales and has since devoured the globe with its peppy optimism and enthusiastic live shows. The Dunce Cap spoke with bassist/vocalist Ellen Campesinos!, en route to Covington, Ky., about the band’s British layover and the beauty of growing old.

How was your stay in Britain?

Depressing. I thought that if we unpacked, we’d definitely get here. I was kind of hoping irony would enable us to fly. It was sad because we didn’t know if we were actually going to make it over here.

How is Chicago?

We’ve done Lollapalooza twice, which has been really, really good, and the architecture is amazing. I’ve got an aunt who lives there, and a cousin, and every time I go I get to catch up with my aunt and uncle and get taken out to dinner. It was the first place we ever played in America when we played Lollapalooza, so it’s a really important place for us in terms of the band’s mythology.

How do the crowds differ from the UK and America?

Crowds in America are definitely a lot better. They’re a lot more excited and responsive. It seems like people are really grateful for you being there. People are just really friendly.

How did Los Campesinos! begin?

We used to meet up once a week to have jam sessions or just kind of fuck around. It was completely accidental. None of us were like “Yeah! We’re making a band.” It was an amazing chance event. It wasn’t planned at all.

How do you think the band has changed over the last four years?

We’ve all gotten older, a little dreary looking, can’t take our alcohol as much. Our memory is going – we can barely remember where we play. We’re less naïve. It’s still excitable –  we’re still kicking ourselves thinking how this happened. We’re still waiting for that moment where someone will go “It was all an elaborate joke!” Same as anything, really. You just kind of grow up. We’re all definitely better musicians – that’s nice.

How are older tracks (like “You! Me! Dancing!” from 2007’s “Sticking Fingers into Sockets” EP) different from more recent tracks (like “The Sea is a Good Place to Think of the Future,” from this year’s “Romance is Boring”)?

(“You! Me! Dancing!”) is kind of an albatross for us in some ways. It’s the song most people know, but at the same time, it’s the song that got us kind of well known. They’re vastly different in terms of their themes and experiences, but at the same time, they both get really good but very different reactions.


Los Campesinos!, “You! Me! Dancing!”

How is the band dynamic?

(We’re) lucky to have so many different personalities. It means that there is someone who brings something to all aspects of band existence, whether it be the more organized Campesinos! or the being-better-at-bear-hugs Campesinos! There is something for everyone.

Is it more of a Partridge Family communion or a Ramones melee?

I guess it’s a mixture of Ramones and Partridge because we like to have a little dance on stage and maybe have a drink, but we are also rather homely and dull and fond of early nights too.

What characteristics best exemplify a Campesinos!?

I would say the ability to not take yourself too seriously, have a kind of “go with the flow attitude” and to enjoy being silly as often as possible.

alternate version available at the weekly, a supplement of the daily northwestern thursday.