Fantastic Bad Guy

I meant to mention this. I actually saw a movie this year. In fact, it was the first "grown-up" movie I've seen in a theater in close to twelve full months or more. (We did take Emily to see the Chipmunks movie starring Jason Lee.)

Two weekends ago, I finally got around to seeing No Country For Old Men. Phenomenal. I am a huge fan of the Coen Brothers, and I'd say this ranks right up there with their best. And, Javier Bardem was excellent. I'm glad he won the Oscar. I'm even more glad to say I didn't watch a single minute of that awards show to end all awards shows. Damn, I hate that self-aggrandizing bullshit. But, anyway, amazing movie. Tommy Lee Jones was very good, too. Perhaps not as exceptional as he was in The Fugitive, but he was great. (Much better than, say, Volcano...)

Anyway, the other movie I considered was There Will Be Blood. However, due to theater locations and show times, it wasn't as viable an option. I do want to see that one also, though.

I feel like I should discuss the movie more, but I'll leave the spoiler material for the comments, if anyone chooses to discuss the movie there.

500th Post

Wow! So, here it is, my 500th post on Haahnster's Hallucinations.

It seems like the first 480 or so really flew by in a blur. Now, the last 20 or so have leaked out in fits and starts, not unlike piss through a clap-infected dick.

Work sucks.

Bye.

Haahnster Loves Pearl Jam

I was recently spending a little time with some old favorite Pearl Jam CDs of mine, and I came across a 2-CD set I'd compiled to try to convert a couple non-PJ believers. In retrospect, if I hadn't been so out of it, I might've just ordered a couple copies of Rearvewmirror: Greatest Hits 1991-2003 from Amazon and had them delivered to them. But, at the time I compiled these, I wasn't even aware of that release. Plus I like my song selection and running order a little better. Anyway, here's the liner notes I included:

Pearl Jam (formed in 1990 in Seattle, Washington) is a rock band considered one of the most popular and influential artists of the decade of the 1990s. Their name is intimately tied to the grunge movement of the early 1990s, along with Alice in Chains, Nirvana and Soundgarden, with these names being usually considered the big four of the grunge music scene. Moreover, they are also one of the few mainstream grunge bands that has remained active since the atrophy of their contemporaries. Currently, the group boasts a large fan base that contributes to making the band one of the most popular live acts in the world.

They have been named #21 on VH1's 100 Greatest Artists of Hard Rock.

Members: Eddie Vedder – Vocals, Guitar; Stone Gossard – Guitar; Jeff Ament – Bass; Mike McCready – Guitar; Matt Cameron – Drums [Former drummers: Jack Irons, who replaced Dave Abbruzzese, who replaced Matt Chamberlain, who replaced Dave Krusen]

This disc is absolutely NOT for sale.

Disc 1:
“Alive” (5:40) – Words: Vedder, Music: Gossard – The song that got me into PJ in the 1st place. Mike McCready as guitar god!
“Breath” (5:25) – Words: Vedder, Music: Gossard – This song is the “ahh yeah”capital of the universe. Mike McCready as guitar god again!
“Dissident” (3:35) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – This song has a great guitar hook. And, remember: “escape is never the safest place”.
“Corduroy” (4:37) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – “Can’t buy what I want/Because it’s free”
“I Got Id” (4:53) – Words: Vedder, Music: Vedder – Neil Young – Guitar, Pump Organ; Jack Irons – Drums; Brendan O’Brien – Bass; Vedder – Vocals, Guitar
“Immortality” (5:18) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – I love the guitar pickin’ on this one. “As privileged as a whore/Victims in demand for public show”.
“Red Mosquito” (4:03) – Credits: ??? Buzzing/stinging guitar line fits perfectly. I think this begins to redeem the maligned No Code.
“Elderly Woman Behind The Counter In A Small Town” (3:16) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – Long title, cool song
“Porch” (3:30) – Words & Music: Vedder – Lesser-known song from Ten, but one of my fav’s. Explicit lyric warning: “F” bomb right up front.
“Do The Evolution” (3:54) – Words: Vedder, Music: Gossard – I think they actually made a video for this one (1st since the Ten album)!
“Rearviewmirror” (4:44) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ. Driving drum beat “Saw things clearer/Once you were in my rearview mirror”
“Better Man” (4:28) – Words & Music: Vedder – Rationalizations of a woman who’s fallen “out” of love (most likely a battered woman).
“Daughter” (3:56) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – Is she being abused and/or molested? Is she the victim of neglect? Did her parent(s) die? Hmmm
“State of Love and Trust” (3:46) – Words: Vedder, Music: McCready/Ament – Time for another cool, rockin’ song from the Singles soundtrack.
“Not For You” (5:52) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – A Vedder scream-fest (“If you hate something /Don’t you do it too”). “F” bomb near the end.
“Yellow Ledbetter” (5:04) – Words: Vedder, Music: McCready/Ament – PJ does their collective Jimi Hendrix impression on this song.
“Black” (5:43) – Words: Vedder, Music: Gossard – Probably the most performed PJ song on amateur karaoke night. To the bitch that dumped me…

Disc 2:
“Even Flow” (4:53) – Words: Vedder, Music: Gossard – MTV & radio played it about a billion times “back in the day”. Here it is again.
“Animal” (2:49) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – “I’d rather be/With an animal” … NOT to be confused with the Def Leppard song from 1987.
“Spin the Black Circle” (2:48) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – Back to the punk roots a bit with this one … fast & aggressive
“Long Road” (6:02) – Words & Music: Vedder – Neil Young – Guitar, Pump Organ, Vocals; J. Irons – Drums; J. Ament – Bass; Vedder – Vocals, Guitar
“Given to Fly” (4:01) – Words: Vedder, Music: McCready – 1st single from Yield, released about 1 month ahead of the album.
“I Am Mine” (3:35) – Words & Music: Vedder – “The ocean is full/’Cause everyone’s crying” “I only own my mind”
“Footsteps” (3:53) – Words: Vedder, Music: Gossard – Stripped-down acoustic song recorded live on ROCKLINE, May 11, 1992. “It was you”.
“Last Kiss” (3:15) – Wayne Cochran [cover] – Their most successful single ever, and all their proceeds went to Kosovo refugees. Cool.
“Jeremy” (5:18) – Words: Vedder, Music: Ament – Hit MTV video. Cited in school violence talks, but I always thought “Jeremy” just shot himself.
“Light Years” (5:07) – Words: Vedder, Music: Vedder, McCready, Gossard – “We were but stones/Your light made us stars”
“Wishlist” (3:27) – Words & Music: Vedder – “I wish I was a neutron bomb/For once I could go off”.
“Go” (3:13) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – Exploding drums! “Turned to my nemesis/A full on fucking god” …pretty good guitar, too.
“Faithfull” (4:18) – Words: Vedder, Music: McCready – No, I don’t know why the title is misspelled. I like the song, though.
“Nothingman” (4:35) – Words: Vedder, Music: Ament – “Isn’t it something?/Nothingman”
“Bu$hleaguer” (3:57) – Words: Vedder/Gossard, Music: Gossard – “He’s not a leader/He’s a Texas leaguer” … “Born on 3rd/Thinks he got a triple”
“F*ckin’ Up” (6:17) – Neil Young [cover] – PJ does a damned fine Crazy Horse. [I picked the 2 songs surrounding the “W” song on purpose :-)]
“Dirty Frank” (5:43) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – From the Ten sessions. It was also an extra on a CD-single I don’t have (not sure which one).
“Elderly Woman Behind the Counter in a Small Town” [Acoustic Version] (3:18) – Words: Vedder, Music: PJ – I really like this song.

Ten Quick Super Bowl Thoughts

1) WOW!

2) Best 4th Quarter in Super Bowl history. And for those, like me, who really enjoy aggressive defensive play, that was one of the Top 5 Super Bowls ever.

3) Tom Petty rocks! Not very glitzy, especially by Super Bowl standards, but just flat out rocked. Mike Campbell...great and underrated lead guitarist.

4) The "genius" Bill B. passes on the long FG opportunity on 4th and 13. I questioned it at the time. Interesting.

5) The "genius" Bill B. decides not to challenge the potential fumble recovery that appeared to have been ripped out LONG after the whistle should've blown. Interesting.

6) The '07 Patriots now join the short list of the greatest teams of the Super Bowl era NOT to win the Super Bowl.

7) That play where Eli Manning looked like he avoided a certain sack about 3 different times and finally spun free and fired the ball seemingly at random, and Giants receiver David Tyree leapt up and at the absolute end of his reach pinned the ball against his helmet with one hand as he crashed to the field on his back and brought the other hand over, never losing control of the football...GREATEST PLAY in Superbowl history!!!

8) Bill B. restores his rightful claim to the "genius" tag by realizing that nothing good for the Patriots could possibly happen with only 1 second left, and it was time for the pouting to begin in earnest.

9) Too bad I'm not a Giants fan, or I'd REALLY be excited right now.

10) Last but certainly not least, FUCK the '72 Dolphins. You're still not even in the Top 5 greatest teams of the Super Bowl era. So, bite me.

Lists, We Love to Bitch About Lists!

Our "friends" at Rolling Stone concocted a list of the "100 Greatest Artists of All Time". I know this is old-ass news (2004). But, I can't recall addressing it before. And, what's more fun than bitching about a published list? Here it is: click on link here

OK, the Top 5 contains few surprises:

1) The Beatles
2) Bob Dylan
3) Elvis Presley
4) The Rolling Stones
5) Chuck Berry

I could bicker slightly with order, but a solid Top 5.

6) Jimi Hendrix
7) James Brown
8) Little Richard
9) Aretha Franklin
10) Ray Charles

I'm perfectly happy with Hendrix at 6. Is J.B. really 7th greatest of all time? Seems high to me, but maybe I've just always underestimated him. I have to question Little Richard at 8, too. I just can't quite seem to come to terms with him as a Top-10 guy. Pardon the lame joke, but I have no R-E-S-P-E-C-T for Aretha Franklin at #9, either. Are you shitting me? If we're going to go all girl-power-revisionist-historian here, let's get a better recipient of our heaping generosity than Aretha. Finally, Ray Charles is a f*cking icon, so I can abide #10 for him.

11) Bob Marley

TIME OUT! Hold the f*cking phone! Bob Marley as #11? Number ELEVEN?!!?! Clearly, this list has lost its final shred of credibility. Top 50, maybe, but number 11 is an absolute sham.

12) The Beach Boys
13) Buddy Holly
14) Led Zeppelin
15) Stevie Wonder
16) Sam Cooke
17) Muddy Waters
18) Marvin Gaye
19) The Velvet Underground
20) Bo Diddley

The Beach Boys at 12 just underscores (as if it needs underscoring) how abso-f*cking-lutely ridiculous Bob Marley at #11 is. Jeeee-zus. Bob Marley ahead of the Beach Boys? Gimme a break! Either Buddy Holly is a bit overrated at #13, or Bo Diddley is a bit underrated at #20. Shouldn't be that much distance between them, in my humble opinion. The mighty Zep should've been Top 10. I mean, #14 is a freaking slight, an absolute 'dis' (in the parlance of our times). It seems a bit of a squeeze that Sam Cooke and Marvin Gaye are both Top 20, but I'll pass on further comment.

21) Otis Redding
22) U2
23) Bruce Springsteen
24) Jerry Lee Lewis
25) Fats Domino
26) The Ramones
27) Nirvana
28) Prince
29) The Who
30) The Clash
31) Johnny Cash
32) Smokey Robinson and the Miracles
33) The Everly Brothers
34) Neil Young
35) Michael Jackson

OK, I must stop now. Neil Young is 11 slots behind the boof-Boss, and barely squeaks in ahead of Michael Jackson??!!! Otis Redding and Fats Domino are Top 25, but Johnny Cash is only #31?!?!! The "Killer" is only #24 compared to Little Richard at #8?

My head is spinning. More to follow....maybe....