DIY Living Room Pup Tents: Part Two
by Joe on April 7, 2012
Interior of the assembled tent.
This is part two of my DIY living room pup tent walkthrough. If you haven’t checked out DIY Living Room Pup Tents: Part One (or the original post this idea is based on), head over there and read that now. Go ahead, I’ll wait!
DIY Living Room Pup Tents: Part One
by Joe on April 1, 2012
The pair of finished living room pup tents.
Last week (probably via Pinterest) Maherly came across this awesome example of a DIY a-frame pup tent — perfect for impromptu forts or VIP movie nights. The end product looks pretty cool, and while my attempt doesn’t stray too far from the original, there were some gaps in the post’s detail that left me with a few questions. So I decided to take a crack at making a couple and documenting it here. Be sure to check out the original post; none of this would have happened without it!
Listening Habits: February 2012
by Joe on March 6, 2012
I wish there was a way for you to listen to these two songs without tainting your opinion by pre-judging the artists (a term used loosely).
But no matter. This needs to be said; you need to know this: the two best songs of February 2012 were by Destiny Hope Cyrus and Kesha Rose Sebert. And, yes — that’s Miley and Ke$ha to you, me, and Us Weekly.
Number Three: As I Lay Sick And Broken, Viva Mexico
by Joe on February 26, 2012
The Road To Ensenada,
Lyle Lovett
(Listen on Spotify)
Alright, top three; ish gets real. If “North Dakota” is the ‘night before’ and “Nobody Knows Me” is the ‘morning after’, then Ensenada is the reason why and the end result.
Number Four: Every Time She Blinks She Strikes Somebody Blind
by Joe on February 26, 2012
Daughter,
Loudon Wainwright
(Listen on Spotify)
By all accounts, Loudon was a terrible parent (and husband). But what he lacked in moral fiber he made up for (if it’s possible) in songwriting. The doting dad watches his little girl with a pride that boasts: “That’s my daughter in the water, who’d have ever thought her?”
Number Five: Me And Franky, Laughin’ and Drinkin’
by Joe on February 26, 2012
Highway Patrolman,
Bruce Springsteen
(Listen on Spotify)
There’s not a lot of overly happy songs on my top ten, and this is no exception. It was between this and “Used Cars,” but this one just gets right at it. Bruce Springsteen’s “Highway Patrolman,” from the famously underrated Nebraska record, tells a Cain-and-Abel-esque story of a farmer-cop and his “no good” brother.
Number Six: A Dream Made To Order, South Of The Border
by Joe on February 26, 2012
Nobody Knows Me,
Lyle Lovett
(Listen on Spotify)
If “North Dakota” is the night before, “Nobody Knows Me” is the morning after. The man strays, swearing “there weren’t nothing to it,” but regret reveals the cost of losing all the little things: “eggs over easy, a flour tortilla, sleeping in on Sunday.” The economy of language here is gorgeous.
Number Seven: Kisses That Make Judas Seem Sincere
by Joe on February 25, 2012
Citrus,
The Hold Steady
(Listen on Spotify)
“Hey citrus, hey liquor, I love it when you touch each other.” In two verses, Craig Finn crafts an ode to the modernist’s trinity: drugs, god, and sex; all in a song that started as a lullaby. If addiction will turn on you, then love will get you out. And if you’re addicted to love, well… that’s a different song…
Number Eight: Darlin’ Don’t You Go And Cut Your Hair
by Joe on February 25, 2012
Cut Your Hair,
Pavement
(Listen on Spotify)
For me this is the unaffected anthem of growing up in the 90′s. Pavement purists will hipster-check me for picking a single, but the song just peels out and never stops rolling over itself. Great power pop.
Number Nine: The Cowboys Down In Texas, They Polish Up Their Guns
by Joe on February 25, 2012
North Dakota,
Lyle Lovett
(Listen on Spotify)
The first of three Lovett songs in my top ten; “North Dakota” sets up the portrait of the doomed relationship. Nobody does regret so deeply and peacefully as Lyle.
Number Ten: No Harbor Was His Home
by Joe on February 25, 2012
Brandy, by Looking Glass (Listen on Spotify)
If you’re writing off “Brandy” as cheese, you’re doing a disservice to yourself and the four dudes from Rutgers (I know, right!?) who penned it.
Listenting Habits: January, 2012
by Joe on February 12, 2012
Look. No apologies. It was a catchy pop song.
Overplayed? Maybe. But when was the last time you could actually say that and mean it? If the music industry is dying, it’s having one hell of a spastic seizure on the way out: Rhianna and Coldplay are releasing singles every fifteen minutes (sometimes at the same time); David Guetta has got everyone convinced the theme from Mortal Kombat is a good place to go musically, and Berry Gordy’s son and grandson (not joking) just played halftime at the Super Bowl. So how does radio have the time to overplay anything?
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