What would YOUR parents say if you came home wearing an iconic design linked to a nihilistic musician who hanged himself, kids?


By Fred Mills


Earlier this week a marketing kerfluffle kicked in when word got out about a Joy Division-inspired teeshirt being sold by Disney - the singular "Unknown Pleasures" LP sleeve art was adapted into the shape of Mikckey Mouse's head, as you can see above - although that's not specifically how the sales blurb went:


"Inspired by the iconic sleeve of Joy Division's 'Unknown Pleasures' album, this Waves Mickey Mouse Tee incorporates Mickey's image within the graphic of the pulse of a star. That's appropriate given few stars have made bigger waves than Mickey!"


Billboard reports that Disney had now halted sales of the shirt, with a representative telling reporters that "As soon as we became aware there could be an issue, we pulled it from our shelves and our online store to review the situation further."


Erstwhile bassist Peter Hook weighed in, telling the Los Angeles Times. "I take it as a compliment. If I had a pound for every time someone bootlegged Joy Division, I'd be as rich as Disney. But it's interesting in a kitsch way. It's this cross between something very adult and this well-known image of childhood."


At presstime the shirt was doing hot action at eBay: At least one shirt, like this one , is already fetching bits topping 200 bucks.

UPDATE: It's currently reached $255 in the bidding.

Album arrives April 17.

By Blurt Staff

Older Than My Old Man Is Now is the prophecy-fulfilling title of the upcoming album from veteran troubadour Loudon Wainwright III. It's due April 17 from 2^nd Story Sound Records and is the followup to 2010's 10 Songs For the New Depression as well as last year's career-spanning box 40 Odd Years.

Of that collection, BLURT reviewer Steven Rosen noted, "The singer-songwriters who came of age in the 1960s and early 1970s are the Boomers' major contribution to the Great American Songbook, and Loudon Wainwright III ranks with the very best. How many have spent so long displaying the guts Wainwright has shown in turning his family and professional life - its failures and triumphs - into material for public consumption? And how many have the talent to make such consistent, enduring art out of that material?"

The new album finds the legendary Grammy-winning songwriter, now 65 years old, reflecting on the fact that he's older than his father ever was, featuring contributions from all four of his children - Rufus and Martha Wainwright, Lucy Wainwright Roche and Lexie Kelly Wainwright - as well as two of their three mothers, Suzzy Roche and Ritamarie Kelly. 

While his musical career is well known, it's less common knowledge that Loudon is also an accomplished comedic actor, including parts in The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up and on M*A*S*H, as well as recent cameos in Undeclared and Parks and Recreation.

"Great art is eternal and immutable": an emotional night at the Pabst Theater in Milwaukee on Jan. 21. Check out a video from the show, below. Read also the BLURT interview with the legendary singer and guitarist.

By Eric Schumacher-Rasmussen / Photo for BLURT by Scott Weiner

On Glen Campbell's last two albums - his final ones, he says, as he's been diagnosed with early-stage Alzheimer's - he covered songs by Paul Westerberg, Guided by Voices, Green Day, Foo Fighters, and a handful of other artists. And while those albums were universally well-reviewed in all the right hipster places, those reviews haven't necessarily translated into a full embrace of his music by the Pitchfork set.

More's the pity, but it explains why, at Campbell's Milwaukee stop on his "Goodbye Tour," I was one of the youngest people in the house. I'm 45, so that doesn't happen much these days.  And while my initial response to that was disappointment - I'd really hoped that Meet Glen Campbell and Ghost on the Canvas would expose Campbell to a younger audience - I soon realized that it was just as well the crowd was made up mostly of people who remember hearing and seeing Campbell during his glory days.

The show itself was simply one of the most joyous I've ever seen, with both Campbell and the audience reveling not in nostalgia but in the hard-earned satisfaction of lives well-lived and music well-played and brilliantly sung. Backed by Campbell's longtime musical director T.J. Kuenster and Instant People - a five-piece combo including three of Campbell's children: Ashley, Shannon, and Cal - Campbell covered the entire scope of his career in 90 minutes, from 1968's "Gentle on My Mind" through 1977's "Southern Nights" right up to "It's Your Amazing Grace" and "A Better Place" from Ghost on the Canvas.

Campbell's decision to do one final tour while he still can is a courageous one, and the effects of the Alzheimer's were evident on and off the entire evening. He was openly confused when he was handed Ashley's guitar instead of his own, which was being repaired, and on-going sound problems on stage rattled him more than they would have in his younger days. But he handled those moments with grace and humor - when he realized what was going on with the guitar, he deadpanned "Pardon me. I'll just be a moment."

The concert was also deeply inspiring. Campbell kept repeating "I'm just so happy today," and for every well-rehearsed showbiz joke, there were twice as many moments of unedited, unbridled enthusiasm; after the line "the spirits make love in the wheat field with crows," in "Ghost on the Canvas," he blurted "boy, I love that line," and more than once he looked down at his setlist and said, "Oh, I like this one!"

Of course, Alzheimer's has nothing to do with Campbell's voice and guitar playing, which were, if not as strong as ever, then surely stronger than they've got a right to be at the age of 75. He showed terrific vocal range in "Lovesick Blues" and "It's Your Amazing Grace," and his guitar work was a marvel, from the improved solo in "Galveston" to the well-known, written parts in "Wichita Lineman."

The latter was the highlight of the show, one of those bucket-list moments where time stands still and the world stops. Jimmy Webb's song is one of the finest of the 20^th century, a masterpiece of direct lyric and elegant melody, and it's forever going to be Campbell's signature song. And when he sang the greatest line in that great song - "I need you more than want you/ And I want you for all time" - the effect was breathtaking, crystallizing into a single moment the complex, sometimes paradoxical emotions of the evening.

Great art is eternal and immutable even if live performances are fleeting and our own lives are subject to both horrible twists of fate and moments of unexpected delight.  Against all odds, Glen Campbell's "Goodbye Tour" captures all of that.

Setlist:

1.               Gentle on My Mind

2.               Galveston

3.               By the Time I Get to Phoenix

4.               Try A Little Kindness

5.               Where's the Playground Susie

6.               Didn't We

7.               I Can't Stop Loving You

8.               True Grit

9.               Lovesick Blues

10.           Dueling Banjos

11.           Hey Little One (performed by Ashley and Shannon Campbell)

12.           Any Trouble

13.           It's Your Amazing Grace

14.           Country Boy

15.           The Moon's a Harsh Mistress

16.           Ghost On The Canvas

17.           Wichita Lineman

18.           Rhinestone Cowboy

19.           Southern Nights (Encore)

20.           A Better Place (Encore)

Photo Credit: Scott Weiner

"Night In the Ocean" comes from forthcoming debut Melt.

By Blurt Staff

Young Magic's debut album, Melt, is out on Feb. 14 on Carpark.  The band just premiered its second official music video for "Night In the Ocean," directed by Andrew de Freitas:

Band Background: Although now firmly settled in New York City, Young Magic's three members came together through equal helpings of openness and fortuity. In 2010, singer and producer Isaac Emmanuel had left his home continent of Australia to travel across Europe, over to New York, and down through Mexico, all the while creating and recording music with whatever instruments he found along the way. While in Mexico, Emmanuel kept a correspondence with fellow Australian expat Michael Italia, who for months had been similarly traveling across Europe and South America with portable recording gear in tow. They decided to meet up in New York, where their good friend from a few years prior, Indonesian-born vocalist Melati Malay, had been living and making her own recordings.

In early 2011 they began recording together. The collaboration brought forth singles "Sparkly", "You With Air" and "Night In The Ocean," all of which were fitting indicators of the band's chameleonic sound, heavily informed by West African rhythms, Brainfeeder hip-hop, UK bass, and 60s psychedelic soul. Young Magic's full-length debut, Melt, comprises both of these tracks-as well as their B-sides-and expands on their varied aesthetic, at once electronically sequenced and completely organic.

Tracklisting:

1. Sparkly

2. Slip Time  

3. You With Air  

4. Yalam  

5. Jam Karet  

6. Night In The Ocean  

7. Watch For Our Lights  

8. The Dancer  

9. Cavalry  

10. Sanctuary  

11. Drawing Down The Moon

Absolutely Everything reissue collects the whole spiel, er, schmiel, er... watch clips, below, as you wait for the movie.

By A.D. Amorosi

With its big screen edition planned and a one of its precious rare new shows aired in January (two more are planned for 2012) BBC America have re-released the trashy girl-gab fest from its co-creator Jennifer Saunders ("Eddy") and Joanna Lumley (Patsy) that originally came out in 2008. The 9 disc set contains Series 1 to 5 (that's BBC 1 talk) plus the 2002 and 2004 Christmas Specials, The Last Shout, The New York Special, and over 4 hours of extras.

Born of a sketch of (Dawn) French & Saunders' called "Modern Mother and Daughter," the idea of immature adults supported emotionally and financially by their children exploded hilariously to include the British fashion biz and the Swinging London UK rock scene of the ‘60s and ‘70s through which the pair (the slutty Patsy in particular) trafficked in. Like The Comic Strip Presents, The Young Ones and even the rougher edges of Rowan Atkinson's various Black Adders in the wake of all things Python (Monty), there was/is a post-punk new wave-y feel to the AbFab proceedings, a snarker's slippery wit and an amphetamine energy - to say nothing of the fast fashion - that made the Saunders and Lumley pairing absolutely musical.

What doubled their efforts and made them hilarious is the manner in which, not to sound sexist, they swung like the boys. The pair could - and did - out swig, out snort, out screw, out spend and out finagle anyone else in their professional endeavors (Eddy has her own PR firm, Patsy runs a top British fashion magazine), to say nothing of their personal efforts. The gals spent their considerable financial resources as indulgent roustabouts and leapt from bed to bed and trend to trend, each co-dependent upon the other. The neurotic, jittery pair suckled on each others foibles and nursed each others wounds while the ever-besieged bitter daughter "Saffron Monsoon" (played with tireless aplomb by Julia Sawalha) is forced to fend for herself.

Roll through the AbFab episode list, find "Fat France," "Morocco,"  "Schmoozin'" and "Gay" and you'll hear and see some of the finest comic writing Britain has to offer. The other episodes aren't half bad either.

Special features:

-Seasons 1-5, plus The Last Shout, The New York Special, White Box, and over 4 hours of DVD extras

-Seasons 1-3 and Specials: 1.33 aspect ratio

-Seasons 4-5 and White Box: 1.78 aspect ratio

-Closed-captioned except season 5 English subtitles

Goner has announced a reissue of the 1st release from Memphis' great LOST SOUNDS, with core members Jay Reatard, Alicja Trout, and Rich Crook.  Here they're joined on bass by the mysterious "Steven," never to be heard from again. Four blasts of primal electro punk, remastered from the original cassette. Limited press of 900 (clear vinyl is already sold out.)

Side A :  Plastic Skin / Don't Bother Me
Side B:  What Did I Say? / Lost And Found

Originally released on the Italian label Solid Sex Lovie Doll, notorious for their flimsy, lo-fi aesthetic and ridiculous limited editions. This was their first release. Worth noting about their label owner Fredrico Zanutto: he trekked all the way to Memphis for Gonerfest 1 and released records of many of the finest bands in the world in tiny, unobtainable editions.

Bonny Billy Blend Kona Rose Coffee is WOLFROY CERTIFIED ORGANIC ! See tour dates and a video below as well.

By Blurt Staff

Here's a press release we can't possibly rewrite or collapse adequately, so we are leaving it 100% organic and intact...

***

The organic movement is finally real! It brings us a caffeinated surge of pleasure to introduce to you the first-ever (and only) Bonnie Prince-certified organic coffee. Up until now there were rules and rules about how to get a product certified organic, but standards are for the birds. And Bonny eats birds for breakfast. With coffee, goddamn. 

Along his travels Bonny somehow managed to find himself on the island of Hawaii and met up with the Kona Coffee people. After rigorous experiments with bean burning, granulated sugar filtering, boll weevil cross pollination and button pressing (always the most critical part of any operation, including our own. Lever-pullers, shut you mouth!), this limited edition roast is ready to be bought (but mostly sold) right here, right now in the Drag City interglobal e-marketplace.

Each half pound of whole beans comes in a re-sealable black bag complete with a one of a kind pink label to certify the clean body and fresh finish (and deep paranoia) you expect from the Bonny brand. It tastes best when paired with Wolfroy Goes To Town, available for purchase here, but it's also not bad with chewing gum, hash browns (or as we like to say, hash, browns), garden heirlooms, sour patch gummies, cough drops, foodstuff, ulcers, dandelions, hot dogs and turkey necks.

This "Bonny Billy Blend" from Kona Rose Coffee is 100% Kona Coffee certified Organic by HOFA. 100% Wolfroy certified, too. Certified what is what you'll have to buy the coffee to figure out.

Tour Dates:

1/24/12 Vooruit Gent Belgium

1/25/12 Hackney Empire London United Kingdom

1/27/12 THE STRATHCLYDE SUITE Scotland United Kingdom w/ Nuala Kennedy 1/29/12 The Fruitmarket Glasgow United Kingdom Celtic Connections

1/31/12 Vicar Street Dublin Ireland

2/1/12 Cork Opera House Cork Ireland

4/26/12 Holmfirth Picturedrome Holmfirth United Kingdom w/ Trembling Bells 4/28/12 The Frog and Fiddle Cheltenham United Kingdom w/ Trembling Bells 5/2/12 Acorn Arts Centre Penzance United Kingdom w/ Trembling Bells

5/4/12 The Bullington Arms Oxford United Kingdom w/ Trembling Bells

Homoerotic imagery makes the Google-owned media portal squeamish. Watch the original clip, below.

By Fred Mills

Pitchfork is reporting on the new Matador ad for the Perfume Genius Put Your Back N 2 It, a 16-second video clip featuring the band's Mike Hadreas and porn star Arpad Miklos appearing in a suggestive (read: shirtless) embrace. Apparently when the label uploaded it to YouTube it was rejected and they received the following policy notice for "adult image/video content":

"Any ads that contain non family safe material are disapproved.  I noted to the team that the people in the video are not entirely unclothed, but the overall feeling of the video is one of a more adult nature, including promoting mature sexual themes and what appears to be nude content. As such, the video is non family safe.  In order to have this video ad approved, you will need to bring it into compliance with our policy."

Hmmm.... Guess all those big-boob and female underwear fetish videos you can find with a couple of quick mouse clips at YouTube meet the media portal's standards of decency, while this one, which reveals considerably less skin, does not.

Pitchfork goes on to report that "Matador also notes that the song in the advertisement, ‘All Waters', deals with ‘internalized homophobia' and being ‘self-conscious about gay [public displays of affection].'"

Perfume Genius ad from nils bernstein on Vimeo.

Combines song from Blurt cover stars' latest album with a return to classic animation in the first hand-drawn Popeye cartoon in more than 25 years .

By Blurt Staff

King Features and dBpm Records are combining creative forces for a series of firsts with the release of a new cartoon and animated music video for Wilco's "Dawned On Me" (from The Whole Love) featuring Popeye and you know who. The new video can be viewed in at wilcospinach.com, or right here:

The video is directed by Darren Romanelli, the fashion and pop culture innovator who conceived the collaboration between Wilco and King's flagship character. It's one of the first music videos Wilco has released since 1999 and it presents the band as animated images, side-by-side with Popeye and his friends Olive Oyl, Swee' Pea, Wimpy and Bluto.

Popeye was created in 1933 by Fleischer Studios, and the music video marks the first new Popeye cartoon since "Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy," the 3-D CGI primetime TV special and deluxe DVD release produced by King Features Syndicate for Popeye's 75th Anniversary in 2004. In what has become a primarily digital world, this new video marks the first hand-drawn, frame-by-frame rendering for Popeye cell animation since the Popeye and Son series from 1987. In this new video, Popeye vies for Olive Oyl's affections with his usual nemesis, Bluto, and with a new challenger, Wilco front man Jeff Tweedy.

Wilco, of course, appears on the cover of the latest issue of Blurt.

Up next: Lykke Li/Florence and the Machine (Jan. 28), then Wilco (Feb. 4).

By Blurt Staff

They came, they saw, they played, they conquered: Joanna Newsom and Fleet Foxes were the featured performers this weekend on Austin City Limits and you can watch the video of the show, below. Newsom played "Bridges and Balloons", "Have One on Me", and "Good Intentions Paving Company"; Fleet Foxes played "Sim Sala Bim", "Your Protector", "The Shrine/An Argument", "Helplessness Blues", and "Blue Ridge Mountains". 

Watch Fleet Foxes / Joanna Newsom on PBS. See more from Austin City Limits.