Drinking whiskey clear!
From the home office in London, here’s the Top 10 song chart for the week ending May 6, 2012:
1) The Raveonettes – “Night Comes Out”
2) Saint Etienne – “I’ve Got Your Music (Single version)”
3) Saint Etienne – “Tonight”
4) Saint Etienne – “Tonight (Extended Version)”
5) Roxy Music – “The Space Between”
6) Duran Duran – “Careless Memories”
7) She & Him – “Thieves”
8) The Raveonettes – “Apparitions”
9) Madonna – “Paradise (Not for Me)”
10) The Police – “Don’t Stand So Close To Me”
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The house I lived in from the time I was 6 months old until the time I was 14 was a perfectly normal suburban Atlanta house. In fact, one of the few things that made the house unique was the driveway: the house sat at the bottom of a sloping hill, and the driveway was fairly long by suburban standards. There were also gaslights next to the driveway: one at the top of the hill, by the road; one about halfway down the driveway, at a small bridge that crossed a creek; and one more close to the house at the edge of the carport.
Here’s a crappy Google Maps picture of the house. The top of the driveway is to the right. The two large trees on either side of the driveway (in the center of the picture) are about where the bridge is, and the house itself is lost behind vegetation. The gaslight at the top of the driveway is gone now, but you can see the black pole still sticking out of the ground where it once was.
One night, in late September or early October, between 8:30 and 8:45, my mom asked me to take out the trash. There were two bags, and since I was a little kid barely taller than the trash bags, I decided to make two trips.
Of course, since it was around October, it was completely dark outside. Aside from light leaking out from the sliding glass door by the kitchen, and a streetlight at the back of the property (put there, I assume, so that Georgia Power could find the transformer), there was no light at all.
I walked towards the trash cans and just happened to look over at the second gaslight, the one by the bridge. And there I saw a man leaning against the bridge. He was wearing ratty jeans and an old army coat that still had service patches on the sleeves. He had dark blonde hair, which was styled in a kind of “mini-mullet”, more of a “I haven’t been to the barber in months” haircut than a conscious style decision. He also had a bushy mustache a few shades darker than his hair. He wasn’t very tall, and was very skinny. He looked to be in his early to mid 20s. I just stood there and stared for a second, opening and closing my eyes to make sure I wasn’t imagining it. I even saw that he was smoking a cigarette, which was in his left hand. I saw him lift it to his mouth and take a drag, and the tip of the cigarette grew brighter as he puffed on it.
I was terrified. I didn’t know what to do! I quickly walked to the trash cans, which were made of metal, and in a cart, like this:
I put the first bag of trash in the can, then slammed the lid down as hard as I could. It made quite a sound, which I hoped would make the man run away. I ran back to the house as fast as I could, and didn’t dare look in the man’s direction. As soon as I got inside the door, I started shouting:
“Mom! Mom! There’s a man outside! He’s by the bridge and he has long hair and he’s SMOKING A CIGARETTE! Mom! Mom! Mom!”
Mom, of course, wasn’t buying it. She said that there was nobody out there, that I was just imagining things, that I wasn’t getting out of taking the trash out and if I made something like that up again I’d get a spanking! I was explicitly ordered to take out the other bag of trash.
I’ve been a lukewarm fan of The Raveonettes off and on for a few years now. But I was totally blown away by last year’s Raven in the Grave (in fact, it was my Album of the Year). It wasn’t that I didn’t like their “Everly Brothers meets Jesus and Mary Chain” sound from before. Raven was just different: less “early rock and roll meets buzzing guitars”, more dark.
But the duo are back, and they’ve brought their 1950s sound with them. Into the Night is their new 4-track EP, and my favorite song from it is “Night Comes Out”. Check it out:
Last.fm says I’ve listened to the song 15 times since March 25th… but I swear that’s way too low. I think I’ve listened to it 15 times in the past two days!
This episode begins with Megan and a very sick Don getting on an elevator. The elevator stops, and an old flame of Don’s named Andrea Rhodes gets on. She begins flirting with him until he introduces her to “his wife, Megan”. Andrea backs off, and gets off the elevator a couple of floors later. Megan, almost under her breath, says “incroyable!” (“incredible!”) after Andrea leaves. Megan asks how many times they’re going to run in to someone Don has slept with. The two start to argue, but Don starts coughing and Megan turns away.
In the office, Peggy, Stan and Michael work on a pitch for Topaz. Peggy’s friend Joyce Ramsay shows up with graphic pictures from some recent murders in Chicago. Stan and Peggy eagerly look at the photos, but Ginsberg is repulsed and calls them “disgusting”. Michael gets up and leaves, calling them all “sickos”.
At Joan’s place, our favorite redhead pulls a cake out of the oven and laments that it’s not set. Greg is coming come and Joan is obviously planning a party. Gail offers to go to the bakery, and Joan, obviously frazzled, asks if they have beer. Gail offers to take the baby, but Joan says that Greg will want to see him. Gail says that he’ll really want to “see” Joan first. Gail starts talking about what men doe when they’re away from home, and Joan tries to cut her off, as she knows that Gail is talking about her husband.
Meanwhile, Don lies on the sofa, obviously sick. His phone buzzes: it’s Sally calling him. He asks what’s wrong, and Sally says that “Grandma Pauline” is there and she (Sally) hates her. Don advises her to stay out of Pauline’s way and reminds her that Betty will be home Friday morning. Sally says that it is Friday, and that someone called Henry’s line and said that they couldn’t get a flight from Buffalo and that someone will be driving them back tonight. Don says that you’d think Henry could get a flight, and Sally agrees, sarcastically adding that Henry is so important. She then says that Henry and Betty call Bobby all the time at camp, and that they might talk to her if she was peeing in her pants like Bobby. Don says that she’s not being nice, but Sally continues to complain about Pauline’s perfume and that Betty lets her watch as much TV as she wants during the summer. Don advises her to go outside and get some sun. She says that she has already, and that it’s really hot outside. Don tells her to stop complaining, then starts coughing. Sally asks how he is, and he says that he has a cold, but that Sally’s call made him feel better.
From the home office in London, here’s the Top 10 song chart for the week ending April 29, 2012:
1) The Raveonettes – “Night Comes Out”
2) The Raveonettes – “Too Close to Heartbreak”
3) Antilles – “You and Me”
4) The Raveonettes – “Into The Night”
5) Ladyhawke – “Vaccine”
6) Beach House – “Myth”
7) Young Prisms – “Gone”
8) The Raveonettes – “Bad Ghosts”
9) John Coltrane – “Blue Train”
10) Cocteau Twins – “Lorelei”
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This episode begins with Bobby and Sally trying to zip up Betty’s dress. It seems that she’s gained a lot of weight recently. Henry calls for Betty from the staircase, as they’re late for a political function. But when he comes upstairs he finds her in bed, refusing to go. Henry gives her a kiss and leaves.
Meanwhile, Don and Megan get ready to meet Heinz for a dinner, and Megan has no problem fitting into her dress. She’s talking to her mother on the phone, and then hands the phone to Don, who doesn’t understand her because he doesn’t speak French. Don hands the phone back, and Megan hangs up. Don says that they have to beat Heinz to the restaurant.
At dinner, Megan begins somewhat awkwardly. When asked how Don and Megan met, she accidentally blurts out that Don was divorced. She rebounds by asking Raymond and his wife, Alice, about their teenage daughter, Emily. Alice says that she’s too old for camp but too young for a job, and complains that Emily plays her music too loudly. Raymond asks Don if he’s heard of the Rolling Stones. Don says that he is, and Raymond mentions the song “Time is on My Side”. He says that he’s imagined them singing “Heinz is on my side” instead. He mentions that the Stones are going to be in New York, and asks Don if he can get them to record it for them. Don, clearly not excited about the idea, says that it doesn’t quite work that way, be he’ll see what he can do.
The next morning Pete and Lane wait for Roger to show up for a meeting, only to be told that Roger has scheduled it for his office. They go to Roger’s office and inform him that Mohawk called, and it’s now just a matter of time before they come back to SCDP. Pete says that he thinks Roger should handle the account, dismissively adding “since you were here when they were here, they think you know their business”. Lane then mentions some of Mohawk’s business troubles, and Pete mentions that Mohawk will need a dedicated copywriter. Roger says that they won’t accept a woman in the role and asks if they’re still paying Don. Pete says that Don won’t do such a middling task. Pete tells them to hire a local guy with experience and be done with it.
Holy crap, how come I didn’t know about this until three days ago? It’s a 9 minute excerpt from an 1983 episode of MTV’s Cutting Edge with The Go-Go’s being interviewed at The Varsity restaurant in my hometown of Atlanta. Apparently the girls were playing a gig at the nearby 688 Club later that evening, and MTV chose to have the interview there!
httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oM2vejgNn9o
Goodness, what fun memories! The best part about the interview is that it goes into surprising “behind the scenes” depth at the restaurant. The Varsity has been featured in no telling how many things on Food Network and Travel Channel, but usually those pieces show the counter, and maybe some hot dogs being made, and that’s usually it. It’s hilarious watching Belinda Carlisle trying to cook french fries! And yes, Old School Atlantans, you can see Erby Walker in this clip!
From the home office in London, here’s the Top 10 song chart for the week ending April 22, 2012:
1) Beach House – “Lazuli”
2) Beach House – “Wild”
3) Beach House – “Myth”
4) Beach House – “Other People”
5) Marsheaux – “Destroy Me”
6) Roxy Music – “Same Old Scene”
7) Saint Etienne – “Tonight”
8) Katy Perry – “Hot N Cold”
9) Saint Etienne – “Method of Modern Love”
10) Marsheaux – “Summer”