A Tired Villain

Marilyn Manson is still at it?...Lollapalooza 2012 Line-up...Lauryn Hill revisit...

I guess we can start this one off with good ole MM...I was a HUGE Marilyn Manson fan when I was in middle school, and before you judge me, remember that it was middle school, but mind you, it trickled until about sophomore year of high school. I still pull out Mechanical Animals every now and then (as it is their best album, in my humble opinion). But, the last record I heard in full was The Golden Age of Grotesque in 2003. This was basically the moment where Manson started to really suck, and by really suck, I mean REALLY. Not that the band was crazily innovative, but their aesthetic, and the social commentary and religious themes in their music was enough to draw even a faint curiosity. And Manson is an intelligent guy, and looking back on their first four records, they had some clear intentions and gutsy motives to them. It's not like Manson wasn't a calculated person, but for some reason, after 2003, the fucker just lost it and I haven't looked back since.

But, I just read that he's coming out with a new album, titled Born Villain (yawn) on May 1st. The leading single to the album is titled, "No Reflection," but I am not going to post it because I did not like it, nor did I like the video. Like I said, the dude just lost it. But, since I'm on the subject of Manson, I thought I'd share a video for one of my favorite Manson songs from when they were still good, or at least one that didn't make me want to throw my TV out the window...you can listen to "The Fight Song" below:



Moving on...The lineup for the Lollapalooza 2012 music festival is out, and it's making me get in trip-planning mode. There's some good names on there...I, myself, wouldn't be too opposed to seeing The Black Keys or The Red Hot Chili Peppers, or even First Aid Kit, though it'd probably be a "calm" show. I'd like to see The Shins, but I've heard such horror stories about their live performances in festival settings. I'll save them for a venue show. But, you can view the lineup here.

LISTENING: Most of my listening has been put on hold only because I've spent the better part of this week preparing for a phone interview for an internship in New York this summer. The interview was today, so now I can rest a little easier, and get back to my listening roots. I spent the majority of this morning listening to Lauryn Hill's MTV Unplugged album. I use the word album only because it was a performance of all-new material, not just live versions of Mis-Education stuff. But, if you are a Lauryn Hill fan, then you probably have this album, and songs like "I Get Out," "I Gotta Find Peace of Mind" and "Adam Lives in Theory" are already in your repertoire. If not...then you've got some catching up to do. I also saw Lauryn Hill play almost a year ago in Austin, and let's just say the show could have been A LOT better. Either way, you can watch/listen to "I Get Out," below. It's my personal favorite from this album/performance.



That's all. PEACE.