Mix Annotations - Back on Track
Hi Friends!
Today’s my birthday. Here’s how I know I’m getting older:
I think it’s insane that anyone dresses like the Joker for Halloween.
This summer my nephew started doing his impression of the Heath Ledger Joker to me, and truly, it’s some of the freakiest things to hear coming out of a kid’s mouth. I said to him, “You know he’s like a mass murderer, right? Like, he’s a messed up person to being doing an impression of while we’re having fun.”
“I think the Joker’s cool,” he said back.
“No,” I said, “He’s not cool. The performance is maybe compelling, or the character is maybe darkly fascinating, but he’s not cool. He’s incredibly evil, and evil things are bad.”
This didn’t stop him from quoting the Joker back at me in his thank your card for his birthday present, the little psycho.
These feelings bubbled up again last week during Halloween when I saw too many people dressed as the Heath Ledger Joker. And frankly, too many dads! Like, my guy, what conversations are you having with your kids about why you chose to be the nastiest Joker? Are you expecting your wife to kiss you with that makeup on? Why didn’t you choose Batman, you nut job? Or even Alfred? I think it’s a weird vibe to put into the neighbourhood, even for Halloween.
I’m not saying I never danced with the devil in the pale moonlight. I had one of the original “Why so serious?” shirts back when The Dark Knight came out in theatres, but I grew out of it. (Both emotionally and literally.) Maybe it is just getting older, or maybe it’s also that IP mass media has almost 0 aura to me, but I just can’t understand why you’d want to get into that skin. It’s so bleak and gross and rotten and only continues to produce clout for billionaires. Just be a skeleton instead. They make no one any money.
Anyways, here’s the link to the latest mix:
ANNOTATIONS
Magazine - The Light Pours Out of Me Close personal friends. Probably heard of these guys after I’d heard Buzzcocks but before I’d seen 24-Hour Party People.
Pelada - Acabemos Con El Femicidio They just played at Project Nowhere, and there was a write-up about their show that sounded good.
Eurythmics - Caveman Head Close personal friends.
Japanther - $100 Dollar Remix Close personal friends. I always think about years ago, when Cristina saw me walking with our friend Steve and yelled “Hey Andrew! Do you listen to Japanther?” and I shouted back “Yeah!” and she turned to our other friend and was like “See, I told you. He just looks like he listens to Japanther.”
Carol Douglas - Doctors Orders Sam Smith picked this as a song everyone should know on Track Star.
Gladys Knight & the Pips - You Don’t Love Me No More I mean, obviously a close personal friend, but I assume someone shared this on IG.
Freda Payne - I Get High Probably also an IG share, or a playlist. We may never know.
Frente! - Bizarre Love Triangle After a 4 year break, the Transmissions podcast came back to tell the New Order half of the Joy Division/New Order story. In listening to the original, I figured somebody must’ve done a cover of it, since the lyrics are nice but Bernard’s vocals don’t always scratch the right itch. For what it’s worth, Frente! are Australian.
Ruthven - Have You Decided I really don’t know. Either IG share or playlist.
Photay - Is It Right? Close personal friend.
Aretha Franklin - First Snow in Kokomo Again, a close personal friend, obviously. Might’ve come up on shuffle or in a playlist.
Willie Nelson - Funny How Time Slips Away This I’m pretty sure was an IG share.
Linda Martell - Color Him Father This got mentioned on the Sound Field video The Untold History of Black Country Music.
Issam Hajali - Khobs This is on a playlist that Dorothea Paas put together as part of promo for her new album.
Lee Hazlewood - Your Sweet Love I think also an IG share. And if you’re sick of me saying that, you won’t like the next one…
Michael Colombier - Mistress Arrives I think also an IG share. Sorry.
Laufey & Philharmonic Orchestra - Let You Break My Heart Again This was maybe a YouTube recommend? It’s a bit of a cheap trick, but I do love when people do their songs with an orchestra backing them. This week I’ve really only been listening to Laufey and Godspeed You! Black Emperor, which is really swinging me back and forth. I feel a little like I’m too old to listen to Laufey, even though she’s older that Gladys Knight was when she made her song. It’s probably because a) she’s that age now, and b) her music is very earnest and romantic in a way that I remember having felt at times when I was younger but don’t feel anymore. Because I’m older now.
While space allows, I’m stashing my recent mixes and annotations in a Google Drive folder, which you can visit here: The Archive
DRAISER 2025
As always, here's the link to this year's fundraiser. The goal is a modest $2025, but I will increase it if we go over. It would mean a lot to me if you considered donating: tinyurl.com/Draiser2025.
Even if you’ve already donated, please consider sharing it with your friends and family.