remembering michael jackson

At 25 I haven't experienced many deaths of people who could be considered iconic figures in my generation. The first time may have been in 2003 when Elliott Smith died. The previous year I had spent half a semester researching and writing a paper on Smith for my freshman writing course. I had spent months listening almost solely to his albums (no, I wasn't depressed) and had fallen in love with his songs, so I was devastated when I heard the news. It was one of those "I remember where I was when I heard..." moments. Paul Newman, one of my favorite actors and perhaps the most attractive man I've ever seen on screen, or Marlon Brando, were devastating to hear about, but though I loved them, their influence had settled before my time. Michael Jackson is the first public figure to pass away who really affected my generation and without whom my world, growing up and today, would be a different place.

As a small child, I knew little about pop culture--I was more concerned with Care Bears and My Little Ponies--but other than the Beatles, the other musician I knew about was Michael Jackson. I'm sure it was my mom who first introduced his music to our house, but it was my brother who kept it there. He was obsessed. In the late 80's or early 90's, before MJ's fall from grace, this was merely cute. Watching my five year old brother donning a white fedora and plastic wayfarer style sunglasses from some kid's bar mitzvah party and dancing to "Beat It" is one of the most entertaining memories from my childhood (so much so that I incorporated the story into the short film I made in college.)

Though I've certainly found it difficult to take MJ seriously in the past decade or so, his influence on the music industry, on MTV, and our culture in general, is undeniable. Without "Thriller" who knows where MTV would be today? There aren't many people in our history who could honestly take on the title of "King of Pop." His songs were so pervasive--there isn't anyone who doesn't know a Michael Jackson song. He singlehandedly changed our cultural path with his music and videos, and that is something to be respected and remembered for.

strange alchemy

Tinted Windows is not your typical indie band. When I first read about them, I thought it was a prank. The lineup confounded me. The band is a strange amalgamation of pop stars including Taylor Hanson from Hanson, James Iha from the Smashing Pumpkins, Bun E. Carlos of Cheap Trick, and Adam Schlesinger, from Fountains of Wayne and writer of some of the catchiest songs of the last couple decades (he wrote That Thing You Do!). While part of me is still shocked just by the existence of this super-group, in the month-or-so since their name starting popping up on music blogs after announcing their debut at SXSW, all evidence points to seriousness.

Their first song, “Kind of a Girl” surprised me–it’s highly constructed power-pop that sounds like something out of a late 90’s teen movie. Adam Schlesinger may be a mostly-unknown god of pop songs, but with a guitarist like James Iha thrown in the mix, having played in not only the Smashing Pumpkins but also the darker rock band, A Perfect Circle, I expected a more obscured vivacity, something a little more interesting or odd. The song is a little over sugared, even for Taylor Hanson, who is perhaps best known for woo-ing his 13 year old peers in 1997 with “Mmmbop,” (present company, admittedly, included.) But perhaps part of the gimmick in getting such a diverse group of musicians together is to exceed people’s expectations.

Regardless of expectations, “Kind of a Girl” is undeniably catchy and presents three minutes of sunny playfulness and fun during a time when many people could use a fun distraction. I haven't quite made up my mind about them yet, but I’m interested to hear what they put out next and hope to catch them when they play Mercury Lounge next month.

Whoa, Whoa...

The weather's getting warmer, we've set our clocks forward and this can only mean one thing: concert season will soon be upon us. It kicks off next week with SXSW in Austin, where a seemingly infinite stream of bands will play to those lucky enough to make it down to Texas. The list is overwhelming and I'm relying on coverage from websites like NPR and Fuel Friends to keep me up to date on the most exciting musical happenings.

Producing even more exciting news, Pitchfork announced the lineup for their Chicago festival this past Friday, which is perhaps, at least for me, the most appealing festival lineup I've seen so far. Amongst Friday's headliners are two of my favorite bands: Built to Spill and Yo La Tengo (!!!). Instead of having the bands present one of their classic albums in full, as they've done in the past, this year Pitchfork is allowing the concert-goers to vote for which songs they want each band to play. How dreamy. Neither Saturday or Sunday's lineups could possibly be a let down, even after those unbeatable bands. The National and The Pains of Being Pure at Heart play on Saturday followed by Grizzly Bear, the Walkmen, and Vivian Girls on Sunday.

I'm left pretend-arguing in my head about which day I'd choose to attend, if forced to pick. There isn't a single day that wouldn't guarantee a fantastic show, though if pressured enough I'd probably choose Saturday. I spent most of 2007 listening to the National's pristine album, Boxer, and I still haven't seen them in a venue that does them justice. And I love the new self-titled album by The Pains of Being Pure at Heart, a poppy and fun collection, evoking a sense of nostalgia for indie bands of the 90's without dripping of sentimentality. I can only imagine their shows must produce a good time.

While I sit in my apartment, reading and dreaming about these festivals, I can't be too sad. I know there will be plenty of shows to look forward to in New York this summer. It's all just beginning...

Rebekah Wants the Dancing Banana Back

I stole this from John Green's blog, and he apparently stole this from someone on facebook.

Though my name is slightly more uncommon than John Green , when Googled just my first name--nothing came of Googling Rebekah Berlin--I found some interesting results. A note: For the most part, I didn't skip over the more normal sounding results; it seems people named "Rebekah" are just strange.


Type your name into Google with the verb that comes after in the question. Answer with your favorites from the first page of google results. Have fun!

Q: Type in "[your name] needs" in the Google search.
A: "Rebekah needs to break out the work-out dates with Sven." (Oh, Sven...) "Rebekah needs more sleep and an earlier bedtime," (quite true) "Rebekah Needs To Tango."

Q: Type in "[your name] looks like" in Google search.
A: "Rebekah looks like…well, if you look at her face really quickly, she looks a hell of a lot like Kelly Clarkson of American Idol fame," "Rebekah looks like a real wild child that has no inhibitions about anything."

Q: Type in "[your name] wants" in Google search.
A: "Rebekah wants the dancing banana back," "Rebekah wants you to be an above-and-beyond person."

Q:Type in "[your name] does" in Google search.
A: "Rebekah does not usually have post-swim hair but does have glorious auburn hair she is too silly to show off." (I am not so silly and haven't had post-swim hair since high school.)

Q: Type in "[your name] hates" in Google search.
A: "Rebekah hates high school retail people with NO common sense!"

Q: Type in "[your name] asks" in Google search.
A: "Rebekah asks a question directed at no-one" (This I've done, on many occasions. I have a bad habit of talking to myself)

Q: Type in "[your name] likes " in Google search.
A: "Rebekah likes to compare her life to that of Laura Ingalls Wilder from Little House on the Prairie." "Rebekah likes to use grown-up words like "monetise" because she's going up to management soon and then Dominic can take over properly and get the editor's salary he richly deserves." (I prefer non-words like "irregardless".)

Q: Type in "[your name] eats " in Google search.
A: "Rebekah eats triscuits and rambles." (Probably, sometimes)

Q: Type in "[your name] wears " in Google search.
A: "Rebekah wears things that help boost her magical power." (Bet you didn't know that! Just kidding.)

Q: Type in "[your name] was arrested for" in Google Search.
A: "Rebekah was arrested for assault of her husband." (Not me. No husband.)

Q: Type in "[your name] loves" in Google Search.
A: "Rebekah loves being the life of the party." (Clearly.)