KyleParkinson.com

Over the weekend, we switched to a new cable service, which really threw me for a loop. But being the adventurous TV watcher that I am, I spent last night cruising the new line-up and happened upon Ovation TV, which was airing Andy Warhol: The Complete Picture. The documentary chronicles the life and influence of Warhol as he revolutionized American art in the second half of the twentieth century. Though I’m no stranger to his legacy, the film was a fascinating insight to some of the finer details of the man’s life, such as his dyslexia, religious piety and hypochondria. Check out the above video excerpt, and check out Ovation TV this Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings for re-airings of the full documentary.

My scout leader wasn’t nearly as hot as St. Vincent, and he couldn’t quite pull off a dress like that.

Last night I saw the film Control at Film Forum with the very smart, very sexy LRS, and I highly recommend it, especially if you can score the same date.

Control is Anton Corbijn’s black-and-white biopic about Ian Curtis of Joy Division, one of the most influential post-punk bands ever. The film follows the young Curtis, played by actor Sam Riley, as he comes of age in 1970s Macclesfield, England, a suburb of Manchester. While his marriage to wife Deborah falls apart (partly on account of his affair with Belgian journalist Annik Honoré), the band’s success steadily grows, and the pressure becomes too much for Curtis. Joy Division’s music beautifully soundtracks the tragic and untimely end of Curtis’s life, the legacy of which is still relevant today.

Control is playing at Film Forum on W. Houston through Tuesday, October 23rd. I would highly recommend seeing it before the end of its run. In the meantime, definitely familiarize yourself with Joy Division’s music if you haven’t yet done so.

Dear gentle readers,

A personal update that I will be moving to Brooklyn in two weeks. I’ll be living in Williamsburg for at least 3 months, and then I’ll be looking for a place longer-term. I’ll be on S 1 Street, between Bedford and Berry, so holler if you’re nearby.

In the meantime, stay classy.

Kyle

The buzz around Vampire Weekend isn’t anything new in the blog world, but you know, a good band is a good band. This particular band brings a refreshing blend of modern indie rock, African pop and Western classical music. Lots of Paul Simon Graceland sound to it, but enough other influences to keep it sounding new.

The band has yet to release a proper LP, but there are plenty of tracks floating around the Web, and I’ve posted two below for your enjoyment. Also be sure to check out the band’s MySpace for more tracks and upcoming tour dates.

MP3: Vampire Weekend - Oxford Comma

MP3: Vampire Weekend - Wolcott

This past Saturday, I attended the Arcade Fire/LCD Soundsystem/Blonde Redhead/Les Savy Fav concert at Randalls Island in NYC. It was a lovely time with my lovely concert partner LRS. Perfect weather, perfect backdrop, perfect corn dogs, perfect group of bands. Les Savy Fav and Blonde Redhead played great sets while the sun was still out, but we hung back on the grass and didn’t get too rowdy for those acts.

As soon as the sun went down, LCD Soundsystem came on and turned out one of the best performances I’ve seen by a band this year (and that says a lot). I had anticipated their set to be upbeat given the genre, but I was absolutely mesmerized by the energy on stage. By the time they played “Yeah,” it was one of those sets where I was singing and dancing with reckless abandon, and fortunately so was everyone else. I’m consistently amazed by James Murphy & co. I want to be them when I grow up. Continue Reading »

I’ve been an Apple fan since I got my first iPod back in ‘03. Three iPods later, and I’m still a fan, but I think Apple is starting to take me for granted. First of all, it takes somewhere around eighteen days to upload songs onto my iPod Shuffle. I’m not quite sure why it doesn’t load at the same rate as my regular iPod. To put them on an even level, Apple has helped me out by painfully slowing down the UI on the new iPod Classic and iTunes, especially when used together. Fine, whatever, I overcame. I chalked it off as the price I have to pay to get all my music on one device.

The real problem arose when I settled down at my new (old) work computer. I sweet-talked computer services into letting me download iTunes, and I was all excited to plug in my iPod and have 13,000 songs at my fingertips for the workd…a…y. Too slow. I can’t even operate my computer when iTunes is open with my iPod plugged in. I tried telling my bosses they would have to wait for the work, but they didn’t buy it. So goodbye iTunes, text me when you fix the blaring problems. Continue Reading »

I’ve had Les Savy Fav on my iPod for a few years now, but not until their latest release, Let’s Stay Friends, have I really gotten into them. And I’ve had the album on repeat since getting it. I dig the range in sounds without straying too far from what they’re good at.

Two highlights for me are “The Equestrian” and “Comes and Goes.” The first hits you pretty hard, but that ending, wow. The second song is incredibly sad, but beautiful nonetheless. So long as the lyrics don’t hit too close to home. Hear for yourself:

MP3: Les Savy Fav - The Equestrian

MP3: Les Savy Fav - Comes and Goes

Dear Splenda,

We used to have such sweet times together. What happened? I poured you in my coffee this morning, and you did nothing but sap the flavor, leaving me with a watery cup of caffeine. You know I’m a sucker for caffeine in any form, but come on, give me something here.

Is it because I went with Sweet n’ Low for a while? I mean, can you blame me? At least Sweet n’ Low had the decency to hang around when I moved across the country. Where were you the first two weeks I was in my new location? Did you think you could just take an extended vacation? That I would be too distracted by Taylor Ham to notice your absence? Continue Reading »