Do You Realize...

For some reason, I can't stop thinking about "Do You Realize??" But not the version by The Flaming Lips. In another lifetime I saw Beck cover this song and really loved it. So now, as the sun sets on a beautiful summer day, I can't stop thinking about this:

Do You Realize - that you have the most beautiful face
Do You Realize - we're floating in space -
Do You Realize - that happiness makes you cry
Do You Realize - that everyone you know someday will die

And instead of saying all of your goodbyes - let them know
You realize that life goes fast
It's hard to make the good things last
You realize the sun doesn't go down
It's just an illusion caused by the world spinning round

This song speaks to me right now. I'm about to get married to the love of my life so clearly the first line speaks to that. However, the rest of it speaks to the losses I've experienced this year (my yia yia passing), the loss I'm grieving at the moment (my single life), and the losses I fear I'll inevitably lose in the future - most notably on my mind, my parents and brother.

Without getting too much more into my personal life, here's the version I speak of:



Pretty nice...

Drink whatever your lost loved ones would drink with this song. For me, it's a Seven-Seven.

2006 MixTape

I remember a time before Algorithms... a time when my problems weren't called Knapsack and Traveling Salesman... a time when I would have thought that a Heap was a place you place empty bottles and Dijkstra's was a bar in Andersonville.

Soon it'll be time get my life back. My real life. I'll be done with school and will fill my time with listening to new music and drinking new beer. In preparation for this happy reunion, I thought it'd be appropriate to reminisce the mixes of years past.

Did I mention Christmas is around the corner?

Let's start with the first one and move on from there...



2006 MixTape

1. Steady, As She Goes - The Raconteurs
2. Cold December - Matt Costa
3. California - Rogue Wave
4. Fraud In The 80's - Mates of State
5. Your Ex-Lover Is Dead - Stars
6. The Burning City Smoking - Kevin Devine
7. St. Augustine - Band of Horses
8. Requiem for O.M.M. - Of Montreal
9. Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
10. House Of Style - The Changes
11. See the World - Gomez
12. The Yeah Yeah Yeah Song - The Flaming Lips
13. Rough Gem - Islands
14. Fire Eye'd Boy - Broken Social Scene
15. Cowbell - Tapes 'n Tapes
16. O Valencia! - The Decemberists
17. Plan of the Man - The M's

My favorite of the videos:

The Best of 2010 Mixtape...with Pairings

Every December for the past five years, I've spent a majority of my non-holiday shopping/drinking hours obsessing over my annual holiday mix. At some point I decided a mix for my friends would be better than a cheesy Christmas card. As such, I let out much of my Christmas anxieties by finding my favorite songs of the year, packaging them in a photo from the year, and distributing them to my loved ones (if you don't receive one, it doesn't mean you're unloved... just unlucky).



Recently, the first person to whom I gave a "best of" mix asked me where his was. It is, as he politely pointed out, January of 2011 and he never received his 2010 mix. In order to make up for this awful mistake, I made two promises.

(1) For him, an extra disc of tunes from 2010
(2) For everyone else, drink pairings for each song on the 2010 mix

And so it is... The Audible ImBible 2010 Mix

Track: Giving Up the Gun - Vampire Weekend
Drink: Piña Colada

It's as close to an Horchata as one can get without being too obvious.

Track: Boyfriend - Best Coast
Drink: Peach Bellini

I'm admittedly a little off-base here. This song reminds me of 70's sunshine and Don Draper visiting his old life in LA.

Track: You Must Be Out of Your Mind - The Magnetic Fields
Drink: Glögg from Simon's

This band is the essence of the holidays without being overtly Christmassy (see also, certain songs from Sufjan Stevens' Michigan). Nothing better to go with this memory than Glögg from my favorite Swedish bar in Chicago.


Track: Fuck You - Cee Lo Green
Drink: Four Loko

That's right. Four Loko. Nothing says fuck you like "Blackout In a Can." This was the summer song of 2010 and Four Loko was the summer drink of 2010. And if you're listening to "Forget You," then I've got a Smirnoff Ice waiting for you.


Track: Burning Stars - Mimicking Birds
Drink: White Russian

I'm not saying The Dude would dig this tune. I'm just saying drinking a Caucasian while laying in bed listening to this tune wouldn't be bad.

Track: Ambling Alp - Yeasayer
Drink: Brooklyn Brewery Lager

Drinkable. Summer without being fruity. Originally Brooklyn.

Track: Kind of Guy -YAWN
Drink: Metropolitan Krankshaft

See above. Remove Brooklyn, insert Chicago.

Track: Feel It All Around - Washed Out
Drink: Seagram's Wild Berry Wine Cooler

Totally 80's. And totally rad. And like totally a fad. However, great summer music/drink combo for you and your hipster friends. Just don't expect it to be around in 2012. And definitely don't see the band live. Very disappointing.


Track: Norway - Beach House
Drink: Bell's Hopslam

This beer seriously has medicinal powers with the sweetness and comfort of Beach House singer Victoria Legrand's voice. Norway, the song, and Hopslam are both essential January.

Track: All Around and Away We Go - Twin Sister
Drink: Bar Deville's Songbird

It's no mistake this track came immediately after Beach House. Twin Sister's lead singer's voice is similarly eerie, haunting, and unbelievably sexy. This song, with its loungy sex appeal, must be accompanied by a hip drink of yesteryear.

Track: Maneater - The Bird and the Bee
Drink: Maneater

How could I not?

Track: Swim Until You Can't See Land - Frightened Rabbit
Drink: Three Floyds Robert the Bruce

Favorite Scottish Ale to drink with my favorite Scottish band (sorry Franz).

Track: Bang Pop - Free Energy
Drink: Yuengling Lager

Though this beer doesn't quite have the bang nor the pop, it is probably the beer of choice of these Philadelphia residents. If you need more bangity poppitiness, add some Chipotle peppers to the beer and let them sit for a couple of days.

Track: Good Intentions Paving Co. - Joanna Newsom
Drink: Anne Amie 2007 Pinot Noir

Really, any red wine would do. And a fire, or some candles.

Track: Tighten Up - The Black Keys
Drink: PBR

Good summertime beer. Great playground video.



Track: Silver Rider - Robert Plant
Drink: Surly Furious

Every once in a while you just have to go with personal experience and this song will always remind me of a Low show in Minneapolis last Thanksgiving. As such, this Minneapolis American IPA is the drink of choice.

Welcome to The Audible ImBible

It all started when I was drunk and listening to music... the same way most ideas start for me.

There's this idea of pairing food with drinks. There are certain characteristics in drinks that perfectly complement or even enhance the flavors of food. I personally am one to always trust a good sommelier to make my restaurant experience the best it can be, regardless of the expense. A great pairing helps create memories that are everlasting.

So, this drunken thought was something along the lines of "if a sommelier's job is to enhance your experience by picking the right wine to go with your meal, then who's job is it to pick the music?" Music evokes emotion just as well, if not better, than food and beverage. As such, if a meal should be a memorable experience, then the music you listen to while eating should be considered a decision equal to choosing red versus white or beer versus wine. Music and flavors (whether in food or drink) act as placeholders for memories of emotion, experience, and environment. The right music can complete an otherwise fragmented occasion.

So, I've spent the last few months thinking a lot about music, memories, seasons, drinks, food, and the connections between different types of each. Fun stuff. Aside from intellectual curiosity, where will this lead me (and you, should you decide to read on)?

The Audible ImBible - a site dedicated to finding the right music to listen to while you imbibe.

But first, a blog about a site in the making...

I believe there is a perfect playlist to complement a meal. Am I the best person to do this? Possibly not. A lot of people's opinions of music is based on experience and memories - something telling them that "this goes with that" because "this reminds me of that." However, I think there are many common reference points that humans share and as such, I'm not afraid to share my drink-song pairings with others in hope that they'll share theirs with me.

And so I present to you, some of the thoughts behind this damn little project that won't go away - The Audible ImBible. A blog dedicated to a site dedicated to pairing drinks, music, and memories.

Let the random assortment of thoughts begin...

2010 White Trash Christmas Party Playlist

Drinks: a bathtub full of MGD, Milwaukee's Best, Old Style, PBR, Budweiser, Coors Light, Icehouse and some assorted shots made of jello, peppermint schnapps, and goldschlager.



Music:

Folsom Prison Blues	Johnny Cash
A Boy Named Sue	Johnny Cash
Ring Of Fire	Johnny Cash
I Walk The Line	Johnny Cash
Winning the War On Drugs	Asylum Street Spankers
It's A War	Trampled by Turtles
Hot Rod Lincoln	Asleep at the Wheel
Rehab	Keller Williams & the Keels
Follow Me	Uncle Kracker
Wait So Long	Trampled by Turtles
Back In the U.S.S.R.	beatlegras
Feet and Bones	Trampled by Turtles
Picture	Kid Rock
Ramblin' Man	The Allman Brothers Band
What Was I Thinkin'	Dierks Bentley
Stranglehold	Ted Nugent
No Shoes, No Shirt, No Problems	Kenny Chesney
High Cotton	Alabama
What If Eminem Did Jingle Bells?	Bob Rivers
Only In America	Brooks and Dunn
Roll On	Kid Rock
Song Of The South	Alabama
Dry County Girl	Rascal Flatts
Blue Sky	The Allman Brothers Band
Osama Got Run Over By a Reindeer	Bob Rivers
Whiskey For My Men, Beer For My Horses	Toby Keith
Turn the Page	Bob Seger
Simple Man	Lynyrd Skynyrd
I'm Gonna Getcha Good!	Shania Twain
Bad Moon Rising	Creedence Clearwater Revival
I like it, I love it	Tim McGraw
Free Bird	Lynyrd Skynyrd
White Trash Christmas	Bob Rivers
Courtesy of the Red, White, and Blue	Toby Keith
Real Good Man	Tim McGraw
Achy Breaky Heart	Billy Ray Cyrus
Down On the Corner	Creedence Clearwater Revival
Our Country	John Mellencamp
Big Trucks	Baby Teeth
Nookie	Limp Bizkit
I Want My Mullet Back	Billy Ray Cyrus
American Soldier	Toby Keith
For Whom The Bell Tolls	Metallica
Barracuda	Heart
Hells Bells	AC/DC
Pink Houses	John Mellencamp
Trailerhood	Toby Keith
All Summer Long	Kid Rock
My Name Is	Eminem
Like a Rock	Bob Seger
Deththeme	Dethklok
I Believe In A Thing Called Love	The Darkness
I Love Rock N Roll	Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
Paradise City	Guns N' Roses
The Number of the Beast	Iron Maiden
American Bad Ass	Kid Rock
Sweet Child O' Mine	Guns N' Roses
Lose Yourself	Eminem
Break Stuff	Limp Bizkit
Cowboy	Kid Rock
Runnin' with the Devil	Van Halen
Girls, Girls, Girls	Mötley Crüe
Dr. Feelgood	Mötley Crüe
Welcome To The Jungle	Guns N' Roses
Carry On Wayward Son	Kansas
Cat Scratch Fever	Ted Nugent
Bawitdaba	Kid Rock
Sweet Home Alabama	Lynyrd Skynyrd
Back In Black	AC/DC
Jump	Van Halen
Without Me	Eminem
You Shook Me All Night Long	AC/DC
More Than a Feeling	Boston
Run to the Hills	Iron Maiden
Dust In The Wind	Kansas

And a sneak peek at the appropriate attire:



Merry Christmas, Everyone!

Rules for a White Trash Party Playlist

GreenSug is having a White Trash Christmas Party and naturally my self-appointed responsibilities include one thing - creating a playlist that fits the party's slightly racist/self-righteous theme. So I am put in the position (again, self-appointed) of deciding what exactly is white trash music?

As much as I love creating party playlists, I am a bit conflicted. You see, the first genres that come to mind when I think of white trash are country, rap, and any poorly executed combination of the two (ahem, "rap-rock"). These so-called genres were just about the last thing I ever wanted to listen to growing up and led me to listen to only Phish during college as Detroit radio in the late 90's was monopolized by Kid Rock, Eminem, and Limp Bizkit. I'm feeling nauseous just thinking about it. The same music that tormented me during my years in Ann Arbor will be the soundtrack of 5 hours of my life - hours spent taking jello shots, drinking shitty beer (non-ironically, sort of), and eating mini hot dogs and green rice crispie treats.

I just vomited a little in my mouth...

The only way I'll stay focused on the project without getting physically ill is by staying objective. I must create rules for creating a playlist of arguably the worst music in the history of American (blue state) culture.

And away we go...


(1) The Lead Singer With a Mullet Clause - Though this may be blatantly obvious, the Mullet Clause brings a number of bands into the mix that may never be considered. Journey, for example, tried to escape the label of white trash music by being the rallying cry for the 2005 World Champion Chicago White Sox. Nice try, Steve Perry. Like this fan of yours isn't complete trash. Also included under this rule are Joan Jett, Billy Ray Cyrus, Toby Keith, and Metallica.


(2) Songs By Bands Named After Red States - Though this basically limits us to Alabama and Kansas, I think it's totally worth it. Check out "Carry On My Wayword Son," "Song Of the South," "High Cotton," and "Dust In the Wind."


(3) White Artist From the State of Michigan - This isn't a hard and fast rule since it would include artists such as Iggy Pop and Mustard Plug. However, it sure does work as guidance since it includes Kid Rock (see rule #10), Eminem, Ted Nugent, Uncle Kracker, and Bob Seger. I'm not saying the now defunct auto-industrial, eastern half of the state of Michigan represents white trash...

(4) Songs That Refer to America, Patriotism, and Supporting Our Troops (aka "Songs in Chevy Commercials") - Nothing quite says white trash like listening to music because "it's unpatriotic not to listen to it" (or even buying a car because it's unpatriotic not to). Unfortunately, this list of songs is literally endless thanks to the millions of people who voted George W. Bush to a second term. Great examples include "Born In The USA," "American Soldier," "Pink Houses," "Our Country," "Like A Rock," and "Only In America." God Bless America for making this list so obnoxiously long.

(5) Any Group Associated with the Confederate Flag - This one is so easy it's almost not worth mentioning as a rule. Lynard Skynyrd's "Sweet Home Alabama" and "Free Bird" are not only southern rock anthems, but also anthems for every red neck south of the Mason Dixon. Certain Allman Brothers Band's "Ramblin Man" and "Blue Sky" will have to make an appearance.


(6) Any Sheryl Crow Song Post 1996 - Let's be honest. Sheryl Crow meeting Kid Rock was easily the best thing that ever happened to her music career... from a trailer park perspective. Songs like "Picture" and collaborations with artists like Miley Cyrus, John Mellencamp, and the one the only Kid Rock makes her music a tad bit white trash. However, her protests of George W. Bush makes cancels out many of her "favorite mistakes." Okay, weak rule.


(7) Falsetto/Hair Rock - This one was easy. If you're confused, then see examples such as The Darkness, Guns n Roses, Van Halen, and Motley Crue. Still confused? You're uninvited to the party.

(8) Twangity, twang, twang - Thrash-grass bands such as Trampled By Turtles or Split Lip Rayfield would fit into this. Though I don't personally consider a lot of this genre to be "trashy," most party goers won't be able to tell the difference. If it has a twangy banjo and a tempo of over 180 BPM, then it'll do.

(9) Jean Cutoffs and Jean Jackets - Cliff Burton era Metallica songs such as "Sanitarium," "Ride The Lightening," and "Seek and Destroy" fit this rule. And it kills me to write this because I'll be honest - I LOVE METALLICA. However, in retrospect there were lots of mullets, jean cutoffs, and particularly high ranged singing (early on). Verdict: early Metallica is trashy.


(10) All Kid Rock All the Time - I don't think there's an artist out there that epitomizes the essence of white trash more than Kid Rock. He's from Detroit. He's sported a mullet. He's a self-proclaimed cowboy (I'm guessing of the urban variety). He's sampled Skynyrd and collaborated with Ms. Crow. At a time when our country needed a group to rival the crappiness of the Spice Girls, 98 Degrees, and Sugar Ray, he surged to the top with a perfect combination of country, rap, and rock - which makes Kid Rock the perfect filler for any white trash party playlist. For specific examples, see "All Summer Long," "Cowboy," and "Roll On."


For a sample of the official 2010 White Trash Christmas Party Playlist, click here.