Discuss.

Photo by Ali Szubiak.

Two things most people know about Katy Perry: her left boob and her right boob. That is a damn shame. Katy Perry (formerly Katheryn Hudson) went from a sort of indie folk singer-songwriter complete with Zooey D dresses and acoustic guitar, and a powerful voice, to a spandex dress wearing, teenage dreaming, definition of pure giddy pop. Yes. Non-believers, watch:

But, Just Like Gaga (lest we forget that she too started as a folkie gal with a piano), she reinvented herself to be relevant and make money. And what the hell is so bad about that? Wouldn’t you do the same?

Why do people hate Katy Perry and pop music in general? Pop music will live forever. It’s fun but it can be unexpected. It influences fashion. And oh the great Halloween costumes that come from it! Like this:

 Where was this costume last year?? By the way that’s supposed to be a Rihanna costume behind her. Change the wig, lost the skirt, and you got a Gaga costume.

How smart is she to recognize that her fans dressed like her at her concerts and should make a Halloween costume for the masses, so that all DIY challenged fans could dress like Katy? How smart indeed. Some would say diabolical. Others would say that her managers and such pushed her to do it. Well duh, everyone has managers and lawyers and etc. But some pop artists have more control than others, and I bet that Katy is one of them. She knows her fans. She interacts with them on her personal twitter that, for better or worse, is written by her and her only.

Her record company was adamant in keeping ‘I Kissed A Girl’ off her debut album. Katy fought for it. Girl has great instincts. And that wasn’t a fluke. “Katy Perry is the first woman to have five #1 songs from one album on the billboard charts. She’s tied with Michael Jackson.” (source). Could a total idiot strike lightning five times? She knows her image and she knows her crowd. She can get slimed on at the Kids Choice awards with as much enthusiasm of being on the cover of Vanity Fair. In that issue she said,

“I don’t care what people say about my relationship; I don’t care what they say about my boobs.

People are buying my songs; I have a sold-out tour. I’m getting incredible feedback from my music…I don’t take anything for granted. There are 500 other girls right behind me. And I know that, because I was one of them. I remember what it’s like to be someone who’s always trying to get there — sending out tons of e-mails — trying to connect with some person who could connect me to some other person. And I wouldn’t be working at this pace now if I didn’t truly know that fame is fleeting.”

She gets it. She has fun but she also works her ass off. She parodies herself in her videos and gives Rebecca Black a cameo. That’s a crazy smart thing to do considering that Rebecca Black is one of the most talked about “artists” right now. How many pop stars do you know whose songs are sung by Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon on national tv?

Does she contradict herself at times? Yes. Did she wear some really silly outfits at the most recent VMA awards in perhaps an attempt to Gaga it up? Maybe. Did she try to go too artsy with her “E.T.” music video? I’m sure of it. But she also got Kanye on that track. Kanye!

And then she’ll defy your expectations and take her biggest pop hit and turn it into a jazzy “whoa-what-the-hell-is-this-(in a good way).”

So leave her alone. If you think about it, there really isn’t a big difference between Lady Gaga and Katy Perry. I think one of them even wrote songs for the other one, when they were starting out. Both sing amazing pop songs while dressed as Bjork. There is nothing wrong with liking Katy Perry.

Say it with me: “There is nothing wrong with liking Katy Perry.”

I like Katy Perry and I like David Bowie. You can like pop music and classic rock. The two are not mutually exclusive. So don’t be ashamed. And don’t be hateful. Either way, she’s doing really, really well for herself. And how about you?

Hello Internet friends! If you enjoyed my first Driving At Night Mix, you can find the second one over here. Beautiful artwork achieved again by the lovely and talented Emily.

Driving At Night Mix (Again) at Hello Giggles.

]]> http://apocalypstick.com/2011/08/20/driving-at-night-mix-again/feed/ 0 http://apocalypstick.com/2011/06/29/the-village-soho-mix/ http://apocalypstick.com/2011/06/29/the-village-soho-mix/#comments Thu, 30 Jun 2011 02:08:17 +0000 Almie Rose http://apocalypstick.com/?p=1818

I admit it: I’m in a New York state of mind. (Thank you, poet laureate Billy Joel.)  Please enjoy this mix. It’s titled The Village & SoHo and it’s songs that remind me of the time I spent there. Some of them may not make any sense to you, but they make sense to me. I do hope you enjoy.

Art by the incredible Emily of Phraseless. Follow her on twitter for tweets like, “Just in case you forgot, #timcurry is a god.”

Download The Village & SoHo

What songs remind you of a certain place?

crappy cover art by me

You asked for it! Here is “Drinking At Night,” a mix.

(14 is TGIK’s remix of Whitney Houston’s “Dance With Somebody”)

Download Drinking At Night

If you download, please comment and let me know!!

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO LISTEN TO WHEN YOUR’E DRINKING AND/OR DRUNK? TELL ME YOUR BEST DRUNKEN STORIES. 10+ POINTS IF A JUKEBOX OR KARAOKE BAR IS INVOLVED.

Please enjoy this mix CD I made and want to share with you, for being patient with me. It’s called “Driving At Night” and it’s good to listen to while driving at night. I mean, I guess you could walk. As long as it’s a safe area.

The awesome cover art was made by Emily. Follow her on twitter. I wanna get her to 100 followers! She’s real neat.

Here’s the tracklisting:

Download Driving At Night

Let me know what you think. What songs do you like to listen to while driving at night?

Two years ago today I started this blog. This was the first post. Yeah.

I just want everyone to know that before I switched from blogspot to wordpress, I had lots of comments on my old posts. I’m telling you this so that you know I was popular and won’t feel sorry for me. Also I want you to know I didn’t purposefully delete your comments. I never delete comments. I’ve gotten such great, insightful, and weird funny comments from you guys over the years and I cherish them. Even the mean ones, of which there haven’t been many, so thank you.

To thank everyone for sticking with me and continuing to read, I made y’all a mix “tape.” It’s not a tape. Obviously. You can download it onto your computer and then play it as you hold up a tape recorder and press record. I did that once. Got a great police siren in the background. Really added something to Aretha Franklin’s “Respect.” Anyway. It’s called “I Think I’m Having A Good Time.” It’s like those times where you’re at a party and you’re with your friends and you know you look good but you’re wondering if deep inside something is missing because you love pop music of the 60s and 90s but you’re not dancing just yet and you’re trying to figure out why.

TRACKLISTING:

1. Come See About Me — Diana Ross & The Supremes
2. And She Was — Talking Heads
3. Ca Plane Pour Moi — Plastic Bertrand
4. Donne Moi Ton Amour (Gimme Some Lovin’) — Sylvie Vartan
5. I Dig Everything — David Bowie
6. All Together Now — The Beatles
7. Nights On Broadway — Bee Gees
8. It’s The Little Things — Sonny & Cher
9. Sex And Candy — Marcy Playground
10. It Don’t Come Easy — Ringo Starr
11. These Boots Are Made For Walkin’ — Amanda Lear
12. Sweet Talkin’ Candy Man — The Carrie Nations (Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls)
13. What Becomes Of The Broken Hearted — Diana Ross & The Supremes

download I Think I’m Having A Good Time

I think I did it right, but if it doesn’t download properly, LET ME KNOW. PLEASE.

Much love for Emily who made the cover art. She’s super talented and you should read her blog here and follow her here.

We’ve had some good times. Do you have a favorite post? If so, please tell me. I love your feedback. Unless it’s hateful, then go fuck yourself. Have a fun weekend!!!!! xx

Pictured: not Train.

If you’re a part of my generation then you are more than familiar with the hit sounds of Train. I’m not talking about that Train that Ringo made sure was on schedule, but that was a good show, I’m talking about Meet Virginia, Soul Sister, motherfucking DROPS of JUPITER Train. And I happened to score an exclusive interview with the lead singer. Because I made it up.

APOCALYPSTICK: Hi, lead singer of Train!
LEAD SINGER OF TRAIN: (breaking into song) HAAAA-AAAY. HAAAAAAAAAAAY. HAAAA-AAAY HAAA-AAAAY.
A: Oh yeah, like that song you guys have that’s everywhere. How are you?
LST: Train!
A: Right, sure. Let’s start with the tough questions. Who would win in a knife fight: you or Rob Thomas?
LST: I am a peaceful man and I don’t believe in violence.
A: Okay but let’s say you’re in a knife fight with the Smashmouth guy, who would win?
LST: I would. I would stab the shit out of that guy.
A: Excellent. We thank you. In “Drops of Jupiter” you sing that, “She checks out Mozart while she does Tae Bo”. What the hell does that mean?
LST: She works out in front of a bust of Mozart. He’s great thinspiration. I thought I made that pretty obvious.

A: You seem to have an obsession with women working out. In “Meet Virgina” you sing about a girl who, “Wears high heels when she exercises.” You know women don’t do that, right?
LST: It’s a metaphor.
A: For what?
LST: For… (long silence) …America.
A: Okay. So back to “Drops Of Jupiter”–
LST: Are you going to keep asking me about “Drops Of Jupiter”?
A: From this point on, all questions will be about “Drops Of Jupiter” and “Drops Of Jupiter” only. Did you know that of this song and your performance of it at the Grammy’s a few years back, Kanye West said, “I liked when Train did ‘Drops of Jupiter.’ That was the first time I’d heard that song and I was like, ‘Oh shit, this is great!’”
LST: Yeah, Kanye and I are really tight.
A: Really? How so?
LST: I follow him on Twitter.
A: Uh…well, I mean…so do I. So does everyone.
LST: Yeah but I follow him really closely.
A: It doesn’t sound like you guys aren’t that close.
LST: We’re close. I always know exactly what’s on his mind.
A: So does everyone else. He’s Kanye West. He makes it known.
LST: (Pause.) Can we go back to “Drops Of Jupiter”?

A: Please. That song defined my high school years. Well, not all of them, just one. It wasn’t really the full year, it was maybe like six months. Or maybe it was in middle school, I have no concept of time. Then I kind of forgot about it, because I stopped buying those “Now That’s What I Call Music” CDs but then I got to that point where it was cool and fun to reminisce over 90s music and then I remembered the song and got in stuck in my head for another six months and now I think it’s the greatest pop song ever written, but my friend Dave says it sucks. What do you think?
LST: I think your friend Dave is a dick.
A: Oh snap! Now let’s talk about that key change, because the key change is what really makes the song. (I’m referring towards the end of DoJ: “did the wind sweep you off your feet“).
LST: That was my idea, that was all my idea. I have ideas.
A: Was the line about the soy latte your idea too? And, hey, what’s the best soy latte you’ve ever had?
LST: I don’t drink coffee. I just put that in there because it rhymed.
A: …It did? With what?
LST: It rhymed with this line we had before it but then we took that line out.
A: “She acts like summer and walks like rain.” How does one do that?
LST: Summer was this bitch I dated in high school and Rain is an exotic dancer with a limp.
A: You look so good and you’re in your 40s, how do you do it? You’re legit hot.
LST: Trains!!
A: Thank you for this made-up interview. I can’t wait for your next hit song that will nestle in my brain and play in a car commercial.

]]> http://apocalypstick.com/2011/01/31/heaven-is-overrated/feed/ 16 http://apocalypstick.com/2010/12/21/im-not-in-love/ http://apocalypstick.com/2010/12/21/im-not-in-love/#comments Wed, 22 Dec 2010 02:30:23 +0000 Almie Rose http://apocalypstick.com/?p=1114

Hey everyone! Sorry I haven’t updated in a while. I’ve been sick. Please enjoy this Crystal Castles video (featuring Robert Smith) directed by the amazing  Ian Asbjornsen. I have a quick cameo in it as well as a cameo by an actress who may or may not have starred in The O.C.

Happy Christmas John (happy Christmas Yoko)!

(Cover by the amazing Emily.)

TRACKLISTING:

1. I’m Not In Love — 10cc

2. The Air That I Breathe — Olivia Newton-John

3. If You Could Read My Mind — Gordon Lightfoot

4. Without You — Harry Nilsson

5. If You Leave Me Now — Chicago

6. At Seventeen — Janis Ian

7. How Deep Is Your Love — The Bee Gees

8. The Time Has Come — Anne Briggs

9. Mona Lisas And Mad Hatters — Elton John

10. Superstar — The Carpenters

11. So Far Away — Carole King

12. Wild World — Cat Stevens

13. Vienna — Billy Joel

This is a great mix to listen to while you’re hanging yourself.

Download here. I hope I did it right. Let me know what you think.