Conan O'Boren

Conan O’Brien, TBS at 10 p.m, November 16, 2010

                Conan O’Brien has been the red haired night in shinning armor for many a late night television viewer but his switch to TBS feels like it may be the death of all things Coco. After a recent viewing of O’Brien’s new late night show on the Law and Order-centric t.v. station TBS all hope for the 10 p.m. timeslot was lost.

                Things started out with a positive bang as O’Brien’s monologue was rife with his witty humor and the enjoyable and timeless puppet dance but things got awful, fast.

                Prior to the first commercial break the gangly ginger was beaming oodles of positive praise for his new television home but all the words that left his mouth seemed forced and unnecessary. Adding to the awkwardness was Richter. The duo is generally dweeby and strange yet always in sync and hilarious but things were without a doubt off on November 16. After the initial commercial break O’Brien and his loveably chubby sidekick Andy Richter started making things uncomfortable.

                Once the show returned from commercial break Richter and O’Brien announced a multiple car and air freshener give away. What? Really? Why? Were obvious questions running though the heads of loyal fans. Along with the announcement came an on air commercial for the Chevy Cruze. Richter was flailing about in and around the car, a feeble attempt to liven up the outrageously dull experience. The decision to do a car give away was quite possibly the worst decision ever made-- the moniker of all things sold out and used.

                If only things would have gotten better from there, than and only then would the give away have been forgotten. But they didn’t get better, at all.

                It is understandable that talk show hosts will inevitably get a dud of an interviewee that makes his interviewing skills look atrocious and the overall experience strange-- think Joaquin Phoenix and Letterman. O’Brien’s Phoenix was Harrison Ford.

                Aside from the peculiar petting of his chair and random incoherent answers to O’Brien’s sparse questions it was as if Ford had recently been removed from frozen carbonite and brought back to life in a strange world.  This odd encounter could have been comic gold but O’Brien and Richter seemed apprehensive about straying too far off the prompted questions.  Imagine the disappointment when Indian Jones and Conan fail to produce anything enjoying.

                Luckily for the viewers there was a quick reprieve from the atrocity unfolding on the boob tube in the form of a commercial break. The break gave viewers the opportunity to weigh the options of staying up to hopefully see something humorous in this mess on TBS or fading into sleep, sleep won.

Neil Young- Take two

Neil Young “Le Noise” (Reprise Records, 2010)

            Neil Young is a master of reinvention. He has the ability to transform his music with each new release and yet sustain an audience that exists amongst a variety of generations. His latest album “Le Noise” is yet another positively fantastic transformation.

            The original concept for “Le Noise” was to record the album entirely acoustically. After careful consideration and complete excitement over the echoes in producer Daniel Lanois home, Young decided to change things up completely by recording the album electronically. The decision deemed itself successful. This little nugget of information stands out considering that the content and structure of the record seem to align perfectly with the lyrics. Young and Lanois’ decision to record this album in the manner that they did was an excellent choice.

             With over 40 records released, Neil Young is no stranger to experimental risks. His most notable and most horrifying risks were taken while recording under the regime of David Geffen of Geffen Records. Both “Everybody’s Rockin” and “Old Ways” were Young’s larger than life failures but they were also figurative middle fingers to the bureaucratic crap of mainstream musical production. “Le Noise” seems to mirror the same sort of outside the box, F-you but only with a delicate subtext of masterful lyrics and an excellence that could not be reach with the late to the game rockabilly of “Rockin” and “Old Ways.”

            The subject matter of “Le Noise” is much more apparent than on his previous albums. This is not to say that Young has never used his records as a vice for personal expression but that the newest Young creation is a slap you on the head, Cliff Notes sort of approach to the life of a drug addicted man searching for recovery in a tainted world.

            The most obvious indication of this is on tack six “The Hitchhiker.” The slow moving, autobiographical song is accompanied by soft spoken words: “ I was living on the road/And a little cocaine went a long/Long way to ease that different load/But my head did explode,” Young preaches.

             Young’s shaky and unmistakable voice seems to have aged like cheese—a little moldy but still fresh. Yet, Young’s voice radiates this sense of authority that compels you to hang on to every word that stumbles of his mouth.

            Considering the emotional baggage that “Le Noise” carries with it, it is peculiar how short the album is. With only eight tracks and a little over 36 minutes of play time the album seems to be a precursor to something more to come.

            For a 64-year-old musician with rock-star status Young could have easily produced an album that was simple, thoughtless and unnecessary but that’s not Mr. Young’s style. “Le Noise” is a beautiful and honest synopsis of a living legend.

           

Outline:

1: Intro

2: Background/genre

3: About the album

4: Why you should listen

Edward Hopper's "Nighthawks"- Art Institute of Chicago

     Edward Hopper's “Nighthawks” is a striking piece of artwork that provokes the mind to imagine and question. Each member is you or someone you know, but the correlation between you, your acquaintances and these fictional characters is hard to identify. At first glance the picture sort of makes you nostalgic for the good ole days. The early fortys look makes you want to listen to the Rat Pack and start chain smoking. A closer look propels your mind into thought-who are these people?

            While you are intently looking at “Nighthawks” each member of the painting seems to be living their own lives; contemplating some seemingly tragic event or hoping that the burning coffee will make their night’s drinking magically disappear.  The waiter reminds you of that handsome, young kid that used to work at your local dinner, always wanting to know what’s on your mind but leaving himself a complete mystery, creepy yet perfect. The restaurant’s monotonous colors and lack of detail make it completely relatable, completely yours.

            As you walk away from the painting you hope to keep it clear in your mind so you can figure out what exactly makes it enjoyable. Unfortunately, the ‘artists’ who wish to make a profit off of their own opinions have tainted this painting. While envisioning this painting the only vivid image you can conger up is a tacky, mass-produced version found at your local Dog ‘N Suds. The faces of Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley have replaced the relatable patrons and the tackiness of the distasteful reproductions makes your head wrench and your stomach churn.  Finding the nearest bench, you steady yourself and breathe away the frustration that have made you ill.

            In order to restore your health, you return to Hopper’s “Nighthawks.” The familiar faces calm your heart and soothe your stomach. The painting, although simple and seemingly easy to make, holds this sort of magnet. Everyone wants to know what it’s really showing. What is it proving?

            Perhaps Edward Hopper had some deeper, hidden meaning for this piece. Perhaps, but hopefully not, these nameless faces are supposed to represent famous people before their big boom.  It seems as if Hopper was attempting to make a piece that makes you, the museumgoer, feel as though you can relate. A piece that makes you wonder who you are looking at-is it the artist? Is it you? Is it everyone you ever looked passed? That is what makes “Nighthawks” such a memorable piece of artwork.