Band in a room

 I

Everyone’s a person

Everybody counts as one

Doesn’t seem like that

When you’re at the office or trying to book a gig

But it’s good to remember this kind of thing. Keep it in the back of your mind. Or the front. Whatever gets you through. 

II

I’m coming up now so I’m just gonna dance. Is that my best song? It’s called ‘Up’ off of Everything’s Already Happened. I mean the production is awful but the song is rad. I think it sounds like the Velvets. The second best band after the Silver Jews. I spoke to somebody about the Velvets and he was going on about all the scenester stuff like how they looked and what they did. That’s peripheral - what matters is the music and the production. The first album’s production is bizarre but it works especially on I’m Waiting for the Man which is the best song on the first album. The second album also has bizarre production but this time totally overdriven. Sister Ray is good for like 10 seconds but I prefer the titular track, it’s more poppy. It’s probably my least favourite of the main four albums before Lou left. The third album is great. Lush production, toned-down vibe with lovely songs. Candy Says is a classic but the whole thing has a beautiful veneer. And then there’s Loaded which is a 10. Poppy, catchy, rocky - it’s the blueprint for the kind of punk / indie rock that I dig. Has there ever been a better first side in rock history? I read an interview with Jimmy Page where he gushes over the Velvet Underground. It must have been quite an experience to listen to them and see them live at the time. The ultimate band in a room. You could say Led Zeppelin are the ultimate band in a stadium, but it’s cool that Jimmy Page saw the wonder of the Velvets. I also saw an interview with Keith Richards where he disses Led Zeppelin. Don’t know what to make of that. I love the Stones, especially Exile and Let It Bleed but they are a bit up themselves. What are my ten favourite albums? Let’s say one per band. Wowee Zowee by Pavement, Exile by the Stones, Loaded by the Velvet Underground, American Water by the Silver Jews, In the Aeroplane over the Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel, Either/Or by Elliot Smith, Liege and Lief by Fairport Convention, Led Zeppelin IV, Room on Fire by the Strokes,  Keep it Like a Secret by Built to Spill. Then there’s jazz, I like Bossa Nova and Miles Davis. I forgot Fugazi. Maybe take out the Strokes for that.