Person to Person: The Operator

Hello dear readers, real and imaginary. We've been extra-super busy at work this week (have no fear, we're still drunk and in our underwear-yay freelancing from home!) and haven't kept up our normal volume of warped, nonsensical posts. In lieu of our usual sparkling content, we offer Dolly Parton's "9 to 5". It resonates with how busy we are, and as an added bonus, there's subtitles and Disney characters. The WTF-ness of the whole thing should keep you scratching your head until we return to our regularly scheduled inanity.

Wiretap: Antony Sings Leonard, We Swoon

We were surfing the YouTube for a Leonard Cohen clip, and when we came across Antony (of Antony and the Johnsons) performing "If It Be Your Will" from the concert doc Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man, well, done deal.

Cohen, one of our favorite songwriters, always blends the sacred and the secular into a wholly unique musical experience. Antony elevates Cohen's sentiments to the level of a gospel concert, dredging the depths for something arcane, beautiful and almost otherworldly. Or, so we think.

Wiretap: Kiki & Herb-- Running Up That Hill

We don't like to let too much time go by without a Kiki & Herb post; it's practically a contractual obligation. If you've ever seen the deranged, boozy duo, you know that their cover of Kate Bush's "Running Up That Hill" is a showstopper. If you've somehow never seen them (perish the thought!) they've extended their run at Joe's Pub through the first part of February. Get tickets here.

Wiretap: Sondre Lerche

We [heart] Norwegian pop phenom Sondre Lerche (pronounced "Sawn-der Lair-kay"). While we typically hate on too-young singers who've made it big--we're old and jaded--Lerche is so unassuming that dissing him would be like kicking a puppy.

He's about to release a new album, Phantom Punch, but we thought we'd go back and revisit "No One's Gonna Come" from his debut, Faces Down.

Wiretap: Boy George Killed the YouTube Star

Speaking of Boy George and YouTube, it seems he's taken a shine to the site, posting interviews with himself under the moniker georgiegirl5.

He's even written a short "Ode to YouTube."

We're not sure where on the scale of interesting/sad this falls. Guess it beats street-sweeping. Or going on Celebrity Fit Club. Though surely, if he's that hungry for face time, someone could have gotten him a guest musician slot on American Idol.

Boy George Loves New York Freaks [Papermag]

Wiretap: Culture Club & Dolly Parton -- Your Kisses Are Charity

When we posted the Cher/David Bowie YouTube clip, we thought we'd unearthed the camp mother lode. Then, we found this Dolly Parton duet with Culture Club. Yoinks.

It's sort of the ultimate genderfuck, a man who dresses like a woman singing with a woman who dresses like a drag queen (No offense, Dolly. We will always love you). The sheer amount of makeup on that stage boggles the mind. Think George nicked any of Dolly's false eyelashes after the set?

Wiretap: Patrick Wolf--Blue Bells

We're smitten with singer Patick Wolf, who's new album The Magic Position will be released in the UK in February. Here's the song "Blue Bells" from said album.



We don't know which magic position Wolf is referring to, but there's a few we'd like to try out with him. "Blue Bells" is giving us blue balls.

ReCall: Bubbles DeVere on Vacay

With a dreary day like this, we often fantasize about a nice, scenic villa in a warm, tropical clime. Which is one of the scant few ways in which we are like the vulgar, zaftig social climber Bubbles DeVere. In Little Britain Abroad, DeVere goes on a house-crashing holiday and shows how one gets to stay in the lap of luxury: seduce the host. We're putting that at the top of our list of travel tips.

Wiretap: Cold War Kids Hang It Up to Dry with Letterman

One of the victims of the fickle music blog hype parade, the Cold War Kids are currently cresting high on a wave of backlash to the backlash from their initial nut-busting praise. Or something. You can read this article in the Village Voice and figure it out.

Suffice it to say, we're never ahead of the curve so we're still in our moony, first-thrush-of-love phase with the band. Yeah, we get that they've ripped some of their shtick from Tom Waits, but we're okay with that. Better than being the second coming of Survivor or something.

Wiretap: I Am theWorld Trade Center -- No Expectations

We love the upbeat music of this unfortunately named synthpop duo. Here's a jauntily animated video from their album "The Cover Up."




"If you're looking for a good time, call me tonight." We're pretty sure we've slurred that phrase once or twice (perhaps during a drunk dialing episode we care not to remember further).

I Am the World Trade Center [Wikipedia]

Wiretap: Rhett Miller (w/ Jon Brion)

We vote Rhett Miller the dreamiest frontman in rock. The eyes, the hair, the lips...ahh.

Here's a somewhat old clip of Mr. Miller taking a break from his day job with the Old 97's to sing a song off the first of his two solo albums.

Wiretap: The Mountain Goats -- Woke Up New

The Mountain Goats latest album, "Get Lonely," has had a special place in our hearts (and iPods) for the last few months. We Particularly love this song, "Woke Up New" (in fact, hearing it is what made us purchase the album). If there's a better song about waking up and facing life the morning after your lover's just moved out, do let us know.

Bonus: The video was directed by Rian Johnson, who made the neo-noir movie Brick.




The Mountain Goats [site]

DisConnected: Shaye St. John Scares Us 24/7

It was only a matter of time before Shaye St. John's disturbing, nightmarish videos migrated over to YouTube. They have such a disorienting, car crash appeal...you just can't look away. "Hello, again."

Recall: "Goddamit Girl, What are You Trying to Do to Me?"

As you know, The Operator has a deep, abiding love 90's sketch comedy troupe The State, and all its varied cast members.

Here's a clip from Michael Showalter's film, The Baxter, where fellow State (and Stella) member David Wain unravels a hilarious yarn about dogs, Johnny Carson, and banana factories. If we were about to kill ourselves, we like to think we'd have a friend like Wain who'd rush in to save the day (and deliver an inexplicable rant).

Wiretap: Dick in a Box

Fuck all those Kay Jewelers ads, every lady we know would much rather have a dick in a box for Christmas than a diamond tennis bracelet. And by lady, we of course mean all the busted tranny's we cavort with.

Wiretap: Teddy Thompson

We've been giving Separate Ways, singer Teddy Thompson's 2005 album, another listen and have grown to really like it. Thompson is second generation folk rock royalty (the son of Linda and Richard Thompson) and a frequent guest on the albums of the Wainwright siblings. Recently, he turned out a great performance in the concert documentary Leonard Cohen: I'm Your Man.

Here's Thompson singing "I Should Get Up" on Conan.

411: Product Porn

We were listening to Rachel Maddow and were aghast when she mentioned a new phenomenon: product porn. According to the Wall Street Journal:
A video posted on the Internet that shows a man opening a box has been seen more than 71,000 times since it was posted Nov. 11.[emphasis ours]

That video is part of a larger phenomenon on the Web called "unboxing." Dozens of videos showing people unwrapping products like the new Palm Treo 680 smartphone, Microsoft Zune ...

We guess in our consumer-driven culture, nothing gets people off more than seeing a slow, sexy unwrapping of a new, highly coveted gadget.

All that's missing from this clip is some wah-wah guitar and (faked) moans of ecstasy. Our question, what's the fluffer's job on this set?

Wiretap: Jarvis Cocker

We tots have a crush on former Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker. He's English, he's skinny, he's smart, snarky and self-deprecating. what's not to love? The Times has a feature on Jarv today, discussing his new solo album "Jarvis," which features a delighful song called "Fat Children." According to the article:

Fortified by a stiff beat and some spindly punk-rock guitar, Mr. Cocker tells the story: “Last night I had a little altercation — /they wobbled menacingly beneath the yellow street-light: it became a situation.” They want his phone, but things don’t go well: in the second verse the narrator is killed but promises, “I’ll be back to haunt them”; in the third, he (or his ghost) makes some intemperate remarks about child rearing.

We rummaged around YouTube, and lo and behold, we found a clip of Cocker performing the song in question. Enjoy.

ReCall: C*ck Ring Warehouse

A mind's a terrible thing to waste, and we've done a terrible thing, meaning we pulled a Lohan and w'ere too fucked up to post something witty. So, enjoy this classic Mr. Show sketch "Cock Ring Warehouse." Remember, Any cock'll do.




Mr. Show ;Cock Rings ;Sketch Comedy