What will it take to show you that it's not the life it seems?
This mix started a few months back when rebecca_star was ranting about how much Loudon Wainwright III (father of Rufus and Martha) and his song "Men" annoyed the hell of her. Then I listened to it and agreed with her and we embarked on moaning session about men moaning about how tough their lives were. And for the past few weeks I've been listening to Belle & Sebastian for the mix I'm (still) making and simultaneously revelling in the deliciousness of their sound but despairing at how white and middle-class they are (and to that extent how much I am).
If you take this mix, you should then go here and download Reb's much harderxcore working-class mix! It has actual punk music it on it instead of that EmoShite(TM Reb's Mister) and so complements the wussiness of this.
my life, so hard | a mix for the white and middle-class
» download «
14 tracks | mp3 | 00:56:55 | 79.16mb
"I'm a white male, aged 18 to 49.
Everyone listens to me, no matter how dumb my suggestions are!"
Homer Simpson, Lisa vs. Malibu Stacyloudon wainwright III | men
it's the men who have the power, it's the men who have the might
and the world's a place of horror because each man thinks he's right
a man's home is his castle so the family let him in
but what's important in that kingdom is the women and the children
a husband and a father, every man's a king
but he's really just a drone, gathers no honey, has no sting
have pity on the general, the king, and the captain
they know they're expendable, after all they're men.
I get his point but this song mostly makes me go STFU LOUDON. It sounds really nice anyways, very simple and folksy and I like Loudon's rough slightly-strained voice.
brand new | good to know that if i ever need attention all i need to do is die
am I correct to defend the fist that holds this pen?
it's ink that lies, the pen, the page, the paper
I live, I learn, you will always take what I have earned.
JESSE LACEY'S LIFE, SO HARD. I love Jesse Lacey but he's one of those dudes that defines white, male and whiny (also see: Conor Oberst).
off the beat | superman (it's not easy) (a cappella)
I'm more than a bird; I'm more than a plane
more than some pretty face beside a train
it's not easy to be me.
"Most people picture college a cappella as a bunch of upper middle class, khaki-clad white men standing in a semi-circle and snapping their fingers." - [DeShaun Snead] Traces History of A Cappella at Oberlin. The original by Five For Fighting was a little too much for even this mix, so I've put in this amazing cover. Much the same, but I have a soft spot for a cappella - how the shit do people do stuff like this?!
2ge+her | regular guy
I watch Jay Leno (he's funny), 7th Heaven too
and I ask myself sometimes, "what would Jesus do?"
(grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change)
I'm buds with my mom
and I hang out with my dad (he's my buddy)
I play everything safe so I'll never be sad (boo hoo)
[...]
don't push!
dammit sometimes I wanna smash things up
jacked up and wrapped up
I'm in a boy band... a boy band
and have to pee in a cup.
Fake bands are made of awesome. Thanks MTV.
ben folds | bitches ain't shit (live)
I'm back in the muthafuckin' county jail
six months on my chest, now it's time to bail
I get's released on a hot sunny day
my nigga D.O.C. and my homey Dr Dre.
Isn't it every white, geeky, piano-playing boy's dream to be a gangsta rapper? Very tongue-in-cheek, iluBF.
bloodhound gang | fire water burn
hello my name is Jimmy Pop and I'm a dumb white guy
I'm not old or new but middle school fifth grade like junior high
I don't know mofo if y'all peeps be buggin' give props to my ho cause she fly
but I can take the heat cause I'm the other white meat known as 'kid funky fry'
[...]
yo yo this hardcore ghetto gangster image takes a lot of practice
I'm not black like Barry White, no I am white like Frank Black is.
JIMMY POP. ampersand-hearts-semicolon.
ben folds | rockin' the suburbs
y'all don't know what it's like
being male, middle class and white
[...]
I got shit runnin' throught my brain
it's so intense that I can't explain
all alone in my white-boy pain
shake your booty while the band complains
I'm rockin' the suburbs
just like Michael Jackson did
I'm rockin' the suburbs
except that he was talented.
Catchy humourous pop-rock. The electronic hook is infectious!
belle & sebastian | white collar boy
white collar, got dirt in your pants
she got egg in your hair
you got spit in your chin
you're a-
white collar, scared to be boy
blue collar, she's opening doors
white collar, boy on the run from the law.
Barry: Holy shee-it. What the fuck is that?
Dick: It's the new Belle and Sebastian...
Rob: It's a record we've been listening to and enjoying, Barry.
Barry: Well, that's unfortunate, because it sucks ass.
I adore B&S and their "old sad bastard music" but even I have to admit it can get tiresome. The song playing in High Fidelity is "Seymour Stein" which is very mellow and naval-gaze-y while "White Collar Boy" is much poppier and upbeat and has a retro 80s feel.
blur | country house
city dweller, successful fella
thought to himself:
"oops, I've got a lot of money
caught in a rat race, terminally
I'm a professional cynic, but my heart's not in it
I'm paying the price of living life at the limit
caught up in the century's anxiety."
Like Oasis' "Wonderwall" there are some songs you can't explain because they're so ingrained in your sense of being. Classic 90s Britpop. It's catchy and funny and clever, if you've never heard it you should and you'll probably like it.
belle & sebastian | le pastie de la bourgeoisie
wouldn't you like to get away?
give yourself up to the allure of
Catcher in the Rye
the future's swathed in stars and stripes
wouldn't you like to get away?
Kerouac's beckoning with open arms
and open roads of eucalyptus
westward bound.
Supposedly the title is a botched translation of "the apathy of the middle class." I know I've over-identified with this song many a time. edit: I fucking HATE Catcher in the Rye and I still can't get through On The Road, though. STFU Holden Caulfield, I don't care. Fast-paced but still naval gazey.
pulp | common people
"I want to live like common people
I want to do whatever common people do
I want to sleep with common people
I want to sleep with common people like you"
[...]
rent a flat above a shop
cut your hair and get a job
smoke some fags and play some pool
pretend you never went to school
but still you'll never get it right
'cos when you're laid in bed at night
watching roaches climb the wall
if you called your dad he could stop it all.
See: "Country House." Jarvis Cocker is absolutely brilliant.
the divine comedy | middle class heroes
"hello, what have we here?
a young lady!
to what do I owe this pleasant surprise, my pretty one?
how may I be of service this dark and wintry night?
ah, I see. you wish me to look into the future... your future
after GCSEs, A-levels, university...
after your first badly paid job in advertising...
okay, my pretty, just cross my palm with plastic,
and I'll see what I can do...
wait!
the fog is lifting!"
I tend to associate TDC and B&S with one another because I got into them at the same time, but the former are usually far more lyrically ironic and wry than the latter. I put this on a mix for my Sociology teacher, Dave, in 2005 when I left college. :]
alix olson | america's on sale
ATTENTION SHOPPERS!!!
attention 9 to 5 folk, cell-phone masses,
the up and coming classes.
attention sports-utility,
plastic-surgery suburbanites,
Viagra-popping, Gucci-shopping urbanites.
attention George-Clooney loonies,
promise-keeper sheep,
stockbroker sleep-walkers,
big investment talkers,
Ricki Rake-watchers.
attention Walmart congregation,
shop til you drop generation,
ATTENTION NATION!
AMERICA'S ON SALE!
[full poem]
Loveherloveherloveher. It's a spoken word poem, but you should listen to it even if you're dubious about that sort of thing. Alix's voice is brilliantly expressive and so fun to listen to!
bob dylan | rainy day women #12 & 35
well, they'll stone you when you walk all alone
they'll stone you when you are walking home
they'll stone you and then say you are brave
they'll stone you when you are set down in your grave
but I would not feel so all alone
everybody must get stoned.
I realise that the song is a tongue-in-cheek tune about smoking pot, but the different interpretation works for this mix. :P
Hi, remember to go and download rebecca_star's working-class mix now!
I almost finished this mix off with "Politik" by Coldplay but I thought that'd be pushing things a little too far. I like them but not enough to ever have them as the final song on a mix, and I actually fell asleep on rebecca_star's sofa yesterday while listening to them play a live 2003 gig in Sydney. :P I woke up just as they were finishing "The Scientist" which was a shame.
So enjoy! I'm off to spend my weekend with the soon-to-be birthday girl feelallhigh, jacqui_hw, sour_kitty and rebecca_star in a little while, and I'm having another of of those moment where I can't put into words how grateful I am for the internet and fandom.
If you take this mix, you should then go here and download Reb's much harderxcore working-class mix! It has actual punk music it on it instead of that EmoShite(TM Reb's Mister) and so complements the wussiness of this.
my life, so hard | a mix for the white and middle-class
» download «
14 tracks | mp3 | 00:56:55 | 79.16mb
"I'm a white male, aged 18 to 49.
Everyone listens to me, no matter how dumb my suggestions are!"
Homer Simpson, Lisa vs. Malibu Stacyloudon wainwright III | men
it's the men who have the power, it's the men who have the might
and the world's a place of horror because each man thinks he's right
a man's home is his castle so the family let him in
but what's important in that kingdom is the women and the children
a husband and a father, every man's a king
but he's really just a drone, gathers no honey, has no sting
have pity on the general, the king, and the captain
they know they're expendable, after all they're men.
I get his point but this song mostly makes me go STFU LOUDON. It sounds really nice anyways, very simple and folksy and I like Loudon's rough slightly-strained voice.
brand new | good to know that if i ever need attention all i need to do is die
am I correct to defend the fist that holds this pen?
it's ink that lies, the pen, the page, the paper
I live, I learn, you will always take what I have earned.
JESSE LACEY'S LIFE, SO HARD. I love Jesse Lacey but he's one of those dudes that defines white, male and whiny (also see: Conor Oberst).
off the beat | superman (it's not easy) (a cappella)
I'm more than a bird; I'm more than a plane
more than some pretty face beside a train
it's not easy to be me.
"Most people picture college a cappella as a bunch of upper middle class, khaki-clad white men standing in a semi-circle and snapping their fingers." - [DeShaun Snead] Traces History of A Cappella at Oberlin. The original by Five For Fighting was a little too much for even this mix, so I've put in this amazing cover. Much the same, but I have a soft spot for a cappella - how the shit do people do stuff like this?!
2ge+her | regular guy
I watch Jay Leno (he's funny), 7th Heaven too
and I ask myself sometimes, "what would Jesus do?"
(grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change)
I'm buds with my mom
and I hang out with my dad (he's my buddy)
I play everything safe so I'll never be sad (boo hoo)
[...]
don't push!
dammit sometimes I wanna smash things up
jacked up and wrapped up
I'm in a boy band... a boy band
and have to pee in a cup.
Fake bands are made of awesome. Thanks MTV.
ben folds | bitches ain't shit (live)
I'm back in the muthafuckin' county jail
six months on my chest, now it's time to bail
I get's released on a hot sunny day
my nigga D.O.C. and my homey Dr Dre.
Isn't it every white, geeky, piano-playing boy's dream to be a gangsta rapper? Very tongue-in-cheek, iluBF.
bloodhound gang | fire water burn
hello my name is Jimmy Pop and I'm a dumb white guy
I'm not old or new but middle school fifth grade like junior high
I don't know mofo if y'all peeps be buggin' give props to my ho cause she fly
but I can take the heat cause I'm the other white meat known as 'kid funky fry'
[...]
yo yo this hardcore ghetto gangster image takes a lot of practice
I'm not black like Barry White, no I am white like Frank Black is.
JIMMY POP. ampersand-hearts-semicolon.
ben folds | rockin' the suburbs
y'all don't know what it's like
being male, middle class and white
[...]
I got shit runnin' throught my brain
it's so intense that I can't explain
all alone in my white-boy pain
shake your booty while the band complains
I'm rockin' the suburbs
just like Michael Jackson did
I'm rockin' the suburbs
except that he was talented.
Catchy humourous pop-rock. The electronic hook is infectious!
belle & sebastian | white collar boy
white collar, got dirt in your pants
she got egg in your hair
you got spit in your chin
you're a-
white collar, scared to be boy
blue collar, she's opening doors
white collar, boy on the run from the law.
Barry: Holy shee-it. What the fuck is that?
Dick: It's the new Belle and Sebastian...
Rob: It's a record we've been listening to and enjoying, Barry.
Barry: Well, that's unfortunate, because it sucks ass.
I adore B&S and their "old sad bastard music" but even I have to admit it can get tiresome. The song playing in High Fidelity is "Seymour Stein" which is very mellow and naval-gaze-y while "White Collar Boy" is much poppier and upbeat and has a retro 80s feel.
blur | country house
city dweller, successful fella
thought to himself:
"oops, I've got a lot of money
caught in a rat race, terminally
I'm a professional cynic, but my heart's not in it
I'm paying the price of living life at the limit
caught up in the century's anxiety."
Like Oasis' "Wonderwall" there are some songs you can't explain because they're so ingrained in your sense of being. Classic 90s Britpop. It's catchy and funny and clever, if you've never heard it you should and you'll probably like it.
belle & sebastian | le pastie de la bourgeoisie
wouldn't you like to get away?
give yourself up to the allure of
Catcher in the Rye
the future's swathed in stars and stripes
wouldn't you like to get away?
Kerouac's beckoning with open arms
and open roads of eucalyptus
westward bound.
Supposedly the title is a botched translation of "the apathy of the middle class." I know I've over-identified with this song many a time. edit: I fucking HATE Catcher in the Rye and I still can't get through On The Road, though. STFU Holden Caulfield, I don't care. Fast-paced but still naval gazey.
pulp | common people
"I want to live like common people
I want to do whatever common people do
I want to sleep with common people
I want to sleep with common people like you"
[...]
rent a flat above a shop
cut your hair and get a job
smoke some fags and play some pool
pretend you never went to school
but still you'll never get it right
'cos when you're laid in bed at night
watching roaches climb the wall
if you called your dad he could stop it all.
See: "Country House." Jarvis Cocker is absolutely brilliant.
the divine comedy | middle class heroes
"hello, what have we here?
a young lady!
to what do I owe this pleasant surprise, my pretty one?
how may I be of service this dark and wintry night?
ah, I see. you wish me to look into the future... your future
after GCSEs, A-levels, university...
after your first badly paid job in advertising...
okay, my pretty, just cross my palm with plastic,
and I'll see what I can do...
wait!
the fog is lifting!"
I tend to associate TDC and B&S with one another because I got into them at the same time, but the former are usually far more lyrically ironic and wry than the latter. I put this on a mix for my Sociology teacher, Dave, in 2005 when I left college. :]
alix olson | america's on sale
ATTENTION SHOPPERS!!!
attention 9 to 5 folk, cell-phone masses,
the up and coming classes.
attention sports-utility,
plastic-surgery suburbanites,
Viagra-popping, Gucci-shopping urbanites.
attention George-Clooney loonies,
promise-keeper sheep,
stockbroker sleep-walkers,
big investment talkers,
Ricki Rake-watchers.
attention Walmart congregation,
shop til you drop generation,
ATTENTION NATION!
AMERICA'S ON SALE!
[full poem]
Loveherloveherloveher. It's a spoken word poem, but you should listen to it even if you're dubious about that sort of thing. Alix's voice is brilliantly expressive and so fun to listen to!
bob dylan | rainy day women #12 & 35
well, they'll stone you when you walk all alone
they'll stone you when you are walking home
they'll stone you and then say you are brave
they'll stone you when you are set down in your grave
but I would not feel so all alone
everybody must get stoned.
I realise that the song is a tongue-in-cheek tune about smoking pot, but the different interpretation works for this mix. :P
Hi, remember to go and download rebecca_star's working-class mix now!
I almost finished this mix off with "Politik" by Coldplay but I thought that'd be pushing things a little too far. I like them but not enough to ever have them as the final song on a mix, and I actually fell asleep on rebecca_star's sofa yesterday while listening to them play a live 2003 gig in Sydney. :P I woke up just as they were finishing "The Scientist" which was a shame.
So enjoy! I'm off to spend my weekend with the soon-to-be birthday girl feelallhigh, jacqui_hw, sour_kitty and rebecca_star in a little while, and I'm having another of of those moment where I can't put into words how grateful I am for the internet and fandom.