The Malicious Monocle

Like so many people as they age I’ve fallen into a rut where 90% of the music I listen to was produced twenty or more years ago. Most of the music I buy now is from bands I was listening to back when I graduated from high school in 1989. The only ‘new’ bands I’ve bought in the last five or so years are:

Black Eyed Peas

The Donnas (because they sound like a perky all-girl version of the Ramones)

The Gorillaz

The White Stripes

and now:

Dresden Dolls

I’ve been hearing bits and pieces of various songs from the Dresden Dolls for a few months now but today was the fist time I’ve actually purchased something of theirs. Their music isn’t the most melodic and the lyrics are pretty depressing, but I like it.

The album I bought came with a video of one of the tracks, Girl Anachronism. It’s a fun, happy tune. Sort of.

Watching that video I almost wish I could look as good in a bowler as the drummer. My favorite lyrics from the song are:

“and you can tell from the full-body cast

that you’re sorry that you asked

though you did everything you could

like any decent person would

but I might be catching so don’t touch

you’ll start to believing you’re immune to gravity and stuff

don’t get me wet because the bandages will all come off

because the bandages will all come off”

I also really enjoy the song “Coin-Operated Boy”. I love the music. The lyrics are sad, but an all too common refrain I’ve heard over the years.

So I’m not just posting a bunch of videos here, I’ll also recommend checking out Youtube for their videos Backstabber and Sing Chapter II. Sing has a number of iconic images from history in it. Backstabber is just fun. I found myself giggling a bit during the video. It is hot, creepy and silly in turns. Just the way I like my music.

I bought another CD today as well.

It was Depeche Mode. Oh well, I guess 1 out of 2 will have to do.

Now off to drink.

Also, TONIGHT is when the clocks are set back. My friend Computer told me so.

Fans of the Malicious Monocle, don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten the story, I’m just playing with some stuff in my head before setting pen to paper. (Yes, I actually write most of it by hand rather than typing on a computer.)

A friend of mine has been reminding me that Daylight Savings Time was fast approaching and to be ready to switch my clocks back an hour. I was cool with this. I knew it was coming up and I always like having that extra hour to sleep or do something unproductive. However, I’m a lazy man at heart and don’t change any of my clocks until after the change has happened. This is largely because the clocks that I play the closest attention to and use more often are on my laptop, cellphone and even the clock on my cable box. All of those update automatically. Well, I got up this morning and realized that none of the computers had updated themselves and so I googled to find out why. Turns out the ‘fall back’ happens next week this year. Oh well. I guess I’ll get extra time next week then.

Until then all I can think about is how the Computer is my friend. How do I know this? The Computer tells me it is my friend. The Computer wouldn’t lie to me because the Computer is my friend.

“What’s that Computer?”

“0101010101010001010111 01101010101011101010101010 101010001011110101010″

“Yes, there are an awful lot of people on this planet. Things might be better with fewer people.”

“00000111101010 1010110101110101010 111010100100110111010101011 010100101011010100″

“Ok Computer, I will start working on some thinning.”

The Computer is my FRIEND….