Pixies - Interview Picture Disc (LP, 1989)

The only image I could find of this record was of one that had been turned into a clock. So that would explain the hands there.

I bought this LP while I was in high school, after randomly finding it in a record store and convincing myself that it was a highly collectible import that would one day be very valuable. (It says "Limited Edition" on it, after all.) It remains a rarity, but as far as I can tell, it's of little value to anyone except hardcore collectors. Still, I've always thought it was a pretty cool record, and I've held onto it for the past twenty-or-so years.

I sort of understand the making-a-clock-out-of-it thing, because it's definitely more fun to look at than it is to listen to. The interview itself is with Black Francis and a foreign journalist (Yugoslavian, maybe?), and the dude speaks dicey English and spends a lot of time either searching for words or talking about himself. Francis drops a few interesting gems here and there (he says he "doesn't read," preferring the "cinema"), but for the most part he sounds put out. It must have been done backstage at a show, because some other band is soundchecking during almost the entire thing, and it's really distracting.

But like I said, a cool record to have. I've always felt like I should just frame it or something. Songs from Doolittle are mentioned, but I'm not exactly sure when this interview was done. '89 is a guess.

Mike Patton - Pranzo Oltranzista (CD, 1997)

When compared to Adult Themes for Voice, this CD is downright melodic.

Performed by a five-piece ensemble that includes both Patton and consummate weirdo John Zorn, this album is experimental, for sure, but maybe not quite as experimental as Patton has been known to get. Still, it won't be the soundtrack to your next dinner party.

Some tracks really utilize the instruments (guitar, cello, sax, percussion), while others feature glasses clinking and what sounds like someone biting down on hard candy. Oh, Patton, you goofball.

This thing looks sweet on my shelf, though. And I'm just shallow enough to care about something like that.

Cannot find a lick of audio for this one.

Mike Patton - Adult Themes for Voice (CD, 1996)

When a friend of mine told me that he had just picked up a Mike Patton solo album (this was probably around 1997), I was excited. Very excited. My pals and I were all intense Patton devotees, and while the idea of him releasing an album on his own had certainly occurred to us, we never thought we'd see it happen. But it did.

And I've owned it for over ten years and I've probably listened to it all the way through twice.

While the idea of Patton taking a four-track recorder with him on tour and recording weird vocal noises on it in different hotel rooms is intriguing, and the final products is indeed interesting, it's not something you're going to listen to very often. Or really at all, unless you're trying to get people to leave a party. I think I may have done that once.

Attempting to explain what this sounds like is impossible, so I won't bother with that. This is just one of those CDs that I like to have on my shelf. I'll probably keep it forever. If nothing else, the song titles are amusing: "I Killed Him Like a Dog...And He Still Laughed," "Hurry Up and Kill Me...I'm Cold," and "A Smile, A Slap In The Face, A Fart, A Kiss On The Mouth" are among my favorites.

"Pajama Party Horror"

Cex - Oops, I Did It Again! (CD, 2002)

I could pretty much classify this one as the same as the previous Cex album. Blippy with mutated drums that actually intrigue me a bit because I have no idea how he got those sounds.

Other than that, not a lot to say about it. I'm really out of my comfort zone with music like this, and as I said before, it serves as a slightly high-powered instrumental soundtrack to getting me through mindless work I do on my website.

It's good for the headphones, but I grow weary of it after an hour. But I do like this oddity:

"(You're) Off the Food Chain"

Cex - Role Model (CD, 2000)

I have never been a fan of electronic music, but I got turned on to some decent "IDM" by a friend at work last year, and this was about as far as I took it.

In all honesty, I listen to this disc (and the few other Cex CDs that are forthcoming) only when I need some instrumental music to keep my head filled while I'm doing busy work on the computer and I don't feel like listening to any of my Tchaikovsky records. (I don't know a thing about classical music, but I know I like Tchaikovsky. If that makes me sound pompous, so be it.)

This disc is full of blips and synths, and like I said, it's not something I would normally be drawn to. But this guy's clearly a little crazy, and I don't mind going down that road every once in a while.

Plus, the Dismemberment Plan remix on here is pretty sweet.

"Wall Street Kid"