Thursday, February 14, 2008

10-year anniversary of my (in)famous Black Celebration

As I briefly discussed in this space two years ago today, February 14, 1998 was a special day in my life. It was my favorite episode of the radio show that I broadcast on Lloyd Radio with Lemming.

Given my propensity for enjoying groups like Depeche Mode, mood swings, and an enjoyment of bittersweet songs in general, there would occasionally be special episodes of our radio show (and of the radio show I did by myself the previous year) that I liked to call "All Depressing and Cynical Song Specials". On this day ten years ago, we decided to have the "All Depressing and Cynical Song Special: Valentine's Day Edition" in which we started with a live version of Depeche Mode's "Black Celebration", play depressing and cynical songs about love for about 2.5 hours, and ended with "Blow Your Brains Out" (What is this song actually called? And who sings it? I never remember...).

While we were doing this, there were naturally two recently-hooked-up couple slurping each other right outside where we were broadcasting for the entirety of the show. (It's not clear precisely how much they were aware of what we were doing just a few feet away.) One of the things I distinctly remember is our Resident Associate walking out of her apartment (which was also next to where we were broadcasting) and giving us (or was it just me?) just about the most horrified look I have ever seen in my life. She also seemed to have a sort of helpless feeling because there was simply nothing that she could do about it. It was wonderful.

By the way, there were a couple of other episodes of my radio show that were rather memorable. One of them was when my show was "taken over" by certain people who insisted that I play The Ride until they got showered (people finally had to come over from Ruddock to help with this). Autumn Looijen and I are planning to include a blurb about this incident in Legends IV. (It was punted from Volume III to Volume IV at the last minute.) The other was when I got the folks on the second floor of page to drunkenly sing along with the chorus to Faust and Lewis's "Save the Beer" back when Lloyd Radio was still broadcast from the "Llove Shack" (the bunker that Nestor Ocampo and Walter Brisken built for their Ditch Day stack).

7 comments:

Lemming said...

The Bloodhound Gang - Hold Your Head Up High (And Blow Your Brains Out)

Some of the highly-offensive lyrics, purely by memory. Cover your ears as you read if you're easily (or not so easily) offended.

* * *

Well life is a game that no one wins,
so you deserve a head start ...somethin...
So throw in the towel,
Cause your life ain't shit,
Or better yet take the towel
and hang yourself with it!

Life's short and hard,
like a body building elf
So save the planet and
kill yourself!

If you're feeling down and out
on ah what life is all about,
hold your head up high,
and blow your brains out

Mason said...

Wow, how did I forget that that was by The Bloodhound Gang?

Did they also do it doggy-style (so they could go watch "X-Files")?

Lemming said...

Some other lyrics you likely haven't heard, from another BHG song, that I think you'll like:

But would I be a good Messiah with my low self-esteem?
If I don't believe in myself would that be blasphemy?

Mason said...

That made my mind jump to one of the best lines I've seen in recent yours. Here's one variant:

"You're inferiority complex is much better than mine."

Travis said...

I can't believe that was a decade ago. Damn, we're getting old...

Lemming said...

Really, it was an alright decade though, wasn't it?

"Hey mister, are you old?"

(temptation for DNF joke subdued.)

I think it's comforting to realize that grown ups aren't. Everybody gets older, anybody can be old, but they're very different things.

Mason said...

Lemming: Amen!