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Zach Cregger and Trevor Moore made a mediocre movie, but are great for interviews March 13, 2009

Posted by Robert Rich in Newsworthy, Photo, The Daily Texan, Video.
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Yesterday I interviewed Zach Cregger and Trevor Moore, members of The Whitest Kids U Know, but also writers/directors/stars of the new film Miss March, which opens today. It’s pretty generic, about a dude who is about to have sex with his virginal girlfriend on prom night, but he falls down the stairs and lapses into a coma for three years. When he wakes up, he discovers that she’s now a Playboy Playmate. He and his friend roadtrip to the Playboy mansion to win her back. It’s not that great, but I interviewed them anyway, and it was lots of fun. We talked about everything from Garden State to The Lonely Island’s “Like a Boss.” Listen to the interview in three parts below. I’ve even given you some helpful time stamps to know what to expect at certain parts.

The deeper voice is Moore and the softer one is Cregger. Sometimes Zach and I sound similar, but you can always tell me because I’m asking the questions, and I sound country.

Part 1

0:00 – The guys talk about their reluctance about making the movie and what finally got them to do it.
2:00 – They mention the offbeat things they threw in to stay away from the cliches.
3:30 – The previous interviewer, Cory, who led a fantastic interview basically revolving around hitting on them, leaves. They call him sexy.
3:55 – They talk about the challenges of this being their feature-length directing debut.
5:40 – Garden State is mentioned.
6:15 – They talk about the scene in the auditorium with a bunch of kids.
7:00 – A hilarious discussion about working with animals leads into a talk of tasering kids.
7:48 – They talk about going up against Medea Goes to Jail.
8:20 – They discuss the desert scene, and Zach promises they aren’t primadonnas.

Part 2

0:00 – We talk about the stunts in the movie.
1:57 – The guys talk about chilling with Hugh Hefner and discussing monkeys and quickies.
2:22 – This joke is in reference to the interview prior, which was a bit homoerotic, and found the interviewer making a euphemism regarding the long, black microphone he was using to record them. I had a small, white digital recorder.
4:50 – The guys discuss the Horsedick.mpg joke.
5:58 – Trevor implies that the name Phil is criteria for dorkdom.
6:24 – Zach has strong words for Phils.
6:54 – A Garden State discussion comes up.
7:48 – A discussion of Natalie Portman and then The Lonely Island’s “Like a Boss” starts, including Zach and me quoting the song.
8:50 – I ask about stories like a haunted set, and they proceed to tell me ghosts aren’t real. Then I reference Cory again, who was hitting on them.

Part 3

0:00 – Unlike the other guy, who said he had a last thing but was making it up, I do have a last thing.
0:43 – Zach tells me not to fuck them, and then talks about Phil again.
1:10 – They give advice to college kids (blaze up).
1:40 – We discuss Wal-Mart generic brand weed.

THURSDAY THROWBACK: Between 2 and 4 Doors Down. March 12, 2009

Posted by Robert Rich in Music, Thursday Throwback, Uncategorized.
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I know you all remember this one. This was one of the first songs I ever learned to play when I was trying to pick up the guitar. I had the intro and the solo down before I realized maybe this isn’t that great of a tune. 3 Doors Down went on to make even worse music, but “Kryptonite” stands as at least an interesting song, quality aside.

U2 thinks a fully round stage is “an engineering feat” March 9, 2009

Posted by Robert Rich in Music, Newsworthy.
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I’ve already told you that U2’s new album No Line on the Horizon sucks, but now the pretentious and aging rock group is doing more things to deserve the titles pretentious and aging.

Plans are coming together for the U2 360° Tour, a worldwide trek that will see the group playing in huge arenas everywhere. However, like the title implies, Bono thinks they’re doing something unique, with “an engineering feat that creates this real physical proximity to the crowd.” Don’t get too excited, it’s pretty much a fully round stage. Hate to say it, but that’s not new, and Dane Cook does it every time he performs standup.

Check out a visual graphic of the stage here, and see the US dates announced thus far below. Rumored but still unconfirmed are dates in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Las Vegas and others.

September 12- Chicago, IL @ Soldier Field
September 16 – Toronto, ON @ Rogers Centre
September 20 – Boston, MA @ Gilette Stadium
September 24 – New York, NY @ Giants Stadium

M. Ward plays “To Save Me” for Craig Ferguson March 9, 2009

Posted by Robert Rich in Music, Video.
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Ever since I heard it a couple of weeks ago, I’ve been in love with M. Ward’s most recent release Hold Time, and the rocker has been doing his part, touring nonstop and going on talk shows galore, including Letterman and now Craig Ferguson.

There’s not much to say that I haven’t already about Ward. He’s got a wonderfully smoky voice and plays music that could be from any number of eras. Check him out playing “To Save Me” below.

Miley Cyrus threatens to “ruin Radiohead” March 5, 2009

Posted by Robert Rich in Music, Video.
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There really isn’t anything to say about this. Just watch. But be warned, it’s tough, because you are, after all, listening to Miley Cyrus.

THURSDAY THROWBACK: I love the way you slap my what? March 5, 2009

Posted by Robert Rich in Music, Thursday Throwback, Video.
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Remember when Puddle of Mudd first hit the scene? I don’t either, but one of my friend’s Dad was in love with their debut record and burned me a copy. Even in my horrible music listening days, I wasn’t a fan, and didn’t quite know how to handle the opening song “Control,” which contains the lyrics, “I love the way you look at me/ I love the way you slap my ass.”

Maybe it’s just me, but that seems a bit weird to be giving a fifteen-year-old when you’re a dad. Note to self: Don’t burn Limp Bizkit CDs for my kid’s friends.

NEW MUSIC TUESDAY: U2 continues to make mediocre records March 3, 2009

Posted by Robert Rich in Music, New Music Tuesday, Video.
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In their profile of the new U2 album No Line on the Horizon, The New York Times pointed out that the record’s lead single “Get on Your Boots” is the fastest song the band has ever recorded, clocking in at 149 beats per minute. It should come as no surprise that it’s also one of their worst. With rapidly delivered vocals in the verses that come across as a ripoff of Dylan’s “Subterranean Homesick Blues,” the track does nothing but emphasize exactly how irrelevant the aging band has become.

Struggling to once again capture the success they had in the early 90s, the anthemic alt-rockers have released a slickly polished, well-produced but nonetheless mediocre album that shows perhaps once and for all that U2 is an old dog who needs to be put to bed. There’s nothing outlandishly bad about the record, but that’s the problem. Despite what Rolling Stone says, No Line on the Horizon is uninspired, and showcases a band trying to gain fans by doing what’s cool rather than what they believe in. Perhaps Bono should take some cues from his humanitarian philosophy, unless he’s doing that to be trendy too.

The title track features a galloping bass line interacting with a stuttering snare beat. Hey, Franz Ferdinand, good to see you. “Standup Comedy” finds a groovy guitar line playfully bantering with Bono’s overly poetic vocals. Porcupine Tree? I didn’t know you were here. Nearly every element on the record seems lifted from something already done before, and done much better. Mark my words, Bono’s downfall starts here.

Check out “Get on Your Boots” here, since Universal is too much of a wuss to let the video get embedded.

New Green Day; It sucks March 2, 2009

Posted by Robert Rich in Music, Video.
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It’s been a while, but Green Day is finally set to release 21st Century Breakdown, the followup to the surprisingly good rock opera American Idiot, and it seems that this new album will follow the same pattern. The title track is out, and it clocks in at 7 minutes, although just like with the lengthy songs from American Idiot, it just seems more like a collection of songs (in this case, 3) thrown together and referenced as one.

Green Day hasn’t been close to playing punk in quite some time now, but this song officially makes that so, full of way-too-slick production and modern rock hooks that don’t scream rebellion in any way, shape or form. The lyrics try for it, screaming “My generation is zero/ Never made it as a working class hero.”

Anyhoo, it’s awful. If you want, I’ll argue the merits of the first half of American Idiot, because I think it’s decent. This, on the other hand, is not. Check out “21st Century Breakdown” below, and below that, American Idiot’s equivalent track.