Vixen's Mixens: Hipster's Guide to Alternative Wedding Songs

Picking the song to be your first dance as a married couple can be quite stressful, especially for Hipsters since Hipsters by nature want to be unique and super cool. My husband and I actually had an easy choice, because on one of our early dates we danced together in my living room to a super cool unique song, Carla Bruni's Quelqu'un m'a dit. Little did we know our wedding song would lose uniqueness points when it ended up on a Hipster soundtrack to a Hipster movie, "500 Days of Summer."

To help out those who are searching for their perfect wedding song, but want something different than your typical Michael Buble, Celine Dion treacly tune, I have created a Hipster's Guide to Alternative Wedding Songs playlist.

Here you will find a nice variety of "it" bands and singers. Some of the songs are nice and slow, such as Dirty Beaches True Blue, while others are fun and upbeat for the Hipster couple who like to boogie, such as Belle and Sebastian's Another Sunny Day. For the Hipster's that kick it old school I threw on some non-obvious Billie Holiday (Yours and Mine) and Betty Carter (It's a Big Wide Wonderful World). And for the Hipster who likes to cowboy up there is some sweet Willie Nelson (And So Will You My Love) and bad ass Lucinda Williams (Essence). For the Hipster with a sense of humor I end the playlist with the cheeky Mountain Goat's tune No Children.

I must give a shout out to Jonathan for being kind enough to let me put his ideal (future) wedding song on the playlist, the fabulous Hysteric by the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. He also gave me some more great suggestions, such as Warpaint's Baby and Kyle Andrew's You Always Make Me Smile. Also thanks to Jen for introducing me to Gotye, who is so talented that his Save Me is the second track on the playlist. I also included the wedding song of an adorable couple who were kind enough to invite us to their wedding in Texas a couple years back. Julio and Lilia picked the super ballsy and beautiful Bjork song Unison which made such a powerful impact at their down home Texan celebration. That is the definition of a winning Hipster wedding song.

Even if you are not getting married, this is a nice set of love songs that are not in the least bit corn ball that you can enjoy for Valentines Day. Let me know if you have any Hipster Wedding favorites you would like to share! Until next time.

Vixen's Flixens: The Trip

If you enjoy meta movies where actors play fictionalized versions of themselves then this is the move for you. Michael Winterbottom's latest film, The Trip, was my favorite movie from this summer and is now available on Netflix Instant Viewing!

Steve Coogan (Mr. Alan Partridge) and Rob Brydon (Uncle Bryn from Gavin & Stacey) basically teach a masterclass in the art of comic timing, chemistry and impressions in this film, which was actually first a six episode BBC series in 2010 before being edited to a feature length film.

I seriously recommend this movie to anyone who likes to laugh, but specifically to fans of British comedy. One thing I can guarantee is that you will be working on your Michael Caine impression after seeing this.

Vixen's Mixens: What's In a Name?

What is one thing that everyone has? A name! You may like yours (I personally enjoy having the name of two awesome British queens - Victoria and Elizabeth) or hate it - but we all have to be identified by one (unless you are Prince and can be referred to by a symbol.) The theme for this week's playlist is quite simple: What's In a Name? - songs with names in the title.

When I undertook this theme I honestly underestimated the sheer amount of songs written with specific people in mind. Holy cow - just the songs with famous people's names alone was out of control. We have Houdini (Foster the People), Paul Simon (the Russian Futurists), Bonnie & Clyde (Jay-Z & Beyonce and Serge Gainsbourg & Brigitte Bardot - as well as Merle Haggard!), Bill Murray (Gorillaz) and Bill Gates (Lil Wayne).

Then of course there are names that became famous because of the songs they were featured in, such as Eleanor Rigby (Aretha Franklin version - sorry but still no Beatles on Spotty), Billie Jean (Michael Jackson), Roxanne (The Police) and Janie Jones (The Clash).

I also tried to find songs that featured my loved ones names - some successfully and others not so much (sorry Christina but the only song I could find with your name was by Anthony & the Johnsons and I REFUSE to put them on my playlist.)

As there were just so many Name songs I had to line them up in alphabetical order, just like in grade school. I hope you enjoy all 7 hours! If you have a great song that features your name that did not make my playlist, let me know and I'll be sure to add it!

Next week's theme will be: I Love You In the Fall. Songs for the new season!!!! Start thinking of recommendations now!

Vixen's Mixens: Just Drive!

If you are wondering who this little guy to my left is, that is Pegasus - my little wiener Beanie Baby in Fruit of the Looms that has been my driving buddy since I got my first car!

Which leads me to my newest playlist: Just Drive! This week's theme is one we can all relate to, as we have either driven or been passengers for most of our lives. These songs are meant to be listened to on the open road, with the wind in your hair and the 5-0 on your heels. Seriously, most of these songs will get you speeding (see Lenny Kravitz's Where Are We Running which actually caused me to get pulled over).

Some of the highlights include thematically obvi choices, such as Johnny Cash's I've Been Everywhere and Willie Nelson's On the Road Again, and some new badass tunes, such as Mates of States Palomino and the Kooks' Junk of the Heart (Happy). I also have some great recommended tunes from my FB peeps, including Cake's Stickshifts and Safetybelts (from my old college buddy Marla), Steppenwolf's Magic Carpet Ride (from my former roommate and sista 4 life Kerry), Golden Earring's Radar Love (from my fab Brit cousin Sharon) and Gorrillaz' DARE (from my hubby Roger).

Of course I rounded it all off with THE driving song of all driving songs...Drive by the Cars. I hope you all enjoy the latest mix - if you have spotty premium and a stereo input in your car you will actually be able to put this playlist to the test! Let me know how it works out.

Btw, next week's theme: What's in a Name? A mix filled with songs with names in the title. Send my your suggestions and they may make the cut!!

Vixen's Mixens: Indian Summer

Hurricane Irene has come and gone - leaving some of us without electricity and most of us with quite a bit of clean up to do. To all of my fellow East Coasters/New Englanders this week's playlist is dedicated to you! Now that the storm is gone I am hoping that we will have an Indian Summer - a little bit of extra warmth to ease us into the fall and winter.

This is a collection of songs that make me think of a warm sun, a cool breeze and young summer romance. Parts of the playlist just make me want to shake my booty like any good summer song should. Give it a listen this Labor Day weekend, while the beaches are still open and the badminton net is still up! BTW congrats to my "pony" Kate Kugler - who is getting married to an amazing man this weekend!

Shout outs to my FB peeps who recommended some fab tunes - such as Cape Dory by Tennis (thx Laia) and Baby by Devendra Banhart (thx @TrashoStereo)! Feel free to share your favorite songs of summer with me here - they may even make it onto the playlist:-)

Vixen's Mixens: My Rockin' 90s

My Rockin 90s: In honor of the ridiculously unusual East Coast earthquake we experienced today, I am offering you a Spotty playlist of songs that rocked my world in the 1990s (it's a stretch, I know.)

Back then I was a nerdy teenager super thirsty for the latest and greatest tunes. My fave magazine subscription was Rolling Stone, which I read religiously (nowadays it's Entertainment Weekly, lovingly referred to as "the bible" in our house.) When I went to the mall, I made a beeline for Sam Goody and longed for the day when I would have steady income so I could buy every album on my very long wish list. When I finally did get a job at my local movie theater, almost every dime went towards increasing my (IMO) amazing CD collection (little did I know that when I would be old enough to afford all the music I want it would be available so cheap through the interwebs.)

I was a massive Brit pop junkie - falling hard for Radiohead, Oasis, Blur, Supergrass and Pulp as soon as they crossed our shore. But I also went through the grunge phase (I totes wore my dad's flannels around my waist EVERY day as if I was an extra in Singles) and got bit by the "Electronica" fad (never was a raver though - I was waaaay too nerdy for that.) All of that music is here - along with my fave indie-ish stuff (Pavement, Yo La Tengo and Built To Spill) and my girls (aka Bjork, Tori, Fiona and Polly Jean.) Just for fun I threw in some amazeball one hit wonders (remember "Standing Outside a Broken Phone Booth With Money In My Hand" or "Brimful of Asha"?).

Anyhow, if you are anything like me, I think you will enjoy this trip down memory lane. I hope you have as much fun listening to it as I had making it! BTW - don't think that I forgot about hip-hop and pop - I am already working on "My Poppin' Hip-hoppin' 90s" playlist which I will post sometime in the near future. As for next week's playlist, I am hoping for an "Indian Summer." [above image from dismagazine.com]

Vixen's Flixens: Work It!

During the slow days of summer, when network television is a desert in terms of quality programming, I turn to Netflix Instant Viewing for survival. For those of you who are in need of some genuinely funny and entertaining shows, here are a couple work place based sitcoms that I cannot say enough good things about. The fact that both of them feature Adam Scott is purely coincidental (not really - love him.) Best thing is that they are both available now on instant viewing so have fun!

Party Down: "Are we having fun yet?" This short lived Starz series follows a group of small time caterers in Los Angeles, with the majority of the employees treating the gig as their day job while they attempt to make it in show business. The cast is phenomenal - with a lot of cross overs from exec. producer/co-creator Rob Thomas' Veronica Mars, including Adam Scott, Jane Lynch, Ken Marino and Ryan Hansen, who all appeared on the CW series. Adam Scott's failed actor Henry is the sarcastic, depressive realist that anchors the show, that is otherwise filled with pipe-dreaming wacky losers who, for the most part, have no clue that they actually are losers. Henry is haunted throughout the series by one beer commercial he starred in that created a nationwide catchphrase, ala Whazzzzup?! The most original aspect of the show is that every episode takes place at a different party event, ranging from corporate retreats to a Porn awards after party. This creates a great opportunity for amazing guest appearances. Two episodes not to miss are "Taylor Stiltskin Sweet Sixteen," which features guest stars J.K. Simmons (at his foul-mouthed best), Breckin Meyer and Joey Lauren Adams, and "Steve Guttenbergs Birthday" which of course features Veronica Mars alum Steve Guttenberg in a hilarious turn playing himself. Seriously this show is amazing and not to be missed.

Parks and Recreation: What can I say - the parks department of Pawnee Indiana won me over. Led by Amy Poehler's eternal optimist Leslie Knope, the employees of this small town government office are all equal parts quirky and genuine, with a bit of crazy thrown in for good measure. According to my political science geek husband, the depiction of small town politics is surprisingly realistic. To me, though, the reason the show works is that it manages to be funny with a heart - without being overly sappy. And the depiction of the friendship between Leslie and Ann Perkins (played by the lovely Rashida Jones) is the most honest look at true female relationships I have ever seen on television (I'm talking to you, Sex & the City.) Two episodes not to be missed: "Greg Pikitis" wherein Leslie and her cop boyfriend, guest star Louis C.K. attempt to take down the titular teenager who defaces Pawnee property every Halloween, and "Telethon" which features Leslie on a crazy sugar high from eating Sweetums bars and the amazing crash that follows; BONUS - the episode was written by Amy Poehler. The first season starts off slow but season 2 and 3 are not to be missed. Unfortunately season 3 is not yet on instant, but once it is, it is totally worth marathoning!

The XFactor in Operation Triumph

I have to confess that when it comes to Operacion Triunfo (literally, “Operation Triumph”, the Spanish version of Star Academy), my musical taste goes gaga. So, please, tell me, isn’t she AWESOME?! Isn’t her performance (not only her voice) AWESOME?

One is left wondering her age, and lets face it, she can be anything from 20 – 45…but she is SIXTEEN! Yet she seems to have more balls in her voice than Bono, and more purr in her performance than Patti Smith! She was 7th among the finalists…poor girl, yet she is a winner in our books. As for the videos – straight to the Dept. of Awesome, right?!



The final curtain (singing her swan song after having been nominated to leave the academy)



Nav (to a lesser to extent) & Laiona (Nav is embarrassed)

Total Eclipse of the Heart: the flowchart

I can't add much to the sheer awesomeness of this flowchart. Behold:Now it is stuck in your head. And you fucking love it, because the song is that awesome. (Via Yglesias)

It is actually one of my favorite songs ever...

Screw MJ: Billy Mays is dead

Billy Mays, king of the pitchmen, master of the spoken word, emperor of the holy TV turd, is dead. He is the one true celebrity big loss this weekend; a man on his prime leaves us, when he was doing his best work.

Billy Mays was awesome. He is the only human being that is allowed to speak in Caps Lock ALL THE TIME EVEN WHEN HE IS ORDERING FOOD AND/OR HAVING SEX WITH HIS WIFE:



Actually, the though of Billy Mays having sex with his wife while selling HIS BIG UNIQUE DICK AND WAIT THERE IS MORE in Billy-Mays-speak is highly disturbing, and I wish I hadn´t put it in your brain. Sorry.

I just did.

Jokes aside, Mays was actually a really impressive individual. He started pitching junk in Atlantic City, and impressed the owner of a little known cleaning product (OxiClean) enough that he decided to put him on TV. He made the brand, and it hasn´t been the only thing he build from the ground.

I really don´t know how he did it (I think his voice is hypnotic, in a bizarro, I am blasting you with the sonic equivalent of a ton of bricks kind of way), but he did sell his stuff. Death of salesman indeed.

The music game we are waiting for: Beatles - Rock Band

The best music game of all time is, no questions asked, Rock Band 2. It is fun, it is challenging, it has the best tracklist ever and it has allowed me to sing Pixies songs in Madison Square Garden.

They have a ton of good songs in this game, but they are missing something. They are missing the holy grail of music games, the band to rule them all. No, it is not Led Zeppelin, you idiots. The Beatles: Rock Band is coming this fall.



As you see from the (excellent) trailer, the game is a trip down the band's career. It looks sweeeeeet. Just in case we were wondering if the guys at Harmonix were going to nail the art design completely, they released recently the opening animation of the thing. And boy, does it look pretty. Check it out.

Nick & Norah generational cult movie

Some movies are just sweet - and that´s it. You don´t need anything else; you just have to put two sweet, lonely people walking up and down a long New York City night and let them meet each other. Nick & Norak Infinite Playlist is one of those movies, and it is really a nice, sweet little gem.

We got it from Netflix about three months ago - one of these BluRays that get stuck in a shelf and never manages to make it to the PS3. It was one of those movies that we sorta wanted to watch when it came out, missed it, and got into it late; we didn´t remember that it really hadn´t reviewed all that well. You know what? The critics can suck it. Nick & Norah is a wonderful little movie; a cross between High Fidelity, Before Sunrise and Dazed and Confused for milenials.

Don´t be mistaken: it screams indie the way all corky indie comedies do. For some reason, it just fits the history perfectly; after all, it is about two teenagers born in the weird, odd world of the 2000 - a planet where we are all a bit lost in the shuffle, swamped by our little internet obsessions and infinite access to our little corner of choice in the pop culture universe. Pop culture references are a matter of identity, not random witty blurbs. Nick & Norah are just two lost, confused teenagers trying to find someone that has their slightly odd, warped, cute view of the world. It is the kind of movie that adores New York City, the place of a thousand of lost little cultures and magical touches.

I am not sure if is a movie for everyone. Maybe only geeks and ackward loners will see themselves in the movie. Still, I really, really, really loved it; it really feels like a small, bite sized chunk of how nerds would like to love at the turn of the century. A little marvel.

Run! Pee! Now!!!!

I heard a little interview on NPR yesterday that I just had to share. There is a website out there where people can post the best times during a movie to go take a pee break, called runpee.com. Brilliant!! I am pretty dang good at holding it, but my husband never fails to go the bathroom during a movie. This website was designed for him!

The invisible influence

A few years ago, when I was young(er) and dumb(er), I remember asking my mother what was the big deal about the Beatles. They had a ton of famous songs, but they really did not sound all that much better than other bands. Catchy, yes, but nothing that no one else was doing. My poor mother might be not a pop culture junkie, but gave me the perfect answer: "you don´t know how dull music was before the Beatles came around".

The Beatles is only one example of band, movie, game or TV show that does not look all that impressive for the untrained eye, mainly because they have been so massively influential that they don´t look all that exceptional anymore.

For someone that did not had to slog across the dreadful movies of the eighties, "Pulp Fiction" is just another clever post modern artifact. Yeah, wicked script, clever writing, tons of witty quotes and cute time line gimmicks. As artifacts go, it is a very shinny one, but it is not that different. Of course, that misses the point that movies got a whole lot better after/because "Pulp Fiction", basically because they were shamelessly ripping it off. The movie was such a change of direction that it is easy to forget what it spawned.

We have this kind of movies across the decades, hidden in plain sight. "North by Northwest" is just another clever action thriller; of course, it just invented the whole idea. "Jaws" it is just another summer blockbuster - just the one that invented the concept. "Night of the Hunter" basically invented the psychokiller movie. Even "Citizen Kane" is only obviously great if you have watched some of the stilted wrecks that were typical of the era - movies that no one watches anymore.

The same goes for TV shows (and that´s why "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" is awesome, kids), videogames ("Ocarina of Time", "Half Life", or even "Super Mario Bros"), music (Joy Division, for instance), comics (Watchmen) or even novels (Don Quixote, if I have to be a snob). Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but sometimes it has the side effect that it makes your work invisible - what you added to the art gets such a widespread use that it is easy to forget that you are the one that brought it to life.

And yes, "Buffy" is that kind of show. One hour drama with long arch plots, character focused episodes (no, Lost did not come up with that), irony, pop culture references galore and smarty-pants self awareness looks common now, but it wasn´t used all that often a few years ago. But that´s a discussion for another post, where we workship the Whedon as he deserves.

The old charm of retro hardware

Some people like to use old, inconvenient stuff from time to time. Chrysler buyers. People that send letters on the mail. People that enjoy having vinyl records.

Yeah, vinyl. You know, the big black music thinguies from years past; that old analog contraptions that tried to do carry music using a sadistic looking, needle totting machine to scratch the thing into submission.

Well, in another dark, geeky corner of pop culture, we can find some cultists also venerating old pieces of apparently useless tech. People that enjoy using outdated relics that offer sub-par performance, annoying noises and basic, barebones, simplistic experiences. People that love old, basic hardware. Old videogames. Retro gamers.

I became a member of the cult awhile ago, when I misteriously obtained (cough - cough) a Sega Dreamcast. After much scouring the internets for games and scoring some old classics from Ebay, I must say that the thing has gotten quite a bit of play.

The Dreamcast, however, is not really that old. It came out in 1999, after all; it is barely older than the Playstation 2. Nintendo, however, came to the rescue, with what is probably the most evil ploy to make people spend money ever: the Wii Virtual Console, aka how to make me spend money in 25 year old pieces of code that look like ass on a HDTV, but we love playing anyway. I have given money to Konami way too many times to play Gradius, and that sucker is still fun.

The crown jewel on old relics, however, is my favourite Christmas gift ever: The Nintendo 64 that my wife got me this year. It is a cranky piece of hardware, and some games refuse to work. I really haven´t played that much with it. But it looks so good, under the TV, a tribute to all things fun and Mario that I just adore the thing. Same with the Dreamcast, really; more than the games, it is about owning a little piece of pop culture history - a piece that happens to be fun.

No, I won´t get into the "games back then were better". They were not. The Legend of Zelda on the NES is still fun, but it is a bit like watching a Battleship Potemkin - to appreciate what you are doing, you need to understand at least a bit what the game meant (Zelda is the original sandbox game, by the way; no Zelda, no Grand Theft Auto IV). Most games in some of the "transitional" generations (specially the clunky early 3D, Playstation, Saturn, N64 era) are downright klunky, and don´t have much to enjoy. The few exceptions (like Mario 64) are fun, but downright ugly; early 3D lacking the ultraminimalist charm of pixel art. Nostalgia has a lot to do with it.

In any case, old stuff has its charm. I like old stuff, specially the beeping interactive kind. Next time you see an old, forgotten videogame, remember that it is a little piece of history. 100 years from now, Contra and Bionic Commando (NES versions) will be treasured as we know treasure Harold Lloyd movies.

My New Obsession - Musically Speaking

Why have I not heard of Florence & the Machines until now? Her voice is ridiculously amazing. This is a live video of Dog Days Are Over. Here is a link to the official (very creepy raggedy ann on crack) video. They do an awesome cover of the Cold War Kids' Hospital Beds. Check em out loves.

You're Gonna Love My Nuts

Thanks to Halah for posting this on the FB. I am totally in love with this Dance Remix to the Slap Chop infomercial. Steve Porter, whoever you are, I Salute you.

Julia F***ing Roberts

Enjoy this amazing tribute speech to Tom Hanks by Julia Roberts where she drops the F-bomb like crazy and references Rita Wilson's "tits." Class act!

The other office sitcom: Better Off Ted

"The Office" is a wonderful sitcom. It is loopy, nicely embarrassing, painfully insensitive and strangely poignant and grounded in real, slightly insane human beings. For all the insanity, however, it somewhat grounded in reality. The world needed more workplace comedy. More office insanity. This time, however, it could not be grounded by reality or common sense.

Enter "Better Off Ted", the delightfully berserk office nightmarish comedy of R+D doom. Think "30 Rock" meets "Office Space" meets "Wild Science", only with more cryogenic experiments on employees. The boss in Veridian Dynamics is not just an evil sociopath; she just believes in herself and modern capitalism a bit too much. Portia De Rossi is just awesome as a completely demented careerist that you can only admire: no one is that ruthless without being friggin' awesome.

The show is still young, mind you; it is not yet flawless. "The Big Bang Theory", "How I Met Your Mother" and "30 Rock" are still funnier. This is sitcom word, however; good comedies only start reaching full potential after 10-15 episodes, when the writers get a hang on what makes characters tick and what ideas can really drive the show. After all, BBT was not Sheldon-centric from the get go; it takes a bit to see what works.

"Ted", however, has a ton of things that are great, and getting better. Portia De Rossi is just perfect; the show can not have enough of her. Andrea Anders is funny, and can play insanity like the best. And any show that parodies the overleveraged finance industry, military procurement, happy pills and corporate discipline on drugs in a single episode is definetely going places.

Reasons to Watch BBC America

Ashes to Ashes - The chemistry between Alex Drake and Gene Hunt is almost as amazing as the soundtrack to this trippy series where a police office shot in 2008 wakes up in 1981.



Mistresses - So many crazy, naughty and funny things happen in every episode! It is so addicting. And Domenic (the co-worker Siobhan started nailing when her perfect husband was too technical in the sack because they were trying to get preggers, who of course gets her pregnant instead of her sterile husband - this was in like 3 episodes) is waaaay hot.



Gavin & Stacey - By far the sweetest, funniest, crassest and adorable sitcom I have ever seen. I seriously adore this show - thankfully the shows creators Ruth Jones (Nessa) and James Cordon (Smithy) are working on series 3!! The Welsh accents of Nessa and Bryn kill me - Whats occurin? Thats crackin. Can't embed but check out the link.


BBC America lets me release me true anglophile self. I do believe that all of these shows will be available to purchase from the bbcamerica shopat some point. Please take a look if you can!