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Thursday, September 4, 2008
Ooops, We Did It Again
The Devil Has The Best Tuna
"You may think that punk rock is the music of the poor, the music of the dispossessed angry at their exclusion from the fruits of rampant global capitalism. Well here are the superbly monickered Yuppie Pricks to negate everything you ever thought about punk.
They claim to have parents in the upper tax bracket, have songs called 'Greed Is Good', 'F**k You, I'm Rich' and 'Frat Cars' and the band allegedly includes a multimillionaire stockbroker who lists among his hobbies “hunting endangered species”, a pharmaceutical business magnate and a third-generation divorce lawyer. I'm not sure how much of this is real and how much is mere media myth making but they certainly make a punked up racket laced with enough humour to make a US customs officer laugh.
Their last album was released on Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles album and unsurprisingly they're a unique blend of The Dead Kennedys punk rock fury and Harry Enfield's satire on late 80's greedy young nouveau riche Loadsamoney.
Punk's not dead it's just been away misappropriating pension funds and now it's back to scare the butler."
"You may think that punk rock is the music of the poor, the music of the dispossessed angry at their exclusion from the fruits of rampant global capitalism. Well here are the superbly monickered Yuppie Pricks to negate everything you ever thought about punk.
They claim to have parents in the upper tax bracket, have songs called 'Greed Is Good', 'F**k You, I'm Rich' and 'Frat Cars' and the band allegedly includes a multimillionaire stockbroker who lists among his hobbies “hunting endangered species”, a pharmaceutical business magnate and a third-generation divorce lawyer. I'm not sure how much of this is real and how much is mere media myth making but they certainly make a punked up racket laced with enough humour to make a US customs officer laugh.
Their last album was released on Jello Biafra's Alternative Tentacles album and unsurprisingly they're a unique blend of The Dead Kennedys punk rock fury and Harry Enfield's satire on late 80's greedy young nouveau riche Loadsamoney.
Punk's not dead it's just been away misappropriating pension funds and now it's back to scare the butler."
Things We Like About McCain's VP Pick
We won't get into how we're voting in '08, other than to say the answer my friend, is 'blowing' on the hood of our Benz. Sniff, sniff.
But that said, McCain's latest 'stroke' of 'genius' in picking self-proclaimed 'hockey mom' and former beauty pagent runner-up, Sarah Palin does have a lot of potential upside. Don't strain yourself - we'll explain.
1) Pro-Rape Platform.
Palin supports banning all abortions - even in instances of rape and incest. Now maybe this isn't a problem in Alaska, where I'm sure there's fewer sexual predators on the loose than handicap-accessible toilets, but for us, we're just thrilled to see someone who finally recognizes that the spermatazoa of a soon-to-be-convicted felon ranks higher than the rights of the rape victim in the eyes of the law. And with no rape-related abortions, pretty soon we'll have a bunch of little inbred, rapist-offspring running around, leading to higher crime rates, and more Republican landslide victories in November! Brilliant.
2) Higher Teenage Pregnancy Rates.
Along with Palin's evangelical, pro-life, abstinence-oriented stance on reproductive issues, we can look forward to a lot more unwanted white babies being put up for adoption - and just in the nick of time. Let's face it - there's simply not enough to go around as it is, and with Brangelina and TomKat snapping up all the cute little third-world kiddies, something's got to give. It's simple supply and demand, holmes.
3) Northern Exposure.
Man, that TV show rocked. Maggie was hot. And this Palin chick was the mayor of a town just like the one in the show. TV, good. Change, bad.
4) Invading Canada.
Now that our VP-to-be's foreign policy credentials hinge on Alaska's precarious geo-political positioning between Russia and Canada, we can all look forward to finally KICKING A LITTLE CANADIAN ASS. My guess is a routine border crossing will go 'awry', thanks to the Mounties inability to correctly pronounce 'ou'. Hope you don't mind a little blood in your maple syrup, America - it could get messy up there once we start dropping bombs.
5) March of the Hill-o-crats.
Of course, we all know McCain's real goal in picking Palin as his VP - stealing votes from the Dems via the defection of disgruntled Hillary-supporters to the RNC. See, McCain figures they'll chase anything with a skirt - and he's right. Nothing like the dangling carrot of female empowerment to get the ol' nags moving your way.
You've come a long way, baby!
But that said, McCain's latest 'stroke' of 'genius' in picking self-proclaimed 'hockey mom' and former beauty pagent runner-up, Sarah Palin does have a lot of potential upside. Don't strain yourself - we'll explain.
1) Pro-Rape Platform.
Palin supports banning all abortions - even in instances of rape and incest. Now maybe this isn't a problem in Alaska, where I'm sure there's fewer sexual predators on the loose than handicap-accessible toilets, but for us, we're just thrilled to see someone who finally recognizes that the spermatazoa of a soon-to-be-convicted felon ranks higher than the rights of the rape victim in the eyes of the law. And with no rape-related abortions, pretty soon we'll have a bunch of little inbred, rapist-offspring running around, leading to higher crime rates, and more Republican landslide victories in November! Brilliant.
2) Higher Teenage Pregnancy Rates.
Along with Palin's evangelical, pro-life, abstinence-oriented stance on reproductive issues, we can look forward to a lot more unwanted white babies being put up for adoption - and just in the nick of time. Let's face it - there's simply not enough to go around as it is, and with Brangelina and TomKat snapping up all the cute little third-world kiddies, something's got to give. It's simple supply and demand, holmes.
3) Northern Exposure.
Man, that TV show rocked. Maggie was hot. And this Palin chick was the mayor of a town just like the one in the show. TV, good. Change, bad.
4) Invading Canada.
Now that our VP-to-be's foreign policy credentials hinge on Alaska's precarious geo-political positioning between Russia and Canada, we can all look forward to finally KICKING A LITTLE CANADIAN ASS. My guess is a routine border crossing will go 'awry', thanks to the Mounties inability to correctly pronounce 'ou'. Hope you don't mind a little blood in your maple syrup, America - it could get messy up there once we start dropping bombs.
5) March of the Hill-o-crats.
Of course, we all know McCain's real goal in picking Palin as his VP - stealing votes from the Dems via the defection of disgruntled Hillary-supporters to the RNC. See, McCain figures they'll chase anything with a skirt - and he's right. Nothing like the dangling carrot of female empowerment to get the ol' nags moving your way.
You've come a long way, baby!
Norway - 1, Denmark - 0
We don't like to take sides - but Norway kicks Denmark's ass.
First off, Norway is HUGE compared to Denmark. Grow a penninsula, Denmark.
Second, Norway has fjords - and fjords are cool. What's Denmark got? A friggin' pastry? What is this - Dunkin Donuts????
Third, the 'weige flag is red, white AND blue - not just red and white. Get with the program Denmark - you're not the Red Cross. Show a little pride.
Oh, and who can forget the Muhammad cartoon controversy? Thanks, Denmark. Warn us the next time you decide to put your 'Bad Idea' jeans on, and set off the worst international crisis in your history since WWII.
And did we metion Norway has the second highest per capital GDP in the world? Meanwhile, Denmark ranked as the second 'most peaceful' country after Iceland, according to the Global Peace Index. G.A.Y.
Oh yeah - and the Pricks are on Norway's state-sponsored NRK radio.
Props to us. Denmark, you just don't get it.
First off, Norway is HUGE compared to Denmark. Grow a penninsula, Denmark.
Second, Norway has fjords - and fjords are cool. What's Denmark got? A friggin' pastry? What is this - Dunkin Donuts????
Third, the 'weige flag is red, white AND blue - not just red and white. Get with the program Denmark - you're not the Red Cross. Show a little pride.
Oh, and who can forget the Muhammad cartoon controversy? Thanks, Denmark. Warn us the next time you decide to put your 'Bad Idea' jeans on, and set off the worst international crisis in your history since WWII.
And did we metion Norway has the second highest per capital GDP in the world? Meanwhile, Denmark ranked as the second 'most peaceful' country after Iceland, according to the Global Peace Index. G.A.Y.
Oh yeah - and the Pricks are on Norway's state-sponsored NRK radio.
Props to us. Denmark, you just don't get it.
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saving The Best For Last
Last Days of Man on Earth 2.0
"Yuppie Pricks - Balls (Chicken Ranch Records) 2008. It had to be more than just coincidence that caused the new album by Yuppie Pricks to arrive at the Last Days of Man on Earth World HQ. Had to be. I mean, I had just finished writing about the underlying conservatism of hardcore and I get this thing in the mail? An album with songs entitiled “G.O.P.” and “Fraternity Days”? With lyrics that explore the neverending joys of being rich, white, republican males from TexASS? HAD to be more than coincidence. Right?
Well, no. Ascribing anything more than coincidence to this would mean that I believe in fate and Stumble has no time for fatalism. The boys in Yuppie Pricks? They do. They believe they were fated to be the “haves” while you dear readers are “have-nots”. Like they say they are “model guys, fraternity links with national ties”. Who the fuck are you? Just some punk loser flipping burgers. This is not me talking. This is where Yuppie Pricks are coming from. Can you get next to that?
Sure the album is a novelty record in the same sense that a Gwar album is. Sure the novelty can wear thin at times. I mean, you’re gonna ask me to listen to a song with the title “G.O.P.” after eight fuckin’ years of GW Dipshit? When the mere mention of McCain and his traveling Hockey Mom sideshow is enough to throw me into homicidal paroxisms of rage and distemper? And the song is actually good enough that I find myself singing along and laughing at how offensively stupid the whole thing is? I find myself enjoying the whole album?
Well, that takes balls, mi amigo. Balls indeed."
"Yuppie Pricks - Balls (Chicken Ranch Records) 2008. It had to be more than just coincidence that caused the new album by Yuppie Pricks to arrive at the Last Days of Man on Earth World HQ. Had to be. I mean, I had just finished writing about the underlying conservatism of hardcore and I get this thing in the mail? An album with songs entitiled “G.O.P.” and “Fraternity Days”? With lyrics that explore the neverending joys of being rich, white, republican males from TexASS? HAD to be more than coincidence. Right?
Well, no. Ascribing anything more than coincidence to this would mean that I believe in fate and Stumble has no time for fatalism. The boys in Yuppie Pricks? They do. They believe they were fated to be the “haves” while you dear readers are “have-nots”. Like they say they are “model guys, fraternity links with national ties”. Who the fuck are you? Just some punk loser flipping burgers. This is not me talking. This is where Yuppie Pricks are coming from. Can you get next to that?
Sure the album is a novelty record in the same sense that a Gwar album is. Sure the novelty can wear thin at times. I mean, you’re gonna ask me to listen to a song with the title “G.O.P.” after eight fuckin’ years of GW Dipshit? When the mere mention of McCain and his traveling Hockey Mom sideshow is enough to throw me into homicidal paroxisms of rage and distemper? And the song is actually good enough that I find myself singing along and laughing at how offensively stupid the whole thing is? I find myself enjoying the whole album?
Well, that takes balls, mi amigo. Balls indeed."
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Bananarama
From our new best friends over at BANANASPAM:
The Yuppie Pricks give it the old college try!
"In my humble opinion the death of any music form is when it loses its sense of humor, and there are ample occurrences of this down through the rock n roll age. From progressive rock in the early ‘70s to jazzy house and trip hop in the late ‘90s the history of popular music is strewn with the detritus (god I love that word) jettisoned from opuses (did you know that another plural form of opus is opera, hmmm) of an earnest nature. So when I got an email from those highly attractive, driven, astonishingly good looking yet humble and kind folks at Fanatic Promotion (sycophantic moi?) about a band from Texas called The Yuppie Pricks I had to investigate.
Today I have their CD resting in my shweaty little mitt. It is touchingly (fnar fnar) called Balls and is ten tracks of break neck speed, melodic, driving and fun filled punk rock. The band comprised of pharmaceutical business magnate,Trevor Middleton (vocals), tgird generation divorce lawyer, Deuce Hollingsworth (guitar), Preston Hetherington (guitar), Ricky the Intern (bass) and Nigel Smythen-Wesson (drums) are based in Austin, Texas and are signed to the delightful Chicken Ranch Records label, which is also home to kick ass, Nashville, garage rockers The Clutters (check out their Don’t Believe A Word CD from last year).
Yuppie Pricks deal in reserve psychology punk by ironically celebrating the materialist excesses of the upwardly mobile in songs like “Greed Is Good,” “Fraternity Days,” and my personal favorite, “”Fuck You, I’m Rich,” which are tinged with old school UK punk, Black Flag and Dead Kennedys touches. And they get further love from me by covering a song by my one of my all time cherished bands, a tearing remake of “Male Model” by Derry’s finest, The Undertones, my local band when I was growing up and purveyors of top notch, total fun, pop punk. The choice of this tune by Yuppie Pricks is a testament to their fine choice in influences, which no doubt accompanies their fine choices in Brooks Brothers button down collar shirts and Bass Weejun loafers. This is punk rock with a message that you can laugh along to as well. Seems timely."
The Yuppie Pricks give it the old college try!
"In my humble opinion the death of any music form is when it loses its sense of humor, and there are ample occurrences of this down through the rock n roll age. From progressive rock in the early ‘70s to jazzy house and trip hop in the late ‘90s the history of popular music is strewn with the detritus (god I love that word) jettisoned from opuses (did you know that another plural form of opus is opera, hmmm) of an earnest nature. So when I got an email from those highly attractive, driven, astonishingly good looking yet humble and kind folks at Fanatic Promotion (sycophantic moi?) about a band from Texas called The Yuppie Pricks I had to investigate.
Today I have their CD resting in my shweaty little mitt. It is touchingly (fnar fnar) called Balls and is ten tracks of break neck speed, melodic, driving and fun filled punk rock. The band comprised of pharmaceutical business magnate,Trevor Middleton (vocals), tgird generation divorce lawyer, Deuce Hollingsworth (guitar), Preston Hetherington (guitar), Ricky the Intern (bass) and Nigel Smythen-Wesson (drums) are based in Austin, Texas and are signed to the delightful Chicken Ranch Records label, which is also home to kick ass, Nashville, garage rockers The Clutters (check out their Don’t Believe A Word CD from last year).
Yuppie Pricks deal in reserve psychology punk by ironically celebrating the materialist excesses of the upwardly mobile in songs like “Greed Is Good,” “Fraternity Days,” and my personal favorite, “”Fuck You, I’m Rich,” which are tinged with old school UK punk, Black Flag and Dead Kennedys touches. And they get further love from me by covering a song by my one of my all time cherished bands, a tearing remake of “Male Model” by Derry’s finest, The Undertones, my local band when I was growing up and purveyors of top notch, total fun, pop punk. The choice of this tune by Yuppie Pricks is a testament to their fine choice in influences, which no doubt accompanies their fine choices in Brooks Brothers button down collar shirts and Bass Weejun loafers. This is punk rock with a message that you can laugh along to as well. Seems timely."
Welcome to the Cultcha Club
Another stellar review, courtesy of Subba-Cultcha:
Yuppie Pricks - Balls: A lively enough flurry of punk rock cooked in America’s traditional sauces
"According to their press release The Yuppie Pricks are ‘reminiscent of bands such as The Sex Pistols, Black Flag and The Dead Kennedys’. Rather an ambitious announcement to make I think. I failed to uncover the slightest trace of Sex Pistols similarities. I shall allow them the Dead Kennedys one but based more on the Jello Biafra vocal delivery rather than any real musical likeness. And Black Flag are such a parcel of everything that I’m sure there may exist bits of that in their somewhere too. Regardless though of what’s there and what’s not The Yuppie Pricks are quite a good band and this is a rather decent album.
The opening track ‘Collars Up’ is the one that contains the vocal likeness of Jello Biafra. The song itself is a very rapid, short lived attack lasting all of 59 seconds but it does a good job as opener with the speed being beneficial to its purpose, almost like a very quick and simple introduction to the band that doesn’t need to be fussed over. ‘Greed Is Good’ is noticeably slower but the momentum remains steadfast enough ensuring a smooth hand over to the meaty intro of ‘Donkey Show’. ‘Frat Cars’ is a twitching volley and my favourite song on the album. It ups the pace noticeably and opens up the whole record brilliantly. Following on is ‘Fraternity Days’ and ‘Fuck You, I’m Rich’ There isn’t any obvious weaknesses anywhere and the catchy ‘Male Model’ followed by ‘G.O.P’ then ‘Loser’ was a great way to spend 6 minutes. Final track ‘Prick 4 Life’ is an inspired closer to a record that rarely drops a stitch from start to finish."
Yuppie Pricks - Balls: A lively enough flurry of punk rock cooked in America’s traditional sauces
"According to their press release The Yuppie Pricks are ‘reminiscent of bands such as The Sex Pistols, Black Flag and The Dead Kennedys’. Rather an ambitious announcement to make I think. I failed to uncover the slightest trace of Sex Pistols similarities. I shall allow them the Dead Kennedys one but based more on the Jello Biafra vocal delivery rather than any real musical likeness. And Black Flag are such a parcel of everything that I’m sure there may exist bits of that in their somewhere too. Regardless though of what’s there and what’s not The Yuppie Pricks are quite a good band and this is a rather decent album.
The opening track ‘Collars Up’ is the one that contains the vocal likeness of Jello Biafra. The song itself is a very rapid, short lived attack lasting all of 59 seconds but it does a good job as opener with the speed being beneficial to its purpose, almost like a very quick and simple introduction to the band that doesn’t need to be fussed over. ‘Greed Is Good’ is noticeably slower but the momentum remains steadfast enough ensuring a smooth hand over to the meaty intro of ‘Donkey Show’. ‘Frat Cars’ is a twitching volley and my favourite song on the album. It ups the pace noticeably and opens up the whole record brilliantly. Following on is ‘Fraternity Days’ and ‘Fuck You, I’m Rich’ There isn’t any obvious weaknesses anywhere and the catchy ‘Male Model’ followed by ‘G.O.P’ then ‘Loser’ was a great way to spend 6 minutes. Final track ‘Prick 4 Life’ is an inspired closer to a record that rarely drops a stitch from start to finish."
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