OFF: The Onion keeps me sane...

[K Henderson]

Hey Folks...

It's Wednesday, and a new edition of the Onion (www.theonion.com) appears -
always a glorious time!  And they never disappoint.  A sample of today's
tasty articles...some days I think maybe I should apply for a job there.  :)

Grakkl (FAA)

P.S. OK experts, what's the Hawkwind connection here?  (Hint: nothing
krautrock-related!)

P.P.S.  What's weird is that I made a compilation CD for myself Monday night
- with 22 tracks!  (Obviously, it wasn't space/prog related.  Title:
All-ternative Rock, including Husker Du - Makes No Sense At All, PiL -
Public Image, Gang of Four - Natural's Not In It (the song that was just?
remade by that band I was talking about a few days ago), a bunch of Seattle
stuff and other flotsam and jetsam. And knowing that 22 tracks in 80 minutes
comes out about 3:45 each, hard to see how this guy could have put too much
Neu! & Can-type stuff on there.)
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Area Man Proud of Liner Notes to Self-Burned Compilation CD

CHICAGO—Josh McCue, 26, expressed deep pride Monday in the liner notes he
penned for his latest self-burned compilation CD.

"I really wanted the liner notes to capture something about the songs and
help put them in their proper context," said McCue, a clerk at Lincoln Park
Liquor. "I think I've accomplished that."

The 22-track CD, titled Opium Of The Masses, features an eclectic mix of
music that McCue dryly describes as "your typical elitist hipster fare." The
liner
notes offer a wealth of information on the bands, which range from The
Soledad Brothers to Six Finger Satellite, as well as McCue's own "personal
history" with the music.

Using the graphic-design programs Adobe Photoshop and Adobe Illustrator,
McCue painstakingly spent 15 hours laying out what eventually became an
eight-page CD booklet.

"At first, it was only going to be four pages including the cover, but doing
that small a booklet would've meant giving some of the artists the short
shrift informationally," McCue said. "I mean, everyone knows the basics
about [the bands] Can and The White Stripes, but people may not be as
familiar with the histories and personnel of such lesser-known groups as
Tuxedomoon and JJ72."

He then opened the CD booklet and began reading aloud.

"'My Dad Is Dead is a versatile group (actually one guy, Mark Edwards) from
Ohio,'" McCue said. "'From the swooping highs of my best days to the
crushing lows of my worst, I've always been able to relate to MDID. This
song, 'Where's Our Reason,' from the Shine(r) CD, was actually released in
1993 as part of the limited-edition Working Holiday series of 7-inch singles.'"

Though the liner notes are rich with details about the most of the songs,
they are occasionally brief and to the point. For instance, McCue describes
Killdozer's cover of EMF's "Unbelievable" with just two words: "Fuck, yeah!"

McCue went on to explain his choice of images for the CD's cover art, saying,
"It's a picture of a crashing speedboat I got off the Internet. Very chaotic
and random, much like the music itself."

McCue said he plays the CD at work several times a day, propping the jewel
case against an eye-level row of DeKuyper Schnapps bottles to maximize its
visibility.  Thus far, no customers have asked about it.

"I took a few chances on this mix," said McCue, attempting to explain the lack
of interest. "For example, I kicked it off with Martin Denny's 'Quiet
Village,' an unorthodox first song if there ever was one. Why did I do so?
Because it's an ideal musical metaphor for my life, seemingly uneventful but
filled with wonder and strangeness. And while it's the only exotica on the
CD, it perfectly sets the stage for an eclectic voyage through my life,
starting with the 'Quiet Village' of my birth."

McCue burned the CD for his own personal enjoyment, but said he would be
willing to lend it to friends. Should a loan occur, the liner notes are a
vital means of ensuring that every track is given the due it deserves.

"I wanted to make sure no one skipped a track," McCue said. "For example,
most people would think a transition from Neu! to Afrika Bambaataa to Aphex
Twin would be a little jarring or awkward, but it actually flows quite
nicely thanks to the unity of influences. I make sure to point that out in
my liner notes, discussing the heavy debt that both ambient and hip-hop owe
to Krautrock."

As of press time, McCue is working on the liner notes to the as-yet-unburned
Opium Of The Masses Vol. 2, which he promises will clear up any lingering
confusion from the first CD, as well as explain his longtime fascination
with both Ray Conniff and Julian Cope.