Perhapsy

New Demos

2010-04-17T14:46:00.000-07:00

I've been working on a few new demos recently and thought I'd share what I've got so far -- hope you enjoy.

"Mountain (Demo)" Click Here

"Gatsby (Demo)" Click Here

love,
derek

PICS (SXSW and OTHERWISE)

2010-04-07T02:40:00.000-07:00

A SXSW Summary... of Sorts

2010-03-22T11:24:00.000-07:00

So, I'd wanted to have kept a day by day blog summary of our time in Austin for the festival but that quickly went out the window due to late nights and constant running around town.

All in all, it was a really good time.

Here's my attempt at capping things off:

Tuesday: Got into Austin, went out for Thai, went to Vice on 6th street to see Max Justus do a set. A good introduction to the festival.

Wednesday: Saw a really good and free Surfer Blood show at the excellent record store Waterloo Records (this place had some great stuff). Ate good diner food with cats from the record machine. Later that night we met some really great people from Springfield, MO at Vice who had the misfortune of dancing and drinking a tad bit too much — so we shared PB&J, water, sympathy with them and they turned out to be some of our best friends the rest of our stay in Austin.

Thursday: Slept in at the hotel, went down to the Jackalope to see our friends/label-mates Capybara and Cowboy Indian Bear play. It was a really good show and people looked stoked about the free beer. Jon and I went to 6th and San Marcos to see the Morning Benders and/or Danielson but upon arrival, the echos of "Did I Step On Your Trumpet" signified our late arrival. Still, we were just in time to see the very great Here We Go Magic who made staying on one chord never sound so good. Afterwards, we went back downtown and met up with Jon's friend from Olympia named Charlie. Charlie was really fun to hang with and so were his great friends. We headed back to San Marcos to see GZA of Wu-Tang fame. Everyone had their W's swaying from side to side. Afterwards, Scott arrived and we met up for a hot second in a crazy loud bar before heading back to the hotel. A good night.

Friday: After sleeping in, we drove to our super-friend Bill's (Scott's old buddy who we met and stayed with the last time we were in Chicago) and greeted a room filled with sleep zombies who'd been partying until 5 AM. So, we let Scott and Co. get their beauty time in and ate some good early lunch a local spot. Afterwards, we did a couple quick ultra-acoustic run-throughs before scoping out our first venue: Casa De Gallo. Which was, in fact, a casa.

Being a casa (ie: house) show, we decided to just have as much fun as possible, which, I think we succeeded in doing. Really good vibes. Later that night, we walked downtown with a herd of various people before setting our sights on Mountain Man — a three-woman group with enrapturing vocal harmonies. On the way, we conveniently met up with our old friends from Vice who were in much better health and happiness than when we last saw them. It was a trek but it was really fun walking around and the MM show was really special. Despite whatever incompetence on the part of the sound guy — feedback, etc. — the group decided to sing a cappella and it was unlike anything else I'd heard at the festival or in a long time. There's talent and then there's something that borders on supernatural. This was the latter.

We ended the night with more walking before hitting Thai Passion for a second round of eggrolls, rice and Thai Iced tea.

Saturday: Being the only ones awake before noon, Jon and I met with our friends again for some good coffee, good conversation and goofy drawing at Spider House Cafe before parting ways. We'll miss 'em. Still, we were hanging out with our great host Bill and his buddies. We went to a BBQ diner and ate some of the best food I'd had in years — breaking my vegetarian diet, if only for this moment, was well worth it. After seconds of the best tasting Pecan Pie ever made, we eyed an amazing Jurassic Park logo on the back of a jeep — pictures will be shared soon enough.

The show at Canvas that night went well, although I had a lot of trouble sound-wise — it's the chance you take when borrowing gear, I suppose. Nevertheless, it was so cool to have all our friends there to support us and even my mom — a ringleader of sorts — seemed to have a good time. Motorboater and Max Justus played after and it was seriously inspiring to hear music both bumpin' and personal.

The hardest part was splitting ways with Jon and Scott — we'd been seeing a lot of each other the last few weeks in Berkeley, San Francisco and Mill Valley. But we ended things on a good note and plans are already brewing for the springtime and summer.

So, when it comes down to it, South By isn't just a place to see a lot of good shows and events, but, for me, it's a place to encounter new people, new ideas, and most importantly, BBQ (?)

signing off,
derek

Cow-Town

2010-03-16T17:19:00.000-07:00

Jon and I just got into Austin today after a midnight flight and morning arrival — slept for five hours in the hotel where I dreamt of Stephen King's IT torturing me with Jello (?!).

We're both currently watching American Idol half-ironically and half-seriously — you never can get enough pop sludge...

But anyhow, I'm really looking forward to the rest of the week, exploring TX's capital city and seeing some new and old friends. Planning on hitting downtown for some Thai food — why not?

Take a look at the pic for details about our upcoming shows and stand by for more stories, pics, etc.

-derek

p.s. oh, and if you're not already in Austin, get your arse down here already.

Longtime Comin'

2010-03-06T14:47:00.000-08:00

Well, obviously, it's been a while.

Since last post, I've still been living in Mill Valley, CA where I've been working, writing and doing some music. For a while, I had been very discouraged musically and felt I had lost my ability to play the guitar. Somewhere in the last two months or so, I've regained confidence in this area and I'm happy to say I've been playing a lot more and have been recording some new demos — which I hope to share very soon.

But more importantly, this past week Scott Brown and Jon Thompson came to California and we've been rehearsing for our performances at this year's SXSW festival in Austin, TX. I've never been before and I'm very excited about the shows as well as the experience.

All in all, it's been great to see my boys again and I can't wait to play more music with them. If you or anyone you know will be in the Austin, TX area during the festival, please come out.

The dates are:

Friday, March 19th @ Casa De Gallo (2604 Diaz St.), 7 PM

Saturday, March 20th @ Canvas, 11 PM

Also, I'll be doing my best to update this thing more often — take care of yourselves.

Love,
Derek

Soaring Eagle Vs. The Lonely Catapillar

2009-11-11T19:07:00.000-08:00

So I had an idea for a kiddie book a while back and illustrated the concepts in a journal. Since then, I recorded (on garage band) a demo song for each page. You will find them here in backwards order, so please scroll from bottom to top (ie: page 1-13) and click on the links to download the songs. So, without further ado, I give you: SOARING EAGLE vs. THE LONELY CATAPILLAR!

Pg. 13 song (click here)

Pg. 12 song (click here)

Pg. 11 song (click here)

Pg. 10 song (click here)

Pg. 9 song (click here)

Pg. 8 song (click here)

Pg. 7 song (click here)

Pg. 6 song (click here)

Pg. 5 song (click here)

Pg. 4 song (click here)

Pg. 3 song (click here)

Pg. 2 song (click here)

Pg. 1 song (click here)

After Dore

2009-10-25T19:11:00.000-07:00

I've been doing some interpretations of Gustave Dore's famous Biblical drawings. I haven't made my way through Genesis yet, but I'm persistent. Here are the current results (forgive the amateur scanning -- just got a new scanner and I'm learning the ropes).

Hope you enjoy.
Yours,
Derek

Q's, Q's, Q's

2009-10-19T10:45:00.000-07:00

What does one do with one's time? Here's a question I've been struggling with for weeks and two months now. While music and art have always been sanctuaries, lately, my inspiration feels tapped.

I don't know whether to blame it on laziness or medication, but I've been sluggishly parading through the day. Sometimes I just want the day to end so I can go back to sleep. Other times, I'm anxious to do something meaningful with my time. So, now, I'm just filling the void by typing here at the computer hoping for some sort of enlightenment to strike me.

What do we do with the time given to us? I'm not sure but I'm willing to bet it has something to do with other people. Who and what do we value? Who and what's really important?

I'm still trying to figure out the man I want to be in the future. I know others who are seeking the same things. May we be blessed on this path and not fall apart too easily.

In other words, I believe help me with my unbelief.

-derek

Life After Hospitals

2009-09-12T19:16:00.000-07:00

Hello all,

Let me first address the matter of the unfinished tour blog — it happened for a few reasons:

A.) Laziness
2.) Craziness
D.) 12 days in a mental hospital in OKC

Yes, it's all true. The real truth, however, is the love of my friends and family have seen me through a troubled time in my life. I've been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and the meds seem to be doing their trick.

I'm currently living with my mother and grandmother in beautiful Mill Valley, CA on top of Mt. Tamalpais — north of Muir Woods (where G. Lucas shot the famed Ewok scenes in Return of the Jedi). I can't think of a better place to recuperate, relax and recover which I plan on doing in the following weeks. Currently waiting on some delicious baked mac n' chee while digging on Santana's classic first album.

So anyone worried, please don't worry. Life's too short to be bothered with those feelings.

Anyhow, music and art have been sanctuaries my entire life and I've spent a great deal of the past month doing these things. Keep checking as I plan on posting them sooner than later.

You are loved,
Derek

P.S. Read II Tim 1:7 if you ever find yourself in my shoes.

TOURRUOTTOURRUOT

2009-08-03T15:16:00.001-07:00

So I totally neglected to keep tabs on the tour via this blog. This will be remedied.

RECAP:

Tour has been going really well — so far, we've played three shows.

Thursday was Nashville @ 5 Spot with Denney and the Jets/Daniel Pujol, ACTION!, and Natalie Prass. All of these bands were so very good — by far, one of the best sounding shows I've ever seen at the 5 spot — I was surprised how well the acoustics turned out. Playing with some of my favorite people and musicians in Nashville was super-special and (despite a tornado warning) we had some of my best friends and random people come out and it was a very good and chill way to kickoff the tour (complete with numerous stuffed animals, freaky life-sized Barbie and collapsing tin-foil stage reflectors). The next day, before packing up, we caught a midnight showing of obscure Japanese horror/comedy HOUSE (HAUSU). Which, of course, kicked all of our asses — so good!

Friday we played in Louisville Kentucky at a neat cafe called Derby City Espresso. Special thanks to Matt Kinder from Parade Schedule for setting it up and playing one of the best sets I'd seen in a while. These guys also just signed to the Record Machine label and I couldn't be happier to be labelmates with such a talented band. Matt was super-cool and let us crash while making sure we got our fair dose of Batman movies — right on. To make matters only better, Danny (Parade Schedule's bassist) and his wife hosted us the following morning for an exceptional breakfast/brunch. Biscuits, veggie-gravy, melons, cereal, donuts and eggs were consumed in mass quantities. Yet nothing could prepare us for the badass Bananas Foster desert treat — basically orgasmic.

Saturday we played our second show with Parade Schedule, this time in Bloomington, IN at another cafe called the Pourhouse. This was a seriously great time as I was super stoked to be catching the ridiculously great band Heavy Hometown. Not only the nicest guys in the world, this band kicked so much ass — if you haven't heard them, you need to. But special thanks to Anna from the Pourhouse for opening up the doors despite the cafe not usually being open on Sundays. It was a great night and very positive. Afterwards, shots, beer and Jimmy Johns took the edge off before Empire Strikes Back and cannabis made for a giggly, absurdist late-night conversation before dreamland. Special thanks to Eric for putting us up and to Cory for the shots and good vibes.

PRESENT:

Sitting with mediocre coffee at a friendly coffee shop in Ukrainian village (??) of Chicago before we play at the Darkroom — Monday night in Chicago? Yes, expectations aren't sky high to say the least. Still, a good time is guaranteed because it's been so much fun to play the songs with Scott and Jon. We're in great spirits and I can't imagine being in a better frame of mind for this trek.

Stay tuned for more updates and if you're in town, we'd love to see you at a show — be real.

love,
derek

LINKS:::::

http://www.myspace.com/denneyandthejets
http://www.myspace.com/danielluccapujol
http://www.myspace.com/natalieprass
http://www.myspace.com/actionsongs

http://www.myspace.com/theparadeschedule
http://www.myspace.com/heavyhometown

Porky Pig

2009-07-22T17:45:00.000-07:00

Here's a new demo for you to chew on:

CLACKXXX HEREZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Tour is almost booked completely, stay tuned.

-derek

btw, that's not all folks...

the time is nigh

2009-06-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

not much time to chat, folks.
too busy... booking... tour... and... writing... drawing... stuff... music... too.. and...

ah!

must.. tell.. you.. perhapsy... album... is... now... on... itunes!

Link: here!

and Amazon!

Link: here!

stay tuned for more fruity pebbles and remember: "MINOR BUN ENGINE MADE BENNY LAVA!!"

p.s. here's an interview I did with the awesome grouper for TMT: here
st.vincent and pattern is movement live show review for TMT: here

Links, Links, and Sausage links

2009-05-17T14:57:00.000-07:00

So, it's been a while.

Apologies.

Since last post, I got a few interviews published with a couple of my favorite artists:

Take a gander —

Interview with Charlie Looker from Extra Life: CLICK HERE

Interview with Randy Chabot from Deastro: CLICK HERE

In other news, I watched a pretty good documentary on the life and art of Henry Darger (one of his paintings is pictured above) called In the Realms of the Unreal.

Watch it before youtube takes that shit down! clackity click

Also, I've been busy getting kicked out of my apartment, finding new housing and working on art, music and writing.

Same old same old — more or less.

Some of my new illustrations/weirdness may be found here: CLOCKITY CLICK CLACK

All right, enough links already!

Hope the warm weather finds you and finds you well.

Love,
Derek

p.s. The second picture (below the Darger) is when Jonathan and I played at Calvin's FFM at the DAAC. A perhapsy tour is coming up for late July/early August — stay tuned...

Full Album Stream

2009-04-19T10:16:00.000-07:00

The kind gentleman from KC's the record machine are currently streaming the album in it's entirety, for a time.

It's to be officially released JUNE 16th.

There. Now you have a date.

Row, row, row your boats, children...

Link: Click this button right here... no, right here. that's it.

Or enter this punk: http://www.therecordmachine.net/front/

Bye,
Derek

New Demo (Just In Time for TTTAXES)

2009-04-14T18:20:00.000-07:00

Things that make me happy right now:

1.) $5 copy of Art Spiegelman's MAUS

2.) Louis Wain (he's the dead guy that painted the lovely, psych-cats in front of you... I've never had the desire to get a tattoo until seeing some of his work — don't worry, I'm too much of a pussy for that )

3.) Easter card from my mom.

4.) Grouper

5.) New comics to share...

6.) "Remade Horizon"

7.) Getting to work on new music — see below.

Have fun — song's tentatively called "Lazarus." Don't ask why, please.

Download me: CLICK!

take pear and pizza out,
derek

p.s. don't forget to do those taxes, you crazy kitties, you.

Back in Ohio

2009-04-01T09:08:00.000-07:00

So I just spent twelve hours riding a greyhound.

The first four hours were nightmarish — an overstuffed 3:45 AM bus from Nashville to Kentucky in which the toilet overflowed. I didn't have room to store my guitar, so I had to stay awake and move it whenever someone needed to pass through the aisle. Pretty wretched... but I quickly learned the importance of getting on board early.

The last few bus trips — Louisville to Cincinnati to Columbus to Mansfield were surprisingly pleasant! I talked to a very kind older lady who was familiar with Ann Arbor, Nashville and Grand Rapids. She was going to visit her son Jonathan in Ohio because he was very ill. She was a very sweet person and I gave her a CD because she said she wanted to listen to it. Some fascinating people at Greyhound stations... To say the very least.

Here I am now in good ol' Manfield, OH. Well, definitely old — good? It has it's moments.

For instance, the first thing I heard upon arrival at the greyhound station was "With Arms Wide Open" by, according to Mansfield radio station MIX 106, THE Creed.

It was a very Mansfield, OH moment.

Went to Athens Greek Restaurant and munched on some delicious falafel, fries and baklava — cheap and delicious.

My good friend Jon Thompson, who's responsible for recording, engineering and playing on the perhapsy album, picked me up and we're getting stuff together for a performance in Grand Rapids. It should be very exciting and fun to see some best friends there and share some food and music.

So, that's about it...

If you haven't heard of him, check out the artwork of Louis Wain — really incredible.

This post was boring. Sorry.

Best,
Derek

New

2009-03-15T19:37:00.000-07:00

Inspiration is a tricky thing.

Had a bit of it today. The result? Another garageband demo.

Mucho improvisio on this one.

Enjoy: click right here

love,
derek

p.s. extra credit if you guess the sample... ;(

ffm updated -- i's patting meself on ze back.

2009-03-02T20:54:00.000-08:00

Hey guys,

Me again.

Some more good news to share: I ended up placing in the top 5 of Calvin College's FFM Bandspotting. Which, apparently, means two perhapsy songs will be featured on a whole bunch of CD's distributed to attendees of the festival.

I've always been a fan of the festival (I even wrote about my experiences for the Michigan Daily back when I was in school at UM: here )

I'm told Asthmatic Kitty boss-guy Michael Kaufmann and Andy Whitman of Paste magazine were the two gents put in charge of judging the entries. They had these kind words to say:

"From an instrumental standpoint, this is the most impressive music I heard in the whole batch of songs in the final list. There’s some seriously great guitar work here. Both “Bow Song” and “The Elephant Vanishes” feature an intriguing mix of electronica collage and sweet fingerpicking. It reminds me of some of the early Windham Hill music, back when “New Age” was not a derogatory musical category, and the music actually had some substance. Wonderful, lovely, and engaging
music."

Awfully kind.

Here's a link:
click

Anyhow, haven't decided if I have the funds to attend or not, but if you end up going to the festival, I hope it's as good as the last few years.

best,
derek

p.s. i'm currently in san francisco visiting my mom and was treated to some banging steamed artichokes... don't get much better than steamed artichokes.

Comix, etc.

2009-03-01T03:03:00.000-08:00

So, it's been a while.

Apologies to anyone who cares.

For the obvious reasons, I've been pretty busy with work, music, writing and whatnot. Since my last post, I had some stuff published on Dusted and Stereo Subversion — because I do that sort of thing.

In other minor accomplishments, at the persistent encouragement of a friend, I recently submitted some music to Calvin College's FFM deally. Apparently, I've made it into the top ten peeps along with some old friends (Deastro and Aaron Roche). Hot potatoes... If you want, check out the submissions here (some really good ones including my great friend Charlene Kaye and breathe owl breathe — my favorite band from Michigan).

After some delay, the art for the perhapsy album is coming along well. Things should be ready for early May... I think itunes should have that stuff, but yeah... No more procrastination is the goal...

But enough about that shizzz, on to a subject everyone loves: homemade comics.

Well, maybe not everyone. Either way, I've been drawing a whole lot lately and am happy to share some of the randomness and resulting crazies. A good deal is meant to be humorous, but some of it's personal stuff, so, apologies if I offend.

Take a gander: here

best regards,
derek

p.s. happy march.

Correction —

2009-01-24T16:46:00.000-08:00

I've been informed, by a friend, that my previous link — the one to the Fell Trees cover song — was faulty.

My apologies.

Here's the right one:

"Seeing Is Believing" (Fell Trees Cover)" by Perhapsy Download

Best,
Derek

"Seeing Is Believing" — Brian Militana/Fell Trees Cover

2009-01-18T09:41:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I have ideas.

This one began as a vague frustration — while on tour with my old band, my friend showed me some music by a guy named Brian. I was really impressed with it. But I also figured the guy, with his deep baritone, to have been about 38 or something.

Later that night, unbeknownst to me, Brian opened up a show in Nashville, TN. Before the music began, I had no clue it was the same guy. I remember saying to another person at the bar — "Is this what it feels like to see Johnny Cash for the first time?"

I'm not sure if Brian is continuing to do music, but here's the frustrating part: more people should know about his stuff.

So, my idea was to at least try and cover one of my favorite songs on the most recent record Territory

My first attempt was pretty bad — being that I have little to no singing talent whatsoever.

A month or two later — after working on a few original demos (the ones I posted previously). For whatever reason — probably just to fulfill the old "finish what you start" saying — I tried again.

Which brings me to my latest idea: I asked a few folks familiar with the music of Brian Militana and Fell Trees to work on a cover album of sorts. I wanted to make it available for free to anyone interested in listening. If anything, I feel the stuff is too important to go unnoticed. There's a unique challenge in covering a song which may prove to be exciting for some.

A few people have already agreed, but I'll let you know how it goes.

I hope it to be a cool project.

In the meantime, here's a cover of "Seeing Is Believing" (I suggest listening to the Brian Militana/Fell Trees original first — http://www.myspace.com/brianmilitana )

Here's my version:

"Seeing Is Believing" (Fell Trees Cover)" by Perhapsy Download

Best,
Derek

In Defense of the Coolness of Uncle Buck / Two New Demos

2008-12-29T15:09:00.000-08:00

Uncle Buck Russell is a hero of mine.

Although I'd been keenly aware of my fondness for the John Candy character (and most Candy roles, in general), watching the classic 1989 John Hughes movie on my flight yesterday — returning from a Christmas in Iowa — I discovered why.

I identify with the John Candy character in more ways than one. I find, however, Candy's Buck transcends my personality in every way possible.

In order of increasing importance, here's the best explanation I can offer as to why Uncle Back is way, way cooler than me:

a.) Uncle Buck is a loner.

Although it should be noted that Uncle Buck has a girlfriend (albeit sort of on the rocks), he openly talks to himself while driving alone in his car — the significance of which I will get to later — or when talking to the Russell family dog. An element obviously designed by Hughes to get us inside the mind/exposition/backstory of Buck without the pesky internal monologue device. Regardless, Buck often feels sorry for himself but is never apologetic about his integrity as an out-of-work, clumsy bum. Something I wish I had the courage to do.

b.) Uncle Buck drives the single greatest car in the history of film.

Affectionately referred to as "the Beast," Buck's car is a '75 Mercury Marque coupe rusted through and through. It emits thick, ominous plumes of smoke everywhere it goes — at one point in the film, this even causes a married couple to pull up next to Buck on the road and remark, "Your car's on fire." Once parked, however, the engine performs a sound remarkably equivalent to an atomic bomb being dropped, plunged through the atmosphere, and finally, detonated. Yet the coolest thing about Buck's ride is just how incredibly proud Buck is of "the Beast." Throughout the entire film, not only does Buck gleefully signal with his hand the well-calculated back-fire and emission of car-fumes, he flat-out threatens anyone who has a problem with the Beast's style.

Case-in-point, after Buck's bitchy niece's boyfriend asks, "Do you know how whipped an engine has to be to blow that loud? You ever hear of a tune-up?" Buck responds "You ever hear of a ritual killing?"

HOW COOL IS THAT!?!??

Anyone who knows me personally, knows of the majestic, rusted and near-legendary 1993 Ford Escort I've been driving for over five years (which my sister drove for six years before me). A car which I've since named George, for no good reason. The plain truth, however, is: I cannot compete with Buck. The Beast kicks George's ass every time.

Bizarrely, when Candy drops off his bitchy niece (she's played by Jean Louisa Kelly, you know the homewrecker from Mr. Holland's Opus? Yeah, it's that one where Richard Dreyfuss comes up with the most insanely idiotic reason to listen to John Coltrane) at school, an unnamed "on-set extra" and black student declares, whisperingly: "That's my car. That isn't my car."
Huh?
Somehow, as if ordained by God, Himself, this young man offers my sentiments PRECISELY.

c.) Uncle Back wears the most-hated and, therefore, the coolest hats of all-time.

Now, this may seem like a superficial point, but I assure you it is not.

The reason involves two isolated incidents and two different hats. The first being a classic Canadian bomber (an article of clothing I would not be surprised in the least if Candy — the greatest Canadian export aside from Godspeed You! Black Emperor and The Band — had brought onto the set himself). After Buck drops off Kelly, he asks the other Russell children (including an early sketch of Home Alone's Kevin McCallister): "You think she hates me?" To which the other niece (the younger and immensely less bratty one) responds "With a passion." "Really. You think it's the hat? A lot of people hate this hat. It angers them, just the sight of it. I'll tell you a story about that on the way to school."

Reader, I know exactly what Buck is talking about. I own this very hat and let me go on record: people really do hate these things. The difference in character — or rather, the difference in coolness — between myself and Buck is that I really do feel self-conscious about my bomber... It's depressing, but sometimes, I leave my bomber at home when I know others may take offense.

Oh, but to be Buck Russell!

In the very next scene, after openly admitting the hatred folks find with the bomber-hat, Buck picks up his niece (the bitchy one) wearing his hat not with simple pride, but absolute certainty of coolness.

The second incident and second hat is, by far, the greatest stance and statement Candy makes within the film.
Along with his synonymous stogie, it is the wool fedora that is the Buck Russell Classic.
Near the film's end, a parent warns Buck:
"I don't think you oughta go in there with that hat on. They'll kill you."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
"Thanks for the tip."
Buck is on his way to rescue the bitchy niece from a dangerous party. He's just thanked another man and his wife for warning him about a future decision that may mean the difference between his life and death.

And here, reader, as you may well guess, is the reason Uncle Buck Russell is not only the coolest motherfucking uncle in the history of uncles (with the important ambiguous exception of Tom Petty, who may or may not be someone's actual uncle) but the greatest figure to ever don an inexhaustible array of sweater-vests and wool scarfs:

Buck still wears the hat to the party.

While much of Candy's acting cred, sadly, vanished with his untimely death and the subsequent film atrocity that is Wagons East, Buck Russell lives on.

What's even more sad, however, is when film critics degrade Candy's legacy (often unwittingly) by bringing up his body-size: an aspect which made Candy seriously self-conscious throughout his career and up until his death.

For example, take Gene Siskel's criticism of Chris Farley:

"Chris Farley is not funny. I knew John Belushi, I knew John Candy. He's no John Belushi or John Candy. He's a bad actor [...] I've never seen him be funny with any script. He just runs around, screams and rolls on the ground like a fat man."

While Siskel is attempting to compliment Candy as being an exception to the simple "fat-joke humor" of Farley or whatever it is, he ends up insulting Candy by refusing to take the actor on his own terms. He simply brings up the body-size thing. Either way, as I mentioned, Buck lives on in spite of it all.

Director John Hughes was classified as a "teen angst" director before Candy came along and forever altered Hughes's formula for the modern blockbuster comedy... In retrospect, Ferris Bueller's Day Off and The Breakfast Club (both by Hughes) were indeed angst-ridden in all the right ways. I have several friends (usually older than me) who found sincere inspiration in characters like Bueller, Cameron Frye, and "the basket case" all the way to "the criminal."

But, for me, born in 1985 (the same year the Breakfast Club debuted and only one year before Bueller), when it came time for me to find an on-screen role model, Uncle Buck bestowed his face — touting a cigar with hatchet and drill in hand.

I will certainly never be as cool as said Uncle — but, after meeting my 3-moth-old nephew Noah this past Christmas, I can try. Lord knows, I can try.

Oh, yes and here's two new perhapsy demos. The first is instrumental and is temporarily called "Cadence." The second has some of those vocal things and is temporarily titled "John Lennon." Enjoy:

"Cadence" by PerhapsyDownload

"John Lennon" by PerhapsyDownload

-Derek

Addendum #1: In the film, Buck, like myself has NO CLUE how to carry out a normal phone conversation. In this and only this, we are equals.

Addendum #2: Buck tells off an assitant principal, a horrid woman with an enormous mole on her chin, by saying: "Here's a quarter. Go downtown and have a rat gnaw that thing off your face." Yes. He then proceeds to walk the wrong way down the hallway...

Addendum #3: Danny Devito was actually up for the role. This has no real significance in my argument, however, this sort of blew my mind.

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Welcome... strangeness to follow

2008-12-21T08:25:00.000-08:00

Hello.

This is the first blog post of the new perhapsy/Derek Barber blog.

Yes.

Because myspace isn't the worst place to blog/share ideas/share song demos, etc. — but it's definitely not the best — I've resorted to yet another form of internet communication.

Being the first installment, I'd like to share some of the music projects I've been working on recently (i.e. the last three months or so).

First, here are two remixes I did — one for some friends in an Ann Arbor band called Mason Proper and one for... um, Radiohead.

Because limitations on resources can often prove to be inspiring, the Mason Proper remix was attempted with the notion of using only the original stems.
The Radiohead remix, however, was done in the opposite manner... lots of guitar overdubs, etc. — Also, this remix features John Vanderslice reading a segment from Joe Wenderoth's "Letters to Wendy's" via Daytrotter's Bookery.
Enjoy.

Several other demos (potentially new perhapsy songs) are brewing, and, yes, I will share them with you. Thanks for asking.

So stay tuned... it's going to get awkward.

"Reckoner (Perhapsy Remix)" by Radiohead Download

"Safe for the Time Being (Perhapsy Remix)" by Mason Proper
Download