For years I’ve been afraid to admit my attraction to Peter Dinklage. I’m embarrassed to even confess that trepidation. But thanks to GQ, my inner monologue is has been outwardly validated. Watch below for Dinklage’s attempt at a serious interview while surrounded by nearly naked women.
Barbara Walters Discusses the ’10 Most Fascinating People’ — ‘The View’ Ladies Disagree
If you read The Dishmaster regularly, then you know my two biggest idols are Howard Stern and Barbara Walters. In the clip below, you’ll understand my love for Walters, who unveiled her ’10 Most Fascinating People’ on ‘The View’, which resulted in a backlash from her fellow co-hosts. My favorite line of the clip comes from Walters, when she says, “Why do I do this show, I could have a happy life on ABC News.” Watch below.
Ryan Adams Sings Lucky You on Letterman — Kills It!
There’s a running joke amongst my musician posse that every song must be at least 100 beats per minute for me to like it. To be fair, they are correct. Sad music either depresses me or adds to an already existing depression. That being said, I will make an exception for Ryan Adams who blew me away with his performance of “Lucky Now” on Letterman. The song appears on his album, Ashes & Fire.
Jesse James Disses Sandra Bullock on ‘American Chopper’ — Still in Love?
The opposite of love is apathy, not hate. So it only makes sense that Jesse James is still madly in love with Sandra Bullock, given that he consistently bashes her in every possible medium. His latest slam happened on American Chopper, where James said, “I became a big shot and married some Hollywood actress and didn’t talk to anybody anymore, so I feel bad. . . I feel obligated to reconnect with all these people and show ’em that I’m still the same fabricator motorcycle guy. I’m not what I became.” It’s amazing he was married to that “Hollywood actress” for years, and now he flippantly dismisses her. With all that animosity you’d think she was the one that cheated. Watch the video after the jump.
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Howard Stern Quote of the Day — Does He Believe in Santa Claus?
“I really wish they’d do away with that. Lying to children and telling them that there’s a guy named Santa and it really exists and you have to look your kid in your eye and lie. Kids are scared out of their minds by that story. There’s nothing comforting about a guy in a red outfit breaking into your house and doing weird sh*t.” The Jewish Howard Stern on Robin Robinson, an anchor at Fox Chicago, having to apologize for telling children there’s no Santa.
Chelsea Clinton Gets NBC News Job — Nepotism Schmepotism
The entire world is run on connections, so it only makes sense that Chelsea Clinton gets pushed to the front of the pack. She’s joining NBC news as a correspondent, which has predictably resulted in claims of nepotism. Sure she might not have the job without President Bill Clinton as a father, but is there anything wrong with that? Are we really supposed to believe that anyone gets a job from a blind resume? Even colleges give preferences to children of alumni. And what about actors? Would we know about Keifer Sutherland, Anjelica Huston or Michael Douglas without their famous parents?
Lady Gaga’s New ‘Marry the Night’ Video — Where’s the F*****g Song?
I must hate performance art. That has to be the explanation for why I think Lady Gaga’s new video for Marry the Night is absolutely awful. I shouldn’t be so harsh though. After all, it’s not really a music video. It’s more like a fine-tuned, overpriced, musicless misstep that the “little monsters” will predictably drool over with delight. But to put my critique plainly — where’s the f*****g music? Oh right — it starts at minute eight (no, I’m not kidding). We sure have come a long way since Thriller.
Quote of the Day — Daniel Craig Bashes the Kardashians
“‘Ooh I want to be alone.’ F*** you! We’ve been in your living room. We were at your birth. You filmed it for us and showed us the placenta and now you want some privacy? They’re worth millions. I don’t think they were that badly off to begin with but now look at them. You see that and you think, ‘What, you mean all I have to do is behave like a f***ing idiot on television and then you’ll pay me millions?'” Daniel Craig on the Kardashians
Mike Doughty Interview: Yes and Also Yes
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Mike Doughty is a talented guy. I’ve been a fan since my high school days when I played Soul Coughing on repeat, and I later became addicted to his solo work when my musically adept cousin pointed me to Haughty Melodic, one of my favorite albums in history. So when he agreed to do an interview with The Dishmaster to promote his new album, Yes and Also Yes, I was elated. While preparing for the interview, I quickly discovered that he and I have very different feelings about the band he spent numerous years with. In fact, he once referred to his time with Soul Coughing as “the devil’s asshole.” You can therefore imagine my trepidation on broaching the subject. But I wouldn’t be The Dishmaster if I didn’t get the dish. So I dove right in, and I happily discovered that Mike was not only gracious about discussing the subject; he was also honest, which is rare in this industry. Read my interview below, and then listen to his song, “Na Na Nothing,” at the end of the post. It’s fantastic, and so is he.
I was a huge Soul Coughing fan. You’ve described your experience with Soul Coughing as “Dante’s Inferno.” Do you think being in a band inherently lends itself to fights over songwriting?
No. My band mates, in my opinion, were sociopathic. It was worse than your average band conflict. The majority of the songs were solely written by me. My band-mates’ [perspective] was “You’re not very good, and you’re very lucky to have found us,” and they also threatened to leave the band over the [songwriting split], and they were stupid enough to have done that. I do not know a story of a band crazier than mine.
Did they ever approach you after reading your interviews about them?
No. I refuse contact. But there was an interview with the keyboard player, where he basically said, “Doughty doesn’t really write music at all,” and he wasn’t trying to be a dick. He really believed that. It would be one thing if they were just mean-spirited and conniving, but to really talk to someone and say “The sky is blue,” and have them follow up, “No, it’s red” . . .
Is that why you no longer sing Soul Coughing songs?
I choose not to sing them. Chances are I wouldn’t sing those songs even if it was a good experience. I just want to get away from it. I just have songs that I like better. I’m not going to come to your house and steal your iPod. You are welcome to listen to those songs. But I don’t want to play it. If people come to the show and say they want to hear “Super Bon Bon,” I’ll tell them not to come back. And if I could give you your money back, I would. I genuinely dislike the Soul Coughing stuff. I don’t think most of the songs are very good at all.
Is that because you’ve changed styles as a musician since your time in the band?
If I had not had to constantly appease my band-mates, it would have sounded more like my solo stuff. We were Captain Beefheart, and we could have been Led Zeppelin. It sucks that this work I really dislike is hanging around my neck. I feel like a creative person that wants to keep creating art and I have a large audience that digs it.
Too bad schmucks like me keep asking you about Soul Coughing.
I don’t think you’re a schmuck. I just really wish honestly, humbly, and respectfully that guys that want to hear Soul Coughing don’t come to the shows. It’s so aggravating.
Did getting away from the label contribute to your freedom as a solo artist?
The label was very good to us. But there were a lot of stupid decisions made by my band-mates that lost [the label] money, and I look back and don’t understand why someone didn’t step in and say, “This is what you’re going to do and you’re going to like it,” because it would have been better for us.
I’ve heard you say that you make more money now than you did on the label.
It loops back to the band. But I also don’t own the Soul Coughing songwriting. The label was making a profit even when we were in the hole. But the band spent a lot of money. I remember a gig in DC and my drummer insisted on taking a tour bus instead of a van. There was so much money spent. I am not excluded from that. I would stay at the Royalton for a month making my record, and when I got out I couldn’t pay my rent. When I went solo that’s when it all made sense to me. Also — I wasn’t wasted anymore.
When you write music, do you ever look back on your songs and discover a new meaning?
Yes. You have a perspective on the emotional context after playing it for a bunch of years that you don’t have when you record it. I don’t really want to talk about it because very, very deep factors in my personality are revealed to me years later. But I’ll tell you one thing – “I don’t need to walk around in circles” was about Soul Coughing.
I love the song “Holiday” on the new album. I read that Rosanne Cash said something nice about you during a concert. Did you contact her after hearing what she said?
She said from the stage, “I’m really nervous because Mike Doughty is here and he’s such an amazing songwriter,” and my jaw hit the floor. So when Dan Wilson and I wrote “Holiday,” there happened to be this note there that I couldn’t hit, so my solution was to get a female backup singer who would sing along with the chorus . . . but I [thought] . . . as a shot in the dark, let’s send this to Rosanne Cash and see if she’ll do a full-on duet . . . And she said yes. It was astonishing.
Because of the climate of the music industry, artists are making most of their money on tour. Does the excessive traveling bother you?
No, I love touring. This last tour I did with the band was a dream. Everybody was so awesome. I’m touring with dedicated, smart, funny, interesting people that are a blast to work with, and I like being on the road.
Is it true you wrote this on an artist’s colony? Do you usually write in one condensed period of time?
It was more writing from square-one than I had done in the past. I wrote it in a more linear way than I [usually] work in.
How did you choose the title, Yes and Also Yes, for the album?
It was an improvised headline to an OkCupid profile. You can’t put the profile up without a headline, which is annoying, so I wrote “Yes and Also Yes.”
Quote of the Day — Adele
“Even if I had a really good figure, I don’t think I’d get my tits and ass out for no one. I love seeing Lady Gaga’s boobs and bum. I love seeing Katy Perry’s boobs and bum. Love it. But that’s not what my music is about. I don’t make music for eyes. I make music for ears.” Adele on whether being in the spotlight makes her concerned about her weight.