Madi Don't Leave ...

Way back in the days of the Myspace craze there was a boy named Dan Hunter and his electronic one man band, PlayRadioPlay! There was something so great and refreshing about his angelic voice and simple lyrics that no one could resist. One of my personal favorites was a song titled "Madi Don't Leave" about his then girlfriend Madi moving away to college.

Their love, like his music was not only plastered all over myspace but appeared to be so innocent and pure. Mix this with both of their incredible artistic aesthetics, and they became a power couple in my eyes.

The beauty of PlayRadioPlay! was it's simplicity. Every song had a free flowing and poetic quality to them and seemed to lack the conventionality and structure of most pop songs produced today. There was a certain rawness to Dan Hunter's work that was refreshing and so different from most things I'd ever heard. Best of all the music never felt like it was an assualt on the senses, always soft and beautiful. The flowy quality of the music gave it a sort of ambiguity that made it perfect to listen to, no matter what mood you were in.

Dan Hunter's talent really showed as he managed to create a fanbase through online networking and scored major gigs like Warped Tour, one of the biggest concerts in the summer. At the age of 17 he was able to land a contract with Island Records.

Self taught in nearly everything from playing the guitar and drums to creating electronic music, Dan Hunter's candid lyrics were unusual and in a way, quirky. They were obviously not written by professionals or by someone hired to do the job for him, increasing the natural poetry, rhythm and flow that each song had. The fact that each of his songs came straight from the source drew me even deeper in love with his music.

And then there was Madi.

"I'm pretty sane but

I'm looking at my future

and, god, do I have to lose her?"

I'm not really sure what happened to Madi and Dan or just Madi, for that matter, but for the time that I felt that I knew her (or rather lurked her myspace page intensely), she was basically my idol. She appeared to be everything I wanted to be: cool, confident, and artsy. Plus she was Dan Hunter's girlfriend. I couldn't imagine who wouldn't want a cute musician boyfriend to write you songs.

Listening to some old PlayRadioPlay! songs, I thought that the lyrics to "At This Particular Moment In Time" hinted at reasons for their breakup.

"and I can see why you'd pick them over me

they all got big trucks, big subs and I'm not 18

In four months, I'll be one year away

But that's far too long to wait I'm afraid.

...

In four months

you'll be in college far away

and that's all I have to say."

But that's just my guess.

If you are in any way familiar with Dan Hunter and PlayRadioPlay!, you'd know that he has since given up the moniker and adopted the new name of Analog Rebellion for his latest band. With the release of his latest album as Analog Rebellion, Hunter also a final look at his work as PlayRadioPlay! with all of his work, including some never before heard tracks such as one of my personal favorites, "Selfish Introvert". The creatively titled "Besides, Nothing (B Sides and Rarities 2003- 2009)" functions as a B-side compliment to Analog Rebllion's first ever release, "Ancient Electrons".

So chop off your long locks and slap on the occasional mustache and you have the new and improved, all grown-up Dan Hunter. With more sophisticated lyrics and instrument based songs, Analog Rebellion makes a transition into a new era. As Dan Hunter has stated in interviews, he sees his music moving in a new direction and best way to make a clean break from what he was doing before was to change his name completely. It's been an interesting ride watching this young texan musician rise to fame. His musical career began as an outlet for his emotions following his father's tragic death and an alternative to the hard core drugs he had turned to in his youth, and it is exciting to see Analog Rebellion make its move out into deeper material as Dan Hunter continues to develop artistically.

"Is there any way you can change schools and stay up here in fort worth

'cause you're what I look for.

I've got a hopeless crush, and maybe that don't mean much to you

but, I'm hoping this can keep going.

Madi, dear, can't we just disappear and take our chances

on a teenager's romances?"

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

After watching The Breakfast Club, I couldn't help myself and went on a John Hughes film watching "binge", and by binge I mean also watching Ferris Bueller's Day off. I was lucky enough to find the John Hughes commentary on this film. I've seen it a million times before and Ferris Bueller is one of my favorites. He's hands down, the coolest guy I've ever met, even if it was through the television screen. You might even say this character was what put Matthew Broderick on the movie map. Ferris was the kind of kid I wish I had known in real life and sometimes even aspired to be myself.

As the back of the movie reads:

Ferris Bueller. Larger than life. Blessed with a magical sense of serendipity. He's a model for all those who take themselves too seriously. A guy who knows the value of a day off. "Ferris Bueller's Day Off" chronicles the events in the day of a rather magical young man, Ferris. One spring day, toward the end of his senior year, Ferris (Matthew Broderick) gives into an overwhelming urge to cut school and head for downtown Chicago with his girl (Mia Sara) and his best friend (Alan Ruck), to see the sights, experience a day of freedom and show that with a little ingenuity, a bit of courage and a red Ferrari, life at 17 can be a joy.

I love Jeannie's little mouth wipe/hand gesture here. So immature but so great. These beginning scenes of the movie really summed up teenagers as a whole, although they seem innocent, they are really capable of much more. For example, Ferris diceiving his parents by acting like a small, helpless child while he has greater plans to spend the day skipping school or the way he childishly plays with his hair in the shower while talking about politics.

Growing up, I watched Ben Stein on the Fox news business program block "The Cost of Freedom". In between "Bulls & Bears" and "Forbes on Fox" there was "Cavuto on Business". Every weekend morning, I would wake to the sounds of Ben Stein's voice arguing away with Neil Cavuto and Jack Welch on politics and the economy. So you can imagine what a strange sense of nostalgia I had seeing him as Ferris's high school teacher.

"Anyone, Anyone?"

Here we have Ferris dancing to the theme song for "I dream of Jeanie", and then we cut to a seriously peeved Jeanie Bueller. haha.

The Breakfast Club

This past week in my psychology class, I've been watching The Breakfast Club. It's been so long since I last saw this movie that I almost forgot how much I loved it. Watching this movie for the first time I wanted so badly to be as pretty as Claire (Molly Ringwald), fall in love with a delinquent like John Bender (Judd Nelson) who would be so cool yet such a dick to me, and befriend kids like Allison (Ally Sheedy), Andrew (Emilio Estevez) and Brian (Anthony Michael Hall) through a deep confessional after lighting joints in an impressively large school library.

It wasn't until this week that all these feelings of excitement, happiness and envy came rushing back and I transformed into an overnight Breakfast Club manic. I eventually stumbled upon this beautifully assembled set of screencaps. Not all of them are up here, I just chose my favorites along with some memorable quotes from the movie.

The Breakfast club (1985)

Saturday, March 24, 1984.

Shermer High School

Shermer, Illinois 60062

MRS. JOHNSON: Well, get in there and use the time to your advantage!

BRIAN: Mom, we're not supposed to study. We just have to sit there and do nothing.

MRS. JOHNSON: Well, mister, you figure out a way to study!

BENDER: Eat my shorts.

ahh, dandruff art.

BENDER: Being bad feels pretty good, huh?

VERNON: What if your home... what if your family... what if you dope was on fire?

BENDER: Impossible, sir. It's in Johnson's underwear.

burning in the library

BENDER: How come you got so much shit in your purse?

CLAIRE: How come you have so many girlfriends?

BENDER: I asked you first.

CLAIRE: I don't know. I guess I never throw anything away.

BENDER: Neither do I.

ANDREW: What do they do to you?

ALLISON: They ignore me.

ANDREW: Yeah.

ALLISON: It was a hand gun?

BRIAN: No, it was a flare gun.

"We are not alone

'Cause when you cut down to the bone

We're really not so different after all"

CLAIRE: You know you really do look a lot better without all that black shit in your eyes.

ALLISON: Hey! I like that black shit.

BENDER: You know how you said before how your parents use you to get back at each other? Wouldn't I be outstanding in that capacity?

BENDER: See you next Saturday.

"Rain keeps falling, rain keeps falling

Down, down, down"

Dear Mr. Vernon,

We accept the fact that we have had to sacrifice a whole Saturday in detention for whatever it was that we did wrong, but we think you're crazy to make us write an essay telling you who wee think we are. You see us as you want to see us - in the simplest terms with the most convenient definitions. But what we found out is that each one of us is a brain, an athlete, and a basket case, a princess, and a criminal. Does that answer your question?

Sincerely yours,

The Breakfast Club

Teen Vogue: Queen Bees

Due to my obsession with Gossip Girl, specifically Blair Waldorf, I have grown to subsequently obsess over anything related to prep schools, the Upper East Side, and all things Blair-related. So naturally, when Teen Vogue published this charming slideshow I had to post it up here.

The introduction lines read:

"little ladies. Make like the queen bee in candy tweeds, sweet bows, and sparkly pins freshened up with graphic tees and jeans."

Although not done in the true essence of Blair, I always love a good interpretation.