What did you during the “Big Game”? Watch the commercials and cheer for the Murder Birds? JT and I decided to build some shelves! (This is the normal activity during sporting events, right?) I set the plan in motion by picking out a bunch of lumber and once we dragged it home, it seemed best to just go ahead and put it together right away since otherwise it would be still junking up the music room.
We got the plans/idea from Ana White (originally found via Young House Love), carpenter extraordinaire and we used the living room as our workshop.
The dogs cowered in front of the TV while we worked.
We’re not really a sports house, so we sawed and glued, clamped and drilled during the game and paused for the commercials. I almost couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the familiar curly grey locks of Wayne Coyne early on in the broadcast. See the commercial on YouTube here.
{Image via Google Images from here}
I immediately imagined the hipster revolt to follow. “The Flaming Lips sold out!” they will cry. Here’s my take: with the sad state of current music being marketed like lunch lady slop to the masses, if the Flaming Lips go quote unquote “mainstream”, isn’t that a good thing? Wouldn’t this signal a return to good taste – to true artistic expression and not contrived trite designed to sell records? And while, by definition, the Lips did “sell out” by allowing their song to be used in a commercial that is selling a car, this clip is pure Flaming Lips. Robots, confetti, inflatable hamster-wheel balls, galactic travelers . . . methinks the Lips had complete artistic control if not a huge say in this video.
I listen to Pandora at work occasionally and they have a really well-written bio of the Flaming Lips — my favorite part is the beginning: “Even within the eclectic world of alternative rock, few bands were so brave, so frequently brilliant, and so deliciously weird as the Flaming Lips.” {Jason Ankeny, Rovi} So even though we didn’t have a team in the “Big Game” race, I still feel like we won.
(And more pictures when we get these shelves sanded, primed, painted and hung. We originally got enough lumber to make three but one of the 1x4s was so warped that we didn’t end up fabricating the third shelf. These ledges are destined for the new music “listening station” I’m creating in the living room.
Cheers – CT
Living Analog 
Good job. I also used the Super Bowl to my advantage. I’ll leave you with that. 🙂
Ooh – cryptic! I like it!
Oh, you are a lady I LOVE! A girl who knows good music and realizes there’s a whole lot of crap out there. And just so you know I totally get the “completing a project” during the super bowl thing. It’s a tradition for me to go to the grocery store during the game. NOBODY is in the store. I get to drive my cart recklessly down the aisle, no waiting in line, and plenty of produce to choose from. BUT… the Doritos are usually scarce. HA HA!
You know I really have no problem with bands doing that as long as they get to do it their way. They’re making music for a LIVING and who doesn’t want a change to earn some dough. I feel you are so correct in that they definitely had a say. YAY for the LIPS!
I felt this type of excitement when Arcade Fire won a grammy.
SAY WHAT? Amazing that an indie band like that would take the prize. Looking forward to seeing the shelves. Let me know if you want some eyeballs to go on them. (laughing)
Ewwww. I shouldn’t have said that eyeball thing. It is my kryptonite. We’re not allowed to watch the Grammies at my house, husband get too upset at the state of modern music and the random pairings/mash-ups of guests performing together. Such is life.