The Best Best Man's Speech & Music Video. Ever.

Instead of giving speeches at their brother's wedding, two guys made the most ridiculously epic music video for him. Two words: silver spandex.

Bravo boys for proving the existence of time travel once and for all. The '80s lives again!

G

Kanye West Tweets Make Great New Yorker Captions

Have you read Kanye West's tweets? If you haven't, they're hella awesome! I don't know about him being the voice of a generation, but you never know what kind of entertaining and outrageous thing the man's gonna say.

His tweets also make great captions for New Yorker cartoons.

Please check them out here.

Holla!

G

Robert Burns & Michael Jackson: Together At Last

Let me get this straight. Michael Jackson, of all people, has collaborated on a recording that sets Robert Burns poems to music. What's next? Jessica Simpson does Byron? How about Amy Winehouse slurs along to Dylan Thomas? Or Brit-Brit does a John Berryman dance remix? That would be sweet.

From The Guardian:

Robert Burns's poetry might have been dismissed as "sentimental doggerel" by Jeremy Paxman but that hasn't stopped diminutive I'm A Celebrity contestant David Gest and pop legend Michael Jackson from recording an album of the much-loved Scottish poet's work.

More here.

John Cale - Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night

I haven't had a chance to see the recently released pseudo-biopic of legendary Welsh poet, Dylan Thomas called 'The Edge of Love' but in the spirit of Thomas, here's a gorgeous performance of his famous poem, "Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night" set to music by John Cale. It was performed live in 1988 with the Helmonds Concertkoor and the Metropole Orkest.

Leonard Cohen headed to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Leonard Cohen - Canadian poet, novelist, and singer/songwriter extraordinare - is going to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on March 10, 2008. Congrats!

More here.

View a unique vid of a young Cohen performing "Hallelujah", complete with a chorus, and a German introduction.

The Humans Are Dead - Flight of the Conchords

Speaking of robots, here's a clip of New Zealand comedy duo, Flight of the Conchords, performing "The Humans Are Dead." A delightful ditty about robots taking over the world.

View here.

Silver Jews - How Can I Love You (If You Won't Lie Down)

I just recently discovered David Berman's poetry and would recommend picking up his debut collection Actual Air.

His poetry is strange, haunting, and very funny.

Berman also happens to be the frontman for the band The Silver Jews.

This song is off their newest album Tanglewood Numbers (2005).

Book of Longing: Leonard Cohen & Philip Glass

On June 1-3 , as part of Toronto's Luminato Festival, the words and lyrics of Leonard Cohen's Book of Longing will be set to music by legendary composer Philip Glass.

More here.

Moondoggy Recommends #9

We All Belong: Dr. Dog

My favorite song so far from 2007 has to be "My Old Ways" by Dr. Dog off their new album We All Belong. The Philadelphia based band sound like they belong in a different era. Their penchant for catchy melodies, harmonies, and lush instrumentation, makes it seem like they'd be comfortable playing alongside The Beatles and The Beach Boys. While it could be argued that they're just Beatles wannabees, they've been able to produce songs that sound timeless and familiar yet still wholly original and contemporary. Don't walk, run, to buy their new album. It'll have you singing, "I don't want to go back to my old ways..." over and over.

Album Highlights: The whole thing is great but personally I'd say, "Old News", "My Old Ways", "The Girl", "Ain't it Strange", "We All Belong".

View Dr. Dog's Myspace page here.

Moondoggy Recommends #4

The Hold Steady

The Hold Steady are a great Brooklyn-based indie band that have recently caught my attention. Their most recent album, Boys and Girls in America, channels inspiration from the likes of Jack Kerouac and John Berryman. In "Stuck Between Stations", for instance, frontman Craig Finn sings about poet John Berryman jumping to his death off the Washington Avenue Bridge in Minneapolis: "The Devil and John Berryman, they took a walk together/And they ended up on Washington talking to the river." Great stuff.Their tunes are catchy and Finn's raspy voice brings to mind Soul Coughing's Mike Doughty but what stands out most are their strong lyrics, wit, and their Beat-like vibe. They might not be indie for too long though... tonight they're performing on The Late Show with David Letterman.

Visit The Hold Steady.

The Hold Steady MySpace page.

Article on John Berryman's influence on The Hold Steady from The Poetry Foundation.

Highlights: "Stuck Between Stations", "Chips Ahoy", "Southtown Girls", "The Swish".

Moondoggy Recommends #2

Rodrigo Y Gabriela

Rodrigo y Gabriela are a Mexican, Dublin-based musical duo who specialize in playing fast, rhythmic acoustic guitars. Their self-titled album includes covers of of Led Zepplin's "Stairway to Heaven" and Metallica's "Orion". Their ability to fuse classical guitar styles with rock have won audiences over, beating out both the Arctic Monkeys and Johnny Cash to be number one in the Irish charts this past spring.

Visit Rodrigo Y Gabriela.

Album highlights: "Tamacun", "Diablo Rojo", "Stairway to Heaven", "Orion".

Moondoggy Recommends #1

Here is where we at Moondoggy's Pad will be recommending things to you. And by "we", I mean the pluralis majestatis, otherwise known as the "royal we". Things discussed will vary, from books, films, CDs to snacks, and stores. This feature will appear sporadically until a regular schedule is decided upon. Until then, please enjoy the first Moondoggy Recommends:

Knives Don't Have Your Back: Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton

This album is quite a departure from Emily Haines' day job as the frontwoman for indie rock band, Metric. While Metric fans may be wary of its slower pace, this delicate, haunting album showcases Haines' beautiful voice and unique musical talents. Haines has a penchant for striking lyrics dripping with social commentary and Knives Don't Have Your Back shines with lyrics like "Bros before hos is a rule read the guidelines" and "We don't know how to help. Only how to hump." She begins her North American tour at the Outremont Theatre in Montreal on January 4th, so get the album before checking out her live show.

Visit Emily Haines & The Soft Skeleton.

Album Standouts: "Doctor Blind", "The Lottery", "The Maid Needs a Maid", "Mostly Waving".

Patrick Watson: Close to Paradise

I like to promote local artists as much as possible so this is a heads up on a Montreal band that I predict will make it big 2007: Patrick Watson. Their dreamy, genre-bending rock will have you floating on the clouds. Watson seems to channel Buckley (it's no surprise then that the band lists Buckley as one of their influences), Chris Martin, and others, but ultimately they have an atmospheric style that makes you feel like you've entered a surrealist painting. Trust me, watch out for them.

Visit PatrickWatson.net.

Album standouts: "Slip Into Your Skin", "The Storm", "Drifters", "The Great Escape", "Bright Shiny Lights".

Herman Dune 'I Wish That I Could See You Soon'

Classes are over at Columbia but I still have papers and one exam to complete before I head back to Montreal.

I just finished a fun essay on Michael Onaatje's, The English Patient, so I'm in the mood to celebrate.

Eva sent me this cute music video by Herman Dune and thought I would share it with all of you. Enjoy, and I dedicate it to all my friends and family back at home.

See you soon!

Click here to see Herman Dune's 'I Wish That I Could See You Soon'.

"Weird Al" hits the top 10

Not too long ago I posted 'Weird Al' Yankovic's music video for "White & Nerdy", the single from his new album "Straight Outta Lynwood". It's amazing that in a career spanning twenty-seven years, none of his albums have ever been on the Billboard Top Ten. Until now.

Apparently, "Lynwood", Yankovic's 12th album, debuted at No. 10 this month on the Billboard 200. Not only that but "White & Nerdy" reached no. 9 on the Billboard Hot 100.

Funny is fab.

Read a CNN article about his recent success here.