I blame staynobody for this.
I am suddenly, irreparably obsessed with Sweden and all things Swedish. How can such a small (talking population here) nondescript country generate so much cool? Observe: after perusing staynobodys year-in-review (which is quite good, actually, minus a few glaring omissions which well go into at a later date when our Idle Time Top 20 gets posted), one album caught my eye: #3 by Suburban Kids With Biblical Names. It has been in constant rotation in my car since this weekend.
Now, here, in a suitable-for-XM-radio play, is a (mostly) verbatim account of yesterdays drive and the conversation that spawned a movement.
Noise of traffic whizzing by. Noodles comes on over car radio, quiet at first, but volume increases following initial line of questioning.
RF (passenger seat): What is this?
MDG (driving): This? This, my friends, is something we missed. Suburban Kids With Biblical Names. The Swedish Magnetic Fields. Its fucking brilliant is what it is.
WH (backseat): He does sound like Stephen Merritt.
MDG: Are you getting the Cat Power? Im not. You get it.
WH: Yeah. And the Prince Billy Tortoise thing.
MDG: The Karaoke album?
WH: Shut up. Whatre you getting Rex?
RF: Nothing man. Im along for the ride. No money.
WH: You know theres going to be something
MDG: All shiny and new sale sticker calling you
WH: Like maybe a new Incubus or
RF: Fuck OFF! That was one time! Jesus! I swear I will never hear
MDG: Maybe the Test Icicles.
RF: Shut up! You know, though, Im really digging this.
WH: That is by far the stupidest goddam band name
RF: Suburban Kids ?
WH: No! Test Icicles. I dont even like saying it.
MDG: Whats really cool, although Im not positive, is I think theyre actually singing Noodles are the smell of denial.
RF: Maybe the language barrier screwed them up. Like they think theyre singing Noodles are the smell of delicious.
MDG: No, its just you know, Sweden, man. Theyre fucking awesome. Everything Swedish
RF: Swedish fish?
MDG: Yes! Exactly! I love Swedish fish! The predecessor to the gummi bear, right? Am I wrong?
WH: (singing) Noodles are the smell of denial, you will never
RF: No, I once bought a big, were talking really, like, you know, big bag of red Swedish Fish. I like the gummi worm quite a bit, so I figured but no, I got really sick.
MDG: Did you eat the whole bag?
WH: (singing) You will never grow up
RF: I dont think so.
MDG: Well, regardless, where would the gummi worm be if not for the Swedish Fish?
RF: Good point. And Swedish meatballs, yeah?
WH: Swedish meatballs, YES!
MDG: And bands. I mean, nowadays especially, every time I hear a new band and Ill be all Oooh, kinda like that. Wherere these guys from? the answer invariably comes back
WH: Sweden.
RF: Sweden. The Shout Out Louds are from Sweden.
MDG: Yes! See what I mean? And the Moonbabies
WH: Yeah, thats right. And that Jose Gonzalez guy.
RF: A guy named Gonzalez is from Sweden?
MDG: Jens Lekman. The Hives, obviously. Mando Diao. Soundtrack Of Our Lives, Hellacopters, Hotnights
RF: Mando What-o?
WH: Love Is All.
MDG: Love. Is. All. Ace. Of. Base. Jesus, what is this, a conspiracy? How does this happen? Whatre they doing over there in Sweden?
RF: You know what this means, dude. Swedish party.
MDG: Thats a really good idea.
RF: Swedish Fish, Abba, Swedish beer
WH: (singing) Noodles are the smell of denial Swedish ladies!
MDG: That is a really good idea. Im serious. Swedish beer, though? Help me out. And no Abba.
RF: Duh, Probably the Best Beer in the World
MDG: Carlsberg? Danish.
WH: Close enough. The Concretes are from Sweden. And the Caesars, I think.
RF: The International Noise Conspiracy. But they suck.
MDG: No, really, this is happening. They dont suck! Theyre not my favorite, but and then well all go to IKEA.
RF: Oh, come on.
MDG: I like buying furniture at IKEA. I like putting it together myself.
WH: And you like the fact that it falls apart if you try to move it to another room.
MDG: Because then I get to buy more furniture! Swedish movies! Ingmar Bergman, Swedish? Will?
WH: Yeeees. What about the original Insomnia? Isnt that Swedish?
MDG: I thought it was like Norwegian but, shit yeah! That movie was amazing!
RF: (singing) Noodles are the smell of denial, you will never grow up
WH: I think they speak both languages but I think its a Swedish film. So is, like Roger Federer your favorite tennis player?
MDG: Hes Swedish?!?
ALL: (singing) Noodles are the smell of denial, you will never grow uuuuuuuuuuuuup!
Fade out.
So help me out. You all are very smart people. Its why I associate with you of course. Am I wrong? Is everything Swedish not amazingly cool and interesting? Anybody know any words or phrases? Recommendations for facepaint? Im really feeling a gold-on-blue Swedish flag. Maybe die my hair blonde for a day. Im told I need to get my hands on some Aquaveet and eat cold crayfish with runny cheese. That sounds pretty good. Lingonberries! I love lingonberries. Im going to Sweden. 2007. Done, I said it. I will bask in Swedish glory in the summer of 2007 and (hopefully) finally come to understand what it is that makes Sweden so damn spot-on cool. But first, Swedish fiesta.
And, hopefully, this will pan out far better than that week last year when I became obsessed with pirates ech.
I am suddenly, irreparably obsessed with Sweden and all things Swedish. How can such a small (talking population here) nondescript country generate so much cool? Observe: after perusing staynobodys year-in-review (which is quite good, actually, minus a few glaring omissions which well go into at a later date when our Idle Time Top 20 gets posted), one album caught my eye: #3 by Suburban Kids With Biblical Names. It has been in constant rotation in my car since this weekend.
Now, here, in a suitable-for-XM-radio play, is a (mostly) verbatim account of yesterdays drive and the conversation that spawned a movement.
Noise of traffic whizzing by. Noodles comes on over car radio, quiet at first, but volume increases following initial line of questioning.
RF (passenger seat): What is this?
MDG (driving): This? This, my friends, is something we missed. Suburban Kids With Biblical Names. The Swedish Magnetic Fields. Its fucking brilliant is what it is.
WH (backseat): He does sound like Stephen Merritt.
MDG: Are you getting the Cat Power? Im not. You get it.
WH: Yeah. And the Prince Billy Tortoise thing.
MDG: The Karaoke album?
WH: Shut up. Whatre you getting Rex?
RF: Nothing man. Im along for the ride. No money.
WH: You know theres going to be something
MDG: All shiny and new sale sticker calling you
WH: Like maybe a new Incubus or
RF: Fuck OFF! That was one time! Jesus! I swear I will never hear
MDG: Maybe the Test Icicles.
RF: Shut up! You know, though, Im really digging this.
WH: That is by far the stupidest goddam band name
RF: Suburban Kids ?
WH: No! Test Icicles. I dont even like saying it.
MDG: Whats really cool, although Im not positive, is I think theyre actually singing Noodles are the smell of denial.
RF: Maybe the language barrier screwed them up. Like they think theyre singing Noodles are the smell of delicious.
MDG: No, its just you know, Sweden, man. Theyre fucking awesome. Everything Swedish
RF: Swedish fish?
MDG: Yes! Exactly! I love Swedish fish! The predecessor to the gummi bear, right? Am I wrong?
WH: (singing) Noodles are the smell of denial, you will never
RF: No, I once bought a big, were talking really, like, you know, big bag of red Swedish Fish. I like the gummi worm quite a bit, so I figured but no, I got really sick.
MDG: Did you eat the whole bag?
WH: (singing) You will never grow up
RF: I dont think so.
MDG: Well, regardless, where would the gummi worm be if not for the Swedish Fish?
RF: Good point. And Swedish meatballs, yeah?
WH: Swedish meatballs, YES!
MDG: And bands. I mean, nowadays especially, every time I hear a new band and Ill be all Oooh, kinda like that. Wherere these guys from? the answer invariably comes back
WH: Sweden.
RF: Sweden. The Shout Out Louds are from Sweden.
MDG: Yes! See what I mean? And the Moonbabies
WH: Yeah, thats right. And that Jose Gonzalez guy.
RF: A guy named Gonzalez is from Sweden?
MDG: Jens Lekman. The Hives, obviously. Mando Diao. Soundtrack Of Our Lives, Hellacopters, Hotnights
RF: Mando What-o?
WH: Love Is All.
MDG: Love. Is. All. Ace. Of. Base. Jesus, what is this, a conspiracy? How does this happen? Whatre they doing over there in Sweden?
RF: You know what this means, dude. Swedish party.
MDG: Thats a really good idea.
RF: Swedish Fish, Abba, Swedish beer
WH: (singing) Noodles are the smell of denial Swedish ladies!
MDG: That is a really good idea. Im serious. Swedish beer, though? Help me out. And no Abba.
RF: Duh, Probably the Best Beer in the World
MDG: Carlsberg? Danish.
WH: Close enough. The Concretes are from Sweden. And the Caesars, I think.
RF: The International Noise Conspiracy. But they suck.
MDG: No, really, this is happening. They dont suck! Theyre not my favorite, but and then well all go to IKEA.
RF: Oh, come on.
MDG: I like buying furniture at IKEA. I like putting it together myself.
WH: And you like the fact that it falls apart if you try to move it to another room.
MDG: Because then I get to buy more furniture! Swedish movies! Ingmar Bergman, Swedish? Will?
WH: Yeeees. What about the original Insomnia? Isnt that Swedish?
MDG: I thought it was like Norwegian but, shit yeah! That movie was amazing!
RF: (singing) Noodles are the smell of denial, you will never grow up
WH: I think they speak both languages but I think its a Swedish film. So is, like Roger Federer your favorite tennis player?
MDG: Hes Swedish?!?
ALL: (singing) Noodles are the smell of denial, you will never grow uuuuuuuuuuuuup!
Fade out.
So help me out. You all are very smart people. Its why I associate with you of course. Am I wrong? Is everything Swedish not amazingly cool and interesting? Anybody know any words or phrases? Recommendations for facepaint? Im really feeling a gold-on-blue Swedish flag. Maybe die my hair blonde for a day. Im told I need to get my hands on some Aquaveet and eat cold crayfish with runny cheese. That sounds pretty good. Lingonberries! I love lingonberries. Im going to Sweden. 2007. Done, I said it. I will bask in Swedish glory in the summer of 2007 and (hopefully) finally come to understand what it is that makes Sweden so damn spot-on cool. But first, Swedish fiesta.
And, hopefully, this will pan out far better than that week last year when I became obsessed with pirates ech.
VIEW 11 of 11 COMMENTS
s all your fault.
xoxo