Stand by Your Mann
August 15, 2012 5:20 AM Subscribe
Aimee Mann's [previously, previously] highly anticipated eighth studio album CHARMERS is due out in September, and the songstress is about to go on tour to support it. But she's worried about the toll that touring will take on her. The solution (courtesy of sporadic mefite John Hodgman and a dead-panning Laura Linney)? A robot double.
Video directed by Tom Scharpling [previously, previously].
Bonus: live footage of another new Aimee Mann song, LABRADOR.
Video directed by Tom Scharpling [previously, previously].
Bonus: live footage of another new Aimee Mann song, LABRADOR.
I'm glad she was able to get time off from her housekeeping job.
posted by The Deej at 6:08 AM on August 15, 2012 [14 favorites]
posted by The Deej at 6:08 AM on August 15, 2012 [14 favorites]
Two of my crushes together in the same video... I'm feeling 14 again right now. Have the sudden urge to Blingee up my MeFi profile.
posted by lily_bart at 6:18 AM on August 15, 2012
posted by lily_bart at 6:18 AM on August 15, 2012
Aimee Mann sure has come a long way since she used to yell at me for spending too much time perusing the books at Newbury Comics in Boston.
posted by xingcat at 6:19 AM on August 15, 2012 [8 favorites]
posted by xingcat at 6:19 AM on August 15, 2012 [8 favorites]
I'm gonna buy this album, and put a bird on it.
posted by DigDoug at 6:21 AM on August 15, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by DigDoug at 6:21 AM on August 15, 2012 [4 favorites]
Her husband Michael Penn is no myth slouch, either. He composed the music for HBO's Girls.
posted by emelenjr at 6:25 AM on August 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by emelenjr at 6:25 AM on August 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
Yay! Great job everyone. That was nice, now I'm happy and will have a good day.
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 6:27 AM on August 15, 2012
posted by (Arsenio) Hall and (Warren) Oates at 6:27 AM on August 15, 2012
Mann has employed a robot to write her songs for years, it's good that she's finally giving it the credit it deserves.
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 6:34 AM on August 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by Ice Cream Socialist at 6:34 AM on August 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
Scharpling: The fact that we shoved a three-time Oscar nominated actor into a cardboard box covered in a huge sheet of plastic wrap on the hottest day of the year still baffles me...
That's called being a total fucking badass champ, that's what that right there is.
posted by psoas at 6:39 AM on August 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
That's called being a total fucking badass champ, that's what that right there is.
posted by psoas at 6:39 AM on August 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
Anyone else feel like the blue is begging for a Tom Scharpling Megapost?
posted by activitystory at 6:45 AM on August 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by activitystory at 6:45 AM on August 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
I will buy this and then buy it again just to be sure I bought it, even though I think she stole my J-45 for that vid.
Also I want to be Aimee Mann when I grow up or have her babies or maybe just wash her car or something.
posted by digitalprimate at 7:02 AM on August 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
Also I want to be Aimee Mann when I grow up or have her babies or maybe just wash her car or something.
posted by digitalprimate at 7:02 AM on August 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
Loved her since 'Til Tuesday, and she has great taste in men. Before Penn, (I have a live acoustic version of his song Long Way Down that moves me to tears-- great songwriter) she dated Dave Gregory from XTC. Haven't heard this yet, as I'm at work, but will most certainly spurge on the album soon.
posted by Devils Rancher at 7:12 AM on August 15, 2012
posted by Devils Rancher at 7:12 AM on August 15, 2012
She's terrific. And as if she weren't awesome enough, she also appeared as one of the nihilists in The Big Lebowski.
posted by Gelatin at 7:24 AM on August 15, 2012
posted by Gelatin at 7:24 AM on August 15, 2012
Wonderful, thanks! but I have to say, Aimee Mann is about the last person on earth I'd describe as a "songstress."
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:37 AM on August 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:37 AM on August 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
wait, Hodgman didn't actually tour last year, it was his robot double?
AND it turns out the PRESIDENT was a Cylon? This changes EVERYTHING.
posted by mwhybark at 7:48 AM on August 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
AND it turns out the PRESIDENT was a Cylon? This changes EVERYTHING.
posted by mwhybark at 7:48 AM on August 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
I finally figured out Aimee Mann had some chops after hearing some of her stuff in a local bike shop 15 years ago. Before that I thought she was just Pop fluff, in the same way Thomas Dolby and Nada Surf took it in the keester for letting their singles out to the world without anyone knowing the rest of their catalog. It's great to see her continuing to put out good music, and her live shows are great. Saw her touring with David Cross about a decade ago and it was one of the funniest things I ever saw.
posted by docpops at 7:54 AM on August 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by docpops at 7:54 AM on August 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
Aimee Mann was a huge influence on me throughout college. She has such talent and class, and clearly is willing to laugh at herself. I'm so glad she's putting out more music.
Thanks for the links!
posted by blurker at 8:06 AM on August 15, 2012
Thanks for the links!
posted by blurker at 8:06 AM on August 15, 2012
She can send the robot to play vampire towns!
posted by ThatFuzzyBastard at 8:31 AM on August 15, 2012 [4 favorites]
posted by ThatFuzzyBastard at 8:31 AM on August 15, 2012 [4 favorites]
Wow, these new concert robots look a lot better than they used to.
posted by kurumi at 8:44 AM on August 15, 2012
posted by kurumi at 8:44 AM on August 15, 2012
I love Aimee Mann, but is the last linked borked? Here's the most popular version on YT.
posted by mrgrimm at 9:23 AM on August 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by mrgrimm at 9:23 AM on August 15, 2012 [1 favorite]
Yeah, I did bork that link. This was the one I was linking to but I like yours better.
posted by unSane at 9:50 AM on August 15, 2012
posted by unSane at 9:50 AM on August 15, 2012
Also, Wise Up from in Magnolia is pretty much one of my favorite movie scenes ever.
posted by mrgrimm at 10:32 AM on August 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by mrgrimm at 10:32 AM on August 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
Monkey Joe says "Friends don't let friends play the Magnolia soundtrack."
posted by Zed at 11:01 AM on August 15, 2012
posted by Zed at 11:01 AM on August 15, 2012
Saw this yesterday on the NPR site and loved it. Glad its making an appearance on the blue. Mann has consistently created smart lyrics and great music for years and I always love seeing her get a little more exposure.
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:12 AM on August 15, 2012
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:12 AM on August 15, 2012
(also, she dated songwriter Jules Shear for a while, just to add to the "awesome people she's dated" list)
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:13 AM on August 15, 2012
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:13 AM on August 15, 2012
It's now official -- Learning that Laura Linney was anything less than fully awesome would be a little bit heartbreaking. Like learning that Johnny Cash was a real dick to waiters or that Dolly Parton was actually horrible to people.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:30 AM on August 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 11:30 AM on August 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
Lost in Space is her best album. Go to it first if you're a new listener.
posted by joseppi7 at 12:13 PM on August 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by joseppi7 at 12:13 PM on August 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
Ha, that's my least favorite, but de gustibus non est disputandum.
I'm a big fan of Whatever, The Forgotten Arm and Smilers.
posted by unSane at 12:17 PM on August 15, 2012
I'm a big fan of Whatever, The Forgotten Arm and Smilers.
posted by unSane at 12:17 PM on August 15, 2012
I'm a sophomore album junkie so it's I'm With Stupid for me.
posted by mrgrimm at 12:46 PM on August 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
posted by mrgrimm at 12:46 PM on August 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
Aimee Mann's songs -- I'd say 98% of them -- have such a peculiar rhyme scheme. You can almost always recognize a song as Townes Van Zandt's from its cadence and melody, and I'd say that you can almost always recognize hers from their rhyme scheme.
Also, just to further document Laura Linney's awesomeness: She did the intro to both seasons of Downton Abbey, but it's almost like she became a fan of the show after the first season aired and was giddy with excitement about introducing the second season. Compare the intros from both seasons. Before the season 1 shows, she was obviously just reading from cue cards (and was, dare I say, robotic). In the intro to the season 2 shows, she's obviously REALLY excited about the episode that's about to air.
It was so cute, I just wanted to sit on the couch next to her and watch more Downton Abbey.
posted by mudpuppie at 1:23 PM on August 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
Also, just to further document Laura Linney's awesomeness: She did the intro to both seasons of Downton Abbey, but it's almost like she became a fan of the show after the first season aired and was giddy with excitement about introducing the second season. Compare the intros from both seasons. Before the season 1 shows, she was obviously just reading from cue cards (and was, dare I say, robotic). In the intro to the season 2 shows, she's obviously REALLY excited about the episode that's about to air.
It was so cute, I just wanted to sit on the couch next to her and watch more Downton Abbey.
posted by mudpuppie at 1:23 PM on August 15, 2012 [2 favorites]
I love Aimee Mann's music and all, but she terrifies me. I think in some past life I was a rodent and she was an owl.
posted by Max Udargo at 10:32 PM on August 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
posted by Max Udargo at 10:32 PM on August 15, 2012 [3 favorites]
Monkey Joe says "Friends don't let friends play the Magnolia soundtrack."
Monkey Joe sounds like a real dick.
I'm a big fan of Whatever, The Forgotten Arm and Smilers.
I am amused to report that not only is it pronounced Fucking Smilers as I thought, but the orthography of the title is so software-unfriendly that Wikipedia is forced to do whatever the opposite of bowdlerizing is in titling the page for it.
posted by psoas at 7:29 AM on August 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
Monkey Joe sounds like a real dick.
I'm a big fan of Whatever, The Forgotten Arm and Smilers.
I am amused to report that not only is it pronounced Fucking Smilers as I thought, but the orthography of the title is so software-unfriendly that Wikipedia is forced to do whatever the opposite of bowdlerizing is in titling the page for it.
posted by psoas at 7:29 AM on August 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
Ha.
The correct title of this article is @#%&*! Smilers. It appears incorrectly here because of technical restrictions.
Funny, I would have translated it as "dern" or "fudging."
Where do you put it alphabetically? Start or end? (Or F?) I say end.
posted by mrgrimm at 7:41 AM on August 16, 2012
The correct title of this article is @#%&*! Smilers. It appears incorrectly here because of technical restrictions.
Funny, I would have translated it as "dern" or "fudging."
Where do you put it alphabetically? Start or end? (Or F?) I say end.
posted by mrgrimm at 7:41 AM on August 16, 2012
I think the story was that the title is Fucking Smilers but she ran into problems with distributors or something like that.
posted by unSane at 7:47 AM on August 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
posted by unSane at 7:47 AM on August 16, 2012 [1 favorite]
« Older Soylent Green is sad people | Note: pure nepetalactone will not enable you to... Newer »
This thread has been archived and is closed to new comments
posted by eriko at 5:28 AM on August 15, 2012 [2 favorites]