A couple months back, I posted the Kanye West video for “Can’t Tell Me Nothing” on the site, mentioning that the musician Bonnie “Prince” Billy (nee Will Oldham) joins comedian Zach Galifianakis in chicanery that is VERY NOT SAFE FOR WORK DUE TO KANYE WEST-LIKE LANGUAGE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.

Anyhow, I bring this up for a specific ecological reason. The Save Kentucky’s Hemlocks Society has enlisted Billy for a benefit, happening on November 21st, at the Old Tarr Distillery in Lexington, Kentucky, in which all proceeds will go to the society.

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I’m pretty sure that Jimi Hendrix Experience is one of the more formidible stages of music appreciation a music lover goes through in his or her young life (and some music lovers, of course, never leave that stage).  Personally, I was most into my Hendrix stage around the same time I was hugely into Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughn.  Basically, the guitar players that could really, really play.  But the important thing to remember is, all these guys had tremendous backing bands.  Clapton did (arguably) his best work with Cream and Derek & the Dominos, Vaughn had Double Trouble, and Hendrix had a duo behind him that kept his amazing playing incredibly tight.

Mitch Mitchell, drummer for Jimi Hendrix Experience, passed away early this morning, at the age of 61 or 62.

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Your Sunday Evening Vegetarian of EXTREMELY Awesome Awesomeness is the one, the only, the incomparable David effing Bowie.  This man is brilliant.  And you know that.  I mean.  Just listen to “Life on Mars.”

I’m pretty sure I can’t really explain to you, in words, how incredibly talented I think Bowie is.  The fact that he could get so huge being so counter-cultural says something about his music.

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Your Awesome Sunday Vegetarian of Awesomeicity this evening is Rivers Cuomo, frontman of Weezer, the band that told us, “If it’s too loud, turn it down.”  Sage advice, friends.  Weezer, now, by my count, has released three self-titled albums, which is only semi-confusing.  The best video (possibly ever) came off of the first one, which is known as the Blue Album.  You know it, you love it: it’s “Buddy Holly.”

The next record is called Pinkerton, and it took a while for people to find its genius.  In it, Cuomo is a lot rawer, a lot angrier, and, really, a lot awesomer.  There are so many good songs off this album, and though my favorite is “Falling for You,” I think we’ll show you the video for “El Scorcho,” because it’s one of the catchier songs, oh, ever.

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Well, it’s Halloween, says my calendar, which for me is a somewhat sad holiday.  That is because, three years ago, on this very day, one of my favorite bands of all time played its last show ever.  Rocket From the Crypt (what a Halloween-sounding name, eh?) always loved Halloween, so it was only fitting they ended their fourteen year run at home in San Diego on their favorite holiday.  I was there, and it was monumental.  I think not a single person wasn’t in costume, band included.  Here’s a little taste:

The lead singer (he goes by “Speedo”) was carried out to stage in a coffin.

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As long as we’re still in Vegetarian Awareness Month, and as long as I’ve written recently about Doug Martsch of Built to Spill as your Super Awesome Sunday Vegetarian, I’m going to show you this video of Built to Spill playing its “hit” song “Car,” immediately followed by a really good cover of M.I.A.’s “Paper Planes,” because that’s what they decided to play a few nights ago in Bologna, Italy.

Now, the video quality is awful, so I’d just click play and then go look at something else.   And, if you want to skip the beautiful version of “Car,” the M.I.A. cover starts at just about the four minute mark.

Thanks to Pitchfork for the tip on this one.   And, even though it’s not Sunday, I’m still going to say you can takepart and get your free vegetarian starter kit.

This Sunday evening’s super awesome vegetarian that is full of awesomeness is Fat Mike, lead signer of NOFX, your local long-standing punk band.   Like any good punk band, NOFX sings songs about drinkin’, fightin’, and politicin’.  And, of course, vegetarianism.   Here’s the song “Clams Have Feelings Too,” which I still haven’t determined to be pro- or anti-meat.

NOFX have been around for quite a while, and about fifteen years ago, during the Clinton era, they wrote this little ditty called, “All Outta Angst,” about how the state of society was actually disheartening, because there was nothing really wrong.   Seeing as they’ve released an album during the current administration called The War on Errorism, I have to think they’ve changed their minds.

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Well, apparently it’s still Vegetarian Awareness Month, so in celebration, I’m going to show you a clip of animals eating each other.   Makes sense to me.   This is my absolutely most favorite part of the BBC series Planet Earth that came out a couple years back.

So awesome.   If you can afford it, takepart and pick up the DVD box set.   It increases you awareness of the delicate nature of our planet by, oh, say, a billion times.   Give or take.

Way back a few months ago, Ian MacKaye was my Sunday vegetarian of awesomeness (UPDATE: link fixed), and now I bring you the exciting news (if you live in Southern California) that you can go see him in person and ask him about it!   Pitchfork reports that this week, MacKaye is doing a Q+A tour of Southern California, including one tonight in my former stomping grounds of San Diego.   So you can ask him if he saw the post I wrote, why he’s so awesome, or any other sort of thing one might ask one of the seminal heroes of hardcore music.   The tour dates are after the jump.

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It’s Sunday, in this hemisphere, again, so you know what that means: it’s time for me to tell you that your awesomely awesome vegetarian that does awesome things for this Sunday is Dough Martsch of Built to Spill.   When people ask me the seemingly simple question of what indie rock is, I actually always point to two bands, both of which are on major labels: Modest Mouse, and Built to Spill.   Martsch’s outfit is the indie band made good, in that they’ve been around forever, and got signed to Warner Brothers, and continues to make fabulous records that don’t compromise.   So what do they sound like?  Let me show you!

I just realized that finding good clips may be difficult as the band doesn’t have any music videos.   Anyhow, that’s probably their most popular song, “Car,” off their first record There’s Nothing Wrong With Love.

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