An Evening With Eels: A "Duel" Review

An Evening With Eels: A "Duel" Review

by

Auntiesmedley and Frick! The Discount Musical Prankster

FRICK: Auntie and I (or is it me?) decided to do a dual/duel review of our most recent concert-going experience, "An Evening With Eels" this past Monday at the historic Pantages Theater in Minneapolis. For those of us who don't know, please fill us in on who Eels are, Auntie.

AUNTIE: "Eels" is essentially Mark Oliver Everett (AKA "E") and whomever he has recruited to make music with him. If you are any kind of alternative rock fan you will should remember his 1996 indie hit "Novocain for the Soul" from the album Beautiful Freak. But Eels cannot be considered your standard "one hit wonder". In the decades following Eels' early success with "Novocain" E has been quietly releasing an album every other year or so, garnering a small but unusually ardent fan base in both the US and UK. His music has been featured on the TV show Homicide: Life on the Street and a few movie soundtracks. "My Beloved Monster" (From Beautiful Freak) was featured on the Shrek soundtrack, "Your Lucky Day in Hell" (also from Beautiful Freak) was used in the horror movie Scream, and the video for "Cancer for the Cure" (from Electro-Shock Blues) was seen in American Beauty. Everett recently published his biography, Things The Grandchildren Should Know (the choice of title, taken from an Eels song of the same name, is either ironic or hopeful, as Everett is currently childless). The book will not be available in the U.S. until Nov. 2008, but can be ordered now from Amazon UK.

FRICK: Auntie is the rabid Eels fan, seeking out every known recording, press clipping, lock of hair, guitar pick or used bendy straw she can get her hands on. I think they're "Okay." She can cite lyrics from any album. I could maybe hum you a tune or two. I know the "hits" (all one or two of them), she knows every last nuance of the 17^th remix version of "I Like Birds". So how did it come to pass that we both plonked down our hard-earned cash to spend a night with Eels? Simply put, E is one of the most unique songwriters of our time and not being known for his love of touring, it was a "now or never" sort of proposition. E is smart enough to know that his music goes over better in an intimate theater setting, such as the Pantages, rather than some rock club! Although a couple of drunken yahoos sitting across the aisle to my left should have been booted, or at least seriously maimed. Otherwise, the crowd was quite polite. I enjoyed watching the couple of front of me bob their heads up and down to their favorite songs.

AUNTIE: Even I have to draw the line at toenail clippings (or any other artifact from which DNA can be extracted). Besides, I seem to recall that you own a pretty complete collection of Eels albums yourself , Frick.

Yes, yes, it's true that I harbor an unabashed love for E, so I can hardly be considered an impartial reviewer. Eels could probably show up in Minneapolis to play the entire song catalog of "Oklahoma" and I would still buy a ticket (although I might have less success in persuading Frick and company to attend with me). In any case, having missed the 2005 "Blinking Lights" tour, which occurred about a year before I discovered the enigmatic artist, I was thrilled to hear that Eels were back on tour. To call E an eccentric genius would be a decided understatement. Listening to his music often feels like riding an amusement park trolley through a funhouse of horror, where each room you enter may be by turns achingly heartbreaking, wryly funny, unbearably beautiful or utterly frightening. The music is undeniably disturbing (and frequently profane) , yet you can't help but get back in line to buy a new ticket for a return trip.

FRICK: He is one messed up individual, that's for sure. But that's part of his charm. The Mrs. commented that he sounds a little like "Rolf The Dog" from the Muppet Show. I would tend to agree. Although I can't imagine Rolf singing "It's a Mother____er," it would be pretty amusing if he did.

Anyhoo... So we made it to the show and we had heard a rumor that he was going to open the show with a documentary about his deceased father, Hugh Everett III, who was apparently a brilliant quantum mechanics theorist who had developed the theory of parallel universes. I thought it was pretty cool to have your dead dad be your opening act.

AUNTIE: While I'm not much of a fan of quantum physics, I am a fan of both the BBC and documentaries in general, so I really enjoyed "Parallel Worlds, Parallel Lives". In fact, I found it far more interesting that most opening acts I've endured at past concerts. I knew that Everett had made a movie about his father's work and realized that there was no musical guest scheduled to perform along with Eels, but didn't know that we would be treated to a viewing of the film before the concert. What a delightful surprise! Hugh Everett was an unappreciated quantum physics genius who developed the "many worlds" theory that is now a staple of science fiction writing. After his groundbreaking theory was disdainfully written off by Neils Bohr, the granddaddy of quantum physics, Hugh Everett abandoned academia, went to work for the defense industry, and retreated into his own private world of mathematics, alcohol and cigarettes. He was a distant father whom E barely knew, and the movie chronicles E's attempt to get to know his father 25 years after his untimely death from a heart attack at age 51. Mark was 19 and home alone with his father at the time of his death, and made the painful discovery of his father's already stiff body. E's traumatic family history heavily informs his music, and the soundtrack was, naturally, a pleasant pastiche of Eels tunes.

FRICK: I enjoyed the film. E is quite humorous at times. How many concerts have you gone to where you've actually learned something about science? Except maybe Thomas Dolby who was blinded by it. So, after a somewhat lengthy intermission, we did finally get to hear those Eels tunes. I wasn't sure what was going to happen as E is known for changing up arrangements of the songs, sometimes dramatically. Last time he toured it was "Eels with Strings", with a band and full string section. Sometimes it was just him and two cheesy keyboards and guitar. Who knew what tonight would bring?

AUNTIE: When the curtain finally went up and I saw the large array of musical instruments set up on stage, I naturally expected a full band. E walked onto the stage alone, picked up his guitar, announced to the audience that he had just woken up, and proceeded to play "Grace Kelly Blues" and "It's a Mother__er" solo. Afterwards he finally introduced the audience to his band, which turned out to be comprised entirely of "The Chet" (AKA Jeff Lyster), an amazing musician who had toured with E during the 2005 Eels With Strings tour.

FRICK: I didn't know that. I thought it was some guy he found on the street. "The Chet" was quite talented, playing guitar, drums, singing saw, pedal steel guitar, and harmonium. E pretty much stuck to guitar and piano. Both of them sat down while playing, so if you wanted to see someone jumping up and down, rocking out, you'd have to go elsewhere. I loved when E asked "Are you ready to Soft Rock?" very humorous.

AUNTIE: But there were some rocking moments, too. It's obvious that E's choice of sideman was no accident, as Lyster proved an excellent foil for the quirky E. The synergy between the musicians was undeniable and particularly evident in their blistering extended rendition of "Flyswatter", which was the high point of the concert for me. Not once but twice E and "The Chet" swapped places behind piano and drums without missing so much as a beat. Although I was aware that Everett began his musical career as a drummer, the facility with which E and Lyster were able to switch between instruments was awe-inspiring. I thought "Flyswatter" was worth the price of admission alone.

FRICK: He's a darned good drummer. The highlight for me was when they finished "Novocain For the Soul" and then went directly into Led Zeppelin's "Good Times, Bad Times."  That was a Rock and Roll moment!

AUNTIE: And definitely not filed under the category of "soft rock"!

FRICK: I really wish he would have sung "To Lick Your Boots" and "Going Fetal" from Blinking Lights. He didn't even do "Railroad Man". I suppose when supporting a career-spanning album, you have to make sacrifices. I would have liked to have heard "Cancer for the Cure" as well.  At least I still have my CD's.

AUNTIE: Yeah, there were some songs I would have liked to have heard as well ("Mr. E's Beautiful Blues" come to mind), but was content to settle for whatever E was willing to offer. Hearing "Jeannie's Diary" and "Last Stop: This Town" live did much to alleviate the disappointment. I was actually pretty amused that he even played "Novocain", considering that during an interview he once complained bitterly that, once a musician has produced a hit single, he is "...expected to play it every f_cking day of your life".

Frick, what did you think of the book readings? I could have lived without them (since I've already read it), but I understand that he was promoting his recent literary foray along with the CD releases. However, I was slightly surprised that E delegated this job to "The Chet" instead of reading his own work.

FRICK: Well, despite having read the book as well (thank you for loaning it to me), I didn't mind so much. I love the Angie Dickinson story anyway. I think it was great that he had "The Chet" do the readings, I loved his "impression" of E, and Angie Dickinson. I also enjoyed the "Mail Bag" segment. It's always nice to throw a little banter/comedy into the mix.

AUNTIE: E's sense of humor is endearingly self-effacing, isn't it? Wry self-examination is a regular feature of his song lyrics (listen to "F_cker" for an example), and is even more evident in his writing style. He relates the most painful and/or outrageous incidents with such a matter-of-fact tone and disarming bluntness that I sometimes did a double take while reading. I found myself going back to re-read a paragraph, just to make sure I understood it correctly.

FRICK: It's a quick read, but worth it if you're an Eels fan. You definitely get some insight into the songs, and the man behind them. Ultimately, I enjoyed the show, despite a few minor irritations. The volume was a little too high for the Pantages. Also, I suffer from tinnitus, so higher frequencies really get to me. My fault for not bringing earplugs.

AUNTIE: I also don't understand why concert venues feel the need to blast the sound system to maximum decibels! Sure, you want the entire audience to be able to hear the music, but the acoustics at the Pantages are already excellent since the theater was designed before modern amplification. There was no need to play either the movie or the concert at that volume level. Much of E's music is intimate and quiet and not meant to be played at maximum volume, so it didn't serve songs like "Jeannie's Diary" and "Climbing to the Moon" well. But that's a minor quibble. Overall I enjoyed the concert very much, and will almost certainly see him the next time he comes to Minneapolis. I will even pledge to not embarrass you with absurd attempts to collect personal relics from my hero.

FRICK: I appreciate that. I still cringe thinking about the "Pudding Cup Incident." (shudders)  I still have nightmares about that!  They definitely could have dropped the volume a bit. It certainly wasn't deafening like when I saw Elvis Costello and the Attractions at Northrup Auditorium years ago. That was very painful. Thank TFSM that I had earplugs for that show! Would I see Eels again? Probably not. It depends. I like them fine, but the show wasn't stellar enough for me to want to repeat it. I enjoyed it, but it wasn't overly impressive. Although I am trying to perfect my imitation of E singing "It's a MFer".

AUNTIE: Frick, I'll be sure to remember that on our next "karaoke night".

I think the reason E's music resonates so deeply with me is his considerable talent for translating deep feelings of alienation, loss, suffering, regret & redemption into very palatable music. E's tunes often feel more like a cathartic exercise than something written for a prospective audience, yet they are never maudlin or self-pitying. There is always an underlying sense of humor and good dose of hope to offset the anger or pain expressed. And it certainly doesn't hurt that the dude really knows his way around a catchy pop hook!

I give the overall performance a "B" for entertainment value and because I probably have a teensy little crush on E. And in case we've piqued the interest of anyone among our vast Gather readership, I will give a couple of recommendations. If you'd like to hear a good overview of Eels ' career, check out the recently released compilation album Meet The Eels: Meet The Eels: Essential Eels 1996-2006 Vol.1

Those interested in exploring Eels music in a little more depth should start with the terrific Electro-Shock Blues and Daisies of the Galaxy.

FRICK: I'd give it a "B" as well. And I agree, "Electro-Shock Blues" and "Daisies of the Galaxy" are probably the best Eels albums thus far. Those are the ones I keep going back to.

Next time, we'll be reviewing "An Evening With Wheels: It's a Mother-Trucker", the monster trucking extravaganza on ice.  Until then, "Duel" critics, Auntie and Frick, over and out!