Song of the Day: 'Thirteen' by Garbage

Wonderful gender-flipped cover of the classic Big Star single. If I had been born 10 years later, Garbage might have been my Blondie.

 

Hear them do it live in the Lounge HERE.

Song of the Day: 'Run Baby Run' by Garbage

Music was changing so much at the time that I'm not sure it would have made that big a difference. But for the life of me I can't understand why this wasn't the first single from Garbage's "Bleed Like Me" -- or at least not the fourth!

Song of the Day: 'Special' by Garbage

Probably my favorite song by Shirley and the boys, and not just because of the sample of "Talk of the Town." Too bad I was lazy to schlep out to Brooklyn for the "2.0" 20th anniversary concert.

Song of the Day: 'Parade' by Garbage

It probably wouldn't have made a difference anyway, but how no one knew this should have been the lead single off the band's third album is anyone's guess.

Blondie and Garbage Team Up for Summer Tour

Two of my favorite ladies are hitting the road in the U.S. for a little "Rage and Rapture"! Ticket info HERE.

I see X's John Doe and his lunatic Ex(ene) are performing on some of the dates, too.

Song of the Day: 'Heartbreak to Hate' by Angelfish

Although Shirley Manson certainly has recorded some classic songs with Garbage, I'm not entirely convinced she ever topped her previous band. 

Get it HERE.

Garbage Night in Brooklyn

If you were wondering why there weren't any gay men in the bars Saturday night in New York City, chances are Shirley Manson is to blame. Bearded 40something gay boys (and aging alternachicks) were out en masse at Kings Theatre in Flatbush to help Garbage celebrate the 20th anniversary of the band's classic alt-rock debut, which was just remastered and expanded this year to include the band's mass catalogue of b-sides -- all of which were included in the set list. The band was in top form -- Shirley is ageless and perhaps the most tenderhearted rocker chick of all time -- and afterward it was suggested that Garbage may very well be the last of the great female-fronted bands -- in the tradition of Jefferson Airplane, Blondie, the Pretenders Motels, Divinyls et al. What do you think? 

Highlights: "Fix Me Now," my favorite album track; "Kick My Ass," the gender-flipped cover of Vic Chestnutt's ode to domestic abuse; and "When I Grow Up," because I'm a "Version 2.0" queen. (If they'd done "Special" I'd have died on the spot!)

Garbage men: Adam, me, Greg and Sergio. 

Photo by Marc, Damian in the john!

Setlist:

Show opened with band-history video over "Alien Sex Fiend."

1. Subhuman
   Play Video
2. Supervixen
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3. Queer
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4. Girl Don't Come
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5. As Heaven Is Wide
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6. The Butterfly Collector
   (The Jam cover)
   Play Video
7. Not My Idea
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8. Driving Lesson
   Play Video
9. Milk
   Play Video
10. Fix Me Now
    Play Video
11. My Lover's Box
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12. Sleep
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13. Vow
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14. Dog New Tricks
    Play Video
15. A Stroke of Luck
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16. Only Happy When It Rains
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17. Stupid Girl
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18. #1 Crush
    Play Video
19. Encore
20. Kick My Ass
    (Vic Chesnutt cover)
    Play Video
21. Trip My Wire
    Play Video
22. I Think I'm Paranoid
    Play Video
23. When I Grow Up

Song of the Day: 'Only Happy When It Rains' by Garbage

It's no secret that I'm an '80s queen, yet I do have had a few flirtations with bands that came along in the aftermath. Although hardly a die-hard Garbage fan, I'm a loyal one -- Shirley Manson is one cool chick -- even producing a b-sides and rarities collection of the band in the mid-oughts and buying their last two albums (without ever listening to them). After initially dismissing the idea of catching them on the 20th anniversary tour for their classic debut, my friend DJ Taffy wrote about seeing them in Boston and the next thing I knew, I had tickets for tomorrow's show at the spectacular Kings Theatre in Brooklyn! The forecast calls for rain.

Music Box: Garbage

Although I'm notoriously lost in the '80s, Garbage (along with Saint Etienne and Belly) was one of a handful of '90s bands that at least tried to seduce me into facing the new decade. Songs like "I'm Only Happy When It Rains," "Stupid Girl" and "Queer" (from their eponymous debut) and "Special" (with its delightful nod to Chrissie Hynde's "Talk of the Town") and "When I Grow Up" (from their even superior sophomore album) rank among the period's finest singles. And even as excitement for the band waned at the turn of the century, I was still in love with them on "Beautiful Garbage" ("Can't Cry These Tears" is pure pop perfection). But even I have to admit, 2005's "Bleed Like Me" kind of came and went, and when the band called it a day (or at least a hiatus), I wasn't all that surprised. Even so, I've been curious about what Shirley Manson's next move would be. A solo album seemed likely (she proved with her old band Angelfish that she's a force to be reckoned with even without the Garbage men) but when she played her label what she'd been working on it was ultimately left in limbo by some disapproving suits. Still, I was a little surprised (and maybe a bit disappointed) to find out she's turned her focus to acting, joining the cast of "Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles" this season. (IMDB also lists her as being in something in production with Rosie Perez, Terrence Howard, Alan Cumming, Debra Winger and Marlo Thomas!) "Terminator" isn't anything I would watch, so for now -- until she figures out a way to get her music released again -- I guess I will just dust off my Garbage CDs (maybe even pop one in my old Discman for old time's sake) and remember Shirley at her most special ...

"When I Grow Up": happy hours, golden showers ...