Internet dating and French Bossa Nova Covers of Punk and New Wave Songs

In retrospect, my first six months in LA should’ve been incredibly depressing times. I lived in a shitty apartment where I co-existed with cockroaches and black mold (growing on my walls). Unable to get a job as a waiter or bus boy with my $30,000 education, I was a host at a shitty Mexican restaurant. My big break came when I started working part-time on Jimmy Kimmel Live, where I had a shitty boss who hated life so much, she could suck the fun out of a room faster than the bags of potato chips she poured into her greedy little mouth every afternoon. I didn’t have many friends, even less money, and nothing even remotely resembling the prospect of getting laid.

But I was in LA. On my own. It was new and exciting and whenever I’d start to get bummed out, I could always reassure myself that whatever suffering I was going through was just part of paying my dues. Still, a man wants a woman. A man goes out and gets a woman. I’m more of a boy, so instead of going out and trying to meet a woman, I turned to the Internet and hoped to find myself a girl. That last sentence really makes me sound like one of those Dateline 20/20 sex predators, doesn’t it? I’m not. Seriously, Christine is like three years older and she took advantage of me, but I’m getting ahead of myself.

After working late on New Year’s Eve (2004), I rang in the New Year drinking a six-pack and IM’ing with my friend Lauren. She in Alabama, and equally lonely, had recently joined an online dating website called Okcupid.com. Lauren, who was slutting it up with every Tom and Dick she met (just kidding Lauren), managed to convince me to post a profile. She said I’d make it funny and she needed a good laugh. At first I told myself it was just for fun, but the website became kind of addictive and after realizing there were some really hot girls looking for love in LA, I was actually kind of hooked on it.

Now I only actually ended up going out with one girl (Sexy Refrigerator) and on our second date, I had to drag her out my Halloween Party because I’d fallen for this cutie Cyclops (Christine). Still, Okcupid ended up being a pretty amazing discovery. Aside from the voyeuristic pleasure of looking at pictures of other people and reading their profiles, it was a great way to discover new music. If a girl seemed smart, had good tastes in movies, books, music, and then listed a band I’d never heard of, I’d go out and download a song or two.

One of those joyous discoveries was the band: Nouvelle Vague. They’re a French group, featuring a few different female singers doing bossa nova covers of eighties punk and new wave songs. One other tiny tidbit -- the singers weren’t familiar with the original songs, so they’re take was totally unique. The band’s self-titled debut album is beyond chill. The female leads have some ridiculous voices, sweet-sounding and a joy to take in. The bossa nova purely acoustic swing only adds to my enjoyment of the music. It’s kind of the perfect album to have in the background as you work, or if a few friends are over and you’re playing trivial pursuit. It’s the kind of sound simple enough to enjoy without requiring much attention, but layered enough to appreciate on another level upon closer inspection.

Covers include The Clash’s “Guns of Brixton,” Depeche Mode’s “Just Can’t Get Enough of You,” The Dead Kennedy’s “Too Drunk Too Fuck,” and my two favorites, Modern English’s “I Melt With You,” and Public Image LTD’s “This Is Not a Love Song.” They’re sweet, and simple, and sometimes kind of sexy. Definitely a CD/band worth checking out.

Glancing over this entry I’m not quite what sure to make. I had a lot more Okcupid success with discovering music than I did with touching a boob. Singular of boob… one would’ve been enough those first six months. And this blog is probably the same. It won’t ever get me laid. Not even by my girlfriend who teases me about writing really long snooty rants about hippies when I’m really a hippie myself. But it’s a good place to discuss and discover music and hey, if it came down to giving up sex or music, sex has got to go… probably… maybe… it would be a tough decision.

Nouvelle Vague