Mortifying Moments in Mainstream Media Malfeasance

Remember a long, long time ago when there was that Philadelphia Weekly thing that featured these words?

Next best album: National Eye, The Farthest Shore.
National Eye’s second album, 2006’s Roomful of Lions, featured lots of friends familiar from local outfits. The upcoming The Farthest Shore repeats the feat with guest spots by members of Dr. Dog, Buried Beds, the Capitol Years, Like Moving Insects and Mitch Fiction, not to mention a string trio. While the old National Eye
regularly swapped instruments and singers, the band’s now anchored by the songs
of co-founder Rick Flom, and goes more for baroque folk grandeur than
bedroom-recorded psych. Flom describes The Farthest Shore as “a storybook album … our version of Harry Nilsson’s The Point, but probably not for kids since it’s kinda dark and scary.” Between the Bowie-esque preview track “Pure Film” and National Eye’s recent song-by-song rendition of the album at Johnny Brenda’s,
hopes are awfully high for this record, and deservedly so.

Yeah, those were optimistic times. But so are these because the Philadelphia Weekly is still churning out an issue AT LEAST once a week on actual paper with actual crossword puzzles that you can actually do with actual pens while actually waiting to see the dentist. And National Eye is actually putting out that NEXT BEST ALBUM tomorrow so we don't make PW look like a bunch of liars.

I post it here now because I'd like everyone to look at the crazy picture featuring the bizarre-est yet version of National Eye:

Here you have (from left to less left) Rick Flom, Todd Starlin, Gretchen Lohse, Charlie Hall, and Will Baggott. A part of me wishes this lineup had gone on tour, wearing these clothes, playing only instrumentals and only in school gymnasiums.

In reality, this just happens to be the group that could convene at short notice to have our picture taken in a gritty, urban environment. They have all played with NE, of course, but some key players were regrettably absent.

Doug, for instance, was playing tennis with Jerry Falwell (he was still alive then). Anyway my real point is: BUY THE ALBUM TOMORROW YOU GUYS!