CONTEST TIME - TRI-COLOR GIVEAWAY!
Brendan Benson
“Half a Boy (And Half a Man)” b/w “Big Kid Face”
179 tri-color copies, unlimited quantity on black vinyl
I just want the whole world to know, I am so incredibly excited to have a Brendan Benson record on Third Man.
Yeah yeah, I know we put out Raconteurs and JW and the Bricks stuff that he slays on, but this is different.
Brendan was the first musician I ever really met who I considered having “made it.”
He was signed to Virgin! He bought a house with record label money! He opened for the Wallflowers! He got fan mail from Japan! He jammed with Dave Grohl!
For me, at 16 years old, that was eye-opening.
And as his career has progressed, both solo and in bands, he’s never failed to make a record that was interesting or tuneful or compelling.
Dude just does good work. And this a-side is quintessential BB like he has not lost a step. You need this in your life. Much respect to the first lyric in the song referencing his obscure b-side “Son of a Welder.” Also, so stoked that we’re pressing tri-colors in Detroit and how sick they look!
Side notes: in the height of my Sub Pop collecting phase I bought a copy of the Flaming Lips 7” off of him. He gave me a bowl of blueberries and cream (or was it milk?) It was, at the time, the most exotic thing I had ever eaten. He was amazed I had never eaten a salad. I would not eat my first salad until the age of 21.
On the way to a JW & the Bricks rehearsal back in ’99 I wrecked my car. I was 17 years old. I asked all the other band members how old they were the first time they’d wrecked a car. Jack and Kevin both responded “16.” Brendan responded “15” and I thought that was BADASS. Like he stole the car or something.
I hopped in the Whirlwind Heat tour van for a day back in 2003 when they were opening for the Dirtbombs. They put in the “Lapalco” CD and all three of them together just got SOOOO EXCITED to be listening to it, like it was some long waited-for treat. So I asked them how often they listen to “Lapalco” and they said “Once a day, every day.” They just loved the album so much they couldn’t contain themselves.
I sing “Jet Lag” to my daughter Violet usually 4th or 5th in my setlist of “Shit I Know All the Words To While I’m Trying to Get This Booger To Bed.”
I’m giving away one copy of the limited edition tri-color of this record. In the comments below, do whatever…tell a story about Brendan, make me laugh, make me cry…it’s free reign to impress me. Whichever comment I like most gets the prize. SIMPLE!
when i unexpectedly ended up with a french house mate – long story – we too her to the princess charlotte in leicester on the first night… she was blown away by how good he was…for the entire duration of her stay we played lapalco on the hour journey to work….and always sang "i’m brendan what’s your name’ at the top of our voices…. christmas cards are still signed that way!!!!
man he really “Made It”. i wish i could get to where he’s at with my music. maybe someday!
I loooooove Brendan, and I love Jake Bugg. I had listen to Jake Bugg’s second album about 100 times before realising that Brendan wrote three songs on it!!! I’ll get to see some of them on Saturday here in Copenhagen
And you wanted to laugh well:
What did the Zen Buddist say to the hotdog vendor?
Make me one with everything.
I don’t have a Brendan Benson story but if I won I would flip it and put all the money towards my son’s band (Sam The Astronaut) putting out a single (19 b/w Sunshine Gold V2). They want to put out vinyl very badly but it makes no economic sense, hell recording an album makes no economic sense and they can only afford so many choices that cost them.
Vault Member from day one, Saw Brendan Benson on one of the Racs first ever show have been a fan ever since .
Another Raconteur Lp soon would be great.
I don’t have a story about Brendan, so I’m not going to make anything up. I’m just a Third Man fan who’s in search of his first tri that wasn’t included in a vault (member since Vault #4). I refuse to feed the flippers so I haven’t bought one. Ben, I’ll give a story about you instead. I was at the Cass corridor store, opening day or weekend, not sure which since I came down a couple times. Anyway, you came up to me and asked if there was anything special that I wanted or was looking for, I said no because I didn’t want to be ‘that guy’. My buddy was annoyed because I didn’t ask if there were any tris or special items available at the moment. So anyway, I hope to get this one. See everyone at the LCA!!
Brendan Benson is a national treasure. I first found out about Brendan by randomly walking through an aisle at Best Buy in 2005. The album was Alternative to Love. I had never really been exposed to “power pop”, or whatever you want to call the genre that fits the album. I’m bad with labels. I fell in love after hearing the song “Alternative to Love”. Something about the song, the whole album, it just puts me at ease. His musicianship and natural voice is something you can’t learn, you’re born with it. Ever since, I’ve picked up every album almost twice (getting everything that’s been release on vinyl too) and also hunted down his Demo EP. Random note, but one of my favorite tracks his House in Virginia. Such a beautiful and sad song, it’s haunting. Anyways, that’s just a few of my ramblings.
Interestingly, I sing “Jet Lag” to my son Violet usually 3rd or 4th in my setlist of “Shit I Know All the Words To While I’m Trying to Get This Booger To Bed.”
I saw the Raconteurs play at Lollapalooza and Jack and Brendan had a great moment together on stage playing Steady as She Goes. They were going back and forth, each playing the riff at the beginning of the song, when they got into a friendly competition trying to out do each other. It escalated into Jack doing some intense double tapping and Brendan cracked up and couldn’t continue. Jack apologized to the crowd and to Brendan. It was hilarious and still brings a smile to my face when I think about it.
I didn’t have my first wreck until I was 28! I’m such a pansy! I’ve never had a salad(or a Hamburger. No one believes it and my mom to this day tells everyone I introduce her to) and I’m 30. Back to the wrecks, I’ve had 7 in two years, does that redeem me?? I waited until after I went through beat up Honda accords(with flip up lights! Waka waka!) a clean 15 year old Corolla And a 200k amile Jeep Comanche(Amazing truck)and finally I ‘worked my way out of despondency’(And poverty) and I looked rediculous and got a few Mercedes V12’s, a Tesla, and one I dare not say it name before I forgot how to drive like a sane person. 5 were me taking someone’s ass end at a green light(I mean cmon. It’s green. Go!!!) and two we were complete totals(A optioned out Tesla S was the first car I dismantled using speed and gravity alone. Next up was a…. chock chock* 1967 Shelby mustang GT500 in showroom condition! A tractor trailer decided it would just let the trailer push him down the highway. Had I not been poking along going 85 I wouldn’t have slammed the steering wheel so hard with my chest it embedded the wheel into the dash and gauge cluster and used my head to make a lovely bubble of smashed glass spring forth from an otherwise mint windshield. Determined I wouldn’t take my art out on another 6 figure Car, I ran out and made quick work of the Factory BLACK R code ‘69 Mach 1 428 I got to replace the Shelby. This time I decided not to stay for the ending and took me leave as it whirled dervishly. Sent flying I landed executing a few sumersaults before coming to my feet and walking like some other douche wrecked his classic car. I was tired of a wrecker pulling up and the driver trying to kick my ass as he cry’s like a child for wrecking my own damn car! I walked About 2 miles to a service station and the rest is history. Ahhhhhhh. That felt good. My name is Erik and I wreck cars unless I drive like a bat outta hell! Thearapy. Nice. The moral is this. DRIVE AS FAST AS YOU CAN!! As soon as you get careful, you get flung. A car performs best doing what it’s made to do. Since I haven’t learned my lesson, I decided To celebrate my retirement(and turning 30) By ordering a Tesla Roadster that goes 0-60 in around 1.3 seconds… at least that’s what the guy got it up to at the event I attended. For only $5,000 toward your very own, you were allowed to sit in the passenger seat while, in my case, a former Ferrari driver threw you back into the seat with the Gs comparable to be flung off an aircraft carrier. You also had to send an additional $45k to Tesla’s bank Well’s Fargo by a certain date. A fee Elon offered to waive once I showed him pictures of my last Tesla. Since I didn’t get that in writing I took care of things and will take my own words to heart. Cuz how’s Death gonna catch something that fast?!?