Nice - Circuit Diagram, Theme from Nice

Nice are from New Zealand. That is the beginning and end of what I know about them. The majority of my searches for the band lead to The Nice, the much different British psychedelic/prog act. The mystery of Nice also makes me wonder how the fellow Pete & Pete obsessor who I grabbed the mp3s from a few years back even got a copy of their album. Apparently both the songs featured on the show are from the same album, and the album is titled "Nice." Sigh. I guess that rules out searching for the band + album title to get more info. Actually I just just tried that- it leads me to a band called Nice Nice.

Edit: I have searched for their label, Feel Good All Over, and have actually found their amazon.com page! They have the album listed as "Apple Pie" and with a completely different track list than on allmusic. Oh well.

The first Nice song is entirely instrumental, and appeared in truncated form many times throughout the series. Well, there is one spoken line: a seductive uttering of "niceee" at the end. Hey, it's their theme.

Nice - Theme from Nice

Their second one is better known (but still obscure in every sense of the word.) It was notably featured during Nightcrawlers, X=Why? and New Year's Pete. If you're not careful the bass on this track could blow out your speakers, or the lint from your belly button. The almighty E chord. This song wasn't in that episode.

Nice - Circuit Diagram

The Adventures of Pete & Pete 3x12: Das Bus

This episode features a young Selma Blair as Penelope Ghiruto, Big Pete's love interest. Pete's High School is holding a job fair and under the influence of temporary love smitten insanity Pete has signed up for a week as a bus driver with Stu as his mentor. After an uninspired and frankly terrible first day, Stu prematurely fires Pete. However once Pete notices that Penelope is the last off the bus and there's some intimate alone time with that lone passenger, Pete has a new found enthusiasm for the job. He does everything in his willpower to convince Stu he is mature enough to drive the bus alone, including beginning a hot towel and haircut service, as well as serving grilled mesquite tenderloins for passengers. Can Pete manage to nab that ride alone with Penelope, or will Stu see through him?

The t-bone steak napkin scene in this episode is definitely one of the series' most absurd moments, though this episode is full of them. Also, look out for the 6ths' "Falling Out of Love (With You), Nice's "Theme from Nice," Chug's "Flowers," and Semi-Gloss' "The Sunburn Song" in the soundtrack.


Part 2

Part 3


Nice - Apple Pie/Nice @amazon.com

Petition for Adventures of Pete & Pete Season 3 DVD

The Gothic Archies - Your Long White Fingers

The Gothic Archies are Stephin Merritt's self-parody project. The songs are hilariously dark and bleak, a take on what the general public's perception of him as a person seems to be. The band has had only one official release, the EP The New Despair in 1996. After that, Merritt used the project to release songs for the audiotape versions Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events books. Merritt and Snicket (real name Daniel Handler) are good friends in real life, with Handler playing accordion on the Magnetic Fields magnum opus, 69 Love Songs and conducting the interview for the box set's extensive booklet. Last year all the audiotape songs were compiled and released in the Tragic Treasury compilation.

Continuing on my Pete & Pete binge, "Your Long White Fingers," a track from the original EP was featured during the series countless times. Just about every moment of profound realization or lingering sadness was set to this song. It's a fantastic track that evokes intense feelings of desolation and melancholy. The acoustic guitar, slide guitar and harmonica combination is always the perfect formula for a depressing song. However the way the instruments are arranged in this song sound unlike anything I've heard before. Rather than the long winded harmonica parts that come to mind, the playing in this song is short and concise, following the vocal melody. The structure is consistent throughout, the song beginning like a broken form being melded together only to disintegrate at the end.

The Gothic Archies - Your Long White Fingers

"Your long white fingers slither and glide
No gloves will hold them
They cannot hide
They frighten children, and
They make dogs howl
They glow in darkness, and
Fill the faithful with doubt

Your long white fingers
Passion and grace
Gesticulations from some dark place
They look unnatural
Faintly obscene
They loom large in all the strangest of dreams"

Now one of the best things you can see on YouTube, a Gothic Archies appearance on a local Atlanta news show.



As that Archies song is only a minute and a half, I'll include a bonus song. I've already done an entry on this track, but man oh man does it deserve another. Plus the mp3 link there is dead and this will be fulfilling a request for a re-upload. One of the best songs the world has never heard:

Semi-Gloss - The Sunburn Song

"The sun is strong and we still haven't learned
Your skin is pale and it's gonna burn
Little white flakes falling down to the ground
Dead and gone without a sound
New skin cells being born together
Trying to live in this nasty weather
Fighting hard just to say alive
But in this bright sun it's hard to survive

Oh the sol
goes down
So slow
on the western coast

A little trip to the beach for the day
You've got your shades and her bain de solei
You look so nice in the waves together
You wish this moment would last forever
Well don't look now but there's that other fella
Long sleeved shirt and a beach umbrella
They can't say that you never tried
But now your skin is red and you heart is fried

Oh the sol
goes down
So slow
on the western coast

Don't be afraid to get burned
Everybody has their turn
It's gonna hurt
You're gonna peel and scratch
But sooner or later you'll be back"

The Adventures of Pete & Pete Episode 3x13: Saturday

This episode marks the series' close...the final adventure ever. It's a unique episode with 5 unique plot lines that finally converge with the episode's end. There's Big Pete trying to break the years of haircut silence between him and his barber Dan, Little Pete who takes on a mobster identity to help his brother get some answers regarding what makes Dan tick, Monica who is busy searching for the Wellsville Ninja, Wayne whose new pair KrebStar shoes can't wait to be tried out, yet throughout the day reach times of close doom, Ellen, in bunny suit attire, who must deliver a pizza within the "Quick as a Bunny" time limit, and lastly, Bus Driver Stu who faces an impenetrable red light. This is another one of my favorites and ends the series on a perfect, fulfilling note.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3


The Gothic Archies - The New Despair EP @Amazon.com
Semi-Gloss - Semi-Gloss @Amazon.com (get it for a penny!)

Petition for Season 3 DVD of the Adventures of Pete & Pete

Fat Tulips - So Unbelievable

Pete & Pete week is now coming to a close. With the looks of things, I'll have to extend this "week" into the next. I mean, I haven't even gotten into the Magnetic Fields yet.

Today's entry, the Fat Tulips, might steal the "most obscure band ever posted about on ISYES" award that I initially gave to yesterday's entry, Chug. Fat Tulips however at least have an artist description and a website, so I think that standing still belongs to Chug, for now at least. If I do an entry on Nice next week, that'll be another landmark post: the first by a band who seemingly have no pictures of themselves, or any merchandising links anywhere. Perhaps they're a band that truly died out before this internet age.

Here's what I know about the Fat Tulips: They were a UK twee band from the late 80's who only put out one full-length album, 1994's Starfish. However they've released over ten 7" singles and have appeared on even more compilations. Their current website is fantastically designed, and although small, they seem to have an enthusiastic fan base.

"So Unbelievable" was featured in the episode Splashdown, an episode I already featured in an entry for the Apples in Stereo song "Tidal Wave," a proto-Pete & Pete week entry. It would have made more sense to feature Nightcrawlers in that, as that's the Apples in Stereo episode, but perhaps I wasn't aware of dailymotion at that time. Whatever- it's all hindsight.

But back to the Fat Tulips... I love this track. The only downside I can see to it is that the lyrics will recall that terrible EMF song of a similar title. Shudder..

Fat Tulips - So Unbelievable

"Well hello boy do you remember me?
We met at a party a couple of years ago
I gave you my number
but I guess you threw it away
Like you threw away your virginity
She didn't like you anyhow
And anyway she's dropped you now
Arrogance your middle name
You're unbelievable! Unbelievable!
So unbelievable!
Well hello my friend it's me again
Do you still love that girl you're with?
Or is she just another way to pass the time?
I heard you're up to your old tricks
You've been sleeping all round town
With anyone who'll fool around
Moan when she says that you're unfaithful
Unbelievable! Unbelievable!
So unbelievable!So I guess you think I'm perfect
I'm nothing but, but I don't lie
Cos when I speak my mind I'm honest...
And you're unbelievable, unbelievable!
So unbelievable!"

The Adventures of Pete & Pete Episode 2x04: The Big Quiet

This is a bit of an underrated episode in my opinion. Little Pete has his first experience of the death of someone close to him, in his case his pet lizard Gary. While he organizes an epic funeral, Big Pete struggles with the distance he feels from his Dad. Conversations have become incredibly awkward between the two, to the extent that Pete keeps a sandwich on hand to stuff into his mouth for times of prospective conversation, and even to taking up sign language so speaking can be avoided all together. When a trip to the lizard farm to get Little Pete a new pet is mentioned, Pete just about loses it. A 2 hour drive with just him and Dad...conversation the only thing to pass the time. Can Pete memorize enough "Dad Facts" and conversation topics in time to avoid a lifetime of awkwardness?

"I don't want to wear a sock!"


The Magnetic Fields' "Why I Cry" gets a lot of play during this episode. But alas, I've already covered that song.

The Adventures of Pete & Pete Season 2 @Amazon.com

Chug - Flowers

Chug = the biggest obscurity ever posted about on this blog. I don't even know what to say about them: there's practically no information anywhere. The only information I've found, a mere quote, is wholly inaccurate, or at least in my experience of Chug, which is this one song. "Noisy sludge-filled garage metal:" If I don't want someone to listen to a particular band I'll be sure to use that quote. This song has appeared in several episodes of the show, "X=Why?," "Das Bus," and the episode I featured yesterday, "35 Hours," playing during the Wrigley 500. Though it's near impossible for me to hear these songs objectively and without the Pete & Pete context, I'd describe "Flowers" as lo-fi garage surf punk, if categorization was absolutely necessary. It's an exciting song, perfectly suitable for a bicycle race, but also has an imminent quality to it. You're having a blast at the moment, but soon things will be out of control. In a brilliant way of course. Just don't think you'll be hearing the song's "...Looking for the fucking flowers" chorus anywhere in show.

Chug - Flowers

The Adventures of Pete & Pete Episode 1-10: What We Did On Our Summer Vacation

This Pete & Pete episode was one of the 5 full-length specials made before the show was given the green-light for a full series. Another one of my favorites. I actually have a yearly tradition with this episode where I watch it the day before I head back for classes. If this episode doesn't take you back to the summers of your childhood, I pity you. In it, the two Petes and Ellen attempt to befriend local ice-cream man and hero of all Wellsville's children, Mr. Tastee, after realizing that apart from his customers he's without any real friends. Their concern unfortunately drives Mr. Tastee out of town, much to the dismay of kids everywhere who hear the bells of the Tastee mobile as the most beautiful sound on earth. With the ice cream shortage driving residents to the brink of insanity, the Petes and Ellen begin a strenuous hunt to bring Mr. Tastee back to Wellsville before the summer's end.

The episode features cameos by R.E.M's Michael Stipe as Captain Scrumm, proprietor of the Sludgesickle and the B-52's Kate Pierson as Mrs. Vanderveer, the blind millionaire who once was involved with Mr. Tastee. Another interesting thing to watch out for is the blurred out phone number on the"Have You Seen Mr. Tastee?" flyers. During the special's initial airing, unbeknownst to the creators, the 800-number listed was currently in use by an insurance company. After the company was swarmed by hundreds of calls with kids saying they've seen Mr. Tastee, the number needed to be censored for later airings.

Oh the guy in the Mr. Tastee suit? It's Toby Huss, aka Artie.

The 6ths - Falling Out of Love (With You)

Day two of Pete & Pete week. This 6ths song is one of my favorites to ever air during the series, yet it was only in one episode, "Das Bus" from season 3. Apart from Polaris, Stephin Merrit has contributed the most to the show's soundtrack, with a total of 5 songs (3 from the Magnetic Fields, 1 from the Gothic Archies and 1 by The 6ths.) Having written an album of 69 love songs as well as a record where every song begins with "I," Stephin Merritt is no stranger to conceptual projects. Also no stranger to irony, Merritt claims he started the 6ths after he noticed that there was no tribute album for himself. All the 6ths songs are thus written and played by him, however each song has a different artist providing the vocals. "Falling Out of Love (With You)" is sung by Dean Wareham, previously of Galaxie 500 and Luna, currently playing with his wife under the moniker Dean & Britta. It's my favorite song by the 6ths, and even one of my favorites of all-time. I cannot recommend this song enough.

The 6ths - Falling Out of Love (With You)

"In an old Silver Line
I was yours, you were mine
I was hoarse, you were mean
We designed drum machines

But every day in every way
I'm falling out of love with you
Every kiss means less and less
I'm falling out of love with you
Every hour kills a flower
I'm falling out of love with you
You just bore me more and more
I'm falling out of love with you

They made sounds much like drums
I was young you were dumb
Now you're older and I'm wiser
We design synthesizers

But every day in every way
I'm falling out of love with you
Every kiss means less and less
I'm falling out of love with you
Every hour kills a flower
I'm falling out of love with you
You just bore me more and more
I'm falling out of love with you"

I'm also including a great article on the show which perfectly summarizes why I love it so much, and feel that it's the best thing ever to grace the television set.

Smiling Strange: The Adventures of Pete and Pete
by Luke Geddes

A superhero in pajamas and horn-rimmed glasses; 12-year-old Pete, tattooed like a sailor; his similarly redheaded brother, also named Pete; a passive-aggressive school bus driver; the metal plate in mom's head; a mysterious costumed ice cream man; Mrs. Blowtard's hypnotic arm flub; the wailing vocals of "Marmalade Cream". Such unique and beautiful imagery may explain why devoted fans have not forgotten The Adventures of Pete and Pete since it first aired on Nickelodeon in 1993. It certainly left an indelible mark in my mind. With seasons one and two already out on DVD, lifelong fans like myself can give the DVD sets to their parents to explain why they turned out to be such warped individuals. The resonance stems from the show's truthful approach to childhood. It's not overtly nostalgic like The Wonder Years, nor is it bitter and cynical like Todd Solondz' Welcome to the Dollhouse. Pete and Pete's depiction of childhood is trumped only by Lynda Barry's Marlys comic strips in terms of being accurate, funny and downright revelatory.

When you watch Pete and Pete, you will be transported to a time when a staring contest is a perfectly legitimate way to settle an argument and a family road trip is no less than an Odyssean journey. The recurring "International Adult Conspiracy" recalls those early feelings of that dichotomy between grownups and kids; their ways were incomprehensibly foreign and superfluous, and vice versa. In one of many shockingly true moments, little Pete interrogates Dad, "So you don't like the taste of coffee, but you drink it anyway?" No other TV show has accomplished such a precise portrayal of childhood, except perhaps The Simpsons (when it used to be good). The definition of wacky, Artie The Strongest Man in the World (Toby Huss, AKA "The Wiz" on that episode of Seinfeld) is what every young viewer expects himself to grow up into. It's heartening to think the program had a small hand in forever subverting its viewers' opinions on our sterile, money-obsessed world.

Though in the tradition of the early-90s fad of "quirky" representations of small town America (stemming from seminal series like Northern Exposure and Twin Peaks), in the creation of enigmatic every-town Wellsville, we have a place like no other. The setting combines a 1950s pastiche with 1990s hipsterism. In Wellsville, the drive-in is still where the teenagers hang out on Friday nights and the REM-esque jangling of Polaris will always be heard from Mrs. Chicutti's garage. Wellsville is viewed through a child's perceptive and mercurial lens. Mundane events like bus rides and shop class are presented as the epical "today's adventure" they actually can be.

Pete and Pete seems shockingly aberrant in that it never condescends to hackneyed moral reasoning or black-and-white explanation —— things unavoidable in today's crop of children's television. Pete and Pete accepts ambiguity, albeit with an exaggerated, very surreal bent. On the commentary track for season one's "Day of the Dot", creators Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi discuss the reasons why important aspects of the show —— why both brothers are named Pete, Wellsville's specific location, the actual names of Mom and Dad —— are left unexplained. "Everything [in TV] seemed so overexplained... the idea was to put some mystery back into kids' life," says McRobb. Director Katherine Dieckmann adds, "those mysteries are part of respecting a kid's POV."
Season two features "Farewell, My Little Viking", possibly the strongest episode of the entire series. In it, Little Pete's personal superhero Artie is run out of town by the International Adult Conspiracy, which is concerned with Artie's unusual lifestyle —— he lives in porta-potty, is in love with the smell of tire air, views slacks as a form of currency and encourages kids to act like kids. The two-part installment serves as a strikingly clever and surprisingly insightful allegory of a child's transition into adolescence, as well as a showcase for the show's zany humor. If your parents were too cheap for cable of if you're just unfamiliar with Pete and Pete, this may be the place to start.

It should be noted that the show had the coolest rock and roll and celebrity guest stars including: Iggy Pop, Adam West, Michael Stipe, Marshall Crenshaw, Debbie Harry of Blondie, Steve Buscemi and even Hunter S. Thompson. And it was all rounded out by a catchy, post-grunge alternative soundtrack of that newly-nostalgic 1990s zeitgeist.

Considering it originally aired on Nickelodeon, The Adventures of Pete and Pete balances quiet subversion and heartfelt schmaltz to a remarkably sophisticated degree. This is children's television too smart for even adult TV. Finally, here I must regretfully note that the third and final season, originally scheduled for February 28th DVD release, has been inexplicably cancelled. However, I can't help but conclude with the most poignant words of Artie, The Strongest Man In The World: PIPE!


Episode 1x03: Nightcrawlers

In this episode Little Pete has had enough of his 9PM bedtime. Using reverse psychology, Mom decides to let Pete stay up as late as he wants. Her plan backfires when Pete decides to one-up her and attempt to beat the world record for sleepless nights, 11 days. One of the series' best.



The 6ths - Wasps' Nests @Amazon.com

The Adventures of Pete & Pete Season 1 DVD
The Adventures of Pete & Pete Season 2 DVD
The Adventures of Pete & Pete Season 3 Petition

Polaris - Hey Sandy

Welcome to Day 1 of the Adventures of Pete & Pete week! I'll begin with no other than the classic theme song, "Hey Sandy." This song has been subject to some controversy, as neither the creators, nor the band will reveal what exactly the third line of the song is. However, if you go pretty much anywhere on the internet, you'll see it transcribed as "Can You Settle to Shoot Me?" This makes sense in context, as the song is rumored to be about the Kent State shootings of 1970. The song's Sandy may be Sandra Scheuer, a victim of the shooting. Now this is obviously a morbid subject for the theme of kid's show (yet it's so much more than that), so it makes sense that those involved are reluctant to speak about it. However, in 1970, Harvey Andrews had also written a song entitled "Hey Sandy," directly and indisputably about the shooting. Why would Polaris do pretty much the same thing 23 years later? Polaris' song could be about nothing at all, and the mystery third line may just be gibberish. In any case, I doubt we'll ever get a straightforward answer on the issue.

Polaris - Hey Sandy

"Hey smilin' strange
You lookin' happily deranged
Can you settle to shoot me?
Or have you picked your target yet
Hey Sandy (ai yai yai yai)...
Don't you talk back (ai yai yai yai), Hey Sandy
Four feet away
End of speech it's the end of the day
We was only funnin',
But guiltily I thought you had it comin'
Hey Sandy (ai yai yai yai)
Don't ya talk back, Hey Sandy"

(ai yai yai yai...)Hey Sandy
Don't you talk back
(ai yai yai yai...)Hey Sandy
Don't you talk back
Hey Sandy ay ay..."

Alternate, Kid-Friendly lyrics:

"Hey smiling strange,
You're looking happily deranged,
Can you sale the shim-ba?
Or have you picked your dog out yet?

Hey Sandy!
Does your dog bite?
Hey Sandy?

Barking away,
End of species is the end of the day.
We was only funning.
But guilty, I thought she had it coming."

The Adventures of Pete & Pete Episode 1x01: The King of the Road



The Adventures of Pete & Pete - Season 1 @Amazon.com

Music from the Adventures of Pete & Pete @Amazon.com

Of Montreal - Tim, I Wish You Were Born a Girl

Of Montreal are easily one of my favorite bands that are still actively making music today. They've been together for 10 years, have put out 8 albums, 6 compilations, and 4 EPs. Simply choosing one favorite song by them is practically impossible. However if I had to cut it down to my top 5, "Tim, I Wish You Were Born a Girl" would undoubtedly make the list. It comes from Of Montreal's first album, Cherry Peel, released in July of 1997, when Kevin Barnes was 21. It's a perfect little song, incredibly sweet and pure, catchy, and lovable. Of Montreal make me love life.

Of Montreal - Tim, I Wish You Were Born a Girl

"Tim, wish you were born a girl,
So I could've been your boyfriend.
I know it's not possible now.
I just never met a girl I like half as much as you.

And we could lay around in bed, stay there all day,
Or at least until the afternoon
And I could make you spaghetti with tomato sauce
With just a touch of oregano and a parsley stem.

And then when you got sick,
I could take the day off work.
I could've made you chicken soup,
And we could watch soap operas
- oh, those TV dramas!
I could catch your cold
and you could take care of me.

If I could've met you at school, or met you at work,
It would have changed everything.
Those years of losing, confusion and insecurity,
They would have been shared,
they would have been easier.

Tim, wish you were born a girl,
So I could've been your fiancé.
I'm not saying you can't be all these things for me,
But it's just not the same because you're a man,
and so am I".

A pretty decent homemade video for the song:



Of Montreal - Cherry Peel @Polyvinyl Records