(above : one of NYC’s most beloved icons/public figures. And on the left, Earl “The Pearl” Monroe)

Jeff Jensen, one half of the terrorist telephonic duo that brought you the monumental comedy recording, ‘Just Farr A Laff (Vol’s 1 & 2)‘, will be making a rare stand-up appearance tomorrow night at Brooklyn’s Bruar Falls. You know the old saying, “how do you get to Bruar Falls?” To tell the truth, I’ve never heard that saying, but here’s a google map link.

Earles and Jensen celebrate Cinco de Mayo (a.k.a. “Record Store Day 2.5″) with the LP-only Earles and Jensen Present…Just Farr the Record - a collection of 17 or 18 unreleased prank phone calls that were just too flat-out weird for Earles and Jensen Present…Just Farr a Laugh Vol. 1 & 2 (The Greatest Prank Phone Calls Ever!), the epic 2cd+booklet masterstroke released exactly one year ago today. Just Farr the Record also serves as the boy’s tribute to the visual works of Harry Pussy, the Bulb label, and Siltbreeze …back when a laboriously-scanned piece of notebook paper was a website and blacking out (handwritten) words with a Sharpie was updating the website. With cover art by Jeffrey Jensen himself (a loving rendition of Rodney Dangerfield from Ladybugs) and really, really confusing liner notes that make the booklet for JFAL 1&2 seem like The Thorn Birds, and a 1st (and only) pressing of 324 (on the dot), this release is sure to make like the Pontiac Division of General Motors. That said, there are some WHOPPERS on here, so may the lucky and diligent prevail! As I’ve been fond of doing today, I’ll close with a certain Matador employee’s reply to my inquiry about artist comp copies:

“Jeff gets [amount private]…you get one.”

Earles and Jensen Present…Just Farr the Record can be ordered HERE. Top-shelf, gold-standard retail outlets have it, too!

On May 5 we will be releasing an ultra-limited single LP of outtakes by Earles & Jensenfrom last year’s smash comedy album Just Farr A Laugh. Entitled Just Farr The Record, it will be available for preorder very soon. There are only 300 copies with handmade sleeves and they will go FAST, so keep checking that link.

Here is a preview, entitled “It’s A Freak Show:”

It’s A Freak Show (MP3)

As they say in France, “Enjoi”

Anna Ives is the very young, very adorable daughter of Zac and Amy Ives. Zac is co-owner of Goner Records, the singer for Final Solutions, and a flat-out great guy. The Goner Records BBS is currently holding an auction while Zac, Amy, and Anna are in Boston, where the latter is receiving specialized radiation treatment. The auction is to help offset the Ives’ mounting hospital bills. I’m here to encourage Matablog readers to either bid on some of the great finds that have made it to the block, and to offer their own donated items for auction. All of the needed information, including Anna’s story, can be found HERE.

The auction can be found HERE.

Read the Memphis Commercial Appeal story about Anna…

Additional questions not answered by those links can be directed to Eric Friedl: efriedl@gmail.com

Thanks!

This is one heck of a way to seek revenge for a modeling invite that never materialized, but never doubt the ability of Earles & Jensen’s Jeff Jensen to hold a major grudge.   Andy penned the following descriptions of calls Jeff make to three American Apparel outlets, as heard on VIva Radio.

Jeffrey Jensen as Jeff “Skunk” Baxter. (AA location: Coconut Grove)

“Newline Cinema’s ‘Mom’ Hits the Stores” (AA location: Capitol Hill)

OK, perhaps that’s overstating things a tad. But Jeff (above, right) can be heard this coming Monday on Viva Radio , July 21 at 2pm EST 12pm EST. This is your big chance to explore the inner workings of this quality individual’s vast brain. On top of that, he’ll be making some calls to American Apparel stores. For prank purposes, I mean. Not to see if they have any job openings.

There’s a good chance some tortured soul is gonna make one of these videos for EVERY SINGLE TRACK on Earles & Jensen’s Just Farr A Laugh, Vol.’s 1 & 2. if you don’t finally break down and buy a copy. That’s not an idle threat on our part, either.

Here is a taster of how we are going to celebrate when the Earles and Jensen Soundscans accelerate, this is just the tip of the iceberg wait till they totally take off then our pecks will really be glistening

We knew it would be just a matter of time before the co-creator of this generation’s most important comedy album began receiving salacious advances. We just didn’t know it would be his other gig that would serve as the aphrodisiac.

On a separate tip, here’s Aquarius Records’ assessment of ‘Just Farr A Laugh, Vol.’s I & II’

For this review, we recruited AQ pal Cliff Hengst, artist and co-editor of “Good Times: Bad Trips”:
I love me some good prank phone calls. A great prank call can be the most devastatingly funny thing ever – it’s just you and the caller, and of course, the poor sap at the other end (who never seems to get the clue to just hang up). Of the many prank-call cds we’ve listened to, this one stands out as among the most brilliant and repeatedly played. It’s perfect for those long road trips to stave off the urges to cause injury to your traveling companions. Reissued as a double cd with 25 extra pranks (the original, released in 2002 was fine enough), it’s packed with some of the most memorable and pathetic characters you’ve ever heard. The middle-aged and recently divorced Barbara, who loves the “stanky blues” of Bonnie Raitt, trying to join a band to spite her ex-husband; Barbara’s ex-husband in turn calling the same poor dude warning him about his ex-wife and her “buffet of psycho-tropic drugs”; Bedroom ETA , a “quiet storm” band that involves a hilariously sung Jermaine Stewart song; and of course, Bleachy, a fat black sad-sack who harangues army recruiting offices, worker’s comp centers and fast food chains with his miserably petty requests and complaints – so awesome! It’s really no use reading a review of something like this; you miss the timing, the phrasing, all those embarrassing awkward pauses, and out of left-field cultural references. So listen to the clips. An original and hilarious collection that you will listen to again and again and will make you “shit your pants”. Comes with a prank-by-prank analysis booklet by Andrew Earles and Jeffrey Jensen. Shattering.

Awesome news for Memphis residents interested in comedy, music journalism, prank phone calls or trying to purchase records while a “party” is taking place.  Andrew Earles (above), one half of the Earles/Jensen comedy duo responsible for the new ‘Just Farr A Laugh, Vol. I & II’ double CD, will be greeting the public tomorrow (Saturday) at Goner Records at 5:30pm.  The establishment boldly promises “Big Bufords for everyone”,  but you might want to arrive early in case they run out of napkins.

After innumerable delays and despite the best efforts of Peter Giftopolous, ESQ., tomorrow, May 6, Matador will finally unleash the most important comedy recording since Jesus Jones’ ‘Perverse’.

Earles & Jensen’s ‘Just Farr A Laugh, Vol.’s I & II’ will be available in all it’s lavishly packaged glory.  You’re gonna remember what you were doing tomorrow many years from now and hopefully that memory will involve spending some money on the funniest double CD of the modern age.  The Man Cannot Bust Our Music Spoken Word.

(Jeff Jensen, profiled in the Lawrence News)

We are having some serious party moments in eager anticipation of the release of Earles & Jensen’s “Just Farr A Laugh Vol. 1+2″ on May 6th. We’ve been looping the sampler, rifling through our legal documents, and sending out pre-orders. That said, everyone knows that a party isn’t a party without some bonafide DANCE MUSIC (and pizza). Thanks to Mixmasters AeFlo, DJ Rainstick, and the words of our fave E& J character, Bleachy we’ve filled this vacuum…Glowsticks required!

“Bleachy Tonight- Dance Mix” (mp3)

You can still PRE-ORDER “Just Farr A Laugh Vol. 1+2″ and get a few dollars off of purchase and a free poster!

A little more malevolent than my mental pic of the good doc, but still follows the script. I’d like to think he’d ride the deer to safety or something….

Missing man found dressed like doctor with dead deer in stolen ambulance

Holliman was admitted to a North Carolina hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. Police said they would decide whether to charge Holliman after that evaluation is complete.

Our boys have got prank phone calls taking over…

If you found yourself going insane staying caught up with the relentless barrage of comedy we sent your way with last week’s Earles & Jensen MP3s, you are saved. We’ve assembled all five tracks, plus an additional five previously-posted ones in a handsome and elegant little bundle for you to download below.

Earles & Jensen Sampler (zip)

Don’t forget, this is just a SAMPLER. These 10 calls are just a taste of the comedic cornucopia of 58 calls spread across 2 CDs that you will eventually consume upon the release of Just Farr A Laugh Vol. 1+2 April 22nd. Not only that, you get a handsome slipcase with a 64-page saddle-stitched book jammed with drawings, photos and liner notes by famous people including Devendra Banhart, Gregg Turkington (Neil Hamburger), Jennifer Herrema (Royal Trux), Gerard Cosloy, David Dunlap Jr., Gavin McInnes (Vice magazine), and many others.

Pre-order yours for $3 off the regular price (thus only $9 for the whole set!) plus a free poster HERE.

Me = Memphian. Jeff = KS to the bone. I tried to tell Jeff that Memphis has a habit of reaching the doorstep of great success, only to screw it up somehow, and I wasn’t just referring to the college ball. He said that Kansas has a habit of choking in these situations. Will my cock-tease of a city be defeated? This is certainly not my area of expertise (it’s his), but the coincidence is worth mentioning.

This call, clocking in at over five minutes, gives some idea of the depth and subtlety of the entire ‘Just Farr A Laugh‘ collection, and no, we’re not exaggerating. Multiple listens are required to tease out all the levels here… and remember, it’s the guy at the other end who is the first to bring up the topic of self-help books.

Just Farr A Laugh: The Yogurt Machine (mp3)

This is the fifth and final MP3 posted each day this week. Hear the other ones at the links below. Preorder the entire Earles & Jensen double CD box here for only $9.00 — you get 2 discs, 58 tracks, a 60-page booklet jammed with drawings, photos and long-winded liner notes by 35 big-name contributors including Gregg Turkington, Gerard Cosloy, Archer Prewitt, Jennifer Herrema, Devendra Banhart, David Dunlap, Jr., and many others. Plus a free poster.

#4: Kurt Loder Has Lost His Mind (mp3)
#3: Barbara’s Husband Clears The Air (mp3)
#2: Barbara: A Realistic Portrait (mp3)
#1: Christopher Fucking Cross (mp3)

And if you need even more, the earlier MP3s we released are collected here.

I’m not sure what’s more amazing about this call — the game concept itself, or the fact that the woman at the other end takes it completely seriously.

This is, of course, the 4th midday MP3 from the Earles & Jensen prank-call double CD this week:

Kurt Loder Has Lost His Mind (mp3)

Click on these links for the previous three MP3s released this week:

#3: Barbara’s Husband Clears The Air
#2: Barbara: A Realistic Portrait
#1: Christopher Fucking Cross

The image at the top is one of the many fantastic depictions found in the colossal 64-page booklet jammed with drawings, photos and long-winded liner notes by over 35 big-name contributors including Gregg Turkington, Gerard Cosloy, Archer Prewitt, Jennifer Herrema, Devendra Banhart and many more.

In the third of our five-Earles & Jensen-MP3s-at-midday series this week, we present the sequel to yesterday’s call:

Barbara’s Husband Clears The Air (mp3)

(You need to hear Barbara: A Realistic Portrait, yesterday’s MP3, before listening to this one. Monday’s MP3 of Christopher Cross can be found here).

Here’s the second of five Earles & Jensen MP3s we’re posting each day this week at 12:30 Eastern, for the countdown to album release on April 22. It’s about one woman’s fascination with the blues and is entitled:

Barbara: A Realistic Portrait (mp3)

(Yesterday’s MP3, the first, can be found here).

Each day this week at midday Eastern we’ll be posting one MP3 of an Earles & Jensen call as we count down to release of Just Farr A Laugh: The Greatest Prank Phone Calls Ever on April 22.

The first one concerns the three-time Grammy award winner whose debut album is shown above:

Christopher Fucking Cross (mp3)

Believe it or not, we’ve been served by Hawaii attorney Peter Giftopolous. Described by one blogger as a “conosueir of douchery”, Giftopolous finally found someone who claims he’s been defamed by Earles & Jensen’s forthcoming 2XCD, ‘Just Farr A Laugh, Vol. I & II’.

I’d love to tell you what I really think of this creep and his tactics, but on the advice of Matador’s lawyers, I’ve surely written too much already. But I can promise you that nothing else is going to get in the way of our releasing ‘Just Farr A Laugh’. Giftopolous might’ve delayed the street date once, but we’re not gonna let him do it again, no matter the risk to our company’s future.

Sadly, the legal fees we’ve spent on the case thus far have been astronomical. As a result, we’ve had to dramatically reduce our print advertising budget this spring — for instance, we had about 3 full color pages ready to roll in the next issue of Harp, and I shouldn’t have to tell you what happened when cancelled our contract.

That’s right. THE MAGAZINE WENT OUT OF BUSINESS. All because of attorney Peter Giftopolous and his desperate clients. But we’re not going out like that. See you in court, Peter.

We’re extremely happy to announce that Earles & Jensen’s titanic contribution to the world of comedy (and Western Civilization for that matter…) “Just Farr A Laugh” is now available for pre-order! We love to reward genius here at Matador so we’re currently offering those with the daring and clarity of vision to pre-order $3 off, a free poster, and a special surprise non-sequitur gift. As some of you may know we have faced some serious legal-obstacles in producing this release. Ambulance chasing notwithstanding, this double-CD and 35 page book remains a work of genius that we’re sure you’ll enjoy.

Place your pre-order HERE

For the first time, we’re making our annual ‘Intended Play’ label sampler available digitally. Click on the link to get a zipped file of all 12 tracks plus front and back artwork, and burn it yourself (or just listen to it digitally):

Intended Play 2008 (zip file)

Track listing:

1. Jay Reatard Always Wanting More (from 7″ #3, due out June 17 June 24)
2. Times New Viking DROP-OUT (from Rip It Off, released January 22)
3. Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks Cold Son (from Real Emotional Trash, released March 4)
4. Shearwater Leviathan, Bound (from Rook, due out June 3)
5. Cat Power Metal Heart (from Jukebox, released January 22)
6. Matmos Polychords (from Supreme Balloon, due out May 6)
7. Mission Of Burma That’s How I Escaped My Certain Fate (from Vs.: The Definitive Edition, released today, March 18)
8. Jaguar Love Bats Over The Pacific Ocean (from Take Me To The Sea, due out this summer August 19)
9. The Cave Singers Helen (from Invitation Songs, released last September)
10. Dead Meadow I’m Gone (from Old Growth, released February 5)
11. The New Pornographers All The Things That Go To Make Heaven And Earth (live) (from Live From Soho (iTunes Exclusive), released March 11)
12. Earles & Jensen Bleachy Is Back In Town, Look Out (from Just Farr A Laugh Vols. 1 & 2: The Greatest Prank Phone Calls Ever!, due out April 22 May 6)

The sharp-eyed among you will note that some of these tracks are not the ones released as promo MP3s to date.

“Bleachy’s Back In Town” (mp3) from the forthcoming 2XCD, Earles & Jensen Present ‘Just Farr A Laugh, Vol’s I & II’. To paraphrase Jim Fouratt, The Man Can’t Bust Our (Non)-Music.