It's not just The O.C. and Gilmore Girls name-checking the indie rock these days. Dandy Warhols' front-man Courtney Taylor-Taylor had a cameo in last night's excellent episode of Veronica Mars, performing a karaoke version of Nazareth's "Love Hurts" (!) at Neptune's local hangout Java the Hut. It was better than almost anything on the Dandy's new album, Odditorium or the Warlords of Mars. Of course, the Dandy Warhols' "We Used to Be Friends" is the Veronica Mars theme so it's not that surprising that he would appear on the show, but it did stick out somewhat like a sore thumb.
If you're not watching Veronica Mars, you're missing one of the best shows -- probably THE best, alongside Lost -- on television right now. In the first season the titular teen sleuth solved a weekly mystery while having working on the season-long plots of who killed her best friend, who slipped her roofies and took away her virginity, and what happened to her runaway mom -- all while dealing with high school and a love triangle where you actually kind of liked both suitors. And the Season One finale was just brilliant, about as perfect an episode of TV as you could get. This year so far is firing on all cylinders, upping the ante plot-wise while breaking out of the first season's small-case-big-case episodic formula. I love The O.C., but Veronica Mars kicks its ass in every way possible right now. Buffy creator Joss Whedon is a huge fan.
In other indie rock on TV news, Pitchfork reported a while back that The Hold Steady were being written into an episode of ABC's Emmy-winning drama Lost. In last night's installment, "Everybody Hates Hugo," the flashbacks found cursed-by-numbers Hurley asking his crush -- a record store clerk -- to a Hold Steady gig. Whether that's the extent of their involvement, or whether they will actually appear on an upcoming episode remains to be seen.
Pitchfork also reports that new UK band The Subways will perform on the Nov. 18 episode of The O.C., once FOX stops being the Major League Baseball Channel. Apparently they'll be the only band to perform on the show this season. The Bait shop just isn't getting the same quality of bands once Marissa and Seth drove poor Alex away. Or maybe it's 'cause their signed to Warner Bros, whose TV arm also produces The O.C. (even though the show is on FOX). The Subways are also on Music from the O.C. - Mix 5, along with Stars, LCD Soundsystem, Of Montreal, Shout Out Louds and others.
(Veronica Mars screencap courtesy Signe's Sanctuary.)
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