The Trachtenburg Family are a domestic trio (father: Jason, mother: Tina Piña & 12-year-old daughter Rachel), who play quirky indie pop songs in the key of unironic good, clean fun with one major catch: All the songs carefully rhyming lyrics come from the vintage slide collections theyve found at estate or garage sales that accompany their performances. Whats more, from their retro fashion sense to their disavowal of modern conveniences, the Trachtenburgs are a charming relic: a vintage throwback to simpler, more self-sufficient, family-oriented times just like their music.
Tina Piña and Jason met at a Greenwich Village open-mic in 1989, and the pair later relocated to Seattle. They had a daughter, Rachel, and ran a dog-walking business while Jason worked Seattles open-mic circuit. When his eccentric indie pop was failing to find an audience, Tina suggested he augment his act with slide imagery.
On a subsequent dog-walking trip with Rachel, she found an old slide projector at a garage sale, and a box of slides from a random family's 1959 mountain trip to Japan. One morning in 2000, Tina awoke to find Jason had spent the entire night writing a song to accompany the slide presentation (appropriately titled Mountain Trip to Japan, 1959). Six-year-old Rachel was recruited to play harmonica; (she later moved over to drum duties), Tina was appointed projector operator/backup singer, and the Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players were born.
The remarkably favorable reaction to the family act was nearly unfathomable. The local press went wild; their coffee house shows boasted lines out the door.
In July 2002, the family relocated to New Yorks East Village and befriended artists like Regina Spektor and Nellie McKay. After being covered by The New Yorker, Spin, EW, the Village Voice, and others, Bar/None released their full-length debut, which showcased Jason singing about topics as varied as enjoying fondue in Switzerland to training employees to work at Wendys. Vintage Slide Collections From Seattle, Volume 1 (2003) was recorded in Seattle before the big move and features guest spots from the citys local stars. Six months and a lot of DIY-campaigning later they were the first unsigned band to appear on Late Night with Conan O'Brien.
Thanks to a grueling tour schedule that has the act playing approximately 150 shows a year, "We became a really tight touring outfit," Jason says. "We wear tight touring outfits, as well, which is why we don't eat too much before shows." They've played Bonnaroo, the Edinburgh festival, the alt-comedy circuit, every city in the 48 states all the while winning over famous fans like Meg White, The Simpsons creator Matt Groening, comedians David Cross, Eugene Mirman, and John Waters.
The groups latest effort is Off & On Broadway, to be released by Seattle indie, Sarathan Records on August 1, 2006. It is a DVD of performances and day-in-the-life footage that demonstrates exactly how this one-of-a-kind band works.
Look At Me
Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Here we are in the parking lot
My friends cough cause they smoke a lot
Look at me
Look at me
Look at me
Here we are
There's a bear up against the car
Cryopathic can fix you there
When your Sonny and Cher
Sonny and Cher
Look at me
Look at this
A government disc.
Or when music can set us free
Or your President Kennedy
Look at me
Look at us
Always serious
They invented the color TV
Groove on in
Look at me
Look at me
Look at me
Groove on in
Here's what this guy would say
Look at me
Won't you try some of my barbecue
This is what happens when you have a few
Look at you
Look at you
Look at you
Look at me
Look at me
I'm someone's drunken gull
We like Simon and Garfunkal
Look at me
Look at me
Look at me
Look at me
Look at me at the festival of gas
One small leak on the mountain pass
Half of Cristianburgs cut in half
Look at me
Oh look at us at ?
We were huge in the seventies
Roasted turkey for ye
Look at me
Look at me
This next verse is about Jean
Look at Jean
Look at Jean in her young days
Look at Jean in a drunken haze
Look at Jean
Look at Jean
Look at Jean
Look at me
Look at me
Look at me with my good friend Jean
Jean was always so very clean
Look at Jean
Look at Jean
Look at Jean
Look at me
Look at me someone'll find this funny
Someone else will do anything for money
Someone's disposition is way too sunny
Look at me
Look at me I'm a ? nut with a gun
But I wouldn't hurt anyone
So lets start World War three
Look at me
Look at me
Look at me
Look at me
Look at me
Look at me
From the hills to the greens
All the places in between
Jean and Kathy
Look at me
"Look at Me" by Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players is a humorous commentary on the human nature of seeking attention and wanting to be seen. The song is structured as a stream of consciousness of various random events and figures, all connected by the recurring theme of wanting to be looked at. The chorus is a simple repetition of "Look at me," which reflects the self-centered nature of the song's speaker.
The verses describe different scenarios where the need for attention manifests, such as being in a parking lot with friends who smoke, pointing out a bear on a car, having a barbecue, being at a music festival, or talking about a friend named Jean. The song also references various historical and cultural figures, such as Sonny and Cher, President Kennedy, cryotherapy, and the invention of color TV. The lyrics are surreal and absurd, but the song succeeds in being catchy and entertaining.
Overall, "Look at Me" is a clever critique of the modern obsession with fame and self-promotion, as well as a celebration of the absurdity and humor of everyday life. While the lyrics may seem random and nonsensical at first glance, they ultimately come together to create a unique, playful, and thought-provoking song.
Line by Line Meaning
Look at me
I crave attention and validation
Here we are in the parking lot
We are physically present in this location
My friends cough cause they smoke a lot
My associates have developed medical problems due to their smoking habits
There's a bear up against the car
There is a large, wild animal in close proximity to the vehicle
Cryopathic can fix you there
A product or service can remedy your situation
When your Sonny and Cher
During a time period when Sonny and Cher were popular figures
Look at this
Pay attention to the thing I am showing you
A government disc.
A recording or data storage device produced by the government
Or when music can set us free
Music can have a liberating effect on us
Or your President Kennedy
During the presidency of John F. Kennedy
Always serious
We take things very seriously
They invented the color TV
A team or group played a major role in developing television technology
Groove on in
Enjoy the moment and have a good time
Won't you try some of my barbecue
Please sample some of the food I have prepared
This is what happens when you have a few
Intoxication alters our behavior and decisions
Look at you
Directing attention to another person
I'm someone's drunken gull
I am behaving foolishly and without control
We like Simon and Garfunkal
We enjoy the music of Simon and Garfunkel
Look at me at the festival of gas
At a gathering or event related to fuel or gasoline
One small leak on the mountain pass
A small opening or damage in a road through a mountain range
Half of Cristianburgs cut in half
A reference to a specific location or group of people experiencing a significant loss
We were huge in the seventies
We were very popular during the 1970s era
Roasted turkey for ye
A meal or dish consisting of cooked turkey
This next verse is about Jean
I am transitioning to a new topic of discussion focused on a person named Jean
Look at Jean in her young days
Examining photographs or memories of Jean during her youth
Look at Jean in a drunken haze
Observing Jean's intoxicated state
Look at Jean
Directing attention to Jean once more
Look at me with my good friend Jean
Picturing myself alongside my close friend Jean
Jean was always so very clean
Describing Jean's personal hygiene and cleanliness habits
Someone else will do anything for money
Other individuals may be more willing to compromise their values or engage in unethical behavior for financial gain
Someone's disposition is way too sunny
Someone's attitude or outlook on life may be overly optimistic or naive
I'm a ? nut with a gun
I have an obsession or fixation with firearms
But I wouldn't hurt anyone
Clarifying that despite my infatuation with guns, I would not cause harm to others
So lets start World War three
Making an ironic and sardonic comment about the possibility of starting a global conflict
From the hills to the greens
Referring to a wide range of locations or settings
All the places in between
Encompassing every location or situation in between two points
Jean and Kathy
Naming two individuals, possibly important or familiar to the singer
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: JASON TRACHTENBURG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@jonbongjovi1869
Nope.
I was their best friend / tour opener for years, and they were an amazing family trio, but Dad Jason lost every band vote cuz the two gals, Mom Tina & Daughter Rachel would vote together against him, ha ha.
Jason is your neurotica jew Woody Allen-type, who would have to argue with the gals over spending money and using air conditioners etc. (They're very liberal and political.)
I was so jealous of their family band! Touring the world as a family who have fun and entertain every night and no real drama behind the scenes. Tina & Rachel had NONE of the problems most Female Entertainers have, re insecurity or craziness. Touring the world with them was as awesome as life could ever be. And they may have been the greatest Family ever. (Rachel was home-schooled, so they were a perfect liberal family of odd artists and musicians.)
It lasted 8 years before they drove it off a cliff via Normal Human Hubris.
Daughter Rachel created an amazing girl uke trio called SUPERCUTE! (look up "Candy City" for starters) but she ruined that band via ambition. (She fired one member to replace her with the daughter of a dude in Guns N Roses, to try and climb the ladder more.DIdn't work.)
Jason & Tina DID end up stealing Rachel's entire $6,000 life savings (!!) -- that was the only awful thing they ever did to Rachel. (I was like the 4th member of the family, and spent 24 hours with them for years!)
I miss them all every single day. Touring the world with them was always awesome fun!
@jonbongjovi1869
@@farpointstation it's one of the craziest stories of all time (and it's still impossible 12 years later!), but it's too long and insane to recount here.
It was even more inexplicable cuz Tina, Rachel & I were like the Three Muskateers --- we had this really unique symbiosis and we never ever had any fights etc in all the years touring the world together, 24 hours a day!
(It's impossible to find artists or musicians who are TOTALLY LEVEL-HEADED and reasonable always! Even harder if they're females!)
THE FIRST CRACK was when Rachel and I plotted to SMASH Emperor Bloomturd in PUBLIC hearings at City Hall. (Any one could sign up to speak for 3 minutes to the City Council to speak out for or against Bloomturd's efforts to overthrow term limits (!!), but I was banned from City Hall for being a prankster and troublemaker, so I asked Rachel if she would go and read my 3 minute speech and she agreed.) Our plan worked perfectly and Rachel stole the show and was in all the NYC MSM as a hero who kicked EMperor ass like no other people testifying over 2 days did! The 14 year old Rock Drummer giril with Red Ribbon in her hair.....beating the SHIT outta the naked emperor! EVERYONE loved it but Bloomturd!
PART TWO was a week later, and Rachel was going to read another 3 minute speech I'd write that was even MORE vicious than the prior one....but this time she'd be FACE TO FACE vs the Naked Emperor!! THE PRESS WAS GONNA GO GA-GA FOR THIS VISUAL showdown!!
And then, Dad Jason & Mom Tina SECRETLY swapped out my very SPECIFIC and career-ending-for-Bloomturd speech for a VAGUE bunch of empty platitudes that every other speaker said in their testimony! And Rachel didn't even tip me off in a text. We were going to LOSE Bloomberg the election with just one more 3-minute testimony by rachel! And her liberal parents BOTCHED IT and GOP Bloomturd stole a 3rd term and permanently destroyed NYC forever!
(BLoomberg is far more evil than society knows. EX: he was the #1 funder of the NY GOP and national GOP for a while! He funded ANTI-gay campaigns, etc etc. He's a super-nazi.)
THAT BROKE OUR 'SHIP IN A WAY that could never be repaired. This was life and death shit!
Plus the dishonesty of it!
(Had they told me they wanted to use their OWN Script, I'd have gotten ANOTHER performer friend to go down and be an MSM Hero overnight!)
Rachel and I stayed friends a bit longer, and we were supposed to do a new band called the MUNCHIES (Monkees meets Archies?!), and all the songs were about food and our names were too. (I was PETER BUTTER, and Rach's name was PAM SANDWICH, and Julia's name was LIZA ANYA [ugh!]!) but one day Rachel just ghosted me, her best friend (her words)!
To this day, all plead the 5th when our umpteen mutual friends or I ask them ANY questions about any of it!
I miss them every day. We were like super-best-friends.
@dingusgoodus8151
I saw these guys at the Cleveland Agora shortly before I was sent to Iraq. I was a medic. At one point in the show they asked if anyone in the audience had any medical experience. Apparently, I was the only one so I got shuffled back stage and tried to help a crew member with a broken ankle and no health insurance. I iced it and wrapped it and told her she needed to go to a net or urgent care. They gave me free merch for my contribution. I asked the singer dad to sign my chest. The drummer daughter said, “you’re weird, mister”. It was such a fun night. Month or so later I was in Iraq, fighting in hell. I would play the cd all the time and annoy the hell out of anyone around me but it made me feel safe and reminded me of happier times.
@brmac5231
I saw this when it first aired and never forgot it; something so poignant about those old slides, mixed with the incongruence of the comic lyrics and the family dynamic of the 'band'. I have mentioned it to people over the years and tried to describe why it left an impression on me, but to no avail. It was too ephemeral to define. One of those things born of the confluence of where I was in my life at the time and the witnessing of things either passed or soon to pass...a strange alchemy indeed.
@Lukeade815
its how we all want to be remembered
@AeroGold1
I also watched it when it first aired and it left the same kind of impression on me. None of my friends could understand why I liked their act so much.
@joe_rockhead
I was also struck by what a potent combination it all was and how fleeting it was likely to be. I had a chance to see them during this period but it was during the winter and a snowstorm made it impossible for them to make the show. I never had another opportunity and dee;ply regret it.
@fapmansworld
Man you said it so well. It took me a few years to find this video and see your comment. You describe it the same way I would. It took me a few years to find this vid and I have no idea why it left such and impression on me. Must have just hit me at the right time in the right place. I still whistle the tune to myself often. A memory of better times from a memory of better times I guess.
@mr.patrickaloysiusbartholo4727
You perfectly have captured my feelings on this timeless track. It gives me the feels every time. And as I return to this track 20 years or so older it’s becomes more poignant.
@DicklessHipster
Always remembered seeing this on Conan.
@mr.patrickaloysiusbartholo4727
Look at me! I saw this live 1st time! This band is seriously 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
@mokiicustoms
I saw this live🔥🔥🔥🔥 thx for uploading