Friday, September 23, 2011: Example - Stay Awake

It's Friday, everyone.

Let's chase the rabbit into Wonderland.

And try to stay awake all weekend

Thursday, September 22, 2011: Patty Griffin - Chief

Here's a song I've been meaning to blog for a long time now.

Patty Griffin is a Grammy award-winning singer-songwriter and musician who songs have been recorded by some of the biggest names in music: Linda Ronstadt, the Dixie Chicks, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Bette Midler, Martina McBride and Joan Osborne, just to name a few.

She is one of those mulit-talented people who are just so good at what they do that you can't get jealous or angry at them for being so good.

As well as writing material for others, Patty also has a line as a solo artist - this particular track, a tender ode to lives unfulfilled and unnoticed, comes off her 2002 album 1000 Kisses.

Enjoy, and get to know this wonderfully talented artist much better

Wednesday, September 21, 2011: Manfred Mann - Doo Wah Diddy

Please forgive me for the political direction this week, gentle reader, it is election season here in the good ol' US of A, and that always gets me slightly crazy.

Let's get back to our regularly scheduled coolness - with the emphasis on more bright and cheerful, and a sing-along song to boot!

Take it away, Mr Mann

Tuesday, September 20, 2011: TWOfer Tuesday - The "Worst Songs Of The 90's" Edition

Recently, Rolling Stone released the results of a reader poll listing the choices for Worst Song Of The 90's. Here's the Top (Bottom?) 10:

1. Agua, "Barbie Girl"

2. Los Del Rio, "Macarena"

3. Billy Ray Cyrus, "Achy Breaky Heart"

4. Vanilla Ice, "Ice Ice Baby"

5. Chumbawamba, "Tubthumping"

6. Hanson, "MMMBop"

7. Celine Dion, "My Heart Will Go On"

8. Baha Men, "Who Let The Dogs Out?"

9. Right Said Fred, "I'm Too Sexy"

10. 4 Non Blondes, "What's Up?"

Now, please understand, I don't have a problem with most of this list.

More than happy that Barbie Girl is at the top, what a horrible, awful song. And, for the most part, these are pretty obvious choices. Unless you've had a frontal lobotomy, you too will agree that if we never hear the Macarena again it will be too soon. Ditto for Achy Breaky Heart, I'm Too Sexy and Who Let The Dogs Out.

I understand some people do, in fact, like "What's Up" by 4 Non Blonds, but every time I listen to it I throw up a little in my mouth. Just an agonizingly repulsive song.

MMMBop by Hanson, while certainly overplayed in the 90's, still manages to be a cut above the usual sugar-pop snaps. In fact, I would call MMMBop more infused with sunshine than sugar, My day is brighter for having heard it, and that makes all the difference.



So, we come to Tubthumping by Chumbawamba. Again, I sort of understand why this is on the list, but, in this instance, everyone who voted for this song is dead wrong.

Chumbawamba, which by the way is the absolute greatest anarchist, syndicalist, socialist, pacifist, communist, mutlicultural, anti-racist, anti-war and feminist band (insert Jeremy Clarkson voice here) In The World, hasn't released a bad song here by any stretch of the imagination.

This songs is actually an anthem and an ode, a declaration to the world around you that no matter how many obstacles life throws you, you are going get back up and do it again and again.

Its a big flying finger in the face of not only adversity, but mediocrity. And it's also a great drinking song to boot.

Worst songs of the 90's? Pish posh. Best songs to start out a week with, if you ask me.  Because, even though I get knocked down, I'll get back up again.  Believe.

So, about that list. Take out Tubthumping and MMMBop, and put in "How Bizarre" by OMC and MMM MMM MMM MMM (or whatever the hell it's called) by Crash Test Dummies and I'll grade it 100%.

Monday, September 19, 2011: Megadeath - Peace Sells, But Who's Buying?

From History.com's This Day In History page:

"On this day, September 19, 1957, the United States detonates a 1.7 kiloton nuclear weapon in an underground tunnel at the Nevada Test Site (NTS), a 1,375 square mile research center located 65 miles north of Las Vegas. The test, known as Rainier, was the first fully contained underground detonation and produced no radioactive fallout. A modified W-25 warhead weighing 218 pounds and measuring 25.7 inches in diameter and 17.4 inches in length was used for the test. Rainier was part of a series of 29 nuclear weapons and nuclear weapons safety tests known as Operation Plumbbob that were conducted at the NTS between May 28, 1957, and October 7, 1957."


Globally there are now approximately 23,000 nuclear warheads.
(Upated as of October 2009)

Russia 13,000
United States 9,400
France 300
China 240
United Kingdom 185
Israel 80
Pakistan 70-90
India 60-80
North Korea <10

Estimated Total: 23,375

This total is from the Federation of American Scientists source:
http://www.fas.org/programs/ssp/nukes/nukestatus.html

Sure, peace sells, but who's buying?

Sunday, September 18

No blogging on a Sunday.

See you Monday!

Saturday, September 17, 2011: Jane Birkin & Serge Gainsbourg - Je T'aime, Moi Non Plus

It's been a weird week.

I think I'd like to end it just by relaxing, listening to Jane Birkin and looking at pictures of Brigitte Bardot.

I hope that sounds good to you, too

Vive la France