Cover

Tonight my wife choose to watch a chic flick.

Here’s the tag line: A ghost tries to sabotage her former boyfriend's current relationship with a psychic.

You may imagine, if you will, my level of enthusiasm.

No aliens? No boobies? No explosions? Not even a car chase?

Oh goodie (Tomorrow, she will be forced to sit through Predators and at least one Terminator movie, balance must be restored to the Force).

However, as much as it galls me to say it, the chic flick turned out to be a fairly funny and entertaining movie called Over Her Dead Body.  Nothing particularly gut busting, but it had its moments. It starts out with Eva Longoria getting crushed to death under an ice sculpture. Since I can’t stand Eva Longoria, I considered that fairly amusing.

Reason I mention it, is towards the end, the soundtrack included a cover of I Can See Clearly Now by a singer whose voice I didn’t recognize.

Now I dig I Can See Clearly Now.

I’ve always really, really liked that tune. I’ve got the original Johnny Nash album, the Jimmy Cliff hit version, and, of course, the Bob Marley. It’s just such a great, upbeat song. I defy anybody to listen to I Can See Clearly Now and come out the other end with a shitty attitude. It’s just one of those truly great songs.

Here’s Jimmy Cliff on Letterman right after Cool Runnings came out (That reminds me, Damn, I miss John Candy):

I googled the movie soundtrack and found out that the cover version I’d heard was by a guy name Eagle Eye Cherry.  That’s his real name, the actual no shit name his folks gave him. Eagle Eye Lanoo Cherry. That is my official pick for Most Awesome Bad Ass Name Of The Universe.  Turns out he’s a talented artist as well.

Unfortunately, Eagle Eye’s version of I Can See Clearly Now doesn’t seem to be available anywhere, including YouTube.

However, in the process of finding that out, I discovered that I Can See Clearly Now has got to be the single most covered song in the history of music. Everybody, and I mean every damned body, from Gladys Knight & the Pips to The Mamas and the Papas to Willie freakin’ Nelson to the Muppets has done a cover. I spent three hours listening to different versions of the song, including the most awesome Ray Charles and by the end I was in a very good mood.

Then I found this:

Damn.

Now that’s cool. 

The Most Awesome SciFi Music Video Ever

 

I was going to vote for The Devinyls I touch Myself.

What?

The I Touch Myself video isn’t scifi?

Dude.

I mean, damn! what the hell is your definition of fantasy anyway. Seriously, don’t.  Just don’t speak to me. Jim needs some quiet time. 

 

Fine, fine. Whatever. Most awesome Scifi video?

Michael Jackson’s Thriller? Best line? “I’m not like other guys.” Really?   Gotta love movie audience Michael all not sensitive and shit – because you know in real life in an actual zombie movie he’d be screaming like a little girl. I’ll admit he was one talented little weirdo in his Thriller days, but the video is just too slick and big budget to qualify for "Most Awesome.”  (And don’t even start with the but Jim isn’t Thriller more like a horror video instead of scifi or even fantasy? One word: Zombies. Zombies are totally science fiction).

How about ZZTop, TV Dinners? Goddamn, I loved the Eliminator album (but then who didn’t?). But, again it’s just not hokey enough to qualify as “most awesome.”

Maybe Tom Petty’s post apocalyptic Mad Max/Cherry 2000 mashup, You Got Lucky? Naw. Not even close (Cherry 2000? And you call yourself a science fiction fan. Really).

Oh. Wait. How about Billy Ocean and the Star Wars cantina, ur I mean Lover Boy?  (Oh, don’t even act like you’re not singing along and doing the air guitar on this one. Plus, you know you’d do the elf chick). Lover Boy is pretty damned cheesy alright.

But, it’s not quite cheesy enough.

No.

For cheese you’ve got to have a daytime TV soap star turned bubblegum rocker and teen squeal idol.

The most awesome scifi video has it all. Flash dancing and futuristic ankle warmers. Double-brested button down space cowboy tunic thing. Chicks with HUGE big giant 80’s hair and silver suits. Six eyed sax player. Suspended animation. Romance. Awe. Wonder. Bad acting.

And Rick Springfield.

Springfield once lived with a girl known for being possessed by the Devil.

Seriously, look at that hair and tell me you’re not watching the most awesome scifi video ever.

She’s Not There

For some reason, I’ve had The Zombies playing in my brain for the last couple of days.

It started out with the guitar riff from Time of the Season and this morning I woke up with She’s Not There playing in my head.

It may be a sign of the impending Zombie Apocalypse, you should probably oil your shotgun and sharpen your machete.

In the meantime:

Funny thing, She’s Not There was the debut song by The Zombies, released in ‘62 while they were working on their first album. In 1964, She’s Not There reached #12 on the UK charts and broke the top ten in North America.  This video would have been made in ‘64 or ‘65 — and yet you’ll note that all of the electric guitars are apparently wireless. 

A band far ahead of their time indeed.

Hey It’s Saturday!

Well, Saturday Night, actually.

Remember these guys?

It’s Rollermania!

Don’t even act like you’re not singing along. Because you know you are.

Axis Of Awesome

I love this

This Week’s Very Important Question

Best Air Guitar song?

I’m going with this:

 

Great acoustic guitar, plus bongos. Seriously, it’s the perfect air band song.

 

As always, good answers place you on the short list for access to the bunker when the zombie apocalypse comes (where we will be doing a great deal of air guitar to pass the time). The wrong answer, say like anything by Prince (or whatever that little squiggle is calling himself these days), and you’re going to find yourself air banding a reenactment of Thriller…with real zombies.

The flesh eating kind. 

Just Because…

…it’s Friday night!

Jello shots for everybody!

Everybody! Up on the counters and tables.

I wanna see air guitar like you don’t have teenaged children who are watching in utter horror!

I wanna see some dancing like you won’t need an entire tube of Ben-Gay tomorrow!

 

Yes, yes!

 

…Hello?

Crap.  You all went to bed already. Didn’t you?

sigh

This Week’s Very Important Question

On the way home from Anchorage tonight I was listening to my ZEN instead of my usual NPR and the news.

Over the last couple of days I’ve been loading up some pre-programmed playlists. Vintage stuff mostly.

One of those lists was “Greatest Rock Anthems of All Time,” those great power ballads of my teenaged years, 70’s classic rock. You know, that great music we all thought would never die.

Except, well, maybe some of those songs should die. Quietly.

Granted, there’s a serious nostalgia factor here and I’m willing to cut many of those old tunes some slack, they bring back great memories of my first car and school dances and the rumble of 33 vinyl on a belt driven turntable blasting through a tube amp. 

But others? Well, let’s just say that - from the perspective that the intervening thirty years have given me - some of those songs didn’t age well. Really, not at all.

Take Kansas. In the 70’s they were everywhere, on every radio station, in every cassette player.  I probably listened to Point of Know Return a million times and I still enjoy hearing it. The MTV video is pretty hysterical too, now, but I remember when those effects were cutting edge (the hair, well, that never goes out of style):

But then there’s Dust in the Wind, probably Kansas’ best known hit and one of the “Greatest Rock Anthems.”

Holy freakin’ crap what a depressing tune. God Gravy, man, don’t listen to it alone in the car, you’ll end up driving straight into a bridge abutment.  I’m sure there’s a video of it somewhere out there in the bleak gray soulless desolation of the dying and lonely Internet, but I’m not linking to it here. You can go find it for yourself. I’d recommend you make sure your Xanax prescription is up to date first though. It’s a wonder any of us made it out of the 70’s alive.

Next up?

Led Zeppelin, Stairway to Heaven.  Hey, Zeppelin had some great tunes, but seriously folks Stairway isn’t one of them.  Oh sure, I can hear your heads exploding from here (and an especially loud bang from somewhere in North Carolina). Yes, I know. Stairway was the most requested FM radio song in the 70’s, hell I’m pretty sure I was one of those callers.  I know it’s considered one of the top five greatest rock tunes of all time by pretty much any compilation you can name. But damn, folks, have you listened to this song? I mean as an adult? As a sober adult. Really, check out the lyrics. They not not profound, they’re complete nonsense:

And as we wind on down the road
Our shadows taller than our soul
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold
And if you listen very hard
The truth will come to you at last
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll
And she's buying a stairway
To heaven...

What the fuck is that?

It’s gibberish, that’s what it is. Gibberish. It’s not because I’m old, it’s gibberish. The whole damned song is like that. I know, I know, but face it folks, if it only makes sense after a tab of acid and two doobies rolled from pages torn out of Lewis Carroll’s Jabberwocky, it’s probably really just complete crap. And speaking of gibberish – anything by The Doors. Just sayin’.

Styx’s The Grand Illusion aged pretty well I thought, Alan Parson Pyramid sure didn’t (though I still love In the Lap of the Gods, though I don’t think you could call it rock and roll).

Then there are songs I absolutely hated when they were popular.

And now?

Now they make me smile and crank up the volume until my ears bleed. AC/DC’s You Shook Me All Night Long for example.

Or Twisted Sister, We’re Not Going To Take It. This has got to be one of the best MTV rock videos ever made (of course, it helps if you’ve seen Animal House).

 

So anyway, here’s your question, in two parts: a) Worst Rock Anthem Ever? and b) Best Rock Anthem Ever?  

 

Remember, the correct answer grants you access to the shelter when the zombie apocalypse comes, the wrong answer will likely result in your untimely conversion into zombiechow.  Think carefully, the songs in column B will likely end up as the soundtrack within the shelter – try to pick something that goes well with machinegun fire. Imagine blasting the shambling undead to Twisted Sister. Cool huh? Fun? Yes.   Now imagine facing a wall of reanimated corpses bent on murderous intent to the sounds of Dust in the Wind. See?  Bring that shit into the shelter and you’re going to get sent out for a bottle of record cleaner in the middle of the night.

Alone.

Think about it.

In The Black

If you're a Firefly or Serenity fan, you'll enjoy this video, set to Alaskan folk singer Marian Call's song In The Black.

And even if you're not a Firefly fan, Marian's voice is well, well worth listening to. She is amazing.



You can learn more about Marian Call here.

Uneasy Rider

This song cracks me up. I always thought it would have made a great music video:



I'm not exactly a big Charlie Daniels fan, but the guy can sure play a fiddle.

Silvan Zingg

 

Michael Jackson and his moonwalk got nothing on these two.

 

That was from the Silvan Zingg International Boogie Woogie Festival.

 

My mom sent me this, along with a note saying that my dad used to dance like this.

I, apparently, did not inherit this particular gene.

Stop Your Sniveling

 

OK, I take pity on you for the previous ABBA post.

 

Here, wash your brain out with this:

 

Into the Fire by Thirteen Senses, a small band from Cornwall, England. 

That song is probably their best known tune here in the States, though Thirteen Senses has had a number of Top 40 hits on the British Charts. Into The Fire has made the soundtracks of a number of TV shows, including The 4400 and if you watched the pilot episode of Grey’s Anatomy last night you heard it in the final scene.

You’re welcome.

PPL

I can't find a decent live video of this song, which isn't surprising considering the time frame and the fact that Pure Prairie League was never that big of act.

Still, I dig this song.

Amie, Pure Prairie League:

You Better Change Your Evil Ways, Baby.

For some reason, Carlos has been in my head all day.

There are worse things in life, trust me.



Now, it's in your head too.

_________________________________

Update: Apparently I must now listen to my entire Santana collection. In case you were wondering that's about 26 albums, 196 tracks give or take.

Friday End of the Week Music

See?

This is what the Internet is good for (well, and porn, but that just goes without saying).

This is a Cher/Marc Cohn mashup of Cohn’s Walking in Memphis. The two singers never actually recorded together or made a video together. Somebody named nanzi1291 just created it via some very creative editing – including adjusting Cher’s voice to match the key Cohn is singing in.

Even ten years ago this would have been difficult for a professional studio to do. Now, anybody with some time on their hands and a bit of freeware can literally alter the fabric of reality to create entirely new professional caliber artwork. Amazing.

Of course, I’m not sure that this is entirely legal, or that copyrights haven’t been violated, or that somebody doesn’t owe somebody royalties…

Still, very cool. I’ve always loved this song.

Friday End of the Week Music

You know, Rod Stewart is one of the few great rockers I have never seen live.

I regret that.

Because it looks like so much goddamned fun



Also? I love the mandolin. I just really do.

Friday Going Home Music

For all of you who are galley slaves rowing for the Man, here’s a little Friday going home music:

I never much cared for The Beach Boys – I think their amazing harmony was often wasted in light and fluffy fare. But Sloop John B, a cover of a much older song made famous by the Kingston Trio, is a rare exception.

Enjoy your drive home.

My Back Pages

I’ve been busy today and haven’t had time to post much.

I do have a large and complex piece on some pending legislation in the works, but it requires more research and a bit more thought. Maybe tonight, depending on how I’m feeling.

I also have a letter asking my opinion on some pending gun control (Obama is taking our GUNS! Oh NOES! We TOLD you!) that I might or might not write about - depending on how much I feel like dealing with the crazy gun nuts.

And I have a really interestingly capitalized and punctuated letter I got this morning demanding that I get the word out about Deep Under Ground Bases (yes, D.U.M.B) and Obama's Secret FEMA Prisons. I actually looked this up and it's a lot like being sprayed right in the face with a big old fire hose of thick gooey stupid, then rolled about in crispy stupid flakes until you're completely coated, and deep fried in a big old black iron kettle of hot oily stupid. Writing about it would be a lot like beating up a comotose accident victim - which doesn't mean I won't, but maybe later. I can only handle one batch of idiots at a time.


In the meantime here is Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, George Harrison, Tom Petty, Neil Young, and Roger McGuinn doing Dylan’s My Back Pages at Madison Square Garden during Dylan’s 30th Anniversary concert celebration, October 1992.



Dylan wrote Pages in 1963 and released it on Another Side of Bob Dylan in 1964. The song was based on a rambling speech he gave in 1963 while accepting an award from the Emergency Civil Liberties Committee in New York. The song is mostly about how his view of music and the 60’s protest movement had changed, as summed up in the refrain “I was so much older then, I’m young than that now…”

A number of bands have released cover versions of My Back Pages over the years, most notably the Byrds in 1967 on their Younger Than Yesterday album and next to the ensemble version above, the Byrds’ release is my favorite.

I was listening to Younger Than Yesterday this morning in the shop, the neighbor kid asked "What's this crap?" I thought about stapling his lips together - yes, yes, I know there are laws about stapling an obnoxious kid's lips together, so I gave some thought to more humane methods such as gorilla tape or super glue.

In the end I settled for turning up the volume until I couldn't hear the little cretin anymore.

500 Miles

Over on Burlaki on the Thames, Ilya posted a video of The Proclaimers’ version of Roger Miller’s King of the Road.

 

Which, of course, put The Proclaimers earwig in my head.  I’ve had I’m gonna be 500 miles and I’m on my way playing in my brain for two days now.

There’s really only one way to deal with an earwig (well, OK, there is two ways, but I’m opposed to the bleach, power drill, and bent coat hanger method for safety reasons).  With an earwig, the best thing to do is to just fire up the album and get it out of your system*.

So this morning I’m listening to Sunshine on Leith.

Here’s the Scottish duo, Charlie and Craig Reid, better known as The Proclaimers and (I’m gonna be) 500 Miles:

 

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* Note: Stonekettle Station does not recommend this earwig suppression method should you be afflicted with an Abba, Dancing Queen earwig – in that case, only the bleach, power drill, and bent coat hanger method has been proven as an effective treatment.

Warning: Do NOT click on the above link. No really. Not even to see insane Swedish people in tights. No, don’t do it! 

 

You fool! You did, didn’t you?

Sigh.

Bleach is under the sink. Grab the jug, come on out to the shop, we’ll use the drill press.

What You Waiting For?

Over on Twitter, Random Michelle made a comment about being “super-hyper” and that reminded me of this video.

 

The Rushes, What You Waiting For? 

 

I’ve mentioned this band before. They’re from London and I really dig them.  Still can’t seem to buy their stuff in the US though, at least not anywhere outside of iTunes.

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  Magic 8-Ball Jesus gives this video 2 thumbs up and a sandal clap.