Friday Fives – some more music edition

I didn’t like any of the questions from my idiot editor.  So, I am going to my old fallback.  Setting my phone to full random on songs.  Going to tell my relationship to each song or band, in the order that they come up.

Bury Me – Dwight Yoakum

I just love this guy, and I am not a country fan by most definitions.  To me, his music is folk music.  I finally got to see him a couple years ago, at Red Rocks no less, and it was fantastic.  I don’t know how I came about his music, but for years I have been performing ‘Fast as You’ with my band, and alone camping.

It’s funny to me that he is an actor.  Being actor is about being a face.  Yet, find me one publicity photo of his face.  You can’t.  Wait… I googled a pic of him without that hat.  Never mind, Dwight, put that hat right back on.

I got to listen to him do a longform interview on the ACS.  He was stupidly likeable.  He didn’t just tell great stories, he sang old jingles and played guitar.

Estimated Prophet – Grateful Dead

One of the few Bobby songs that we all love and appreciate.  And their ain’t many.  Over the years, I have finally come to really appreciate Bob.  Basically, it took Jerry dying to realize what a treasure we always had in Bobby.  We took him for granted, and I will personally cop to it.   However, may I note that this was a big song he was doing when I was following the band in summers of ’90 and ’91.  He would do this caterwauling at the end that was just sad.  We used to call him ‘Bobby Cheese’.  Ok, maybe not ‘we’…. So much as ‘me’.

Side note, this comes from the album Terrapin Station.  My god I love this album.  Terrapin isn’t just my favorite Dead song… it is a super rare moment where the recorded original version is just perfection.  Most of their catalogue never really got great until it was played live.

Nice Boys – Guns & Roses

This is from the album before Appetite.  Can I tell you something?  I was listening to Guns & Roses BEFORE Appetite for Destruction came out.  Credit goes to Tim Ashton, of course.  They had an EP called ‘live like a fucking suicide’.  It was later re-released as side two of ‘Lies’.

Hello… sorry – Todd Snider

I love Todd Snider, he is a folk troubadour, a la Arlo Guthrie, and his father before him.  This isn’t a song, but an intro to one of his wonderful live collections… where he tells as many stories as he does sing songs.  Got to see him live a few years ago, and it was everything I hoped it would be.  One of my favorite clips you can find online is this.  Too Soon To Tell.

Buckets of Rain – Bob Dylan

well, it’s no surprise the list featured the Dead and Bob Dylan.  I still listen to Dylan almost daily.  This is from the masterpiece ‘Blood on the Tracks’.  This is a rather jaunty look at his miserable divorce… which the whole album is about.  Young Bob Dylan was a God, and I am thrilled he got the Pulitzer.  To me, 1974’s Blood on the Tracks is a mystery, of sorts.  This is the music Bob Dylan was making up to 1966.  This should be the successor to ‘Blonde on Blonde’.  However, Bob went weird for almost a decade.  For Bob to ‘go weird’… well that is saying something.  Lay Lady Lay?  What the hell was that?  What was that thing he was doing with his voice?

It’s like Bob went in to witness protection from 1966 to 1974.  Then, he comes back with Blood on the Tracks… and it is like he was never gone.

 

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Wednesday Sietes

What would be the worst song to be accidentally played at a kid’s birthday party?

Pretty much any song the amazing Tool

I am reminded by a brilliant comedy by to comedian Dimitri Martin, who said; its great to like kids…just don’t be to specific.  You cay ‘oh I love kids!’… You don’t say ‘I sure love 7 year olds’

What song actually means something completely different from what most people believe it to mean?

Well, the obvious answer is ‘Ever Breath you Take’.  That is not a long about eternal love, it ain’t.  it is a psycho stalker.  Let’s go deeper.  ‘All the Best’ by John Prine.  Extra points also to ‘Too Soon to Tell’ but Todd Snider.  It contains maybe the best lyric ever – I wish I should show you how you hurt me in a way that wouldn’t hurt you, too.

Let’s just stop and enjoy that for a second –

What’s a happy sounding song that is actually sad ?

Everything by 10,000 Maniacs.  Musically, the songs a beautiful and full of joyous melody.  The actual topics, though>  child abuse, suicide… really who whole gamut
What single song lyric never fails to fill you with emotion?

This performance of Footsteps, by Pearl Jam.  You can find many versions, even though it was never technically released commercially.  However, it is THIS version you must here.  Legend has it there is NO official studio version of this song.  Just his single take, done only once, as a band demo.  Put some headphones on, and you were warned!

What song will you always associate with a scene from a movie or tv?

Somebody’s Baby Tonight – Jackson Brown.  Its from Fast Times at Ridgemont High.  I highly recommend you google it, but not at work.  I will tell you what, because I care.  I am going to link to the scene here.  DO NOT WATCH THIS AT WORK, you animal.  It’s not my favorite scene, though.  Nor is the Phoebe Cates pool scene.  I think m favorite scene is when the guy wants a refund on his shitty breakfast.  “Listen, Mr. If you don’t shut up, I am going to kick 100% of your ass”

 What’s a happy sounding song that is actually sad ?

About the Weather.  Beautiful, joyful music.  The lyrics, though… well it’s just terribly depressing.  It is important to note here that this band is from Buffalo, NY.

By the way, I have seen them a couple of times (once opening for the Dead, believe it or not).  I kinda expected her to be dour and preachy… about all the injustices of society.  You know… like how I just assume Sting is at a dinner party.  However, they were awesome and happy and fun.  Natalie actually got into a pie fight on stage during her set.  I was SO impressed.

What single song lyric never fails to fill you with emotion?

Born to Run.  My lord how I love that song.  i think it may be the best rock song ever written.  It is a masterpiece.  For most bands, there is an album, or a body of work to represent them.  Like, I am crazy for Pearl Jam… but I can’t point to a singular song.  Nor could I with Bob Dylan.  With Springsteen, though.. that song has it ALL.  I am not even much of a Springsteen guy.  Big fan of him as a person, but I don’t think I own a single album.

On that note, my mother in law got me the new Springsteen autobiography  It is really, really well written.  I can tell you there was no ghost writer here, and all auto=biographies are ‘ghost written’.  Know how that works?  A writer sits with the musician over months and plies him with questions and memories and anecdotes.   That is how pretty much every autobiography is done.  This one, though, is purely the voice of the Boss.

 Now, since I know you know this song (you fucking better know this song)… dig this alternate version.  Solo acoustic.  Powerful.  Man, I sure gush a LOT about Springsteen for a guy who has no albums.

*** was that 6 questions?   7?  I don’t know.  I feel bad, I am kinda a week late.

 

Friday Fives – Sunday Style

What is better… 120 heat or -20 with 5 feet of snow?

Having intimate knowledge of both, I prefer the latter.  Give me the cold.  I do not have AC, so the heat is unbearable at home.  It is currently 100 out in Denver, which is very unusual.  Combine that with the altitude and it is unthinkable.  Indeed, we kinda get both here: very hot and very cold.  I am not sure if this is the best of both worlds, or the worst?  Only Dickens could tell!

So Anton Yelchin just joined the 27 club. Who’s Anton Yelchin? No googling!

Without having any idea who that is… and not googling… let’s take a wild stab in the dark

Yechin’s death illuminates the gritty and real world of amateur and professional wrestlers in today’s society.  I am not talking about well built muscle machines playing MSG to millions.  I am talking about where Yelchin came from… ‘community center’ wrestling.  This is where each wrestler risks his life nightly for about $40.  There are no trainers here, and no doctors on call.  No health care for these guys, just toothless aholes screaming for ‘eddie van halen and the eddie van halen band’.  Inside joke, there.  Extra points to anyone who can name it.  Miss Virgie knows!

Doctors have recently speculated that Yelchin, like many other tragic wrestling figures, suffered from CTE.  That is the traumatic brain injury the NFL has been famously taken to task for.

Knowing what we know about Yelchin’s background, can we be surprised or upset that he was using drugs?  Wouldn’t you?  A recent study showed 83% of current Americans who describe amateur wrestling as a full time job… live UNDER the Federal poverty level.

Frankly, America, I put his death on YOU.  Just like those of you who abhor government hand outs that only shop at Wal Mart.  Knowing full well that 38% of Wal Mart employees are so poorly paid that they have to receive govt subisidies.  6.2 BILLION in subsidies from your check have to go to Wal Mart employees.  How good are those deals, now, righties?

How come you didn’t like my first question? I thought it was brilliant!! I mean how can you say you didn’t know there were gators in Florida? They’re the Florida Gators!

Editors note:  the first question he submitted was terrible and confusing.  I nixed it.  However, I am so amused by this response from my guest editor (separate person, though most are just me.   Today the fearless AZ Monkey Boy stepped in to offer our questions.  Astute, non stoned, readers will remember him from this amazing and 100% true story) that I had to leave it in.  Especially out of context.

Will the Broncos go from first to worst this year?

We will be fine.  Maybe not great, but at least very good.  We have the same defense, who did ALL the heavy lifting last year.  Remember, we all love a good Manning story… but he didn’t do dick-all last year.

Plus… look at our division?  San Diego & Oakland remain just a tragicomedy.  The only threat in the AFC West is the Chefs.  We have always had their number, so that is clearly not a threat.  Great googly moogely indeed!

What famous athlete, actor, singer do you think would make a good pet sitter?

Sarah McLaclan.  She would keep them alive.  Prolly bore them to death, though.  She would sing them all those sad songs, and remind them that most of their family and friends will die a sad neglected death on the streets.

Who would be bad?

Sarah McLaclan, for the reasons stated above.  She could even bum out my Golden