sunday schadenfreude special

I’ll keep this brief because I don’t really care, but the Orlando Magic put the kibosh on the NBA’s wet-dream finals by defeating LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.  It’s painfully obvious that the league was pinning their hopes on a Kobe-LeBron match-up, so it gives me a jolt of glee to see their apple cart turned over.

I’m rooting all the way for Orlando.  Their coach looks like Ron Jeremy, for Christ’s sake!  If the Laker big men play as soft as they did last year against the Celtics Dwight Howard should score 50 points a game.  But really, I would root for Nazis before I root for Kobe.  He’s the biggest douche-bag in the world.

Today’s words of wisdom: always root against scumbag rapists.

random saturday song

“A Quick One While He’s Away” by Green Day

This bonus track from Green Day’s new album 21st Century Breakdown is only available on iTunes, but, thanks to my devious buddy NS, I’m able to post it here without spending a cent (Did I just say that out loud?).

This is a cover of a multi-part Who song that was a precursor to their rock operas (and how I hate that term) Tommy and Quadrophenia.  Rumor has it that when the band came up a bit short of material while recording an album their producer, Kit Lambert, suggested to Pete Townshend that he create one long song out of some unused musical fragments.  The original version sounds a bit off-key and tame, but the song became a staple of their live shows.  Green Day’s take is pretty obviously based on the crushingly awesome version the Who played on “The Rolling Stones Rock and Roll Circus”, a television special that was filmed in 1968 for the BBC.  The Stones were unsatisfied with the finished project and it was never aired, but footage of the Who’s performance was featured in the 1979 documentary The Kids Are Alright. Confused?  I thought so.  Watch this to get yourself up to speed:

Green Day hews close to the template presented above, even to the point of mimicking Townshend’s guitar sound, but they take some liberties with the melodies and harmonies.  They sound a bit stiff during the “Dang” section, and Billie Joe short-changes the catharsis of the line “It’s like a dream to be with you…AGAIN!”  Clearly no one in Green Day is in the same musical class with the dudes from the Who (who is?), but they’re all up for the challenge.  They sound great blazing though the final chorus and I respect them for even trying to recreate such a legendary performance.

Semi-related note:  A long time ago I went to a friend’s house and she played a Green Day appearance she taped off Letterman.  This was ‘94 or ‘95.  They blasted through “Basket Case” and I was so awed by what I saw that I probably watched it another ten times in a row.  Let me tell you, there are very few bands that have that sort of power.  Fifteen years later Green Day still has it.

weekly soundtrack

The “Totally Random” Edition

“I Was Made For You” by She & Him

This is a collaboration between actress Zooey Deschanel (hubba, hubba!) and itinerant guitarist M. Ward.  To be honest, her voice kinda rubs me the wrong way.  So why post this song?  Because I dig the ’60’s girl-group vibe, and because it sounds like it was fun as hell to work on.

“Cannonball Rag” by Merle Travis

Travis is a bit of a forgotten legend.  He used his thumb to play bass notes and his fingers to play the melody, which wasn’t unheard of, but Travis took the style to new heights.  He was a huge influence on suave country maestro Chet Atkins and on Scotty Moore, who played on Elvis Presley’s iconic Sun sides.  This song is a solo piece, and it’s so jaw-dropping that I can’t believe it’s even physically possible for a human being to play like that.

“Never Understand” by The Jesus and Mary Chain

Um, somehow I get the feeling these guys weren’t influenced by Merle Travis.  This is a simple pop song played in the most unlistenable way imaginable.  The guitars substitute squalling feedback for any sort of chordal structure or melodic pretense.  I must say though, once you get used to the piercing shriek of the guitars this song is kinda groovy.  Or is it possible that I’m the only person on the planet that could enjoy this?

random pet peeves

This is a bunch of stuff that’s been bugging me that I couldn’t fit into regular posts.  Feel free to include your pet peeves in the comments.

Change

Minimum-wage slaves all over the city have mastered the passive-aggressive art of placing the bills in my hand and then piling the coins on top.  It never fails to piss me off.  I hate having to do the slide-the-bills-out-from-under-the-coins-without-spilling-them shuffle before I can put my change in my pocket.   I spent a lot of shitty years in retail and I know that’s not how you count back change.  Coins first, and then bills!

Political Bumper Stickers

Note to all you Obama/Biden and McCain/Palin supporters: the fucking election was over seven months ago!  Your candidate either won or lost, but either way, I don’t care who you supported.  Especially if you supported McCain.

Asshole Drivers

I realize that this is like shooting fish in a barrel, but the constant variety of bad drivers never ceases to amaze me.  Everyone loves to bitch about douche-bags who zip from lane to lane, but the people who piss me off the most are the oblivious fuckers who drive the speed-limit in the left-hand lanes.  Move your out-of-state asses over so that the people who know where they’re going can get to work on fucking time for a change.

No Jerry Remy

Remy is the color man for the Red Sox games, and he’s been off the air this season due to cancer surgery and subsequent complications.  NESN has given every Tom, Dick and Harry a turn at the mic during his absence, and it’s been kind of unnerving.  Every series seems to bring another fill-in.

I freely admit that Remy’s bought into his own celebrity.  Hell, he’s got his own hot-dog joint outside the ballpark.  But the fact of the matter is that when he’s talking about baseball Jerry Remy is the best analyst in the world.  In almost every game he points out things that you wouldn’t have seen otherwise.  In the past few years I’ve wondered why the national networks don’t invite the teams’ local analysts to be a part of their playoff coverage.  Think about it:  you get someone with an intimate knowledge of the team and not some blow-dried stiff with a laminated print-out.  It didn’t take long to realize that doing that would make the regular network analysts look like the dumbfucks they are.

I wish him a speedy recovery for the most selfish of reasons:  I miss him.

random sunday song

“Shake Your Love” by Debbie Gibson

Today’s selection comes from Lisa.  She plays a game with one of her friends in which they try to get crappy songs stuck in the other’s head.  The merest mention of this song had it playing non-stop in my head for several hours.  And now, gentle reader, it’s my turn to inflict it upon you.  Because that’s the kind of friend I am.

a touching moment

This evening my daughter and I were shooting the shit when all of a sudden she said she wanted to listen to some music.  As I was cranking up the Victrola she began singing the song she wanted to hear.  Imagine my surprise to hear her five year-old voice singing, “Cause I’m not, not, not, not, not, not, not, not…your academy.”  And to top it all off, she proceeded to perfectly mimic the guitar riff.

I had played Mission of Burma’s “Academy Fight Song” a couple of times the last time she was over, but I always have music playing here, and I never really expect her to remember the songs.  That she specifically asked to hear such an esoteric song kinda threw me for a loop.

Fuck you, Jonas Brothers!  The kids just wanna rock, albeit in an avant-garde sort of way.

—————-
Now playing: Mission of Burma – Academy Fight Song
via FoxyTunes

weekly soundtrack

The “Near Miss” Edition

I’ve never been sadder or angrier than I am right now.  Please don’t expect any kind of coherent analysis.

“Oh, Candy” by Cheap Trick

“Fire And Rain” by James Taylor

“I Shall Not Walk Alone” by the Blind Boys Of Alabama

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again…keep your loved ones close.  I’m not fucking joking around.