Arts and Entertainment
Song of the Day 11/29: Ted Hawkins, “Sorry You’re Sick”
I have to thank the Spotify algorithm for introducing me to Ted Hawkins, whose tragic life story is even more incredible and diverse than his repertoire was. Hawkins was born in Biloxi, Miss., in 1936, to a prostitute; he never knew who his father was. He was in reform school by age 12, where he […]
Song of the Day 11/28: Naudo Rodgriguez, “Bette Davis Eyes”
I keep discovering stuff on YouTube I never would have searched for. I don’t even remember what I was looking for when I ran across Naudo Rodgriguez (some sources spell it Rodgrigues), who finger-picks his acoustic-electric guitar for tourists on Tenerife, one of the Canary Islands. The self-taught Brazilian did some recording in that country […]
Song of the Day 11/25: The Cranberries, “Ode to My Family”
Happy Thanksgiving! Or, as they call it à Paris, jeudi. American culture is consumed everywhere, so Parisians are aware of Thanksgiving, but only expat Americans celebrate it. In some regards, this makes preparing the meal simple — the butcher down the street understood right away why we ordered a fresh whole turkey, yet it was […]
Song of the Day 11/24: Dire Straits, “So Far Away”
Mark Knopfler wrote this song, which appeared on his band’s 1985 mega-hit album “Brothers in Arms,” about the difficulty of conducting long-distance relationships by telephone. Speaking from experience, even 35 years later, in the age of What’s App and Skype, it remains difficult, though at least the phone bills are lower. To illustrate how long […]
Song Of The Day 11/23: The Drifters, ‘Up On The Roof’
I retired from Trader Joe’s on Sunday. My right hip and my right leg made the decision for me. A fantastic 12-plus year run. The perfect post-career gig. Anyway, at least in part as a salute, they had on my fave satellite music station, ‘Mo-Soul’, during my shift. Nothing but soul and r & b […]
Song of the Day 11/22: Bennett Wilson Poole, “Soon Enough”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona UK Americana sounds like a contradiction, but don’t tell the British. A lot of fans and websites there are devoted to both contemporary and classic Americana (aka alt-country). Hovering over all this is the sound of the Byrds, who some would call the best or at least most important American […]
Song of the Day 11/21: John Wesley Harding, “There’s A Starbucks (Where The Starbucks Used To Be)”
If John Wesley Harding were as popular with the public as he is with other musicians, he’d be a household name. Or would Wesley Stace be a household name? The former JWH now records under his real name, the one under which he teaches university classes and published four critically acclaimed novels. Whatever name he […]
Song of the Day 11/20: The Clash, “Somebody Got Murdered”
Actually, two somebodies. Their names were Joseph Rosenbaum and Anthony Huber, and while a Wisconsin jury and the judge who oversaw their killer’s trial exonerated him, they were murdered nonetheless, as dead as the lie that America is a noble experiment. It’s not — it’s an experiment to see how far capitalism can go in […]
Song of the Day 11/18: Lee Moses, “Bad Girl”
People who love soul music have to deal with the fact that artists stopped making it about the time that disco gobbled up R&B and funk in its Hustle-dancing wake. The obsessives deal with it by finding and sharing rare recordings of obscure groups, and some of those nuggets make you wonder why the artists […]
Song of the Day 11/17: Bob McFadden and Dor (Rod McKuen), “The Beat Generation”
The French apparently have a weird idea of American music, at least if what they play in the local supermarché is any guide. This 1959 novelty single, for example, written by Rod McKuen — yes, that Rod McKuen; that’s him adding the “beatnik” asides. To portray the square-sounding hipster, McKuen recruited Bob McFadden, a radio […]
Song of the Day 11/16: Wings, “Give Ireland Back to the Irish”
Today’s Open Thread notes the completely foreseeable problem Northern Ireland is posing to the feeble, delusional brains behind Brexit. The solution to the problem is simple: Give Ireland back to the Irish. Even Paul McCartney could see that back in 1972. When British troops killed 13 unarmed civil rights protesters in Derry on Jan. 31, […]
Two Great Shows Coming To Arden Gild Hall!
First, a wonderful concert/spectacle from South Korea this Thursday. ‘They play ancient Korean instruments that are strange and wonderful, the three singers have colorful costumes and intricately choreographed numbers, and most importantly: The Music Rocks’. Check ’em out: You can get tickets here, plus more great samples from this ensemble. Then, on Saturday, December 4, […]
Song of the Day 11/14: John Cale, “Half Past France”
Most American music fans know Welsh musician John Cale through his role as a founding member of the Velvet Underground. But his career in avant-garde music began years before he met Andy Warhol and continues to this day. Most of it, from the ethereal droning of La Monte Young’s Theatre of Eternal Music to his […]
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