Arts and Entertainment
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 […]
Song of the Day 11/11: The Royal Guardsmen, “Snoopy vs. the Red Baron”
In France, Armistice Day is still a big deal — a natural reaction, I suppose, considering most of the fighting in what was dubbed a “world” war was done on French soil. Nov. 11 is a national holiday, and it doesn’t get moved near a weekend. A minute of silence is still observed at 11:11, […]
Song of the Day 11/10: Jarvis Cocker (as Tip-Top), “Aline”
I’m not a Wes Anderson buff, so I don’t know if the hubbub surrounding “The French Dispatch” accompanies all his films. Or if every time he gets a guy to sing a period piece as a period singer he talks the guy into recording an entire LP in character as a “companion piece” to the […]
Song of the Day 11/9: The Clash, “Death or Glory”
So I’m talking the other night to a young millennial woman from London and during the conversation I tried to illustrate a point about someone going back on his stated beliefs by quoting the closing couplet of the second verse: “I believe in this and it’s been tested by research/He who fucks nuns will later […]
Song of the Day 11/8: John Prine, “Long Monday”
It’s been a long week. Time for a little John Prine. From “Fair and Square,” the 2005 album he released after his bout with cancer.
Song of the Day 11/4: Journey, “Don’t Stop Believin”
David Chase, creator of “The Sopranos,” has at last cleared up any confusion about the series’ controversial final scene, which aired more than 14 years ago. Though he once sort of admitted that the screen went dark because Tony had been whacked, this was the first time he affirmed that this song playing on the […]
Song of the Day 11/3: Five Man Electrical Band, “Signs”
Before I left America, I noticed that most stores, and virtually every restaurant, had a “help wanted” sign in the window. The situation is so dire, some internet wag noted, that long-haired freaky people can now apply. I spend about an hour a day walking around Paris, and so far I’ve seen one (1) “help […]
Song of the Day 11/2: The Reds, Pinks and Purples, “Last Summer in a Rented Room”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona Glenn Donaldson works hard to craft the blend of guitar jangle and atmospheric dream pop that makes his band, the Reds, Pinks and Purples, sound so good. But the San Francisco musician works hard other places, too. Like Alcatraz prison, where he’s employed by the national parks conservancy. Like most […]
Song of the Day 11/1: Dr. Teeth and the Electric Mayhem, “Mr. Blue Sky”
h/t Jason330 When the latest performance by the Muppet house band debuted Oct. 23 in a YouTube streaming event called “Dear Earth,” devoted to celebrating the only planet known to harbor human life, Jason330 was all over it. He loves this tune — and so, apparently, do most people of his generation. When an outfit […]
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