No Matter What Dylan Says, I Still Love My Japanese Car

Joe? Would Bob approve of that Maserati?

Go Here Now

Waste your whole day with this thing. I dare you.

Dylanography

Last year, about 100 lucky Bob Dylan fans in Europe came across a pretty amazing find on record store shelves: a four-CD set titled The 50th Anniversary Collection. The set contains 86 Dylan songs recorded in 1962, including numerous takes of "Mixed Up Confusion," "Sally Gal," "That's All Right, Mama" and "Baby, Please Don't Go." Contrary to appearances, this was no bootleg. It's an official release from Sony and copies are already selling on eBay for upwards of $1,000. "This isn't a scheme to make money," a Sony Music source tells Rolling Stone. "The copyright law in Europe was recently extended from 50 to 70 years for everything recorded in 1963 and beyond. With everything before that, there's a new 'Use It or Lose It' provision. It basically said, 'If you haven't used the recordings in the first 50 years, you aren't going to get any more.'"
Roughly 100 copies of the collection were given to random record stores in France, Germany, Sweden and the United Kingdom. Fans who logged onto Bob Dylan's official website from France or Germany in the final days of 2012 were also allowed to download the collection for 100 Euros.
Recordings by Miles Davis, Frank Sinatra, Chuck Berry and other stars of the 1950s and early 1960s hit the European public domain in recent years. Pressure mounted on lawmakers to change the law as it began to threaten the Beatles, the Rolling Stones and other superstars of the era.

Joe, are you holding?

On YouTube, No One Cares If You Scream

I found this really, really well done Alien documentary the other day and thought I'd pass it along. Ridley Scott, Dan O'Bannon (R.I.P.), Ronald Shusett, H.R. Giger, Sigourney Weaver, Tom Skerritt, Veronica Cartwright, Harry Dean Stanton and a few others weigh in with their memories of this horror classic.

All seven parts can be found here.

Bastard Book Report

We sat on the patio outside his room and talked for two hours. I was really nervous, because he was one of my heroes. And I was also afraid that he wouldn’t be really smart anymore, that he’d be a caricature of himself, like happens to a lot of people. But I was delighted. He was as sharp as a tack. He was everything I’d hoped. He was really open and honest. He was just telling me about his life and about writing his songs. He said, “They just came through me, it wasn’t like I was having to compose them. That doesn’t happen anymore, I just can’t write them that way anymore.” Then he paused and said to me with his raspy voice and little smile, “But I still can sing them.” -Steve Jobs, on his meeting with Bob Dylan. [in Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson]

Any of yous don't have the Jobs biography and need some fine holiday reading for your damn Kindles, this is a real page-turner. I'm no accomplished reader like our edumacator and book-blogger, but iRecommend this anyway.

Another Bastard-y Birthday!

Our own Bastard Joe turns 78 today! Or something close to that. Happy Birthday Bastard!

October 17

Hope it doesn't suck.

Happy 70th Zimmy!

Joe, I hope you're blaring his entire catalog out some car-mounted speakers everywhere you go today. Cause that's how we do it.

Gogol Bordello - Pala Tute

What's the point of having a blog if you don't post shit like this? 

Preservation Hall Jazz Band and Tom Waits

Want a cool new 78 but don't have a record player? Don't worry, the deluxe package comes with its own record player:

"On November 19th, Preservation Hall Recordings will release 504 limited edition hand-numbered 78 rpm vinyl records featuring two tracks by the Preservation Hall Jazz Band with very special guest Tom Waits. Proceeds from the sale of this very special project will benefit the Preservation Hall Junior Jazz & Heritage Brass Band.
Mr. Waits traveled to New Orleans in 2009 to record two songs with the Preservation Hall Jazz Band for the critically acclaimed project Preservation: An album to benefit Preservation Hall and the Preservation Hall Music Outreach Program, “Tootie Ma Was A Big Fine Thing” , and “Corrine Died On The Battlefield”. Originally recorded by Danny Barker in 1947, these two selections are the earliest known recorded examples of Mardi Gras Indian chants.

Both packages will be available for in-person purchase at Preservation Hall in New Orleans on November 19, 2010 at 10:00am Central and available for purchase online November 20th here."

$50 for the disk, $200 for the package.

Shat

Happy Friday, ladies.

Be Here To Love Me

Not sure how many of you bastards are into Townes Van Zandt, but you can watch this documentary about him for absolutely nothing.

"Townes Van Zandt is the best songwriter in the whole world and I'll stand on Bob Dylan's coffee table in my cowboy boots and say that." — Steve Earle.

"I've met Bob Dylan and his bodyguards, and I don't think Steve [Earle] could get anywhere near his coffee table." — Townes Van Zandt.

Check it out here.

What's Goin' Ahn?

Jackpot! I have recently acquired a couple of Big Star bootlegs with various rough mixes, alternate takes and demos, not to mention a few songs I've never heard before.

Raise your hand if you've ever heard Chilton singing "I Got Kinda Lost."

That's what I thought.

On top of that, I now have Thank You Friends: The Ardent Story. This kind of power-pop Frequently Takes Practice.

This Still Makes Me Laugh

I stumbled onto this in an old folder and had a good chuckle today. This is the cover of a book that Joe worked on several years ago.



And here is my version of the same cover, re-imagined as a book that I think Joe would more likely have been involved in creating.

I Keep Forgetting To Tell You ...

I've been very impressed recently with NPR's All Songs Considered podcasts. I've downloaded full concerts by The New Pornographers, Spoon, and Nick Lowe. All shows come with Bob Boilen-hosted interviews tacked on at the end, kinda like dessert. Of these three, I think the Nick Lowe performance is my favorite. It's Nick and his acoustic guitar in what sounds like a rather intimate venue. He sprinkles a bunch of the old hits among his new, mellower songs, and he's very chatty and funny throughout. (Dave, you're in for a treat.)

But wait, there's more!

As a bonus, here's Ray Davies as guest DJ on All Songs Considered, playing songs by artists who influenced him growing up.

Ray Davies - Working Man's Cafe

Wow, you guys are in for a treat! The styles dip and weave a bit, Bowie-like at times, a few angry growls, much classically Kinkish. Lot of social commentary, some wit and relentless hooks.

Where's Mike? I'll Tell You

On Wednesday evening, Mike had emergency surgery for a hernia. The procedure went well, but he'll be recovering for several weeks.

I told him powerlifting was a terrible new hobby, but he just doesn't listen.

I Know Some of You Bastards Hate Morrissey, but Andrew and I like him, So Suck It

I heard this song on my iPod today, and was reminded by Andy's last post heading.
Here's the awesome lyrics to 'The World is Full of Crashing Bores':

You must be wondering how
The boy next door turned out
Have a care, But don't stare
Because he's still there
Lamenting policewomen, policemen silly women, taxmen
Uniformed whores,
They who wish to hurt you work within the law
This world is full, So full of crashing bores
And I must be one, 'Cos no one ever turns to me to say
Take me in your arms, Take me in your arms, And love me

You must be wondering how
The boy next door turned out
Have a care, And say a prayer
Because he's still there

Lamenting policewomen policemen silly women taxmen
Uniformed whores,
Educated criminals work within the law
This world is full, Oh oh, So full of crashing bores
And I must be one, cos no one ever turns to me to say
Take me in your arms, Take me in your arms
And love me, And love me

What really lies, Beyond the constraints of my mind
Could it be the sea, With fate mooning back at me?
No it's just more lock jawed pop stars
Thicker than pig shit, Nothing to convey
They're so scared to show intelligence
It might smear their lovely career

This world, I am afraid, Is designed for crashing bores
I am not one, I am not one
You don't understand, You don't understand, And yet you can
Take me in your arms and love me, Love me, And love me

Take me in your arms and love me, Love me, love me
Take me in your arms and love me, Take me in your arms and love me

Catchy ... Wednesday?

Field Music's "In Context." (I've never heard of them, either.) Stick around 'til the end of the video, won't you?