Push The Sky Away

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds' newest.  Dave, I know you Feel That Pubic hair has no place on LBU, but this is a special occasion.

Hot Rod Angels

NPR's got a "First Listen" of a few choice cuts from Bruce's "The Promise," which is a Dee-lux edition of "Darkness on the Edge of Town," complete with previously unreleased tracks Bruce recorded while in record company legal limbo following "Born To Run." I must have listened to the version of "Racing In The Street" they've got up there about fifty times today.

The accompanying write-up talks about the E Streeters' infatuation with Elvis and makes a claim that his influence is clear in Springsteen's phrasing throughout the cuts. I'll have to listen a couple more times before I take their word for it.

This being a heavy re-issue season, it will be hard to pick which ones to go for, but this one's pretty high on my list right now.

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.

A Controversy

Jay and I were discussing the lyrics of "I Will Dare" from 'Let It Be.' Jay Felt That Paul was singing "I ain't lost yet/so I gotta be a winner/bacon and cigarettes a lousy dinner," where I always thought it was 'fingernails and cigarettes.' These people suggest it is 'bacon,' but a guy here claims Paul himself told him it was 'fingernails':

I said, "Could you write, 'bacon and cigarettes, a lousy dinner'?"

He looked up at me through those thick blue Lennon glasses that have become
his solo career trademark, and asked, "What song is that from?"

"It's from 'I Will Dare,'" I reminded him.

At first I thought he was bullshitting, but he just stared at me with a confused look on his face. His eyes like vacant little commas behind blue cough drops. The silence became uncomfortable so I sang the line to him. "I ain't lost yet, so I gotta be a winner, bacon and cigarettes, a lousy dinner."

As he looked at me his puzzled look was washed away with a relieved expression. "No, no, that's not what I say," he said, like he figured out the answer to a riddle we had been working on together, "I say, 'fingernails, cigarettes, a lousy dinner.' You know? Like you're nervous and you're chewing your fingernails and smoking?"

He opened his eyes wide and made a motion like a nervous cartoon character with his teeth chattering on his fingers.

Listen for yourself. But I'm right as usual. Also, in the special place you will find the following:

Al Green - Lay It Down (new - produced by ?uestlove from the Roots)

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - Pershing (if the first song doesn't hook you, you can't be hooked)

My Morning Jacket - Evil Urges (Jury's still out)

Now do you like me...?

The Most Gag-Inducing Moment In Cinema History

Fuck Doris Day, and fuck Pillow Talk.

Again with the Ryan Adams

Lost Highway is reissuing Whiskeytown's biggie label debut, Stranger's Almanac on March 4th. I know outside of Dave and I, you other bastards aren't huge Ryan Adams fans, but we know enough to be excited about a full disc of bonus tracks, including takes on Fleetwood Mac's "Dreams," JC's "I Still Miss Someone," Gram's "Luxury Liner," and "The Rain Won't Help You When It's Over" by the great True Believers, in addition to acoustic demos from the album and previously bootleg-only songs from other sessions.

Ah Ha, Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha, Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha, Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha, Oh Ho-Ho-Ho-Ho, Ah Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha, Ah Ha-Ha-Ha-Ha

Kill me.

Sports are great

Last night I had the opportunity to be one of sixteen total UNO Privateer fans to witness them upset the vaunted North Carolina State Wolfpack. UNO is a little school that has never been ranked. NCSU is a former National Champion and regular participant in the NCAA tournament. Last year they knocked off both Duke and UNC. UNO played like it was the national championship and won on a 3 pointer with 1.7 seconds left. The entire arena was silent in shock as the sixteen of us behind the UNO bench went crazy with the players. It was awesome, and reminded me of why I love sports, and especially college basketball: You never know what's going to happen.

One ignoramus frat boy behind us yelled out, "At least we'll have jobs when we graduate" at the UNO players. Talk about a poor sport. Fuck him, and geaux Privateers!

Quiz Off!

See how you fare on the Rolling Stone Almost Impossible Rock and Roll Quiz. I scored 43/58 which made me an 'expert'. Any of you ladies care to try to topple the King???

The History of Viral Videos

Like the Makers? Follow The Predator!

Perfect Power Pop

I've had this album since 92 or 93 and just ran across it again recently. Absolutely unbelievable stuff. I think this band was really just a guy who did all or almost all the instruments. The best thing, most of the songs sound like they could be really, really good Subteens songs- Kram even sounds like this guy on a lot of it, and those tasty progressions could have sprung from the mind of Jay Hines. Or someone just like him. I've put it up on the Filipino Touring Pram for your enjoyment- tell me it doesn't sound like the 'teens! I mean, really, DON'T tell me that!

Easy Tiger

New Ryan Adams album is out there. It's pretty good. I haven't heard any of his stuff with the Cardinals outside of a couple of singles or bootlegs, so I can only compare it to earlier stuff. It holds up pretty well. Has kind of a commercial feel to it, like he didn't want to get bad reviews.

Make like a senator and spread your Feet To Pee.

Oh, Baby

I drooled on my keyboard a little bit ...

Check it out.

Second Life

I started playing with Second Life yesterday, and so far, it's not grabbing me. Maybe I just don't have enough free time, or maybe I can't stomach spending real money to buy pretend shit.

You can fly, though. That part's cool for the first 30 seconds or so.

Learn virtually (ha ha ha ha, get it?) everything you wanted to know about SL here.

And here's a mildly amusing parody site called Get A First Life. "Fornicate using your actual genitals!"

Happy Birthday, Bob

Sixty-six!

The Audition

Nice Mr. Show bit.

T-birds

Everyday after school, my kids go to the school playground to run off some energy. There are a couple of other moms there that I've gotten to be good friends with, and the other day we were talking about cars. One of them happened to mention that her parents had bought two old 1967 Thunderbirds, but her mother got sick and died (God rest her soul), so they've just been sitting in her sister's driveway in Atlanta. I mentioned how much I love old cars like that, and she said if I would go get them, I could have them. For FREE! I think only one of them runs, but as she remembers them, they are in decent shape.

The kicker is that they have the big 345 horse 428 cubic-inch V8s (just in time for $3.50 a gallon gas)! I spoke to her yesterday, and it's all lined up. I'm going to head up there after the move and pick them up.

How cool is that? I almost don't want to tell anybody b/c I'm afraid to jinx it.

Nothing much, how about you?

Nice to know I didn't really miss anything here while I was away, other than major life events for two-thirds of the remaining bastards. I'm talking, of course, about Joe putting his house on the market and Dave finding that amazing REM blog. So Jay, what did you do? Chicago was excellent, except for a wreck Saturday night with an uninsured driver with a revoked license who tried to run away after causing the crash. Luckily we weren't hurt and one of Chicago's finest caught up to the other car a few blocks down the road. Good times. But today has been way too Monday.

Big Thought Malaise

Nothing makes us faded rock guys think the Big Thoughts like giving interviews.

Okay, I'm only half-kidding.

Kram and I sat down with Chris Davis (The Memphis Flyer) yesterday, and I must say, I sounded like a fucking moron. It's one of my insecurities, but I HATE talking about myself under any circumstances. I especially hate talking about myself to a local paper. Does anyone honestly care? Even as the words were coming out of my mouth, my brain was screaming, "No, you idiot! You're removing all doubt!"

It beggars (buggers?) belief that anyone still gives a shit about this train wreck of a band, and it's a tad humiliating as I draw a bead on 40 that my one great achievement (besides producing my children) was getting drunk and jumping around a filthy stage like an epileptic monkey. Interviews just bring that into focus, especially as that's all we end up talking about.

I'm having a great time catching up with Kram - now that he's Kram again - and relearning the songs has been a fun challenge, but this experience is reminding me of why I quit in the first place. Now I just want to hang around the house and play with my kids. What emotional deficiency made me feel the need to perform in front of others in the first place? It wasn't all about showing off for girls, was it?

Dylan 303 - Follow The Prophet

Continuing Mike Lurker's education of Dylan's later works, I suggest Desire, Planet Waves, and Street Legal.

Notes:
Desire - "Hurricane," "Sara," "One More Cup of Coffee," lots of violin, and the album which was around the time of the Rolling Thunder Revue. I also really like "Joey" and "Isis"

She said, "Where ya been?" I said, "No place special."
She said, "You look different." I said, "Well, not quite."
She said, "You been gone." I said, "That's only natural."
She said, "You gonna stay?" I said, "If you want me to, Yes."

Planet Waves - With the Band, "Tough Mama" is the last song I want to hear before I die.

Street Legal - the chorus of black girls on almost every song gets a bit tiresome, but worth it for "Where Are You Tonight?" and "Senor (Tales of Yankee Power)".

Listen to these after you've memorized "Visions of Johanna" and can explain why the ghost of electricity howls in the bones of her face.