Postcards of the Hanging

Season 4, Episode 6: The Mash-Up Mike Radio Show

2008-03-30T21:03:00.000-07:00

Intro:
Don't Hold Back (Sweet Jane) -Go Home Productions (Chemical Brothers vs. Velvet Underground)

1st Set:
Crazy as She Goes -Legion of Doom (Raconteurs vs. Gnarls Barkley vs. Grand Master Flash and the Furious Five)
Tender Umbrella -Party Ben (General Public vs. Rhianna)
Jimmy Mack's Sweet Escape -Pheugoo (Martha and the Vandellas vs. Gwen Steffani)
Always With You -Divide & Kreate (Willie Nelson vs. U2)

2nd Set:
Bounce That -Girl Talk
Passenger Fever -Go Home Productions (Iggy Pop vs. Peggy Lee)
Sympathy For Teen Spirit -DJ Moule (Rolling Stones vs. Queen vs. Nirvana)
Tequilla Lip Gloss -DJ Paul V (Lil Mama vs. The Champs)
Sgt. Pepper's Paradise -Jimmi Jammes (Beatles vs. Guns and Roses)

3rd Set:
Boulevard of Broken Songs -Party Ben (Green Day vs. Oasis vs. Travis vs. Aerosmith)
La La Her Madly -Ruff Muff (The Doors vs. Goldfrapp)
Rapture Riders -Go Home Productions (Blondie vs. the Doors)
I'm The Man in Black -Voicedude (Johnny Cash vs. Will Smith)
Harder, Better, Faster, Controversy -DJ Scenius (Daft Punk vs. Prince)

Rapture Riders:

Season 4, Episode 6: Live Without a Net

2008-03-30T20:33:00.000-07:00

What happens when one DJ spins tracks with no clear plan going in to the booth?

Intro:
I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself -The White Strpies (Burt Bacharat cover)

1st Set:
Sweet Soul Dream -World Party
My Blue Heaven -Fats Domino
Starry Eyed Surprise - Paul Oakenfold f/Shifty Shellshock
Saturday Night Style -Mikey Dread

2nd Set:
Try a Little Tenderness -Jack Webb
Mass Destruction -Faithless
Rehab (I Can't Help Myself) -Amy Winehouse vs. the Temptations
Tive Razão -Seu Jorge
Bonafide Lovin' -Chromeo

3rd Set:
Big Shot Pimpin' -Billy Joel vs. Jay-Z (BRAT mash-up)
Helden -David Bowie (German version of "Heroes")
Heartbeats -Jose Gonzales (The Knife cover)
Ode to L. A. -The Raveonettes featuring Ronnie Spector

Mass Destruction:

You ain't going to nirvana or farvana, you're coming right back here.

Season 4, Episode 4: Road Trip

2008-03-30T20:18:00.000-07:00

Intro:
On the Road Again -Willie Nelson

1st Set:
Marching Bands of Manhattan -Death Cab For Cutie
Dirty Water -The Standells (Boston)
Panic in Detroit (alternate version) -David Bowie
Johnsburgh, Illinois -Tom Waits

2nd Set:
Sweet Home Chicago -Robert Johnson
Kansas City -The Beatles
Memphis -Chuck Berry with John Lennon and Yoko Ono
Jackson -Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash
Basin Street Blues -Louis Armstrong (New Orleans)

3rd Set:
New San Antonio Rose -Bob Wills and the Texas Playboys
Viva Las Vegas -ZZ Top
Portland, Oregon -Loretta Lynne with Jack White
L. A. Woman -The Doors

Chuck Berry with John and Yoko:

Season 4, Episode 3: How Much is the Fish?

2008-03-04T14:45:00.000-08:00

Intro:
There's a Story in Your Voice =Elvis Costello and the Imposters with Lucinda Williams

1st Set:
Music is My Hot Hot Sex -CSS
Shipping Up to Boston -Dropkick Murphys
Let the Four Winds Blow -Toots and the Maytals (Fats Domino cover)
The Stroll -The Diamonds

2nd Set (Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2008)
Walk, Don't Run -The Ventures
Glad All Over -Dave Clark Five
Authority Song -John Mellencamp
Vogue -Madonna
I'm Your Man -Leonard Cohen

3rd Set:
How Much is the Fish? -Scooter (Bad Music Spotlight)
This -Brian Eno
Flashing Lights -Kanye West
Chelsea Rodgers -Prince
Save Room -John Legend

Here's John Legend:

The Way You Look Tonight

2008-02-26T17:13:00.000-08:00

Here's one of fildom's greatest songs, "The Way You Look Tonight", taken from Swing Time. This song won the third Best Original Song Oscar. The scene could not be any better. Fred Astaire is sitting at the piano and Ginger Rodgers is in the bathroom with shampoo in her hair. She couldn't feel any less beautiful and then Fred does this:

As a bonus, here's the band James with a song called "Just Like Fred Astaire".

Season 4, Episode 2: Soon To Be A Major Motion Picture!

2008-02-25T17:31:00.000-08:00

Intro:
Orson Welles Paul Mason wines ad
Act Naturally -The Beatles (from Help!)

1st Set:
Being For The Benefit of Mr. Kite -Eddie Izzard (from Across the Universe)
A Little Priest -Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter (from Sweeney Todd)
Idlewild Blues -Outkast (from Idlewild)
Rock Around the Clock -Bill Haley and His Comets (from Blackboard Jungle)
Excerpt from The Orson Welles "Frozen Peas" outtakes.

2nd Set (all fictional band):
Big Bottom -Spinal Tap (from This is Spinal Tap)
That Thing You Do -The Wonders (from That Thing You Do)
Shape of Things to Come -Max Frost and the Troopers (from Wild in the Streets)
I Am a Man of Constant Sorrow -The Soggy Bottom Boys (from O Brother, Where Art Thou?)
A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow -Mitch and Mickey (from A Mighty Wind)
Another Frozen Peas excerpt

3rd Set:
The Way You Look Tonight -Fred Astaire (from Swing Time)
Ruby Tuesday -Franco Batiatto (from Children of Men)
Let's Misbehave -Irving Aaronson & His Commanders (from Pennies From Heaven)
Star Wars -Bill Murray
Moon River -Audrey Hepburn (from Breakfast at Tiffany's)
Going to Acapulco -Calexico and Jim James (from I'm Not There)
One last Frozen Peas excerpt

And by popular request, here's Christopher Walken tap dancing in Pennies From Heaven:

Getting Down to Business

2008-02-24T16:51:00.000-08:00

I felt the need to post this sweet, funky, little romantic number from Flight of the Conchords. It's called Business Time.

Season 4, Episode 1: Return of the Love Generation

2008-02-19T15:28:00.000-08:00

Intro:
The Presidents Song -The Simpsons

1st Set:
Go Baby -Lupe Fiasco featuring GemStones
Stay All Night -Bob Wills & His Texas Playboys
Dreams -Deep Dish featuring Stevie Nicks (Fleetwood Mac cover)
Business Time -Flight of the Conchords

2nd Set (Valentine's Day Tribute):
Girlfriend in a Coma -The Smiths
Just One of Those Things -Ella Fitzgerald
Damaged Goods -Gang of Four
It's Money That I Love -Randy Newman
Instant Pleasure -Rufus Wainwright

3rd Set:
I Will Win -Ill Mitch (Bad Music Spotlight)
DVNO -Justice
Son's Gonna Rise -Citizen Cope
Sound and Vision -Franz Ferdinand (David Bowie cover)
Love Generation -Bob Sinclair featuring Gary Pine
Saturday Night at the Movies -The Drifters

Love Generation:

Season 3, Episode 10: The Bad Music Special

2007-12-04T20:50:00.000-08:00

Intro:
Bad Cover Version -Celebrity Impersonators organized by Pulp (Pulp Cover)

1st Set:
There's No Business Like Show Business (Disco Mix) -Ethel Merman
Smells Like Teen Spirit -Paul Anka (Nirvana cover)
Kris Kringle Was a Car Thief -Wesley Willis
Looking For Freedom -David Hasselhoff

2nd Set:
Wing Suite (Mixed by Mustache Mike): I Have a Dream, Dancing Queen, Highway to Hell, Gimmee Gimmee, Surrender -Wing (covers of ABBA, AC/DC,ABBA and Elvis)
Hot Limit -TM Revolution (with translation)
Yummy Yummy Yummy -Julie London (The Ohio Express cover)

3rd Set:
Treat Your Mama Right -Mr. T
Downtown -Mrs. Miller (Petula Clark cover)
Ballad of Bilbo Baggins -Leonard Nimoy
Mr. Tambourine Man -William Shatner (Bob Dylan cover)
Summer Girls -LFO
O Holy Night -Anonymous (This singer is unknown)

Bad Cover Version, Try to play "Spot the Celebrity"

Season 3, Episode 9: Leftovers and Top 10

2007-11-25T22:06:00.000-08:00

Intro:
Starry Eyed Surprise -Paul Oakenfold featuring Shifty Shellshock

1st Set:
Not Alone Anymore -Traveling Wilburys
Fidelity -Regina Spektor
Miss You (Dr. Dre Remix) -The Rolling Stones

Top 10 Albums of the Year 2007
2nd Set:
Effect and Cause -The White Stripes (#10 Icky Thump)
Eddie's Ragga -Spoon (#9 Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga)
When the Ship Comes In -Marcus Carl Franklin (#8 I'm Not There Original Soundtrack)
For the Girl -The Fratellis (#7 Costello Music)
I Feel It All -Feist (#6 The Reminder)

3rd Set:
The Angels Hung Around -Rilo Kiley (#5 Under the Black Light)
Don't Let Him Waste Your Time -Jarvis Cocker (#4 The Jarvis Cocker Record)
Apply Some Pressure -Mark Ronson with Paul Smith (#3 Version)
The Girls in Their Summer Clothes -Bruce Springsteen (#2 Magic)

4th Set:
Intervention (Live on KCRW) -Arcade Fire
Intervention -Arcade Fire (#1 Neon Bible)

Intervention:

Season 3, Episode 8: Thank You!

2007-11-19T17:25:00.000-08:00

Intro:
Thank You -The Redwalls

1st Set:
Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf -Sly and the Family Stone
Walk of Life -Dire Straits
Born Under a Bad Sign -Richard Hawley
Beyond the Sea -Bobby Darin

2nd Set (Instrumental):
Blue Monday -Tanghetto (New Order cover)
L'Ouragon -BeauSoleis
2JN -REM
One Mint Julip -Ray Charles
Whispering Grass -Hank Crawford

3rd Set:
Hey -The Pixies
Money Back Guarantee -Pigeon John (samples "Hey")
Heartbeats -The Knife
Under Pressure (Live) -David Bowie and Gail Ann Dorsey
Thanksgiving Day -Ray Davies

Outro:
Doctor Who Theme -Murray Gold

Here's Bowie and Gail Ann Dorsey:

Let's All Meet Up in the Year 2000

2007-11-15T16:10:00.000-08:00

In 1995, Pulp released their breakthrough album Different Class. This loose concept album is a meditation on British class relations. "Common People" is about a rich girl who thinks it's cool to go slumming. "Mis-Shapes" rallies the artistic and creative by using "the one thing we've got more of, that's our minds." The chilling song "I Spy" is the tale of one man of lower class's seduction of a rich man's wife. Not all of the songs are class battles. "Something Changed" is a rumination on fate.

Today's featured song is "Disco 2000", a great rock dance song from Different Class. The narrator sings to Deborah, a woman from his childhood who he seems to have made a promise to meet up with in the year 2000. The video tells a different story.

Random Chuck Norris Related Post

2007-11-13T11:06:00.000-08:00

So apparently in 1986, Chuck Norris had his own cartoon show, "Chuck Norris: Karate Kommandos." It ran for all of six episodes and I'm sure it's comedy gold. Wikipedia has more information. .

Here's the opening of the first episode:

Also, here's an action figure commercial:
Talk about it at Videocracy

Bad Music Sptlight: Celine Dion

2007-11-13T10:58:00.000-08:00

What happens when two hacks get together to trash a rock classic? You get Celine and Anastacia covering AC/DC's "You Shook Me All Night Long" for fun and profit.

Abandon all hope ye who click here.

Season 3, Episode 7: The Seventh Show on the Seventh Hour of the Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month

2007-11-12T17:37:00.000-08:00

Intro:
Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy From Company B -The Puppini Sisters

1st Set:
Can't Stop -Ozomatli
Ghostwriter -RJD2
Drive My Car/The Word/What You're Doing (LOVE mix) -The Beatles
The Universal -Blur

2nd Set:
Crossroads -Cream
Highway 61 Revisited -Karen O and the Million Dollar Bashers
Highway 49 -Howlin' Wolf
Cross Roads Blues -Robert Johnson

3rd Set:
Tonight the Streets Are Ours -Richard Hawley
Goin' Mobile -The Who
You Know I'm No Good -Amy Winehouse
Disco 2000 -Pulp and Nick Cave
Big Shot Pimpin' -Billy Joel vs. Jay-Z (BRAT mash-up)
Sweetest Girl -Wyclef Jean featuring Akon, Lil' Wayne and Niia.

Mustache Mike and the Puppini Siters wish you and yours a Happy Belated Veterans Day.

Why don't you come on over?

2007-11-05T17:22:00.000-08:00

This summer Mark Ronson released a brilliant covers album called "Version." On it Ronson mixes soul horns with hip-hop beats for a generally good time. This video depicts Mark and his band jamming in a club with as they're about to start playing a cover of the Zutons song "Valerie." But, just as they get to where the vocalist should enter, it turns out Amy Winehouse isn't there. One could presume that she's in rehab (no, no, no). So, what does Mark do? He pulls a girl dressed as Amy out of the crowd to sing, then another, and another...

Season 3, Episode 6: The Mustache Mike Radio Show's Got You Covered

2007-11-04T22:04:00.000-08:00

Intro:
Our Song -Robert Plant (Carmen McRae cover)

1st Set:
Naive Melody -Arcade Fire (Talking Heads cover)
Everyday -Rogue Wave (Buddy Holly cover)
Brown Eyed Handsome Man -Buddy Holly (Chuck Berry cover)
Come Go With Me -Beach Boys (Del Vikings cover)

2nd Set:
You Shook Me All Night Long -Celine Dion and Anastasia (AC/DC cover, Bad Music Spotlight)
Rich Girl -Nina Simone (Hall and Oates cover)
Walk This Way -Run DMC featuring Steven Tyler and Joe Perry (Aerosmith cover)
Conquest -White Stripes (Patti Page cover)
I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better -Tom Petty (The Byrds cover)

3rd Set:
Norwegian Wood -Cornershop (Beatles cover in Punjabi)
Fourth Time Around -Yo La Tengo (Bob Dylan cover, parody of Norwegian Wood)
Sweet Jane -Cowboy Junkies (Velvet Underground cover)
Valerie -Mark Ronson featuring Amy Winehouse (Zutons cover)
Keep the Car Running (Live) -Bruce Springsteen and the E Stree Band with Win and Regine (Arcade Fire cover)
Spirits in the Material World -Karsh Kale (The Police cover)

Here's the classic rock and rap collaboration that is "Walk This Way."

The Time Warp, Again

2007-11-01T17:11:00.000-07:00

What can I say about the Rocky Horror Picture Show that hasn't already been said. Tomorrow, I'll try for a quality post, but for the time being, here's the Time Warp.

Episode 5: Welcome to My Nightmare

2007-10-30T17:54:00.000-07:00

Intro:
Welcome to My Nightmare -Alice Cooper

1st Set:
The Monster Mash -Bobby "Boris" Pickett
Dolly Dagger -Jimi Hendrix
Witchcraft -Frank Sinatra
Ding Dong, the Witch is Dead -Klaus Nomi

2nd Set:
I Put a Spell On You -Screamin Jay Hawkins
Dracula's Wedding -Outkast
The Boogie Monster -Gnarls Barkley
Thriller -Michael Jackson with Vincent Price
This Corrosion -Sisters of Mercy

3rd Set:
The Time Warp -Rocky Horror Picture Show
Rapture Riders - Blondie vs. The Doors (Go Home Productions mash-up)
Red Right Hand -Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Human Fly -The Cramps
Halloween Parade -Lou Reed

Happy Halloween from Alice Cooper.

Cash Rules Everything Around Me

2007-10-25T18:47:00.000-07:00

The Wu-Tang Clan's "C. R. E. A. M." comes from their landmark debut album Enter the Wu-Tang (The 36 Chambers). This track features Raekwon and Inspectah Deck handling lead vocals and Method Man on the chorus. Deck throws down a great verse detailing his life in the ghetto up to the present while Method reminds us that cash rules everything around us.

Double Shot of Dylan

2007-10-24T17:04:00.000-07:00

Don't be sad, don't be blue, I've got two videos for you.

The first is Mark Ronson's awesome remix of Bob Dylan's "Most Likely You'll Go Your Way (and I'll Go Mine)." The video depicts Dylan throughout the years with many references to his many albums and personas.

Our second Dylanish item is the Traveling Wilburys' and their classic track "The Wilbury Twist." The video features many celebrity cameos.

Season 3, Episode 4: It's Hot, What Can I Say?

2007-10-22T22:16:00.000-07:00

Intro:
(Love is Like A)Heat Wave -Martha and the Vandellas

1st Set:
No Particular Place to Go -Chuck Berry
Needy Girl -Chromeo
Most Likely You'll Go Your Way (and I'll Go Mine) [Mark Ronson remix] -Bob Dylan
Walk On -U2

2nd Set:
Something For the Boys (Disco Album Version) -Ethel Merman
Don't Stop Me Now -Queen
C. R. E. A. M. -Wu-Tang Clan
Money (That's What I Want)-Barrett Strong
Me Voy -Julieta Venegas

3rd Set:
Land of 1000 Dances -Wilson Pickett
Do The Strand -Roxy Music
The Frug -Rilo Kiley
Wilbury Twist -The Traveling Wilburys
Save the Last Dance For Me -The Drifters

Last Song:
Frenzy -Screamin' Jay Hawkins

Now here's Chromeo with "Needy Girl" It's a rather funky track and a kind of strange video.

Look, Up in the Sky! It's...

2007-10-19T17:52:00.000-07:00

The Kinks with a really rocking live version of "Wish I Cold Fly Like Superman." What can I say, it's a Friday. I'm home, and I don't really feel like updating the blog today. But if I were Superman, I'd be done in no time. I wish I cold be like Superman.

More Wilde!

2007-10-17T20:02:00.000-07:00

From time to time, I have to cut a song when the show is running long. Today, we feature such a case.

Tom Waits is a slightly insane genius songwriter with a voice that's been soaked in whiskey and then dragged across gravel for an hour or two. This video for his song "Tempation" is classic Waits. The clip, like the song itself, is a tad bit off kilter, nay very off kilter. Now, you might be asking how does this relate to Oscar Wilde? Well, Oscar did say "I can resist anything but temptation."

I can't resist...

It's Oscar Wilde's Birthday!

2007-10-16T16:21:00.000-07:00

Today is the birthday of one of history's greatest wits, Mr. Oscar Wilde. Today we bring you a musical version of his poem "The Serenade" that can be found in the 2002 film version of The Importance of Being Earnest. This adaptation of the play is quite good and stars Colin Firth and Rupert Everett. Here are Colin and Rupert performing "The Serenade" from the film. Unfortunately, no one has been kind enough to post the clip on youtube, however I have found this slide show of stills from the film which uses the song.

Season 3, Episode 3: CBGB, Wilde and Superman

2007-10-15T17:21:00.000-07:00

Intro:
Sheena Is A Punk Rocker -The Ramones

1st Set:
Blank Generation -Richard Hell and the Voidoids
New Rose -The Damned
Do Anything You Want -Eddie and the Hot Rods
Free Money -Patti Smith

2nd Set:
Message of Love -The Pretenders
The Serenade (Lady Come Down) -Colin Firth and Rupert Everett (lyrics by Oscar Wilde, taken from the 2002 film version of The Importance of Being Earnest)
Ready 2 Wear -Felix da Housecat
You Wear It Well -Rod Stewart

3rd Set:
I Am Superman -REM
Superman -Lazlo Bane (Theme from Scrubs)
Sunshine Superman -Donovan
Waiting For Superman-Iron & Wine (Flaming Lips cover)
Wish I Could Fly Like Superman -The Kinks

And now a treat for you, it's a performance of "You Wear It Well" from when Rod was still with the Faces.

We Can Rebuild Him. We Have the Technology. We Can Make Him Better, Faster, Stronger!

2007-10-12T17:20:00.000-07:00

We present to you a Mustache Mike Rado Show special report.

Edwin Birdsong recorded a song in the 1970s I believe called "Cola Bottle Baby." This song is pretty dull and goes for over five minutes without going anywhere. So, we shal present you with only a small sample of this song.

Years later in 2001, Frenc house band Daft Punk released their second album Discovery which included the song "Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger" which based itself around a sample of Birdsong's song.

This year, Kanye West released his third album Graduation. The lead off single from this album was entitled "Stronger" and featured a sample of Daft Punk's "Harder..."

One Take Wonder: The Underdog

2007-10-10T20:17:00.000-07:00

As you may know, I am a sucker for music videoes filmed in one take. Today's clip is Spoon's latest single "The Underdog" off of their album Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. The clip depicts the alledged recording of the song including a mariachi band and other instrumentalists scattered throughout the studio.

You Ain't Heard Nothing Yet

2007-10-09T16:28:00.000-07:00

October 6th, 1927:

The Jazz Singer starring Al Jolson opens. It's considered one of the first talkies although it's really just a silent film with a few musical scenes. The film itself is good, not great, but the musical performances are like nothing you'll see today. In lieu of any actual opinion, I shall merely present you with Jolson singing "Toot Toot Tootsy" as seen in the film and let you judge the performance for yourself.

Season 3, Episode 2: A Stronger Stand

2007-10-08T21:17:00.000-07:00

Intro:
Revolution -REM

1st Set:
Toot Toot Tootsie -Al Jolson (taken from 1927's The Jazz Singer)
The Underdog -Spoon
It's Tricky -Run DMC

2nd Set (Triad):
Stand By Me -U2 and Bruce Springsteen
Stand By Me -John Lennon
Stand By Me -Ben E. King

3rd Set (A Mustache Mike Special Report):
Cola Bottle Baby (Excerpt) -Edwin Birdsong (sampled in...)
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger -Daft Punk (sampled in...)
Stronger -Kanye West

4th Set (CBGB Tribute Pt. 1):
Punkrocker -Teddybears featuring Iggy Pop
Dreaming -Blondie
Road to Nowhere -Talking Heads
Trash -New York Dolls
Mystery Dance -Elvis Costello
You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory -Johnny Thunders

Unfortunately, BMG is mean and won't let us upload the video for "It's Tricky". However, we can link to it, so you can see Run DMC take on a pair of grifters played by Penn and Teller. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-C2b8XWJnfE

Also, by popular demand here's U2 and Bruce doing "Stand By Me."

As the Story Goes

2007-10-06T16:54:00.000-07:00

Rilo Kiley's Under the Blacklight Album is quite good, I endorse it. Anyway, this is the opening song of the album "Silver Lining." Although it's somewhat simple, all the elements of the song work wonderfully together. I especially enjoy the gospel backing vocals.

Grinderman/Letterman

2007-10-04T16:32:00.000-07:00

Nick Cave has a new project called Grinderman. They're a dirty garage rock band similar to his days with the Birthday Party. This is a live performance of "Honeybee, Let's Fly to Mars" on Letterman. It's pretty intense. I can only imagine what the audience reaction to this was.

Double Post Wednesday Featuring The Bad Music Spotlight

2007-10-03T16:38:00.000-07:00

First off, I want to mention that this week's Oxy Weekly features a letter written by myself. You can find both the orignal article, and my response on the Oxy Weekly website.

Anyway, ladies and gents it's time for

*horn fanfare*

The Bad Music Spotlight. Today's feature song comes from Appalachian State University, the back to back NCAA Division I-AA Football Champions. Last month they had an upset victory over Michigan, but this song and video though are not winners. This is a promotional clip the University put together to attract students. If I weren't enjoying my time at Oxy, I know where I'd be transfering to.

Now to make up for that, here's something that's supposed to be funny and is also brilliant. It's the Flight of the Conchords and their song "The Humans are Dead."

Radio Nowhere

2007-10-02T15:11:00.000-07:00

Bruce Springsteen releases a new album today entitled Magic. The album has been getting good reviews, I haven't heard it yet but I knoe that The Boss always does wonderful work with the E Street Band. Here is the first single from the album, entitled "Radio Nowhere".

Fell Asleep Beneath the Flowers

2007-10-01T17:06:00.000-07:00

Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco's "Daydreamin" is my favorite track off of his great debut album Food and Liquor. The thing about Lupe that seperates him from mainstream rappers of the day is that he doesn't rap about the gangsta lifestyle that is prevalent in so many commercial hip-hop hits these days. It's probably for this same reason that the highest charting position for any of his singles thus far is #79 on Billboard.

But hey, we all know that commercial radio isn't any good, so let's focus on the message and not the profits. Over the course of the album, Lupe touches on subjects ignored my mainstream hip-hop, such as what happens to those who don't survive the gangsta lifestyle, missing father figures, being Muslim in a post-9/11 America and on a lighter note, skateboarding.

The lyrics in the second verse of "Daydreamin" best exemplify the album's criticism of mainstream hip-hop.

So come on everybody, let's make cocaine cool...

Season 3, Episode 1: Back in the Saddle Again

2007-09-30T21:49:00.000-07:00

Intro:
Radio Nowhere -Bruce Springsteen

1st Set:
Back in the Saddle -Gene Autry
Silver Lining -Rilo Kiley
Crimson and Clover -Tommy James and the Shondelles
Black Magic -Jarvis Cocker

2nd Set:
D. A. N. C. E. -Justice (see below)
Jenny Don't Be Hastey -Paolo Nutini
I'll Fly With You -Gigi d'Agostino
Daydreamin' -Lupe Fiasco featuring Jill Scott
Honeybee, Let's Fly to Mars -Grinderman

3rd Set:
Hot Hot Hot -Appalachian State University (Bad Music Spotlight strikes back)
Don't Play That Song -Aretha Franklin
The Humans Are Dead -Flight of the Conchords
Heart of Glass -The Puppini Sisters (see below)

4th Set:
You And I -Queen
You Got It -Roy Orbison

Unfortunately, I couldn't find a full version of The Puppinni Sisters doing "Heart of Glass", but here's an excerpt from a live performance of it:

However, I do have a bonus treat for you. This is Justice's brilliant video for "D. A. N. C. E." which is easily the best clip of the year thus far.

What? An Update?

2007-09-30T13:54:00.000-07:00

Tonight at 7 is the season premire of the Mustache Mike Radio Show. Also, shortly thereafter will be the launch of Postacrds of the Hanging 2.0 and when I say that I mean I'll be updating again. Expect hopefully with daily updates tied into the show.

(Possible) One-Take Wonder

2007-07-03T18:37:00.000-07:00

I'm not entirely sure if this video was done in one take, but it is smashing none the less. "My Moon, My Man" was the first song I heard off of Canadian singer Leslie Feist's, formerly of Broken Social Scene, second album The Reminder. The song uses a classic glam rock style primative beat. The video however, feels like a higher-class version of OK Go's famous "Here it Goes Again" treadmill dance. I can actually picture myself doig something like this at some point in my life.

Shakespeare

2007-07-02T17:36:00.000-07:00

Today was my first official day at Shakespeare Festival L. A. for the 2007 summer season. There a re maybe a handfl of songs about Shakespeare, but from this small category, one stands out. Here from the film version of Cole Porter's musical Kiss Me Kate, is "Brush up Your Shakespeare".

All Hail the iPhone!!!

2007-06-29T12:57:00.000-07:00

Yet another wonderful gadget aimed to make our lives even more technocentric. I'm talking about the iPhone, ladies and gentlemen. Perhaps you aren't familiar with the many functions of this product. I'll let the Conan O'Brien Show show you it's many features.

There's only one track I could think of that would fit with the release of the iPhone. Here's Blondie's cover of The Nerve's "Hanging on the Telephone". The Nerves were a L. A. punk band. The memebers of Blondie heard the Nerves song and tightened it up a bit.

A Different Kind of Dance Song

2007-06-28T17:21:00.000-07:00

The world would be a better place if we still had dance halls. I believe that Ray Davies would agree with that statement. This wonderfully retro clip for the Kinks' 1980-s song "Come Dancing" seems to back up my opinion. Ray Davies stars as himself and his sister's date, while an actor playing young Ray Davies looks on.

Eddie Izzard and the Teachings of Cathol

2007-06-27T15:16:00.000-07:00

Tonight, I have the pleasue of seeing Eddie Izzard perform live. It's going to be fun. Here's a little bit of Eddie discussing religion.

The Same Old Story, You Just Didn't Realize

2007-06-26T12:00:00.000-07:00

Fame: makes a man think things over.

Today's featured song is another cool dance track. This one comes to us from English artis Just Jack. I was first introduced to this song by my friend Zak Stoltz, the producer of the "Lovefool" video. This song, "Starz in Their Eyes" is a classic look at the price of fame and the setting of a person up just so they can be knocked down. It should be noted that "Stars in Their Eyes" is a British TV show on whcih contestants must sing, dress and act as a famous performer...

Something Different

2007-06-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

OK, this week I'll try to post five times. Let's see how honest I am with this promise.

Anyway, today we have a fun little clip for a summer's day. Junior Senior's addictive dance track "Don't Stop. "What I love about this video is the random nature of the clip and the NES quality animation that fits perfectly with the Nintendo like beeps and bips. I believe this is a song best left under-analized.

The Living is Easy

2007-06-21T16:18:00.000-07:00

Summertime's here boy's and girls, and boy have I got a treat for you. Billy Stewart was a little known soul shouter who managed to strike gold once in his career with a killer version of George Gershwin's "Summertime." I try to not use youtube videos that are just slide shows, but this song is an exception.

Gay German Clown Robot

2007-06-20T17:27:00.000-07:00

Klaus Nomi was a Bowie associate during Bowie's Berlin period. He combined Glam Rock with touches of Opera and other genres. The man was a true original. His look is as described in the title of this post. The song seen here is "After the Fall."

The Genius that is Jarvis Cocker

2007-06-19T16:24:00.000-07:00

Sorry for the lack of updates lately, I've been busy.

Anyway, today's long awaited post is a brief look at Jarvis Cocker, formerly of Pulp, who is now embarking on a solo career. "Don't Let Him Waste Your Time" comes from his solo debut "Jarvis" which I bought yesterday and it is a great record. Jarvis originally wrote this song for Nancy Sinatra. Here's Nancy performing the song with Jarvis on the Johnathon Ross show in 2004. Nancy's take is done here in her '60s pop style.

The video for Jarvis' recording is a hoot. It's a nice parody of the average music video where people break into song and then after the song is over everything returns to normal. In jarvis' world this sort of action isn't all that typical.

Covers That Are Better Than the Original #1: "Watchtower"

2007-06-14T17:25:00.000-07:00

OK, it's a rather obvious choice, but a good one.

"All Along the Watchtower"
Originaly by: Bob Dylan
Covered by: Jimi Hendrix

So Hendrix was at a party with his friend Dave Mason from Traffic and heard the Dylan song. He mentioned that he had always been a fan of Dylan's and would love to cover the song. The two then rushed to a recording studio and initially Mason was playing the 12 string guitar. Hendrix didn't like what he was hearing so he moved Mason to bass, and then eventually just took him off the track. Hendrix began to record every part on the song, except the drums, including a slide guitar that shifted from slide guitar to a wah-wah line. The slide effect was managed by using a cigarett lighter instead of a standard tube of glass. Dylan would be blown away by this revolutionary take on his originaly subdued, folky song. Since then, all of Dylan's live performances of "Watchtower" have been done closer to the Hendrix version. I suggest checking out the live version done by Dylan and the Band on the "Before the Flood" album.

Five Reasons You Should Buy the Traveling Wilburys Rerelease.

2007-06-13T15:01:00.000-07:00

*Jeff Lynne
*Roy Orbison
*Tom Petty
*George Harrison
*Bob Dylan

In 1988 George Harrison was asked to write and record a B-side for an international single. He was having lunch with his producer Jeff (from the Electric Light Orchestra)and Roy (whose album Jeff was also producing). Roy offered to sing backing vocals on the track. They were all set to write and record when George remembered that his guitar was at Tom's house. They got the guitar and soon Tom was on board for the project. The four of them then remembered that Bo had a reocording studio in his house and so soon they were at Bob's place trading off lyrical ideas.

When the finished product "Handle With Care" was given to the record company, the execs and the musicians realized that this was too good for a b-side and soon the five friends would form the Traveling Wilburys. They would release two albums, the second of which was recorded after Roy's death. Unfortunately, these two fun albums went out of prin in the mid 1990s. But, just yesterday Rhino Records rereleased the albums in a great two disc set with bonus tracks and other goodies.

Here's the video for the song that started it all:

(Sounds like) Rock n Roll Bagpipes

2007-06-12T17:22:00.001-07:00

Another day, another Australian band. Today, we feature the classic song from The Church "Under the Milky Way". Although yesterday's featured song actually features bagpipes, today's only sounds like it does. It's actually a guitar played with a device called an e-bow.

Actuall info on the E-bow can be found at Wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E-bow

Tomorrow: Five Reasons You Should Buy the Traveling Wilburys rerelease.

Rock n Roll Bagpipes

2007-06-11T12:44:00.000-07:00

Wooh, it nearly looked like I wasn't going to update today.

Anyway, today we feature probably the only hit rock song to feature a bagpipe. In fact, not only are bagpipes featured, but there's even a bagpipe solo! AC/DC's "It's a Long Way to the Top" is a great rocker and before you start asking why an Australian band is featuring bagpipes, I should tell you that Angus and Malcom Young are Scotsmen. Bon Scott, who is not Scottish, is holding bagpipes and appears to play them. In fact, I believe that this is a live performance. It's worth mentioning that the street the band is driving down (Melbourne, Australia's Swanson Street) is near the current sight of ACDC Lane.

Tomorrow: One Song that Sounds Like it Features Bagpipes.

One Take Wonder

2007-06-08T12:02:00.000-07:00

Massive Attack's classic track from 1991, "Unfinished Sympathy", not only brought the band fame, but its video was one of the first to use a continuous shot. Guest vocalist Sarah Nelson is seen walking down L. A.'s Pico Boulevard from S. New Hampshire Avenue to Dewey Avenue in one take, all while seemingly unaware of her surroundings.

The Verve's 1997 hit "Bittersweet Symphony" is based around a sample of an orchestral version of The Rolling Stone's "The Last Time", but that's a story for a different time. The video however, is inspired by "Unfinished Sympathy" but usese multiple takes and cuts. Here lead singer Richard Ashcroft is depicted walking down Hoxton Street in North London.

Finally, in 1998 Fat Les recorded a football chant parody called "Vindaloo" which would be adopted as a real football chant. The video is a direct parody of "Bittersweet Symphony" with the comedian Paul Kaye dressed to look like Ashcroft walking down the same street in London. Hilarity ensues.

Bad Music Spotlight #1: Mr. T treats his mama right

2007-06-07T09:53:00.000-07:00

In 1984 Mr. T released a motivational video called "Be Somebody...or be Somebody's Fool!" There really isn't anything worth saying here except the following segment is pretty much a fair sample of the whole video. I fear that I'll be adding more clips from the video as time goes by.

So, for the first Bad Music Spotlight, here's Mr. T performing "Treat Your Mother Right"

Somnambulism

2007-06-06T11:07:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrate the rock n roll instrumental with one of the most beautiful such pieces: Santo and Johnny Farina's "Sleep Walk". The song features the stell peddle guitar, an instrument that doesn't get as much play as it should anymore. It seems that "Sleep Walk" has been covered by almost every rock instrumental guitarist. Even Modest Mouse did a cover (with original lyrics).

The song itself is simple, but perfect for a last dance at the prom. It's a beautiful song, but one can hear a sense of melancholy in the song. It's apparent without hearing any lyrics that the song is one of sadness. There are in fact lyrics (written by the Farina brothers) expreessing the loss of a lover.

Sleep walk/Instead of dreaming/I sleep walk/'Cause I lost you/And now what am I to do/Can't believe that we're through/I don't care how much you tell me

Sleep talk/'Cause I miss you/I sleep talk/While the memory of you/Lingers like a song/Darling, I was so wrong/But I'll be right someday

The night/Fills my lonely place/I see your face/Spinning through my brain/I know/I miss you so/I still love you/And it drives me insane

Sleep walk/Every night/I just sleep walk/And when you/Walk inside the door/I will sleep walk no more

Wilkommen!

2007-06-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

Good morning/afternoon/evening,

Welcome to the debut of my new blog "Postcards of the Hanging." It's going to be primarily a music blog but that won't stop me from talking about other topics that might come up. By the way, the title of this blog comes from Bob Dylan's "Desolation Row." In future editions of this blog, I'll look at Prince being parodied on "In Living Color" and archive versions of "Ring of Fire." You can also expect the standard record reviews and song analysis so often associated with blogs.

Here's an old video favoriet of mine: