SUNDAY MORNING TUNEAGE
THE BEAT - DROWNING. This is from the middle of a three album run that defined the Ska movement for me. It's also the least essential of the three - "Wha'ppen?" is from 1981 and has a few awesome Ska meets New Wave meets Rock songs - including this single that deserves more attention. If you only know ska from the 1990s - then please ask me for a copy of "Special Beat Service" or the "What Is Beat" compilation - I'd be happy to talk some Ska with my friends.
DEF LEPPARD - ROCK OF AGES. This album represents so much of 1983 for me. You've got the sheer fun of the Spring of my Sophomore year with "Photograph" and then this song follows it up for the whole Summer. It is trips to South Haven with the Polderman kids. It's parties on Eagle Lake. It's my last Summer ever with nothing to do. Hard to believe my oldest is already older than I was when this song was out in that Summer. And hard to believe that I still love this crappy rock song to death.
BLACK JAKE & THE CARNIES - WHERE THE HEATHER DON'T GROW. I had a dose of Ska this morning. And then some Rock. And now iTunes serves up a bit of punk and bluegrass mixed together. These folks from Ypsilanti might have more than this one album but I only know this one - I must have received it from one of the Michigan Strikeforce folks. I like it and glad iTunes chose it for my Sunday morning . . .
SOMETHING RANDOM . . . last year it was a breakdown of 30 YEARS AGO TODAY and this year I just want a placeholder for something random that doesn't fit anywhere else - could be a picture, a video, a link to a story or just some words that inspire me. This didn't inspire me but I had to read/watch it because of the headline - Al Roker: I pooped my pants at the White House and then there was the "fallout" (I couldn't help that) - Al Roker can't believe people were shocked he pooped his pants
DEADLIGHTS OF 2013 . . . David R. Ellis was the little known director of HOMEWARD BOUND II, FINAL DESTINATION 2 and the more hype than substance film SNAKES ON A PLANE . . . Richard McWilliam helped create my 2nd favorite baseball card company of all-time. I am a lifetime Topps fan #1 but Upper Deck took the industry to another level when they came out in the 1989 Baseball season . . . a famous name from a famous Michigan family passed away - Pete Elliot was Bump's brother and played on the great Fritz Crisler teams of the mid-1940s. He was the star All-American quarterback on the 1948 National Championship team and ended with 12 Varsity letters - football, basketball, and golf. Amazing. . . Sammy Johns is a relatively unknown one-hit wonder but if you are my age you know his catchy 1975 song "Chevy Van" . . . Jim Boyd was a member of the "Electric Company" in the 1970s . . . Patti Page had one of the most beautiful voices you would ever want to hear - she blended that classic country sound of the 1950s with the pop of the day - like Doris Day combined with Patsy Cline. Her best songs - "Tennessee Waltz", "(How Much Is That) Doggie In The Window" and "With My Eyes Wide Open, I'm Dreaming". . .
QUICK LIST (a random, uninformed list off the top of Shawn's head)
BEST FICTIONAL CITIES
10. METROPOLIS. It has issues but ultimately a pretty cheery city with a good newspaper and a bright blue hero. And if I can cheat - the Fritz Lang Metropolis would make this spot too.
9. SHERMER, IL. It was John Hughes' North suburb of Chicago from SIXTEEN CANDLES, WEIRD SCIENCE and THE BREAKFAST CLUB. Want to go to that library and then walk across that football field.
8. CASTLE ROCK, MAINE. It dates back to the 1950s and STAND BY ME and continues into THE DEAD ZONE, CUJO and NEEDFUL THINGS in addition to being mentioned in countless others. An interesting town with lots of interesting characters and stories.
7. WONDERLAND. Alice stumbled upon one of the craziest and wonderfully interesting places of all time.
6. LOS ANGELES. Fictional? Well, when you consider I'm thinking of the BLADE RUNNER version. Lots of dirt and grime but a really interesting place to hang out.
5. EMERALD CITY. It seems like the nicest place in Oz - the guy who runs it is a dolt but a nice dolt. Good place to get your hair and nails done.
4. GOTHAM CITY. Darker than Metropolis. There's a lot of bad things that keep on happening and lots of weird, scary criminals. But they have the best hero you could ask for to cover them. Stay away from Arkham - they can't hold a criminal to save their lives.
3. SPRINGFIELD. There's just too much to do on a single visit - too many people to visit. There are 32 stories and more that I need to see. I'm no Shelbyville guy - I want to move here. Just not sure how to get there.
2. CICELY, ALASKA. When I started watching "Northern Exposure" I knew immediately that this town had a magic about it. I really believe I could live here - great morning radio show, great traditions and I'll have dinner at The Brick every night.
1. TWIN PEAKS, WA. The most interesting cast of characters and also possibly the nexus between good and evil. A nice casino across the border and I'll meet you for pie and coffee at the Double R Diner.
What makes a good fictional city? Mainly how interesting the characters and stories are that inhabit them. Sometimes it's one I would want to live in but for all of them I'd like to visit and hang out at the local diner. What didn't make the list? Bedrock, Arlen, TX, South Park, New New York and other animated series. Just off the Top Ten - Dillon, TX, Hooterville and Mayberry. Other ones I just haven't visited enough fictionally speaking - like Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County or wouldn't want to visit - like Mordor. I think that TV and books make the best towns because of the time we can spend looking down alleys and behind closed doors.
9. SHERMER, IL. It was John Hughes' North suburb of Chicago from SIXTEEN CANDLES, WEIRD SCIENCE and THE BREAKFAST CLUB. Want to go to that library and then walk across that football field.
8. CASTLE ROCK, MAINE. It dates back to the 1950s and STAND BY ME and continues into THE DEAD ZONE, CUJO and NEEDFUL THINGS in addition to being mentioned in countless others. An interesting town with lots of interesting characters and stories.
7. WONDERLAND. Alice stumbled upon one of the craziest and wonderfully interesting places of all time.
6. LOS ANGELES. Fictional? Well, when you consider I'm thinking of the BLADE RUNNER version. Lots of dirt and grime but a really interesting place to hang out.
5. EMERALD CITY. It seems like the nicest place in Oz - the guy who runs it is a dolt but a nice dolt. Good place to get your hair and nails done.
4. GOTHAM CITY. Darker than Metropolis. There's a lot of bad things that keep on happening and lots of weird, scary criminals. But they have the best hero you could ask for to cover them. Stay away from Arkham - they can't hold a criminal to save their lives.
3. SPRINGFIELD. There's just too much to do on a single visit - too many people to visit. There are 32 stories and more that I need to see. I'm no Shelbyville guy - I want to move here. Just not sure how to get there.
2. CICELY, ALASKA. When I started watching "Northern Exposure" I knew immediately that this town had a magic about it. I really believe I could live here - great morning radio show, great traditions and I'll have dinner at The Brick every night.
1. TWIN PEAKS, WA. The most interesting cast of characters and also possibly the nexus between good and evil. A nice casino across the border and I'll meet you for pie and coffee at the Double R Diner.
What makes a good fictional city? Mainly how interesting the characters and stories are that inhabit them. Sometimes it's one I would want to live in but for all of them I'd like to visit and hang out at the local diner. What didn't make the list? Bedrock, Arlen, TX, South Park, New New York and other animated series. Just off the Top Ten - Dillon, TX, Hooterville and Mayberry. Other ones I just haven't visited enough fictionally speaking - like Faulkner's Yoknapatawpha County or wouldn't want to visit - like Mordor. I think that TV and books make the best towns because of the time we can spend looking down alleys and behind closed doors.
NETFLIX PLAY NOW OF THE WEEK . . . For the James Bond fan who can't buy that expensive box set to watch extras - there's a documentary called EVERYTHING OR NOTHING: THE UNTOLD STORY OF 007 . . . one of my favorite movies of the 1970s isn't perfect but I'm always happy to see KING KONG (1976) again . . . and you know my love of BBC shows is deep - GAVIN AND STACEY, COUPLING and the must see of A BIT OF FRY AND LAURIE are all available now.
Shawn's fave movies according to FLICKCHART
#383 - Moneyball
#525 - Disturbia
#762 - Swordfish
#383 - Moneyball
#525 - Disturbia
#762 - Swordfish
RANDOM PROJECT UPDATE - The AMERICAN VAMPIRE project. I picked this up at the library a year ago obviously because of Stephen King's name on the first collection. I was curious about the mixture of a story set both in the Old West and in the 1920s. We got to know Skinner Sweet and Pearl Jones. I was hooked by the idea of a new strain of vampires - more powerful, harder to kill in America. In the past year I've caught up with all 4 of the collections that have been released - through 27 issues and the mini-series. I didn't care for the WWII series as much as others but I really liked the story they chose for the 1950s. Can't wait for the next collection - worth the time.
SHAWN'S TOP ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME (a tribute to the art of the album)
#53 - The Stooges - The Stooges (1969)
Another case of me being late to the party. This album came out when I was two years old and I was almost twenty by the time I could identify any of the songs on it. I had been into all of that 1980s punk music and was catching up with late 1960s music by The Who, Rolling Stones, Hollies and The Kinks when I came across this thing at the record store in Ann Arbor. I bought it because of Iggy Pop's mop head and disinterested look on the album cover. And I was transformed. I had discovered part of the foundations of Punk and saw where Rock would take off into so many branches in the next decade. It still sounds fresh today - maybe more than it even sounded in its day. Iggy along with Ron and Scott Asheton brought a ton of energy to each song. But it's the production by John Cale that takes it from something that might only have been fun live to something that I can still listen to a few times a year. Only 8 songs on the original release and each of them are a sonic gem. Start with . . . "I Wanna Be Your Dog", "No Fun" and "1969".
Another case of me being late to the party. This album came out when I was two years old and I was almost twenty by the time I could identify any of the songs on it. I had been into all of that 1980s punk music and was catching up with late 1960s music by The Who, Rolling Stones, Hollies and The Kinks when I came across this thing at the record store in Ann Arbor. I bought it because of Iggy Pop's mop head and disinterested look on the album cover. And I was transformed. I had discovered part of the foundations of Punk and saw where Rock would take off into so many branches in the next decade. It still sounds fresh today - maybe more than it even sounded in its day. Iggy along with Ron and Scott Asheton brought a ton of energy to each song. But it's the production by John Cale that takes it from something that might only have been fun live to something that I can still listen to a few times a year. Only 8 songs on the original release and each of them are a sonic gem. Start with . . . "I Wanna Be Your Dog", "No Fun" and "1969".
Previous Rankings
#54 - Steely Dan - Can't Buy A Thrill (1972)
#55 - The Doors - The Doors (1967)
#56 - Simon & Garfunkel - Bookends (1968)
#57 - REM - Automatic For The People (1992)
#58 - The Who - Who's Next (1971)
THIS WEEK IN TELEVISION
MONDAY
THE CARRIE DIARIES (THE CW) There's still a slight (although probably fading) chance that you'll get me to watch the "Sex and the City" episodes - I've seen a handful. But I can't see a world where I would park myself in front of this show.
CASTLE (ABC) After such a race to catch up with the series last year - and a really enjoyable one - I might actually be done with it. Just has lost lots of its luster - see last episode.
THE BIGGEST LOSER (NBC) Nice to have Jillian back yelling at everyone again. And an interesting cast. But I was worried about the addition of overweight children this season. It's turned out to be handled perfectly. The kids can't be kicked off the show and their stories are presented with care. I hope that one or two get the clue.
FOOD FACTORY (DESTINATION) Always wanted to know how Tootsie Rolls and Razzles were made. Or did I?
TUESDAY
PARENTHOOD (NBC) The best drama on network TV has been the hardest to watch this season. And bring a box of Kleenex to the party. The story of the Bravermans and Kristina's battle with breast cancer has been painful to watch and heartbreaking and rare for any TV show I've ever seen.
PIONEERS OF TELEVISION (PBS) The third season of this fascinating show - if you care about TV like I do and probably few of you are as committed.
WEDNESDAY
ARROW (THE CW) Firefly drops in from the Batman Universe.
THURSDAY
ARCHER (FX) Welcome back, Archer. You crack me up to no end and have the best lines that I can never seem to do justice to in any stories to coworkers the next day.
PROJECT RUNWAY ALL-STARS (LIFE) Speaking of shows that I didn't think were still on.
FRIDAY
FRINGE (FOX) I've prepared myself for this. It's the two hour finale. Christian and I have watched a number of shows together over the years. But this is this is going to be the show I look back as "our show". He and I have watched every episode together - it lasted us from Junior High as his first real "scary" show to High School. And the show is wonderful. I love Sci-Fi because of shows like this. Farewell, my Friday friend.
LAUREL AND HARDY MARATHON (TCM) This channel does some cool things. Airing Silent Films and early Talkies is just one of my favorites. Tonight isn't a selection of the usual later Laurel and Hardy fare - this is a collection of some classic shorts from the early 30s including "Chickens Come Home" and "Politiquerias".
SATURDAY
STUFF YOU SHOULD KNOW (SCI) I've heard their podcast before and I trust this channel to produce some interesting shows. Plus, you know I'm a sucker for stupid trivial knowledge and for the stories behind the stories.
RIPPER STREET (BBC) I like BBC dramas. I like Jack The Ripper stories. I have already put this on my Tivo list for a Season Pass. Time to read "From Hell" again? Who likes Alan Moore? Who's with me?
SUNDAY
CALIFORNICATION (SHOW) Am I two seasons behind? I love Fox Mulder and I'd love to hang out with Hank Moody but I'm not sure I have the energy to catch up now.
GIRLS (HBO) I hope it's much more the last few episodes and not like the first few episodes. I actually started to care about a few of the characters. And not every woman was detestable by the end.
AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR . . Always like the DirecTV ads - including this "What's cable worse than" because turtles creep me out . . .
I like this little girl with her "January sucks" line. I guess it's for the newspaper "The Sun" and not an ad for the actual Sun . . .
If you're looking for a date - I'm not sure you want this creepy talking red heart doing your work for you. But I like the "damn right I'm going to book the date" line . . .
"No fun my babe no fun
No fun to be around
Walking by myself
No fun to be alone
In love with nobody else" - The Stooges.
Maybe stay home. Stay hard.
sb
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