SUNDAY MORNING TUNEAGE
NIRVANA - BREED. It's 1991 and I've purchased "Nevermind" on CD. This was the song of the first five that I would usually skip. I never really appreciated this tune for years. It was about 6 years later when I'd actually listen to the whole album all the way through that I learned to appreciate many of the "non-singles" on the album. Today - this and "Polly" are ones that I love to go to - especially live versions on YouTube.
ZERO 7 - THIS WORLD. With so many great songs on the Simple Things album from 2001, this is on the bottom half of my favorites. But that's not necessarily a bad thing because the album is full of so many great tunes. The Mozez vocals are great here. It's not the quality of the Sia vocals but it's still awesome. Appreciating it more today - the live versions are a little better even.
J. GEILS - I DO. This live 1983 hit off the last "real" J. Geils Band album was a cover of a 1960s song by The Marvelows. I don't know many of their other songs. But this cover was extraordinary. It's a break from the horn based rock-funk that was coming out of J Geils at the time. This throwback to their influences is awesome. I've forgotten how much I loved this in the Winter of Sophomore year in High School.
SOMETHING RANDOM . . .
DEADLIGHTS OF 2013. . . Stanley Kauffmann was a very interesting film critic. He was part of the old school reviewers that I like that have a solid background in how films are made . . . Phil Chevron was a guitarist of the very influential Irish punkers - The Pogues. His work is not given the due it deserves. . . Tom Foley was a long term but relatively unremarkable Speaker of the House in the early 90s. Oddly while Speaker he failed to win reelection . . . I loved coach Bum Philips when I was younger as the head coach of the Houston Oilers. Can you imagine a coach today wearing a cowboy hat while coaching? Unique and quite the character. . . I could go on about Lou Scheimer - I've seen him at least four times at Comic Con. He told some great stories of shows of my youth. The Filmation pedigree is amazing - He-Man, Isis, Fat Albert, Groovie Goolies, etc. He's one of the old school guys with amazing stories that will be missed greatly . . . you don't know Ed Lauter's name but you'd recognize his face - a role in Hitchcock's FAMILY PLOT and as an astronaut in "X-Files" episode "Space" among a hundred other appearances . . . Hans Riegel was the owner of Haribo and the son of the man who invented the gummy bear . . . Vixen guitarist, Jan Keuhnemund passed away last week. . . Kumar Pallana may be most famous around here for owning the awesome Cosmic Cafe in Dallas but you know him from the Wes Anderson films - BOTTLE ROCKET (as Kumar), RUSHMORE, ROYAL TENENBAUMS and DARJEELING LIMITED . . . Cal Smith was a fun old-time Country artist singing "Country Bumpkin" and "The Lord Knows I'm Drinking" . . .
QUICK LIST (a random, uninformed list off the top of Shawn's head)
BEST XM CHANNELS
10. LITHIUM (Ch. 34) A big dose of 90s alt rock - Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Bush, etc. They don't go as deep into the catalog as I'd like but it's a nice flashback to the era.
9. HOWARD 100 (Ch.100) The King of All Media has fallen off the radar by leaving Terrestrial Radio but I find that I miss his more serious interviews with actors and music artists.
8. WILLIE'S ROADHOUSE (Ch. 56) It's Country the way I miss real Country. Just the other day - Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris and Patsy Cline all in a row.
7. CLASSIC VINYL (Ch. 26) You've got the usual Classic Rock artists like Beatles, Rolling Stones and The Who. But they go a bit deeper than the FM Classic Rock channels with some T-Rex, Van Morrison deep tracks and Traffic.
6. ON BROADWAY (Ch. 28) Just the perfect blend of classic songs I know from movies and stage shows I love from the 50s, 60s and 70s (Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, Funny Girl, etc) and some new ones for me to learn. Guilty pleasure.
5. THE BLEND (Ch.16). Elton John, Phil Collins, Bryan Adams. This is a channel that you can go to and usually find a great sing-along song.
4. THE LOFT (Ch. 30) I would normally think that The Coffeehouse would be in this spot but The Loft has a much better eclectic mix. You get Dylan, The Band, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Norah Jones.
3. 80S ON 8 (Ch. 8) You'll have to fight through some crappy pop hits but for the most part you're going to get the good stuff like Duran Duran, Hall & Oates and Pat Benatar. It's worth it for every Taylor Dayne you sit through.
2. BACKSPIN (Ch. 46) Old school rap that never disappoints. There are some deep cuts here that bring back some great memories. Lords Of the Underground, Tribe, 2Pac and more just in one trip to work. Tune in for the Ed Lover show.
1. 1ST WAVE (Ch. 33) I would pay for the service just to get this channel. It's the best songs of the early 80s. They've yet to play a song I don't know and yet to play a song I don't like. There are shows hosted by Richard Blade and the Swedish Egil. Dark Wave on Sunday nights is worth taking a ride in the car - Bauhaus, Joy Division and The Cure.
Been living with XM Radio for a couple weeks including a road trip to Austin. There are still a few channels I need to sample more - Grateful Dead Radio, Pearl Jam Radio, Sirius XMU and all the Talk channels. The worst so far? Other than the Christian channels I don't imagine listening to - HAIR NATION is one that will tire you out in a minute - Kix, Ratt, Skid Row, etc. and FACTION is supposed to be this station with a mix of X-Games related artists that should be good with multiple genres but just doesn't deliver the right mix of Sublime, Green Day and 2Pac.
9. HOWARD 100 (Ch.100) The King of All Media has fallen off the radar by leaving Terrestrial Radio but I find that I miss his more serious interviews with actors and music artists.
8. WILLIE'S ROADHOUSE (Ch. 56) It's Country the way I miss real Country. Just the other day - Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris and Patsy Cline all in a row.
7. CLASSIC VINYL (Ch. 26) You've got the usual Classic Rock artists like Beatles, Rolling Stones and The Who. But they go a bit deeper than the FM Classic Rock channels with some T-Rex, Van Morrison deep tracks and Traffic.
6. ON BROADWAY (Ch. 28) Just the perfect blend of classic songs I know from movies and stage shows I love from the 50s, 60s and 70s (Oklahoma, My Fair Lady, Funny Girl, etc) and some new ones for me to learn. Guilty pleasure.
5. THE BLEND (Ch.16). Elton John, Phil Collins, Bryan Adams. This is a channel that you can go to and usually find a great sing-along song.
4. THE LOFT (Ch. 30) I would normally think that The Coffeehouse would be in this spot but The Loft has a much better eclectic mix. You get Dylan, The Band, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young and Norah Jones.
3. 80S ON 8 (Ch. 8) You'll have to fight through some crappy pop hits but for the most part you're going to get the good stuff like Duran Duran, Hall & Oates and Pat Benatar. It's worth it for every Taylor Dayne you sit through.
2. BACKSPIN (Ch. 46) Old school rap that never disappoints. There are some deep cuts here that bring back some great memories. Lords Of the Underground, Tribe, 2Pac and more just in one trip to work. Tune in for the Ed Lover show.
1. 1ST WAVE (Ch. 33) I would pay for the service just to get this channel. It's the best songs of the early 80s. They've yet to play a song I don't know and yet to play a song I don't like. There are shows hosted by Richard Blade and the Swedish Egil. Dark Wave on Sunday nights is worth taking a ride in the car - Bauhaus, Joy Division and The Cure.
Been living with XM Radio for a couple weeks including a road trip to Austin. There are still a few channels I need to sample more - Grateful Dead Radio, Pearl Jam Radio, Sirius XMU and all the Talk channels. The worst so far? Other than the Christian channels I don't imagine listening to - HAIR NATION is one that will tire you out in a minute - Kix, Ratt, Skid Row, etc. and FACTION is supposed to be this station with a mix of X-Games related artists that should be good with multiple genres but just doesn't deliver the right mix of Sublime, Green Day and 2Pac.
NETFLIX PLAY NOW OF THE WEEK . . . I love docs and writers - SALINGER combines my loves with a bunch of interviews from people who know the elusive author . . . MOVIE 43 intrigued me from the trailers and then got compared to KENTUCKY FRIED MOVIE, so I'm on board to check it out . . . AIN'T IN IT FOR MY HEALTH: LEVON HELM was a key member of The Band and this doc covers his breakdowns and troubles after the breakup of the band. . .
Shawn's fave movies according to FLICKCHART
#5 The Birds (pretty high for this Hitchcock flick but still awesome)
#634 Commando
#1292 Blade
#5 The Birds (pretty high for this Hitchcock flick but still awesome)
#634 Commando
#1292 Blade
RANDOM PROJECT UPDATE - I'll spend the rest of the year updating some of the smaller projects I don't get to much. The CASTLE project. I caught up just before last season started. I've been caught up and a vocal person against many of the formulaic episodes last season. This season has started with some better plots. I didn't like Becket being in DC but (spoiler alert) - that's been taken care of. I've even considered reading the tie-in books. All that being said - the concept of the outsider working with the police department to solve crimes is currently being done much better by ELEMENTARY. For the first time, I'm watching ELEMENTARY before I watch that week's CASTLE.
SHAWN'S TOP ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME (a tribute to the art of the album)
#23 U2 - Unforgettable Fire (1984)
I feel like this 1984 is a largely forgotten album for these Irish boys. Bringing on Eno as a producer was a great move because it moved them away from being the next big Rock group into being something completely new. He added a touch that he brought to the Talking Heads - this album really pushed their boundaries. This is a group that had a style and depth that wasn't happening in 1984. I was in love with this album from the very first listen. The subtle beauty of "A Sort of Homecoming" showed that this band had found a soul in the last couple years since "War". "Pride" is the anthem of the album but "The Unforgettable Fire" is probably one of my Top Three U2 songs. This album has remained one of the few albums that demands a listen from beginning to end. There are ten songs and not a weak moment in the bunch.
A Sort of Homecoming
The Unforgettable Fire
4th Of July
I feel like this 1984 is a largely forgotten album for these Irish boys. Bringing on Eno as a producer was a great move because it moved them away from being the next big Rock group into being something completely new. He added a touch that he brought to the Talking Heads - this album really pushed their boundaries. This is a group that had a style and depth that wasn't happening in 1984. I was in love with this album from the very first listen. The subtle beauty of "A Sort of Homecoming" showed that this band had found a soul in the last couple years since "War". "Pride" is the anthem of the album but "The Unforgettable Fire" is probably one of my Top Three U2 songs. This album has remained one of the few albums that demands a listen from beginning to end. There are ten songs and not a weak moment in the bunch.
A Sort of Homecoming
The Unforgettable Fire
4th Of July
Previous Rankings
#24 - Radiohead - Kid A (2000)
#25 - Aretha Franklin - Lady Soul (1968)
#26 - Bob Dylan - Blood on the Tracks (1975)
#27 - Paul Simon - Graceland (1986)
#28 - The Clash - London Calling (1979)
#29 - Public Enemy - It Takes a Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back (1988)
THIS WEEK IN TELEVISION
MONDAY
CASTLE (ABC) Finding it's way into my heart again. This week has a Doctor Who-like character saying he's a time traveller back to change history.
INDEPENDENT LENS: THE WAITING ROOM (PBS) Doc on the crazy ER room in Oakland where the wait time can be as long as 14 hours. With Oakland-type injuries too!!!
TUESDAY
AMERICAN DAREDEVIL (HIST) Spanky Spangler is a stuntman and this doc series follows him training his son to take over for him. Great name, Spanky.
RAVENSWOOD (ABC FAM) Dee is a huge fan of PLL but she's even a little skeptical of this spinoff. It seems to be aimed a little more at the "horror" angle of shows like "Grimm", "Sleepy Hollow" and "Once Upon a Time". You can tell that they want to aim at "fans of Buffy" too.
WEDNESDAY
ARROW (CW) Planning on catching up with this current season today. I rewatched a couple episodes from last season and I'm ready to get onboard with this new season - I found last year that it plays well at 2-3 episodes at a time.
CSI (CBS) I haven't watched in a few years but Marg Helgenberg returns for the 300th episode. I never would have guessed in those early seasons that it would last this long. It's pretty formulaic but it manages to hook audiences in still - I grew tired of the similar mysteries (looking at you "Castle") but I do see the appeal in general.
THURSDAY
THE HOUSE OF WAX / THE MAD MAGICIAN (TCM) Two classic Vincent Price horror films to get you in the mood for the holiday.
THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW (NBC) I like Michael and I like Betsy Brandt from "Breaking Bad" but I watched a few moments of this last week and it's not anything I'd like to watch on a regular basis.
FRIDAY
THE CARRIE DIARIES (CW) This show is still on? And the new season is premiering? I probably should go back and review my initial comments - I might have to eat a shoe or something.
A BUCKET OF BLOOD (TCM) One of Roger Corman's best combinations of horror and comedy. Dick Miller is brilliantly cast as the sculptor - I won't give away anything else if you haven't see it before.
SATURDAY
BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (TCM) I make a point to watch this 1935 sequel at least once a year - usually on my disc but I'd watch it here on TCM equally well too.
AUSTIN CITY LIMITS (PBS) Vampire Weekend and Grizzly Bear perform.
SUNDAY
AMERICAN BLACKOUT (NAT GEO) This is a show about the real "Revolution". What if there was a real blackout across the States. The show combines real life footage from Hurricane Sandy and computer generated effects. If this was History Channel it would be cheesy, but somehow on Nat Geo it turns out very cool.
WORLD SERIES GAME 4 (FOX) Or as I am calling it - Anybody But The Cardinals . . .
MONDAY
CASTLE (ABC) Finding it's way into my heart again. This week has a Doctor Who-like character saying he's a time traveller back to change history.
INDEPENDENT LENS: THE WAITING ROOM (PBS) Doc on the crazy ER room in Oakland where the wait time can be as long as 14 hours. With Oakland-type injuries too!!!
TUESDAY
AMERICAN DAREDEVIL (HIST) Spanky Spangler is a stuntman and this doc series follows him training his son to take over for him. Great name, Spanky.
RAVENSWOOD (ABC FAM) Dee is a huge fan of PLL but she's even a little skeptical of this spinoff. It seems to be aimed a little more at the "horror" angle of shows like "Grimm", "Sleepy Hollow" and "Once Upon a Time". You can tell that they want to aim at "fans of Buffy" too.
WEDNESDAY
ARROW (CW) Planning on catching up with this current season today. I rewatched a couple episodes from last season and I'm ready to get onboard with this new season - I found last year that it plays well at 2-3 episodes at a time.
CSI (CBS) I haven't watched in a few years but Marg Helgenberg returns for the 300th episode. I never would have guessed in those early seasons that it would last this long. It's pretty formulaic but it manages to hook audiences in still - I grew tired of the similar mysteries (looking at you "Castle") but I do see the appeal in general.
THURSDAY
THE HOUSE OF WAX / THE MAD MAGICIAN (TCM) Two classic Vincent Price horror films to get you in the mood for the holiday.
THE MICHAEL J. FOX SHOW (NBC) I like Michael and I like Betsy Brandt from "Breaking Bad" but I watched a few moments of this last week and it's not anything I'd like to watch on a regular basis.
FRIDAY
THE CARRIE DIARIES (CW) This show is still on? And the new season is premiering? I probably should go back and review my initial comments - I might have to eat a shoe or something.
A BUCKET OF BLOOD (TCM) One of Roger Corman's best combinations of horror and comedy. Dick Miller is brilliantly cast as the sculptor - I won't give away anything else if you haven't see it before.
SATURDAY
BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (TCM) I make a point to watch this 1935 sequel at least once a year - usually on my disc but I'd watch it here on TCM equally well too.
AUSTIN CITY LIMITS (PBS) Vampire Weekend and Grizzly Bear perform.
SUNDAY
AMERICAN BLACKOUT (NAT GEO) This is a show about the real "Revolution". What if there was a real blackout across the States. The show combines real life footage from Hurricane Sandy and computer generated effects. If this was History Channel it would be cheesy, but somehow on Nat Geo it turns out very cool.
WORLD SERIES GAME 4 (FOX) Or as I am calling it - Anybody But The Cardinals . . .
AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR . . . Shasta beverages just don't taste as good as you remember but the ads . . . well, they haven't aged that well either . . .
This Bank of America commercial seems to take a cue from the beginning of UP! but it's just a fun collection of family portraits and it gets to me . . .
Another Bank of America because Benny is a huge fun doggy . . .
Wide awake, I'm not sleeping. Stay hard.
This Bank of America commercial seems to take a cue from the beginning of UP! but it's just a fun collection of family portraits and it gets to me . . .
Another Bank of America because Benny is a huge fun doggy . . .
"If I could you know I would
If I could, I would let it go, this desperation, dislocation
Separation, condemnation, revelation
In temptation, isolation, desolation." - U2
Wide awake, I'm not sleeping. Stay hard.
sb
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