Sunday Morning Tuneage & Weekly TV (7/14/13)

It's that week - the short work week leading up to my annual trip to San Diego for Comic Con.  I think we're looking at over 10 years consecutive at this point.  Slow week previous and time to catch up a little today.  But I do have to work this afternoon for Freshman Orientation - hand out some flyers and talk to the 1000 gathered folks.  Just time to go get a quick workout in.  No Sunday Morning Tuneage next week - but plan on more posts and tweets than you can handle.  There will be a full link to a summary when I'm done.  Until I have to get out of the house - looking over some new iPad games for travel and listening to some tuneage . . .

SUNDAY MORNING TUNEAGE

JUICE NEWTON - IT'S A HEARTACHE.  This used to happen back in the day - the same song was released the same year by two separate artists.  The Bonnie Tyler version became much more popular in the US and set up her later success with "Total Eclipse of the Heart".  Juice had a minor hit with this slightly more Country version.  She'd also have to wait to breakout later in the 80s.  This 1978 single sounds good to me today and I'm surprised it didn't outsell the Tyler version.

"It's a fool's game.  Nothing but a fool's game."

SOMETHING RANDOM . . . Been waiting for Instagram to shoot in horizontal mode - here it is . . .  and I love these really random Netflix suggestions - like you loved 8 1/2 so you'll love 9.

DEADLIGHTS OF 2013. . . Douglas Dayton was part of a brother combo that founded most of the stores of my Mall going days - Target, Hudson's and B. Daltons . . . Joe Conley was Ike the storekeeper on "The Waltons" . . . Corey Montieth was Finn on "Glee" and I was quite shocked to see his name come up on deaths of 2013.  I enjoyed his performances and wonder what it will do to the slightly ailing show. . . 

QUICK LIST (a random, uninformed list off the top of Shawn's head)

BEST FRUITS OF ALL-TIME

11.  RASPBERRIES.  I just don't get enough of these during their season.  They are part of the Rose family and look like a heart.  One of the best fruits to add to cereal.

10.   STAR FRUIT.  It's got a bit of a pineapple taste with a mango-ish interior.  You can even find them at the local Wal-Marts now.

9.  BLACKBERRIES.  The darker the berry the sweeter the taste.  I love these mixed in a salad with other berries.

8.  ORANGES.  Lots of options with the orange and it's one of the fruits that very few people have any trouble with.  Very lovely.  I love the Clementine and Mandarin versions the best.  

7.  BANANAS.  I like a good simple banana and it's a great fruit for cooking - like it in bread and as a banana cream pie.

6.  APPLES.  Like the Raspberry - it's part of the rose family.  And the varieties seem infinite.  Every time I think I've sampled all the varieties - they come up with more.  It's one that I really only like best raw.  Sorry, but pie is okay but not as good as other fruits in this list.

5.  STRAWBERRIES.  I love when it's strawberry season and I love strawberry flavors in my foods.  Great on a salad and in your foo foo fruity drinks.

4.  PINEAPPLES.  Fresh and sweet pineapple might be one of the finest joys of life. There is little to compare.  But it goes well as a juice and belongs in every fruit salad you ever make.  

3.  PEACHES.  I love these Texas peaches.  One of my favorite flavors and they make some of the best desserts of all-time.  A little peach cobbler and vanilla ice cream and you are in Heaven.

2.  BLUEBERRIES.  They've always been a favorite of mine.  Just eating them raw is my favorite way to consume them.  It doesn't hurt that they are about the healthiest of all fruits too.

1.  CHERRIES.  It's cherry season right now and I miss my Michigan sweet cherries.  It's my go to fruit and my comfort food of choice.  A cherry pie is food love for me.  True food love.

Here's a secret - I like fruit better than vegetable.  There are few fruits that I don't like to eat.  There are some great ones that are safe flavor-wise but don't make the list like grapes, kiwi, plums and mangoes.  The worst?  Probably some weird ones that I haven't tried.  But the most overrated - the apricot is just not that great a fruit.  It's relatively bland in original state and doesn't make a good flavor addition to anything.

NETFLIX PLAY NOW OF THE WEEK . . . HIT & MISS is an awesome series with Chloe Sevigny from the "Shameless' creator Paul Abbott and one of my favorite shows last year . . . I still have yet to see the Ken Burns doc PROHIBITION but I can delete it off the Tivo because it's here for free.  Understand "Boardwalk Empire" better too . . .  and EXPENDABLES 2 is probably a ton of fun and a total fun waste of time . . .

Shawn's fave movies according to FLICKCHART

#142 - Dawn of the Dead
#185 - Some Like It Hot

#336 - Brubaker

RANDOM PROJECT UPDATE -   The BUFFY project.  Making my way through Season 5.  I was a little taken aback by the sudden introduction of a "sister" for Buffy - Dawn (Michelle Trachtenberg).  But I did enjoy the double Xanders in "The Replacement" - it's a fun story with monsters - just why I love the show.  I'm still 60 hours away from finishing the series and then to get around to the "Angel" episodes. We'll see how this season goes - I'm really only tired of Riley - can we ditch him yet?

SHAWN'S TOP ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME (a tribute to the art of the album)

#30  NEW ORDER - POWER, CORRUPTION & LIES (1983)

For this album, I'm including the extra songs that were originally on the singles and part of the Collector's Edition CD.  I was really conflicted what album to put in this spot.  It could easily have been "Low-Life".  But this album came hard with the synth vibe compared to their previous album.  Their 2nd album broke ground in 1983 that most of the Universe wasn't ready to accept.  I didn't catch up with it until 1985 and even then I was barely ready to understand what was going on.  The album produced singles that define the last half of the 80s decade for me and still resonate today - "Blue Monday", "The Beach" and "Confusion".  But you can start with the classic "Age of Consent" and "We All Stand" that start the album to know that this is a classic.  The strength of "Age of Consent" that I heard one Saturday night at Schoolkids Records is what got this album into my collection.  I feel like it isn't as strong from top to bottom as some of the surrounding releases but the strength of the singles make it a Top 30 album for sure.  

Age of Consent

The Beach

Confusion

Previous Rankings

#31 - Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV (1971)

#32 - Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

#33 - Parliament - Mothership Connection (1975)

#34 - Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (1989

#35 - U2 - The Joshua Tree (1987)

THIS WEEK IN TELEVISION

MONDAY

TEEN WOLF (MTV)  Didn't see the first season, saw the second season and I'm not sure there's much reason to watch this third season.  Lost of good lookin' shirtless dudes.  But the special effects and stunts aren't up to the TV quality I expect.

THE WRONG BOX (TCM)  A hilarious and often missed film  with Michael Caine, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore among others.  The Brits make funny comedies about inheritance.

TUESDAY

WHOSE LINE IS IT ANYWAY? (CW)  The show moves to the CW without Drew Carey.  You still get Wayne, Ryan and Colin but with Aisha Tyler hosting.  I'm curious.  I've missed the show - good ideas for party games.

MLB ALL-STAR GAME (FOX)  I used to like watching it - then I fell out  of interest in it.  But after getting burned by the whole Home Field Advantage thing in two of the past three years - now I'm a little more interested.  Go American League.

WEDNESDAY
HER COMES HONEY BOO BOO (TLC)  I don't really care for this show - meaning positive or negative, I don't care.  But the idea of a "Watch 'n' Sniff" episode is disturbing and worrisome.

SEVEN FACES OF DR. LAO (TCM)  Not the comedy that I originally thought it would be.  Actually quite hard to put within a single genre.  But you watch it for Barbara Eden and the awesome makeup effects on Tony Randall's character.

THURSDAY
PROJECT RUNWAY (LIFE)  Not sure how this show made it to Season 12 - there is little about this show that makes me want to watch it - especially once you've seen a RuPaul show.

FOODOGRAPHY (COOK) Fun show that actually informs - this week Ice Cream is the subject.

FRIDAY
THE SOFT SKIN (TCM)  Not sure I've seen all of this Truffaut film about an adulterous affair.

DINERS, DIVES, DRIVE-INS (FOOD)  Not everybody enjoys this show - I usually like watching these marathons but I see "the cast of GROWN UPS 2" on this week. Really???

SATURDAY
THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER (AMC)  Have I mentioned how cool this John Wayne and Dean Martin film is?  It's airing most of the month on AMC.

GASLIGHT (TCM)  Classic thriller with Ingrid Berman who goes insane and her husband, Charles Boyer, who help her along the way.

SUNDAY
TRUE BLOOD (HBO)  Haven't watched one second of this season - still stuck on last season.  But I'm hearing that it's back in good graces again.  I'll probably finish last season when this season ends.

MODERN TIMES (TCM)  The 1936 Chaplin film is about his most complete and really feels like one that any fan of "film" should have on their resume.

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR . . . Samsung has outdone Apple lately as far a making fun of the competition . . . 

This Samsung ad shows how you can change a baby and talk on your Smartphone at the same time . . . 

Need to replay this awesome ad from earlier this year with the great Johnny Cash song and the puppy dog . . . 

"How does it feel to treat me like you do?
When you've had your hands upon me
And told me who you are."  - New Order

Walk down to the beach.  Stay hard.

sb

Sunday Morning Tuneage & Weekly TV (7/7/13)

Late getting this going today.  A busy, nice week with 4th of July thrown in there.  I was able to have two trips to Rangers games.  Bittersweet in that it is likely my last trips for the season.  This week will be busy getting ready for Comic-Con and getting ahead at work before I leave.  Today I'm planning on not getting too far from the sofa except to maybe get my workout in.  This week's blog is once again incomplete - I'm getting used to a new schedule and should be back on pace next week.  Until then, I'm sitting here talking to Miles about the day and listening to some tuneage . . .

SUNDAY MORNING TUNEAGE

TOM PETTY & THE HEARTBREAKERS - MARY JANE'S LAST DANCE.  I'm always skeptical of songs added to Greatest Hits packages.  Too often they don't reflect the quality of the other songs on the album.  And they seem like just thrown together last minute tunes.  But this 1993 tune from his Greatest Hits album has become possibly one of my Top Five Petty tunes.  It's a pretty poignant song about the ending of a relationship and still hits me every time.  Every.

SOMETHING RANDOM . . .There's a lot here - the trailer for Sharknado with sharks being thrown around LA and the awesome Twitter responses to the trailer . . . a clever breakdown of how there are only a few "types" of people on Instagram

DEADLIGHTS OF 2013. . .  I knew the name Hue Hollins but it took me a second to remember the name as an NBA referee for most big NBA games through the 80s and 90s. . . Bernie Nolan was one of the sister singers of the dance group from the 1980s The Nolans . . . Douglas Engelbart passed away but not before inventing Hypertext and the computer mouse . . . there have been few cooler than martial artist, Jim Kelly.  Time to watch ENTER THE DRAGON and BLACK BELT JONES again . . . a while ago I missed mentioning the death of Lau Kar-leung the important director of many Shaw Bros films including THE 36th CHAMBER OF SHAOLIN and possibly my favorite Jackie Chan film, DRUNKEN MASTER II . . . 

QUICK LIST (a random, uninformed list off the top of Shawn's head)

BEST MOVIE MONOLOGUES OF ALL-TIME

10.  PETER FINCH - NETWORK.  Plenty of good monologues in this film but Peter can't chill, losing it is where he's at his best.  "I'm as mad as hell."

9.  ROBERT DENIRO - TAXI DRIVER.  "Are you talkin' to me?"  How uncomfortable is that moment?  Paranoia has never been so perfectly portrayed then in this monologue.

8  AL PACINO - ANY GIVEN SUNDAY.  Not a great movie but this speech gives me chills.  You only pull it out for key games in the playoffs for a Championship or Elimination games.  But it's one I need to put to memory.  "The inches we need are everywhere around us."

7.  HUMPHREY BOGART - CASABLANCA.  Another well written film that has a number of great monologues.   Humphrey knows about love and the world - "the problems of three little people don't amount to a hill o' beans in this crazy world."

6.  CHRISTOPHER WALKEN -- PULP FICTION.  "The Watch" as it's known. It's definitely Quentin being Quentin.  It is rare that you'd take so long to tell a story in the middle of the film that isn't as important as the time allotted.  But it's hard to turn away as Walken talks to the camera like we are right there in the room.

5.  HENRY FONDA - GRAPES OF WRATH.  The movie isn't the happiest but Henry gives us hope that we'll come out of the Depression - "Wherever there's a fight so hungry people can eat, I'll be there."

4.  ALEC BALDWIN - GLENGARRY GLENN ROSS.  "Coffee is for closers"  I didn't realize until much, much later that his character isn't even in the stage play.  He sets the tone for the film that always stays with you.

3.  SAMUEL L. JACKSON - PULP FICTION.  I love Sam and Quentin is talented at busting out a monologue on you in a film.  This one is as memorable as they come.  "When I lay my vengeance upon thee."

2.  CHARLIE CHAPLIN - THE GREAT DICTATOR.  It could easily be #1 except for how out of character it is in the film.  It's beautifully constructed and still really powerful today.  Timeless in a way that few other monologues ever are.  I can still quote it today . . . "More than cleverness, we need kindness and gentleness."

1.  ROBERT SHAW - JAWS.  There was never, ever a doubt that this would be my #1.  If you didn't know it would be, then you don't really know me.  Rarely has a monologue accomplished as much as this did - it fits the spot in the film, moves the plot forward, adds characterization and most importantly draws out the suspense of the film by being so quiet when things have been so chaotic.  "You know the thing about a shark, he's got lifeless eyes."  Shaw is absolutely incredible.

NETFLIX PLAY NOW OF THE WEEK . . .

Shawn's fave movies according to FLICKCHART

RANDOM PROJECT UPDATE -   

SHAWN'S TOP ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME (a tribute to the art of the album)

#31  Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV  (1971)

This was the first Led Zeppelin album that I knew.  And the only one I knew until about my Senior year in High School.  But these are the group of songs that I always have in my head when I think Led Zeppelin.  And just listening to it the other day - this is a blast of rock right at you.  It's 8 great songs that don't mess around.  It's the best combination of blues and rock and Jimmy Page and Robert Plant selling out for pure entertainment.  The album gets right to the point with "Black Dog" and the sequencing of the songs is a perfect blend right through my two favorite final songs - "Going to California" and "When the Levee Breaks".  This was one of the cassette tapes that led me on my journey to California.  It must have played a dozen times on that trip.  I still relive that feeling of freedom when it plays.  Great rock never gets old, does it?

Going to California

When the Levee Breaks

Black Dog

Previous Rankings

#32 - Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

#33 - Parliament - Mothership Connection (1975)

#34 - Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (1989

#35 - U2 - The Joshua Tree (1987)

#36 - Elton John - Captain Fantastic and Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)

THIS WEEK IN TELEVISION

MONDAY - it's Summer, you don't need a guide this week . . . 

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR . . .  those familiar with De La Soul will recognize this Lou Johnson song from this very strong SoCo commercial . . . 

That follows last Summer when they used this funky Odetta song.  Respect . . . 

"There's a sign on the wall but she wants to be sure

'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings,

In a tree by the brook, there's a songbird who sings,

Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven."  - Led Zeppelin

It makes me wonder.  Stay hard.

sb

Sunday Morning Tuneage & Weekly TV(6/30/13)

Another strange week.  Going to be awhile before I get into some kind of pattern.  It was an ending and another beginning.  I'm done with Follett at UNT and I'm started as a B&N employee at UNT.  Getting to know my new cohorts and trying to keep up with everything else.  So, once again, this week the blog is pretty lackluster.  Not up to my relatively low standards.  I'll get better, promise.  The kids are all in a break of activities for a few weeks - so you are spared those updates.  Today, I'm headed out to the Rangers game for a hot afternoon at the Stadium.  Excited to see the boys.  So, I have to go get my workout in quickly and then off to the game.  Until then, catching up on the last of the 1st of the month bills and listening to some cool tuneage . . . 

SUNDAY MORNING TUNEAGE

WHAM! - THE EDGE OF HEAVEN.  The final Wham! single isn't their best.  But it was a good transition to the solo work of George Michael.  I've grown to like the song - just not completely familiar with it like the earlier hits.  The most remarkable thing that I take from this is the piano of Elton John on the song - kinda makes you wish they would have done more work together.

BRIA VALENTE - HERE EYE COME.  This is one of the better tracks off her debut album, "Elixer" that was part of the triple album set Lotusflower from Prince.  It's got a Janet Jackson meets funky Prince sound.  Really pretty mild R&B - not terrible, nothing I seek out.  I don't know what became of her - I'm pretty sure she isn't associated with Prince anymore.  In fact, until I see the name on iTunes, I'd be hard pressed to come up with her name. 

PAUL SIMON - ALLERGIES.  This single off of Paul's late 1983 release "Hearts and Bones" was probably the first single.  I remember it being pretty big around that Christmas.  It's a largely not remembered album that didn't produce a hit.  This song got airplay but you never hear it on the radio anymore.  Even as a deep cut.  The album has really grown on me - it has some interesting features in that Garfunkel works on some of the songs with him (this after their hugely successful concert in Central Park) and many of the songs are influenced by his ongoing relationship with Carrie Fisher at the time.  Fun little tune that brings back some good memories.

SOMETHING RANDOM . . . I hate PepsiMax but I love Dynamo - so, here's Dynamo . . . and is Instagram with video the end of Vine? Likely.

DEADLIGHTS OF 2013. . .  catching up for a couple weeks . . . Bobby Bland, the Hall of Fame, blues singer passed last week . . . the great writer Richard Matheson is known best for "Twilight Zone" episodes "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet" and HELL HOUSE and the screenwriter of the Spielberg debut, DUEL . . . lots has been written about James Gandolfini - I'll mention to of my most favorites - TRUE ROMANCE and WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE . . . Kim Thompson was the underrated contributor to the world of comics as the publisher of the incredible Fantagraphics . . . that falsetto of Slim Whitman was a staple on my Grandpa Miller's record player, his death put some very vivid memories in my head. I can still hear "Indian Love Call" . . .  

QUICK LIST (a random, uninformed list off the top of Shawn's head)

BEST SUPERMAN STORIES OF ALL-TIME

10.  BRAINIAC (2009)  (Action Comics)  This Geoff Johns and Gary Frank story is one of the few "newer" stories that I've read and I love what they've done with Superman and one of my favorite villains.

9.  ON OUR SPECIAL DAY (2006)  (Superman)  It's part of a larger storyline but it stands alone and is written by the great Kurt Busiek.  It's a rare tender moment between Clark and Lois that isn't too cheesy romantic.

8.  THE DEATH OF SUPERMAN (1992) I think you had to be there when it happened.  Even when you knew what was happening - it was a week to week build up through all the books. Few stories in comics, in my lifetime had that kind of weekly must read tension.  A little hard to imagine for more ADD readers these days.  But great at the time.

7.  SUPERMAN: SPEEDING BULLETS (1993)  One of the best Elseworlds stories to come out of that line.  DeMatteis' story has Kal-El landing in Gotham City and being raised by the Wayne family instead of them having a son.  Until the Wayne family is murdered and young Kal-El develops amazing powers.  Fun, fun story.

6.  MAN OF STEEL (1986).  John Byrne told a good fun origin story that become the origin story that all other writers followed for decades afterwards.  Simple by todays standards but it hits all the high points that you know about Superman.

5.  WHATEVER HAPPENED TO THE MAN OF TOMORROW? (1986)   Alan Moore writes essentially the Series Finale to the first decades of Superman right before the John Byrne revolution.  Curt Swan adds amazing art to a story that hits right to the bone as we find out Superman's last stand through the eyes of an older Lois.

4.  SUPERMAN: SECRET IDENTITY (2004)  Another Kurt Busiek take on superheroes - where they only exist in books.  But this ends up being a heartfelt love story about superheroes.  It's about a boy named Clark Kent who discovers he has powers that no one else believes exist.  The Stuart Immonen art is a perfect compliment.

3.  ALL-STAR SUPERMAN ( 2008)  Grant Morrison and Frank Quitely capture just about everything I love about Superman.  It's disjointed in places but I'm along for the ride like a little kid.

2.  KINGDOM COME (1996)  Mark Waid and Alex Ross rocked my world.  To the comic core.  This Elseworlds story isn't all about Superman but he's enough of the focus for me to include it here.  This darker tale of an older Justice League being brought together by Superman is a gift that still keeps on giving.  Read it for the first time.  Read it again.  Today.  

1.  SUPERMAN FOR ALL SEASONS (1992) Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale came right off "Batman: Long Halloween" and did this tribute to Big Blue.  It's like the Art Film take on Superman and it works perfectly.  A little too abstract and symbolic for some readers but mature readers will be rewarded for paying attention.  In my lifetime, there will be a worthy adaptation of this story and it will be the most wonderful thing ever.

Bunch of great stories left off this list.  Feel free to call me out - there are at least 10 other stories that could have been added.  But I don't see anything I'd take off the list.  I'm sure I could come up with some terrible Superman stories for the bottom ten but all that comes to mind right now is a terrible alternate history story about Hitler kidnapping Bruce Wayne.  I think it's "Superman: At Earth's End".

NETFLIX PLAY NOW OF THE WEEK . . . the best addition is THE AVENGERS, either if you've seen it or need to watch it again . . . did I mention earlier that ROB DELANEY: LIVE AT THE BOWERY BALLROOM is now on Instant - not for all ages!!! . . . KNUCKLEBALL is a great companion to the 60 Minutes story - this longer doc further examines the most baffling pitch in baseball.  It's a Physics nightmare to explain.

Shawn's fave movies according to FLICKCHART

#168  Mullholland Dr.

#702   Fast Times at Ridgemont High

#707  Spaceballs

RANDOM PROJECT UPDATE -   Next week I'll do some project.

SHAWN'S TOP ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME (a tribute to the art of the album)

#31  Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin IV  (more on this awesome album next week)

Previous Rankings

#32 - Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

#33 - Parliament - Mothership Connection (1975)

#34 - Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (1989

#35 - U2 - The Joshua Tree (1987)

#36 - Elton John - Captain Fantastic and Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)

THIS WEEK IN TELEVISION

MONDAY
BIZARRE FOODS AMERICA (TRAVEL)  Hanging in LA with some yellow pig-head tamales.  I'd probably eat that.

GIDEON'S ARMY (HBO)  Always tune into HBO on Monday night's in the Summer for their docs.  This is the story of three young public defenders in the South - trying to balance good cases with paying off student loans.

TUESDAY
TABOO USA (NAT GEO)  Woman that collects zombie dolls to the extreme.  And the fact that she'll never find love???

EXTREME WEIGHT LOSS (ABC)  Married couple with twins.  He's 362lb and she's 290lb.  They start the weight loss journey together.

WEDNESDAY
THE SOUP (E!)  I forget to watch this but then when I come across it I remember how much it cracks me up.  Joel McHale is a funny, different personality on this show.

THROUGH THE WORMHOLE w/MORGAN FREEMAN (SCI)  Scientists are actually working on a way to hack into people's brains to read thoughts and memories.  I knew it.

THURSDAY
NATHAN'S FAMOUS 4th OF JULY INTL HOT DOG EATING CONTEST (ESPN)  My Joey fixation continues.  I'm predicting 68 dogs to tie the record.

ELEMENTARY (CBS)  A repeat but one of the better mysteries of the season.  The suspect in the murder has an alibi - she's in a coma.

FRIDAY
OUTRAGEOUS ACTS OF SCIENCE (SCI)  A marathon of the cool science for everyman show.

THE 400 BLOWS (TCM)  This Truffaut film belongs on your Movie Lover list.  And it's on tonight w/out commercials.

SATURDAY
AUSTIN CITY LIMITS (PBS)  Steve Miller Band plays the Blues.

KEY LARGO (TCM)  One of the best Bogart films - John Houston directs a pretty gritty drama.

SUNDAY
COPPER (BBC)  Haven't watched this season yet, but I'm so glad to see it there on Tivo.

PICNIC (TCM)  This is a Labor Day film on just after 4th of July.  But it's also one of my Top 200 Films.  A perfect way to chill on a Saturday night.

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR . . .  happier than a camel on Wednesday.  This guy is brilliant . . .

"I wanna wake you from your dream
I wanna know just who you're talking to
When you're singing in your sleep."  - Guster

Find out what it means.  Stay hard.

sb

Sunday Morning Tuneage & Weekly TV (6/23/13)

Quite a weird week.  It was the last week of business for the UNT Bookstore.  We'll be working on Monday and Tuesday to inventory and send out the rest of the stock.  But it was a week to see lots of former employees stop by - even though there will be a store there - it won't be the same Follett Family that we've had for the past ten years.  And then Caleb was at his grandparents for a camp and having a great time.  It afforded me time to get out and have some fun watching the Spurs-Heat games even if the wrong team won.  The week ahead will be some transitions too as the family leaves to head North and I have some work to get done.  Today is a fun surprise going away party for our beloved boss, Rodney.  I'm going to hit the gym before heading out.  The weird week has interrupted my sleep and creativity and this is a rather unfinished tuneage I'm working on.  Until then, I'm hydrating and watching the kids play games and listening to some tuneage . . . 

SUNDAY MORNING TUNEAGE

MR MISTER - BROKEN WINGS   This is one of two or three songs that bring me directly back to the start of Freshman year at Univ of Michigan.  What a weird tune to remind me of Fall in Ann Arbor but it does.  I loved the song at the time but now it's become quite kitschy.  It's been sampled and covered so many times that it's become partially a symbol of lite rock of the mid80s.  It's still nice to hear it today.

SPLIT ENZ - HISTORY NEVER REPEATS.  When you say you like Split Enz - this is one of about three songs that you can mention that people will be like ' "Oh yeah, that's what that band was called?"  It helps if they are in their 40s and spent their formative years in front of MTV.  I can't claim to have known this song in 1981 when it was released - it was probably early 1983 when I saw the video and then became quite a huge fan, especially of Neil Finn to this day.

JOHN CAFFERTY & THE BEAVER BROWN BAND - ON THE DARK SIDE.  It starts with that piano and then "Dark side's coming now nothing is real . . ." I think that almost any of us alive in 1983 can stop you right there and identify the song and the movie.  But I'd bet that a fair share of them would tell you that it's by "Eddie and the Cruisers" - the bar band they played in the same titled film.  Poor John Cafferty - years of playing bars in New England and one catchy tune from a movie that played 19,432 times on HBO and you lose your identity.  I still love this song and their "Wild Summer Nights" and would probably be one of the better bar bands to run into.

SOMETHING RANDOM . . . next week.

DEADLIGHTS OF 2013. . . I know there were a couple - I'll hit them up next week.

QUICK LIST (a random, uninformed list off the top of Shawn's head)

TOP TEN PAUL MCCARTNEY POST-BEATLES SONGS OF ALL-TIME

11.  LIVE AND LET DIE (1973)  I wrote this Top Ten quickly and realized that I left this essential song off the list.  And then I looked for one to knock off the list and couldn't come up with one.  This is an essential song that I love even more because of the attachment to my first Bond film.  But I have a hard time today putting it any higher on the list.

10.  JET (1973)  I don't even have to defend this being on the list, maybe just that it isn't higher.  One of his more rocking tunes and still one of the ones on this list that gets a crowd going more than just about any other.

9.  MOMMA MISS AMERICA (1970)  I wouldn't typically refer to Paul's music as "funky" but this tune could have been lifted from some of the instrumental Beastie Boys albums of the 1990s.  It's catchy and I like to play it on the jukebox if they go that deep.

8.  EAT AT HOME (1971)  Off "The Ram" album - it came to my attention when Lennon referred to it as one of his favorite McCartney solo songs.  It has a solo Harrison feel or even better, it has a Travelling Wilbury feel.  It's grown on me to the point that it's one of my favorites.

7.  ON THE WAY (1980)  Paul shows off some classic guitar licks.  I love this McCartney II album (as you'll see).  This song is a perfect blend of Blues and a little of that Hendrix lyrical work.

6.  COMING UP (1980)  Especially the live Glasgow version.  But this is Paul at his best - blending the excitement for new synthesizers, electronic sounds and just fun lyrics.  I think he's laughing through much of it.

5.  MONKBERRY MOON DELIGHT (1971)  The "Ram" album delivered some clever tunes and this one is delightful - it's got a catchy, banging piano and ridiculous lyrics.  But Paul at his best is like your stoned friend just going a little fun crazy - just genius.

4.  LET ME ROLL IT (1973)  I love this song off the "Band On The Run" disc because I easily could imagine it as a leftover song from "The White Album".  It's another of his solo album songs that I like to just crank up.  I'm always surprised to hear that people don't know this minor hit.

3.  UNCLE ALBERT / ADMIRAL HALSEY  (1971)  "The Ram" gave us some wacked out songs and the fact that this was a huge hit is a testament to the fact that good music can overcome really weird lyrics.  This was a hit - I had to say that again as I imagine the lyrics.  It's so much fun.

2.  MAYBE I'M AMAZED (1970)  Once again, I prefer the live version but this is probably the one song that most people associate with Paul's non-Beatles work.  As much as it's an ode to new love, I have always felt that it trails off in a way to suggest that even this love might be doomed to fail.  "Maybe I'm afraid of the way I love you."

1.  BAND ON THE RUN (1973)  It's like three songs in one and it's the song that tied me to his solo career for years.  I wore this single out about three times.  I like the flipside "Helen Wheels" but this was my tune almost every morning for years, even into High School.  It defines those early 70s and I can't imagine his career afterwards without it.

Paul's solo work represents my third favorite solo Beatle work after George and John.  But when you look at the body of work - there are some really, really excellent songs.  I had to leave off favorites like "Waterfalls", "My Love", "Helen Wheels" and "Take It Away".  The worst?  He's had some clunkers, I won't lie.  Trying to pick some of the older ones instead of picking on his later works - "Spies Like Us", "Too Many People" (from the usually excellent "The Ram" album) and while I don't hate it - I can see that the Classic Rock channel repetition of "Silly Love Songs" is silly and can make you hate the song.

NETFLIX PLAY NOW OF THE WEEK . . . lazy.

Shawn's fave movies according to FLICKCHART

RANDOM PROJECT UPDATE -   no time.

SHAWN'S TOP ALBUMS OF ALL-TIME (a tribute to the art of the album)

#31  next week . . . 

Previous Rankings

#32 - Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)

#33 - Parliament - Mothership Connection (1975)

#34 - Beastie Boys - Paul's Boutique (1989

#35 - U2 - The Joshua Tree (1987)

#36 - Elton John - Captain Fantastic and Brown Dirt Cowboy (1975)

THIS WEEK IN TELEVISION

MONDAY

DEON COLE'S BLACK BOX (TBS)  A former Conan writer does his take on Tosh.  There's room for multiple versions of the same show with viral videos on the television???

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW (PBS)  Call it an All-Star show as the crew reappraises (is that a word?) some famous finds from the past including some cool Disney art.

UNDER THE DOME (CBS)  Stephen King novel adapted to a 13 week event???  Yes, please.  I remember when this was going to be a Showtime series and I was really excited.  A little less so that it's on CBS - I kinda miss my King adaptations being on ABC.  But I'm still pretty jazzed for this.

TUESDAY

CATFISH (MTV)  The 2nd season starts and aren't people a little leery of this online dating stuff?  Manti Te'o anyone?  How does this show still work?

INSIDE AMY SCHUMER (COMEDY)  The ads make me feel like I'm missing out on a show that I'll wish I had watched.  Dave Attell guests tonight and Amy tries to get out of a charity event.

SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE (FOX)  This is setting up to be the most awesome season in years.  Tonight the Top 20 dance and finally someone goes home.  My money on the Modern dancers and maybe the Tappers.

THE SHINING (IFC)  In case you didn't get enough Stephen King adaptations last night.  Kubrick hooks you up tonight.

WEDNESDAY
BIG BROTHER (CBS)  Season 15 starts.  I'm sorry.  I'm not even going to pretend I won't be watching.  I apologize for future posts on it now.

NATURE (PBS)  Black mamba snakes from Swaziland.

THE SONS OF KATIE ELDER (AMC)  The excellent 1965 film with Dean Martin and John Wayne.  I haven't seen it years - might have to tell Tivo for this.

THURSDAY
WILFRED (FX)  Wow, I love the ads for this show.  But does anyone actually like the show?  

PAWN STARS (HIST)  A first edition of Jules Verne's "20,000 Leagues Under the Sea".  Yes!!!

FRIDAY
JOURNEY TO THE EDGE OF THE UNIVERSE (NAT GEO)  A look at the end of the Solar System and beyond with the world's largest telescope.  Always interested in Space.

AMERICAN PICKERS (HIST)  While in Texas, the guys find a building filled with coin-op games. Best of both worlds.

SATURDAY
DOCTOR WHO: THE DOCTORS REVISITED (BBC)  The 6th Doctor, Colin Baker, is one that I know little about.  But I'll watch 2 1/2 hours of him tonight.

DOCTOR WHO: THE COMPANIONS (BBC)  I love these little specials and I love companions.  Naturally.

AUNTIE MAME (TCM)  I love the bio of Mame and Rosalind Russel is beautiful and inspiring.

SUNDAY
DEXTER (SHOW)  The new season starts and I'm still only finishing Season One.  By the time this season ends the show I'll likely be one Season Two.  I know me.

RAY DONOVAN (SHOW)  I like Liev Scrieber.  Liev is starring in a new drama on Showtime as a "fixer" to the rich and powerful in Los Angeles.  I'm on it.

AND NOW A WORD FROM OUR SPONSOR . . .  no sponsors.

You right me when I'm wrong.  Stay hard.

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