5.29.2006

Crazy



I wasn't really a huge fan of the song "Crazy" until I saw this bizarre, slower version performed live at Top of the Pops. I'm not sure why...is the drama of the song heightened by the airline uniforms? Hmmm....

Runaway Beard

Think you've built up a comfortable relationship? Think again.

97.3: The Thrilling Conclusion...

So, I managed to wake up and hear that I had the distinct honor of being the first 97.3 playlist for their Listener's Choice Weekend. It was pretty entertaining and mostly what I was expecting.

I was a little disappointed not to hear Tom Vek, Art Brut or The Heartless Bastards, but I was pretty pleased that Ol' Dirty Bastard made it onto Cincinnati's radio airwaves. I was half awake, but my other distinct memory of the morning is that the DJ said my name roughly 50 times (which was pretty surreal).

I proabably didn't make a splash into changing the station's programming at all, but it was kind of nice to hear the crazy, backward-masked second verse of "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" at 8 o'clock in the morning. All I can hope is that I made one person spit up their cereal in shock...

Here's what they played (as I remember it):
Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
Ol' Dirty Bastard - Shimmy Shimmy Ya
Beastie Boys - Pass The Mic
Pixies - Wave of Mutilation
Queens of the Stone Age - In My Head
Foo Fighters - I'll Stick Around
Death Cab For Cutie - Soul Meets Body (I requested "Crooked Teeth")
The Raconteurs - Steady As She Goes
Beck - Girl
Interpol - Slow Hands
Arctic Monkeys - I Bet You Look Good On The Dancefloor (I requested "From The Ritz To The Rubble")
The Shins - So Says I (I requested "Turn A Square")
Liz Phair - Never Said

Not bad, 97.3...

5.25.2006

Early Birds Take Note - Sat., May 27!

Say what you want about our alternative station 97.3 WAQZ (a lot of people -- including myself -- have much love for WOXY which sadly left the airwaves a couple of years ago), but they are definitely making an effort to win Cincinnati alternative music fans over.

Take Memorial Day weekend for example. Apparently they're letting listeners program the station this weekend (I found this out while stumbling onto their web site). I came up with a somewhat bizarre (for radio, anyway) playlist and was pleasantly surprised to get this e-mail this afternoon:

Ronson- Congrats! 97-3 Everything Alternative has selected your playlist to be aired on Saturday, May 27th from 8am till 9am. We did our best to play every song you requested...of course we couldn't get to all of them. Enjoy!

Here's my playlist (I can already imagine what they might play (Foo Fighters) and what they won't (ODB)), and if you can drag yourself out of bed on Saturday morning, check it out!

1 Tom Vek • C-C (You Set The Fire In Me)
2 Gnarls Barkley • Crazy
3 Radiohead • Paranoid Android
4 Ol' Dirty Bastard • Shimmy Shimmy Ya
5 The Beastie Boys • Pass The Mic
6 The Pixies • Wave of Mutilation
7 Heartless Bastards • The Will Song
8 Queens of The Stone Age • In My Head
9 Foo Fighters • I'll Stick Around
10 Sleater-Kinney • Entertain
11 The Cure • Catch
12 Belle & Sebastian • The Blues Are Still Blue
13 Death Cab For Cutie • Crooked Teeth
14 Fiona Apple • Tymps (The Sick In The Head Song)
15 The Smiths • The Headmaster Ritual
16 The Shins • Turn A Square
17 The Raconteurs • Steady As She Goes
18 Liz Phair • Never Said
19 Art Brut • Formed A Band
20 MaxĂ®mo Park • Apply Some Pressure
21 Arctic Monkeys • From The Ritz To The Rubble
22 Dangerdoom • Benzie Box
23 Beck • Girl
24 Interpol • Slow Hands
25 Sufjan Stevens • Chicago

5.11.2006

The final 10 CDs

I'm looking for ways to save money. And I always complain about how I'm spending so much on my music, so it only makes sense to give it up. Not all of it of course! Let's not get crazy....

Just older stuff. 90 percent of my music purchases involve buying stuff that was released years ago. I've been doing this for about 10 years now. So yeah, it needs to stop...

Combining my interest in the dramatic and my love of the number 10, I decided that I would buy 10 more CDs and then quit. I'm down to two. If you're really bored and into buying music, you might want to try this exercise yourself.

You'll need:
• A pen (crayons are acceptable)
• Some paper
• A writing surface (I prefer the classic "table")
• An expansive and annoyingly snobbish knowledge of popular music
• Some bizarre priorities
• Roughly one-hundred American dollars

This is what I came up with:

1 Talking Heads • '77 (This will likely be the last CD I get. I love early Talking Heads, but this (their debut) has never been a priority. So, at last, it is)

2 GZA/Genius • Liquid Swords (1995)
(This is the other one I haven't gotten yet. Supposedly -- according to critics and fans -- this is the best solo Wu-Tang effort. I've heard some of it and I'm starting to believe the hype...)

3 Patsy Cline • The Definitive Collection (1956-63)

4 Loretta Lynn • The Definitive Collection (1964-78)
5 Hank Williams • Gold (1947-52)
(these three collections were an attempt to round out my sort of pathetic Country collection. I'm not huge on Country, but Loretta, Hank and Patsy were definitely crossover successes. Hearing these CDs, I was stunned to realize how much people have swiped from them over the last forty/fifty-something years...)

6 De La Soul • 3 Feet High and Rising (1989)
(Noticably, most of these CDs sort of pop up in the "landmark debut" pile. De La have tried and gotten close, but nothing beats their 1989...um...landmark debut)

7 Talking Heads • Remain In Light (1983)
(Yeah, didn't have much Talking Heads.)

8 Marvin Gaye • Let's Get It On (1973)
(How I didn't have this CD in my collection until now in unforgivable, I tell ya)

9 Bob Dylan • Nashville Skyline (1969)
(Bob sings in a crazy voice, duets with Johnny Cash and comes up with Lay Lady Lay, which has gotta be one of his best songs)

10 Getz/Gilberto • w/ Jobim (1964)
(this disc is probably better known "that 'Girl From Ipanema' record" but it's great stuff. That neo-lounge stuff from the mid-90s can only attempt to be this interesting...)

Blog shout out...


I'm still no good at figuring out this blogging stuff. My friend Gina is doing a pretty good job w/ it though. Her latest post involves this creepy comic strip looking character who was pervertedly snapping photos of girls on a beach in Florida. PSAs! That's what we need more of around here in R-ville....

Anyway, the whole thing is worth checking out. It varies from wacky things like hairy beach pervs to the random going-ons in her life (which are also entertaining). One of these days, I'm going to figure out how to link up hers (and other friends blogs) from my site...ummmm....someday!

5.07.2006

Meeting sketches 2


Here's a character that may well get his own Nickelodeon show, Johnny Tongue. Actually, let's hope not...