Introducing Perfectly Lethal Radio

www.drop.io/perfectlylethalradio

I sure wish I had my Wayward Bus album...

Three (Again?)

Three developments:

I have produced my first radio show and decided to name it after this blog. I have been talking about it for awhile now, but I finally got around to doing it. It is a just over an hour long, and I am hoping to do one per week. At first I messed around with a lot of ideas, but I decided to play straight up DJ and play some songs I like. Posting is now the only issue that I have, but I think I have that part figured out. I should have it up by the end of the week if anyone is interested.

My wife and I had our one year anniversary on Sunday, followed by me waking up at 3 in the morning sick as a dog. I stayed home from work yesterday and tried to plow through the growing number of films I have on DVR from Turner Classic Movies. That channel is amazing. Unfortunately, sleep was a problem and I only made it through one full movie, though it was fantastic. It was Phantom Carriage, a 1921 Swedish silent film. I did not know going in that it is a movie that was a major influence on Ingmar Bergman, but could tell almost immediately. It was really haunting and has stayed with me. I highly recommend it, especially to anyone who has seen Seventh Seal.

Third, and finally, it looks as if my record label Stumbling Through the Weekend will be putting out Dr. Zoome & the Mad Scientists' recording pretty soon. I hope to have it up by the middle of May. I know the world is not prepared for this.

Opening Acts

Usually when I go see concerts, I am not all that thrilled about opening acts. I think it is great when bands take other bands that they actually really enjoy out with them. Usually, though, this is not the case. It always seems like I have to sit through some band that a record label pushed on the headlining act. I have seen some great pairings over the years, but it seems that we get some unrelated band more often than not.

Tomorrow, though, we get Crooked Fingers. I love Crooked Fingers. Their song "New Drink For a New Drunk" is a particular favorite. This should really rock.

Weekend Listening

Paint America Love-Lou Christie
Tago Mago-Can
Bryter Layter-Nick Drake
Would You Believe-Billy Nicholls
Another Side of Rick-Rick Nelson
Music In a Doll's House-Family

I finished my first mix in over a month. It is a Nick Drake mix and is untitled as of now. Any suggestions?

We also found out that we will be seeing Neko Case in Cowtown on Thursday. I hope she plays "Deep Red Bells" and "Teenage Feeling."

December boys got it bad

Today the sun is shining. The palest shade of gray has been replaced by a rejuvenating blue and yellow glow. It makes me want to go out side and run around, drink with friends on a porch, and sing along with so many of my favorite songs. Big Star. Cheap Trick. The Raspberries.

Loudly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U3KuIoOc7pI

The Terror of Knowing What This World Is About

Tonight my wife and I were coming home from Hoagies and we had the radio on. The beginning of one of my favorite songs started and I got really excited. She pointed out that I should not have gotten excited until I knew that it wasn't that "other song." She was right.

The song?

"Under Pressure."

She had a good point.

Life's Not Made of Gold

What a dreary, unremarkable day. Every time I look out the window I see the most pale shade of gray I have ever seen in my life. To make matters worse, work has been even more frustrating than usual. It is days like these that the world needs Nick Drake songs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y2jxjv0HkwM

Not my favorite Nick Drake song, but one that really sums the day up.

The Power of Rock

Do you remember what you were doing on August 26, 1998? I do. I attended my Grandfather's funeral. It was one of the saddest days of my life. After the funeral ended, I got in a car and rode to Cleveland to see one of my favorite bands. Pearl Jam. It was the second time I would be seeing them, the first coming the week before in Indy.

I've seen Pearl Jam a bunch since then, but this one will always stick in my mind. I had quit the only job I had ever had shortly before, and then quit my new job after a week because it was horrible and they made me feel guilty about asking off for my Grandfather's funeral. I was jobless, sad, and incredibly tired. The concert seemed a million miles from where I was, but I went because we had bought tickets and I thought it would have been good to get my mind off things.

It was one of the most transcendent nights of my life. We were in about the tenth or so row. The band was incredible. They played "Footsteps" and "Baba O'Riley." I left the concert still feeling sad, yet uplifted by the power of one band playing music so powerful that you forget your surroundings and just left go. Enjoy the moment. It was one of the most magical performances I had ever seen.

Tonight I sit listening to those recordings, over a decade later, and I can still feel the electricity. It may have been over a decade ago, but it is so close in my mind.

Me and My Arrow

We watched The Point last night, and I thought it was great. After watching it, I now want to name our first dog Arrow. My wife and I had decided on the name Wilco for our first dog, but I may push for that to be the second name. I will probably lose this battle, but I can dream right? While I am dreaming, I want Arrow to be blue.

I was looking through a CD booklet today and I was struck by two things. First, I don't think I can ever make the full transition to digital music. It is fine with things that are out of print or single songs, but for full albums I really like having the album art work and linear notes. Second, I desperately wish I had a larger creative space in my apartment. Right now I have all of five square feet it seems, and for every creative act I have prep work. For example, if I want to record a song on my 4-track, I have to unplug other items and re-arrange furniture to get a guitar part down. To record vocals, I then have to move all my equipment into a different room and unplug even more items. That is a lot of work for a song that usually lasts 90 seconds.

I also want to start a record label and call it Stumbling Through the Weekend Records. Sound cool? Maybe I can put out the strange tape I found in the park last week as the first release!

Tony Perez on First

Michigan State finally ran out of gas last night. I was pulling for them but it just wasn't meant to be. Baseball season is here, but it seems like every year I get less and less excited about it. I find myself just wanting to check out the 1975 World Series on DVD and watching that. Go Big Red Machine!

I have nothing really to say today. Instead, I will post my favorite Talking Heads songs. That seems all the rage these days.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5zNdMc6wGtU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhQU3fgCMXA

This Tornado Loves You

I was going to write yesterday but my wife had homework and I never really got to get on the computer. I had a great walk yesterday and listened to Amon Duul II's wonderful Phallus Dei and Ornette Coleman's Free Jazz. The title track of the first album is all kinds of fantastic noise rock bliss. Check it out if you can; it's twenty minutes and every second is worth the ride.

I got my walk in yesterday before we had all the tornado warnings around here. When I was about eight or nine, on vacation of all times, a tornado hit Sandusky. My siblings and my mom had to hide in the closet of this small cabin as the wind destroyed every tree in our area. Other than being scared out of my mind, I remember two things about this: The next day there were literally thousands of sticks on the ground and the storm had knocked out the Sohio gas station sign. Instead it read ohio, and I thought that was awesome for some reason.

In honor of this, I give you Neko Case and a live version of one of her fantastic new songs:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f6RNYYwRtXU

To the Path!

My wife and I got up and going today and actually got a lot accomplished. By noon, we had gotten all of our errands run and even got to eat at the legendary donut place Jim's Donuts. Feeling in an overall good mood after accomplishing so much, I decided do a reboot on my iPod.

Since it is April, the weather is nice, and daylight is extending further and further into the evening, this is usually about the time I recommit every year to getting into shape. This year is going to be a little more difficult because I did not make much effort at getting out this past winter. Add that to the extra drinking weight from this past basketball season (we had a lot to celebrate in Dayton this year!) and I have some work ahead of me at getting back in shape.

To help kick this into action I took off much of what was currently on my iPod and added the music that has helped me get back in the swing of things in the past: Jazz and Krautrock. I am not sure why this always works, but I have a suspicion that long instrumental passages helps make the time I spend out walking not seem as long. That, or I just associate this kind of music with being out of shape and walking up hills that almost kill me. Either way, it seems to work.

So today, armed with Neu! '75 and Genius Of Modern Music Volume One (by Neu! and Thelonious Monk, respectively) I got off to a good five mile start. I am a little sore right now, but I feel pretty good. I am actually looking forward for tomorrow's hike. I wonder what the odds that I'll be listening to John Coltrane's Ascension?

Things I Want to Tell You

I'm stuck at work for a couple of more hours and then on to final four weekend. Not sure where I am going to watch tomorrow, but I will be rooting for MSU. Honestly, I am just looking for a couple of good games. To help pass the time, here are a couple of songs that I will probably put on as soon as I get home.

"Since K Got Over Me"-Clientele
"Fearless"-Pink Floyd
"Floating"-Clouds Forming Crowns
"Northern Sky"-Nick Drake
"No Reply At All"-Genesis
"From a Motel 6"-Yo La Tengo
"Things"-Paul Westerberg
"Angelica"-Scott Walker
"Cold Morning Light"-Todd Rundgren
"Bye Bye Kitty Cat"-The Mice

Once again, I think this would be a killer start to a mix tape. Maybe I should just merge these with yesterday's list.

Three

How about that? Three days in a row. Too bad I have nothing to say.

I checked allmusic for songs named "three." They list 239, none of which I care enough about to write about. Instead, I will I list the third tracks from some of my favorite albums. How is that for creative?

"Watch Me Jumpstart" from Alien Lanes
"Quadrophenia" from Quadrophenia
"I'm Only Sleeping" from Revolver
"Glass Onion" from The Beatles
"Only Love Can Break Your Heart" from After the Goldrush
"The Imposter" from Get Happy!!
"Taxman, Mr. Thief" from Cheap Trick
"Way out West" from Radio City
"Wild Horses" from Sticky Fingers

None of these are my favorite songs from these albums, yet, the above list would make for a nice start to a mixtape. Maybe I should look into that.

Hooray!

I checked my account today at the library and it seems that I will be getting this DVD soon:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjhTBZaVYfA&feature=PlayList&p=062C4545AD2C3D86&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=22


I got the soundtrack a couple of weeks back and really enjoy it. Normally, children's music isn't my cup of tea, but this is Nilsson. I am beginning to think that every thing that man does is gold.

Gold Nilsson, gold!