Piektdiena

Rain clearing, breezy overnight

"I Wanna Be Sedated," The Ramones
"Pretend We're Dead," Cansei De Ser Sexy
"Papa Danced on Olvera Street," Terry Taylor
"Women and Men," They Might Be Giants
"Supersex Samba," WNOC
"Lonely Girls," Lucinda Williams
"Your Sweet Voice," Matthew Sweet
"Southern Anthem," Iron & Wine
"Graceland," Paul Simon
"Wise Up," Aimee Mann

20-percent chance of frogs ...

Comments

[Geds]

Ahh, "Graceland."

One of the coolest songs on one of the best albums ever. There were a couple of months back at the beginning of the year when I listened to that album on my way in to work just about every morning...

[Sarah Jane]

Wow -- this week's list is GREAT. The Iron & Wine reference was what really made it for me, though. That's my favorite song of his, as well. ;)

[Steve]

Question: Matthew Sweet. Is that the guy who was lead singer for Stryper, or the other guy. I always get them confused.

[Jeff]

Is this a good place to suggest that the RIAA be brought up on RICO charges, or at least be charged with antitrust laws. The new rates for Internet Radio are so high that the presumption MUST be if a Senator or Representative doesn't vote against them, they were bribed.

=======================================

It's funny -- right now, I'm in a discussion with a guy who thinks that Simon "exploited" Ladysmith Black Mambazo. Here's his comment:

Paul Simon, the musician,(?) appropriating the music of Black Mambaso (Note 1), doesn't give legitimacy to his status as a world-class musician.

Wiki says

On December 10, 1991, Shabalala's brother and one of the bass members in the group, Headman Shabalala, was shot and killed by Sean Nicholas, a white off-duty security guard. His death was considered a racial killing by Paul Simon, who led the court proceedings against Nicholas.

That's some exploitation right there!

Thing is, he says some other things that resonate:

Africa, unlike most colonial-era places, is still suffering from the same conditions that fostered dependence on European hegemony. The shackles of the diaspora remain firmly in place around the throat of black Africa. The plan (Note 2) was very simple, to wit: enslave a people, obliterate their culture, re-define their existence, and then, much later, tell them they're free to make choices. What a colossal joke.

Note 1: The group spells their name as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, but I'll give him a pass on that.

Note 2: I don't think the European powers planned to destroy Africa culture, but (at the time) they certainly weren't displeased with the result.

[Geds]

So according to the guy you're talking to, it's Paul Simon's fault that the European powers destroyed African cultures? Yeesh.

At some point in the recent past I learned that Paul Simon got in trouble with certain groups for working with LBM because what he did apparently violated the "cultural boycott" of South Africa meant to bring about the end of apartheid. That idea was utterly silly to me at the time, since the entire point of the boycott was to end the white oppression from the Afrikaaners, so Simon was functioning not only within but beyond the spirit of the boycott.

Sometimes I just don't get how people can be so stupid and shortsighted...

[Jeff]

Your weekly dose of punk:
Supersonic -- Bad Religion

Go With The Flow -- Queens of the Stone Age

"We don't give a damn
About any emo-playing band
It ain't what we call Rock & Roll!"

(I've got a friend who wouldn't listen to anything after 1967. I've got him listening to Barenaked Ladies, and They Might Be Giants is next. Suggestions for other bands are welcome [B4tthole Surfers are, however, right out.])

[Jeff]

So according to the guy you're talking to, it's Paul Simon's fault that the European powers destroyed African cultures? Yeesh.

I don't think he'd go that far, but he probably thinks Simon was an enabler. (Note: this discussion started when he claimed that Athol Fugard was not a good witness to apartheid, simply because he's white. Ooooookay...)

[vanya]

Jeff,

If your friend won't listen to anything after 1967, it's hard to tell what kind of music he would even like. Just jangly British invasion pop? Just jazz and folk? Doo-wop, Motown and 1950s rock? I mean even the most stick-in-the-mud, "rock is dead", "all new bands suck" type people usually like a lot of music from the 1968-1971 period.

Judging from the bands you picked, I'd guess maybe Fountains of Wayne would be a good bet - they're pretty poppy and can craft a hook. Wilco crosses over pretty well to people who like Dylan and 60s folk-rock (but its more like "Desire"< "Blood on the Tracks" Dylan). Sloan is a brilliant pop band, especially their latest album, but it might rock a little too hard for someone who can't see past '67.

[Jeff]

I love FoW ("Stacy's Mom" if Great!!). I'll try that. I'm not too fond of Wilco/Bottle Rockets/etc but I think my friend might like them. (I'll also have to see if the Jayhawks are still around -- I think they're a better example of the Wilco style.)

I haven't heard Sloan -- I'll have to wait until I leave Dial-up City to check them out.

[Geds]

The Saw Doctors, Jeff.

It's nearly impossible to go wrong with The Saw Doctors. They're fun, they're roots-y and they put on one hell of a live show...

[Matthew F]

Mmm, Wise Up is an awesome some, and man, Magnolia is simply one of the best films ever. Good stuff, thanks for some interesting recommendations, as usual.

[Linkmeister]

Graceland was performed on the stage back in May when Simon was awarded the first ever Gershwin Prize for Popular Song; it was televised on PBS this week.

[smellincoffee]

Love your Left Behind commentary; one of the many highlights of my week.

You've been tagged; check my blog for details.

[Narya]

"Sedated" is one of my personal favorite songs. And the story of how it came to be written makes it better. which I'd find for you if I weren't so lazy.

[Joshua]

Whoa, Cansei De Ser Sexy? Really? I never pegged you for a fan. They do have a really infectious energy, though. I guess I shouldn't be surprised.