The Mental Jukebox 1.9.8

Still in the hotel. I told Cootiebug today, "It's starting to feel like 'Sid and Nancy' except there's no heroin and we're at the Hampton instead of the Chelsea."
Allegedly, in three weeks, we'll be home.
Can I reiterate we've been here since November?
Okay, then.

And the FSOTD is...

Closing Time-- Semisonic
I know who I want to take me home.

Hell's Shovel-- Cutthroat Shamrock
By the gods, I can't get this song out of my head! I absolutely friggin' love it. What'chu gonna do?

Florida-- Modest Mouse
Still like this one. It popped into my head, and I know not why. Welcome to the entire point of my blog.

New Girl Now-- Honeymoon Suite
Do you know why nobody remembers this '80's band? They're Canadian. They aren't on some shitty reality show on VH1. And their music was actually pretty good. "I've got a new girl now and she's a lot like you." Take that, random bimbo!

Hairshirt-- REM
From (in my opinion) the last great REM album, this song brings to mind some kind of weird mandolin innocence mixed with the gritty intensities of forensics. "Run a carbon black test on my jaw." Yeah, I know what he means, but ewwww. Hang this hairshirt on the highest rung.

Moneymaker-- Rilo Kiley
And sometimes, my brain hates me. When it plays this song, it wants to me to put on a wet suit, shove an English cucumber up my arse and hang myself from the closet rod.

Lullabye of Broadway-- Ethel Merman
What.
The.
Fuck.

Eastern Bloc-- Thomas Dolby
This is the sequel to the song that rolled through my head next...

Europa and the Pirate Twins-- Thomas Dolby
Can we get some love for Thomas Dolby, please? And can my brain get some applause for absolute creativity? A doubleshot of Dolby for me? Thank you. Thank you so much. When people talk about musical pioneers and don't talk about Thomas Dolby, they do the universe an injustice. Yeah, it's new wave, but it still holds up today, quite strongly.

Don't Pass Me By-- The Beatles
This song shows up more than I really want it to. So what strange hold does this band have on me? How did they become some kind of emotional support system for me? I'm really beginning to believe that with the consistent playing of this song and "Across the Universe," The Beatles are the security blanket of the Mental Jukebox.


You need some Dolby. You need it right now. We'll be the pirate twins again.

The Mental Jukebox Thursday 12.20.07

This is actually only a partial list because I am a doofus. I left my list at work, right there on my desk, with a big friggin' PostIt note on the cover that says, "Take this with you!" So, with the exception of the FSOTD (First Song of the Day)and maybe two others, these are all songs from tonight.

Soon We'll Be Living In The Future-- Straylight Run

I don't wanna like it! It's all catchy and pseudo-profound with overtones of Motion City Soundtrack! Yeah, it rocks a lot.

Yakety Sax-- Boots Randolph

If you're an old fart like me, you're thinking Benny Hill. If you're my kid, you're thinking Stewie's sexy party. Both are equally correct.

Here It Is Christmas Time-- Old 97's

One of the best Christmas songs ever? Don't know. But it's climbing up my list.

You're the One That I Want-- John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John

I don't know, man. I just don't know.

All the Things That Go To Make Heaven and Earth-- The New Pornographers

Neko Case is in this band. 'nuff said.

Honky Tonk Man-- Dwight Yoakum

Really, who doesn't love Dwight Yoakum? Who is willing to look me in the eye and say they don't love Dwight Yoakum? That's what I thought.

Jesus Just Left Chicago-- ZZ Top

Dwight Yoakum could kick Billy Gibbons' ass. Amazing war-beard notwithstanding.

Burn Down the Malls-- Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper

These guys were the rockabilly Matt Taibbi of the '80's. Go no further than "I Saw Jesus At McDonald's At Midnight" for a life-changing experience.

Montana-- Frank Zappa

When Frank says, "I'm gonna buy me a horse/Just about this big," you know just how big he means. Yippee-ki-yo-ki-yay.

I was at West Town Mall until almost eleven o'clock tonight. Four fucking hours in the madness and the stink. Take it away, Mojo and Skid...

The Mental Jukebox-- Wednesday 12.12.7

My apologies to all four of you who read this for the late post.

Gemini Dream-- The Moody Blues
Windowsill-- Arcade Fire
Breakfast in America-- Supertramp
Major Tom (Coming Home)-- Peter Schilling
At A Medium Pace-- Adam Sandler
Los Angeles-- X
Whatever, Wherever-- Shakira

And I know I fucked up the title of that Shakira song and you'll just have to forgive me for not caring a whit. It's Shakira. The presence of her music in my head is unwelcome and proof that my brain wants to kill me.

Something To Fall Back On-- Todd Rundgren
Human-- Human League
Eat The Rich-- Aerosmith
Sweet Leaf-- Black Sabbath
Who Are The Brain Police?-- Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention


Punk used to mean something. In my poor little head, it still does.

The Mental Jukebox-- Tuesday 12.11.7

Still haven't been able to go back home since the fire and blogging seems to help take my mind off that. So here is the first post-house fire edition of The Mental Jukebox.

And, looking back over that, apparently one of the things I lost in the fire was the ability to write a decent lead. Are you still here? Even after that?

Masochist.

Right then. On we go.

FSOTD Honours go to...

Jane-- Jefferson Starship
She's playing a game. She's playing a game. She's playing a game. She's playing a gaaaaaaame. Ooof.

Hot Kiss-- Juliette and the Licks
Okay. WUTK played that song this morning. However, I had been thinking of the video before the song came on. Before I was in the truck. Earlier in the day. When I was showering. Juliette Lewis. Crazy. Hot. Crazy hot.

Do Ya Think I'm Sexy-- Revolting Cocks
Don't Believe the Hype-- Public Enemy
Kickapoo-- Tenacious D
Cut Your Hair-- Pavement
On A Plain-- Nirvana

That Nirvana song was in my head for a good hour and a half. Just the last fading bits of the chorus. The "ooh-ooh" started to echo after a while.

Heartbreaker-- Led Zeppelin
And not "Livin' Lovin' Maid." They are not the same song. Check your album listing for further details, thank you very much.

And now, today's disco mystery... the line is, "...but I never get the chance/cuz all I do is dance/my mama says my brains are in my feet."
That explains the migraines, but doesn't tell me what the song is or who it is by. I have the distinct feeling the band is Chic, but I cannot verify that. Anyone want to do a brother a solid and name that tune?

Phantom Limb-- The Shins
You ever listen to the Shins? It'll change your life.

Tick Tick Boom-- The Hives
You ever listen to the Hives? It'll make you wish you were listening to the Shins.

Hell's Shovel-- Cutthroat Shamrock
Local boys do wonderful things with beer and a stand-up bass. The closest thing KnoxVegas will get to a Flogging Molly appearance.

Jesus Chrysler Drives A Dodge-- Screaming Blue Messiahs
Freedom Rock-- Frank Black


You have no idea how badly I wanted to post that Screaming Blue Messiahs video, but I could not find one. And I couldn't post the Juliette and the Licks video because I'm feeling all possessive and stalkeriffic.
So here's Al Jourgenson, Chris Connelly and some zombie strippers.
Kick ass.

The new guy.

You can call me George. I'll be filling space here while Jeff is off picking new vinyl siding colors.

Three things about me which are important to note:

1. My own mental musical library is not quite as frighteningly vast as Jeff's, although sometimes it is just frightening. But I'll try to entertain.
2. I am blessed with a job where I have music playing constantly - mostly even music of my own choosing - so my selections represent the few dead spaces in between, and before and after, my 9-6.
   
3. I am also not much of a note-taker on the weekends, so I'll begin with selections from last Friday:

My Baby's Gone - Two Gallants

Woke up with this one, which was the last thing I'd heard the night before. I'd also listened to this cd 3 times the previous day. It's the closer from TG's self-titled album from this year, which is one of my favorite things right now, and I highly recommend it.

Thriller - Michael Jackson

The mention of the 25th anniversary (!) of this album stuck the classic title track in my head all day. It popped up several times at random, from the shower (and I do NOT like to think about Michael Jackson in the shower) throughout the day. I even did a brief zombie dance during a discussion of the "occult influences" that got poor M.J. kicked out of the Watchtower.

Jump Jump - Kris Kross

Here's a strange one. Hadn't really thought of this song in years . Remember Kris Kross? The two kid rappers whose gimmick was (aside from being kid rappers) wearing their clothes backward? Of course you do. Anyway, whatever 7-9 a.m.-not-really-news show I had on in the background was doing a piece on double-dutch, and had a brief sample of this song as the music bed. This was running while I was getting dressed in the next room, and I don't know if my subconscious took over or what, but I put my t-shirt on backward. Luckily I caught it right away, but what I didn't catch for another two hours, is that I had also donned my boxers backward, something I don't recall ever having done before. I kept them that way for the rest of the day, despite the discomfort of an unfortunately-placed fly button, in honor of this truly terrible kid-rapper duo. Who knew what kind of power that song holds?

Everybody Knows - Leonard Cohen
Shock the Monkey - Peter Gabriel
Simple-X - Andrew Bird
Swing Town - Steve Miller

I blame Purdy for this one. It randomly popped into his head at work and, knowing my deep-seeded hatred for Steve Miller - particularly this song - he passed it along to me.

Even Flow - Pearl Jam
Scythian Empires - Andrew Bird


I wasn't allowed to own Thriller when it came out; my mom found Michael to be obscene and I think my dad thought listening to him would make me gay. I was five, and I probably had no business owning it anyway, but I was fascinated with this freaky-ass video when I saw it at cooler, MTV-having friends' houses.

The video is still a heck of a lot of fun.

The Mental Jukebox-- Sunday 11.25.7

Hey, it's Sunday. I have to go back to work in the morning. Yuck.
Anyway, my songs... let me show you them.

Two Princes-- Spin Doctors
Not the sign of a good day headed your way. Imagine you wake up and the first thing you hear is the high pitched voice of a Neo-Hippie singing, "Ba-did-a-dip! Da-dip-dip-da-dip-do-bada-beeda-bada-bada-doda-mona-mona-mona-mona."
How to deal with that? Just remember, kids, that it is never too early in the day to start drinking.

I'll Provide the Love-- Toto
Across the Universe-- Beatles

Once again, my Moment of Zen...

Everything Will Be Alright-- Killers

Possibly a complementary tune to the previous one. Or sarcasm so arch even I didn't pick up on it.

To Live and Die in L.A.-- Wang Chung
Next Time That You Leave-- Bob Mould
Oh, Darling-- Beatles
Shake Your Groove Thing-- Peaches and Herb
nod + lean-- stolen sheep
Is She Weird?-- Pixies

We need to discuss Wang Chung for a moment. They put out three major albums here in the States. The first one, "Points on the Curve," yielded their first big hit, "Dance Hall Days." I still don't know all the words to that song, but I have loved it for years. (Well, that one line sounds like he's singing, "We were cool for fries." Or "We would pull whore's eyes." I kinda want it to be that last one.) The last album, "Mosaic," is the one with "Everybody Have Fun Tonight." It was the first single from the album... and ultimately the best cut. "Mosaic" is weak sauce. That song, with the unforgettable line, "Everybody Wang Chung tonight," was their biggest and most unfortunate hit. It's the one people still mock, using it to embody everything that was cheesy about the eighties. That's a shame. What people should really be using to embody that is Jon Cryer's hair in "No Small Affair."

In between those two albums, Wang Chung put out an album of remarkable strength and intensity. It is the soundtrack album to the William Friedkin film, "To Live and Die in L.A." The movie was harsh and brutal, with no happy endings and no pat resolutions. The soundtrack, which was half instrumental and half dark pop songs, matched the movie in tone and intent so perfectly that they are synonymous with each other. In that respect, the following song could be right up there with John Williams' "Imperial March" from the "Star Wars" saga or, at the very least, Tenacious D's "Kickapoo."

Show 'em some love. In my opinion, they certainly deserve it.