#643: guy clark - texas cooking (live, c. 1989)
no one could write a song this good about vegetables. it’s the stairway to heaven of beef.
max abelson's super groovy music video spectacular
fine videos daily:
1960s on mon
1970s on tues
1980s on wed
1990s on thurs
2000s on fri
feat. the beatles, aretha franklin, neil young, dr. dre, will oldham, serge gainsbourg, the kinks, harry nilsson, dusty springfield, the clash, the smiths, al green, rolling stones, cat power, yo la tengo, stevie wonder, antony, wilco, elvis, talking heads, elliott smith, jimi hendrix, r.e.m., ray charles, velvet underground, the monochrome set, randy newman, cure & queen
i write for the nyo, live in nyc, am 25, please email here
"mtv makes me want to smoke crack." -beck
see the archives & a random post
"i just happen to be here, and it's okay." -caetano veloso
"sing a simple song but keep the swing strong." -de la soul
"it took me about three or four weeks to toilet train my cat, nightlife. most of the time is spent moving the box very gradually to the bathroom. do it very slowly and don't confuse him." -charles mingus
"she had a chihuahua named carlos that had some kind of skin disease and was totally blind." -tom waits
"hey there, hey now, well, you can make a pacemaker blink, yeah, easy thing, make a man's heart go bibbity bom like a gentle drum. -john cale
"i’ve still got things inside me, sad things, happy things, that people don’t know about." -loretta lynn
"after cheesecake with all of your friends and family, who's gonna front the bill? me... say you want to take first-class trips, well i want to work those first-class hips. yes i do." -r. kelly
"i'm going to boogie my scruples away." -lowell george
"i drive a rolls-royce, cause it's good for my voice." -t.rex
gotta think straight, keep a clean plate." -joanna newsom
"keep a clean nose, watch the plain-clothes." -bob dylan
"my mother used to tell me about vibrations. to think that invisible feelings, invisible vibrations existed scared me to death." -brian wilson
"i could even find it in my heart to love mike love." -belle & sebastian
"think about something else. was art tatum talented?" - shoot the piano player
"i mean every letter in the words in the sentences of my quotes." -lil' wayne
"lyrics choochoo from my mouth like locomotion." - pato banton
"i'm dealing in rock and roll. i'm not a bonafide human being." -phil spector
"at a certain point phil approached me with a bottle of kosher red wine in one hand and a .45 in the other, put his arm around my shoulder and shoved the revolver into my neck and said, 'leonard, i love you.' i said, 'i hope you do, phil.'" -leonard cohen
"they’d whisper at each other and look at phil and whisper at each other. finally this lady, tanked, comes over to phil and says, 'alright, sonny, what’s your problem?' and he said, 'premature ejaculation, what’s yours?'" -tom wolfe
"he's got a mind like a sewer, and a heart like a fridge" -elvis costello
"i bite my nails and if that fails i go get myself stoned, but when i do i think of you and head myself back home." -gram parsons
"i would say groucho marx, to name one thing, and willie mays, and the second movement of the jupiter symphony, and louis armstrong’s recording of potatohead blues, swedish movies, naturally. sentimental education by flaubert, marlon brando, frank sinatra, those incredible apples and pears by cézanne, the crabs at sam wo’s, tracy’s face." -woody allen
"where have you been all my life?" -emmylou harris
"the first time i got stoned on grass was with john paul jones of led zeppelin. we'd been talking to ramblin' jack elliott somewhere and jonesy said to me, 'come over and i'll turn you on to grass.' he had a huge room with nothing in it except this huge vast hammond organ, right next door to the police." -david bowie
brian eno songs that will make good book titles for my 10-volume memoir, in order: here he comes, baby's on fire, golden hours, brutal ardour, taking tiger mountain, events in dense fog, through hollow lands, some of them are old, everything merges with the night, dead finks don’t talk
ry cooder albums that every man should own: into the purple valley, boomer's story, paradise and lunch
#1 song on the white album (tie): long long long, happiness is a warm gun
"the only word is love." -john lennon
thelonious monk's middle name: sphere
"really, we don't want people twiddling their goatees over our stuff." -radiohead
"i love songs about horses, railroads, land, judgment day, family, hard times, whiskey, courtship, marriage, adultery, separation, murder, war, prison, rambling, damnation, home, salvation, death, pride, humor, piety, rebellion, patriotism, larceny, determination, tragedy, rowdiness, heartbreak and love. and mother. and god." -johnny cash
"the moon is clear, the sky is bright, i'm happy as the horse's shite." -the pogues
"i hope that you all out there, young, old, tall, short, fat or thin, quick or slow, no matter what kind or color or shape or person you are, if you like to make music, why, go ahead.” -pete seeger
"but chuck berry isn't merely the greatest of the rock and rollers, or rather, there's nothing mere about it. say rather that unless we can somehow recycle the concept of the great artist so that it supports chuck berry as well as it does marcel proust, we might as well trash it altogether." -robert christgau
mashable.com says about us: "you can expect the unexpected with this awesome gem. groovy." and 33 1/3 says: "it's nice to have someone steer me in a more worthwhile direction."
download albums, see album covers, photos, posters, quotes & 'staches
the olden days: 08 j. f. m. a. m. j. j. a. s. o. n. d. 09 j. f. m. a. m. j. j. a. s. o. n. d. 10 j. f. m. a. m. j. j.
make a tumblr!
1960s on mon
1970s on tues
1980s on wed
1990s on thurs
2000s on fri
feat. the beatles, aretha franklin, neil young, dr. dre, will oldham, serge gainsbourg, the kinks, harry nilsson, dusty springfield, the clash, the smiths, al green, rolling stones, cat power, yo la tengo, stevie wonder, antony, wilco, elvis, talking heads, elliott smith, jimi hendrix, r.e.m., ray charles, velvet underground, the monochrome set, randy newman, cure & queen
i write for the nyo, live in nyc, am 25, please email here
"mtv makes me want to smoke crack." -beck
see the archives & a random post
"i just happen to be here, and it's okay." -caetano veloso
"sing a simple song but keep the swing strong." -de la soul
"it took me about three or four weeks to toilet train my cat, nightlife. most of the time is spent moving the box very gradually to the bathroom. do it very slowly and don't confuse him." -charles mingus
"she had a chihuahua named carlos that had some kind of skin disease and was totally blind." -tom waits
"hey there, hey now, well, you can make a pacemaker blink, yeah, easy thing, make a man's heart go bibbity bom like a gentle drum. -john cale
"i’ve still got things inside me, sad things, happy things, that people don’t know about." -loretta lynn
"after cheesecake with all of your friends and family, who's gonna front the bill? me... say you want to take first-class trips, well i want to work those first-class hips. yes i do." -r. kelly
"i'm going to boogie my scruples away." -lowell george
"i drive a rolls-royce, cause it's good for my voice." -t.rex
gotta think straight, keep a clean plate." -joanna newsom
"keep a clean nose, watch the plain-clothes." -bob dylan
"my mother used to tell me about vibrations. to think that invisible feelings, invisible vibrations existed scared me to death." -brian wilson
"i could even find it in my heart to love mike love." -belle & sebastian
"think about something else. was art tatum talented?" - shoot the piano player
"i mean every letter in the words in the sentences of my quotes." -lil' wayne
"lyrics choochoo from my mouth like locomotion." - pato banton
"i'm dealing in rock and roll. i'm not a bonafide human being." -phil spector
"at a certain point phil approached me with a bottle of kosher red wine in one hand and a .45 in the other, put his arm around my shoulder and shoved the revolver into my neck and said, 'leonard, i love you.' i said, 'i hope you do, phil.'" -leonard cohen
"they’d whisper at each other and look at phil and whisper at each other. finally this lady, tanked, comes over to phil and says, 'alright, sonny, what’s your problem?' and he said, 'premature ejaculation, what’s yours?'" -tom wolfe
"he's got a mind like a sewer, and a heart like a fridge" -elvis costello
"i bite my nails and if that fails i go get myself stoned, but when i do i think of you and head myself back home." -gram parsons
"i would say groucho marx, to name one thing, and willie mays, and the second movement of the jupiter symphony, and louis armstrong’s recording of potatohead blues, swedish movies, naturally. sentimental education by flaubert, marlon brando, frank sinatra, those incredible apples and pears by cézanne, the crabs at sam wo’s, tracy’s face." -woody allen
"where have you been all my life?" -emmylou harris
"the first time i got stoned on grass was with john paul jones of led zeppelin. we'd been talking to ramblin' jack elliott somewhere and jonesy said to me, 'come over and i'll turn you on to grass.' he had a huge room with nothing in it except this huge vast hammond organ, right next door to the police." -david bowie
brian eno songs that will make good book titles for my 10-volume memoir, in order: here he comes, baby's on fire, golden hours, brutal ardour, taking tiger mountain, events in dense fog, through hollow lands, some of them are old, everything merges with the night, dead finks don’t talk
ry cooder albums that every man should own: into the purple valley, boomer's story, paradise and lunch
#1 song on the white album (tie): long long long, happiness is a warm gun
"the only word is love." -john lennon
thelonious monk's middle name: sphere
"really, we don't want people twiddling their goatees over our stuff." -radiohead
"i love songs about horses, railroads, land, judgment day, family, hard times, whiskey, courtship, marriage, adultery, separation, murder, war, prison, rambling, damnation, home, salvation, death, pride, humor, piety, rebellion, patriotism, larceny, determination, tragedy, rowdiness, heartbreak and love. and mother. and god." -johnny cash
"the moon is clear, the sky is bright, i'm happy as the horse's shite." -the pogues
"i hope that you all out there, young, old, tall, short, fat or thin, quick or slow, no matter what kind or color or shape or person you are, if you like to make music, why, go ahead.” -pete seeger
"but chuck berry isn't merely the greatest of the rock and rollers, or rather, there's nothing mere about it. say rather that unless we can somehow recycle the concept of the great artist so that it supports chuck berry as well as it does marcel proust, we might as well trash it altogether." -robert christgau
mashable.com says about us: "you can expect the unexpected with this awesome gem. groovy." and 33 1/3 says: "it's nice to have someone steer me in a more worthwhile direction."
download albums, see album covers, photos, posters, quotes & 'staches
the olden days: 08 j. f. m. a. m. j. j. a. s. o. n. d. 09 j. f. m. a. m. j. j. a. s. o. n. d. 10 j. f. m. a. m. j. j.
make a tumblr!
#640: the jesus and mary chain - just like honey (1985)
a slow-mo, long-haired, sweet-toothed summertime classic for those who enjoy wearing black turtlenecks while toeing that fine line between fuzzy and scuzzy.
#635: ll cool j - i can’t live without my radio (soul train, 1986)
being this fresh would change everything. could expiration dates even exist in your fridge? 18-year-old ll cool j touched curdled glasses of milk and they instantly popped back into cow-quality grade-a beverages. cheese became ice cream. yogurt became milkshake. margarine turned to butter, just because he thought about it.
#630: the clash - bankrobber (1980)
great moments in unexpected expressions of joy from members of the clash:
0:37 - mikey dread, producer and reggae legend, smiling with his tambourine
1:20 - joe strummer, frontman, twirls his bandana around
2:03 - mick jones, guitarist, grins punk rock’s rarest and most likeable grins
2:26 - mikey dread, at the controls, stands up and wobbles his knees to the beat
2:32 - baker and johnny green, clash roadies who co-star in the video as bank robbers, and who during filming were stopped and questioned by south london police officers, celebrate their new bags of money.
#626: orchestral manoeuvres in the dark - telegraph (1983)
tonight i’m having a bro-time coworker hangout with old zeke turner—and don’t tell him because i don’t want to ruin the surprise but my plan for the evening is to recreate o.m.d.’s telegraph video in its entirely. i’ve got a bunch of models, american flags, and fog machines at my apartment raring to go. lucky for everyone involved i didn’t set my sights on genetic engineering, the other gem of a video from the band’s totally under-appreciated dazzle ships. that would’ve been too creepy.
#620: kool moe dee - no respect (1987)
the no respect video does not get nearly enough respect. for starters, it’s high time for a scene-by-scene remake. rick ross, are you listening?
#615: the staple singers - why am i treated so bad? (1981)
if you like soul and heart and sideburns and handclaps and stories about mississippi and electric lights and organs and sunglasses and men named roebuck “pops” staples who can sing to the high heavens with his children mavis and yvonne and cleotha and pervis, well then you’ll like the staples singers. and if you also happen to like wilco, then you’ll be very happy to know that jeff tweedy is producing mavis staples’ next album, you are not alone, whose beautiful title song he wrote for her. and if you like both those things and also the louvin brothers, you should listen to jeff tweedy’s first band playing atomic power.
#611: the specials - gangsters (1980, saturday night live)
i just underwent a very expensive and top-secret surgery that doubles suaveness, triples style, and quadruples intelligence, likability, composure and verve, and i’m still a tenth as cool as the specials were on a bad day. i’m thinking of taking up the trombone, though.
#608: dave van ronk - green green rocky road (live, 1980)
the observer doesn’t have an issue coming out next wednesday, so obviously my first choice for spending the time off is a road trip down south with dave van ronk. just me and him on the famous blue ridge parkway, singing some ancient songs, eating apples, drinking maple syrup, discussing the differences between virginia air and carolina soil. he’s been dead for years, though, so it’s out of the question.
it makes you especially sad when you watch this video and hear him jaw effortlessly about melody, mooing, and the columbus symphony orchestra. you want to be on a long drive with the guy. instead i’m going with my dad, who’s not a bad replacement at all. i’ll be back to the website next week. until then!
#600: carly simon - i got it bad (1981)
carly simon was lying in bed in martha’s vineyard. wearing a white nightgown, a kind of victorian-style shift, she answered the phone. “i’m fine,” she said. “i’m not fine, what am i saying?” for one thing, she’s been ill: she thinks she was bitten by a tick when her horse was put down. for another, the singer says she has lost upward of $15 million to kenneth i. starr, who is being held without bail on charges that he was running a ponzi-like scheme. (read more at observer.com)
#593: big daddy kane - ain’t no half-steppin’ (1988)
oh hello, what’s this? the first 90-degree new york city day of the year? a gorgeously sunny, sweaty, heavy afternoon? a forecast for a nighttime thunderstorm? perfection. please look away while i step into this phone booth and come out in bathing trunks with a six-pack of orange fanta and a boombox that can only play big daddy kane, and maybe the specials, the kinks, hank snow, and early dusty springfield.
#589: new order - temptation (1984)
savvy summer sartorial prediction: the big look for new york city gents this june is going to be a very bernard-sumner-in-white-shorts-in-a-bbc-studio-in-1984.
and for the ladies? all peter hook all the time.
#585: public image ltd - this is not a love song (1983)
when one is on the phone with a wall street executive, sometimes one wonders if the man on the other end of line is standing in front of his skyscraper in a pinstripe suit and blue plastic sunglasses, waiting to get chauffeured through town in a convertible duesenberg while john lydon sings through the speakers, “big business is very wise!”
#579: serge gainsbourg - pas long feu (1980)
i was pleased as punch that monsieur gainsbourg popped up in my profile this week (“‘it’s a call for action to restore credibility, to restore faith, a call for action to find solutions,’ mr. attias explained on the gramercy roof. serge gainsbourg’s aux armes et cætera played softly in the background. jane birkin, he said, is a friend.’”)
if you don’t have that 1979 album, made by the frenchman with bob marley’s wife and bandmates in kingston, don’t tell the government but you can download it here. it’s the kind of music that remote beaches listen to during nap time.
pas long feu isn’t the best song on the album by a long shot, but i have long considered its video to be the bohemian rhapsody of french reggae.
