Ken Glen

It's Been A Long, Long, Long, Long Time

2008-11-11T12:53:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I posted. I've been very busy helping with the new Fairfield Playroom (hauling, scraping & painting, installing rubber flooring, etc.), working on our house & on our new garage (building shelves & a cat condo, hanging bikes & such from the ceiling, caulking & painting, fixing/replacing baseboard heaters, etc.), working at my job (I had a 3 month dry spell & a lot of bad luck at my job after my dad died), dealing with my dad's estate (lots of bullshit with one of my dad's investment companies), worrying & obsessing about the election (donating money to Obama's campaign, ordering & displaying t-shirts, bumper stickers & signs, sending emails, buying flags, reading Salon.com, TheStranger.com, FiveThirtyEight.com, Gallup.com, etc.), being a (generally) good & dutiful father & husband, and also endlessly blathering on & on re: how very busy I am.

Anyhoo, I just wanted to offer a few final thoughts on this election.

First of all, it feels so amazing, moving & great to have voted for & helped elect the first African-American POTUS. Also, the first Muslim POTUS, the first Socialist POTUS, & the first Terrorist POTUS.

YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN! YES WE CAN!

Incidentally, Obama stole "Yes we can!" from Bob The Builder. ("Can we do it? Yes we can!") But Bob The Builder is, like Joe The Plumber, not licensed & does not pay taxes--so fuck him.

I bought my wife an "Obama Mama" t-shirt, & our 2-yr-old son loves to say "Obama Mama". I might create & sell t-shirts that say: Obama Llama, Obama Comma, Obama Dalai Lama, Obama Brahma, Obama Musical Drama, Obama Pajama, Obama Fujiyama.

YES I MIGHT! YES I MIGHT! YES I MIGHT!

I think it's hilarious that there are so many wingnut whackjobs out there who think that Obama is not a Christian, that he is the Anti-Christ, that he used his Anti-Christ powers to get people to foolishly vote for him, etc. (Check out SNL alum & crazy religious freak Victoria Jackson's website.

I think it would be equally hilarious if it turned out that Obama is actually the Second Coming of Christ. (After all, Christ was a non-white & a Socialist.) Then Obama would smite all of these stupid, non-believing whackjobs. Oh the irony.

Speaking of irony, I think it's such a shame that some of the biggest Democrats died this yr & didn't live to see Obama elected President--namely George Carlin, Studs Terkel, Kurt Vonnegut, Paul Newman, & Madelyn Dunham (Obama's grandmother). Also, my dad.

Our Dumb State

2008-08-12T12:09:00.000-07:00

I've been playing around with Google maps lately, & I've created one of Iowa called "Our Dumb State: That's Where The Tall Corn Grows".

Click the pic below to open this Google map. On the Google map, click any of the onions to see a link to an Onion newsstory about/set in the specified Iowa city.

(I got this idea from reading The Onion for the last several yrs & noticing that there are a lot of stories which take place in Iowa. I can't say if there are more in Iowa per capita than other states--but a lot nonetheless.)

Notice that there are no Onion newsstories in the southwest or mid-south of the state. That's because those areas contain only very smart people.

My Dad

2008-08-02T19:01:00.000-07:00

Look at the circled man in the following pics. Notice he never smiles for the camera--in fact, he seems to be glowering at it. Yet there are other people in the pics who are smiling. (For bonus points, notice that the man has the same rigid pose in all of the pics--in fact, he has the same outfit--even though these pics were taken on different days.)

(Click on the pics to enlarge.)

This man is/was my father's father.

Look at the boy in the following pics. Notice he too never smiles for the camera--in fact, he looks as though he loathes the photographic arts. Yet there are other people in the pics who are smiling.

This boy is/was my father.

My father died on July 13. He was 80 years old.

When we were growing up, he was not a good father to any of us six kids (a little better to some of us than to others--but still not good), nor was he a good husband to my mother. (My mother left him after nearly 45 yrs of marriage, long after all of us kids had moved out of the house, & even longer after she had stopped loving him.)

He was not the worst father in the world--he worked very hard, & he provided for us. But this is & was no great feat. My mother worked even harder than my father--she milked the cows with him every morning & evening, plus she did all of the cooking, coupon-clipping, shopping, diaper-changing, mending & sewing (she made a lot of our clothes, til we were old enough to want only clothes from a store), chauffeuring us kids (to piano lessons, swim lessons, play dates, etc.), getting us kids ready for school, taking care of us when we were sick, going to parent-teacher conferences, mowing our yards (til we kids were older & could mow), gardening, canning vegetables, refinishing furniture, wallpapering & painting, etc.--& she did chores on the farm everyday, such as herding cows, feeding them bales of hay, cleaning out their soiled straw bedding, etc., etc., etc.

Certainly not least, my mom was the main caregiver for my sis who has Down Syndrome & is not very high-functioning.

(FYI: My other three sisters helped Mom with some housework--such as washing dishes, vacuuming & dusting, & doing laundry--because, of course, they were girls. My brother & I helped with the farmwork--such as milking the cows, grinding feed, cleaning out hoghouses, & baling hay & straw--because, of course, we were boys.)

In fact, my mom often stayed up til midnight or later to get all of her work done--while, hours earlier, my dad had fallen asleep in his chair with his portable radio on the floor next to him, the TV turned on, & the newspaper still in his hands.

So the whole providing-for-us & hard-work ethic? We would've gotten that from Mom, even if Dad wasn't there.

Dad may have provided for us, but he didn't provide any encouragement, kindness, affection, wisdom, or compliments. He didn't teach me how to do anything--not how to tie my shoe, how to ride a bike, how to whistle, how to drive. He just told me to do things. The only support we got from him was financial. And the only attention we got from him was negative or apathetic.

At best, my father was simply there.

At worst, he had a scary, very bad temper. He would suddenly fly off the handle, yell loudly to scare, hit us kids across the face with his open-hand, run after us & swiftly kick us in the rear, causing us to fly forward & fall to the ground.

Most of the time he just threatened us--by giving us a scarily angry look, yelling at us & telling us that he was going to give us a reason to cry, raising his hand at us, lunging at us.

Why did he do these things to us? Sometimes it was because we'd misbehaved (i.e., just being a kid), but often it was because we had accidentally done something like spill our milk at the supper table, or break a window, or let a cow get through a gate that the cow shouldn't have gone through. If anything even slightly unfortunate occurred, then there was always somebody to blame--& there was usually hell to pay. (But whenever anything unfortunate did occur, it was never Dad's fault, of course.)

Here are some pictures taken while we were living on the dairy farm. Notice that Dad still isn't smiling for the camera. Yet, once again, there are other people in the pics who are smiling.

It seems apparent from these pics--& from my first-hand, extensive, not-at-all-fun experience growing up with him--my dad suffered from depression. He was certainly not a happy man. He occassionally laughed (usually at TV shows)--but he never made a joke that I can remember. He seemed to take little or no joy in his kids or grandkids. (He liked his dogs, though.)

Basically, when Dad was nearby, we didn't walk on eggshells--we lived on them. Stood, sat, slept on eggshells.

(Truth In Aggrandizing: There are, in existence, some pics taken during this period where Dad is smiling--but in these pics, he isn't looking at the camera. It seems he didn't even know his picture was being taken. And there are a few pics from this period where he's looking into the camera & grinning slightly, but there are no pics taken during this time where he is truly smiling for the camera.)

Yet our childhoods weren't horrible--we often had fun with each other, our dogs & cats, our relatives, & with our mom. Mom had/has a good sense of humor & laughed a lot & had fun. She cared for us, & she sometimes even stood up to Dad for us.

(FYI: My dad never struck my mom. If Dad was angry with her--because she had stood up to him or disagreed with him, e.g.--then he would simply not talk to her or even look in her direction for days. And/or he would not attend an event--a Grange meeting or a school event for one of us kids, e.g.--that they were to attend together. Mom would attend the event without Dad & make up a lie to tell people as to why he wasn't attending--he had a bad headache, e.g. )

My mom says that my dad was a nice, kind man while they were dating & in the first years of their marriage. During this time, he had very few, but very bad, bad moments. Like when he in a rage (which is how he later usually did things), yelled, ran after & fired a shotgun toward a neighbor's horse who had escaped & was eating our grain. Dad was just trying to scare it away, but the horse got hit by Dad's buckshot, ran to its home & died. (Mom & Dad found out about the horse's death from the neighbors themselves, when they had called upon Mom & Dad soon after.)

According to Mom, Dad felt horrible & was paralyzed with shame about killing his neighbor's horse--yet he wouldn't admit blame to the neighbor & try to right his wrong. (The neighbors almost certainly figured out that it was Dad who killed their horse. There was a trail of blood in the snow from our farm at the time to the neighbor's farm.)

According to Mom. this kind of scary, violent, shameful behavior from Dad became much more prevalent after they bought the dairy farm--which was the year before I was born. Mom thinks that the pressure of large farm payments to the bank stressed him & always made him feel like he had to be working everyday from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM (except when a good ballgame or "The Price Is Right" was on TV).

During the day, Dad was almost always doing something (& we had to help him on weekends & in the summer)--cleaning out cow lots that didn't really need cleaning out, re-painting fences & buildings that didn't really need re-painting, etc. I can imagine Dad spending an entire afternoon digging a hole just to bury some dirt.

(FYI: On the dairy farm, we couldn't really take vacations, because dairy cows have to be milked twice a day, everyday--& our cows would not allow just anyone to milk them. Nope--if a cow didn't know you, she would kick you, crush you between her body and another cow, projectile-urinate at you, even projectile-liquid-defecate at you. Seriously--a stranger who was milking a cow would get completely splattered with liquid cow shit. So that meant we could only go on day trips. Once or twice per year, we'd wake up much earlier than usual to milk the cows, then we'd drive somewhere for the day, then we'd have to leave to be back home by 5:00 PM at the latest in order to milk the cows again. As you might guess, this did nothing to help relieve stress.)

Two years before my folks bought the dairy farm, my dad's own dad died--& his dad was not very old. According to my mom, Dad would often go out of his way to visit his father & take him to auctions & other places, apparently trying to get his dad's approval & affection (which Dad never received).

When my mother told me this, it seemed odd to me, because my father's father was a real S.O.B. (as my mom calls him). When my dad was three years old, his dad beat him very badly, & a hired hand had to carry my dad back to the house. Why did his dad beat him so? Because my dad was in a barn that he shouldn't have been in. According to my dad, this was his earliest memory. Last year, he told me how his dad would pick up the nearest object to hit him & his brothers with. This happened whenever his dad perceived them to have done something they shouldn't have--which, Dad said, happened every few weeks.

Unfortunately for me & my siblings, Dad carried on this family tradition--but he didn't strike us with objects (except one time that I will relate), he just used his hand or foot.

Now that my own father has died, I can see how a father's death can terribly affect a person, especially if the father never gave approval & affection to the child while alive. For now that the father is gone, the child will never get that approval or affection--a.k.a. "love" (or whatever you'd like to call it).

This lack of love from one parent can make a person feel completely unloved & worthless--even if the person had another parent who was loving. Only two people brought you into this world--& it seems that if just one of these two people (i.e., a perfect split, 50%) would just as soon not have you in the world, then you & your self-esteem can be seriously screwed up.

Unfortunately for some people, the love from their loving parent doesn't overrule the total lack of love from their unloving parent. They do not even cancel each other out. From my experience, what happens is this: The child ends up forever trying to get approval & affection from the unloving parent, perhaps even placing greater attention & importance on the unloving parent than on the loving parent--since the love from the loving parent is a given.

According to Mom, when all six of us kids lived on the dairy farm, Dad would dole out his anger at the three oldest kids alternately. As the three oldest kids moved out, one by one, the three youngest kids grew & became of age to receive Dad's wrath, replacing the oldest kids.

Unfortunately for me (the youngest), my next oldest sibling was my sis with Down Syndrome, whom Dad didn't strike, & whom Dad didn't yell at as often as the other kids (but when he did yell at her, he usually made her cry). And the next oldest sibling after her was my sis who was very good at not doing anything bad--to be more precise, not doing anything that Dad might get enraged about. (She had very carefully observed her three older siblings and what they did & the treatment they received from Dad in response--& she learned well from their example.)

So when it was just the three youngest kids still in the house, it was almost always me who was the reason/target for Dad's anger, according to my mom.

So was created the perfect storm: My father's father was a real S.O.B. who beat my father when he was young. Then my father's father died too young to ever change for the better & give my father the love he desperately craved--& he died only two years before my folks bought the dairy farm. One year after they bought the dairy farm, I was born. Owning the dairy farm caused a great deal of stress for my dad, & as I grew, I became the main target for Dad's wrath.

(Interesting Aside: After my folks bought the dairy farm, they saw on the property abstract that my father's paternal grandparents had previously owned the farm--a fact that my father had not previously known. My father had very little knowledge of his paternal grandparents, and as stated, my father's father died well before they had even considered buying the dairy farm. That farm was far too big for just my father's grandparents--so it seems that my father's father had lived & worked on that same farm with his own parents.

After I learned of this fact a few years ago, I pondered on the Stephen King story "The Shining". I imagined that the dairy farm itself, & the spirits that still dwelled there, were the cause of Dad's insanity & violence. Oddly, such thought gave me some comfort--by way of an easy explanation & by way of denying any personal responsibility on Dad's part.)

Besides usually making me feel as though he didn't care I existed (& often making me feel as though he would've preferred that I didn't exist), the worst thing that Dad ever did to me was whip me--with an actual cow whip.

For those who have received such physical punishment from a parent--for doing something that they (the child) knew they shouldn't do--this may not seem like such a huge, huge deal.

But allow me to tell the story & then you'll see why it was a huge, huge deal--the kind of deal that spoiled the way I saw my dad for the rest of his life.

One evening when I was about 12 or 13, my dad & I were herding cows from one lot into another. The cows needed to be sorted correctly, & I was in front of the half-open gate, allowing the correct cows to go through into the other lot. Suddenly, as I was letting a correct cow go through, an incorrect cow ran along the other side of the correct cow, & the incorrect cow got through the gate.

Here's what a sane, rational father of good emotional health would've done. He would've understood that I couldn't have stopped the incorrect cow from running through the gate--since I was on one side of the correct cow & the incorrect cow was on the other side. He would've understood that he (the father) had as much ability to stop the animal from running through as I had.

But here's what my father did: He flew at me in a rage, cursed & yelled at me, & whipped my pant-covered legs with his cow whip, & more than a couple times.

Here's what I did: I covered my face & head with my arms as he whipped my legs--in fear that he would whip higher up my body.

When he was done whipping me, he was still crazy-angry, & we had to get the incorrect cow out of the herd of correct cows & back into the lot with the incorrect cows. When we were done sorting all the cows, I went back to the house, told my mom what happened, & showed her the welts & whipmarks on my legs.

Here's what my mother did: She became very upset & angry with my dad, & she apparently confronted him about it.

Here's what my father did a couple weeks later when it was just him & me in the cow lot again: He whipped me again--& he whipped me more this time than he did the first time. I don't even remember doing anything wrong prior to this second whipping. What I remember very well is that he looked at me with a psychotic, sadistic half-smile on his lips & in his eyes, & he told me that he'd give it to me even worse next time if I told my mom about this one.

Here's what I did: I told my mom. And I showed her the new welts & whipmarks. And I told her what he had said--that he would give it to me even worse next time if I told her about this one.

Here's what my mother did: Nothing. (Apparently.)

I never got whipped by Dad again--so it seems that Mom didn't confront him about the second whipping. What could she have done? If she had said anything to Dad about the second whipping, she would have put her child in harm's way of a madman again. She couldn't be with me at all times to protect me. At the time, I completely understood why she didn't say anything to him about it--in fact, I didn't want to her to say anything to him. I told her what he did and said just so she'd understand that she was married to a madman.

Dad had crossed a line. On one side of that line was this: His anger getting the better of him (as it always did). And on the other side was this: Perverse, pre-meditated malice & malevolence.

I imagine that this was the definite beginning of the end of Mom's love for Dad.

(FYI: According to my mom, Dad didn't whip any of the other kids--& she believes that she would've heard it/heard about it if he had.)

After my mom finally left him (almost 20 years after the whipping incidents), he hit bottom. He rebounded hard, & he re-married about a year after Mom left him. After one year of marriage, his second wife left him.

He hit bottom even harder--but he was still oblivious as to why wives were leaving him.

Sometime after his second divorce, I went to visit him & ask him if I could borrow some money to help pay for my own divorce. (FYI: All of my sibs--except for my sis with Down Syndrome--have been married & divorced at least once. Hmmm...)

My dad refused to loan me any money, saying he had none to loan--which was, I'm sure, not true--but that was OK, I didn't question him. But then he became angry with me for asking, & he proceeded to tell me that it was my asking to borrow money that caused Mom & him to divorce.

What???

Here's the story: When my first wife & I were buying our first (& only) house, we asked my parents to loan us some money to help with our down payment. At the time I didn't know this--my dad didn't want to loan us the money, but my mom did. So she took out a personal loan in her name only, & she loaned us the money--despite my dad's objections.

My dad claims that it was this disagreement that caused them to split up.

(So the hundreds of bales of straw, piled high on top of that camel wasn't what broke its back & killed it after all--it was that one straw in bale #637 that did it in. Alrighty then.)

I responded to him by saying that my asking for money didn't cause them to split up--he & Mom had the worst marriage I'd ever known (after my own horrible first marriage, of course), & that's why they spilt up.

He retorted by saying that the neighbors thought they had a good marriage.

Ah yes, the neighbors. That's what really mattered. That's who really mattered. That was all that had mattered to Dad. Dad had many different neighbors over the years, but their perceptions of him mattered more to Dad than his family's perceptions of him.

That's why Dad re-painted fences (&/or had us kids re-paint the fences) that didn't really need repainting--because they'd look better for the neighbors. That's why he worked all day, sometimes doing nothing that needed done--so the neighbors would think that he was hard-working.

That's why he didn't admit to his neighbor that he had killed the horse--because the neighbor would think less of him. What Dad didn't understand--& what was probably bloody clear to everyone else around him--was this: To not admit blame was even more shameful. But Dad obviously decided it was better to feel terribly shameful & guilty, and have the neighbor possibly think less of him.

(Interesting Aside #2: A few years ago, my mom told me that Dad believed my sister was born with Down Syndrome because of the horse incident. My mom was sick with worry & shame about the horse incident--while my Mom was pregnant with my sister. After my sister was born, Dad believed, for awhile at least, that my sister's condition was a result of Mom's worry & shame. So Mom was to blame for my sister's Down Syndrome.)

Dad didn't understand that his own family & wife & their perceptions of him should matter more than the neighbors (or even his goddamned S.O.B. father) & their perceptions of him.

But in his last few years, Dad finally became a good parent & a good mate. For one thing, he was 70 years old, & he just didn't seem to have the strength needed to be such a goddamned S.O.B. Also, he had now been essentially told by two different wives that they could no longer be with such a goddamned S.O.B., & they left him--so he was now forced to ruminate a little on his own goddamned behavior & its consequences.

Lastly, he met a very nice woman who allowed him to move into her home, & who was able to tell him point blank to stop being such a goddamned S.O.B.--or else get his own goddamned place to live. (Of course, none of these nice women would ever use this kind of language.)

Unlike his own dad, our dad was blessed with a life that was long enough for him to finally become a good parent & a good mate. In fact, out of the blue a few years ago, he mailed each of us kids a check for $1000, for no reason other than he thought we could each use it. And every birthday, he mailed cards & money to us kids & the grandkids. (When they were married, Mom was always the one to send birthday cards--even to Dad's relatives.)

He even called us kids on the phone now & then. (For several years, Dad apparently thought that our phones were one-way only--that is, we could call him, but he could not possibly call us. In fact, before he discovered this new-fangled techno-thingy called "dialing out", I would call him & he'd sometimes passively, yet aggressively, complain that he hadn't received a call from one or more of the other kids in some time.) Plus, at least once per week, he'd talk on the phone with my sis with Down Syndrome, &/or he'd drive about 30 minutes from his place to my sis's group home to take her out to lunch & possibly shopping. And he now actually made jokes, smiled & laughed a lot (& not just at TV shows).

He even learned to hug us goodbye & to say "I love you" on the phone before hanging up. (He had never said "I love you" to any of us kids when we were growing up.) Here's a good story: Sometime after my Mom left him, I called him to see how he was doing. He was still not doing well. We talked for awhile, & when I said goodbye, I said "I love you, Dad." He said "Well, we'll talk to you later," and he hung up.

That was the first time I had said that to my Dad, & my Dad had never said it to me.

A couple minutes later, my phone rang. It was Dad. He said he just wanted to say that he loved me too.

It seemed he never became really comfortable saying it to us on the phone, nor did he seem really comfortable hugging us goodbye. His eyes usualy watered when we said goodbye after seeing him, and he usually got choked up & couldn't say much, but he still managed to say it sometimes.

He also said it to us on his deathbed.

After several years of education, he had finally learned that his own family & mate--& our perceptions of him--mattered as much as (if not more than) the neighbors. (And/or maybe he got on Prozac--I'll have to check his medicine cabinet.)

I'd long ago forgiven Dad for his bad parenting--I know he had a bad example to follow. But much like my good-girl sister with her older-sibling examples, I had learned from my dad what not to do as a father. And so I am the father that I wish I'd had, & I refuse to carry on my dad's family tradition.

I used to wonder why he carried it on. It seemed he knew that hitting & kicking us was something he shouldn't do, because he wouldn't do it front of the neighbors, my mom's parents or other people. Was it that he didn't want to stop it? Maybe he wanted his father's approval so much that he was actually emulating & honoring his father? Or was it that he simply couldn't stop it? Maybe he was actually fighting it as best he could, lest he be as bad to us as his father was to him? Who knows.

Here are some pics of my dad in his last few years. Notice how he is smiling for the camera. I miss this man very much. (I don't much miss the man in the other pics.)

It turns out my dad did teach me something: It's never too late to change for the better.

Less Than 2 II (& III Too)

2008-05-29T09:16:00.000-07:00

Here are 2 more "Less Than 2" playlists. I played II on my radio show a few wks ago. I'll be playing III on my radio show this Thur nite (Jun 5th) from 9 to 11 PM Central on KRUU FM.

To recap from before, pop & rock songs prior to 1963 were almost always less than 3 mins long, & quite often less than 2 mins long. Then came The Beatles, FM radio, mind-altering drugs, & Album Oriented Rock. So nowadays, pop & rock songs that are less than 2 mins long are very rare. (Yet songs that are more than 7 mins long--such as "Hey Jude", "American Pie", "Layla", "Free Bird", "Purple Rain", "Champagne Supernova", "Won't Get Fooled Again", "Stairway To Heaven", "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida", "Suite: Judy Blue Eyes", "Living For The City", "Life's Been Good", "You Can't Always Get What You Want", "Light My Fire", "Deacon Blues", "Roundabout", "Starship Trooper", "Like A Hurricane", and "Can't You Hear Me Knocking"--are radio staples.)

Each of my "Less Than 2" playlists will fit onto 1 CD (if the silence at the beginning & end of songs is edited out). It's strange to listen to a CD containing 40 or more songs. Listening, it seems as if time is being altered and then altered again--it seems elongated by the sheer number of songs--yet it seems shortened, since songs seem to end almost as soon as they begin. It's as if a min is no longer 60 seconds--it's now only 30 secs. And an hr is no longer 60 mins--or even 120 30-second mins. It's now 240 mins.

Nowadays, songs that are less than 2 mins long are usu not released as singles. They are often songs that open or close an album, and their tempo is often very fast--such that it would be exhausting (for the listener as well as the band) if they lasted more than 2 mins.

For these three "Less Than 2" playlists, I've pretty much exhausted all of the artists that I enjoy--so this is probably the last of these playlists.

Note: For my "Less Than 2" playlists, I did not use any songs that were short reprises of earlier songs on an album--such as The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)", or "Finale" from The Kinks album "Schoolboys In Disgrace". Nor did I use short demo versions of longer songs. (And I tried to stay away from rock instrumentals & interludes--altho I allowed a few to sneak in, simply because they are well-known and pretty darned good.)

(The links below are to the songs in iTunes unless notated otherwise.)

Less Than 2 II
1. Prologue - Electric Light Orchestra
2. The Leader - The Clash
3. Venus And Mars - Paul McCartney & Wings
4. Miss Gradenko - The Police *
5. Doll - Foo Fighters
6. The Heart Of The Band - They Might Be Giants
7. We Have Heaven - Yes
8. Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment - The Ramones
9. Tea - Brendan Benson Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)
10. Misfire - Queen
11. My Flying Saucer - Billy Bragg & Wilco
12. Particle Man - They Might Be Giants
13. Secondary Modern - Elvis Costello
14. Child Is Father Of The Man - The Beach Boys (From their unreleased "Smile" album. Not available in iTunes or Amazon.com)
15. 59th Street Bridge Song (Feelin' Groovy) - Simon & Garfunkel
16. Little Deuce Coupe - The Beach Boys
17. Welcome To The Working Week - Elvis Costello
18. Career Opportunities - The Clash
19. Seven Days Of The Week (I Never Go To Work) - They Might Be Giants
20. Mystery Dance - Elvis Costello
21. Whistle In - The Beach Boys
22. Letterbox - They Might Be Giants
23. Kinda Fonda Wanda - Neil Young & The Shocking Pinks
24. Carbona Not Glue - The Ramones
25. Love For Tender - Elvis Costello
26. Zeroes - They Might Be Giants
27. Imperia - Fountains Of Wayne
28. I Love To Say Da Da - The Beach Boys
29. Little Tiny Song - Barenaked Ladies
30. Women And Men - They Might Be Giants
31. Commando - The Ramones
32. Hot Cha - They Might Be Giants
33. White Riot - The Clash
34. Ooh La! Ooh La! - They Might Be Giants
35. Girlfriend - Harry Nilsson
36. Beaten To The Punch - Elvis Costello
37. Click Click - The English Beat
38. I Was Born - Natalie Merchant
39. Sapphire Bullets Of Love - They Might Be Giants
40. Black And White World - Elvis Costello
41. Hell - Foo Fighters
42. Five Percent For Nothing - Yes
43. Twisting - They Might Be Giants
44. Everybody's Rockin' - Neil Young & The Shocking Pinks
45. Song For The Asking - Simon & Garfunkel
46. I Don't Need This Pressure Ron - Billy Bragg
47. Dear Friends - Queen
48. Lullabye - Emitt Rhodes Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)
49. Epilogue - Electric Light Orchestra

* = iTunes lists this song as 2 mins long, but there are a few secs of silence at the end of it

Floppy, Dr. Max, & Betty Lou

2008-04-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

When I was a kid growing up in rural Grinnell, we could receive 7 TV channels--incl WHO (ch. 13 from Des Moines), WMT (ch. 2 from Cedar Rapids--now called KGAN), and WOI (ch. 5 from Ames).

Each of the above had their own kids' show--WHO had "The Floppy Show" with Duane Ellett, WMT had "The Dr. Max Show", and WOI had "The Magic Window" with Betty Lou Varnum.

(We could also receive KCCI--ch. 8 from Des Moines--which had their own kids' show, "Dolph's Cartoon Corner" with Dolph Pulliam, but I didn't care for that show.)

Below are some links & videos for you all to enjoy! I haven't been able to find any vids of "The Magic Window" yet, but there are some "Tales Of The Riverbank" posted below.

Here are some links to sites & pgs re: "The Floppy Show" & the other shows, with pix & mp3s:

Wikipedia pg for "The Floppy Show"

The First Floppy Show Page

DesMoinesBroadcasting.com

IowaFalls.org

Wikipedia pg for "The Magic Window"

For The Children

Hi There, Boys and Girls!: America's Local Children's TV Shows

Beatlesque #5 & #6

2008-04-20T17:09:00.000-07:00

I didn't get around to posting my Beatlesque #5 playlist before I did my KRUU radio show on Thur Apr 17. So below is the playlist.

"Lies" by The Knickerbockers probably should've been in the previous (or should be in a future) "Overtly, Purposefully Beatlesque" playlist. I don't know if I'll be doing another such "Overtly, Purposefully Beatlesque" playlist, however. There are a lot of good Rutles songs left over from the 1st such playlist--but the leftover Utopia songs are not so good, the leftover Two Lips songs are pretty bad, & there's only a small handful of such songs by other artists not yet used.

Note: iTunes has the Bee Gees' song "Turn Of The Century" (album version) mislabeled as "Bee Gees 1st"--which is actually the name of the album it's on. (Doing my playlists, I've come upon several songs--by well-known artists--in iTunes that are mislabeled. What the F, Jobs? Can't you find good workers who want to work for you?)

The links below are to the songs in iTunes, unless notated with an asterisk.

* = Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)

1. The Background To History - Monty Python
2. Lies - The Knickerbockers
3. The Way - Fastball
4. Someone To Love - Fountains Of Wayne
5. Same Changes - Sam Phillips
6. Golden Child Of God - Emitt Rhodes *
7. It's Over - Badfinger *
8. Turn Of The Century - The Bee Gees
9. I'm Not Bitter - The Minus Five
10. Dear Madam Barnum - XTC
11. I'd Die Babe - Badfinger *
12. Turn A Square - The Shins
13. Take You Far Away - Emitt Rhodes (www.EmittRhodesMusic.net)
14. The Sky Is Falling - Owsley
15. Money - Badfinger *
16. Flying - Badfinger *
17. I Need Love - Sam Phillips
18. I Can't Take It - Cheap Trick
19. Get It Together - Brendan Benson *
20. Not The Girl You Think You Are - Crowded House
21. Coming Up Roses - Owsley
22. Without You - Harry Nilsson
23. Latitude 88 North - Electric Light Orchestra
24. All The Way Home - Spinal Tap

Below is my Beatlesque #6 playlist. I'll be playing this playlist on my KRUU radio show on Thur Apr 24, from 9 to 11 PM Central.

Many thanks to Andy MacKenzie, KRUU radio show host extraordinaire, for his copies of "Meet The Beatlesque" 1 & 2. Also many, many thanks to KRUU listener Glenn Chumley for his copies of the Owsley, The Apples In Stereo, and Jamie Hoover & Bill Lloyd CDs.

As above, the links below are to the songs in iTunes, unless notated with an asterisk.

* = Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)

1. Blind Mary - Gnarls Barkley
2. Start! - The Jam
3. Zavelow House - Owsley
4. I Want You To Want Me - Cheap Trick
5. The Rainbow - The Apples In Stereo
6. Sub-Rosa Subway - Klaatu *
7. When I Fall - Sam Phillips
8. Know One Knows - Badfinger
9. What I'm Looking For - Brendan Benson *
10. Nobody Knows - The Raspberries
11. Bluebird Is Dead - Electric Light Orchestra
12. Ballet For A Rainy Day - XTC
13. 1000 Umbrellas - XTC
14. Bring Back That Leroy Brown - Queen
15. I Walk Away - Crowded House
16. That's What The Little Girls Do - The Knack *
17. Barbara H. - Fountains Of Wayne
18. Come On, Come On - Cheap Trick
19. Rainy Day People - Owsley
20. Submarine Dream - The Apples In Stereo
21. Shiny Cage - The Dukes Of Stratosphear (XTC)
22. Still Not Over You - Jamie Hoover & Bill Lloyd
23. Who's That? - Electric Light Orchestra

Beatles Songs (Group Or Solo) RE: Beatles (Group Or Solo)

2008-04-15T00:27:00.000-07:00

Here is a list of songs (with their lyrics & links to their Wikipedia entries/mentions) written & recorded by Beatles (group or solo) about Beatles (group or solo).

Notice that each Beatle wrote & recorded at least 3 songs re: Beatle/s, & these songs span 40 yrs from the oldest to the latest. Most importantly, note how--in each song--the attitude of the writer/performer/s toward the Beatle/s at the time shines through (Ringo is the nicest).

The below songs are in chronological order, & the song titles are links to the songs in iTunes, unless notated with an asterisk

* = Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)

1. Glass Onion - The Beatles * (recorded Sep 1968, released Nov 1968)
Wikipedia entry
The song is a response to those who attempted to find hidden meanings in Beatle songs, and references "I Am the Walrus", "Strawberry Fields Forever", "Lady Madonna", "The Fool on the Hill", and "Fixing a Hole". The song's "The Walrus was Paul" lyric is both a reference to "I Am the Walrus" and Lennon saying "something nice to Paul" in response to changes in their relationship at that time.

Songwriting credited to Lennon/McCartney--but it was really written by John

I told you about Strawberry Fields
You know the place where nothing is real
Well here's another place you can go
Where everything flows
Looking through the bent backed tulips
To see how the other half live
Looking through a glass onion

I told you about the walrus and me, man
You know that we're as close as can be, man
Well here's another clue for you all
The walrus was Paul
Standing on the cast iron shore, yeah
Lady Madonna trying to make ends meet, yeah
Looking through a glass onion

Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Oh yeah
Looking through a glass onion

I told you about the fool on the hill
I tell you man he living there still
Well here's another place you can be
Listen to me
Fixing a hole in the ocean
Trying to make a dove-tail joint, yeah
Looking through a glass onion

2. Two Of Us - The Beatles * (recorded Jan 1969, released May 1970)
Wikipedia entry
Lennon and McCartney sang the song as a duet. It was written for Linda Eastman, McCartney's soon to be wife, though it sounds at times as if it is addressing Lennon, whose relationship with McCartney was tense at that time.
More info

Songwriting credited to Lennon/McCartney--but it was really written by Paul

Two of us riding nowhere
Spending someone's
Hard earned pay
You and me Sunday driving
Not arriving
On our way back home
We're on our way home
We're on our way home
We're going home

Two of us sending postcards
Writing letters
On my wall
You and me burning matches
Lifting latches
On our way back home
We're on our way home
We're on our way home
We're going home

You and I have memories
Longer than the road
that stretches out ahead

Two of us wearing raincoats
Standing solo
In the sun
You and me chasing paper
Getting nowhere
On our way back home
We're on our way home
We're on our way home
We're going home

You and I have memories
Longer than the road
that stretches out ahead

Two of us wearing raincoats
Standing solo
In the sun
You and me chasing paper
Getting nowhere
On our way back home
We're on our way home
We're on our way home
We're going home

We're going home
Better believe it
Goodbye

3. Wah-Wah - George (recorded May to Sep 1970, released Nov 1970)
Wikipedia mention
The January 1969 "Get Back" sessions saw early appearances of several other songs that would be considered for All Things Must Pass, including the title track, "Hear Me Lord", "Isn't It a Pity", "Let It Down", and "Window, Window", but nothing came of them at the time. The tense atmosphere fueled another song, "Wah-Wah", which Harrison wrote in the wake of his temporary departure from the band.
More info

Written by George

Wah-wah
You've given me a wah-wah
And I'm thinking of you
And all the things that we used to do
Wah-wah, wah-wah

Wah-wah
You made me such a big star
Being there at the right time
Cheaper than a dime
Wah-wah, you've given me your wah-wah, wah-wah

Oh, you don't see me crying
Oh, you don't hear me sighing

Wah-wah
I don't need no wah-wah
And I know how sweet life can be
If I keep myself free
Wah-wah, I don't need no wah-wah

Oh, you don't see me crying
Hey baby, you don't hear me sighing
Oh no no no no

Wah-wah
Now I don't need no wah-wah
And I know how sweet life can be
If I keep myself free of wah-wah
I don't need no wah-wah

Wah-wah
Wah-wah
Wah-wah
Wah-wah

4. God - John (recorded Sep to Oct 1970, released Dec 1970)
Wikipedia entry
In the second section of the song, Lennon lists many idols that he does not believe in (including The Beatles), ending by stating that he just believes in himself. Other idols he listed included magic, I Ching, the Bible, tarot, Hitler, Jesus, Kennedy, Buddha, mantra, Gita, yoga, kings, Elvis, and Zimmerman (Bob Dylan). The final section of the song describes Lennon's change since the breakup of The Beatles. He states that he is no longer the "Dreamweaver" or "The Walrus," but just "John." The final line of the song, "The dream is over," represents Lennon's stance that the myth of The Beatles had come to an end.

Written by John

God is a concept
By which we measure our pain
I'll say it again

God is a concept
By which we measure our pain
Yeah, pain, yeah

I don't believe in magic
I don't believe in I Ching
I don't believe in Bible
I don't believe in tarot
I don't believe in Hitler
I don't believe in Jesus
I don't believe in Kennedy
I don't believe in Buddha
I don't believe in mantra
I don't believe in Gita
I don't believe in yoga
I don't believe in kings
I don't believe in Elvis
I don't believe in Zimmerman
I don't believe in Beatles
I just believe in me
Yoko and me
And that's reality

The dream is over
What can I say?
The dream is over
Yesterday

I was the dreamweaver
But now I'm reborn
I was the walrus
But now I'm John
And so dear friends
You'll just have to carry on
The dream is over

5. Early 1970 - Ringo (recorded Mar 1970, released Apr 1971)
Wikipedia mention
He also participated in The Concert For Bangladesh organized by Harrison in 1971, as well as drumming on Harrison's All Things Must Pass and Living in the Material World, Lennon's John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band, and Yoko Ono's early solo work. Indeed, his song "Early 1970" (the B-side of "It Don't Come Easy") voiced a hope that he could remain friendly and play music with all three of his former Beatles band mates.

Written by Ringo

Lives on a farm, got plenty of charm, beep beep
He's got no cows but he's sure got a whole lotta sheep
A brand new wife and a family
And when he comes to town
I wonder if he'll play with me

Laying in bed, watching TV, "Cookies!"
With his mama by his side, she's Japanese
They screamed and they cried, now they're free
And when he comes to town
I know he's gonna play with me

He's a long-haired, cross-legged guitar picker, mm-mm
With his long-legged lady in the garden picking daisies for his soup
A forty acre house he doesn't see
'Cause he's always in town
Playing for you with me

I play guitar, A - D - E
I don't play bass 'cause that's too hard for me
I play the piano if it's in C
And when I go to town, I wanna see all three
And when I go to town, I wanna see all three
And when I go to town, I wanna see all three

6. Too Many People - Paul (recorded Nov 1970 to early 1971, released May 1971)
Wikipedia entry
It was dedicated to John Lennon a former member of The Beatles. The song is one of several instances of "musical sniping" among the four Beatles after the band broke up. Others include McCartney's "3 Legs," Lennon's "How Do You Sleep?," and George Harrison's "Wah-wah." The song's lyric has something to do with Lennon's lucky break.

Written by Paul

Too many people going underground
Too many reaching for a piece of cake
Too many people pulled and pushed around
Too many waiting for that lucky break

That was your first mistake
You took your lucky break and broke it in two
Now what can be done for you?
You broke it in two

Too many people sharing party lines
Too many people never sleeping late
Too many people paying parking fines
Too many hundred people losing weight

That was your first mistake
You took your lucky break and broke it in two
Now what can be done for you?
You broke it in two

Too many people preaching practices
Don't let 'em tell you what you wanna be
Too many people holding back
This is crazy, and baby, it's not like me

That was your last mistake
I find my love awake and waiting to be
Now what can be done for you?
She's waiting for me

7. 3 Legs - Paul (recorded Nov 1970 to early 1971, released May 1971)
Wikipedia mention
Still smarting from the demise of The Beatles, he included a few subtle jibes directed at his former collaborator, specifically in "Too Many People". The back cover art includes a picture of one beetle riding the back of another beetle and apparently copulating. This was interpreted as a commentary on the state of affairs between the ex-Beatles at that time. "Three Legs" was also seen as being a jibe at the other Beatles.

Written by Paul

Well, when I walk, when I walk
Walk my horse upon the hill
Well, when I walk, walk, walk, walk
Walk my horse upon the hill
When I lay me down
Will my lover love me still?

A dog is here
A dog is there
My dog he got three legs
But he can't run

Well, when I thought, when I thought
When I thought you was my friend
When I thought, when I thought
When I thought you was my friend
But you let me down, hoo
Put my heart around the bend

A fly flies in
A fly flies out
Most flies they got three legs
But mine got one

Well, when I fly, when I fly, when I fly
When I fly above the clouds
Oh, when I fly, when I fly, when I fly
When I fly above the clouds
You can knock me down, with a feather, yes, you could
But you know it's not allowed

A dog is here
A dog is there
My dog he got three legs
But he can't run

My dog he got three legs, your dog he got none
My dog he got three legs, your dog he got none
My dog he got three legs, your dog he got none

8. How Do You Sleep? - John (recorded Jun to Jul 1971, released Oct 1971)
Wikipedia entry
The overwhelming impression of the song, however, is an attack on McCartney, such as in the lines "The only thing you done was yesterday/And since you've gone you're just another day." Considering the puns involved, these two lines particularly stand out since it was Paul McCartney who composed the Beatles' song "Yesterday" and also later in his solo career wrote "Another Day". Besides making satirical reference to other McCartney songs, the lyrics also refer to the Paul is dead hoax ("Those freaks was right when they said you was dead").

Written by John

So Sgt. Pepper took you by surprise
You better see right through that mother's eyes
Those freaks was right when they said you was dead
The one mistake you made was in your head

Oh, how do you sleep?
Oh, how do you sleep at night?

You live with straights who tell you you was king
Jump when your mama tell you anything
The only thing you done was yesterday
And since you're gone you're just another day

Oh, how do you sleep?
Oh, how do you sleep at night?

Oh, how do you sleep?
Oh, how do you sleep at night?

A pretty face may last a year or two
But pretty soon they'll see what you can do
The sound you make is Muzak to my ears
You must have learned something in all those years

Oh, how do you sleep?
Oh, how do you sleep at night?

9. Sue Me, Sue You Blues - George (George's version recorded in Oct 1972 to Jan 1973, released Jun 1973. Another version was recorded by Jesse Ed Davis & released in 1972)
Wikipedia mention
A wry commentary by Harrison on the court case involving The Beatles' dissolution

Written by George

You serve me and I'll serve you
Swing your partners, all get screwed
Bring your lawyer and I'll bring mine
Get together, we could have a bad time

It's affidavit swearing time
Sign it on the dotted line
Hold your bible in your hand
Now all that's left is to find yourself a new band

We're gonna play the sue me, sue you blues
We're gonna play the sue me, sue you blues

We're gonna play the sue me, sue you blues
Sue me, sue you blues

Hold the block on money flow
Move it into joint escrow
Court receiver, laughs and thrills
But in the end we just pay those lawyers their bills

When you serve me and I'll serve you
Swing your partners, all get screwed
Bring your lawyer and I'll bring mine
Get together, and we could have a bad time

We're gonna play the sue me, sue you blues
Sue me, sue you blues
I'm tired of playing the sue me, sue you blues

10. I'm The Greatest - Ringo (recorded Mar to Jul 1973, released Nov 1973)
Wikipedia entry
At this point after the end of The Beatles as a band, three of them—Starr, Lennon and Harrison—in addition to Voormann and Preston (usually referred to as "Fifth Beatles"), appear on this record. It sounds very much like something off of Let It Be, with its texture, lyrics (using "Billy Shears", Ringo's alias on Sgt. Pepper) and public noises insinuating Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Not surprisingly, when word of that session hit the media, furious Beatles reunion rumours (the first of several) began spreading.

Written by John

When I was a little boy
Way back home in Liverpool
My mama told me I was great

Then when I was a teenager
I knew that I had got something going
All my friends told me I was great

And now I'm a man
A woman took me by the hand
And you know what she told me? I was great

I was in the greatest show on earth
For what it was worth
Now I'm only thirty-two
And all I wanna do is boogaloo

I looked in the mirror
I saw my wife and kids
And you know what they told me? I was great

Yes, my name is Billy Shears
You know it has been for so many years
Now I'm only thirty-two
And all I wanna do is boogaloo

Hey hey hey, hey hey hey-ey
I'm the greatest!
And you better believe it baby!

11. Let Me Roll It - Paul (recorded Sep to Oct 1973, released Dec 1973)
Wikipedia entry
This song is thought by many listeners to be an imitation of John Lennon's Plastic Ono Band music style, in response to "How Do You Sleep?", Lennon's song aimed at McCartney in retaliation for the songs on Ram, many of which he believed were aimed at him. The main guitar lick is similar to Lennon's single Cold Turkey, with Lennon's lick starting on a more aggressive 2nd beat and McCartney's on the more passive 8th beat of a 4 triplet measure.

"Let Me Roll It" is however perceived as a peacemaking attempt, as it is a rather friendly parody/imitation and the lyrics do not contain any malicious attacks. The war in music and the press between Lennon and McCartney stopped after the song's release. This lends plausibility to the claims saying that Lennon actually liked this spoof on his own style.

Written by Paul & Linda

You gave me something, I understand
You gave me loving in the palm of my hand
I can't tell you how I feel
My heart is like a wheel
Let me roll it
Let me roll it to you
Let me roll it
Let me roll it to you

I want to tell you
And now's the time
I want to tell you that
You're gonna be mine

I can't tell you how I feel
My heart is like a wheel
Let me roll it
Let me roll it to you
Let me roll it
Let me roll it to you

I can't tell you how I feel
My heart is like a wheel
Let me roll it
Let me roll it to you
Let me roll it
Let me roll it to you

You gave me something, I understand
You gave me loving in the palm of my hand
I can't tell you how I feel
My heart is like a wheel
Let me roll it
Let me roll it to you
Let me roll it
Let me roll it to you

12. All Those Years Ago - George (recorded Nov 1980 to Feb 1981, released May 1981)
Wikipedia entry
Harrison originally wrote the song (with different lyrics) for Ringo Starr to record. Although recorded, Starr felt the vocal was too high for his range and he didn't like the words. Harrison took the track back and after Lennon's untimely death the lyrics were changed to reflect a tribute to Harrison's lost friend and colleague. In the song, Harrison makes reference to the Beatles song All You Need is Love and the Lennon song Imagine. The recording of the song featured all three remaining Beatles (Harrison, Starr, and Paul McCartney), though this was expressly a Harrison single.

Written by George

I'm shouting all about love
While they treated you like a dog
When you were the one who had made it so clear
All those years ago

I'm talking all about how to give
They don't act with much honesty
But you point the way to the truth when you say
All you need is love

Living with good and bad
I always looked up to you
Now we're left cold and sad
By someone, the devil's best friend
Someone who offended all

We're living in a bad dream
They've forgotten all about mankind
And you were the one they backed up to the wall
All those years ago
You were the one who imagined it all
All those years ago

Deep in the darkest night
I send out a prayer to you
Now in the world of light
Where the spirit free of the lies
And all else that we despise

They've forgotten all about God
He's the only reason we exist
Yet you were the one that they said was so weird
All those years ago
You said it all though not many had ears
All those years ago
You had control of our smiles and our tears
All those years ago

13. Here Today - Paul (recorded Feb to summer 1981, released Apr 1982)
Wikipedia mention
McCartney's tribute to John Lennon

Written by Paul

And if I said I really knew you well
What would your answer be
If you were here today
Ooh-ooh-ooh, here today

Well knowing you
You'd probably laugh and say that we were worlds apart
If you were here today
Ooh-ooh-ooh, here today

But as for me
I still remember how it was before
And I am holding back the tears no more
Ooh-ooh-ooh
I love you, ooh

What about the time we met
Well I suppose that you could say that we were playing hard to get
Didn't understand a thing
But we could always sing

What about the night we cried
Because there wasn't any reason left to keep it all inside
Never understood a word
But you were always there with a smile

And if I say I really loved you
And was glad you came along
And you were here today
Ooh-ooh-ooh, for you were in my song
Ooh-ooh-ooh, here today

14. When We Was Fab - George (recorded Jan to Mar 1987, released Nov 1987)
Wikipedia entry
"When We Was Fab" is a song written by George Harrison and Jeff Lynne about the days of Beatlemania, when The Beatles were sometimes referred to as the "Fab Four".

Written by George & Jeff Lynne (of Electric Light Orchestra)

Back then long time ago when grass was green
Woke up in a daze
Arrived like strangers in the night
Fab - long time ago when we was fab
Fab - back when income tax was all we had

Caresses fleeced you in the morning light
Casualties at dawn
And we did it all
Fab - long time ago when we was fab
Fab - you are my world you are my only love

And while you're in this world
The fuzz gonna come and claim you
But you mo' better wise
When the buzz gonna come and take you away
Take you away
Take you away

The microscopes that magnified the tears
Studied warts and all
Still the life flows on and on
Fab - long time ago when we was fab
Fab - but it's all over now baby blue
Fab - long time ago when we was fab
Fab - like this pullover you sent to me

Fab
Gear - and you really got a hold on me
Fab
Gear - long time ago when we was fab

15. The Song We Were Singing - Paul (recorded Feb 1995 to Feb 1997, released May 1997)
Wikipedia mention
The title Flaming Pie (also given to one of the album's songs) is a reference to a humorous story John Lennon told journalists in 1961 on the origin of The Beatles' name when they became newly famous: "I had a vision that a man came unto us on a flaming pie, and he said, 'You are Beatles with an A.' And so we were." The album itself has a definitively Beatles flare to it; "The Song We Were Singing" was written about the Lennon/McCartney writing team.

Written by Paul

For a while, we could sit, smoke a pipe
And discuss all the vast intricacies of life
We could jaw through the night
Talk about a range of subjects, anything you like
Oh yeah

But we always came back to the song we were singing
At any particular time
Yeah we always came back to the song we were singing
At any particular time

Take a sip, see the world through a glass
And speculate about the cosmic solution
To the sound, blue guitars
Caught up in a philosophical discussion
Oh yeah

But we always came back to the song we were singing
At any particular time
Yeah we always came back to the song we were singing
At any particular time

For a while, we could sit, smoke a pipe
And discuss all the vast intricacies of life
Yeah, we could jaw through the night
Talk about a range of subjects, anything you like

But we always came back to the song we were singing
At any particular time
Yeah we always came back to the song we were singing
At any particular time

Yeah, we always came back

Take a sip, see the world through a glass
And speculate about the cosmic solution
To the sound, blue guitars
Caught up in a philosophical discussion
Oh yeah

But we always came back to the songs we were singing
At any particular time
Yes we always came back to the songs we were singing
At any particular time
Yeah

We always came back to the songs we were singing

16. Liverpool 8 - Ringo (recorded 2006-2007, released Dec 2007)
Wikipedia entry
It is an autobiography of Starr put to song, with emphasis on his time with The Beatles. The title refers to the postal district of the Toxteth area of Liverpool, England in which Starr was born.

Written by Ringo & Dave Stewart (of The Eurythmics)

I was a sailor first, I sailed the sea
Then I got a job, in a factory
Played Butlin's Camp with my friend Rory
It was good for him, it was great for me

Livepool I left you, said goodbye to Madryn Street
I always followed my heart, and I never missed a beat
Destiny was calling, I just couldn't stick around
Liverpool I left you, but I never let you down

Went to Hamburg, the red lights were on
With George & Paul, and my friend John
We rocked all night, we all looked tough
We didn't have much, but we had enough

Livepool I left you, said goodbye to Madryn Street
I always followed my heart, and I never missed a beat
Destiny was calling, I just couldn't stick around
Liverpool I left you, but I never let you down

In the USA, when we played Shea
We were number one, and it was fun
When I look back, it sure was cool
For those four boys from Liverpool

Livepool I left you, said goodbye to Admiral Grove
I always followed my heart, so I took it on the road
Destiny was calling, I just couldn't stick around
Liverpool I left you, but I never let you down

La la la la la la
La la la la la la la la Liverpool!
Liverpool!

Less Than 2

2008-04-08T09:38:00.000-07:00

While working on the Beatlesque playlists (of which there are more to come--woo-hoo!), I noticed that a few of these Beatlesque songs were less than 2 mins long (e.g., Queen's "Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon", Sam Phillips's "Love And Kisses", Spinal Tap's "Cups And Cakes", & several Rutles songs). This got me interested in doing a playlist that contained only pop songs that were less than 2 mins long.

Music History Lesson #37A: In the 50s & early 60s, most pop songs were less than 3 mins long--indeed, many were less than 2 mins long (see The Everly Brothers, Sam Cooke, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, Ray Charles, etc.).

(Music History Lesson #37B: Nowadays, the term "pop" seems to refer only to songs that are light, catchy & short [3-4 mins]--& of no real depth or importance. But initially the term "pop" was just a shortened version of the word "popular"--i.e., "pop" songs were simply & all songs that the kids dug. Starting in the 50s, these songs were usually rock [and its now-estranged partner "roll"] but these songs were also R&B, soul, or even country [and its now-estranged pardner "western"]--as long as they weren't those other, unpopular genres of music: classical, gospel, & sea chantey.)

Music History Lesson #37A (cont'd.): In the mid-60s, pop songs became generally longer than 3 mins--indeed, toward the end of the 60s, many pop songs were over 5 mins long (see The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, The Temptations, every single prog-rock band, etc.).

In this day of decreasing attention spans & faster-paced media, it's interesting that a popular media staple would become longer. In my opinion, The Beatles were perhaps the biggest impetus behind this change (one of the biggest hits of all-time, "Hey Jude", clocked in over 7 mins).

Along with ushering in the mind-expanding, psychedelic 60s, the Beatles pioneered & changed everything about pop music--incl longer & longer songs, songs which faded out & faded back in ("Strawberry Fields Forever") and songs which didn't end til you picked up the phonograph needle from the LP ("Sgt. Pepper's" inner groove).

Even though The Beatles helped to create longer & longer pop songs, they also continued to create songs less than 2 mins long--but after the mid-60s, these Beatle songs were usu 1) partly-formed toss-offs, or 2) parts of a medley (& both were basically Paul's thing, which he continued through his solo career).

My friend Steve Scholz adds that the spawning of longer & longer pop songs was helped by (if not completely due to) the proliferation of FM radio in the 60s & the subsequent creation & rise of the AOR (Album Oriented Rock) radio format. But who the F cares what he thinks?

(Joke! Hi Steve!)

The point of all this is: Nowadays, pop songs shorter than 3 mins are very rare, starting from about 1963 (which is when The Beatles hit the charts)--& pop songs shorter than 2 mins are even rarer.

Below is the list of songs that I'll be playing on my radio show on KRUU on Thur Apr 10th from 9 to 11 PM Central. All songs are less than 2 mins long, & they were all recorded in or after 1963. In fact, these 78 songs can fit onto 1 CD, so the average length of these songs is just over 1 min.

The links below are to the songs in iTunes, unless notated with an asterisk.

* = Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)

1. Horn Intro - Modest Mouse
2. Theme From Flood - They Might Be Giants (TMBG)
3. Our Prayer - The Beach Boys
4. I'll Cry Instead - The Beatles *
5. Hello There - Cheap Trick
6. Judy Is A Punk - The Ramones
7. Little Honda - The Beach Boys
8. Wild Honey Pie - The Beatles *
9. Spines - TMBG
10. Single Pidgeon - Paul McCartney & Wings
11. Places - Fountains Of Wayne
12. It's Only Love - The Beatles *
13. Nine To Five - The Kinks
14. I Will - The Beatles *
15. Here Come The ABCs - TMBG
16. Who Is It? - Talking Heads
17. Shut Down - The Beach Boys
18. Koka Kola - The Clash
19. Cretin Hop - The Ramones
20. Why Don't We Do It In The Road? - The Beatles *
21. Minimum Wage - TMBG
22. Family Of Me - Ben Folds *
23. Through With Buzz - Steely Dan
24. Yours And Mine - Fountains Of Wayne
25. Hold On - John Lennon
26. Old Master Painter/You Are My Sunshine - The Beach Boys
27. Love And Kisses - Sam Phillips
28. Mean Mr. Mustard - The Beatles *
29. Polythene Pam - The Beatles *
30. She Came In Through The Bathroom Window - The Beatles *
31. Did You See His Name? - The Kinks *
32. Feelin' - The La's
33. Now I Wanna Sniff Some Glue - The Ramones
34. Dance, Dance, Dance - The Beach Boys
35. Backwards Traveller - Paul McCartney & Wings
36. I'm Happy Just To Dance With You - The Beatles *
37. Here Come The 123s - TMBG
38. Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon - Queen
39. I'll Follow The Sun - The Beatles *
40. Spine - TMBG
41. The Lovely Linda - Paul McCartney
42. Be What You See (Link) - Paul McCartney
43. The Moneygoround - The Kinks *
44. Dallas - TMBG
45. Don't Back Down - The Beach Boys
46. Junk - Paul McCartney
47. Till The Morning Comes - Neil Young
48. We're Open Tonight - Paul McCartney & Wings
49. Cripple Creek Ferry - Neil Young
50. Cigarette - Ben Folds Five
51. Another Man's Done Gone - Wilco & Billy Bragg
52. Golden Slumbers - The Beatles *
53. Carry That Weight - The Beatles *
54. Her Majesty - The Beatles *
55. Dig It - The Beatles *
56. Catching On Fire - TMBG ^
57. Fingertips (Banjo) - TMBG ^
58. I Hear The Wind Blow - TMBG ^
59. Hey Now Everybody - TMBG ^
60. Who Is That Standing At My Window - TMBG ^
61. I Found A New Friend - TMBG ^
62. Wreck My Car - TMBG ^
63. Aren't You The Guy? - TMBG ^
64. Please Pass The Milk - TMBG ^
65. Leave Me Alone - TMBG ^
66. Who's Knocking On The Wall? - TMBG ^
67. All Alone By Myself - TMBG ^
68. What's That Blue Thing Doing Here? - TMBG ^
69. Something Grabbed A Hold Of My Hand - TMBG ^
70. I Don't Understand You - TMBG ^
71. I Heard A Sound - TMBG ^
72. Mysterious Whisper - TMBG ^
73. The Day That Love Came To Play - TMBG ^
74. I'm Having A Heart Attack - TMBG ^
75. Fingertips (Reprise) - TMBG ^
76. I Walk Along Darkened Corridors - TMBG ^
77. My Mummy's Dead - John Lennon
78. Maggie Mae - The Beatles *

^ = Songs 56 thru 76 are from the They Might Be Giants 1992 release "Apollo 18", in the order that they appear on the album. On the album, this medley is called "Fingertips", & these songs were intended to take advantage of the then-new feature of "Random Play" on CD players.

The album "Apollo 18" is available in iTunes, but as of today, the iTunes listings of the songs "Fingertips 1: Everything Is Catching On Fire" and "Fingertips 2: Fingertips" have the incorrect song samples & incorrect times.

Beatlesque #4

2008-03-22T00:50:00.000-07:00

On Thur Mar 27, I'll be playing the following set of Beatlesque songs on my radio show at KRUU. (The links below are to the songs in iTunes unless notated otherwise.)

1. Love And Kisses - Sam Phillips
2. Mayor Of Simpleton - XTC
3. Put The Message In The Box - World Party
4. Baby I've Changed - Fountains Of Wayne
5. Side We Seldom Show - Emitt Rhodes www.EmittRhodesMusic.net (not available in iTunes)
6. Strawberry Road - Sam Phillips
7. Retrieval Of You - The Minus Five
8. Baby's Coming Back - Jellyfish
9. I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend - The Rubinoos
10. In My Own Time - The Bee Gees
11. Here Comes President Kill Again - XTC
12. God On My Side - World Party
13. Don't Look Back In Anger - Oasis
14. Seaside Rendezvous - Queen
15. Sometimes - Badfinger Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)
16. Something So Strong - Crowded House
17. Suitcase - Badfinger Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)
18. Better Side Of Life - Emitt Rhodes Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)
19. Take It All - Badfinger Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)
20. If You Want My Love - Cheap Trick
21. See You Tonight - Kiss
22. Can't Get It Out Of My Head - Electric Light Orchestra
23. Come And Get It - Badfinger Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)
24. Every Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You - The Bee Gees
25. Cups And Cakes - Spinal Tap

Beatlesque #3 (Overtly, Purposefully Beatlesque)

2008-03-17T18:14:00.000-07:00

On Thur Mar 20, I'll be playing the following set of overtly, purposefuly Beatlesque songs on my radio show at KRUU. (The links below are to the songs in iTunes unless notated otherwise.)

Unlike the previously-posted Beatlesque songs (see Beatlesque #1 & Beatlesque #2), the below songs are intended to sound like actual Beatles songs. (The previously-posted Beatlesque songs sound somewhat like the Beatles, but they have enough difference/s--esp in the vocal/s--that a casual listener can easily tell that those songs are not performed by the Beatles.)

Note: The 2 songs below performed by RubberBand, "I'll Keep You Satisfied" and "Bad To Me", were written by Lennon/McCartney, but these songs were never released by The Beatles. They were recorded & released by another artist in the '60s--namely, Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas, who were also managed by Brian Epstein. The versions recorded by RubberBand were made to sound like The Beatles.

* = Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)

1. Letter B - The Sesame Street Beetles *
2. Major Happy's Up And Coming Once Upon A Good Time Band - The Rutles *
3. Rendezvous - The Rutles *
4. I'll Keep You Satisfied - RubberBand
5. We've Arrived! (And To Prove It We're Here) - The Rutles *
6. I Just Want To Touch You - Utopia
7. Love Life - The Rutles *
8. Easy Listening - The Rutles *
9. Collideascope - The Dukes Of Stratosphear (XTC)
10. Doubleback Alley - The Rutles *
11. Dog Who's Chasing After A Ball - Two Lips (Dan Castellaneta)
12. Piggy In The Middle - The Rutles *
13. Feel Too Good - Utopia
14. The Knicker Elastic King - The Rutles *
15. Ostrich Avenue - Two Lips (Dan Castellaneta)
16. Cheese And Onions - The Rutles *
17. Bad To Me - RubberBand
18. Ouch! - The Rutles *
19. That's Not Right - Utopia
20. Let's Be Natural - The Rutles *
21. The Mole From The Ministry - The Dukes Of Stratosphear (XTC)
22. Another Day - The Rutles *
23. All Smiles - Utopia (iTunes has this song incorrectly labeled as "Always Late"--& they have the song "Always Late" incorrectly labeled as "All Smiles")
24. Get Up And Go - The Rutles *

25. Beatlesque - Richard Orange
26. Back In '64 - The Rutles *

27. Hey Food - The Sesame Street Beetles *

As a bonus, here is a video of the Sesame Street Beetles performing a song not available on CD:

Nerbert Flandsfoot

2008-03-12T21:25:00.000-07:00

Ned Flanders is Herbert Birdsfoot!

Beatlesque #2

2008-03-09T11:08:00.000-07:00

So what is "Beatlesque"? Of course, it means sounding like The Beatles--but what does THAT really mean?

Speaking as a huge Beatles fan, I'd say that Beatlesque songs have many of the following traits:

Uptempo
Very catchy & melodic tune
Vocals containing "Ooo"s or "Yeah"s or "La-la"s, harmonies (esp 3 part), &/or voices that sound like John, Paul, George or Ringo
Lyrics containing British words & idioms (like "never wears a mack" in "Penny Lane")
Length of 3 mins or less (like almost all early & mid-period Beatles songs) or more than 6 mins (like a few late period Beatles songs--"Hey Jude", "I Want You [She's So Heavy], "It's All Too Much", e.g.)
Clean, minimal production (guitar/s, bass & drums, maybe harmonica--a la early period Beatles) or a great deal of production, incl non-rock instruments (like Indian instruments, or the piccolo trumpet in "Penny Lane”), orchestral arrangement, filtering, backward tracks, sound effects, fade-out & then fade-in (a la "Strawberry Fields Forever"), etc.
Subject matter such as love--for a girl (or boy) or for humankind--peace & non-violence, ordinary people (a la "Eleanor Rigby"), mysticism, or that which is psychedelic/surrealistic/dadaistic
Old song styles--a la Paul's "Granny songs" (as John called them), such as "When I'm 64", "Honey Pie", and "Your Mother Should Know"
Humor & fun--like "You Know My Name (Look Up My Number)", "Yellow Submarine", "All Together Now"
Structure of verse, chorus, verse, chorus, "middle eight", verse, chorus...
One song containing 2 or more seemingly disparate songs (a la "Golden Slumbers/Carry That Weight/The End", "Hello Goodbye" with "Hey La, Hey Hello La" ending, etc.)

On Thur Mar 13, I'll be playing the following set of Beatlesque songs on my radio show at KRUU. (The links below are to the songs in iTunes unless stated otherwise.)

Incidentally, if you don't know the sad story of Emitt Rhodes, you should read about it.

1. Craise Finton Kirk Royal Academy Of Arts - The Bee Gees
2. Baby I Can't Please You - Sam Phillips
3. That's Not The Way That It's Done - The Minus 5
4. Baby Blue - Badfinger Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)
5. I Know You Well - Fountains Of Wayne
6. Hummingbird - Wilco
7. You Must Have - Emitt Rhodes Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)
8. Mean To Me - Crowded House
9. Earn Enough For Us - XTC
10. The Things We Do For Love - 10cc
11. Stuck In The Middle With You - Stealers Wheel
12. Champagne Supernova - Oasis
13. Good Company - Queen
14. Feelin' - The La's
15. Surrender - Cheap Trick
16. I Don't Know How To Say Goodbye To You - Sam Phillips
17. Name Of The Game - Badfinger Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)
18. Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft - Klaatu
19. Valotte - Julian Lennon
20. 10538 Overture - Electric Light Orchestra
21. Lullabye - Emitt Rhodes Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)
22. Way Back When - Aimee Mann

This Modern World!

2008-03-04T11:11:00.000-08:00

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Beatlesque #1

2008-03-02T16:36:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time since I posted anything--I deeply apologize to all my fan out there. (Hi Mom!) (Just kidding--not even my own mom reads my blog.) Anyhoo, my sweet-potato-pie wife Missy has been blogging me to shame, so I'm going to try doing this more often.

As many of you know, I have a radio show on KRUU LP, 100.1 FM in Fairfield, Iowa, on Thur nights, 9 to 11 PM Central. (If you have high-speed internet & live outside of Fairfield, you can listen to the show live online. You need iTunes or a similar program, such as Winamp.)

Often, each of my shows has one or more themes, & for the next few wks' shows, I'll be playing songs that are Beatlesque. (Even though most sites use the word "Beatlesque", it seems that the spelling should be "Beatles-esque", or at least "Beatle-esque", for that is how it's pronounced. Then again, my spelling skills are extra-ordinary.)

On Thur Mar 6, I'll be playing the following set of songs. (The links below are to the songs in iTunes unless stated otherwise. Thanks to my friend Steve Scholz for all his suggestions & his Emitt Rhodes CD, and thanks to my friend Ben DeJean for his Rutles CD.)

Also (as usual) from 10 to 10:30 PM Central, I'll be playing a set of comedy built on one or more themes--& the comedy theme for Thur Mar 6 is (wait for it) The Beatles! Sketch, standup, & songs featuring Saturday Night Live, The Simpsons, National Lampoon, The Rutles, Steven Wright, Father Guido Sarducci, and KPUT.

Incidentally, if you don't know the tragic story of Badfinger, you should read about it. Their connection with The Beatles was huge (all 4 Beatles--incl John who suggested "Glass Onion" for their band name--plus Mal Evans, Neil Aspinall, & Geoff Emerick). Badfinger declared bankruptcy, & 2 of the 4 members (arguably the 2 main members--kinda like John & Paul) eventually committed suicide by hanging--almost a decade apart from each other.

Enjoy!

1. No Matter What - Badfinger Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)
2. I'd Like That - XTC Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)
3. With My Face On The Floor - Emitt Rhodes Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)
4. Sowing The Seeds Of Love - Tears For Fears
5. Same Rain - Sam Phillips
6. Wonderwall - Oasis
7. Yolanda Hayes - Fountains Of Wayne
8. Magic - Pilot
9. Now We're Getting Somewhere - Crowded House
10. Lazing On A Sunday Afternoon - Queen
11. Strawberryfire - The Apples In Stereo
12. The Loving - XTC
13. Is That Love - Squeeze
14. Somebody Made For Me - Emitt Rhodes Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)
15. Into Your Arms - The Lemonheads
16. Come With Me - Zwan
17. I've Been Waiting - Matthew Sweet
18. Signposts - Sam Phillips
19. Day After Day - Badfinger Amazon.com (not available in iTunes)
20. Saltwater - Julian Lennon
21. Mr. Blue Sky - Electric Light Orchestra
22. I'll Be There For You - The Rembrandts

Zoom Videos

2007-11-08T14:01:00.000-08:00

Zoom Episode 1 Part 1

Zoom Episode 1 Part 2

Zoom Episode 1 Part 3

Zoom Episode 1 End

Zoom - Zoomers in Wonderland

Zoom - Fannee Doolee

Zoom - Edith Ubbi-Dubbi

Zoom - Bernadette

Zoom - Play of the Week

Zoom - Roll out the Barrel

Lastly, here's an episode of the radio show, This American Life (TAL) , which features a story about one kid who was chosen to be in the 1st cast of Zoom, but was later bumped. In this TAL episode, he catches up with 3 of the original cast members.

The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters

2007-09-30T21:08:00.000-07:00

This afternoon, Missy & I saw the documentary "The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters" at the Co-Ed theater here in Fairfield, IA. It's about 2 very different men who vie for the world record high score in Donkey Kong. And damn it's good.

The film features Walter Day, who has lived in Fairfield for almost 30 years. Over 25 years ago, he founded Twin Galaxies, which is recognized internationally as THE keeper/verifier of world record high scores in all video games. Walter appears & speaks often in the movie (usually wearing a referee shirt) & he figures very prominently in the story. (He's also on the movie poster--wearing his trademark referee shirt.)

This past weekend, "The King Of Kong" had its Iowa premiere at the Fairfield theater (& also at the Bijou theater in Iowa City) due to Walter's huge involvement in the story & movie. (As you may know, such independent movies usually have their Iowa premiere in Des Moines.)

Walter has been publicly introducing each showing here in Fairfield (wearing his referee shirt, of course), & has been doing a Q&A with the audience after the film. Missy & I asked him some questions during the Q&A, & we also spoke with him before & after the film. (Also, he signed our movie poster, & I took a cell phone pic of him & Missy.)

Walter is a very interesting, warm & gentle man. He told us about a few things that were not shown in the movie--things which made the story more dramatic but less truthful. I won't reveal those things here, as they are spoilers (they are discussed in the articles linked below if you're interested). We really enjoyed meeting & listening to him.

According to Walter, the story in the documentary has already been picked up for a based-on-a-true-story Hollywood remake, and Johnny Depp and Nathan Fillion ("Desperate Housewives", the Keri Russell film "Waitress") are rumored to be chosen to play the two video game stars. And Walter will be played by Paul Giamatti.

This year, Walter is coincidentally featured in another documentary about video games--called "Chasing Ghosts: Beyond The Arcade". (FYI: It's about all video games of the 80s--not just Pac-Man.)

The Onion gave "The King Of Kong" an A-. On "At The Movies With Ebert & Roeper" guest critic (& Village Voice film critic) Robert Wilonsky said it's his "favorite movie of the year". Richard Roeper said it's "one of the most fascinating films of the year...I love this film."

UPDATE: "The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters" was released on DVD on 1/28/08

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Links

"The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters" Official Movie Site

Review of "The King Of Kong" by Robert Wilonsky & Richard Roeper on "At The Movies With Ebert & Roeper"

Review of "The King Of Kong" in The Onion

"The King Of Kong" at IMDB.com

Des Moines Register article re: Walter & "The King Of Kong"

"Chasing Ghosts: Beyond The Arcade" Official Movie Site

"Chasing Ghosts" at IMDB.com

Twin Galaxies

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"The King Of Kong: A Fistful Of Quarters" Trailer

Some of the below clips contain scenes deleted from the final film

The King Of Kong - Clip 1

The King Of Kong - Clip 2

The King Of Kong - Clip 3

The King Of Kong - Clip 4

The King Of Kong - Clip 5

The King Of Kong - Clip 6

The King Of Kong - Hardest Game

The King Of Kong - Relationships

The King Of Kong - Record Breaker

The King Of Kong - Killscreen

Chasing Ghosts - Trailer

God-Man!

2007-09-25T14:42:00.000-07:00

click on pics to enlarge, click on "back" button to return to this page