RFDUCK been hitting too many taco stands lately, to wit: “Hola amigos! Ready for another Mambo? Today is Grouch Day. Try not to be too grouchy as you name your . . .
Top five grouchiest musicians.”
I haven't a clue. My head hurts – I don't want to think. I really don't follow musicians that closely. Bah Humbug...
Bob Dylan was very grouchy for awhile when he thought he was a born-again Christian (no small feat for a Jew – no wonder he was grouchy!)
Ted Nugent is a very grouchy guy if'n he hasn't had a cuppa coffee and a cousin to butt-fuck in the morning.
Leonard Cohen has been grouchy ever since his manager made off with his entire nestegg and left him without any income at all. Frankly, if it had been me, I'd be hunting the bastard down still.
Brian Wilson has been a grouch most of his adult life. Being addicted to cocaine does that.
Finally, Danny Bonaduce has been a grouch since he realized he has no talent and never did.
There's your list, Rfduck. Stuff it up your cloaca!
Ya think maybe our Mememeister, RFDuck, is feeling a bit, er, randy? Ya think? Well, see for yourself, then...
“Hello everyone! Today's theme is tube top day. Who wears tube tops? Women! So we'll change it to Rockin' Women Day.”
“Tell me your . . .”
Favorite female (rock) singer – Janis Joplin Favorite female guitarist – Judy Collins Favorite female bassist – I drew a blank on this one for the longest time and then it hit me (or I regained conciousness – whatever) -- Zoey Berkowitz, bassist extraordinaire, limited engagements at Mary's Place and Callahan's Key... Favorite female singer from any genre – Joan Baez
Finally, be daring and tell us who is the . . .
Queen Of All Music – A tough one, this. Methinks in my lexicon, it has to be Joni Mitchell in the past half century.
RFDuck must be feeling twinges in his tailfeathers – opening day isn't too far away on the calendar: “Hello everyone! Put down the meat, because today is World Vegetarian Day. I'm going to find some famous vegetarian musicans from the list at www.famousveggie.com, and you can tell me your favorite song from each artist!”
Annie Lennox -- Dark Road from the Songs of Mass Destruction album released today (October 1, 2007) – a true tour de force on many levels rarely seen these days. Nice job, Annie! (For a limited time, you can hear the whole album at the link provided). B52's (the whole band, I guess?) -- One of many I don't consciously listen to, all that comes to mind is their 1978 single, Rock Lobster. Billy Idol – White Wedding Bob Dylan – Has a new album being released tomorrow named “Dylan”which is a reprise of his greatest hits. My favorite of his self-selected hits is Mr. Tambourine Man– so quintessentially Dylan. Chrissie Hynde (that means the Pretenders) – nope, here she is in Spiritual High(State Of Independence) with Moodswings! Elvis Costello – my personal favorite is (I Don't Want to Go to) Chelsea George Harrison (to challenge you - only his solo stuff) -- Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth) Peter Gabriel – his 1986 hit from the “So” album, Sledgehammer.
Rfduck must be a busy fellow these days. Note the short intro this week:
Hello everyone! Today is Kiss Day on the Mambo, so pucker up and name me . . .
1. A KISS (the band) song. “Psycho Circus” was their only International #1 hit. 2. A song with the word 'kiss' in the title. “Besame Mucho” as sung by Andrea Bocelli (a 1940's Mexican tune, btw), “Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me” by U2 come to mind, too. 3. A song performed/sung by someone you want to kiss.
Well, Nora Jones would be one of those. Another would be Maria Muldaur. Thirdly, I've had the hots for Janis Ian since she was 17...
Our mememeister, Rfduck, is either working on his fantasy football team roster or he got hit on the beak during a game of touch football. Either way, he's got the game on the brain...
“Ladies and gentleman, welcome to BDInsanity Bowl I. Today is Football Day! Hut-Hut-HUT!”
1. The quarterback is the most important player on a football team. He controls the action, and the responsibility for the team's success is on his shoulders. Which musician is your choice for musical QB? Bob Dylan and Paul Simon both come to mind. They both know intuitively how they want the song to look, sound and feel for the audience – always. They're uncompromising and yet musicians would often willingly give their left foot (except drummers) for the right to perform for them. 2. What album scores a touchdown for you (i.e. it's just the best)? Modern Times is doing it for me right now. 3. What song needs a game ejection? There are simply too many to count. Fortunately, the marketplace is a great leveler in that regards – poor songs quickly sink to their appropriate level. Except rap and hip hop, which haven't an appropriate level to begin with... 4. Football is about intense, bone-crushing excitement. What song or artist gives you that same feeling? Hmmm, “Sympathy For The Devil” does it for me -- your mileage may vary, of course...
Hello everyone! Another Monday is here. Today is Compassion Day. Follow these steps for a very compassionate Mambo . . .
1. Choose someone you know, to whom you'd like to dedicate a song.
2. Choose a song to represent your compassion toward that person.
3. Explain a little about why you chose the song, if you wish.
Compassion: noun, kum`pashun 1. A deep awareness of and sympathy for another's suffering; 2. The humane quality of understanding the suffering of others and wanting to do something about it.
About a year and a half ago, I and a lot of other former AOL Journalistas lost a good friend to cancer. She was brave and tried oh so hard to be strong, despite the thrashing that chemotherapy and radiation treatments were giving her. We watched her go from a vital head of household, self-supporting mother of two teenagers to totally dependant upon the help of others within the space of eight months. Through it all, she did her best to share her thoughts, feelings and fears with the blogosphere.
So, it was, for me, a toss up between George Harrison's “Something In The Way She Moves” and James Taylor's “Fire and Rain.” After careful consideration, I chose “Fire and Rain” for Pamela, with love.
Just yesterday morning they let me know you were gone. Pamela, the plans they made put an end to you I walked out this morning and I wrote down this song I just can't remember who to send it to.
I've seen fire and I've seen rain. I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end. I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend. But I always thought that I'd see you again...
Won't you look down upon me, jesus, You've got to help me make a stand You've just got to see me through another day. My body's aching and my time is at hand, And I wont make it any other way.
Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain; I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end. I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend. But I always thought that I'd see you again...
Been walking my mind to an easy time, my back turned towards the sun, Lord knows when the cold wind blows, it'll turn your head around. Well, there's hours of time on the telephone line to talk about things to come, Sweet dreams and flying machines in pieces on the ground.
Oh, I've seen fire and I've seen rain. I've seen sunny days that I thought would never end. I've seen lonely times when I could not find a friend, But I always thought that Id see you, baby, one more time again...
Now, thought I'd see you one more time again. There's just a few things coming my way this time around, Now, thought I'd see you, thought I'd see you. Fire and rain, now...
RFDuck, mememeister of this mambosity, has this to say about that:
Hello everyone! Welcome to another Mambo. Today is Lemondade Day.
Today we're going to make a Musical Lemonade. I'll give ya "The Lemon Song" by Led Zeppelin, so now you tell me a song with the word:
Lemon – Lemon Tree by Peter, Paul and Mary, enough to equal the amount of Sugar - Blood Sugar Sex Magik by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, mixed with Water – Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel, poured over Ice – Ring of Ice by Jennifer Rush.
Where do you enjoy lemonade the best? Out on the porch on a hot summer's day. Tell me a song that would be appropriate for such a situation. How's about Under The Boardwalk by the Drifters.
Greetings, everyone! Today is Lefthanders Day. How many of you are left-handed? I'm a righty myself. Today we're going to explore some famous lefties in the world of music.
Name your favorite song by . . .
Jimi Hendrix – Purple Haze Tony Iommi (Black Sabbath) – War Pigs Paul McCartney (non-Beatles, just to make it harder) – Monkberry Moon Delight (with Linda McCarthy) Billy Corgan (solo, Smashing Pumpkins or Zwan) -- Fuck You (An Ode To No One) Phil Collins – Something In The Air Tonight
Seems I fell asleep at the switch this week, doesn't it? Rfduck was on top of things: “Hello everyone. It's mambo time! Today is Kiss Your Car Day. I don't suggest you actually kiss your car, but we can talk about cars and music.”
1. Name a song or two about cars or driving. How about Car, Car as sung by Peter, Paul and Mary? Or American Pie by Don Mclean? Wilson Pickett's Mustang Sally? 2. Name a song that's good to listen to when driving. Gimme All Your Lovin' by ZZ Top. 3. Name an album that's good to listen to when driving. Any techno euro-pop with a steady, up-beat tempo will do. I am particularly fond of Kraftwerke's Trans-Europe Express album.
4. If you could drive the car of one musician, whose car would you choose? I don't link musicians and cars in my mind so I'm having trouble with this question. For the sake of discussion, I guess it'd be Brian Wilson's “Little Deuce Coupe.”
RFDuck is in a fowl mood, to wit: “Hello folks. It's time to mambo again! Today is Talk To A Telemarketer Day. We don't like telemarketing, so . . .”
“Name five songs that say what you want to tell telemarketers (i.e. songs with angry titles telling them to buzz off!)”
OK, here goes. I confess to using Google™ to accomplish the task set by RFDuck, Mememeister Muy Oddicus, today:
Get Out Of My Life by Aaron Neville on the “Tell It Like It Is” album
You Keep Me Hang'n' On – various artists, written by Holland, Dozier & Holland.
Fuck It (I Don't Want You Back) – EAMON
Fuck You – Lil Kim
I Hope You Die – Bloodhound Gang
If you want to play along, click your ruby red ah, er, slipper heels together and then click on the banner above. Ignore the old man behind the curtain...
“What luck! Today is Rock and Roll Day!” At least, that's RFDuck's take on the situation. His attendants say it's best to humor him, so here goes...
Name your favorite rock and roll . . .
1. Band: Jethro Tull 2. Singer: While Leonard Cohen is my favorite singer-songwriter, he's only a rock 'n' roller part of the time, so I guess I'll nominate Mark Knopfler (Dire Straits) as my favorite rocker. Even that's a stretch of systematics. 3. Guitarist: So many to choose from... Eric Clapton springs immediately to mind. So does Jimi Hendrix. You choose. 4. Bassist: Again, so many basses, so little time to love them all. Today my favorite is Victor Wooten (Bela Fleck) – probably the most technically skilled bassist performing today. There's none better in the studio and few can hold a candle to his artistry in concert. 5. Drummer: Ginger Baker of Cream fame. 6. Album:Dream Letter by Tim Buckley. Nothing finer...
So you want to play along, do you, Bunky? Just hie thee to visit the qwazy qwacker, rfduck, our intrepid leader, to get your very own copy of this week's questions.
Rfduck struggled up onto one elbow, his head throbbing with a hangover and his nether regions throbbing with morning wood. A deep breath and he managed to croak out, "Hello! I'm back with another Mambo. Today is Stars and Stripes Forever Day. That means today's Mambo is all about America!"
Then he wandered off to the W.C. to see a man about a duck...
1. What is your favorite American band? The Grateful Dead does it for me -- truly American Originals the entire thirty years the band was in existence. The YouTube video below is one of my favorites. Too bad the original is locked up in licensing issues...
2. Who is your favorite American male artist? Jerry Garcia -- No surprise, given my answer to the first question. So sad that he passed the way he did. I, too, have the whole diabetes + cardiac issues + sleep apnea that took him out. Sucks to be Old and Grey...
3. Who is your favorite American female artist? Judy Collins -- a true American Sweetheart. Check out this video with Albatross as the basis for the action on screen.
4. What is your favorite song with the word "America" or "American" in the title? John Denver's “American Child” is one, not necessarily better than “America the Beautiful” or "American Woman" but it has a really nice video to go with it...
Postus Scriptus. I almost forgot. If you, too, want to play along with the Mambo, click the post title up top to be whisked away on a magic carpet ride, er, to visit mememeister rfduck for a clean copy of this week's questions. By the way, the cost of American postage just went up, so you might as well get sky high, too.
Rfduck popped an earbud from his ear and said, "Greetings everyone! Welcome to another hump. (WTF? It's only Monday – this is a Mambo!) Today, I'm picking up my brand new iPod! In celebration, here are some questions about music on the go."
1. Do you have an iPod or similar device? Tell us about it. I've got a SanDisk Sansa e-series 2GB. It has more features than an Ipod Nano and it cost less. It does what I want it to, I can (usually) see the information on the screen and I liked the sound quality. On screens that small, the ability to display images is a joke. I do like it's recording capability. At the moment, I don't know where I put it, though. It's so small... 2. If the answer to question #1 is no, what do you use to listen to music? I mostly listen to music on my computer these days. I've got some pretty decent Bose speakers and a nice subwoofer hooked up, so it goes most of what I need. 3. How many songs do you have on your mp3 player? Right now there's only fifty or so. 4. What situations make you want to bring your mp3 player with you? Driving any significant distance with anyone less than 40 years old. Doctor and dentist appointments and any other situation where I know I will have to be sitting idle for a length of time, yet can not get up and walk around to stave off snoozing.
Rfduck announces to the world his natal day thusly: “Greetings, mamboers. Today is a special day - it's my birthday! It's also the birthday of velvet-voiced Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Roy Orbison.”
1. Name a few of your favorite Roy Orbison songs. Mean Woman Blues, It's Over, Cry, Blue Bayou, Oh Pretty Woman. 2. Tell us one of your favorite Roy Orbison lyrics. From Mean Woman Blues comes this verse:
“She gotta ruby lips, she got shapely hips, yeah
Boy she makes ole roy-oy flip.
I got a woman mean as she can be,
Some-a-times I think she's almost mean as me”
3. How cool did Roy look in those dark glasses? Way cool, particularly as he started getting to be more popular and played bigger venues, resulting in the lighting crews going to carbon-arc lamps. His light-sensitive eyes went bonkers with the brightness, so he graduated to some of the darkest sunglasses seen in the West. 4. If you aren't a fan of Roy Orbison, you can still participate - give me a music-related virtual birthday gift!
"Converted from an original vintage Gibson 1952 LP Goldtop (by Dan Shinn owner of Lays Guitar Shop). This guitar is now virtually a '57 Goldtop as all the electronics are from 1957. The neck has a perfect reset to accommodate the tune-o-matic bridge. The P-90 pickup routes were plugged and then routed out for the PAF pickups. The guitar was refinished with the correct gold color and a '57 serial number added. The pickup cavities now look correct for a late 50's LP and also have new gold paint as well (check out the smile in the neck pickup cavity)."
Rfduck, intrepid explorer of garage sales and jumble shops, took a moment from his never ending search for a left-handed smoke shifter to explain,“Hi again, everyone! Today is Former POW Day. A very important and serious subject, yes, but nothing that I can really connect to music. I suppose we'll talk about Spring instead.”
Not everybody has had the same difficulty – check out the play list of this Prisoners of War compilation CD. Still and all, I don't blame our mememeister for avoiding a very sticky subject. An acquaintance of mine was a Gulf of Tonkin incident POW on the USS Pueblo. The experience rocked his world to its very core; it destroyed all of the spirit and joy in that young man's soul and aged him in less than a year to the point where, if you didn't know, you'd have guessed he was a man at least three decades older. I salute you, sir, and your comrades in arms. It was a terrible ordeal for anyone to experience and should serve as a warning to our current administration in their dealings with North Korea. But no, the Karl Roves and others of the inner circle haven't a clue of what I am writing about. Stupid Bastards. But I digress...
Make a mini-playlist for Spring. Five songs about Spring, that sound like Spring to you, make you think of Spring, or are good to listen to in Spring.
Spring of '65 by The Holy Modal Rounders off their “Good Taste Is Timeless” album (1971) is truly my favorite “spring” song – but I'm just weird that way. You can hear a short samplehere that really doesn't do justice to the song but I don't have the full track on CD.
So Early In The Spring – The Pentangle “Sweet Child” album – 1968.
Speaking of Dreams – Joan Baez on the 1989 album of the same name.
Both Sides Now by Joni Mitchell clearly evokes the sense of a northern spring and its variable weather on the “Clouds” album – 1970. Her later versions evoke an entirely different feeling. This is the light, airy version.
There you have my choices. I look forward to seeing yours. You can grab a clean copy of the question over on the Monday Music Mambo's website, BDINSANITY, as well as post a link in the comments there to your selections detailed on your blog, too.
Mememeister RFDuck took a moment from his labors photographing all of the buildings on the University of Oregon campus to say, “Hello world! Here's another mambo for your enjoyment. Today is Great Lover's Day.”
1. Name three of your favorite love songs. This isn't my favorite category of songs, so bear with me. First thoughts turn to traditional songs, such as Fair Ellender or Danny Boy. More modern songs include Nat King Cole's Unforgettable and Mona Lisa. It'll be interesting to see what a whippersnapper, such as Mememeister RFDuck, has to offer from the perspective of one with his musical roots in the nineties. 2. Name three musicians well-known for making great love songs. Paul McCartney, John Denver and Nat King Cole; Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins, Yolanda Bevan come to mind on the distaff side. 3. Name a song that's so good you'd write a love song for it (if it were an actual person). And tell us why. Oh, my. Where to begin? No one is likely to ask me to write a love song to a love song, even at my rock-bottom rates! (I lack the requisite romantic genes for the job)
If it weren't already so smarmy, I suspect that Paul McCartney's Michelle from the Beatle's 1965 album “Rubber Soul” would fit the bill. It has the distinction, according to BMI, of being “the 42nd-most performed song of the 20th century” according to the Wikipedia article on the song. It is just so sweet and evocative of innocent love, puppy love that I can't help myself. If only the world were so simple!
The rules are, there are no rules!!! All you need to do is copy and paste the above questions into your blog and add your responses. After you've finished, return here and leave us a comment so we'll know you've Mamboed. Be sure your Mambo is linked back to http://bdinsanity.blogdrive.com so others can dance too.
Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. If one of the questions doesn't inspire you then simply "pass" it. Just use your imagination and dance like crazy!
If you don't have a blog or you're an exhibitionist *woo hoo* feel free to Mambo right here in our comments section. There's absolutely no pressure ... although it's called the Monday Music Mambo you can Mambo on any day.
Until next time, this is your music-lovin' Mememeister saying have a good Monday and a good Mambo!
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Rfduck took a moment from sweating out finishing all he has to complete for this semester to say, “Hi again, everyone. Today is Make Up Your Own Holiday Day, so I hereby proclaim today as Drummer Day!”
1. Name some of your favorite drummers. Or name A drummer if you don't have any favorites. Buddy Rich, Ginger Baker, Ringo Starr. 2. What song contains your favorite drum performance? Buddy Rich's 1978 albumBuddy Rich Plays and Plays and Playshas the Mickey Mouse Mambo on it. How bizarre! 3. Do you prefer the drummer to simply keep a beat, or do you like him or her to show off a bit? If I'm in the mood, I like drummers who know how to strut their stuff. However, if it's “all about the music”, I love a drummer who knows how to make his contribution a seamless part of the whole. 4. If you were a drummer, how would you personalize your drum kit? I'd have typani's and congas and bohdrains and top hats and bass snares and any other percussive instrument I could think of in reserve for just the right tune.
The rules are, there are no rules!!! All you need to do is copy and paste the above questions into your blog and add your responses. After you've finished, return here and leave us a comment so we'll know you've Mamboed. Be sure your Mambo is linked back to http://bdinsanity.blogdrive.com so others can dance too.
Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. If one of the questions doesn't inspire you then simply "pass" it. Just use your imagination and dance like crazy!
If you don't have a blog or you're an exhibitionist *woo hoo* feel free to Mambo right here in our comments section. There's absolutely no pressure ... although it's called the Monday Music Mambo you can Mambo on any day.
Until next time, this is your music-lovin' Mememeister saying have a good Monday and a good Mambo!
Rfduck lifted his head off the table, stared blankly with severely bloodshot eyes at nothing in front of him, coughed up a lung attempting to clear the cobwebs from his throat and then was heard to mutter as he played pocket pool looking for a pack of fags, “Hello again! This last Saturday was St. Patrick's Day, so we'll do an Irish-themed Mambo this week. Bloody Hell!”
1. What's your faviorite Irish artist? Enya? The Chieftains? Bono? Sinead O'Connor? None of the above? 2. What artist, album or song makes you think of the color green? The Green, Green, Hills of Home, Lyrics by Nick & Charles Kenny --- Music by Abner Silver 3. Irish music is all about enjoying yourself. Name a song (Irish or otherwise) that you enjoy a lot. There's got to be at least a hundred thousand Irish tunes. And you want me to name one I enjoy? Come on, let's tighten up our questions, just a wee bit. Ok, I'll nibble. Here's one: “Tall Ships” by Wolfstone The rules are, there are no rules!!! All you need to do is copy and paste the above questions into your blog and add your responses. After you've finished, return here and leave us a comment so we'll know you've Mamboed. Be sure your Mambo is linked back to http://bdinsanity.blogdrive.com so others can dance too.
Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. If one of the questions doesn't inspire you then simply "pass" it. Just use your imagination and dance like crazy!
If you don't have a blog or you're an exhibitionist *woo hoo* feel free to Mambo right here in our comments section. There's absolutely no pressure ... although it's called the Monday Music Mambo you can Mambo on any day.
Until next time, this is your music-lovin' Mememeister saying have a good Monday and a good Mambo!
Rfduck halts his celebratory “March Madness” and “Oregon Won” dance to say, “Aloha! Once again, I don't like the given theme for the day, so I'll make up my own. Today we'll talk about album structure and sequence.”
Before answering Rfduck's questions below, I just want to say that I've never given these matters any thought until now. It just wasn't one of those things that concerned me, as I have no intention of producing an album nor any reason to be more than an active consumer of music. I am rather fond of classical forms. I like the fact that there is most often an overture to an opera, so you may familiarize yourself with the theme(s) and melodies of the tunes to come. It's also why I like Mozart's symphonies and his use of the reprise – it brings it all to a logical and often emotionally satisfying close. Rarely have I seen these forms employed in popular and rock music with some notable exceptions, such as Jesus Christ, Superstar, Hair! , Tommy, The Wall, Days of Future Passed, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band and the Beatles' White Album.
1. What's your favorite album-opening song? That's a toughie. I think George Martin did it right with his 1998 album of remade Beatles tunes entitled In My Life by starting off with Robin Williams singing “Come Together.” 2. What's your favorite album-closing song? The Moody Blues' "Nights In White Satin" / "Late Lament" on the previously cited Days of Future Passed album. Although, it's really hard to pass up citing the closing orchestral piece ofJesus Christ, Superstar, "John 19:41."(According to the Wikipedia entry, “The title is a reference to a verse in theBibleabout Jesus being laid in the tomb (Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laidJohn 19:41”) Here, after the high energy of the title song followed by the angst of The Crucifixion, the final orchestral closing is just so appropriate a close. 3. What's your favorite one-two-three punch of album-opening singles? There's too many to think about. Truly. For sake of an answer, one need only hearken to the three lead-off songs on the Sgt. Pepper album, "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", "With a Little Help From My Friends"& "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds". That's quite the successful triad. 4. How many songs do you think an album should have?Finally, an easy answer. Sixteen.
Well past (by at least a decade) the half century mark. One foot in the grave, the other on a banana peel at the rim of the abyss and the view from here is disconcerting. I am a former student, pearl diver, cook, truck driver, firefighter, EMT, CEO, Town Fire Warden, mechanic, oiler, marine engineer and computer whiz bang. Mostly I sleep these days in an aluminum tube. And So It Goes...
I waste my time reading blogs and kvetching about the weather, playing with our Schipperke sidekick, Ignatz McGraw and waiting hand by foot upon my wife, the Queen of our Hovel, She Who Must Be Obeyed (SWMBO).
There are many types of magic, but all require a sharp mind and a cool head. There is no puzzle I can't solve, no problem I can't think my way out of. When you feel confused or uncertain, you can always rely on me to untangle the knots and put everything back in order for you.
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