15 Years Ago Today

On June 7, 1996, Young James Sigman took the ferry into Manhattan with the intention of getting a musician he didn't know all that well to sign a CD outside The Bottom Line. But in the process of doing so, he wound up having an experience that probably did more to shape the music he listens to than any other event before or since.

Old James Sigman wrote about this a few years ago, but since today's the 15th anniversary of that day (and we're just a few weeks away from a tribute to the Bottom Line at Rockefeller Park, it seemed like a good idea to revisit that fateful day. So, let's revisit the original post, OK?

And, hey, thanks Todd and Mike Snider for making my life better.

It was the summer of 1996. I was home after a sophomore year of college that worked out better than freshman year and had me thinking college might end up being OK. I still wasn't entirely comfortable, but I was getting there. Slowly, but getting there.

Although many now think of me as some righteous music guru, the truth is that music didn't really mean all that much to me when I was growing up. Sure, I clung to the Billy Joel tapes that were issued to every Catholic Schoolboy on Staten Island. And I had a decent collection of 45s and cassettes, though mostly of songs like Pee Wee Herman's "Surfin' Bird" and The Fat Boys' version of "Wipeout" and soundtracks to movies like "The Great Outdoors" and "UHF." Now, don't get me wrong--those are all fine works, but they're not exactly, y'know, weighty or whatever. The weightiest I got were Bob Dylan, Paul Simon, and Roy Orbison, the latter of whom I started listening to at an age at which no boy should be listening to Roy Orbison. But I digress.

Anyway, after two years of college and being exposed to different kinds of music, I started to look for what else was out there, musically speaking and otherwise (perhaps mainly to drown out the Rusted Root that played incessantly from the room next door...send me on my way, indeed). And that eventually brought me to country music, and its neglected, socially inept offspring, alternative country. It was about 1996 when I first heard of people like Steve Earle and Joe Ely, who were alternative country before such a term existed. Or at least it was the first time I actually paid attention to them. And that I learned that it's pronounced "EE-lee" not "e-LIE."

It was around that time that Joe Ely covered Buddy Holly's "Oh Boy" for a tribute record. He recorded the song with a guy called Todd Snider, whom I had seen once on the TV show "Austin City Limits" and was pretty impressed by. In fact, I almost reviewed his CD, "Step Right Up," for the college newspaper, but I went with B-52's lead singer Fred Schneider's CD "Just Fred," because I figured it would be easier to make cheap jokes about it. And I was right.

I did finally get around to buying "Step Right Up" in that summer of 1996 when I saw that Todd Snider (and his band, The Nervous Wrecks) would be opening for Rory Block at The Bottom Line in NYC. I was but a lad of 19 at the time, so I couldn't go to the show at the over-21 club, but I figured I could maybe get the CD signed outside the club after soundcheck. So with very little knowledge of what Todd Snider even looked like, I headed down to the club.

I was standing outside for awhile, holding the CD, when a guy came up to me and asked, "Are you looking for Todd?" I told him I was, and he said, "Well, that's him right there." He brought me over, and I asked Todd to sign my CD. He asked if I'd be coming to the show, and I explained the situation, saying that I wasn't 21 and adding, "and I'm not cool enough to have a fake ID" (what a slick kid I was). Then, Todd and his brother, Mike (who was the guy who had asked me if I was looking for Todd) put their heads together, and Mike just said, "Well, come back at around 5:30 and we'll sneak you in. Just pretend you're with the crew." I think I managed to stammer, "Um, OK" and then I went to get something to eat at Wendy's. And to buy another Todd Snider CD.

I came back at 5:30, looked for Mike, and he directed me to another member of the crew, who just told me to follow him and look like I belong. So I did. And a minute later, I was sitting in a tiny dressing room at The Bottom Line, talking to Mike Snider about that Buddy Holly tribute record and how I had heard about Todd. Now, at the time, I hadn't even really listened to a Todd CD (I bought "Step Right Up" that day), except for a few snippets on a Tower Records listening station. So I didn't really have much to say. I just mentioned seeing him on "Austin City Limits" and that was really all I had to go on. But Mike, and everybody else in the band and crew, were all real nice to me anyway. I ate their fruit, watched the drummer (Joe McLeary) shave, and offered to help, but was told to just relax. Mike was even apologetic about not being able to get me a beer, but then decided it would be OK if I really wanted one (I didn't, naturally).

A few minutes before showtime, Mike told me to go find a seat for the show out front. And about 15 minutes after I sat down, I saw what, at the time, was easily the greatest thing I'd ever seen. It was loud, it was fast, and it was rock and great-God-almighty-I-am-free-at-last roll. I recognized some of the songs from "Austin City Limits," including "Side Show Blues," which I had decided was my favorite when Mike asked me before the show. And there were others that I loved, like "Alright Guy" and "I Like Country When It Rocks" (and at that point, I was pretty sure I did, too). The show was over way too soon (it was probably about 40 minutes) and after Rory Block's dull headlining set, I wondered why Todd wasn't headlining. And that wasn't the first time I'd wonder if a concert's order of performance should have been reversed.

After the show, I wanted to just say goodbye and thanks to Mike and Todd, so I saw one of the guys in the crew, Kevin Shackleford, and told him how what I saw completely knocked me out. He told me, "Really? Well that was Todd on only, like, 7. You oughta see him when he gets to 10." Then he asked me if I was staying for the second show, which I hadn't even thought about. Well, yes, I guess I will.

So I did, and the second set was as good as the first (though still, in retrospect, not Todd on 10). After the second show, I went backstage (with the help of another good guy on Todd's crew, Shamus Bacon) to thank Mike and Todd and promise them that I'd do everything I could to get people to listen to Todd Snider.

And I'm still trying.

Of Geese and Men

A few weeks ago, as I was walking to work, I saw a family of geese--two adults and two tiny goslings--crossing the street in Newport. Unfortunately, this was the one day I didn't have my camera on me. If I hadn't been about 20 minutes from my apartment at the time, and if geese were able to heed the command, "Don't move for 40 minutes," I would have gladly called in to work just so I could get the picture. But I seemed to be the only working drone who felt this way, as everybody else just kept walking, barely even noting the scene placed before them on a clear Friday morning. Meanwhile, I stared and smiled for a little bit and then begrudgingly continued on my way.

Then, on my walk home, I saw the geese again, though not in such a photogenic manner, and decided there was no good reason not to wake up at 6:30 Saturday morning so I could stalk the geese with my camera before I got on the early-morning bus to Woodstock (via Kingston) for Levon Helm's Birthday Ramble. There was, of course, no guarantee they'd still be around, but I figured it was worth a shot.

As soon as I made my way into Prime Goose Territory, I looked to my right and saw what I assumed was the same family of four out for an early-morning stroll. The adults were walking outside of a fenced-in area, keeping an eye on the two babies walking on the other side of the fence. So I gave them some room, stood in the middle of the street, and began the photo shoot.






Satisfied that I had made up for the previous day, I set out for the Hoboken train station. Until I saw some more goslings, even tinier and cuter, and in a more goose-paparazzo-accessible area. Out came the camera again.





Best Saturday morning ever.

But, wait, look, there's another family behind that other fence. There's officially a goose population explosion in Newport.





By the time I was shooting the third family, I finally got one dude to stop and enjoy the moment for a few seconds. It felt like a victory.

Now, whenever I walk to and from work (and carefully wind my way around the many goose droppings), I look for the little tykes to see how they're doing. Some days I'll see one or two around, and other days, the bad ones, I don't see them anywhere. I admit--I get a little worried that they're OK. Granted, they will likely grow up one day to fly into a plane I'm on and send me to a watery grave, but, for now, I'm quite fond of them.

So, last Friday, when I cut through the Modell's parking lot, I could not have been happier to see this:





These are happy, exciting times in Jersey City. At least for me. And the geese seem pretty content. I suppose everybody else will follow along soon enough.

What I Liked About May

*The baby geese of Newport
*Levon Helm's Birthday Ramble, Woodstock, NY
*A successful night of Broadway autograph collecting (Eve Plumb, Becky Ann Baker, and Christie Brinkley)
*Two Cow Garage, Union Hall, Brooklyn, NY


*Maybe Pete, Curmudgeon Records (RIP), Somerville, NJ
*Ben Sollee/Sean Rowe, Rockwood Music Hall, NYC
*Sarah Jarosz, Rockwood Music Hall, NYC
*Nick's, Queens, NY

*Getting a photo with Matt "Guitar" Murphy
*The long-awaited reopening of Sweet Sue's
*The pulled pork sandwich at Home by the Range, Hoboken, NJ
*The willingness of people with cars to drive me places

"Macho Man" Randy Savage RIP

Professional wrestler (and one-time Staten Island resident) "Macho Man" Randy Savage (born Randall Mario Poffo) died Friday while driving in Florida. Early reports say he suffered a heart attack while driving and then crashed the car. His wife was also in the car and suffered minor injuries. Savage was 58.

Oddly enough, of the Poffo boys, I was probably more of a fan of Leapin' Lanny (also known as The Genius). But there was no denying the awesomeness of the Macho Man, coming to the ring to the strains of "Pomp and Circumstance" (thus making everyone's graduation a little cooler) and later flying from the top rope in his three-star wrestling trunks and landing that elbow time after time. Men of a certain age (mine) will fondly recall his match with Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat at Wrestlemania 3 as being one of their all-time favorites.

And, of course, almost everyone I know (or at least the ones I like) has done a Randy Savage impression at one point or another. As fine as the matches were, the talking was where the Macho Man shone. To wit: (kudos to the still-living Mean Gene Okerlund for his fine work here, too):





And it was a little after my interest in wrestling started to wane, but he also should be commended for taking a pretty nasty snakebite:



I had the pleasure of meeting the Macho Man when he was promoting his rap CD (yes, that's right) at the FYE in NYC. That moment is captured above, and, despite the fact the photo was taken when I was 26, it is probably the most youthful and excited I've ever looked in a picture. I guess all those flying elbow drops meant more to me than I'd thought.

RIP, Macho Man.

Soundtracks I Have Loved: Cocktail

Soundtrack: Cocktail
Year Released: 1988
I Bought It On: Cassette
How Does It Hold Up?: No weak tracks, some ever so slightly dated.

Side 1
1. Wild Again--Starship
2. Powerful Stuff--The Fabulous Thunderbirds
3. Since When--Robbie Nevil
4. Don't Worry, Be Happy--Bobby McFerrin
5. Hippy Hippy Shake--The Georgia Satellites

Side 2
6. Kokomo--The Beach Boys
7. Rave On--John Mellencamp
8. All Shook Up--Ry Cooder
9. Oh, I Love You So--Preston Smith
10. Tutti Frutti--Little Richard

You would have a hard time convincing a sane, functional human being that Cocktail is a great movie. You could maybe, with the help of a few cocktails, make the case for it being a good movie in that odd 80s sort of way where it is of a time, and, really, it's not even close to being Tom Cruise's worst movie. Then again, there's this, which might be the World's Greatest Advertisement For Never Leaving Your House to Spend a Night in a Bar. Ever.



Yet, as difficult as it is to tout Cocktail's place among cinema's finest works, it is almost equally as easy to declare its soundtrack one of the all-time greats in the genre. Or at least it's easy to me. And this is my blog, so let's just assume that my opinion also belongs to every living person. It will make things simpler, and I'm pretty confident it's true anyway.



I couldn't possibly have seen Cocktail when it came out in 1988, as I was 11 and not regularly seeing R-rated movies at the time (though I think my first in a theater--the classic Carl Weathers/Vanity star vehicle Action Jackson--was around this time), and certainly not ones with Tom Cruise as a bartender. But because of the big radio and MTV hits, I was all in for the soundtrack. I actually wore out my cassette copy back in the day (see above) and, when I found a CD copy in the used bin for a couple of bucks recently, I gladly added it to my collection. As I listen to it as I write, I feel confident that it holds its place as one of my Top 5 all-time favorite soundtracks. Part of that can, of course, be credited to nostalgia, but part of it is legitimate, untainted affection. The soundtrack has a little bit of everything: new stuff by unknown artists, cover versions of old stuff (including Ry Cooder's "All Shook Up," playing in the background of the scene above...don't feel obligated to watch it again if you missed it the first time), new stuff by well-known artists, and even "Tutti Frutti," which is a can't-miss add-on.

The whole thing starts off with a Starship song, so it's an uphill climb from the get-go. If you don't want to listen to Starship, you can at least look at the scenes from the movie and think bad thoughts about Elisabeth Shue. Or Bryan Brown, if you prefer. Whatever floats your boat.



But the great thing about the Cocktail soundtrack is that for every cheesy 80s song, there is an excellent, good-in-any-decade song to counterbalance it, like the Georgia Satellites' cover of "Hippy Hippy Shake," which plays in the background of yet another homoerotic bottle-tossing scene:



"But Mr. Tinsel and Rot," you say, "doesn't this soundtrack also have 'Don't Worry Be Happy' and Kokomo,' two impossibly cheesy songs that I cannot defend on any level." First, please call me James; you sound stupid when you say "Mr. Tinsel and Rot." Second, if you want to pretend that you're too cool to have ever liked "Don't Worry, Be Happy" and "Kokomo," then (a) you're lying to yourself, and you really shouldn't do that, and (b) please leave.

Wait, wait, come back. OK, these songs have lost a little of their sheen. But let's just forget about that and embrace our childhoods, OK? And let's enjoy the still somewhat entertaining video for "Don't Worry, Be Happy" and the time the Beach Boys sang "Kokomo" on Full House while the Tanners bopped along.



And again, the '80sness of the soundtrack's two biggest hits is balanced by John Mellencamp's reasonably ambitious (if not as good as the original) cover of Buddy Holly's "Rave On", and maybe the Fabulous Thunderbirds' shining moment (I honestly think they're better than the average person gives them credit for), "Powerful Stuff."



Rounding things out are the oddly hypnotic "Oh, I Love You So" by Preston Smith and Robbie Nevil's "Since When," which is good, though not quite as good as his monster hit, "C'est La Vie". But, hey, that's life. And if you didn't see that sentence coming, you're probably still angry about me questioning the greatness of Cocktail.

If I only had the wit and soul of the writers who put words into the mouth of Brian Flanagan, I would now end this blog post with a classic barman poem to send you into fits of laughter and spasms of ecstasy. Alas, I am devoid of such skills. So I will just (must...resist...saying...raise a glass...) start the soundtrack playing again on my computer and enjoy the splendor of a classic album.

Cheers! (Dammit!)

The 50-A-Day Project: Books 21-30

I didn't fail at all in the mission for this batch, but that's mainly because these were, for the most part, less dense reads than the first 20, with the main exception being Thomas Paine's book (definitely the densest I've read this year, and it did feel like work at points, but there was enough in there to make the heavy lifting worth while).

It was a good segment largely because I was able to knock a bunch of books, written by authors I like a lot (Elmore Leonard, Calvin Trillin, James Ellroy) that had been sitting on the shelves (or in the piles) for a long time. I had wanted to read Calvin Trillin's American Stories long before I even bought it, so I was glad to finally get that done, and to get back to reading Trillin. He's a really great profile writer, and American Stories is a strong example of that. Unfortunately, I think it's out of print, but if you ask nice, I'll consider loaning it to you.

My average dipped a little, as, after finishing the 30th book, I clocked 8,748 pages over 132 days, putting me at a little over 66 pages a day. I'm still pretty pleased with that, though, and quite happy that I haven't given up on this.

Best Fiction Book: Suicide Hill by James Ellroy
Best Nonfiction Book: The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball's Most Improbable Dynasty by Adrian Wojnarowski
Toughest Read: Common Sense, Rights of Man, and Other Essential Writings of Thomas Paine by Thomas Paine
Easiest Read: The Woman Who Wouldn't by Gene Wilder
Number of Books on Loan: 2 (Lost Highway: Journeys and Arrivals of American Musicians by Peter Guralnick and The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball's Most Improbable Dynasty by Adrian Wojnarowski). Thanks, Mike and Mark!
Number of Books Given as Gifts: 1 (Riding the Rap by Elmore Leonard). Thanks, Frank!
Number of Books Signed by the Author: 4 (Not Enough Indians by Harry Shearer, Suicide Hill by James Ellroy, Riding the Rap by Elmore Leonard, and The Woman Who Wouldn't by Gene Wilder)
Book That Was Sitting on the Shelf the Longest: Suicide Hill by James Ellroy. It was the last book in a 3-in-1 Ellroy book (L.A. Noir), and probably my favorite of the three (the other two are Blood on the Moon and Because the Night, if you're keeping score at home, which you are. It's OK that you're stalking me.)

Best Paragraph:

"Why may we not suppose that the great Father of all is pleased with a variety of devotion? and that the greatest offence we can act is that by which we seek to torment and render each other miserable? For my own part I am fully satisfied that what I am now doing, with an endeavour to conciliate mankind, to render their condition happy, to unite Nations that have hitherto been enemies, and to extirpate the horrid practice of war, and break the chains of slavery and oppression, is acceptable in his sight; and being the best service I can perform I act it cheerfully."

from Rights of Man in Common Sense, Rights of Man, and Other Essential Writings of Thomas Paine by Thomas Paine

Book Revku, Vol. 30

I get the feeling
That William and Kate's wedding
Would have bothered him

Common Sense, Rights of Man, and Other Essential Writings of Thomas Paine by Thomas Paine (378 pp.)

Book Revku, Vol. 29

It had been a while
I forgot how good he was
Now I remember

American Stories by Calvin Trillin (294 pp.)

Book Revku, Vol. 28

Not the target group
But I enjoyed most of it
Through frequent cringing

I Don't Care About Your Band: What I Learned From Indie Rockers, Trust Funders, Pornographers, Felons, Faux-Sensitive Hipsters, and Other Guys I've Dated by Julie Klausner (281 pp.)

Book Revku, Vol. 27

If drinking does this,
I think I've made the right call
(The movie's better)

The Lost Weekend by Charles Jackson (244 pp.)

Book Revku, Vol. 26

Another quick read
With a fair number of laughs
That was just OK

Not Enough Indians by Harry Shearer (225 pp.)

Book Revku, Vol. 25

Mostly strong profiles
Of the many musicians
Who have paid the cost

Lost Highway: Journeys and Arrivals of American Musicians by Peter Guralnick (352 pp.)

Book Revku, Vol. 24

A concise Ellroy
That may not be seen again
For better or worse

Suicide Hill by James Ellroy (211 p.)

Book Revku, Vol. 23

So many stories
And so much yelling from Coach
Brilliantly captured

The Miracle of St. Anthony: A Season with Coach Bob Hurley and Basketball's Most Improbable Dynasty by Adrian Wojnarowski (390 pp.)

Book Revku, Vol. 22

Wow, what a surprise!
Another good Elmore book
Consistency's cool

Riding the Rap by Elmore Leonard (294 pp.)

Nobody's Boy: My Further Adventures at Chiller

The twice-yearly "Should I really go and spend all that money at Chiller?" debate began a few months ago when the first guests were announced. It was a strong start, though most of the interesting guests (Susan Olsen, Mike Lookinland, T&R Hall of Famer and the people's Celebrity Apprentice Gary Busey) were people I'd already "met." Of course, since I'd already "met" them, that meant I had pictures with them--pictures I could get signed and lovingly framed so that my apartment can look like a Famiglia pizzeria. And, really, that's sort of always been the goal I've been striving for.

Robert Romanus (Damone from Fast Times at Ridgemont High) was another good add, and the return of Ernest Borgnine, whom I'd passed on last time he attended Chiller, gave me a chance to right a previous wrong and add a signed Marty photo to my collection (see Marty if you haven't, unless you've had a pain-free, love-filled life, in which case you probably won't enjoy it). But I was still on the fence. Then came two big adds.

The first was Tommy Morrison, better known to me as Tommy "The Machine" Gunn (though I did follow his boxing career and was legitimately bummed when Ray Mercer pummeled him). It would be almost impossible to pass up the opportunity to be that close to someone from Rocky V, easily the Rocky movie I've seen the most (note that this does not mean I think it's the best; I assure you I'm not that deranged). Sure, Mr. Morrison is quite possibly crazy now, believing that not only was his HIV-positive diagnosis wrong but also that HIV doesn't even exist. And, oh yeah, he teleported once. I am not making any of that up.

Anyway, if I'm gonna let a person's alleged out-to-lunch craziness stop me from handing over money for an autograph and photo, then, really, this blog's gonna be even duller than it already is. So, Tommy Morrison's inclusion confirmed my appearance at Chiller.

Then, as a bonus, and in a booking I still don't quite understand, Tony Clifton--Andy Kaufman's lounge-singer alter ego that lives on now allegedly perhaps maybe courtesy of Bob Zmuda--was added to the bill. I had no idea if anyone was going to be willing to pay for a Tony Clifton autograph (except me, of course, because I had pictures from Mr. Clifton's Santos Party House show that I thought might look nice signed), but a photo with sounded like an idea I'd be willing to pursue.

And now you know why I went to Chiller last Friday.

***
My first stop after I arrived at the surprisingly uncrowded Parsippany Hilton was at Gary Busey's table. As I walked down the hallway to get in line, I heard a big-boned gentleman ranting and raving about Mr. Busey for some reason, punctuating his disgust by shouting, "And that's why he got kicked off Celebrity Apprentice!" This, of course, made me more eager to get in line to see what Mr. Busey was doing that was so offensive. Unfortunately, two minutes before I got to the front of the line to go into the room where Mr. Busey was signing (and roughly an hour after the show started), Mr. Busey decided it was time to take a break. For about 30 minutes. So I spent those 30 minutes in the room watching Alex Winter (Bill S. Preston from Wyld Stallyns, of course) and Heather Langenkamp (from Just the Ten of Us, or, more important to the Chiller attendee, Nightmare on Elm Street) cordially greet fans and hoping Jake Busey wouldn't ask me (as he did the other people waiting for Papa Busey) if I wanted to listen to his band's music.

Finally, Gary Busey returned and soon I had this to display to my future wife when she comes to my apartment:



And if that doesn't dazzle her, maybe she'll be swept off her feet by my signed photos of Cindy and Bobby Brady:




And, hey, while I'm casually referencing my sad-sack, womanless existence, here's our patron saint:



Ernest Borgnine is the coolest 94-year-old I've ever met. Friendly with everyone (despite fighting a cold) and downright jubilant in every picture I've seen of him with others. You can't see it now, but you'll likely see our picture by the end of the year.

Tony Clifton was a few tables down from Mr. Borgnine and Loni Anderson (and, oddly, right between Pat "Marilyn Munster" Priest and Butch "Eddie Munster" Patrick) and was, not surprisingly, doing almost no business. So when I arrived with my photo, there was much rejoicing among Mr. Clifton and his manager. We reminisced about the Santos show (the longest they ever did, somewhere around four hours...and, yes, I stayed for the whole thing), talked about the Atlantic City show I missed (Mr. Clifton shared a joke he told to scare away the elderly members of the crowd), and generally had a very pleasant conversation, or as pleasant a conversation as you can have with a guy playing a character. Actually, it might have been the highlight of my night. And it's certainly one of my favorite inscriptions on a photo.



And, yes, despite the fact that this isn't Andy Kaufman as Tony Clifton, this picture makes me so happy I can't even tell you.



As I made my way out of the pit, I was stopped by a guy who wanted to know about my interaction with Mr. Clifton, since I was the first person he'd seen buy an autograph from him all night. He wanted to know if he was hurling insults, if he was really Bob Zmuda, and, if so, why wasn't he signing "Bob Zmuda as Tony Clifton," or something like that? He said he just thought it was odd that he was signing as a character and not as a real person. I thought of relating to him that it was odd that we were in a hotel lobby in New Jersey on a Friday night, forking over money to "celebrities" most of the world wouldn't know existed and that we were, in fact, roughly 20 feet away from "Fake Jan" from The Brady Bunch Variety Hour, who was doing a steady business, but I figured that was a little too deep of a thought for the evening.

I soldiered on to the rooms with the lesser-known celebrities (the class structure of Chiller must be humbling for some) and soon queued up behind a guy who became what I assume was the first of roughly 343 people to approach Robert Romanus over the course of the weekend and ask, "Hey, man, you got any Blue Oyster Cult?" Soon after that interaction ended, it was my turn, but I just asked him to sign a photo for a friend and then got my photo taken, courtesy of a woman walking by who, upon being asked by Mr. Romanus to take the picture, said, "Oh, I just wanted to hear if your voice sounded the same." Her mission accomplished, she then took this:



Soon, I moved on to this Chiller's "Yes, for $10 I Will Take a Photo With You Because I Liked You in That One Thing I Saw You In" winner, the one-degree-from-Zabka Joyce Hyser, better known as devoted journalist/male impersonator Terry from the brilliant '80s film Just One of the Guys.



She earned a lustful "She hasn't aged one bit" from a guy I passed on my way out.

And now we come to my encounter with Mr. Morrison. As I approached the table and examined the items for sale (a signed boxing glove [$30], signed red, white, and blue boxing shorts [$50], a wide selection of Rocky V photos [$20]), I recalled the many times I'd been on line behind someone who requested a movie/TV show quote from a celebrity on their signed photo. Sometimes I find this to be a brilliant idea, and sometimes I find it to just be annoying (whoa, I think I just described my life). But I'd never tried it myself. And, since one of the photos was from Rocky V's concluding fight scene and I knew almost every line from that scene, I figured now might be the time.

So, as Mr. Morrison (who, to prepare you, is not looking very good) posed for several photos with what I assume was a dad and his children (or child and her friends, none of whom seemed likely to be either boxing or Rocky V aficionados), I summoned up the courage to ask for a line from the eminently quotable film. And that's why, when it was my turn to get a photo signed, I asked this:

"Hey, Tommy, would you mind writing 'I aint nobody's robot' on it?"

He snickered. And then did it.



So awesome. I briefly panicked a few minutes later when I thought I might have flubbed the line (was it "robot" or "puppet"?...surely he wouldn't know and would just sign whatever I told him), but a viewing when I returned home confirmed the total awesomeness of the above photo.

Less awesome is the photo below, in which Mr. Morrison grabbed the woman he was talking to and said, "C'mon, get in the photo." He told me, "That's my girl," followed by something unintelligible that, if she was not actually his girl but a random woman he struck up a conversation with, I suppose could've been, "Please don't tell her about the Internet." And then the photo was taken.



Those three people will never be in the same photo again. A true collector's item.

And another successful Chiller.

Book Revku, Vol. 21

There's not much to it
But it does have a sweetness
That makes it worth while

The Woman Who Wouldn't by Gene Wilder (167 pp.)

What I Liked About April

*Chiller Theatre, Parsippany, NJ
*Meeting Kaelin Sophia Cash
*The Rangers going home
*Four hours in Ithaca



*Realization of the existence of Mr. Celery
*Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia, PA
*The Mets having a winning streak
*The Predators finally winning a playoff series




*Amanda Shires, Rockwood Music Hall, NYC
*Waco Brothers, Bell House, Brooklyn, NY
*The opening of Barcade, Jersey City, NJ
*The willingness of people with cars to drive me places

33 1/3

Saturday is Record Store Day. There is perhaps no type of store I find more deserving of its own day than the record store (well, maybe the bookstore...hey, why is there not a Book Store Day?). So to celebrate in my own little way, I present my memories of 33 and 1/3 record stores--some gone, some barely hanging on, some doing quite well, but all holding a special place in my heart. Enjoy. And go out to your local record store on Saturday and tell it how much you love it. Buy some stuff too, assuming they don't throw you out after you're spotted confessing your affection for a building.

1. Music Factory, Staten Island Mall, Staten Island, NY (RIP)

This is the first record store I can remember, though I'm not entirely sure I ever bought anything there (I want to say it's where I bought Piledriver (a/k/a The Wrestling Album, Vol. 2), but I cannot confirm that with my memory). But it was located in the sweet spot of the Staten Island Mall, the lower-level Sears wing, where you could stand in one spot and see the Music Factory, Waldenbooks (good for buying the latest wrestling magazines), Farrell's Ice Cream Parlor (with its awesome birthday drum and excellent waffle fries), and the Time Out arcade. It was, as far as I could tell at the time, the coolest spot of land in the entire world.

The strongest memory I have of the Music Factory was not its musical offerings but the posters that hung from the ceiling. As I recall, each poster had a number, and you would give that number to the cashier, who would return with your poster. I remember an awful lot of posters a young Catholic school boy shouldn't be seeing. And, oddly, I also distinctly remember a promo poster (not for sale, though I doubt anyone would've bought it) for Matthew Wilder's "Break My Stride" on the side of the store. Not sure how that got in my brain.

2. Sam Goody, Staten Island Mall, Staten Island, NY (RIP)

Music Factory closed before I ever really got into music, so the Sam Goody (lower level, Macy's wing, next to Lerner, later moved a few stores down) became my go-to spot for 45s. I'm trying to remember the price and coming up with 3 for $1.99, which sounds too low. But there was definitely some sort of 3-for deal. And I loaded up on all the cool songs. You know, like Pee Wee Herman's "Surfin' Bird," The Fat Boys' and Beach Boys'"Wipeout," the Jump 'N the Saddle Band's "The Curly Shuffle." Yes, I was born with awesome musical taste.

In any event, I still have a lot of those 45s. So, thanks, Sam Goody. You got it.

3. Majors Records and Video, Staten Island, NY

This was what passed for the local record store, tucked inside the Pathmark Shopping Plaza. I rarely bought anything there, though, because Sam Goody was so much better (and cheaper). The time I did spend in Majors was mostly spent ogling the VHS videos they had. And I did this for many years before we even had a VCR.

Majors' place in my heart, though, was established on September 11, 2001. That morning, I had thought about going downtown to J&R Music World before work to pick up the new Bob Dylan CD, "Love and Theft." But I figured I could wait until after work. By the time I got to work in midtown a little after 9, the world had changed. So, later that afternoon, after walking through the shocked city on the way to the ferry and then taking a packed boat home to Staten Island, where that awful acrid smell from downtown Manhattan wasn't completely pummeling my nose and there was still some semblance of normalcy, my dad and I went to Pathmark. And, because I still wanted, maybe at that point needed, to hear the Dylan album, I walked into Majors and bought it.

One of many times a record store came to the rescue.

4. Sam Goody, Woodbridge Center Mall, Woodbridge, NJ (RIP)

Holidays in grammar school and high school meant there were department store sales. And sales in New Jersey were even better because there was less tax. And so my mom would head to the Woodbridge Center Mall to grab some bargains at Stern's while I roamed the mall in search of music, books, and wrestling magazines. The Sam Goody in the Woodbridge mall was way bigger than the one in Staten Island, and I probably bought a few 45s there, too (pretty sure it's also where I bought Paul Simon's "Graceland"). But my favorite purchase there was the Dragnet/Thank God It's Friday t-shirt I bought when the movie come out. I wish I still had that shirt.

5. J&R Music World, Manhattan, NY

The first record store I truly loved in Manhattan, and maybe where I've spent the most money over the years. It's a shell of what it used to be, but back in the day, it was the place to go to when new stuff came out, or when I needed to buy a cassette quick so I could run over to the concerts in the World Trade Center plaza and get it signed after the show. I also have seen a bunch of cool in-stores there, too, including Joe Ely, which may have actually been the first in-store I went to.

6. Sam Goody (W. 8th St. and 6th Ave.), Manhattan, NY (RIP)

The third in the trinity of Sam Goodys I Have Loved. They also had cool in-stores here, in a large space on the second floor. I saw Jill Sobule there for the first time and remember being absolutely floored by her song "Mexican Wrestler," which I still love.

I also cleaned up here when they went out of business. There were multiple trips involved.

7. Tower Records (W. 4th and Broadway), Manhattan, NY (RIP)

Another great chain store, back in the days when chain stores each had their own unique vibe to them. Just browsing through their country section on the top floor led me to a lot of great stuff. Another place with great in-stores. Two of the best were Dick Dale and Elvis Costello. Also got Lucinda Williams's autograph here, at the end of a very long line. She seemed completely exhausted when I got to the table, so I only had her sign five things.

8. Tower Records (W. 66th and Broadway), Manhattan, NY (RIP)

Forever in my heart, because it was here that I got the Avett Brothers for the first time. I'd seen them before, but they weren't as on fire as they were at Tower. I remember watching them tear into their songs (I remember either Scott or Seth cutting his finger) and thinking that I wanted to see them again immediately. Luckily, they were playing in Brooklyn that night, so that was easily taken care of. The in-store and show came at a time when I needed music really bad, and I will forever be grateful that I was on the second floor of Tower that Saturday.

Aside from that, it was another Tower with a great selection of stuff. I think their country section was even better than the downtown one.

Other in-stores attended there: Emmylou Harris, Brian Wilson, Tony Orlando and Dawn, Marah, and Les Paul.

9. Bleecker Street Records, Manhattan, NY

Still kicking ass. Their CDs are still a tad on the high side, but the real treasures are down in the basement. I've found lots of great records there over the years, and it's generally the first place I go to when I'm looking for a specific album or 45.

10. Generation Records, Manhattan, NY

I have bought a few, ahem, unofficial CD releases there, and a few records downstairs, too (where I also once snagged an advance copy of the Drive By Truckers' Brighter Than Creation's Dark months before it was released). It's odd to say, but I like the sound of the steel stairs as you head to the basement the best. You don't get that sound when browsing online.

11. Coconuts/FYE (51st St. and 6th Ave.), Manhattan, NY (RIP)

Not a very good store if you valued things like a wide selection, good prices, and a helpful staff. But check out the people I met there: Pete Townshend, Leslie Nielsen, "Nature Boy" Ric Flair, Randy "Macho Man" Savage, Spinal Tap, and George Jones. So, yes, I miss this store.

The Townshend signing was, I think, the day after Thanksgiving (he was promoting the CD/DVD release of Psychoderelict). I expected a huge line, but when I got there, there were maybe 10 people there. And the signing was supposed to start in less than 30 minutes. All of us were stunned, but then we found out that people who called the store earlier in the day were told Townshend had to cancel because of a family emergency. Then, somehow he un-cancelled. But it wasn't clear if the un-cancellation was actually happening. Then, as we were pondering this (and watching Psychoderelict over and over again), in comes Pete. I think I went up to the table three times. He signed a card for me, a Who album for my sister, and a Psychoderelict promo flyer for my sister's boyfriend. So I got three Pete Townshend autographs and bought nothing. It was a good day. For me. Not so much for Coconuts or Pete Townshend.

12. Disc-o-Rama Clearance Outlet, Manhattan, NY (RIP)

Back in the days when I would think nothing of bending down, I used to spend hours going through the 49-cent and 99-cent crates here, buying anything that sounded even vaguely familiar. I can't recall everything I unearthed, but I definitely remember taking home a promo CD of Whiskeytown's Strangers Almanac because I'd read an article about the band and they sounded cool. After the CD spent years in the vehicles and apartments of retired journalist Bryan Chambala, it now rests in my collection.

13. Academy Records (W. 18th St.), Manhattan, NY

Maybe my favorite used CD store of all time. If I've spent the most money at J&R, I've definitely bought the most CDs at Academy, likely in the hundreds. I fondly look back on one day when they were boxing up all the 99-cent CDs and selling boxes for like $5 or something. I bought two, and the best of the yield was a Jimmy Sturr CD and Bobby Brown's Don't Be Cruel.

I don't go in as much as I used to, because it makes me a little sad. Their country/folk selection, which used to take up six big rows, is now down to a few dozen. But they do have a good vinyl selection these days, so all hope is not lost.

14. St. Marks Sounds, Manhattan, NY

I first discovered the used CD stores of Saint Marks Place before going to see Sponge at Coney Island High with my sister, her friend, and her friend's sister. My first go-to spot was the place right next to Coney Island High (which I am so bummed I can't remember the name of), but the two Sounds stores (now down to just one) quickly became my favorites. The smaller one (where you gave the sleeve with the liner notes to the cashier, who then went in the back to get you the actual CD) was actually my favorite of the two, though I learned to love the bigger place after awhile.

15. Pier Platters, Hoboken, NJ (RIP)

I was around for the last few years of Pier Platters (because my sister lived in Hoboken), and I'm still a little pissed I passed on the vinyl Last Waltz (with booklet), leaving it for the next time only to find it snatched up the next time. Lesson learned. Buy first, think later.

16. Tunes, Hoboken, NJ

Another of my current favorites, walkable from the office and still with a pretty good selection. If I want a CD the day it comes out, I go to Tunes. Their cheap used CD selection still occasionally turns up some gems, but, back in the day, it was phenomenal. I spent hours going through them, and I don't regret a single minute of it.

17. Curmudgeon Records, Somerville, NJ

Employers of Maybe Pete drummer extraordinaire (and frequent driver of me to cool places) Johnny Macko and the site of another of my favorite in-stores. I also snagged a bitchin' mummers LP and a treasure trove of polka records while I was there. And any place where I can leave with a bunch of polka LPs is cool with me.

18. Rhino Records, New Paltz, NY

Rhino was on the way home from upstate (if we took the scenic route), and its space in my heart was created when I bought my first copies of No Depression there. So, in that way, it's one of the more important record stores in my life. I'd noticed a long time ago that it was gone from the plaza where it once stood, so I was happy to discover last month that it reopened in a different space in downtown New Paltz. And I was happy to spend some money there when I visited.

19. Strawberries, Hudson, NY (RIP)

Conveniently located two doors down from the Fairview Cinema, so after I saw a movie, I would immediately go look for the soundtrack there. Definitely bought the Dragnet soundtrack there. Also bought Comic Relief cassettes there. And, because I feel close to you, I will also let you know that this is the only record store where I purchased a Grateful Dead product, the grey vinyl 45 of "Touch of Grey." We all have our youthful indiscretions.

20. Rebop Records, Ithaca, NY (RIP)

For a reasonably hip college town, Ithaca was not a hotbed of good record stores in the mid to late 1990s. Of the crop, Rebop in Collegetown was the best. They had a good selection of stuff outside the mainstream, decent prices, cool posters you could buy for your wall (I picked up a Bottle Rockets poster, a Whiskeytown poster, and, my favorite, a poster of the cover of The Band's Jericho, with a Peter Max painting of Big Pink). They also came up to campus to sell CDs once a week, and I remember asking them if they had a copy of The Band's High on the Hog when it came out. They said they doubted it (I'm not sure they even knew The Band had a new CD out) but took my number anyway and promised to give me a call. The call came quickly, and they apologized for leading me astray, because they definitely did have a copy. And after a short bus ride, that copy was mine.

21. Sounds Fine, Ithaca, NY (RIP)

The worst of the Ithaca record stores, but the place where I found the first few NRBQ tapes I love, so they get a tip of the hat from me. And my copy of Mojo Nixon's Whereabouts Unknown was bought here. Several years later, after many group listenings/singalongs to "Tie My Pecker To My Leg" and further adventure in Mojo World, a few of my friends and I (mostly my friends; I was the money) started a magazine named after a line in a Mojo Nixon/Jello Biafra song. And 12 years later, that magazine (sadly, minus its "Haircut") still exists. Let's hear it for us!

22. Discount Records, Ithaca, NY (RIP)

Also not a great store, but it was better than Sounds Fine (and right next to Rebop, so it wasn't like you had to make an extra trip). They were good about getting new releases, too, so I would often peruse the racks and try to find something to review for the newspaper (we were on an integrity kick and didn't accept free CDs). I didn't review it (or I don't think I did), but I bought the Bottle Rockets' 24 Hours a Day here.

23. Academy Records, Brooklyn, NY

When I get off the L train, I put my head down so I don't get angered by the hipsters and lift my head up only when I get to Academy Records on North 6th. I rarely leave without something good (last trip: a Shel Silverstein record and a Peggy Seeger/Ewan MacColl record that was signed the next night by Ms. Seeger in Woodstock). I'm still not entirely sure how a record store in Williamsburg has such a consistently good selection of country LPs, but I'm not complaining.

24. AKA Music, Philadelphia, PA

The Reading Terminal Market is the first stop when I arrive in Philly, but if I've got some extra time and I haven't completely stuffed myself, I'll walk off some of the calories on the way to AKA. I've left there empty-handed a few times in the recent past, but I'm hoping that's just because I'm being more selective in my old age.

25. Ernest Tubb Record Shop, Nashville, TN

I have the downtown location (the one by the Opry's cool, too, and they have the Green Hornet) to thank for my Porter Wagoner figurine (and Bocephus and George Jones magnets). And it's also where I picked up my first Elizabeth Cook CD after I saw her on the Opry. Now she's the host of my second favorite show on Sirius, which, sadly, I don't get to hear anymore because my work computer is too old to handle the SiriusXM Internet player. Damn you, once again, Technology.

26. Grimey's, Nashville, TN

I made a point of taking the bus out to the old location on my first trip to Nashville and walked way too long (out of my own stubbornness) to check out their new (well, new to me) digs on my trip last year. Grabbed a bunch of cool stuff (Wanda Jackson 45, Government Cheese and Jason D. Williams CDs) and would've likely done more damage if they weren't setting up for a Ra Ra Riot in-store at the time. Fear not. I'll be back.

27. Vintage Vinyl, St. Louis, MO

Another record store where I saw an Avett Brothers in-store performance. This one was less intense, because they'd had some van troubles on the way to Twangfest and were both quite late and noticeably fatigued. But their van troubles gave me more time to browse through the many, many records, and I found a good copy of Shel Silverstein's Freakin' at the Freakers Ball LP. And, of course, on my last trip, I found Gaye Cox. I'm not sure I want to go back to St. Louis again, but if I do, I'll definitely be back at Vintage Vinyl.

28. Amoeba Records, San Francisco, CA

My favorite of the three, I think. I've certainly spent the most time there. And though there is no more harrowing bus ride I've ever taken than the bus that takes you to and from the Haight, I will gladly brave that journey again the next time I'm in San Francisco (I'm aiming for the fall; please send your donations directly to me).

29. Amoeba Records, Hollywood, CA

Number two on the list. I had a slight panic attack when I was in there and realized that the brick of Griddle Cafe pancakes sitting in my stomach was itching to get out immediately, thus potentially putting a damper on my first Amoeba Hollywood experience. After trying to will the feeling away, I decided the time was now. But I wasn't done browsing. So I stashed my records away, bolted across Sunset to use the bathroom at the coffee place, and soon all was once again right with the world. And my bowels. I've said too much. Let's move on.

30. Amoeba Records, Berkeley, CA

Just because it's third doesn't mean it's bad. I should also note that it is one of only two record stores where I have shopped after a shard of glass nearly took off part of my finger roughly two hours prior.

31. Rasputin's, Berkeley, CA

And this would be the other place. Not only is it the better of the Bay Area Rasputin's, but I also like it better than the Berkeley Amoeba. They've got a great selection of vinyl downstairs, and I bought a bad-ass Steve Earle poster there, too.

32. Rasputin's, San Francisco, CA

My Record Store Day selection for 2010. Their elevator's a little scary, but if a scary elevator ride is all I need to get through to find a copy of Pete Seeger's Goofing-Off Suite 10-inch LP in good shape, then bring on the rickety elevator. And that album's all nice and signed now, so thanks for making that happen, Rasputin's.

33. Angry Mom Records, Ithaca, NY

After a quick visit there last Friday, I am ready to declare it my Current Favorite Record Store (I got two--yes, two--Freddie Blassie records!). It's in the basement of the excellent Autumn Leaves (I bought many cool books from them when they were in the tinier space across the Commons), and it is a testament to how much I love Angry Mom that I now barely even pause to look at the books upstairs anymore. If this store existed while I was in college (there was a pseudo-Christian bookstore--Logos--there at the time; I don't think they even used the basement), I would have developed my vinyl obsession much earlier and thus appeared even less attractive to the young women of Ithaca College. Hard to believe, but true.

33 1/3. Nobody Beats the Wiz, Staten Island, NY (RIP)

Not really a record store at all, but that didn't stop me from spending endless hours staring at their wall of cassettes and racks of CDs while my mom and/or dad waited for me to make up my mind. I am still not a very decisive shopper, but I was worse in my younger days (and I was particularly terrible in video stores; it would take me just short of forever to pick something at Palmer or Blockbuster Video). Still, my diligence paid off at the Wiz, where I distinctly recall buying two of my favorite double-cassette sets, The Last Waltz and The Bob Dylan 30th Anniversary Concert Celebration. I also met Tommy John and Harry Carson there when the store opened, but then some creep stole my Giants yearbook and baseball card in the parking lot as my friend and I were playing.

There are other record stores I could tell you about, but that'll do for now. And, remember, Saturday's the day. But you don't need a special day to shop at your local record store. They'll gladly take your money--and give you good music in return--any day of the year,

What I Liked About March

*A Time to Love pancakes, Griddle Cafe, Hollywood, CA
*The birth of Kaelin Sophia Cash
*Peter Wolf/Kenny White, Mexicali Live, Teaneck, NJ
*St. Anthony's 62, St. Patrick's 45
*Freaks and Geeks/Undeclared Reunion, Saban Theatre, Beverly Hills, CA

*The Pogues/Titus Andronicus, Terminal 5, NYC
*Pete and Peggy Seeger, Kleinert/James Arts Center, Woodstock, NY
*Seeing Dodger Stadium for the first time
*Randy's Donuts, Inglewood, CA
*The Saturday afternoon Brady Bunch/Beverly Hills 90210 house tour
*Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers, Joe's Pub, NYC
*Mom's successful surgery
*Marshall Crenshaw, McCabe's Guitar Shop, Santa Monica, CA
*Sean Avery's battered face
*The willingness of people with cars to drive me places

The 50-A-Day Project: Books 11-20

Well, I failed three times in meeting the 50-A-Day goal. The first time, I just did the math wrong and wound up reading a few pages under 50 rather than, as I had thought, 10 pages over (technically, I read onto a 50th page, but there were a few blank pages in there and I didn't complete the 50th page, so it's a failure). The second time, I ran out of time because I was waiting to meet Pete Seeger, so, you know, some things take priority (though I could've planned better). And the third time, I just ran out of time in the day.

So, I've changed my rules to be 50 pages a day, with the day ending when I go to sleep for the night. There were several nights where I was rushing to get the 50 in before midnight, and probably missing some nuances along the way, so, with the failures already in place and acknowledged, I figured this was the best way to move forward. So, yes, I am a failure, but, really, I don't appreciate you bringing it up, so just get off my back and let's never speak of this again.

I've made it through 5,912 pages of 20 books in 87 days so far, putting me at an average of roughly 68 pages a day. Here are the highlights from books 11 through 20.

Best Fiction Book: Out of Sight by Elmore Leonard
Best Nonfiction Book: The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics, and Religion at the Twilight of the American Empire by Matt Taibbi
Toughest Read: Disquiet, Please: More Humor Writing from The New Yorker edited by David Remnick and Henry Finder
Easiest Read: The Card: Collectors, Con Men, and the True Story of History's Most Desired Baseball Card by Michael O'Keeffe and Teri Thompson
Number of Books on Loan: 1 (Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson). Thanks, Mike!
Number of Books Given as Gifts: 1 (Disquiet, Please: More Humor Writing from The New Yorker edited by David Remnick and Henry Finder). Thanks, Josh!
Number of Books Signed by the Author: 2 (Out of Sight by Elmore Leonard, Silk Parachutes by John McPhee)
Book That Was Sitting on the Shelf the Longest: Either The Great Derangement: A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics, and Religion at the Twilight of the American Empire by Matt Taibbi or The Card: Collectors, Con Men, and the True Story of History's Most Desired Baseball Card by Michael O'Keeffe and Teri Thompson, both of which were worth the wait.

Best Paragraphs:
[from an interview with James Baldwin]

"Let me put it this way: There are so many things I'm not good at. I can't drive a truck. I couldn't run a bank. Well, all right. Other people have to do that. Well, in a way they're responsible to me and I'm responsible to them, you know.
My responsibility to them is to try to tell the truth as I see it--not so much about my private life as about their private lives, you know. So that there is in the world a standard for all of us, which will get you through your trouble. Because your trouble's always coming, you know. And Cadillacs don't get you through it. And neither do psychiatrists, incidentally. All that gets you through it, really, is some faith in life, which is not so easy to achieve."

from P.S.: Further Thoughts From a Lifetime of Listening by Studs Terkel

Book Revku, Vol. 20

Sometimes he is cruel
Often he's funny and smart
A balancing act

The Great Derangement:A Terrifying True Story of War, Politics, and Religion at the Twilight of the American Empire by Matt Taibbi (270 pp.)

Book Revku, Vol. 19

The reviews were strong
So I thought I'd be dazzled
Alas, I wasn't

Swamplandia! by Karen Russell (316 pp.)

Book Revku, Vol. 18

It was just OK
But it's a fast enough read
That I'll try again

Jesus' Son by Denis Johnson (160 pp.)

Book Revku, Vol. 17

Haven't read the first
But this one seems quite padded
Not enough true laughs

Disquiet, Please: More Humor Writing from The New Yorker, edited by David Remnick and Henry Finder (516 pp.)

Soundtracks I Have Loved: The Blues Brothers

Soundtrack: The Blues Brothers
Year Released: 1980
I Bought It On: Cassette
How Does It Hold Up?: Still not one clunker on the whole thing.

Side 1
1. She Caught The Katy
2. Peter Gunn Theme
3. Gimme Some Lovin'
4. Shake A Tail Feather
5. Everybody Needs Somebody To Love
6. The Old Landmark

Side 2
7. Think
8. Theme From Rawhide
9. Minnie The Moocher
10. Sweet Home Chicago
11. Jailhouse Rock

There are other soundtracks I've loved more, but none are as consistently great as the soundtrack to The Blues Brothers. I picked it up sometime toward the end of grammar school (didn't pick it up on the day it was released, because I was 3 and, hence, couldn't likely operate a cassette player), either right after seeing the movie for the first time or maybe even before (certainly before seeing the unedited version, which really sucks the power out of the scene where The Penguin smacks Jake and Elwood around). And it was right around the same time that I bought the Best of the Blues Brothers cassette featuring what quickly became my Absolute Favorite Number-One Song of All Time (Or At Least Until I Own More Than 20 Cassettes), "Rubber Biscuit."

I soon became obsessed with The Blues Brothers, thus adding one more item to the list of Things That Made the Teenage Girl of the Early 1990s Think I Was the Hottest Dude Ever. A lot of guys would have just stopped at putting on an uncomfortable amount of weight and being obsessed with professional wrestling, but I went a step further, declaring my favorite band was a cover band from a decade-old movie. It is this devotion to thoroughness that has served me well throughout my life.

Of course, calling the Blues Brothers a cover band is a little unfair, because, while they didn't do originals and, thus, easily fill the bill of being a cover band, the guys in the cover band--Steve Cropper and Donald "Duck" Dunn of Booker T and the MGs, Matt "Guitar" Murphy, "Blue" Lou Marini, Alan "Mr. Fabulous" Rubin, Tom "Bones" Malone, Willie "Too Big" Hall, and Murphy Dunne (replacing Paul Shaffer in the movie)--were pretty phenomenal. And therein lies the greatness of the Blues Brothers. If Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi have a mediocre band behind them, the whole thing falls flat. But the fact that they've got a top-flight group behind them elevates the project from a well-meaning goof to something worth hearing over 30 years later.

There's not a bad moment on the soundtrack (the closest are, I guess, the "Peter Gunn Theme," "She Caught the Katy," and "Jailhouse Rock," which would easily be the three best songs on any other soundtrack), so it's hard to single out the best moments. But, hey, let's try to at least get the top three in line. And let's go with Ray Charles first.



What? You prefer Aretha? OK. Get some dry white toast and four fried chickens and enjoy this little snippet, which cuts off the song but features all of the fantastic acting chops of Matt "Guitar" Murphy, criminally overlooked by the Academy in 1980.



And long before he played the last song Apollo Creed would ever hear, James Brown established his movie soundtrack cred with "The Old Landmark." It's one of the greatest music scenes in movie history. See the light.



And it's not just the guests that provide all the good stuff on the soundtrack (though I should also give props to Cab Calloway's "Minnie the Moocher"). The opening to the gig at the Palace Hotel Ballroom, "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" (preceded by the non-soundtrack "I Can't Turn You Loose"), is probably the best of those (then again, the closer to the show was pretty good, too).



And, of course, for those denizens of Bob's Country Bunker (shame on you for not letting them finish "Gimme Some Lovin'"), here's your top jam (though you also dug this non-soundtrack number).



The Blues Brothers' legacy has taken some hits over the years (let us mention Blues Brothers 2000 here and never speak of it again), but the soundtrack still stands tall as one of the all-time best. And it led me--and likely many others--to gain a greater appreciation for and love of the blues (kudos also to the criminally soundtrack-less Adventures in Babysitting and Albert Collins for that). So, thanks, Jake, Elwood, and the boys. Your mission from God was a success.

Book Revku, Vol. 16

Being Johnny's kid
Is harder than you might think
She's doing her best

Always Been There: Rosanne Cash, "The List," and the Spirit of Southern Music by Michael Streissguth

Book Revku, Vol. 15

One piece of cardboard
Can make people lose their minds
And spend lots of loot

The Card: Collectors, Con Men, and the True Story of History's Most Desired Baseball Card by Michael O'Keeffe and Teri Thompson (217 pp.)

Book Revku, Vol. 14

It's a fine idea
But it needed a bit more
Still, some good stories

Right by Her Roots: Americana Women and Their Songs by Jewly Hight (204 pp.)

Book Revku, Vol. 13

He brings you right in
And makes it look so easy
It should be a crime

Out of Sight by Elmore Leonard (296 pp.)

What I Liked About February

*The Mummers Show of Shows, Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ
*Todd Snider and Keith Christopher, Club Helsinki, Hudson, NY
*The inaugural Tuesday Night Pizza Party
*Bob Dylan, The Avett Brothers, and Mumford & Sons on the Grammy Awards

*Pecan coconut banana bread French toast, Sweet Sue's, Phoenicia, NY
*Hanging with the Wintringheindls, Oneonta, NY
*Prince, Madison Square Garden, NYC
*The Sunday Blues, Maxwell's, Hoboken, NJ

*David Wax Museum, Joe's Pub, NYC
*Harvest pancakes, Amy's Omelette House, Long Branch, NJ
*Margie Obreza Chetney's two-300-game weekend
*The willingness of friends to drive me places