27 March 2008

Why I Love R.E.M.: Reason #73

Their brave steps to come out of the closet:




Thank you, cousin Jamey!

While we're in startling announcement mode: There may not be a mix tape ready when you get up in the a.m. Favorite Boy outdid himself with the birthday festivities, and I'm still a bit too swoony to focus on putting the post together. I may get it up by tomorrow evening ... if I don't get too swirled with Swirly Girl, that is.

Don't forget: Accelerate comes out Tuesday, so make plans to line up at your neighborhood record shop early.

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25 March 2008

49 for 49

Today’s my 49th birthday, so I guess it’s time to face the fact: I’m nearly middle-aged.

That's right, I’m going to live and go to concerts until at least my 100th birthday, so I’m not officially middle-aged until next March. Please humor me.

It’s a strange thing, facing the fact that you’ve officially completed the growing-up process and are now headed on the downslope. Will I ever feel grown up? Does that mean I have to start listening to adult contemporary radio?

Let’s not get reflective and doomsdayable. Instead, let’s celebrate with a self-indulgent list.

1. I don’t work on my birthday. I believe it should be a national law — hell, a commandment.

2. I did work once on my birthday, in 1993, as I was flying to San Francisco the following morning. Miserable. No parades, no applause, no balloons, nothing.

3. I will never work on my birthday again.

4. I may forget your phone number, or the type of car you drive, or to get your package to the post office — but I will never forget your birthday.

5. When we reconnected after twenty years, Filegod1 was surprised to learn I still knew his birthday.

6. I quietly celebrate the birthdays of my beloved rock stars by wearing outfits that reflect their personalities and listening to their music throughout their special days.

7. (Why, oh why, hasn’t my neighbor Paste hired me yet? Josh Jackson, please call.)

8. One regular commenter — Renae, the cutie in the blue plaid dress — was at my eighth birthday party.

9. Except for this lovely shot (thanks to the hat and the glasses), I take horrible photos.

10. That’s why you only see the top or back of my curly head.

11. Gawd, I hope I’m really not that washed-out and pie-faced.

12. Nick Lowe and I share a birthday.

13. Favorite Boy and Elvis Costello were born on the same day.

14. If you’re a fellow music geek, you’ll think that’s totally cute, too.

15. I don’t feel old.

16. I feel younger and happier than I did at 39.

17. I guess fifty really is the new thirty. I’m actually looking forward to that decade of my life.

18. Four regular commenters — HollyC, RCofCHS, Filegod1, and Renae — and one (very) occasional commenter (Janice) were at my “surprise” 18th birthday party.

19. Those quotation marks are necessary. My mother let the surprise cat out of the bag because I was moping around over getting dumped.

20. My eyebrows are more gray than black. They’re grayer than the hair on my head.

21. We won’t discuss the gray-to-black ratio on other body parts.

22. Most of the women in my family tend to go blonde instead of gray.

23. I don’t think I can pull off blonde, though, unless I decide to embrace the wallflower side of my personality.

24. I’m currently hoping for the Susan Sontag/Bride of Frankenstein look: a shock of white on the black mane.

25. I have to admit, I like the gray shooting through my hair.

26. So far.

27. I have no desire to be younger, or to go back to a younger phase of my life.

28. I love my age and what I’ve lived through.

29. I just wish my a** had the firm strength of my adult personality.

30. I threw myself one kick-ass thirtieth birthday party. I remember parts of it, too.

31. I ended the party in a completely different outfit — which is interesting when you consider that my duplex apartment had an open floor plan.

32. (Lucky partygoers.)

33. I think I love R.E.M. more than I did most of my lovers.

34. Yeah, I know I’ve written that once or twice (or eighty-three times) — but you should never miss an opportunity to shout about the great love of your life.

35. Their new album — Accelerate — comes out a week from today, so be sure to check in for album updates and tidbits.

36. My 36th birthday was spent with Nick Drake, several bottles of wine, some goat cheese, and meandering drives through the North Georgia mountains.

37. It was my one quiet, reflective birthday — a birthday that marked a new direction in my life.

38. I’ve been at peace and I haven’t been lonely since that March of 1995.

39. I may be 49, but I've lived during six decades.

40. My fortieth birthday was spent in New Orleans — the best place for your fortieth.

41. We dined at K-Paul’s and Emeril’s … drank hurricanes, a lot of wine, a little champagne … hit the voodoo museum and the Blue Dog Gallery.

42. And, appropriately, spent hours snapping photos at the Lafayette Cemetery.

43. (If I were organized, I would have scanned some of those photos for this post … the key word being “If.”)

44. My lips are now enclosed inside parenthetical grooves on my face, as if my mouth is a facial aside.

45. Why do I continue using a magnifying makeup mirror at this wrinkled age?

46. As forty-eight counts out its final minutes, I realize how lucky I am to have my group of loved ones …

47. … the experiences I’ve lived …

48. … true joy for life.

49. Forty-nine is here. Favorite Boy will be here soon. Happy birthday to me!

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21 March 2008

Mix Tape Friday: It's My Party!

And I’ll dance if I want to.

Today’s tape is my birthday party mix. My birthday’s Tuesday, but the celebration begins today with forty-nine favorite songs that get me up offa that thang — you should have seen the dance moves up and down my hall this week! — one song for each glorious year of life.


There’s no big party this year; I’m saving the candles and streamers for next year’s milestone birthday. This year’s celebration will be a party of two. Out of town. With candles and champagne. And probably a bauble purchase or seven.

Since I wanted one tape with my favorite dancing tunes, you’ll see some repeats this week. Added bonus: There isn’t much room for debate since these are *my* favorite dancing songs — although I would like to know some of your favorite get-up-offas.



R.E.M. :: Radio Free Europe

The Replacements :: I Will Dare

Beck :: Black Tambourine

Joe Jackson :: I’m the Man

Andrew W.K. :: We Want Fun

Morris Day & The Time :: Jungle Love

Deee-lite :: Groove Is in the Heart

Pavement :: Stereo

Cloud Cult :: Happy Hippo

The B-52’s :: Mesopotamia

Cameo :: Word Up

Elvis Costello :: Tear off Your Own Head (It's a Doll Revolution)

The Clash :: Radio Clash

Blur :: Song 2

U2 :: Elevation (Tomb Raider Mix)

Elastica :: Connection

The Roots feat. Cody Chesnutt :: Seed 2.0

The Pretenders :: Middle of the Road

The Beatles :: Revolution

Sonic Youth :: Incinerate

Mike Watt feat. Eddie Vedder :: Against the 70’s

Wilco :: Heavy Metal Drummer

Spoon :: Don’t You Evah

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles :: Going to a Go-Go

Soup Dragons :: Divine Thing

The Pixies :: Here Comes Your Man

Prince :: My Name Is Prince

Sugar :: Your Favorite Thing

The Farm :: Groovy Train

The Pipettes :: Dirty Mind

The Jackson 5 :: ABC

Naked Eyes :: Promises, Promises

XTC :: Life Begins at the Hop

David Bowie :: Fashion

Brothers Johnson :: Get the Funk Out Ma Face

Cypress Hill :: Insane in the Membrane

Pylon :: Feast on My Heart

10,000 Maniacs :: Pit Viper

Super Furry Animals :: (Drawing) Rings Around the World

The Gap Band :: You Dropped a Bomb on Me

The Ramones :: Judy Is a Punk

Tone Loc :: Funky Cold Medina

The Whigs :: Right Hand on My Heart

The Raveonettes :: Attack of the Ghost Riders

Kool & The Gang :: Jungle Boogie

Devo :: Uncontrollable Urge

Curtis Mayfield :: Move on up

The Rolling Stones :: Little T&A

George Clinton :: Last Dance

Don’t miss a dance — download the zip file and get your party shoes on the dance floor with me!

Here’s a party favor for you:

R.E.M. :: Supernatural Superserious


Find the Buck: Peter, of course, starts off the tape with “Radio Free Europe” — but there’s a Buck guitar solo in another song. Which one? The first person who guesses correctly gets to suggest two songs for the (very special) April 4 mix tape.

Favorite Boy has been giving me grief about my “Heavy Metal Drummer” obsession. He doesn’t understand why I love this above all Wilco songs; there are, after all, several better ones in the catalog. I just love the happy feeling, the energy of the song — and the lyrics build great visuals in my fuzzy head. And I dance*dance*dance when I hear it.

“I Will Dare” has been one of my favorite songs since Let It Be was released in 1984. Like “Heavy Metal Drummer,” it has great energy — and I always bust out dancin’ on the first note. I also love the line How smart are you? / How old am I? / Let’s count the rings / Around my eyes. Paul Westerberg writes some frickin’ fantastic lyrics, doesn’t he? (BTW, I’m playing “I Will Dare” and chair-dancin’ my chaired ass off while writing this.)

“Happy Hippo” boasts the most fun use of Neil Young ever on record. Who knew Neil could be a dance track?

My Cool Cred: "Revolution" is my mother's favorite Beatles song. The woman can dance when that record is spinning 'round the turntable.

Dance, children. Dance all damn weekend.

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19 March 2008

The Movie Quotes Meme

Meme-rific week continues thanks to the beloved Bad Tempered Barbara, who tapped me for the Movie Quote Meme.

The Rules

1. Here are quotes from 15 of my favourite movies. [Barbara’s Canadian, so she uses the “u” in words like “favourite.” I prefer that spelling, I must admit.]
2. See if you can name the films from whence they were lifted. [“From whence.” Don’t you just love it?]
3. No googling or IMDBing; I'm trusting you on this.
4. I'll post the film names as they’re correctly identified.

Ready, kids? Let’s go to the movies!

1. “What came first, the music or the misery? People worry about kids playing with guns, or watching violent videos, that some sort of culture of violence will take them over. Nobody worries about kids listening to thousands, literally thousands of songs about heartbreak, rejection, pain, misery and loss. Did I listen to pop music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to pop music?” — Rob (John Cusack), High Fidelity [Filegod]

2. “I had tried singing once and they threw tomatoes so after the show I had a nice salad.” — Hedwig (John Cameron Mitchell), Hedwig and the Angry Inch [Barbara]

3. “Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night!” — Margo Channing (Bette Davis), All About Eve [Malcolm]

4. “Let's nuke the bastards.” — President Thomas Whitmore (Bill Pullman), Independence Day [Filegod]

5. “They have to paint me red before they chop me. It's a different religion from ours. I think.” — Ringo, Help! [Bubs]

6. “Dude, I know they were just kids, but we kicked their pube-less asses!” — Jay (Jason Mewes), Dogma [Filegod]

7. “If it had to happen to one of us, why did it have to be you?” — Nicky Ferrante (Cary Grant), An Affair to Remember [Artful Kisser]

8. “I was dreamin'. Dreamin' my d*ck was out and I was checkin' to see if that infected bump on the head of it had filled with pus again. If it had, I was gonna name it after my ex-wife Priscilla and bust it by j*ckin' off. Or I'd like to think that's what I'd do. Dreams let you think like that. Truth was, I hadn't had a hard-on in years.” — Elvis (Bruce Campbell), Bubba Ho-tep [Filegod]

9. “I would be remiss in my duty if I did not tell you that the idea of intercourse ... the act of your firm, young body ... comingling with ... withered flesh ... sagging breasts ... and flabby b-b-buttocks ... makes me want ... to vomit.” — Priest (Eric Christmas), Harold and Maude [Bubs]

10. “Our love for each other was stronger than ever … but I preminisced no return of the salad days.” — H.I. McDunnough (Nicolas Cage), Raising Arizona [Filegod]

11. “It wasn't like they took turns. It was all at once. Every which way. Rather like a marvelous pretzel.” “Ooh. Pretzelingus.”

12. “I'm nice. I really am. Apart from my terrible taste in pie.” — Juliet (Keira Knightly), Love Actually [Filegod]

13. “Oh, l'amour, l'amour, how it can let you down. Hmm. How it can pick you up again.” — Countess DeLave (Mary Boland), The Women [Kat-heel-well]

14. “You know when you hear girls say ‘Ah man, I was so shit-faced last night, I shouldn't have fucked that guy?’ We could be that mistake!” — Seth (Jonah Hill), Superbad [Barbara]

15. “I was taught that my prince would come, and he would be a lawyer, and I would have his children. And on the weekends we would barbecue. And all the other princes and their princesses would come, and they would say, ‘Delicious, delicious.’ Oh, how boring.” — Margaret (Anne Carlisle), Liquid Sky [Sean Wraight]


Since I didn’t include a quote from Clerks, Filegod suggested I include this:




Lights! Camera! Action!
Erik’s Choice’s Erik
Gifted Typist’s Gifted keyboardist, Typist
Pop Culture Dish’s Malcolm
Sprawling Ramshackle Compound’s Bubs
When Will I Use This’ Mathman6293

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18 March 2008

Me in Six

Mathman6293 at When Will I Use This? gave me the best challenge so far: write my memoir in six words. Hell, I’m a Southerner; it takes me eleven words just to say hello. But I need a challenge this week.

The Six-word Memoir Rules

1. Write your own six-word memoir.
2. Post it on your blog. Include a visual illustration if you’d like.
3. Link to the person who tagged you.
4. Tag five more blogs — and link ‘em.

I spend my workday working and playing with words, so you’d think this would be easy. When I knew what I wanted to say, the six words came easily:

Music brought my soul to life.

Worshipping the Automatic for the People-like thingie
(Brighton, 1992)


Hmmmm … which loquacious bloggers are up for the challenge? I tap:

Bliss and Bile’s Chelene has sixed!
The Road Goes on Forever’s Keith has sixed!
Land-o-Lulu’s Lulu has sixed!
Social Zimurgy’s Doc
Scrivenings’ Scrivener

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Let’s Play Crazy 8s!

Miss Alex at Fonzie Sox has been patiently awaiting my response to her meme tag — and this is a fun one: Crazy 8s.


8 Things I’m Passionate About
I’m a deep one, aren’t I?
1. R.E.M.
2. My friends
3. Music
4. Baubles
5. Travel
6. Kissing
7. Beautifully written books, beautifully directed movies
8. Laughter


8 Things I Want to Do Before I Die
I posted a similar list a couple of years ago; some things have changed.
1. Drive across the country without a planned itinerary
2. Write a novel and have it published
3. Live in another city
4. Learn how to play guitar
5. Skydive
6. Travel to Australia and Asia
7. BFF Rob Sheffield
8. Party with the NYC bloggers … the Chicago bloggers … the Toronto bloggers … and everyone in between


8 Things I Often Say
I’m a deep one, aren’t I?
1. “It’s baublicious!”
2. “I love R.E.M.”
3. “I’m sorry; I didn’t mean to crash into you.”
4. “He curls my toes.”
5. “I adore Michael Stipe.”
6. “One more swirl, please.”
7. “Ohg*ddammit!” [cursed whenever I drop something or bump into something.]
8. “That’s Peter Buck playing guitar on this song.”


8 Books I’ve Read Recently
I don’t read much during annual report season, so I’m listing some of my 2007 faves.
1. Love Is a Mix Tape, Rob Sheffield
2. I’ll Sleep When I’m Dead: The Dirty Life and Times of Warren Zevon, Crystal Zevon
3. By George, Wesley Stace
4. An Arsonist's Guide to Writers' Homes in New England, Brock Clarke
5. The Yiddish Policemen's Union, Michael Chabon
6. Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul, Karen Abbott
7. Chuck Klosterman IV: A Decade of Curious People and Dangerous Ideas , Chuck Klosterman
8. Becoming Abigail, Chris Abani


8 Songs I Could Listen to Over and Over
These are the songs I play when I need to dance myself into a good mood.
1. R.E.M.: “Radio Free Europe”
2. The Replacements: “I Will Dare”
3. Wilco: “Heavy Metal Drummer”
4. Prince: “My Name Is Prince”
5. The Clash: “The Magnificent Seven”
6. Al Green: “Take Me to the River”
7. The Rolling Stones: “Little T&A”
8. Marcy Playground: “Sex and Candy”


8 Things That Attract Me to My Best Friends
I have the grooviest group of friends you could imagine.
1. Their passions
2. Their senses of humor
3. Their intelligence
4. Their creativity (yes, HollyC, even you)
5. Their fearlessness
6. Their silliness
7. Their feigned interest when I yammer on about who’s playing on this record and who else he’s played with
8. Their undying love for and loyalty to me


8 Things That Drive Me Crazy
I added this one; it drove me crazy that there were only seven categories in Crazy 8s.
1. Closed-minded people
2. People who are too politically correct
3. The use of “that” when referring to a person [use “who,” people!]
4. Dates who are late [Favorite Boy is always early. Favorite Boy is a dating doll.]
5. A verb that doesn’t agree with its noun
6. Wearing sandals without polish on the toenails (it’s a Southern thing)
7. Drivers who must come to a complete stop to make a right turn
8. Unnecessary quotation marks


8 People I Think Should Go All Crazy 8s on Us
1. Coffeypot’s Beloved Uncle
2. Eating Chicken Vindaloo’s Mathdude eight it up … a wee bit
3. Haahnster’s Hallucinations’ MIA Boy
4. Intravenus de Milo’s Tony Alva
5. Rants Raves Life etc.’s Artful Dodger, maybe mixing it up with Mix Tape Girl
6. Some Days It's Not Worth Chewing Through the Leather Straps’ Dad of Skyler eight it up!
7. What I Like About the Universe’s Evil Evil Genius eight it up!
8. Write Procrastinator’s Brown Lightning

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17 March 2008

A Meme-rific Week

I’ve been tagged recently for several interesting memes, and I’m going to try to post every one this week. Work has taken me away from the blogworld for the last several weeks, and I hope a week o’ memes will bring me back full force.

I’m going to start with the easiest: The Middle Name Meme, tagged by the delightful Katie.

The Rules

1. Post the rules before you give your answers.

2. List one fact about yourself beginning with each letter of your middle name. If you don't have a middle name, use your maiden name or your mother's maiden name.

3. At the end of your blog post, tag one person (or blogger of another species) for each letter of your middle name. Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged.

My middle name is GRACE, the middle name of my great-grandmother who helped raise my mother.

G: Sadly, I don’t live up to my middle name. I’m not very graceful. But I’ve been told recently that I have quite a distinctive walk, one I like to think borders on graceful.

R: I have a racy sense of humor. I’m proud to admit that things I’ve said have shocked and embarrassed some of my male buddies — and those cohorts are not weak of heart or humor. (Bet you thought I’d go all R.E.M. on you here, huh? This girl is full of surprises.)

A: I’m an Atlanta native — which is impressive only to those living in this huge metropolitan area since they know how rare Atlantans in Atlanta can be.

C: I love going to concerts. (Wow. Revealing little-known facts about myself is liberating.) In fact, I plan to hit at least five of R.E.M.’s seven East Coast shows in June. Evil Genius is gonna dance the DC grass flat with me; anyone else want to join me? (C’mon, you knew I’d work in R.E.M. anyway.)

E: I have an exuberant personality. I tend to absolutely love and adore things, or abhor them. Imagine freckled arms flailing as I rave about a song, or a person, or the swirl currently in front of me.


Now I tag five graceful bloggers:

  • Bad Tempered Zombie’s Barbara

  • Eskimo Bliss’s Eskimokiss

  • The Girl with Moxie’s Moxie spelled it out

  • It’s a Pug’s Life’s Marni spelled it out

  • Prone to Whimsy’s Flannery


  • Spill, girls.

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    14 March 2008

    Mix Tape Friday: Country Comfort

    Favorite Boy and I recently saw a wonderful photography exhibit of Nashville’s finest singers and songwriters — which inspired this week’s post.

    As I wrote when I waxed poetic about the Man in Black, I’m a Southern girl and I can't help but love country music. I prefer more traditional country music — Cash and Jones, Carter and Lynn, Haggard and Nelson, Twitty and Parton. Seems many of my favorite artists do, too, by this group of covers.

    I’ve wanted to do a tape of country covers for a while. There are some great songwriters, and these interpretations are interesting. I broke one of my rules this week. I’ve included a couple of songs twice — Loretta Lynn’s “Rated X” and Tammy Wynette’s “Stand by Your Man” — because the covers are so completely different.

    Grab a pair of jeans and a longnecked Bud, and enjoy today’s hoedown.


    R.E.M. :: Dallas

    The White Stripes :: Rated X

    Wilco :: 100 Years from Now

    Syd Straw & The Skeletons :: Harper Valley PTA

    Lyle Lovett :: Stand by Your Man

    Richard Buckner :: Lovin' Her Was Easier

    Shelby Lynne :: I Walk the Line

    John Prine + Iris Dement :: (We're Not) The Jet Set

    Teddy Thompson :: She Thinks I Still Care

    Elvis Costello :: He’s Got You

    Gomez :: Wichita Lineman

    Beck :: Your Cheatin’ Heart

    Cowboy Junkies :: Walkin’ After Midnight

    Ryan Adams :: Lovesick Blues

    Chris Isaak :: I'm so Lonesome I Could Cry

    Grant Lee Phillips :: Hickory Wind

    Linda Ronstadt feat. Emmylou Harris :: I Can't Help It (If I'm Still in Love with You)

    R.E.M. :: Jackson

    The Jayhawks :: Ode to Billy Joe

    John Doe :: I Can’t Hold Myself in Line

    Kelly Hogan + John Wesley Harding :: It’s Only Make Believe

    The Mekons :: Sweet Dreams of You

    Wendy O. Williams + Lemmy :: Stand by Your Man

    Neko Case & The Sadies :: Rated X

    k.d. lang :: Three Cigarettes in an Ashtray

    Jeff Buckley :: Satisfied Mind

    Joan Osborne :: Do I Ever Cross Your Mind?

    The Lemonheads :: Brass Buttons

    Lucinda Williams :: You Don’t Have Very Far to Go

    Marshall Crenshaw :: Silver Wings

    The Pretenders + Emmylou Harris :: She

    Calexico :: Casey’s Last Ride

    Jason & The Scorchers :: Lost Highway

    R.E.M. :: King of the Road


    Since you’re clutching that Bud, you probably don’t have the extra hand (or dexterity) to right-click each of these, so here’s the zip file.

    By now you’re possibly shocked that I didn’t include a cover of “Ring of Fire.” Well, I have so damn many, I’m giving the June Carter-penned Cash classic its own subsection:

    Rings of Fire

    June Carter Cash
    Elvis Costello
    Allison Moorer
    Moby
    Cigar Store Indians
    Social Distortion
    Coldplay
    Joaquin Phoenix
    Grace Jones
    Wall of Voodoo
    Country Joe McDonald
    Blondie
    Dwight Yoakum
    The Animals
    Johnny Cash + Bob Dylan



    Have a lovely hoedown of a spring weekend, kids.

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    13 March 2008

    The Week of the Cat

    Today's my second blogiversary! Gifts and wishes and musings of your favorite posts may be delivered via e-mail or in the comment box.

    We started the week with the cat-vatared Tenacious S winning the first mix tape contest. Then everyone’s favorite Barbara, Ms. Bruederlin, posted an important scientific study of human intelligence levels and proximities to kitties.

    Now it’s my turn — because why should I come up with something clever and new when good stuff is readily available to steal and YouTube has anything you want to see? And so I give you Fatboy Slim’s cover of Steve Miller’s “The Joker." It’s kitty-licious!



    Thanks, Beloved Ex!

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    12 March 2008

    Take That, Technorati!

    While it really shouldn’t matter, we bloggers let it bug the hell out of us — those plummeting authority numbers, those digits that make us feel popular in the blogworld. Technorati changed their rating formula so that long-time blogroll position points drop off after twelve months. To fight back (and get Monkey Mucker-like authority rankings), many bloggers are posting their blogrolls.

    Today’s my day.

    If you haven’t taken the time to click and read from my blogroll, blow off some valuable office hours now and check out these great writers. There are some newbies here well work the bookmark.

    All the Way from Oy to Vey
    All Things Dan
    Anandamide
    Baby Got Books
    Bad Tempered Zombie
    Barista Brat
    Beginning to Bird
    Better Living Through Bacon
    Bliss and Bile
    Blowing Sh*t up With Gas
    Cello, Et Cetera
    Chancelucky
    Chez Béziat
    Coaster Punchman's World
    Coffeypot
    Crabapple Cove
    A Daily Dose of ...
    Dating Rules for Sitcoms
    Din of Inequity
    Distributorcap NY
    Eating Chicken Vindaloo
    Eclectic Tales
    Erik's Choice
    Eskimo Bliss
    Everything Is Pop, Pop Is Everything
    Flying Buttresses
    Fonzie Sox
    The Future Is Now
    Georgia on My Mind
    Gifted Typist
    The Girl with Moxie
    Give Me My Blue Blanket!
    God's Own Suburb
    Grabbing Sand
    Grant Miller Media
    Haahnster's Hallucinations
    Here Comes Johnny Yen Again
    Hunting the Horny Back Toad
    I, Splotchy
    The Imaginative Universal
    In Blue Ink
    In Her Shell
    Intravenus de Milo
    Invisible Lizard's Unusual Oranges
    It's a Pug's Life
    Jintrinsique Unplugged
    KatBox
    Kat. Heel. Well.
    KulturFluff
    Lame Stuff
    Land-o-Lulu
    Looking for Taller
    Me and George W
    Melinda June
    Mellow Like Jello
    Michael on Fargo
    The Midnight Cafe
    A Million Miles Away
    Modern Day Hobo
    Monkey Muck
    Mother Goldstein
    My Head Is a Box Filled with Nothing
    The New & Used Records Pop Culture Blog
    Passion of the Dale
    Pezda's Ghost
    Politits
    Pop Culture Dish, Presented by Malcolm
    The Pop Eye
    Prone to Whimsy
    Rants Raves Life and Anything Else That Comes
    Reject the Kool-Aid
    Ribbed for Your Pleasure
    The Road Goes on Forever
    Roaming in the Gloaming
    Rocket Radio
    Savage Distortion
    Save Your Generation
    Scrivenings
    The Shanghai Cafe
    The Simarco Letters
    Sobrietyland
    Social Zymurgy: The Culture of Beer
    Some Days It's Not Worth Chewing Through the Leather Straps
    Some Guy's Blog
    Sprawling Ramshackle Compound
    Str8jacket
    Tanya Espanya
    Tenacious S
    This Too Shall Pass
    Thus Spake Drake
    Tongue-tied Lightning
    The Unending Journey of the Wandering Author
    Unrescuable Schizo
    Wapentake
    Whatever Works Is Good
    What I Like About the Universe
    When Will I Use This?
    Wiggity Whack?
    The World According to Zed
    Write Procrastinator
    The Yellow Stereo
    Yawp

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    10 March 2008

    The Envelope, Please

    It’s the moment all of you (well, ten of you) have been waiting for: the winner of the First Mix Tape Friday Contest.

    Ten brilliant musicologists (or ten classic rock station addicts, or ten brilliant Googlers) submitted their guesses for the original artists covered on the I Wanna Rawk! mix tape. Three correctly guessed all forty, and the rest missed just a couple — so all ten names went into the hat.


    These caused our courageous contestants the most trouble:

    Fleetwood Mac :: Think About Me

    The Rolling Stones :: I’m Free

    Bloodrock :: D.O.A.


    As you can see by the photo below, we followed the regulations set by Roberts Rules of Order, using an actual hat from which to draw the winning entry. You can’t tell it in the photo, but Favorite Boy blindfolded me and spun me around three times (which was strange since there was neither donkey nor tail nearby) before I reached into the hat.


    And reach in I did … to pull out the name Tenacious S! She was one of just three who correctly guessed Bloodrock on the first ballot, so she earned it.


    Ms. S., I will contact you later this week to talk about themes for the March 28 mix tape.

    Don’t fret, kids, there will be more mix tape contests this year.

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    07 March 2008

    Mix Tape Friday: Boys + Girls

    According to Weather.com, it’s going to be a frigid weekend — but my personal forecast predicts a hot and steamy one, as I get Favorite Boy all to myself. And so, in honor of my lovely weekend-to-be, we’re listening to duets this Friday morning.

    Some of these are true duets, some are bands who feature the singing strengths of both their male and female members. Either way, listening to boy/girl duets never fail to please.

    The First Mix Tape Friday Contest results will be announced Sunday evening. One lucky winner will snag the chance to co-produce the March 28 mix tape. Exciting, isn’t it?

    This is the second duet in the mix tape series; Guys and Dolls featured many of the songs you’re about to whine about not being on this one.

    Grab a guy, or a doll, or both … find a dark, cozy corner … and snuggle or frug to these boy/girl-ettes.



    Aimee Mann + Michael Penn :: Two of Us

    The Decemberists :: Yankee Bayonet (I Will Be Home Then)

    Dwight Yoakum feat. Sheryl Crow :: Baby Don’t Go

    Marvin Gaye + Tammi Terrell :: Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing

    Omar feat. Angie Stone :: Be Thankful

    Chumbawamba :: Tubthumping

    Basement Jaxx feat. Me'shell Ndegeocello :: Right Here’s the Spot

    Mick Jagger + Tina Turner :: State of Shock

    The B-52’s :: Bushfire

    The New Pornographers :: Miss Teen Wordpower

    Ronnie Spector feat. Joey Ramone :: You Can't Put Your Arms Around a Memory

    Jonathan Richman + Moe Tucker :: I’m Sticking with You

    Syd Straw + Evan Dando :: For Shame of Doing Wrong

    R.E.M. feat. Natalie Merchant :: Photograph

    Jeff Buckley + Elizabeth Fraser :: All Flowers in Time Bend Towards the Sun

    Buddy + Julie Miller :: The River’s Gonna Run

    Dean Wareham + Britta Phillips :: Moonshot

    Glen Hansard + Marketa Irglová :: When Your Mind's Made Up

    Billy Bragg + Kirsty MacColl :: A New England

    Gregg Allman + Cher :: You’ve Really Got a Hold on Me

    John Prine + Bonnie Raitt :: Angel from Montgomery

    Lyle Lovett feat. Rickie Lee Jones :: North Dakota

    Ryan Adams & The Cardinals feat. Norah Jones :: Dear John

    Otis Redding + Carla Thomas :: Knock on Wood

    The Postal Service feat. Jenny Lewis :: We Will Become Silhouettes

    Macy Gray + Robert Bradley :: Down on Me

    B.B. King feat. Tracey Chapman :: The Thrill Is Gone

    Al Green + Annie Lennox :: Put a Little Love in Your Heart

    Josh Ritter feat. Blake Hazard :: Tonight You Belong to Me

    Warren Zevon feat. Emmylou Harris :: Please Stay



    It’s date night. You’re probably spending your extra minutes primping the hair, shining the shoes. I don’t want to hold you up, so download the zip file and get back to fabulizing yourself.

    Several of these pairings — Aimee Mann and Michael Penn, Dwight Yoakum and Sheryl Crow, Jeff Buckley and Elizabeth Fraser, Buddy and Julie Miller, Dean Wareham and Britta Phillips, Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglová, Gregg Allman and Cher — are (or were) coupled. Rumors still swirl around about Marvin and Tammi; I hope they spent some lovely nights together.

    And that’s all for today. I’m off to get boy favors ...

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    04 March 2008

    Give to Me, Take from Me

    The first Mix Tape Contest is heating up! So far we have about ten people who met the challenge — and there's still time for you to impress us with your rock knowledge. I'll take entries until Sunday at 4 p.m. EST. So far, everyone has missed two (most of them the same two songs), so you still have a shot at the hat.

    Need inspiration? This lovely rock cover should get the brain going.



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