Time for Another Listen...

Time for another fun installment of What's on Your iPod? You know the rules: 20 songs in shuffle mode, no skips. I've been very pleased with shuffle mode of late, so let's see what happens...

1. Cheap Trick: Big Eyes Live at Budokan When we first moved from SF to DC and had NOOOOOO money, Charles and I would sing Cheap Trick songs for entertainment. This brings back strangely good memories of the Christmas we tied free pine branches together and stuck them in a crystal ice bucket that we received as a wedding gift. That was our Christmas tree.

2. Rod Stewart: Maggie May Greatest Hits I love Rod Stewart's voice. Could pretty much ignore most of the work he's done, but this is one of the songs I love. And for some reason, it reminds me of driving around Bethany Beach in the rain.

3. TV on the Radio: Tonight Return to Cookie Mountain Right before I got hooked on Wilco -- the night of my first show, in fact -- we were listening to TV on the Radio on the way to Merriweather Post Pavilion. Sadly, although I loved it at the time, I've never got back into it the same way I did pre-Wilco obsession. What a great band.

4. Laurie & John: If I Hadn't Blinked My Eyes Arabella Okay, I admit it. I really like this album, even if it is, as Charles puts it "an emasculating Wilco side project". I don't care -- brother and sister duo John & Laurie Stirratt sound fantastic together. I drive around DC singing along and wishing that I could be Laurie. (Or Sue Miller, but for different reasons, and not the ones you might expect. I'm not going in to this now, because I'll sound weird. More than usual.)

5. The Rolling Stones: Ruby Tuesday Hot Rocks Did you read the book Exile on Main St: A Season in Hell With the Rolling Stones? Don't. It's bad. If you already have, I'm very sorry. Still, this song reminds me of hanging out in the stacks at Wax Trax in Denver trying to decide what to buy.

6. Prince: I Feel for You Prince Ah, high school. And undergrad. Good times...I think.

7. The Beatles: Love You To Revolver I'm pretty sure that this is one of those Beatles songs were certain inferences can -- and should -- be made. Did you hear that Paul & Ringo are performing at a benefit in NY this spring?

8. Elliott Smith: Independence Day XO Makes me think of driving around -- very pregnant with la Mag -- hormonal and crying for no obvious reasons. But I still love it.

9. The Velvet Underground: Cool It Down Loaded Every time The Velvet Underground comes up, I'm glad they're in the rotation.

10. Badly Drawn Boy: Born Again Have You Fed the Fish? This guy. Can. Write.

11. Spoon: Chloroform Series of Sneaks This is another "When we first moved to DC" band...makes me think of walking in downtown DC around the holidays. Also, saw them in a great show at the Black Cat right before they really broke. Charles understood their geeky appeal to a glasses-wearing girl like myself. I guess that's why I have to appreciate his appreciation of The Donnas. Actually, I don't really get the Donnas. Which is to say that I really don't get the Donnas.

12. Special AKA: Gangsters The 2Tone Collection I still love ska. Makes me think of high school. Then I start wondering what ever happened to Buff and Tim and the whole lot of them.

13. The Strokes: When It Started Is This It? You know those bands that you're just a little embarrassed to like?

14. The Beatles: Oh! Darling Abbey Road Fantastic vocal -- I don't know how Paul does it. I've tried to sing along (our secret, okay?) and I sound like an idiot. Grade A.

15. Fun Boy Three: Alone Fame In high school, I had a few musical crushes that I'm not proud of today: Marc Almond (Soft Cell), Robert Smith (The Cure), Boy George (Culture Club) and Terry Hall (The Specials and Fun Boy Three). Now you know. You are now in the inner circle.

16. The Clash: Long Time Jerk Black Market Clash I feel a lot better now.

17. Whiskeytown: Excuse Me While I Break My Own Heart Tonight Strangers Almanac I'm new to this old band. Good songwriting. Good playing. Having said that, a whole day-long folk/country event would make my brain hurt. Also, a lot of this album sounds like a Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers side project.

18. The Selecter: Three Minute Hero The 2Tone Collection This song reminds me of the seasons I spent at Sarasota Opera. I listened to this album a lot. Because hanging out in Sarasota, FL for three months at a time is not as cool as one might imagine, so improving the situation is vital.

19. Sonic Youth: Providence Daydream Nation I have no idea why, but Sonic Youth makes me think of returning home from the beach. Arty, arty, arty. Farty, farty, farty.

20. Grizzly Bear: Colorado Yellow House Have you heard Grizzly Bear? Charles and I saw them do a great show at the 6th & I Synagogue last summer. A head-spinningly great show.

Okay. Once again, no Wilco and only one side project. Weird. I think my iPod gets shy.

holding pattern

You know, I really should be able to think of something to do with 20 minutes.

But I can't.

And, since I've been sort of neglecting the blog (facebook + twitter + hulu = bad), I'm going to fall back on an old standard...

WHAT'S ON MY iPOD (20 songs in order, no skips)

1. Wilco: Should've Been in Love

2. Blur: Out of Time

3. Nirvana: Breed

4. The Strokes: Hard to Explain

5. U2: Do You Feel Loved?

6. Van Morrison: Brand New Day

7. Radiohead: Morning Bell

8. Rick Springfield: Jessie's Girl

9. TV on the Radio: Bomb Yourself

10. The Apollinaires: Envy the Love

11. Sonic Youth: Mary-Christ

12. The Beatles: I Will

13. The White Stripes: Passive Manipulation

14. Weezer: Possibilities

15. Siouxsee & the Banshees: Dazzle

16. David Bowie: Looking for Water

17. The Minus 5: The Town That Lost Its Groove

18. De La Soul: Magic Number

19. Outkast: Dracula's Wedding

20. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers: Here Comes My Girl

I have no idea what my iPod is trying to tell me. Except that maybe I should delete #8. Oh. And I'm old.

Okay. Your turn. What's on your iPod?

Stealing post ideas from my friends...

Okay, two posts in a day. Yep. For real. This one isn't nearly so touchy feely (I'm trying to lead a balanced life.) Post idea stolen from my friend and neighbor, who stold it from someone else...

Go to Music Outfitters and type in the year you graduated from high school (or first year, if still in high school) into the search function.
Retrieve the top 100 songs from that year.
Put the songs you hate(d) in red, italicize the songs you like(d), bold the songs you love(d) and leave alone the ones you either don’t remember or don’t care about.

The Year was 1984. Here's the list. An (i) indicates the song are on my iPod:

1. When Doves Cry, Prince (1)
2. What's Love Got To Do With It, Tina Turner

3. Say Say Say, Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson

4. Footloose, Kenny Loggins

5. Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now), Phil Collins

6. Jump, Van Halen (i)

7. Hello, Lionel Richie

8. Owner Of A Lonely Heart, Yes

9. Ghostbusters, Ray Parker Jr.

10. Karma Chameleon, Culture Club

11. Missing You, John Waite

12. All Night Long (All Night), Lionel Richie

13. Let's Hear It For The Boy, Deniece Williams

14. Dancing In The Dark, Bruce Springsteen

15. Girls Just Want To Have Fun, Cyndi Lauper

16. The Reflex, Duran Duran

17. Time After Time, Cyndi Lauper

18. Jump (For My Love), Pointer Sisters

19. Talking In Your Sleep, Romantics

20. Self Control, Laura Branigan

21. Let's Go Crazy, Prince and The Revolution (i)

22. Say It Isn't So, Daryl Hall and John Oates

23. Hold Me Now, Thompson Twins

24. Joanna, Kool and The Gang

25. I Just Called To Say I Love You, Stevie Wonder

26. Somebody's Watching Me, Rockwell

27. Break My Stride, Matthew Wilder

28. 99 Luftballons, Nena

29. I Can Dream About You, Dan Hartman I have no clue what this even is. It probably should be in red.

30. The Glamorous Life, Sheila E.

31. Oh Sherrie, Steve Perry

32. Stuck On You, Lionel Richie

33. I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues, Elton John

34. She Bop, Cyndi Lauper

35. Borderline, Madonna

36. Sunglasses At Night, Corey Hart

37. Eyes Without A Face, Billy Idol

38. Here Comes The Rain Again, Eurythmics

39. Uptown Girl, Billy Joel

40. Sister Christian, Night Ranger

41. Drive, Cars (i)

42. Twist Of Fate, Olivia Newton-John

43. Union Of The Snake, Duran Duran

44. The Heart Of Rock 'N' Roll, Huey Lewis and The News

45. Hard Habit To Break, Chicago

46. The Warrior, Scandal

47. If Ever You're In My Arms Again, Peabo Bryson

48. Automatic, Pointer Sisters

49. Let The Music Play, Shannon I have no clue what this even is. It probably should be in red.

50. To All The Girls I've Loved Before, Julio Iglesias and Willie Nelson

51. Caribbean Queen, Billy Ocean

52. That's All, Genesis

53. Running With The Night, Lionel Richie

54. Sad Songs (Say So Much), Elton John

55. I Want A New Drug, Huey Lewis and The News

56. Islands In The Stream, Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton

57. Love Is A Battlefield, Pat Benatar

58. Infatuation, Rod Stewart

59. Almost Paradise, Mike Reno and Ann Wilson

60. Legs, ZZ Top

61. State Of Shock, Jacksons

62. Love Somebody, Rick Springfield

63. Miss Me Blind, Culture Club

64. If This Is It, Huey Lewis and The News

65. You Might Think, Cars

66. Lucky Star, Madonna

67. Cover Me, Bruce Springsteen

68. Cum On Feel The Noize, Quiet Riot

69. Breakdance, Irene Cara

70. Adult Education, Daryl Hall and John Oates

71. They Don't Know, Tracy Ullman

72. An Innocent Man, Billy Joel

73. Cruel Summer, Bananarama

74. Dance Hall Days, Wang Chung

75. Give It Up, K.C.

76. I'm So Excited, Pointer Sisters

77. I Still Can't Get Over Loving You, Ray Parker Jr.

78. Thriller, Michael Jackson

79. Holiday, Madonna

80. Breakin'... There's No Stopping Us, Ollie And Jerry

81. Nobody Told Me, John Lennon

82. Church Of The Poison Mind, Culture Club

83. Think Of Laura, Christopher Cross

84. Time Will Reveal, Debarge

85. Wrapped Around Your Finger, Police

86. Pink Houses, John Cougar Mellencamp

87. Round And Round, Ratt

88. Head Over Heels, Go-Go's

89. The Longest Time, Billy Joel

90. Tonight, Kool and The Gang

91. Got A Hold On Me, Christine McVie

92. Dancing In The Sheets, Shalamar

93. Undercover Of The Night, Rolling Stones

94. On The Dark Side, John Cafferty and The Beaver Brown Band

95. New Moon On Monday, Duran Duran

96. Major Tom (Coming Home), Peter Schilling

97. Magic, Cars

98. When You Close Your Eyes, Night Ranger

99. Rock Me Tonite, Billy Squier

100. Yah Mo B There, James Ingram and Michael McDonald

1984 sucked. At least the charts did. I notice there's no Replacements here. Or Bauhaus. Or the Cure. Or Bowie. Or Talking Heads. Or REM. Or the Clash, or Devo or Siouxsee or Specials or Madness or Buzzcocks or Joy Division or Soft Cell or Violent Femmes. Or a whole lot of other great stuff that made me a giant vintage-wearing, black tutu-clad weirdo in high school. Now I'm thinking about high school. Thanks alot, BA.

What's on your iPod, part 3

You can tell when I'm procrastinating (again) because this little bit of humiliation suddenly seems like such a great idea...

First 20 in random shuffle, no skips:

1. A Method, TV on the Radio Confession. I really liked TV on the Radio but we were listening to this album on the way to my first Wilco concert and I've been distracted ever since. Sigh. They're cool. But they're no Wilco.

2. Noise Annoys, Buzzcocks. One of my favorite bands from high school. Got to see them at 9:30 Club a few years ago, and we had to leave because it was so painfully loud. But I still like them.

3. All the Nasties, Elton John. Enough said, Tiny Dancer.

4. You Were Right, Badly Drawn Boy. I really like this guy and every time that he's come to the DC area, I've been dissuaded by some worrywart who thinks that he can't possibly be as good in person. Sometimes I think I live with an elderly woman.

5. Mr. Tambourine Man, Bob Dylan. Of all the Dylan songs, why this?

6. Higher Ground, Red Hot Chili Peppers. I hate the no-skip rule.

7. Love Reign O'er Me, The Who. Now we're getting into it. This takes me back to rainy afternoons driving around Denver wondering why it wasn't cooler. And pining away for boys who played in punk bands but where obviously all wrong for me. (See? I'm maturing -- perspective.)

8. Sheep, The Housemartins. I gotta delete some of this stuff.

9. Night Walks, Black Mountain. V.cool.

10. Eddie's Ragga, Spoon. We got to see Spoon at Black Cat right before they really broke. Manomanoman, that was a good show.

11. Pale Blue Eyes, Velvet Underground. I don't know why, but I associate Velvet Underground with Sunday mornings.

12. What Goes On, The Beatles. It took all this time for the Beatles to arrive on this shuffle? New record.

13. Nowhere Man, The Beatles. Two-fer! Paul and Maggie can sing this song...almost all the way through. There's something a teeny bit disconcerting about a three-year old warbling this one.

14. The Sky Is Fallin', Queens of the Stone Age. Guilty Pleasure Band. Much like Guns n' Roses. And Van Halen. And Poison.

15. 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover, Paul Simon. I no longer believe that the iPod knows what it's doing. My little sister used to sing this song over and over. Without understanding what it meant.

16. Coma Girl, Joe Strummer and The Mescaleros. I'm still sad that he died.

17. In Between Days, The Cure. High school. I wore black tutus, striped tights, turtlenecks and witch shoes to high school. And that was a subdued day. I'm looking forward to my own children enjoying their uniforms.

18. Glory, Television. Tom Verlaine's voice reminds me of a friend of ours. It's hard to get past that.

19. Reflection, Prince. I really liked this late-era Prince album.

20. Sky Blue Sky, Wilco. How can it take *#@!!&*^ 20 ##*(&!! songs to get to my favorite band?!

Okay, your turn. I have to get down to work now. And I have to get rid of some of the junk on my iPod. It's true. I've actually run out of room.

What's on your iPod? Part 2

It was so fun the first time that I'm doing it again...and I learned about some of you. Hidden depths, people, hidden depths.

Also, I'm procrastinating.

First 20 in random shuffle:

* Outkast, Dracula's Wedding: I love Outkast. I like to sing along when I'm alone in the car, but most of the songs are not singalongs for children and it's really hard to stop singing when Outkast is on.

* Bob Marley & the Wailers, Work: This makes me think of working at Glimmerglass Opera and staying in scary housing with a ghost cat who left fresh pee markings every time I left the creepy old house. Oh, and it was across the street from a graveyard.

* Parliament, Chocolate City: When I was in 6th grade, we moved from NYC to Denver. I got invited to my first party with dancing. I could not dance. Parliament was playing (the song was Flashlight). I was mortified. Shudder...

* David Bowie, Try Some, Buy Some: Let me count the ways...

* Pat Benatar, Hit Me with your Best Shot: Here's my big embarrassment for the day! And you thought it would be that I couldn't dance in 6th grade. Silly you! I like to sing along with this one, too. There. I have no pride left.

* Mos Def, Ms. Fat Booty: Not sure if I've even actually listened to this. Why, oh why couldn't something familiar and cool -- like Psapp or Phospherescent or Big Star...even Spacehog -- come next?

* Billy Bragg, A New England: I used to frequent a great show venue in Denver in the early-mid '80s -- the Rainbow Room (like my youth, long since dead). I saw fantastic shows there (Halloween night with the Cure and Siouxsee & the Banshees opening, front row for Psychedelic Furs and Richard Butler singing Pretty in Pink to me -- I was wearing a bright pink '50s cocktail dress with rhinestones, many early REM shows...) Billy Bragg opened for somebody (a band that obviously made a big, big impression). A lot of us would wait out all day for these shows, and Billy Bragg came out and played a one-man band contraption for the crowd waiting to get in. Amazing. And he gets extra points for his work on Mermaid Avenue.

* The Clash, The Prisoner: Also in Denver, I got to see The Clash at Red Rocks on the Combat Rock tour. I tried to sleep in the next day. Unfortunately, I was on the cover of the Rocky Mountain News Sunday edition and many of my parents' friends felt the need to call. I'm embarrassed to say that I had a total Molly Ringwald getup on. I was in the front row, though.

* Radiohead, Optimistic: We have tried to see Radiohead what...four times now? Tibetan Freedom Festival (stopped mid-show due to lightning striking a girl across the field during Herbie Hancock & the Headhunters' reunion performance of Watermelon Man; a 9:30 club midnight show announced at the last minute -- we happened to be in front of the club but had to go get someone at the airport; a field that flooded; and a near miss at Merriweather a few years ago -- what band starts on time? We were stuck in a long line of traffic waiting to get in...made it for the encore). I've given up on ever seeing more than 30 minutes of Radiohead live. Didn't even try this year. Charles thinks he spent time in a pub with some/all of them at Oxford. Call me crazy, but I have a feeling that there are a lot of pale, pasty shoe-gazing intellectual teenagers there.

* The Beatles, Thank You Girl: Yeah, yeah. I know. There's a whole lot of Beatles on my iPod. Actually, I really thought Wilco would be the winner. I may have to rethink my allegiances.

* Neil Young, I Believe in You: When we lived in San Francisco (Haight & Stanyan), Neil Young and Pearl Jam played a free show in Golden Gate Park. It was so loud. I was so annoyed. I was a music school snob. I am an idiot. The Grateful Dead also played a show in the park that you could hear from the Conservatory (19th & Ortega). I may not have been the right person to be living in San Francisco in the late '80s/early '90s...

* The Jam, The Place I Love: Loved the Jam, liked Style Council. Not so big on Paul Weller solo...

* Paul Westerberg, Something Is Me: I swear, he could breathe and I would love it. And listen to it over and over. And be oh so grateful. I am so easy to please.

* Blondie, X Offender: Do you remember when Debbie Harry was a guest on The Muppets? I do. We watched that show every Sunday night. I still can't really figure out how CBGB spawned such a wide variety of acts...

* David Bowie, Queen Bitch: Don't you feel just a little tough but glamorous when you listen to Bowie? My best friend in 7th grade and I certainly did. I still do.

* Chaka Demus, Twist and Shout: Ska, ska, ska.

* Echo & the Bunnymen, Rescue: I can still smell the aquanet. By the way, do you remember the old aquanet can? Long ago, it used to have a wavy top. My dad designed that can. I tried to find a picture on google, but no luck. But I did learn that you can make fairy dust using dried hairspray. So that 15 minutes wasn't a total loss.

* Skankin' Pickle, Turning Japanese: High school. A long trip on the bus from Denver to Muncie, Indiana for the International Thespian Conference. A lot of dramatic teenagers and one teacher. What in the world were our parents thinking? I did meet a great guy there -- Jim from Grosse Ile, Michigan. Jim actually came to visit me in Colorado. For some reason, I couldn't come out of my room that week, and poor Jim spent his whole trip with my mom in the living room. I am so sorry, Jim from Michigan. And Mom, too. I'm really sorry.

* Loose Fur, Carnival Knowledge: Charles tells me that the only reason that Autumn Defense is on my iPod is because of Wilco. I'll have to admit that I never would have picked it up without the Wilco cred. But I do like it. He says you can just imagine the sweaters and Ovaltine (note that he doesn't say "tea"). And poetry books and mumbling. I really like Loose Fur. They sound like the bar band you wish you'd tumble upon in a seedy bar on a winter's night. Glowing review, eh?

* The Who, I've Had Enough (from the Quadrophenia soundtrack) There used to be a theater on Colfax in Denver that did the midnight showing of Rocky Horror Picture Show (more nights that I care to admit...) For a time, they also did Sunday afternoon Quadrophenia showings. Denver in the early to mid-80s wasn't all bad...

So, what's on your iPod? And no skipping!

What's on your iPod?

If you are in shuffle mode, what are the first twenty songs that come up on your iPod? And no skipping past the embarrassing stuff. (My comments aren't necessarily about the song that comes up, so don't email me to inform me that I'm referencing the wrong album/period/whatever. I already know that you're very smart. And stop pushing your glasses up on the bridge of your nose that way.)

* The Specials, Rat Race: In high school I loved LOVED The Specials, then Fun Boy Three. It was really Terry Hall.
* The Beatles, Your Mother Should Know: C'mon. If you know me, you know that the Beatles have like a 98% chance of appearing in random shuffle (even with 4,465 songs currently loaded.)
* The Roots, Sacrifice: Charles gave me this album when it came out. I really want to listen to it, but most of it isn't exactly appropriate for the seven and under set, so I usually have to fast forward.
* Bob Dylan, Can't Wait: Okay, I admit it. I really didn't "get" Dylan until a few years ago. Then I was driving alone one day and his lyrics just smacked me in the brain. I had to pull over, close my eyes and listen to the whole song. Twice.
* Cheap Trick, If You Want My Love: Charles has wooed me more than once by singing Cheap Trick songs. Also, even though they're old (well, older than me) they're still cool and they still rock.
* The Beatles, Revolution: See above.
* Elvis Costello, So Like Candy: High school. I really should go back and thank my friends' older siblings for turning me on to some cool stuff.
* The Police, Demolition Man: You know what I hate? Sting. But man, can that guy sing.
* Outkast, My Favorite Things: Paul & Maggie know more Outkast songs than they probably should. This, however, makes me think of Paul McCartney singing Till There Was You. I bet he got lots of girls on that one.
* The Talking Heads, The Overload: "Stop Making Sense". Best movie date. Ever.
* Gary Numan, Cars: God, I hate iTunes. It allows you to buy old crap you shouldn't have enjoyed so much in the first place. This was Paul's favorite song for a time (it's currently Nowhere Man).
* Billy Bragg & Wilco, Another Man's Done Gone: Frankly, I'm surprised that this is Wilco's first entry on this shuffle. For the amount that I actually listen to Wilco, they should be about every other song here.
* David Bowie, Please Mr. Gravedigger: I'm a great fan of Bowie's later work. He just keeps getting better and better.
* Paul Simon, Kodachrome: Gets stuck in my head for days.
* Sonic Youth, JC: Thurston Moore.
* The Cure, Lullaby: They were -- for a time -- my favorite band. Now it feels like reading the diary of a fourteen-year old.
* U2, All Because of You: I dunno. I hate to admit it, but I'm pretty lukewarm on U2.
* Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nobody Weird Like Me: "Mother's Milk"-era Peppers remind me of moving back to San Francisco when I was 21.
* Violent Femmes, Confessions: Charles and I have very different views of the Femmes, in that I love them. He does not.
* Led Zeppelin, Heartbreaker: For some reason, the string dudes at the conservatory really, really loved Led Zeppelin. Watching cellists and violists try to be cool is funny.
* The Replacements, Nightclub Jitters: Another thank you to the big brothers and sisters in high school.
* Psychedelic Furs, Sister Europe: I love Richard Butler's voice.

(Okay that was 22. The next thing that popped up was Siouxsee & the Banshees, Hong Kong Garden.)

So...what's on your iPod?