As my friend said while listening to this song, "AW! Tim Armstrong."
UPDATE: Head on over to Northern Jon's for some awesome Rancid acoustic tracks and a sweet short film starring our boys Lars & Tim.
During the Spanish Civil War, the Condor Legion of the German air force, supporting the Nationalists, bombed the Basque city of Guernica on this day in 1937, an event memorialized in Pablo Picasso's painting Guernica. [Britannica Online]
And if you haven't seen Guillermo del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth, set after the war under Franco, I'd like to encourage you to check it out. I have yet to see its "spiritual" prequel, The Devil's Backbone, which is set during the war.
With the warm weather rolling in and the frolicking and whatnot going down, it looks like everyone's getting into the swing of what will soon be summer, including the great McCrank-- who has 2! (yes, that works in terms of enthusiasm AND math) Sublime boots up. (And some BAD!) Big fucking shoutout in his direction, because it reminded me that I have absolutely shortchanged one of SoCal and the 90s' finest bands by not posting anything of theirs besides "Smoke 2 Joints," which Caitlin wants to go on record as liking, and which is indeed a fine song.
Now, I don't know what kind of music gets radioplay across the country, but to anyone who grew up with KROQ, it was pretty hard not to hear these guys all the time, as they continue to receive tons and tons of airplay during what I've come to realize is comparatively near-- but not quite --perpetual spring/summer. Driving in the sun listening to a Sublime song is definitely up there on my list of Really Good Things To Do. (Something I will not be able to do this summer.) It's something of a shame that Sublime's work has been co-opted by the frat boy scene. Not to say anything against frat boys, I know some very sensible and very nice ones, and I can't deny them good music, but it associates what is fundamentally very good and very clever and very funny songwriting with (alleged) goofy and mindless debauchery. I actually wasn't aware of that association til I came out here. And beyond subject matter, why did that happen? The last time I was at the local jock bar, all they played was Sublime and RHCP. What is it with frat boys and Socal rock?
Anyway, here we go-- my top 5 Sublime songs. I don't think there will be any surprises (ie, as Caitlin says, the "KROQ standards,") but I hope you enjoy anyway.
First, though, head on over to McCrank's Juke for not one but TWO sublime Sublime boots.
5. SanteriaAnd, as a bonus, Gwen Stefani, back when she was cool but not as well made-up, joins the boys on "Saw Red."
4. Date Rape
Justice is done, on all fronts. I don't know what else to tell ya.
3. Doin' Time
Sublime + Gershwin. Maintains the haunting quality of the song and relocates it to a hot SoCal night.
2. April 29 1992 (Miami)
"It's about coming up and staying on top and screamin 187 on the motherfuckin' cop." The difference in the dates (oooh, today is the 26th, I'm so clever) is on account of not wanting to throw out a take that was for all purposes really awesome except the botched date. This is actually neck and neck for number one with. . .
1. What I Got
"The Sublime style's still straight from Long Beach." A perfect marriage of poignancy, swagger, and uplifting-ness, and it apparently samples Too Short, who writes fantastically insulting (read: hilarious) songs about bitches, from what I can remember.
1. "Playboy" by Candy-Coated Killahz
MOKB posted their song "Rich Kids" and then "Playboy," saying, "There might have been a time when I thought bringing back the 80s was a bad thing, but I was wrong. I'm digging the Tainted Love vibe going on in the background." If you liked "Rich Kids," "Playboy" is catchier, sexier, and a hell of a lot more fun. They also just posted the title song from their upcoming release It Factor on their Myspace, so make sure to give that a visit for more. For a different type of 80s sound, check out the Daggers via Mister McCrank's mix tape!
2. "Georgia On A Fast Train" by Billy Joe Shaver [Tramp On Your Street, also avail. on the Greatest Hits comp.]
I posted some Billy Joe last year, but with the vague and possibly completely incorrect impression that new people wander through here every now and then and need to be convinced of Billy Joe's, oh I don't know, genius, I thought I'd throw up one of my favorite Billy Joe songs. If you need more convincing, go read Ken's superb Billy Joe post. Now! Go go!
3. "500 Channels" [m4a] by Choking Victim [No Gods/No Managers]
"Atheotonomist"-with a penchant for Satanist imagery-band Choking Victim, part of the Crack Rock Steady 7 (which also includes Morning Glory, INDK, Leftöver Crack), is known for politically charged lyrics, ska-core, squatting, drugs, but most of all I turn to them for what could be called really loud blah-argh-yell-angry! music. (If you're being a lazy fuck like me.) But anyway. Here's one of what I've found to be their catchiest songs.
4. "Galway Bay" by The Clancy Brothers & Tommy Makem [In Person at Carnegie Hall]
While some kids will grow up only knowing Carnegie Hall as that place where JK Rowling outed Dumbledore (despite writing over 4000 pages, it is something she never managed to explicitly slip in because of, let's face it-- book sales), I'll always know it as the place where this was recorded (and also that place in that joke.) But the real reason I'm posting it (besides it being good and funny and all that) is because besides a brief spasm of classiness the other day, the main staple here has been PBR.
5. "Keep It Simple" by the Slackers [Peculiar] [photo creds & orig.]
The Slackers are putting out a new album on April 29th, and will be performing a set at the Union Square Virgin Megastore on the 28th. "Keep It Simple" is off their second to last release (Boss Harmony Sessions being their last.) I have a big fucken crush on Vic Ruggiero's voice. Best lines?
Well, maybe I’ll take myself
On down to the river
And throw myself off the dock
When you
See my body floatin’ on by
You can
Throw me down a wreath
Then you can send my bleedin’ heart off the Washington
Attention: Commander In Chief
The video alternates between excited hungry kids and Ms Peachez waving raw chickens and chicken parts around, cooking chicken, and saying something I can't quite catch but doing it in a Jackée voice/gesture. (Same thing happens in "Ms Peachez In the Tub.") Besides being catchier than Soulja Boy (remember those wacky prison folk?), it makes me, as does anything with pictures of food, commercials included, want to eat. Ms Peachez is a character created by a Shreveport man who is, according to an insightful post, participating in
[Jose Munoz’s] theory of disidentification [when] somebody performs the societal expectations (negative) of their identity(ies) and through their performance they take control of the image and twist it however they’d like. Most often into a positive image; at least one that interrogates the image. [em. added]
I'd be quite interested to see who is complaining about the racist tones. I feel that in the end, it really is a matter of taking charge of one's own identity, handily done in the video with full awareness of that sense of ownership, and when racism is not in the intent (which I am going to assume is the case), then it is being projected by those who see it, with all the implications upon said individuals and their discomfort issues.
So while I geek out for a second over the cover to Indy 4's soundtrack, available now for pre-order on Amazon and set to be released on May 20, I also want to take a chance to recommend the Indiana Jones books by Max McCoy, and also to warn everyone that looking at the tracklist might give away The Entire Movie, as evidenced by this detailed analysis that reveals what must be a crucial plot point: "The exchange rate in Akator is very good." (No spoilers, don't worry.)
Here's some music to read to, if you decide to read what I'll admit is a B's been up since 8am reading about the Reformation and drinking tea and is clearly addlepated-type Post, but regardless- the End Credits from The Last Crusade, here ya go.
John Williams - End Credits (Raiders March) | ||
Found at skreemr.com |
Anyway, McCoy's books featured the (a?) Crystal Skull prominently-- and I know there's a word for it (like Rosebud, bete noir or great white whale or something)-- as an artifact that forever eludes Indy's grasp as he traverses the world and fights fascists, dogged by the Curse of the Crystal Skull, which threatens his lady friend (and he can't! have! sex! cos of it!) Indy first encounters it in the first McCoy book, Indiana Jones & the Philosopher's Stone- as in, yeah, the one they sorta-kinda use in the first Harry Potter book. But this one is way cooler. People's skin peels off and stuff, and if that's not enough, the book starts with a fantastic bang- crazy snake, crazy temple, crazy fascist.
There's no rest for our favorite professor, and in Indiana Jones & the Dinosaur Eggs, Indy manages to destroy the whale in the Natural History Museum before he runs off to to Mongolia with a nun and drinks reindeer pee and has to pay bribes to corrupt bureaucrats. He is accompanied by Wu Han, the poor fuck who cashes his check in the first 10 minutes of Temple of Doom after Kate Capshaw sings a Cole Porter song in what must be Chinese.
In Indiana Jones & the Hollow Earth, Indy teams up with some crazy Viking woman and this totally cool kid named Sparks and the most awesome pilot Ever (I'm not joking, he should be made a part of the Rogues), but that's only after punching out a famous bank robber and getting himself stuck in a cave AND fighting racism.
McCoy's run, and the series, ends with Indiana Jones & the Secret of the Sphinx, where Indy totally gets himself stabbed by some crazy Japanese chick while trying to help some lady find her husband. Sallah's in this one, too.
I mean. Really, if you don't think this sounds cool (Nazis! Gangsters! Dirigibles! Thule Society! The Omega Book! Shaitan! Dogs!) you don't like adventure.
It's interesting to see his take on Indy, who becomes more and more cynical as the books progress but is definitely not the cad that he is in the films. McCoy always forms a colorful cast and embeds the stories into the history of the times as well as into the mythology of the series, with a nice emphasis on Indy as a professor, coming to his own in the field. ('His own' being breaking all the rules, it seems.) McCoy also provides an afterword for each book that details the historical setting and facts, and it's here that his writing skills are especially evident. Reading his non-fiction is just as easy and fun as reading the fiction that has come before it, and it's clear that the man has done his research, and all the better for the story and the plot.
McCoy's books have a light-heartedness to them that doesn't undermine the action or the adventure. It's light reading, to be sure, and is crafted as such, but content isn't sacrificed and the pacing is good, the prose precise. As you can tell, I'm infinitely fond of these books and they clock in at about 200 pages, so they're good fast and fun reads, perfect for a few hours reading out in the finally-arrived Spring weather. I also want to recommend Martin Caidin's two books, which are a bit longer and heavier and more dense; his take on Indy emphasizes the academic, and they're also a lot of fun. (Pilots! Dirigibles! Gangsters! Witches! The Civil War! FASCISTS!)
Actual, coherent, exclamation mark-free plot summaries of the books can be found here. Check out in interview with Mr McCoy here. Excerpt below.
Let me first say that I am a big fan of your writings and you are my personal favorite Indiana Jones novelist. The thing that I noticed the most about your work was the Crystal Skull motif that played out beautifully through each of your 4 novels. I was wondering if you had originally planned to include the quest for the Crystal Skull in each novel or if you just spontaneously had the idea to expand the Crystal Skull theme and tagged it onto your novels in the form of prologues and epilogues culminating with Indiana Jones and the Secret of the Sphinx, where Indy finds and returns the skull? (Submitted by Greg)
Thanks. I planned the Crystal Skull episodes from the start, because I wanted a continuing story to play from book to book, and I knew Indy would have to return the skull. But I expected it would play a bigger part in the last book… originally, I had written a time-travel sequence for the last book, but only portions of it survived. Nobody was thrilled with it. They kept saying, “but this is science fiction.” And I’d say, yes, what do you think the other stories are? They aren’t just adventure. Remember when Belloq described the Ark as a “radio transmitter for talking to God?” Now, that sent chills down my spine.
Take one look at the titles of these songs--"Butt Ugly Slut", "Gone Back to Whorin'," and "Fryin' Bacon Nekkid," to name a few--and you think: Okay, a novelty CD, with some good laughs, nothin' more. If that's what you're after, then go ahead and buy this CD--you'll get a lot of laughts. AND if you're lookin' for somethin' more, buy this album as well--because, well, it's not ALL laughs.
Try not to cry when Wade picks and sings "Johnny Cash Has Died." The Kristofferson-esque poetry of "She's a Baby When She Cries" and "Sweet Wine of Sorrow" make these two tunes instant-classics. Even "Horse I Wanna Ride" is a tribute to the days of old, and what makes a man (and a horse). . .
ALL LIKKERED UP is a hilarious, moving, thoughful, intelligent, stupid, ENJOYABLE album. Roger Alan Wade, through brilliant songwriting and a whiskey-tinged voice, has crafted an album where a children's song of living life ("Chicken Song") can be played alongside a classic tale of murder and justice ("Knoxville Girl"). These are songs of liquor, lust, death, redemption, bacon, chickens, horses, female anatomy, and probably some more liquor. Yeah, lots of liquor.
Make sure to visit RAW's Myspace, where you can find his location of choice from which to purchase his album. He just released a new album, Stoned Traveler, in February, which I haven't had a chance to listen to, and he'll be at Hootenanny this summer.
(I'm not. I've never read Bakunin. But Dummy is spineless; if he invests so much into 40s on 40 it means he's never gotten drunk on the steps. Yeah, you know what kid? Figure it out.) Check out The Index from whence these songs came.
Plus, some Words of Wisdom from the Silver Jews.
Silver Jews - Tennessee | ||
Found at skreemr.com |
Pretty boys & girls! All music is for sampling purposes only and should be deleted once a decision has been made. The amount of time this takes varies from person to person, but should not exceed 42 hours. After that, buy it! And support the artist- go to shows, buy direct from them, buy merch.