Song of the Day: George Michael - Freedom (Bonus Video As Well!)

George Michael - Freedom
from the album Listen Without Prejudice

I have also included the music video, HERE,
a juicy bit of yum yum that an old pal sent me. I love it.

I was having a conversation with Rosie the other day about George Michael.

He is, without a doubt, an interesting character - but also an influential character for so many. Think about it: he was one of the first Pop stars to come Out - and that's what this song is all about...the Freedom to be who you want to be without the chains of the industry binding you. Think about all the teens and adults he affected, who he encouraged to be who they needed to be? He's considered so complex to his own circle; they all adore him, but all shake their heads...I think part of this stems from the fact that he is actually a brilliant singer, songwriter and composer - gifted, actually; and that he is also considered to be a Bad Boy of the music industry.

We're talking about a man who was picked up in men's restrooms having sex with strangers - a Pop Star who just said "Fuck it. I wanna get laid!" and did whatever he wanted to do. He's had DUI's. He's gotten high.

Basically, he's done what many other rock stars have done except that he was saying "Oh, and by they way - I'm GAY." -- And that really does make a difference, doesn't it? In today's society, still? Even in the music industry, amongst its own circles?

I have a lot of respect for him - and I could care less about what sex and drugs he does because they ALL have done them, he just admits it - and is open about the fact that he's not straight.

All I know is this: when I am down, I listen to this song. When I have needed to get over relationships, I listen to this song. While I have been trying to lose the 35 pounds that I recently lost over the past 6 months, I listened to this song every time at the gym as I hit the last bit of my cardio.

So my hat's off to you, George.

Song of the Day: David Bromberg - Sharon (With An Appearance By the Beastie Boys)

Photo: Jim McGuire

David Bromberg - Sharon

this cut is from a small, but effective, collection - The Player: A Retrospective

So here we have a tune, a fav that I had forgotten about until my pal Jimmy (that sonofabitch is introducing and re-introducing me to music all the time, thank God I met him) laid it on me not too long ago. Bromberg, considered to be a "musician's musician" was the cat that played with all the other dudes that we have come to know and love so well, like Bob Dylan, Jerry Garcia, Phil Lesh, and many, many more - all of whom would come out to jam on his own projects. This song's got Jerry and Phil jamming along with him - which is one of the many reasons why it's so damn awesome (that and the fact that the song is amazing).

Not only was he respected in his own circles and by people of the folk/blues/older rock genre; the respect traveled down and he's influenced people like my sweethearts, The Beastie Boys.


They sample this song in the song Johnny Ryall, which is the first thing I thought of when I was listening to this over at Jim's crib. They sample various parts of it. Considering that Paul's Boutique is considered by many to be the quintessential breakthrough album for the B-Boys in terms of their their ascension to new musical boundaries, I'd say they picked a winner to work with.

David Bromberg has a new album that came out in February called Try Me One More Time, which I have to admit I have yet to pick up - but I will. Not only is it good to support a musician that is coming out to share his roses with the world after a while, but I hear it's a damn good effort. One fellow blogger has posted something about it over at These Things Too, I suggest you check it out.

Sorry I Was Offline....What's Happened to Blogmad????

Some of you may have been trying to get to this site (or, the fact could be that I have no readers and it's all in my mind and I just hit "refresh" like 300 times a week) today and were re-directed to a "website down" site for Blogmad.net.

I was posting the post below about Royal Pink, went to check the site to see how it looked, and to my fucking HORROR was re-directed to Never Never Land - without even getting the opportunity of getting boozed and felt up by Michael Jackson.

Photo: Defamer.com

I realized that something horrible had happened to Blogmad...and that the links on my page that brought some folks here from over yonder were suddenly, like a black hole in space, dragging my ass out to the cyber-fuck-all.

So, I removed them from my html code. Once they figure their shit out, I'll put them back...but until then, I'm Blogmad free, I guess. Sucks, but I'm not going to get re-directed to some blank page for THEIR sake.

If anyone knows what happened, please let me know...I've googled it, but can't find any answers.

Got Sexy?: Royal Pink at Piano's Tonight!

Royal Pink, a chick band that is all about being naughty girls. They ROCK OUT - and like to embrace their sexuality...these chicks put their Pussy where their mouth is. Er...wait a minute...did that come out right????

LMAO

The first time I saw them was at a BUST party in Brooklyn, and they were a hoot. I bought a T-Shirt for chrissake. That's love.

So go on out to Piano's tonight and catch some Girl Sex Power!

Pianos'
11pm $8
Corner of Ludlow and Stanton, take the F/J/M/Z to Delancy/Essex

From the email/flyer I got:
And of course, we do so love our fans coming out and giving a big ol' F.U. to the working world in favour of getting naughty with us that we
are offering FREE CUPCAKES! In addition, we have a door prize: PORN!
We're giving away two naw-tee DVDs: Kama-Sutra: The Secrets to the Art
of Love (including 3D glasses!) and Trial Run: Adventures in Romance
(Baroness von Pink gave Trial Run a trial run and votes it two basses
up!). Pop-punk, pastry and porn: how could you say no?

Lasciviously,
Royal Pink

Song of the Day: Tim Garrigan - Maybe I'll See You Tomorrow

Photo: Dianna Martin

Tim Garrigan - Maybe I'll See You Tomorrow

from the EP Looking Around the Garden

The Village Voice has claimed that "...Garrigan has found hearfelt expression in Dylanesque Americana folk." -- and it's absolutely true. I just wish more people knew. Tim Garrigan is an amazing singer/songwriter/guitarist who has been instrumental in the creative process as a guitarist and co-composer for influential cult favorite bands such as Dazzling Killmen and You Fantastic! of the Skin Graft Records label.

Photo: Dianna Martin

Although Tim would probably kick my ass for not pushing a cut from his latest album Beyond the Ruins of My Mind (which is an amazing album; I have inserted a link to purchase a copy of it over at CD Baby), I always come back to this song from his EP (which you can buy a copy of by going to his website www.TimGarrigan.com and contacting him). There is a very simple, rawness to this EP as well as the sadness of two going down separate paths that really is so, so moving. I remember hearing Tim practice this and play it in clubs and I would always enjoy it, never get tired of hearing it.

It has always been my personal favorite of his tunes (followed closely by Rock n' Roll Shuffle off of his latest album), as well as Oh Baby, It's You.

Political/Environment Roundup: Yes, I'm Still Bitching About the Polar Bears

Photo: www.ClimateProgress.org

Some of you may remember, or notice by looking down a few posts, that I went on a rant (following Suburban Guerilla's lead) about the fact that the Polar Bears are facing their extinction possibly by 2050, or at least by the end of the century.

Interesting, that although it just really came out in the media about this, ClimateProgress.org wrote a great post about it back in December of 2006.

I'm making another little ditty about this horrific problem, however, because Care2.com, the "Save the (fill in the blank)" site that often puts together petitions about the environment and other issues and then sends them off to people in congress has put one together concerning this issue...

You can check it out HERE.

Although many of us think that signing our name to something doesn't mean a damn, especially in light of elections that seem weird and voting machines that find their way in people's trunks...but everyone's opinion matters - if they make it heard.

If I'm going to sit here and bitch about the Polar Bears, at least I feel like I'm doing something about it. Anyway, go check out Care2's site; they have everything from Save a Critter to Breast Cancer. They fill up my inbox with tons of mail, and to be honest, a lot of it I don't have time to read - but this one, I did.

Song of the Day: Supertramp - The Logical Song

Photo: www.TheLogicalWeb.com

Supertramp - The Logical Song

from the album Breakfast in America

I remember that even as a 7 year old, I had questions about life that lots of other seven-year-olds did not fancy about. I was a precocious child, overweight, who spent more time alone reading and listening to music and talking to imaginary friends and dolls than other children. I remember listening to this on the radio - and since this was out in '79, and it was playing a lot, I must have been seven when I started listening to it. However, at least in NYC, there was a station I listened to when I was 10-12 that also played it frequently; perhaps the DJ was being indulgent and really dug on Supertramp or this song. I dunno.

I DO know this: this song resonated with me. I would record it off the radio onto my tape deck and then play it over and over, singing along in the mirror. The words "I know it sounds absurd...but please tell me who I am! Who I am! Who I am!" were so important to me...for they lay at the foundation of all my questions: why I felt I was different than so many of the other kids; why I had so many questions about life; why I felt like I was on a different path out in the Twilight Zone with only Rod Serling for a guide.



The only difference between then and now is that I have many friends and acquaintances, and my imaginary friends I use in my acting. I am no longer fat (thank you, Nutrisystem), and I enjoy the company of people as much as being alone.
But my questions about who I am? and what the fuck am I doing here? remain the same - and always will, I assume; and going back to the journey I'm on right now, that I have been discussing as of late while I try to wax philosophical on numerous amounts of bullshit on this blog (and lately it is during the Song of the Day, go figure) I think this song is as poignant for me today as it was when I was standing in front of a mirror, belting my heart out to my stereo, a young kid who never thought she'd be asking the same questions 25 years later.

O.J. : If I Stole It

Let me start off by saying that this past week circus-act entertainment provided by O.J. "Motherfucker, you're going to steal my shit?" Simpson has been, for me, absolutely glorious. Any way that that crazy asswipe who got away with murdering two people can get into any kind of difficulty with the police is just another day in amusing paradise for me.

One GREAT place to get your voyeuristic "Watch Simpson Sink Like the Fucking Titanic" groove on is at Defamer.com, of course; Seth Abramovitch is keeping us apprised on all of the Joy.

UPDATE, 9/21:
Just for the record, as anyone who reads my blog knows that I am a rabid fan of Mark Lisanti, I missed the yum yum that he posted earlier about the initial TMZ video - even though I assumed that they had it up somewhere on their site, because those two watchdogs don't miss a fucking thing. All he does is really just post links to the TMZ vids of the O.J. confrontation, but of course adds a little Lisanti groove that made me snort my morning coffee through my nose because I was laughing so hard. As usual.

Song of the Day: Blind Melon - No Rain

Photos: Mark Seliger

Blind Melon - No Rain
from the album Blind Melon

This song has meant so much to me over the years ever since it came out - perhaps because in '92 there was so much going on in my life. Sure: being very young (21 and under) and all that it entails - I was in college at Ole Miss at the time, so I was partying a lot and involved with a young man who pushed my emotional envelope to the limit to say the least. I remember that because several of us were very much into The Dead (I still am, I just don't have a lot of the shows I love so much on cd because they've been lost over the years; I need to start hitting tape traders) and when you combine some of the simple beautiful sounds of Blind Melon with the fact that several of their band came from Mississippi, it's no surprise that this blogger was oftentimes hanging with friends and enjoying this album.



I also found that during the times when I was sad, which happened often during '92, listening to this song gave me some kind of hope to hang my hat on. A joy in the simplicity of being myself - whatever strange creature that was - and is. The late lead singer/songwriter, Shannon Hoon, found a way in his lyrics to bring a natural quality to music when so many bands were trying to go over the top; he made a gentle commentary on the medium of being a fucking human being, plain and simple.

The irony is that listening to his music often made me happier, yet this poor young man had a tempest brewing in his life - which ultimately led to his death by overdose. Like many musicians and artists who lost their lives to their addictions, he was taken for granted by the media (despite Blind Melon going multi-platinum). I suppose I also identified with them - and him - to a degree, for my friends and I were young hippies in the 90's in Oxford, Mississippi...sometimes doing too many substances and also being taken for granted as wastoids when we were really fiercely intelligent and creative individuals.

I suppose, like all of my Songs of the Day, there is a reason why I'm posting this right now; I've wanted to for a week and a half, but didn't get a chance. Change is all around us - and it's not just all around me; I'm inhaling and exhaling it, imbibing its medium. Something about this song helps me make the next steps in life, and so, I hope it does for you...

Then again - and I don't know about you - but I often feel like my life is one big music video of my own making...I just fill in the soundtrack.

This is One band from the 90's that should not not not be forgotten. One really great article on them is the bio above (linked to their name from the B&N website); another is an interview with the band by The Rice Thresher in 1997, part of Rice University. It interviews guitarist Christopher Thorn about their third album, Nico, named after Hoon's daughter, more of a tribute to Hoon than anything else. Thorn has a lot to say about the media's attack on Hoon's character and the band in general: and heartily tells them to go fuck themselves.

I concur.

Check Out This Blog: Overheard Lines

Overheard Lines is absolutely delightful. I have a list of these kinds of things that I save for stories or plays that never get written (okay, let's be more positive: they haven't been written yet). It's basically a site of...well, of overheard lines - of things overheard in passing. You can email them to the blogger and they'll quote you.

Check this site out, it's a hoot.

Jon Stewart to Host Oscars? I Want Ellen Back!!!

Hey. I'm not knocking Jon Stewart - dude's a funny guy. But he just got named as the host for the 2008 Oscars.

I want ELLEN back. If I can't have Billy Crystal, I want Ellen DeGeneres. Bottom line. She's just...funnier and cooler to me. Besides, she's absolutely adorable.

According to Mark Caro's blog, the industry says she rocked, but was too....NICE.

Makes sense. In a town full of sharks, they want someone who's a bit more of a bastard.

Eh, fuck that. I want Ellen. I absolutely adore her.

Song of the Day: Tears for Fears - Head Over Heels

Tears for Fears - Head Over Heels

One great album this is on is Tears Roll Down (Greatest Hits 82-92)


Another fabulous album to catch this cut on is the Donnie Darko Sountrack

I always loved this band. What is it with the 80's nostalgia that I've been grooving on in my Song of the Day for a while? Well, it's really not just recently...I'm a product OF the 80's, man - and although I have extremely diverse musical tastes, I have a lotta love for that decade - the good tunes, anyway, LOL.

After Curt Smith left the band after their third album, they kind of fell off the radar a bit - at least for me - and I know for many others as well.



Then came the movie Donnie Darko in 2001, which brought about a surge of interest in Tears for Fears again, due to the use of the song Head Over Heels (during a really great montage) and a re-make of Mad World. If you haven't seen that flick - SEE IT. It's intense, bizarre, and worthy of its Cult status.

The band got back together in 2004 to record Everybody Loves a Happy Ending, more of a Beatles-esque endeavor that was enjoyable, but somehow missing the angst of what made their previous work together so beautiful. Something about love, depression, emotional upheaval, and the insecurities of the human medium - I think that's what made this band so popular. Their lyrics went beyond sexual pop (not that I'm knocking sexual pop - I'm all about it); and took the listener into murkier, yet more sensually delightful lyrical ballads.

This song is also rather poignant for my life right now...hmm.

Polar Bears Will Be Nearly Extinct By 2050?

I was reading Suburban Guerrilla today (great blog, go read her), and she pointed to an article about the very possible extinction of Polar Bears by the end of the century, with two thirds of them gone by 2050.

The reason? Global Warming burning away the sea ice that the Polar Bears LIVE and CATCH THEIR FUCKING FOOD on. This isn't coming from some radical environmentalist group, either, folks (for those who think that Global Warming doesn't really exist - which I find to be insane); it's coming from the government's geological scientists.

Great job, folks. Polar Bears have been around for about 40,000 years and in a matter of about 500 we managed to kill them off. Aren't we just the über-smart species?

Oh, and while I'm ranting: this is neither a liberal nor conservative argument any more. Although we hear a lot of conservatives ranting that it's not going on and a lot of liberals screaming that it is, truth be told there are plenty of numbers of both parties that are complete assholes when it comes to this topic. Example in point? One of my favorite comedians, George Carlin, will stand there and rant for an hour about how the conservatives are such assholes...and then he'll go into a rant about how Global Warming is a bunch of bullshit. I've seen him do it.

That's why I'm an independent.

KNF - Katherine and Friends: Theatre Worth Seeing

My pal Kelly's NYC theatre company, KNF (Katherine and Friends) has shows running all through the month of September, and they're only $10!!! Go check them out!

They also have a KNF MySpace page.

Support an up-and-coming NYC theatre company that I can guarantee will be a hit in the years to come, as they support playwrights and actors by showcasing great material. I can guarantee that they will take us on a journey!

See you there!

The Dansettes Are Breaking Up? Say It Ain't So!

Photos: Dizzy Swank

One of my newly-named "favorite" bands, The Dansettes recently announced that they are breaking up, much to the horror of their fans (like yours truly). Their manager, Dead Flowers Productions posted the bulletin with the sad news the other day, and my jaw dropped.



I first got turned on to these cats (n' kittens) when Southern Culture on the Skids came into town; The Dansettes opened up for them and really did a great show. So, when they played an extra gig in NYC at the Bowery Ballroom a week or two later, I brought out a small possee to see them:Dizzy Swank, Sha'ron, April and her roommate. I thought their music was awesome; something very much like what I would have played on my old radio show - a blend of R&B, Soul, and bonified groove accentuated by the lovely voices of the ladies, bringing the lyrics of organist/songwriter J.B. Flatt to life.



As you can see, Dizzy took some great pics and you can see the rest of his Dansette Set HERE. There are like two pics on there that I took, but those are just of him, I think...lol

Members of The Dansettes, however, all have side projects and their own musical endeavors that they are grooving on. I know that at least two of the gal singers are also DJ's who spin around town (NYC) on a regular basis, so I recommend adding the The Dansettes and Dead Flowers Productions on MySpace so that you can keep tabs with where they're playing...

Hopefully, we'll hear more from these guys, even if it means it's in a different form. Good luck!

Song of the Day: John Coltrane - A Love Supreme, Pt. 1: Acknowledgement

John Coltrane - A Love Supreme, Pt. 1: Acknowledgement
this cut is from the album Red Hot On Impulse, one of my favorite jazz compilation albums ever. And yes, I've used it before for other songs...

I recommend also picking up the Impulse! album A Love Supreme. This song, as all three songs from the A Love Supreme album include the quartet of Jim Garrison, McCoy Tyner, and Elvin Jones - and both albums deserve a spot in any music-lover's collection. Particularly, if they dig on Jazz.

Check Out Backstage For Our Acting Ad

Flip through a copy of Backstage and you'll find the ad that I posted a few entries below...just a gentle reminder that if you or anyone you know needs acting classes...send 'em our way. That includes teenagers - and that's who I'll be teaching. If you want to check us out, just go to The Ernie Martin Studio Theatre for class info.

And thanks to Churchsign Generator for making such a cool site to whip up such cool shiznit.