Mr. Moderator

When not blogging Mr. Moderator enjoys baseball, cooking, and falconry.

David Bowie’s “Blue Jean” Is as Good as Anything on Low

Aug 272008

Some of you are aware of my longtime struggles with the works of David Bowie. I’ve come a long way, but there are still issues to explore.

Recently I was discussing the artist with a friend. He’s a longtime Bowie lover–with limits. Although we’ve been generally like-minded music friends for years, we were a bit surprised to realize that, after accounting for his limits in loving this artist, we had essentially the same views on the man, for instance, agreeing that The Man Who Sold the World and Diamond Dogs pretty much sucked and that Let’s Dance was worthy of Rock Crimes.

As part of the discussion on Let’s Dance, we candidly acknowledged the superiority of “Blue Jean”, which was considered a weak lead-off single from Tonight, Bowie’s disappointing follow-up album to his mainstream blockbuster, to anything on Let’s Dance. Then, as is often when the two of us get together, our deep rock discussion on Bowie turned especially candid.
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Frightening FM Programming Trend: “The Rock You Grew Up With”

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 262008

Longtime Philadelphia ROCK station, WYSP, a CBS affiliate, has modified its Modern Hard Rock format to fit some kind of Post-Classic Rock, Hair Farmer-friendly, ’80s demographic.

Hair bands are the thing at rock station WYSP (94.1), which this morning retooled its format, expanding its play list to include more songs from the 1970s and 1980s.

Now billed as “94YSP The Rock You Grew Up With From the ’70s, ’80s and ’90s,” the station will play more from such artists as AC/DC, Def Leppard, Guns N Roses, Ozzie Osbourne, Pink Floyd, Van Halen and Aerosmith. The station will continue to play more recent artists such as Nirvana and Pearl Jam.

The article, from the Philadelphia Inquirer, notes that the station’s new slogan, “The Rock You Grew Up With,” was trademarked by CBS. I wonder if similar CBS hard rock stations have or will soon also change to this format. I wonder how old school Classic Rock stations will adjust now that this new format will be skimming off the “fresh cream” of their programming.

Feel free to sniff and puff up your chest with pride in your satellite radio subscription.

Trippin’: Science Fiction’s Got Nothing on This Experience

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 262008

We recently re-ran an early Rock Town Hall (blog edition) piece by Townsman BigSteve on his visit to Seattle’s Experience Music Project (EMP). I was just in Seattle for a quick weekend work trip, and during my 2 hours of free time I made sure to check out this museum with my own ears and eyes. BigSteve’s piece had me stoked!

My hotel room offered a fantastic view of the body of water and mountains surrounding the city. The city itself was surprisingly unkempt and weatherbeaten, dare I say “grungey,” but the natural setting was impressive. Straight ahead, maybe a mile away, was the Space Needle and what looked like a colorful clump of molten plastic. This was the EMP building.

I thought about taking the monorail over to maximize my 2 free hours, but wisely, as it turned out, decided to walk. A block into my walk, the monorail train I probably would have caught had broken down on the tracks. Fire engines and rescue ladders blocked 5th Street. I crossed over to 6th Street and caught whiff of some doughnut factory. Doughnuts do not smell that good when baked en masse.

Dugout Chatter: Sleepless in Seattle Edition

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 252008

My promised Trippin’ report on my recent visit to Seattle’s Experience Music Project is forthcoming. Until then, let’s get some Dugout Chatter going around some thoughts I had during that trip. As always, your gut answers are what matter. Don’t think too hard!

To recall a question from our last Dugout Chatter, in which I quizzed you regarding the music being played in a Boston hotel’s public bathroom, which three of the following songs did I NOT hear playing in the lobby during my recent stay at a downtown Seattle hotel?
a) Billy Bragg, “Levi Stubbs’ Tears”
b) Brian Eno, “Sombre Reptiles”
c) The Cure, “Boys Don’t Cry”
d) XTC, “Ball and Chain”
e) Psychedelic Furs, “Love My Way”

Does it compute that an intelligent 24-year-old I know would have, in the same conversation, expressed enthusiasm about both the tickets she bought for an upcoming Journey show as well as a series of shows she recently attended by emo-type bands I’d only vaguely heard of if at all?

What’s your favorite album produced by Jack Nitzsche?

What classic garage tune have you finally tired of hearing?

Has any well-regarded band been listened to less in the last 25 years than The Wipers?

Which well-known favorite of a particular Townsperson was on my return flight?
a) Billy Gibbons (per Hrrundivbakshi)
b) Lou Reed (per Mr. Moderator)
c) The Hold Steady’s Craig Finn (per Oats)
d) Peter Noone (per E. Pluribus Gergely)

I look forward to your answers.

FRIDAY FLASHBACK! Trippin’: Experiences with Jimi and Roy

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 222008

Another FRIDAY FLASHBACK! based on my own upcoming road trip. It’s off to Seattle, where I plan on visiting Experience Music Project, the Seattle-centric rock museum that Townsman BigSteve chronicled in one of our earliest Rock Town Hall blog posts. I’d hoped that a monthy Trippin’ series would develop, in which Townspeople would report on their own rock-related road trips, but to date I think this is the only rock road trip report. Hrrundivbakshi did report on a curiously named record store he found somewhere in Japan, I believe, so I’m holding out hope that this series will catch fire yet. Should I make it to EMP this weekend, I’ll be sure to share my thoughts. Now let’s revisit a very cool post!

This post initially appeared 1/23/07.

BigSteve, our Townsman in New Orleans, files the following report from Seattle.

I went to the Experience Music Project yesterday. I thought it was definitely worth the visit, and there was more than enough to keep me occupied for 3 hours. There’s actually not that much exhibit space, and one of the, presumably temporary, exhibits was a commercial for Disney musical product that gagged me. The history of rap exhibit was more interesting, but at least the Disney shit helped keep the busloads of kids away from the interesting stuff. The other useless parts of the museum were the interactive areas – you pay extra, go into a “studio” and `make your own CD by playing with a few computer stations. There’s also something where you pay and end up with a DVD of yourself onstage playing with other people in a band. I don’t know how it works, and I wasn’t interested enough to find out.

There’s a very nice exhibit, I assume permanent, on the history of music from the Pacific Northwest. From the Fleetwoods through the Ventures and Raiders and Sonics to grunge and punk. Lots of posters, artifacts, instruments, video – not enough time to look at it all.

The Hendrix exhibit is pretty amazing. I mean, they have the white Strat that he played at Woodstock, the guitar he was most often seen playing. They have pieces of many smashed guitars. Really I could have spent all day looking at this exhibit alone. They had lots of video of him playing, and then they had many of the outfits he was seen wearing in the videos, and you know how important fashion is to me.
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Paul Weller…As His Music Was Meant to Sound!

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 212008

You may recall in late June the stunning announcement of the coming of a new Paul Weller album, 22 Dreams. As planned, the album hit on July 22, and I was all over it! How could I not have been primed for this release after the press release announced this momentous occasion?

”After As Is Now I thought the time was right to make the sort of record I wanted to make,” says Paul Weller of the creative process which led to his striking ninth solo album 22 Dreams. ”Instead of worrying about anyone else, I wanted to really push the boat out. I think the result is going to surprise a few people.” Surprises have always been part of the artistic vernacular for the man who changed rock forever with The Jam, explored a host of eclectic influences with The Style Council and cemented his position as the patriarch of Brit pop with his legendary solo work. 22 Dreams is the latest chapter in a creative journey spanning 30 years, with material spanning the full breadth of popular music rock to classical, avant garde to funk and spoken word to experimental. In addition to a cast of Weller s frequent collaborators including Steve Cradock and producer Simon Dine, 22 Dreams also features some of the largest beneficiaries of Weller’s incalculable musical influence. Noel Gallagher and Gem from Oasis lend their talents to “Echoes Around the Sun”, a writing collaboration between Weller and Gallagher. Ex-Blur guitarist Graham Coxon appears on “Black River”. The spirit of collaboration and an in-the-moment creative approach have resulted in one of Weller s most spirited works and one that is sure to expand the artistic canon of the one and only Modfather.

To give Weller’s dream album adequate time for digestion, I’ve waited until now to share my thoughts. I’ll share a few other tracks from this album as you read along, but first, why don’t you listen to the lead-off track, “Light Nights”?

Paul Weller, “Light Nights”

I think you will agree this is the way Weller would want you to begin thinking about his new album.

Who Are You?

Posted by Mr. Moderator

Aug 212008

Simple question: What band leaders have been least equipped to face the world as solo artists? In other words, what once-mighty rock visionaries have most struggled with creating meaningful, distinctive music outside their original (or any) band setting? You are encouraged to discuss Why.

Artists like David Lee Roth, who were clearly co-visionaries of a distinctive band, may not be up to the level of discussion that I seek. (If the Stones were to dissolve, the same would go for, say, Mick Jagger or Keef as solo artists.)

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