Rock/Food Synchronicity

 Posted by
Nov 242011
 

It's a free-for-all

On this day of thankfulness and engorgement, I bring you a startling tale of rock/food synchronicity, in the hopes that you might share your own, if you have any to offer.

Not more than 30 minutes ago, I finished butchering the hind quarter of an eight-point deer a friend of mine gave me from a recent hunting expedition.  Feeling peckish after all my carving, I set aside a hunk of the beast to tide me over until the Thanksgiving feast.  After setting my venison stew on to simmer, I took my slab of meat, seasoned it with salt and pepper, and seared it in bacon fat.  As I stood there in the HVB test kitchen, gnawing on my gamey treat, the iTunes randomizer coughed up “Free for All” by Ted Nugent.

Perfection!

I wonder how many of you have had similar moments of food/rock perfection.  If you can’t think of any, perhaps you could share your best guesses as to what Rock flavors should accompany the following items from the HVB-and-friends thanksgiving feast:

Paddlefish caviar

Oysters on the half-shell

Oven-roasted Brussels sprouts

Carrots and parsnip puree

Green bean casserole

Turkey with all the trimmings

Venison bourguignon

Pumpkin pie

Red, white wine

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Who Is Most Thankful?

 Posted by
Nov 232011
 

As we prepare for a long weekend of thanks and overeating, let us take a moment to give thanks to a fellow Townsperson for something specific they’ve added to your rock nerd world this year. Thanks of a general nature, such as “Thank you, Mr. Mod, for setting me straight about so many things this past year,” will not be accepted!

I also encourage you to tell me, Who among the following artists is most thankful?

Is it an attractively hirsute Sinéad O’Connor?

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Last Man Standing: Don’t Know Much About Geography

 Posted by
Nov 222011
 

Well, the dust has barely settled on the most recent Last Man Standing but I’ve been inspired start another by a response that tonyola made to the Mod in a previous discussion.

Please name a song that contains the name of a nation in the title. The nation must be a real one, so Atlantis doesn’t count, although it can be one that no longer exists, as in my first answer: “Back in the USSR.”

Once a country is mentioned, it is off the board.

Only one answer per post please.

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The Worst of the Best

 Posted by
Nov 212011
 

I’m pretty sure we’ve discussed “Worst Beatles Song” before. Who hasn’t? I’m curious to know your selections for Worst of the Best of 3 of your favorite artists (beside The Beatles), that is, THE SINGLE WORST SONG from the “classic” era of 3 of your favorite artists. A few important limitations/guidelines follow.

  • To keep the mission ahead productive and informative, focus on the worst possible songs from the prime years of your artists.
  • To ensure that the outcomes of this survey are even more significant and telling, you must rule out songs from an artists’ prime-era universally acknowledged turd. That means no songs from Elvis Costello & The Attractions‘ Goodbye Cruel World, released toward (but not at) the tail end of their great run of albums. (If Townsman 2000 Man is wondering, songs from The Rolling Stones‘ Their Satanic Majesties Request are similarly ineligible, although tracks from Black and Blue are eligible.)
  • Mostly to ensure that the Stones’ 10-minute live filler track “Goin’ Home” is ruled ineligible for consideration as Worst Stones Song, all LIVE tracks are ineligible.
  • Songs written and/or sung by drummers or other third-line contributors are NOT eligible. For instance, the Worst of the Best by my beloved Clash cannot include “Ivan Meets GI Joe” (written, I believe, by Topper) or any of Paul Simonon’s croaked contributions.
  • For purposes of discussion, we will agree that The Kinks‘ prime era ends with Muswell Hillbillies.
  • For purposes of reality checking, Townspeople will reserve the right to call bullshit on another Townsperson’s belief that, say, The Beach Boys‘ Sunflower or Neil Young‘s Landing On Water qualifies as a “prime-era” release. Townsman Hrrundivbakshi, for instance, is expected to draw a reasonable line at the end of ZZ Top‘s prime era.
  • Backwards tracks, reprises, and other clear “F-U!” cuts (eg, The Clash’s “Mensforth Hill,” The Beatles’ “Revolution #9,” The Stooges’ “LA Blues”) are not eligible.
  • Hidden tracks on early CDs are not eligible.

I may be forgetting other limitations I had in mind, but I will reserve the right to make them up as we go along.

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See Me, Hear Me

 Posted by
Nov 212011
 

"You had me at Dick Clark as Hitler."

Once a year I try to listen to my lone Devo album, Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo! I want to love it. I begin to chuckle over it before I even drop the needle. Once I do, however, musically there’s not enough there for me to care about, no matter how much I try. I inevitably skip ahead to get my requisite laughs out of the song “Jocko Homo” before logging onto YouTube to marvel at their videos. Devo videos are amazing!

As an impressionable college freshman I got into The Residents. I bought Third Reich ‘n Roll and Meet the Residents as soon as I saw the album covers, without ever hearing a note of the band’s music. (Actually, come to think of it, I stole both records before ever hearing a note of the band’s music, but that’s a long story I might have shared once and I will probably share once more in the future…) The Residents’ album covers and concepts are amazing! I dig their “classic” albums enough to actually feel compelled to rank their musical output and cite “turning points” in their development, but without the record covers and overriding concepts, what would be the point of ever listening to The Residents? Without the medium of the 12-inch vinyl album cover could The Residents have ever existed? I don’t think so. What 18-year-old kid is going to log into the iTunes Store to sample and download a Residents album?

I’ve never liked KISS, but I’ve got to give them credit for their visual appeal. Sans makeup and pyrotechnics would KISS have been anything more than a “1-hit wonder” like Brownsville Station?

What artists are you attracted to primarily for their visual appeal, even long after you’ve bought and dug their records?

Previously: Music That’s Better With the Sound Turned Off: Devo…

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