It sucks being so easily dissatisfied. Yesterday I received a notification that Elvis Costello would be playing Philadelphia’s Tower Theater, where I enjoyed a number of cool shows in my youth and some midnight movies to boot. The Tower is a dirty, old theater that seats maybe 4000 people. It always had a good rock ‘n roll vibe, and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to take my 13-year-old son to see one of my heroes.
“Is he still any good?” my boy wisely asked. He knows most of the classic records, which we spin regularly, but noted that he doesn’t hear me talking about any new releases.
“Well,” I had to admit, “he hasn’t been good for some time, but this could be a good show.”
I saw a recent cover of Rolling Stone magazine featuring an interview with Elton John. “Elton Remembers,” reads the cover copy, as the formerly flamboyant Glam star soberly stares out at me with his million dollar weave and horn-rimmed glasses as humble as those he wore during his 1970 tour introductory tour of America. I have not yet read this article, but I’m pretty sure I know what it’s going to focus on: the continuing process of John putting his rock ‘n roll house in order.
We all know we’ve got strong opinions, weird ideas, and irritating hangups about this thing we call Rock. Further, we may all think we know why we’re guided by our peculiar illusions—and we have no problem holding forth endlessly, jabbing our fingers in the air, and blowing hard to convince others that we’re not fools for believing what we do.
But, really: do we really know ourselves well enough to know why we think the way we do? I say we do not! So when one of us comes forward with a decidedly peculiar position, shouldn’t we endeavor to help that Townsperson better understand the roots of that complex—rather than just try to convince them they’re wrong? Saturnismine, for example, thinks Nevermind is a better album than Revolver. I know Sat well enough to not bother trying to convince him he’s wrong about that. But I think I do owe him the courtesy of my best guess as to why he feels that way. It might help.
But let’s not pick on poor Saturnismine. I’ve got issues, too. For instance, I need somebody to explain to me why I find Al Green‘s secular music incredibly depressing, and thus almost unlistenable. That just doesn’t make any sense—does it? Can somebody help me here? Don’t tell me how or why I’m wrong. Help me understand why I feel that way.
Surely there are others among us with “bad rock thoughts” who could use a helping hand. Come forward, brothers and sisters, and share. We’re here to help you understand. We’re here to help you heal—to help you love yourself again, as we have always loved you.
This very special Thrifty Music edition of Saturday Night Shut-In is manned—and I do mean manned—by founding one of our founding Townspeople, Hrrundivbakshi! Fans of HVB’s Thrifty Music series have long appreciated the man’s trash-picking accumen. Tonight we get to hear a pile of his recently recovered gems the way they were meant to be heard: TOTALLY LIVE, OCCASIONALLY SCRATCHY, AND MOSTLY DEVOID OF NERDY BACKSTORY. Listen to the music.
Mr. Mod’s been telling you since the beginning of this audio feature that we’d be hearing episodes hosted by your favorite Townspeople and friends of the Hall. Tonight he finally makes good on this promise, so lay off his case, OK? Now why don’t you sit back, press PLAY, and crank up the speakers for the next 33 1/3 minutes or so, taking a guided tour through the refuse of our nation’s capital and surrounding towns with guest host Hrrundivbakshi!
[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/RTH-Saturday-Night-Shut-In-14.mp3.mp3|titles=RTH Saturday Night Shut-In, episode 14]
[Note: The Rock Town Hall feed will enable you to easily download Saturday Night Shut-In episodes to your digital music player. In fact, you can even set your iTunes to search for an automatic download of each week’s podcast.]
Buck Munger is one cool dude! Nearly 12 minutes of extensive research tells me that he worked for guitar and amplifier manufacturing companies. Check out his memories of working with Sunn amps and hanging with the likes of The Who, Jimi Hendrix, and The Buckinghams. Our friend Townsman Hrrundivbakshi, who will be hosting tonight’s special Thrifty Music edition of Saturday Night Shut-In, will be happy to read that Billy Gibbons was yet another intimate. I need to see if we can reach Mr. Munger. He seems like the type who would play well in the Hall.
I’ll tell you what: a 13th minute of research led me to this next video gem. Check it out…after the jump!Continue reading »
What’s the LeBron-led Cavaliers of great rock ‘n roll albums?
This Sunday the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers will meet in the Super Bowl despite suffering key losses through the grind that is the NFL season. Above all their meeting is a testament to each team’s depth. The Steelers withstood the suspension of their star quarterback for the first quarter of the season, and the Packers have been starting third stringers owing to a run of season-ending injuries to starters and their backups. That’s depth!
Sports teams depend on depth. There are instances, however, where one player, such as LeBron James with the Cleveland Cavaliers for the first half dozen years of his career, can elevate a team’s overall level of play and make it a contender. Look where the Cavs are this year, their first year without LeBron: last place and in the midst of one of the longest losing streaks in NBA history. That’s lack of depth, but no one can deny the strong team the Cavaliers were with James leading roughly the same cast of characters.
I’ve got this theory about the perfect television show being “5 deep,” that is, having 5 strong characters to carry plot developments, make the transitions between scenes, etc. Most of the greatest shows in television history are 5 deep. A show that’s 5 deep can usually withstand the loss of a key character. Think of Cheers and M.A.S.H. Charlie’s Angels, which was at best 4 deep, if you combine a half contribution each from Bosley and the disembodied voice of Charlie, struggled to maintain its quality as blond cast members came and went. Take a solid drama like 21 Jump Street, which was carried solely by hotshot newcomer Johnny Depp. Depp leaves the show, is replaced by Richard Greico, and the show’s quickly in the tank, like this year’s Cavs.
As with sports teams and television shows, record albums benefit by depth…Continue reading »
