The Official RTH Non-Interview with Keith Levene

 Posted by
Dec 122008
 

The first Major League game of baseball I ever attended was a 1973 Oakland A’s game in Oakland. I was 9 and I don’t remember who they played but I do remember that it was “Official Oakland A’s Baseball Night” and all kids received a baseball with the A’s logo on it. Players were available for autographs and I got me some.

Shortly thereafter we moved back to Phoenix. No major league baseball…but we had Spring Training and every year my grandfather gave me season tickets to… the Oakland A’s training in Scottsdale. This gave me tremendous access to gather autographs on my team ball. At the peak I had; Rollie Fingers, Paul Lindblad, Ray Fosse, Catfish Hunter, Ken Holtzman, Sal Bando, Bert Campaneris, Phil Garner, Ted Kubiak, Vida Blue (who insisted on signing with a blue pen), Joe Rudi, Manny Trillo, Billy North, Dick Green and Philly favorite Chuck Finley.

The only other sig I really, really wanted was Reggie Jackson

And I got my chance.

I was at a Spring Training game with my dad and hustled down mid inning to get a hot dog and who should be in line right in front of me…Mr. Reggie Jackson. He was on the injured list that day with a broken toe. My dad was watching me from the back of the top of the bleachers. We made eye contact and without a word he dropped down my baseball and a pen. I flagged the ball and scooped the pen off the ground and asked Mr. Jackson for his autograph as he left with his hot dog and Coke…

“Get outta here kid! Can’t you see I’m injured?!”

My dad was pissed, took my ball and pen and started off for the dugout. I stopped him. I didn’t want that guy’s autograph anymore.

I followed baseball for a few more years. The A’s disbanded, most going to NY, and I tried to become a Yankee fan. But that just furthered the bad taste in my mouth. Reggie, the Yankees and a growing dislike of all things JOCK, put me off baseball for close to 20 years…

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In Recognition of The Day the Earth Stood Still: Klaatu Poses 5 Questions for Earthlings

 Posted by
Dec 122008
 


In recognition of the opening of the major motion picture The Day the Earth Stood Still, a special guest, Klaatu, has entered the Halls of Rock to pose 5 questions for earthlings. These questions can only be answered after listening to the following songs.

Klaatu, “Calling Occupants (of Interplanetary Life)”

Question 1: If this was supposed to be The Beatles, who was supposed to have been singing lead, an infant Carl Newman?

Klaatu, “California Jam”

Question 2: If “California Jam” had appeared on any of those post-Brian Wilson breakdown albums that the brave pop fans among you can stomach, would it have been considered a “triumph of the post-Pet Sounds era?”

Klaatu, “Anus of Uranus”

Question 3: Is the above song’s title worthy of the world-renowned standards of “Canadian humor?”

Klaatu, “Sub-Rosa Subway”

Question 4: For you, does the sound of the bass at the beginning of “Sub-Rosa Subway” nearly single-handedly justify the entire song’s existence?

Klaatu, “Sir Bodsworth Rugglesby III”>

Question 5: If you were casting the major motion picture version of Klaatu’s 3:47 EST album on behalf of Robert Stigwood – and death was not a factor – who would you cast in the role of Sir Bodsworth Rugglesby III (remember, appropriate singing ability should be considered)?

On behalf of Klaatu, thank you, earthlings.

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Billy Corgan: The Limits of Winner Rock

 Posted by
Dec 112008
 

Is it just me, or does this highly entertaining interview with the head Smashing Pumpkin say something about The Limits of Winner Rock?

Energy we can do something with. Apathy we can’t work with. Who’s above us? Who’s lighting the culture on fire? Nobody. We don’t have to live in that world. We have the biggest manager [Irving Azoff] in the world. He tells us we can get there, we will get there. We will crack the egg like we did in ‘92, without doing something embarrassing like working with Timbaland. We will find how to do our thing and make it work. I can write songs. We’re big boys. We’ll do it.

Is this what happens when you treat every single musical endeavor like you’re entering the ring? Is Corgan emulating post-game press conference-speak to an almost ridiculous level here?

Let me be blunt. When Bruce Springsteen puts out a new album I pay attention. Same with Neil Young. Because they’re major artists who have something to say. I consider us in that category. When we do something it should be taken seriously, even when we’re off. If we’re marginalized by the culture, we’re not going to play dead and say thank you for our B-plus status.

Admirable chutzpah, to the say the least, but I want to tell Bill: Saying so doesn’t make it so!

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Your Choices for Worst Song by These Major Artists

 Posted by
Dec 112008
 

Songs from this album are not eligible for nomination.

Sometimes you learn more about people’s taste from what they don’t like than from what they do like.

Keeping that in mind, I’m asking people to post their choices for worst song by each of five key ’60s/’70s artists. The only caveat is that the songs should be from the prime parts of their career (ie, nothing from Empire Burlesque from Dylan, no ’90s Stones songs, no solo McCartney, and no live or otherwise alternate versions of songs.) I’m more interested in the “why” than I am which song people choose, so please back up your choices!

The artists are

  • The Beatles
  • The Rolling Stones
  • The Who
  • Led Zeppelin
  • Bob Dylan.

My choices follow the jump.
Continue reading »

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Your Cleanest Side of Vinyl on an Otherwise Enthusiastically Worn Album

 Posted by
Dec 112008
 

Sides 1-4: Good; sides 5-6: Mint.

In a recent thread on the worst song by a handful of Classic Rock artists, 2000 Man selected “Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands” as Bob Dylan’s worst song from his prime recording years. The song constitutes all of side 4 of the otherwise classic Blonde on Blonde. My guess is that even among Dylan fans and fans of this album, those of us who own it on vinyl can claim a much cleaner, scratch-and-pop-free side 4 than any of the album’s first three sides. At least that’s the case for me.

I thought of two more albums sides that I’d bet my house on being much cleaner than any other side of what may be a frequently spun album in your collection: Continue reading »

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Last Man Standing: Snatching Defeat From the Jaws of Victory

 Posted by
Dec 102008
 

I had the iPod on shuffle the other day when a Sublime song came on. I don’t particularly like that band but it got me thinking about the odds that they overcame in coming so close to making it in a cutthroat business, only to have the lead singer/songwriter overdose shortly before their major label debut.

So, I’m looking for examples of big blown opportunities. Misguided choices are not enough: the party in question really needs to have shit the bed, even if it was only apparent in hindsight.

I’ll go with Brad Nowell and Sublime for my first answer.

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All-Star Jam

 Posted by
Dec 102008
 

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Safety Tip: In addition to being a place to blather about anything, All-Star Jam is a swell place to alert us to technical difficulties!

Have a super day!

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