Chris Stroffolino: September 28, 2008

When that old folk song, “Hallelujah I’m A Bum” meets Bo Diddley(R.I.P) (and that ain’t no Johnny Otis whistlin’ “Willie and The Hand Jive”

I heard a Bo Diddley tribute on local college station KALX (and they played songs influenced by him, and hardley ANY Bo-Diddley. Ugh. That’s not what we need. We need more BO DIDDLEY (at least they played The Animals “The Story Of Bo Diddley” alongside “I Want Candy” and The Smiths policies (threatening to become law as so many elected officials remain ignorant of the political, democratic, stakes involved in this issue) is to contact www. savenetradio.org

1. Tina Fey,’s imitation of Sarah Palin

   It seems that most of the national dance crazes, the “Do The Sarah Palin,” has been sweeping the web. Poor Joe Biden (i.e. issues are cool! No, man, you got ISSUES! Chill out, gently down the stream, all that…). Any way I used to be in a band called Volumen in New York with
   Fritz Chesnut who’s married to Molly Shannon & maybe she could introduce me to Tina Fey. I have a collab. idea.

2. Marc Bolan, “San Francisco Poet”

   Yes, the T. Rex frontman, the b-side to his second single before he joined John’s Children juxtaposing it with rockets and strippers.
   Well, I like Micah Ballard as an example of San Francisco poet, and SunnyLyn Thibodeaux

3. Spoon and The Heavenly States, The Fillmore (September 22, 23, 24)
   Heavenly States lead singer got really upset because he assumed I was criticizing him for calling their trip to Northern Africa a “Publicity stunt.” Ah, if only he knew. Coming from me, that’s great flattery! I love publicity stunts….I turn my camera on. And the sound’s pretty cool at the Fillmore (I got to play there with the which Silver Jews and I didn’t even have to mike the trumpet if I could just bank it off the ceiling. I hope Heavenly States enjoyed their experience there too.
4. Carrie Underwood, “Just A Dream”

   Pretty amazing to me that the only radio hit in recent tmes to come close to being as much of an ati-war song as “Ruby Don’t Take Your love To Town,” is this song. It still makes me cry….

5. Brett Eugene Ralph’s Kentucky Chrome Review, “Grandpa Was a Hobo”

   Born the same day The Kinks recorded, “I’m Not Like Everybody Else” was recorded, Brett Ralph’s got me wanting to write a song called “Nana was a mail-order bride” or “Nana ran a number’s racket,” but it might realy be “nana was a gambler.” But it loses something in translation…He also died this week. the 60s stuff before he became the overblown “Black Moses” in Wattstax is still his best stuff, even if his last words were not, “I”m a soul, man”!

6. Ken Emerson, Always Magic In The Air: The Bomp and Brilliance of The Brill Building

   More on this book later…

7. George Strait, “He Must’ve Really Hurt You Bad”
8. Nick Cave, DIG LAZARUS DIG

   I think Mr. Cave may very well be defying many prejudices about music and getting better and better

9. Rodger Collins, “You’re Lookin’ Good”

   Oakland soul/funk legend. Still like the old version from 1967, better than his recent remake, but either one is worth checking out!
   Devandra Benhart’s “Chinese Children,” don’t even come close to Bowie’s song. At least Bart is in the ballpark….
   probably circa 1965 when he had a minor hit with it. He

   reminds me of Roy Orbison as a vocalist, or Nat “King” Cole if he had grown up listening (or watching) James Brown but still wanted to be Nat “King” Cole as much as possible…McKibben’s organization, “Step It Up, ‘07,” may prove to be an ally. I like that he appeals to the feeling (how the expense of basic trust and grassroots communit

10. I Gotcha, “Joe Tex”

    Because sometimes you just have to