Chris Stroffolino: November 2, 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 hardly 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.

1. The Mummy Benji Hughes

   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…). Anyway, 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. The Duchess and the Duke, “I Am Just a Ghost”

   Yes, I like the vocal harmonies, 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. The Godfathers, “If I Only Had TIme,”

   20 or 21 years ago, the line “we’re living under a false economy” in this song really grabbed me, and now 20 years later, it serves as essential listening for the primer on the recent economic depression recession money grab by thugs.

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 anti-war song as “Ruby Don’t Take Your Love to Town” is this song. It still makes me cry.

5. Root Rats, “The Isle of Misfit Toys”

   A punky garage Christmas song, just in time for the holidays

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

   More on this book later…

7. Honky Tonkers for Truth, “I’m Taking My Country Back”

   The name of this band no doubt hurt this song’s chances in the 2004 election. Oh well, “Farenheit 911” didn’t work either. Hail Matt Gonzales and Ralph Nader or a cross between Brian Westbrook and Nick Cave

8. Roy Head, live at Budget Rock, The Stork Club, Oakland, Ca.

   Chris Owen et al. put an amazing weekend rock festival together in Oakland; much more “noise pop” than Noise Pop or the Musician Creek Music Festival. Ironically, much more like the San Francisco college station KUSF’s playlist than the tamer, less sweaty playlists of KALX (which would fit in better with the San Francisco music festivals). Hail Budget Rock!

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! 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.

10. Turn to Me, “Lou Reed”

    Because sometimes you just have to.