John Lee Hooker-Boogie Chillun

UPDATED VIDEO PLAYLIST.
Being around comedians  is like having a front row seat to Smokey Robinon's ''The Tears of a Clown".
 It makes some wonder how people with so much pain and so many inner demons can easily share their pain night after night on stage.
All for the entertainment of others.
I compare it to the lives and stories of blues singers.
I've always loved the talking blues style of John Lee Hooker.
I can imagine the characters and the places he describes in songs like "BOOGIE CHILLUN'' and "BOOM BOOM".
It's all about sharing life experiences and making it easy for people to relate to.
Just like comedy!
If you are not hip to the music of one of the true founding fathers of rock music...cause we all know the blues had a baby and they named it rock and roll,
get hip by checking out this site...
http://www.johnleehooker.com/home.htm
and this playlist... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veam26T9WR4&list=PL42537C5D095231AA

Album review : Donald Fagen--Sunken Condos

I've always appreciated the music of Steely Dan.

Some people call it thinking man's rock and roll.

I felt validated as a teen when De La Soul sampled "PEG"  for their song  "EYE KNOW"and then years after that when  Bronx hip-hop duo Lord Tariq & Peter Gunz sampled "Black Cow" for their song "Deja Vu (Uptown Baby)."

It' clear that Donald Fagen and Walter Becker have so much soul.

Fagen's new solo project "Sunken Condos" is awesome. 

I love the storytelling and the characters that Fagen creates.

Of course it's got a tune about a much older man and his attraction for a younger woman.

The musicians and back ground singers  that play on Steely Dan projects and the solo albums are truly a who's who of pop jazz and soul music, artists like Cindy Mizelle and Freddie Washington who have appeared on recordings and on stage  with Michael Jackson, Elton John, Patrice Rushen  The Crusaders Luther Vandross and Bruce Springsteen just to name a few.

Here's my track by track breakdown

1.Slinky Thing----Awesome song about that love age difference thing. The breakdown and the bridge are incredible.

2. I'm Not The Same Without You--- Don't let the title fool you. Another great thing is the double meaning and intricate lyrics. The horns and even the harmonica solo totally bring this song to life.

3.Memorabilia- Fagen takes a funky tour of artifacts possibly from the arms race. It's so catchy you'll find something new about it every time you listen again.

4.Weather In My Head--First track I heard from the set. I saw  this performed live on Letterman. See that video here 

Beautiful bluesy rock jazz funk take on relationships.

 The way Fagen puts a stormy romance up against bad weather will capture you and reel you in. A perfect storm for sure.

"Girl when you hurt me/when you told those lies/it's like a typhoon exploded behind my eyes/they may fix the weather in the world/just like Mr. Gore said/but tell me what's to be done about the weather in my head."

5.The New Breed---A fantastic arrangement over super sarcastic lyrics. Tale of woe about the new young IT guy.

6.Out Of The Ghetto- YES. A remake of the Issac Hayes song.  READY Freddie Washington on bass and Fagen on the Wurlitzer organ. MAGIC. When Fagen wails "Ghetto mama stay the same" you'll know it's real.

7.Miss Marlene--Another great story with characters you feel like you know after three minutes. 

Beautiful arrangement and Cindy Mizelle makes the background harmonies so clear smooth and beautiful.

Jon Herington's guitar solo is smoking hot.

8.Good Stuff---A fun and oh so hip gangster tale. The piano plays a great melody while Fagen paints another beautiful picture. There are so many cool instruments on this song from melodica..vibraphone..all manner of keyboards.  A treat for the ears. FUGGETABOUT IT.

9.Planet D'Rhonda-- This may be my favorite song on this album..."She's from a small town somewhere upstate/I guess she's somewhere between nineteen and thirty eight". Kurt Rosenwinkel's guitar solo is mind blowing. I was checking the credits to see if it was George Benson. Yes the song is that good.

All in all this is one of the best album's I've heard in recent years

If this is what getting older is all about please sign me up.
Below, you can check out the video's to the songs I talked about at the beginning of this review.

                                              

What the obit doesn't say.

Everyone has different life experiences.
That  is so important to remember now that our world is so much smaller and well connected by technology.
I know that bullying is a serious problem in our country.
I feel sorry for any young person that has to deal with being harassed in any way.
People tell me that its worse now with cyber bullying because its constantly on and never ends even when a kid gets off the school bus and goes inside the house.
I never felt like I was bullied.
However... I was picked on by the best!

I had it coming....I was small...mouthy and my dad bought me the glasses David Ruffin from the Temptations
made famous.......
The problem was it was 1983.
These glasses were so old timey that most kids couldn't stop laughing when they saw me
I'm not exaggerating..here's a look.

I asked my dad about these glasses, and here's what he had to say...

My parents always said that I shouldn't get upset and that if people don't like you the way you are then it's there problem and not yours.

It was so bad when I stepped on the  bus, the prettiest, tallest, finest  high school girl remarked LOUDLY "Boy you better have a big ol' boner or a lot of money or your little ass is gonna be woman less your entire life with those glasses".

Well I still don't have any money... but two marriages and three kids later...I digress...
That year the  middle school  and high school  had to share a bus route.
The high school kids were not happy at all with this and made the  middle school kids stand up ALL THE WAY TO SCHOOL and ALL THE WAY HOME.
While the ride wasn't long..standing up on a moving bus sucked.
The guys at the back of the bus were older, much older
They were mean and funny.
 I don't even know if they went to school or just rode the bus for the hell of it.
I enjoyed seeing the neighborhood kids who gave me hell getting  picked on
by  this crowd.
 I knew that instant I had to go to  Enloe High.
That's when I met one of the naturally coolest and funniest people in my childhood.
Jimmy.
Don't get me wrong...he was as cruel and cold to me and as rude as all the other kids on the bus.
But he was so funny..with HIS high pitched voice and the cool attitude.
Some folks have to try and be cool very few people are just naturally cool.
So Jimmy yells out.."Anybody got a radio at home..a boom box?
Boom boxes were the thing.
Luckily..I was an only child..spoiled as hell...and had a big one...boom box too.
I played it cool...didn't tip my hand..and I stayed up late taping the best mixes on WKNC's hip hop show on the magic 88 featuring future bad ass dj's wax master torrey...wink moody and so many more future radio legends.
But the next morning I got on the bus with my tape..and my BOX as the older Enloe kids bid on me like a slave at auction.."Sit here little boy with the glasses..looking like the little professor calculator by Texas instruments......sit here..please sit here."

I not only got a seat, I got a seat in the back with the older tough guys.
Jimmy turned to me and said..."Well played young man".
These were the early days of hip hop...I was able to play the art of noise "Beat Box" and RUN-DMC'S "Sucker MC's". I will never ever forget how that song amazed and mesmerized the guys and girls on the bus.
One of the best three plus minutes of music ever made.
I even played some Debarge "TIME WILL REVEAL'"
I was in. It was my moment to ruin...and it didn't take long for me to do that...because batteries for those boxes cost money.
So the first time I showed up with no radio I was just another smoe.
"YOU AINT BRING THE BOX...STAND YO ASS UP"
Almost 20 Years later I ran into Jimmy who said...."man the neighborhood is proud of you..you're on radio and tv..."
I think I told him how I learned to how to have the courage to crack jokes on people and how cool it was to see him doing well, but I don't recall.
As pessimistic a person as I am, I do remember telling him that he taught me what funny really was in our community live and in person.
And he was still funny, busting on his coworkers in that cool snarky way
I  could tell they respected him and that he cared about them and was trying to teach them, grow them to be as sharp a man as he was.
So when I saw a post on a social media site a few months ago  about his death I was so sad.
Sad to see the life of a person with so much character and love for others reduced to a few lines in a news story.
I never met his wife or his kids, but I knew from our conversations that he put those he loved above all else and that he had a serious work ethic, and hated a lazy ass person.
So this is my way of remembering Jimmy and saying thank you.
I know people talk about the dash between birth and death date..but this is about more than that.
In this day and age of instant communication, comes the option of instant disrespect.
People need to take the time to think before they post.
RIP Jimmy and thanks.

Larry Graham should play the inauguration in January

I blew it.
If  only I'd known about the White House petition process, I would have really wnet to work to have Larry Graham play for the presidential inauguration.
I've been thinking about  music that brings people together...
There are only a few artists left on my must see live list..George Benson, Stevie Wonder and this guy....
From his time with Sly and the Family Stone to his own  band Graham Central Station..a successful  solo career and with his continued touring today, I have always enjoyed the bass and the voice.
Here's a look at my Graham greatest hits... and why I love each song...Here's a link to my YouTube play list additional link below as well.
THE JAM--Version with bass great Marcus Miller.
THE JAM ORIGINAL ALBUM --The way each member of the band solo's and introduces themselves..feels like I am at the show every time I listen.C-H-O-C-L-E-T on the FUNKBOX. That's how he spells it and I love her. WOW.
MY RADIO SURE SOUNDS GOOD TO ME---The doo-wop sound fit this a perfect tribute to radio.
HAIR--Great song that spoke to social change during challenging times.
RELEASE YOURSELF--Enjoy the SOUL TRAIN interview..awesome
WE'VE BEEN WAITING--Acapella at that...good grief.
WATER---That bass line..those horns..what more does a song need?
ONE IN A MILLION YOU---Thought I was a 5th grade romeo calling girls and attempting to sing this...beautiful song.
JUST BE MY LADY---Lyrics and the voice
WHEN WE GET MARRIED---I remember my parents being amazed that I appreciated this song at ten years old.

Larry Graham and Graham Central Station playlist

Blade's World: The Writing Isn’t The Hard Part

One of my favorite people has a book..and book signing events..check him out as he shares his experience..
love the title..Nothing louder than dead air.
Blade's World: The Writing Isn’t The Hard Part

Obama Romney mock interview

One of my favorite radio jocks growing up in the 70's would put together clips and all sorts of montages for his show. This was back in the day when people did show preperation before they went on the air.

So here's my tribute..combining comedy music and editing, pleae spread the video around,  help me make it viral before Tuesday.

TEN SIGNS YOUR PASTOR IS A JACK-LEG

TEN SIGNS YOUR PASTOR IS A JACK-LEG

10.  Circle of members in the parking lot before service  on cell phones calling to make sure pastor is coming to service today or if he/she  needs a ride.

9. People taking up a collection for various unheard of ministries and clubs before the service starts.

8. Parking lot is not paved, heat and air don’t work..one porta john for everyone to use and pastor and his wife drive brand new cars.

7. Divinity school degree is from THE ACME SCHOOL and it’s signed Wile E. Coyote

6. Regularly quotes the wrong scripture and ends sermons with “Don’t quote me on it” or “God knows my heart.”

5. Killer band that only knows three songs.

4. Hard to hear the sermon because the people collecting the offering are counting the money while the pastor preaches and are talking on blue tooth headsets..AT THE SAME DAMN TIME.

3. When visitors stand, announcement reader asks “How ya’ll find out about the church…ya aint the police is ya?”

2. Service has to end by a certain time or else the internet sweepstakes café can’t open on time.

1.  Has to conduct services from his home via skype to church  because he can’t leave the house on electronic monitoring.