Good Cop – Bad Cop
I don’t know how long these have been around, but these Will Ferrell shorts are just making their way to me. Allow me to stray from the music for a few…it’s worth it…
Iggy and Tom – Coffee and Cigarettes
Tonight, I bought a Henry Rollins Show off of iTunes for $1.99. He interviewed the Stooges. Great interview. Off I went to YouTube to watch some old Stooges footage. Sooner or later I ended up watching this clip from Jim Jarmusch’s 2003 film Coffee and Cigarettes. I sat transfixed for this 10 minutes of uncomfortable conversation between Iggy Pop and Tom Waits. There’s something about this clip that just reeled me in. I couldn’t take my eyes off it.
Needless to say, Coffee and Cigarettes just went to the top of my Netflix queue.
Tasty Update: Just posted this morning, the Popdose Complete Idiot’s Guide to Tom Waits!
A Taste of Honey…
If you have not checked out the video for Erykah Badu’s new single “Honey” then you need to get over to dailymotion to check it out.
Links: Official Site | MySpace
Help Take Hip-Hop to the Super Bowl
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64JGSpSSqnE 450 400]
Internet buzz can take you a long way, maybe even to a 60 second clip during the Super Bowl. That buzz is reaching a fever pitch for the New York based Indian influenced Hip-Hop act Nivla Feat. P.Oberoi. The crew is one of three finalists for the chance to win a record deal with Interscope Records and more importantly 60 seconds of premium air-time during the Super Bowl. Mixing traditional Indian melodies over slick beats and a flow that just does not stop the group stands to bring a breath of fresh air to a by in large stale Hip-Hop scene.
You can place your vote at www.crashthesuperbowl.com
Buy: “Be Easy (Koi Naa)”
Link: Official Site | MySpace
What the Kids are Listening to: Flo Rida
The # 1 song in the country, folks, is “Low” by Flo Rida.
It’s your basic club hit of the month. The same machismo / underlying misogyny, the same “baby girl” references, the same drum machine programming. Same same same. But it’s blowin’ up.
What grabbed my attention and sounded the alarm on the easily annoyed side of me was the name. Flo Rida. “Flow Rider” from Florida. Clever. As the calendar turns again to another year, these are the simple things that increasingly annoy me. The simple fact that the #1 song in our nation is performed by Flo Rida. With special guest T-Pain, of course. It’s always T-Pain or Akon.
So I’m ready to join up with a label and discover some new talent. My first acts:
- Ari Zona – Hasidic hip-hop act, a la Matisyahu, comin’ at you straight outta the deZert.
- Cal I. Fornia – New bubblegum mainstream Country act. Sort of looks like that country guy from the first season of the “Real World”. I see duets with Kellie Pickler. I see a 21st century Hee Haw. I see him impregnating Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, Jamie Lynn Spears, and Aries Spears. I see the twilight of his career spent in a trailer with Uncle Kracker and K-Fed.
- Minnie Sota – Dammit it’s time for a Nordic Hannah Montana from the Land of 10,000 Lakes! Hit singles: “He Grabbed My Lutefisk (and Stole My Heart)” and “Ya Darn Tootin’ (I’d Move to Bemidji with You)”.
Who am I missing?
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mBBsC0u_qoI 336 278]
Welcome Back, Sheryl
Welcome back, your dreams were your ticket out…
I’ll be perfectly honest in saying that I’ve not liked a single thing that Sheryl Crow has produced since 1998’s The Globe Sessions. To me, her output since that record has seemed contrived and uninspired. It could be that I’m being too hard on her. It could be that her “Soak Up the Sun” was the tune playing during my emergency wisdom tooth extraction a few years back. But all that aside, her latest single “Love is Free” seems to have captured some of that original spark. The track is the second single from Sheryl’s forthcoming Detours which features the return of Bill Bottrell (who produced Sheryl’s Tuesday Night Music Club) and is apparent in the stripped back production. Check out the video for “Love is Free”:
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=edTMzKB-_QU 450 400]
Detours will be released this February.
Link: Official Site | MySpace
Merry Christmas Eve
A little holiday cheer from Jason Mraz Featuring the Voices of Prayz of Lakeview Baptist Church in Chula Vista, CA.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VFvEWNYHdUU 450 355]
Merry Christmas Eve everyone!
Kanye’s updated Billie Jean
For the 25th anniversary of Thriller, the reissued CD
includes some contemporary versions by the likes of the ubiquitous, overrated and overhyped Will.i.am, Fergie, Akon, and Kanye West. Ol’ Kanye offers up “Billie Jean 2008”. After hearing it, all I have to say is: “Wow!” Like, “Wow, what a piece of shit!” Adding a signature Kanye beat and uttering a couple of “Uh Uh”s is talent? They thought this would enhance the reissue of one of the greatest albums in music history? Not to these ears.
It made me think of the Live Earth performance where Kanye joined the Police for “Message in a Bottle”. It made me think of the awards show (AMA’s or Grammys?) where Jay-Z barked in on Paul McCartney & Linkin Park singing “Yesterday”.
Maybe it’s cross-genre synergy they’re shooting for, but it does nothing to showcase the talents of a good rapper / MC. Watch these, and tell me, does screaming “Yeah” and “Uh Huh” over otherwise great tracks enhance them in any way? Are there really people out there who hear & see these who think to themselves: “Woww, Kanye/Jay-Z is a genius, man!!”
I don’t get it.
“Billie Jean 2008” (Kanye West Remix)
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nYpv7eIGpE]
Merry KISSmas
For those of you with VH1 Classic they are turning the keys over to Gene & Paul for 24 hours starting at 9PM EST. You know it would not be a KISS event unless Gene has the opportunity to shill something emblazoned with the KISS logo. This round of merriment is brought to you by Vol. 3 of their outstanding Kissology DVD package. Here’s the lowdown on what you’ll find on the third installment:
DISC ONE
THE PALACE OF AUBURN HILLS
DETROIT, MI 11/27/92MTV UNPLUGGED:
BEHIND THE SCENES 1995MTV UNPLUGGED 8/9/95
DISC TWO
TIGER STADIUM
DETROIT, MI 6/28/96MTV VMA PERFORMANCE
BROOKLYN BRIDGE 9/4/96DODGER STADIUM
LOS ANGELES, CA 10/31/98DISC THREE
DODGER STADIUM
LOS ANGELES, CA 10/31/98DETROIT ROCK CITY PREMIERE PARTY
LOS ANGELES, CA 8/9/99THE LAST KISS
CONTINENTAL AIRLINES AREA
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ 6/27/00DISC FOUR
COVENTRY
QUEENS, NY 12/22/73You can pre-order the package by visiting http://kissmas.vh1classic.com in the next 24-hours. For those of you without VH1 Classic here are a couple of clips to convince you to pick up this set…
Nothin’ To Lose (QuickTime)(Windows Media)
Detroit Rock City (QuickTime)(Windows Media)
Personally I will be glued to my screen and burning up the TiVo. See you guys tomorrow night!