Mr. Moderator says:

02/23/2009 at 10:33 pm

Just saw an obit for Harrison Ridley Jr., a legendary jazz DJ here in Philly:

http://www.philly.com/philly/hp/news_update/20090223_Harrison_Ridley_Jr___authority_on_jazz.html

In other news, I’ve been catching up on a few more episodes of Elvis Costello’s Spectacle show, thanks to my stepfather TiVo-ing and taping stuff for me. The Clinton episode was much better than I expected. I should have known better with two charming, intelligent guys possessing the Irish gift of gab going at it. I’m conviced that Clinton could talk as if he knew what he was talking about on ANY subject – and make any subject revolve around his own agenda. Brilliant! I honestly love that skill.

Then I watched the James Taylor episode, which is my favorite to date. Costello did a real good job of drawing the reserved Taylor out and getting the guy to lay his straightforward, intelligent take on music out there. Taylor’s a real class act. I can’t say I’m the world’s greatest fan of JT, but he’s one of those guys who seems very in tune with himself. He could sing Black Sabbath and make it sound like himself. I also love how he seems to embody both the classic American patrician and a guy who’s got more than a few exposed nerves.

Finally I watched the Tony Bennett episode. Another warm gabfest, this time with a guy who’s one of my dream Italian-Americans, like some of my older relatives but cool and hip to boot.

Next up the Police episode…

dbuskirk says:

02/24/2009 at 8:05 am

Just like The Mod to give a “healing gesture” like that fake-y Beatles take then turn the “comments” feature off. That almost tops the way he photoshopped Britt Ekland’s breasts onto Marc Bolan’s chest. The things they dream up in the penthouse suites of the RTH highrise…

If I was remixing this thing I would have put some of Yoko’s trills in to the jam. I think that most music historians agree that the boys should have made Yoko a full member in ’68.

Sad to hear of Harrison Ridley’s death, I used to talk to him Saturdays in the Sound of Market Street store, where he would regularly give music talks. I had no idea he was 70, I’d have guessed 10 or fifteen years younger. I do a weekly jazz show as well and I probably never would have dared to play an hour of Sun Ra or Cecil Taylor if I hadn’t heard him do his three hour show on Monk or Charlie Parker. Sad to think that this programming is gone to Philly airwaves now, he literally won’t be replaced.

2000 Man says:

02/24/2009 at 8:37 am

My diminishing return on that song happened before it even ended. I think if you’re only gonna use one riff in a song, you should pick a good one.

dbuskirk says:

02/24/2009 at 9:23 am

Yeah, I thought this was pretty fun. With all this session stuff leaking out over the internet I’m a little surprised we haven’t had more crazy classic rock remix stuff circulating. I kinda dug that voodoo-y, Spaghetti western-styled remix of “Sympathy For the Devil” that the Neptunes did a while back.

bobbybittman says:

02/24/2009 at 1:29 pm

Looking in the mirror, I believe MY flesh is already mortified.

berlyant says:

09/27/2007 at 4:13 pm

Seriously: I’m the only RTHer who could totally get behind death metal if it didn’t have the Cookie Monster vocals?

No you’re not the only one. I like a lot of thrashy hardcore and even some early grindcore, but once it starts getting into Cookie Monster territory vocally, it starts to annoy me and I have to draw the line. I just didn’t vote for it because I find the Eddie Vedder yarbling style even more annoying.

berlyant says:

09/28/2007 at 9:39 am

Napalm Death!

Yeah their first album Scum is probably my favorite album in the whole grind genre, at least on the metal side of the fence.