A sadist in my office pointed me in the direction of Rebecca Black‘s Internet smash hit “Friday” today, proclaiming it the worst song he’s heard this year. I can’t say I disagree with him—but, having heard it once, I now can’t get the steaming pile out of my head.
So let’s all engage in a mass orgy of musical sado-masochism, shall we? I want to know what song you feel possesses the most insidious balance of catchiness/shittyness. Feel free to post web links to torment us. When this thread peters out, Mr. Mod will judge the “winner” by reporting on which of our songs got lodged in his head the longest. Pity the poor man—talk about taking one for the team!
So I just got back from SXSW—the “interactive” one, not the music one. While I was there, I stopped off at a trailer selling Thai food. I noticed a promo shot on the wall from one of my all-time favorite bands, and I said to the gentleman manning the trailer that I was a huge fan. He immediately extended his hand, said he’d been waiting for years for somebody to recognize the group, and introduced himself as (DELETED), the band’s bass player. He then gave me a plate of free food, offered me a pile of free band swag if I came back the next day, and then came out from the trailer to explain the real history of the band.
Now, the reason I can’t tell you who this guy is is because this particular band jealously guards its secret identity, and its reputation as a freaked out country-punk cult phenomenon. I promised “Mr. X,” the bassist (not his real, nor his stage name) that I would keep his current whereabouts, and the history he shared with me, a secret. I will tell you that I was astonished to learn that many of the band members were actually former members of some very prominent SoCal musical outfits of the ’60s and ’70s, including one featured very recently in an RTH thread. If you knew this band’s music like I know it, you’d be as shocked as I was.
I realize all this may be too cryptic for RTH relevancy, but I feel compelled to share. I swear I’m not bullshitting, and Townsman mockcarr (whom I couldn’t help but call in my giddy excitement after Mr. X and I had our lengthy chat, and to whom I spilled the beans) will back me up on that. I’m posting the photo to prove the encounter really happened, and to give everybody but mockcarr the opportunity to guess this man’s identity.
This week’s edition of Saturday Night Shut-In features the return of Townsman Hrrundivbakshi at the mic and his collection of “rescued” records. HVB’s penchant for trashpicking records from the dustbins of our nation’s capital proves to be a sound practice on both environmental and economic levels. Get this man a Cabinet position! Better yet, let’s let the man set up this week’s episode:
Greetings, seekers of the weird, the rare, the unusual, and the literally near-worthless! I come to you again in Saturday Night Shut-In form, bringing a wide variety of tunes culled from the thrift stores, yard sales, and garbage cans of our proud nation’s capitol.
This week, our installment features a wide variety of genres, from garage soul to pop to Latin boogaloo—and, as part of our ongoing effort to send mellow, peaceful healing vibes to our man Sammymaudlin, an unusually generous helping of tunes you can really RELAX to. So here’s to you, Samulah—get well soon!
HVB
[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/RTH-Saturday-Night-Shut-In-16.mp3|titles=RTH Saturday Night Shut-In, episode 16]
[Note: The Rock Town Hall feed will enable you to easily download Saturday Night Shut-In episodes to your digital music player. In fact, you can even set your iTunes to search for an automatic download of each week’s podcast.]
We all know we’ve got strong opinions, weird ideas, and irritating hangups about this thing we call Rock. Further, we may all think we know why we’re guided by our peculiar illusions—and we have no problem holding forth endlessly, jabbing our fingers in the air, and blowing hard to convince others that we’re not fools for believing what we do.
But, really: do we really know ourselves well enough to know why we think the way we do? I say we do not! So when one of us comes forward with a decidedly peculiar position, shouldn’t we endeavor to help that Townsperson better understand the roots of that complex—rather than just try to convince them they’re wrong? Saturnismine, for example, thinks Nevermind is a better album than Revolver. I know Sat well enough to not bother trying to convince him he’s wrong about that. But I think I do owe him the courtesy of my best guess as to why he feels that way. It might help.
But let’s not pick on poor Saturnismine. I’ve got issues, too. For instance, I need somebody to explain to me why I find Al Green‘s secular music incredibly depressing, and thus almost unlistenable. That just doesn’t make any sense—does it? Can somebody help me here? Don’t tell me how or why I’m wrong. Help me understand why I feel that way.
Surely there are others among us with “bad rock thoughts” who could use a helping hand. Come forward, brothers and sisters, and share. We’re here to help you understand. We’re here to help you heal—to help you love yourself again, as we have always loved you.
This very special Thrifty Music edition of Saturday Night Shut-In is manned—and I do mean manned—by founding one of our founding Townspeople, Hrrundivbakshi! Fans of HVB’s Thrifty Music series have long appreciated the man’s trash-picking accumen. Tonight we get to hear a pile of his recently recovered gems the way they were meant to be heard: TOTALLY LIVE, OCCASIONALLY SCRATCHY, AND MOSTLY DEVOID OF NERDY BACKSTORY. Listen to the music.
Mr. Mod’s been telling you since the beginning of this audio feature that we’d be hearing episodes hosted by your favorite Townspeople and friends of the Hall. Tonight he finally makes good on this promise, so lay off his case, OK? Now why don’t you sit back, press PLAY, and crank up the speakers for the next 33 1/3 minutes or so, taking a guided tour through the refuse of our nation’s capital and surrounding towns with guest host Hrrundivbakshi!
[audio:https://www.rocktownhall.com/blogs/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/RTH-Saturday-Night-Shut-In-14.mp3.mp3|titles=RTH Saturday Night Shut-In, episode 14]
[Note: The Rock Town Hall feed will enable you to easily download Saturday Night Shut-In episodes to your digital music player. In fact, you can even set your iTunes to search for an automatic download of each week’s podcast.]
Am I the only Townsman who suspects Mr. Moderator has been feeling a bit blue lately? Recent posts, while thoughtful and enlightening as always, have just seemed a little… well, maybe a little too thoughtful. Bottom line: he needs to get back to where he once belonged. Towards that end, I offer the following as a soothing balm for his tortured soul.
