Little Feat "Don't Bogart That Joint"

Baseball is a slow game.  So despite the excitement of the World Series, there was plenty of time between innings and between pitches, to think about songs that would make fun (but ultimately stupid) music cues for some of the players.

Since Xander is from Aruba, which is part of the marijuana-friendly Netherlands, I'm most certain that he never bogarts a joint . . .


Hear the song on Youtube.

The Lemonheads "Kitchen"

I grew up in the 70s, where drug humor was a HUGE part of comedy and satire.

I said, "I grew up in the 70s." Not, "I came of age in the 70s."

In other words, I was really a little too young to appreciate the humor in any first-person way. For better and worse, my idea of a person who used drugs was that of a sitcom buffoon. I entirely missed both the negative, unpleasant side of drug users, and the "Easy Rider" point of freedom, rebellion or mind-expansion.

I just thought people who smoked dope were, innately, hilarious.

I couldn't wait to hang out with folks like Johnny Fever and laugh at their hysterical hijinx.

And while I'd like to tell you that my first experience with real stoners was no such thing, every time I hear this Lemonheads song, I remember the roommate who smoked dope, listen to the album (a huge favorite our mine, and my generation, in its day) and have a total paranoid panic attack every time that police siren sound effect came in (around the 1:25 mark on the album cut). Always a "phone cops" moment.





Classic WKRP "Phone Cops" episode

Black Grape "Get Higher"

It's clear, but ironic.

As a rule, the station doesn't take a political position on any topic. The DJs aren't supposed to expound on why they are for or against a particular cause.

The reasoning is two-fold. One, is that the station has listeners who sit in all parts of the political spectrum. And if you take a political position on the air, undoubtedly, while half the audience is shaking its head Hell Yes, the other half is either yelling at the speakers, or just turning you off. It's not the experience a music-oriented stations wants its listeners to have.

The other reason is one that many folks listening to mvy, are listening to mvy. They're not listening to PJ or Barbara or Laurel. So if I go on the air and say, "I think this new law stinks!" while some listeners will hear that as PJ's Opinion, for a whole chunk of listeners, that will register as MVY's Opinion. An individual taking a position on the air, is representing all of us on mvyradio. So if they take a position it better represent all of us DJs, and the station ownership, too.

Best to leave politics to Talk Radio, and just focus on the music.

Therein lies the irony.

Is there anything more political than Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Ohio"? Or JJ Cale's "The Problem"? Or Jackson Browne's "Lives In The Balance"? Or Grace Potter's "Ah Mary"? Or, an of about 400 songs we play on mvyradio?

Rock And Roll is rife with politics. Every other song we play seems to take a bold position.

How can R.E.M. rage about a "Teflon whitewashed presidency" and sing "We're sick of being jerked around," without raising a hackle. But if a DJ said this, it would register in a completely different way?

Ironic, I say.

So let me conclude with a nice bit of irony.

During the recent election, there were a few marijuana-related ballot questions, everywhere from this island off the East Coast to California. And one of my friends, in support of California's Proposition 19, posted an old clip from Night Flight on his Facebook page. Which reminded me that the clip had been appropriated by the band Black Grape in the 90s.

Enjoy the irony!

Ben Harper "Burn One Down"

Do you ever meet someone new, and they just don't quite get your sense of humor?

It happens to me quite a bit. Maybe I'm just too dry or deadpan. But sometimes I'll crack a joke to a complete stranger or someone I've just met, and I think I'm funny. And I find myself on the receiving end of look that says, "Is this guy kidding or serious?"

I was backstage at a post show Meet & Greet with Ben Harper And The Innocent Criminals. It was going to be my first big interview ever.

There were about 20 Fan Club members backstage too, all waiting for Ben to come out, to sign autographs. To try to not think too much about how I might screw this interview up, I tried chatting up the Innocent Criminals, who were quite warm and friendly.

But they were also very, very hungry. And itchy to eat.

They'd arrived at the Festival a little late, and hadn't had time to eat anything before their performance, and now they were ravenous, and ready to blow out of the Fan scene and have a late, late lunch.

We were not far from the food concourse, and the drummer was looking over the fence at the Lunch trucks.

"I can't wait to burn down a burrito," he said, to no one in particular.

"Oh," I picked up his thought. "Is that what 'Burn One Down' is about? Burritos?"

He just looked at me. He thought about answering, and then he just left my stupid/hilarious/ambiguous comment die there in the Meet & Greet courtyard.

Do you think this song is about Burritos? Or something else?