Pearl Jam "History Never Repeats"

I really came of age in music during a period where vinyl fell out of favor.

By the late 80s, hardly any bands were putting out "records."  Everything was on CD or cassette.

But by the early 90s, some underground bands, who's members DID grow up valuing vinyl, were emerging from the underground and into the mainstream.

Michael Stipe and Peter Buck of R.E.M. famously started their friendship in a record store, and were among the first major artists of the early 90s to insist to their record labels that their albums be released on vinyl, as well as CD and cassette.

Being record collectors themselves, they appreciated the fabulous 45 too.

So continuing a tradition started by The Beatles, they released an exclusive 45 at Christmastime, sent to all members of their fan club.

Back in the early 90s, I was single and employed and, no, not rich, but I could put 10 bucks into a membership to a fan club or two.  So I have a nice, small collection of 45s from R.E.M. and from Pearl Jam.

I LOVED getting this disc from Pearl Jam, because I discovered that Eddie Vedder was also a fan of Split Enz.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Willie Nelson "Just Breathe"

Lukas Nelson came to the mvyradio studios last summer, ahead of a show on the Island.

I had made sure to do my homework, to read up on him, know a little about his music.  But beyond getting the facts, I try to read articles about people I'll soon be interviewing, to get a sense of what kind of interviewee they might be.

Often you can learn if they are open or reticent, overly mannered or uncontrollably free-wheeling.  And you can often spot what questions they don't like, or won't answer.

That's especially good to know when you get to the somewhat touchy subject of family.

If you are the relative of a famous person, then yeah, it must be really f-n irritating that every interview has to include questions about your famous parent/sibling.  You are you.  You don't want your art or yourself defined via someone else.

Reading some interviews with Lukas, it seemed like he had a pretty good handle on being "Willie Nelson's son."  He didn't bristle at Willie questions, and he didn't brush them off.  He seemed to accept the fact that they were going to be asked as a matter of course.

So I was free to ask, if I wanted to.

On the other hand, how relevant is the question, "What's it like to be Willie Nelson's son?"  Answer:  No more relevant than "What's it like to be Paul Finn's son?" in relation to my line of work.

I figured I wouldn't ask, but it was safe to approach the subject if it came up organically.

Long story short, Lukas was a super sweet guy.  He did a couple of great live/acoustic tracks on the air with me.  And the conversation never really got near his father . . .

Until right at then end.

I asked him about when he learned to play guitar, he started talking about how his dad got him started.

Then there was a pause---a moment when he knew where the conversation would be going next, and maybe just a hint of  "damn, I almost got through the whole interview without being asked."

As expected, he was gracious in talking about his father and I was respectful in keeping the focus on Lukas for the rest of the interview.

If you haven't heard Willie and Lukas do this beautiful Pearl Jam cover, or heard how much the Nelsons sound alike, give it a listen.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Eddie Vedder "Longing To Belong"

I was at a Potluck dinner at my daughter's preschool last week, watching the kids tumble around, and chatting with some of the other Moms and Dads.

One of the best things in a social situation about having a job like mine, is that people feel comfortable talking about my work. If I worked in aerospace or taught Greek classics, small talk at a potluck wouldn't likely ever be about my job.

One of the Mom's told me:

"I just got tickets to see Eddie Vedder!"

"Cool," I said. "Wait. Is this the Ukulele album tour?"

"Uh, Yes." she said.

There was a pause. Then she laughed.

"Hey! Did you just dis my Eddie Vedder show!?!"

Huh. I guess I did.

I try really, really hard not to be a music snob. When you spend nearly 20 years talking to people about music they love as your job, you come to accept that everybody likes something different, and that's okay.

But something about Eddie Vedder, powerful frontman for one of the great live rock bands of the last 2 decades, doing a little ukulele album hit me in the smart-ass-bone, and I couldn't resist the tweak (which was really aimed at Vedder, not her).

But really, isn't the definition of cool the ability to do something that you love and believe in, even if it is completely antithetical to what you are known for, and to do it without a trace of shame or irony?

I told her I was sorry. Hey, Eddie Vedder with a Uke is still Eddie Vedder with that amazing voice. That isn't mockable, it should be celebrated (or at least, not looked down upon).

C'mon, this tune is actually pretty good.


See the video on Youtube.

Extreme "Hole Hearted"

It was one of the biggest hits of 1991, and yet, I can't tell you the last time I heard this bit of ear candy.

Why?

History is written by the victors, isn't it?

In 1991, "Smells Like Teen Spirit" was released and suddenly Hair Bands were out of fashion and Grunge Rock was in. Or, at least, that's how history is written.

In reality, the Grunge era was populated with songs like this. But here in 2010, it's not what we're nostalgic for.

If you are in Boston and you listen to that station that used to sound a lot like mvyradio, but now only seems to play Weezer and Live and other such 90s fare, you'll still never hear this tune.

It may have been out of fashion (and the people in the video sure can't dance) but THIS was the early 90s, no matter what the Rock History book says.

Pearl Jam “Glorified G”

Hitting Random on the iTunes list . . .

Is it my fault that Eddie Vedder could be a bit mumbly? Or do you still think that this track from their monstrously popular album “Vs.” contains the line:

“Glorified version of a Pelican!”

You know, I went to a Catholic Middle School, and our basketball team was the Immaculate Conception Pelicans, so pelicans are near and dear to my heart, but even so, they are kind of a goofy animal.

So why would someone, or something, be a glorified version of a pelican? How could someone, or something, have their embellishment stripped away, only to be revealed to be a common pelican?

I pondered this question for years.

Then I figured out the title. “Glorified G.”

G, as in “Gangster,” of the street lingo the kids these days (these days being 1993, when this album came out) use.

What does a “G” carry? Well, a pelican would certainly be garish, in a 70s Pimp/Blaxploitation style, but no, a “G” carries a gun.

“Glorified version of a Pellet Gun!”
Makes much more sense. But is less hilarious.


Hear the whole original song and see the band perform it live, here