Weezer "Troublemaker"

One of the most positive bits political activism in 2010 (in a year jam-packed with negativity) has been the "It Gets Better" campaign, which sought to reach out to despondent gay young people (like the really great video from Pixar, below), and let them know that life isn't as dark or despairing or lonely, as it feels to many gay teens and young adults.

It made me wish that there was an "It Gets Better" campaign, for nerds.

While the generalized intolerance (and sometimes, vitriol) that exists for homosexuality is far greater than that which is visited upon the population of nerdy teens, on an individual basis, I can say with certainty that there are kids now, just as there were when I was in high school, who are treated with a level of crushing cruelty and physical intimidation, that we should ALL be horrified to know exists.

Smart kids, un-athletic kids, odd kids and just plain awkward kids, who have been subject to bullying, mistreatment and ostracism, could use their own "It Gets Better" campaign. A message from those who's brains, creativity, individuality and plain different-ness, went from being a youthful liability, to the secret of their adult success.

And if there ever were a spokesperson for that "It's Gets Better" campaign, it's this guy --->

This shy, bespectacled, sweater-vested, Dungeons And Dragons playing, poetry-writing, drama-club belonging, Harvard-going student, grew up to be the leader of one of the most successful rock bands of the last 15 years.

If there ever were a video for this proposed campaign, it's this:



That kid in the picture, who got bullied and beat up and pushed the to margins in middle school, was rocking a sold-out crowd, the center of attention and adulation, the coolest guy in the room, leading a sing-along from the balcony of The Orpheum in Boston, still wearing a pretty uncool sweater.

Hell yeah, it gets better.

Johnny Cash "I Heard The Bells On Christmas Day"

Instead of the usual Weekend Post, on weekends in December, I think I'll post some fun, weird holiday tunes.

Weird variety shows were a staple of my youth. Thank you, Youtube, for keeping them alive.

Juliana Hatfield "Make It Home"

Instead of the usual Weekend Post, on weekends in December, I think I'll post some fun, weird holiday tunes.

I always thought that this song was going to become a Christmas cult classic, like the show it appeared on, "My So Called Life." But I don't hear it around much . . .





Weekend posts are a chance to revisit songs that have happy memories, not of anything in particular, other than just hearing the tunes.

Many of these songs were tracks that I played during my 90s stint as an Alternative/Modern Rock radio show. They're tunes that I hardly hear these days, but are wonderful to revisit.

Click on the "Weekend Posts" label below, to see other posts like this.

Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly "Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy"

It is a real, incredibly difficult magic trick---in music or comedy---to produce genius while you're seemingly doing next to nothing.

Whether you're Brian Wilson, Sandra Boynton or Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly, you are no less that a Master if you can create something mesmerizing, with a few mere strokes.

Witness Ferrell and Reilly in this hilarious version of "Peace On Earth/Little Drummer Boy." For the first 5 minutes of the video neither performer does anything but a fairly faithful recreation of the original Bing Crosby & David Bowie TV appearance. There is joke right at the end of the video, but otherwise, they don't appear to be doing anything.

And yet, I watched this video, crying/laughing.

Why is it hilarious? I can't quite say.

It's Christmas magic, I guess.

Peace on Earth/Little Drummer Boy with Will Ferrell & John C. Reilly from Will Ferrell

Get this version as a free download!

The original

R.E.M. "Discoverer"

Like a man who's pleasantly surprised find his heart still beats a little faster at the site of his wife of 25 years, I'm a longtime R.E.M. fan, still excited by the idea of a new record.

Here's a link to a free download from the forthcoming disc.

The Highly Irritating Orchestra "Bolero Completely Unraveled"

Producer Don Was has a great quote where he define genius, in a documentary about Brian Wilson. (The interweb was not helpful in finding this recalled quote, but Was paraphrases himself in the Charlie Rose interview below).

Was described Wilson's genius as being able to see things that are beyond the field of vision of an average person AND being able to articulate those unsee-able things to, in Wilson's case, the other musicians he was working with.

Artist Sandra Boyton's drawings can be as deceptively simple as "The Warmth Of The Sun," as joyous as "Good Vibrations" and as emotive as "Heroes And Villians," while seeming as unforced and as innocent as a Brian Wilson composition.

So when you hear that, as a companion piece to her new book "Amazing Cows," Sandra decided to record Ravel's "Bolero" with a team of 300 kazoos, well, you know she's seeing things that normal humans just ain't.

For a $175 donation to Friends of mvyradio, today the station is offering Sandra Boynton's Amazing Cows book; They Might Be Giants "Here Come The 123s” CD/DVD; Putumayo Kids Reggae CD; Doc Dauer presents "The Body Rocks" CD; and an mvyradio Infant Romper or Youth t-shirt.


Click thru to hear a little bit of The Highly Irritating Orchestra "Bolero Completely Unraveled"

 

Don Was on Brian Wilson's genius

Weezer "In The Garage"

Tonight my wife, her brother, my sister and I, are headed to The Orpheum in Boston to catch Weezer.

This is part of their "Memories" tour, where, tonight, their going to play their first album in its entirety. Woohoo!

Thinking about that first record (which I know each of the 4 of us listened to, tons) brings back the mid-90s for sure. But thinking about that first album cover sent me straight to the garage.

I've previously mentioned the recent fruitful trip to the garage, and just this weekend remembered that I had seen my special Christmas card folder.

For a good dozen years, I made my own Christmas cards. And in the pre-Photoshop era, I'd do most of the work with a pair of scissors, some glue, and the company photocopier.

The year after Weezer's debut came out, this was my Christmas greeting to all, with my head in place of guitarist Brian Bell's (on the right):

Here's the original:

And for your enjoyment, a selection of other entertaining cards from different years. Photoshop did become an option.

Here's the first card I did with my wife:

And for years, we waited for our daughter to be old enough to play the role of Zuzu.

Hooray for the garage!!!




Clips from the whole album:

Meryn Cadell "The Cat Carol"

One of those things that our kids will never understand is how, waaay back in the old days of say, the 80s, if you bought an album/cd, you got all the songs and they remained in the same order. And if you didn't like a song, you'd have to manually hit the forward button and skip over it. Unless you made a mixed tape, you were pretty much stuck with the track order you were given.

It wasn't until the mid-90s that the technology started to turn, first for the industry, then for the consumer.

In the in-between time, I had a job, courtesy of my sister: Get rid of the damn Cat song!

The CD called "Christmas Songs" was a compilation containing the at-the-time-hard-to-find Barenaked Ladies/Sarah McLachlan version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen," which had only been available to BNL fan club members at that point.

But my sister wanted me to get rid of this one track, "A Cat Carol," that I wasn't familiar with, because it ruined the whole album.

"The cat DIES at the end!" What kind of Christmas song is that?

So got some help from the station engineer, who showed me how I could "Burn" a CD, something I'd never done before. And I copied all the tracks from "Christmas Songs," except that one.

And the cat song can live in the stars, forever.


Tonight, I'm hosting The Hot Seat on mvyradio, with an hour of songs that are Not-exactly-in-the-Christmas-spirit. You won't be singing these carols around the tree with the kids, this year. And if you miss it tonight, next week, you'll find it in the archives.

Neko Case "Christmas Card From A Hooker In Minneapolis"

Gasp! . . . Neko! . . . gaa! . . . covering . . . uhhh! . . . Waits! . . . . . . dying! . . . ascending to heaven! . . . ahhhhhhh!





The existence of this cut motivated me to do tomorrow night's Hot Seat (Monday at 9pm on mvyradio), focusing on downbeat Christmas songs. Enjoy!

Superdeluxe "All I Wanted Was A Skateboard"

Instead of the usual Weekend Post, on weekends in December, I think I'll post some fun, weird holiday tunes.

This 90s power pop (partly punk) ditty perfectly expresses that familiar-but-oh-so-not-in-the-spirit-of-the-season sentiment: "Thanks, but couldn't you have gotten me something slightly cooler?"