Sam Roberts Band "Last Crusade"

I was listening closely to a segment on NPR week or so ago and I wondered if the folks behind the scenes did this intentionally, or if it's just a coincidence that only a record nerd would catch.

NPR was talking to an expert on Syria, Russia and Vladimir Putin, about the recently published editorial by Putin in the New York Times.  The expert was explaining Russia's relationship with Syria, and Putin's possible motivations for his actions, alliances and the editorial.

After talking about the economic interests Russia has in Syria, and about the, ahem, ego involved in positioning Russia as a world power, the conversation wound around to something I hadn't really thought about.

The expert pointed out that the Syrian rebellion is populated by many hard-line Islamists.  Given Russia's history with Afghanistan and Chechnya, Putin is likely to be extremely reticent to find himself embroiled in another fight with Islamic rebel force.

The conversation concluded, and, as is the norm for NPR, a piece of bumper music started to play, as a transition to the next segment.

I recognized the groove, as it's was a) a little heavier than the pieces NPR usually uses, and b) sounded like something MVY would play.

Hey, it IS something MVY would play.  Does play.  What is it?  I got it: Sam Roberts!

And then I put the figurative breaks on.  Are they fucking with me?  Or is this a coincidence?

Do they know that they have just ended a segment discussing a political leaders reluctance to go to war against Muslims with a song called "The Last Crusade"? 

It's a pretty loaded reference---Muslims and The Crusades.

They only played the music bed.  So there was no lyrical reference that a person who didn't know the song could latch onto.  If it were intentional, it was for insiders only.

Or it was just a weird coincidence and they just have a barrel full of cool-music bumpers, and it's me who's making the connection.


Sidenote:  I was searching NPR.org to see if I could find the original audio referenced above and got really cracked up.  I took a screen shot, so you'd see I'm not kidding.  Note that I searched for "Putin Editorial" and the first return makes perfect sense.  But the second choice cracked me up.  Again, I'm not sure if the internal-mechanics geeks at NPR are fucking with me, or if it's just funny luck.

See the article and the Blobfish.



Hear the song on Youtube.

Jason Isbell "Stockholm"

You know what a good sign is, when it comes to me liking a song?  When I can't choose a lyric.

One of Barbara Dacey's behind the scenes jobs at MVY, is to post the Lyric Of The Day.  You can see it at the top of the main page of our website.

While she's on vacation, I am doing the lyric posting.  I'd had "Stockholm" stuck in my head for a couple of days, and thought I'd grab a lyric from there.

I literally spent 15 minutes trying to narrow it down.  It's a 4 minute song!

But there are so many great lines, and turns of phrases, and descriptions here.  It was hard to pick.

I never disliked Jason Isbell, but I had never had one of his songs grab me and show me his genius until now.

You can see the lyrics here.

And watch the video below to the end?  Letterman is clearly a HUGE fan.


Hear the song on Youtube.


See Isbell on Letterman on Youtube.

Jimi Hendrix "Hey Joe"

Here's one from the mailbag, that forced me to put on my Program Director's thinking cap . . .

I got an email from a listener who asked if we could stop playing "Hey Joe" by Jimi Hendrix.

The email was very personal, so I don't want to say to much about it her, to protect the writer's privacy.

But the long and short of it, was that she, herself, had had a gun held to her head by a man who suspected her of cheating.  And she had been friends with another person who was killed, in the same scenario.

She found the Hendrix track upsetting and asked, Could we please stop playing that song?


"Offensive" is a word that gets tossed around a lot.  But it's pretty difficult to pin down what is offensive, because there is so much subjective judgement involved.

A good rule of thumb, as far as potentially offensive content goes on MVY, is to ask if a significant percentage of listeners would find a particular song offensive.  It wouldn't have to be a majority of listeners.  But enough to believe that every time you were playing the song, you were upsetting a good number of people.

"Cousin Dupree" is a pretty good example.  Despite it being a hit in its time, it didn't have a long shelf life at MVY, because enough listeners complained about the implication of an lecherous relative, trying to get a kiss from an underage girl.

"Hey Joe" is a little different, in that it's not a new song.  It's been around for over 40 years at this point.  You would think a song with that much history would have cleared the hurdle.

But I have to say, prior to this listener's note, I would occasionally hear the song and think, "That's pretty explicit."

This is not something that is hinted at, or sketched out, or otherwise alluded to.

And this is not "Folsom Prison Blues" where the shooter faces consequence and penalty.

"I'm going down to shoot my old lady/I caught her messing 'round with another man."

I can actually see why this listener finds the song upsetting.

That being said, can we stop playing every song that someone finds upsetting or deems offensive?

Good Lord, we'd lose half our library.  ALL songs (practically) are about Lust, Greed, Murder, Infidelity and Crapulence.**

On the other hand, is the Hendrix tune essential to MVY?  If we took it out of rotation, would anyone notice?

I spent a good week thinking about it.  Here is what I finally wrote, as a reply:

Thanks for taking the time to write and thanks for sharing your concern.

While we probably can't remove every song that contains troubling images or stories, I do agree with you that the lyrics of "Hey Joe" are very upfront and could be upsetting.

I wanted you to know that I took Jimi Hendrix "Hey Joe" out of regular rotation.

This means that the song won't be a regular part of the station's mix anymore.  It is possible that we will get an occasional request for it, so it may infrequently appear.  But consider it a rarity.

Thanks for writing and thanks for listening.

PJ

It felt good to tell the listener that she had been heard, and that there was a response.

Is it the right move?  I'm not sure.


Hear the song on Youtube.

** I have been trying for years to work the word "crapulence" into a blog post.  Success!

Mavis Staples "Far Celestial Shore"

I'm a little embarrassed to admit this.

As I write this, it's Saturday morning and I'm sitting in the waiting room while my car gets an oil change.

And I am crying.

I was gathering some videos for the mvy Bloggers Page.  Our Album Of The Week is the new Mavis Staples record, and I figured I'd post her cover of the Nick Lowe tune "Far Celestial Shore," when I came across this video.

Yeah, it's basically an advertisement put together by her label.  It's marketing and it's manipulative.

But I can't deny that it just filled me with emotion.  Not sad.  Just . . . emotion.

I dunno, maybe it won't have that effect on you.

But when I see hear, when I hear her, I just can't help but be overwhelmed by how lucky I feel to have these recent records, both the ones she's done with Jeff Tweedy, which has been a lovely, lovely surprise, and also the excellent records she put out in the 2000s ("Have A Little Faith," "We'll Never Turn Back").

I feel lucky to have seen her live.  To see her sing "The Weight" right in front of me.  To watch her pound her chest as she sang the line "Put the load right on me" and totally believe she could psychologically, spiritually and hell, even physically carry us.

I feel lucky that music still moves me this deeply, and that Mavis is out there making it.


See the Marketing video on Youtube.


Hear "Far Celestial Shore" on Youtube.

Sublime "What I Got"

Here's another "Dismissive One Sentence Reviews By Friends" posts . . .

Sublime's "What I Got" had probably been out for a few years at this point.  I was riding in the car with my Dad, and I'd flipped the radio to WFNX.

As the song played, I noticed my Dad look at the radio once or twice, with a furrowed brow.

Finally he said, "Is that noise in the song?  Is it supposed to sound like that?"

I thought about trying to explain the whole concept of Turntable Mixing And Scratching, but I realized that Yes, to a guy who grew up on Buddy Holly and Chuck Berry, the DJ noises on "What I Got" probably did sound like something was wrong with the radio.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Royal Crown Revue "Zip Gun Bop"

Here's another Weekend Post:
More from the 90s swing revival . . .


Hear the song on Youtube.

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 fun to revisit.

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

Brian Setzer Orchestra "September Skies"

Here's another Weekend Post:


Had to put this one up, due to the month . . .

Before he scored a major hit with his cover of "Jump Jive And Wail," and launching an era of Swing-revival, the Brian Setzer Orchestra concept was a little closer to a Frank-Sinatra-with-a-Big-Band thing . . . 


Hear the song on Youtube.

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 fun to revisit.

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

The Beach Boys "Surfer Girl"

Earlier this summer, my wife announced that she had a Bucket List.

(No, she is not dying.  Nor does she sound anything like Morgan Freeman)

She wanted to learn how to play the ukelele.

And, as if the universe was listening, her Mom found her Grandfather's uke in the attic.  She's been learning to play ever since.

Next she announced that she really wanted to learn how to surf.

And, as if her husband was listening, I signed us up for an introductory lesson as an anniversary gift.

Yes, it wasn't just a gift to her.  As was her wish, this was something we would experience together.

We drove out to Lecount Hollow in Wellfleet, where we met our instructor Eric, of Funseekers.  We spent a little bit of time on the beach, where Eric, in a very clear, genial, conversational, un-intimidating way gave us a crash course in the science, mechanics and etiquette of surfing.

Then we got out on the water, where Eric stood, waist-deep, guided us, instructed us, gave us a little push.  Before our hour in the water was over, we were riding the waves.

Here's are a picture of me almost getting it.  Try not to be horrified by the sight of me in a wet suit.

On the ride out of Wellfleet with my wife, I realized that there are things about our two personalities, that remain consistent through everything in our lives, from music to surfing.

I was telling her how impressed I was with her.  On just her third attempt, she was standing on her board, riding a wave all the way into shore.

It had taken me a good 45 minutes of further attempts, to get that to happen.

"I had trouble putting it all together," I told her.  "Had to figure out where to ride the board for balance.  Then I had to remember to push up from the middle and not from the sides.  Once I got that I had to take a few runs at getting up in one push.  Then my feet were straight instead of sideways.  Then I had to do all that, and remember to stay in a crouching position.  It took me all those tries to put it all together.  How did you do it?"

She said, "I listened to everything he told us on the beach, but I don't know if I got it.  Then I got out on the water and didn't think about it, I just did it."

And that's it.  That's our argument about music.

I think a song can only be good if it's well-written.

She doesn't care about the words.  They're not important.  A song is all about a feeling to her.

"Surfer Girl" is a perfect example.

Like a lot (but not all) of The Beach Boys early stuff, the lyrics aren't much better than anything an 8th grader could write.  It's pretty Moon-June-Spoon.

My wife would argue that that's not the point.  It isn't about what he's saying.  She's not even listening to that.

"Surfer Girl" is about what the song evokes.  Tan bodies.  Slow motion.  Gentle winds.  The warmth of the sun.  Endless summer.

I could pick the lyrics apart.  Analyze them.  And not enjoy the song.

This is why I married her.

I'm with someone who reminds me to feel.  Reminds me to listen.  Reminds me to do.

Reminds me that sometimes you don't need a surfing lesson.  Sometimes you just need to surf.


Hear the song on Youtube.

Coldplay "Atlas"

This track came in and I thought to myself, I didn't know Coldplay had a new album coming out.  How did that news slip by me?

Nope, not a new album.  Just a song on the soundtrack to the new "Hunger Games" movie . . .


Hear the song on Youtube.

Sting "Fragile"

Thinking of this one on the Anniversary of September 11th.

You may or may not remember that Sting had scheduled a live webcast of a concert in Italy, to be made into a live album, for September 11th, 2001.

In light of the terrorist attacks on New York and Washington that morning, he chose to come out, do one song, and then shut down the webcast.

Before the one song, "Fragile," he said a few words.

Thoughtful and well-done, as artists' responses go, this may be among the best in the wake of that day.


Hear the song on Youtube.