Live for yourself

After a long day of laying wall to wall puke green shag carpet, who doesn't want to knock back a few Weidemann beers and rock out with your hippie friends. Neil, Geddy and Alex with long hair, eye-catching bling, unbuttoned shirts, pants flaring out like the 4th of July and lyrics inspired by Ayn Rand (though its hard to seperate objectivist ethics from hedonistic egoism)--this a Bic flicking classic!

Rush -- 'Anthem'

Go!

Some kid's homemade video but it’s a worthy effort. Random images, just like most vids. Good tune.

The Go! Team -- 'Huddle Formation'

I hear my angel sing

Popular music usually takes me 2 years or so for me to get to it. The vast majority of what is popular now will not interest me in 2 years or ever. But some of it will strike me right when everyone else is ready to be rid of it. You're probably tired of Jay-Z by now, but I'm just now getting into him. Blueprint and Kingdom Come are both solid, interesting efforts. Here's a homemade vid from his latest 'comeback'.

Jay-Z w/Chris 'Mr. Paltrow' Martin -- 'Beach Chair'

She has special powers

Remember the Shonen Knife? I can't believe this didn't catch on! The lip-syncing is Milli Vanilli quality but, man, there's enough 'fun' here to choke a camel.

The Shonen Knife -- 'E.S.P.'

Today in 1919…

…was the New York premiere of 'The Planets', a composition I always dug. I was gonna go with the footage from the ballet class because I figured the plucky elementary-age kids embodied what maestro Holst was going for. But the editing was choppy and I don't care how cute the kids are, the integrity of the films comes first! (I think it was Cecil B. Demille that said that) Going without the strings is quite a challenge. Nice work, Hollywood Wind Ensemble.

Hollywood Wind Ensemble -- 'The Jupiter Suite' from Holst's 'The Planets'

Lots of bombs in the air

From the 1983 NBA all-star game, this is widely considered the greatest rendition ever of USA's national anthem and I wholeheartedly agree. Honestly I can't believe there are negative comments in the You Tube feedback section! Are you kidding? Has there ever been an arrangement of this song that was even remotely close to this interesting? Interesting sidebar: check out how many white guys there are at an NBA all-star game! Who invited Jack Sickma?

Marvin Gaye -- 'The Star Spangled Banner'

Guitar gods chillin' at guitar Olympus drinking their guitar elixirs

Why isn't Jeff Beck a bigger star? I mean, when joes talk about the great guitar players, Beck will get casually mentioned and usually pretty quickly discarded not because he's no good but simply because people don't know his stuff that well. Why is that? Every time I've given him a chance to impress me, he does. I think its because he just looks like an asshole. Santana is his typical sweet soulful self and while they all sound great, I think Lukather brings the most fire. Who's the bass player? Nice jam.

Jeff Beck, Steve Lukather, Carlos Santana -- random jam live

A touch of Tosca

Here's a whole pile of clips from a 1958 performance I believe. Good pipes on her, no doubt about that. Sound and video are top notch too.

Maria Callas -- 'Vissi D'arte' from Puccini's 'Tosca'

Take it from your heart, put it in your hand

Cool video. I don't get it but I like it anyway. It has a Tim Burton meets Scrooge McDuck quality to it.

Arcade Fire -- 'Power Out'

A long way from home

Young Clapton joined by Carl Perkins (dressed as the Maytag repairman) and Johnny Cash (dressed as Mercutio from a community theater production of 'Romeo and Juliet') for 'Matchbox Blues'. A pleasure to see Clapton soaking in the coolness in the early days of his career.

Derek and the Dominoes -- 'It's Too Late' (on the Johnny Cash)

It looks like rain

Fun song. Interesting combo yucking it up for de folks back home. Dig Jackie Gleason stepping up for some face time at the end.

Dizzy Gillespie & Louis Armstrong -- 'Umbrella Man'

All around the world trying to take you there

Man, when they're on tour that bus must be crammed! Horns and percussionists and vocalists just seem to creep from every shadow as the song goes on.

Ozomatli -- 'Street Signs' (on Austin City Limits)

I've been around the world a million times

What kind of bizarro world is this where you lay around all day, make out with hot chicks and Sonic Youth plays in your living room? Man, MTV sold me a bill of goods when I was a kid! Check out a young Jason Lee.

Sonic Youth -- '100%'

When pop stars attack!

Here is some stunningly unconvincing video that Britney Spears attacked paparazzi with an umbrella. I saw no umbrella, I'm not even sure I saw Britney Spears. As for the damage she inflicted, buddy, if I was your insurance adjuster I'd need more proof than what you offer. All I saw was a bunch of jackals endlessly flashing at her--no wonder she was pissed!

Britney is spiraling down the same (You) tube that claimed Anna Nicole not long ago and that's sad. We as a society are absolutely complicit in that death: we watched her pop pills and get fatter and dumber for our amusement--we encouraged her to drive herself ever closer to the edge! Now she's dead and we complain about having to change the channel. I never thought nothing of Anna Nicole or Britney, but culture is getting brutal, its got a taste for bloody tragedy and it’s a little sickening watching a human life deteriorate this way. (A bit like watching a Yankee fan treat Alex Rodriguez like a chew toy. Yankee fans will gladly sacrifice a World Series to crush a human soul and ARod, buddy, they're saving space on You Tube for your inevitable meltdown)

It reminds me Satyijat Ray's 'Devi', the story of a young girl claimed to be the reincarnation of a goddess by a random traveling holy man. At first the girl enjoys all the adulation but soon enough she begins to realize that her existence is entirely out of her own hands. I think Britney may be getting what she wished for and somehow we are all lesser people for it.

One mile high

They don't make 'em like Superchunk any more. That's probably good, they're one of a kind: a throwdown bar-rockin' punk outfit with soulful vocals. Here the pride of Carrboro slows it down, sends this one out to the ladies.

Superchunk -- 'Detroit Has a Skyline' (hat tip: Knuckles)

She studied anatomy

Gotta be honest, I never saw this video before. This was the first Cibo Matto song I ever heard (albeit a remixed version on a sampler back in the day) and I've been a Cibo Matto fan ever since. But if I had seen this video it may well have turned me right off! Maybe not, I mighta loved it. We'll never know.

Cibo Matto -- 'Know Your Chicken'

We got drunk and sick

Classic Kids in the Hall music.

Bruce McCullough -- 'The Daves I Know'

Norah Jones's half-sister in a many-string throwdown

The sitar gets such a beautiful flow going. It sways like a banjo but with a much fuller tone. Her playing strangely reminds me of Randy Rhoads. (Isn't that Zakir Hussain backing her up?)

Anoushka Shankar at the Concert for George

Surfing with Ernest

I have no idea who these people are or who the subject of this home movie even is. Just some dudes surfing in the Caribbean. Some nice underwater photography in there and some good action shots. And you can't complain about the great Ernest Ranglin on the soundtrack.

Some guy's vacation video cut to Ernest Ranglin

We went down to the courthouse where the judge put it all to rest

This is the title song from Bruce's most overblown album. In terms of popularity it was Bruce's time for a double album, unfortunately it's just not his strongest collection of compositions. Not a bad record but it just doesn't have the urgency of his other albums of the time like Born to Run, Darkness on the Edge of Town or Nebraska. Which all goes to underscore just how fucking cool this performance right here is: its far from his best song, far from the best venue, but still totally a gripping performance. Bruce is a badass and I wonder how many people have noticed?

Bruce Springsteen playing 'The River' for an impromptu audience

Bonus!
Ben Stiller's 'Counting with Bruce Springsteen'

It isn't your sweet conversation

What a cutie! Pop singers today can still sing, Beyonce can throw down, I'm not casing aspersions. But the presentation has descended from trying to make an impression to trying to be shocking (ex: Christina Aguilera's downward spiral into skankdom!). I suppose its just a function of the expansion of media outlets: everybody has to be louder, angrier, more etc., to get attention. Why don't we give our attention to the talented people instead of the obnoxious ones?

Sarah Vaughn -- 'The Nearness of You'

Come on a little closer, I got something to say

If this bass groove doesn't melt your soul then you just ain't into music. Was this the first Morphine song I ever heard…? I guess so.

Morphine -- 'Buena'

Sweet life is nowhere to be found

When I was in the 8th grade I listened to 'Catch a Fire', 'Burnin' and/or 'The Harder They Come' pretty much every day after school. Marley's first few albums with the Wailers were actually intensely sad records and they appealed to my morbid, lonely junior high mentality. 'Stir It Up', for example, is a really sad song--there's a pervasive melancholy throughout the tune and yet in America that song is Sunday afternoon music for fat white girls! The contempo music scene didn't go through its reggae phase til 5 or 6 years later and by that time my secret joy of reggae after school was long past me. I still loved the music but mostly I loved it because I was lonely, it wasn't a call to collectivism. Oh well. Bob Marley (like a lot of things) is just misunderstood in America, appreciated correctly only in the rest of the world. (The clip cuts off abruptly)

Bob Marley -- 'Concrete Jungle (live)

Lord Knows He Travelin'

What's with the subtitles? Was this for Danish television or something? Weird to see him standing, I'm used to his telltale easy-seated, foot-tappin'.

John Lee Hooker -- 'Hobo Blues'

I promise to send my fears away

Apparently Ranier Maria broke up. Too bad. I really dug them. I preferred their first album to the most recent one, but I was still interested in hearing more. Normally I don't care for bands that play to the vocalist but her voice holds it all together. There's some YouTube footage from the last show just before Xmas too.

Ranier Maria -- 'I'll Make You Mine'

Making me itch

3-time world champ shows up close how to win fans and influence dancefloors. Nobody cross-fades quite like the maestro.

DJ Qbert taking a victory lap

I tried reverse but I'm not that quick

The Breeders -- 'Huffer'

Damn, this dude's pretty cool

Check out this clip from a legendary Turkish clarinetist. That's a pimpin' pic.

Mustafa Kandirali -- 'Modern Anadol'

Bonus video! The music gets started about 2 minutes in. It starts so moody and unstructured and then turns into a rock-out by the end. Cool piece. Can't tell what it's called, unfortunately I don't speak Turkish.

Husnu Senlendirici & Mustafa Kandirali

That's what I am

This is from back in the days when playing music in front of a TV audience was a chance to show off what a good musician you were. Man, I miss that.

The Funky Meters -- 'Jungle Man'

'I'm from the Grand Ol' Opry'

Some Roy Acuff, some Hank Williams and a whole lotta Kate Smith. Good stuff.

Kate Smith Evening Hour (from 4.23.52)

Alice, kindly pay attention!

Has anybody ever played 'Surrealistic Pillow' with 'Alice in Wonderland', a la 'Dark Side of the Moon' with 'Wizard of Oz' (which totally works incidentally)?

Jefferson Airplane -- 'White Rabbit' set to clips from Alice in Wonderland

I believed this girl

'M Butterfly' is a strange and interesting play. Based on a true story. (I guess this isn't music, is it? Oh well)

John Lithgow interprets BD Wong's 'Madame Butterfly'

Bring to ya raw

Nappy and the DBall together is like fine wine and good food. A hearty meal right here.

Dragonball cut to Nappy Roots -- 'Aww Naww'

Don't want your love

I always dug this song.

Everly Brothers -- 'Cathy's Clown'

Hated and feared for something we don't want

These guys fucking rock. I read a post somewhere that compared these guys to U2. Frankly I don't hear it. I hear guitars that are equally innovative and classic, drums that thunder upon the proceedings, a bass player that could destroy U2's sorry-ass excuse for backup any day of the week, a sweet use of string section and vocals that soar and are far more musical than Bono's flat-ass 'look at me, my songs suck but man I'm good at looking like I really help people'. Anyway these guys fucking rock.

My Morning Jacket -- 'Gideon' on Letterman

Down in Butcher Holler

Her signature song, voice and hairstyle all in one charmingly old-ass TV clip that looks as if its spent a season or two in the mothballs. I love the background set: I can't help but think the log cabin she grew up in had the same wood paneling as my Grandma's basement where I grew up watching stuff like Loretta Lynn's wood-paneled cabin. Jeez, it's really no wonder I don't trust the television any more.

Loretta Lynn -- 'Coal Miner's Daughter'

Hangin' with Leo

Holy crap, this guy's a monster! I judge a musician by the sheer amount of fretboard they cover and nobody's as all over the place as Leo Kottke. Such a deft touch, blazing speed, good humor, this guy's a champ.

Leo Kottke live clips

Guitar slinging in the old school way

Johnny Winter is at the top of his game here with Muddy Waters (and who's that harp player?) along for the ride. This is what guitar heroes used to look like. (Shouldn't say 'used to', apparently he's back and rocking again)

Johnny Winter & Muddy Waters Live

Hey, Yehudi, where's the blowfish?

That's some fine fiddlin' right there. He looks a little like a young Laurence Olivier, plays like a young Steve Vai with his hands just blurring all over the fretboard. Badassness.

Yehudi Menuhin -- Bazini's 'Calabrese'

You're the kind of girl I like

Excellent footage of the Jicks live somewhere reaching back to Malkmus's early days.

Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks -- 'Gold Soundz'

Tribalistas

Why is it that pop music in other parts of the world (in this case Brazil) is so much more joyous and musical and sensual than our pop music? American pop music is either depressing as hell or dripping with desperate sexuality or larded with the same ol' DJ beats? Here the Tribalistas take it a down notch but even still they pack so much into a tune.

Tribalistas -- 'Velha Infancia'

Like a flaming sword above me

Neko rules. Here she is on Austin City Limits.

Neko Case -- 'Flaming Sword'

The shta da di-da go uh yeeaaaahh

This is back when Letterman still had that goofy hair, people still listened to records, Peter Buck had a spring in his step and I never understood a word Michael Stipe said. Those were the days.

R.E.M. -- 'Radio Free Europe'

Home of the girl of Ipanema

A rare worthwhile nugget from SCTV, a show I always found insufferably un-funny.

Rick Moranis doing a solid Mel Torme parody

Dehli swings

Well not here it doesn't. But the Midival Punditz are something special all the same.

Midival Pundizt -- '136'

Tickle those ivories

I dig Ravel because he sounds Bugs Bunny background music.

Alicia de la Rocha w/Cincinnati Orchestra -- Ravel's piano concerto in G major

Your mom is good lookin'

Strange video, looks like background noise for some TV channel.

Sam Cooke -- 'Summertime'

Trying to figure out if he was gay

Monkee Michael Nesmith in his Frank Zappa phase. In the early days of MTV (and Nesmith, as I recall, was one of the founders), this was one of the first truly wacky songs/videos. Wackiness looks different now but its all good.

Michael Nesmith -- 'Cruisin''

I thought the Dixie Chicks were gonna shut up at some point?

I kinda came close to actually thinking about paying attention to the Grammys this year. But I didn't. Oh well. Award shows invariably suck. I follow them only because they're annual, they can be fun to predict and they form the backbone of the cultural history of the era. It's imperfect to be sure but occasionally they get it right. And by 'get it right' I don't mean that they successfully transmit my views onto history so much as they correctly gather what people are tuning in on and what will actually endure. (For example, the year 'Titanic' won Best Picture: not my favorite movie but any triptych through film of the late 1990's would have to revolve around 'Titanic', no?) So do the Dixie Chicks and Mary J. Blige and John Mayer rate as the great stuff of our time or just the shit that was most popular in February?

Here's a list of Grammy winners. The Klezmatics win Best World Music? Nice to see that the classical categories could boast Michael Tilson Thomas and John Williams and Maurizio Pollini--big obnoxious egos that can roll with Ludacris's bitchez any day of the week.

Are you using that gas mask?

I don't get the video--a tribute to the power of mindless destruction? But the song's cool and it is a watchable juxtaposition of images.

RJD2 -- 'Ringfinger'

Dancing with the 1929 Stars

This is a clip from an early talkie film featuring the great Chick Webb's band playing for a dance-off. Who got served? Not sure. But any clip of Chick Webb is worth checking out.

After Seben featuring Chick Webb

Regrets? She's had a few

Man, on what day did God create Nina Hagen? She always did it her way, no doubt about that. Watching this clip I kept waiting for her to break into a chorus of 'Red rum! Red rum!'

Nina Hagen -- 'My Way'

'Eatin' cheesesteak and rasin' hell!'

One of my favorite guitar solos ever. Here's a live version from an era when the Top was just hanging out…in sequined smoking jackets.

ZZ Top -- 'Just Got Paid'

No such thing as tomorrow

Years ago I saw Joe Jackson, talked into going though I only knew like 3 Joe Jackson songs. To my pleasant surprise he totally rocked the Fillmore, a killer show. And he ended the night with 'Got the Time', a song I had forgotten was his. Here's the Anthrax cover version I grew up on. Eerily similar to the Joe Jackson original.

Anthrax -- 'Got the Time'

Good quality afrobeat, mon

Afrobeat at its best eases into the action. The beat is always there but the instrumentation over top expands and evolves and it becomes an ass-whippin' jazz odyssey before you even realize the song has started. Or something like that. And Fela Kuti is the best.

Fela Kuti -- 'Teacher, Don't Teach Me No Nonsense'

That's not me

Once you listen to rubber-dyke punk rock, you'll never go back. Suddenly it will seem clear to you that this music was made for you and me and all of us. Angst comes in all shapes and sizes.

Team Dresch -- 'Take On Me'

When I turn my eyes around

I didn't get into MBV until well after their prime, better late than never. They made something of a comeback for the Lost in Translation soundtrack. Someone out there in Youtubeland has made a vid out of clips from that movie. Nice work, it fits the mood well.

My Bloody Valentine -- 'Sometimes'

Make your dreams out of paper mache

Here's one from Beck's latest. The special edition of that album comes with a DVD of videos for all the songs. They're homemade and strange but, like all bizarre video, it works about half of the time.

Beck -- 'Hell Yes'

A relic from Brazilian TV

Check out Caetano Veloso! I love checking out old videos of big stars seeing how young they looked in the early days. Jeez, he looks like he's about 14, like a child prodigy. Crooning in the old time way while girls throw flowers (at least) at him. Damn, this guy's been a pimp his whole life. The audio is a little spotty at times mostly because the audience is singing along.

Caetano Veloso -- 'Alegria, Alegria'

I might let you

This video is single-handedly responsible for retarding the sexual development of millions of young girls in the '80's. This is what girls actually thought that boys wanted! It is a cautionary tale now.

The Waitresses -- 'I Know What Boys Like'

I ain't gonna take none of your foolin' around

John Fogerty was just back from winning the Mustache of the Year contest and, boy, did he deserve it! Now he can he relax knowing that he taught Harry Reems all he knows.

CCR -- 'I Put a Spell on You'

Why are the roads all painted black?

Silver Jews -- 'Random Rules'

Is it hard to make arrangements with yourself?

Often these videos are interesting to look at but sound like they were recorded underwater but the sound here is excellent.

Neil Young -- 'Tell Me Why'

I can sing higher!

The Muppet Show is one of the all-time underappreciated TV shows! It was funny, it had cool guest stars and everything about it was original and cool. It harkens back to the times of live television and live theater, ratcheting up creativity week after week. Here they bring in Beverly Sills to class up the joint. Funny.

Beverly Sills on the Muppet Show

Drive our ships to new lands

Classic Zeppelin footage.

Led Zeppelin -- 'Immigrant Song'

The princess kept the view?

I thought Prince absolutely ruled last night! Prince has been off-to-the-side for years now and he's been watching these old timey shlubs like Paul McCartney and the Stones (trust me, the NFL would love to just trot out Paul McCartney every year and be done with it) and these amateur punks like Justin Timberlake and he's been saying to himself, 'I can kill these bitchez.' And I thought the proof was in the half time show. He had full command of the audience, it was a well-conceived medley, he reminded everybody that he is the most underappreciated guitarist of the last 30 years, the backlit shadow solo was phenomenal and you can't front on a marching band! (Incidentally, I own only 1 Prince CD (The Black Album), I never saw Purple Rain and the only thing I'd heard before this that I can say I really, really dug was a bootleg from the Sign of the Times tour. Just for the record, I respect his musicality but I've never really listened to that much of him before. I wasn't sure what his show would be but I figured he'd be good and he was.)

Prince -- Super Bowl Medley, part 1
Prince -- Super Bowl Medley, part 2

Get in your car and cruise the land of the brave and the free

Super Bowl Sunday. I worked in a restaurant in college that actually listed Super Bowl Sunday as a holiday (one of the four days of the year we were closed). A big day deserves something special. And here it is, a Ween smorgasbord. Trust me, I'd love to put up more but this'll do for now.

Ween -- 'Freedom of '76'
Ween -- 'The Mollusk'
Ween -- 'I Can't Put My Finger On It'
Creepy-ass homemade video of Ween -- 'I Play It Off Legit'
Ween -- 'Zoloft'
Ween -- 'Pollo Asado'
Ween -- 'Roses are Free' (homemade)
Ween -- 'Bananas and Blow' (live)
Ween -- 'Birthday Boy' (live acoustic)
Ween -- 'The Stallion, Part 2'

(I had no idea Ween was so popular as background music for people's random home movies. Some of them are pretty cool, some of them not so much.)

You must be crazy

Starts sweet and soulful, turns booty rockin'. T-Bone, stone cold playa. The audience looks like a bunch of stiffs, no?

T Bone Walker -- Live at the Jazz Philharmonic 1964

Call her bluff with a huff and a puff

Outrageous outtake from Run Ronnie Run. (Possibly the only outtake in film history that is actually still in the movie, not unlike pointing out that Benjamin Franklin was the only President of the United States that was never actually president.) A musical scene from a non-musical film.

Jack Black -- 'Give Her a Kick in the Cunt'

More is all you need

This is from way back. Back before James learned to sing, before Jason got booted, before Lars got insufferable and before the band's compositional quality went down the tubes. There was a time when Metallica used to offer up seriously ass-whippin' metal, though looking back that was a pretty short period, wasn't it? Unfortunately it was not too long after this they decided to make videos, write ballads and sell more records. An unnecessary choice considering they had top 10 albums, t-shirt sales and concert tours without ever acknowledging MTV. I'm not saying that's the reason they suck but their slide does coincide neatly with that time period. Enjoy.

Metallica -- 'Master of Puppets' (Live 1989)

I am adding...and subtracting

When I do the music posts each day I think of somebody and then I try to come up with the exact opposite of what I just added. The last clip was Dirty Dozen Brass Band, the opposite of which is Kraftwerk. Wouldn't you agree? (Hat tip: Toddger)

Kraftwerk -- 'Pocket Calculator'

Knocked out loaded

DDBB getting their Dr. John on. Sounds great.

Dirty Dozen Brass Band -- 'Junko Partner'

Classic Jimi Hendrix

The documentary film Jimi Hendrix is one of the great underrated rock and roll docs. Here's a coupla clips. This is rare acoustic work from Jimi, what do you know? He's pretty good!

Jimi Hendrix -- 12-String Jam

BONUS -- If you haven't seen the movie Little Richard is worth the price of admission. This is just one of his scenes. Jagger, Clapton and Townshend are all pretty classic too.

Little Richard gives recompense and reward, my lord