'The Germans are disputing it!'

Good stuff. My degree is in Philosophy, which is handy if you want to spend your life toiling in video stores, where you might come across this old school classic. 'Beckenbauer obviously a bit of a surprise there'

Monty Python -- 'Greece v. Germany'

'Once we're airborne, I get pretty stingy with my supply'

I always loved this piece of music (can you guess where it comes from?) and I've long been a fan of Hunter Thompson. Now the two come together in this inexplicable little piece of video of a drawing of zombie Hunter. Unfortunately the artist is not HST's partner in crime, Ralph Steadman, another favorite of mine. Enjoy.

Carter Burwell -- 'Dream of the Future'

I wanna lay down the law

I was looking for some Moms Mabley footage and ran across this nugget from the wide open '60s. Pigmeat Markham is best known as an old school stand-up comic not dissimilar to Redd Foxx and a regular partner of Moms. But in the '60s he made a series of novelty records that garnered some acclaim, this being the first and most popular. This became a catch phrase of the day sweeping the country not unlike old favorites like 'Where's the beef?' and 'Talk to the hand!' Here's Pigmeat's biggest hit set to a video that is both homemade and minimalist, but I dig it. An interesting tune, a pre-cursor to hip-hop and Judge Dredd.

Pigmeat Markham -- 'Here Comes the Judge'

I'll be around

I think Astrud Gilberto has the sexiest voice in the history of music. (I like Billie Eckstine too but his supple baritone doesn't quite get me in the spine the way Ms. Gilberto can) I feared I'd find very little on You Tube and there were a chunk of live performances (well, the same performance in many short takes) and a hand full of homemade jobs. This one was fun, taking clips from Ghost World, Phone Booth, Pillow Talk (correct me if I'm wrong please) and Dial 'M' for Murder to create a montage of people talking on the phone mixed and matched so that Scarlett Johanson from Ghost World can chat with Ray Milland from Dial 'M' for Murder (not to be confused with the Troy McClure vehicle Dial 'M' for Murderousness). I especially dug Rock Hudson maxin' in the tub while Grace Kelly fights for her life. Oh yeah, the song is sweet and Astrud is in fine form.

Astrud Gilberto -- 'Call Me'

Damn! I see demons!

I'm always a few years behind the mainstream trends in music and Snoop Dogg is an excellent example. When the Dr. Dre-style, if you will, first appeared, it got on my nerves. The pencil thin Casio undertone was like nails on a blackboard and I couldn't understand its appeal. But as years passed and trends moved on it hit me just how fluid Snoop Dogg is and how that style is meant to be a bit grating: the intensity of the narrative is supposed to free your ass and ground your mind (the un-Funkadelic, I suppose). This was probably the first West Coast style song that grabbed me.

Snoop Dogg -- 'Murder Was the Case'

No sorrow in sight

This is one of Hank's first big hits and still one of his signature tunes. I love Hank Williams, his best work ranges from joyous gospel to the deepest of self-pitying country blues. What more do you need? The Health and Happiness Shows is one of the essential musical happenings of the post-war era.

Hank Williams -- 'I Saw the Light'

BONUS -- Bruce Springsteen -- 'Wedding Bells' (1978 sound check)
I love old footage of the stars. Here Springsteen knocks out a quick one before going back to his Stat Boy duties on PTI.

Stop being a bitch already!

Good jam. Caribbean-inflected cadences over a thumping straight ahead beat. When Mos and Talib are on they pretty much are the best alliance in hip hop. Here they're putting the vibe on the bus and driving it around town.

Blackstar -- 'Definition'

Its no wonder I'm sitting right here drinking

The guitar tone is superb, his vocals are easy and breathless, even the audience is playing their proper part--this is such a delicate performance. Jim White is witty and artful and has been at it for quite some time now, not sure why he's not a bigger star. The clip cuts off but even the inadvertent cut seems just about right here.

Jim White -- 'A Bar is Just a Church Where They Serve Beer'

Does it feel as if you're floating?

Heartfelt acoustic fare either wins you over or grates like nails on a chalkboard and while the venue is distractingly odd (where the hell are they?) this is a solid performance of a solid song. It's always weird to make your first visual confirmation of someone you've heard but never seen. Tell me, doesn't he have the voice of a scrawny man?

The Baptist Generals -- 'Going Back Song'

Tres Bien

So do the French not have a word for 'living room'?

Paris Combo -- 'Living Room'

'I'm not looking for a sound system!'

In the music editor's humble opnion, this is the funniest scene from the funniest episode (the one where he takes a hooker to the Dodgers game) of the funniest show of the last decade or so. You either love this show or you don't. Me, I love it. 'Just walk away, please just move'

Larry David buys weed on 'Curb Your Enthusiasm'

Just a lonesome traveler

There's a lot of good footage of Memphis Slim over at You Tube, I was hoping to find his classic tune 'Beer Drinking Woman' but no such luck. This guy has such a cool voice, a deft touch on the keyboard and a killer presence. This is the classy blues: cool, confident with a sly sense of humor. Check out young Matt 'Guitar' Murphy on the gitbox.

Memphis Slim -- 'I'll Just Keeping Singing the Blues'

Induction then destruction

I just had a hankering to hear the Edwin Starr classic and here it is. This is a homemade version, mostly a montage of big ships and battlefield carnage. It starts off with some kooky Gilliam-style animation and then gets right to the death and dismemberment. Enjoy. If you'd like a more authentic video (I say that with tongue firmly in cheek), here's a performance from back in the days when they put even less effort into realism than the average CBS drama.

Edwin Starr -- 'War'

Come, come to Senegal

Here's some guy's home movies of his time in Dakar. Kinda cool. Random shots of people at work, people at play, people just walking around in the daylight. Funny that no matter where you are, no matter how the people live, there's always hot chicks and cool cats on mopeds.

Orchestra Baobab -- 'Cuomba'