Pandem-Rock

One thing that’s interesting about this pandemic is the sense of living through a major historical event. Here are some songs about ships, airplanes, being sick, coughing, doctors, pills, and the universal human condition.

“Touch Me I’m Sick” — Mudhoney
“The Abandoned Hospital Ship” — The Flaming Lips
“Gotta Get The First Plane Home” — The Kinks
“Sick Boys” — Social Distortion
“Pills” — Bo Diddley
“Corrina, Corrina” — Bob Dylan
“Dear Doctor” — The Rolling Stones
“Hospital Beds” — Cold War Kids
“Airborne Disease” — Air Museum
“ ’92: Weird Diseases” — The Magnetic Fields
“So Sick” — Unrest
“Saint Mary” — Sparklehorse
“Everybody Hurts” — R.E.M.
“Full Waiting Room” — Elder Mason
“It’s Gonna Get Worse” — Jennifer O’Connor
“Cough Coughing” — Menomena*
“Spit On A Stranger” — Pavement
“Oh Death Where Is Thy Sting?” — Amateur Radio Operator (traditional)

*by request

Couples Therapy

Today, in honor of Valentine’s Day, we’re going to be mixing business and pleasure here on KSCU. The theme is bands that have (or had) a couple in them — married or dating. So The White Stripes count, because Jack and Meg White were married before getting an amicable divorce and telling everyone they were brother and sister. Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon were married before Thurston started an affair with a photographer that imploded his marriage and Sonic Youth. Etc.

“We’re Going To Be Friends” — The White Stripes (Jack and Meg White were initially married)
“Sugarcube” — Yo La Tengo (singer Ira Kaplan and drummer Georgia Hubley are married)
“Just Make It Stop” — Low (Mimi Parker and Alan Sparhawk are married)
“No Cars Go” — Arcade Fire (Régine Chassagne and Win Butler are married)
“Kissability” — Sonic Youth (Thurston Moore and Kim Gordon were married)
“It’s Raining” — Quasi (Sam Coomes was married to Janet Weiss, who also drummed for Sleater-Kinney and Stephen Malkmus)
“Modern Girl” — Sleater-Kinney (Corin Tucker and Carrie Brownstein dated)
“River Deep, Mountain High” — Ike & Tina Turner (self-evident)
“I Got You Babe” — Sonny & Cher (also self-evident)
“Band On The Run” — Wings (Paul and Linda McCartney were married)
“When Angels Sleep” — Thirteen Nightmares (no idea, this one was a request)*
“She Walks” — Poster Children (Rick Valentin and Rose Marshack are married)
“Dead Animals” — The Young Evils (Mackenzie Mercer and Troy Nelson are married)
“Women To The Front” — Friendship Commanders (don’t know, another request)*
“Old Number Seven” — The Devil Makes Three (bassist Lucia Turino is married to guitarist Pete Bernhard)
“I Must Not Think Bad Thoughts” — X (singer Exene Cervenka was married to bassist John Doe)
“I Can’t Hardly Stand It” — The Cramps (Lux Interior and Poison Ivy were married)
“Cut From The Cloth” — The Evens (Ian MacKaye from Fugazi and Minor Threat with his wife Amy Farina, of The Warmers)
“Here’s Where The Story Ends” — The Sundays (singer Harriet Wheeler and guitarist David Gavurin)
“Sex With An X” — The Vaselines (Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee dated in the early days)
“Lo Boob Oscillator” — Stereolab (Laetitia Sadler and Tim Gane were married)
“A Bit Of A Hard Time” — Moe Provencher and Carrie Biell (couple, covering Julia Massey)

* by request

Children of Rock Stars

Today the theme is songs by the children of rock stars. The lineage of some of these artists, such as Julian Lennon and James McCartney, ought to be obvious. The Wallflowers is a band fronted by Jakob Dylan, son of Bob Dylan. Sindri Eldon is Björk’s son. Wilson Phillips is a supergroup consisting of the daughters of Brian Wilson, and of John and Michelle Phillips from The Mamas & The Papas. Bonham is the band of Jason Bonham, son of the legendary Led Zeppelin drummer. Johnnyswim is a husband and wife duo featuring the daughter of Donna Summers. Lukas Nelson is the son of Willie Nelson. Ben Taylor, son of James Taylor, covers Macy Gray. Adam Cohen covers his dad, Leonard Cohen, in Spanish. Shooter Jennings is the son of Waylon Jennings. Spencer Tweedy is Jeff Tweedy’s kid. Andy Yorke is the brother of Thom Yorke, and also the frontman of the band Unbelievable Truth; he’s not quite technically the child of a rock star, but close enough for the low standards of The Bottom 40.

“Dead Mean” — Sean Ono Lennon
“Valotte” — Julian Lennon
“6th Avenue Heartache” — The Wallflowers
“Old Man” — James McCartney (Neil Young cover)
“The Tom Petty Show Theme Song” — Sindri Eldon
“Hold On” — Wilson Phillips
“Wait For You” — Bonham
“Handle With Care” —Dhani Harrison, Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood (Traveling Wilburys cover)
“Motorways (Erase It)” — Dhani Harrison
“First Try” — Johnnyswim
“Find Yourself” — Lukas Nelson & Promise Of The Real
“I Try” — Ben Taylor (Macy Gray cover)
“Take This Waltz (Toma Este Waltz)” — Adam Cohen (Leonard Cohen cover)
“4th of July / He Stopped Loving Her Today” — Shooter Jennings
“Geezer Love” — Spencer Tweedy
“Solved” — Unbelievable Truth
“Mathilda” — Andy Yorke

2019 Retrospective

Today I started the show by playing a few alternative Christmas tunes such as “The Little Drum Machine Boy” by Beck, “Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa” by The Roots, and “Santa Doesn’t Cop Out On Dope” by Sonic Youth. But the meat of today’s show is a best-of-2019 retrospective. I’ve gone through year-end lists by NPR, Pitchfork, and Rolling Stone, and culled my favorites. As I age I find it harder and harder to stay current with pop culture generally, and music specifically, because I’m still trying to catch up on all the great albums from the 1990s that I never got around to listening to.

“Not” — Big Thief
“Highwomen” — The Highwomen
“bury a friend” — Billie Eilish
“El Potaje” — Cimafunk
“Cellophane” — FKA twigs
“Harmony Hall” — Vampire Weekend
“Snowblind” — Tanya Tagaq
“So Hot You’re Hurting My Feelings” — Caroline Polachek
“Wisconsin Polka” — Sam Russell & The Harborrats
“(I’m A) Little Lonely Christmas Tree” — Tom Dyer And The True Olympians
“Christmas In The Borough Of Our Birth” — Virgin Of The Birds
“Come Together Christmas Cheer” — Tekla Waterfield
“Bags” — Clairo
“Seventeen” — Sharon Van Etten
“Hey, Ma” — Bon Iver
“What Chaos Is Imaginary” — Girlpool
“Quietest Friend” — Pedro The Lion
“What Happens To People?” — Deerhunter
“Andromeda” — Weyes Blood
“This Christmas (Don’t Be A Dick)” — The Cupholders

Thanksgiving Playlist

Today I’m playing songs loosely related to the theme of Thanksgiving. The first two songs are about going home, a few songs are a bit on the nose vis-à-vis gratitude, and other songs are about things that I am personally thankful for.

“Misunderstood” — Wilco
“I Feel Like Going Home” — Yo La Tengo
“Be Thankful For What You Got” — Yo La Tengo
“Thank You Girl” — The Beatles
“We’re A Happy Family” — The Ramones
“You Never Wash Up After Yourself” — Radiohead
“Come On Up To The House” — Tom Waits
“Coffee” — Sylvan Esso
“Ice Cream Van” — Glasvegas
“Wrapped Up In Books” — Belle & Sebastian
“All My Friends” — Pavement
“The Good Life” — Weezer
“Friends Of Mine” — The Zombies
“Thanksgiving Song” — Julia Francis*
“Scenic World” — Beirut
“Our House” — Crosby, Still, Nash & Young
“It’s A Wonderful Life” — Sparklehorse

*by request

Halloween, Redux!

A repeat of an older Halloween playlist: spooky songs about ghosts, vampires, werewolves, and kittens.

“The Black Rider” – Tom Waits
“Halloween” – Sonic Youth
“Human Fly” – The Cramps
“Night Of The Living Dead” – The Misfits
“Dead” – Pixies
“Will We Be Scared?” – Thee Oh Sees
“Wolf Like Me” – TV On The Radio
“Same Ghost Every Night” – Wolf Parade
“Ghost In The Sky” – Sparklehorse
“Death To Everyone” – Bonnie “Prince” Billy
“Give Up The Ghost” – Radiohead
“The Witching Hour” – Philip Selway
“Ghost Ship In A Storm” – Jim O’Rourke
“Our Kitten Sees Ghosts” – Califone
“They Are Night Zombies!! They Are Neighbors!!” – Sufjan Stevens
“Werewolf” – Cat Power
“We Only Come Out At Night” – Smashing Pumpkins
“Ghosts” – The Amazing
“Ghost” – Neutral Milk Hotel
“Death Valley ’69” – Sonic Youth
“The Fear” – Pulp

Gibberish

We really need more songs with nonsense titles. This playlist was incredibly fun to listen to. I notice that the playlist is weighted towards the 1950s. They were just having more fun back then I guess.

“Bama Lama Bama Loo” — Little Richard
“Rama Lama Ding Dong (Original Version 1958)” — The Edsels
“Ting-A-Ling” — The Clovers
“Shamalamma Ding Dong” — Otis Day & The Knights
“Be-Bop-A-Lula” — Gene Vincent
“Sh-Boom” — The Chords
“Da Doo Ron Ron” — The Crystals
“Diddy Wah Diddy” — Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band
“Do Wah Diddy Diddy” — Manfred Mann
“Zabadak” — Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
“Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” — The Beatles
“Tutti Frutti” — Little Richard
“Wooly Bully” — Sam the Sham & The Pharaoes
“Backyard Bugaloo” — The Jean Jackets
“Abajazz” — Boris Smile
“Mushaboom” — Feist
“Bam Thwok” — Pixies
“King Kong Kitchie Kitchie Ki-Me-O” — Football Knowledge*
“Mah Na Mah Na” — Manha Manha And The Two Snowths*
“Oom Sha La La” — Haley Heynderickx
“Who Put The Bomp (In The Bomp Bomp Bomp)” — Frankie Lymon & The Teenagers

*by request

You Don’t Say? Part II

“Say It Again” — Levi Fuller & The Library*
“Needles To Say” — Levi Fuller*
“Sylvia Says” — Charlotte Gainsbourg*
“Jump They Say” — David Bowie*
“Say You, Say Me” — Lionel Richie*
“Say Say Say” — Paul McCartney*
“Don’t Believe What They Say” — Vashti Bunyan
“Say” — Cat Power
“Don’t Say A Word (Hot Chicken #2) — Yo La Tengo
“Hey, That’s No Way To Say Goodbye” — Leonard Cohen
“The Body Says No” — The New Pornographers

*by request

You Don’t Say?

“Say It Ain’t So” — Weezer
“Say Back Something” — Tapes ’n Tapes
“What I’m Trying To Say” — Stars
“What’d I Say” — Ray Charles
“Say It Loud — I’m Black And Proud” — James Brown
“Same Way Of Saying” — Pavement
“Some Might Say” — Oasis
“Jane Says” — The Velvet Underground
“Lisa Says” — The Velvet Underground
“Candy Says” — The Velvet Underground
“Danny Says” — The Ramones
“Scotty Says” — Courtney Barnett
“Say What You Want” — Unknown Relatives
“So Says I” — The Shins
“Say Yes” — Elliott Smith

I Read The News Today, Oh Boy

My high school Civics class emphasized the importance of reading the news. An informed public was the bedrock of democracy. My journalism classes in college emphasized the inherent nobility of journalism, the quest for truth, the Woodward and Bernstein–ing that held government accountable. Over the last few years I’ve noticed a running debate in the United States about how to balance news consumption with sanity. Some friends have advertised the fact that they’re not really reading the news anymore—too upsetting. Other friends have accused those friends of entitlement and privilege—basking in their ignorance while the world burns.

Um . . . I don’t know. Do your thing. Here are some songs about the news:

“A Day In The Life” — The Beatles
“Newspaper Gown” — Damien Jurado
“The Newspaper” — Citizen Cope
“The Daily Mail” — Radiohead
“Yesterday’s Papers” — The Rolling Stones
“Sunday Papers” — Joe Jackson
“Paperlate” — Genesis
“Reuters” — Wire
“News Of The World” — The Jam
“It Says Here” — Billy Bragg
“Newspaper” — Stan Ridgway
“(What’s So Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love, And Understanding” — Elvis Costello & The Attractions