Goodbye, Goodbye!

Well, here it is. The end of the line. Thanks to all of you that have tuned in over the year. So, I'm going to take the easy way out and go with one of my favorites growing up.

Oingo Boingo's "Goodbye, Goodbye." Most people don't remember it as the final song over the credits of Fast Times at Ridgemont High (or that Ridgemont was based on Clairemont High School in San Diego, down the road a ways from me), but it is. Great song, great band. I last saw this song in 95, played live the night before Halloween. Awesome.

Thanks for a fun year. It's been crazy. Love, joy and pain, not counting all the other emotions in between. Maybe I'll do a little retrospective here in a week or so (or so, probably) as to what I liked, disliked and wanted to do more of on this medium.

Who knows, I may be back.

"Peace, Love, Jovi, Biff, Trees, Yogurt, John, Paul, George, Ringo, Kumbaya" -- GC saying

Mahalo,
The Old Man

Auld Lang Syne

Coming down to the wire kids. Normally, I would have posted this one tomorrow, but I have been thinking of tomorrow's song for a year now.

So, the tune today is Dan Fogelberg's "Same Old Lang Syne." A cute, schmaltzy ballad about young love revisted years later. As a kid, this was one of my favorites. As an adult, I never knew who sang it until a few years ago. It's a great song. Enjoy.

-om

An Actual, Hip Request

Wow, just wow. An excellent end to a fun year. With one of the more prolific mashups I have seen in a while (most mashups are 1-5 artists), here is DJ Earworm with "United States of Pop, 2009."

Where this one is hip and different is pretty simple. He layers the vocals over a couple of consistent beats, electronic voices and bridge elements. Actually, there are points where he even manipulates the original song (the Jason Mraz tuen comes to mind), but does it to very good effect.

Well done, DJ Earworm. And thanks for the request.

-om

God...

... Surprisingly, has been somewhat absent in this blog. Of course, after a drunken night with the co-pilot, God and belief was brought up.

Long story short, belief in a higher power is there for some, but not all. Personally, I don't believe in the "Zombie Jesus" story, but I do hold most others in regard. I still say the bedtime prayer, like I have since I was 8, so if that makes me a tool, so be it. You still have to contend with being you, good luck with that.

Anyway, here is XTC, first with "Dear God."


And since I have never had an XTC post, here is "Generals and Majors." For all you military personnel out there. Except you squids. Gotta draw the line somewhere.

-om

Life's been good... so far

Well, I can't really leave this blog without one of the great icons of Rock and Roll, Joe Walsh. Here he is performing the classic "Life's Been Good."

Not really a great example of his guitar work, but it's the message of the song that I'm enamored of today. Life, with all it's up and downs, has been pretty good to me. I'm glad I'm blessed with a decent palate, a fondness for the crazy things, and a larger-than-average... intellect.

Yeah, you thought I would have said penis there, didn't you? That would have been totally true.

Enjoy your Sunday! It's the last one for at least 6 days.
-om

Wow, so hard to pick a song today.

It's been at least 30 minutes of trying to figure out the song.

Here is Unwritten Law with "Cailin." Three reasons: 1.) This is a San Diego band (Poway, CA), 2.) They recorded the album in Seattle, and 3.) This song is about the songwriter's daughter.

Someone once said, "...if you are a musician, and you don't write a song about your little girl, you are going to hell..."

So, on my last official Saturday, I'm throwing out a song that reminds me of my little girl. She's smart, she loves football, and will be a great sk8r some day. What can I say, I'm really proud to be her Dad. She is the soul that is missing from any song.

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Christmas Day

Christmas in Heaven, from Monty Python's Meaning of Life.


Wow, Christmas came on a Double Friday. Then I should actually take it seriously, for once.

So, you can't have Christmas without a little bit of Bing. Bing Crosby sings "White Christmas." From the classic movie Holiday Inn.

Have a safe and happy holiday! Where ever you are, whomever you are, you are loved. Even if you drive slow in the fast lane.

But not tomorrow. That starts Kwanza, crackers.
-om

Since I don't really take Christmas that seriously....

Here is Cartman singing "O Holy Night." With the help of a cattle prod.


And also from South Park, Mr. Garrison sings "Merry Fucking Christmas." The lyrics, understandably, are NSFKids.

Merry Christmas!
-om

An Interesting Choice...

One of the better, overlooked songs from Chingon. You may have heard it only in Kill Bill but I actually played this in a band. Total fun. The amazing guitar work, the really awesome harmonization of tones...

Here is "Malaguena Salerosa" from Chingon. Also, really enjoy what the contributor did with the KB images.

-om

One Bannana, Two Bannana, Three Bannana, Four!

The Dickies crank "Tra la la (The Bannana Splits Song)."

This tune is featured in the new trailer for "Kick Ass." God I love punk rock music. The energy makes me not tired anymore. Plus, if this flick is half as good as the trailers, next year is going to rock.

-om

An Awesome Ghetto Christmas Video

Run DMC's "Christmas in Hollis." Yeeeah, boyeeee.


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A Reality show I can get behind.

Screw Survivor, American Idol sucks sweaty taint. Of course, you all know where this is going: Sing-Off.

From The Sing-Off, here is USC SoCals singing "Somebody to Love."

The interesting thing is, this band was voted off. The performance was tight, but not as tight as favorites, The Beelzebubs, hailing from Tufts. The SoCals have to be one of the best groups in Collegiate Acapella, but mixed-gender groups seem to do well (historically in competition), but not always taking the top honor. I don't know what it is, since one of the remaining final bands, Nota, didn't seem to put up a performance half as good.

Bummer. Still, great show. So, I'm going to also post up the Episode three finale, "Mr. Blue Sky" from ELO.

-om

The Second-to-last Saturday Post...

Wow, it's coming down to the wire, kids. Since I'm back, we need to get you some really, really incredible tunes. Well, that, and a day with Christmas Effluvia.

In any case, here is Aerosmith's "Blind Man." I had a girlfriend who was a huge Aerosmith fan. Wel, huge, since she loved the album "Get a Grip." She knew that there were other albums and tunes, but never really listened to them. Sad, actually. I never met a Mega-Beatles fan that headn't heard anything before Sgt Peppers...

Anyway, "Blind Man" was a single released on the Greatest Hits album Big Ones. Funny that I ended up liking this song better than some of the actual hits on the album. oingo Boingo did the same thing with "Cinderella Undercover," but I digress. This tune rocked. Rocked hard. I could not believe all the ways that this tune was amazing, but there it was, in music form. Slow to fast progressions. Cresendos. Wailing guitars, lyrics that beg to be screamed. F, and yes. if you can't listen to this song, you can't listen to rock and roll. Good luck with your life.

-om

Home Sweet Home

A hair band? Hey, it's my blog. I'm coming home from China, and it's a Friday. I'll be travelling for 16 hours, on top of a full day of work and a work party that I need to attend on my return. So, here is a bit of the Crue, and two of their most awesome tunes.

Motley Crue's "Home Sweet Home."


"Without You." One of the most bad ass Glam-Rock ballads out there.

Enjoy your weekend kids! I'm going to be suffering from jet lag. Hard.
-om

Last Christmas!

Smaltzy Christmas Songs. To get you in the mood. Wham's "Last Christmas." I almost used the Glee version, but I didn't want too much of Glee.


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I'm Homesick

Really. Homesick. I need new music. I heard this on the last few minutes back in the states, and can't even DL it to my iPhone. Thank goodness for anonymous web surfing. It's from the Canadian band Metric, featured here a little while ago.

I was in a hired car this morning, stuck in traffic. If you have never been in traffic in Beijing, you really have never been in traffic. There does not seem to be any real speed limit, from what I see. The driver had to have grown up on speed, and drove with the brass balls of Satan. He passed inches away from hitting cars, pedestrians, you name it. And he did it with one hand on the wheel, one hand giving us chocolates. This dude is my new hero. The real detraction from this was the fact that he did this with the Chinese version of Howard Stern blaring on the car radio. It made a surreal experience into a harrowing 45 minutes of churn.

Anyway, onto the music. Here is Metric, with "God Guns Girls."

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I'm so Ronery

It's hard in North Korea. Therefore, Kim Jong Il bemoans his fate for your amusement and listening pleasure.

"I'm so Ronery."

I'm seriously going crazy here.
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The Girl all the Bad Guys Want

I just need to get this stuff out here. "Girl all the Bad Guys Want" by Bowling for Soup.

Viva la China!

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Damn, I'm Gay.

More Glee. This time, doing Kelly Clarkson's "My Life (Would Suck Without You)." Seriously, love the arraingement here. If this is the 12 people on the show in the show choir, I would eat my hat.

If I had a hat, anyway.

-om

My Orphan Year

Not really, but sometimes I feel like it is. Alone and here. Wronged, yet not.

So, where the hell is all the equitability? Where is the fairness? Do we see this? Honestly, I don't care. Life ain't fair, life is what it is. Good, bad, indifferent. Amazingly, there are too many experiences that one actually happens upon for fairness to be really adjudicated.

Unless one sits alone on a Saturday night, feeling sorry for oneself. Get out of the house while you can. While there is something to motivate you: Food, culture, air. Else the world will spin, and you will lose.

No one wants to lose. No one has to lose. Freaking go for it.

My parents weren't the best, apparently. I love them. I always will. I learned from them to never give up, to always fight, and to drive the car like it was stolen.

Thanks to them, life will never be boring. Sometimes a stuggle, but never boring.
-om

I Really Don't Hate Christmas

Doof!


And of course, Weird Al... "The Night Santa Went Crazy." The best Christmas song ever.


Of course, I won't be able to put any more Weird Al, so one more...
"Christmas at Ground Zero."

-om

Babe

No, not the pig. Styx. Liked this song. Needed.

The TV Show

Ok, this one has been gathering the rounds, but is completely hypnotic. The music is by Manabe Takayuki, for an Animation music video. Serious electronic hardcore, combined with excellent visuals. Takayuki is in a Japanese band named Balzac, who routinely opens for such groups as The Misfits and Agnostic Front. Hip.

Anyway, rock on to the vid. Enjoy your day...

-om

Need Something Harder...

Yes, thank you all for thinking of the double entendre. Here is Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, with "I Hate Myself for Loving You." Classic, 4 chord song. Good guitars, good drums, lame audience.

This would have been much better at CBGBs.

-om

An Actual Cool Christmas Song

Sometimes, Christmas songs are good for reminiscing. This one is. Anberlin's "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)." Short and sweet, I always love screaming the Christmas as loud as I can.

Damn, it's cold.

-om

It's Snowing!

So, we need the Snow Patrol. Here they are with "Hands Open."



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I need someone

..."Someone To Watch over me," by Ella Fitgerald. I'm in a Jazz mood.


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Go? Gos!

So, a friend of mine stated that his sister's band wouldn't amount to poop. After 2 years and a few garage practices later, the Go-Go's were scooping up male groupies like popcorn.

"We Got the Beat."


"Our Lips are Sealed." Obviously not a Tiger Woods song.

What, too soon?

And cuz I want some Huey...

Enjoy!
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Ska, like it should be played

Reel Big Fish's "She's Got a Girlfriend Now." Guest vocals from Save Ferris's Monique Powell.

I love good, fun, quirky videos. I don't need to think. Guess who had MTV as a kid growing up? Love, love, LOVE the trombone work in this song.

No, I wouldn't cut my penis off, for anyone.
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No, not a nowhere man

Out from the archives comes B-Movie's "Nowhere Girl." The tune is one of the fun dance numbers from the 80s, if you were clubbing at the time. Seals be damned.

The piano work in this is fun and light, but gets drowned out by the drum machine and the sound effects of an over-exuberant engineer. Still, a fun song. The intro to the song takes 3 minutes.

The video is a classic video from the 80s. They don't even pretend to be playing or singing, the instruments being used or hit don't match the beat of the song, the singer moves his mouth away from the mic on long notes... and I'm pretty sure that the sax player is there for show. This is one thin black girl away from a Benneton ad.

I miss my Benneton sweaters. Benneton, making the world that much better for young, hip models.
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Were They Really the Beatles Second Coming?

I kinda hoped so, since I really liked the Beatles. There should be another group with that much impact. No, I refuse to believe that such a group is U2. Fuck. Off.

So, here you go, "Don't Look Back In Anger" from Oasis. Yes, obnoxious wankers. Idiots. However, the talent was there, the tunes were great (the album was stupidly good, 3rd best selling UK album of all time), and the live performances had energy and soul.

If you have ever heard this song before, I defy you to sing with it. Impossible. I'll be singing this in my sleep.

-om