Have You Never Been Mellow

About five years ago, Uncle Bob asked his readers to come up with their Fifteen Favorite Mellow Tunes. I couldn't get Olivia Newton-John's voice out of my head but I managed to come up with a list and I posted it to my (old) blog.

1. Sadly Beautiful -- The Replacements
2. Perfect Circle -- Rem
3. Skyway -- the Replacements
4. Pecan Pie -- Golden Smog
5. Best of My Love -- The Eagles
6. Avenues -- Whiskeytown
7. My Drug Buddy -- Lemonheads
8. This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) -- Talking Heads
9. Allison -- Elvis Costello
10. Rose Parade -- Elliott Smith
11. Passenger Side -- Wilco
12. Pale Blue Eyes -- Rem
13. Cowboy Junkies -- Sweet Jane
14. Dancing Barefoot -- Patti Smith or U2 or that Feelies version that I have on a flexi from some 80's zine
15. Running To Stand Still -- U2 (well, except for that middle verse where Bono is uh, ragin')


A couple of weeks later, I posted this on my (old) blog:

Wouldn't it be incredibly cool if somebody saw my list of Fifteen Favorite Mellow Tunes and made me a cd? And then she just mailed it to me without telling me so I was completely surprised to get it and when I opened the envelope, I didn't have my glasses on so I had trouble figuring out the words on the cd and all I could tell was that it said Patty and mellow and then I saw Pecan Pie and I realized what it was and I got so excited, I squealed and freaked out the blind dog.

My friend, Michelle, had downloaded every song on my list and then burned a cd for me, and I was so surprised and thrilled. She was even able to find live versions of some of the songs. I would have married her if we were both gay and she also gave me a nice ring. Seriously. Mix tapes cds have that effect on me.

After I moved a couple of years ago, I could not find the cd anywhere. It wasn't with my other cds, and I knew it wasn't in my car because I didn't have a cd player in there. I searched for it for awhile but eventually, I figured finding it was a lost cause and it was gone for good.

The other day, I decided to play something with my small boombox and guess what I found in the cd player? The cd from Michelle! We won't be able to get married now that Proposition 8 passed in California but I still absolutely love her for making me the best mix cd ever.

My Rockin' The Vote Bunny

It hasn't gotten much media attention so you guys may not have heard but there's a kind of a big election today so don't forget to vote!




The pattern is a freebie from Urban Threads. (And, yes, I messed up his hat.)

(Since it's 2 AM, can you tell I just about forgot to post my bunny?)

It has nothing to do with voting but I found a video of U2 doing "40" at Red Rocks in 1983. And, look what I found on Wikipedia regarding The Unforgettable Fire Tour: "It made for intense concerts in this instance, because it provided a very large but fully devoted audience, with fans standing on chairs for the entire performance and continuing "40" refrains long after the show was over." See? I told you.

High Fidelity Meets Rockwiz Meme

I don't know who or what Rockwiz is but I saw this on Blog Portion (and stole her title) and knew it would be fun to do.

1. Your first musical idol.
The Partridge Family. We (the kids on my street) would play their records in the garage and pretend to be them. Kristin always wanted to be Keith. My sister and Lori would fight over being Tracy but my sister had a tambourine so she usually won out. And, I was always the mom. Just call me Shirley.

2. Your biggest musical shame/embarassment.

While packing up my stuff to move a few years ago, I got into a huff and threw away some of my records, including all my Elton John albums. I still can't believe I did that. Tossing out that Loverboy LP is one thing but getting rid of Goodbye Yellow Brick Road? That's just wrong.

3. Your special musical talent.
When I worked at Starbucks about a decade ago, my manager used to throw out band names so I could name all their members. He always got a kick out of it and would even have me perform in front of customers. I guess all those years of pouring over liner notes made an impression. I still try to do this now when I hear songs on the radio or on my iPod but I often draw a blank. Good thing they invented Google.

4. A musical thing you wouldn't do in public.
Kareoke -- as much as I love to sing, my voice is horrible and I wouldn't want to cause anyone's ears to bleed.

5. The last band you saw live.
Oh, boy. It's been awhile. I would have check old ticket stubs. I think it was Elliott Smith and he passed away in 2003. Looks like it was PJ Harvey and Grant Lee Buffalo in 1998. Wow, it has been a long time since I went to a show.



6. Favorite live musical experience.
Every Replacements show I ever went to, and U2 at the Forum the Sports Arena on The Unforgettable Fire Tour. We had 16th row seats and we stood on them the entire time (I kept thinking I was going to fall off), and this was back in the day when you only had to pay a scalper $38 a ticket to get good seats. I know someone who described the show as a religious experience. I wouldn't go that far but it was pretty good. At one point, Bono climbed from the stage all the way to the upper level of seats. When they were finished the encore, they left the stage one by one. and the whole time. the audience was singing "40" and kept it up even after they were all gone.

7. If you could see any band/musician live tomorrow, who would it be?
Frank Sinatra but in his younger days.

Guess who my favorite band of all time is. These are just some of the ticket stubs I still have. And, yes there is one for a show in NYC. It was their final tour and I had the chance to fly across the country and go, so I did.

iTunes Meme

Let's do an iTunes meme.

How many total songs in your library?
250 (that's kind of sad)


Song By Title
First song: Accidents Will Happen - Elvis Costello
Last song: #9 Dream - John Lennon


Song By Time
Shortest song: Golden Slumbers - Ben Folds (1:41)
Longest song: You And I - Rick James and Bad - U2 (both come in at 8:03)


Sort By Album
First abum: A.M. - Wilco
Last album: 20th Century Masters - The Millenium Collection: Motown 1970s, Vol 2


Sort By Artist
First artist: Aimee Mann & Michael Penn
Last artist: X


Top Five Played Songs:
All These Things That I've Done - the Killers
Life In A Northern Town - The Dream Academy
Losering - Whiskeytown
My Bag - Lloyd Cole and the Commotions
Do You Wanna Touch Me - Joan Jett


First five songs that come up on Party Shuffle
Cherry Bomb - John Mellencamp
Buick City Complex - Old 97's
Confetti - the Lemonheads
I Say Nothing - Voice of the Beehive
(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes - Elvis Costello


Find the following words. How many songs show up?
Sex: 0
Death: 1
Love: 10
You: 10
Home: 1 (does "homecoming" count?)
Boy: 0
Girl: 1

16 Days By Whiskeytown

I really should have called this blog Old Tin Cups and Little Paper Dolls.

Your Favorite Song

I like doing surveys or memes, and we all know MySpace is chock full of them, but I don't always share them here because I know no one cares enough to read my answers all the way through. (Except for a few people, the only visitors I get are Googlers looking for free charts, and I can't even get my friends to read my blog.) But I must post this survey that I found on Michelle's MySpace. It's kind of long and might take you awhile, but if you're a music geek, you'll enjoy doing it. And, if you decide to fill it out, please let me know so I can read your answers.

Fill in your favorite song by each band/artist.

1. Your Favorite Song by

2. The Beatles
"You've Got To Hide Your Love Away"

3. Bob Dylan
I don't care as long as Bob himself is not singing.

4. Elvis Presley
"Suspicious Minds"

5. The Rolling Stones
"Tumblin' Dice"
"Happy"
"Gimme Shelter"

6. Jimi Hendrix
Sorry. Not a fan.

7. The Beach Boys
"Wouldn't It Be Nice"

8. Led Zeppelin
"In The Evening"

9. The Velvet Underground
"Sweet Jane"

10. U2
"Running To Stand Still"
"All I Want Is You"
"Bad"

11. Bruce Springsteen
"She's The One"
"Cover Me"
"Pink Cadillac"
"Thunder Road"

12. The Ramones
"I Wanna Be Sedated"

13. Nirvana
"Pennyroyal Tea"

14. The Who
"Squeeze Box"

15. Prince
"I Could Never Take The Place Of Your Man"

16. The Clash
"Police On My Back"
"Rudie Can't Fail"
"Train In Vain"

17. Michael Jackson
"ABC" (with his brothers)

18. Madonna
"Into The Groove"
"Cherish"

19. John Lennon
"#9 Dream"

20. David Bowie
"Heroes"

21. The Doors
"Touch Me"

22. Public Enemy
Not a favorite, sorry

23. Janis Joplin
I'd rather listen to Public Enemy

24. Run-DMC
"It's Tricky"

25. Elton John
"Tiny Dancer" and can I please sit next to Billy Crudup on the bus?

26. Pink Floyd
Most boring band ever. EVER.

27. Queen
"Under Pressure"

28. Eric Clapton
"She's Waiting"

29. Grateful Dead
Cherry Garcia (I hate the Dead)

30. Aerosmith
"Sweet Emotion"

31. Sex Pistols
Did they do anything else besides "God Save The Queen"?

32. Tina Turner
"Proud Mary"

33. The Kinks
"Lola"

34. Cream
I have no idea but I can tell you Ginger Baker was the drummer

35. The Police
"Every Little Thing"

36. AC/DC
"Dirt Deeds Done Dirt Cheap"

37. Radiohead
"Fake Plastic Trees"

38. The Eagles
"Best Of My Love"

39. Beastie Boys
"Hey Ladies"

40. The Stooges
I only know "I Wanna Be Your Dog" and I don't love it

41. Eminem
Ugh!

42. Black Sabbath
The Replacements' cover of "Iron Man" from The Shit Hits The Fans.

43. Guns N Roses
"Used To Love Her"

44. Nine Inch Nails
Michelle's answer was "Didn't want to go with a cover on this one because I really heart soooo many NIN songs, but I LOVE Trent's cover of Adam Ant's (!) "Physical". Sexiest NIN song EVER!" I have to TOTALLY agree with her. Every time this comes on my iPod, I think about sex. Laugh if you want but go listen to it and you will know exactly what I mean.

45. Roxy Music
"Avalon"

46. Poison
"Girls Girls Girls" -- no, wait, that was Motley Crue.

47. Twisted Sister
The song that went with the video with the guy from Animal House. Actually, I hated all their songs and Dee Snider's hair too.

48. Styx
I would rather curl up into a ball and die than listen to them.

49. Peter Gabriel
"Sledge Hammer"

50. Jethro Tull
People actually like them??

51. Genesis
"Sususudio" (remember when MTV played this like every half hour?)

52. Portishead
All I know about them is they have a girl singer and come from Great Britain. I keep thinking her name is Natalie but I think I'm just getting her confused with Natalie Portman.

53. Oasis
"Champagne Supernova"

54. Bon Jovi
"Bad Medicine"

55. Pearl Jam
Can I say "Hunger Strike" by Temple of the Dog -- Eddie Vedder sang on it and I think some of Pearl Jam was involved with that record so it sort of counts.

56. Motley Crue
"Girls Girls Girls"

57. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
"Even the Losers"
"The Waiting"
"King's Road"
Did you see how old Tom looked at the Super Bowl? And, Benmont Tench had gray hair. And, who told Alicia Keys to wear those pants?

58. Coldplay
Ugh. I just do not see the appeal.

59. Fleetwood Mac
"Gold Dust Woman"

60. Cure
"Close To Me"

61. Joy Division
"Love Will Tear Us Apart" (Do I even know anything else by them?)

62. Inxs
"New Sensation"

63. My Chemical Romance
I don't know anything by them but I bet they are better than Jethro Tull.

64. Def Leppard
"Pour Some Sugar On Me"
"Hysteria"

65. Red Hot Chili Peppers
"Love Rollercoaster" (cover of The Ohio Players song)

66. Foo Fighters
"Best Of You"

67. Devo
"Whip It"

68. Eurythmics
"Here Comes The Rain Again"

69. Duran Duran
John Taylor -- I mean, "The Reflex"

70. ZZTop
"Legs"

71. Journey
Once upon a time, I loved Journey. Then I discovered college radio.

72. Green Day
"When I Come Around"

73. Iggy Pop
"Lust For Life"

74. Mott the Hoople
"All the Young Dudes"

75. Dead Kennedys
I only know "Holiday In Cambodia" and it's not exactly a favorite of mine.

76. Kiss
"Rock and Roll All Night"

77. Metallica
"Enter Sandman"

78. New York Dolls
I don't know any New York Dolls' songs but The Replacements did one called "Johnny's Gonna Die" about Johnny Thunders

79. Petshop Boys
"What Have I Done to Deserve This" (thanks for the reminder, Chelle!)

80. Marilyn Manson
I did like one of their songs and I had a friend put it on a mix tape for me. I cannot remember the name of it now though.

81. Lou Reed
"Rock N Roll"

82. Sonic Youth
"Teenage Riot"

83. T Rex
"20th Century Boy"

84. Van Halen
"Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love"

85. Super Tramp
"Give A Little Bit"

Someone Stop Me Before I Start With the 80's

I have a feeling I'm going to be at this site for hours and hours. I just took a bunch of quizzes based on matching actors to their tv shows from the 70's. Now I'm moving on to music.

I scored 100%!
I got 10 out of 10 correct on the Songs from 1970 #2 quiz.

Do You Hear What I Hear?

I was at Niki's Ventures earlier this afternoon and there was holiday music playing. It was The Waitresses doing "Christmas Wrapping." And, it wasn't a crappy Muzak version. It was the real thing. So, I went to Project Playlist, created an account, and made my own playlist of some Xmas tunes. (Thanks, Niki!)

When I clicked on the entry later in the day, the playlist wasn't working. And, it still wasn't working now. So, I got the code for my lists again and added it to this entry. And, once again, I get a message from Blogger that a tag wasn't closed.

People, if you're going to generate code, and offer it to others for use on their websites or blogs, please make sure you write it correctly. It's really annoying when it's wrong.

I don't know if my playlist will work now. If it's not below this paragraph, it means I removed it because Project Playlist sucks. If it's showing up, that means it's working. I got it to work and I love it. I may not be much of a crafter but I have good taste in music.

P.S. RIP Patty Donahue

I'm Sure They're In It For The Money

One time, about 20 years ago, my grandmother came out for a visit and was being her usual bitchy self. I had had enough and had to get out of the house so I called Ticketmaster and got a ticket to a John Mellencamp show at Irvine Meadows for that night. It was a pretty good show. I had a nice drunk guy next to me who kept singing along to all the songs. After they John Mellencamp and his band came back out for an encore, the crowd started booing. Or so I thought at first. The nice drunk guy told me that Bruce Springsteen was onstage and sure enough he was. They weren't booing. They were yelling for Brooooce. Sometimes it pays to have a bitchy grandmother.