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  • Monday Message: John Mayer’s “Say”

    I was going to write something about how much I enjoy John Mayer’s music even though the whole starlet-dating thing rubs me the wrong way. Then I was gonna write something about how happy I am that all the folks who cracked on me for liking him ate crow when “Continuum” came out. So then I decided to write something about how he always seems to express himself lyrically the exact way I would if I was, like, a talented writer. I figured I’d also add something about how even the songs of his that pander the most-“Your Body is a Wonderland”, “Daughters”-turn out to have something that makes me like them despite themselves.

    Then I decided to screw all of that and just post this video because this song has been running in constant loop in my head all morning. The saying “leave it all out on the field” can be applied to just about any facet of life, and I’ve been thinking a lot about life and motivation and desire and honesty and all sorts of other things that this song (in my head, anyway) addresses. At any rate, enjoy, and thanks John.

  • Number One Hits From Hell: “Because I Love You (The Postman Song)”

    This week, “I Kissed a Girl” by Katy Perry knocked Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida” out of the top spot on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart, thus becoming the 1,000th Number One single of the rock era. As the majority of music buyers (I didn’t say music *lovers* mind you, but music buyers) view music as a song-by-song medium, having a #1 single is a pretty big deal, so to have been one of those 1,000 songs means that, for better or for worse, your song has struck a chord with someone.

    However, that’s not to say that the folks that put songs at the top of the charts always exhibit good taste. Of course, some of the most iconic songs in music history have made it all the way to the apex of Billboard’s charts- a look at the amount of chart-toppers by Elvis, The Beatles, Michael Jackson and Stevie Wonder, to name a few, bears that theory out. But there are a pretty good amount of legendary artists who have never hit the top of the singles charts. Bruce Springsteen has never had a #1. Neither has James Brown. Or Led Zeppelin. Or The Who. Luther Vandross? Nope. The Clash? Elvis Costello? Run-DMC? Public Enemy? The Beastie Boys? 3 top ten singles between them.

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  • Friday Throwback – Basketball Jones

    Disclaimer: This animated video was made in the mid 70s and features very stereotypically drawn characters.

    When I was a little kid, my dad would at times, get into a high pitched voice and squeal, “Basaball Jones, I got a basaball jones.”

    Notice that it wasn’t “basketball jones”. It was “bas-a-ball jones”. From what I was told, this was a song performed by Cheech and Chong, who weren’t necessarily on my radar as funny men as a child.

    Later in high school, I recorded a copy of my dad’s Cheech And Chong’s Greatest Hits CD, which came out in the early 90s. I soon became a victim of a Basketball Jones.

    – Ever since I was a baby, I always be dribbling.

    – The guy with the basketball jones is named Tyrone Shoelaces (thanks Wikipedia, (by the way, check out all the folks on this song)). He kind of looks like a character from Fat Albert.

    – Sometimes I feel too that when I’m at the free throw line of life, I just need a pick. Roll to the basket, and I’ll feed it to you.

    – I didn’t think I would ever see an animated Bill Russell and Chick Hearn in my life. Thank you Basketball Jones.

    – Imagine if you really had the hops to jump and grab a quarter off the top of the backboard. Tyrone Shoelaces would even leave 15 cents change.

    – Even King Kong was rockin’ from side to side.

    Chris Rock and Barry White re-did the song for Michael Jordan’s movie Space Jam. It was definitely a G rated version of the song. Chris Rock even called Sylvester the Cat his undercover brother. Before I went searching for the song, I didn’t even know there was an animated video. Thank you Basketball Jones.