THE BAND: THE BEACH BOYS (SORT OF)
THE ALBUM: COCKTAIL SOUNDTRACK
THE SONG: KOKOMO
Kokomo is one of the greatest songs in human history, which has nothing to say of it's actual quality. Sure, technically, it's probably shit, but I honestly can't tell. It was the first song I ever truly loved, long before I was even mildly self-aware or had anything resembling discretion (a trait i seemed to have gained and thankfully lost again). Everytime I hear it I become a four year old in the back of a golden 1984 Toyota Van with the Cocktail soundtrack blaring on repeat while going god nows where. I have very fuzzy memories of being somewhere in the mountains with a bunch of weird people and like ice skating or some shit with this bitch on a walkman on repeat. FROM THE FLORIDA KEYS. This was before i knew who brian wilson was or that mike love was a cunt, but the (florida) key(s) difference is that Mike Love is a great cunt, maybe the greatist cunt, and Kokomo is the cuntiest song he ever wrote, probably the cuntiest song anyone has ever written (although Student Demonstration Time on Sunflower is pretty mind bogglingly cunty in other ways, as is Transcendental Meditation on the friends-20/20 two-fer. and jesus, BE TRUE TO YOUR f-ing School, man, god, I could go on all day.) but the point is that Mike Love writes songs like Coleman Francis makes films, with the brutish intensity of someone so clueless and removed from common sense, not to mention high off smoking their own ego resin, that one cannot help but laugh at the products attempt to pass by unnoticed among its commonly rote brethren. Yet, unlike Coleman Francis, whose best friend was Anthony Cardoza and who simply died in the back of a chevy in the parking lot of a liquor store, Mike Love happened to be from Hawthorne and not Yucca Flats and Mike Love hasnt had the common courtesy to die yet. So he got it made. He never even had to surf. Shit. And as the Wilson brothers drop like flies and Brian's brain continues to rot unamusingly in his sober old age, we are left with Mike Love touring the county fairs of America with a crew of sub-Alan Jardine pranksters. I mean, when Bruce Johnston is the only other legitimate member you've got out there you can't get much more cunty, did he write take a load off your feet, pete? does it matter? he could have, man, that's another great one. None of this is even a patch on the film the Song Kokomo comes from Cocktail. Simply the most deliriously mind-bogglingly homo-erotic piece of cockamo ever spewed from t cruz's suri-yielding girth. IT's a shame bryan brown never quite had the cultural impact of paul hogan because well, tween an FMK with them two and say jon polito, paul hogan's drawing the K. and polito was kicked off of homicide life on the street for being too ugly! N E wayz, so yeah, KOKOMO roolz and I used to listen to it on a walkman while i punched other kids in the balls at pre-school recess, which is why i still love the song so much today and why it always makes me smile and why Mike Love is a better songwriter then fuck, someone who sucks. PEace.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Monday, November 27, 2006
Early Karaoke adventures
Song: "My Boyfriend's Back", Artist: The Angels
Recently, I've been doing a lot of karaoke. Over the summer I did Karaoke nearly every week. It was more fun to pick out different songs every time, so I managed never to repeat myself. I sang songs by ABBA, Joan Baez, Soul Asylum, Gladys Knight, and scores of others.
When people ask me what the first song I ever sang at karaoke was, I usually say "Dream On" by Aerosmith, which I sang at a bar in Brooklyn towards the end of my senior year in high school. I was pretty proud of this performance, but I'm afraid that if I continue to claim it as my maiden voyage into the karaoke waters, i'll be a total fraud.
My true first performance happened when I was eight years old at Neverland theme park in Washington state. I went there with my parents and cousins during a family reunion. When I saw the sing for karaoke, i got really excited and decided to try it. I think I chose the song "My Boyfriend's Back" because of a romantic comedy that had been released around the same time with that title. I signed up, my parents paid the high theme park price, and I went on stage with my microphone.
What I didn't realize when I went on stage was that karaoke meant I actually had to sing the song I'd picked. The next two and a half minutes consisted of me mouth the words that I read off the monitor, and every once in awhile chiming in with the words "my boyfriend's back". My parents made hand motions to get me to actually sing, but I just didn't get it.
So now I've come clean. My first Karaoke performance was a disaster. I was young enough to get away with it, so I did, but I don't know if it would fly now.
...feels good to be honest...
Recently, I've been doing a lot of karaoke. Over the summer I did Karaoke nearly every week. It was more fun to pick out different songs every time, so I managed never to repeat myself. I sang songs by ABBA, Joan Baez, Soul Asylum, Gladys Knight, and scores of others.
When people ask me what the first song I ever sang at karaoke was, I usually say "Dream On" by Aerosmith, which I sang at a bar in Brooklyn towards the end of my senior year in high school. I was pretty proud of this performance, but I'm afraid that if I continue to claim it as my maiden voyage into the karaoke waters, i'll be a total fraud.
My true first performance happened when I was eight years old at Neverland theme park in Washington state. I went there with my parents and cousins during a family reunion. When I saw the sing for karaoke, i got really excited and decided to try it. I think I chose the song "My Boyfriend's Back" because of a romantic comedy that had been released around the same time with that title. I signed up, my parents paid the high theme park price, and I went on stage with my microphone.
What I didn't realize when I went on stage was that karaoke meant I actually had to sing the song I'd picked. The next two and a half minutes consisted of me mouth the words that I read off the monitor, and every once in awhile chiming in with the words "my boyfriend's back". My parents made hand motions to get me to actually sing, but I just didn't get it.
So now I've come clean. My first Karaoke performance was a disaster. I was young enough to get away with it, so I did, but I don't know if it would fly now.
...feels good to be honest...
Let's start with something from TV land
Song: "Late at Night", Artist: Buffalo Tom, Album: Big Red Letter day
Anyone ever watch a little show called My So Called Life? Well, I sure did. In recent years reruns of this show have diminished, much to my disappointment. If anyone is interested, The N has been rerunning it in the wee hours of the morning. I'm talking 4 or 5 am. I've been DVRing it becauase I can't stay up that late and still feel good about myself.
In any event, the song "Late at Night" sticks out because it is featured on the episode of the show where Angela Chase and Jordan Catalano are making out in the broiler room of the school. Angela has had a crush on Jordan forever. Jordan's feelings for Angela have always been ambiguous. While Angela has told her close friends about the broiler room situation, Jordan has been silent about it. Angela, naturally, is hurt by this because it seems like Jordan is embarassed by her. In a very tragic scene, Angela goes to a Buffalo Tom concert because she knows Jordan will be there. At the concert, Jordan ignores her all night. "Late at Night" is playing in the background.
The episode ends with Jordan approaching Angela in a crowd in the school's hall, and holding her hand. "Late at Night" is playing once again. After this they make ammends.
Anyone who has ever been boy crazy, fifteen, and female can probably relate to this scenario on some level. Jordan is not a good guy, but he's the sort of guy who is beautiful and mysterious enough to be the focus of endless teenage fantasies. Every negative quality can be interpreted in a way that adds to the mystery. I'd say his appeal ends for most when adulthood is reached.
The song "Late at Night" has stron associations for me because of this episode. I might not remember it too well otherwise. It brings me back to age fourteen, when a crush was the most important thing in the world
Sunday, November 26, 2006
About Ear Marker
Ear Marker is a radio show about music and memories. Most people have a few songs that instantaneously bring them back to a specific circumstance. Ear Marker, the show, aims to explore and showcase both the memory and the song. Ear Marker Online is the blog component, which will allow you (yes, you!) to post memories related to songs. These can be memories of any nature (as long as they are radio friendly). They can be elaborate, but not much longer than about a page. Please include the title and artist for the song, and the album if you know it. If you subscribe to this blog, and post to it, I will feature your stories and songs on the show (provided that I can find the song). If enough of us participate, this could be a very cool thing for all involved. The show will not be on the air for another month or so, but please post before hand if you can. In the meantime, check out http://www.bsrlive.com for some other good programming.
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