This re-blog comes courtesy of Esquire. I have to admit, I may have laughed harder than necessary when I first read this. In their own words:
Here's a Monday morning reminder of what "effortless cool" really looks like: Dean Martin's hamburger recipe, which was recently dug up and posted by @LettersofNote and is pictured above. Martin Burgers consist of ground beef, accompanied by chlled bourbon, served on a TV tray. No custom Pat LaFrieda meat blend needed. No brioche bun, fancy homemade condiments, or artisinal cheeses, either. Just meat. And bourbon. Genius.
First of all, if you're not familiar with McSweeney's, you're not living life to the fullest. In my daily readings, I came upon this article and couldn't help but share. Enjoy!
At the airport the young man heard far-off drums echoing in the night. He imagined the young woman in the plane sitting still, hearing whispers of a quiet conversation near the rear of the fuselage. He glanced down at his father’s wristwatch—12:30. The flight was on time.
The plane’s wings were moonlit and reflected the stars. The moonlight had guided him there, toward this salvation. He had stopped an older man along the way, hoping to find some long forgotten words, or perhaps an ancient melody, for such an occasion. The old man had said nothing at first, and instead stared cryptically into the sodden earth. Then he raised his head and turned slowly.
“Hurry, boy. It’s waiting there for you,” the old man had said.
The plane was almost gliding. The young man looked at the wristwatch again. His head spun from whiskey and soda. She was a damned nice woman. It would take a lot to drag him away from her. It was unlikely that a hundred men or more could ever do such a thing. The air, now thick and moist, seemed to carry rain again. He blessed the rains of Africa. They were the only thing left to bless in this forsaken place, he thought—at least until she set foot on the continent. They were going to take some time to do the things they never had.
He stood on the tarmac and watched as the plane came in for its landing. He heard the sound of wild dogs crying out into the night. The man thought the dogs sounded desperate, perhaps having grown restless and longing for some company. He knew the feeling. The crying of the dogs reminded him that he would need to do what he knew was right now that she was here. Of this he was as certain as Kilimanjaro rising like Olympus above the Serengeti. He had traveled and sought to cure what was deep inside him, what frightened him of himself.
The plane landed and stopped. He hurried. She would be waiting there for him.
I'm going to do you a favor. I'm going to take you back to a simpler time, when disco was dying, cocaine was heir-apparent to the most-used-drug throne, and the AIDS epidemic wasn't a twinkle in Satan's eye, yet. Oh, and Star Wars was changing the way we looked at movies in the same way The Beatles changed the way we look at music - let it be known I will hear no argument on either of those points.
However, I think you will concede that Star Wars was a pretty big deal. And the late-70's/early-80's were also a big time for the after-school special and, oh God yes, the public service announcement (Aside: Do PSA's even exist on TV anymore? I don't watch enough network television these days to know...). Wouldn't it be great if someone had thought to combine the two most powerful forces for good in the universe and oh, that's right, they did.
There's a Star Wars PSA about driving under the influence...
...a PSA about childhood immunizations, in which R2-D2 reveals himself as a hypochondriac (which surprised me, as C-3PO seems to be the anal-retentive droid)...
... and one against smoking:
I would like to declare Shenanigans on this one for two reasons: 1) Smoking is cool, kids; and 2) R2 is definitely much older than 3PO, so it seems to me that the protocol droid is the less wizened of the two.
And now that I've saved you from traffic accidents, Polio, and lung cancer, allow me to toss it to an intra-galactic PSA courtesy of PeeWee Herman, who will tell you about the dangers of crack cocaine (the updated version of which would probably be The Wiggles warning kids about meth):
...I find myself blogging again. I know. It's been too long.
But I also know you're excited. And I can't blame you. It's been a busy few months, what with wrapping things up at Kenyon and moving on to my first "grown-up" job as Morning News Anchor for AVC Communications. Upsides: I'm making a living as a disembodied voice presenting the news on six stations every day, and implementing sweeping changes to the way a newsroom operates; downsides: I get to work around 4:00 AM everyday. To hear the fruits of my labor thusfar, as well as the write-up on my first substantial story, you can listen to the AVC News podcast here. (And, not to seem like I'm pushing the brand, but you can hear my dulcet tones daily at the AVC News website.)
Beyond that, my new(s) job is forcing me to embrace social networking technology in ways I never thought I would. And because of that, I'm not exactly proud to say that I joined Twitter today - feel free to follow me, if that's your thing. My first tweet?
Well, I guess I've finally given into peer pressure (isn't that what social networking is?)... So here's my first tweet: http://t.co/4YhyRJb
To save you the trouble, that link will take you to the hilarious YouTube video posted below. You're welcome.
For now, I'm going to sign off. More on my fascinating life later - including details on my new car and Bowtie Fridays. But this ought to keep the Gods of the Internet happy for the time being...
This week on Miles to Go Before I Sleep, I was joined in the studio by Will Quam, and together, we played some of our favorite jazz tunes from years gone by. The evening also saw a call-in from Take Five-member Nick Foster, who gave our show a shout-out and reminded everyone of the upcoming Take Five fall concert. Our setlist included several tracks from up-and-coming jazz artist Jamie Cullum (pictured left), who has quickly become one of my favorite new jazz cats. (You may remember his music from several weeks ago, when his cover of Rihanna's Don't Stop the Music was so popular with listeners that I was persuaded to play it a second time on the show.) Anywho, here's a rundown of what Will and I played this week:
Tom Sawyer - The Bad Plus
These are the Days - Jamie Cullum
So What - Miles Davis
Take Five - The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Coppin' the Bop - JJ Johnson
St. Thomas - Sonny Rollins
Autumn Leaves - The Bill Evans Trio
Stolen Moments - The Ahmad Jamal Trio
II B.S. - Charles Mingus
The Piano Has Been Drinking (Not Me) - Tom Waits
Singin' in the Rain - Jamie Cullum
Nutty - John Coltrane & Thelonious Monk
Chubb Sub - Medeski, Martin & Wood
Summertime - Miles Davis
Misty - Stan Getz & Dave Brubeck
Piano Solo [Live] - Yoko Kanno
Emily - Bill Evans
Windows - Chick Corea
IX Love - Charles Mingus
In a Sentimental Mood - Miles Davis, John Coltrane, & Duke Ellington
Talk-over music this week came courtesy of Medeski, Martin & Wood, Miles Davis, Yoko Kanno & The SeatBelts, and Booker T & the MG's. And just a quick reminder: Miles to Go will not be airing next Thursday, as it will be this DJ's favorite holiday, THANKSGIVING! So, enjoy your holiday feasts, keep your eyes peeled for snow, and look for Miles to Go in two weeks.
As per usual, for a rundown of the Miles to Go playlist each week, keep your browsers here, and for the best jazz et al. around, keep your radios (or your iTunes) tuned to WKCO 91.9 FM!
This week on Miles to Go Before I Sleep, I invited my listeners to join me under the covers - that is to say, I broadcast jazz covers of non-jazz songs, originally laid down by artists from Simon & Garfunkel to Nirvana to Rihanna. Several listeners called in requests, and I was joined in the studio by Rachel Walsh, who (after some coaxing) made her on-air debut. Also, I featured Paris Troika, an up-and-coming jazz trio which primarily covers rock songs in a rambunctious and infectious jazz style. I encourage everyone to check out their eponymous debut album. Here's a look at what tunes I played this week:
Don't Stop the Music - Jamie Cullum
Barracuda - The Bad Plus
Space Oddity - Paris Troika
Ziggy Stardust - Seu Jorge
Le Vieux Piano - Edith Piaf
Modal Mood - Dexter Gordon
White Christmas - Charlie Parker
Greensleeves - John Coltrane
Santa Claus is Coming to Town - Bill Evans
Layla - Paris Troika
Mrs. Robinson - Booker T. & The MG's
Somewhere - Tom Waits
Gone Daddy Gone - Gnarls Barkley
Smells Like Teen Spirit - The Bad Plus
Uptight (Everything's All Right) - Buddy Rich
In the Hall of the Mountain King - The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra
Pavanne - The Ahmad Jamal Trio
Hoe-Down - Oliver Nelson
Wind Cries Mary - Jamie Cullum
Purple Haze - Paris Troika
When You Wish Upon a Star - Bill Evans
Someday My Prince Will Come - The Bill Evans Trio
When I Fall in Love - Miles Davis
Talk-over music this week came courtesy of The Beatles, The Vince Guaraldi Trio, The Ahmad Jamal Trio, Curtis Mayfield, The Bad Plus, Booker T. & the MG's, Lee Konitz w/ The Gerry Mulligan Quartet, and Medeski, Martin & Wood.
As per usual, for a rundown of the Miles to Go playlist each week, keep your browsers here, and for the best jazz et al. around, keep your radios (or your iTunes) tuned to WKCO 91.9 FM!
This week on Miles to Go Before I Sleep, I decided to ditch that trite, old convention of the theme (until next week) to just bring you a great assortment of jazz. Intern Dan Rasch joined me in the studio, and together we spun tunes from some of the greats.
We also paid homage to Clifford Brown this week, as he would've celebrated his 80th birthday on 30 October 2010. Brown, aka "Brownie," was an influential and highly rated American jazz trumpeter, and played with the likes of Max Roach, Horace Silver, and Sonny Rollins, among others. He died at the age of 25 in a tragic automobile accident, leaving behind only four years' worth of recordings. Even in such a short time, Clifford Brown made a name for himself as one of the greatest to ever pick up the horn, and is still regarded among the greats today.
We enjoyed a great listenership this week, many of whom wrote and called in to the show. We even featured a reading from the talented Paul Dougherty over the air, and I gave my regards to Kenyon (in Hindi) from one of my friends abroad. But enough of that - here's a look at what we played this week:
Cosmic Rays - Charlie Parker
Dream a Little Dream of Me - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
Don't Get Around Much Anymore - Duke Ellington
Lazybones - Leon Redbone
Mean to Me - Paul Desmond
Heart of Glass - The Bad Plus
Mètché Dershé - Mulatu Astatke
21st-Century Schizoid Man - The Crimson Jazz Trio
Theme from M*A*S*H (Suicide is Painless) - Bill Evans
Lover, You Should've Come Over - Jamie Cullum
Eggs and Sausage (In a Cadillac with Susan Michaelson) - Tom Waits
Stardust - Clifford Brown & Max Roach
Butch & Butch - Oliver Nelson
Someone to Watch Over Me - Ella Fitzgerald
Aurora en Pekin - Marc Ribot y Los Cubanos Postizos
Rebel Rebel - Seu Jorge
Nuages - Django Reinhardt
Sing, Sing, Sing [Live] - Benny Goodman
Sweet Rain - Stan Getz
Milestones - Miles Davis
Talk-over music this week came courtesy of Booker T. & The MG's, The Crimson Jazz Trio, Paul Desmond, Yoko Kanno & The SeatBelts, Walter Wanderley Trio, Django Reinhardt, and Mark Soskin.
As per usual, for a rundown of the Miles to Go playlist each week, keep your browsers here, and for the best jazz et al. around, keep your radios (or your iTunes) tuned to WKCO 91.9 FM!
Tonight on Miles to Go, faithful intern Sam Mashaw brought us plenty of soulful selections from the greatest jazz singers of all time: Billy Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Nina Simone (pictured left, center, and right, respectively).
Livening our program further was our homage to Dizzy Gillespie, who would've celebrated his 82nd birthday yesterday (21 October 2010). Gillespie was known for wailing on his bent trumpet while looking as though he was about to burst (see photo, left), and served as both inspiration and teacher to some of the best-known horn players of all time, from Miles Davis to Chuck Mangione.
Interspersed amongst these magnificent leading ladies were tunes from other great jazz names past and present, as well as a few names you might be surprised to find included in a jazz program (such as Pomplamoose and Andrew Bird). Here's a look at the full array of what we laid down tonight:
Baby, Don't You Go Away Mad - Ella Fitzgerald
My Baby Just Cares for Me - Nina Simone
Misty - Billie Holiday
Nature Boy - Pomplamoose
Autumn in New York - Dexter Gordon
Autumn Serenade - John Coltrane & Johnny Hartman
A Night in Tunisia - Dizzy Gillespie
Swing Low, Sweet Cadillac - Dizzy Gillespie
Sinnerman - Nina Simone
Blue Skies - Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong
What a Wonderful World - Louis Armstrong
Birdland [Live from King Street, San Francisco] - Buddy Rich
Strange Meadowlark - The Dave Brubeck Quartet
Ides of Swing - Andrew Bird's Bowl of Fire
Baby, It's Cold Outside - Nina Simone & Ray Charles
Feelin' Good - Nina Simone
Spiral - John Coltrane
Georgia on my Mind - The Oscar Peterson Trio
God Bless the Child - Billie Holiday
Bewitched, Bothered, & Bewildered - Ella Fitzgerald
I Cried for You - Billie Holiday
When I Fall in Love - Miles Davis
Talk-over music came courtesy of Booker T. & The MG's, The Modern Jazz Quartet, The Oscar Peterson Trio, Air, Louis Armstrong, Sonny Rollins, Young Holt Unlimited, The Walter Wanderly Trio, Medeski Martin & Wood, and The Kenyon College Kokosingers.
As per usual, for a rundown of the Miles to Go playlist each week, keep your browsers here, and for the best jazz et al. around, keep your radios (or your iTunes) tuned to WKCO 91.9 FM!
This week on Miles to Go Before I Sleep, the theme was...well, there was no theme - just great jazz. I took particular relish in featuring songs from artists new to my library, such as Clifford Brown, Haden & Rubalcaba, Art Blakey, and legendary pianist Horace Silver (pictured right). I was joined in the studio by my two interns - Sam and Daniel - and over the airwaves by the show's largest listenership thus far, and the lot of us bebopped and scatted to swingin' tunes through the night. I also had the pleasure of debuting several liners produced by yours truly. Our selections this week were:
Excerpt: American Haikus - Jack Kerouac
Smells Like Teen Spirit - The Bad Plus
Yègellé Tezeta - Mulatu Astatke
What's New? - Clifford Brown & Max Roach
Windows - Chick Corea
Moonlight (Claro de Luna) - Charlie Haden & Gonzalo Rubalcaba
'Til the Clouds Roll By - Paul Desmond
My Romance - The Ray Brown Trio
Come Rain or Shine -Art Blakey & The Jazz Messengers
IX Love - Charles Mingus
Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis - Tom Waits
Rhapsody in Blue: A Medley - Eugen Cicero
In a Sentimental Mood - The Modern Jazz Quartet & Sonny Rollins
Stolen Moments - Oliver Nelson
The Lover - Medeski, Martin & Wood
Without You - Horace Silver
St. Thomas - Sonny Rollins
The Look of Love - The Ahmad Jamal Trio
The St. Vitus Dance - Horace Silver
Solar - Miles Davis
Talk-over music came courtesy of Mulatu Astatke, Paul Desmond, Yoko Kanno & The SeatBelts, David Holmes, The Gerry Mulligan Quartet, and Medeski, Martin & Wood.
As per usual, for a rundown of the Miles to Go playlist each week, keep your browsers here, and for the best jazz et al. around, keep your radios (or your iTunes) tuned to WKCO 91.9 FM!
This week on Miles to Go Before I Sleep, I explored the world of live recordings from some of the best ever to play at some of the world's most famous jazz venues, such as The Blue Note, Carnegie Hall, and The Village Vanguard (pictured left). And in the spirit of improvising on the fly, Miles to Go was flooded with requests - both online and over the phone - and a flurry of visitors. Lessons learned this evening include: 1. There is always time for listener-requested music; 2. There is no such thing as a short live jazz recording - take, for example, Coltrane's My Favorite Things, which I cut off a third of the way through its 20-minute runtime; and 3. Three Musketeers nougat sandwiched between a pair of Animal Crackers makes a decent snack. (Seriously, I wasn't kidding when I said the show operated on the fly this evening!). That said, we still managed to saturate the airwaves with some pretty catchy tunes:
Filthy MacNasty [Live at The Village Gate] - Horace Silver
Split Kick [Live at Birdland] - The Art Blakey Quintet
Machine [Live from King Street, San Francisco] - Buddy Rich
In the Hall of the Mountain King [Live from Folly Theatre] - The Kansas City Jazz Orchestra
Tank! [Live] - Yoko Kanno & The SeatBelts
My Funny Valentine [Live] - The Miles Davis Quintet
Gloria's Step [Take 2, Live from The Village Vanguard] - Bill Evans
When I Fall in Love [Live at The Blue Note] - Keith Jarrett
Autumn Leaves [Live at The Alhambra] - The Ahmad Jamal Trio
Black Dog/Helter Skelter [Live from The Blue Note] - Paris Troika
A Night in Tunisia [Live] - The Modern Jazz Quartet
Cast Your Fate to the Wind [Live] - The Vince Guaraldi Trio
Take Five [Live at Carnegie Hall] - The Dave Brubeck Quartet
The Girl from Addis Ababa [Live] - Mulatu Astatke & The Ethiopian Quintet
Big P [Live at The Lighthouse] - Cannonball Adderly
I've Grown Accustomed to YourFace [Live from Birdland] - Sonny Rollins
Slow Boat to China [Live from The Savoy] - Charlie Parker
My Favorite Things [Live at The Village Vanguard] - John Coltrane
So What [Take 1, Live] - Miles Davis & John Coltrane
Talk-over music came courtesy of Mulatu Astatke, Paul Desmond, David Holmes, The Crimson Jazz Trio, The Swingle Sisters, Yoko Kanno and the SeatBelts, and Medeski, Martin & Wood.
As per usual, for a rundown of the Miles to Go playlist each week, keep your browsers here, and for the best jazz et al. around, keep your radios (or your iTunes) tuned to WKCO 91.9 FM!
