My friend Lacey says that politicians should be required to wear jackets that reveal who their sponsors (lobbyists) are and who is footing their bills. "Like race car drivers," she says. Yep, politicians with jackets showing the logos of pharma and oil companies and Koch Industries, too. Transparency--what an idea.
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No one could ask for a better friend than Gary Sobczak, who passed on December 3rd. I'm still reeling from the news.
I met Gary in 1988 while we were working for Mediabase in Farmington Hills, Michigan and even when the road pointed elsewhere (I moved to Washington State in 1993, and he followed the company to LA in 1994), we remained close. We had a mutual admiration for all things Bruce Springsteen; I discovered the depth of his fandom on July 4, 1988 when Bruce played Stockholm and it was on the radio. That was when Springsteen covered Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom," announcing he was joining the Amnesty International tour with Tracy Chapman, Sting, Peter Gabriel and Youssou N'Dour--it was an exciting time to connect with Gary. I knew few people who thoroughly listened to something and told you in all honesty whether it touched them or not; indeed, my friend was inspired by music that guided him through difficult times. Gary brought me into the Mediabase record and CD room that first year and said, "ya gotta hear this!" It was Roy Orbison's solo piece, "Not Alone Anymore," on the first Traveling Wilburys album, which rang like a cartharsis. This empathetic and positive man always emailed with me over the years and then there were our post-Christmas annual phone calls...two to three hours! We talked not only about music but life, family, kindness, politics and so much more. Gary loved his wife Rebecca and son Diego very much. I got to hang out with that beautiful family in 2012, when I was training for a US Census job in Van Nuys. Gary would pick me up after my daily class and we'd all go out to the observatory, or sight seeing, or to a record store. It was a great relief to be with them after classes preparing me for Census work, something I wasn't sure I wanted to get into. (I lasted seven years at that often unpleasant, dangerous gig.) Also on that California journey: I was Gary's guest at his AA meeting, and even far removed from what AA members go through, I found the experience to be profoundly moving. When Gary would chide me, he liked to push the envelope. Recently, he was critical of the way I sounded on the radio because I was wearing a facemask when I returned to the airwaves after the pandemic. We would sometimes email back and forth several times a day and it was more like texting than email (JJS: "Does Fallon have to gush when he has Springsteen on?" GS: "That's what Jimmy does"). I mentioned in November that I was having trouble with the radio station's digital player. "If you don't wear the mask the digital player works great," he quipped. What a wonderful pal Gary was. I loved him. It's not like our democracy is just going to keep repairing itself, but one had to be hopeful about last week's US Elections results. Candidates were actually conceding when they lost, for one thing.
Most of the nastiest, phoniest and misinformed politicians fell short in their election bids, including Kari Lake for governor of Arizona. Not sure which was more vicious...election denier Lake making light of Nancy Pelosi's husband Paul, whose skull was battered by an intruder with a hammer, or the savages in the crowd who laughed at her joke. What a complete lack of morals on all counts. The majority of Americans reacted to the overreach of the Supreme Court, who voted against abortion rights and for voter suppression, but Clarence Thomas and his buddies have more of that draconian swill in store for us. We will continue to have to keep demonstrating forceful free speech and voting to "redeem the work of fools," as Patti Smith's "People Have the Power" so beautifully states. So for now, some sanity has returned to the election process. The Republicans' tactic of trying to scare the nation about crime and inflation--we are coming out of a pandemic where people needed help with their rent, for God's sake, and we're aiding Ukraine to win their war against Russia--failed miserably for the GOP on November 8th. Are the Dems not connecting with the average American? Perhaps. But David Brooks, New York Times columnist, said it best on the PBS News Hour: "Voters preferred a party out of touch to a party that was out of their minds." I've got fourteen rock'n'roll and lyrics multiple choice questions for you. Ready Teddy? (Sorry, Freddie, it's Teddy--you're overruled by Little Richard, Elvis and Buddy Holly.) All set? Hey, ho, let's go!
1. Put these drummers for the Who in chronological order concerning their tenure with the band. A. Keith Moon B. Simon Phillips C. Kenney Jones D. Zak Starkey 2. In Joni Mitchell's 1972 "You Turn Me On I'm a Radio," her lyric goes, "I know you don't like weak women, you get bored so quick/and you don't like strong women..." Complete the line. A. "they say, 'Gimme Mick' " B. " 'cause they're hip to your tricks" C. "and that's your whole schtick" D. "they say, 'don't get sick' " 3. Choose the performer whose first and last names are exactly as listed. The other three are represented by a shortened version of their first or middle name. A. Kat Eggleston B. Gram Parsons C. J. Geils D. Van Morrison 4. Put these songs that chart the evolution of ska/rocksteady/reggae's commercial success in America in chronological order. Start with which came first. A. Desmond Dekker & the Aces, "Israelites" B. Eric Clapton, "I Shot the Sheriff" C. Millie Small, "My Boy Lollipop" D. Johnny Nash, "Hold Me Tight" 5. The only tune here where "sock it me!" is used (the phrase was everywhere in the '60s and early '70s--eventually I'm doing a blog post on it). A. The Kinks, "Everybody's Gonna Be Happy" B. Martha & the Vandellas, "I'm Ready for Love" C. Elvis Presley, "U.S. Male" D. Jerry Lee Lewis, "Breathless" 6. Three of these reference Detroit. One does not. Name it. A. The Pretenders, "Brass In Pocket" B. Lee Dorsey, "Ride Your Pony" C. Gil Scott-Heron, "We Almost Lost Detroit" D. Jan & Dean, "Dead Man's Curve" 7. Which song in this bunch does not mention or reference the Beatles? A. The Clash, "Four Horsemen" B. The Temptations, "Ball of Confusion (That's What the World Is Today)" C. Sugarloaf/Jerry Corbetta, "Don't Call Us, We'll Call You" D. Johnny Rivers, "Summer Rain" 8. In Bob Dylan's "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again," he says that, "grandpa died last week, and now he's buried..." A. "down on Mainstreet" B. "in the rocks" C. "in Little Rock" D. "at 442 Glenwood Avenue" 9. Aretha Franklin pays a visit to her doctor in the propulsive "Chain of Fools." What advice does Sister Re receive? A. "take it easy" B. "button up your overcoat" C. "love needs a transfusion/let's shoot it full of wine" D. "Rocky, you've met your match" 10. Graham Parker & the Rumour's "Protection" has the line, "____ ____ ____ said, 'I could have smacked his head'. " Name that person or character: A. Rockin' Robin Roberts B. Big Bad John C. Sir Winston Churchill D. Dizzy Miss Lizzy 11. When Nirvana's Kurt Cobain offed himself at age 27, his mother lumped him in a bunch who died at the same age (Jimi Hendrix, Robert Johnson, Janis Joplin, Pigpen, Jim Morrison--later, that would include Amy Winehouse). What did she name the collective performers? A. The Association B. Swingin' School C. The Hall of the Mountain King D. That Stupid Club 12. Three of these songs mention an act of fellatio that may happen, is happening or has happened. Which one does not? A. Lou Reed, "Walk on the Wild Side" B. The Guess Who, "Albert Flasher" C. Bonnie Raitt, "Gnawin' on It" D. The Killers, "Mr. Brightside" 13. I'll accept one or two answers here: Two of these have "Thirteen" in the song title but that number is not mentioned in the lyrics. Pick at least one: A. Seatrain, "Thirteen Questions" B. Big Star, "Thirteen" C. Chuck Berry, "Thirteen Question Method" D. Nick Lowe, "12 Step Program (to Quit You Babe)" 14. In the Music Machine's tough and succinct (1:59!) proto punk "Talk Talk" (1966), writer and lead singer Sean Bonniwell says his "social life's..." A. "a dud" B. "a gas" C. "the bomb" D. "a drug" --------------------------------------------ANSWERS--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. A-C-B-D 2. B 3. A (The longer names are George Ivan Morrison, John Geils, Ingram Parsons) 4. C-D-A-B (Jamaican singer Millie Small recorded her #2 US hit in London, 1964; superb Houston vocalist Johnny Nash met Bob Marley & the Wailers at a party in Kingston and cut his #5 US smash there in 1968; Desmond Dekker cut his hit in Kingston--it made the UK charts in 1968 and reached #9 in 1969 in the US; Eric Clapton recorded his Marley & the Wailers cover in Miami, 1974. It topped the Billboard Singles Chart, reaching #1) 5. C 6. D (The Pretenders' Chrissie Hynde said in an interview that she was singing, "Detroit Leaning," a slouchy way of driving a car, with the left hand on the steering wheel and the right hand on the car seat. Others have speculated that she sang an Italian word, graphic in meaning) 7. A 8. B 9. A 10. C 11. D (Kurt's mother labeled it "That Stupid Club," which became the moniker for an Olympia band almost immediately in 1994) 12. B 13. B (It's Big Star; there's no "thirteen" in the Lowe song either, but you're welcome to say there is, since it's such a cool nick of Berry's "Thirteen Question Method") 14. A ----------------So how did you do? You aced it as long as you love rock'n'roll----------------- After months and months away from radio, I will rev up the Retroactive show again on November 5th! And on Guy Fawkes Night.
Our first concert experience in nearly four years--Robert Plant and Alison Krauss at Marymoor Park in Edmonds, WA on August 28--couldn't have been better. Gina and I went with friends Erika and Todd on an evening boasting a striking, cloudless sky, as the weather was absolutely perfect.
Ages ago, Plant was an emerging icon and Krauss a bluegrass prodigy. Now with decades of savvy, they brought an accomplished band and two albums worth of material (2007's Raising Sand and 2021's Raise the Roof) to town with something even more special: the way they sing together. Whether harmonizing or trading vocal lines, their blend was seamless Americana in the best sense: blues, country, folk, rock and pop touches, as ancient as Geeshie Wiley's 1930 "Last Kind Words Blues" or as recent as Calexico's 2003 "Quattro (World Drifts In)." The duo filled the open air park with abounding humor while the musicians managed to balance sonic elegance with a brooding, almost Bo Diddley-ish attack. Standup electric bassist Dennis Crouch and drummer Jay Bellerose were so in sync with their deep, punchy tones that it was often impossible to tell which one was bringing the firepower. Meanwhile, Alison's brother Viktor Krauss played a variety of instruments, as did Stuart Duncan, whose most amazing moments were on violin. Guitarist JD McPherson (whose group opened the show, ripping through a spirited, rootsy '80s rock blend that included a cover of Iggy Pop's 1977 "Lust for Life") kept the whole ensemble grounded. The Plant-Krauss set excelled with Allen Toussaint's "Trouble with My Lover" and "Fortune Teller," the chestnut he penned for Benny Spellman (and covered by the Stones). The duo continued to mine the Everly Brothers catalog with "Gone Gone Gone" from Raising Sand and "The Price of Love" from Raise the Roof. The former would be hard for anyone to mess up, as its built-in beat is already exciting; their restraint on "Price" was extraordinary. I've always felt that the Everlys never brought out the song's true potential but in this arrangement, the slower, more haunting tone revealed Plant and Krauss to be interpreters of the highest order. Likewise, they added "Leave My Woman Alone" (not yet appearing on an album) with Plant referencing Don and Phil's 1957 cover of the 1956 Ray Charles track. Plant's stage rapport was quite funny; he talked about the late Scottish guitarist Bert Jansch before "It Don't Bother Me," mentioning Jansch's work in the '60s and '70s band Pentangle. When a few fans in the crowd recognized Pentangle, Plant laughed, "ah, three of you." He also said he loves the Northwest, but Plant's Northwest turned out to be English cities instead: "Manchester...Carlisle..." When Plant countered lusty shouts from the audience with, "that was long ago," you knew he was only being half-serious. An occasional Robert Plant time-tested vocal swoop cued the audience about what was coming...yes, three Led Zeppelin classics, all from the fourth album. "Rock and Roll" was fun yet not especially fiery; near the end of the show came "The Battle of Evermore" and "When the Levee Breaks." Drenched in Duncan's mandolin, "Evermore" used band and vocal dynamics to brilliant effect and Krauss sang Sandy Denny's 51 year old part superbly, though without as many blue notes. It was stunning. "When the Levee Breaks" was perhaps even more accomplished, beginning with a standalone, virtuoso fiddle performance from Duncan and then Krauss adding her eerie violin part that evoked Memphis Minnie's desolate original. Bellerose's percussion--more varied than what Zep's John Bonham played--was arguably just as powerful. It was the climax of a night that brimmed over with skill and emotion. I will remember this show for a long time. Just about everyone following Peter Meijer (US Representative, Republican, MI) knew he would have a tough time winning his recent primary because he voted to impeach Donald Trump. He lost.
And the story he related about other Republicans is especially chilling. Before his defeat, Meijer was told what he should do to insure victory: "You don't have to believe that the 2020 election was stolen--just say it was," which is one of the saddest tales about our modern political landscape. Mudslide, I'd say. Update: Here's how phony all of this positioning is: On September 14th, Senate hopeful Don Bolduc won his primary in New Hampshire. The Republican had been a denier of the 2020 election results, but after he pitched this crap to voters and took his first round, he promptly changed his stance and claimed that he no longer thought that the 2020 election was fraudulent. He'd done some "research." There was nothing scholarly about Bolduc's move--fakery and deception will get you everywhere. After we'd had enough of the Trump freak show (fib vs. FBI) last night, Gina and I took a walk around our neighborhood. For once, it wasn't an overly warm evening as we felt a bit of coolness in the atmosphere. Suddenly, our little stroll was cut short.
Earlier in the day, I heard the Searchers' 1964 version of a 1960 record by LaVern Baker on the radio; I'll reveal the title shortly. And now, at dusk, the song came to life because there was a bee relentlessly circling us that didn't respond to our stepping away or waving our arms. This was weird because perspiration that often attracts bees wasn't a factor at all--neither was that non-sweaty, enormous sweetness we usually project. G and I had to hightail it back home and skip to the door, making sure that scary thang didn't follow us in the house. The song I heard earlier was...yes, "Bumble Bee": "Shoo-wee, you hurt me like a bee a bumble bee, an evil bumble bee!" Was this set of circumstances ironic? Alanis Morissette's dumb song "Ironic" might deduce that--and it would be incorrect. Like the other details in that 1995 hit, this was simply a laughable coincidence. I've been writing too much about politics lately and needed a shot of Top 40 rock'n'roll radio. Boy, did I get a dose recently on the '60s at 6 hour on KGHO!
Classic rock doesn't do it for me anymore--I'm likely to hear Queen or Foreigner. And sometimes oldies don't grab me, either; let's retire "Magic Bus" and "All You Need Is Love" without delay. But how about this stretch of eight tunes? It's like when I was a new driver at 16 and I used to scare the crap out of my Mom when I'd start thumping the dashboard in our Ford--there was a kind of soft vinyl area just beyond the steering wheel I could reach while driving. Here's the joyous set I heard on the way home recently (no women, unfortunately; could've used Dusty Springfield's "A Brand New Me" [1969 single, 1970 LP track] or the Shirelles' "Will You Love Me Tomorrow"): Elvis Presley--"Suspicious Minds": Still sounds incredible--the perfect balance of commercial and personal. The Beatles--"Any Time at All" and "Think for Yourself" (back to back during what they call "Double Beatle Boogie"): The former is Ringo's most rollicking drum track on record, while George's third or fourth piece of writing is appropriately harsh; who had used the word "opaque" in a song before that? Gene Pitney--"She's a Heartbreaker": A frantic vocal by the underrated vocalist who usually sounded emotional yet skillfully controlled. Too hard to sing but fun to attempt. Marvin Gaye--"You're a Wonderful One": I put this title on a picture of my daughter Emily when she was born. Marvelous Marvin rides a fine groove here. The Rolling Stones--"Play with Fire": One of the obvious firsts for the Stones as they explored the hollow contrasts of the English class system (acoustic guitar vs. harpsichord in the musical approach). The Monkees--"The Girl I Knew Somewhere": Penned by Mike Nesmith, sung by Micky Dolenz, and with the kind of melodicism that's long been buried in so much of current, murky pop music. And yes!--the harpsichord player (Peter Tork) gets to solo this time. Clarence Carter--"Slip Away": Sexy, propulsive, yearning--a hit that seems to be barely remembered. There you go...a bunch of AM radio era sparklers that spanned my entire drive home; not one dud in the bunch. But I had reached my destination and got out of the car--I was still bouncing! It's a frightening, awful day in American History as Roe vs. Wade was overturned by the misguided Supreme Court in a 5-3 ruling (some sort of technicality said that Chief Justice John Roberts did not participate in the final blow). This is an incredibly sad and horrendous step where persons in power pushed their views on the clear majority of US citizens who wanted to keep Roe. Stay tuned for more destruction from this mob of five (or six).
My wife Gina Vitale Syrja wrote a brief piece with far more resonance than I could have, sending it to me on June 27th, our 19th wedding anniversary (thank you, love): "Justice Roberts solemnly raised the issue of rushing this moment in the nearly fifty years of protecting women's reproductive health--women's health. As a citizen, I am now suspicious of the one branch of government which specifically exists to ensure the rule of law. To see in my lifetime that my children will have fewer rights than I had is devastating. "That a court of law can put forward the idea that women not have complete autonomy over their bodies and enforce law, restricting medical health care is a travesty. "This ruling is incomplete. How is it that 49 years of Roe vs. Wade is overturned without addressing the 50/50 role men play in pregnancies? How is it that people wholly unconnected to a stranger's life experience have a say in their life? How is it that these same people waive the 'right to life' when that person reaches the age of fifteen and is in serious life altering circumstances, needing professional health care? "How does the ideology of a minority group infiltrate the highest court in the most powerful country? As women fully understand what happens when basic rights are revoked, our nation will never reach its highest potential without women's equality. We have taken a most egregious step backward." |
The J2 Blog J.J. Syrja (born in Detroit, 1955) is a journalist and radio broadcaster. The son of an electrician and a teacher, he has written for Goldmine magazine,
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(Playlists--all KAOS shows) ---------------------------------- kaosradio.org ---------------------------------- democracynow.org ---------------------------------- commondreams.org ---------------------------------- actionslacksnerdout. blogspot.com (The history of soul music) ---------------------------------- rockrapconfidential.com (Rock and Rap Confidential) ---------------------------------- manifestojoestexasblues. blogspot.com ---------------------------------- fairportiajewelry.com (Gina's fabulous work) ---------------------------------- allmusic.com (Their design looks like a big, desperate ad for what's left of the music industry, but the info is still helpful) Archives
April 2024
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