For our final scheduled show, Cristy and William explore the discontinuous topic of great closing tracks on great albums. Except for “Hang Loose,” which we forgot, which Cristy is still mad about, even though she wouldn’t even let William consider including any They Might Be Giants songs. So we’re burying the hatchet right between your ears.
Download Closing Tracks or listen below
Into the sunset, radio on.
From Anthony Burgess, J.G. Ballard, and William Carlos to Wendy Carlos, The Silicon Teens, and the Human League, we dig up the crunchy roots of primitive Brit-synth in the first half of a two-part show. Download here or listen below.
This show owes a debt to the BBC documentary Synth Brittania as well as the book Mad World, with a special thanks to Doug Hoepker for research assistance and tune-sharing.
Up up and away! One more hour of music about comics and cartoons, loaded with soundbites as tasty as marshmallows in your Saturday morning cereal. Put on your pajamas, download, and enjoy.
Cristy vs. William.
Cristy, William, Heather Rose, & Tony Money gather to present and discuss some of the greatest songs recorded by nonexistent bands, from Ruben and the Jets to Spinal Tap to the Dukes of Stratosphear. Although we overflow the hour, we can’t get to everything, nor would we want to, so we also present a Rock and Roll Imaginary Hall of Fame. Of sorts. Great fun. Listen here.
APPA
Cristy! I knew that was you calling as soon as I heard the gloomy dissonance of Scott Walker!
Here are some original plagiarized* ringtones, created by William for his personal use. You either get it or you don’t. Download! Enjoy!
* “Sampled.” Fair use?
I just love a good talking part in a song. Emphasis “good.” Give me Elvis over Arlo any day; life is short.
Here’s a collection of some of our favorites—mid-song orations, some soothing, many inexplicable, some classic, and most not classic until we uploaded them to this site but are now canonical.
Oh come on, Arlo, where’s your sense of humor?
Rock music without singing? Wait. What? The point? You mean like, surf? No? Early 1970s 12-minute jams with the verses cut out? No? Well? Listen as William attempts to answer these questions from Cristy. And then she throws him off the mike and takes over with the Rock Inbox.
Sing no evil.
Cristy and I have had five radio shows so far, and we’re hitting our stride.
January 3: Power pop
January 10: Worst guitar solos ever
January 17: Covers
January 24: Songs less than two minutes in length
Although Cristy and I had to resort to sound-collage, we were able to use almost everybody’s suggestions for the radio show featuring songs that refer to their bands by name. Except for Zach’s, and he wins the Golden Geek of the Week Award for naming a song I had never heard of and couldn’t find: “Black ’47.” Scott listened online and said the music was “baaaad,” and, as much as I relish arguing with Scott, I have a nagging suspicion that he may have a point. Beefheart’s “The Blimp” (suggested by Mark E. Nslin) caused a bit of on-air friction between the two hosts. Even 15 seconds of “Iron Maiden” by Iron Maiden was way too much for me.
Suggestions are welcome. Here’s what we have so far.
* SONGS THAT NAME THEIR OWN BANDS
Monochrome Set
Jocko Homo (Are We Not Men?)
Give it to the Soft Boys
Big Country
Talk Talk
Have a Cigar
Belle & Sebastian/My Wandering Days Are Over
In the Court of the Crimson King
Red Hot Chili Peppers [song off the first album]
Clash City Rockers
Black Sabbath
Chaka Khan
Mommy, What’s a Funkadelic? (does it really say the word?)
Killer Queen
They Might be Giants
Wang Chung
Who Are You?
Wonder Boy
Show Biz Kids
