Becky's Greatest Hits Vol. II

 Mary in Charlotte was a revelation! So much girl power.  So much singing.  So much estrogen in one big, big room.   And grown women energy too.  I felt it.  And yes, there's a difference.  I didn't realize how much I needed to be surrounded by women my own age until I was right in the middle of them.  There's something about women who understand each other.  It only takes a look, a few words.  We know.   Even the symbolism of the crown behind Mary was not lost on me.  The empowerment.  The realization of what we had come through.  I was turning 50 in a week.  What Mary said to me when I was 20 didn't hit as hard.  But lord jesus, I felt it now.   Days after the show, I felt like I was still processing it all.  Mary's voice, her stories, the glossy Broadway feel of it all, the beautiful women in their boots and sequins all around us, the memories, the tears.   After the sho...

Listen, Joe has been training us for all this current bullshit for years.  Don't lose your ground now, people.  "Let fury have the hour, anger can be power D'you know that you can use it?" 

  You dudes can do whatever you want, as long as you play "Jealous Again" and "Twice as Hard".  

Kathy Valentine is a great storyteller.  I have read very few memoirs in which a person could truly tell a story from such an unemotional, honest level.  It makes for a great read as you travel with the narrator through their catharsis.  And Kathy definitely had a lot of those!   As she walks us through two abortions (one at the tender age of 12), her early drug and alcohol use, both a fun and tumultuous relationship with her mother, her sobriety.....it's really a lot to take in!  But Kathy is not one for rest or self-pity.  I guess the most heartbreaking thing of all is how much she just really, really wanted to be in a band.   Thus the title of the memoir. Her famous name-dropping from the Vaughn brothers to The Police to Clem Burke and Carlene Carter also adds a lot a spice to a tale that never winds down to boredom.  (Kathy was friends with Rob Lowe.....whaaaaatttt????) I actually think there's a few different kinds of fans that love...

Since I go to the theatre to see films exactly 2 times a year and I LURVE The Beatles, dear readers had better know how anticipated this one was! It was a super cute film that will definitely be loved by Beatles fans and anglophiles in general.  Other folks?  They may not really get it. I don't want to give much away, but I will tell you this, if the world had no Beatles it would also have no Coca-Cola, no cigarettes and no Oasis .  The Oasis I get.....and c'mon....that is a clever joke.  But the Coke and the cigarettes stumped me and were never explained.  And not much was explained in this film in general.  If you like a movie that finishes everything off and explains it all for you in the end, this may not be for you. But I loved it.  It even brought me a tear or two, and I won't even say why for now.  Let's just say that us Beatles fans will get it.  And that's all you need to know.

Since I'm probably the biggest and one of the few Wilco fans I know, I shocked even myself when I was on the fence about reading this memoir. As a kid, I could tell you the names of all the guys in every band I loved and probably even where they were from and their birthdays. But as an adult, I've often tried to distance myself from knowing too much about the artists whose work I really enjoy.  And I have been let down a time or two learning things about folks who I thought were pretty awesome.  I guess I shouldn't be so judgmental, but hey......you either like somebody or you don't. All I can say is after finishing this book in less than 2 days right at the busy Christmas season, I would have kicked myself if I missed out on it and then learned later what I missed out on.  Make sense?  Not really? Good. Then I'm writing this like a Jeff Tweedy book. First off, I have to put this out there.....Jeff writes like a real person.  He writes like he is talking...

The grand highway is crowded w/ lovers & searchers & leavers so eager to please & forget. Wilderness. Where'd you learn about   Satan - out of a book Love? - out of a box   Poet of the call-girl storm She left a note on the bedroom door. "If I'm out, bring me to."  I am troubled Immeasurably By your eyes I am struck By the feather of your soft Reply The sound of glass Speaks quick Disdain And conceals What your eyes fight To explain

So today erbody is all over the total solar eclipse. I say big whoop unless you have the right soundtrack to accompany it!  So here is my Total Eclipse Playlist....some almost too obvious and some, not so much.  If you don't get it, I'm just too busy trying to stay out of the path of the sun and the oncoming traffic to try to explain it!  Just put on your ISO-approved glasses, press play and thank me later...... "Total Eclipse of the Heart" by Bonnie Tyler Have to get this one out of the way straight off.  But you might be interested to know that Ms. Tyler will be singing her one hit wonder on a cruise ship on the day of the eclipse .  How bout dah? "Back in Black" by AC/DC "New Moon on Monday" by Duran Duran "Black Hole Sun" by Soundgarden "Moonlight Drive" by The Doors "Sunshine of Your Love" by Cream "Good Day Sunshine" & "Here Comes the Sun" by The Beatles "King ...

Imagine it.....the 60's were over......The Beatles had broken up.....singer/songwriters were all the rage.....Mick Jagger got married for the first and last time.  It was 1971 and it was thrilling!  This book goes month by month in talking about all the bands, the social and political events, the personalities and the changes in the world that were both moving the music business and being moved by the music business.  Suddenly, going back to the clubs worked for some and playing big arenas worked for others!  Suddenly, sweet little young ladies from Laurel Canyon were writing record-breaking albums!  Suddenly, the "quiet Beatle" was his own superstar cause advocate!  This book really does a good job of showing the pivot from early rock to the huge glamorous business it was becoming and touches on almost too many young talents of the time to name: Rod Stewart; The Allman Brothers, Bob Dylan, Nick Drake, David Bowie, Iggy Pop, Carole King, Joni Mitchell,...

Imagine what your life would have been without it.

"And when i see you happy as a girl that lives in a world of make-believe it makes me pull my hair all out to think i could've let you leave....."

"Let's put our heads together and start a new country up Our father's father's father tried erased the parts he didn't like...." 

Soundbreaking is a riveting and expansive look at the history of rock music in America and Britain.  The doc looks at the greats and usual suspects, sure, but this PBS series also dives into the early makers of music history like Big Mama Thornton and Frank Sinatra while catching up to the current driving forces like Adele, St. Vincent and The Black Keys.  Episodes are as wide and varied as simply looking at the recording process and various instruments to the expansion of music into video and the art of the concept album.  If you're a true music lover.....of any kind of rock music of the last 60 years......there is something here for you.  I promise you. 

"A whole generation of Southern girls, raised on the promise of Michael Stipe." ( Rob Sheffield, Love is a Mix Tape )

"Ice is forming on the tips of my wings Unheeded warnings I thought I thought of everything....." 

Dear Eddie, I know you're a big Cubs fan. How could I not?  Anyone that knows you KNOWS that you love the Chicago Cubs. Didn't you write and sing a tribute song for them?  Aren't you at most all the home games?  Haven't you sang " Take Me Out to the Ballgame " and thrown out first pitches and posed with players and eaten all the hot-dogs?  And even though I never watch baseball, I want your Cubbies to win.  I do.  You gave me Corduroy.  You gave me Not For You and Lukin.  Your voice was the soundtrack of my teenage life.  So I'm gonna root, root for the Cubbies.  I'm gonna cross my fingers.  I'm gonna hold my rabbit's foot.  I'm gonna send out my good juju vibes.  Because those are just small things that I can do for you and your team, so I'm gonna try. And I hope you're gonna wake up tomorrow happy with a winning team.  I hope that for you and for Chicago.  You've all earned it....

If you know me and this blog, you know there's one band I really, really like: Wilco .  Sure, I've gotten mad at them from time to time, but overall ours is a love affair that will never die. So while I'm trying to acquaint a friend to the best of Wilco, I thought I'd share my favorite cuts off my favorite records.  And a little history of my love of this awesome American band. First off, I have to give credit where it's due.  I discovered Wilco through Bill Flanagan, an MTV/Vh1 writer and director who regularly contributes to CBS Sunday Morning.  He mentioned Wilco every time they released a new record until finally in 2007 I downloaded Sky Blue Sky.  It still remains my favorite of all their records, so I'll start there...... To people that call it "dad rock" all I can say is, those dads ain't wrong.  Best tracks on the record: Either Way, Shake It Off, Hate It Here, What Light and it's a cross between my two faves: Im...

I just love the day after a good show.....when the music keeps playing in your head.  I see a lot of shows, so this happens to me a good bit.  But after a reeeealllly good show, it is especially true. This was the case last night after seeing Brian Wilson's 50th Anniversary of Pet Sounds.  The music of this phenomenal record is brought to life by the 10 or so musicians surrounding Brian on stage recreating the entire Pet Sounds record as well as other Beach Boys hits of the 60's.  I was really looking forward to "Caroline No" which is my favorite cut from the album.  Brian may not be able to hit all the high notes anymore, but Al Jardine's son, Matt, sure can.  I wasn't let down, and the lyrics keep running through my head all day today. "Where did your long hair go Where is the girl I used to know How could you lose that happy glow Oh, Caroline no Who took that look away I remember how you used to say You'd never change, but that...

All the reviewers are comparing it to Sky Blue Sky and calling it "pastoral" and talking about a return to roots.  I can't say I disagree.  Given that Sky Blue Sky is my fave Wilco album, this new one does take me back to the sound of Wilco I love.  Current fave track is "If I Ever Was a Child" but check back next week.....that could easily change.  I also really love "Someone to Lose" because it reminds me a lot of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot.  But for as much as I love Wilco I will still sometimes have a moment of realizing just how much.  This came to me a few days ago as I sat stuck in my morning commute.  There I was, one of many, sitting in my simple little Toyota listening to Jeff ponder about the complexities of youth and isolation.  And I suddenly realized, yeah.....that's it.....we're all average.  Back then in detention and even now in this traffic jam.  There's nothing that exceptional about any of us, despite what all that s...