Vax, Sax, and Michigan

Jeff Daniels…man, that guy is funny! I was scrolling through my streaming options when I came across the 2002 film “Super Sucker”, which features Daniels. He also wrote and directed the film. I hadn’t heard of this one, but I definitely won’t forget it.

“Super Sucker” does a great job of lampooning work culture — more specifically, being part of a sales team. If you’ve never had the pleasure, it usually consists of over-the-top positivity and enthusiasm along with undue pressure to achieve one’s goals. The goals, though, are not really emphasized as actual sales, but really just a byproduct of how awesome whatever you’re selling is. (During one stint at a for profit trade school, my boss used to say, “We’re in the business of changing people’s lives” — yeah, that and a nice chunk of commission. )

One thing I learned while researching this underrated film is Jeff Daniels grew up in Chelsea, Michigan. Another of this film’s connection to Michigan is the soundtrack work of Alto Reed — he was best known as the saxophone player in Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band.

There are some familiar faces in the film including Dawn Wells (best known as MaryAnn on “Gilligan’s Island”) as the spokesperson for the Super Sucker product. Again, that all goes back to how happy you’ll be once you own one of these home appliances. Who wouldn’t be reassured by her approval, right?

I was surprised this film wasn’t rated higher on imdb.com, but it’s not a film for everyone. It definitely has some dark humor in it, which I love.

Apparently, Daniels founded The Purple Rose Theatre Company in Chelsea, MI and it’s still alive and kicking. https://www.purplerosetheatre.org/about/staff-2/

Viva, Jeff Daniels! Viva Dawn Wells!

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Me and BLOBBY McGhee

Okay, just to be clear, this is neither a blog entry about Janis Joplin nor Kris Kirstofferson. This is a Blob Blog entry — actually, “The Blob” to be more specific. While I would hope most people are familiar with this classic 1958 sci-fi film, I can’t help but bring it up. I remember watching this on network TV as a kid and I thought it was pretty wild. Watching it now, I still think it’s a pretty creative film with a whole life of its own.

One thing I didn’t know when I first watched it is the film starred a late 20’s Steve McQueen as the supposedly teenage male lead in this one. I guess my pop culture IQ wasn’t that high in the 70s when I most likely saw it the first time. Now my pop culture IQ is high enough to find this groovy little number called “The Blob” by The Five Blobs.

I think this film has some interesting themes like the generation gap between teenagers and adults — that, and complete paranoia. Before deciding on the now infamous title, “The Glob” and “The Molten Meteorite” were considered. (Kay Linaker was the screenwriter and Irvin Yeaworth was the director.)

Another interesting fact about “The Blob”, is the film was actually inspired by some real events. Apparently some substance called “star jelly” was discovered in Pennsylvania in the 50s. Apparently, it’s part of the aftermath of meteor showers. That was news to me.

According to Wikipedia, the film was shot near Phoenixville and Downington, PA. The best part is Downington has hosted a “Blobfest” since the year 2000. It looks like it was held in early July this year. Nothing like running from a blob to beat the summer heat, right?

There was a 1988 remake of this film and some sort of a sequel in the Seventies as well.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

My Best Friend’s Riff

The Cars. They had massive radio airplay and hit records, not to mention frontman Ric Ocasek wound up with supermodel Paulina Porizkova somewhere along the way. Recently, I’ve been learning the guitar parts to “My Best Friend’s Girl”, which is an absolutely great piece of catchy pop music. There’s one thing I didn’t realize about the song until I started playing it. It falls into a special category of songs which were recorded in one musical key (E), then the recorded tape was sped up into a higher key (F). There are a good deal of these songs which fall into this category, but that’s a whole other discussion.

Something I recently noticed while watching a video guitar lesson, is one section of the song sounds a lot like the Bo Diddley song “Crackin’ Up.”

Listen around the 4:30 second mark on this lesson, and you’ll hear what I’m saying.

It took me a minute, but I knew I recognized that guitar riff from another song. I can’t remember if I heard the Bo Diddley original version of “Crackin’ Up” first or the version by Paul McCartney on his Russian Album.

This part is a repeat, but years ago, I took some guitar lessons with this ponytailed dude. He was the one who told me “My Best Friend’s Girl” borrowed heavily from a song on The Beatles’ White Album. I scratched my head at first, but then determined he was talking about the beautiful Paul McCartney song “I Will.” As a whole, the songs don’t really sound alike, but there is a guitar riff which certainly does.

Ric Ocasek got the songwriting credit for this song, but give some credit to Cars’ guitarist Elliot Easton for his contribution on this one. I even found a YouTube video with Easton showing how he played the guitar solo on it. All in all, it’s a psychic convergence of music.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Amadeus Kommissar

Consider this blog entry an 80’s music retrospective…a time capsule if you will (or even if you won’t). I recently reconnected with a couple of friends I have known since the 1980s and we started joking about some of those silly songs from that era. My buddy mentioned the animalistic tunes “Shock the Monkey” and “Eye of the Tiger”. Another friend mentioned “One night in Bangkok”.

It’s weird how looking back at certain time periods, some things get more attention than others. Yes, there were fads like Rubik’s Cubes, parachute pants, legwarmers, and….what else…Duran Duran? Some people were really into “Miami Vice” and some weren’t — personally, I opted for “The A-Team” on NBC Thursday nights. One song I remembered was called “Rock Me Amadeus” by this German dude named Falco.

I never owned this on a record or cassette tape, but it was around on pop radio and the then-new MTV. So what’s the big deal about the song? I mean, it’s about composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but that’s basically immaterial. It’s just a catchy pop tune — and I don’t think Eddie Van Halen was involved in any way, shape, or form. There was some epic movie about Mozart that came out during the 80s, but I don’t think this was related.

Another 80s tune was also recorded by Falco, but popularized by a British band called After the Fire. I really liked this song called “Der Kommissar.”

There are a lot of pieces to this song that grab your ears….synth, guitar, “Cha, Cha.” I made a half-hearted attempt to look into the meaning of this song. I’ve seen the drug cocaine mentioned a lot. That was news to me. Does all pop music have to be meaningless or about drugs? Not really, but both songs have good beats and are easy to dance to. Maybe the Euro-Asian vibe just made them seem exotic at the time? It’s hard to say…I mean, those songs were around on MTV and on the radio. Maybe part of the appeal is the mystery. I still really know very little about either one of these recording artists, but maybe these songs stand on their own? I really don’t remember a thing about the videos either.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Workingman’s Rush

“Working Man” by the Canadian power trio Rush popped into my head today so I had to listen to it repeatedly and dissect it. I’ve always loved the guitar in this song from their 1974 self-titled debut. As a whole, this song ROCKS!

It’s not just the guitar that makes this song enjoyable for me. I love the lyrics and the driving feel to it. I think this song has an angry undertone tone. I mean, who is happy to be doing nothing but working your ass off, right? “I got no time for livin’, Yes, I’m workin’ all the time.”

When I was growing up, I would see tons of fans wearing their Rush concert t-shirts. There was also a subdivision entrance with the circled-star-Rush-2112 spray painted on the street. There are a lot of die hard Rush fans, but I wouldn’t put myself in that category. There are also rallying cries I’ve heard about the band over the years: Neil Peart/Geddy Lee is the best rock drummer/bassist ever, etc. That, or, they’re a great band, but I can’t stand Geddy’s singing voice. I have no problem with his voice, but maybe that’s one reason why this tune appeals to me. “Working Man” actually features Neil Peart’s predecessor John Rutsey on drums as well.

Getting back to the guitar, there are plenty of parts to dissect: the opening lick, the siren lick, and lots of hard driving solos in the E minor pentatonic vein. What’s not to love about it! Oh by the way, the guitarist’s name is Alex Lifeson.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Purple Hush

If you’re like me, when you think of the song “Hush”, you think about British rock band Deep Purple…even though they didn’t write it. More on that later.

Their version had a dramatic intro with prominent drums, prominent organ, and a bit of electric guitar. “Funky” is probably the best word to describe the vibe of this song. It’s one of those songs where the lyrics aren’t necessarily easy to understand, but the “na, na-na-na” part is quite singable. It most likely passes the good beat-easy to dance to test as well. As a bonus, they got to play it on “Playboy After Dark.”

“Hush” has been recorded a decent number of times, but I think it’s hard to eclipse the DP version. I recently found an interesting version by American guitarist Dan Baird (Georgia Satellites, Homemade Sin).

I suppose Baird didn’t hear the need for organ, so he left it off. Sounds a bit more stripped down, but the song still works. (With no Playboy video, I wonder if he feels like he was cheated out of his Bunny experience?)

“Hush” was actually written by a guy named Joe South and then released by Billy Joe Royal.

If none of these versions grab you, there was a release in the 90s by a band called Kula Shaker. I think there’s also some sort of Thin Lizzy version recording as well.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Dwight’s Vain Casino

Dwight Yoakam. What can you say about the guy? If anyone ever asks me if I like country music, my response is always, “I like Dwight Yoakam.” (I would also note that his former producer and lead guitarist Pete Anderson is insanely good in my book and many others.) A lot of people don’t care for Yoakam’s singing voice — not unlike the singing of Jimi Hendrix or Bob Dylan — but I disagree.

How would you describe Dwight’s overall sound? It’s twangy, but I would say there are some definite songwriting skills and pop melodies to go along with it. Today, I happened to find a video from a show called “Studio 330” which aired on CMT. My ears immediately latched onto Dwight’s “Blame the Vain” (the title cut from his 2005 album.)

Beatles’ fans will relate the opening feedback to “I Feel Fine.” Apparently, Dwight is a big fan. He even recorded the Lennon-McCartney tune “Things We Said Today” on one of his all cover albums. Somewhere along the way, I read an article in a guitar magazine where Yoakam mentioned getting the Vox amplifier sound like The Fab Four.

Regardless, Yoakam has been seen playing an Epiphone Casino which wins even more points with me. If you’re not familiar with it, it’s a beautiful thinline hollowbody electric guitar. According to Wikipedia, Paul McCartney used an Epi Casino on “Helter Skelter” and his epic or Epi-c guitar solo on the George Harrison tune “Taxman.” The folks at Epiphone and Yoakam teamed up for the Limited Edition Elitist Dwight Yoakam “Dwight Trash” Casino Outfit.

So, do I love Dwight’s music because we’re both big fans of The Beatles? Is it because we both love Epiphone guitars with “F” holes? I think he just makes some great music. You don’t have to be a Beatles fan, a country fan, or anything special to enjoy it, but that’s just my opinion.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Dylan’s Bloody Buckets

Pop quiz… Q: What does Bob Dylan plus April showers equal? A: Buckets of Rain. I hadn’t heard this song up until the past few years, but I thoroughly enjoy it. I believe a YouTube acoustic cover version turned me onto it. The original Dylan release was on 1975’s “Blood on the Tracks.”

I would describe the vibe of this song as airy — almost nonchalant. It’s very laid back. I think one thing which attracted me to this song is Dylan’s use of an open guitar tuning. Apparently, he used this Open E tuning on a lot of other songs on the same album.

For non guitar nerds, standard string tuning is E, A, D, G, B, E. But guitar nerds already know putting one’s precious guitar into Open E would involve tuning some strings higher than normal which will put undue pressure on the neck. Instead, you may use a capo on the 2nd fret, and tune to Open D (D,A,D,F#, A, D).

At the risk of sounding like my own personal “Pandora algorithm”, I tend to enjoy playing and listening to songs in open tunings. It gives songs a totally different feel. (Insert your own “How does it FEEL?” from “Like A Rolling Stone” punchline here.)

Lyrically, there are some nonsensical lines about monkeys, little red wagons, bikes, etc. in addition to the use of the pet name “Honey Baby.” I found some interesting cover versions out there. They can be found on Dylan Tribute albums, respectively, by Steve Howe and Joan Osbourne. Osbourne’s is piano driven, which is a departure from the original. There are also covers by The Waterboys, Happy Traum, Dave Van Ronk, and more. There’s even a duet of Dylan and Bette Midler.

Prior to today’s blog entry, I had never heard this duet. Second pop quiz…Q: What duet should Bob and Bette record next? A: “Barbara Ann”, but with the name “Bobette” or “Bober-ette”. Now that’s entertainment!

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

p.s. “Barbara Ann” was written by Fred Fassert.

The Dark Side of Splash

I was admiring Dennis Hopper’s performance in David Lynch’s deeply disturbing yet entertaining film “Blue Velvet”, when I decided to search for other films featuring Hopper. I found an interesting black and white film from the early Sixties called “Night Tide.” It’s bizarre in its own right — not necessarily as weird as a David Lynch film — but definitely unique. Hopper stars as a young sailor on shore leave. As he hits one of the local hot spots featuring a Ron-Burgundy-free jazz flautist, he encounters an exotic woman named Mora (played by Linda Lawson). As they get to know each other, he finds out she lives right by the ocean and near a merry-go-round. Oh, and by the way, her day job on the boardwalk is posing as a mermaid.

The Jimi Hendrix tune “1983 (A Merman I Should Turn to Be)” seems weirdly appropriate. Getting back to “Night Tide”, the screenplay and film were written and directed by Curtis Harrington. For me it only added to the weird vibe to see a young Dennis Hopper in action. It’s kind of like seeing Keith Richards with neatly combed hair. Other characters in the film include a retired sea captain/carnival barker, a water witch, and a fortune teller. There’s also a line from Edgar Allen Poe’s “Annabelle Lee” in it as well. Maybe David Lynch should look into a remake?

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Musical Geography: “G”

In the days of Trivial Pursuit, my worst subject was always Geography. It just doesn’t really interest me too much. Maybe when most people look at a map they see shapes, colors, borders, and the exciting possibilities of visiting different places, but it all looks like a bunch of spaghetti to me. Perhaps it’s the two dimensional aspect of maps…or maybe growing up in the 70s and 80s made me too focused on ‘Merica.

In any event, I’ve come to realize the world of rock and roll has its fair share of important and obscure places. Off the top of my head, you have in-song references to places like Memphis, Tennessee a la Chuck Berry and “the streets of Rome” a la Bob Dylan. Once in awhile, you hear of a place that makes you scratch your head.

One of those places is “Grosvenor Square”, which is mentioned in first line of The Grateful Dead tune “Scarlet Begonias.”

This Jerry Garcia-Robert Hunter is an interesting bit of musical poetry. What do Scarlet Begonias have to do with Grosvenor Square and some chick who’s into the blues? Beats me. Also, why didn’t they just name it “Guv’nor’s Square”? That’s a British thing, right?

I encountered a similar situation recently when I heard the mention of the “Concertgebouw” in Venus and Mars/Rockshow by Paul McCartney and Wings.

According to Wikipedia, it’s a concert hall in Amsterdam that has supremely fantastic acoustics. (You may insert your own punchline about Sir Paul’s penchant for weed and Amsterdam at this point.) Do you have to give McCartney credit for mentioning the place or was he really just looking for something to rhyme with Rockshow? By the way, spelling was actually one of my best subjects, but “Concertgebouw” is not in my wheelhouse.

Also, why can’t I find America-dam or ‘Merica-dam in my GPS? I’m supposed to meet Sir Paul and the ghost of Jerry Garcia there.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!