I cannot resist, indeed. I shall tune in tomorrow to get religion. How doth your preaching go?
Unfortunately, can't listen. Taking bar exam.
Well, yes, I don't expect that would fly well with the examiners.
May you cross the bar in peace, w/d.
Request: A twelve-bar blues in w/d's honor.
I forgot to mention that Rational Diet's lyrics are taken from Daniil Kharms.
Part of me says 'w00t Daniil Kharms Fuckin' A cool!1!!1!11,' but part of me says, 'God help Rational Diet if I perceive this music to violate my sense of the glory of Daniil Kharms.' Perhaps you are familiar with this sentiment, w-lfs-n. Can I trust you?
I am a comparative Kharms n--b, having only read about half of the thing eb linked to in the thread eb linked to in the other thread, so while I can say that yes, I am familiar with the sentiment, and that I do like the music of Rational Diet, I can't be certain that the music fits the spirit or the glory, and this is not aided by the facts that, first, as fits a band from Belarus, they do not sing in English, and, second, I'm not sure if the particular track I'm playing has lyrics from Kharms, or if the Kharmian lyrics are on other tracks, since I got this from a net label and deleted the non-mp3 files.
You'll just have to listen and see! They'll be one of the first few tracks in the second hour. And of course the playlist will be updated in real time accessible from that page.
It's not nice to make fun of Spacetime Continuum, Ben.
Good luck Washerdreyer. Don't flunk.
17: it referred to the first paragraph of the post, maybe I should have made that clear.
I wish there was some way to copy a piece of text into a comment box, making it evident somehow that it was quoted text, and then append one's commentary below it, so the context of one's contribution to the thread would be clear.
Do it to it, w/d.
Last week I interviewed Marnie Stern. What with everyone always talking about her noodling skillz, it occurred to me to ask her about noodles--why people call this technique noodling? or, what sort of noodles did she prefer? But as soon as I started to go off the rails on this crazy train and asked her a question about noodles, she interrupted me with a "What?" that made clear that she had heard what I'd said.
Is this the music thread? Since we went and got a new computer with lots and lots of empty hard drive space, I've been hitting the mp3 newsgroups like a fiend, and let me just say that these two compilations won't let my butt stop shaking, even after I turn them off.
So, if you guys were going to buy a couple of CDs for a six and an eight year old, what would they be?
What sort of music do they like?
Dixie Chicks, judging by my nieces of those ages.
Remember when the Democrats were all hiding under their beds and the Dixie Chicks were the only public anti-Bush voices? God, what a horrible era.
I recommend something that you can't stand to listen to more than once because it is so repetitive and annoying.
What do they like? Random stuff they've heard here and there. Liz Phair got a lot of play, as did Sheryl Crowe; Newt is fond of the Talking Heads. I've got no sense of what's like anything else -- I'm sort of hoping for "These two albums will be enjoyed by your children and approved of by their peer group, without having anything too disturbing in the lyrics."
When I was a kid of that age my favorite band was the Stray Cats.
When I was about eight I really liked Elvis.
They sell kids compilation Cds. Very popular.
I don't know that much about authentic children's music; my parents didn't love me that much. I know Dan Zanes is very popular and certainly non-offensive, and I've heard some of his music and while obviously kid-oriented it is surprisingly non-annoying.
That may be more for a younger demographic, though. How big are eight-year-olds, exactly?
Kids love songs about ponies, right?
In Sally's case? Surprisingly large. (Great moments in Taekwondo -- one of the teenage students asked Sally to hit her so that she could practice her blocks. And then complained that Sally was hitting her too hard and she was going to have a bruise.)
I was hoping for something that wasn't 'kids music' -- I'm a complete ignoramus, but there must be something marketed to adults that won't make me a bad parent for letting my kids listen to it.
Bob Marley's Legend is a easy choice. Santana's Shaman. Both have some beats that children find pleasing.
My nieces and nephews around that age do love them some Green Day.
Well, dammit, that's why I asked what they liked. If you're just looking for popular music that has inoffensive lyrics I'm sure there's plenty to choose from, right? Buy some Kelly Clarkson album, or something.
Did you ever force Matthew Sweet's Girlfriend upon them? I think that was recommended to you last time you were begging for suggestions. Just make them listen to that again.
Also good at that age are compilations of 50s rock.
Pet Sounds, or Beatles compilations. I don't know about the whole peer group thing though. I just think kids would like those albums.
It is never too early to introduce them to the Beastie Boys.
And Keegan got way into early Beatles around 6 years old, now that I think about it.
42, see 33, but also note 31, in which I took "approved of by peer group" to mean "current and popular".
Kids love Why Don't We Do It in the Road and Happiness is a Warm Gun.
I'd personally rather just about anything but the Beatles playing on repeat all day long. That shit is okay in small doses, but gets old very, very quickly.
I tried Girlfriend. They didn't mind it, but didn't ever ask for it again. And 46 is right -- we've got a wall full of Buck's CDs covering 'the greatest hits of the 70's through today!' -- I was wondering about current and popular.
Oh, never mind. I was just hoping to rescue my children from my own fate of musical dorkiness.
I was just hoping to rescue my children from my own fate of musical dorkiness.
They'll figure it out (or not) when they reach adolescence. Not much you can do now.
Solution! You should record for them Ben's radio show today. Not popular, exactly, but your children will be part of the avant-garde.
LB I'll ask an actual college student later on. The kids these days have all this damn happy, jangly pop music I bet they'd like.
Oh! The Cat Empire. That's a good one. Fairly sure the lyrics are clean.
Personally, I used to force my kids to listen to Bitches Brew. Now they like it.
kids these days have all this damn happy, jangly pop music
Sounds very like my college years.
What about novelty songs? Every kid should know how to sing "Does your chewing gum lose its flavor on the bedpost overnight?"
Play 'em some "Yoshimi vs. the Pink Robots". Kids love robots.
56: nigh-indentical, yeah. But of course they think it's fresh and new.
They Might Be Giants are fine-tuned to appeal to 8 year olds.
61 is true, but having to listen to TMBG repeatedly is not my idea of fun times.
Dan Zanes has done some really good stuff, enjoyable at all ages (I listen to him a lot, I don't have kids), and yet: I think that, unless the parents are also into it, or there's some reason to believe that the children are interested in folky stuff, I think an eight year old, at least, might think at least some of it was for younger kids. That's not to say it all is, or that there isn't wonderful stuff (his version, with Dar Williams, of "Wild Mountain Thyme" is a favorite of mine), but nevertheless, not all of it might work for a kid that age. Though what do I know, no kids, like I said. I think this quote from an interview with Dan still applies in many ways even to older kids:
I know parents who go down to Tower Records, go to the children's section, find a bunch of Barney CDs and the latest Disney junk, throw up their hands, go home and get the Beatles records out. Now, as great as the Beatles are, I don't know why a two-year-old needs to have his whole musical experience so intertwined with themes of romantic love. That just doesn't cut it for a kid. I think there's a place for music specifically for kids, music that introduces them to the mysteries of life, the natural world.
Anyway, all his kids records that I've heard follow a simple formula, with his usual crew augmented by some group of guests doing a blend of kid's songs, folk songs, and some originals, with a laid back, rootsy kind of sound. There almost always are a few that I can't deal with because they're too goofy, but I just don't bother ripping those. Of his not expressly for kids stuff, Parades and Panorama is excellent, the record that Bruce Springsteen wished he was making with his Seeger Sessions business. On the other hand, while I like it, Dan's record of sea shanties might appeal only to specialized tastes.
Am I bad person for saying I like Ben's new playlist? CSNY. It is so un-w-lfs-n.
Oh, this is the pre-show. Never mind.
My 6-year old loves Bob Marley, Buffalo Soldier especially. Also Ska, Motown, Rembetika and Klezmer. Really, pretty much anything cheerful with a good beat. If you're looking for a disk rather than making them mp3 hand-picked tunes, and Reggae is OK, you could do worse than Bob Marley's One Love, whose only marginal lyrics are I shot the sheriff. There's a CD of Marvin Gaye's Motown hits (excludes Sexual Healing) also.
Los Lobos? Faithless? Do the kids have radio favorites?
17: it referred to the first paragraph of the post, maybe I should have made that clear.
Hm. I thought you were referring to my use of "real time" in 9, and something involving the Continuum Hypothesis, or something.
What do they like? Random stuff they've heard here and there. Liz Phair got a lot of play, as did Sheryl Crowe; Newt is fond of the Talking Heads
www.last.fm lets you find bands similar to other bands,
and listen to some. If Talking Heads, then Tom Tom Club for kids, definitely.
Try Kid Creole and the Coconuts' album "Tropical Gangsters" (also titled "Wise Guy").
Ben, are you actually going to play tabla music? Because I have a bunch of stuff that I should be doing otherwise...
66: naw. The band Spacetime Continuum evokes your initial description of your show. Let me just rest my joke on the curb, here, and we can all kick it.
LB: Basement Jaxx! Kids love Basement Jaxx! Daft Punk, too.
I can see kids digging Daft Punk.
I just tuned in. Do you have a playlist up somewhere, Ben, or do you not post it until after the program?
Finally got in, only at 24K-monaural.
Cool.
When I said "real time" and provided a link up there, Jesus, by god I meant it.
61: Moxy Früvous, LB, seriously. Preferably a live album, with a good version of Pisco Bandito.
75: You want me to listen and read? This is starting to seem like work.
You want me to listen and read? This is starting to seem like work.
It shouldnt feel like work.
79: It shouldnt feel like work.
And I certainly don't feel like working right now. Damn, it's nice out.
Holy crap, w-lfs-n, your voice.
Hey, this is very cool. I should check out these Black Twig Pickers.
On their most recent album they appear to have changed names to merely The Black Twigs.
On their most recent album they appear to have changed names to merely The Black Twigs.
It is the perfect w-lfs-n voice, better even than I had imagined. It rules.
They're on eMusic, actually, although only in the one incarnation. w-lfs-n, do you know if there are still any linux/BSD command line eMusic downloaders around? I've gotten lazy and I just use the mac client now, and google isn't being too helpful.
There is one, and I have it. When I get a chance I'll upload it someplace and link it here.
Are you going to post a full playlist anywhere afterwards, by any chance?
If you closely inspect comments 75 and 9, rfts, your puzzles will be ended.
91: lol, keylogger!
Cool, thank you.
Both TMBG and Daft Punk appeal to 6 year olds. So do Johnny Cash, John Lee Hooker, and LL Cool J.
This stuff going down now with the bassoon is Rational Diet, btw.
That bassoon shark is gonna get me. Though, I'm not sure how I feel about the chanting.
I think the chanting is really nifty.
And seriously, w-lfs-n, your voice completely awesome and I have a crush on it now, especially your vowels, but for fuck's sake, stop mumbling when you announce artist and track names.
No kidding? Fooled me.
I liked that.
Then perhaps you will like this as well.
Quite!
I have no idea what you're playing now, but I like it. The weird distortion thing better than the percussion that just segued into... whatever this is.
It's Massacre, a trio of Fred Frith, Bill Laswell, and Charles Hayward on elec. guitar, elec. bass, and drums & melodica, respectively.
Whatever's playing right now rocks and rolls. Nice.
Okay, who's the 12 year old on the air now?
I am informed that, in fact, that *is* a 12 year old (or similarly young man) who does this blues show with his dad.
Which is actually totally awesome.
Awesome. Seriously, that kid was doing one helluva job, and his sports analysis is pretty good. The voice sounded young, so i thought I'd mock it. That'll show me.
w-lfs-n, do you have a link to somewhere one could buy some Massacre albums? Both ReR and Fred Records seem to come up with nothing orderable.
111: No worries, I asked Ben once who the hell the dj was that sounded like a 12 year old, and he said, "that *is* a 12 year old."
You could by Massacre albums from Amazon, Lunar, but it would be both more virtuous and cheaper for you to buy them from by Massacre albums from Amazon, Lunar, but it would be both more virtuous and cheaper for you to buy them from Wayside Music or Tzadik, if Tzadik does web sales.
My enthusiasm for helping the small businessmen of America got the better of me.