Dr. Musiclove OR it’s 1:37 AM and I should be listening to
something to inspire me and talk about with total random strangers whose music choices are as valid as mine but I don’t care since I’m the one writing this column and it’s going to be the bomb… in a good way, I hope, bomb!
Let’s face it; deadlines appear out of nowhere sometimes (like 6 months ago, but you didn’t even bother to check until the day before), you just can’t sleep, TV is not doing anything for you and those insane deathmatches with “ILoovNUKES” and “DeepfriedBrain#20″ are getting boring and repetitive. Ideas are trying to come out of your brain, but you don’t feel it’s quite there yet. There’s something needed to give it a push. What to do when a crisis of this magnitude appears and all options seem exhausted?
- Drugs? NO!
- Porn? Ye..erhm, NAH!
- Erase all other continuity and start “fresh” only to return to the same old crap and characters 25 years later? UGH!
- Books? yay
- Music? YAY!
Before you break out that “Final Mission Star Secret Quest Saga #8 Arranged Soundtrack” from your hard drive or I-P3 thingy, let me talk about a couple of things I like to listen to that get me inspired and make my brain bubble with thoughts and ideas. Sadly, there is no Tiny Wayne or Daughtryback to inspire my synapses into self imposed early euthanasia, just some stuff that rallies the electric impulses into coherent thoughts. A similar experience to the first time I watched Porky’s in my youth. (So that’s what this thing is for!) A boy and his dog indeed!
Soda Stereo – Dynamo (1992) – You’re a highly successful Argentinian rock band with a big following, so what do you do? Hmm, how about a somewhat experimental record that clearly deviates from your standard sound and enrages the majority of your fans. That’s what they did with this record and I only have three words: I. LOVE. IT. Can something be experimental, pretentious and ahead of it’s time all at the same time? Yes, but only if you’re a rock band from Argentina in the early 90′s. A friend loaned it to me for a while, I fell in love with this record, he asked me to return it, he decided to put it up on Ebay and I ended up buying it. Yes, talk about bizarre. “Why didn’t you ask him to burn you a copy”; you say? Good question. Guess it never crossed my mind. I was still stuck in the 90′s, mostly the early 90′s, where CD burning was a wild idea, like no sex in the champagne room and I had just realized that cassettes were not so high-tech as I had thought. I miss 90′s fashions. Let’s move along.
Talking Heads – Remain in Light (1980) – It’s happened to every one of us at one time or another; you’re at some party having a good time and you start talking about music. Out of nowhere, comes “Mr./Ms. Music Know-It-All” to tell you that the music you like is crap and that you should listen to some obscure band only 13 people have heard of. At some point he/she will mention Talking Heads to prove his musical knowledge and nine times out of ten they will bring up this record. Musical snobbery aside, this record is awesome and worth the hype. Of course, to appreciate it even more, you’ll have to listen to every single Talking Heads record before and after. Don’t worry, it’s a fun ride. “More Songs about Buildings and Food” is just as good, but it’s just not referenced that much. I wonder why? Ah, it’s the same thing with any film discussion. Someone will bring up the French New Wave just because they can, and totally forget that the Japanese New Wave is just as good, if not better. Again, I deviate like a sectum. Sorry.
Miles Davis – Kind of Blue (1959) – The thing about great Jazz, unlike the embolism inducing sounds of, say, Kenny G (nothing personal, G; I envy your lung capacity, dawg!) is that you’ll enjoy it for a while before realizing it’s a jazz record. I remember listening to this thing around the time Luke Skywalker discovered his father was you-know-who (there’s always one person who hasn’t seen it, so I’m not taking any chances) and quickly forgetting about it. (He-Man took most of my time during the early and middle 80′s), a few years ago I ended up listening to it from beginning to end and went all Keanu on it (as in: “Whoa!”) A fun fact; statistically, you’re more likely to engage in sexual intercourse if a Miles Davis record plays in the background. Same study says you’re more likely to get stabbed in the face with a broken beer bottle if a Billy Ray Cyrus record plays in the background. Studies have not yet been made to determine if a Miley Cyrus record has the same potential for harm, but I would say YES just to be on the safe side.
Sleater-Kinney – Dig Me Out (1997) – Girl Punk Rock for those of us who are not rockers, punks or girls. (My GF says I’m a girly man for liking Gilmore Girls, but that’s a subject for another day.) I started listening to this trio not too long ago, but it’s like I’ve known them forever. 50 years from now, this record will probably rock as much as it does today, and it’s already 10 + years old. If people had bought this instead of anything done by Shakira, Beyonce or the aforementioned Ms. Cyrus, then the world would’ve enjoyed a thousand years of peace and prosperity spearheaded by femalekind. Too bad, it’s WW3 as soon as Hannah Montana turns 21. The Mayans warned us this would happen. Nobody listened… except for that german guy that loves to do disaster movies.
A Tribe Called Quest- The Low End Theory (1991) – It’s great. What?
Polysics – Any Record (1997 – 2009) – I would like to be Mr. Roboto and beat up children in every playground. This is the reason I told you to leave “Final Mission Star Secret Quest Saga #8 Arranged Soundtrack” be. You won’t need it after you listen to this. I apologize beforehand. Your brain will not be the same after this. It’s not my fault. It’s all that sushi I love to eat in the morning. Just ask Jeremy Piven.
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Guess that’s it. Until next time. You know where to send those hateful messages, or the “20% off yogurt” coupons. My bowel movements are regular; are yours?
Merin on 
a couple of great records on that list, and a couple more I have to check out since they’ve been placed in some fine company. For me, the correlation between writing and music has always been, by and large, direct and specific. For example, I’m working on a seedy 70′s noir story right now, and 4 out of every 5 times I sit down to work on it, I start out with The Stooges – Funhouse. Of course, there are always records that work for any occasion, the one of been turning to most often lately is Highway 61.
Thank you for the kind words and sorry for the late reply.
The ones you mentioned can surely get anyone into one of those specific moods. Highway 61 could’ve been put in my list, but there’s SO MUCH music out there, it’s kind of miopic to try and name just a few. POLYSICS could be considered the equivalent of musical sugar, and that’s why I don’t mention any record in particular, it’s a sweet, savory, convulsion inducing dose of goodness! Glad you mentioned The Stooges. Funhouse, in particular has always been kind of a ‘slap in the face’ to me when compared to others of it’s time. Music tends to tell us where we’re going, even if we’re not ready for it or don’t want to accept it, no matter how much money or false advertising we throw it’s way.
There’s a lot of great music being created right now that I’ll probably be ready for in the next ten years of my life. So, any future advice is always welcome. Take care.