July iPod Shuffle Mix!!

So after getting schooled on that last post, I went out and got myself a lot more Girl Talk. And then, to my delight, even more Girl Talk came in the mail! Oh no, wait. Not that Girl Talk. This Girl Talk -- girls love the board game (which from what I remember is all about being humiliated by your friends and embarrassed about your body, sometimes even simultaneously), so they'll surely love these books. Nah for real. I finally got all the stuff I bought back east in the mail, and I had quite a haul -- around 80 (yes, 8-0) girls' YA books from the 80s and 90s. Enough to keep me busy for... uhh pretty much, ever. I also got that Betsey Johnson dress and finally took a pic of it, as you can see below!

Speaking of teen-oriented media... I am obsessed with holding that dress up to myself and faux-swooning backward onto my bed. It just feels like a prom dress to me, weirdly, in a way that neither of the dresses I wore to prom did. Of course at this point, me doing this makes me more akin to the Annie Potts character in Pretty in Pink than Molly Ringwald's, but whatever. We all know if I were in Pretty in Pink, I'd want to be the snobby girl giggling in James Spader's shirt. (Not for the homophobia, for getting to crawl all over James Spader -- click on that link and watch for reason #3).

Perhaps my best score from the mail however was something I found in my bedroom at home (it's a guest bedroom now, but still has some stuff of mine in the bookcase). Anyway, I was sorting through all of that stuff for things to get rid of when I found this -- the 1985 college issue of Rolling Stone with Miami Vice on the cover!!!

I didn't even know I had that! (I also found a similarly old RS featuring Prince with Wendy and Lisa on the cover.) It is from back before the day I had discovered the majesty that is Miami Vice. No, it's not from when I was five. I found it in the basement of a dorm when I was in college. Currently, I'm debating between framing the cover and keeping the issue intact. (Also it was too big to fit on my scanner, which is why the bottom looks a little different from the top -- I had to chop two photos then shop 'em back together. You can click on the pic to see it biggger.)

But anyway, even getting all this stuff in the mail hasn't given me enough to blog about, so it's time for the July iPod Shuffle Mix!

The Dictators, "The Next Big Thing"
I totally love this album, I wish their genius cover of "I Got You Babe" had been what came up, but ah well, I really like this song too. It always makes me laugh, and has always struck me as being a really good track for a fashion show. For some reason, I can always picture models on a catwalk during it.

Georgia Satellites, "Keep Your Hands to Yourself"
For some reason I have always felt that my ability to sing every single word of this song from memory will someday help me to prevail in some form of trivia contest. Now, I know all the words to a ridiculous, to seriously an embarrassing number of songs, so who knows why it's this one I have a strong feeling about. Maybe it's being able to understand even the words that are sung in a completely ridiculous put-on voice.

Jay-Z and Linkin Park, "Numb/Encore"
My having this song can be explained in four words: The Miami Vice movie. Other than there being a bunch of Moby in there, this is the only really identifiable song in the movie (and more notably, the only song with words). It beyond works, and because the original Miami Vice featured such an insane amount of music, you'd think they'd have put way more into the movie. Like couldn't you imagine some Linkin Park-style band covering "In the Air Tonight"? Or at the very least, since they used the "Hustler's Blues" plot, they could have used at least a teeny bit of the Glenn Frey original -- I mean, it freakin' narrates what happens in the movie! Come on!

Beastie Boys, "Professor Booty"
Full disclosure: For like two weeks in college, I had part of the intro to this song ("Professor, what's another word for pirate treasure?") as the outgoing message on my answering machine. After a dozen or so "Uhhh, I'm not sure if I have the right number" messages, I ditched it. But have I mentioned that the ring I'm currently using on my cell phone is the intro to "Cooky Puss"? "Yo I said I'm callin' you baby... yo b answer the phone." Also attention Girl Talk: Ad-Rock moaning toward the end of the song? This would be a great sample.

Great White, "Stick It"
So anyone who's been reading my blog for a while knows this was on my iPod Most Listened for ever. Why? It's a great song -- if all you know of Great White is their hein-fest cover of "Once Bitten, Twice Shy," give this sleaze-rock gem a chance. Also for the record, I'm pretty sure the high point of Harold and Kumar: Escape from Guantanamo Bay was their use of this song during one scene.

Herb Alpert, "Rise"
I feel like I repeat myself a lot sometimes -- at this point does it not go without saying that I totally enjoy the musical stylings of Herb Alpert? We're talking Tijuana Brass Herb Alpert. Whipped Cream and Other Delights. Aww yeah. But this album comes later, and this song is mostly known not for being punctuated by hand claps (which I love) but for a really momentary sound -- I don't even know what instrument it is to be honest -- that is a major chunk of "Hypnotize." For the record, do I think that video was influenced by Miami Vice? Oh hell yes! Also I'm not sure what's more amazing in this video -- the dance moves or the camera work.

Princess Superstar, "I'm White"
Finally, a song and a performer I know I've never blogged about before. This is one of those songs that's like a genius concept -- think "Pretty Fly (For a White Guy)" but with indie cred -- but the execution is somewhat lacking. I feel like most people who even know of this song probably do because Naomi Klein quotes from it in No Logo. Unsurprisingly, I couldn't find a video for it, but could find the vid for "Bad Babysitter". On a semi-related note: Do they still play the Offspring on the radio in San Diego? Of course they do.

Slayer, "Epidemic"
It's not like there's a bad song on Reign in Blood, but I wouldn't say this song does a hell of a lot to distinguish itself. That's kind of the beauty of this album though -- you can listen to it all the way through almost as if it were just one song (it's only like half an hour long). I'm not gonna go on my millionth how-great-is-Rick-Rubin rant, but have I mentioned before that I love Tom Araya? I loooooooove Tom Araya.

Led Zeppelin, "Black Dog"
Probably like two years ago now I acquired the entire Zeppelin catalogue because I was reading this amazing book about Zep and their fans (ugh no, not Hammer of the Gods! An academic book) and needed to constantly reference the songs. Of course "Black Dog" is one of the zillionty Led Zep songs where it's like "no, I don't know that one" when you hear the title, and then you hear the song and it's like, oh duh, it's that "hey hey mama" one. Side note: Has anyone else heard that newish song that sounds exactly like "Trampled Under Foot" except played by idk some band like the Bravery maybe? Every time I hear it I'm like, "whoa, a synth version of "Trampled Under Foot" but then it's actually a totally different song. If you know what I'm talking about, fill me in, okay?

The Stooges, "1969"
This is such a great song, but every time one of those ads selling baby boomers mutual funds or some crap like that comes on, I'm terrified this song will be in it. (Crap, now I've probably given someone that idea! Oh wait, but no one reads this. Phew!). Anyway. This song makes me want to put on a crocheted bikini and dance around, I think because it's a quick mental leap from this song to the episode of The Wonder Years where they're at the beach and Olivia D'Abo is all crabby and plays "No Fun" on her little radio.

Gary Numan, "Films"
If you don't love Gary Numan, I don't know what your deal is. The beginning of this song -- the bass and the drums, even before the synthesizer comes in -- I think is completely amazing.

PJ Harvey, "50' Queenie"
Dude what ever happened to...? I love this song and "Dry" from this album, but doesn't everyone? I remember being at Lollapalooza in... okay I don't even have to say what year, by having been at Lollapalooza (and no I don't mean whatever that one-day festival crap in Chicago is now) I'm old. But anyway, I remember seeing this girl who had a really cool shirt with a pic of her from this video that said "Hey I'm one big queen" or something like that on it.

Enoch Light, "Hi-Jack"
Wanting to highjack one's love is kind of a weird sentiment, but this track is totally hot. If you recognize it right away, it's probably because of "Watch Out Now" by the Beatnuts if you're a reasonably cool person, or J-Lo's "Jenny from the Block" if you're less so ("don't be fooled 'cause I'm topless on a yacht"). For the record, the number of songs I have featuring the jazz flute is a lot (and not in an ironic Anchorman way).

Golden Earring, "Twilight Zone"
If this song was never used in Miami Vice, I have no idea why the hell not. As I keep watching, I'm sure it'll happen eventually (it worked with "Lunatic Fringe"). The bassline is amazing... the rest... eh. The last time I was home my brother kept harassing me about what was that song that sounds like this song but isn't, and it eventually turned out he meant "Living After Midnight." "Living After Midnight" does not sound like "Twilight Zone." Just for the record.

Billy Joel, "Big Shot"
How embarrassing is this? Please take it as an article of faith, I have no other Billy Joel songs except this one, and mostly only have this one because I've never been able to find the hardcore version of it I heard on the radio once. In the end though, I can't completely hate on even the Billy Joel original. For one, you know I like that he name-checks really specific, New York-y, era-appropriate things. For two, it's kind of a cautionary tale about "going wild." And for three, the SNL skit about Billy Joel driving in the Hamptons is one of my all-time faves.

The Thrills, "Hey! (Not Another Face in the Crowd)"
I really do love these sort of idk, power pop or maybe just post-punk love songs, don't I? Let's face it -- the title (which provides pretty much all of the chorus) is a kind of infectious thing to shout along with.

Kiss, "Thrills in the Night"
I know, 80s Kiss is terrible. But I can't help myself -- 80s Kiss is the Kiss I was alive for and thus the Kiss I remember best. Plus I actually really like the way the guitar and bass at the beginning are really menacing and building, and of course it's got one of those classic Kiss plod-along choruses just made for concert sing-alongs.

Duran Duran, "Save a Prayer"
Let's face facts: Duran Duran are at least 9/10ths amazing. For every "Wild Boys," there are at least nine other songs of this caliber. Okay, at least seven. This song just kills me with its awesomely bad poetic lyrics: "and you wanted to dance / so I asked you to dance but fear was in your soul / some people call it a one-night stand / but we can call it paradise." I feel like you could take any phrase from a Duran Duran song and claim it's the title of a like, Jay McInerney novel, and people would believe you. "What do you mean you haven't read We Can Call It Paradise?"

Sonic Youth, "Kotton Krown"
I was obsessed with Sonic Youth when I was in high school, and I was particularly obsessed with this song. First, I loved any song where both Thurston and Kim sang (to be honest, I've always liked Kim-only songs best). Second, I think I misheard about half the lyrics and turned them into phrases I thought were incredibly meaningful (e.g., "it feels like heaven forgetting and yelling"). If I could find my notebooks from high school, I bet "angels are dreaming of you" is doodled in like a millionty places.

Jonny Quest Opening Theme
You know how the shuffle loves to shove in anything it can that's under 60 seconds long, right? Well, I have all the incidental music from the original Jonny Quest, as well as all the theme music. If you've never seen the original Jonny Quest, please trust me that it will blow your mind. If I ever finish the work I'm doing now, man examining race in Hanna-Barbera cartoons would be a fascinating place to head next. I'm only half-joking. I mean think about it: Even though these characters never occur within the actual series, they add scary African-looking "natives" to the opening sequences of tons of their cartoons! Viz. not only JQ, but also The Scooby-Doo Show -- the mouth-agape costumed man shown at the end right when Scooby goes off the ski jump never appears in the series.

[Believe it or not, I actually read a lot of non-YA books -- okay mostly for school, but whatevs. That's why I don't blog about them. I mean, does anyone care how much it pisses me off that Pierre Bourdieu acts like the plural of habitus is habitus when clearly hell-o, it's the singular! Habiti, okay? If you're going to use Latin, why not learn it? It's called the plural, and if you use it your sentences will make sense.]

[See why I stick with the kids' stuff now? So I finally read the most recent paperback installment of Pretty Little Liars (there's a newer one in hardcover but I'm too cheap and apparently so are the San Diego libraries). I have to say, after the second one -- which I frickin' loved -- this one was a disappointment. I don't want to give away what happens, but let's just say the ending may constitute a shark jump. I've got to see what happens in the next one to decide though, of course.]

Currently reading: Perfect, a Pretty Little Liars Novel (Sara Shepard)