Songs of the Day: "Lay Lady Lay"/"Just Like a Woman"

The new charity album for Amnesty International, a massive collection of Bob Dylan covers called Chimes of Freedom, The Songs of Bob Dylan, is audacious: 4 discs, over 80 tracks (there are some digital-only tracks as well) and artists from A to Z (Adele to Ziggly Marley).

In honor of Groundhog's Day (the movie), kinda, I'll just post stuff that's awfully familiar... first up, the wonderful Angelique Kidjo.


Oscar winner Carly Simon channels the spiritual child of Dylan and Marianne Faithfull with his take on "Just Like a Woman."


Song: "Lay Lady Lay"
Artist: Angelique Kidjo

Song: "Just Like a Woman"
Artist: Carly Simon

Song of the Day: "Where the Wind Blows"

I was happy to hear a new Villagers song the other day, only to discover it was new Sea Wolf from the "Back to Black Friday" Record Store Day back in November. Record Store Day is a celebration of independent record stores and the day itself is a major dilemma for hipsters: limited releases give the day an importance that they're too cool to actually care about (I'm sure many of them go "ironically" [the hipster version of a "Get Out of Jail Free" card] and also buy used vinyl from Coolio or The Jets to help mask their purchase of some Pixies b-side that's been remastered and remixed).

Regardless, I like the song, which was a double a-side with "Song of the Magpie" (or it's the b-side), released on 45. Who still has the ability to play a 45, show of hands? (I am sooo happy with the digital media world, only because I don't have to find the little center thing to hold the 45.)


Song: "Where the Wind Blows"
Artist: Sea Wolf

The Julia Sugarbaker Award for Strong Southern Women

The first Sugarbaker goes to Martha Boggs, owner of the Bistro at the Bijou, for asking Tennessee state Senator Stacey Campfield (R, TN) -- the man who sponsored the "don't say gay" bill in Tennessee and who, at age 42, is unmarried (mmm hmmm) and going to Sunday brunch (the gayest of meals) at a restaurant frequented by homersexuals (mmm hmmm) -- to leave before being seated or served.

"I told him he wasn't welcome here and I wanted him to leave. He was waiting to be seated and I walked up to him and told him to leave. I was kind of mad, so I don't really remember everything. He left graciously enough."--Martha Boggs

So kudos to Martha Boggs for recognizing a state senator (I think I'd recognize mine, Chip Shields, based on his vague resemblance to Ron and Clint Howard), and for having the courage and quick thinking to ask WWJSD? And then to do it: SDWJSWD!

I wouldn't be surprised to find her a candidate for the state senate there this year. Tennessee could do worse. And they have.

Song of the Day: "Man or Muppet"

In the first season of Flight of the Conchords, hapless manager Murray writes a love song to the leggy blonde who has stolen his heart. He previews the song to the unenthusiastic band: "'Hi....' that's all I've got so far."

Bret's response is one I've adopted for use at work: "It's better than I expected."

Bret McKenzie picked up an Oscar nomination for this track for the Muppet-affiliated movie last year (I posted so many fake out trailers I'm not actually sure, but maybe the "too easy to be right" The Muppets). EGOT pontificators note that he already has a Grammy and 6 Emmy nominations. Which is to say he has  Grammy (like Paula Abdul, but not like Liza).

I have no sense as to whether this, or yesterday's track by Sergio Mendes et al, will win. I'm kinda betting on the other, only because that's got big elaborate production, like "It's Hard Out Here (For a Pimp)" (are there parentheses in that song title?) which is the only Oscar-winning song I will reference for this morning.


Song: "Man or Muppet"
Artist: Jason Segel and Walter

Song of the Day: "Real in Rio"

One of only 2 nominees for Best Original Songs for the Oscars (the nomination process for songs is weird, including the fact that the scale on which songs are rated goes from 6 points to 10 points [by quarter point], so the worst songs get 6 points and that doesn't make sense [they should do 0 points up to 5 points and allow half points]). And there is a minimum average rating a song must achieve to be a nominee (I think 8.25 points [it's 8.25, but I had to look and edited out my 8.5 thinking--at least 1 song has to get 8.25 points, and if only one does, then that and the next highest number of points are the nominees]). Without experiencing the song in the context of the movie, it's hard to know for sure, but WTF?! How is this better than the lovely song from Albert Noobs Nobbs?!

Anyway, it's from the movie Rio and the nominees are Sergio Mendes (apparently that is NOT an after shave from the 70s), Carlinhos Brown (that's Chris Brown's real name [no it's not]), and Siedah Garrett. Not Will I. Am who may, or may not, sing on this track.



Song: "Real in Rio"
Artist: The Rio Singers

Song of the Day: "Shoelaces"

LA-based indie due The Submarines. One of them is a descendant of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Or Gerry Fitzpatrick, I forget which.



Song: "Shoelaces"
Artist: The Submarines

So much for "stealth mode"

The color is "Rebel Fur Gloss" (nee Hot Lava)

I drove by the site of the Christmas Eve accident today on my way to the dealership and am amazed--there's no way I could have intentionally made it in between those 2 barriers. I need to take a picture next time.

Oh, and yes, this means I am becoming a Scion-tologist (patent pending). It is the 2012 Scion xB Release 9.0. In one of those coincidences that really is just the recurring motif in my life of me eating my words, Clark and I looked at this very model at the Portland Auto Show Thursday night. He was very enthusiastic about its high visibility and I said it screamed "midlife crisis" a bit too loudly. Now, in fairness to myself, that was before I found out that the hood emblem glows like a Bat Signal. I think we can all agree that glowing auto accessories are dignified. That's why your country club parking lot looks like a rave.


The Scion is designed for customization (Toyota created the brand because The Fast and the Furious crowd was passing them over in favor of Honda, Nissan and Dodge... Dodge, couldn't you just die?), and my first act of customization will be addressing this below the front bumper.

I believe the thinking at Scion went something like this: "Aside from the glowing emblems on the front at rear of the car, how will people know what kind of car it is?" I don't know if the letters are individual, in which case I will try "COINS" or "ICONS" or merely "ICON" (now I'm blushing).

1st runner up at the new car pageant

The runner-up vehicle was a 2011 Mazda CX-7 (when I began looking there were several well-priced models in stock, but I may have inherited some of my dad's catlike reflexes and decisive action traits--we are the Étienne Driotons of car shopping, except, of course, that I'm being facetious... still, I give myself 8.5 Dennis Millers for the obscurity of that reference). When it got down to 1 at the price point I liked, it was time to move.

Notes: test drives around 4 p.m. on a Friday afternoon on the city streets of Portland around SE 122nd and Stark are boring. It's very flat and you're stuck in slow-moving surface street traffic for miles in every direction. Okay, mile, whatever. I drove to Mt. Tabor just to get some twisty hill action, which was good. Neither car dude (Andre with the Mazda, Pierre with the Scion, and as I type this I'm sure those are total aliases, probably to avoid retaliation from angry former customers I imagine) had ever taken a test drive out there, or so they claim (perhaps praising me for the idea was just some sales trick, although it was a great idea and I am very handsome to have thought of it). The Mazda was more fun to drive, but the Scion was more comfortable for me to drive (a boxy car for a boxy guy). And the Scion has a Camry engine. And the Scion's first scheduled tune-up isn't until 120,000 miles. Which should be well after Nibiru destroys Earth (advantage: Scion).

And finally, the dealership itself, Ron Tonkin, did a TV commercial last year highlighting their selection of autos (they have like 435 different brands for sale across all their locations) with a commercial (or a series of, I don't recall more than 1) incorporating zombies and Billy Ocean. So I was amused to find this pamphlet among the dealership's sea of collateral material.

I probably should read that. In case the zombies rise before Nibiru hits.