ALERT: Apparently the 90.7 signal isn't working. But 101.1 FM is.
Friday, December 21, 2007
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org
Now 101.1 FM
OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Oxycontin Blues by Steve Earle
Big Ol' White Boys by Terry Allen
Bongo Ride by Jon Rauhouse
Cowboy Logic by Michael Martin Murphey
How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Livc? by Tim O'Brien
Got Me a Woman by Levon Helm
Jole Louise by Daniel Lanois
Lonely Christmas Call by George Jones
Hey Sexy by Robbie Fulks
When the Whiskey Turns to Tears by Cornell Hurd
The Outcast by Dave Van Ronk with Tom Russell
East Side Boys by Martin Zellar
Lou's Got the Flu by Roger Miller
Merry Christmas from the Family by Robert Earl Keen
$500 Car by Ed Pettersen
Heroes and Villains by Geraint Watkins
Blue Christmas Lights by Chris & Herb
Old Man From the Mountain by The Gourds
Dark Holler by David Bromberg
Walk You Home by Marlee MacLeod
Maybe Mexico by Jerry Jeff Walker
$87 and a Guilty Conscious That Gets Worse the Longer I Go by Richmond Fontaine
Six Bullets for Christmas by Angry Johnny & The Killbillies
I'll Be Home For Christmas by The Old 97s
Boxcar by Neil Young
We Never Touch at All by Merle Haggard
Your Great Journey by The Handsome Family
Invitation to Your Party by Jerry Lee Lewis
Can Man Christmas by Joe West
Fare Thee Well Sweet Malley by Robin Williamson
Please Don't Tell Me How The Story Ends by Joan Osbourne
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list
Saturday, December 22, 2007
Friday, December 21, 2007
TERRELL'S TUNEUP: ROCK'S GLORIOUS UNDERBELLY
A version of this was published in The Santa Fe New Mexican
December 21, 2007
If you’re looking for a grand tour of rock ’n’ roll’s glorious underbelly, you shouldn’t miss I Hate CDs: Norton Records 45 RPM Singles Collection Vol. 1.
This compilation — 45 tracks in all — sums up what Norton records is all about — crazy R & B, reckless rockabilly, garage-band snot, immortal punk rock. This music is raw, rowdy, and sometimes raunchy as it thumbs its metaphorical nose at any precious, prissy, pretentious, and self-important airs that rock all too often acquires.
Norton Records, which specializes in primitive rock, was founded in the 1980s by Billy Miller and Miriam Linna. As shown on this compilation, the label happily plays with fire.
This is the devil’s music, the evil jungle sounds the preachers and the White Citizens’ Council originally warned us about — dangerous-sounding stuff that leads to juvenile delinquency, sex, miscegenation, and eventually to an eternity in hell. Much of the material is from the ’50s and ’60s, but it’s far too unrefined for oldies radio. Not that its lyrics are obscene; most of the artists here don’t need to use dirty words to sound outright filthy.
True to the name of the compilation, I Hate CDs isn’t available on compact disc. But you can download any or all tracks at iTunes, Amazon.com, and eMusic.
There are some impressive names on I Hate CDs, some that you might even recognize. There are a couple of Ramones rarities — demos of “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” and “Judy Is a Punk.” Question Mark and The Mysterians have a tune here as does rockabilly great Dale Hawkins (most famous for “Susie Q”), guitar killer Link Wray (who does an instrumental called “Vendetta”), and a young Doug Sahm, who sings “Slow Down” with a band called The Pharaohs (but I don’t think these are Sam the Sham’s boys).
The Legendary Stardust Cowboy (who comes from “Lubbock by way of Mars,” according to his own hype) provides the title song to the collection. (“The Ledge” is a high school chum of Joe Ely, who speaks his name with the highest praise. But I’m still waiting for a Flatlanders cover of an LSC song.)
There’s a good, scary Screamin’ Jay Hawkins song I’d never heard before called “I Hear Voices.” What I like best about this tune— besides Jay’s sceamin’ of course — is the weird soprano voice that accompanies him at the end of the track.
Raspy-voiced soul man Andre Williams provides one of the few philosophical discussions. “The Monkey Speaks His Mind” is about someone objecting to the notion of man coming from the apes. Of course, the one objecting is an ape. “No monkey ever deserted his wife, starved his babies, and ruined their life.”
R & B icon Don Covay — called Don “Pretty Boy” Covay here — has a raucous little ode to wife swapping on this collection called “Switchin’ in the Kitchen.” And for fans of Kill Bill and those Vonage commercials, the Japanese girl punks The 5.6.7.8’s (known for their cover of the Rock-a-Teens’ “Woo Hoo”) do a fierce version of “The Harlem Shuffle.”
Big Star, the ’70s band led by Alex Chilton, provides one of the album’s poppier moments, a song called “September Gurls.”
Several mainstays of Norton (“the label with the able stable,” as they call themselves) are represented on this compilation. There’s Esquerita, a 6-foot-6-inch, one-eyed, pompadoured transvestite, who, according to legend, taught Little Richard to play piano. Hasil Adkins, the late wild man of West Virginia, sings one of his fine-feathered chicken songs, “Chicken Shake.” (A few years ago, Norton released an entire Adkins album of this curious subgenre. It’s called Poultry in Motion.) There’s Mary Weiss, former singer of The Shangri-Las, whose wonderful “comeback” album Dangerous Games was released on Norton earlier this year. A “bonus song” from that album, a cover of “A Certain Guy,” is on this collection.
And the Norton house band, The A-Bones (featuring Miller and Linna), have a couple of tracks here. “Stop It Baby” features former Flamin’ Groovies singer Roy Loney, and “New Spark” has unsung rockabilly hero Johnny Powers.
Of course, the real fun is discovering the truly obscure artists. Who the heck is Stud Cole? Apparently this Stud’s a rockabilly who never got his due. His contribution here, “The Witch” (not The Sonics’ hit by the same name), makes me want more.
Bunker Hill just might be the craziest soul man you’ve never heard of; he does a rollicking tune called “The Girl Can’t Dance,” which features Link Wray on guitar. “The Limp” by the Incredible Kings is how I imagined all cool, swingin’ parties would sound back when I was a kid.
“Puddy Cat” by Wade Curtiss and the Rhythm Rockers is a goofy, so-weird-it’s-beautiful parody of The Trashmen’s “Surfin’ Bird” — as if that trash-rock classic needed a parody. Instead of the refrain “papa oom mow mow” of the original song, Curtiss sings “mamma meow mow.”
Speaking of surfing, you’ve got to hear “Surfside Date” by The Triumphs. Not having any liner notes, I don’t know if this was recorded in the ’60s or last month. Whatever the case might be, surf music rarely sounded as primordial.
And if Hasil Adkins didn’t satisfy your hunger for chicken songs, there’s an even crazier tune called “Chicken” by an unknown shouter named Jack Starr.
If you’re an audiophile, beware. Some tracks definitely are lo-fi. Of course, if you’re that much of an audiophile purist you probably wouldn’t like this primitive stuff anyway.
Don't forget to check out the cool drag race-style audio promo over at Norton's MySpace page.
The Steve Terrell Christmas Special: A Santa Fe tradition. Hear Snoop Doggy Dogg, The Pogues, James Brown, Joan Jett, The Trashmen, and Roger Miller sing the songs we love this season at 10 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 23, on KSFR-FM 101.1.
December 21, 2007
If you’re looking for a grand tour of rock ’n’ roll’s glorious underbelly, you shouldn’t miss I Hate CDs: Norton Records 45 RPM Singles Collection Vol. 1.
This compilation — 45 tracks in all — sums up what Norton records is all about — crazy R & B, reckless rockabilly, garage-band snot, immortal punk rock. This music is raw, rowdy, and sometimes raunchy as it thumbs its metaphorical nose at any precious, prissy, pretentious, and self-important airs that rock all too often acquires.
Norton Records, which specializes in primitive rock, was founded in the 1980s by Billy Miller and Miriam Linna. As shown on this compilation, the label happily plays with fire.
This is the devil’s music, the evil jungle sounds the preachers and the White Citizens’ Council originally warned us about — dangerous-sounding stuff that leads to juvenile delinquency, sex, miscegenation, and eventually to an eternity in hell. Much of the material is from the ’50s and ’60s, but it’s far too unrefined for oldies radio. Not that its lyrics are obscene; most of the artists here don’t need to use dirty words to sound outright filthy.
True to the name of the compilation, I Hate CDs isn’t available on compact disc. But you can download any or all tracks at iTunes, Amazon.com, and eMusic.
There are some impressive names on I Hate CDs, some that you might even recognize. There are a couple of Ramones rarities — demos of “I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend” and “Judy Is a Punk.” Question Mark and The Mysterians have a tune here as does rockabilly great Dale Hawkins (most famous for “Susie Q”), guitar killer Link Wray (who does an instrumental called “Vendetta”), and a young Doug Sahm, who sings “Slow Down” with a band called The Pharaohs (but I don’t think these are Sam the Sham’s boys).
The Legendary Stardust Cowboy (who comes from “Lubbock by way of Mars,” according to his own hype) provides the title song to the collection. (“The Ledge” is a high school chum of Joe Ely, who speaks his name with the highest praise. But I’m still waiting for a Flatlanders cover of an LSC song.)
There’s a good, scary Screamin’ Jay Hawkins song I’d never heard before called “I Hear Voices.” What I like best about this tune— besides Jay’s sceamin’ of course — is the weird soprano voice that accompanies him at the end of the track.
Raspy-voiced soul man Andre Williams provides one of the few philosophical discussions. “The Monkey Speaks His Mind” is about someone objecting to the notion of man coming from the apes. Of course, the one objecting is an ape. “No monkey ever deserted his wife, starved his babies, and ruined their life.”
R & B icon Don Covay — called Don “Pretty Boy” Covay here — has a raucous little ode to wife swapping on this collection called “Switchin’ in the Kitchen.” And for fans of Kill Bill and those Vonage commercials, the Japanese girl punks The 5.6.7.8’s (known for their cover of the Rock-a-Teens’ “Woo Hoo”) do a fierce version of “The Harlem Shuffle.”
Big Star, the ’70s band led by Alex Chilton, provides one of the album’s poppier moments, a song called “September Gurls.”
Several mainstays of Norton (“the label with the able stable,” as they call themselves) are represented on this compilation. There’s Esquerita, a 6-foot-6-inch, one-eyed, pompadoured transvestite, who, according to legend, taught Little Richard to play piano. Hasil Adkins, the late wild man of West Virginia, sings one of his fine-feathered chicken songs, “Chicken Shake.” (A few years ago, Norton released an entire Adkins album of this curious subgenre. It’s called Poultry in Motion.) There’s Mary Weiss, former singer of The Shangri-Las, whose wonderful “comeback” album Dangerous Games was released on Norton earlier this year. A “bonus song” from that album, a cover of “A Certain Guy,” is on this collection.
And the Norton house band, The A-Bones (featuring Miller and Linna), have a couple of tracks here. “Stop It Baby” features former Flamin’ Groovies singer Roy Loney, and “New Spark” has unsung rockabilly hero Johnny Powers.
Of course, the real fun is discovering the truly obscure artists. Who the heck is Stud Cole? Apparently this Stud’s a rockabilly who never got his due. His contribution here, “The Witch” (not The Sonics’ hit by the same name), makes me want more.
Bunker Hill just might be the craziest soul man you’ve never heard of; he does a rollicking tune called “The Girl Can’t Dance,” which features Link Wray on guitar. “The Limp” by the Incredible Kings is how I imagined all cool, swingin’ parties would sound back when I was a kid.
“Puddy Cat” by Wade Curtiss and the Rhythm Rockers is a goofy, so-weird-it’s-beautiful parody of The Trashmen’s “Surfin’ Bird” — as if that trash-rock classic needed a parody. Instead of the refrain “papa oom mow mow” of the original song, Curtiss sings “mamma meow mow.”
Speaking of surfing, you’ve got to hear “Surfside Date” by The Triumphs. Not having any liner notes, I don’t know if this was recorded in the ’60s or last month. Whatever the case might be, surf music rarely sounded as primordial.
And if Hasil Adkins didn’t satisfy your hunger for chicken songs, there’s an even crazier tune called “Chicken” by an unknown shouter named Jack Starr.
If you’re an audiophile, beware. Some tracks definitely are lo-fi. Of course, if you’re that much of an audiophile purist you probably wouldn’t like this primitive stuff anyway.
Don't forget to check out the cool drag race-style audio promo over at Norton's MySpace page.
The Steve Terrell Christmas Special: A Santa Fe tradition. Hear Snoop Doggy Dogg, The Pogues, James Brown, Joan Jett, The Trashmen, and Roger Miller sing the songs we love this season at 10 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 23, on KSFR-FM 101.1.
Thursday, December 20, 2007
THE TRIB'S LOSS IS OUR GAIN
Here's a little shop talk:
The New Mexican has taken advantage of the Albuquerque Tribune's situation by hiring two of its reporters.
I'm especially pleased that we've hired Kate Nash to help out at the Capitol Bureau. She's done this for years for the Trib and that other Albuquerque paper and knows as much, if not not more, than I do about where the bones are buried at the Roundhouse.
We've also hired Sue Vorenberg, who covers science and health for the Trib. She'll cover science, technology and energy for the New Mexican, and will cover health while Diana Del Mauro remains on maternity leave.
Both Kate and Sue will start in January.
We've been short-handed at The New Mexican. In recent weeks we've lost my bureau partner Dave Miles, Andy Lenderman and Wendy Brown. Things are looking up.
Wednesday, December 19, 2007
HEY KIDS, STAY IN SCHOOL!
My son dropped out and now he can't count and he has conversations with inanimate objects that mock him.
"Coulda, shoulda. woulda stayed in school.
James Brown was right.
I was a fool."
Peter Case
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
NOT AT WORK
I'm off work this week, but political junkie that I am, I'm still trying to keep up with what's going on in the political universe around here.
Tom Sharpe has a story in today's New Mexican about three new possible Democratic candidates jumping into -- or considering jumping into -- the Third Congressional District race.
There's Derrith Watchman-Moore, Teresa Ledger and Jon Adams, who apparently is dropping his bid for the First Congressional District race, renting an apartment in Santa Fe and running in CD 3.
Reports Sharpe, "Adams did not respond to messages seeking comment on his bid."
Maybe I'm old fashioned, but wouldn't it make sense if you want to switch districts and run for Congress you should return phone calls to the local paper? Call me crazy.
Speaking of phone calls, former State Rep. Patsy Trujillo called me tonight to say that she's not going to run for the Congressional seat and that she's supporting Public Regulation Commissioner Ben Ray Lujan for the nomination.
Back to "vacation" for me. There will be no Roundhouse Round-up this week, though I retain the right to make wisecracks from the sidelines.
Tom Sharpe has a story in today's New Mexican about three new possible Democratic candidates jumping into -- or considering jumping into -- the Third Congressional District race.
There's Derrith Watchman-Moore, Teresa Ledger and Jon Adams, who apparently is dropping his bid for the First Congressional District race, renting an apartment in Santa Fe and running in CD 3.
Reports Sharpe, "Adams did not respond to messages seeking comment on his bid."
Maybe I'm old fashioned, but wouldn't it make sense if you want to switch districts and run for Congress you should return phone calls to the local paper? Call me crazy.
Speaking of phone calls, former State Rep. Patsy Trujillo called me tonight to say that she's not going to run for the Congressional seat and that she's supporting Public Regulation Commissioner Ben Ray Lujan for the nomination.
Back to "vacation" for me. There will be no Roundhouse Round-up this week, though I retain the right to make wisecracks from the sidelines.
Monday, December 17, 2007
TERRELL'S SOUND WORLD PLAYLIST
Sunday, December 16, 2007
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
Now Simulcasting 90.7 FM, and our new, stronger signal, 101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Hombre Secreto by The Plugz
Double-0 Bum by Gas Huffer
Lightning's Girl by Nancy Sinatra
Do You Swing? by The Fleshtones
D is For Dangerous by The Arctic Monkeys
You've Got Good Taste by The Cramps
Nothing but a Heartache by The Detroit Cobras
Buried and Dead by The Gore Gore Girls
Hot Aftershave Bop by The Fall
Punchbowl by The Rockin' Guys
Harry You're a Beast by The Mothers of Invention
Catch Us If You Can by The Dave Clark Five
Bits and Pieces by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
Giddy Up by The Hives
Rag and Bone by The White Stripes
Navajo by The Black Lips
Yata Hei by Keely Smith
Chief Whoopin' Koff by The Fireballs
Golden Shower of Hits by The Circle Jerks
Fat Daddy by Fat Daddy
Let's Make the Water Turn Black by The Mothers of Invention
I Hate CDs by The Legendary Stardust Cowboy
Are You For Real by Question Mark & The Mysterians
Switchin' in the Kitchen by Don "Pretty Boy" Covay
Hey Mrs. Jones by Long John Hunter
Stop It Baby by Roy Loney & The A-Bones
A Certain Guy by Mary Weiss
Surfside Date by The Triumps
Hotrod Millie by The Hentchmen
Shortnin' Bread by The Ready Men
I Hear Voices by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Puddy Cat by Wade Curtiss & The Rhythm Rockers
The Fishing Song by Alex Maryol
Fattening Frogs for Snakes by Sonny Boy Williamson & The Animals
Death of a Socialite by The Pretty Things
Room Thirteen by The Dirty Projectors
In Germany Before the War by Randy Newman
Happy Christman (War is Over) by Lorette Velvette
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
KSFR, Santa Fe, N.M.
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Sundays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
Now Simulcasting 90.7 FM, and our new, stronger signal, 101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Let it Out (Let it All Hang Out) by The Hombres
Hombre Secreto by The Plugz
Double-0 Bum by Gas Huffer
Lightning's Girl by Nancy Sinatra
Do You Swing? by The Fleshtones
D is For Dangerous by The Arctic Monkeys
You've Got Good Taste by The Cramps
Nothing but a Heartache by The Detroit Cobras
Buried and Dead by The Gore Gore Girls
Hot Aftershave Bop by The Fall
Punchbowl by The Rockin' Guys
Harry You're a Beast by The Mothers of Invention
Catch Us If You Can by The Dave Clark Five
Bits and Pieces by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts
Giddy Up by The Hives
Rag and Bone by The White Stripes
Navajo by The Black Lips
Yata Hei by Keely Smith
Chief Whoopin' Koff by The Fireballs
Golden Shower of Hits by The Circle Jerks
Fat Daddy by Fat Daddy
Let's Make the Water Turn Black by The Mothers of Invention
I Hate CDs by The Legendary Stardust Cowboy
Are You For Real by Question Mark & The Mysterians
Switchin' in the Kitchen by Don "Pretty Boy" Covay
Hey Mrs. Jones by Long John Hunter
Stop It Baby by Roy Loney & The A-Bones
A Certain Guy by Mary Weiss
Surfside Date by The Triumps
Hotrod Millie by The Hentchmen
Shortnin' Bread by The Ready Men
I Hear Voices by Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Puddy Cat by Wade Curtiss & The Rhythm Rockers
The Fishing Song by Alex Maryol
Fattening Frogs for Snakes by Sonny Boy Williamson & The Animals
Death of a Socialite by The Pretty Things
Room Thirteen by The Dirty Projectors
In Germany Before the War by Randy Newman
Happy Christman (War is Over) by Lorette Velvette
CLOSING THEME: Over the Rainbow by Jerry Lee Lewis
Sunday, December 16, 2007
BAD ALBUM COVER ART: 2007 EDITION
For you bad-album-cover-art fans, Pitchfork has compiled a list of the worst of 2007. And yes, Swamp Dogg is there.
Nothing here quite matches Devastatin' Dave or Julie's 16th Birthday . (You can find the classics HERE)
Saturday, December 15, 2007
THE SANTA FE OPRY PLAYLIST
Friday, December 15, 2007
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
Now Simulcasting 90.7 FM, and our new, stronger signal, 101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Long Legged Guitar Pickin' Man by Jesse Dayton & Brennen Leigh
Amos Moses by Jerry Reed
The Ballad of Thunder Road by Robert Mitchum
Make Things Happen by The Waco Brothers
I Was a Champion by James Luther Dickinson
Who Were You Thinking Of by The Sir Douglas Quintet
Why Do You Bob Your Hair, Girls? by Ann Magnuson
Western Union Wire by Kinky Friedman
Do You Call That a Buddy by Martin, Bogan & Armstrong
It Gets Like This Every Christmas by Cornell Hurd
False Hearted Lover Blues by Levon Helm
Rag Mama Rag by The Band
The Only Trouble With Me by Merle Haggard
You Win Again by The Flying Burrito Brothers
Living With the Animals by Mother Earth
Ashes of Love by Rose Maddox
Uncle Bud by Boozoo Chavis & The Magic Sounds
Secrets of Success/Born at Night by Ronny Elliott
Long Dark Night by John Fogerty
The Thunderer by Dion
The Disappearance of Ray Norton by Richmond Fontaine
Kill the Mockingbird by House of Freaks
El UFO Man by Jonathan Richman
Trotsky's Blues by Joe West
Bob (the Song) by The Cerrillos Islanders
Friday, Sunday's Coming by John Lilly
Gypsy's Curse by Calexico
I Can't Stop Loving You by Don Gibson
I Guess I've Come to Live Here in Your Eyes by Willie Nelson
You Make It Look Easy by The Flatlanders
Wings in His Eyes by Eleni Mandell
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list
KSFR, Santa Fe, NM
Webcasting!
10 p.m. to midnight Fridays Mountain Time
Host: Steve Terrell
Now Simulcasting 90.7 FM, and our new, stronger signal, 101.1 FM
email me during the show! terrell@ksfr.org
OPENING THEME: Buckaroo by Buck Owens & The Buckaroos
Long Legged Guitar Pickin' Man by Jesse Dayton & Brennen Leigh
Amos Moses by Jerry Reed
The Ballad of Thunder Road by Robert Mitchum
Make Things Happen by The Waco Brothers
I Was a Champion by James Luther Dickinson
Who Were You Thinking Of by The Sir Douglas Quintet
Why Do You Bob Your Hair, Girls? by Ann Magnuson
Western Union Wire by Kinky Friedman
Do You Call That a Buddy by Martin, Bogan & Armstrong
It Gets Like This Every Christmas by Cornell Hurd
False Hearted Lover Blues by Levon Helm
Rag Mama Rag by The Band
The Only Trouble With Me by Merle Haggard
You Win Again by The Flying Burrito Brothers
Living With the Animals by Mother Earth
Ashes of Love by Rose Maddox
Uncle Bud by Boozoo Chavis & The Magic Sounds
Secrets of Success/Born at Night by Ronny Elliott
Long Dark Night by John Fogerty
The Thunderer by Dion
The Disappearance of Ray Norton by Richmond Fontaine
Kill the Mockingbird by House of Freaks
El UFO Man by Jonathan Richman
Trotsky's Blues by Joe West
Bob (the Song) by The Cerrillos Islanders
Friday, Sunday's Coming by John Lilly
Gypsy's Curse by Calexico
I Can't Stop Loving You by Don Gibson
I Guess I've Come to Live Here in Your Eyes by Willie Nelson
You Make It Look Easy by The Flatlanders
Wings in His Eyes by Eleni Mandell
CLOSING THEME: Comin' Down by The Meat Puppets
Steve Terrell is proud to report to the monthly Freeform American Roots Radio list
Friday, December 14, 2007
SOME POLITCIAL STORIES
My analysis of Bill Richardson's debate performance in Iowa Thursday is HERE. I mainly look at his answer to the question about lab security and Wen Ho Lee during his years as energy secretary.
My profile of Ben Ray Lujan, who's announcing his run for Congress today is HERE.
And my profile of Harry Montoya, also running for the Third Congressional District seat, which was published Wednesday, is HERE.
And, going back in time a couple of months, my portrait of Don Wiviott can be found HERE. He was running for Senate at the time, but right after Tom Udall said he was running for Senate, Wiviott switched to the CD 3 race.
My profile of Ben Ray Lujan, who's announcing his run for Congress today is HERE.
And my profile of Harry Montoya, also running for the Third Congressional District seat, which was published Wednesday, is HERE.
And, going back in time a couple of months, my portrait of Don Wiviott can be found HERE. He was running for Senate at the time, but right after Tom Udall said he was running for Senate, Wiviott switched to the CD 3 race.
SOME YULETIDE TACKINESS
I didn't do a Terrell's Tune-Up this week, but I did review a couple of Christmas albums. So here's slightly different versions of those. At least one will be in Pasa Tempos in today's New Mexican . (Pasatiempo of course) The other one might not be in until next week, but I'll give you blog readers an early Christmas treat.
But before we get to those, I just want to say I'm real happy, in fact GLAD ALL OVER, that The Dave Clark Five finally made it to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. They've virtually been written out of most official versions of rock history, but I think they're the most seriously underrated of the British Invasion bands.
I never saw The Beatles but I saw the DC5 twice in Oklahoma City as a kid. I believe The Shangri-las were part of the package show for one of these concerts.
And back in 1964 or so I had this cheesy magazine titled something like "The Beatles vs. The Dave Clark 5." The premise was that The Beatles were threatened because "Glad All Over" had displaced "I Want to Hold Your Hand" as number one in England or something. There were these phony quotes under the photos of all the musicians. One of The Beatles , John I think, supposedly was saying "Five against four is no fair!"
Eat it, rock snobs, this is long overdue.
Here's those Christmas album reviews:
CONWAY TWITTY
A Twismas Story with Twitty Bird & Their Little Friends
(Conway Twitty United / INgrooves)
You find them in the bargain bins at supermarkets, drug stores, truckstops discount stores everywhere this time of year — Christmas albums by Nashville stars, available now at humiliatingly low prices. Some of the greatest names in country music are among them, each offering disturbingly similar over-produced, under-inspired twangy takes on the same 20 or so holiday chestnuts.
Granted, there have been some great country Christmas tunes: Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December,” Dwight Yoakam’s “Santa Can’t Stay,” Buck Owens’ “Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy” and Roger Miller’s “Old Toy Trains” are timeless masterpieces. But most of the rest of the country Christmas universe consists of useless nasally versions of “Silver Bells” and drawling renditions of “Frosty the Snowman.”
However, this album by the late great Twitty so tacky, so cheesy, so overstuffed and over-the-top with Christmas corn, it’s a perverse classic. First released in 1983, it’s been re-issued this year to shock a new generation. Twitty Bird — who was Conway’s Tweetie-like cartoon mascot (How did he not get sued by Loony Tunes?) — is portrayed here by the singer’s granddaughter. The “Little Friends” are sped-up “Chipmunk” voices. They all chatter insanely and sing about Santa, Frost, Rudolph and new holiday characters like Happy the Christmas Clown and Ding-A-Ling the Christmas Bell. Some of these are weird enough to be included on a future volume of A John Waters Christmas.
Just remember: Friends don’t let friends take hallucinogenic drugs and listen to A Twistmas Story at the same time.
LARRY THE CABLE GUY
Christmas in Larryland
(Warner Brothers)
The War on Christmas rages — or so Fox News would have you believe — and Larry the Cable Guy is fighting back valiantly. In true compassionate holiday spirit, Larry’s new Christmas album takes square aim at liberals, Moslems, the American Civil Liberties Union, environmentalists, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and people who don’t think fart jokes are all that hilarious.
Sometimes I wonder if Larry — in real life a guy named Dan Whitney, a Nebraska native who doesn’t have a Southern accent and never worked for a cable company — is actually trying to make conservatives look bad by playing them as dimwits. But that’s too Machiavellian. There’s probably less than meets the eye here.
On this album there’s not one but two parodies of “The Night Before Christmas.” There’s “Liberal Commie Environmental Poem” is full of hybrid sleighs, non-toxic toys, a Santa with a nose like “pesticide-free cherries” and other enlightened jabs at “political correctness.” Then in “Patriotic Poem” we don’t get Santa but the ghost of Ronald Reagan, who comes back because Christmas has been banned. But all Ronnie does really is complain about Michael Moore, John Kerry and Rosie O’Donnell. I’m just disappointed that the Gipper never says “get ‘er done.”
There’s a lengthy skit in which Larry and some friends are in a living nativity scene in front of their church just to rile the ACLU. (Apparently someone forgot to tell the Cable Guy that the ACLU doesn’t have any beef with religious displays at churches.)
The album kicks off with Larry fantasizing about hosting an “old-time radio Larry the Cable Guy Christmas spectacular” with guests including “Santa, Rudolph, the prophet Mohammed, the June Taylor Dancers ...” I’m fantasizing about Larry taking this show on a world tour. They’d love him in Sudan.
But before we get to those, I just want to say I'm real happy, in fact GLAD ALL OVER, that The Dave Clark Five finally made it to the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame. They've virtually been written out of most official versions of rock history, but I think they're the most seriously underrated of the British Invasion bands.
I never saw The Beatles but I saw the DC5 twice in Oklahoma City as a kid. I believe The Shangri-las were part of the package show for one of these concerts.
And back in 1964 or so I had this cheesy magazine titled something like "The Beatles vs. The Dave Clark 5." The premise was that The Beatles were threatened because "Glad All Over" had displaced "I Want to Hold Your Hand" as number one in England or something. There were these phony quotes under the photos of all the musicians. One of The Beatles , John I think, supposedly was saying "Five against four is no fair!"
Eat it, rock snobs, this is long overdue.
Here's those Christmas album reviews:
CONWAY TWITTY
A Twismas Story with Twitty Bird & Their Little Friends
(Conway Twitty United / INgrooves)
You find them in the bargain bins at supermarkets, drug stores, truckstops discount stores everywhere this time of year — Christmas albums by Nashville stars, available now at humiliatingly low prices. Some of the greatest names in country music are among them, each offering disturbingly similar over-produced, under-inspired twangy takes on the same 20 or so holiday chestnuts.
Granted, there have been some great country Christmas tunes: Merle Haggard’s “If We Make It Through December,” Dwight Yoakam’s “Santa Can’t Stay,” Buck Owens’ “Santa Looked a Lot Like Daddy” and Roger Miller’s “Old Toy Trains” are timeless masterpieces. But most of the rest of the country Christmas universe consists of useless nasally versions of “Silver Bells” and drawling renditions of “Frosty the Snowman.”
However, this album by the late great Twitty so tacky, so cheesy, so overstuffed and over-the-top with Christmas corn, it’s a perverse classic. First released in 1983, it’s been re-issued this year to shock a new generation. Twitty Bird — who was Conway’s Tweetie-like cartoon mascot (How did he not get sued by Loony Tunes?) — is portrayed here by the singer’s granddaughter. The “Little Friends” are sped-up “Chipmunk” voices. They all chatter insanely and sing about Santa, Frost, Rudolph and new holiday characters like Happy the Christmas Clown and Ding-A-Ling the Christmas Bell. Some of these are weird enough to be included on a future volume of A John Waters Christmas.
Just remember: Friends don’t let friends take hallucinogenic drugs and listen to A Twistmas Story at the same time.
LARRY THE CABLE GUY
Christmas in Larryland
(Warner Brothers)
The War on Christmas rages — or so Fox News would have you believe — and Larry the Cable Guy is fighting back valiantly. In true compassionate holiday spirit, Larry’s new Christmas album takes square aim at liberals, Moslems, the American Civil Liberties Union, environmentalists, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals and people who don’t think fart jokes are all that hilarious.
Sometimes I wonder if Larry — in real life a guy named Dan Whitney, a Nebraska native who doesn’t have a Southern accent and never worked for a cable company — is actually trying to make conservatives look bad by playing them as dimwits. But that’s too Machiavellian. There’s probably less than meets the eye here.
On this album there’s not one but two parodies of “The Night Before Christmas.” There’s “Liberal Commie Environmental Poem” is full of hybrid sleighs, non-toxic toys, a Santa with a nose like “pesticide-free cherries” and other enlightened jabs at “political correctness.” Then in “Patriotic Poem” we don’t get Santa but the ghost of Ronald Reagan, who comes back because Christmas has been banned. But all Ronnie does really is complain about Michael Moore, John Kerry and Rosie O’Donnell. I’m just disappointed that the Gipper never says “get ‘er done.”
There’s a lengthy skit in which Larry and some friends are in a living nativity scene in front of their church just to rile the ACLU. (Apparently someone forgot to tell the Cable Guy that the ACLU doesn’t have any beef with religious displays at churches.)
The album kicks off with Larry fantasizing about hosting an “old-time radio Larry the Cable Guy Christmas spectacular” with guests including “Santa, Rudolph, the prophet Mohammed, the June Taylor Dancers ...” I’m fantasizing about Larry taking this show on a world tour. They’d love him in Sudan.
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