Zenformation Playlist 8/24/05Stressful Day at Work Means Spinning some Tunes

1. Jus' a Rascal - Dizzee Rascal
It blows my mind that Grime didn't catch on it the States. The UK puts out its biggest musical contribution to pop culture since Eric Clapton in the form of hip-hop and no one cares.

2. Terraplane Blues - John Lee Hooker
I once danced with a girl at a bar who said the sound of John Lee Hooker's voice made her want to do a striptease right in the middle of Happy Jack's Saloon (formerly one of the most brutal bars in all of California.) By the time I found enough quarters to feed the jukebox and play this song, the woman had already found another dance partner.

3. Shakin' Rock'n'Roll Tonight - The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
JSBE is always good to listen to when you're craving a little fuzzbox buzz.

4. Cigarettes - X-Ray Spex
One of the best British punk bands of all time.

5. We're a Happy Family - the Ramones
One of my all-time favorite songs. I must've listened to this song a half-million times through Walkman headphones when I was a kid.

6. You're Having the Time of my Life - Jets to Brazil
I remember hearing this song playing in several friends' dormrooms, houses, and apartments in 2000.

7. Small Man, Big Mouth - Minor Threat
I realized a few weeks ago after having the 10th person describe me as "straight-edge" that that's not necessarily an insult anymore...not like it was when I was younger, more full of rage at the world than common sense.

8. Small Town Pride - River City Rebels
A group of Burlington, VT, guys that put out music, last time I checked, on the Victory Records label.

9. I Turned Into a Martian - The Misfits
One of my favorite Misfits songs, along with Bullet and Where Eagles Dare. I'm still pretty sure Glenn Danzig is insane, but hey, he still managed to pull off the "scary-bodybuilder-with-skull-jewelry" thing later on in his musical career. To think, there are still folks who ask me why Halloween is my favorite holiday and I own a lot of black clothing.

10. You Spend Me Round (Like a Record) - Dead or Alive
One of those early 80s catchy-as-hell records that seems to pop up in movies, TV shows, and on, oddly enough, ringtones. I'm not too much of a music snob - I can admit, freely and in public, that I actually dig this song.

11. The KKK Took my Baby Away - the Ramones
I heard some girl's cellphone playing this today in Uptown...coming out of a frigging tanning salon...on a sunny August day... The girl looked like she hadn't eaten in three months! When girls with fake tans start downloading Ramones songs, I'm certain the End Times must be near. Its gotta be be in the Book of Revelation somewhere.

12. The Black Light - Calexico
Such a seductive sounding track. Reminds me of this neighbor I had in Colorado. Part of this rather large Mexican migrant labor family, this girl Lisette used to dance around on 6th Avenue's asphalt in nothing but a white tee-shirt every time it rained. Lisette could barely read or write, but, boy, did she know how to dance in the rain.

13. Good Morning Little Schoolgirl - Mississippi Fred McDowell
The master of the "steak bone" blues, Mississippi influenced the Stones, Bonnie Raitt, and scores of others.

14. On the Prowl - The Gossip
Man, such a juicy riff and that drumline. Wow. And they're playing in Columbus this weekend. Shit. Talk about bad timing. Sucks to be me.

15. Baby Sings Folk Songs - The Astronauts
One of those bands almost lost to history. Damn you, MTV and your retched bastardization of pop music. A bizarre half-punk, half-hippie outfit from the late 70s/early 80s UK scene.

16. Making Believe - Social Distortion
A lot of Social D. fans don't realize this classic song is actually a cover of a song made famous by Dolly Parton and later Emmylou Harris.

17. Jesus Was a Crossmaker - Judee Sill
Judee Sill's death in 1979 is a bit of a mystery. She died of some kind of overdose. Painkillers or heroin. Even the location of her death - Mexico or North Hollywood - is the subject of debate. Eitherway, Judee Sill was a talented songwriter who's musical contributions are often overlooked.