GREAT POST PUNK HITS, VOL. 3

Apologies for missing Saturday's post. This past week was a complete blur, and I got home really late Friday night. By the time I got home, I was pretty beat, and no offense, but the last thing I wanted to do that late at night was write a post out. So no post.

You'll notice that I've done away with the iPod thingy. I've always liked the slide player for a couple reasons. First, I like the fact that you can listen to only the songs you want, without having to scroll though. Second, I actually like the way it looks more. That's the first part of the make over. I'm still on the look out for a new theme. I've found a few that were close, and I have a test blog I'm testing with, but none of them look right, so the search goes on.

So, I am heading out on the road again tomorrow, but the great news is that I actually applied for another job at work. I'm pretty excited for the opportunity, and honestly, I need a change. I've already interviewed with the hiring manager, as well as the VP, so it's pretty much a done deal. The app is really a formality, something my company makes you do. So, within a few weeks, hopefully, these brutal hours come to an end, and I get my life back!

Grace Jone - Warm Leatherette


Husker Du - Celebrated Summer


Josef K - Sorry for Laughing


Minutemen - History Lesson - Part II


Lydia Lunch - Atomic Bongos

GREAT POST PUNK HITS, VOL. 2

Folks, this is a very brief update today. I've been fighting technical issues at work, trying to troubleshoot global network issues, and it's a pretty tough nut to crack. I had issues getting South Africa to talk efficiently with the US, and I finally got that issue fixed today. Now, the second half is getting India to talk efficiently with the United States, and that's the tough nut. I've tried everything I know, and got no where, except to eliminate potential issues. So the next step is to call in the network people and let them figure this out.

All this has left my brain numb, and my body pretty damned tired. I am going to try to catch a few winks, and be back at it. Enjoy the tunes!

The Flying Lizards - Hands 2 Take
The Fall - Cruisers Creek
Heaven 17 - Penthouse And Pavement
Fun Boy Three - The Tunnel of Love
Fire Engines - Candyskin

GREAT POST PUNK HITS, VOL. 1

Last night I was sitting talking with my lovely wife about various things, when the conversation somehow turned to what I used to watch on television growing up in Northeast Ohio. I can still remember some of my favorites. Every morning as a kid, before we headed off to school, we would sit and watch Captain Kangaroo. Then it would be off to school. Once I got home, there were three shows on that I never missed. The first was Ultraman, I think, which was followed b Johnnie Sako and his Flying Robot. Then of course came Speed Racer. It was a great lineup of after school television for an 8 year old boy in the 1970/71.

We lived with my grandparents in Akron, in a decidedly ethnic, eastern European neighborhood. Every Sunday, after church, I remember my grandfather would watch the Gene Carroll show, and the Polka Varieties. I faintly remember details of the shows, so I looked them up on YouTube, and sure enough, there there were. It was very nostalgic for me, and I watched and watched. It was kind of cools to see it all alive on the sceen, as if the past 38 years barely happened. Funny how that happens.

But by far, the best memories I have from when I was a kid was watching the Hoolihan and Big Chuck show. It was the best way to spend a late Friday night possible, and it was really the only time I was allowed to stay up late as a kid. the show was a local legend...anyone who grew up the Cleveland area knows all about the show. The sketches were corny and weird...the Kilbasa Kid, the Six Dollar Ethnic Man, Ben Crazy...I could go on and on. And the movies they played were equally corny...old B horror movies from the 50's and 60's. Of all my child hood memories, these are probably the best, and most cherished.

Human League - Life Kills
Gang of Four - Damaged Goods
Flipper - Sex Bomb
Echo & The Bunnymen - Rescue
Delta 5 - Mind Your Own Business

Trippin' The Underground - Post Punk

Before I begin, I know I kinda skipped over a very important genre, punk 77. No worries, it will get is play. Yesterday was a day of music that I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan of, and that I don't know a whole lot about. Glam Rock came along when I was like 11 or 12. But if Glam was a little too early for me, post punk was right in my sweet spot. I turned 16 in 1979, right when the northeast Ohio music scene was in full swing. Bands like Devo, Pere Ubu, Rubber City Rockers, Chrissie Hynde, The Waitresses just to name a few were all over the radio (if you happened to listen to the left of the dial!). And those groups led me to other groups, mainly through record stores. Musically, it was a great time to grow up in NE Ohio. Of course, we also had 20% unemployment, and all the rubber factories were moving our of Akron, but still, the music was HOT!

I purposely chose the first and last bands on the list. While Joy Division may not have invented post punk, they certainly were considered pioneers. After the tragic death of Ian Curtis, Joy Division lived on in the form of New Order. And by the time Love Vigilantes came out, post punk had pretty much morphed almost entirely into new wave. Post punk may have been short lived, but it breathed new life into music, and made a nice transition from punk to new wave. To me, when you talk about real alternative, underground music, post punk is at the top of the list. Yeah, it's that good.

I hope everyone has their shopping done...2 more days to Christmas. Me, I still have gifts to wrap and a card to get for me wife. I really need to stop procrastinating!

Joy Division - Transmission
Siouxsie And The Banshees - Hong Kong Garden
Devo - Jocko Homo
The Raincoats - Lola
New Order - Love Vigilantes