Friday, April 29, 2011

Raise the Ruffalo

My pal Marc just turned me on to this fun Guest DJ program on KCRW, where actors/writers/chefs/other notables come in and play five songs that they love for some reason. Sexpot Mark Ruffalo just did a great program -- OK these photos have nothing to do with it, but I've been dying to use 'em -- where he picked the following five songs:

1. Kid A - Radiohead
2. Because Tonight - Besnard Lakes
3. Between the Bars - Elliot Smith
4. Walk on the Wild Side - Lou Reed ("It was a New York I wanted to be in but it somehow passed me by.")
5. Skinny Love - Bon Iver

Read the complete transcript of why he picked these songs HERE. And check out other lists -- including Colin Firth, Busy Philipps, Rashida Jones and Kirsten Dunst HERE.

Here's mine:

1. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow? -- Bryan Ferry switches genders on this plaintive girl-group classic to haunting effect.

2. I'm Gonna Love You Too -- How Blondie's remake of this Buddy Holly single didn't become the band's biggest hit of all time is still a mystery to me.

3. Radio Sweetheart -- Carlene Carter tipped Elvis Costello's alt-country gem just far enough toward Nashville to make me an honorary country boy for life!

4. Long Hot Summer -- The Style Council released this as a single the summer I turned 16, but one listen and you'll swear you just left the theater after seeing the epic love story of your life.

5. Wish It All Away -- It was like Ivy took "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and turned it into the perfect pop single for the '90s.

So what's your list? Marc thinks it should be a Facebook feature -- if it's not already!

2 comments:

mike/ said...

i think a FaceBook page would be a great idea! they already have the "30 Day Song Challenge" and the "30 Day Movie Challenge" that have been really fun!

my list:

Snow Patrol - Just Say Yes - the words just melt together...

from Company - Being Alive - it's what it's all about...

Ella Fitzgerald - Miss Otis Regrets - just so classy...

Boyzone - No Matter What - courage for everyone who is put down, bullied, and ignored...

The Beatles - Let It Be - specifically the version from the movie Across the Universe - though i like all versions, the scene in the movie grabs you by the throat and shakes you to the core...

Marc said...

I just knew that mentioning Mark Ruffalo would get your attention. (It sure got mine!)

And just for the sake of posterity, here are mine:

1. Beatles - Yellow Submarine. Watching the 60s unfold from the safety of small-town Ohio, this was as close as I got to the action, until they started killing people up the road from us at Kent State University.

2. Stevie Wonder - Boggie On, Reggae Women. First full-length album I ever bought, and still amazing.

3. Psychedelic Furs - The Ghost in You. Because it's gorgeous, and was in heavy rotation at The Boathouse (Austin gay bar) on Alternative Music Wednesday nights.

4. Roxy Music - More Than This. Driving over the mountains on Hwy 101 from San Francisco to L.A., this song came on as the sun was setting over the ocean. Ahhh...

5. Adele - Hometown Glory. Because after searching for 50 years, I finally found my tribe in New York City.