This hasn't made me a fan of -- double checks name -- "Miranda Lambert." (That voice ... yikes.) But any excuse to get to the B-52s!
Showing posts with label b-52s. Show all posts
Showing posts with label b-52s. Show all posts
Tuesday, May 03, 2022
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Song of the Day: 'Dance This Mess Around' by the B-52s
The B-52s announced their farewell tour yesterday, and something tells me this isn't going to be the kind of racket Cher's been running forever. I am fortunate to have seen them once when Ricky Wilson was alive and another time when Keith Strickland was still in the band, so have been loath to see them with neither. Still, with two dates down the street from my new home, you just may see me dancing this mess around one last time to celebrate their wonderful careers!
Wednesday, December 01, 2021
Song of the Day: 'Throw That Beat in the Garbage Can' by the B-52s
From the "You Had to Be There" files: Read all about the time the B-52s appeared at a nightclub in Springfield on the soap opera "Guiding Light" HERE.
As an ABC fan, I was just devastated that they hadn't added a date at The Disco on "General Hospital"
Years later, the band can't even seem to believe it happened!
Wednesday, October 20, 2021
Song of the Day: 'Channel Z' by the B-52s
"Roam" came on MTV Classic the other night and it got me thinking of all the bomb first singles from albums that wound up becoming very successful. "Channel Z," of course, was the debut release from "Cosmic Thing," which would go on to become the B's biggest album, spawning two No. 3 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 in "Love Shack" and the aforementioned "Roam." (In its defense, "Channel Z" didn't chart on the Hot 100 but did hit No. 1 on the Alternative Airplay list, which probably says more about the amount of good will the band had built up over the years than the quality of the song.)
My favorite miscalculation is "I'm Gonna Love You Too," which was the first single released in the U.S. off Blondie's "Parallel Lines." It too failed to chart. The label saw that "Denis" -- a reworking of the Randy and the Rainbows song "Denise" -- hit big overseas, so hoped a Buddy Holly cover was the way to go for album three. (Ironically, I always thought as a kid that it should have been a single, not knowing that it had been.) "Parallel Lines" would famously go on to spawn countless hits around the world, including "Heart of Glass" (No. 1 in 12 countries, including the U.S. and U.K.), "Sunday Girl," "Picture This," "Hanging on the Telephone" and "One Way or Another," rendering the album a virtual greatest hits collection.
Leave a comment if you remember any other doozies!
Friday, August 06, 2021
Song of the Day: 'Wig' by the B-52s
Here's a silly homemade video for the B-52s song "Wig," which was the third and final single off "Bouncing Off the Satellites." (The album came out in the aftermath of guitarist Ricky Wilson's death from AIDS, so the band wisely skipped touring and took a few years off to mourn.) I chose this as my song of the day because it came up in conversation with a friend yesterday, which led to my learning -- 26 years after the fact -- that the surviving band members put out a book based on the song in 1995.
From HERE.
With illustrations by Laura Levine, Publishers Weekly says this work of faux-follicular fiction "celebrates hairy headgear as men, women and children alike cover their pates with tall wigs, curly wigs, flowered wigs and indescribably weird wigs," adding: "There is no plot." My friend proudly informed me that he bought copies for all his nieces and then wondered, "How many kids do you suppose learned the word 'bouffant' from that book?"
What will they think of next?
From HERE.
Monday, August 10, 2020
Song of the Day: 'Dance This Mess Around' by the Black 52s
I know very little about this B-52s tribute band other than the fact that I pray that a vaccine comes along soon so I can track them down and see them in concert!
Friday, October 04, 2019
Remains of the Day (10/04)
ExtraTV: Diahann Carroll, pioneering actress on "Julia" and "Dynasty," dies at 84
Deadline: Trump says he's "looking into" creating government-run news outlet to "put some real news out there"
Post and Courier: Democrat Jaime Harrison raises record $2.1 million bid for Lindsey Graham’s Senate seat
LGBT News Now: Adam Schiff joins L.A. LGBTQ Center leaders past and present at 50th anniversary dinner
Anthea Butler: Don't be confused about why evangelicals like Trump -- it's about race
Victory Fund: In Alaska, Juneau elects first openly LGBTQ assembly member
Victory Fund: In Alaska, Juneau elects first openly LGBTQ assembly member
Greg in Hollywood: Seann William Scott's ass in Levi's
Hot Cat of the Day: Fat cat "Big Lebowski" looking for fur-ever home in Illinois
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Remains of the Day (07/16)
David Vance: 2019 holiday gift ideas for the muscle enthusiast
Associated Press: Trump puppet decides Eric Garner officer won't face federal charges
Dlisted: Looks like Jeff Bezos isn't holding it against his girlfriend that her stupid gay Republican brother sold the couple's text messages to Trump pal David Pecker
The Daily News: Rock doc "Remember My Name” chronicles David Crosby’s hard-living life and uneasy career with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
ICYMI: I added a rather titillating photo of the Wimbledon men's doubles finalists to my weekend tennis post
The New York Times: The B-52’s were ’70s punks molded not from the syringes and leather of New York City, but from the campy detritus you might have found in the thrift stores and garage sales of their home of Athens, Ga.
Greg in Hollywood: Randy Rainbow is being profiled on CNN by hunky anchor John Berman
It's Either Sadness or Euphoria: It isn't too late to find your summer read!
The New Yorker: Martina Navratilova on Megan Rapinoe and the trajectory of gay women in sports
Back2Stonewall: When New York’s WBAI Radio broadcast a talk show in 1962 featuring eight gay men
Instagram: Sexiest guy I've seen in a while
Towleroad: Gay WWII codebreaker Alan Turing to be new face of U.K. £50 note
Baseline: Simona Halep returns to Romania a Wimbledon champion!
NewNowNext: Maryland voucher program drops Christian school for anti-LGBTQ beliefs
Newsweek: Body of Louisiana civil rights activist Sadie Roberts-Joseph found in car trunk
HuffPost: Darren Criss serves up ‘90s nostalgia with Dave Matthews Band cover
Boy Culture: Are you ready for the 225 greatest gay-porn stars?
Hot Cat of the Day: Talk about larger-than-life cuteness!
Wednesday, May 22, 2019
Song of the Day: 'Love Shack' by the B-52s
"Cosmic Thing" -- the most successful album the B-52s ever released -- will receive a 30th anniversary reissue complete with remixes and a live set. The LP hit No. 4 on the Billboard charts back in 1989, and featured three hit singles: "Love Shack" (#3), "Roam" (#3) and "Deadbeat Club" (#30), which is by far my favorite post-Ricky Wilson B song.
Tuesday, April 09, 2019
Remains of the Day (04/09)
Netflix: The "Tales of the City" trailer is here!
Towleroad: Mike Huckabee thinks LGBTQ people are the "greatest threat" to America
ICYMI: Too bulgy for Morning Wood
Greg in Hollywood: Highlights from opening weekend of Los Angeles LGBT Center's historic Anita May Rosenstein campus
Dlisted: It's never the prince you want to be accused of having an affair
Washington Post: Mnuchin reveals White House lawyers consulted Treasury on Trump tax returns, despite law meant to limit political involvement
Baseline: Watch Novak Djokovic play in the rain in the Dominican Republic
Instagram: Marton Fucsovics gets another haircut from his hot barber
Gr8er Days: Seymour Cassel of "Faces, "Rushmore" dies at 84
Boy Culture: Your future ex-crush: Harris Dickinson in the raw
CoolTeeTrend: Could someone please buy me this for my upcoming birthday?!
The Hill: GOP Kansas senator warns Senate would not confirm crackpot Kris Kobach as DHS secretary
Slicing Up Eyeballs: The B-52s tap OMD, Berlin for 40th anniversary North American tour this summer
Socialite Life: Is Scientology homophobic?
USA Today: I had a feeling Rosie O'Donnell would regret her part in that book about "The View"
Instagram: Diego Schwartzman goes shirtless during practice session on clay
The Randy Report: Barr claims redacted Mueller report will be public "within a week"
OMG Blog: Actor Daniel Rodic was born to be viewed showering
Hot Cat of the Day: This is a priceless cativarius ...
Tuesday, June 05, 2018
Remains of the Day (06/05)
The New York Times: Lee Pace came out seven times a week -- then he came out for real
LA LGBT Center: Tyler Oakley on the harsh reality of homeless LGBT youth
The Washington Post: Kate Spade, whose handbags were essential accessories for upscale women, dies at 55
Page Six: Kate Spade's suicide note had a message for her daughter
Dlisted: Open post hosted by a drunk woman riding a horse through a liquor store drive-thru
Boy Culture: Villainous David Koch, 78, retiring from politics and business
Automat Pictures: I know what I'm watching tonight!
NYT Media: Wall Street Journal, its newsroom unsettled, names a new editor
Washington Blade: Newseum announces plans for gay rights exhibit
Towleroad: The anti-LGBT sentiment sweeping the nation has even hit the gay sanctuary: the gym
The Randy Report: United Airlines responds to anti-LGBT troll: "Pride is not about politics, it's about humanity"
Daily Intel: Judge tells Trump to submit to deposition in sexual-harassment suit
Variety: The B-52s kick off 40th anniversary tour still happy (mostly) together
Gr8er Days: Clint Walker probably had the hottest chest in the history of Hollywood
NewNowNext: Roxane Gay and Edmund White among 2018 Lambda Literary Award winners
Tomato Nation: Dominic Thiem's butt is so big, and he is always so wet -- that’s enough
New York Post: Aunt accused of stabbing nephew to death was his lover
Greg in Hollywood: I see I'm not the only one about to burst over sexual napalm Karen Khachanov
Hot Cat of the Day: This chatterbox sure REMINDS ME OF SOMEONE!
Friday, May 18, 2018
Friday, April 06, 2018
Remains of the Day (04/06)
Baseline: Sloane Stephens has a boyfriend
Greg in Hollywood: Kathy Griffin wouldn’t save lives of former friend Anderson Cooper or “talentless piece of sh*t” Andy Cohen
The New Yorker: Molly Ringwald shares "Breakfast Club" scene that reveals what's wrong with John Hughes movies amid #MeToo
Tennis Life: Your complete Davis Cup primer
Hunk du Jour: Such a big boy on a Saturday night
The Randy Report: Looks like Kathy Griffin won't be running into Crazy Donald at the White House Correspondents Dinner
The Washington Post: Forty years ago, "Rock Lobster" launched the career of the B-52's -- and revived John Lennon’s
NewNowNext: Director tapped for Comedian Bo Burnham’s “Gay Kid And Fat Chick”
Tech Crunch: Facebook demands ID verification for big Pages, "issue" ad buyers
The New York Times: Why is it always women who get caught doing something wrong who get hit with the harshest penalties?
BosGuy: A few stray hairs in your teeth would totally be worth it to have your way with this guy's chest
Washington Blade: The Mississippi Supreme Court ruled on Thursday the state must recognize the non-birth mother to the child of a divorced lesbian couple for parenting rights and not an anonymous sperm donor
Metrosource: How to reclaim Pride and bring the LGBTQ community back together
OMG Blog: Those "Only Way Is Essex" boys can't keep their pants on
Daily Intel: Maryland adopts automatic voter registration over GOP governor’s objection
EW: Susan Anspach, "Five Easy Pieces" and "Blume in Love" actress, dies at 75
Boy Culture: His briefs leave very little to the imagination
The Village Voice: New video shows chaos after Saheed Vassell shooting
Hot Cat of the Day: Rick Santorum warned us about this kind of thing ...
Tuesday, October 03, 2017
Song of the Day: 'She Brakes for Rainbows' by the B-52s
I'm always fascinated by the machinations of songwriting within bands. Although many frequently credit the whole group, you know there has to be a driving force behind music, lyrics and melodies. Over the weekend, Keith Strickland posted this elucidative post over the weekend about one of my favorite B songs:
This is the only song Ricky Wilson and I wrote together in its entirety within The B-52's. I wrote the music, Ricky wrote the melody, and we wrote the lyrics together. Cindy Wilson's vocal performance captures beautifully the purity and innocence we were going for. We wanted the song to have a kind of 1960s movie theme vibe, similar to "Georgy Girl" by The Seekers. "She Breaks for Rainbows" is based on true events ...Ricky died of AIDS on Oct. 12, 1985, just three months after "Bouncing Off the Satellites" was recorded at Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia.
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
Fred Armisen Opens the Ultimate B-52s Box Set on 'Portlandia'
In addition to being incredibly smart, sexy and a great cook, Damian is a wonderful curator of sketch comedy shows -- perhaps never more so than when he found this nod to obsessive-compulsive music fans like me!
BTW:
This exact thing happened to my friend Leah and me two weekends ago at a wedding in Asheville, N.C. -- although I'm happy to report that our bride thought it was hilarious and seemed to relax after our "arrival"!
Friday, August 04, 2017
Song of the Day: 'Queen of Las Vegas' by the B-52s
This queen is off to Vegas this afternoon. Very excited to see Nina, Brad, J.R., Mark and all of Mark's family!
Friday, March 24, 2017
Song of the Day: 'Twice Shy' by Cindy Wilson
Order HERE.
Was perhaps a little hard on Cindy Wilson of the B-52s when she released her debut solo EP in the fall. It's growing on me -- and now she's followed it up with "Supernatural," which is even more fun and accessible. It opens with the bouncy "Frenzy," then segues into the wonderful "Twice Shy," perhaps my favorite song on the collection and today's song of the day. "Ballistic" is a pulsing jam before the title track, which suffers from a bit of the atmospheric flavor of "Sunrise."
Tuesday, March 21, 2017
Song of the Day: 'Rock Lobster' by the B-52s
Keith Strickland of the B-52s remembered his fallen bandmate on Sunday, on what would have been the guitarist's 64th birthday. I feel so fortunate to have seen the original line-up in concert back in 1983 when they were promoting "Whammy!" ... here's what Keith wrote:
Today is Ricky's birthday. He has now been deceased as long as he was alive, and that's an unfathomable kind of hourglass for me to contemplate. We met when we were both sixteen, we quickly became the closest of friends, and shared the next sixteen years of our lives together. I took this photo of Ricky in 1980 when we were recording Wild Planet, at Compass Point Studios in Nassau... Forever young.There was also a nice remembrance of Ricky on the AIDS Memorial, although it omits that sister Cindy Wilson was not informed of her brother's dire situation until it was too late, a decision that has haunted her since. I remember Ricky's sudden death being called cancer back in '85 when I was a freshman in college, a practice that was not uncommon at the time.
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
The US Festival Revisited
I remember wanting the US Festival(s) to be my generation's version of Woodstock, yet feeling kinda underwhelmed by it all. despite many of my favorite groups being involved. Although I only saw it on television, something about the hot Inland Empire setting with all of that dust blowing around seemed like the antithesis of a good time, confirming my suspicions that concert festivals, like cruises, just weren't for me. (A live version of "Money" by the Pretenders was the best thing I got out of it.) Still, I wasn't actually there, so I'm open to learning more. But if a documentary is to be made to set the record straight, can't multibillionaire festival founder Steve Wozniak pick up the tab instead of begging "us" for cash?
From the Kickstarter pitch:
Remember the US FESTIVAL!
When Music, Technology, People Were UNITED... IN SONG
New documentary film on the innovative and influential 1982 US FESTIVAL - remastered music; never-before-told stories; never-before-seen footage; featured interviews from then and now; campaign now live on Kickstarter!
This campaign is to complete a feature-length documentary on the 1982 US Festival ("US" as in "you and me"), a magnificent, innovative, influential, and sometimes forgotten West Coast mega-concert. The film is mostly done, some of the music is licensed and cleared, this campaign allows us to license additional music and finish post production. If you've not heard about The US Festival, that's either a function of your age, or probably because the story has never been told. It's a really good story though - and we're very proud to tell it.
1982 lineup. It was 110 degrees that weekend and 100 arrests, plus 35 drug overdoses. The festival lost a reported $12 million.
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
Song of the Day: 'She Brakes for Rainbows' by Cindy Wilson
Cindy Wilson's solo EP, "Sunrise," is available now HERE. None of the songs have been uploaded to YouTube -- so enjoy this rare live-with-a-backing-track performance from "Wigstock" 1989 -- but here are a few thoughts. The titular opener is an unexpected treat, dare I say almost not sounding like it could be her (in a totally not-an-insult kind of way). Brilliant way to kick this solo effort off. "Take My Time" is what you'd expect from a B girl -- fun and 52 friendly -- and "Brother" has an aggressive, almost Breeders vibe to it. Good stuff. My issues, however, are that a five-song collection then features an instrumental ("Wake Up") and a very atmospheric track ("Corporeal") that kind of reek of filler, which would be a lot more forgivable on a full-length album. Cindy's scheduled solo show at Gramercy Theatre has also been canceled, much to my disappointment, although I can't help wondering if it has anything to do with a solo outing decades in the making turning out to be kind of half-baked.
UPDATE:
The concert was rescheduled in Brooklyn -- I didn't make it -- but the EP is online now, and it's growing on me.
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