Archive | July, 2010

Happy Birthday Trebek

22 Jul

A big happy 70th birthday to Jeopardy host, Alex Trebek and I think I can speak for everyone when I say, “You think you’re pretty smart, don’t you? What with your Diego mustache and your greasy hair!

Now, putting aside Celebrity Jeopardy skits on SNL, Jeopardy is one of the most watched television game shows and day after day its unique brand of corny humor combined with its contestants, the pedantic intelligentsia of our nation, and its either obsessed viewing public or those Jeopardy novices who like watching just in case a music category is included – that would be me – has made the show a huge success and Alex Trebek a household name, like Bob Barker.

B...B is for Barker

So, in honor of Jeopardy and Trebek, I thought we could answer a question that most people have about Jeopardy but never ask. Where does that catchy theme music come from?

Imagine this? The theme song that has become the anthem of thought, was composed to be a lullaby. Entitled, “A Time for Tony,” Merv Griffin, the show’s creator, wrote the piece for his son, Tony. It blossomed as the “Think” music that is as synonymous with the show as contestants having trouble with their buzzers. Best yet, Griffin estimates that the song has grossed $70-80 million in royalties. Think about that!

Enjoy: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXGhvoekY44

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Best Alcohol-Related Song: “Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffet

21 Jul

Apparently, Music Court viewers like the blues. “One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer,” the John Lee Hooker classic about drunkenness and loss, took home the prestigious prize of Best Alcohol-Related Song. A very solid choice. The included John Lee Hooker video is amazing. I will admit that. But, in my opinion, as much as alcohol is very well represented in the title and in Hooker’s growl, the best song that deals with the art of bombs, shots and guns (wow, who knew booze were so violent. Nothing like alcohol personification) is “Margaritaville” by Jimmy Buffet. The other choices are good ones, but, heck, I am happy when I drink and I’m telling you this is just such a light drinking song. You hear me! The song is AWESOME! Okay, failed drunk attempt. Let’s get to some real reasons.

Buffet's frozen concoction that helps him hang on

Firstly, come on, Buffet has made an entire bar/restaurant franchise out of his hit and you can’t even say the man is selling out, because his other songs have to do with hamburgers and paradise. Seriously, the man is a restaurateur who happened to be proficient with an acoustic guitar. His restaurant company even sells margarita makers. Margarita makers. The song has turned into a trademark that promotes drinking. In an economical sense the song is an easy win.

 
But, from a music sense just look at these lyrics.

“I blew out my flip-flop
Stepped on a pop-top
Cut my heel had to cruise on back home
But there’s booze in the blender
And soon it will render
That frozen concoction that helps me hang on”

I don’t care if the song is corny and is the child of a man who created a song entitled bluntly, “Why don’t we get Drunk and Screw.” We are not judging great songs. I mean, this may very well be the worst song on the list. But, it is horribly catchy and has such a cult following its scary. Well, a lot of people like to drink and listen to Buffet. His name is Buffet. Look, he is an escape. The lyrics above practically say, I had to leave fantasy land, but, there are still booze back home so everything will be okay. Yes, it does sound like the song is promoting alcoholism, but, like Buffet’s annual Summer appearance at Jones Beach Theater, it is good in small doses. Look, the man puts on an entertaining show and his song is just such a pleasant drinking song. You listen to it and say, “Hey, where is my margarita.” Well, Buffet would probably respond. “You can now make them at home using this”

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I Am Going to Make It Through This Set If It Kills Me

20 Jul

If you are a frequent visitor to this blog you know that I am a huge fan of John Darnielle’s band, The Mountain Goats. His excellent lyrical ability combined with catchy chords and his emotion takes The Mountain Goats’ music to an empyrean level of musical bliss. Today, I found a new way to use one of the Mountain Goats’ song…besides just listening to and enjoying it.

John Darnielle

If you have ever seen Darnielle in concert you can vouch for me. He is nuts. The man is incredibly emotional about his trade…and his trade is rocking out on the acoustic guitar. When I saw him in Ithaca he broke a guitar string. I was surprised he did not break any more strings, or the guitar itself. When I sat down on a gym bench today to do a back exercise, “This Year,” off of The Sunset Tree, released in 2005, a song that focuses on Darnielle when he was a 17-year-old struggling to break through the last year of his childhood, came on, on my extensive Ipod Favorites playlist.

The opening repetitive riff leads perfectly into Darnielle’s first verse which immediately pumped me up before I did my set. In the chorus Darnielle sings, “I am going to make it through this year if it kills me,” and, while it is not yelled with a heavy guitar solo and fireworks, it provides just enough passion to hide the weight you are lifting. Not to mention this awesome backing vocals and Darnielle’s amazingly intense voice. As the acoustic was strummed with hard down strokes and Darnielle ended the song, I found myself pretty surprised with the weight I was lifting. I did make it through the set.

Great odd video below:

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Relax. I’ll need some information first. Just the basic facts. Where is Gilmour going?

19 Jul

A few days ago I reported that David Gilmour will join Roger Waters for the performance of “Comfortably Numb” at one of Waters’ “The Wall” concert dates  (https://musiccourt.wordpress.com/2010/07/16/david-gilmour-and-roger-waters-will-reunite-at-least-once-more-for-one-song/). Waters and Gilmour, both great showmen, will leave a lot of eager ticket holders and fans obscured by clouds and in the dark on where Gilmour will join Waters on stage (I’m sorry, Pink Floyd puns are so tempting). Will it remain a surprise? Probably. I can’t see Waters revealing this information when it stands to make him even more money than the epic tour already stands to make. But, that does not mean I cannot guess.

Awesome Floyd Wallpaper (www.wallpaperbase.com)

In my mind, Waters and Gilmour will choose from one or two options. Gilmour can surprise the world, and a very pleased New York crowd, and make his grand appearance at either of the Madison Square Garden dates in early October. If this does happen, it most definitely demonstrates Gilmour and Waters’ willingness to play more concerts in the United States area. Now, don’t get your hopes up entirely because I am pretty sure this will not happen and, even if it does, it does not guarantee a combined tour at all. But, a Floyd fan can dream, right?

My guess is that Gilmour joins Waters at the 02 Arena in London on Tuesday, May 17, 2011. Yes, the tour reaches far into the new year. The 02 Arena is in a convenient location – it is near Gilmour’s residence – and the date is the last in the straight series of five shows played in London, only a mere hour away from the original Pink Floyd stomping grounds, Cambridge. It just all seems to perfect. But, like most things, we must wait and see. So, for now, please enjoy Floyd playing “Comfortably Numb” at Live 8 while tightly holding your tickets and hoping that maybe, just maybe, you will soon see history:

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“Well, show me the way to the next whiskey bar”: The Top Alcohol-Related Rock Songs

17 Jul

“Alcohol may be man's worst enemy, but the bible says love your enemy.” Frank Sinatra

Tomorrow, I turn 21 years old. And, in the United States, that means I will be of the legal drinking age. Now, among the youth of the nation this is quite a remarkable day where friends attempt to kill you by shoving drinks down your throat while they proudly shout out “shot, shot, shot” like that idiotic song, turning you into a one-day drinking glutton with vomit-stained clothes. No, this is not your normal bar crawl, it’s your 21’st birthday alcoholic hullabaloo. If your 21’st does not turn you into a raging alcoholic (hey, at least you can buy the stuff now), it turns you off to drinking entirely and you never want to drink a beer again (not even take a shot)…at least for a week or two.

Yes, this is the 21-year-old misadventure, a stumbling art of regret. And, tomorrow I enter into the realm. No need to worry about me blogosphere, I have work on Monday and therefore, unless I want to throw up while conducting an interview, I will only be partaking in one or two recreational alcoholic beverages. But, being that I am turning 21, I thought we could temporarily turn the Music Court into a grand revelry. Time to party with a poll. What do you think the best alcohol-related rock song is?

This post was inspired by Weekly Rations blog: http://www.weeklyrations.com/?p=297

My five choices are below with video and a drinking quotation from the song. Have one you think should be on the list? Let’s talk. Vote other and comment below!

“Well my baby she gone, she been gone two night
I ain’t seen my baby since night before last
I wanna get drunk till I’m off of my mind
One bourbon, one scotch, and one beer”

“Well, show me the way
To the next whisky bar
Oh, don’t ask why
Oh, don’t ask why”

“Im Dizzy, drunk and fightin’
On tequila white lightnin’
My glass is getting shorter
On whiskey, ice and water
So come on and have a good time
And get blinded out of your mind”

“I blew out my flip-flop
Stepped on a pop-top
Cut my heel had to cruise on back home
But there’s booze in the blender
And soon it will render
That frozen concoction that helps me hang on”

“Well I woke up Sunday morning,
With no way to hold my head that didn’t hurt.
And the beer I had for breakfast wasn’t bad,
So I had one more for dessert.
Then I fumbled through my closet for my clothes,
And found my cleanest dirty shirt.
An’ I shaved my face and combed my hair,
An’ stumbled down the stairs to meet the day.”

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