A Mild Uproar of Fun

Bonnie Prince Billy with the Cario Gang

Opening act, Eleventh Dream Day.

Netflix is a great place to discover/rediscover gems from our television past. To make it more orderly, I have made a Top 5 list of some favorites that I’ve recently watched on Instant Netflix.

Here we go:

5. Kolchak: The Night Stalker (ABC)

Since I have only watched a couple of episodes so far, I am not yet fully engrossed into this classic supernatural series. Still, it’s nice to finally see it and understand its influential impact on later sci-fi series such as The X-Files. If you’re like me and didn’t catch it the first time around because you weren’t yet born, Kolchak is a newspaper reporter who investigates stories (much to the chagrin of his editor and the local police department) that are often too fantastic for the real world like zombies, werewolves, and vampires. An added bonus is that the series is set in Chicago, so it is fascinating seeing the cityscape in the 70’s.

4. This American Life (Showtime)

If you like the NPR program, than chances are high that you are going to like the television series. Originally aired on Showtime, This American Life, like the radio program, is hosted by Ira Glass who breaks down the stories into multiple acts. It’s a shame that there are only two seasons to explore. I have only gotten into a few episodes from the first season, but I am looking forward to completing the series soon.

3. Ken Burn’s Jazz (PBS)

An exhausting, in-depth look at the American art form that is jazz music and the individuals who birthed it. Like Burn’s Baseball series, Jazz also uses its subject as an excuse to actually tell the history of America. For the most part, the series was a fascinating view and truly helped me appreciate areas of jazz such as the big band era that I hadn’t really considered in the past (particularly the genius of Duke Ellington). My only real complaint is that there were a few notable jazz musicians that were left off or were merely a footnote (even jazz giant John Coltrane was given short airtime compared to his contributions to the genre). Apryl convinced me to take on the Jazz series, which was quit a task. The series is presented in 10 parts with a running time of 1140 minutes!

2. Thriller (NBC)

The original Thriller with host Boris Karloff comes on every Sunday night here in Chicago, and yet I haven’t been enamored with it as much as other series like The Twilight Zone or Alfred Hitchcock, despite the fact that they are produced in very much the same vein. I believe the issue was that I wasn’t catching the right episodes. So, I used this refrence to discover the most worthy episodes. And boy, am I glad that I did. My favorite so far is The Grim Reaper starring William Shatner and written by Robert Bloch (Psycho).

1. The Twilight Zone (CBS)

Without a doubt, my favorite television series of all time, is now on Instant Netflix! Even though I have seen nearly every episode of this classic hundreds of times, it is still nice revisiting old friends. I am waiting for it to warm up a little outside to watch my all time favorite, Walking Distance, which is set during the summertime. In the meantime, I have caught a few episodes I had forgotten or had never seen such as the non syndicated An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, which was actually a short French film that the producers bought to end the final season of the series. Unfortunately, Netflix does not have the hour long episodes up yet, so I will have to wait to catch another personal favorite of mine, the rarely seen Miniature (not added to syndication due to legal issues). However, I suppose I could watch it now subtitled in Spanish.

And because it’s hard to fit everyone in, we have…

Honorable Mention: Rainbow Quest

I had never even heard of this series until Netflix recommended it to me. Rainbow Quest is hosted by folk legend Pete Seeger (who performs throughout the program) and contains interviews and performances with folk singers of the day. Even though I haven’t watched a full episode yet, I had to include it on this list for this appearance from Elizabeth Cotten. Recently, I have fallen in love with Cotten’s playing, and so it was wonderful getting to see her in action. The best part of the interview is how Cotten tells the viewers how she became a maid for Pete Seeger’s parents before being discovered.

Destroyer at Lincoln Hall

David Grisman Quintet Plus at Old Town School of Folk Music

Cario Gang at Reckless Records (Record Store Day)

Make your pledge now.

It is hard to believe that we are almost done with the first month of 2011! And, I never even posted my 2010 end of the year list. For shame. Well, here we go:

Top 10 Concerts of 2010:

10. Rhythm Devils at House of Blues
9. Railroad Earth at House of Blues
8. Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Millennium Park
7. LCD Soundsystem at Pitchfork Music Festival
6. Panda Bear at Pitchfork Music Festival
5. Caribou at Millennium Park
4. John Prine at Ravinia (from Prairie Home Companion)
3. Pavement at Pitchfork Music Festvial
2. Furthur at UIC (both shows)
1. Bonnie Prince Billy and the Cairo Gang at Lincoln Hall (early show)

- Being a new Deadhead was the direct result of #10, #9, and #2 being on this list.

Top 10 Favorite Songs of 2010

10. The National - Bloodbuzz Ohio
9. Gil Scott-Heron - New York Is Killing Me
8. Woods - Suffering Season
7. Deerhunter - Helicopter
6. Phosphorescent - It’s Hard To Be Humble (When You’re From Alabama)
5. Beach House - Used to Be
4. MGMT - Someone’s Missing
3. Avey Tare - 3 Umbrellas
2. Sufjan Stevens - I Walked
1. Atlas Sound - Untitled

- While I might have listened to a lot of older music (especially the Dead) last year, I still got around to checking out a few new stuff. Most of it didn’t excite me that much, but the these tracks sure did.

Top 10 Favorite Songs I Discovered In 2010 (Not including the Dead)

10. String Cheese Incident - Land’s End (1997)
9. Jorma Kaukonen - Song for the North Star (1974)
8. Van Dyke Parks - John Jones (1972)
7. Railroad Earth - Storms (2004)
6. Harry Nillsson - Jump Into the Fire (1971)
5. Béla Fleck - Somerset (1986)
4. The Staple Singers - I Had a Dream (1959)
3. Elizabeth Cotten - Shake Sugaree (1967)
2. Moondog - Do Your Thing (1978)
1. Crosby & Nash - Southbound Train (1972)

- Admittedly, I was late in the game on these amazing songs. I suppose better late than never. See a theme going on? Anyway, a few notes here: 10) Yes, I did include a String Cheese Incident song here. Feel free to make fun of me. The truth is that I tried to get into other jam bands but to little avail. SCI was one of the few that kept me interested, especially “Land’s End”. 9) Jorma Kaukonen was always my favorite Jefferson Airplane member. 8) How did I go so long without listening to Van Dyke Parks solo albums? 7) Another “jam band” that I got into was Railroad Earth. Best seen live but their albums hold up quite nicely, too. 6) I am new to Harry Nillsson even though “Everybody’s Talkin’” is one of my favorite songs. I had only know “Jump Into the Fire” as that wonderful song in Goodfellas where Henry is driving around paranoid, looking up at the helicopters in the sky. 5) Have you listened to Béla Fleck’s early albums? They are so lovely, especially “Somerset” which comes off the Inroads album. 4) I love the Staple Singers but had not dived into their early recordings until last year. Boy have I been missing out! 3) I have the Dead to thank for introducing me to Elizabeth Cotten. Easily, one of my favorite guitar players. So unique her style is called “Cotten pickin’” 2) I finally sought out more from Moondog, and I am so grateful that I did. “Do Your Thing” just might be the best song ever recorded. 1) I don’t know what it is about this Crosby and Nash song I love so much but I probably played it more than any other song last year (includes Jerry Garcia on pedal steel).

Top 5 Movies Watched On Netflix Instant Watch (That I Hadn’t Seen Before):

5. Phantasm (1979) - I can’t believe I hadn’t seen this! For years, I skipped it thinking that I had. Big mistake!
4. Bela Fleck: Throw Down Your Heart (2008) - If you are a fan of music, I think you will enjoy this musical adventure.
3. You’re Gonna Miss Me (2005) - The sad tale of whatever happened to Roky Erickson. Very reminiscent of The Devil and Daniel Johnston. Both could make for a fascinating yet depressing double feature.

2. The Cove (2009) - Another depressing documentary but extremely well done and meaningful.
1. The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters (2007) - The biggest surprise of the bunch. I was expected a lighthearted documentary about video game obsession. Instead, I was treated to a morality play between good and evil. Or something like that. Highly recommended.

- We just got Netflix for our Wii a few months ago so expect a few more recommendations in 2011.

Top 5 Places I Visited For Work

5. New Orleans, LA - I didn’t get to spend much time here. Just enough to enjoy an oyster poboy. However, not enough time to get a beignet. How sad.
4. NYC - I worked with Yankees’ manager Joe Girardi at the House of Blues in Times Square. More importantly, I got to hang out with my friend, Brad.
3. State College, PA - I worked here twice last year. Once, we drove there. I never imagined that Pennsylvania was so pretty. The second time we flew, and I had the best crab cakes I have ever had in my life. And I got to meet Joe Peterno.
2. San Diega, CA - It was hard having to leave paradise to return to the harsh, Chicago winter.

1. Dyserville, Iowa - Actually, it was a detour stop on the way home from a shoot with The Weather Channel. Details aside, I got to run the bases at the Field of Dreams baseball field.

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Random food photos from 2010:

Tasty french toast from Dixie Quicks in Omaha, NE.

The Super Grouper at Frenchy’s in Tampa, FL

The Peachy Paterno on campus at Penn State.

A half-eaten Rickwood Dog at the Rickwood Classic in Birmingham, AL.

My favorite pie! Baked and decorated by Apryl.

The cinnamon buns at Ann Sather.

Homemade pizza with spinach and goat cheese. Yummy!

Apryl makes amazing home fries!

Unbelievable tasting pork chops! The waiter sold me on this when she told me that if she was only allowed on food for the rest of her life, this would be it. Too bad this is off the menu for me at the moment while I’m still practicing vegetarianism.

One of my favorite meals of 2010 was this crab cake in State College, PA.

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Top 5 Favorite Personal Photos of 2010 (in no order)

Goodbye 2010. Hello 2011!

Last day to make a pledge for WEVL’s Fall Pledge Drive. Hurry up!

Join us! Join us!

It’s funny how many Deadheads I come across, now that I am a fan. Yesterday, I walked past a runner wearing a tie-dye shirt with the Grateful Dead lighting bolt logo. On a film shoot last week, the manly, gruff gaffer had the official logo tattooed on his leg. And recently, a producer I was working with was telling me about a nine hour road trip he had to make for work, but thankfully he had his Grateful Dead satellite radio to keep him company. Look around, there is bound to be a Deadhead approaching.

Finally, here are my Top 5 Picks for the casual listener looking to get into the Dead:

5. Skeletons from the Closet - Sure, it’s a greatest hits album (and not even the most comprehensive greatest hits collection from the Dead) but it flows nicely. Among the favorites, it also contains selections like “Rosemary,” which was never a hit and was only played live twice. And yet, it works.

4. The Arista Years - Another greatest hits collection. This one chronicles the band’s output from the 70’s through the 80’s, and was my first purchase from the Dead since I bought American Beauty 15 years ago. Everyone Deadhead has their favorite period, and I think my heart still belongs to the 70’s.

3. Dick’s Picks Volume 4 - Dick Pick’s are personal selections of past Grateful Dead shows from the band’s tape archivist Dick Latvala. Dick’s fourth choice for the series is another one of those considered the Dead’s best shows. With three songs of lengths over 30 minutes, the entire concert won’t appeal to all, but for others this will probably the high point in the Dead collection. Also, contains an hilarious introduction from horror host, Zacherley

2. American Beauty and Workingman’s Dead - Both of these albums are similar in vein. They are also highly regarded by critics as the Dead’s best recordings. In 1970, the Dead were mellowing their sound, bringing out the acoustic guitars to share with the world their idea of American music. Some of the Dead’s most popular songs are on these records, including “Truckin,” “Casey Jones,” “Friend of the Devil,” “Ripple,” and “Uncle John’s Band”. You also get to hear, “What a long strange trip it’s been…” Indeed.

1. Grateful Dead aka Skull & Roses - This was the Dead’s second live album. The first one Live/Dead contained what many Deadheads claim has the best rendition of “Dark Star,” a song of mecca proportions that was celebrated every time it was played. The song is also over twenty minutes, and is more than likely not the best starting point. Unlike Live/Dead, the majority of the songs on Skull & Roses (as I prefer to call it) are relatively short (only two songs stretch pass the 6 minute mark). The album also relies heavily on covers such as Merle Haggard’s “Mama Tried,” Kris Kirstofferson’s “Me and Bobbby McGee. It also captures the Dead at their most energetic, rolling through numbers like “Bertha” and “Big Railroad Blues” with such intensity and purpose that if the Dead were looking to capture the world, this album would serve as initiation purposes.

Okay, so there you have it. I’m not sure I’ve convinced a soul out there to truly give the Grateful Dead an honest listen. Perhaps, I have annoyed more than anything. Either way, I now return you to our regularly scheduled programming…