The College Crowd Digs Me

"You don't have to tell the neighbors. A little silence ain't no sin." --> John Prine <-- There is a moment when Kenny Shopsin proudly recounts the time his wife brashly walked between 2 masked men holding up a fast food place because she needed more ketchup for her french fries. It is this kind of moxy that makes... "I Like Killing Flies" (2004) an oddly compelling documentary. Opinionated chef Kenny Shopsin ...is a long-standing owner of a small hole-in-the-wall restaurant in Greenwich Village.    His ball. His rules .   Or get the f*** outta here. It’s been rumored he was the inspiration for Seinfeld ’s famous ”Soup Nazi” episodes (he wasn’t) but comparisons are easily found. Kenny Shopsin Documentaries (good ones anyway) present their subject...flaws and all.  Never overstay their welcome. And create a memory burn long after the film has been streamed. This one succeeds on all 3 counts. The film is tagged with a...

"The talk. The sex. Somebody to trust." --> Steely Dan <-- Formed in 1972, Steely Dan has produced 9 studio albums. All of them good ones. A few of them great ones. None of them bad ones. Don Fagen and Walter Becker have always set the bar high in their quality arrangements and outstanding production...and it is only by their own high standards one album can be graded over another. Steely Dan is sly kool. Like James Bond . Like the way a drink "on the rocks" holds court over a beer. Steely Dan is meant to be sipped. Never guzzled. Steely has that indefinable attitude that welcomes everyone inside...but only if you're wearing the right shoes. Dan Fagen and Walter Becker "Everything Must Go" (2003) ...might have been Steely Dan's last studio album...but it oozes with amazing confidence as if someone opened the windows and raised the blinds. Melding funky RnB and Rock around some swankin' late-night, wet street ...

Time For Mailbox Gems! Bowery Beasts "Heavy You" (2011) With a T. Rex glam-tude and striking "Going To California" vocals, Marion Belle and the rest of the Bowery Beasts pitch a uniquely fresh and comfortably familiar rock-n-roll slider. They might have a higher than usual 'love'em or hate'em' target attached to their back...but they've certainly found frequent rotation on my daily playlist. "Amulet" - Bowery Beasts Cast Iron Crow "First Edition" (2011) Cast Iron Crow are a four-man thunderspank with a GPS onboard. No missed exits. No recalculating. The guys know where they're going and how they're getting there. Filled with solid alt-metal-grunge poundage...taking the best parts from the neutron 90's and giving it a new set of wings. A spectrum that runs from Soundgarden thru Motorhead, Cast Iron Crow ain't stopping for directions. "Mindlapse" - Cast Iron Crow Jack Jeffery "The Co...

"I wish  there were more  songs with no lyrics." --> Nathan Patrick <-- HORSE HEAD MEETS NATHAN PATRICK Served in the USMC and began performing original poetry in Honolulu. Helped organize open mics for artists of all variety at College Hill Coffeehouse in Winfield, KS and The Blank Page in Wichita, KS. A self-taught photographer. Check out Nathan Patrick Photography. At 35, Nathan has added stand-up comedy to his resume. @NathanPatrick23 HORSE HEAD: Tell me about an older album/CD you think has been forgotten or underrated. A song. NATHAN PATRICK: Well I never thought Todd Snider got enough credit for "Songs from the Daily Planet" (1994) . " Songs From The Daily Planet " And I've always enjoyed Frente! 's ..."Marvin the Album" (1992) and Belly 's ... "Star" (1993) . Each were nicely done. My underrated song would be... "Helicopters" by ...

"We are programmed just to do  anything you want us to." --> Kraftwerk <-- One of the allures of older sci-fi films is the message and vision the director tries to bring to front. Director Jean-Luc Godard creates a bleak, black-n-white futuristic world in a wonderfully odd film-noirish style. "Alphaville" (filmed on the streets of Paris) is a futuristic city controlled by a super-computer with a nasty wet-phlegm voice. It demands a society of hollow people void of emotion and free thought. To assist in sucking away all human feelings...the creative arts of every medium have been completely eliminated. (Or else death will be your Santa Claus). Eddie Constantine Eddie Constantine brings a great added noir flavor to the film as the haggard secret agent... Lemmy Caution . No flash or pose. A perfect choice. The film is subtitled but don't let this deter you . Dialogue is comfortably paced and easy to follow. And despite (or because)...

"Sleep baby sleep, don't let nothing awaken you." --> Graham Parker <-- Graham Parker has been featured at The College Crowd Digs Me a time or three...and here is another underrated cream of a gem. Unfairly labeled..."the poor-man's Costello" ad nauseum, GP's music is equally as clever and arguably more interesting...taking off from a different airport and top-gunning the towers on his terms. Lost Gem:--> "Empty Lives" ...is an arson fueled indictment on the plethora of sleep-walking media zombies and leeches. Delivered with angry kiss-my-ass urgency and cranked by the blistering backing band...The Rumour. (Sadly the band would break-up a few months later.) I missed the late-night show "Fridays" ...but they did showcase some really good artists.  Below is Graham Parker and The Rumour with all their phasers on stun! Have you heard this gem? I'm just a tick in a box on a questionnaire another mome...

" I've been trying for a long, long time. Just to capture you inside a rhyme ." --> Starz <-- The Five is a terrific Robert  McCammon novel, though certainly not the palpitating type of thriller we have all come to enjoy and expect.  Sure, the elements of horror and suspense are in there, but they take a backseat to the wonderful characters deftly created.  Each member of the rock band... The Five ...ring true.  Nothing clumsy or forced.  No false notes.   The Five are a group of veteran musicians, talented and sincere, but have never quite tasted the sweet fruits of success.  And they are on the last leg of a tour that threatens to be their last.   This 500+ novel... is an homage to all "Rockers", past and present, who've tried to do their thing in this world.  And to all the fans who love them for it.  "Cherry Baby" - Starz I've been trying for a long, long time Just to capture you inside a rhyme. I've...