http://stuckbetweenstations.org Music matters as if music mattered Wed, 01 Jul 2009 22:45:25 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en Baby, baby, I can’t let go I got the Seeds on the stereo…. The Zeros, “Wild Weekend” Last Thursday, the world lost a musical pioneer known for his childlike wonder. He sealed his reputation making joyful noise, yet also seemed doomed to tiptoe through fields of anguish and despair. The singer precisely ... http://stuckbetweenstations.org/2009/06/30/the-aviator-part-ii-sky-saxon/ Can you just imagine digging up the King, Begging him to sing About the heavenly mansions Jesus mentioned.... He went walking on the water with his pills. Warren Zevon, "Jesus Mentioned" When Elvis left the building a generation ago at what seemed then the very advanced age of 42, I loved a few of his ... http://stuckbetweenstations.org/2009/06/28/the-aviator-part-i-michael-jackson/ I enjoy cathartic, noisy racket as much as just about anyone, but there are times when I just need music to transport me breathlessly and rapturously to a magical place I'd never see on my own. As a little kid with a homemade cardboard rocket, I remember hearing Julie ... http://stuckbetweenstations.org/2009/06/14/mayra-andrades-lunar-mission/ If I had the opportunity to replay video footage of my entire life (a horrifying prospect, for those who haven't seen the Albert Brooks movie Defending Your Life), I could pinpoint the precise moment where music became more than just background noise and started to become a passionate life force. ... http://stuckbetweenstations.org/2009/06/07/sandpaper-and-velvet-koko-taylors-chicago/ Burrowing through the hidden recesses of Tivo's "Video on demand" menus, past the usual high-profile Amazon and Netflix offerings, I recently tripped over a set of sub-menus that surfaced lo-fi, low-profile offerings pulled straight off the web. It was there I stumbled on Gemini Rising, a web-only mini-series about a ... http://stuckbetweenstations.org/2009/05/24/gemini-rising/ I’m a walking bag of contradictions. In my mind’s eye, I am free of bigotry, but as soon as someone I don’t know walks in the room, I immediately start sizing up the music they listen to, based upon their appearance and wardrobe alone. Typically, the set of ... http://stuckbetweenstations.org/2009/05/24/heavy-metal-drummer/ The noble quest of Pennsylvania's Arlen Specter to be the keystone in the Senate's archway may have ruined his chance to sing with Senator Orrin Hatch and the Osmonds. Switching parties was a drastic step, but I personally blame the EPA for years of inaction. For two decades, scientists ... http://stuckbetweenstations.org/2009/04/30/stuck-in-the-middle-with-flu/ Just shy of 23 years ago, when I shared a tiny apartment in D.C. with two music-obsessed buddies, a staggering collection of vinyl, and zero umbrellas, I walked a few miles in an insane rainstorm wearing a garbage bag to see the Feelies play the 9:30 Club, and it was ... http://stuckbetweenstations.org/2009/04/21/the-feelies/ Sometimes after seeing a movie with memorable music, I later discover that the best songs are missing from the soundtrack. This recently happened with my six-year old daughter Amelia’s favorite, Bridge to Terabithia, which moves from tween fantasy fare to thorny and honestly portrayed realist drama once the music ... http://stuckbetweenstations.org/2009/04/10/zooey-and-the-terabithians/ Those of us old enough to remember that being obsessed with music used to mean hefting stacks of LP-filled milk crates from high school bedrooms to college dorms also have strong memories of flipping through endless stacks of musty cardboard LP sleeves in record stores. We weren't just looking for ... http://stuckbetweenstations.org/2009/03/21/lp-coverlover/