Update! By request, my Puff the Magic Dragon triptych mix in mp3. See the "video" section after the jump for detials.
So last Thursday night I left my job in the West Village and, realizing that I only had five bucks to my name and was darn sick of pizza, I decided to get dinner at the place on my block that I have thus far avoided going to: the KFC/Taco Bell. Yeah. That one.
The next morning as I turn the corner onto 6th Ave, I notice a swarm of reporters and satellite vans all straining to peek in the window of said franchise. If you live in NYC then you know what happened (local TV and newspapers, faced with a slow day, made the story priority number one), but at the time I was clueless. For a terror stricken moment my brain screamed "EBOLA!", and I felt my bowels pinch. Then I passed through the melle, heard all the talk of a huge rat infestation, and ended up clutching my stomach instead.
But ultimately, I was glad it was just plain ol' rats and not something worse. And since it's been almost a week and I don't seem food poisoned or plague ridden, I'll assume I got off lucky. And so - here's a musical tribute to rats! Zip file 1 Zip file 2
Speaking of shifty vermin, here's my favorite little trivia piece tucked way down into the Reuters article about the rat-tastrophie: "Earlier this week, the president of KFC, also known as Kentucky Fried Chicken, asked Pope Benedict XVI for a papal blessing for its new Fish Snacker sandwich." Now that's a meeting I would like to sit in on.
In other news, tonight (Wednesday) is almost your last chance to check out the art exhibit of Scopitones down at the d.u.m.b.o. arts center. If you don't know, these are the charming 60s music shorts that used to play in in video music boxes. The Scopitones blog has more details on the lecture taking place tonight, as well as tons of Scopitones that you can download. My favorites include an inspired bit of psychedelia from The Martin Circus, the incomparable Joi Lansing (Queen of All Scopitones), and one with a bunch of white-haired musicians that we were told we would like (and yes, we do!). While not the most exciting to watch, this Scopitone featuring the squeaky clean Back Porch Majority (which sounds kinda dirty to me) actually brought down the empire when the band sued the company over their insertion of randy underwear shots. Oh, but what would they make of this one? But the most famous Scopitone making the round (after Nancy Sinatra) is the as-yet-unidentified "Mister Eraserhead".
Now, on with this week's mp3 internet blog finds. Follow the jump!
- An international musical meal begins with some Peruvian Psychedelia, followed by a taste of Japan via Slap Happy Humphrey, with dessert from diminutive French ye-ye prodigy Jocelyne. Afterwards, apertifs with the "Paul Lynde of cuban go-go music", Eduardo Davidson.
- Speaking of meals, "When Jerry Lee Lewis sings about meat, you listen."
- RIP Charles Gocher of Sun City Girls. Here's an early singles collection in his memory.
Only Men Fall in Love...and sing about it over a synth beat.
- "Ever wondered what This Guy's In Love With You sound's like when it's played on the Viola d'Amore? How about Wishin and Hopin played on harpsichord and baroque trumpet?"
- From country to soul, a guitar player so good, they named him Virtue. Tastes great alongside this vintage Johnny Ray EP.
- Buddy Holly moves to 5th Avenue and records in his living room.
- A plethora of percussive platters (all through Rapidshare, so be warned).
- Way more than you wanted to know about Rick Springfield, that workin' class dog.
- The soundtrack to one of my favorite kiddie shows, The Big Blue Marble.
- Post-Punk junk update: PPJ master Bret dropped me a line to say that he has a new podcast/mixtape site launching in April. In the meantime, check out his movie blog, which currently features an essay on the amazing Stunt Rock, and mp3s of all the old HBO bumper ads (which believe it or not, I've been looking for for a while).
- My other favorite blogger, Reverend Frost, just returned from a little time away from the internets. But what a return: scorching Rod Willis!
- Aretha vs Dusty. I got to say that Dusty wins this round, just cause she was there first.
- From the Green Room of the Edison Hotel in New York, please welcome Little Jack Little.
- Texas Psychedelia from the 60s.
- Romantic encounters are requested.
- Oh, hey, remember The Flesh Eaters?
Tons of music videos this week:
Puff! Puff! Puff! I just opened this in three windows and had them each a fraction of a second off and it was freaking brilliant! I even documented it for you. Update: Now also in mp3!
- Some amazing Sanrio-style shredding that is just plain awesome (and it's even to a delightfully cheesy song from Bill & Ted's). While you're at it check out last year's Air Guitar World champ. You'll never see a chubby guy in a tiger sweatshirt rock so hard.
- Ken's contortionist dancers (who are on the blog somewhere, but I can't find them right now) may have their hands full battling the leg-crazy moves of Melissa Mason.
- From 60's Hong Kong film The Miraculous Thief comes Chan Pao Chu's Young A-Go-Go. Also on mp3.
- Meanwhile, ABC was swingin' the airwaves with a great line-up on the tube.
- Alle Wollen Sex, as they say in How to Seduce a Playboy.
- I am smitten with Stone, the Miss Beatnick of 1966, seen here singing Plouf!. Mp3s and details here.
- Know your Finnish? What is it that Helge Schneider is saying about punks?
- Which leads to this overblown 1977 news piece on how violent punk rock was.
- I am a fucking rock star!
- Which is cooler: Canada Dry from Ann-Margret or RC Cola from Nancy Sinatra?
- The best of all cheesy Euro-disco bands, Boney M, rocks Daddy Cool in the TV Studio.
- My Name is Potato
Pay dirt. PAY DIRT! the Scopitone links alone are spectacular. Holy Fucking Mother of
Chthulu. Really cool post.I thank you from the sub-basement of my rat-infested heart.I
didn't notice any mention of this, but there's a really interesting book on rats in NYC
called "RATS (Observations on the History & Habitat of the City's Most Unwanted Inhabitants)
by Robert Sullivan.
Posted by: Jeffersonic | February 28, 2007 at 10:51 AM
So did McDonalds get a blessing for the Filet O'Fish (not a Fishwich Channel 5 morning guy >:| ) when they brought it out and KFC is just following suit, or is Colonel Sander's ghost hanging around the offices scaring everyone?
Posted by: Nick the Bard | February 28, 2007 at 11:58 AM
Oh, fellow volunteer, don't go to the standard fast food joints. If you are willing to walk, and you want some REALLY cheap tasty stuff (from possibly slightly rat-infested places, but less rat-infested than Taco Bell/KFC), walk down to Chinatown. Sun Dou is one of the many places where you can get five tasty dumplings for $1. It's at 214 Grand St. between Mott and Elizabeth. There's also outstanding Vietnamese bahn mi (hoagies) at Viet Nam Bahn Mi So 1 at 369 Broome St. near Mott St. That's possibly the closest cheap-o Chinatown joint to the Village. The very popular Dumpling House is another option, at 118 Eldridge St (btwn Broome St & Grand St), but I prefer the lesser-known (but farther south) Prosperity Dumpling, at 46 Eldridge near Canal. And for a platter of three or four things over rice from a steam table for just $3, go to 51 Division St. There's lots of cheap stuff in that Manhattan Bridge overpass section of Chinatown.
Also:
http://www.chowhound.com/topics/312837
And in the West Village itself, hit up the Hummus Place around 99ish MacDougal St., or Taim at 222 Waverly Pl. for top-notch falafel. Not as cheap, but not as far as Chinatown.
Posted by: Ike | February 28, 2007 at 03:48 PM
Oh, believe you me, the fast food joints are NOT my usual stops - it just happened to be the only thing between me and the subway stop and I was tired and angry and broke - a lethal combination that makes one do stupid things (and, indeed, is the state of mind most fast food eaters seem to always be in). I'm more of a local food, small resturant eater myself and I try to avoid that kind of stuff most of the time. But I do think it was funny that the one time I fall off the wagon, so to speak, I got burned so bad.
Posted by: Resident Clinton | February 28, 2007 at 04:08 PM