A Rubber Door » entertainment

Foo Fighters Friday: All My Life

Speener — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 13:00:09 +0000

I’ve always thought that David Grohl has one of the best screams in rock – this is the song to use as an example (when I try and sing along at this in the car, I can’t talk for days after).

Big time rock anthem and a highlight of any Foo show.

Foo Fighters Friday: Best of You

Speener — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 16:31:42 +0000

One of the staples of any Foo Fighters’ show.

Foo Fighter Fridays: Big Me

Speener — Fri, 16 Sep 2011 17:39:37 +0000

One of my favorite touring acts, the Foo Fighters are touring this fall. For all of my reader, I’ve decided to post my favorite Foo songs eachFriday until they hit Philly on Thursday, November 10th (why not Foo Fighter Thursday – it doesn’t sound as good and I just remembered today.)

This week I start with Big Me: this is the first Foo Fighters’ video to show off the humor that they’ve become famous for. Not the first single from that album, but probably the most well known.

Ultra-high doses of “Breaking Bad”

Speener — Tue, 28 Jun 2011 13:06:31 +0000

When Breaking Bad debuted 3 years ago, I heard and ignored all of the accolades and all the recommendations from friends. Recently though, we decided to go through an intense round of Breaking Bad to catch up. Two seasons in about a month.

Wow.

I’ve done this before with other series, but Breaking Bad is as intense a show as I’ve ever seen, so watching this many episodes in such a short period of time is mentally exhausting. At the beginning of season 1 and into season 2, Breaking Bad seemed to be a weekly expose on how to suck at being a drug dealer. As season 2 has progressed, it’s become much more character driven and dealt with some weighty themes. Walt’s sinister side. Jesse’s vulnerability. Cause and effect. The thin line between good and bad.

Some of these episodes require a break after watching, but we’ll power through so that we’re all caught up in time for season 4 to begin on July 17, 2011.

I may need a Valium by then.

Waiting for Radiohead – King of Limbs

Speener — Fri, 18 Feb 2011 13:14:01 +0000

UPDATE: Wait no longer – Radiohead released the album a day early. In true Radiohead fashion, it was released early because “everything was ready and in place, so Radiohead decided there’s no need to wait an extra day.”

Back in the day I remember buying albums unheard. No 30 second samples. No streams. No bootlegs. Maybe you’d hear a song on the radio, but that was it.

Now we make decisions based on an avalanche of information and access, and the experience has long ago changed.

Tomorrow Radiohead’s next album “The King of Limbs” will be released and I haven’t heard a damn thing – and I like that.

Don’t get me wrong, I love new technology opening me to more music than I’d ever have access to before. But I don’t need any information to know that I would buy Radiohead’s album and enjoy.

Going into tomorrow with all my expectations in tact is refreshing.

Cool cover songs

Speener — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 13:45:33 +0000

My iTunes collection is full of unique, weird covers, so I’ve been working on a playlist of cool cover songs. It’s difficult, because often I didn’t realize a song I liked was a cover (growing up, I didn’t realize “Pretty Woman” wasn’t an Al Green song. There are also covers like Toxic by Mark Ronson or “Common People” by William Shatner which surpass the original.)

So here are fifty some songs that I know are covers. I may be wrong about the original artist – let me know if I am. Share your favorite covers in the comments section. Click here to see the full list.

On another note – don’t forget to tune into my friend Joey’s show every Monday at 3 PM on Y Rock on XPN .

Name	Artist	Original Artist (I think)
No Surprises	Easy Star All-Stars	Radiohead
Reason to Believe	Michael Penn & Aimee Mann	Bruce Springsteen
Heroes	Peter Gabriel	David Bowie
Mercy Street	Elbow	Peter Gabriel
Let Down	Easy Star All-Stars	Radiohead
Human Nature	David Mead	Michael Jackson
Gone Daddy Gone	Gnarls Barkley	Violent Femmes
Sleep To Dream	Bettye Lavette	Fiona Apple
Oh, Pretty Woman	Al Green	Roy Orbison
Wonderwall	Ryan Adams	Oasis
Hurt	Johnny Cash	Nine Inch Nails
Crazy Mary	Pearl Jam	Victoria Williams
i’m looking through you	The Wallflowers	The Beatles
Pennyroyal Tea	Kristin Hersh	Nirvana
Lights	The Jayhawks	Victoria Williams
They Don’t Know	Tracey Ullman
Lay Lady Lay	Magnet	Bob Dylan
Personal Jesus	Johnny Cash	Depeche Mode
Handle With Care	Jenny Lewis with The Watson Twins	Travelling Wilburys
Beautiful	Elvis Costello	Christina Aguilera
Paranoid Android	Section	Radiohead
Hallelujah	Jeff Buckley	Leonard Cohen
Keep the Car Running (BBC Radio 1′s Six Weeks of Summer)	Foo Fighters	Arcade Fire
Airbag	Easy Star All-Stars	Radiohead
Helter Skelter	U2	The Beatles
The Man Who Sold The World	Nirvana	David Bowie
let it be	Nick Cave	The Beatles
Crazy	Shawn Colvin	Gnarlz Barkley
Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa (Vampire Weekend Cover)	Hot Chip & Peter Gabriel	Vampire Weekend
I Want You Back	Discovery	The Jackson 5
Come Talk To Me	Bon Iver	Peter Gabriel
Private Eyes	The Bird And The Bee	Hall & Oates
Wave of Mutilation	Kristin Hersh	The Pixies
Karma Police	Section	Radiohead
Hey Ya	Booker T.	Outkast
across the universe	Rufus Wainwright	The Beatles
Just (featuring Phantom Planet)	Mark Ronson	Radiohead
Tenderness On The Block	Shawn Colvin	Jackson Browne
Toxic (featuring Ol’ Dirty Bastard & Tiggers)	Mark Ronson	Britney Spears
Sea Of Love	Cat Power	Phil Phillips
I Don’t Remember	David Byrne	Peter Gabriel
Mexican Radio	El Vez	Wall of Voodoo
Common People	William Shatner featuring Joe Jackson	Pulp
How Am I Different	Bettye Lavette	Aimee Mann
Thirteen	Elliott Smith	Big Star
I Will Survive	Cake	Gloria Gaynor
God Put a Smile On Your Face (featuring The Daptone Horns)	Mark Ronson	Coldplay
(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction	Cat Power	Rolling Stones
Flume	Peter Gabriel	Bon Iver
Hospital Beds	Florence and the Machine	Cold War Kids
(Looking For) The Heart Of Saturday Night	Shawn Colvin	Tom Waits
Kiss On My List	The Bird And The Bee	Hall & Oates
Four Season in One Day (live)	Mary Chapin Carpenter	Crowded House
My Body Is a Cage	Peter Gabriel	Arcade Fire
Paranoid Android	Easy Star All-Stars	Radiohead
Trouble	Kristin Hersh	Cat Stevens
Little Wing	Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble	Jimi Hendrix
Stop Me	Mark Ronson	The Smiths

Radio doesn’t have to suck

Speener — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 16:00:32 +0000

There was a time when radio didn’t suck. Sure there was payola, but generally the music won out. Those times seem long ago.

Last week I was listening to my friend Joey do is first show on Y-Rock on XPN and it made me miss the good old days of music first radio. He deftly mixed new and old – Arcade Fire with Fugazi; Mumford & Sons with Sleater Kinney. I’m not sure why so many stations seem to think that you can play new or old – but the two should never mix. And when they do play old – it’s the single and not the deep track.

Joey’s show is on Mondays from 3 to 6 PM and you can listen to it on the WXPN website, in iTunes radio, or download the WXPN app in the iPhone app store.

You can also send Joey requests on AOL IM at yrockonxpn.

If you like music that doesn’t suck – please click the Facebook like button under the title of this post to share with your friends.

New Michael Penn Video: Count of Pennsylvania

Speener — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 12:30:55 +0000

Two years ago, we were all riding a wave a hope for the future. Michael Penn wrote a songlet (his words) for my blog series about the Presidential election that was perfect for the feelings of the day.

Today that wave has receded, and in its wake it has left anger, hate, and apathy – so Michael has updated the song to reflect this day.

What will Count of Pennsylvania 2012 sound like?

Find Michael Penn on Facebook.

Top 10 Cars of Television and Movies

Spencer — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 13:00:49 +0000

With the A-Team coming out this week and the news that James Bond’s iconic Aston Martin is going to auction, I thought putting together a list of my favorite movie or TV cars.

Here’s my list:

Speed Racer – The Mach 5
James Bond – Aston Martin
Knight Rider – Kitt – Trans Am
Dukes of Hazzard – The General Lee*
The A-Team van
Bullit – The Mustang
Smokey and the Bandit – Trans Am
Batman – The Batmobile
Scooby Doo – The Mystery Machine
Spenser for Hire – Hawk’s Six series BMW

What are your suggestions? I struggled after 8.

*A co-worker questioned the General Lee because of the confederate flag on the front. I guess I never viewed this as a problem at the time. Of course I was 11 years old and the controversy of the flag didn’t hit me. So I think I have to adjust my list – not remove the General Lee, but it shouldn’t be #1 on the list.

Lost Across the Sea Recap – An episode that challenges the faithful and the patient

Spencer — Thu, 13 May 2010 00:19:43 +0000

via nydailynews.com

After all these years of Lost, I’m annoyed at my fellow fans. Obviously last night’s episode Across the Sea was important to the overall story and covered facts that needed to be told. As such it was an transitional episode – an episode that sets up the next few episodes.

I think after all this time the producers of Lost deserve our loyalty, our faith. I’m reserving judgement until the story is told and not until then.

As for the episode. It is very apparent to me that Locke and Jack are Jacob and his brother. The scene where MIB tells Jacob that he has found a way off he island and Jacob responds that he doesn’t want to leave the island – that the island was his home – that’s a scene that Jack and Locke did earlier in the series. Man of Faith, Man of Science.

Also, I found it interesting that the two brothers were conceived off the island and born there. The protector can’t be conceived on the island – this is the reason for the fertility experiments (led by Ben who is aligned with Jacob) and ultimately why Jacob goes to find his replacement off the island.

Also – did you notice that CJ (Alison Janey) was killed by MIB without her saying a word?

One thing I didn’t like was the end, after the death of CJ and MIB, when Jacob arranges them in the cave, where the directors showed Jack and Kate finding their bodies years later. Lost is generally good at not making such overt hints – they reward their most attentive, faithful watchers and give them much more credit than this. That was the sort of thing that we would have figured out, but obviously it was so important we couldn’t be trusted not to catch it.

What were your thoughts?

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