A Scary Halloween Indeed

As I type this one can only hope that the disastrous events that have been set into motion can be averted before midnight strikes tomorrow night. What is taking place is a monumental struggle to keep the life force of pop culture alive. The battle between the major film and television studios and the Writers Guild of America has been widely publicized within publications that those of us here are likely to read. As we try to once again find our footing here at Pop-Pop, it is essential that the source of our admiration continue unabated. The results of these negotiations could play a significant role in the fate in the near future of our happy little blog.

Due to the magnitude of this event I felt it was worthy of our pop cents. First, it is important to realize what is at stake here. If negotiations between the two sides fail, then the Screenwriters Guild will call for a strike. This will result in major disruptions to television and film schedules and thereby disrupting our pop-culture intake. Television will be affected the worst due to the short production period. Late night shows will suffer immediately. Granted, the world is certainly a better place if Jay Leno can no longer spin new material. However, losing original airings of Late Night With Conan O'Brien will be a blow felt around the universe. Eventually sitcoms and finally dramas will suffer the blow of striking screenwriters. All that will be left would be the cultural void of reality programming. While I occasionally view a reality program from time to time, I would surely enjoy the television landscape purged of that scourge. However, in this dark future that a strike presents, the studios would warmly embrace the low-cost alternative of reality television. The infamous "Slut Wars" from The TV Set could actually become a reality. Yikes! If the strike were to proceed for a decent length of time, movies would certainly take a hit.

Personally the thought of getting cut off from the pop-culture we hold dear is a disturbing one. It is a thought that can keep fanatics, such as ourselves, awake at night. Who the hell do these screenwriters think they are anyways? If they have to make sacrifices so that we can continue to receive our daily dose of pop culture, then so be it. What's the big deal anyways? Sure the entire landscape in which consumers view television is changing. And, yes, the new distribution methods almost completely ignore the rights of those writing the material.

But how much money do these greedy writers need? Even George and Jerry received at least 8 grand for their script about nothing. I would take that in a heartbeat. What's that you say? The basic television set as a portal for television shows is dying? Television ratings and total viewership has been in decline for years? Alright, so what? They are still making money hand over fist. Right now they are doing fantastic. Yeah maybe unions are supposed to look out for the future interests of its members. But the needs of the future are so far off. Wait... you say that television shows are the fastest growing sector of DVD sales? And viewership of shows online and through programs such as ITunes is increasing constantly? Hmmmm.

All kidding aside, it seems pretty clear to me that the studios are realizing that in the future standard television viewing as we know it will be obsolete. They are trying to set themselves up in the new system without having to pay due diligence. Did they really feel they could sneak past the writers the new profits from DVDs and the internet? Screenwriters deserve much more credit than they currently receive. While directors and actors get all of the credit, the writers are often times, the true geniuses at work. They deserve a fair percentage of the new innovations in television and film viewing. Hopefully the federal mediator that arrived today will see that and make the right decision. Otherwise, we could be in for a long winter.

Classic Music Video of the Week

P.S. In case the 20 videos below aren't enough for you, before the week ends, let me present this Classic Music Video of the Week.

This video is dedicated to one of our lurking readers, who checks in often enough to know what's going on in the blog, but who may be a bit shy to leave a comment. This person and I used to rock out to this song in high school because we thought it was cheesy and awesome. My friends, I had no idea how cheesy until I just watched this video. I think you'll agree it is "classic" in its own sort of special way.

So, friend of mine, this video goes out to you. Next time we hang out we can hairspray our hair, pull our shirts off one shoulder, and if we feel extra classy, add a bit of glitter. (Now you know I'm definitely talking about you!)

Readers, please enjoy this CMVW:

Runaway by Bon Jovi



P.S. Look for some wicked keyboard skills around the two and a half minute mark.

Pop Culture Showdown

It’s Friday night. I have some sort of weird bug that’s going around, so I figured I should use this time to embrace my pop culture nerd. Am I dedicated? Do I deserve a medal? Yes, of course. But I do this for you, the readers. So, I hope you enjoy this.

POP CULTURE SHOWDOWN: BAND VS. SOLO CAREER

It’s not a new concept in music: A group hits it big, reaps the benefits of fame and success, something happens to make the band break up (or at least “temporarily” disband). While the rest of the band members struggle, one person comes out on top as a successful solo artist. This week I ask that you, the readers, provide a little input. I’m going to give you ten examples of successful bands that produced (relatively, at least) successful solo acts. I ask that you place a vote for whoever you think was/is better: the band or the solo artist. I will provide a few videos, but these are simply to jog memories. (They are by no means my ultimate song choices for each artist...honestly, sometimes it just comes down to the best quality YouTube clip.) Use any songs, videos, anecdotes, etc. you would like to back up your choice, if you’d prefer. Remember that we do allow anonymous blog comments, so no need to be embarrassed by your choice.

So, let’s do this…No right or wrong answers, just straight up pop culture snobbery.

ROUND ONE: FOREIGNER VS. LOU GRAMM

As a native of Rochester, NY, Lou Gramm’s hometown, I must ask…


“Cold As Ice” by Foreigner

OR


“Midnight Blue” by Lou Gramm

ROUND TWO: THE GO-GOS VS. BELINDA CARLISLE

Blonde or redhead? Your call.


“Our Lips Are Sealed” by The Go-Gos

OR


“I Get Weak” by Belinda Carlisle

ROUND THREE: *NSYNC VS. JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE

Five teen idols or just one?


“I Drive Myself Crazy” by *NSYNC

OR


“Cry Me a River” by Justin Timberlake

ROUND FOUR: NEW EDITION VS. BOBBY BROWN

There are so many ways you could go with this one.


“Cool it Now” by New Edition

OR


“On Our Own” by Bobby Brown

ROUND FIVE: CHICAGO VS. PETER CETERA

Can you go wrong with either, really?


“If You Leave Me Now” by Chicago

OR


“The Glory of Love” by Peter Cetera

ROUND SIX: THE FUGEES VS. LAURYN HILL

Would you like a whole refugee camp or just one tough lady?


“Killing Me Softly” by The Fugees

OR


“Everything is Everything” by Lauryn Hill

ROUND SEVEN: THE POLICE VS. STING

Did Sting even age between the two?


“Roxanne” by The Police

OR


“Desert Rose” by Sting (featuring Cheb Mami)

ROUND EIGHT: COMMODORES VS. LIONEL RICHIE

You’ll be dancing on the ceiling of your brick house.


“Easy” by the Commodores

OR


“All Night Long (All Night)” by Lionel Richie

ROUND NINE: THE SMITHS VS. MORRISSEY

Neither are exactly “uppers.”

“There is a Light That Never Goes Out” by The Smiths

OR


“Suedehead” by Morrissey


And finally…


ROUND TEN (THE KNOCKOUT): THE BEATLES VS. JOHN LENNON

I’m thinking there are some pretty strong opinions on this one.


“And I Love Her” by The Beatles

OR


“Instant Karma” by John Lennon

Classic Music Video of the Week

I love the 80s. I love them more than I probably should.

One of the things I love most about the 80s is New Wave. No, I'm not referring to the beautiful coifs people sported (although there were some sweet waves of that kind, too). I'm referring to the music that sounded like nothing before it, the music that explored the glory of the synthesizer.

I don't have much of a set-up for this video, other than the fact that I simply think it's a great song. The video creates a bit of chaos, which adds to the message of the lyrics. It almost made me wish I had grown up on the other side of town. Almost.

I can also say that Flight of the Conchords truly captures the essence of this CMVW in their song and video for "Inner City Pressure."
Since I find FOTC to be musical geniuses, I think it's a great compliment that they came as close as they could get (without copying) to this week's Classic Music Video of the Week.

Please enjoy "West End Girls" by Pet Shop Boys. The 80s are gone, but this song will always live in my cold, cold heart.

Rock of Ages

Since anything I've written over the past couple of months has been garbage and unworthy of this venerable blog I thought I would ease back into posting with a good old fashioned concert review. Since I was in high school concerts were always my favorite activity. They were the one place I could go and completely release and just have a good time. During my college years, which was my concert-going peak, I was attending on average about 1 show a week. All together I would say my total concert tally is somewhere in the range of 200 to 250 shows. I always told myself that as I grew older I would continue this passion and someday take my future older children to shows as well. Sadly this has not been the case in recent years. The past few years I have seen at most probably 2 or 3 shows per year. As is the case with many enjoyable activities as you get older, a decline in disposable income, time and energy combined with the ridiculous increase in ticket prices and gas for travel greatly restricted my ability to go to shows.

Due to this decline I've had to choose what shows I do go to more carefully. I've had to take a pass and move on from some groups that I've seen 20 times or more. Over the past few months I saw two concerts. Both of which had artists I had seen previously once, but i considered well worth the time and money to see again. The first show was August 25th in Wappinger Falls, NY near Fishkill. The Counting Crows, a favorite group of mine, were embarking on a summer tour in minor league baseball stadiums. I was fortunate enough to have seen the Counting Crows previously one year at SUNY Geneseo. With them on this current tour were two other great bands from the 90's, Live, who I also saw once previously, and Collective Soul.

I felt this would be a great way to reminisce of the glory days of 90s rock. Like many shows, the crowd itself was a very amusing mix. Surprisingly the age range was quite large. I expected the majority of people to be near my age from 25 to 35. However, there were a considerable amount of people both older and younger. I was pleasantly surprised at the younger crowd as many were unborn or newborns when these bands were in their heyday. Add to that the expensive price of the ticket and it was nice to see younger kids are still going back and immersing themselves in older music like I did as a kid with classic rock of the 60s and 70s.

Collective Soul played first and received a pretty decent overall reception. They mostly played their hits and had a decent amount of energy. Surprisingly, Live did not get as big of a crowd response as Collective Soul. Perhaps they are one of those bands that people know the songs but not who is performing them. Their set was adequate, though not as high on energy as when I previously saw them. Finally the Counting Crows ended the night with what was a fairly mellow set. Their song choices had a solid mix of hits and new material, but most were on the low key side. Although not as memorable as their set at SUNY Geneseo, I still found it very enjoyable. The drunk man behind kept screaming for Adam to pick up the pace. This strategy proved unsuccessful, but the imbecile continued his cry unrelentingly. Overall it was a solid show. It was definitely overpriced, but these days it is hard to find a good bargain when it comes to concerts. I was pleased to once again see Adam Duritz perform, who I consider a modern poetic marvel one notch below Bob Dylan.

This leads to my second show. On October 6th in Albany I was fortunate to see Bob Dylan, Elvis Costello and Amos Lee perform. I saw Dylan previously at RPI in Troy, NY in 1998, I believe. Going to see Dylan is an interesting experience. One of the main reasons to see him is to be, for one night, in the presence of music royalty. To see one of the greatest songwriters in modern music history is quite a thrill.

However, as he has aged, his voice has declined making it harder to understand what he is singing. Nevertheless, he still puts on a good show and his band are extremely talented. They have involved into more of a jam band, stretching out songs when they hit a particular groove. Although when I saw him previously he put on a tremendous show, I felt that his opening act, Natalie Merchant, brought her performance a level above his. As a result my respect for her grew tenfold. I was curious to see if this show would prove to be the same.

Amos Lee opened up first and delivered a bluesy set with his highly southern accented voice. I was impressed by him and so was the majority of the crowd. i doubt he will find mainstream success, but he could easily attract quite a following. Next up was the artist I was most excited to see that night, Elvis Costello. He doesn't seem to hit upstate NY very often but after seeing him that night I will make a point to travel to see him if he is nearby. He came out on stage, the lone troubadour, with an acoustic guitar and immediately kicked into his set with high energy. He played a great mix of classics and new material, all of which was fantastic. Such hits as "(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes", "Veronica", "Oliver's Army", "Radio Sweetheart" w/ Van Morrison's "Jackie Wilson Said" as a melody, and "(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding?" all brought big cheers from the crowd. His new material was equally full of quality. Costello received many standing ovations and the crowd surely wouldn't have complained had he decided to extend his 45 minute set. It would be nice to see him headline a theatre tour and come to upstate cities.

Here is a good video someone took at the Albany show of Elvis performing Red Shoes:


The living legend closed the night with a rollicking set that picked up steam as it went along. You could tell that as Dylan's set wore on, he was getting more into it. It didn't seem as if he wanted it to end. Most of his classics were reworked in ways that made them almost unrecognizable yet still memorable. He played "Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright", "Simple Twist of Fate", “Highway 61 Revisited” and the new classic "Working Man Blues #2". He finished the night with an encore and unique version of "All Along The Watchtower", which brought the crowd to it's feet.

A video someone took of Dylan doing Watchtower in Albany:


Overall, they were two shows that I can't complain about. Although I feel the Dylan/Costello show is one I will remember for quite some time. I might actually see a few more shows this year. One of my favorite bands, Boy Hits Car, is touring the northeast for the first time in many years in November so I will probably go to at least a couple shows. My goal next year is to increase the concerts I attend but it still seems to get harder and harder.

Artists I have yet to see live that I desperately want to see:

Cream - I have a better chance of winning the lottery than Cream reuniting, but I hold out hope.
Doves
Radiohead
Silverchair
the Shins
Schuyler Fisk
Stevie Wonder
Pearl Jam

6 Degrees of CMVW

Happy Columbus Day, Pop-Pop'ers!

Maybe it's because I'm in thinking mode, being one of those people that has to work today, but I thought I'd use a little Six Degrees of Separation to bring you this week's Classic Music Video of the Week. Are you sure you're ready for this? Then let's do this thing:

1) Today is Columbus Day. I like to think that the man who made America popular dreamed that one day he would be mentioned in a pop culture blog. Today's your lucky day, Mr. Columbus. However, he's not to be confused with...

2) Chris Columbus, an American writer, director, and overall "known" name in movies. He directed a little movie known as...

3) Home Alone. But who was that cute young actor in that gem of a Christmas movie?

4) Macaulay Culkin. And I seem to recall this little lad in a music video...what was it? Oh yes, that's right. It was...

5) Black or White by Michael Jackson. World travel, snow globes, a rapping Macaulay, and faces eerily changing from one to another. (Of course the original airing contained Michael Jackson beating the crap out of a car, too.) There's also a strong irony that the title of the song is a question often asked about the King of Pop. All of these things make it classic. Add in the fact that MJ is providing a commentary on the different cultures of the world (which Christopher Columbus sailed and partially "discovered") and you've got a little circle of pop culture and history.

Here's your Columbus Day Classic Music Video of the Week:



Hey, look at that. I did it in five. *Wink.*