What Gets Me Hot: (#video) Johnny Cash Jane Morgan A Boy Named Sue-A Girl Named Johnny Cash

Instead of my usual pop-culture essay I thought I'd do a little in-box clearing of my own and put up some music links and videos and mp3s that I've been stashing for a rainy day.
I remember buying the Xanadu soundtrack and unwrapping the record and putting it on my turntable. I remember dancing with insane glee through the movie theatre parking lot singing the theme song. I even remember my shell shocked mother, confused by what she thought was going to be a "Gene Kelly movie". But what I don't remember is the Xanadu Marvel Comic.
Take a look at commercial radio, around the country and in real time with yes-nation, a visual map of which songs are playing on the radio right now. As expected, the same 25 songs appear with surprising regularity ("Hotel California" popped up three times while I was watching).
After reading my post about loving the cassette pause, a friend told me about U.K. mix-masters Cassette Boy, whose cultural and political mash-ups are just this side of heaven. A recent search for their albums (often heard on WFMU, just not yet by me) lead me to the Post Punk Junk blog, which features downloads of all their songs. It's their usually pornographic remixes of audio books that really work for me - a brilliant concept that I'm kicking myself for not thinking of first. Here's just a taste (mp3s): Da Vinci Eyes Of A Trannys Fanny Lambonaise Tonight Spray Of Zest
Dang, remember when KROQ was the cutting edge of cool? Also available for download from Post-Punk Junk is KROQ's 1979 Devo tribute album Devotees. While the music isn't amazing, it is nice that they had a covers competition after Devo had all of one album. Best song by far is this lo-fi home-phone version of Jocko Homo (mp3).
The tiny but ultimately amusing LP Knockoff Project, features classic album covers and those who ripped them off. Or paid homage, if you will.
And finally, a couple of Johnny Cash videos i've been sitting on for a while. First up is the Man in Black on Sesame Street, redoing one of his classics just for Big Bird to mug to.
"Don't Take Your Ones To Town" (10mb Quicktime file)
And while I wait impatiently for someone to finally put the Johnny Cash Show on DVD, YouTube will have to do. My favorite clip on the internet features Jane Morgan's "A Girl Called Johnny Cash" (written by comedian Martin Mull), a sort-of answer song to "A Boy Named Sue". This is the only incident I've seen of an answer song being so honored by the original ~~songwriter~~ hit-maker as to mash the two together (7.5mb Quicktime file).
Posted by Clinton McClung on November 08, 2006 at 03:41 AM