Got Them Ol' Reunion Blues Again

‘Tis the season for some pretty high profile reunions by some pretty high profile rock acts. Obviously, everyone is aware of the Van Halen reunion. Apparently the boys are going to tug on the spandex, grab their walkers and play forty shows throughout the US. Even though ten years ago, this is a ticket that I would have been very curious about, now it just seems depressing. I mean, is Eddie Van Halen even alive? He looks like one of those puppets from that Genesis video "Land of Confusion." And David Lee Roth jumping around with that rictus grin, humping a giant, inflatable microphone? Eeesh. The of course, the most stupid part is the inclusion of Wolfie Van Halen. Just the fact that they keep referring to him as Wolfie should prevent his inclusion. I might as well puke. Puke!

Then, of course, in the less dubious but equally pointless department, is the Police reunion. I know, I might be wrong, it happens, but who cares? In the early 80’s, I thought the Police were pretty nifty and I still find some of the weirder album tracks amusing ("And I bounce her in the hall"). But at this point does any of this really matter? I know they (unlike VH) will sound as good as ever, if not better, and I did find Stewart Copeland’s documentary pretty cool, but won’t they just be doing a bland greatest hits package? I will check out their performance at the Grammy’s but if they do "Roxanne," "Message In A Bottle" or "Every Breath You Take," I’m done.

On the other hand, the Rage Against the Machine and Jesus & Mary Chain reunions at Coachella seem pretty interesting. Now, if only we can get the Smiths and Pavement back together.

Here are the last 10 songs played on my iPod:

1. "Kill Time" by the Clash
2. "Girls On TV" by Be Your Own Pet
3. "Jonathan David" by Belle & Sebastian
4. "The Wind" by Cat Stevens
5. "Barricade" by Guided By Voices
6. "Itchycoo Park" by Ben Lee
7. "Who’ll Stop the Rain" by Creedence Clearwater Revival
8. "Carolina" by Ben Gibbard
9. "American Flag" by Cat Power
10. "Taxman, Mr. Thief" by Cheap Trick

Hall of Fame Silliness

I’m not even going to get into the discussion of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame inductees. They all have their merits and I know the Stooges are better than any of them, but they won’t make it in again. So, now all we can hope for are some awkward moments with the Van Halen bunch. I mean David Lee Roth and Sammy Hagar both being inducted? Along with estranged bassist Michael Anthony? Maybe Eddie will be a prick (as expected) and perform with Alex and Wolfie along with some random singer. The guy from the Bullet Boys is probably looking for a gig and they sort of lead the pack of VH wannabees.

Anyway, I have been listening to some new purchases pretty exclusively. I went to Amoeba last week and bought CDs by M. Ward, Neko Case, Pink Mountaintops, Bad Brains, Kinks, Flaming Lips, Dali’s Car, and Rilo Kiley, as well as downloading a collection of Stones rarities and getting a copy of a Roxy Music collection that only includes stuff from their first three albums. So that is what makes up the playlist I have been listening to. So here are the last ten songs:

1. "Outta My Head" by M. Ward
2. "Good Time Woman" by the Rolling Stones
3. "Death of a Clown" by the Kinks
4. "David Watts" by the Kinks
5. "Who’ll Be The Next In Line" by the Kinks
6. "Dead Man" by M. Ward
7. "Plastic Man, You’re the Devil" by Pink Mountaintops
8. "My First Plea" by the Rolling Stones
9. "The Paw Paw Negro Blowtorch" by Brian Eno
10. "Jah Calling" by Bad Brains