If you’ve been reading my posts on this blog, or listening to my podcast, you know I have a lot of favorite bands. I can’t help it, I can find a lot to love in a lot of different music. They really are all my favorite. I realize that takes away somewhat from the impact of what I’m about to say, but this is very true: the Hoodoo Gurus are special to me.

Yeah, I know, a lot of bands are special to me. But the Hoodoo Gurus are unique. Most bands, I love their music as a whole. I love individual songs, and I have songs that are my favorites among their catalogue. But the Hoodoo Gurus are different. Each song to me is like something new to marvel over. Each song takes on a life of it’s own. Each song has it’s own personality and reason to be loved.
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So what are the best Cold War spy films? There are a ton that range from the silly (James Bond) to the sublime (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy). As I rewatched Casino Royal last week (probably by far the best Bond film yet – who’d have thought they could breath new life into a series older than I am) I was reminded of a lot of the films. Now to count, these have to be spy films set in the Cold War. So the recent Bond, Bourne or other films simply don’t count.
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Major distribution:
1) A&W
2) Stewart’s
3) Hires
4) Mug
5) Barq’s

Minor distribution:
1) Henry Weinhard’s
2) Virgil’s
3) Thomas Kemper
4) IBC
5) Soux City

At last, the dreaded, feared, and much-anticipated Niki and Paolo episode.

Spoilers and more after the break.

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OK, since I did the excited iPhone writeup back in January I thought I’d revisit the Apple TV (henceforth aTV because Windows browsers don’t display the Apple character correctly). Now let me note that I don’t have one of these things. So this is basically an apology for why I’m not buying one and why you probably shouldn’t either.

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And that’s why Jordin will beat Lakisha and Melinda. Both of the latter made big mistakes this week. They had a chance to do something new and young and to show their versatility, but they did the same old thing. It was predictable and boring, even if they were both impeccable. Melinda was worse because her song didn’t really have much of a tune. Jordin, on the other hand, was young and fun. The No Doubt song she did isn’t very tuneful, either, and it didn’t showcase her singing ability very well, but she was in this century while Lakisha and Melinda were still in the 70′s. (more…)

Run Lola Run vs. Amores perros
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I was driving in my car the other day (the story of my life), and I started thinking about popular vs. underground music, and how the music classified as both have changed over the years. Of course for me every musical road leads to the 80′s, but you can’t really talk about the 80′s without talking about the 70′s. And you can’t talk about the 70′s without talking about the 60′s. And so on. So I thought it might be interesting to do a post about popular vs. underground music for each decade, starting with the 50′s.
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A great final episode, leaving us with lots of questions. Perhaps we’re holding onto questions even when we shouldn’t, however: read this.

Comments?

As promised when I posted my review of The Namesake, below is a slightly edited transcript of my brief interview with Mira Nair, the director. The interview took place in a small conference room at the Adolphus Hotel in Dallas, Texas, with four other interviewers and myself. Ms. Nair was extremely gracious, and even tolerated the presence of my seven-month-old son, Henry, in the room. (Henry makes a few appearances in the audio transcript, which I’ve posted to the radio.blog, so our readers can hear Ms. Nair’s voice as well as reading what she said.) Immediately following the interview, in fact, she asked to hold Henry, and the two of them seemed to really hit it off.

Problems in transcription and typographical errors are, of course, mine.

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Join me on my daily commute as I discuss the two genres that bring me the most joy: bluegrass and doom metal!
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There is a list out there somewhere of life-altering experiences that each one of us should have before we die. Burn incense at Kathmandu. Visit the Grand Canyon. See the Mona Lisa.

Viewing SuperBabies: Baby Geniuses 2 is not on that list. If it were on the list, it would be near the bottom, along with performing Cast Away style dentistry and having a Silkwood shower. This is the worst one I’ve had to watch so far, people. I know I say that every review, but this time I mean it: I really hate each one of you with all my heart. I mean, just look at that poster.

This film was far smellier than my twins’ diapers. (more…)

While other shows are in hiatus waiting for sweeps to come back around, LOST just keeps rolling with one great episode after another. Tonight’s Locke-centric episode was certainly no exception.
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What more can I add to this NYP story?

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1) Goodfellas
2) Raging Bull
3) The Departed
4) Taxi Driver
5) Cape Fear

That was a fun show. Pretty solid overall. Though I do want to strangle the director or producer or whoever it was who decided to keep showing that bawling girl. I can forgive once or twice, or maybe even three times, but that girl must’ve been on camera a dozen times. Now I’m worried about copycats. The desperate little girlie freaks are all going to start bawling so they can earn TV time and a trip on stage to touch Sanjaya’s hair with a hand they’ll vow to never wash again. (more…)

Besides David Gilmour’s On An Island, released last year, I can’t think of too many comeback albums. Can you? I know there’s a whole bunch I’m drawing a blank on!

I guess AC/DC’s Back in Black would get the award for best comeback album, ever. Gilmour’s album is good, but it’s not as great as I hoped it’d be.
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This is a new series in which I post the names of 5 songs and you post in 5 words or less (for each song) whatever meaning exists for you, nostalgic or otherwise. (Names count as one word) (more…)

Quick, name the best 35-volume fantasy series you’ve ever read. If you can’t think of an answer, or if you’re going to offer something like the Dragonlance books, then I’ve arrived just in time. (more…)

If you watch Battlestar Galactica, don’t click here. Seriously, don’t read the invisible text on that page. DON’T. I am not kidding you.

You’ve been warned.

In another thread, commenter Gabby said, “I would love to see a book list of some sort on here.” Alrighty then. For Gabby (and the rest of us), please list the last book you read, the book you’re currently reading, and the next book in the pile on the nightstand.

I’m currently reading Blood Meridian, by Cormac McCarthy.
The previous book was Refuge, by Terry Tempest Williams.
The next book will probably be As She Climbed Across the Table, by Jonathan Lethem.

Knock yourself out, William Morris.

I saw two articles on CNN.com this week about two different movies that I found oddly related.

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I bring my music to work with me on an external hard drive. I have a long commute and often before leaving work I’ll burn a mix cd to listen to on my ride home. (If you’ve heard either of my podcasts, you know what these mixes are like.) I have huge piles of them in my car, hidden in different cubbyholes. (Probably close to 200 of them, including full albums I burn to listen to as well.)

Lately I’ve been having trouble deciding what to listen to, so I started going through mix cds in my car that aren’t marked, just to see what’s on them. I came across a real gem. Here’s the tracklist:
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Overall, a solid episode that reminds us of why Lost is one of the best shows on television, even when nothing in particular happens. I‘m liking liked Bakunin.

“Par Avion,” by the way, is the French term for “air mail.”

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The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame party happened a couple of nights ago. I watched much of it online, and it was about what you’d expect. Some pretty meager live performance (looking at you, Velvet Revolver and Sammy Hagar), some too-long speeches (that’s you, Eddie Vedder), and some truly great moments (REM and Patti Smith doing “I Wanna Be Your Dog;” Keith Richards playing with the Ronettes). It wrapped up with everyone on stage singing Patti Smith’s “People Have the Power.” To help all of you out in kb-land feel a part of this transcendent cultural moment, we’ve put songs from each of the inductees in to the radio.blog. For those that want to know what Patti Smith is saying in her “Babelogue” that precedes “Rock and Roll Nigger” (which she performed live the other night), it’s posted below:
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