In case you missed the first round…
… this is the part of the show where I ask four music-related questions.
The Rollerboogie Interrogation!“
I’ll give my answers – and then it’s your turn.
1:
The first album I ever bought for myself was Days of Future Passed by The Moody Blues, when I was in high school.
My brother Greg had gotten me completely hooked on them, but that was an album that he didn’t have.
I remember the way it felt to hold the record in my hand, mesmerized by the fascinating artwork on the cover, and to play it for the first time, marveling at what I was hearing.
It was so exciting, I had to walk over to my friend Matt’s house and play it for him as well. Being willing to spend my own money to release sounds previously unheard and to say, “this is my music” was exhilarating.
2.
The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill. This is a symptom of my sick mind, but I still occasionally find myself having imaginary arguments with people who wrote negative or indifferent thoughts about this album when Stereogum reviewer Tom Breihan covered “Doo Wop (That Thing)” in his The Number Ones column.
Simply put, it remains one of the most powerful musical statements I’ve ever heard, and it still hits me like nothing else to this day. Go after it or dismiss it for any reason and know that it’s personal.
I am aware that this is not a logical response, but I can’t help it.
3.
Good Times, Bad Times by Led Zeppelin. Even the best hitters in major league baseball fail more than they succeed.
In a fantasy world where I could swing a bat without embarrassing myself, I would have my share of good times and bad times.
But one thing for sure is that with that song, I’d be stoked every time I came to the plate.
4.
My mother passed away in January of 2022. At one point when my siblings and I were taking turns being with her in those final days, my sister Elise played a song by the Avett Brothers called “No Hard Feelings.”
It was incredibly moving, as it beautifully captured the essence of my mother at the end of her time on earth.
After the funeral, there was a short burial service at the cemetery, and the song was played at the very end. We gathered around the urn arm in arm and just wept together.
It was such a powerful moment and a perfect way to honor her and to say goodbye.
The floor is open!
What are your answers?
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In a summer that wasn’t already horrible enough for me, the DJs at a dance had the nerve to play the Glee version of “Can’t Fight This Feeling” instead of the original, which they did not have in their iTunes.I can’t name any, but I can name many that provoke the exact opposite reaction. Would rather not dwell further.”3’s and 7’s” by QOTSA, for Madden NFL 08-related reasons.Not a particularly important moment in my life, but one time I was in a Vons and they played these nine songs, ALL OF WHICH ARE BANGERS:”We’ll Be a Dream” by We the Kings and Demi Lovato”Singing in My Sleep” by Semisonic”The Only Exception” by Paramore”Hot in the City” by Billy Idol”Fine Line” by Paul McCartney”These Times” by SafetySuit”Dominoes” by Robbie Nevil”Try” by Nelly Furtado”Falling Slowly” by the Swell Season
Absolutely nuts that a chain grocery store would play all of these in a row.
A person who remembers all nine songs heard in a killer sequence in a random day at the grocery store is a person after my own heart.
At one point I wanted to learn them so I could sing them as a medley. The problem was that “Falling Slowly” clashed too hard with the others.
Falling Slowly is one of the most beautiful songs I’ve ever heard.
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I love this series, rb. Such a great way for us to get to know one another. Here are my answers.
1. High School Music Memory:
I was getting into music that was pretty psychedelic starting in 10th grade. Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Glove, Sgt Pepper. And I would think to myself, this has got to sound so cool while tripping!
So when I finally got some acid to try, I had all my trippiest records and CDs prepared for a night of bliss. But in fact, I hardly listened to any music at all during the night; we were just wandering around the house and our neighborhood. Still, there was one song that played in my head over and over on a loop: “Dancing With Myself.” And I kept thinking: “this is effing brilliant!”
(also: there’s a soundtrack for this era)
2. Music Guardian:
My first impulse was to say Pere Ubu, but in all honesty, my initial reaction to hearing New Picnic Time was “What is this garbage??” and I quickly turned it off.
Anyway, Yoko Ono is the better answer. I don’t expect people to love her wildest music, but the disdain people show toward this woman is through the roof. Even among hipsters who like out-there underground sounds, people act like she was just a joke. The subtext of racism and sexism is often a real possibility. And it feels extra unjust because a fair amount of her songs are infused with real pain, for instance the song mourning her miscarried child. And to have that honest expression mocked as some “emperor’s new clothes” trick just gets my goat. Ono you are not coming for my queen!
(though my getting into Pere Ubu and CAN first probably helped me get her music quite a bit)
3. Sports Entrance Theme:
How bout I shift to professional wrestling instead? I don’t care for sports, but I was at least really into WWF as a kid.
If I were playing a heel, I would use “Clubbed to Death” by Rob Dougan. Maybe I’m just saying that because I walked a runway to that song for a hair show. Man, am I not into sports!
4. Life Soundtrack Song:
It’s not as dramatic or powerful as your memory, but it’s been in my mind lately:
When Joe Biden was inaugurated Jan 20, 2021, I played “This Little Light of Mine” by Odetta, and I broke down crying. It just perfectly summed up my feelings: a ray of hope enduring against a flood of weariness and despair.
Let’s all make sure our light shines bright throughout these next few years.
Love the Odetta reference. She’s amazing. I had a college roommate who regularly played a Yoko Ono 45 he found in the bargain bin at our local five and dime, sometimes at the same time as orchestral music or old r and b (he marched to a beat that a drum probably wouldn’t even play). It was not my cup of tea, but I respect her artistry. I appreciate what you shared about some of her more personal songs. It’s so easy to pre-judge and miss the depth that is there.
And yes, any sport is allowed for the walk-up song.
1. I was really into indie / alternative in high school. Which led to a fair amount of derision from my fellow pupils who were largely a conservative lot. I read the weekly music papers, I’d heard a few songs and knew Oasis were coming before they’d released a single and that they would be big. At the time their brashness and unrefined attitude was new and refreshing. As is the way, I got mocked for my new found musical passion. Then Britpop happened, the alternative became the mainstream and a couple of years later the same people that had laughed and said ‘Who the f*** are Oasis?’ were now telling me how they’d always been fans.
2. I’m usually not that precious about music. Not now anyway. My pet hate is more when people don’t have an understanding that music (or any cultural activity) is subjective and can’t get their heads round the fact that other people don’t defer to their opinion.
That being said, Dexy’s Midnight Runners had a decent run of hits here, two #1 singles but Come On Eileen still overshadows everything else. They’re seen as a bit of a novelty because of the denim dungaree clad image they had at that time and preferring fiddles over guitars. Which totally overlooks that Kevin Rowlands poured his whole soul into it and the lyrics were so intense its almost hurts and that Come On Eileen and the whole album is a heartbreaking work of staggering genius.
3. As I walk out to bat (cricket of course) I’ll be accompanied by Air: Sexy Boy. I can dream right?! Gotta project an air of confidence before hitting them for six. It’s quite a walk to the middle of a cricket pitch so it allows plenty of time to take in the music.
4. An important moment? No. Inconsequential but memorable moments? Yes.
Having finished university with no clue what to do I drifted into a job thru a temping agency in the mail room of a large multinational company. Turned out there were plenty others like me. It was like a continuation of bring at uni, we still had no responsibility being on temporary contracts and doing the most menial brainless work but it gave us a bit of money and we’d chat our way through the day. And when we finished work at 10pm it was straight to a bar every night and sometimes onto a club. One night we’d gone onto the cheesiest club in town, mainstream pop and cheap drinks. They finished the night at 2am with Robbie Williams; Angels. There was a big group of us, male and female, in a huddle, arms round each other on the dance floor belting it out. We might have been in a dead end job and we might not have been Robbie fans but we were young, drunk and everything felt possible
Wasn’t familiar with Sexy Boy. Listening now. Perfect walk up music for someone who’s not afraid to really flaunt it.
I love your #4 moment. I would argue that at that point in your life, it sounds actually very important and significant.
I will admit I do not know any song by Dexys other than the obvious one. I may have to dig in a bit deeper.
I don’t know Dexy’s Midnight Runners all that well but you can’t dismiss “Come on Eileen” as a novelty. Sure, it’s exhilarating but those lyrics are hard-hitting: “These people ’round here/ Were beaten down, eyes sunk in smoke-dried face/ They’re so resigned to what their fate is/ But not us (no never)/ We are far too young and clever.” That’s incredibly bittersweet. These are young people who won’t really understand how precious their youth is until they get older and resigned to their fate, and I respect any songwriter who can evoke that.
Sexy Boy! That’s classic.
Reminds me of this High Fidelity quote from Rob, talking about what songs he would want played at his funeral:
I’ve always had this fantasy that some beautiful, tearful woman would insist on “You’re the Best Thing That Ever Happened to Me” by Gladys Knight
I just “discovered” Air and Moon Safari about a year ago and love it! (I am way behind on life in general) It gets played and always enjoyed about once a week
“All in All(This Last One Wild Waltz)” and “Old” are indeed “a heartbreaking work of staggering genius”. I’ve agreed with you on this point before.
I can not begin to answer these questions in less than a 400 page book, so I’ll give an explanation for each instead:
https://youtu.be/MWLpR6Fsc6Q?si=H67EUzyDpLnF9Zzp
I’m offended by your dislike of Rush. Just kidding. It’s fine.
I like this Floating Points song. Wasn’t familiar with it. I could see how this could get the blood pumping. Is it wrong to suggest that if “I Feel Love” by Donna Summer and anything from the early 90s British electronic scene (e.g. The KLF) had a baby, it would sound something like this?
I can definitely hear both of those.
For #1, I don’t mean to be difficult: But I have to break it down to four answers.
Freshman year:
There was an unspoken secret club, for which the qualification and initiation rite had to be executed, but it was never spoken of:
You had to be able to flawlessly sing every word of “American Pie,” in order to properly impress the girls.
Sophomore year:
We skipped school that year for a total of 26 non-consecutive days and went to Steve’s house, because both of his parents worked. We played Close To The Edge and Dark Side Of The Moon on his audiophile father’s stereo all day long, and practiced explaining their deep meanings and messages, in order to properly impress the girls.
Junior year:
Not exactly a rabid fan of AB𐐒A, Paper Lace, or First Class. But I dutifully went along and smiled whenever “Waterloo,” The Night Chicago Died, and “Beach Baby” came on the radio, in order to properly impress the girls.
Senior year: Alison (with one “L”) broke my heart in seventeen places while “Love Will Keep Us Together” was playing on the radio in the Arby’s parking lot.
It was then that I learned that I needed to do a much better job of impressing the girls.
Can you still flawlessly sing every word of American Pie? And was this the full 8 minute version not just a single edit?
I’m just glad that wasn’t the initiation rite to join tnocs.
I absolutely can.
Edit: And, surely you jest: of course, the entire full length version. (See also: the whole honkin’ 12″ version of “Rappers Delight.” But I digress.)
And our initiation here is a little less stringent:
“Can you click a green thumb?”
“Congratulations, you’re a member!”
Fantastic story arc! Getting dumped to “Love Will Keep Us Together” just sounds excruciating. If only Joy Division had released their answer song “Love Will Tear Us Apart” just a little sooner. It would have been much more suitable.
Or “Alison.”
Your aim is true!
Well, as it turns out, hers was not.
It’s been 49 years. I’m fine. I hardly ever think about it more than a couple of times a week.
The whole sordid tale in the form of a comment
I remember this comment. I was invested that day. Because for me that song is a 10, but Tom admitted he was clueless as to why anybody could like that song.
That wedding story is really great. It’s what one can only hope a reception could look like on your day of days, surrounded by the people you care about, the perfect jam playing on the dance floor.
Hold My Hand totally bangs. Learning about so many kickass songs today.
1. Senior year, 1999. I was pretty big into, not sure what to call it, light industrial(?) along the lines of Gravity Kills, so I was psyched to see Stabbing Westward play. My friend was more excited to see the co-headliner Placebo. Prick (the band) opens the show at the Electric Factory to shrugs. Placebo was supposed to play next, but got delayed on the drive there. SW plays, and they were underwhelming. We were about to leave, but there were signs on the exit doors that Placebo had arrived and were going to play. Three quarters of the crowd ignored it and left. Then the three guys from Placebo just blew the rest of us away. I think I only knew Pure Morning at that point (and maybe Every You Every Me from Cruel Intentions, but I don’t know if I had seen that yet). Their fast, almost punk energy totally surprised me, and I was immediately converted to a fan for life.
2. Can’t think of one, really. Maybe Bowie? I know my tastes are my tastes alone. I am (mostly) fine with whatever others like.
3. My first few thoughts were all a little dark for this assignment (1849 by One Minute Silence, The Height of Callousness by Spineshank, and After The Eulogy by Boysetsfire). Let’s go with Bro Hymn by Pennywise which used to be the goal song for the Philadelphia Flyers.
4. Everyone has shared some really personal and pivotal stories for this one. This is neither of those. By myself, sophomore or junior year of high school, playing Tomb Raider on my computer, listening to a Downset cassette my cousin had given me. Lara Croft is shooting a dinosaur(? Don’t remember that detail), and the gunshots and the target falling exactly sync up to the “boom..boom..boom..down” coming out of the intro to Anger. Will never forget it.
https://youtu.be/ArHS3gadrQs?si=idQfog2jP_U7bRWX
That Pennywise song is dripping with aggression and that “Woah-oh-oh-oh” chorus is perfect to get one fired up for any kind of sporting event. It actually sounds like a stadium of fans singing it.
Yeah, if someone comes after Bowie, and I can’t imagine why on earth someone would, there would definitely be a reckoning around these parts. I wouldn’t want my sister to be anywhere in the vicinity of that either.
Two things syncing up totally unintentionally is a really cool moment, and usually memorable. I totally get why that has stayed with you. It’s happened to me a couple of times in life that I can recall, both in church. One involved a fire alarm going off during the opening song of a liturgy I was playing for. It was in the same key as the song, so I just kept playing. And it was timed perfectly so that instead of a priest processing down the aisle, it was a fireman with an axe. Just perfect.
These are some great prompts!
https://youtu.be/eimgRedLkkU?si=G8hXZvrIgIxuQeH2
I was lip syncing very passionately to one of the Queensryche songs, and she was like, “Pauly, you take your music too seriously…”
…And a future key TNOCSer is identified.
I loved how anyone that said anything negative or couldn’t understand the fuss about Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Call Me Maybe” when Tom reviewed it was just hopelessly outnumbered and swallowed up in a giant wave of affection for that song. As much as I don’t enjoy being on the other side of that, it was glorious.
Love your story about your son singing “Walking on a Dream”. Really precious. I have songs like that too in relation to my daughter’s early years of belting out pop hits. Stitches by Shawn Mendes comes to mind immediately.
I know “Race for the Prize” very well and I can see that working well as a walk-up song.
First, thanks Roller for this column and several of the previous ones – I am still enjoying the Harpsichord playlist and listening to Graham Day & The Gaolers and Fischerspooner. (The Graham Day album reminds me of the Little Steven’s Underground Garage – The Coolest Songs in the World records!)
I am going with the first thing that popped into my head (and before reading other’s comments.)
1.I remembered being a high school senior and after a basketball pep rally where we were let out of school at the end, someone played ABC’s “Be Near Me” in our ancient gym and it sounded so good echoing off the walls. I remember lingering and talking to other students. It had taken me that long in my life to start feeling confident in myself and learn how to be social so I always have a good feeling when I hear that song!
2.I had often discussed classic rock with a good work friend of mine for several years before I moved to another city 11 years ago. (We saw Rush twice together as well as Crosby, Stills, and Nash!) I love the group Fleet Foxes (folk rock harmony) and let my friend borrow my CD copy of Helplessness Blues and figured he would love it as much as I did. He did not and said it all kinda sounded the same. That hurt my pride for a while but I had to finally say to myself that it was his loss. We still work together on-line – just not in the same city – and he is still my friend.
3.I have always thought I would walk up to bat for the Texas Rangers to the sound of The White Stripes’ Black Math. It is a “stomper” that would get me hyped up and maybe the crowd would clap to it too.
4.Again, I thought of this before reading the comments but did not write it until after reading the comments. I thought of my mom in hospice seven years ago. I stayed with my step-father (her husband) and was the night-time family person that stayed with her overnight at the hospice facility. In the morning, my step-father and uncle would arrive and I would go to my step-father’s house to either sleep a little more or remotely get a few hours of work done before it was my time to go back. For some reason, I latched onto Robbie Williams’ album The Eagle Has Landed during that time and would listen to it once during the day while working and once at night when with my mom. (The album was not new to me but it was the comfort I needed at that time.) I saw JJ’s comment and had also focused on Angels as the song I remember most during that time.
That is crazy that you mention Little Steven’s Underground Garage in connection with Graham Day. That is exactly how I discovered that album. Little Steven played “Something About You”, a track off of it on his show and I just loved it and had to find the rest of the album.
That is a cool high school memory.
Fleet Foxes is a band rooted in classic rock, but not everyone into classic rock is going to like them, I guess. It says more about the listener than the band. New sounds, even when they are rooted in old sounds, don’t always click with people who are glued to the tried and true.
It really makes me happy to hear you are enjoying some of the music featured in my playlists.
10,000 points for Fleet Foxes.
Hummmm, not sure I have solid answers for all four, but I’ll give it a shot.
The fact that your peers weren’t into R&B is disappointing, considering the most important rock-era act from small-town Georgia is the Famous Flames.
Peer pressure, I guess. Georgia has a rich history in soul and early rock-n-roll: JB, Little Richard, Otis Redding, Ray Charles. My brother saw all of them live in the 60s.
Dang, I left out Gladys Knight and the Pips.
I hear you on the Beatles. If I think their contribution to music history is being undermined in any way, it certainly rankles me and that goes way back for me. When I was in junior high, Dynamite magazine had a poll entitled “Who is better- the Beatles or the Bee Gees.” I was angered that the question was even being asked.
Much like you, my musical tastes in high school were shaped more by my older brother’s record collection than what was popular at the time, so I always felt a bit like an outsider compared to other people my age.
Hmmm…
This actually looks fun. Not gonna lie.
1. High School – I remember having a discussion (I’d call it an argument except we all agreed) in first period one day with one of my friends and one of her friends, where we were all complaining about MTV and how they didn’t play good music, by which I meant they didn’t play women, Black people or dance music unless they were incredibly popular or had huge hits (Madonna, Michael Jackson, Rick Astley), and they meant MTV didn’t play real metal music. We all agreed they needed to play more variety, even if we didn’t care for each other’s musical tastes.
2. Album/artist someone is critical of and those are fighting words – Abba and by extension Eurovision. Calling Abba “disco” because of “Dancing Queen” (one of the greatest songs of all time) is incredibly reductive (and I like disco). The amount of talent in that group is insane, from the complex instrumental arrangements to the dramatic storytelling lyrics written in English by two guys for whom English is not their first language, to the two principal singers with such unique, interesting voices that I’ve never heard the like of or any singer who sounds similar. That they hit it big but are dismissed because of Eurovision, an incredibly misunderstood SONGWRITER contest, furthers my anger at anyone who dismisses them, which used to be most of the world. It was lonely being an American Abba fan in the 90’s. Now we are everywhere.
3. Baseball walk-on song – “It’s Raining Men” preferably the original by the Weather Girls, but it can also be the remake by Martha Wash & RuPaul. If I’m a professional baseball or cricket player, it means I’m the only out gay one and I’m rubbing that in everyone’s faces. Suck it, right- wingers and bigots!
4. Song that soundtracked an important moment of my life – “TVの国からキラキラ”by 松本伊代 (“Terebi no Kuni kara KiraKira” by Iyo Matsumoto). In 1982, my family moved for a year to Japan. I was ten and it turned out to be probably the most formative year of my life. I was able to walk everywhere on my own, as Japanese children did, gaining a level of independence I’d never experienced before. My Mom would send me out to do the grocery shopping, giving me a list and 10,000 yen, knowing I was responsible enough to get everything and return the change. Going to the video arcades and playing games we’d never seen before that wouldn’t show up in America until after we had returned. Same for toys. I had transformers and handheld video games years before they appeared in America. I learned all about war and the horrors of nuclear weapons since Peace Park in Hiroshima was a block from our home and I walked through it multiple times a week. My family were special guests at the memorial service for the A-bomb victims that year. And I first really started getting into music, a lifelong passion. We listened to AT40 because we watched/listened to anything in English. But I was enchanted by the two Japanese top ten shows that aired on TV every week, playing the top ten J-pop songs as voted by viewers. Think “Solid Gold” without dancers and the singers/bands performing their hits live every week. And my favorite was “TVの国からキラキラ”by 松本伊代 (“Terebi no Kuni kara KiraKira” by Iyo Matsumoto). Roughly translated, it means “The ‘shiny sparkly’ country from TV”. It spent one week at number ten on both shows, but I was in the habit of recording all the songs that entered the top ten and listening to them over and over. And that was my favorite at the time. It’s no longer my favorite J-pop song from 1982 or my favorite song by Matsumoto Iyo, but it still holds a very special place for me of a time that changed me forever. In November, I will return to Japan for the third time, this time on a specifically gay tour. I hope we go to karaoke and I hope they have TVの国からキラキラ for me to sing.
Wow, lots of great stuff here. I feel sorry for anyone that tries to go toe to toe with you on ABBA. You’ve got that locked down. And it’s funny to me that anyone would think Dancing Queen is disco to begin with, because musically it’s not.
Your year in Japan sounds magical. The shiny sparkly country from TV sounds awesome just based on the translation of the title. I’m going to make an uneducated guess that a gay tour of Japan will most certainly have karaoke and that you’re going to get to sing that song.
It’s Raining Men as a walk up song is a next level call on so many levels.
I think I would translate that title (its gist at least) to something like “Razzle Dazzle From TV Land.” Or, if that sounds more snarky than sparkly, maybe “Glitz and Glamor From TV Land.”
I will accept nothing less than the shiny sparkly country from TV.
High School-My group of close friends obsessed over Genesis’ Invisible Touch album. I think we all liked older Genesis albums better, but IT was out at the time, and we had fun being silly fans. We went to see them live that year, too. To this day any of us at any time can text one another a joke about Genesis.
Defensive music – This is a tough one, because I really love to defend underdog genres like country and easy-listening. But I probably defend 70s pop music with the most gusto. The likes of Neil Sedaka, Captain and Tennille, The Carpenters, bread, etc…are the most fun to defend, since folks love to trash on them so casually.
Walk on music – I think about this ALL THE TIME. And I have come up with so many answers over the years. Would it be ironically humorous, like “Theme from a Summer Place” by Percy Faith? More likely I would choose something peppy and fun from the 70s, like “TSOP” or “Pick Up the Pieces” or “Frankenstein”.
Songs tracking important moments of my life – so, so many. Sad ones, happy ones, incidental ones. Maybe my favorite was meeting a coworker at my first real job. He was a solid 25 years older than me. But we were both music nerds and chart nerds! In an early conversation, we connected on an obscure 1960 single I brought up, “Don’t You Just Know It” by The Fendermen. But then we both got so excited, because we both knew that the B-side, an instrumental called “Beach Party” was even better! Fantastic moment of connection for us.
TL;DR — LinkCrawford defends bread, surprising no one.
I also LOVE that you would choose “Theme from a Summer Place” as your walk-up music. Seriously Link, you are secretly a superhero and you haven’t even realized it yet (or admitted it to us).
😆
I hope I can fly. That would be cool.
Cue Joey Scarbury!
I love these. Given your predilection for 70s adult contempo, you could make a full time job out of defending countless artists that have been much maligned (sometimes by me), if money could be made at such a thing.
That coworker story is priceless.
All of those walk up songs are great. Frankenstein would all but guarantee a home run. Pick Up the Pieces would make me cry if I heard that as walk up music. Theme from a Summer Place would totally throw off the other team and give you a decided advantage. TSOP just feels right for any kind of a grand entrance, though you would need to sashay up to the plate.
I liked The Fendermen version of “Don’t You Just Know It”.
“Numbers” is an interesting choice, given the vast importance of analytics in today’s game. I like it.
#4 sounds like a very difficult and painful family situation and I feel for you having to go through that. And “The Days of Wine and Roses” is about alcoholism, plain and simple, so that would appear to be a really thoughtless and almost cruel choice of theme music for a memorial video. That would have angered me for sure.
[…] back, I wrote about how this was played at the burial service for my mother. In it, a man wonders what he will be thinking about in his final days, what will fade, what will […]