New Podcast!

It's been some time in the making, but the new podcast is finally here.

You can call it a special edition, 'cause there's a holiday-inspired motif. Some may find it pretentious and interminable. Those people can go stuff a stocking.

The theme this time around is *spirituality* in music. That doesn't mean I've chosen a bunch of religious songs; far from it. The tunes in this batch were picked due to how they make me feel, which is markedly different from other material. Some challenge my assumptions of faith-based music. Others simply crack me up. A lot of it is pretty personal.

Brooke and I are going to DC tomorrow. I hate flying and am convinced of my fiery demise. If I don't make it, you can play this podcast at my funeral.

Oh, and Happy Holidays!

The Contrarian's Corner — Episode III: The Reckoning

PS: We saw GWAR on Saturday, but I'll probably write about it in the paper rather than here. My column needs some serious padding this week.

Comments

[casey]

Here's the tracklisting:

Intro: Christian Death — Easter

1.Bob Marley & the Wailers — High Tide or Low Tide

2. Woven Hand — Dirty Blue

3. The Soul Stirreres — Jesus Be a Fence Around Me

4. Danzig — Sistinas

5. The Beach Boys — Hold On Dear Brother

6. Bill Fay — 'Til the Christ Comes Back

7. The Velvet Underground — Beginning to See the Light

8. The Smiths — There Is a Light That Never Goes Out

9. Cat Power — Sea of Love

10. Philippe — Spiritual Orgasm

11. Mahavishnu Orchestra — Meeting of the Spirits

12. Spaceman 3 — Lord Can You Hear Me?

13. Steely Dan — Bodhisattva

[jay]

Nice theme & tracklisting; looking forward to listening to the podcast!

I too share your fear of flying. And yet I work a job where I have 50% travel, nearly all of which is by air...I think I'm just a masochist.

Have a good time in DC & happy holidays!

[ben]

Sistinas is SO the best Danzig track.
Ben

[Murf]

Finally. I thought you were becoming the Axl Rose of podcasting.

I never could figure out what "Beginning To See the Light" was about. I could be as equally swayed that 1) Reed was either seeing the light of cleaning up his crazy behavior or that 2) Reed was endorsing a drugs and all-night partying life while the rest of us "work very hard but never get it right". I hadn't even thought of a spirituality bent.

Oh, well. I guess it's futile to delve too deeply into Reed's electro-shocked brain.

Thanks for the podcast.

[casey]

That's my new tag: "The Axl Rose of Podcasting." Now let's start a riot.

Re: VU: I try to justify the selections through my annoying voice-overs! In some instances it's simply fun to examine a tune from a perspective completely unintended by the artist. Someone like Bono seems to want people to think his music is *spiritual.* Lou Reed on the other hand, well, everyone knows he's an asshole. So it's more fun. In reality, I'm guessing that 85% of VU songs are about speed.

[brookezilla]

Picture it: The Olde Northender. Saturday night. I'm there for a birthday party, and am on the front porch enjoying a cancer stick, and trying to not get embroiled into a conversation with some of the more inebriated regulars, when a youngish woman walks up the street and gets hailed down by the regs. I cannot remember her name, but we'll call her Susan.
"Eh, there Susan! Where you been?"
"I just went to the CRAZIEST show..." That's when I noticed, beneath her jacket, she had a pink dress on...except the skirt was white.
"Ohmigod, did you go see GWAR?" I scream. All heads turn in my direction, and then back to Susan.
"Yeah, it was F&*%ing NUTS."
"Dude, I am soooo jealous of you." I said. The regulars, once again, are confused by me, in my vintage cute little dress.

[Mike]

I can't believe I missed Gwar.

[jay]

While the majority of the VU songs use drugs as a metaphor, I don't think it's fair to consider Lou Reed a writer of "drug songs". For example, to think of "Heroin" as nothing more than an ode to getting high will result in missing out on some powerful innovation in rock formalism (pounding bass & drums as heartbeats) as well as some powerful poetics about modern life, alienation & existential angst. Blah, blah, blah.... :)

[casey]

Yeah, I was kidding about the speed bit. I just like to slag Lou 'cause of shit like this.

[Neil]

I've always had a little theory (totally unfounded) that both Beginning To See The Light and What Goes On from the S/T VU were those kinda songwriting experiments where you take a line or a title from another song and try to make your own song out of it. Witness:

http://acappella.colormaria.com/2694C/2694C^I+m_Beginning_to_See_the_Light.mp3

http://indierepublican.typepad.com/musicisnotdead/files/08_what_goes_on.mp3

Coincidence? Maybe. I guess I've just always seen those VU songs as fun rockers wihtout a whole lotta deep meaning. It's "Jesus" and "I'm Set Free" from that album that always get me kinda spiritually verklempt.

And that's all the comments I'll make before I actually listen to the fucking podcast. Thank you, Casey. I owe you beers.

[casey]

Leave it to Neil to post an a capella MP3.

"Beginning to See the Light" just makes me all twitchy; it's almost an involuntary thing. Lou must be having a similar experience singing it, what with all his weird hoots and hollers. It's like gettin' that old-time relijun, which is partly why I chose it.

[Neil]

Sorry. It was the first one I found.

I think Lou just sounds kinda drunk all over that album. Laughing, slurring etc. It's cute.

[casey]

Don't you dare apologize! You may be the first person, in the entire history of writing about popular music, to use the word "cute" in conjunction with Lou Reed. You should fix yourself a rewarding eightball. On second thought...

[greg]

good bob marley and beach boys pick.
nice one!

[casey]

I'm working on what I think is a real nice cover of "Hold on dear Brother" right now. And I'm - gasp! - growing a beard. should be pretty grizzly by the time I get back from DC. Well, kind of.

[jay]

BEARD-A-THON 2007: Casey Rea vs. Greg Davis

Great podcast Casey; I nearly pissed myself on your line about Dennis Wilson!

I forgive you for the slam on VU! :) He does seem like a dick from a lot of his interviews, but most of my heroes seem to have that affliction. I guess I try not to judge because it must be tough to be A) a celebrity and b) a "genius" whose every word is analyzed & critiqued.

In this context, it makes since that guys like Dylan in the late 60's became so cryptic and confrontational towards the press--the less you say, the more mysterious and ambiguous you are. It keeps the audience wanting more.

[casey]

Greg would and will always kick my ass in the beardo dept. Dunno how far I'll get, with it anyway. Hope they let me on the plane, tee-hee!

Say, thanks for listening! It was a weird one. Next episode is gonna be "Elektrik Psych," so that should be a lot fun.

The VU were (and still are) a pretty goddamn important band to me. But I still think LR is a bit of a prick. Actually I shouldn't say that; he'll start commenting here!

[jay]

Donna was nothing compared to the Wrath of Lou...

[casey]

He sayeth the name! He sayeth the name!

Jump back, spin three times and cross yourself!

[greg]

maybe i should shave my beard. haha.
casey please take a photo. and i want to hear that BB cover. carl and the passions - so tough is a really nice album. often overlooked and underrated.

VU are awesome. i really started appreciating them only kinda recently although ive had the nico / VU LP since high school.
speaking of VU, i asked for the john cale - new york in the 60's 3cd set on table of the elements for xmas. i hope i get it. super burnin' stuff.
speaking of burnin', listening to the alex neilson / richard youngs - road is open life. pretty great. heavy and messy and psychy and droney. im trying to weave my way through youngs' massive discography and figure out which things i like.

[jay]

Greg, it's funny you mention the Cale "New York in the 60's" set--I just purchased it last month in Chicago & I've been meaning to write a review on my blog for a while. It's a great set; the music is amazing (especially considering when it was released), and the all-wood packing is gorgeous. Highly recommended.

I recently picked up all of the VU albums on vinyl. I'm not a vinyl snob by any means, but I can't listen to the Velvets anymore on CD.

The Neilson/Youngs album sounds great; I'll have to look for a copy.

[Max]

HOLY SHIT!!! Look who got the 90th best song in this month's Rolling Stone!

[jay]

Nice work James!

[Neil]

Finally got to listen to the podcast and again, bravo. Sorry to be so behind.

Can't resist, tho: that's not a ukelele on the Cat Power song, it's an autoharp.

[casey]

I am aware. Poetic license. My mom supposedly bought me an autoharp for X-mas, coincidentally.