Welcome To Our Sole Kitchen

KCET loved the friends Cynthia Fox, Robbie Krieger and I gathered on their thin-screen...so they're having a command repeat performance of our show this Saturday at 10:30 p.m. Before you slip into unconsciousness, we'd like to have another passing chance at the bliss that is your KCET membership. Tell all the people and stuff....

Without Question, THE Best CD/Album/Download of 2008

Are there albums or songs that return you to a certain season? Music that literally sounded like summertime or autumn? I'm happy to report I've found as great a wintertime soundtrack as your senses could ever enjoy. "Fleet Foxes" (on Sub Pop), from the Seattle band of the same name, is as fresh and as crisp a collection of songs as the January air whisking through the Pacific firs along the Cascades. The Foxes are a group of close-knit friends who grew up on the music of their parents: The Beach Boys, Simon & Garfunkel, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, Marvin Gaye, CSN&Y, Fairport Convention...and Bach! (Ed. note: THANK YOU, MOMS & DADS) In fact, the acappella-opening tune that initially intrigued me--"White Winter Hymnal"--could lead you to believe it was recorded in a bare tree forest, amid snow drifts and silvery skies. "We try to draw from the traditions of folk music, pop, choral music and gospel, baroque psychedelic, sacred harp singing, West coast music, traditional music from Ireland to Japan and film scores," Fleet Fox Robin Pecknold said. "We've succeeded for ourselves if we've made a song where every instrument is doing something interesting and melodic." When was the last time you heard an artist pledge anything like that? The album is worth the price alone for "Hymnal" and especially "Blue Ridge Mountain," the latter possessing a melodic cornucopia beyond adjectives. Like Goldfrapp's "Felt Mountain" in 2000, "Fleet Foxes" enhances the winter solstice. But, happily, this is a band for all seasons.

Finally, American (esp. Ohio) comes to its senses

Thanks to everyone who not only voted, but voted for Obama. How refreshing was it to elect someone not beholden to a base bent on divide-and-conquer idiocy? Barry Goldwater would be distraught that the GOP is now a party with a core "mentality" of fear, divisiveness and greed. I know, not every republican feels that way. But those who've guided the party these past few years certainly espouse it. And what has it made them in November 2008? Losers--with a finger-pointing party in shambles. Here's hoping President Obama (and what appears to be an equally competent staff) can quickly reverse the past 8 years' worth of incompetence and malice toward all. Go O!

An Independent For Change

He wishes to unite our states, unlike his opponent's party. He offers real, tangible financial solutions to the mess the incompetent Bush-leaguer and his screw-the-nation greedmeisters have inflicted upon the country, unlike his opponent. He wants to remain out of the bedrooms and private lives of Americans, unlike his opponent and his party. He and his experienced, globally-respected running mate will (a) make finding and (hopefully) fatally punishing bin Laden and (b) restore America's cachet in the eyes of the world priorities, unlike his trigger-happy and hideously unprepared opponents. He is a new generation of leader that will take this country forward, not in reverse 120 mph. like his opponent's party has for the past 8 years. And finally, the guy wants to put a basketball court in the White House! Being from the golden buckle of the basketball belt--Kentucky--that alone is enough reason to endorse him, let alone those others I've listed and dozens more. I'M GARY MOORE, PROUD INDEPENDENT, AND I APPROVE BARACK OBAMA AND JOE BIDEN FOR PRESIDENT/VICE-PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA.

Coolest T-Shirts Ever (unless you're a hater)

Finally, somebody at Reebok or the NFL or both wised up and began making Baltimore Colts stuff again. Actually, the Reebok line is a nod to "The Greatest Game Ever," the NFL Championship in New York, 1958. The white shirt, from the Retro Sports peeps, is just a nice throwback. Now if we could get L.A. Rams (navy and white only, please) and St. Louis football Cardinals crap again, I'll sit back down. (What is it with my 3 all-time favorite NFL teams and their 3 greedy bastard owners? Why me, Lord?)

Palin Be Ailin'

Hope the above clears things up. Look, she's clearly qualified to be a student council president (oh yah!), hockey mom (you betcha she is, buster!) and a Lenscrafters spokesperson (darn tootin'!). But a governor? Of a state where moose are the majority? Much less assume the SECOND MOST POWERFUL OFFICE ON THE PLANET? Even George Will, who despises all entities non-republican, deemed Sarah UNqualified. We rest our air-tight case. (Editor's note: Due to the lameness of this template, not all of the flow chart made it. The whole chart is here.)

CUT ME SOME SLACK(er)!!

You probably don't know this, but besides playing a mild-mannered, urbane air personality on 95.5 KLOS here in L.A., I also program two stations for Slacker. Slacker's both an on-line and portable music service made for anyone who (a) has iPod fatigue, burned out with the constant downloading and revising and/or (b) just wants more music variety in their lives--especially if they can create their own stations in the process. Slacker allows you to keep out songs you don't like, keep the ones you do and make your own station up with a little of everything. Or if you just want to lay back and let the "radio pros" (ahem) do all the heavy lifting for you, that's a go as well. Slacker just unveiled their new G2 player (above), so you can take several stations with you and refresh 'em via wi-fi and even load-in some of your own. I program the 60's ROCK and 70's HITS stations, and both are loaded with a motherlode of music. No 300-song playlists here. We're talking over 1300 tunes for 70's HITS and more than 800 for 60's ROCK (which only covers music from 63-70). Check 'em out and gimme some feedback, like if it's wack or mack or really lacks. Just look for 'em in the "rock" and "hits" section at www.slacker.com

Nu Grooves 4 U

Just a few cool things I've seen/heard lately...thought you'd, like, dig:

Check the new Queen + Paul Rodgers song, "C-lebrity"--live, even!
Finally sounds like Queen actually morphs with Bad Co....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f3ovN40FwRI

Then there's these fabulous Foxes from Seattle. Too bad the video's
as dopey as the song is killer.

Dylan, from the forthcoming Tell Tale Signs--The Bootleg Series Vol. 8,
out Rocktober 7th. Frick.

Anyone needs lotsa good reasons to vote Republican? No problem--here's some
information you'll find most helpful. You mo' than welcome.

Nothing from the new Metallica because they sold out to American
Express. F them.

Cynthia Fox and I return to KCET--co-riffing the pledge breaks--during an encore screening of "The Jimi Hendrix Experience Live At Monterey: American Landing" THIS SATURDAY NIGHT AT 10. They'll also rerun it at 1 a.m., just in case your senses get overloaded by this amazing, blistering, jaw-dropping performance. Not to mention what Jimi and the band do...

Tune In, Turn On, Rock Out Or Something

Ladies and genitaliamen! Join me on the 95-and-a-half KLOS this Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 8pm to 1am for the vacationing Jim Ladd! We'll have plenty of door prizes, party favors, sonic swag...and MINUS the usual Satanic virgin sacrifices Jim performs hourly each weeknight. (Quite frankly, it's not in my contract so we've put that on hold until Thursday)
Come on by and rock a spell, hear?

GIVE BLOOD

Not talking a gallon....a half-gallon....a quart....not even a liter, for you Euro types. Just a puny pint of yer scarlet sauce! You get the KLOS Kollectible shirt, a ticket voucher (while supplies last) for either ZZ TOP, METAL MASTERS TOUR or CRUEFEST and the good karma that shadows you for help save a life or two or three. Thanks for rolling up--have fun rockin' out!

The July 23 Klub

The Big D
Harold "Pee Wee" Reese (The Little Colonel from Louisville)
Nomar Garciaparra
Slash
Woody Harrelson
Don (Sl)Imus

All born on July 23rd, like me! Cheers!

Hendrix, A (Cynthia) Foxey Lady & Me

This Wednesday at 8pm (June 11) and Saturday (June 14, at 10pm) on KCET--L.A.'s ultra-groovy PBS affiliate--Cythinia Fox and I host the pledge breaks during a truly epic show: "The Jimi Hendrix Experience: American Landing," and we'd love to have you join us. This was the first time American audiences saw the guy who'd change rock music--and especially the electric guitar--forever. Cynthia and I are always proud to support the mission and the programming of KCET & PBS, but for me, this one takes on added meaning. The first album I ever purchased with my lawn-mowing/Grit newspaper sales dough was Jimi's "Axis: Bold As Love"--and kinda by accident. When I was in 4th grade, my best friend (Tommy Pasco, in Murray, Kentucky) had two older brothers who owned "Are You Experienced?" Not only did I think it was about the coolest-looking album (anyone remember the joy of LP artwork?) but "Fire" was THE baddest thing I'd ever heard. Well, after "Help!" and most everything else by The Beatles. So with accumulated cash, I schlepped over to Wallace's Bookstore on the Murray State campus to snag a copy. Apparently young, brilliant rock minds thought alike back then, because they were sold out. The only Hendrix titles that remained were "Electric Ladyland" (double lp; I didn't have enough $$) and "Axis," which I bought without knowing what lay inside. That album lit a--dare I say?--fire inside me that fueled a career in the mercurial rock radio business that still burns bright to this very millisecond. Like, tune in and DIG, man! (Or woman)...

"I got my own world to live though and I ain't gonna copy you....." --Jimi, from "If 6 Was 9"

O-blog-mas for Obama

Hey, count me as one Moore for Obama for Prez. Nothing really against Hillary; she's actually come out of this cold, distant shell and appeared to be more personable than some ever thought she'd be. And should Barack choose her for a running mate, the ticket will be impossible to beat. It probably is already, so long as the donkey party keeps reminding people that if they want 8 more years of failed, outdated GOP ideas, McCain's their Titanic captain. Without question, BushLeague, his cronies and their alchemy of idiocy have set America back God knows how many years. We need a fresh, young, intelligent voice for the first time in eight years running this joint. If this country has any semblance of common sense left, it'll be President Obama come November. Once America goes Barack, thankfully, it won't go back.

Love is Love (except when it's new old Love)

Despite college tries to physically travel back in time (irregardless of massive ingestions of lysergic acid dyethylamide) it's been impossible, save for mentally doing it. One particularly pleasant express trip you can book back to 1967 is an album called "Forever Changes" by L.A.'s own Love. Simply put, there's really no way you could recreate this recording today, whether it's the genius of the compositions, the lyrical pastiche that was a groovy representation of the Sunset Strip days or the phrasing of the singers. And Rhino has just released a deluxe edition, with bonus tracks and a complete other version that I didn't even know exist. Robert Plant probably didn't either (he's the guy who got me hooked on it). Thank God this album was even made. Because while you could point to The Airplane's Surrealistic Pillow or the debuts from The Grateful Dead, Jimi Hendrix and The Doors or Sgt. Pepper's as fitting representatives of the year and be perfectly credible, nothing--to me--sounds more like 1967 than Forever Changes. But Headquarters from The Monkees comes close...

From A Hilltopper To THE Greatest Bruin--Thank You

The greatest college basketball player ever has some very nice--and very true--things to say about my alma mater in the L.A. Times. Thanks, Kareem. We Topper alums appreciate you.

115,000+ Baseball Fans Can't Be Wrong....Just Gridlocked

KLOS is broadcasting live from the Coliseum on Saturday, noon-4pm, prior to the coolest game played in these parts since the Syringin' A's folded like an ironing board in the '88 Series. I was lucky enough to check out the stadium on Thursday, thought you'd dig on the shots. Talk about a field of countless dreams....

NY Times Gives WKU Props--For The Greatest Reason

For showing courage, guts and humanity during a time when many in power had none. Pete Thamel's great story is here.

Phugly In Phoenix

If WKU learned anything in the west regional Thursday night, it's that you can't spot a number-freaking-ONE seed 21 points and expect to win. Not while they've got Kevin Love. Not when they outrebound you 49-33. Not when you shoot 18% in the first half (and an anemic 34% for the game). Second half? Now those looked more like the true Toppers. So much so they made Love describe his team's overall effort as "Unacceptable, unacceptable, unacceptable" afterwards. And he's probably right. Western outscored UCLA 58-47 in the second half, and even made star guard Darren Collison foul out for the first time all season. Instead of adding on and blowing out their seemingly-overmatched opponents, the Bruins came frightfully close to a collapse of epic proportions. Xavier probably won't be rattled by those four letters on the uniforms the way WKU was initially. And as good as UCLA's defense truly is, the X-men won't shoot 18% in the first half. A word of caution to Westwoodians: The potholes on the road to San Antone are much more treacherous than they appear.

ESPN "mystified" by The Blob...uh, I mean, Big Red

The homepage at espn.go.com has a picture of Big Red, the obsequious Western Kentucky mascot, right at the top today. The Espin folks say they're "mystified" by him...her....it. Then you scroll all the way down here for more fascination with B.R., who, incidentally, did conquer anorexia.

Heralding The Underdawgs

Eons ago, before Al Gore invented this very internet you're soaking in, I worked for one of the top 3 college newspapers in America: The College Heights Herald at Western Kentucky University. In the interest of full disclosure, I don't recall it retaining that ranking while I toiled there....but it certainly regained that status after I left. A mere coincidence. But here's why the Herald has consistently been ranked as one of the top 10 college papers year after year. They cover our Toppers like the red fuzz on Big Red, the mascot...

"We really wanted UCLA bad...."

The first and only time my Western Kentucky Hilltoppers made it to the final four was 1971, at the Astrodome in Houston, losing to Howard Porter and Villanova. Porter & 'Nova would then go on to lose to Sidney Wicks, Curtis Rowe, Steve Patterson, Kenny Booker, Henry Bibby and UCLA. WKU's all-everything that season was Jim McDaniels, who said they wanted the Bruins. No, really. 37 years later, 'Topper eyes are still focusing on Westwood's Whiz Kids...

March, When We're All A Little Nostradamus

Hubert Davis of ESPN--and ex-Tar Heel--is predicting WKU will upset UCLA. I'll see his upset and raise him one better: WKU beats WVU in the West Regional Finals. Remember, you laughed at it here first.

Hilltopper Fever Sweeping Nation!

And the best part? No cold sores! OK, second best. Obviously being part of a great run as either a student/alum/employee/fan of Western Kentucky University is reward aplently. The Toppers last made it to the Sweet 16 in 1993, beating Penny Hardaway & Memphis and #2 seed Seton Hall before falling to Sam Cassell, Bobby Sura and Florida State in OT. Do we have a chance? Absofreakin'lutely! Clamp down on the guards, collapse the D on #42, hope Shipp sails more bricks and put Mata-Real on the line if we're behind. Oh yeah, and score 1 more point while we're at it. GO TOPPERS!

How 'bout them Hilltoppers?

Now that's my kind of madness.
My alma mater, Western Kentucky University, finally did what it hadn't done all season: beat a higher-ranked team, Drake. And nice TIMING, dudes. Having grown up in western Kentucky (Murray), I couldn't be more proud of WKU's Ty Rogers (top photo, #5) who hails from nearby Eddyville, Ky. His bucket with no time remaining ranks right up there with the Clarence Glover shot in 1971. In that game against Jacksonville (and Artis Gilmore) Clarence faked tying his shoe, then jumped up from behind, caught the inbounds lob from Gary Sundmaker and scored the winning basket that helped the 1970-71 'Toppers reach the Final Four. Thanks for the trey, Ty--one of THE greatest shots for one of THE finest schools, in my anything but humble opinion. Who knows where it'll lead now?

Now get this! Saturday (March 1) night at 9p Pacific/10 Mountain--KCET/L.A.--Cynthia Fox and me do the co-host thing for "The Clash Live: Revolution Rock." She'll have great stories about her meeting years ago with the late, great Joe Strummer, and me? I'll have, uh, the usual urbane personality and great face for radio. Just watch and phone in some dough, ok? Thanks.

10 Things I Learned About The Dope Opera Hearing

____________________________________________________________

1) Clemens took the load off his fanny and put the weight on McNamee, Pettitte, Knoblauch, The Mitchell Report, his agent/lawyer, Dr. Taylor, Bud Selig, Major League Baseball, the MLB Players Association, his wife, his mother, his nanny, your wife, your mother, your nanny, The Band, Oliver Stone and whatever a vegan is.

2) Roger the dodger blamed everyone but himself for everything--except, of course, for "being too trusting....and too nice to everyone." Rog, hop off the cross--you're wasting good wood.

3) McNamee's no savior, either--an unctuous drug dealer who was looking out for his "friends" (aka clientele)--but he WAS cooler, calmer and more credible than a man who'd performed before millions for decades. How? (see #4)

4) The truth tends to relax people when they speak it.

5) Rog the dodge never took HGH but it was ok for his wife to grow a third ear from it.

6) Some republicans despise Henry Waxman so intensely that they'll side with a bloody-buttocked, ex-titan of baseball who was clearly perjuring himself....but did win those bitchin' 7 Cy Young Awards.

7) He did the committee a favor by contacting his long-lost nanny after years, had both himself and Team Clemens talk about those good ol' days of yore by the Canseco pool and then...uh....um....oh yeah--put her in touch with the committee three days later.

8) The Dodge seems to be a summa cume laude grad of the Pete Rose School of Denial and Hubris--a mail-order school?--where he majored in all-American fronts.

9) When asked by the Rep. Sycophant from Missouri which uniform he'd wear into the Hall of Fame--or as it stands now, which one he WOULD have worn--no one shouted out "San Quentin!"

10) Mark McGwire may have a new playpal in his Irvine gated-from-reality community.

Revelations of Genesis

Calling all humans--especially you in yer home by the sea. We hear you're into Genesis; like, the "power trio years" from 1983-98? What an amazing coincidence--we just happen to have an hour-long radio special on 95.5 KLOS this Saturday night from 9-10pm on that very band and those exact years. The Lord (and us) sure work in mysterious ways. And yeah, I'll be hosting the festivities. But don't let that stop you--the band does most of the talkin' and (mercifully) ALL the singin' & playin'! Tune & crank accordingly Saturday night at 9, even if you're not west of PCH...