Last week, I looked at Sergio Mendes & Brasil ‘66. That got me to thinking about Herb Alpert & The Tijuana Brass. I suggested that Brasil ’66 was not the height of authenticity, but they were an authentic as a caipirinha compared to TJB. In 1962, Alpert created the sound for the single “The Lonely [...]
“The Schrutes consider children very valuable.”
MICHAELWell, I’ll be in my office. PAMDon’t you think you should say something? MICHAELThey’re cool. PAMMichael, I think that as the boss, you should… MICHAELFine, fine, fine, fine, fine. Hi, children. I’m Michael Scott. And I am in charge of this place. How do I make you understand… I am… like Superman. And the people [...]
Rear View Action: Tuning out
I’ve been taking a trip down memory lane, revisiting some old posts from The Pop View. Here is one from May of 2000. ESCAPING POP: From the Washington Post Magazine, columnist Marc Fisher attacks the notion that we are a nation hooked on pop culture — as he puts it, “a nation full of philistines [...]
Man versus machine
Did I mention I don’t like kitsch and I don’t like camp? (Although I do love the genuinely weird.) And yet the power of the song shines through… In 1927, composer Nathaniel Shilkret wrote the song “The Lonesome Road,” with lyrics by vocalist Gene Austin (best known for his big hit song “My Blue Heaven”). [...]
The eye of the beholder
As I’ve mentioned before, it’s always fascinating to go back in time and see what people said on previous occasions. After passions have cooled, and with the clarity of hindsight, one can often be slightly mystified by the initial reaction to things. It also helps to look at how we behave today, since human beings [...]
Shock me, jock me, rock me.
Periodically, I go through a period of getting annoyed at shock jocks (For example, see here). Curiously, I don’t typically get worked up at Howard Stern. I couldn’t tell you why, except he’s perhaps never seemed as “mean” as the others. A couple weeks ago, there was a profile of The Junkies, one of the [...]
“Mais que nada, sai da minha frente…”
Sergio Mendes & Brasil ’66 were one of those classic groups of the Sixties who seem very much a part of that time, much like their labelmates The Tijuana Brass. (Trivia note: Herb Alpert ended up marrying Lani Hall, the original lead singer for Brasil ’66.) Although Mendes based the sound on authentic Brazilian music, [...]
Get real
Mike Doughty waxes philosophically about the current season of MTV’s The Real World: I was startled to discover that I had no idea where they shot the new Real World season. I used to follow this kind of ephemera with glee. It doesn’t appeal to me anymore. Though the anorexic girl is really shocking and [...]
“Got a blue moon in your eyes…”
A sneak peek at the first episode of the new season on The Sopranos can be found here. Man, I can’t wait for Sunday’s premier. It truly is one of the best shows on television. There are those who think it’s never been as strong as the first season. It’s true there was a great [...]
Rear View Action: I got some ‘splaining to do
I’ve been taking a trip down memory lane, revisiting some old posts from The Pop View. Today’s is from around May/June of 2000. THE MORE THINGS CHANGE: We present a quote from a 1959 TV Guide interview with Lucille Ball. At the time, The Lucy-Desi Comedy Hour was beaten in the ratings by Gunsmoke, Wagon [...]