Post-apocalyptic

"What will tourists think of a habitat of denuded trees with desperate, starving koalas roaming the damaged landscape?"

Sounds like a children's version of Mad Max.

More, here.

Welcome, to 1990!

The iPod is in a grungy mood this morning. The last seven songs were:

• The Fastbacks: "Beaujolais' The Beat", from the great Estrus "Half Rack" compilation
• Nirvana - "In Bloom", from Nevermind
• Nirvana - "Spank Thru", from the "Sub Pop 200" compilation
• Led Zeppelin - "Bron-Yr-Aur", from Physical Graffiti
• Dickless - "Saddle Tramp", from Sub Pop's "The Grunge Years"
• The Wrens - Thirteen Grand, from The Meadowlands^*
• Sonic Youth - Silver Rocket, from Daydream Nation

It's like being in college again, but without the unappreciated lack of responsibility.

OK, a few songs past that, and it's played another Sonic Youth song from Daydream Nation (the perfect SY album, IMO), another Nirvana song, and a song from my first college band, a grungy little rock combo that played a few Nirvana, Sonic Youth and Mudhoney songs.

I think it's trying to tell me something.

* Sure, The Wrens song is a new one, but it fits right in with its neighbors.

Yuk

I normally avoid Lileks because I find his politics obnoxious. But, when he avoids politics, he can be clever and funny (at the same time!). Oh, why can't we all just get along?

Anyway, here he is going over recipies from the 50's: Gallery of Regrettable Food. Some of these things are truly horrific, like Mashed Potato Surprise, which he describes thusly:

Okay, here we go. It's “Mashed Potato Surprise.” The recipe calls for a special kind of mushrooms: canned mushrooms. Which you feed to the dog. The trick is get him to throw up right in the middle of the mashed potatoes.

Enjoy.

Variety

I've been paying attention for the past 33 years, and I'm pretty sure if I was to visit any "classic rock" station I would find a shelf with these CDs, and very few others:

• .38 Special - The Best Of
• AC/DC - Back In Black, Highway To Hell, For Those About To Rock
• Aerosmith - Greatest Hits
• Allman Brothers - Decade of Hits
• America - History
• Bad Company - 10 From 6
• Beatles - 1967-1970
• Black Sabbath - We Sold Our Souls For Rock and Roll
• Blue Oyster Cult - Super Hits
• Boston - Boston/Don't Look Back
• Eric Clapton - Crossroads
• Chicago - Greatest Hits (IX)
• Crosby Stills Nash (and Young) - Carry On
• Creedence Clearwater Revival - Chronicle Vol 1
• The Cars - Complete Greatest Hits
• David Bowie - Changesbowie
• Doobie Brothers - Greatest Hits
• The Eagles - The Very Best Of The Eagles
• Elton John - Greatest Hits [1974]
• Eddie Money - The Best of Eddie Money
• Foghat - The Best of Foghat
• Foreigner - Records
• Peter Frampton - Greatest Hits
• Heart - Greatest Hits [1997]
• Jethro Tull - Aqualung
• Jimi Hendrix - Smash Hits
• Journey - Greatest Hits
• Judas Preist - Metal Works - '73-'79
• Kansas - The Best Of Kansas
• Lynyrd Skynrd - Gold and Platinum
• Led Zeppelin - Box Set
• John Mellencamp - The Best That I Could Do
• Steve Miller - Greatest Hits 1974-1978
• Molly Hatchet - Greatest Hits
• Pink Floyd - Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, The Wall
• Bob Seger - Greatest Hits, Greatest Hits Volume II
• Tom Petty - Greatest Hits
• The Police - Greatest Hits
• Queen - Greatest Hits
• REO Speedwagon - The Hits
• Rolling Stones - Hot Rocks
• Rush - Chronicles
• Bruce Springsteen - The Essential Bruce Springsteen
• Rod Stewart - The Best Of Rod Stewart
• Steely Dan - A Decade Of Steely Dan
• Styx - Greatest Hits
• The Who - The Ultimate Collection
• Van Halen - Van Halen Box
• Stevie Ray Vaughn - Greatest Hits
• ZZ Top - Greatest Hits

That there is just about all you need to run your own Classic Rock (!!!!) radio station.

Some of those, like .38 Special and Molly Hatchet, would only be needed for a single song (ex. "Hold On Loosely", "Flirting With Disaster"); and most of the others would only use a small handful of songs.

I grit my teeth and curse my rotten life every time I Turn It Up!, but I can't help it - now that our local NPR station is into their 1/4ly fundrasier, I have to listen to something else and I'd rather listen to the same 100 20-year-old songs on our local Home of Classic Rock than sit through even a minute of any of the rest of the crap I can find on my car radio: teeny-bopper dance stuff or country ballads.

Today someone called to request Led Zeppelin's "Black Dog". Uh... Duh? ... of course they're gonna play that. If you know enough to know which station would honor that request, you have to know that they play once it every fuckin 2 hours. People amaze me.

"Hey, could you guys play a really loud ad for a local car dealer ?"
"Right on, man! We'll get that right up for you. Who plays the best Classic Rock and Car Dealer ads?"
"Rock 69!"
"Rock on!"