Scorsese

To Lisa Robinson's list of great songs used by Scorsese, I'd like to add the piano coda from "Layla" during the scene where all the Lufthansa heist crew start turning up dead, and "Baby, I Love You," from GoodFellas.

They all laughed last year when I suggested that Three 6 Mafia's catchy "It's Hard Out Here for a Pimp," from Hustle & Flow, should get the Oscar for best song. Three 6 Mafia laughed loudest when they won. This year's most exciting movie song? Boston-based punk band Dropkick Murphys' "I'm Shipping Up to Boston," from the Martin Scorsese masterpiece The Departed. The song has an intensity that embodies the guts and energy of the movie and is another in a long list of music that the director—a renowned music fan—has brilliantly utilized in his work. He's made impeccable choices: the Ronettes in Mean Streets, Bernard Herrmann's Taxi Driver score, the Cavalleria Rusticana Intermezzo in Raging Bull, the Rolling Stones in GoodFellas, Mickey and Sylvia's "Love Is Strange" in Casino, just to name a few. The Dropkick Murphys number, originally on the band's 2005 CD, The Warrior's Code, was inspired by an unpublished Woody Guthrie lyric and has a hard-core bagpipe stomp that puts other bands who consider themselves punk rock to shame. It's included on the Departed soundtrack CD—along with songs from the Stones, the Beach Boys, the Band, Van Morrison, and LaVern Baker. Kudos to Scorsese.

You've gotta say what you say

don't let anybody get in your way....

Let's hope this has a more Mad Fer It outcome this time!

A new website is ambitiously trying to set chart history wrongs right, by organising fans to download back catalogue singles simultaneously, in an attempt to push them to the top of the charts.

7digital, the company behind www.itshouldhavebeennumber1.co.uk, are taking advantage of new chart rules that mean download sales alone, can now be counted towards chart positions.

A number of classic singles that missed the top spot are being targeted. First up is the loser in the great Britpop battle of 1995, Oasis’ “Roll With It”. The Gallaghers and co were pipped by Blur’s “Country House” that June, but maybe now they’ll be able to grab the coveted No 1 slot.

American v. Brit humor

Simon Pegg, writing in the Guardian about perceived differences in what Americans and Brits find amusing.

Although it is true that we British do use irony a little more often than our special friends in the US. It's like the kettle to us: it's always on, whistling slyly in the corner of our daily interactions. To Americans, however, it's more like a nice teapot, something to be used when the occasion demands it. This is why an ironic comment will sometimes be met with a perplexed smile by an unwary American. Take this exchange that took place between two friends of mine, one British (B), the other American (A):

B: "I had to go to my grandad's funeral last week."

A: "Sorry to hear that."

B: "Don't be. It was the first time he ever paid for the drinks."

A: "I see."

Now, my American friend was being neither thick nor obtuse here; he simply didn't immediately register the need to bury emotion under humour.

I find British comedy more amusing than homegrown stuff, but that's mainly due to childhood exposure. Every Sunday, before Mass and Sunday School, I'd get ready and watch "Monty Python's Flying Circus" on PBS (which was only on Sunday AM).

This explains more about my personal and emotional development than I'd like to think about.

One Love

Sounds12Aug89, originally uploaded by Linda Jacqueline.

Nice kisser, Mani. Guh. GUH. Oh, the things that I think about him. Bit dirty, actually.

For the record

pop music doesn't get more perfect than 1:47 into 'This Is the One' by The Stone Roses. As with all the SR songs, John's guitar is absolutely buoyant above the bubbling rhythm section. I can't think of a song that I enjoy more.

Amy in NYC

Again with the lucky bastards..... I do think she's going to get real big, real fast here. Love it, love it,

Live from London, headlined by Amy Winehouse, will return to New York on 13th March 2007.

With its unique blend of showcasing and industry networking, the event highlights the boundless creativity of the UK capital's music scene.

Random ten

1. No Parking On the Dance Floor- Midnight Star
2. Fat Bottomed Girls- Queen
3. Cruel To Be Kind- Nick Lowe
4. Get Ready- Rare Earth
5. The Drugs Don't Work- The Verve
6. There Is a Light That Never Goes Out- The Smiths
7. I Want You Back- Jackson 5
8. No Good Advice- Girls Aloud
9. Bus Stop- The Hollies
10. You Know I'm No Good- Amy Winehouse

Bonus-
11. You've Really Got a Hold On Me- LaBelle & Laura Nyro
12. Orgasm Addict- Buzzcocks
13. Red Dress- Sugababes
14. Breaking Into Heaven- The Stone Roses

Oh, Noel

You do love me!

Noel Gallagher has launched blistering attacks on Bono and Thom Yorke in a new interview.

The Oasis star accuses the U2 and Radiohead frontmen of using political issues too readily at concerts, when they should concentrate on playing the hits.

Speaking about Bono, Noel ranted to a UK newspaper: "Play 'One', shut the f*ck up about Africa."

Meanwhile, moving onto Radiohead, Noel said: "Thom Yorke sat at a piano singing, 'This is f*cked up' for half-an-hour. We all know that Mr Yorke. Who wants to sing the news?

"No matter how much you sit there twiddling, going, 'We're all doomed,' at the end of the day people will always want to hear you play 'Creep'. Get over it."

For the record, I don't think my beloved Noel is apolitical, but Jesus, who doesn't get sick of Bono talking on, and on, and on, and on about poverty, when U2 are U.K. tax exiles. Along with James fucking Blunt.

As for Radiohead, I think that I'm not quite smart enough to 'get' their music. And yes, Thom should shut up and play 'Creep.'

Again with the for-the-record thing, the setlist for Oasis next week at the Brits? This is what I think it will include-

Live Forever
Acquiesce
Wonderwall
Lyla
Don't Look Back In Anger
Cigarettes and Alcohol

Valentine's Day or not, Jen and I will be hitting F5 on the computer at work to see the Brit Award updates. Yeah, we're fans....

Diamond Lil does America

Go, honey! Get down with your bad self!

I totally would have gone to the Chicago concert, but as I'm a floral designer, and we have a little holiday coming up next week, you know, Valentine's Day, it wasn't in the cards.

We've 'Alright, Still' on constant rotation at the flower shop, though. Along with 'The Sound of Girls Aloud,' 'Overloaded' (Sugababes greatest hits), 'The Very Best Of The Stone Roses,' and 'Back To Black' (Amy Winehouse)..... Oh yeah, the Virgin Megastore LOVES me.

Lily Allen's bid to break America is gathering momentum, after her debut album entered the Billboard chart.

"Alright, Still" has charted at Number 20, having shifted 34,000 copies in the first week of release Stateside.

The success of the LP is thought to have been assisted by Lily's appearance on coveted US TV show "Saturday Night Live" last week.

Confession

I honestly do not give a crap about the Police reunion. Sting annoys me.

Girls Aloud & Sugababes - Walk This Way

John?

Mr. Edwards? If you cave into these people- who would not vote for you even if Jesus came down from Heaven and told them to- about Melissa and Amanda? You are done. I'd vote for my dogs over you. At least Daisy and Rosie don't submit to whackjobs with agendas.

And this pains me, as I really, really like your wife, Elizabeth. She seems to be the salt of the earth.

Reach Out, I'll Be There

How Soon Is Now?

Salford Lads Club to be given historic status?

Salford Lads Club and the real Coronation Street could soon be given conservation status.

The area they are in, known as the New Barracks estate, was built in the early 1900s and was Salford City Council's first local authority housing scheme.

The authority now wants to protect the area, as it says it has "maintained much of its original architectural appearance and character".

A formal conservation scheme will go out to consultation later this year.

Proof that

even if you're a freaking astronaut, your significant other can make you GO THERE sometimes.

I hate encouraging the reporting on this nonsense of the missing-white-woman nature, but seriously, crap like this makes me feel positively normal.

Lucky bastards in LA

Look at this setlist. LOOK AT IT!

'Out Of The Sinking'
'Peacock Suit'
'Hung Up'
'Shout To The Top'
'From The Floorboards Up'
'Paper Smile'
'All The Pictures On The Wall'
'Above The Clouds'
'Thick As Thieves'
'Speak Like A Child'
'English Rose'
'Headstart For Happiness'
'My Ever Changing Moods'
'Running On The Spot'
'Porcelain Gods/I Walk On Glided Splinters'
'Roll Along Summer'
'The Butterfly Collector'
'Thinking Of You'
'A Very Deep Sea'
'Here's The Good News'
'Come On/Let's Go'
'The Changingman'
'Whrilpool's End'

Encore
'Sunflower'
'I Wanna Make It Alright'
'Broken Stones'
'Town Called Malice'

Amy, Amy, Amy

In the WaPo.

For now, at least, all seems well at Joe's Pub at the Public Theater, a small venue downtown where Winehouse's label, Universal Republic Records, has set up a showcase. Inside, the Dap-Kings, her backup band, are serving up old-school soul. Outside, hipsters are lining up in the cold, hoping to snare a scalper's ticket to the late show, which sold out within hours, same as the early show did. In the audience are Mos Def and Nona Hendryx, Citizen Cope and Dr. John, all wanting to be the first in on the secret. Folks are clapping and woo-hooing and proclaiming her brilliant. Backstage, Mos Def -- her musical hero -- will scrawl his number on her jeans, invite her to hang out. Her producer, Mark Ronson, who's worked with Lily Allen, Christina Aguilera and Radiohead, will stop by to lend his support. Jay-Z will stick around after the late show to tell her how much he loved her record.

Alfie

In honor of Diamond Lil's performance on SNL tonight (wow, she's quite good- and knows how to work the camera), here's her new video for "Alfie," the song about her puff-smoking little brother. Trippy.

Also, Lil's Christian Louboutin stilettos that she wore tonight? Were to DIE FOR. Gorgeous. As was her party dress.

Well done, Ms. Allen. Here's hoping you manage to successfully storm fortress America.

Funk Brothers

I was expanding my classic soul collection via iTunes tonight, and remembered this review in the MEN. It's truly staggering how many hits this group worked on.

IF the singers of the Motown era were big, the songs were always bigger - a mighty body of work comprising more chart-toppers than the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Beach Boys and Elvis combined.

But Motown's house band, the Funk Brothers - knocking songs out with the same diligence as the workers on the production lines of Detroit's car factories - went almost forgotten.

When they talk about how the tamborine was so iconically Motown, can't you just hear the beginning to "I Heard It Through the Grapevine?"

Regarding Molly

One of my favorite writers, talking about my dearly-departed favorite writer. God Bless Charles Pierce.

Aw, dammit all to hell.

A year or so ago, we lost a gentle soul named John Ferguson, the first great editor I ever had, who'd cut his professional teeth at The Texas Observer under Kaye Northcott and Molly Ivins. Every great story John had, and he had a rack of them, began with the phrase, "One day, Northcott and Ivins..." and went from there.

So, in 1980, when I met Ms. I. for the first time, I told her that I considered her, if not a professional mother, at the very least, a professional aunt. She got a very big kick out of that. (It was then, I believe, that I passed along the ultimate Boston compliment and told her I thought her work was "wicked smart." Hey, if she can drop the Texas lingo on me ...) When John passed, and she couldn't make the memorial service, she asked us to send along the eulogies we'd read. That was the last time I heard from her.

Now she's gone, and so is Father Robert Drinan, S.J., a brave and decent man who entered The Society (as the Jesuits call it) shortly after my uncle Michael did, and who always returned my calls as a congressman, and as an ex-congressman, because of that. (My European history professor once said that there were only three things you needed to know about European history: the nobility is always corrupt, the middle-class is never ready to take control, and the Jesuits are always being expelled.) Two brilliant troublemakers, gone at a time in which there is so much brilliant trouble to be made.

I think the reason neither of them really fit the role of modern media celebrity -- I mean, Jesus, Gloria Borger is preferable on TV to Molly Ivins? Maureen Dowd is a better writer? Yeah, and I'm the Tsar of all the Russias -- is that they believed too strongly and too genuinely in too many things for an era in which we've spent two goddamn weeks talking about a caesura in a remark Hillary Clinton made in Iowa a flat year before anyone votes there. Molly made a point often of how much she liked good politicians and believed in the political system. And Father Drinan -- I know. I know.

But the honorific is a tic of my Papist heritage that I can't lose -- was deadly serious about deadly serious topics -- war and peace, economic justice. That's not the way we do political commentary -- or politics, alas -- very much any more. What do we get? Michael Kinsley stuffing his IQ into a jar and defending Scooter Libby on the grounds of Business As Usual. Two weeks of idiocy about a caesura in a remark made by Hillary Clinton in Iowa a flat year before anyone votes there. (And let's not get into the fact that the very thought of an HRC candidacy seems to have driven Chris Matthews into some serious brain-fever). Snarky "Messiah Watches" about Barack Obama.

The worst thing you can do at the Kool Kids table is be either sincere or serious. Sorry, you pack of smug, insufferable bastards -- a war's gone bad and the country's a mess, and you never were funny, anyway, not like Molly was. So go and take your little slambooks and wreck some other profession for a while. The grown-ups have work to do.

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