Quotes of the Month: March 2011

Quote of the Month:

"They say I have no hits and I'm difficult to work with. And they say that like it's a bad thing."


-Tom Waits


Dumb Quote of the Month:

“It’s modern-day slavery, you know?”



-Adrian Peterson


And the rest...

“I don’t judge a person by what they’ve done and what they’re going to do.”


-SF Giants Pitcher Brian Wilson on Charlie Sheen

"How much is the hockey and how much is the fighting, we don't really know."

Dr. Robert Cantu on Bob Probert’s CTE

“However, the result is that I have ended up sounding like a tormented weirdo who thinks he was at the Alamo in another life, who feels very sorry for himself, and is retiring hurt because of the bad press over the years.”

-Phil Collins

“A small house fire in LA has been attributed to Charlie Sheen's publicist exploding. No one else was hurt.”

-Simon Pegg

“I’m just hopeful the coach doesn’t dismiss me.”

-OSU President E. Gordon Gee

"I've had a player murdered; I've had a player incarcerated; I've had a player get taken into the drug culture and lose his opportunity for a productive life. And so it was obviously tremendously concerning. Quite honestly, I was scared."

-Jim Tressel

“I would hug them and had some ice cream.”

-Ron Artest on the Miami Heat players crying after a loss

“You can tell I did not do very well in Russian."

-Joe Biden after butchering Mikhail Khodorkovsky’s name in a Moscow speech

“Winning.”

-Charlie Sheen

"I never hugged him, I bombed him."

-Margaret Thatcher

“Who wants to go to Europe. It’s not Detroit.”

-Jalen Rose

“It would be wonderful for people to maybe offer a little help to the Japanese people at this time -- as they’re filling out their brackets.”

-Barack Obama setting priorities

"You keep practicing, you'll go places!"

-Neil Diamond to Bruce Springsteen

“That’s the world of prostitution. You never know what you’re going to get.”

-Lawrence Taylor

"The United States cannot afford, nor do we have the authority, to intervene."

-Rep. Dennis Kucinich

2011 Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Nominees

After viewing the list of nominees, a number of people have asked "who?" Once again, many worthy candidates have not even been nominated. Jan Wenner needs to go. With that said, here is the list of 2011 Rock Hall nominees...

Alice Cooper: Alice should have been inducted years ago. He pioneered shock rock and theatrical stage shows. Cooper's style has incorporated art rock, glam rock, metal, pop, new wave, industrial, and hard rock. VH 1 named him the 20th most important hard rock artist. Cooper's most important work was 1975's Welcome to My Nightmare.

The Beastie Boys: The Beasties were the first white rap/hip hop act with credibility. They incorporated hard core, punk, rap, hip hop, rock, and alternative into their music. Although not technically rock, other non-rock acts are in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame. With Run DMC and Grandmaster Flash already in the hall, the Beasties should probably be inducted as well.

Bon Jovi: Bon Jovi separated themselves from their hair metal contemporaries with Slippery When Wet and New Jersey. When hair metal died, Bon Jovi survived and changed their sound. They are still selling millions of records and have even dabbled in country music. Considering their longevity and success, they belong in the hall.

Chic: Chic was a 70s disco band. They had a series of commercial hits including "Le Freak" and "Good Times." Unlike Abba, their music has not stood up well. Also, their music is uber-plastic. They don't belong.

Neil Diamond: Neil Diamond began his career as a songwriter in the famous Brill Building. The Monkeys covered "I'm a Believer" and "A Little Bit of Me, A Little Bit of You." As a solo artist, Diamond recorded "Girl, You'll Be a Woman Soon" and "Solitary Man." He became a superstar in the seventies and developed a large loyal following. In the eighties, he continued to record iconic hits such as "America" and "Heartlight." As a result of his longevity, talent, and success, Neil Diamond belongs in the Rock Hall.

Donovan: Donovan blended folk with jazz and psychedelia. His hits include "Sunshine Superman" and "Atlantis." He's another artist that should have been inducted years ago.

Dr. John: Dr. John is a jazz/blues legend. His music has crossed over into Zydeco and rock n roll. If this was simply a hall for Rock, then Dr. John would not belong. However, with the expansion to include everything, he belongs.

J. Geils Band: This is one of the great American rock bands. It's a crime that they are not in yet.

LL Cool J: Even with the expansion of rock's definition for the hall, LL does not belong in.

Darlene Love: Who? You've heard her, but don't know it. Remember "He's a Rebel"? She did not record under her own name, but she sang on some major hits including "Da Doo Ron Ron". She's been overlooked, but is nominated for the second straight year.

Laura Nyro: Her work has been covered by the Fifth Dimension, Three Dog Night, and Peter, Paul, and Mary. She probably belongs in the hall under another category.

Donna Summer: Back to disco...she did combine rock with disco.

Joe Tex: Joe Tex was a popular soul singer in the sixties and seventies. He pioneered rap music by speaking over his music. As a result, he is the forefather of modern music.

Tom Waits: Waits work is best known through covers. Rod Stewart did "Downbound Train" and Bruce Springsteen covered "Jersey Girl." Waits is extremely talented and combines roots, blues, and experimental into his own style. His characters are usually seedy and trapped in some bizarre circumstance.

Chuck Willis: Willis died in 1958 at the age of 30. He was known as "the King of Stroll" and has been covered by Eric Clapton, Roy Orbison, Otis Redding, Buddy Holly, Jerry Garcia, and Elvis Presley. His main hit was "The Stroll." If Percy Sledge is in for one hit, then perhaps Willis should be as well.

More Rock n Roll Hall of Fame Worthy Acts

A month or so back, I listed the Top 10 most deserving acts not in the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame (See: http://cicero390.blogspot.com/2010/03/rock-n-roll-hall-of-fame-generally-does.html).  Some folks grumbled about missing acts...so, here is the first installment of acts that could make an argument for induction. I listed the pros and cons for each. They are in alphabetical order.

This is just the first installment...more to follow later.

Joan Baez


Pro: At the forefront of 60s music, iconic Woodstock moments, master interpreter of music

Con: Folk artist, known for doing other people’s work.

Bon Jovi

Pro: Best of the 80s hard rock bands and the hall likes to include one of every genre, tons of hits and sales, ability to adapt, still making hits today.

Con: They came from the 80s, not many people list them as an influence

Cheap Trick

Pro: Influential, original

Con: Not a ton of hits, so not top of mind

Chubby Checker

Pro: Ushered in a dance craze, “The Twist” and its sequel song, did branch out to other genres

Con: Typecast by The Twist

Phil Collins

Pro: Crap load of hits, influential, great drummer

Con: Lots of love songs, might be too poppy, already in with Genesis

The Cure

Pro: Unique, Influential

Con: Ironically, may not be commercial enough, so not top of mind

Dick Dale

Pro: King of Surf Guitar, At forefront of the genre, Experimented with reverb and other technical aspects of guitar

Con: Disappeared for awhile, genre was very short-lived

Def Leppard

Pro: Along with Bon Jovi, best representative of 80s hard rock, massive success, biggest act of the 80s other than Michael Jackson, unique live shows in the round, influence can be heard in other acts today

Con: Lumped with hair metal, a lot of their stuff sounds alike

Neil Diamond

Pro: Prolific Brill Building song writer, other acts recorded his songs before he branched out, he’s immensely popular and has oodles of hits.

Con: There is a cheese factor and he is considered A.C. as opposed to rock.

Dire Straits

Pro: Mark Knofler, great guitar work, solid music, huge in the 80s

Con: Not top of mind

The Dominoes

Pro: Important Doo wop group from 50s

Con: Important Doo wop group from the 50s

Duran Duran

Pro: Massively popular 80s band; great representatives of that post punk New Wave sound

Con: 1980s; seen as pretty boys

Peter Gabriel

Pro: Unique and popular

Con: Weird, already in with Genesis

Sammy Hagar

Pro: Classic rocker representing multiple genres

Con: Already in with VH, influence outside VH is probably minimal

Merle Haggard

Pro: He is more Rock n Roll than most Rock artists, Cash is in

Con: He’s country with little to no crossover

The Ten Most Conservative Songs of all Time

Bodies- The Sex Pistols: The Sex Pistols sing about dying babies in this anti-abortion song.

Coming to America- Neil Diamond: Neil Diamond expresses a very Reaganesque message of America being that shining city on a hill providing inspiration to the world.

Don’t Tread on Me- Metallica: Metallica ties themselves to the American Revolution. During that period, one flag featured a snake ready to strike with the words “Don’t Tread On Me” underneath. The song includes many conservative messages such as “liberty or death”, “love it or leave it”, and “to secure peace is to prepare for war.”

I Can’t Drive 55- Sammy Hagar: Hagar rails against the nanny state and its desire to run every aspect of our lives.

Rock The Casbah- The Clash: Joe Strummer wrote this after the Ayatollah clamped down on rock music in Iran. The song was co-opted by American troops during the First Gulf War and was re-interpreted to mean “bomb the Middle East.” Ironically, Strummer was a committed leftist that despised war.

Small Town- John Mellencamp: Mellencamp is not a conservative. However, Small Town represents the cultural divide between left and right. While the left controls urban areas, the small town remains conservative.

Stormtroopin’- Ted Nugent: Unlike Mellencamp and Strummer, Nugent is a right winger. Uncle Ted warns about big government and provides the real rationale for the 2nd Amendment.

Taxman- The Beatles: Beware of the Taxman. He’ll tax the heat, your car, and even your feet. The government knows what is best, so don’t ask where the money goes!

We’re Not Gonna Take It- Twisted Sister: Since the left tends to like government, it tends to be more institutional than the right. When the left revolts, it tends to be against themselves. When the right revolts, it’s against the left, the government, the system, and the machine.

Won’t Get Fooled Again- The Who: Pete Townsend wrote this in reaction to the sixties. In his view, he felt that we won’t be fooled again by those left wing hippie tools. The song was played at Bush headquarters on election eve 2000.