dimand radio 4-14-18 show notes

Mom: No Update This Week

Mom is OK.

 

I guess that is an update. Oh, well.

I Made It Through That Top Ten List

After a little talk about a show that used to be on Z Talk Radio (it still cycles through the autoplay when no scheduled show is on), whose host believed he could talk to angels, I revisited the topic of my rant at the end of last week's show: WatchMojo's Top Ten list of the Most Electrifying Live Bands of All Time.

You will recall my two complaints about that list were the placement of my favorite band, The Who, at #10 and the voice-over child not knowing how to pronounce Pete Townshend's name.

Well, during the past week I mustered the courage and watched the entire video. On this week's show, I talk about that list and I try to look at it from the perspective of someone who isn't as big a Who fan as I am. (Apparently, there are people out there who don't even like the greatest band in the world. Go figure.)

These kinds of lists are subjective and I try to keep that in mind. But The Who at #10?!

 

Here's the video.

Tool Time Talk

No, I don't talk about Tim Allen and his manly man, tool-obsessed sit-com. This talk was about a band I know very little about. The band is Tool. They are a highly respected and acclaimed prog-metal or alt-metal band from California.

As I said, I know very little of them, but recently friend of the show Craig introduced to a couple of their songs. Metal was never a favorite musical form for me, but there are some songs I like. And I was impressed with the musicianship displayed in those two songs and the vocals did not put me off as is what usually happens when I listen to metal, especially 80s Hair Metal.

 

The two songs are Crawl Away and Forty Six & 2.

 

And Then There Are These Music Students

 

Craig also linked me to a video of some music students of Maineville Music Academy doing a cover of Forty Six & 2. The kids range in age (I'm guessing here) 9 to 18 or so. And they are pretty damn good.

 

You Take That Back, Travis!

 

Next I talked about a conversation I had with another friend of the show, Travis, about my learning about Tool. I think Tool is to Travis as The Who is to me. We also talked about the cover by those school kids.

 

Travis mentioned how there were nine of those kids (eight on instruments, one doing vocals) to do that song, while, when playing live, Tool consists of three on instruments and one on vocals and they pull it off.

 

Hmm. Three on instruments and one vocalist. WHO does that sound like, eh? Of course.

 

I know. I'm sick. I can't help bringing them up (Although I will try.) So, I brought The Who into the conservation. It was then that Travis suggested Townshend wasn't much of a musician.

 

...

 

Travis is still alive. When you listen to the show you'll learn how he managed to survive.

 

They Aren't All Playing All That Music?

 

I learned this from a recent Penn's Sunday School podcast. It's an industry secret that some of the major touring rock bands will hide additional musicians to fill in the sound, cover the mistakes, hit the high notes, etc. I guess I can understand when a band wants to reproduce the sound of their records, but they don't want to appear mortal not being able to do it all.

 

U2 is one a band that employs a keyboardist who is hidden away from the crowd, but they do introduce him to the audience. Aerosmith and The Rolling Stones aren't as open about it. At least, according to Penn Jillette and pianist Mike Jones.

 

You know, when The Who tours now and since the late 80s they have their additional musicians right on stage with them.

 

The Who are so great. They just... Sorry, I'll stop talking about them for a while, OK?

 

Three Cool Things

 

3) Well, it appears I can't stop talking about them for long, because there's this very cool video on YouTube that isolates Keith Moon's drum track on the song Won't Get Fooled Again.

 

2) There a very entertaining podcast that humorously focuses on American history. It's called The Dollop and there's a YouTube video of a live performance done on baseball's maverick owner Bill Veeck. The talk includes the infamous Death To Disco event held during a doubleheader at Comiskey Park.

 

1) As is most always the case on the second Thursday of the month, I met up with the Minnesota Skeptics and got all good and skeptical with them. Always a cool time.

 

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'Take It Away' by Paul McCartney & 'Walking & Falling' by Laurie Anderson

Second ad break bumpers: 'Infected' by The The & 'No Reply At All' by Genesis

Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

That's it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com

Please subscribe on iTunes! Just search for Dimland Radio in the podcast section. And if you could leave a good rating and a positive review it would be awesome.

You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.

concert memoirs pt. 8 - husker du, u2 & husker du

Husker Du w/Laughing Stock

1/30/85 First Avenue w/John Ticket Price: Unknown

This was the first of five times that John and I would see this band. We were still not quite ready to join the slam dancing, so we stayed toward the back to observe the craziness. I don’t think it was as violent as the X concert (First Avenue 10/15/84), but according to the MN Daily (the University of Minnesota’s newspaper) it was “loud, fast and furious”.

I was able to consult the MN Daily review (dated 2/1/85 by Steven Perlstein) of the show because of the magic of the internet. The internet is so handy. The reason I wanted to see that review is because I wanted to see if my memory was serving me.

The main thing I recall of that concert is something my art school friend, Gene, did. Gene was quite the committed punk. He had the mohawk and the leather and the boots. And he loved slam dancing and stage diving.

We, John and I and the rest of the art school gang, had been going to the Cabooze for a while by this time. The Cabooze was another Minneapolis club that booked some cool acts in those days. The old art school gang would head down there to see The Urban Guerrillas frequently. The Urban Guerillas were a local favorite that played their own unusual blend of punk, ska, reggae and whatever. We would slam dance to those guys, but it was a more gentle style of slam dancing. And the Cabooze would let people stage dive, while First Avenue wouldn’t.

I’ll write more about The Urban Guerillas later on in this blog series.

Anyway, Gene was at the Husker Du show with Eric, another art school friend, and possibly a couple others whom I can’t remember. When the Huskers took the stage, Gene and his group were at the opposite side of the main floor from John and me. The band just started into it’s first song when Gene (quoting the Daily review) “provided a poignant argument against drugs by leaping onstage, dancing for about 15 seconds, and doing a Greg Louganis-like swan dive into the crowd. What fun.” It was a beautiful stage dive. Gene put his all into it and I’m sure it would have received all 10’s from the judges. Had there been any.

My memory serves! In my outline notes for this series, I had written about the Daily article and had quoted “Greg Louganis-like swan dive”. After 23 years, I still remembered that review. I did, however, spell Louganis wrong.

Gene disappeared after the dive. He had no sooner gotten back to his feet when the First Avenue security staff grabbed him and said, “You’re out, pal!” Gene was booted from the club. He should have waited until later in the show to do his dive, so he wouldn’t have missed the whole thing.

To set the record straight, Gene was not on drugs when he pulled his stunt. He was on the punk rock.

U2
3/19/85 Minneapolis Auditorium w/John & Gene Ticket Price: $13.00

I’m not sure if John And I actually sat with Gene at this show, but he did give us a ride there. I think his seats were elsewhere. At least, John and I got to ride in his way cool Jeep.

U2 were just starting their climb to superstardom. They put on a great show. At one point, Bono asked if anyone in the audience could play guitar. They found some kid and got him onstage to play along with the band for one song. It must have been awfully thrilling and nerve-racking for the kid.

Bono did all his Bono theatrics. He grabbed a baby spot light to shine at the crowd, he wrapped himself in the Irish flag, he walked on water. You know, his usual stuff.

Husker Du w/Die Kreuzen & Process Blue
6/12/85 First Avenue w/John Ticket Price: Unknown

Let me just say this right away... Die Kreuzen sucked! Sucked! Sucked! Sucked! They played some brand of crappy metal, hardcore slop. The lead singer couldn’t keep the microphone anywhere near his mouth for more than three seconds at a time. They were boring!

So, there I stood, leaning against the front of the stage, chin in my hand as this lousy band actually managed to slow the passage of time. A young woman, obviously a fan of this dreadfully, awful band, noticed my state of absolute boredom. She gave me a sarcastic “poor baby” look. I refrained from giving her any reaction.

Well, Die Kreuzen finally finished making noise and dragged their talentless asses of the stage. The stench of their horrific appearance was still evident as Husker Du took the stage to clear the air. Interestingly enough, the gal who was unsympathetic of my plight had disappeared once the truly talented headliners began to play.

This was our second time seeing Husker Du and John and I were ready for the slam dancing. It was a blast. Knocking around in the pit, getting aggression out without doing any serious damage to anyone.

My friend, David, had brought a date to a Husker Du concert once. She hadn’t heard of the band before and when she saw them she said they looked like garbage men. Possibly, but what talented garbage men.