List: Some Movies I Like

Ten of my favorite movies (in no particular order):

1) The Jerk
2) Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back
3) The Three Amigos
4) The Blues Brothers
5) The Lord of the Rings (entire trilogy)
6) Animal House
7) Raising Arizona
8) Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind
9) An Inconvenient Truth
10) Juno

Songs That Came Up During Shuffle On My iPod (05/17/2010)

I don't really enjoy listening to songs on shuffle on my iPod.  I like listening to entire albums.  Or sometimes playlists I created with songs that I know go well together.  But lately I have been only carrying my 8 gig iPod touch.  It has photos, videos and apps along with my music so it only has my most listened to favorite albums on it.  Listening to the same albums over and over again started to get old so I broke out the old 60 gig iPod photo.
Listened on shuffle and it picked some old stuff I haven't listened to in a long time.  Some good, some bad....but at least it was different.

Here's what I heard today:

* The Police: "Deathwish" - Regatta de Blanc
* The Beatie Boys: "Live at P.J.'s" - Check Your Head
* Nirvana: "Territorial Pissings" - Nevermind
* Simon and Garfunkel: "Kodachrome/Maybellene" - The Concert in Central Park
* Wico: "What's the World Got In Store" - Being There
* Portishead: "Only You" = Roseland NYC Live
* Baby Face Leroy: "My Head Can't Rest Anymore" - Chess Blues
* Led Zeppelin: "The Ocean" - How the West Was Won
* Mophine: "Eleven O'Clock" - Like Swimming
* G. Love and the Special Sauce: "Town To Town" - G. Love and the Special Sauce
* Led Zeppelin: "The Crunge" - Houses of the Holy
* The Who: "The Kids Are Alright": Who's Better, Who's Best
* Violent Femmes: "Promise" - Violent Femmes
* Le Tigre: "Slideshow At Free University" - Le Tigre
* Doves: "Break Me Gently" - Lost Souls
* Hound Dog Taylor: "Sitting Here Alone" - Chess Blues
* Latin Playboys: "Dose" - Dose
* Cibo Matto: "Le Pain Perdu" - Viva! La Woman
* Led Zeppelin: "White Summer/Black Mountain Side" - Led Zeppelin Box Set
* Soul Coughing: "Pensacola" - El Oso
* Jimi Hendrix: "Little Miss Lover" - Axis: Bold As Love
* James Taylor: "Copperline" - Live

5 (+1) Cover Songs I Like

Cover songs are a tricky thing. You either love them or hate them. I am a fan of artists taking someone else's song and making it their own. I think this important when covering somebody else's music. If you just try to recreate the song the way it was originally it is going to pale compared to the original.
If you can take a song, most likely that was already a hit and make it better than the original than you did something right.

So here they are. A list of 5 covers that I really enjoy.

Top cover songs:
1) Run D.M.C.: cover of Aerosmith's "Walk This Way".

I debated about this one for a while. For one thing is it really a cover? After all Steven Tyler and Joe Perry of Aerosmith actually perform on the Run D.M.C. Version. But I feel that they did such a great job making it their own that it had to be on the list. Also, the impact that it had on 80's music, rap in particular, was huge. This cover exposed the white teenage audience to rap for the very first time and paved the wave for some big 80's rap hits.

2) Aretha Franklin: Simon and Garfunkel's "A Bridge Over Troubled Water"

It wasn't until I was in college that I heard this version of "Bridge" and when I did I was blown away. She took this song and made it her own for sure.  Taking this song and making it funky is not something I thought was possible but Aretha pulls it off for sure.

3) Joe Cocker: The Beatles' "With a Little Help From My Friends".

Is this even the same song?


4) Cake: Gloria Gaynor’s "I Will Survive"

I think I might get an ear full about this one. But Cake took this song and made it there's. It is the one on the list that I can't tell you which I like better, the cover or original.

5) Sinead O’Conner:  Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U”

A lot of people don’t even know that this was a cover song.  It is the only one on the list where the original was not a hit.  The Sinead O’Conner version is so awesome that it needs to be on the list.

+1) Alien Ant Farm: Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal”

I not a fan of Alien Ant Farm and I don’t know any of their other music.  I remember hearing their version of this song and really liking it.   They really make it rock.

Let me know what your favorites are.

List: Things I Wish Other Drivers Would Do

Lists: either you love them or you hate them. This post will be the first list on this blog. If you like it I will post more in the future.

Top ten things I wish other drivers would do (in no particular order)

1) Use a turn signal. Its not that hard. And it gives me a few seconds of warning before you cut me off.

2) Give the courtesy wave when I let you in front of me. Again, it's not that hard. It's about the same amount of energy to flip me the bird and I know you can do that, I have seen you do it before.

3) Hang up the phone and drive. You think you a good driver when you are the phone.  Think again, you are not. If you think you are, get one of those bumper stickers that says "tell me how I'm driving" with your phone number on it and let me know how that goes.

4) Leave a little space for me to go through when you are about to sit at a light and you can clearly see I am trying to cross your lane to turn left. I mean, do you really need to sit directly behind that car, or can I drive in front of you for a second?

5) Don't stop at the first available gas pump. Pull up to the one in the front so the person behind you can use the one in the back.

6) Don't honk before the light even turns green. That is just annoying.

7) Don't drive on my ass. I can only go as fast as the car in front of me and driving that close is not going to get you there faster.  And it is dangerous. As much as I would like to meet you I would like for you to stay in your own car if I need to suddenly apply the breaks.

8) If you drive in Massachusetts learn the rules of a rotary. They are simple. Yield if you are not in the rotary and don't if you are. Also learn what yield means. Please see number 9.

9) Learn what to do at a yield sign.  It is also simple. You stop if there is a car coming. No need to stop if there is not a car coming. It does not mean that you get to just keep driving because it doesn't say "stop".

And

10) Learn how to park your vehicle. If you drive a huge car and you cannot easily pull in or out of a parking spot please buy a smaller car.

Tell what you would add to the list.

I hope you enjoyed this first list post.