13 posts tagged “ben vaughn”

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Top Artists this Week (see more)

30 Mar 2008 – 6 Apr 2008

	1		Ben Vaughn	14
	2		Arthur Alexander	10
	2		Leonard Cohen	10
1	4		Tom Waits	8
	5		Lloyd Cole and the Commotions	7
	6		Al Green	3
	6		Los Straitjackets	3
	8		Fathoms	2
	8		Lloyd Cole	2
	8		Spacehog	2

Well, at least I have listened to 10 artists this week. 

These two songs are from the 2007 Hacktone re-release of Arthur Alexander's Lonely Just Like  Me.  The first is recorded at a Fresh Air performance and the second is a Neil Diamond cover sung in a hotel room.   And if you listen real close you know you might hear Ben Vaughn playin' rhythym guitar.  Oh, yeah.  Then Ben Vaughn playin' "Rhythym Guitar."

Top Artists this Week (see more)

2 Mar 2008 – 9 Mar 2008

12	1		Ben Vaughn	23
41	2		Elvis Costello & The Attractions	16
	3		Django Reinhardt	14
	4		Gerry Mulligan Quartet	13
5	5		Robyn Hitchcock	11
	6		Charles Wilson	10
	6		Roxy Music	10
3	8		Ben Vaughn Combo	8
34	9		Robyn Hitchcock and The Egyptians	6
	9		The Minus 5	6

Here's something you don't hear every day:  The Ben Vaughn Combo performing "Ben's Prayer" live on WFMU  (June 21, 1986).

Nothing much is going on here, so I'd like to take this opportunity to introduce you all to one of my office monkeys:  Koko Joe.

He's been hanging out with me for a little over a year.  Of course, a monkey this fine can only be obtained via the eBay worldwide marketplace.  He is hand-crocheted  by parties unknown of 100% acrylic.  He is stuffed with an mysterious puffy stuff, prolly also acrylic.  He is pantless but he does sport a fetching fez and bolero ensemble.  Joe is sans tail.  He's no square ape. He's the coolest little monkey in town and takes his name from this song written by the late Congressman Salvatore Bono and performed here by Mr. Ben Vaughn.

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And now, for your further enjoyment, a photo essay that I like to call "The Many Moods of Koko Joe."

Hand in hand, down they go.
Down they go to the rocks below...

The song "When Free Love Reigned" is dedicated to any of my readers who either a. live in the Scottsdale area or b. smoke like a German in a black and white WWII movie. 

It is probably just a coincidence that this song reminds me of Bob Crane.  But, MAN, does it remind me of Bob Crane!  A swinging guy with cool stereo equipment and lots of last-name-less chicks.  Free love, baby. 

But before that Bob Crane was Hogan.  As a kid I watched Hogan's Heroes in rerun and was s p e l l b o u n d by Hogan.  He simply telegraphed cool-- grinning contempt for goose-stepping authoritarian assholes.  Those frickin' paper-hanging, HUNS.  Even if I was 8 years old and didn't understand squat about wars, prisoners, undergrounds, allies, axis, anything...  Colonel Hogan made prison camp LOOK GOOD!!!  (Now that I'm thinking about it, Hogan's Heroes probably did more to confuse and misinform me about the war than anything.  Streudel?  Tunnel??  Geneva Convention, wtf???)  As tv dudes go, the Colonel could kick the Fonz's ass any day with one arm tied behind his back and LeBeau's beret pulled down over his eyes.

I will also now admit that I was hot for Corporal Newkirk (aka Richard Dawson).  In my defense, I was 8 and I was nutz for ANY guy with a fat English accent.  Davey Jones, Anthony Newly, Roddy McDowall, and so on... Embarrassing to admit, but I do feel better now.

So imagine my disappointment when I grew up and found out that the Colonel was a stone freak.  Not that there's anything wrong with that.  But in retrospect, free love sounds pretty nauseating.  Whatever you think about all that, whatever happened to Bob Crane is an interesting case. Deader than dead in his Scottsdale, AZ apartment with his head bashed in. It's a sexy, sleazy teaser without a clear resolution.  The Murder of Bob Crane by Robert Graysmith has been through two editions and is worth a read if you can get your hands on it. Crime Library has a nice piece on the case.  Denise M.Clark takes the Scottsdale, AZ police to task regarding evidence in her article in crimemagazine.  If it's linkies to morbid murder-scene pics you want then Morbidly Hollywood has a link for you.  And if you're not much of a reader, you can do the Cliff's Notes version and Netflix AutoFocus.

I promised myself that I wouldn't do any countries, continents, or planets.

But I couldn't let place week end without posting this one of my most favoritest songs in the universe.  EVAR.  (Especially since I totally blanked out on it during name meme week, for which it would have been even more appropriate.)

Ladies and gentlemen, pleeez to enjoy Jerry Lewis in France.

I'm also a little bt bummed bacause I cannot be out in the middle of nowhere this weekend to hear Ben and the Sibleys. Maybe you could go in my stead.

It's almost noon on Sunday and-- so far-- I have experienced no weekend suckage.  I'm probably tempting the fates, but what the hell, here are some songs that make me happy.  I hope these songs make you feel as blissful and giddy as they make me.

Show us an album that you think everyone would love if they just gave it a listen.

HA!  I was just having this conversation with Zombie Birdhouse the other day.  What kind of world are we living in where Bono is more famous than Ben Vaughn?  Really.  WTF???

Dressed in Black came out in 1990 and-- I'm just guessing now-- the cover caused many a sphincter to tighten.  That must have been the problem because every song on there is perfectly unforgettable.  (I've been meditating on "Poor Jimmy Gordon" and will probably post something on that soon.) 

Anyway, I'm always proud to pander for Mr. Vaughn, so hasten over to his website and buy some stuff and listen to him dj on Friday nights on wevl.org.  Archived shows are here, so get listening!