Tag Archives: Squirrel Nut Zippers

My iPod Has Issues – Too Early For Bed

16 Jun

The summer class that I am teaching is halfway finished.

The meetings I had today did not last long.

The dinner we had at the local pizzeria was quite good.

Everyone else is in bed, but I cannot go to bed before 10 pm. Going to bed before 10 pm means I have reached a time in life that I am not ready to admit. When I was a kid, I would beg my parents to let me stay up until the local news was over. I usually made it through Johnny Carson’s monologue or through the beginning of a John Wayne movie on the late show. Nope, I will not go to bed earlier than that.

Instead, I will delve into the mind of my psychotic iPod and see what is going on.

“Bad Moon Rising” by Creedence Clearwater Revival

“Search for Vulcan” by Leroy Holmes

“Heaven is a Place on Earth” by Belinda Carlisle

“Carolyn” by Merle Haggard

“Stereotomy” by The Alan Parsons Project

“Ebo Walker” by The Dillards

“Dance to the Music” by Sly and the Family Stone

“She’s Got You” by Loretta Lynn

“Got My Mojo Working” by Muddy Waters

“Memphis Exorcism” by Squirrel Nut Zippers

“Garden Party” by Ricky Nelson

“6 Underground” by Sneaker Pimps

“Free Ride” by Edgar Winter

“Babe I’m Gonna Leave You” by Led Zeppelin

“Lazy River” by Pete Fountain

“Hallelujah I Love Her So” by Ray Charles

“God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys

“More Than You Know” by Mel Torme

“O Death” by Ralph Stanley

“Down Together” by The Refreshments

My iPod Has Issues – Losing Bill Dance and Finding Eddie Feigner

24 Sep

We are having a garage sale, and everyone knows what that means. We are dragging out stuff that we forgot we had. Some of it is coming from the attic. Some of it is coming from our closets. Some of it is coming from the Land of Discarded Items.

In the process, I am giving up the autographed Bill Dance t-shirt that I got when the famed fisherman made an appearance at the Hollywood Casino in Tunica, Mississippi. It is definitely a sacrifice to give up something that cool.

However, some cool things are staying. While digging for artifacts, I came across a booklet celebrating the 25th Anniversary of The King and His Court. If that name does not mean anything to you, then let me explain. Eddie Feigner was a fast pitch softball pitcher who traveled the world with a four-man team. They took on all comers and won over 9,000 games. Along the way, Eddie “The King”  Feigner did tricks with the ball. There are a few people around here who played against them. I need to collect stories and write a post about them.

Anyway, we have dragged a bunch of stuff into the garage and are ready to do business. Hopefully, we will make some money. Every quarter counts.image-2

To commemorate the event, I have decided to look into my iPod and see what it is doing.

“Be Careful Who You Love (Arthur’s Song)” by Hank Williams, Jr.

“For the Good Times” by Isaac Hayes

“Judy” by Frank Howard

“Hardline” by Tom Kimmel

“Memphis Exorcism” by Squirrel Nut Zippers

“Clubbed to Death” by Rob Dougan

“Up On Cripple Creek” by The Band

“Kansas City Shuffle” by J. Ralph

“Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Simon and Garfunkel

“Alone Again” by Dokken

“Ohio” by Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young

“Ruby (Are You Mad at Your Man)” by The Osbourne Brothers

“I Wanna Ummm With You” by Stacy Mitchhart

“Thirteen” by Big Star

“Still and Always Will” by Vintage Trouble

“T for Texas” by Tompall Glaser

“Dazed and Confused” by Led Zeppelin

“The Peacocks” by Howard Alden

“The Wind, The Wind” by Dean Martin

“Tomorrow Never Comes” by Ernest Tubb

My iPod Has Issues – The Weekend That Was

20 Jan

Over the past few days, the weather has been unusually warm, and we took the opportunity to get out and about. The long weekend has spent doing things other than sitting at home.

On Friday night, we had a nice meal at a Greek restaurant and saw American Sniper. The theater was packed, and the first two showings were sold out. We bought tickets and hung out in the lobby until our screen was ready. When I write that the place was packed, I am not kidding. The teenagers taking tickets were overwhelmed, and the police officer working security had to help them. It was obvious that the movie would make a ton of money.

On Saturday night, we helped celebrate the 50th birthday of a friend. We had a great meal at a place called Urban Grub. Then, everyone started talking about going to the honky-tonk bars for which Nashville is famous. We were not up for loud music and loud crowds and headed home. The next morning, we learned that none of them went to the bars. I guess people who go to 50th birthday parties have barks that are bigger than their bites.

On Sunday, we had brunch at Sammy B’s, a local restaurant in an old woolen mill. The entire complex has been renovated, and there are a few businesses inside. However, the restaurant is probably the most popular.

After brunch, we went on a drive through the country. We like a country drive every so often and try to pick different routes. On this drive, we went past a farm that Paul McCartney called home for a few months in the early 1970s. We also stopped at a country store looking for fried peach pies. Unfortunately, we had to settle for candy bars.

Today, we went back to Nashville and had lunch at Burger Up, a place where burger does not adequately describe what you are getting. Then, we walked down the street to Jeni’s Ice Creams. This place is the bomb.

Tonight, we went to Gondola Italian Restaurant, an old staple for us, to celebrate my brother’s birthday. He is ten years older, which means that his current membership in AARP represents my future.

Wait, I just realized. We went to two birthday dinners, and there was not a birthday cake at either one.Cake

Anyway, that is the weekend that was. I know it is not exciting. To add something to the mix, here are a few selections from my iPod.

“Take California” by Propellerheads

“Memphis Exorcism” by Squirrel Nut Zippers

“Waterloo” by Stonewall Jackson

“Paranoid Android” by Radiohead

“Chill in the Air” by Amos Lee

“69 Police” by David Holmes

“The Chokin’ Kind” by Joe Simon

“Spanish Harlem” by Ben E. King

“My Little Home in Tennessee” by Mac Wiseman

“Hallelujah” by Leonard Cohen

“Endless Black Ribbon” by Tiny Harris

“Stranglehold” by Ted Nugent

“Don’t Say You Don’t Remember” by Beverly Bremers

“Piece of My Heart” by Big Brother and the Holding Company

“Cripple Creek” by The Dillards

“Go Speed Racer Go” by Sponge

“Lose Yourself” by Eminem

“The Harder They Come” by Jimmy Cliff

“Love, Love, Love” by Ted Jarrett

“Jack of Diamonds” by Nevada Slim

My iPod Has Issues – WordPress Has Joined the Crazy Club

9 Dec

This morning, I logged into WordPress and found that the format has been changed. Obviously, this is not the first time that changes have taken place, and each time I have to learn how to navigate the system to get where I want.

It an old-fashioned question, but why fix something that is not broken? Ever heard of New Coke?New Coke

Hold on. Scratch that. The classic system I signed up on was not broken. The changes since that time have gradually made the platform worse. With each change, I have figured out how to get back to the classic. One of these days, the classic dashboard is going to be deleted, and the blogging world will stop spinning.

Anyway, the folks at WordPress either need busy work to justify their continued employment, or they have joined the crazy club. My iPod is the only thing crazier than these constant changes. With that in mind, we will go completely off the wall and use this crazy blogging platform to explore my crazy iPod.

Hold on to your minds!

“The Reflex” by Duran Duran

“La Grange” by ZZ Top

“Highway 61 Revisited” by Bob Dylan

“Mack the Knife” by Bobby Darin

“Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” by Dionne Warwick

“Baby Love” by The Supremes

“Rikki Don’t Lose That Number” by Steely Dan

“The Devil Made Me Do It” by Golden Earring

“In The Garden” by John Prine and Mac Wiseman

“Say You Really Care” by Roscoe Shelton

“Cool” by Lou Busch and His Orchestra

“Big Long Slidin’ Thing” by Dinah Washington

“Bad Businessman” by Squirrel Nut Zippers

“Funk #49” by James Gang

“Coelocanth” by Shriekback

“Luckenbach, Texas” by Waylon Jennings

“Bring It On Home To Me” by Sam Cooke

“Banditos” by The Refreshments

“Hallelujah” by Sweathog

“Escape of Jennie Wiley” by Hylo Brown

“Smoke On The Water” by Deep Purple

“Roane County Prison” by Bill Monroe

“Beau Geste” by Hadley J. Castille

“Everlasting Love” by Robert Knight

“Stagger Lee” by Lloyd Price

Our brief musical interlude is over. Now, WordPress. Fix yourself.

My iPod Has Issues – Duck Dude Edition

20 Dec

There are a myriad of topics I could write about. Christmas is on its way. There’s a big trip in our future. Of course, there’s also the big controversy about the guy who makes duck calls and became a television star. As I tweeted, he has the right to his own opinion, but he doesn’t have the right to his own television show. As American citizens, we have freedom of speech. As employees of private corporations, that freedom has consequences.

In honor of the trouble that the duck guy has gotten himself into, I give you a classic movie poster.Duck You Sucker

I could write more about that, but I am tired of that show and that controversy. I would rather take the easy way out and write about my iPod, my bipolar friend who entertains me on my journeys through the world. As always, shuffle up and play. Hold on. This time, let’s turn it up to 25.

“Ain’t That a Shame” by Fats Domino

“1999” by Prince

“Buck’s Boogie” by Matt “Guitar” Murphy

“She’s Not There” by The Zombies

“How Can You Mend a Broken Heart” by The Bee Gees

“Carrie-Anne” by The Hollies

“Underdog” by Butthole Surfers

“Queen Jane Approximately” by Bob Dylan

“Out in the Country” by Three Dog Night

“Umbrella” by Rihanna

“Woman” by Wolfmother

“Freddie’s Dead” by Curtis Mayfield

“Gracefully” by Vintage Trouble

“Red Shoe Tango” by George S. Clinton

“Your Warm and Tender Love” by Chris Rea

“Alabama Song” by The Doors

“Bad Businessman” by Squirrel Nut Zippers

“Columbus Stockade Blues” by The Wear Family

“The Ballad of Ira Hayes” by Johnny Cash

“Six Days on the Road” by Dave Dudley

“Chauffer Blues” by Big Mama Thornton

“Tales of Brave Ulysses” by Cream

“I Only Have Eyes for You” by The Flamingos

“Oke-She-Moke-She-Pop” by Big Joe Turner

“Body and Soul” by Diana Krall

In honor of the duck dude, there is one more classic movie poster that fits the bill. Get it – the bill. You know, like duck-bill.Duck Soup

Anyway, thank you for once again exploring the shattered mind of my iPod.

My iPod Has Issues – The Great State of Tennessee

13 Nov

Tennessee, of which I am a native, has always been a musical state. Memphis has the Blues. Nashville has Country. The mountains have Appalachian Folk. It’s definitely a variety, and when it is thrown all together it turns into Rock ‘n Roll. As a historian who likes music, I have noticed a lot of songs about Tennessee. They either have the state in their names or as their subject.

Since I first heard a Tennessee song, I have wondered how many pieces of music are about this state. Yes, I was a weird kid. I still haven’t figured out all of the Tennessee songs, but I have collected a few on my iPod. To figure out what is there, I am putting the Tennessee playlist on shuffle and letting them fly.

“Roane County Prison” by Bill Monroe

“Nashville Jumps” by Cecil Grant

“Lebanon, Tennessee” by Ron Sexsmith

“Tennessee Waltz” by Jimmy Martin

“Tennessee Flat Top Box” by Johnny Cash

“Memphis Exorcism” by Squirrel Nut Zippers

“My Little Home in Tennessee” by Mac Wiseman

“Gene Nobles’ Boogie” by Richard Armstrong

“Rocky Top” by The Osbourne Brothers

“Tennessee Babe” by Dimitri Tiomkin

“My Little Girl in Tennessee” by Flatt and Scruggs

“East Tennessee Blues” by Tommy Jackson

“L&N Special” by Christine Kittrell

“Knoxville Girl” by Log Cabin Boys

“16th Avenue” by Lacy J. Dalton

“Team of Destiny” by Kenny Chesney

“Tennessee Whiskey” by David Allan Coe

Most of these songs are part of the Country genre, but a few come from the “Night Train to Nashville” album, which chronicles the history of Nashville’s R&B scene. If you want to hear some good Nashville music that is not Country, then you should check it out.

I will finish with a bit of Nashville trivia. When Jimi Hendrix was stationed at Fort Campbell, he played in the nightclubs along Jefferson Street. This is where he honed the guitar skills that would make him famous.

My iPod Has Issues – Speak of the Devil

25 Sep

It’s time for another journey into the mental state of my iPod. This time we will explore its dark side by taking a trip through the playlist called “Something Wicked”, where all selections pertain to something devilish.

He’s a cute little devil.

As always, I will hit the shuffle button and list the first 20 tunes that pop up.

“Hells Bells” by AC/DC

“Season of the Witch” by Donovan

“Crawlin’ King Snake” by John Lee Hooker

“The Garden of Allah” by Don Henley (Note: This does not mean that Allah is devilish. Within the song, Henley has some great lines as the Devil.)

“Season in Hell” by John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band

“The Lords of Salem” by Rob Zombie

“Witchy Woman” by The Eagles

“O Fortuna” by Carl Orff

“(Ghost) Riders in the Sky” by The Outlaws

“Even Trolls Love Rock and Roll” by Tony Joe White

“Highway to Hell” by AC/DC

“Black Magic Woman” by Santana

“Tubular Bells” by City of Prague Philharmonic

“Dark Night” by The Blasters

“Living Dead Girl” by Rob Zombie

“Columbus” Unforgivable Sins” by Peter Buffet

“Go To Hell…” by Wild Bill Hickok and Charlie Utter

“The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by The Charlie Daniels Band

“Bad to the Bone” by George Thorogood

“Memphis Exorcism” by Squirrel Nut Zippers

I had to write this post. I couldn’t help myself. The Devil made me do it.