Mickey Z

Cool Observer

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

Elvis was a hero to most...

Posted by Mickey Z on 02/22 at 07:22 AM

excellent post mickey

if anyone wants to listen/watch the amazing video for fight the power they can get it here…

http://tinyurl.com/koebr

there was an elvis fan in the bar i used to work in and every time he put elvis on CD i would play fight the power directly afterwards and he never noticed. i figured it was better than shouting ‘norm’ every time an overweight person walked in.

that song has had such an effect worldwide. i once heard a three year old say ‘fight the power’ to her mother when her mother was getting shit from a store attendant. i thought it was tremendous (the song and the incident)

also, from yesterday...keir i put a clarification over at my place about what you brought up.

and regarding the prince charles stuff, i don’t expect anymore from hereditary monarchs. my outburst was a bout of self-pity in advance of the nonsense that is on the news and in the papers today. ie charles the pinko revolutionary and green activist and all that bollocks - this is the sort of coverage we are getting today.

to avoid these claims he has probably taken his chauffeur driven car, protected heavily by the state to the countryside to shoot animals

Posted by michael on from scotland 02/22 at 08:01 AM

“Love Theme from ‘A Star Is Born’(Evergreen)” by Barbra Streisand was #1 on the charts when I was born (March 13, 1977).

LOL!!! :D

How befitting (if I do say so myself).

Posted by Jeremy on from Taiwan 02/22 at 08:22 AM

Thanks, Michael. Great post and I’ve added the PE video link to the main post. And Jeremy: You’re a star here for sure.

Michele and I are off today so we’re heading out now for a while. Have fun, Expendables. I’ll see you later.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 02/22 at 08:37 AM

Good morning every one,

James - echinacea with goldenseal - works for me and for $150 you could get yourself 8-10 bottles of the stuff. Hope you shake the sickness soon.

Interesting find on the Peace Out link (very valuable link!)
"2. Your beliefs on war cannot be political in nature to be considered a CO.”

Peculiar, no?

Captcha “federal”

Posted by Amelopsis on from canada 02/22 at 09:08 AM

“Please Don’t Go” by K.C. & the Sunshine Band. I probably would know it if I heard it, I rarely remember what-is and who-by with music. Another Brick in the Wall pt2 was #1 in the UK.

Posted by mew on from great street of portland stone 02/22 at 09:34 AM

Mew - where did you get the UK list from??

Posted by michael on from scotland 02/22 at 09:38 AM

Michael: http://tinyurl.com/4tnro

Posted by mew on from great street of portland stone 02/22 at 09:41 AM

shit - f*cking elvis!

Posted by michael on from scotland 02/22 at 09:43 AM

Ugh. Some Elton John track was #1 when I was born. Mother#### him and Elvis Presley and John Wayne.

The peace-out link is superb. As is the PE video, haven’t seen that in YEARS. I love the lack of gloss, and how they sell the message amidst a backdrop of young and old (not make-upped, bikini-clad models). The making of the video as a community event. Even the kid in the wheelchair is meaninful (and unthinkable these days). It is so sad to think of what has become of hip hop---an entire industry devoted to violence and hardcore misogynist blaxploitation, and perhaps worse, the self. The best of hip hop---PE, BDP, De La Soul---was all about community. I know there are some exceptions these days---the socially conscious Mos Def (who nevertheless acts in crappy Hollywood offerings and shills for Ford)---but could you imagine a hip hop act today that makes music as good as this and is that aware of its history? If so, let me know, ‘cause I want some.

Posted by Keir on from The Hague 02/22 at 09:50 AM

Keir here’s a Canadian artist who’s rather more aware than most hip-hop ‘artists’ of the day: http://www.k-osmusic.com/

I don’t know too much of his music as I’m not a huge hip hop fan for the reasons you listed above, but he’s got a few good tunes.

Posted by Amelopsis on from canada 02/22 at 10:09 AM

oh - my hit was Chuck Berry’s ‘My Ding-a-Ling’.
Yikes.

Posted by Amelopsis on from canada 02/22 at 10:10 AM

Speaking of Public Enemy…

Maybe some of you heard this track (free download) back in September. Lyrics here. They still got it.

Posted by Keir on from The Hague 02/22 at 11:58 AM

LOL. Thanks, MZ.

Posted by Jeremy on from Taiwan 02/22 at 12:01 PM

Keir,
try Blackalicious, particularly their record Blazing Arrow.

Mickey,
congrats on finding an apartment bigger, close-by and smokefree.

I checked up my hit song, already I forget the title but it was Barbra Streisand and Donna Summer on 28/11/79, eek.

Posted by Owen on from Barcelona 02/22 at 12:33 PM

silliness

http://www.bloggerheads.com/star_wars/special_edition.asp

Posted by michael on from scotland 02/22 at 12:42 PM

My borthday song was Chubby Checker’s The Twist in the USA, and Apache by the Shadows in the UK. Never heard of it or them.

Interesting thing I’d never heard before is the “life theme song”...what was #1 on your 18th birthday. For li’l ol’ moi that was Boogie Oogie Oogie by A Taste of Honey.

>snort<

Posted by Mudge on from Austin 02/22 at 02:12 PM

Another enlightening post, Mickey! I’ve actually got a CD with 20 songs which were composed and played in the year I was born (1951) but don’t know which particular song was #1 on the particular day = 8 March.

And hi to Michael, Amelopsis, Jeremy, Mew, Keir and Owen - I am still a bit dopey as it is only 6:18 am here, so I’ll keep it brief: I am actually a fan of Elton John!

Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 02/22 at 02:18 PM

Thanks for the link, Mew = interestingly enough, it only shows songs from 1952, so I’m one year out. Makes one feel old ..

Posted by Helga Fremlin on from Daylesford, Australia 02/22 at 02:29 PM

Helga, your birthday song was Be My Love by Mario Lanza in the USA...and the life song? Everyday People by Sly and the Family Stone!

Whew! Lots to live up to. My evil sister (I have a crazy sister and an evil sister and a controlling sister, all older) was born in March, though a different, earlier year. Her birthday song is Music! Music! Music! by Teresa Brewer...unlike your song’s perfect match of sweetness and lovingkindness, hers is inappropriately upbeat and happy.

Posted by Mudge on from Austin 02/22 at 02:34 PM

Joy to the World, by Three Dog Night-- 4/18/71

Awesome. My best friend Mark, MZ might have met him, has 911 is a Joke memorized. He was a Chinese guy growing up in a rough neighborhood in queens, so he really related to black power rap.

Proofreading…

Posted by James on from work 02/22 at 03:31 PM

“Give Me Love (Give Me Peace on Earth)” by George Harrison

Here’s my favorite PE song:

http://wdthu.blogspot.com/2005/10/black-steel-in-hour-of-chaos.html

Posted by JOS on from Chicago 02/22 at 05:17 PM

Ya great track Jos, real powerful stuff, Tricky does a spacey version of it too. Fight the power was a real landmark for me, to hear such intelligent angered critical voices coming from rap which too often is narcissistic hot air. Seen em a couple of times and they even smoked a peace pipe with my cracker ass. Any who happy new year all!

Posted by declan on from cave in the depths of georgian dublin 02/22 at 06:05 PM

Yeah, I mean you don’t get any better than the opening line:

I got a letter from the government
The other day
I opened and read it
It said they were suckers

It works with any letter you could possibly get from any government in the world.

Posted by JOS on from Chicago 02/22 at 06:13 PM

Just finished Bob Dylan’s Chronicles: Volume One and watching No Direction Home, the Scorsese documentary. Dylan had it right...no restrictions from the left or the right...he tapped into something amazing. A poet. And a damn good prose writer.

Posted by JOS on from Chicago 02/22 at 06:16 PM

I think it is MUCH more insteresting to find the songs that were number one when you were 12, 16 and 21 years old. I don’t remember much from the day I was born so it has no relevance…

When I turned 16 the song was “Physical” by Olivia Newton-John. hmm…

-nancz

Posted by Nancy on from 02/22 at 06:29 PM

catch you all tomorrow…

Posted by JOS on from Chicago 02/22 at 06:59 PM

Hello again, everyone. Great comments and conversation. (Now I can finally put an age to some of the folks here.)

Btw, I took Nancy’s advice and checked to see what was #1 on when I turned 18 and it was “Night Fever” by the Bee Gees. Wow...what a flood of memories. I was quite the disco dancer in those days.

Posted by Mickey Z. on from Astoria 02/22 at 07:00 PM