Kurt Cobain: About a Son

One certain thing about nearly every posthumous Kurt Cobain tribute is that he would have hated them. For a guy who didn't care much for himself or his own art, the recent sight of the horrendous statue memorializing him in the town he detested would probably have appalled him at least as much as Fred Durst's chest tattoo, or Cobain's private journals on display at every Barnes & Noble in America. At the bottom of it all, Cobain's opinion doesn't matter--he's not around to express it, and we shouldn't judge a About a Son on his standards any more than we should judge Raging Bull on how much Jake LaMotta agrees with it. Still, Cobain was possibly the most famously sensitive artist to ever strap on a guitar, and it's hard to not take that into consideration when reviewing the art he inspired.

Possibly the most respectful tribute to the man is Kurt Cobain: About a Son, a documentary made up of Cobain's interviews with Michael Azerrad for Azerrad's book Come as You Are: The Story of Nirvana. Set to footage of Seattle and Aberdeen, with a mostly ambient soundtrack, About a Son goes the 2pac: Resurrection route by letting its deceased subject tell the story. As a narrator, Cobain doesn't offer much insight into his music, but he's also revealed to be the sweet, unassuming and even confident man you hoped he'd be when you first heard Nevermind. He doesn't seem like the kind of guy that would inspire more devotion than any other rock star of the '90s, but maybe that's part of how he did it.

Richardpalooza 2013

Richardpalooza 2013

1. The Who, "Baba O'Riley"
2. Prince, "P Control"
3. Gloria Jones, "Tainted Love"
4. 2pac, "Hail Mary"
5. ZZ Top, "Just Got Paid"
6. The Doors, "Alabama Song (Whisky Bar)"
7. John Lee Hooker, "Boom Boom"
8. Eddy Grant, "Electric Avenue"
9. Talking Heads, "Burning Down the House"
10. Bill Withers, "Use Me"
11. Mobb Deep, "Shook Ones Part 2"
12. The Specials, "Nelson Mandela"
13. Johnny Cash, "Tennessee Stud"
14. Nine Inch Nails, "Head Like a Hole"
15. Iggy & the Stooges, "Search and Destroy"
16. Snoop Dogg, "Gz Up, Hoes Down"
17. Metallica, "Master of Puppets"
18. AC/DC, "Thunderstruck"

I've known Richard long enough where I can put something as ridiculous as "P Control" or "Gz Up, Hoes Down" on a birthday mix without getting judged. The latter song, which was cut from Doggystyle due to sample clearance issues (but the sexism was apparently OK), may have been a precedent for "Homies Over Hoes," the satirical Boondocks hit from closeted rapper Gangstalicious.
Looking forward to hearing what Richard thinks.

Happy early birthday, RAC.

Boyz II Mom

My mom doesn't ask for much, except for a mix CD two days of the year. One of these days comes on a Sunday in May.



Boyz II Mom

1. The Beatles, "Mother Nature's Son"
2. Warren Zevon, "Mama Couldn't Be Persuaded"
3. Mr. T, "Treat Your Mother Right"
4. Ozzy Osbourne, "Mama, I'm Coming Home"
5. Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, "Motherly Love"
6. Waylon Jennings & Willie Nelson, "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys"
7. Bob Dylan, "Mama, You Been on My Mind"
8. Funkadelic, "Cosmic Slop"
9. Marc Rizzo, "Mamasita"
10. John Lee Hooker, "Mama, You've Got a Daughter"
11. The Rolling Stones, "Have You Seen Your Mother, Baby, Standing in the Shadow?"
12. Neil Young, "New Mama"
13. Danzig, "Mother"
14. The Jackson 5, "Mama's Pearl"
15. 2pac, "Dear Mama"
16. Pink Floyd, "Mother"
17. Merle Haggard, "Mother Tried"
18. John Lennon, "Mother"
19. Johnny Cash, "Send a Picture of Mother"
20. Paul Simon, "That Was Your Mother"
21. The Beach Boys, "Mama Says"
22. Stevie Wonder, "Easy Goin' Evening (My Mama's Call)"

22 recordings of boys honoring moms in song.

With my mom's preferences in mind, metal is at a minimum. Ozzy was of course the first to spring up, and Danzig's "Mother" is almost as cuddly these days. Marc Rizzo from Soulfly pulls off an impressive flamenco number on "Mamasita," but Mom's tastes are more reflected in the Beatles and Stevie Wonder picks.

Of course a Mother's Day mix needs a lot of country ("Mama Tried" being the one I can relate to most,) and I got to rescue 2Pac and Pink Floyd tracks from records that I used to bother Mom with. I actually like both of them better in this context, and I'm hoping she will, too. With the Stones and Beatles, I shunned the obvious choices ("Mother's Little Helper," "Your Mother Should Know") and wound up with better songs. Not that I'm elitist enough to admit it.

Luckily, two of my favorite sources for music, Rob Sheffield and Sound Opinions, also came up with playlists for me to cherry pick from. This resulted in Funkadelic's terrific "Cosmic Slop," which I hadn't realized counts as a mom song, a wistful a capella number from the Beach Boys and most notably, "Treat Your Mother Right," which could not exist if not for mixes like this one.

Listening again, I'm wondering if the Zappa and John Lennon choices were appropriate. I guess that many boys have complicated feelings about their mommies.

Happy Mother's Day, Mom Apatoff.

Download here: Boyz II Mom

Beastie Week: "Hey Ladies"

For as long as there's been music, there's been Shout Out to the Ladies songs. Every songwriter has tried and every genre is overflowing. But even when competing with the entire history of music, the Beastie Boys come out on top.

I'm not a believer that rap or rock lyrics are poetry. Poetic, maybe, but someone printing out 2Pac's lyrics in a book does not make them poetry. That being said, I like the lyrics to "Hey Ladies" more than I enjoy most poems.



Hey ladies in the place I'm callin' out to ya
There never was a city kid truer and bluer
There's more to me than you'll ever know
And I've got more hits than Sadaharu Oh

Ton Thumb Tom Cushman or Tom Foolery
Date women on T.V. with the help of Chuck Woolery
Words are flowing out just like the Grand Canyon
And I'm always out looking for a female companion

That blend of nursery rhyme innocence, adolescent humor and sly references set a high standard for hip-hop. Coupled with the Beasties' flow, a head-spinning mix of call and response, harmonies and interjections, the call is downright irresistible.

Much has been made of how with today's licensing laws, a record like Paul's Boutique and songs like "Hey Ladies" are impossible to recreate. Disregarding that barrier, "Hey Ladies" would probably still stand supreme. Listen for the breakdown after each cowbell rejoinder. They're all different, switching keys, vocalists and instrumentation, and each time it's organic. If you're dancing, a real possibility if "Hey Ladies" is on, you might not even notice.

Sometimes when I teach a large group of girls, I drop a chorus from "Hey Ladies" to fire them up or make them laugh. Every time it works, and every time I mind-thank Ad-Rock, Mike D and MCA. The Beastie Boys radiated so much cool that in some circles, anyone who can sing the Beasties can be one.