2016, NOV. 15: BATTLE OF THE BANDS (Or, MARK KNOPFLER VERSUS JEANNIE C. RILEY)

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Winners Vs. Rioters, Male Vs. Female, War Vs. Peace, Light Vs. Dark, Good Vs. Evil, Man Vs. Machine, Love Vs. Hate, Dog Vs. Cat, Sun Vs. Moon, Brain Vs. Brawn, Oscar Vs. Grammy, Angel Vs. Demon, Laurel Vs. Hardy, Beer Vs. Wine, TV Vs. Radio, Pitcher Vs. Batter, Paper Vs. Plastic, Reality Vs. Fantasy, Yeshua Vs. Beelzebub, Conservative Vs. Liberal, You Vs. Me, House Vs. Senate, Offense Vs. Defense, Kramer Vs. Kramer, Spy Vs. Spy, Fischer Vs. Spassky, W.C. Fields Vs. Sobriety, Harold Gimpy, Jr. Vs. Sheldon J. Pismire, Rock Vs. Paper Vs. Scissors, Islam Vs. Everything, Singer Vs. Singer, Band Vs. Band...
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'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' ('BOTB')
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Shoop-Shooby -
Shooby-Duh-Dooby-Doop-Dooby-Dooby-Doo-Wah -
Buh-Doo-Wah!
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Yes, it's time once again for 'Battle Of The Bands' ('BOTB').
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!...
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EUGENE  MARTONE  VS.  JACK  BUTLER

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Quite some time ago, I was in a grocery store and perusing the Frozen Dinners section (you thought I'd say the Beer section, didn'tja?) when I noticed the song coming over the store's sound system was 'SETTING ME UP'. I recognized the song instantly because it's a track on what I consider to be probably one of the Top Ten debut albums ever:
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"DIRE  STRAITS" : 1978

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I'll never forget the first time I heard the song 'Sultans Of Swing' -- it was before the album or song had even been released and I thought it was Bob Dylan.
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GOODNIKS  VS.  NO-GOODNIKS

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Anyway, back to the grocery store: Although I knew the song, I did not know the artist. It was a cover version of 'Setting Me Up'. But I thought to myself, "Self, I have a thought: This cover version might work in a BOTB installment."

So when I got home, I went to YouTube to listen to covers and to see if I could determine who I'd been hearing in the grocery store. Well, I determined that the band I was shopping to was Highway 101. However, in my search, I also stumbled upon a cover by Jeannie C. Riley, a firecracker of a woman famous for the 1968 #1 hit 'Harper Valley P.T.A.'.

I thought Jeannie's version was way better'n the Highway 101 version. In fact, I thought it was so good that Jeannie would probably give the phenomenal guitarist Mark Knopfler, of Dire Straits, some competition on his own song. And that brings us here and now. (Funny how some of these BOTB match-ups get born, huh?)
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GODZILLA  VS.  KING  KONG

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SETTING ME UP -- Mark Knopfler
**The person who uploaded the video at YouTube has the embedding feature turned off. So just click the title above or the URL-Link below and the video should open in a separate window**
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NvObihK_M5g
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RIDDLER  VS.  BATMAN

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SETTING ME UP -- Jeannie C. Riley
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y35ikYV7pwQ

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Question: Will Jeannie beat Mark in this Battle?
Magic 8 Ball: "My Sources Say No" 

(In case you're wondering, the Magic 8 Ball hasn't missed yet.)

Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome you (whoever you are) to vote for your favorite of these songs in the comment section below. And feel free to tell us WHY you chose one song over the other. 

After voting here, I suggest - actually I insist - you pop over to the blogs of the other 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' participants to see which songs they have chosen and vote there also. (If their ‘BOTB’ blog bits aren’t posted yet, pour yourself two shots of ‘Grand Marnier’ over ice – do it twice – and then return to their blogs to vice your voice ...vote your vice ...voice your vote.)

Voice Your Vote...

@ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ by clicking HERE.
@ ‘YOUR DAILY DOSE’ by clicking HERE.
@ 'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CURIOUS AS A CATHY' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE DOGLADY'S DEN' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE. 
@ 'ANGELS BARK' by clicking HERE.
@ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'JANIE JUNEBUG, RIGHTING & EDITING' by clicking HERE.
@ 'J.A. SCOTT' by clicking HERE.

As I've done in the past, I will continue to return to my 'BOTB' blog bits on the 7th and 21st of each month to post my own votes and announce the winners in the comment sections.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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2016, NOV. 1st: BATTLE OF THE BANDS (Or, BEATRICE KAY VS. THE EVERLY BROTHERS)

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Deplorables Vs. Demons, Male Vs. Female, War Vs. Peace, Light Vs. Dark, Good Vs. Evil, Man Vs. Machine, Love Vs. Hate, Dog Vs. Cat, Sun Vs. Moon, Brain Vs. Brawn, Oscar Vs. Grammy, Angel Vs. Demon, Laurel Vs. Hardy, Beer Vs. Wine, TV Vs. Radio, Pitcher Vs. Batter, Paper Vs. Plastic, Reality Vs. Fantasy, Yeshua Vs. Beelzebub, Conservative Vs. Liberal, You Vs. Me, House Vs. Senate, Offense Vs. Defense, Kramer Vs. Kramer, Spy Vs. Spy, Fischer Vs. Spassky, W.C. Fields Vs. Sobriety, Harold Gimpy, Jr. Vs. Sheldon J. Pismire, Rock Vs. Paper Vs. Scissors, Islam Vs. Everything, Singer Vs. Singer, Band Vs. Band...
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'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' ('BOTB')
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Yes, it's time once again for 'Battle Of The Bands' ('BOTB').
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Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!...
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EUGENE  MARTONE  VS.  JACK  BUTLER

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Depending upon the outcome of this upcoming presidential election, this may be the last time you ever find me in a good mood. I've had this fun BOTB idea in mind for awhile, and I figure I better do it NOW while I'm still relatively happy. Also while I'm still alive. Because if Illary Killary is elected, I'll wind up on her Kill List sooner than later.

This BOTB installment is a tribute to my buddy SHEBOYGANBOY SIX. SBB-6 is not a blogger but you've undoubtedly seen his comments on my blogs. He's been a loyal BOTB voter from the beginning and he may have even occasionally voted on some of your Battles as well.

I "met" SHEBOYGANBOY SIX the same place where I "met" Arlee Bird: an online music discussion thread in March of 2008. Damn! 8 years ago?! Time flies when you're having Rum.

Over the years I came to find that SBB-6 is a very clever, educated, intelligent, generous dude with a passion for music. He used to be a newspaperman -- as in the OWNER of the newspaper -- and he has paid me some of the best compliments my writing has ever received! (Thanks again, SBB-6!)

What's ironically funny (at least to me -- I don't think SBB-6 enjoys it quite as much) is the fact that although we met in a music discussion forum and he's a BOTB fan, other than Jazz and Tom Petty, SBB-6's musical tastes and mine are nearly polar opposites. Sometimes that really bothers my friend, and when it does, I remind him, "We'll always have Paris Petty."
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GOODNIKS  VS.  NO-GOODNIKS

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Hang around me long enough and most likely you'll eventually acquire a nickname. So how did "Sheboyganboy Six" come about? It's a combination of two things, really, and me being me, I'll tell you the second one first:

Somehow, not too long after we first encountered each other, SBB-6 and I discovered that we both shared an interest in the old 1960s, British TV spy series 'THE PRISONER'. 

For a short time in 1994, I worked in a movie rental shop in Los Angeles, and I found most of the 17 'PRISONER' episodes on one of our store shelves. I'd never heard of it, but I took the pilot episode home one night and got sucked in faster'n you can say, "Dust bunny versus a Hoover vacuum cleaner." 

Patrick McGoohan played Prisoner #6, a British former secret agent who is abducted and held prisoner in a mysterious coastal village resort, where his captors try to find out why he abruptly resigned from his job. A major theme of the series is Individualism versus Collectivism. This pro-Individualism / anti-Collectivism viewpoint, SBB-6 and I share, and we are equally passionate about it. (No, Virginia, it DOESN'T take a village!) This theme is illustrated by the show's catchphrase, "I am NOT a number! I am a FREE MAN!" 

[Politically, SBB-6 and I are staunch Constitutionalists, meaning we're neither Dumb-O-Crat nor Repugnantcan. Just call us Thomas Jefferson and George Mason.]

I watched all the episodes of 'The Prisoner', eager to find out how they were going to wrap the series up. (Who was #1? Why did #6 quit? What astounding information had #6 been holding back all this time?) To me, the final episode was a massive letdown. There's not enough LSD and Peyote in the world to make me embrace it. SBB-6, however, was not put off by the ending like I was and he remains the show's bigger fan. But that's how he got the "Six", and why I occasionally remind him in comment sections that he is "Not a number, but a free man".

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmgbiMf99NQ


Here's a pretty funny spoof of the opening for 'The Prisoner'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M4eUSmUWsUY

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GODZILLA  VS.  KING  KONG

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Now for the Sheboyganboy part. Well, for one thing, I like to tack the word "boy" on to things. I got that from the show 'Frasier' ("Winnebago-Boy", "Shorts-In-The-Shower-Boy") and from the "Wallet-Boy" episode of 'Get A Life', starring Chris Elliott, the son of comedian Bob Elliott, which brings us to...

[SBB-6, how'd you like THAT segue?]

... It was SBB-6 who turned me on to the comedy duo of BOB & RAY (Bob Elliott & Ray Goulding). When my buddy acquired their comedy skits on compact disc, he sent me all of his old tape cassette versions. I'd never heard of BOB & RAY before, but I instantly fell in love with them (as did my brother, Nappy). They were flat-out comedic geniuses with imaginations off-the-charts!

When I was a little kid, my Pa and I used to record on audio tape these silly comedy skits that my Pa would direct. Like BOB & RAY, we'd even pretend to have these ridiculous corporate sponsors. Although I can't recall my Pa ever mentioning BOB & RAY, I gotta believe he got the idea for our skits from those comedic geniuses. I sent one of our tapes to SBB-6 once and he sent it back accompanied by a CD version which he'd burned for me, complete with a cool cover illustration of Pa and I posing on either side of a CBS microphone. My Pa would have graded that an "R" (one step above A+).

In that particular skit (about Little League Baseball) my name was Rupert Van Oslow. And that's why SBB-6 sometimes refers to me as "Rupert".

Some of SBB-6's favorite skits (and mine, too) are the Webley Webster book reviews, which somehow always morph into pirate stories:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-cxH__7Xeo


Here's BOB & RAY with Johnny Carson...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gdXemaM5XwE


My introduction to BOB & RAY, courtesy of SBB-6, has really been a source of enjoyment in my life. I can't thank 6 enough. 

It just so happens that the theme song for the BOB & RAY radio show was a 1947 Vaudeville-like novelty tune titled 'MENTION MY NAME IN SHEBOYGAN'. And that's how the "Sheboyganboy" bit came about. Now, see if you can guess what today's Battle Of The Bands song is.

I believe the original recording of this song was by Beatrice Kay. Let the Battle begin...

Mention My Name In Sheboygan -- Beatrice Kay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vLj1-ZPR3M

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RIDDLER  VS.  BATMAN

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And now comes a version by The Everly Brothers.
FUN FACT: Did you know that during the early 1970s, Warren Zevon toured regularly with the Everly Brothers as keyboard player and band leader / musical coordinator? Also, Phil Everly sang harmonies on the Zevon songs 'Hasten Down The Wind' and 'Frank And Jesse James'.

Mention My Name In Sheboygan -- The Everly Brothers
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJ24k5jh4Is

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Question: "Will Sheboyganboy Six like this BOTB tribute to him?"
Magic 8 Ball sez:  "Outlook Not So Good"

Sheboyganboy Six, thanks for your friendship! 

"Be seeing you."

Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome you (whoever you are) to vote for your favorite of these songs in the comment section below. And feel free to tell us WHY you chose one song over the other. 

After voting here, I suggest - actually I insist - you pop over to the blogs of the other 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' participants to see which songs they have chosen and vote there also. (If their ‘BOTB’ blog bits aren’t posted yet, pour yourself two shots of ‘Grand Marnier’ over ice – do it twice – and then return to their blogs to vice your voice ...vote your vice ...voice your vote.)

Voice Your Vote...

@ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ by clicking HERE.
@ ‘YOUR DAILY DOSE’ by clicking HERE.
@ 'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CURIOUS AS A CATHY' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE DOGLADY'S DEN' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE. 
@ 'ANGELS BARK' by clicking HERE.
@ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'JANIE JUNEBUG, RIGHTING & EDITING' by clicking HERE.
@ 'J.A. SCOTT' by clicking HERE.
@ 'DISCCONNECTED' by clicking HERE.

As I've done in the past, I will continue to return to my 'BOTB' blog bits on the 7th and 21st of each month to post my own votes and announce the winners in the comment sections.
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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