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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As some of you know, I was born and raised in Los Angeles. To be specific, I was born at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and raised in an area that came to be internationally known as [link> "Dogtown" (the Southern part of Santa Monica & the Northern part of Venice Beach).
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On October 19th, I received an Email from my friend Sheboyganboy Six (also known by his Western name of Sixgun McItchyfinger). In his E, my friend wrote the following:
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While driving I was listening to Tom Petty singing Free Fallin’. I really like that song. As you know, the song mentions Reseda, Ventura Boulevard, and Mulholland. And whenever I think of L.A. in general, my mind at least touches briefly on you. Yup. You have managed to PERMANENTLY associate yourself in my mind with L.A.
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It occurred to me that you should consider doing another L.A. themed BOTB. Maybe throw in Petty... but no need. I liked that L.A. themed BOTB with David & David and Red Hot Chili Peppers, but there are so many songs about L.A. you could probably do a twice a month blog JUST pitching L.A. songs against each other.
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I Googled the subject, then scanned the wiki page, and HOKEY SMOKE! There must be over 50 different songs just named “Hollywood”!
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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_songs_about_Los_Angeles
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| EUGENE MARTONE VS. JACK BUTLER |
The BOTB installment SBB-6 had referred to was [link> THIS ONE, my 53rd Battle on October 1, 2015. Although I would rank that as one of my Top 10 favorite Battles I've ever put together, the thought of revisiting the "Battle For Los Angeles" concept had never occurred to me until Sheboyganboy Six and his alter ego Sixgun McItchyfinger suggested it. But as I began contemplating it, I was quickly overwhelmed by the almost endless possibilities of future "Twisted BOTB" contests.
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Thanks to Sheboyganboy Six, I've decided to make this a theme that I will periodically return to in BOTB. And due to requests I've received, I've also decided that I will return to doing two BOTB contests per month beginning on February 1st, 2018.
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| GOODNIKS VS. NO-GOODNIKS |
I r-E-plied to SBB-6's E, listing a bunch of potential L.A.-themed Battles I'd thought of and asked him which of them he thought I should kick this periodic series off with. He said:
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"1) Do the Newman / Jennings one next. You like it and I like it, and so will others. You get a country song in the mix again, which is good. ... That’s it. That’s my rulin’. WAIT... wrong persona."
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And so here it comes, y'all.
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NOTE: This Battle Is A "Two-Fer". Both music videos are so good that I'm asking you to cast 2 VOTES: One vote for the song you prefer, and one vote for which video you like better.
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| GODZILLA VS. KING KONG |
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Watch for the 1:50 mark when the "JESUS SAVES" sign downtown makes an appearance. It's gone but not forgotten. I don't know why, but I always loved that sign -- even many years before I became a Christian.
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| ME @ "JESUS SAVES" SIGN, DOWNTOWN L.A. |
Then right after that, there's a shot of the Burrito King on Sunset Blvd, which Warren Zevon highly recommended [link> HERE. And at the 3:10 mark, there's a quick shot of the Tom's #5 Chili Burgers joint sign on Pico Blvd, a block from the beach. If those chili-spattered walls could talk!! It, too, is gone now. But the Soul Crusaders and I went there often, never before the bars closed and always in an 80-proof "Liquidated" condition. We had fun, fun, fun 'til the bartenders took our money away!
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I LOVE L.A. -- Randy Newman
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcADqxnQA_4
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| RIDDLER VS. BATMAN |
It's no big secret that Waylon Jennings is my all-time favorite Country music artist. I saw him perform live 4 times at 3 different venues. And of the many concerts I've attended in my life, I still consider that first Waylon Jennings show I saw to be my favorite.
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The second Waylon concert I attended was in late 1988 or early '89, shortly after the release of his 'Full Circle' album which included the song HOW MUCH IS IT WORTH TO LIVE IN L.A.? (The song went to #38 on the Billboard Country music chart.) Waylon was performing in a small club in Los Angeles, and I wondered beforehand if he'd have the guts to play that song there. But, Waylon being Waylon, of course he played it... and I applauded!
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HOW MUCH IS IT WORTH TO LIVE IN L.A.? -- Waylon Jennings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Iu7jeZXRlg
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Question: Will Randy Newman win the "Song" Battle?
Magic 8-Ball sez: "My Reply Is No"
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Question: Will Waylon Jennings win the "Video" Battle?
Magic 8-Ball sez: "It Is Decidedly So"
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Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome you (whether I know "you" or not) 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.
Voice Your Vote...
@ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ 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
@ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'ANGELS BARK' by clicking HERE.
@ 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'RIGHTING & EDITING' by clicking HERE.
@ 'YOUR DAILY DOSE' by clicking HERE.
@ 'THE DOGLADY'S DEN' by clicking HERE.
As I've done in the past, I will continue to return to my 'BOTB' blog bits on the 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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i vote for randy's... SONG & i vote for waylon's... VIDEO.
ReplyDeletea fun post steven.
the bartender with the cute dimples asked me if i knew where you were. i told her u quit drinking & she wont believe me. you should come in for a virgin & tell her yourself. maybe she will make you a lessjito since your not drinking mojitos anymo. hahaha.
sir killalot
SKAL ~
DeleteTell "Dimples" that stranger things have happened.
Wait! No they haven't! Never mind.
4:45?! You must be pouring graveyard Zombies again, eh?
Thanks for stopping by. Glad you enjoyed it. Now go home and get some sleep.
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
POSTSCRIPT:
DeleteSong: Randy
Video: Waylon
~ D-FensDogG
The song I'd like to be singing these days is "Good-Bye L.A., Good-bye Wacky California Government"--no such song? Maybe I'll write one.
ReplyDeleteFor some reason I've never cared much for Randy Newman, but this is one of his better tunes. I do like Waylon Jennings--never heard this song, but I like it.
As for voting I'm going to have to go with Newman's video for better production values with scenes that capture a lot of the essence of L.A.
As for the song, I like them both, but Waylon says things best for me. He's telling the truth about this place. And he's got fiddles in his song.
Glad you'll be coming back to the 2 Battles a month schedule. Now I won't feel so alone for the ones on the first.
Lee
Tossing It Out
LEE ~
DeleteI figured you'd like that high-octane dual fiddle and guitar attack in Waylon's buzzsaw of a song.
Yeah, you got to L.A. too late. Growing up there in the '60s and '70s, it really was a kind of paradise. In fact, it was still pretty dern good in '83 when Newman's video came out.
But because it was so good, the people kept on coming and coming, and by 1986, with the massive influx of new arrivals, the party was over and there was (to quote Randy Newman himself) "Trouble In Paradise".
Way back in its days of greater innocence, the majority of the "Wacky Government" was confined to The People's Republic Of Santa Monica. As it spread, we got heroes like Wally George on the scene. Ha! "WAL-LY! WAL-LY! WAL-LY!"
I should probably point out that the video for Waylon's song is not an "official" Waylon Jennings production. It was created by a big fan going by the pseudonym of "On'ry Waymore".
Song: Waylon
Video: Randy
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
This is a fun battle, Stephen! ☺ It's a real "yin/yang" matchup, pitting the positive and negative aspects of living in LA against each other. My parents were in San Diego for over 40 years, so I can sure appreciate the climate and scenery of SoCal. Had an uncle who was a decades-long resident of LA, mostly right on Sunset Blvd. He showed me a good time around your home city, the one time I visited him there. Even went to the Bel Air hotel for lunch. it's no surprise then, that the Randy Newman video attracted me more. Waylon's was darkly cynical (and seemingly accurate). The "Manson Family" image; twisted but funny! Gutsy of him to perform that song while there. Since I'm not much of a country-music fan, Randy Newman on both counts.
ReplyDeleteWelcome back to BOTB, DEBBIE.
DeleteYeah, that BRADY BUNCH / MANSON FAMILY image makes me laugh-out-loud every time! :^D
I spent many hours on Sunset Boulevard back in the day -- seeing Rock acts at the Roxy and Whisky-A-Go-Go, drinking at the legendary Rainbow Bar, cruising "The Strip"...
I was young and life was good!
Now I'm old and life is... tolerable at times.
Thanks for the votes!
Song: Randy
Video: Randy
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents 'Battle Of The Bands'
I’m gonna give both votes to Randy, even though. I find Waylon’s sentiments more realistic. This i would rather go with the ‘fun’ version of La La Land.
ReplyDeleteFAE ~
DeleteThere was a time when Randy's view was pretty accurate, but that was a long time ago. Nowadays, there's a realism to Waylon's view that will prevent me from ever moving back to my "Homemegalopolis". Thomas Wolfe was right!
Song: Randy
Video: Randy
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
I'm going to go with Waylon on both the song and the video. Randy Newman's video is better produced, obviously, and I like his earlier work, but didn't actually care that much for this song. Th video accompanying Waylon's is more a montage of photos than an actual video, but the longer I watched it, the more I realized the pictures captured the true essence of all that LA is, some of it great, some not so great. So, Waylon wins the audio and the visual here.
ReplyDeleteJOHN ~
DeleteYes, the video for HOW MUCH IS IT WORTH TO LIVE IN L.A.? is really a Waylon fan's interpretation of the song, so it doesn't have the professional production values of the "official" Randy Newman video. But I think the fan did a great job in adding images to Waylon's lyrics.
I would have fun using my own old photographs of L.A. places and people in creating videos for both Randy's and Waylon's songs.
Thanks for the votes, John!!
Song: Waylon
Video: Waylon
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
Very interesting battle!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to go with Newman for both video and song. Waylon did a good job, but who can resist 'I love LA'?
Looking forward to your new series. December will be a location/destination song featuring one of your all time favorites. Even though I don't know exactly where I'm going to be hanging my hat then, the battle will go out on the 15th.
~Mary
Jingle Jangle Jungle
MMQE ~
DeleteSorry I'm late responding and haven't gotten to your Battle yet, but yesterday was a work day, meaning I could only listen to a couple Battles in which the sound volume was loud enough for me to hear it on the work computer. I checked and yours was not one of them.
However, your BOTB installment is the one I'm going to first, after I finish replying to the comments here.
I knew going in that Newman had a notable advantage over Waylon due to the Familiarity Factor, as well as the fact that the BOTB community leans heavily toward Rock over Country. And unless a person had spent time living in the post-Paradise phase of L.A., that feel-good vibe of Newman's songs and images would appear more attractive to a general audience. For those who lived in L.A. in the post-Paradise phase (which would be very few in my BOTB voter pool), the Waylon song and video would have a better chance of scoring some deserved points.
And yet, of all the Outlaw Country performers, Waylon rocked the hardest, so I didn't feel he could be counted out.
I'm glad you found the Battle interesting, though. And I look forward to your next one now. One of my "all-time favorite" artists doing a "location / destination" song? Hmmm.... My pea-brain goes into ultimate "Pea Power" trying to guess...
Tiny Tim?
Glenn Miller?
Pat Metheny?
The Beach Boys?
Or even...
Waylon again?
I'll try to live long enough to find out on Dec. 15th. Thanks for adding the element of intrigue.
In the meantime, I will continue to remember your situation in prayer to the Almighty Ruler of the Universe, which He created.
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
POSTSCRIPT:
DeleteSong: Randy
Video: Randy
~ D-FensDogG
Hey there Stephen. I definitely enjoyed your battle. What a dichotomy: the contrasts of the city of Angels is sure evident in your showcased songs. I can relate to what you were saying in one of your comment responses above, about how LA used to be a paradise but people kept coming and coming and now it's not even close to being the same paradise, if even a paradise at all anymore. I feel the same way about Austin. Although I didn't get to Austin until 1991, the city I came to know seemed to be stuck in a time warp when I got here: it had all the nuances of what made Austin weird (great) back in the 60s and 70s. Just a tad grown up, it still had that hippie feel; it was laid back and mellow and so very cool. Back then the market population was less than 500,000 (if I'm remembering correctly and I think that's about right, give or take a hundred thousand; I think I'm safe in saying it was between 400,000 and 600,000. I used to know all this back when I was a media queen). And for many years Austin ranked up near the top and several times at the top spot as Best Places to Live in the US. And, like you said, people kept coming and coming, especially in the tech industry and from California. The population exploded and now it's well over 2 million and the traffic is horrendous! It's definitely not the same Austin, that's for sure. (But I'm still happy here)...
ReplyDeleteAs for your songs, I really liked Randy Newman's, especially in conjunction with the video: it made me think that I probably would've loved to grow up there.
Waylon's song kinda depresses me because it makes me lament about losing all that was precious about Austin.
So my vote is going to Randy Newman, for both the song and the video.
Fun battle!
talk soon,
Michele at Angels Bark
I hear ya, MICHELE.
DeleteEven at the time of my birth, my "Homemegalopolis" was probably already the second most populated city in America with the most developed land. And yet, due to various factors, it was still a kind of paradise. That eventually changed.
Whoever came up with the maxim "Change is good" must have been a real mental defective. In my own experience, 98.6% of the change I've experienced in my 58 years has been for the worse. And usually MUCH WORSE!!
Even a paradise can handle just so many people, so much change. I remember that my Pa cringed every New Year's Day when the Rose Bowl game was televised nationally and people in New York, Illinois, and Nebraska could see shirtless male fans drinking cold beer in the stands. He'd say, "Here comes another two or three million!"
It's all over now. The "Trouble In Paradise" has deteriorated into an almost "Third World Ghetto", but I still count my blessings. Having grown up in L.A. from the 1960s through about 1984 was a gift. I didn't even fully understand it and appreciate it until my later years, When The Music Was Over.
Of all the places I've seen, heard about, and read about, I don't think I'd have traded the pL.A.ce where I spent my youth for any of them. Surely there's a good reason why so many songs have been written about the L.A. area. Once upon a time it was a great, great place to be young and free of responsibilities.
I'd still say, even today, that everyone should experience Venice Beach on a Summer Saturday or Sunday; Drive down the Sunset Strip; spend a day on a Malibu beach, etc. ...Then get the hell out, while "dodging bullets crawling down the Interstate". Ha!-Ha!
Thanks for voting!
Song: Randy
Video: Randy
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
And Stephen,
ReplyDeleteGood battle my friend. Waylon Jennings was good and biting but I've got too many memories attached to both the Randy Newman song and video to not vote for it. Tom's Number 5 with the thick fries and paper you had to lick the last bits of chili off of. Additionally, it is played at the start of the LA Marathon so I've got memories from both periods of my life. I recall listening to the album with you in the House on Pooh Corner often too. We'll there you have it. Waylon's was poignant but Randy's got my vote.
JW,
Pooh
...AND, POOH, THAT'S NOT ALL!!...
DeleteYour votes did not surprise me at all. I knew how much personal history you had invested in 'I LOVE L.A.'.
I mean, how many times did we see that video, while slumped on the Bay Street house couch with Mickey's Big Mouth bottles limply hanging from our fingers? Tom's #5, which was in stumbling distance from that Bay Street house couch! The shots of the Palisade bluffs, the entrance to the Santa Monica Pier, where you told that wealthy punk you didn't "know no Iris" and exploded your cigarette off his chest -- better than many 4th of July fireworks displays I've seen in my life. HA!-HA! (Damn! I'll remember that 'til the day I die.)
Plus, you still live in "The PL.A.CE", "the ghetto by the sea", so your sense of denial almost dictates that you side with Randy. [:^D}
Yes, sir, Poohregard, we spent some significant time drinking to "Trouble In Paradise" (and Tom's "Small Change") in The House At Pooh Corner. Fun times. And I'm still totally tickled by Randy's song 'I'M DIFFERENT'. How many times did I spill my Mickey's, laughing, while that song played?
Thanks for checking in again, my ol' Pal.
Love ya, man!
(JOHN WAYNE! JOHN WAYNE!)
Song: Randy
Video: Randy
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
You made me laugh out loud (and get a warm feeling in my heart, much like that punk did!) with the I don't know no Iris reference. Yup, a Pooh classic. And regarding your text, I believe we ended many a hangover at the 99cent club. And if we did't end one, we surely started a new one. Nothing like a couple of margaritas and a burrito before you go to work.
DeleteJW,
Pooh
Oh, yeah, The 99-Cent Club -- I was just writing about that in a comment at 'The Doglady's Den' blog. She's using the song 'ALWAYS ON MY MIND' in her BOTB. And you know, anytime I think of THAT song, I also think of Azteca and The 99-Cent Club.
DeleteThose 99-cent Margaritas had a way of being "the hair of the dog that bit us" and "the new dog's bite" at the same time.
I always had an advantage at Azteca, though: You'd leave to go to work, and I'd leave to go to... Lucky Liquors and then back to the Bay Street house couch. Ha!
~ Stephen
Stephen,
ReplyDeleteThis is easy peasy for mezy! I'm giving both votes to Randy Newman. Waylon is too country for me and the vid didn't do much for me, either. Interesting BoTB twist! I'm gonna try to do two battles each month for as long as I can hold out. :) In case I don't see ya, have a joyful, blessed Thanksgiving, my friend!
Thank you, CATHY!
DeleteAnd hopefully you saw that I will be joining you BOTB diehards by also resuming a Two-BOTBs-Per-Month schedule beginning February 1st, 2018.
I just have too many BOTB match-ups that appeal to me to get to all of them at the slow Once-A-Month pace.
As I wrote to Sheboyganboy Six:
"Well, funny you say that because Nappy has also said that he 'definitely' preferred it when my BOTBs were twice-a-month. And, frankly, after trying this once-a-month gig, I myself had recently been thinking that maybe I'd go back to doing them on the 1st and 15th again after the start of the New Year. It seems like such a LO-OOOOO-NG time between Battles. In theory, the once-a-month plan sounded good, but I feel like it loses a sense of rhythm. It's like long dry spells of desert between watering holes."
Song: Randy
Video: Randy
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
I remember that RHC vs D&D battle. It's one of my favorites of yours, so I think this is a fine idea!
ReplyDeleteWow these songs couldn't be more different. Randy Newman is all about LA (of course that is your LA, the LA of the 80s), while Waylon's song just gets more relevant by the day. It was true when he wrote it, but it's even MORE TRUE now. Who'd have thunk it???
Randy Newman has the advantage in the video department since he has an actual video. That was fun. I mean the person who put together the slide show for Waylon's song chose some good stuff. I liked the Hollywierd sign and the transition photos. MJ and the plastic surgery woman. But, the Randy Newman video started out in an alley with trannys. You know he had this one on the video right from the Go. Plus, all the iconic places and 80s hair. So, an easy vote for Randy Newman for the video.
However, I loved Waylon's song. So on point. I've never been to California. There was a time in my youth when I really wanted to visit. That time passed a while ago. I have zero desire to even visit. I especially don't want to go to LA or Hollywood. As Waylon rightly notes "insanity" is prevailing there. So, Waylon gets my vote for best song.
Really enjoyed this battle!
GIRL WONDER ~
DeleteI thank you, and am pleased that you really enjoyed this Battle.
The Battle is not as close as I thought it might be, but I'm still really digging it. It's amongst my favorites that I've put together. (As Ricky sang: "You can't please everyone, so you've got to please yourself.")
But I came into this knowing that Waylon was at a serious disadvantage on two counts:
1) Randy's song is famous; Waylon's is largely unknown.
2) Waylon is Country music -- pretty hard rockin' Country music, but still Country. And BOTB is mostly a Rock crowd.
Although I would never, ever even dream of considering moving back to L.A., it's still a place I would suggest you see someday, if feasible.
But if so, go with someone who really knows the place. There's still one-of-a-kind things to see there, but you need a tour guide who knows them. You don't want to get stuck just seeing all the iconic places that EVERYONE sees without ever delving into some of the locally known "secret" spots.
But of the "major tourist spots", you really should visit Venice Beach (preferably) on a Saturday or Sunday. It's probably The Greatest Free Freak Show On Earth! Get you a table at The Sidewalk Cafe, with the Garcia Lorca Omelette and a Margarita and just enjoy the boardwalk parade of weirdness. It's a "must-see" attraction!
Song: Waylon
Video: Randy
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
When you proposed this battle and I gave it a quick listen, I liked both of the songs. At that time I didn't have to vote. Now that I must, I am struck by what a very good battle this is! I really enjoy BOTH of these songs and find it very, very hard to choose.
ReplyDeleteThe video vote is a bit easier. Though both creations are well done, Newman's is better. I think this is almost indisputable, though people voting the other way will do so. Waylon’s song is presented with a collection of some good and (usually) representative photos. ”I Love LA" is a professional video. It has beautiful people and lots of fun shots of places that are a MUST SEE if you visit L.A. The video does a fantastic job of conveying WHY one should love LA, as opposed to all the crappy cities mentioned in the song open. (The transvestites among your readers will be displeased with the implied insult to them in that opener, however.)
The songs themselves are both excellent to my ears. This may be the toughest choice you have presented… or at least as tough as I can remember. I Love LA is just plain fun, and for me evokes fond memories of my SoCAL history. It makes me want to go there and see the pretty girls and feel the warm sun on my shoulders. It makes me FORGET what Waylon reminds me of!
Waylon sings of what LA has become. He shows that it is unlivable now… although many people there are not aware that it is unlivable. I’ve not been a fan of country music, for the most part, but Waylon rocks. I’m going to give him my vote this time - by the width of a grain of sand on Venice Beach (or maybe the even thinner margin of the thong of one a roller skating beach babe.)
Your battle is a little like “A Christmas Carol.” Newman sings of LA past, Waylon sings of LA present. What song would be LA's future? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSUIQgEVDM4
Take that, Tiny Tim. (Which one?)
Note to Randy Newman: Santa Ana winds blow hot from the EAST, not north.
Terrific comment, SHEBOYGANBOY SIXGUN McITCHYFINGER, VI. And thanks again for inspiring this BOTB idea!
DeleteI do know how I will ultimately vote on this, but I also needed to give it some real thought before I arrived at a decision. That's how much I too like both songs and both videos.
>>... The transvestites among your readers will be displeased with the implied insult to them in that opener, however.
HA!-HA! Yeah, I'm bracing for the Transvestite backlash that will surely be unleashed here soon by my many LGBTQXYZ readers. :^D
>>... I Love LA is just plain fun, and for me evokes fond memories of my SoCAL history. It makes me want to go there and see the pretty girls and feel the warm sun on my shoulders. It makes me FORGET what Waylon reminds me of!
Very well stated!
>>... Waylon sings of what LA has become. ... I’m going to give him my vote this time - by the width of a grain of sand on Venice Beach (or maybe the even thinner margin of the thong of a roller skating beach babe.)
Oh, man, I Guffawed-Out-Loud long and hard over that line!!! Thanks for the morning laugh, McBrother!
Your 'A Christmas Carol' analogy is unique and imaginative. I can see that!
>>... Note to Randy Newman: Santa Ana winds blow hot from the EAST, not north.
Ha! I had a similar thought. But to give Newman a benefit of the doubt, perhaps this was actually Newman being cleverly ironic. Knowing how his songs are often drenched in sarcasm, maybe while he was singing about his love for L.A. (where he was actually born and lived), he was also hinting at the social "winds of change" that did not appear to be a good omen for L.A.
That may be a stretch on my part, but I think it's within the realm of possibility.
Thanks again for the great comment. I feel it nailed the nuances of this Battle.
Song: Waylon
Video: Randy
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
I like Waylon Jennings and have never been too fond of Randy Newman, but I cast my vote for Randy for best song and best video. Randy's look and sound appeal to my whimsical sense of fun.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
JANIE ~
DeleteWaylon liked you, too. He told me so.
But poor Waylon... even the folks what like him ain't votin' for him.
I always strove for a "whimsical sense of fun" but it always wound up as an "intoxicated sense of fun". Oh, well. One does what they can with what they've got.
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
POSTSCRIPT:
DeleteSong: Randy
Video: Randy
~ D-FensDogG
Wow! The video of Randy Newman's is so '80s. I saw the sign too! I was never into Randy Newman...I actually don't like the guy because i think he looks like an arrogant creep. Ooops! Judging here:) I am not into country at all but I give it to Waylon Jennings because i can't stand Randy Newman. I give the video to him as well because of some of the reality shown-from pretty gals with lots of T & A to the Brady bunch a la the Manson family. The toothless person and the guy with the tin foil on his head and his cat's head made me laugh so he gets both votes
ReplyDeleteBIRGIT ~
DeleteWhy hold back? You can state your honest feelings here. Ha!
My dog and I wear only the most expensive tinfoil hats. I don't like to take chances where government mind control is concerned!
Thanks for your votes, Birgit.
Song: Waylon
Video: Waylon
~ Stephen
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
Waylon Jennings.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous? Anonymous?! Hmmm.... Who could that be? I once read a book titled 'LEARN TO KNOW THYSELF' by a writer named A. N. Onymous. Zat you?
DeleteThanks for the votes, Mystery Man!
Song: Waylon
Video: Waylon
Ol' Waylon ain't goin' down without a fight!
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
L.A. really has its charm, doesn't it? I mean, I wouldn't live there even if you paid me (which is saying a LOT, because just living there already costs a fortune), but I do love to visit. There's really no other place like it on Earth.
ReplyDeleteOnto the battle. So when I think of Randy Newman, I think of his silly observational cartoon songs that have become rife for parody, especially with that dopey voice of his. Like this.
Randy Newman Sings About What He Sees
Despite the fact that I don't really care for his voice, I really like I Love L.A. Great melody, very upbeat, really captures the energy of L.A. Great video, too. Really well made. Nothing against Waylon's, but that's just a slideshow of random pictures, while Randy Newman's is an actual music video, which I much prefer.
Also, while I do loves me some Waylon, I don't think of L.A. when I think of him. Or country.
So give both of my botes to Newman, with my confidently heterosexual apologies to Waylon Jennings. My cohort, on the other hand, who has come up for air between diaper changes, casts only his video vote for Newman, while he gives the musical vote to Jennings.
~J S-A
JULIO SEIS-ABEJA ~
DeleteI thank you and Other B for the votes. (The next time you see O.B., please tell him I appreciated his input. And, for his lungs' sake, he should continue coming up for air between diaper changes.)
Man, I GOL'd long and hard over that Randy Newman parody!! And it nailed something about his songs that I had noted decades ago: He has no regard for meter.
Ha! It's true. I don't think the guy writes songs with any sort of melody in mind. It's like he writes a mini-story, a snippet of prose, and then just starts singing it. If a melody develops, so be it. If not, so what?
You can see this even in 'I LOVE L.A.', which is actually more melodic than most of his stuffs. When he calls out "Santa Monica Boulevard" and follows it with "Sixth Street", there's just no sense of meter there at all. I mean, he might just as well have said "Martin Luther King, Junior, Boulevard" or "The Pacific Coast Highway right at the tunnel where it becomes the Santa Monica Freeway, also known as 'the Ten'."
Thanks for the great laugh, man! And for also confirming for me that I'm not the only person who's ever noticed the irregularity of Newman's tunes.
Song: Randy
Video: Randy
Song: Waylon
Video: Randy
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
You were right, it is a goody of a battle. I'm liking the twisted BOTB mode. It's giving it new life! Everybody like a little zippadeedooda (see how zippy that looks without dashes? New and improved...).
ReplyDeleteThe 8 Ball and I do not agree, however. Waylon, you're a fine country dude but my first, brief, and evil hubby played you without limits and I'm still not over it.
Randy Newman, however, I love. Even with his crazy glasses on his nose and his weird facial expressions...which I always comment on...does the guy not break out in an actual smile? Ever?
RANDY NEWMAN FOR CHERDO! I hold a grudge.
DOC MacGRUDGE ~
DeleteAlmost no one ever agrees with the Magic 8-Ball. It's truly supernatural how consistently it is wrong. I'll bet I could figure out a numbering system with the 8-Ball by which I could select the opposites from what the 8-Ball predicts and thereby win the lottery on a regular basis.
I'm assuming BOTH of your votes are going to Newman -- Song AND Video. If that's incorrect, please correct me.
Song: Randy
Video: Randy
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
Oh, yeah...I'm all in or nuttin' at all.
DeleteI spent four days in LA once back in nineteen-ninety-somethin-somethin. What a disorienting experience. The sun kept SETTING over the ocean.
ReplyDeleteEven with a couple of Fleetwood Maccerz singing in the 'I Love LA' background, I’ll vote with Bo and Luke Duke and give the song vote to Waylon Jennings.
Best video goes to Alfred E. Newman. Beautiful red-head Laura Howard makes a nice riding companion.
WickedSigoftheEast
What?!! And I even get votes from SIG, Too?
DeleteI guess I can now call off the search party. (They're gonna be bummed, as they hadn't yet killed the last keg.)
See, now I always had a similar trouble during the times I spent in Boston and New York. I'd see the Sun coming up out of the sea and wasn't sure if I was supposed to be drinking coffee or Mojitos. So, I'd split the difference and drink 8 of each, just to play it safe. Those were the most wide-awake buzzes I ever had!
Alfred E. Newman -- Ha! Yup! I see that. ...And you still got it, Sig, ol' boy!
Thanks for stopping by with your $00.02. Always a pleasure.
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
Whoops!
DeletePOSTSCRIPT:
Song: Waylon
Video: Randy
~ D-FensDogG
Al Bondigas here. Man, what memories!! We really didn’t know what we had, even into the mid 80’s. I miss the So Cal that we grew up in. Anyone who moved there from the 90’s and on will never experience the Cal paradise. It will never ever be the same, Anyway, that’s their problem right? They get the California they vote for. I’m obviously rulin’ fer Newman’s video, although I liked the one for Waylon quite a bit. My rulin’ fer song was a lot tougher than you might imagine. Still wavering as I write this. Hmm, I just switched again. Give me a minute here. All right, I hate to do this but, I have to rule fer Newman again. It just brings me back to a different time. A time of great love and friendship with all you league members. That’s it!! That’s my rulin!! Now git outta my bar!!!
ReplyDelete"Come to think of it, I believe I WILL have that beer."
DeleteYeah, as for the folks who moved to L.A. in the late '80s and early '90s and drove us -- you and me -- out of paradise... well, you know what Merle Haggard sez!!
They can have it now. They made that bed and they can sleep 'n' weep in it. Let's just hope the state eventually secedes from the United States of Common Sense!
That was an awful lotta sentimental yakking at the end, which was NOT followed by a "John Wayne!" ...You worry me, little fella. You gotta place to stay? ...I mean, you comin' out here?
"It's probably just the booze."
Song: Randy
Video: Randy
~ D-FensDogG
Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...
POSTSCRIPT:
Delete[Link> Always blame it on the booze!
~ D-FensDogG
Ohh, Ohh, ohh. John Wayne!! John Wayne!! John Wayne with a five O'clock shadow even!! Yeah, musta been the booze.
DeleteWhew!
DeleteThat was a close call,... Nancy.
~ D-FensDogG
Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends
lets have a group hug!
Delete(link> Holy Pink Paisley, Batman!!
Delete~ D-FensDogG
Waylon Jennings gets my vote for both!
ReplyDeleteThank you, MIKE. I hope you have a Happy Thanksgiving. See ya in December, Bro.
Delete~ D-FensDogG
ATTENTION PEOPLES!
ReplyDeleteIf you are interested in seeing the final vote tally for this 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' installment and my closing thoughts on it, you can put the following URL into your browser:
http://stmccpresentsbattleofthebands.blogspot.com/2017/11/botb-results-2017-nov-15-or-randy.html
~ D-FensDogG
'Loyal American Underground'