. STMcC’s Vote On '2019, March 15th: Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB) - Or, The Beach Boys Versus Creedence Clearwater Revival - And The Final Tally: .
Virginia City, NV., cemetery photo by STMcC
. Before I can even address the last 'Battle Of The Bands' Results... . It is my sad duty, my heartbreaking responsibility, my crappy job, to make y'all aware of the following: . On occasional weekends, just to earn a little extra pocket money, The Magic 8-Ballwould work as an ordinary 8-Ball at New York pool halls. On March 16th, at 6:66 PM, The Magic 8-Ball was working at Carlo & Rossi's Billiard Parlor on 5th Avenue. Bruno Bancini and Rocco Martini were engaged in a friendly game of pool ("friendly" = less than $500. wagered), when Rocco attempted a complicated 3-cushion bank shot meant to deposit the The Magic 8-Ball in a corner pocket. Rocco struck the cue ball too hard, which struck The Magic 8-Ball too hard and knocked it off the table, propelling it through the open door of Carlo & Rossi's Billiard Parlor. . The The Magic 8-Ball flew out onto 5th Avenue just as the Number 86 bus to Newark, New Jersey, driven by "Fats" Brown, was passing Carlo & Rossi's establishment. The bus driver, Mr. Brown, getting just a quick glimpse of the round, black object seemingly thrown from the pool hall, thought it was a bomb that had been tossed by some wiseguy, and he swerved to avoid it. . Unfortunately, the Number 86 bus to Newark, New Jersey, jumped the curb and ended up on the sidewalk. And just as the rear tires of the bus were running over and crushing to death The Magic 8-Ball, the front end of the bus struck and killed a pedestrian who was carrying a grocery bag of bread, peanut butter, watercress and milk. By an amazing coincidence, the pedestrian who was heading home to make a peanut butter and watercress sandwich for lunch was The Amazing Sixwell! . Yes, I'm sorry to have to report that, in the same freak accident, our two favorite psychics, The Magic 8-Ball and The Amazing Sixwell, were hit and killed by the same bus. I guess neither one of them saw that coming. . Well, in our last Battle, which took place HERE, The Magic 8-Ball(15-9) and TheAmazing Sixwell(17-7) both predicted the outcome correctly. By necessity (unless there's a doctor in the house who can raise the dead), this brings to an end BOTB's Battle Within The Battle, with TheAmazing Sixwell winning the contest by 2. .
Virginia City, NV., cemetery photo by STMcC
. Well, doggone it, all good things must come to an end, but Battle Of The Bands just keeps rollin' along. . I thank all y'all for taking time to come by, listen and vote (bote) in my last Battle. The song was Lead Belly's 'Cotton Fields' and the contestants were The Beach Boys & Creedence Clearwater Revival. . When I was a teenager, I owned CCR's album 'WillyAndThePoorBoys', and that's where I first heard 'Cotton Fields'. I always enjoyed it, and still do to this day. But many years later, I discovered The Beach Boys' version, with their marvelously intricate and beautiful, trademark harmonizing (ain't nobody ever done it better!), and I came to like their rendition even better. (Plus, after several years - even though I always liked them - everything CCR did started sounding the same to me.) . Nevertheless, this BOTB installment was Blowout City: . The Beach Boys = 4 votes . Creedence Clearwater Revival = 14 votes . We bid a sad farewell to The Magic 8-Ball .
. and to The Amazing Sixwell .
. They won't be here for my next Battle Of The Bands contest on April 1st - April Fools' Day- but I hope YOU will be here! Be here or... bring a note from your doctor undertaker! .
.. Carson City Vs. The Biggest Little Ghetto In The World, Willoughberry Vs. The Biggest Little Disappointment In The World, 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... . BATTLEOFTHEBANDS (BOTB) .
. Shoop-Shooby - Shooby-Duh-Dooby-Doop-Dooby-Dooby-Doo-Wah - Buh-Doo-Wah! . Yes, it's time once again for 'Battle Of The Bands' ('BOTB'). . Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!... .
Eugene Martone vs. Jack Butler
. As y'all know, I recently moved to a new town (Willoughberry) 30 miles South of where I'd been living for the previous 4 years (Reno). And what I expected to be an easy move turned pretty brutal due to abnormally snowy weather. .
"Yeah? Well, let's see YOU climb up the balcony!"
. As a matter of fact, it was snowing here again last night! (I'm writing this on March 13th.) This Winter just won't quit and leave us alone! . It was a bummer to want to get on my bicycle and go exploring my new town, but constant snow, rain, and wind wouldn't permit it. Finally, I took matters into my own hands and invented a method for controlling the weather. I ingeniously call it 'Weather Control', and here's how it works: .
WEATHERCONTROL: 94-proof Rum, The Beach Boys, and a street sign borrowed from sunny Santa Monica, California.
. You don't have to use 'Endless Summer'. I found that it works with other Beach Boys albums, too. In fact, it was while I was playing 'TheBeachBoys' GreatestHits, Volume2' that I struck upon the idea of using the song COTTON FIELDS in this installment of BOTB. .
Goodniks vs. No-Goodniks
. 'Cotton Fields' was written by the famous Blues singer Huddie Ledbetter (better known as 'Lead Belly') and he recorded it in 1940. The original recording is not part of this Battle, but if you're interested in hearing it, click HERE. .
Godziller vs. King Kong
. Our contestants are two California groups, The Beach Boys and Creedence Clearwater Revival. So, it's the "Deep South" as interpreted by Southern and Northern California in 1969. . The Beach Boys recorded the song twice, and this later version was released in February of '69: . COTTON FIELDS - The Beach Boys https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9CQPQOhWy4
Question:"Will The Beach Boys beat Creedence Clearwater Revival?"
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The Magic 8-Ball(14-9)sez:"Outlook Not So Good"
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The Amazing Sixwell(16-7)sez:"My Reply Is No."
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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. (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... @ ‘TOSSINGITOUT’ by clicking HERE. @ 'MIKE'SRAMBLINGS' by clicking HERE. @ 'CURIOUSASACATHY' by clicking HERE. @ 'THESOUNDOFONEHANDTYPING' by clicking HERE @ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE. @ 'THE DOGLADY'S DEN' by clicking HERE. @ 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE. @ 'AI LOVE MUSIC' 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. . ~ Stephen T. McCarthy .
. STMcC’s Vote On '2019, March 1st: Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB) - Or, Bruce Springsteen Versus Mark "Twinkie" Johnson - And The Final Tally: .
"BOMP!"
. UHP! "What with the drinkin' an' all...", I is a day late on my Battle Of The Bands Results post. Well, it wasn't much of a "Battle", but it took place HERE. I haven't even counted up the vote tally, and there's really not much point in it. The bottom line is that Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen got fired by Mark "Twinkie" Johnson. Bruce got "BOMPED!" on the noggin. He got two votes and Twinkie got... a whole slew of 'em. I expected Twinkie to win easily but I didn't anticipate a blowout of *that* magnitude! . As always, I thank each of you who contributed your two-cents to the BOTB kitty. Please know that I appreciate you - your time and involvement in BOTB. The comment section was fun for me, and I even told a few 'League Of Soul Crusaders' stories from yesteryear (i.e., 1980-1985) . *Muchos Gracias to mi amigo, JULIO SEIS-ABEJA, for creating 'The League Of Soul Crusaders' video. . That picture above (circa 1982) shows me and two of the small number of females who had the courage to party with 'The League'. The blonde on the right was one of Twinkie's many girlfriends. (Yeah, despite the nickname, Twinkie was a [link> "confident heterosexual". How we wound up giving him that nickname is a story for another day. But it's pretty funny.) . SAMOHI (Santa Monica High School), the high school that 3 of the 6 Soul Crusaders attended (Twinkie, Nappy & myself), routinely had graduating classes of about 750 students. That's not the entire school population, but just the senior class! It was huge, because Malibu did not yet have its own high school. . A few voters commented on the fact that Twinkie had a really good singing voice. Indeed, he did. At SAMOHI, Twinkie was a member of 'The Madrigals': .
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So, think of the competition to be selected as a 'Madrigal' in a school the size of SAMOHI, and then consider that Twinkie made the cut. Sometime in the future, I plan to use Twinkie in a couple more BOTB contests and, in my opinion, the songs I'll use show off Twinkie's voice even better'n the song 'The League Of Soul Crusaders' did! .
While Twinkie did learn to appreciate Springsteen's stuffs (Twinkie's life probably depended upon it), his natural taste in Rock music ran more towards Journey because... singing. And I recall that some of Twinkie's favorite albums were 'Look Sharp!' by Joe Jackson, 'Candy-O' by The Cars, and 'Union Jacks' by The Babys. .
One of my very favorite things about Twinkie's song is the guitar solo, which was performed by a friend of Twinkie's. (I wish I could remember his name.) Quite honestly, that guitar solo is one of my very favorites of all-time. It is simultaneously quirky and lyrical, and the guitarist displays a notably innate sense for how to build and release tension within a solo. And as if that weren't enough, the number of different tones he squeezes out of his guitar really impresses me! .
I can even pick one solitary favorite note out of that entire guitar solo: Right at the 3:50 mark, he hits a single note - "BOMP!"I just love it! It seems to come out of nowhere and just stands out by itself, as if it's saying, "Listen to me!... BOMP!" And now I know who put the Bomp in the 'Bomp-Bah-Bomp-Bah-Bomp'! .
And then at 4:09, his guitar sounds like a wounded wildcat!I LOVE it! .
So, if you've got an extra 5 minutes, I'll ask you to listen to the song one more time. But this time, crank it "up to eleven", close your eyes, so as not to be distracted by the video images, and concentrate solely on every sound you hear coming from that guy's guitar. See if his playing impresses you the way it does me: . THE LEAGUE OF SOUL CRUSADERS - Mark "Twinkie" Johnson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6jFtB7plN8
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Shrine to W.C. Fields @ the Bay Street house, headquarters of 'The League Of Soul Crusaders'.
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A huge Bruce Springsteen banner hanging in the Bay Street house.
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STMcC, hungover, after waiting in line all night for Bruce Springsteen concert tickets
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Coconut Heads hanging in the Bay Street house.
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Chess Pieces knocked over, indicative of a wild gathering the night before.
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Pooh and STMcC, the morning after camping out all night on the front lawn of the Bay Street house.
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Outside looking in: Mickie Darlin', official (crazy) dog of the Bay Street house.
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A rough day for Cranium. If you passed out, the other guys would "Give You The Business".
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Twinkie and Nappy: "You want I should hit ya in the whiskers?!" (One of our many often used expressions.)
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This is Filly Waggit.
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Every Summer, Filly Waggit lived in the chimney of the Bay Street house.
. Twinkie may have written and sung the 'League Of Soul Crusaders' song, but I wrote "the book" and the "poem": . ODE TO 824 BAY . [6/28/1982; revised in ‘84] . THERE IS A MYSTICAL LEGEND KNOWN THROUGHOUT THIS LAND IT IS A SIMPLE STORY BUT, OH, SO GRAND . FILLED WITH EXCITEMENT, ADVENTURE AND LOVE BUT THAT ISN’T ALL THIS STORY IS FULL OF . IF YOU WILL COME HERE AND SIT ON MY KNEE I’LL TELL IT TO YOU LIKE MY FATHER TOLD ME: . Once upon a time . . . . A Feefod, A Finnin’ and a Fiddle-Dee-Dee Went to Antonio’s with W.C. . Alcohol consumption and Mescal worm-eating Hangover Trips at the B.C. Meeting . Nantucket, Nantucket, we drink like a dude A fifth of gin and some dry dog food . Down go the chess pieces, knocked over once more Poor Doug is passed out on the living room floor . It’s not right, Howard – Mumbly-Peg is a sin Oh, goodnight sweet prince, Mark’s sick again . Wha’ be hadnin’? Whad ja do? Take your chicken baby to the zoo . She’s got the rear end of a fifty-nine Caddy Hick-a-boo, Hick-a-boo, yeah daddy! . One fag-warmer sitting on a bus stop bench Doing something nasty with a monkey wrench . Ah said, “Eeebee – Deebee – Leebee Filly Waggit’s in the chimney” . Uhp! Yer an idiot! A D.W. too The Hangover Waltz is a dance you can do . Fatty’s gotta starve but continues to eat Good Lord, have you seen the size of his seat? . And you best stay clear of Tom’s Number Five Only a “B” or an “H” can survive . Idgie-Bah-Bah and Nimrod Salesmen hang out at Bay Along with Mickie Darlin’ and the great Robert J. . Let’s pick up some Road Soda for to quench our thirst And hit the “Oscar Party”, although they’re the worst . Drive fast, take chances, see ya at The Music Machine One Bee-Bop, a Ree-Bop, and an Angustine . Throwing firecrackers at pimps is an art Mark, Doug, and Dean laugh when they fart . We took our noise out to sea To salute Catalina with a boisterous “Beee!” . He told another Lynth, why he wanna do that for? You want I should hit him in the whiskers some more? . Yeah, tell a few jokes, slap your thigh Join a parade on the Fourth of July . And you know Five-Six is pretty damn tall What with the drinkin’ an’ all . So cut the poetry and hand me a brew I’ll guzzle the beverage and scream, “Woo!-Woo!-Woo!” . WELL, THAT’S THE END OF THE SAGA, THE STORY IS TOLD IT’S WORTH MORE THAN SILVER, IT’S WORTH MORE THAN GOLD . GENERATIONS HAVE HEARD IT AND PONDERED ITS WORDS OTHERS, LIKE ME, SAY IT’S FOR THE BIRDS . I THINK IT’S A HOAX, I THINK IT’S A LIE AND WHOEVER WROTE IT MUST HAVE BEEN HIGH! .
In The Battle Within The Battle, The Amazing Sixwell(16-7) allowed The Magic 8-Ball(14-9) to close the gap a simdgeon. (I think he was starting to feel sorry for the 8-Ball.) . I'll be back here on March 15th, and I hope you will be here, too! . ~ Stephen T. McCarthy .
.. Communism Vs. Constitutional Republic, New Jersey Vs. Dogtown, Fame Vs. Obscurity, War Vs. Peace, Light Vs. Dark, Good Vs. Evil, Man Vs. Machine, Love Vs. Hate, Dog Vs. Cat, Sun Vs. Moon, Brain Vs. Brawn, 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... . BATTLEOFTHEBANDS (BOTB) .
. Shoop-Shooby - Shooby-Duh-Dooby-Doop-Dooby-Dooby-Doo-Wah - Buh-Doo-Wah! . Yes, it's time once again for 'Battle Of The Bands' ('BOTB'). . Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!... .
. In 1975, New Jersey's Bruce Springsteen released his album 'Born To Run', which included the song 'Night', which included the term "soulcrusaders". . In the early 1980s, a group of guys in a place known as 'Dogtown' in the Los Angeles area, used to go around saying that they were "Leading the League!", as if life were really a sporting event and these guys were in first place. .
. They believed themselves to be in first place in the category of 'Carpe Diem', which included athletic subcategories like 'Most Amount Of Energy Expended', 'Most Number Of Jokes Told In A Night', 'Fastest & Funniest Ad Libbing', 'Most Dangerous Stunts Involving Old Cadillacs And Other Automobiles', 'Loudest & Coolest Customers In The Bar', 'Highest Number Of Drinks Consumed In An Evening', 'Highest Number Of Chess Pieces And Coconut Heads Knocked Unconscious', and other feats of athleticism. .
The sign reads: THINKIN' MAYBE WE DON'T "LEAD THE LEAGUE"?
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A dog in "Dogtown" with many 80-proof friends in the trunk of a '59 Caddy.
. And then one night, following the Red-Head's birthday party, this group of guys, who idolized Bruce Springsteen, began referring to themselves as "The League Of Soul Crusaders", taking the "Soul Crusaders" portion of their name from Springsteen's song, 'Night'. And the rest, as they say, is history lost in an alcoholic haze. (Not to be confused with a "Purple Haze".) .
. So, today's Battle is between the original song, Springsteen's 'Night', from 1975, and a tribute to The League Of Soul Crusaders, written, sung, and recorded circa 1990 by Mark "Twinkie" Johnson (aka "The Blonde-Headed Swede"), one of the original 6 members of 'The League Of Soul Crusaders'. .
. The rat trap's filled with soulcrusaders The circuit's lined and jammed with chromed invaders
. Real joy is when you follow your passion I said real joy's when you follow your passion Boy has a dream of being in the circus But isn't that a shame? - You've gotta be a man ~ 'The League Of Soul Crusaders' by Mark "Twinkie" Johnson . THE LEAGUE OF SOUL CRUSADERS - Mark "Twinkie" Johnson https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w6jFtB7plN8
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The Battle Within The Battle
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VERSUS
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Question:"Will Mark "Twinkie" Johnson beat Bruce Springsteen?"
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The Magic 8-Ball(13-9)sez:"You May Rely On it"
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The Amazing Sixwell(16-6)sez:"Outlook Not So Good"
. 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. (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... @ ‘TOSSINGITOUT’ by clicking HERE. @ 'MIKE'SRAMBLINGS' by clicking HERE. @ 'CURIOUSASACATHY' by clicking HERE. @ 'THESOUNDOFONEHANDTYPING' by clicking HERE @ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE. @ 'THE DOGLADY'S DEN' by clicking HERE. @ 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE. @ 'AI LOVE MUSIC' 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. . ~ Stephen T. McCarthy .
