Boneyard Media Kim Simpson's song IDs and more – joint articulation – dancing skeletons – new connections

June 1, 2009

China Tour’s a wrap

Filed under: China — Kim @ 9:17 pm

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I’m back in the USA again after a 17-day tour including Beijing, Harbin, Shanghai, Wuxi, Guiyang, Guangzhou, and Zhuhai, which is a bit too much to process at the moment. But here’s a top ten in no order:

1 – The enormity of Zhonghua (that means “China” in Mandarin) and my minute-by-minute perspective shifts.

2 – Guangzhou, as in I-Heart-Guangzhou, where I played a proper bar gig and had big fun at the Ping Pong Art Space.

3 – Checking out the Dragon Boat Races in the Panyu district – an adequate fix, being so far removed from the stock car action back home – and being interviewed about it on TV.

4 – The bizarre mixture of keystone kop driving and complete lack of road rage.

5 – The fabulous Free Sound Record shop in Beijing – the oasis for Chinese independent music – where I once again found everything I wanted and got hooked up with everything I hadn’t known I wanted.

6 – Bad luck highlight: leaving my camera at the very tail end of my tour in a Beijing taxi.

7 – All the kids from northern Harbin all the way down to southern Zhuhai, who turned up and tuned in and made the entire experience such a pleasure.

8 – All the American and Chinese foreign service officers who knew how to take such good care of a lowly folk singer.

9 – Squid, jellyfish, eel, sea cucumber, preserved goose eggs, and turtle blood noodles, to name just a few.

10 – “Hǎo yī duǒ měi lì de mò li huā…”

May 21, 2009

Inside China today

Filed under: China,View Masters — Kim @ 11:12 am

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I’ve just gone off to China again, this time courtesy of the US Embassy, giving little performances and talks (mostly to university audiences) about definitions and functions of American folk music. Most of the programs end up being 50% talking and 50% singing/playing, with lively Q and A at the end.

I’m really reveling in the hodgepodge aspects of the programs, playing Cajun, Tex Mex, ragtime, Hawaiian, bluegrass, and tossing in a few of my own – and to such receptive audiences, to boot. A recent one in Harbin featured an ad hoc classical guitar showcase featuring me and one of the audience members.

The audiences have been a real delight – enthusiastic, interested and intelligent – and their perspectives are so different. (Campfire songs? Johnny Cash? Better explain a little bit.) I’m also trying to take full advantage of the opportunity to investigate more Chinese rock/folk/pop and to understand how some of the stuff I’ve gotten into ranks according to the tastes of these college kids.

Two of my favorite unexpected post-program questions:

Audience member: “I’m very surprised that you didn’t mention the famous American song ‘Copacabana’ in your presentation.”
Me (busted): (Break into an a cappella rendition of “Copacabana,” which I happen to love.)

Audience member: “I was hoping you would explain why the Backstreet Boys are no longer popular in America.”
Me: “They still reign supreme in the charts of our hearts.”

May 11, 2009

Street Gang on Pop Matters

Filed under: Books,Sesame Street — Kim @ 4:38 pm

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One of the distinct pleasures of grade school malingering, I remember, had to do with watching Sesame Street, the show I’d supposedly outgrown, and keeping it my little secret.

Read my review of Michael Davis’s Street Gang: The Complete History of Sesame Street at Pop Matters.

April 18, 2009

Sesame Street – “A Clown’s Face”

Filed under: Clowns,Sesame Street — Kim @ 5:01 am

Dennis Allen from Laugh-In is the sad sack doing this SS clip. OK, I’m sending the VW on its way now.

April 17, 2009

Song ID: Split Enz – “Sweet Dreams” (1976)

Filed under: Clowns,Song IDs — Kim @ 5:05 am

This isn’t one of the more memorable songs by these New Zealand weirdos, but you can’t look away. Singer Phil Judd loses his hair before the first minute’s up and the eye-rolling drummer participates only halfway.

April 16, 2009

Song ID: Leo Sayer – “The Show Must Go On” (1973)

Filed under: Clowns,Early '70s Radio,Song IDs — Kim @ 6:50 am

From the VW door of clown rockers emerges Leo Sayer. Here he does his very first hit, which peaked at #2 in the UK. We know it better in the US as a #4 hit for Three Dog Night from ’74.

April 15, 2009

Song ID: The Klowns – “Lady Love” (1970)

Filed under: Clowns,Early '70s Radio,Song IDs — Kim @ 7:52 am

Decidedly more bubblegum than their rivals the Hello People, the Klowns were an experiment hatched by pop song institution Jeff Barry who, fresh off the Archies, clearly had preteens on the brain. The group featured actor Barry Bostwick (perhaps best known for his role as Brad Majors in Rocky Horror) and they hosted one of those single-installment-only TV variety shows we saw countless versions of in the ’70s (Jerry Lewis and Sammy Davis, Jr. were the big ticket guests). Hear their only charting song above and imagine their painted countenances rolling by repeatedly as though you were riding a nightmare carousel.

April 14, 2009

Mark Fidrych R.I.P.

Filed under: Mark Fidrych,Sports — Kim @ 6:57 am

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He looked like Big Bird, talked like the kids from Zoom, and as far as I’m concerned, was baseball itself. Thanks for ’76, Bird.

April 13, 2009

Song ID: The Hello People – “Let’s Go Hide in the Forest” (1968)

Filed under: Clowns,Song IDs — Kim @ 3:38 pm

A spooky 1968 non-album single by these clown rock pioneers. Their appearance on Teen Time (thanks to the YouTube poster) has so many curious things about it: the local-yokel teens (all African-American during the opening title sequence but all Caucasian during the actual taping); the telling facial expression on the host just before the band goes on; and the blissed out performance by the band which is already a bit disturbing even before you realize that they’re singing about Armageddon.

April 12, 2009

Sunday Service/Song ID: The Hello People – “(As I Went Down to) Jerusalem” (1968)

Filed under: Song IDs,Sunday Service — Kim @ 4:17 am

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This single (which peaked at #123) kicked off the unique run of late sixties/early seventies mime rock outfit the Hello People. “Mime rock” is a misleading term because they didn’t mime at all, although their white face paint and somewhat exaggerated movements made them look like they were. Hence the weird allure. Notwithstanding my own affection for this single, their overall sound never quite jelled into anything especially singular, but their stage presence made for some memorable TV appearances (stay tuned).

Update (7/11): Whatever prompted me to claim with assurance that the Hello People were not really a mime rock group has been refuted by Richard Gagnon (see comments) who says they would mime on stage in between songs. This makes perfect sense – I sure wish I could have seen this one-of-a-kind band live.

The Hello People – “(As I Went Down to) Jerusalem”

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