New Sam Phillips

The recently revamped Sam Phillips page just posted a few tunes Sam wrote as cue music for The Gilmore Girls.

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If Only Smoothie King Would Offer the Same Deal. . .

From The Guardian:

Big Mac rap may mean artists' payday

Richard Jinman
Tuesday March 29, 2005
The Guardian

Rap artists are accustomed to name-checking prestige car, clothing and jewellery brands in their lyrics. But if McDonald's has its way Snoop Dogg, Jay-Z and 50 Cent may soon be giving it up for the humble beefburger.

The fast-food giant is reported to be launching a campaign that will offer financial incentives to rap artists who mention its Big Mac burger in their lyrics. McDonald's will not pay an upfront fee, but intends to pay the artist between $1 and $5 (53p-£2.68) each time a track is played on the radio. It hopes to have several such songs on the airwaves by the summer.

WaltRiker, a spokesman for McDonald's in the US, said the initiative would be conducted by the US marketing firm Maven Strategies, which last year managed to get Seagram's gin mentioned in five rap songs.

Tony Rome, Maven's president, said his aim was to identify artists whose style would identify with the brand. McDonald's would have final approval of the lyrics, he said.

The campaign was condemned yesterday by the US lobby group Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. It accused McDonald's of targeting a young audience who were already particularly prone to obesity.

The group's founder, Susan Linn, said: "They're dumping one of their most high fat, high calorific products on kids in a way that the kids won't even know that it's happening."

Mr Riker denied that claim yesterday. "Our customers are smart," he said. "They know how to make choices that are right for them."

Sellout's Steal of the Week: Alex Chilton

So I had a dream last night that Jody Stephens and I were talking... I was telling him about accosting Alex Chilton at Coop's Bar in New Orleans a couple of years back (which really did happen, much to Indy's embarrassment). I was convinced I had a story worth telling Alex, and as it turned out, he agreed. Anyway, in my dream, I told Jody I felt bad for bugging Mr. Chilton, and he said "Oh that's nothing, you should what he has to deal with on those Oldies Cruises with the Box Tops!"

Then today, as Julian and I were driving around, windows down, spring and sun, iPod on shuffle, Alex Chilton sang "Oogum Boogum." Coincidence? Who cares, it was the perfect song for a sunny Spring day. Enjoy.

Alex Chilton covers "Oogum Boogum":
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Don't forget yer podcast option. Subscribe to the Spinsouth feed at http://feeds.feedburner.com/Spinsouth

Don't Dream It's Over. . .

Hey now, hey now.

Don't let them win:
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Or, simplify your life and get all the Sellout Steals of the Week via podcast. Subscribe to the Spinsouth feed at http://feeds.feedburner.com/Spinsouth

Say My Name Say My Name. . .

And to think, we hate our band name. It could be worse:
Shitty Shitty Band Band

The Guardian writes about good band names here.

On second thought, Shitty Shitty Band Band is a great name.

The Dude Abides

Time on Their Hands

White Russian, anyone?

The Bear Comes Back

In 1979, Rafi Zabor started writing a story about a saxophone playing Bear who walked the streets of NYC quoting Shakespeare and playing jazz. The Bear Comes Home was published in 1997 and won the PEN/Faulkner award later that year. I read it, loved it, and made everyone I knew read it (except for Indy; she refused). I even gave a copy to David Rawlings. Anyway, Mr. Zabor is finally back with the first volume of a tetralogy called I, Wabenzi (due to be published this October by FSG).

Here's a great feature about how little his life changed after all the fuss over The Bear: washingtonpost.com

Read about the new book at the FSG page here.

For the real trainspotters, he also contributes customer reviews at amazon.com

Bringing the Rock to Dogtown

Rod Bryan for Governor

rodbryan.com

UPDATE: cynical backlash at the arkansas times site already: see the comments here.

Top 20 By Tom Waits

Tom Waits lists his top 20 albums for the Observer this week here.

Notable moments:
"Dylan is a planet to be explored."
Solo Monk is "astronaut music from Bedlam"
Los Lobos are "so wild, and they've gotten so cubist. They've become like Picasso."

Questionable moment:
EC's The Delivery Man makes the top 20. Someone explain this record to me. I guess you have to live in Cali to get it.

Watching the Detectives Wrapped Around Your Finger

Thanks to Stereogum for the link to Mark Vidler's mp3 page.
Highlights include Wrapped Detective and Paperbook Believer.

Sellout's Steal of the Week: Thin LizzyOr, It's Not Easy Being Green

In honor of St. Patrick's Day, a song from the greatest Irish rock band ever, Thin Lizzy:

THE BOYS ARE BACK IN TOWN
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Other Green Links:

for dylan: singer guy from texas
for indy and harbs: party responsible, in part, for our current president
for angela: green fashion for spring
for isaac: shades of green
for charles: green fuzz pedal
for julian: a bunch of green tractors

Beware the Ides of March

He's a dreamer, let us leave him.

Total Eclipse of the Heart

Words are failing me. Click this link. Watch the video.

Kill Some Pissants for Jesus

I got turned on to the cigar smoking, bible quoting, race horse-owning TV evangelist Dr. Gene Scott in the 7th grade. We used to stay up late to watch his broadcasts and call in to request his greatest hit "Kill Some Pissants for Jesus." Now I hear he's dead. R.I.P. Dr, Scott.

Watch some vintage Gene Scott right here.

Sellout's Steal of the Week: Bettie Serveert

Friday night at Sticky Fingerz. Straight from the Netherlands. Bettie, to Serve.

From the 1997 album Dust Bunnies: "Geek"
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For those of you keeping score, this is the second steal of dutch origin. Hi, Petra.

Pictures to prove we've begun.

Boondogs recording.

The new Boondogs album, tentatively titled "Goodbye and Godspeed" is being sung and mixed this week, and should be released in May.

We recorded 10 songs down at Bruce Watson's studio in Water Valley Mississippi over a 24 hour period (we also slept and ate in that time period). Chris got sick, Isaac was brilliant, Charles played "like butterflies" (according to Indy), Indy was barely present, and I couldn't believe we actually did it.

Advance mp3s will be posted here shortly.