Google & iTunes rethunk

It has come to my attention that maybe Google isn't ALL THAT. BoingBoing usually has good posts about what sneaky things the Googs are up to, and they also link to Google Blogoscoped which is already more than I want to know about the issue. If you don't want to use Google because you don't want to get involved with search-term records or cookies or access logs or censorship issues, you can still use Google via Scroogle, which I understand is set up to ping Google with your search requests without actually keeping track of you. By the way, thanks Google for buying and hosting my blog...

Another online discovery is the iTunes music store. Yes, I'm a very very late adopter on this one. I am only now discovering the joy of downloading songs for 99 cents each. I have spent almost 4 dollars so far and it feels so CRAZY, like I'm dumping my life savings into the penny slots in Vegas, one damn penny at a time!

Here's last week's playlist for Beef Jerky Time (1/24/07)--the children's show.

• Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries theme
  
• See You on the Moon: Great Lake Swimmers
  
• Peter Pan: Sunshine Day
  
• The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers: Winnie the Pooh s/t
  
• Yodelers: Raggedy Ann and Andy
  
• Little Hiawatha: Disney 7"
  
• "The Bean, the Straw and the Coal": narrated by Danny Kaye
  
• Algebra Spaghetti: Mild Euphoria
  
• Chim Chim Cheree: Bill Lee, from the Mary Poppins s/t
  
• The Friendly Beasts: Sufjan Stevens
  
• I Had a Rooster: Pete Seeger
  
• The Great Stone Fire Eater: narrated by Christine Price
  
• Berceuse: Gaubert (Bob Johnson, piano; Julia Older, flute)
  
• New Sound: Tony Borello

New format (slightly)

Because I only seem to post once a week with the playlist from my most recent hour of Beef Jerky Time, I've decided to stop calling each post "Beef Jerky Time [insert date here]," because it's getting kinda boring. Instead I'll try to incorporate playlists into each post with a modicum of artfulness, when possible. Though some weeks I might still just be throwin' out playlists alone, I promise to TRY TO INCLUDE SOME OTHER CONTENT for you. Let's just say I've been a little busy lately, and probably will be for some time to come, but I'm doing my best, yo.

So the news this past week: I was asked to co-DJ a dance party and it was so wicked fun I can't even believe it. I felt like I had the Ring of Power or something, because my previous ideas and careful plans went right out the window when I got a taste of what happens when you play Justin Timberlake and similarly CATCHY stuff for a crowd. What happens is that as a DJ I got beat-happy, and I was extremely reluctant to play anything that wasn't the absolutely best and danciest shit I could think of at that very moment. It was a scary and exhilirating edge to be perched on--the feeling that with one wrong move a whole happy roomful of people would suddenly sit down and ignore what I was doing. Fortunately my set was only an hour because that's about how long I could last at that outrageous pace before passing out. It was amazing and strange to feel like people's behavior depended, in a way, on me just pushing a button. I hope I can retain some semblance of my own musical tastes should such an event ever take place again. I did play the Pogues, Duran Duran, and The Beat, so I didn't completely abandon my choices to the siren song of Nelly Furtado's Promiscuous...

On to radio updates. This week's show (1/24/07) will be a children's hour--stories and songs. Stream it live at 7pm Eastern at WVEW.

Last week's list:

• MacGyver theme
  
• Le Rendez Vous: Manu Chao
  
• In the Dark: Toots & the Maytals
  
• Bamboleo: Gipsy Kings
  
• Karma Coma: Massive Attack
  
• There She Goes: The La's
  
• Celestial Soda Pop: Ray Lynch
  
• A New Career in a New Town: David Bowie
  
• Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad: Derek & the Dominos
  
• Fool's Gold: The Stone Roses
  
• Chal Chamali Bagh: Krodhi soundtrack
  
• Fisherman's Dream: Emerald
  

Beef Jerky Time: 1/10/07

This week's playlist:

• T.J. Hooker theme
  
• Reasons to Be Cheerful, Part 3: Ian Dury & the Blockheads
  
• Overkill: Men at Work
  
• Last Living Souls: Gorillaz
  
• Walking in My Footsteps: The Police
  
• Still Ill: The Smiths
  
• PYT: Michael Jackson
  
• Sissyneck: Beck
  
• If there's a Heaven Above: Love & Rockets
  
• The Dream: The Cure
  
• Alive: Pearl Jam
  
• Sell My Soul: Midnight Oil
  
• Anticipate: Ani diFranco
  
• You'd Better Get Yourself Together: Gigolo Aunts
  
• Pachysandra: Gordon Stone

Tolkien's birthday: radio special 1/3/07

First Beef Jerky Time of the year, and it's a special show dedicated to J.R.R. Tolkien. As I explained on-air, I've been feeling especially "Tolkien-y" lately as I just finished reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy (my first successful holiday run--I often try to read it around the solstice time but leave off somewhere in the first volume). John Ronald Reuel Tolkien was born on January 3, 1892. There's certain music that seems to go with his work... for me anyway. It tends to be British (ish), a bit odd... sometimes plangent, sometimes jolly. I can't say enough excited, good things about the concept of Middle Earth. Yes I am a tremendous geek. Here's what got played.

• Dolente: In the Nursery
  
• The Black Swan: Bert Jansch
  
• The Greenland Disaster (Sealing Song): Figgy Duff
  
• "The Departure of Boromir," from The Two Towers: read by J.R.R. Tolkien
  
• The Dark Island: Thistledown
  
• Fine Horseman: Silly Sisters
  
• "Of Herbs & Stewed Rabbit," from The Two Towers: read by J.R.R. Tolkien
  
• Ramble On: Led Zeppelin
  
• Boy in the Gap/Banshee/Music in the Glen: Barde
  
• "Farewell to Lorien," from The Fellowship of The Ring: read by J.R.R. Tolkien
  
• Gone Beyond: Akron/Family
  
• The Road to Lisdoonvarna/The Lark on the Strand: Patrick Ball (celtic harp)
  
• Gollum's Song: from The Two Towers soundtrack

Twice as Long! Beef Jerky Time: 12/27/06

Last show of the year was TWO HOURS long. That's twice as much Beef Jerky. Here's the playlist. Chewy!

• Mork & Mindy theme
  
• Temptation: New Order
  
• Nin-com-pop: Lali Puna
  
• For You Blue: The Beatles
  
• O Venus Bant: Super Madrigal Brothers cover Alexandre Agricola (1446-1506)
  
• Illegalize It: Trans Am
  
• Blood in the Air: Ui
  
• Look Up: Stars
  
• Blood of Eden: Peter Gabriel
  
• Perfect Skin: Lloyd Cole & the Commotions
  
• Stay Up Late: Talking Heads
  
• 24 Robbers: Apostle of Hustle feat. The Huskys
  
• Voices Are Your Best Friend: Glissandro 70
  
• Fruit Belt: Lederhosen Lucil & Kid Koala
  These last 3 from a CD for kids of all ages called "See You On the Moon!", from Paper Bag Records. Thanks 'bird!
  
• It's a Man's Man's Man's World: James Brown (RIP!)
  
• Go Out & Get It: John & Beverley Martyn
  
• Look Back in Anger: David Bowie
  
• Karate Man: The Super Friendz
  
• I'm the One: Material
  
• The Crunge: Led Zeppelin
  
• Resistance Is Futile: Jets to Brazil
  
• Drawbridge: Barons
  
• Dirty Martini: Joe Jackson Band
  
• On My Radio: The Selecter
  
• Stereotype: The Specials
  
• DesCartes: Brideshead
  
• The Last Time: Gnarls Barkley
  
• I'll Come Running: Brian Eno
  
• Facing East: Thievery Corporation
  
• Dayvan Cowboy: Boards of Canada