12 June 2009: back to the '60s! (1967!!)

[Tinka Cat]

sorta related to this set,  I mentioned Porpoise Song by the Monkees and found this (poor quality) vid from the movie Head, which I've never seen, but now must!

http://www.metacafe.com/watch/2856490/the_monkees_porpoise_song_from_head/

I can give you Head when you're in NYC next month. 

Thanks for the offer, but I can get Head here.   

[mshray]

Nah, I don't really know anything.  That was just a play on the line from Buckaroo Banzai:
-- "Why is there a watermelon there"
-- "I'll tell you later."

Any thread that lends itself to a Buckaroo Banzai reference makes my day!

Dave have you seen this: http://www.banzai-institute.com/ ?  They call The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the Eighth Dimension "an acclaimed docudrama."

[ggould]

it quite literally blew my mind.

Must have taken forever to scrub it off the walls.

maybe his "mind" is his name for his "armadillo."

So an "armadillo" was period slang for a hummer?

prob not...  I was thinking armadillo meant the appendage

All these years, I just thought it was the word Armadillo, because it sounded cool, but hey, if you guys know the secret sex slang, who am I to question?
 

I don't know anything about the true meaning, and this was quite the sassy tangent, but my comment was colored by my understanding that Marty was/is kind of a galavanting cad.

someday we'll just have to ask him!

[Davefish]

Nah, I don't really know anything.  That was just a play on the line from Buckaroo Banzai:
-- "Why is there a watermelon there"
-- "I'll tell you later."

Any thread that lends itself to a Buckaroo Banzai reference makes my day!

Dave have you seen this: http://www.banzai-institute.com/ ?  They call The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the Eighth Dimension "an acclaimed docudrama."

Hah!  I haven't been to the Institute in a while.  It's pretty over the top, as it should be.  I'll have to check it out.

From an interview with Marty in 1994:
Marty remembers the "good" times: "In the early days, RCA would come to us and they'd listen to my lyrics and go, 'You can't say that, you can't say Trips. Trips is a bad word!' And the next day, they'd say 'What do you mean by these lyrics – Love, Fucking, Armadillo. Armadillo – that is very dirty!' We were censored all the way. 'What does this peanut butter and jelly sandwich on [the inside cover of] Volunteers mean?' It meant nothing. And people all the time think that [the song] 'Volunteers' is a big revolutionary political statement. But all that happened with that song was that I was woken up one morning by some trash cans rattling outside and I looked out of my window and there was a truck with 'Volunteers Of America' painted on the side. So I wrote about that. And the next thing I know, it's a big political tune. Bullshit, man. Everything's bullshit in this business."

This doesn't explain what it meant, but suggests to me that it might mean nothing at all.

[RGMike]

Nah, I don't really know anything.  That was just a play on the line from Buckaroo Banzai:
-- "Why is there a watermelon there"
-- "I'll tell you later."

Any thread that lends itself to a Buckaroo Banzai reference makes my day!

Dave have you seen this: http://www.banzai-institute.com/ ?  They call The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the Eighth Dimension "an acclaimed docudrama."

Hah!  I haven't been to the Institute in a while.  It's pretty over the top, as it should be.  I'll have to check it out.

From an interview with Marty in 1994:
Marty remembers the "good" times: "In the early days, RCA would come to us and they'd listen to my lyrics and go, 'You can't say that, you can't say Trips. Trips is a bad word!' And the next day, they'd say 'What do you mean by these lyrics – Love, Fucking, Armadillo. Armadillo – that is very dirty!' We were censored all the way. 'What does this peanut butter and jelly sandwich on [the inside cover of] Volunteers mean?' It meant nothing. And people all the time think that [the song] 'Volunteers' is a big revolutionary political statement. But all that happened with that song was that I was woken up one morning by some trash cans rattling outside and I looked out of my window and there was a truck with 'Volunteers Of America' painted on the side. So I wrote about that. And the next thing I know, it's a big political tune. Bullshit, man. Everything's bullshit in this business."

This doesn't explain what it meant, but suggests to me that it might mean nothing at all.

"Look what's happenin' out in the streets!
Rattle-in' my trash cans!
(Rattle-in' my trash cans!)"

Goddam hippie garbage men!

[Wayback]

6/12/09 - Finally FRIDAY!!!  Back, back, back to...1967!!!
   1.  Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour/ (Timothy Leary: "its 1967 on 10at10")
   2.  The Chocolate Watchband - Are You Gonna Be There (at the Love-in)?
(News: Haight Hippie News)
   3.  Grateful Dead - The Golden Road (to Unlimited Devotion)
   4.  Jefferson Airplane - The Ballad of You, Me & Pooneil
(Movie: Guess Who's Coming to Dinner)
   5.  The Turtles - Happy Together
   6.  Sonny & Cher - The Beat Goes On
(News: Six Day War in the Middle East)
   7.  Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?
(News: War protest in SF)
   8.  The Blues Magoos - We Ain't Got Nothing Yet
(TV Ad:  '67 Pontiac GTO)
   9.  The Electric Prunes - I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night
 10.  The Monkees - (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone
(Movie: The Jungle Book)
BONUS TRACK (From Tommy in Hayward): The Doors - Back Door Man

[ggould]

I know it's a good set when a Monkees entry is only the 5th-best track.  Peter's "NOOO!" yelp is a GREAT garage moment.

while we were driving, I was thinking of whether this song would be easy or not for my band to play at the hospital gigs, and wondered who actually played on this track.

Musicians featured on the Monkees recording are: lead vocal: Micky Dolenz, backing vocal: Tommy Boyce, Guitar: Wayne Erwin, Gerry McGee, Louie Shelton, Organ: Bobby Hart, Bass: Larry Taylor, Drums: Billy Lewis, Percussion: Henry Levvy.

Larry Taylor from Canned Heat?

[Gazoo]

OMFG! 2nd uber-BOS the Prunes! another all-time fave. Would love to hear that Jerry Vale version that allegedly exists.

I'd never heard of Jerry Vale before this post.  Went searching, found he did a very good "Till," but thought this Electric Prunes clip was more interesting:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CnaOXfQ0wVo

Lead singer plays a zither!

[Gazoo]

I know it's a good set when a Monkees entry is only the 5th-best track.  Peter's "NOOO!" yelp is a GREAT garage moment.

while we were driving, I was thinking of whether this song would be easy or not for my band to play at the hospital gigs

Can't be that hard, if the Sex Pistols played it ... 

[RGMike]

I know it's a good set when a Monkees entry is only the 5th-best track.  Peter's "NOOO!" yelp is a GREAT garage moment.

while we were driving, I was thinking of whether this song would be easy or not for my band to play at the hospital gigs

Can't be that hard, if the Sex Pistols played it ... 

The LA ska band the Untouchables did a fine cover of it in the '80s.

BTW, we def discussed the Jerry Vale thing here at one time or another; Little Steven tells the story that "Too Much to Dream" was written as an MOR ballad and made its way to the Perry Como-esque Jerry Vale, who either turned it down or recorded it and didn't release it. Somehow, a few years later the Prunes got hold of it and the rest is history.

Finally, hearing that amazing Spencer Tracy marriage clip again this morning  -- quite a speech for '67 -- I couldn't help wondering if Dave was listening on the internet and kicking himself for never having used it himself.

[SFGuy]

Does KFOG still do the 10@10 marathon on Saturday mornings??

[RGMike]

Does KFOG still do the 10@10 marathon on Saturday mornings??

yup.

[RGMike]

Oddly, Dave only played one JA song in year-based sets--Volunteers in '69, but the rest of his Airplane selections came strictly in theme sets (Bay Area music or other variations on that theme, Drug songs, Strictly instrumental).

TANC: Li'l Steven did his annual salute this week to Monterey Pop, and played "Plastic fantastic Lover". Listening again to the London feed on Absolute Radio right now. Steven called Jack Casidy "one of the 4 or 5 greatest bassists ever"

[ggould]

Oddly, Dave only played one JA song in year-based sets--Volunteers in '69, but the rest of his Airplane selections came strictly in theme sets (Bay Area music or other variations on that theme, Drug songs, Strictly instrumental).

TANC: Li'l Steven did his annual salute this week to Monterey Pop, and played "Plastic fantastic Lover". Listening again to the London feed on Absolute Radio right now. Steven called Jack Casidy "one of the 4 or 5 greatest bassists ever"

Agreed!  One of my biggest influences, and someone I've been lucky to work with.  So, name is spelled Casady!

http://www.jackcasady.com/biography.html