GPOYTASD: Gratuitous picture of yourself talking about Steely Dan
Last Friday, during New Orleans’ inaugural Nerd Nite gathering, I gave a presentation about why Steely Dan is so awesome. The event was a huge success and I feel honored to have been allowed to present. I am going to try to figure out a way to post the full PowerPoint deck online, but until then, here is an approximation of my closing remarks (which were adapted from any number of drunken diatribes I’ve launched into when anyone mentions Steely Dan, even in passing):
Some people refer to Steely Dan’s collected works as “elevator music”. First of all, that couldn’t be further from the truth. But if, for the sake of argument, we are to agree that this stuff is “elevator music,” then it is some of the most cared-for and fascinating elevator music ever recorded. It’s elevator music that features Bernard “Pretty” Purdie drum shuffles, Rick Derringer guitar solos and the same Victor Feldman that helped shape Frank Zappa’s early sound. It’s elevator music that offers scathing, subversive social commentary through stories of smoking heroin, doing coke with under-aged girls, cooking up LSD, gambling away your life savings, driving drunk and popping pills. It’s elevator music that tells tales of gang-rape and pedophilia and infidelity and divorce. And it’s elevator music that has been sampled by dozens of hip hop artists and covered by dozens of rock bands.
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The Matt & Jack Podvast, Episode #010
A lot has happened in the world since we last put out one of these here podcasts, and instead of trying to talk about everything, we come at you with a concise - dare I say organized - discussion about a few topics that struck our fancy over the last few weeks. We’ve got a very brief review of the 2010 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, some thoughts on the newest legal marijuana alternative and an impassioned plea for Lauryn Hill to put out another record.
You want a diatribe about Graham Nash? Or drug tests? Or Limp Bizkit? Well you’re in luck, because we got that. Steely Dan? Check. The Huffington Post? Check. House of Pain, The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, Sugar Ray? All here, and more. Enjoy.
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The Best of The Matt & Jack Podvast, Volume 1
Alternative Media Expo 2010 is blowing into New Orleans on April 17 and for the occasion we have assembled a little clip show filled with some of our favorite stories, conversations, zingers and freak-outs from the first eight episodes (and supplemented it with some fresh content about melodicas, kayaking, laser tag, The Eiffel Tower and Christina Applegate).
Thanks to all our listeners for the continued support. Enjoy.
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The Matt & Jack Podvast, Episode #006
If you were one of the literally tens of people anxiously waiting for Part 2 of the “Minivast” to hit the airwaves, you’re out of luck: It was terrible so we shelved it. Instead, we are back for a full-scale episode that chronicles the rise and fall of MTV Unplugged, offers a theory on how professional sports and pornography control the universe, and laments the unfortunate timing of Spacehog’s musical career.
What’s a conversation about MTV Unplugged without mention of Eric Clapton, Nirvana and Dashboard Confessional? And what’s a Podvast without mention of Michael McDonald-era Doobie Brothers, bocce, Goodfellas, Steely Dan, My Boys, Twitter, Girl Talk and the Winter Olympics? Enjoy.
Six predictions on who the 2010 New Orleans Jazz Fest TBA headliner will be
The full lineup for the 2010 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival was released this week, and (as expected) it is solid. Way solid. And like last year, one main headliner remained TBA. For 2009, it turned out to be Neil Young, who, allowed to play the longest set of any performer, unleashed a tour-de-force that is impossible to describe using any adjectives currently in existence and ended with him ripping all the strings off his guitar at the conclusion of a mind-blowing “A Day In The Life” encore.
So I’ve got some pretty high hopes for the announcement that should roll down in the next month or so. Of course, it won’t make a rip of difference if the artist or group is scheduled to perform at a later time or date than My Morning Jacket, who I’m expecting to melt my face off my head and render me incapable of doing much of anything else for the rest of the first weekend.
But even with that being said, I offer six predictions on who I think should or could be the final headliner for the 2010 Jazz Fest, three real guesses followed by three selections from my extensive wish list.
- Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - Haven’t you heard? The guy plays festivals on the reg these days. And while Bruce may have been down here a few years ago, he was on some Pete Seeger shit at the time. With the full E Street Band making appearances at Pinkpop, Bonnaroo, and Glastonbury this year, Jazz Fest seems like a no-brainer.
- Phish - Another recent addition to the talent pool available to festival bookers, Phish has been all over the place since they got back together, released a sick album and realized that they can still wail. It’s not even a stretch, really. Jam bands always get plenty of representation at Jazz Fest and, now that Phish is playing “Fluffhead” again, anything seems possible.
- John Mayer - He’s got a new album out, enjoys almost inconceivably wide appeal, and would probably satisfy whatever the hell demographic filled the crowd during the Kings of Leon show last year. If that’s not a home run, my understanding of sports metaphors must not be nearly as nuanced as I thought.
- The Hold Steady - I realize that they are not nearly big enough to headline a day of Jazz Fest, but I think it would be cool if they did; for no reason in particular other than the fact I’ve been digging them for a while and haven’t had a chance to catch them in-person yet.
- Steely Dan - Wipe that look off your face. Aside from being the greatest band of all time, their catalog lends itself surprisingly well to live outdoor settings, and, not so surprisingly, to heavy drinking and the recreational use of marijuana. This is probably why everyone who saw their 2007 performance has told me it was awesome, and why the Dan should come back to New Orleans soon.
- Prince - For the uninitiated, let me put it this way: I’ve seen Prince three times in my life and those shows rank numbers #1-3 of the list of “Greatest Concerts I’ve Ever Witnessed.” Is his appearance at Jazz Fest highly unlikely? Yes. Is it worth praying for on a nightly basis until the official announcement is made? You betcha.
