In Which I Let Tesla Do the Talkin’

I don’t like to talk about myself; makes me feel selfish. Right now, though, I feel like crap for helping people out so, fuck it, I might as well talk about myself ’cause shit ain’t gonna get no worse.

See, I always put everyone ahead of myself. My folks raised me to be that way. Yeah when I was little I certainly didn’t get it, but once I started having kids a bit over 17 years ago I picked up on it real quick. I put myself at the back of the line.

Only five years into my now failed marriage, I decided to work two jobs to make ends meet and pay for two kids in daycare so my now ex-wife didn’t have to change her expensive habits. I’d get up early, get the kids fed and off to daycare then go to my first job for eight hours. I’d get home from the first job, make dinner for everyone, then head to my second job from 6:00 pm ’til midnight! The ex-wife worked full time, too, so I’m not knocking her here.

I worked 74 hours a week for 5 years and NEVER got a thank you. I was merely told, “You’re doing what you have to do!” It was never “We” but you, you you. That’s part of the reason there’s no more “We.”

Fast forward to a month or so ago when I helped my oldest kid get her first car. I was under pressure from the kid and the ex-wife to make this car thing happen… so I did. I found a car for her, had the guy knock a few hundred bucks off, and contributed several hundred of my own because the kid didn’t have enough money of her own to buy it and mom certainly wasn’t helping.

Well this car is 20 years old so there have been a few slight problems with it. That’s not good enough, however, because if there’s a problem with the car it’s MY fault!

A couple days ago, the kid prolly left the lights on, or something else, when she got to school and it drained the battery. What did she have to say on Twitter?

https://twitter.com/alexisinator/status/530438464328982530

As I was jumping the battery, she told me how she didn’t want to be there because it was cold and rainy. I’m like, “I don’t wanna be here either!”

Her mom has already recommended they sell the car to get another one, because I fucked up and found this one. Nobody will care about the several hundred bucks I contributed, either, that stretched me financially for a bit.

Lesson learned…

Other shit has happened this week in which I got beat up for helping out a friend. I really don’t get it. I’m just trying to help people out like I always try to do. Now my best friend isn’t talking with me…

Again, lesson learned…

Anyway, I said FUCK IT this morning and went on a ME shopping spree! Okay, it wasn’t really a shopping spree. I went to Dick’s and bought myself some shoes.

The last time I bought shoes for myself was some five years ago when I first started going to the gym. I’ve been wearing those same damn shoes to the gym the past six weeks and they’re all blown out and shit! Oh yeah, I also paid $18 for three pairs of Nike Dri-FIT socks, because everyone should have happy feet!

I’ve been wondering a lot lately why I help people when it always seems to bite me in the ass. I give ’til it hurts and people get pissed at me for it…

Oh well…I’ll just let Tesla take it from here. Couldn’t find a live version of this song so there’s no video. Beautiful song, though.

 

I’m always here with open arms and an open door

Sometimes I find that it’s myself crumblin’ to the floor

Life’s full of challenges that I just can’t seem to ignore

Can’t see around the corner, tell me what’s in store

 

Honestly, don’t ask me why I care

Cause it’s a jungle out there

Honestly, I’m just a simple man

Doing the best that I can

Honestly

 

I always try to help everyone but me

I never seem to find the time I need to breathe

I try to climb the mountain no matter how high it seems

I’m like an open book; I just let my heart bleed

 

Honestly, don’t ask me why I care

Cause it’s a jungle out there

Honestly, I’m just a simple man

Doing the best that I can

Honestly, I just feel the pain

Something I can’t explain

Honestly, I’m just a simple man

Doing the best that I can

Honestly

 

You gotta let go cause nobody knows

The answers are so hard to find

With nothing to lose, it’s easy to choose

To keep holding on, keep holding on

 

Honestly, don’t ask me why I care

Cause it’s a jungle out there

Honestly, I’m just a simple man

Doing the best that I can

Honestly, I just feel the pain

Something I can’t explain

Honestly, I’m just a simple man

Doing the best that I can

Honestly

Brad Paisley Leaks a new Song from His Upcoming Album, Moonshine in the Trunk!

I recently began following Brad Paisley on Twitter (@BradPaisley) and you should too!

Dude’s a trip! He’s got a new album coming out on August 25th, Moonshine in the Trunk, and the last few weeks he’s been leaking singles from it. Oftentimes he appears to be going against his record label by doing this and has had some banter back and forth with them on Twitter.

Anyway, he just leaked another one titled American Flag on the Moon and it’s pretty damn good. Check it out in the link below…

 

“I’m at @NASA‘s Apollo launch pad in FL! Leaking my new song, American Flag on the Moon. Take a listen @Astro_Reid https://t.co/gTTh8HNxC6

— Brad Paisley (@BradPaisley) August 16, 2014

Hi-fi Friday ~ Candlebox!

This past Wednesday I got pissed off by stupidity, arrogance and general boisterousness.

I’m not one to remain pissed for very long, however. I really don’t like feeling that way, so I always find a way to “shift gears” and get outta that funk so I don’t put someone in a wheelchair!

There are 4 things that tend to calm me down; my three daughters (if ya can believe that!) and music!

Unfortunately, my girlies aren’t with me on Wednesdays so I had to resort to music…

I wanted to listen to something different since I’ve been stuck in this rotation of Eminem, Motley Crue and Van Halen lately, so I went with Candlebox!

Holy shit did I test the ol’ Jetta’s sound system Wednesday after work! That’s one good thing about German cars… you can punish the speakers and they don’t blow! I love my Fords but the damn speakers are shit!

Anyway…

In my opinion, Candlebox is one of those “flash in the pan” sorta bands. Not a one hit wonder by any means, they just went big really fast and then fizzled out after a couple of fantastic albums…

The way their albums charted here in the U.S. pretty much mirrors my interest…

Their first LP, Candlebox, (1993) reached #7… with what is undeniably their biggest hit.

~ You ~

 

Their sophomore album, Lucy (1995), only hit 11th on the charts… that’s not too shabby at all! This is my favorite from that one.

~ Simple Lessons ~

 

That was pretty much it for Candlebox because their third LP, Happy Pills, only made 65th on the U.S. charts!

That sorta sucks, because I liked Happy Pills! Still do!

One of my favorite tunes from that album was this:

~ It’s Alright ~

 

That one always makes me think of For Shiggles reader Elaine!

Anyway… Candlebox has introduced two albums since Happy Pills (from 1998), which I don’t believe I’ve ever listened to!

Maybe I should check into that!

Hi-fi Friday ~ Billy Joel!

Let’s go back to January 25th of 1994… I had recently procured a couple tickets to see Billy Joel at the old Richfield Coliseum! Remember that place?

Oh man I miss it!

Anyway, I made my girlfriend go to the show with me even though she didn’t like The Piano Man. See, a couple years before she made me go to a Springsteen concert that I did not enjoy because, well, I don’t like him. So this was my payback to her.

Unfortunately, we never made it there. Just as we were heading out a pretty nasty snow storm blew in. I-77 turned into a parking lot because of multiple wrecks and we just sat there for a couple hours. By the time traffic started moving we woulda missed most of the show, so I turned around at the next exit.

I’ve been pissed about that for 20 years.

Mr. Joel was in Cleveland this past Tuesday. I prolly shoulda made plans to go, in an effort to make that memory less painful, but I didn’t!

One of my friends from work DID go and I got to hear from her how awesome it was, so I’ll continue to keep kickin’ myself in the ass until next time he comes to town.

I’ve been a Billy Joel fan for a long time…

….long before his daughter, Alexa Ray, was born!

Billy Joel’s material spans 22 years… ’71 through ’93. It sorta sucks that he hasn’t released any new material in almost that same span. He’s got A LOT of good music out there, though. So much that I really can’t just pick a few songs and wrap this thing up.

Instead, I’m gonna try to feature a favorite tune from each album… so here goes!

From ’71s Cold Spring Harbor…

~ She’s Got a Way ~

 

… that one’s for reader Elaine!

From ’73s Piano Man…

~ Piano Man ~

 

… DUH! How could I NOT post that tune?

From ’74s Streetlife Serenade…

~ The Entertainer ~

 

… A nice little rip on the recording industry…

From ’76s Turnstiles…

~ Angry Young Man ~

 

… That one is for this sexy author!

Oh shit… ’77s The Stranger… decisions, decisions… I’m gonna go with…

~ Movin’ Out (Anthony’s Song) ~

 

… Love the energy in that tune!

’78s 52nd Street…

~ Honesty ~

 

…Beautiful song… and so true!

’80s Glass Houses…

~ It’s Still Rock and Roll to Me ~

 

… This was his first tune to hit #1… obviously, because it’s awesome! Not that it’s any less awesomer than some of the other songs, just that he’s gaining some good momentum here…

’82s The Nylon Curtain… Without a doubt…

~ Goodnight Saigon ~

 

… Every time I listen to that tune I get chills and ultimately tear up. I’m such a pussy sometimes!

’83s An Innocent Man…

~ Uptown Girl ~

 

… That one’s for my friend from work! Nice excerpt here:

And when she’s walking

She’s looking so fine

And when she’s talking

She’ll say that she’s mine

Ha ha! Right?

Did you guys know that tune came out when Billy was dating Elle Macpherson…

… and not long before he married a woman named Christie Brinkley?

Damn! Dude was on a ROLL!!!

From ’86s The Bridge…

~ This Is The Time ~ 

 

… Another one sorta for reader Elaine!

From ’89s Storm Front…

~ The Downeaster ‘Alexa’ ~

 

… Beautiful, sad song. Most people only know this song because it was in The Hangover II. It was popular long before then…

And from ’93s River of Dreams…

~ All About Soul ~

 

… Perfect description there of a significant other… See if you agree!

She waits for me at night, she waits for me in silence
She gives me all her tenderness and takes away my pain
And so far she hasn’t run, though I swear she’s had her moments
She still believes in miracles while others cry in vain

It’s all about soul
It’s all about faith and a deeper devotion
It’s all about soul
‘Cause under the love is a stronger emotion
She’s got to be strong
‘Cause so many things getting out of control
Should drive her away
So why does she stay?
It’s all about soul

She turns to me sometimes and she asks me what I’m dreaming
And I realize I must have gone a million miles away
And I ask her how she knew to reach out for me at that moment
And she smiles because it’s understood there are no words to say

It’s all about soul
It’s all about knowing what someone is feeling
The woman’s got soul
The power of love and the power of healing
This life isn’t fair
It’s gonna get dark, it’s gonna get cold
You’ve got to get tough, but that ain’t enough
It’s all about soul

There are people who have lost every trace of human kindness
There are many who have fallen, there are some who still survive
She comes to me at night and she tells me her desires
And she gives me all the love I need to keep my faith alive

It’s all about soul
It’s all about joy that comes out of sorrow
It’s all about soul
Who’s standing now and who’s standing tomorrow
You’ve got to be hard
Hard as the rock in that old rock ‘n roll
But that’s only part, you know in your heart
It’s all about soul

Enjoy your Friday, folks!

Hi-fi Friday ~ EIGHTIES HAIR BANDS!

Earlier this week at work we got on the subject of ’80s hair bands… aka glam metal, hair metal or pop metal. This is definitely my favorite genre of music.

Years ago, I rented a minivan for a family vacation that was equipped with SiriusXM satellite radio. I was flipping through the channels and stumbled across a channel called Hair Nation that played all music by ’80s hair bands… I was in Heaven!

 

Warrant has always been one of my favorites; always will be except for the death of frontman Jani Lane…. R.I.P. man! \m/

… of course my now ex wife and children were subjected to 14 hours (one way) of this glorious music! There were no complaints… or maybe there were but I just didn’t pay attention!

Here I’ll get into some of my favorite hair bands… in no particular order because I believe they’re all equally awesome!

One of the biggest, and best, hair bands of all time was Poison…

 

I first heard of Poison when I was 13 and working my first real job: cooking/selling onion rings at the Cuyahoga County Fair! It was closing time and I went over to the trailer my older sister worked at (also selling onion rings) to find her flirting with the guys a couple of douchebags selling cotton candy next to her. They were listening to some pretty good music. When I asked who it was, they told me it was this new band called Poison and one of the douches handed me the cassette case that looked like this…

I was just like, “WHOA! They sure don’t sound like women…  these are women, no?” Apparently they’re not. Just go to Pornhub.com and search Bret Michaels & Pamela Anderson…

I still went out and picked up that cassette and it remains one of my favorite albums to this day.

It’s sorta bittersweet… the sister I mentioned above, Michelle, who is no longer with us, introduced me to a couple bands who remain favorites of mine from way back then; the aforementioned Poison and… KISS, who also did a great job with their ’80s material…

 

Holy shit is Paul’s outfit hilarious! That is offset by the women and the water, however!

Anyway, there are so, so many great bands from that era… I can’t possibly mention them all!

Mötley Crüe is obviously one of the best as well… with the ultimate stripper dancer entertainer anthem of all time!

 

… but lets consider some of the smaller… one hit wonders like Autograph…

 

… or Bon Jovi…

 

… I guess someone had to appeal to the gay population set the stage for better bands like Ratt…

 

… or Cinderella!

 

THAT is one of the best power ballads of all time!

Speaking of monster ballads… who else remembers Damn Yankees?

 

Featuring a “more than normally” goofy looking young Ted Nugent!

Ooh… or how about Steelheart with this gem…

 

Of course, the ladies were doin’ it too back then… like Vixen…

 

Holy shit were they hot!… or how about Lita Ford?

 

“UH HUH! It ain’t no big thing…”

And there was Whitesnake… featuring the oh so hot Tawny Kitaen!

 

THIS Tawny:

Not this one!

I don’t wanna ramble on for too long, so I’m gonna close out with yet another Poison video. This one came out in ’91 when I had a huge crush on this girl who I went to high school with… and lost touch with for far too long.. we reconnected almost four years ago and she’s been my dream girl ever since. This song meant nothing back then but it means a shit ton now because I miss my dream girl…

Hi-fi Friday ~ The Artists Formerly Known as Metallica!

Back when I was 15 or so, I was watching MTV and this video debuted:

 

I was like, “Holy shit! Who are these guys? Freakin’ awesome! Their stuff makes me want to fight someone!”

It was this band called Metallica!

I went out IMMEDIATELY and picked up the cassette (HA!) that One was on, titled …And Justice for All and played it over and over!

I needed more of this Metallica!

Well, there was no Wikipedia back then so I couldn’t go online… wait… there was no World Wide Web! So my research had to take place at the record store!

Turns out, Metallica had released three albums prior to my discovery of them on MTV; going back 5 years! So I bought ’em all!

Here are a few of my favorite tunes from those releases…

~ Seek & Destroy  from Kill ‘Em All ~

~ Fade to Black  from Ride the Lightning ~

~ Master of Puppets from Master of Puppets ~

 

For three years after I jumped on the Metallica bandwagon I damn near wore out those cassettes!

Finally, however, Metallica put out a new album in 1991 that everyone knows as The Black Album.. and it didn’t disappoint!

~ Wherever I May Roam from The Black Album ~

 

Awesome, awesome, awesome shit right there! I could listen to all five of those albums back to back and have a hard time skipping over any tunes…

After The Black Album, however, Metallica sorta disappeared for a few years.

When they returned  in 1996 with the release of Load and 1997’s Reload I was less than impressed… They all cut their hair and looked like some bitches…

… Like the freakin’ Backstreet Boys!

Problem is, the Backstreet Boys look more badass than Metallica. Ugh!

To be honest, I haven’t really been into anything they’ve put out after The Black Album, save for maybe a couple tunes. This is one I DO enjoy because it’s been featured in all forms of motorsports.

~ Fuel from Reload ~ 

 

Anyway, in my opinion, Metallica has been soft since 1996 and that makes me sad..

Well, last week they released a new single and I was pretty excited about it. Until I took a listen…

~ Lords of Summer from Shitty Songs I’ll Never Listen to Again ~

 

With the exception of Fuel, everything I posted above is near seven minutes to almost nine minutes long. While all the older stuff flies by, Lords of Summer just drags on and on. Lars’ drums sound weak at times, James’ vocals are tinny. Is that a word, tinny? I’ll go with crappy. There are also like 6 minutes of bad guitar. I don’t like Lords of Summer. I’d rather listen to:

~ Aerosmith’s Girls of Summer ~

 

Yes… girls any time! Happy weekend, folks!

Hi-fi Friday is Pissed Off!

I’m not sure where exactly the following quote comes from. It’s been attributed to Eleanor Roosevelt among others in differing versions, but this is the one I like the most:

The best minds discuss IDEAS; the second ranking talks about THINGS; while those of the lowest mentality GOSSIP about PEOPLE.

Yep… those possessing the lowest mentality are all about talking about others. It’s also a sure sign of a major lack of confidence.

This might get me in trouble, but it doesn’t shock me when I hear girls, being all catty, talking shit about other girls and their goings on… I spend way too much time at the bar of the local strip club and have become a shoulder to lean on for far too many silly stories…

What I really struggle with is guys acting like that; just don’t expect it from dudes over 16 years old!

Man… don’t talk shit about your buddies… that’s something ya shoulda learned long ago… in like third grade!

We ALWAYS have your back…

Unless you’re not our buddy, which just might be the case here…

I can’t stand people who talk about me behind my back; then act like they’re my friend. It’s all to common, unfortunately.

Brings to mind a certain Pantera tune that contains these fitting lyrics:

Run your mouth when I’m not around

It’s easy to achieve

You cry to weak friends that sympathize

Can you hear the violin playing your song?

Those same friends tell me your every word

~ Walk ~

 

Are you talking to me?

Walk on home boy!

 

I have the utmost respect for anyone who says it like it is… ALL THE TIME! You got something to say about me? Say it to my face! Maybe I won’t like what you have to say but, again, I’ll respect you for your honesty.

Let’s leave the rest of this to Limp Bizkit… ’cause you’re a FAKE!

But I should have never dropped my guard

So you could stab me in the back

But you were faking me out

Just faking me out you wear a mask

Freaking me out you wear a mask called counterfeit

~ Counterfeit ~

And as Forrest Gump says…

Let’s get this weekend party started, folks!

Hi-fi Friday ~ Primus!

Back on March 23rd of 1994 I went out to the old Richfield Coliseum for a Rush show. Rush is awesome! That was one of the best live shows I’ve seen to date.

By the way, one of my favorite Rush tunes is one of their less popular. Check it out…

~ Nobody’s Hero ~

 

Prior to the show, however, was this opening band I’d never heard of called Primus.

Primus is a very interesting trio (Rush is a trio as well, in case you weren’t aware) and their music is all jacked up. Check it out:

~ Too Many Puppies ~

 

That’s from their debut album, Frizzle Fry. Not sure if you can, but I certainly can’t peg a genre on them! They’ve been described as alternative rock, alternative metal, experimental rock, funk metal, and progressive metal.

Awesome bassist and lead vocalist of Primus, Les Claypool, described their music as psychedelic polka!

Whatever ya want to call their music, it definitely caught my attention back then and I’ve been a big fan ever since.

Claypool’s bass is some of the best I’ve ever heard… as evidenced in this one…

~ Tommy The Cat ~

 

That’s from their second album, Sailing the Seas of Cheese.

One of their more popular tunes came out in 1995, on their album Tales from the Punchbowl,  and got a ton of airplay… it is this:

~ Wynona’s Big Brown Beaver ~

 

Great stuff, no?

Anyway, I found out the other day that Primus is coming to Cleveland! On May 22nd they’ll be at the Nautica Pavilion…

I gotta go to this show!

Happy Friday, folks!

Hi-fi Friday Goes to the Movies!

Earlier in the week, at work, we got on the subject of music in the Rocky movies. I can’t quite recall how, but I figure one of us made a phone call and asked for someone named Rocky or Adrian.

That’s a problem I have. There are names I’ll see and associate them with a movie or a song and then my mind wanders. If I call a dude named Jeremy, Pearl Jam’s Jeremy immediately pops in my head and gets stuck there.

Anyway we got on the Rocky subject so I figured I’d feature some of the tunes from the series; well from Rocky through Rocky IV because the last two movies were stupid in my opinion.

Rocky… everyone knows this tune for sure. It’s pretty much an instrumental but there are lyrics in it. Lyrics that crack me up as they seem sorta pornographic taken out of context. See:

Trying hard now

It’s so hard now

Trying hard now

 

Getting strong now

Won’t be long now

Getting strong now

 

Gonna fly now

Flying high now

Gonna fly, fly, fly

~ Gonna Fly Now by Bill Conti ~

 

Did you guys know Sylvester Stallone did porn early in his career? Apparently he did. I don’t know many more details than that and I don’t feel like Googling it, so go ahead and check that out yourself!

Rocky II… Pure instrumental here. This one’s long, but the first few minutes will fire ya up if you’re a Rocky fan!

~ Overture by Bill Conti ~

Rocky III… No explanation necessary for this one. I did use the Survivor video instead of the movie footage one. This video will crack you up!

~ Eye Of The Tiger by Survivor, not Katy Perry ~

Rocky IV… My favorite of the series. Tons of great music in this one. Apollo gets cocky…

~ Living In America by the late, great James Brown ~

 

Then Apollo gets killed and Rocky reminisces…

~ No Easy Way Out by Robert Tepper ~

Of course Rocky gets pissed and flies to the Soviet Union to kick Drago’s ass… Used the Survivor official video so you can see that their hair has grown and their video quality is greatly improved.

~ Burning Heart by Survivor ~

… and the ultimate training montage!

~ Hearts On Fire by John Cafferty & The Beaver Brown Band ~

 

And here’s a nice bonus for you! This song comes up pretty often at work, because we’re all the best! It features badscrawny-ass Daniel LaRusso and some hard hitting action!

~ You’re The Best Around by Joe Esposito ~

 

Happy Friday, folks!

Hi-fi Friday ~ Faster Pussycat!

The other day at work we were discussing music… specifically our favorite genre. The four of us who were discussing this all decided on the ’80s hair/glam bands as top notch.

The youngest in the group, who didn’t experience the ’80s as she was born in ’93, even agreed! She said, and I loosely quote her, “In ’80s music they said it like it is; not like all this emo stuff today.”

She’s right… Today’s “rock” music, performed by these newer bands, is pretty crappy…

For today, I’m gonna go with a band that was a bit less popular in the late ’80s; but one of my favorites ever!

Faster Pussycat! Been listening to them most of this week; damn near forgot how awesome they were!

Most people know Faster Pussycat because of this song…

 

… Prolly their best “mainstream” song ever!

Now get ready! This next tune is my all time favorite Faster Pussycat tune. It was never released as a single… This is one of those ones where they say it like it is, Chelsea!

Here’s an excerpt:

I got a psychopathic love
That fits like a glove
My baby bucks like a bronco
When I start to shove
Get your, get your, get your feet up to your ears
Let me slam it home and take me to Rome
And watch me disappear

Here’s a WARNING… Lead singer Taime Downe… read his name again and tell me it doesn’t crack you up (born Gustave Molvik) …  hasn’t aged well from the first video, shot in 1989, and the following video from last October.

~ Slip of the Tongue ~

 

Good stuff there!

Happy Friday night, folks!