hpsupplement

My favorite music, '50, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, '00s

2010-01-02T20:13:00.000-08:00

'50s

100. I Walk the Line – Johnny Cash
99. You Walked Out Of a Dream – The Four Freshmen
98. Rock Around the Clock – Bill Haley & the Comets
97. See You Later, Alligator – Bill Haley & the Comets
96. Why Do Fools Fall In Love? – Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers
95. School Days – Chuck Berry
94. Long Tall Sally – Little Richard
93. Come On, Let’s Go – Richie Valens
92. Sur L’Autoroute – Miles Davis
91. What Does It Take? – Nat “King” Cole
90. America – Leonard Bernstein
89. The Best Of All Possible Worlds – Leonard Bernstein
88. E & D Blues – Ella Fitzgerald
87. Cool – Leonard Bernstein
86. It Ain’t Necessarily So – Cab Calloway
85. Holiday For Strings – The Voices Of Walter Schumann
84. Sixteen Tons – Tennessee Ernie Ford
83. Only You – The Platters
82. I Put a Spell On You – Screamin’ Jay Hawkins
81. Cuban Nightingale – Joe Holiday
80. Darn That Dream – Sarah Vaughan
79. Love – The Four Freshmen
78. Let’s Face the Music and Dance – Anita O’Day
77. What About Us – The Coasters
76. Lush Life – Joe Mooney
75. Azure – Ella Fitzgerald
74. Which? – Jeri Southern
73. Jackie – Lambert, Hendricks & Ross
72. Run Red Run – The Coasters
71. Straight, No Chaser – Thelonious Monk
70. April In Paris – Sarah Vaughan
69. Manhattan – Blossom Dearie
68. Dripsody – Hugh Caine
67. The Comeback – Joe Williams
66. Dimples – John Lee Hooker
65. Surrey With the Fringe On Top – Ahmad Jamal
64. Imagination – Chet Baker
63. A Night In Tunisia – Dizzy Gillespie
62. Oscalypso – Oscar Pettiford
61. How Long Has This Been Going On? – Ella Fitzgerald
60. In the Still Of the Night – The Five Satins
59. Down With Love – Blossom Dearie
58. 1956, 1957, 1958 – Lata Mangeshkar
57. Prelude To a Kiss – Sarah Vaughan
56. All In Fun – Jeri Southern
55. Rollin’ and Tumblin’ – Muddy Waters
54. Your Cheatin’ Heart – Hank Williams
53. Hound Dog – Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton
52. Lonely Woman – Ornette Coleman
51. Tennessee Waltz – Patti Page
50. Pagliacci - Mary Lou Williams
49. Jet Song - Leonard Bernstein
48. Ogguere – Tona La Negra
47. Goodnight Sweetheart, Goodnight – The Spaniels
46. Good Air – Raymond Scott
45. Sit Down, You’re Rockin’ the Boat – Stubby Kaye
44. Summertime Blues – Eddie Cochran
43. Searchin’ – The Coasters
42. Bird Dog – The Everly Brothers
41. Bo Diddley – Bo Diddley
40. Gee, Officer Krupke! – Leonard Bernstein
39. Honey Don’t – Carl Perkins
38. Sincerely – The Moonglows
37. Bacoa – Pérez Prado
36. Shulie A Bop – Sarah Vaughan
35. Poison Ivy – The Coasters
34. Third Man Theme – Esquivel
33. All Of Me – Esquivel
32. So What – Miles Davis
31. Apes and Peacocks – Duke Ellington
30. Philadelphia Bound – Jo Jones
29. Surrey With the Fringe On Top – Blossom Dearie
28. Moanin’ – Charlie Mingus
27. I Only Have Eyes For You – The Flamingoes
26. Oboe Mambo – Machito
25. Tonight, Tonight – Leonard Bernstein
24. Lush Life – John Coltrane
23. Love Me Or Leave Me – Nina Simone
22. Walkin’ After Midnight – Patsy Cline
21. Bye-Ya – Thelonious Monk
20. Guaglione – Machito
19. I Left My Hat In Haiti – Billy Eckstine
18. Be-Bop-A-Lula – Gene Vincent
17. Luck Be a Lady – Robert Alda
16. I’m In the Mood – John Lee Hooker
15. If I Were a Bell – Jan Garber
14. I Just Want To Make Love To You – Muddy Waters
13. How High the Moon – Les Paul & Mary Ford
12. Oye Como Va – Tito Puente
11. Martinica – Pérez Prado
10. Motel (Diner Au Motel) – Miles Davis
9. What’d I Say – Ray Charles
8. Mr. Sandman – The Chordettes
7. Sh-Boom – The Chords
6. Adelaide’s Lament – Vivian Blaine
5. Bombokolea – Pérez Prado
4. Bye Bye Blues – Les Paul & Mary Ford
3. Mood Indigo – Nina Simone
2. Lullaby Of Birdland – Sarah Vaughan
1. Manteca – Dizzy Gillespie

'60s

100. Watermelon Man – Herbie Hancock
99. 96 Tears - ? & the Mysterians
98. Monkey Man – The Rolling Stones
97. Mathar – The Dave Pike Set
96. Can’t Find My Way Home – Blind Faith
95. Grazing In the Grass – Friends Of Distinction
94. Toe Hold – Wilson Pickett
93. I’m Movin’ On – Ray Charles
92. Jazz Samba – Bill Evans
91. Rain – The Beatles
90. It’s Gonna Work Out Fine – Ike & Tina Turner
89. Blue Moon – The Marcels
88. Lady Godiva’s Operation – The Velvet Underground
87. Paint It Black – The Rolling Stones
86. One Note Samba/Spanish Flea – Sergio Mendes
85. She Said She Said – The Beatles
84. Every Time We Say Goodbye – John Coltrane
83. Samba Yantra – Chick Corea
82. Hot Fun In the Summertime – Sly & the Family Stone
81. Stella By Starlight – Bill Evans
80. Both Sides Now – Joni Mitchell
79. Good Vibrations – The Beach Boys
78. Shangri-La – The Kinks
77. I’m Blue – Ike & Tina Turner
76. II B.S. – Charlie Mingus
75. No Fun – The Stooges
74. Arabesque Cookie – Duke Ellington
73. Sugar Rum Cherry – Duke Ellington
72. Cold Sweat – James Brown
71. Be My Baby – The Ronettes
70. In a Sentimental Mood – Sarah Vaughan
69. Chelsea Morning – Joni Mitchell
68. Rose In Spanish Harlem – Ben E. King
67. Amazing Journey – The Who
66. Piano Phase – Steve Reich
65. Alex Mambo – Machito
64. Little Egypt – The Coasters
63. Boom Boom – John Lee Hooker
62. Aye Que Rico – Eddie Palmieri
61. Tuareg – Gal Costa
60. Unsquare Dance – Dave Brubeck
59. Mother Popcorn, Pt. 1 – James Brown
58. A Boy Named Sue – Johnny Cash
57. Hava Nagila – Dick Dale
56. Thank You Mama, Thank You Papa – The Dixie Cups
55. The Word – The Beatles
54. In My Life – The Beatles
53. It Didn’t Turn Out That Way – Mose Allison
52. I Thank You – Sam & Dave
51. Matrix – Chick Corea
50. I Am the Walrus – The Beatles
49. Something In the Way She Moves – James Taylor
48. Misfit Blues – Duke Ellington
47. Little G Minor Fugue – The Swingle Singers
46. Linus and Lucy – Vince Guaraldi
45. Good Morning – The Beatles
44. Tropicalia – Caetano Veloso
43. Cousin Mary – John Coltrane
42. Theme From ‘a Summer Place’ – Percy Faith
41. A Man and a Woman (Un Homme et un Femme) – Ferrente & Teicher
40. I’m Sick Y’All – Otis Redding
39. Concerto For 2 Violins; Vivace – The Swingle Singers
38. Small Portion Of Your Love – Sam & Dave
37. I’ll Be Your Mirror – The Velvet Underground
36. Ave Maria – Caetano Veloso
35. Femme Fatale – The Velvet Underground
34. Piggies – The Beatles
33. Ode To Billie Joe – Bobbie Gentry
32. Manic Depression – Jimi Hendrix
31. Little Wing – Jimi Hendrix
30. Micaela – Pete Rodriguez
29. Don’t Worry Baby – The Beach Boys
28. Shoppin’ For Clothes – The Coasters
27. The Empty Boat – Caetano Veloso
26. Tighten Up, Pt. 1 – Archie Bell & the Drells
25. Folsom Prison Blues – Johnny Cash
24. What Do I Have To Do To Prove My Love To You – Marva Whitney
23. Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is? – Chicago
22. Beginnings – Chicago
21. Suspicious Minds – Elvis Presley
20. I Can’t Stand Myself – James Brown
19. Fortunate Son – Creedence Clearwater Revival
18. Licking Stick – Licking Stick – James Brown
17. Voodoo Child (Slight Return) – Jimi Hendrix
16. Castles Made Of Sand – Jimi Hendrix
15. Soy El Rey – Pete Rodriguez
14. In My Room – The Beach Boys
13. Green Onions – Booker T. & MG’s
12. Oh That’s Nice – Pete Rodriguez
11. You Are My Sunshine – Ray Charles
10. Everyday People – Sly & the Family Stone
9. Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) – The Beatles
8. Lost In the Paradise – Caetano Veloso
7. Irene – Caetano Veloso
6. Tomorrow Never Knows – The Beatles
5. Strawberry Fields Forever – The Beatles
4. I Like It Like That – Pete Rodriguez
3. Hey Joe – Jimi Hendrix
2. Garota De Ipanema – João Gilberto
1. My Favorite Things – John Coltrane

'70s

100. Simple Joys – Stephen Schwartz
99. War Is a Science – Stephen Schwartz
98. Won’t Get Fooled Again – The Who
97. Magic To Do – Stephen Schwartz
96. A Fifth Of Beethoven – Walter Murphy
95. The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys – Traffic
94. Funky President – James Brown
93. Money (That’s What I Want) – The Flying Lizards`
92. Disorder – Joy Division
91. Deputy Of Love – Don Armando’s Second Avenue Rhumba Band
90. Hero Worship – The B-52’s
89. Next To You – The Police
88. I Found That Essence Rare – Gang Of Four
87. Bye Bye Love – The Cars
86. I Heard It Through the Grapevine – The Slits
85. Old World – The Modern Lovers
84. I Got a Bag Of My Own – James Brown
83. Satisfaction – Devo
82. You’re No Good – Linda Ronstadt
81. Music For Eighteen Musicians – Steve Reich
80. Popcorn – Hot Butter
79. ‘There is Nobody’ – Brian Eno
78. Inland Sea – Brian Eno
77. Six Fantasies On a Poem By Thomas Campion: Her Song – Paul Lansky
76. Cassetto – NEU!
75. Chovendo Na Roseira – Elis Regina
74. Two Rapid Formations – Brian Eno
73. Hot Blooded – Foreigner
72. Neuschnee 78 – NEU!
71. Sai Do Sereno – Gilberto Gil
70. Grease – Frankie Valli
69. El Bollinski En D7 – Charlie Santiago & Eddie Montalvo
68. If You Want Me To Stay – Sly & the Family Stone
67. John, I’m Only Dancing – David Bowie
66. One More Night – CAN
65. Saturday In the Park – Chicago
64. Clapping Music – Steve Reich
63. Paranoid – Black Sabbath
62. Across the Lake Of the Ancient Word – Terry Riley
61. Celestial Valley – Terry Riley
60. Trans-Europe Express – Kraftwerk
59. Desert Of Ice – Terry Riley
58. O Canto da Ema – Gilberto Gil
57. Bohemian Rhapsody – Queen
56. Fat Bottomed Girls – Queen
55. Pink Moon – Nick Drake
54. Cravo e Canela – Milton Nascimento
53. Me and My Baby Brother – War
52. Neuschnee – NEU!
51. You Are the Sunshine Of My Life – Stevie Wonder
50. Neon Lights – Kraftwerk
49. Rock Lobster – The B-52’s
48. Havana Affair – The Ramones
47. Downtown Dirt – Lou Reed
46. Monkey Girl – The Maytals
45. Kicks – Lou Reed
44. Koka Kola – The Clash
43. Jimmy Jazz – The Clash
42. Object – The Cure
41. I Feel For You – Prince
40. Ether – Gang Of Four
39. Anthrax – Gang Of Four
38. Holidays In the Sun – The Sex Pistols
37. Robots – Kraftwerk
36. Living For the City – Stevie Wonder
35. How Deep Is Your Love – The Bee Gees
34. Night Fever – The Bee Gees
33. Super Bad – James Brown
32. Baby – Os Mutantes
31. Make Me Smile – Chicago
30. Whitey’s On the Moon – Gil Scott-Heron
29. Sebastiana – Gal Costa
28. Chocolate City – Parliament
27. Cut the Cake – Average White Band
26. Hello Music – Fred Frith
25. All Around My Hat – Steeleye Span
24. Heroes – David Bowie
23. Drumming: Pt. I – Steve Reich
22. Fire and Rain – James Taylor
21. The Love I Lost – Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
20. TSOP – MFSB
19. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap – AC/DC
18. Harvest For the World – The Isley Brothers
17. I Want More – CAN
16. Pick Up the Pieces – Average White Band
15. Rock Me Again and Again and Again and Again – Lyn Collins
14. Lady Marmalade – Labelle
13. Time Warp – Richard O’Brian
12. Nervous Breakdown – Black Flag
11. Natural’s Not In It – Gang Of Four
10. Roadrunner – The Modern Lovers
9. Hallogallo – NEU!
8. The Money Song – Joel Gray & Liza Minelli
7. Drumming, Pt. IV – Steve Reich
6. I Wish – Stevie Wonder
5. Drumming, Pt. II – Steve Reich
4. It’s a New Day – James Brown
3. Fancy – Bobbie Gentry
2. God – John Lennon
1. Music for Mallet Instruments, Voices, and Organ – Steve Reich

'80s

100. Sour Grapes – Descendents
99. Plum Dumb – The Dead Milkmen
98. Sextet – Steve Reich
97. Kiss Me On the Bus – The Replacements
96. No Sleep Till Brooklyn – The Beastie Boys
95. Cars – Gary Numan
94. Laughing – REM
93. Change In Speak – De La Soul
92. Get Up! (Before the Night Is Over) – Technotronic
91. How Soon Is Now? – The Smiths
90. Move This – Technotronic
89. Buckethead – Meat Puppets
88. River Euphrates – The Pixies
87. Burning Down the House – Talking Heads
86. Cotton Crown – Sonic Youth
85. Walk This Way – Run-DMC
84. Slip It In – Black Flag
83. The Headmaster Ritual – The Smiths
82. I Don’t Wanna Hear It – Minor Threat
81. Split Myself In Two – Meat Puppets
80. El Canelo – Los Lobos
79. Beauty Lies In the Eye – Sonic Youth
78. ‘Cross the Breeze – Sonic Youth
77. Oh, Me – Meat Puppets
76. Rebel Without a Pause – Public Enemy
75. Black Steel In the Hour Of Chaos – Public Enemy
74. I’ll Be Gone – Tom Waits
73. The Big Foist – The Minutemen
72. Away – Meat Puppets
71. Myage – Descendents
70. Paid In Full – Eric B & Rakim
69. Four Sections: Percussion – Steve Reich
68. The Roar Of the Masses Could Be Farts – The Minutemen
67. Under Pressure – Queen
66. D.M.S.R. – Prince
65. What’s Going On – Hüsker Dü
64. Kuru Field Of Justice – Philip Glass
63. Answering Machine – The Replacements
62. Turn On the News – Hüsker Dü
61. Shadow Of a Doubt – Sonic Youth
60. When You Were Mine – Prince
59. Go! – Tones On Tail
58. See a Little Light – Bob Mould
57. Gigantic – The Pixies
56. Rockit – Herbie Hancock
55. Wendy – Descendents
54. Rise Above – Black Flag
53. She’s Crafty – The Beastie Boys
52. Pocket Calculator – Kraftwerk
51. You’ve Got Everything Now – The Smiths
50. Click Click – The English Beat
49. Tears Of a Clown – The English Beat
48. Twist and Crawl – The English Beat
47. Steppin’ Out – Joe Jackson
46. The Desert Music IV: Moderate – Steve Reich
45. Close (To the Edit) – Art Of Noise
44. I Ain’t No Joke – Eric B & Rakim
43. I Know You Got Soul – Eric B & Rakim
42. Fight the Power – Public Enemy
41. Mo Beru Agba – King Sunny Adé
40. Eight Miles High – Hüsker Dü
39. Masochism World – Hüsker Dü
38. Junk Culture – Orchestral Manoeuvers In the Dark
37. Sister – Prince
36. More Than Rain – Tom Waits
35. Automatic – Prince
34. Mirror In the Bathroom – The English Beat
33. Up the Neck – The Pretenders
32. I’m In Love With a German Film Star – The Passions
31. The Desert Music II: Moderate – Steve Reich
30. Tehillim II: Psalms 34:13-15 – Steve Reich
29. New York Counterpoint: Slow – Steve Reich
28. Let’s Go Crazy – Prince
27. The Beautiful Ones – Prince
26. You Shook Me – AC/DC
25. She Blinded Me With Science – Thomas Dolby
24. Breaking Us In Two – Joe Jackson
23. Filler – Minor Threat
22. Hang On St. Christopher – Tom Waits
21. Peek-A-Boo – Siouxsie & the Banshees
20. All Told – The Effigies
19. Maiden’s Milk – Meat Puppets
18. Magic Toy Missing – Meat Puppets
17. New York Counterpoint: Fast – Steve Reich
16. Chartered Trips – Hüsker Dü
15. Newest Industry – Hüsker Dü
14. Whatever – Hüsker Dü
13. Up On the Sun – Meat Puppets
12. New Gods – Meat Puppets
11. In a Glass House – Antietam
10. Teen Age Riot – Sonic Youth
9. Aurora Borealis – Meat Puppets
8. Bad Mouth – Fugazi
7. King Of the Hill – The Minutemen
6. Night Of the Living Bassheads – Public Enemy
5. Pilgrimage – REM
4. Waiting Room – Fugazi
3. Dirty Blvd. – Lou Reed
2. Radio Free Europe – REM
1. Something I Learned Today – Hüsker Dü

'90s

100. Walking Wounded – Everything But the Girl
99. The Sleepwalker – The Beau Hunks Sextette
98. Five Years – Björk
97. Valeti Boliyan – A.S. Kang
96. Johnny Feelgood – Liz Phair
95. Vogue – Madonna
94. The Summer – Yo La Tengo
93. Lions (Linden) – Pavement
92. Perfume-V – Pavement
91. Comely – Neutral Milk Hotel
90. Josephine – The Magnetic Fields
89. The First Part – Superchunk
88. Autriche – Autechre
87. Choserito Plena – Marc Ribot
86. Scars, Four Eyes – Sebadoh
85. Big Hands – Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
84. Four O’Clocker 2 – Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
83. From Now On – Pavement
82. Les Yper-Sound – Stereolab
81. Back From the Dead – House Of Pain
80. X-Flies – Mouse On Mars
79. Ju Ju – Mouse On Mars
78. Man In a Hat – The Klezmatics
77. Typing Music – Steve Reich
76. Typing Music Repeat – Steve Reich
75. What? – A Tribe Called Quest
74. Screenwriter’s Blues – Soul Coughing
73. Do the Digs Dug? – The Goats
72. Rape Me – Nirvana
71. Heart-Shaped Box – Nirvana
70. Sudden Organ – Yo La Tengo
69. La Femme Fetal – Digable Planets
68. Genesis XII – Steve Reich
67. Watching Windows – Roni Size/Reprazant
66. Song Against Sex – Neutral Milk Hotel
65. Noise Of Carpet – Stereolab
64. Percolator – Stereolab
63. Flower Called Nowhere – Stereolab
62. Wrong Pot 2 Piss In – The Goats
61. Got Kinda Hi – The Goats
60. Scenario – A Tribe Called Quest
59. Can’t Truss It – Public Enemy
58. Cherub Rock – Smashing Pumpkins
57. When My Boy Walks Down the Street – The Magnetic Fields
56. Things We Did and Didn’t Do – The Magnetic Fields
55. Acoustic Guitar – The Magnetic Fields
54. Little Trouble Girl – Sonic Youth
53. The Fool – Neutral Milk Hotel
52. Olson – Boards Of Canada
51. Open the Light – Boards Of Canada
50. Egon & Edith – Rachel’s
49. Expectations – Belle & Sebastian
48. Unfair – Pavement
47. You’re Just a Baby – Belle & Sebastian
46. Lineage – Zakir Hussein
45. Ticker-Tape Of the Unconscious – Stereolab
44. Rich Girl – Louchie Lou & Michie One
43. Jennifer’s Body – Hole
42. Gratitude – The Beastie Boys
41. Meetings Along the Edge – Philip Glass
40. All Apologies – Nirvana
39. The Night You Can’t Remember – The Magnetic Fields
38. Pacifics – Digable Planets
37. You Owe Me – Nas
36. From a Motel 6 – Yo La Tengo
35. Stratford-On-Guy – Liz Phair
34. Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat) – Digable Planets
33. Je Réve Encore – Paris Combo
32. Mundian To Bach Ke – Labh Janjua
31. Holland, 1945 – Neutral Milk Hotel
30. Music For Airports: 1/1 – Bang On a Can All-Stars
29. In Sarah, Mencken, Christ and Beethoven There Were Women and Men – Tortoise
28. Un Poquito Mas – Jimmy Bosch
27. Is This Desire? – PJ Harvey
26. The Woman Downstairs – The Handsome Family
25. In the Aeroplane Over the Sea – Neutral Milk Hotel
24. Girl/Boy Song – Aphex Twin
23. I Don’t Want To Get Over You – The Magnetic Fields
22. Lost At Birth – Public Enemy
21. Taa Deem – Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
20. Two-Headed Boy – Neutral Milk Hotel
19. Hyper-Ballad – Björk
18. 360 (What Goes Around) – Grand Puba
17. I’ve Been Everywhere – Johnny Cash
16. Divorce Song – Liz Phair
15. Pass the Mic – The Beastie Boys
14. Stand Together – The Beastie Boys
13. Canned Heat – Jamiroquai
12. Lithium – Nirvana
11. Reno Dakota – The Magnetic Fields
10. Miss Modular – Stereolab
9. Tongue – Underworld
8. The Crankcase – Timber
7. So What’cha Want – The Beastie Boys
6. Spoonman – Underworld
5. Parsec – Stereolab
4. Brakhage – Stereolab
3. The King Of Carrot Flowers, Pt. 1 – Neutral Milk Hotel
2. The King Of Carrot Flowers, Parts II & III – Neutral Milk Hotel
1. Papa Was a Rodeo – The Magnetic Fields

'00s

100. Watch My Ass - Rod Lee
99. Tight Sweater: Exposed Zipper - Marc Mellits
98. Chicago - Sufjan Stevens
97. Hysteric - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
96. Ping Island/Lightning Strikes Rescue Op - Mark Mothersbaugh
95. Song Of the Sleeping Forest - susumu yokota
94. Vo Kuch - Kiran Ahluwalia
93. Salam - Gigi
92. Northern Line - The Old 97s
91. I Wish I Had an Evil Twin - The Magnetic Fields
90. I Don't Believe You - The Magnetic Fields
89. Woman On the Screen - Boris
88. The Empty Page - Sonic Youth
87. Lens Around - Growing
86. Flaming Love and Destiny - susumu yokota
85. And I've Seen a Bloody Shadow - Of Montreal
84. Women's Studies Victims - Of Montreal
83. Chain - School Of Seven Bells
82. You and Whose Army? - Radiohead
81. One Day I Had an Extra Toe - Black Moth Super Rainbow
80. Stratographic - Lithops
79. Idioteque - Radiohead
78. Train To Heaven - Motion Trio
77. Aeon - Antony & the Johnsons
76. Music Is Math - Boards Of Canada
75. Julie and Candy - Boards Of Canada
74. Gone - Kanye West
73. Post It - The Aluminum Group
72. Gold Lion (Diplo Remix) - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
71. Gnosienne No. 1 - Chicha Libre
70. The Cell - Erykah Badu
69. Little Swallows - The Handsome Family
68. Clapping Music Variations - Glenn Kotche
67. I Saw the Bright Shinies - The Octopus Project
66. Rollerdisco - Black Moth Super Rainbow
65. You Saw It All - Herbert
64. The View From the People Wall - Mahaogany
63. Crazy - Gnarls Barkley
62. Sanctus - Phil Kline
61. Icky Thump - The White Stripes
60. They Live In the Meadow - Black Moth Super Rainbow
59. I Am Trying To Break Your Heart - Wilco
58. Canned Goods & Firearms - Sir Richard Bishop
57. No Money - The Evens
56. Little Eyes - Yo La Tengo
55. Kargashai - Mamer
54. Malibu Gas Station - Sonic Youth
53. The Times - Lightning Dust
52. Caña Brava (Fresh Sugarcane) - La India Canela
51. High In the Morning - Herbert
50. The Audience - Herbert
49. Waiting For the Moon To Rise - Belle & Sebastian
48. WannaBe In L.A. - Eagles Of Death Metal
47. Little Red Light - Fountains Of Wayne
46. Hip-Hop Is Dead - Nas
45. Bright Future In Sales - Fountains Of Wayne
44. The Infinite Descent - Thomas Newman
43. Roses - Mos Def
42. Ibitsu - Boris
41. Church - OutKast
40. Last Days Of Disco - Yo La Tengo
39. Bowtie - OutKast
38. Ain't No Other Man - Christina Aguilera
37. I Knew - Lightning Dust
36. The Akara - Beirut
35. Duas Opinioes - Tom Zé
34. What New York Used To Be - The Kills
33. Quiet Dog - Mos Def
32. Don't Leave the Light On, Baby - Belle & Sebastian
31. Tamatant Tilay - Tinariwan
30. Labyrinthian Pomp - Of Montreal
29. Düsseldorf - Pole
28. Feeling Free - Nicole Willis & the Soul Investigators
27. Dancing Choose - TV On the Radio
26. Zero - Yeah Yeah Yeahs
25. Boyz - M.I.A.
24. Song Song Song - Final Fantasy
23. Someone Great - LCD Soundsystem
22. Connecticut's For Fucking - Jesus H Christ & the Four Hornsmen Of the Apocalypse
21. Baiting the Public - Fucked Up
20. El Cholulu - Glover Gill & the Tosca Tango Orchestra
19. Oh, Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head (Rebuild! Restore! Reconsider!) - Sufjan Stevens
18. Faberge Falls For Shuggie - Of Montreal
17. Bodysnatchers - Radiohead
16. El Anden - Bajofondo
15. The Model - Belle & Sebastian
14. A Woman Like Me - Spanky Wilson
13. Swing Set - Jurassic 5
12. Polaris - Bostich
11. Milligram Of Happiness - The Aluminum Group
10. Confutatis - Las Rubias Del Norte
9. Jacksonville - Sufjan Stevens
8. Sofera - Rajery
7. Belleville Rendezvous - -M-
6. Work It - Missy Elliott
5. Hey Ya! - OutKast
4. BKAB - Ethan Stoller
3. House Of Cards - Radiohead
2. Hsaing Kyaik De Maung - Bang On a Can All Stars
1. Pass That Dutch - Missy Elliott

My favorite music, 1947-2009

2010-01-01T18:14:00.000-08:00

1947

10. "Solitude" - Billie Holiday
9. "Golden Earrings" - Peggy Lee
8. "Bouquet Of Roses" - Eddy Arnold
7. "I'm Going to Tell God" - Mahalia Jackson
6. "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens" - Louis Jordan
5. "Ruby, My Dear" - Thelonious Monk
4. "Boggs Boogie" - Spade Cooley
3. "Scrapple From the Apple" - Charlie Parker
2. "Long John Blues" - Dinah Washington
1. "Trouble In Mind" - Tex Ritter

1948

10. "Once In Love With Amy" - Dean Martin
9. "Tennessee Saturday Night" - Red Foley
8. "Bumble Boogie" - Freddie Martin
7. "Sophisticated Lady" - Billy Eckstine
6. "Sonata #5" - John Cage
5. "Epistrophy" - Thelonious Monk
4. "Tin Tin Deo" - James Moody
3. "Ool Ya Koo" - Dizzy Gillespie
2. "My Bank Account Is Gone" - Jesse Ashlock
1. "I Just Can't Be Satisfied" - Muddy Waters

1949

10. "Move" - Miles Davis
9. "Dipsy Doodle" - Larry Clinton
8. "Black Coffee" - Ella Fitzgerald
7. "Remember" - Johnny Hartman
6. "Beans and Cornbread" - Louis Jordan
5. "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight" - Hank Williams
4. "Brick Top" - Django Reinhardt
3. "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" - Flatt & Scruggs
2. "Mondongo" - Miguelito Valdes
1. "Ran-Kan-Kan" - Tito Puente

1950

10. "The Third Man Theme" - Amos Karas
9. "Bushel and a Peck" - Margaret Whiting & Jimmy Wakely
8. "Mona Lisa" - Nat "King" Cole
7. "If I Knew You Were Comin' (I'd Have Baked a Cake)" - Eileen Barton
6. "I'll Never Be Free" - Kay Starr & Tennessee Ernie Ford
5. "Rollin' and Tumblin'" - Muddy Waters
4. "How Long Has This Been Going On?" - Ella Fitzgerald
3. "Tennessee Waltz" - Patti Page
2. "Adelaide's Lament" - Vivian Blaine
1. "Bombokolea" - Perez Prado

1951

10. "School Days" - Dizzy Gillespie
9. "KC Blues" - Charlie Parker
8. "Cold Cold Heart" - Hank Williams
7. "Holiday For Strings" - The Voices Of Walter Schumann
6. "Surrey With the Fringe On Top" - Ahmad Jamal
5. "Pagliacci" - Mary Lou Williams
4. "I'm In the Mood" - John Lee Hooker
3. "If I Were a Bell" - Jan Garber
2. "Oye Como Va" - Tito Puente
1. "Martinica" - Perez Prado

1952

10. "The Birth Of the Blues" - Frank Sinatra
9. "Klangstudie II" - Herbert Elmert
8. "Blue Moon" - Billie Holiday
7. "What Does It Take To Make You Take To Me" - Nat "King" Cole
6. "Indian Love Call" - Slim Whitman
5. "Conquest" - Patti Page
4. "Straight, No Chaser" - Thelonious Monk
3. "Oboe Mambo" - Machito
2. "Ogguere" - Tony La Negra
1. "I Left My Hat In Haiti" - Billy Eckstine

1953

10. "I Want To Be Evil" - Eartha Kitt
9. "That's Amore" - Dean Martin
8. "I Want You To Love Me" - Muddy Waters
7. "Crying Steel Guitar Waltz" - Jean Shepard
6. "Imagination" - Chet Baker
5. "Your Cheatin' Heart" - Hank Williams
4. "Good Air" - Raymond Scott
3. "Hound Dog" - Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton
2. "Bye-Ya" - Thelonious Monk
1. "Bye Bye Blues" - Les Paul & Mary Ford

1954

10. "The Man I Love" - Miles Davis
9. "Shulie-A-Bop" - Sarah Vaughan
8. "I Put a Spell On You" - Screamin' Jay Hawkins
7. "Sincerely" - The Moonglows
6. "A Night In Tunisia" - Dizzy Gillespie
5. "All In Fun" - Jeri Southern
4. "Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight" - The Spaniels
3. "I Just Want To Make Love To You" - Muddy Waters
2. "Mr. Sandman" - The Chordettes
1. "Sh-Boom" - The Chords

1955

10. "Singing the Blues" - Marty Robbins
9. "Sixteen Tons" - Tennessee Ernie Ford
8. "Dripsody" - Hugh Caine
7. "Earth Angel" - The Penguins
6. "Only You" - The Platters
5. "The Comeback" - Joe Willians
4. "Bo Diddley" - Bo Diddley
3. "Oscalypso" - Oscar Pettiford
2. "Love" - The Four Freshmen
1. "Lullaby Of Birdland" - Sarah Vaughan

1956

10. "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" - Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers
9. "Azure" - Ella Fitzgerald
8. "Let's Face the Music and Dance" - Anita O'Day
7. "In the Still Of the Night" - The Five Satins
6. "Dimples" - John Lee Hooker
5. "Candide: The Best Of All Possible Worlds" - Leonard Bernstein
4. "Bacoa" - Perez Prado
3. "I Walk the Line" - Johnny Cash
2. "Honey Don't" - Carl Perkins
1. "Be-Bop-A-Lula" - Gene Vincent

1957

10. "E & D Blues" - Ella Fitzgerald
9. "Lush Life" - Joe Mooney
8. "Searchin'" - The Coasters
7. "Conversation" - Machito
6. "West Side Story: Tonight, Tonight" - Leonard Bernstein
5. "Lush Life" - John Coltrane
4. "Mood Indigo" - Nina Simone
3. "Walkin' After Midnight" - Patsy Cline
2. "Motel (Diner Au Motel)" - Miles Davis
1. "Manteca" - Dizzy Gillespie

1958

10. "I Mean You" - Thelonious Monk
9. "Saturday Night On Saturn" - Les Baxter
8. "Yakety Yak" - The Coasters
7. "Hooray For Love" - Bobby Short
6. "Come On, Let's Go" - Richie Valens
5. "Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochran
4. "Bird Dog" - The Everly Brothers
3. "Third Man Theme" - Esquivel
2. "Cuban Nightingale" - Joe Holiday
1. "Guaglione" - Machito

1959

10. "Darn That Dream" - Sarah Vaughan
9. "Lonely Woman" - Ornette Coleman
8. "Poison Ivy" - The Coasters
7. "So What" - Miles Davis
6. "Apes and Peacocks" - Duke Ellington
5. "Philadelphia Bound" - Jo Jones
4. "Surrey With the Fringe On Top" - Blossom Dearie
3. "Moanin'" - Charlie Mingus
2. "I Only Have Eyes For You" - The Flamingoes
1. "What'd I Say" - Ray Charles

1960

10. "Money (That's What I Want)" - Barrett Strong
9. "Rhode Island Is Famous For You" - Blossom Dearie
8. "Take Five" - Dave Brubeck
7. "New York's My Home" - Ray Charles
6. "Over You" - Aaron Neville
5. "'Til I Kissed You" - The Everly Brothers
4. "Sugar Rum Cherry" - Duke Ellington
3. "Cousin Mary" - John Coltrane
2. "Theme From a Summer Place" - Percy Faith
1. "Shoppin' For Clothes" - The Coasters

1961

10. "Runaway" - Del Shannon
9. "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" - Ike & Tina Turner
8. "Li'l Egypt" - The Coasters
7. "In a Sentimental Mood" - Sarah Vaughan
6. "Unsquare Dance" - Dave Brubeck
5. "Surrender" - Elvis Presley
4. "Blue Moon" - The Marcels
3. "A Rose In Spanish Harlem" - Ben E. King
2. "Alex Mambo" - Machito
1. "My Favorite Things" - John Coltrane

1962

10. "Doug's Room" - Mauricio Smith
9. "Watermelon Man" - Herbie Hancock
8. "The Inch Worm" - John Coltrane
7. "Baltimore Gas & Electric" - Raymond Scott
6. "Crying" - Roy Orbison
5. "I'm Blue" - The Ikettes
4. "Boom Boom" - John Lee Hooker
3. "It Didn't Turn Out That Way" - Mose Allison
2. "Green Onions" - Booker T & the MG's
1. "You Are My Sunshine" - Ray Charles

1963

10. "One Fine Day" - The Chiffons
9. "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" - The Jaynettes
8. "Da Do Run Run" - The Crystals
7. "II B.S." - Charlie Mingus
6. "Have Nagila" - Dick Dale
5. "Be My Baby" - The Ronettes
4. "Vivace" - The Swingle Singers
3. "Stella By Starlight" - Bill Evans
2. "In My Room" - The Beach Boys
1. "Garota De Ipanema" - João Gilberto

1964

10. "Canteloupe Island" - Herbie Hancock
9. "You Can't Do That" - The Beatles
8. "Fiddler On the Roof: Tradition" - Jerry Bock
7. "Lupita" - Guillermo Gonzalez
6. "Out Of Sight" - James Brown
5. "Little Organ Fugue" - The Swingle Singers
4. "Thank You Mama Thank You Papa" - The Dixie Cups
3. "Linus and Lucy" - Vince Guaraldi
2. "So What?" - Joe Cuba
1. "Don't Worry Baby" - The Beach Boys

1965

10. "She's About a Mover" - The Sir Douglas Quintet
9. "Requiem" - The Swingle Singers
8. "Daddy Wong Legs" - Cal Tjader
7. "Pedro Pedreiro" - Quarteto Emly
6. "Spanish Flea" - Herb Alpert
5. "Shotgun" - Junior Walker & the All-Stars
4. "Descarga Cachao" - Tito Rodriguez
3. "Batman's Boogaloo" - Bobby Valentin
2. "Cold Sweat" - James Brown
1. "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" - The Beatles

1966

10. "Jazz Samba" - Bill Evans
9. "Paint It Black" - The Rolling Stones
8. "One Note Samba/Spanish Flea" - Sergio Mendes
7. "Fried Neck Bones and Some Home Fries" - Willie Bobo
6. "Do the Boogaloo" - Pete Rodriguez
5. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys
4. "It's No Secret" - Jefferson Airplane
3. "A Man and a Woman (un Homme et un Femme)" - Ferrente & Teicher
2. "I'm Sick Y'All" - Otis Redding
1. "Tomorrow Never Knows" - The Beatles

1967

10. "The First Cut Is the Deepest" - PP Arnold
9. "Dr. Feelgood" - Aretha Franklin
8. "Surfboard" - Esquivel
7. "Hip-Hug Her" - Booker T & the MG's
6. "Ode To Billie Joe" - Bobbie Gentry
5. "A Small Portion Of Your Love" - Sam & Dave
4. "Femme Fatale" - The Velvet Underground
3. "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles
2. "Oh, That's Nice" - Pete Rodriguez
1. "Hey, Joe" - Jimi Hendrix

1968

10. "I Thank You" - Sam & Dave
9. "Matrix" - Chick Corea
8. "Something In the Way She Moves" - James Taylor
7. "Ave Maria" - Caetano Veloso
6. "Piggies" - The Beatles
5. "Tighten Up, Part 1" - Archie Bell & the Dells
4. "Folsom Prison Blues" - Johnny Cash
3. "What Do I Have To Do To Prove My Love To You" - Marva Whitney
2. "Licking Stick - Licking Stick, Part 1" - James Brown
1. "Castles Made Of Sand" - Jimi Hendrix

1969

10. "Aye Que Rico" - Eddie Palmieri
9. "A Boy Named Sue" - Johnny Cash
8. "Mother Popcorn, Part 1" - James Brown
7. "No Fun" - Iggy Pop & the Stooges
6. "Shangri-La" - The Kinks
5. "Beginnings" - Chicago
4. "Suspicious Minds" - Elvis Presley
3. "Fortunate Son" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
2. "Everyday People" - Sly & the Family Stone
1. "Irene" - Caetano Veloso

1970

10. "If You See What I Mean" - PP Arnold
9. "Eleanor Rigby" - Aretha Franklin
8. "And I Love Him" - Rita Lee
7. "Chelsea Morning" - Sergio Mendes
6. "Moondance" - Van Morrison
5. "Chovendo Ma Roseira" - Elis Regina
4. "Super Bad" - James Brown
3. "Make Me Smile" - Chicago
2. "Whitey's On the Moon" - Gil Scott-Heron
1. "Fancy" - Bobbie Gentry

1971

10. "The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys" - Traffic
9. "Won't Get Fooled Again" - The Who
8. "What a Beautiful Place" - Catherine Howe
7. "Monkey Girl" - The Maytals
6. "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
5. "Baby" - Os Mutantes
4. "Fire and Rain" - James Taylor
3. "Drumming, Part I" - Steve Reich
2. "It's a New Day" - James Brown
1. "God" - John Lennon

1972

10. "Popcorn" - Hot Butter
9. "One More Night" - Can
8. "Saturday In the Park" - Chicago
7. "Clapping Music" - Steve Reich
6. "Pink Moon" - Nick Drake
5. "Cravo E Canela" - Milton Nascimento
4. "O Canto de Ema" - Gilberto Gil
3. "You Are the Sunshine Of My Life" - Stevie Wonder
2. "Hallogallo" - NEU!
1. "Cabaret: The Money Song" - Liza Minelli & Joel Grey

1973

10. "Me and My Baby Brother" - War
9. "Neuschnee" - NEU!
8. "If You Want Me To Stay" - Sly & the Family Stone
7. "John, I'm Only Dancing" - David Bowie
6. "I Got a Bag Of My Own" - James Brown
5. "Living For the City" - Stevie Wonder
4. "The Love I Lost" - Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
3. "Sebastiana" - Gal Costa
2. "TSOP" - MFSB
1. "Music For Mallet Instruments, Voices, & Organ" - Steve Reich

1974

10. "Love Epidemic" - The Trammps
9. "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe" - Barry White
8. "Funky President" - James Brown
7. "People's Parties" - Joni Mitchell
6. "Viva Tirado" - Fania All-Stars
5. "Bend Down Low" - Bob Marley
4. "Hello Music" - Fred Frith
3. "Pick Up the Pieces" - Average White Band
2. "Rock Me Again & Again & Again & Again" - Lyn Collins
1. "Lady Marmalade" - Labelle

1975

10. "Say You Love Me" - Fleetwood Mac
9. "Pierre" - Carole King
8. "You're No Good" - Linda Ronstadt
7. "Land" - Patti Smith
6. "Chocolate City" - Parliament
5. "All Around My Hat" - Steeleye Span
4. "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" - AC/DC
3. "Zawinul/Lava" - Brian Eno
2. "Cut the Cake" - Average White Band
1. "Time Warp" - Richard O'Brian

1976

10. "Ponta de Lanca Africano (Umbabarouma)" - Jorge Ben
9. "A Fifth Of Beethoven" - Walter Murphy
8. "Bohemian Rhapsody" - Queen
7. "Havana Affair" - The Ramones
6. "Kicks" - Lou Reed
5. "Harvest For the World" - The Isley Brothers
4. "I Want More" - Can
3. "Roadrunner" - The Modern Lovers
2. "Desert Of Ice" - Terry Riley
1. "I Wish" - Stevie Wonder

1977

10. "Peg" - Steely Dan
9. "Marquee Moon" - Television
8. "Mai Kinshasa" - Jose Mangual
7. "Dreams" - Fleetwood Mac
6. "Disco Inferno" - The Trammps
5. "London's Burning" - The Clash
4. "Night Fever" - The Bee Gees
3. "Holidays In the Sun" - The Sex Pistols
2. "Trans-Europe Express" - Kraftwerk
1. "Heroes" - David Bowie

1978

10. "No Love Lost" - Joy Division
9. "Grease" - Frankie Valli
8. "Hot Blooded" - Foreigner
7. "Satisfaction (I Can't Get No)" - Devo
6. "Fat Bottomed Girls" - Queen
5. "Music For Eighteen Musicians" - Steve Reich
4. "Two Rapid Formations" - Brian Eno
3. "El Bollinski En D7" - Charlie Santiago and Eddie Montalvo
2. "Robots" - Kraftwerk
1. "Nervous Breakdown" - Black Flag

1979

10. "Dancin' and Prancin'" - Candido
9. "No Nos Pararan" - La Charanga '76
8. "Disorder" - Joy Division
7. "Next To You" - The Police
6. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" - The Slits
5. "Money (That's What I Want)" - The Flying Lizards
4. "Rock Lobster" - The B-52's
3. "Object" - The Cure
2. "I Feel For You" - Prince
1. "Natural's Not In It" - Gang of Four

1980

10. "Jealous Again" - Black Flag
9. "Pay To Cum" - Bad Brains
8. "California Über Alles" - The Dead Kennedys
7. "Cars" - Gary Numan
6. "Kuru Field Of Justice" - Philip Glass
5. "You Shook Me" - AC/DC
4. "Jimmy Jazz" - The Clash
3. "When You Were Mine" - Prince
2. "Up the Neck" - The Pretenders
1. "Mirror In the Bathroom" - The English Beat

1981

10. "Sexuality" - Prince
9. "Just Can't Get Enough" - Depeche Mode
8. "Button Up" - The Bloods
7. "Message Of Love" - The Pretenders
6. "Under Pressure" - Queen
5. "Tehillim II: Psalms 34:13-15" - Steve Reich
4. "Pocket Calculator" - Kraftwerk
3. "Rise Above" - Black Flag
2. "I'm In Love With a German Film Star" - The Passions
1. "Filler" - Minor Threat

1982

10. "That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate" - Mission Of Burma
9. "Gone Daddy Gone" - Violent Femmes
8. "(Keep Feelin') Fascination" - The Human League
7. "I Ran (So Far)" - A Flock Of Seagulls
6. "Myage" - The Descendents
5. "Mo Beru Agba" - King Sunny Ade
4. "Rockit" - Herbie Hancock
3. "She Blinded Me With Science" - Thomas Dolby
2. "Breaking Us In Two" - Joe Jackson
1. "Automatic" - Prince

1983

10. "Uncertain Smile" - The The
9. "Hand In Glove" - The Smiths
8. "Back On the Chain Gang" - The Pretenders
7. "The Cutter" - Echo & the Bunnymen
6. "Coup D'etat" - The Circle Jerks
5. "Needle To the Groove" - Mantronix
4. "Swordfishtrombones" - Tom Waits
3. "Burning Down the House" - Talking Heads
2. "New Gods" - Meat Puppets
1. "Radio Free Europe" - REM

1984

10. "Love On a Real Train" - Tangerine Dream
9. "Slip It In" - Black Flag
8. "The Roar Of the Masses Could Be Farts" - The Minutemen
7. "Answering Machine" - The Replacements
6. "Close (To the Edit)" - Art Of Noise
5. "The Desert Music II: Moderate" - Steve Reich
4. "You've Got Everything Now" - The Smiths
3. "Junk Culture" - Orchestral Manoeuvers In the Dark
2. "The Beautiful Ones" - Prince
1. "Something I Learned Today" - Hüsker Dü

1985

10. "GCF" - The Descendents
9. "Close To Me" - The Cure
8. "Bitchin' Camaro" - The Dead Milkmen
7. "Kiss Me On the Bus" - The Replacements
6. "The Headmaster Ritual" - The Smiths
5. "Tango 'Til They're Sore" - Tom Waits
4. "All Told" - The Effigies
3. "New York Counterpoint: Fast" - Steve Reich
2. "Up On the Sun" - Meat Puppets
1. "King Of the Hill" - The Minutemen

1986

10. "Move Your Body" - Marshall Jefferson
9. "Eiffel Tower High" - Hüsker Dü
8. "Misirlou Twist" - Kronos Quartet
7. "The Queen Is Dead" - The Smiths
6. "I'm Bad" - LL Cool J
5. "Kiss" - Prince
4. "Wendy" - The Descendents
3. "She's Crafty" - The Beastie Boys
2. "Shadow Of a Doubt" - Sonic Youth
1. "In a Glass House" - Antietam

1987

10. "Isla de Encanta" - The Pixies
9. "Walk This Way" - Run-DMC
8. "In a Jar" - Dinosaur Jr.
7. "Skrip, Lezmerl, Skrip" - The Klezmer Conservatory Band
6. "Beauty Lies In the Eye" - Sonic Youth
5. "Four Sections: Percussion" - Steve Reich
4. "Go!" - Tones On Tail
3. "I Know You Got Soul" - Eric B & Rakim
2. "Hang On St. Christopher" - Tom Waits
1. "Peek-A-Boo" - Siouxsie & the Banshees

1988

10. "Pump Up the Volume" - MARRS
9. "Freak Scene" - Dinosaur Jr.
8. "Eye" - The Poster Children
7. "Big Fun" - Inner City
6. "Cowtown" - They Might Be Giants
5. "The History Of the Concept Of the Soul" - The Mr. T Experience
4. "Gigantic" - The Pixies
3. "El Canelo" - Los Lobos
2. "Teen Age Riot" - Sonic Youth
1. "Night Of the Living Bassheads" - Public Enemy

1989

10. "Ah Ndiya" - Oumou Sangare
9. "Shamas-Ud-Doha, Badar-Ud-Doja" - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
8. "Egg Man" - The Beastie Boys
7. "untiedundone" - The Creatures
6. "Change In Speak" - De La Soul
5. "Move This" - Technotronic
4. "See a Little Light" - Bob Mould
3. "Fight the Power" - Public Enemy
2. "Waiting Room" - Fugazi
1. "Dirty Blvd." - Lou Reed

1990

10. "Bird Brain" - Buffalo Tom
9. "Vogue" - Madonna
8. "The Summer" - Yo La Tengo
7. "Titanium Expose" - Sonic Youth
6. "Violin Doyna" - The Klezmatics
5. "Fortunately Gone" - The Breeders
4. "Make My Body Rock" - Jomanda
3. "Meetings Along the Edge" - Philip Glass
2. "Taa Deem" - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
1. "The Crankcase" - Timber

1991

10. "Selailai" - The Mahotella Queens
9. "Josephine" - The Magnetic Fields
8. "Scars, Four Eyes" - Sebadoh
7. "Four O'Clocker 2" - Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
6. "From Now On" - Pavement
5. "Brittle" - Stereolab
4. "Scenario" - A Tribe Called Quest
3. "Lineage" - Zakir Hussein
2. "Lost At Birth" - Public Enemy
1. "Lithium" - Nirvana

1992

10. "Nouveau Western" - MC Solaar
9. "Mistadobolina" - Del, the Funkee Homosapien
8. "Sugar Kane" - Sonic Youth
7. "Don't Call Home" - The Breeders
6. "Untogether" - Lush
5. "Helpless" - Sugar
4. "Perfume-V" - Pavement
3. "Magdalena" - Sergio Mendes
2. "360 (What Goes Around)" - Grand Puba
1. "So What'cha Want" - The Beastie Boys

1993

10. "Insane In the Brain" - Cypress Hill
9. "The First Part" - Superchunk
8. "Cherub Rock" - Smashing Pumpkins
7. "Genesis XII" - Steve Reich
6. "Got Kinda Hi" - The Goats
5. "All Apologies" - Nirvana
4. "From a Motel 6" - Yo La Tengo
3. "Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" - Digable Planets
2. "Stratford-On-Guy" - Liz Phair
1. "Spoon Man" - Underworld

1994

10. "Mount Pleasant" - Tuscadero
9. "Deep Shag" - Luscious Jackson
8. "Delia's Gone" - Johnny Cash
7. "Bull In the Heather" - Sonic Youth
6. "Back From the Dead" - House Of Pain
5. "Autriche" - Autechre
4. "Screenwriter's Blues" - Soul Coughing
3. "Unfair" - Pavement
2. "Rich Girl" - Louchie Lou & Michie One
1. "Jennifer's Body" - Hole

1995

10. "1979" - Smashing Pumpkins
9. "Blacktop" - Pell Mell
8. "Mookid" - Aphex Twin
7. "Little Trouble Girl" - Sonic Youth
6. "Born Slippy" - Underworld
5. "Twoism" - Boards Of Canada
4. "Schunkel" - Mouse On Mars
3. "Man With a Hat" - The Klezmatics
2. "Do While" - Oval
1. "Hyper-Ballad" - Bjork

1996

10. "Voleti Boliyan" - AS Kang
9. "Walking Wounded" - Everything But the Girl
8. "The Dicty Glide" - Don Byron
7. "The Sleepwalker" - The Beau Hunks Sextette
6. "Egon & Edith" - Rachel's
5. "You're Just a Baby" - Belle & Sebastian
4. "Song Against Sex" - Neutral Milk Hotel
3. "Percolator" - Stereolab
2. "Girl/Boy Song" - Aphex Twin
1. "I've Been Everywhere" - Johnny Cash

1997

10. "Dadyr Todur" - Huun Huur Tu
9. "Forget the Minions" - Karp
8. "Je Ne Vais Pas Travailler" - Pink Martini
7. "Shprayz Ikh Mir" - The Klezmatics
6. "Watching Windows" - Roni Size/Reprazant
5. "Subterranean Homesick Alien" - Radiohead
4. "Dog On Wheels" - Belle & Sebastian
3. "Juju" - Mouse On Mars
2. "Five Years" - Bjork
1. "Brakhage" - Stereolab

1998

10. "Praise You" - Fat Boy Slim
9. "Choserito Plena" - Marc Ribot
8. "Je Reve Encore" - Paris Combo
7. "Mundian To Bach Ke" - Labh Janhua
6. "Music For Airports: 1/1" - Bang On a Can All-Stars
5. "In Sarah, Mencken, Christ, and Beethoven There Were Women" - Tortoise
4. "Is This Desire?" - PJ Harvey
3. "The Woman Downstairs" - The Handsome Family
2. "Open the Light" - Boards Of Canada
1. "The King Of Carrot Flowers, Parts II & III" - Neutral Milk Hotel

1999

10. "Easy On Your Eyes" - The Aluminum Group
9. "Daremoshirairanai Chiisuanakuni" - susumu yokota
8. "A Cleaner Light" - Kristen Hersh
7. "Burn Don't Freeze" - Sleater-Kinney
6. "Mykologics" - Mouse On Mars
5. "Red Alert" - Basement Jaxx
4. "You Owe Me" - Nas
3. "Canned Heat" - Jamiroquai
2. "Un Poquito Mas"- Jimmy Bosch
1. "Papa Was a Rodeo" - The Magnetic Fields

2000

10. "You Said Something" - PJ Harvey
9. "Bam Bam" - Sister Nancy
8. "Possibility" - Thomas Newman
7. "Tensual" - Mouse On Mars
6. "Maria" - Feo-Gasy
5. "Snowflakes" - Languis
4. "Idioteque" - Radiohead
3. "The Last Days Of Disco" - Yo La Tengo
2. "The Model" - Belle & Sebastian
1. "Swing Set" - Jurassic 5

2001

10. "Bleida" - Nayim Alal
9. "Booc" - Plaid
8. "So Red" - susumu yokota
7. "Knuddelmaus" - Ulrich Schnauss
6. "Eros" - Tortoise
5. "Digital 2.0" - Mia Doi Todd
4. "You and Whose Army?" - Radiohead
3. "The Audience" - Herbert
2. "El Cholulu" - Glover Gill & the Tosca Tango Orchestra
1. "Polaris" - Bostich

2002

10. "Imaginary Places" - Busdriver
9. "Naita" - Ojos De Brujo
8. "Backfired" - Masters At Work
7. "Faraway" - Sleater Kinney
6. "All the World Is Green" - Tom Waits
5. "Astro Sister" - The Negro Problem
4. "The Empty Page" - Sonic Youth
3. "Julie and Candy" - Boards Of Canada
2. "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" - Wilco
1. "Work It" - Missy Elliott

2003

10. "Para Mi Barrio" - Vico C
9. "Comfortably Numb" - The Scissor Sisters
8. "Emerge" - Fisherspooner
7. "Little Eyes" - Yo La Tengo
6. "Bright Future In Sales" - Fountains Of Wayne
5. "The Infinite Descent" - Thomas Newman
4. "Ibitsu" - Boris
3. "Oh, Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head! (Rebuild! Restore! Reconsider!)" - Sufjan Stevens
2. "Hey Ya!" - OutKast
1. "Pass That Dutch" - Missy Elliott

2004

10. "Galang" - M.I.A.
9. "Margerine Rock" - Stereolab
8. "Take Your Mama" - Scissor Sisters
7. "Ping Island/Lightning Strike Rescue" - Mark Mothersbaugh
6. "Northern Line" - The Old 97's
5. "I Don't Believe You" - The Magnetic Fields
4. "Train To Heaven" - Motion Trio
3. "Confutatis" - Las Rubias Del Norte
2. "Belleville Rendezvous" - -M-
1. "Hsaing Kyaik de Maung" - Bang On a Can All-Stars meets Kyaw Kyaw Naing

2005

10. "Canada/The Gambia" - Philip Glass
9. "Jill" - Dynamite Ham
8. "Cardo" - Novalima
7. "Watch My Ass" - Rod Lee
6. "Tight Sweater: Exposed Zipper" - Marc Mellits
5. "Vo Kuch" - Kiran Ahluwalla
4. "Woman On the Screen" - Boris
3. "Flaming Love and Destiny" - susumu yokota
2. "Gone" - Kanye West
1. "Jacksonville" - Sufjan Stevens

2006

10. "Baiting the Public" - Fucked Up
9. "Crazy" - Gnarls Barkley
8. "No Money" - The Evens
7. "Hip-Hop Is Dead" - Nas
6. "Ain't No Other Man" - Christina Aguilera
5. "Duas Opinioes" - Tom Ze
4. "Song Song Song" - Final Fantasy
3. "Connecticut's For Fucking" - Jesus H Christ & the Four Hornsmen Of the Apocalypse
2. "A Woman Like Me" - Spanky Wilson
1. "BKAB" - Ethan Stoller

2007

10. "Canned Goods and Firearms" - Sir Richard Bishop
9. "High In the Morning" - Paul Duncan
8. "Tamatant Tilay" - Tinariwan
7. "Düsseldorf" - Pole
6. "Feeling Free" - Nicole Willis
5. "Boyz" - M.I.A.
4. "Someone Great" - LCD Soundsystem
3. "Faberge For Shuggie" - Of Montreal
2. "Sofera" - Rajery
1. "House Of Cards" - Radiohead

2008

10. "Chain" - School Of Seven Bells
9. "One Day I Had an Extra Toe (Esopus Magazine)" - Black Moth Super Rainbow
8. "Gnosienne No. 1" - Chicha Libre
7. "The Cell" - Erykah Badu
6. "Caña Brava" - La India Canela
5. "WannaBe In LA" - Eagles Of Death Metal
4. "What New York Used To Be" - The Kills
3. "Dancing Choose" - TV On the Radio
2. "El Anden" - Bajofondo
1. "Milligram Of Happiness" - The Aluminum Group

2009

10. "Esketa Dance" – The Heliocentrics
9. "Aeon" – Antony & the Johnsons
8. "Little Sparrows" – The Handsome Family
7. "Sanctus" – Phil Kline
6. "Kargashai" – Mamer
5. "Malibu Gas Station" – Sonic Youth
4. "I Knew" – Lightning Dust
3. "The Akara" – Beirut
2. "Quiet Dog" – Mos Def
1. "Zero" – Yeah Yeah Yeahs

My favorite songs, 1947-2008

2009-01-01T08:54:00.000-08:00

1947

10. "Solitude" - Billie Holiday
9. "Golden Earrings" - Peggy Lee
8. "Bouquet Of Roses" - Eddy Arnold
7. "I'm Going to Tell God" - Mahalia Jackson
6. "Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens" - Louis Jordan
5. "Ruby, My Dear" - Thelonious Monk
4. "Boggs Boogie" - Spade Cooley
3. "Scrapple From the Apple" - Charlie Parker
2. "Long John Blues" - Dinah Washington
1. "Trouble In Mind" - Tex Ritter

1948

10. "Once In Love With Amy" - Dean Martin
9. "Tennessee Saturday Night" - Red Foley
8. "Bumble Boogie" - Freddie Martin
7. "Sophisticated Lady" - Billy Eckstine
6. "Sonata #5" - John Cage
5. "Epistrophy" - Thelonious Monk
4. "Tin Tin Deo" - James Moody
3. "Ool Ya Koo" - Dizzy Gillespie
2. "My Bank Account Is Gone" - Jesse Ashlock
1. "I Just Can't Be Satisfied" - Muddy Waters

1949

10. "Move" - Miles Davis
9. "Dipsy Doodle" - Larry Clinton
8. "Black Coffee" - Ella Fitzgerald
7. "Remember" - Johnny Hartman
6. "Beans and Cornbread" - Louis Jordan
5. "There'll Be No Teardrops Tonight" - Hank Williams
4. "Brick Top" - Django Reinhardt
3. "Foggy Mountain Breakdown" - Flatt & Scruggs
2. "Mondongo" - Miguelito Valdes
1. "Ran-Kan-Kan" - Tito Puente

1950

10. "The Third Man Theme" - Amos Karas
9. "Bushel and a Peck" - Margaret Whiting & Jimmy Wakely
8. "Mona Lisa" - Nat "King" Cole
7. "If I Knew You Were Comin' (I'd Have Baked a Cake)" - Eileen Barton
6. "I'll Never Be Free" - Kay Starr & Tennessee Ernie Ford
5. "Rollin' and Tumblin'" - Muddy Waters
4. "How Long Has This Been Going On?" - Ella Fitzgerald
3. "Tennessee Waltz" - Patti Page
2. "Adelaide's Lament" - Vivian Blaine
1. "Bombokolea" - Perez Prado

1951

10. "School Days" - Dizzy Gillespie
9. "KC Blues" - Charlie Parker
8. "Cold Cold Heart" - Hank Williams
7. "Holiday For Strings" - The Voices Of Walter Schumann
6. "Surrey With the Fringe On Top" - Ahmad Jamal
5. "Pagliacci" - Mary Lou Williams
4. "I'm In the Mood" - John Lee Hooker
3. "If I Were a Bell" - Jan Garber
2. "Oye Como Va" - Tito Puente
1. "Martinica" - Perez Prado

1952

10. "The Birth Of the Blues" - Frank Sinatra
9. "Klangstudie II" - Herbert Elmert
8. "Blue Moon" - Billie Holiday
7. "What Does It Take To Make You Take To Me" - Nat "King" Cole
6. "Indian Love Call" - Slim Whitman
5. "Conquest" - Patti Page
4. "Straight, No Chaser" - Thelonious Monk
3. "Oboe Mambo" - Machito
2. "Ogguere" - Tony La Negra
1. "I Left My Hat In Haiti" - Billy Eckstine

1953

10. "I Want To Be Evil" - Eartha Kitt
9. "That's Amore" - Dean Martin
8. "I Want You To Love Me" - Muddy Waters
7. "Crying Steel Guitar Waltz" - Jean Shepard
6. "Imagination" - Chet Baker
5. "Your Cheatin' Heart" - Hank Williams
4. "Good Air" - Raymond Scott
3. "Hound Dog" - Willie Mae "Big Mama" Thornton
2. "Bye-Ya" - Thelonious Monk
1. "Bye Bye Blues" - Les Paul & Mary Ford

1954

10. "The Man I Love" - Miles Davis
9. "Shulie-A-Bop" - Sarah Vaughan
8. "I Put a Spell On You" - Screamin' Jay Hawkins
7. "Sincerely" - The Moonglows
6. "A Night In Tunisia" - Dizzy Gillespie
5. "All In Fun" - Jeri Southern
4. "Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight" - The Spaniels
3. "I Just Want To Make Love To You" - Muddy Waters
2. "Mr. Sandman" - The Chordettes
1. "Sh-Boom" - The Chords

1955

10. "Singing the Blues" - Marty Robbins
9. "Sixteen Tons" - Tennessee Ernie Ford
8. "Dripsody" - Hugh Caine
7. "Earth Angel" - The Penguins
6. "Only You" - The Platters
5. "The Comeback" - Joe Willians
4. "Bo Diddley" - Bo Diddley
3. "Oscalypso" - Oscar Pettiford
2. "Love" - The Four Freshmen
1. "Lullaby Of Birdland" - Sarah Vaughan

1956

10. "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" - Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers
9. "Azure" - Ella Fitzgerald
8. "Let's Face the Music and Dance" - Anita O'Day
7. "In the Still Of the Night" - The Five Satins
6. "Dimples" - John Lee Hooker
5. "Candide: The Best Of All Possible Worlds" - Leonard Bernstein
4. "Bacoa" - Perez Prado
3. "I Walk the Line" - Johnny Cash
2. "Honey Don't" - Carl Perkins
1. "Be-Bop-A-Lula" - Gene Vincent

1957

10. "E & D Blues" - Ella Fitzgerald
9. "Lush Life" - Joe Mooney
8. "Searchin'" - The Coasters
7. "Conversation" - Machito
6. "West Side Story: Tonight, Tonight" - Leonard Bernstein
5. "Lush Life" - John Coltrane
4. "Mood Indigo" - Nina Simone
3. "Walkin' After Midnight" - Patsy Cline
2. "Motel (Diner Au Motel)" - Miles Davis
1. "Manteca" - Dizzy Gillespie

1958

10. "I Mean You" - Thelonious Monk
9. "Saturday Night On Saturn" - Les Baxter
8. "Yakety Yak" - The Coasters
7. "Hooray For Love" - Bobby Short
6. "Come On, Let's Go" - Richie Valens
5. "Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochran
4. "Bird Dog" - The Everly Brothers
3. "Third Man Theme" - Esquivel
2. "Cuban Nightingale" - Joe Holiday
1. "Guaglione" - Machito

1959

10. "Darn That Dream" - Sarah Vaughan
9. "Lonely Woman" - Ornette Coleman
8. "Poison Ivy" - The Coasters
7. "So What" - Miles Davis
6. "Apes and Peacocks" - Duke Ellington
5. "Philadelphia Bound" - Jo Jones
4. "Surrey With the Fringe On Top" - Blossom Dearie
3. "Moanin'" - Charlie Mingus
2. "I Only Have Eyes For You" - The Flamingoes
1. "What'd I Say" - Ray Charles

1960

10. "Money (That's What I Want)" - Barrett Strong
9. "Rhode Island Is Famous For You" - Blossom Dearie
8. "Take Five" - Dave Brubeck
7. "New York's My Home" - Ray Charles
6. "Over You" - Aaron Neville
5. "'Til I Kissed You" - The Everly Brothers
4. "Sugar Rum Cherry" - Duke Ellington
3. "Cousin Mary" - John Coltrane
2. "Theme From a Summer Place" - Percy Faith
1. "Shoppin' For Clothes" - The Coasters

1961

10. "Runaway" - Del Shannon
9. "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" - Ike & Tina Turner
8. "Li'l Egypt" - The Coasters
7. "In a Sentimental Mood" - Sarah Vaughan
6. "Unsquare Dance" - Dave Brubeck
5. "Surrender" - Elvis Presley
4. "Blue Moon" - The Marcels
3. "A Rose In Spanish Harlem" - Ben E. King
2. "Alex Mambo" - Machito
1. "My Favorite Things" - John Coltrane

1962

10. "Doug's Room" - Mauricio Smith
9. "Watermelon Man" - Herbie Hancock
8. "The Inch Worm" - John Coltrane
7. "Baltimore Gas & Electric" - Raymond Scott
6. "Crying" - Roy Orbison
5. "I'm Blue" - The Ikettes
4. "Boom Boom" - John Lee Hooker
3. "It Didn't Turn Out That Way" - Mose Allison
2. "Green Onions" - Booker T & the MG's
1. "You Are My Sunshine" - Ray Charles

1963

10. "One Fine Day" - The Chiffons
9. "Sally Go 'Round the Roses" - The Jaynettes
8. "Da Do Run Run" - The Crystals
7. "II B.S." - Charlie Mingus
6. "Have Nagila" - Dick Dale
5. "Be My Baby" - The Ronettes
4. "Vivace" - The Swingle Singers
3. "Stella By Starlight" - Bill Evans
2. "In My Room" - The Beach Boys
1. "Garota De Ipanema" - João Gilberto

1964

10. "Canteloupe Island" - Herbie Hancock
9. "You Can't Do That" - The Beatles
8. "Fiddler On the Roof: Tradition" - Jerry Bock
7. "Lupita" - Guillermo Gonzalez
6. "Out Of Sight" - James Brown
5. "Little Organ Fugue" - The Swingle Singers
4. "Thank You Mama Thank You Papa" - The Dixie Cups
3. "Linus and Lucy" - Vince Guaraldi
2. "So What?" - Joe Cuba
1. "Don't Worry Baby" - The Beach Boys

1965

10. "She's About a Mover" - The Sir Douglas Quintet
9. "Requiem" - The Swingle Singers
8. "Daddy Wong Legs" - Cal Tjader
7. "Pedro Pedreiro" - Quarteto Emly
6. "Spanish Flea" - Herb Alpert
5. "Shotgun" - Junior Walker & the All-Stars
4. "Descarga Cachao" - Tito Rodriguez
3. "Batman's Boogaloo" - Bobby Valentin
2. "Cold Sweat" - James Brown
1. "Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown)" - The Beatles

1966

10. "Jazz Samba" - Bill Evans
9. "Paint It Black" - The Rolling Stones
8. "One Note Samba/Spanish Flea" - Sergio Mendes
7. "Fried Neck Bones and Some Home Fries" - Willie Bobo
6. "Do the Boogaloo" - Pete Rodriguez
5. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys
4. "It's No Secret" - Jefferson Airplane
3. "A Man and a Woman (un Homme et un Femme)" - Ferrente & Teicher
2. "I'm Sick Y'All" - Otis Redding
1. "Tomorrow Never Knows" - The Beatles

1967

10. "The First Cut Is the Deepest" - PP Arnold
9. "Dr. Feelgood" - Aretha Franklin
8. "Surfboard" - Esquivel
7. "Hip-Hug Her" - Booker T & the MG's
6. "Ode To Billie Joe" - Bobbie Gentry
5. "A Small Portion Of Your Love" - Sam & Dave
4. "Femme Fatale" - The Velvet Underground
3. "Strawberry Fields Forever" - The Beatles
2. "Oh, That's Nice" - Pete Rodriguez
1. "Hey, Joe" - Jimi Hendrix

1968

10. "I Thank You" - Sam & Dave
9. "Matrix" - Chick Corea
8. "Something In the Way She Moves" - James Taylor
7. "Ave Maria" - Caetano Veloso
6. "Piggies" - The Beatles
5. "Tighten Up, Part 1" - Archie Bell & the Dells
4. "Folsom Prison Blues" - Johnny Cash
3. "What Do I Have To Do To Prove My Love To You" - Marva Whitney
2. "Licking Stick - Licking Stick, Part 1" - James Brown
1. "Castles Made Of Sand" - Jimi Hendrix

1969

10. "Aye Que Rico" - Eddie Palmieri
9. "A Boy Named Sue" - Johnny Cash
8. "Mother Popcorn, Part 1" - James Brown
7. "No Fun" - Iggy Pop & the Stooges
6. "Shangri-La" - The Kinks
5. "Beginnings" - Chicago
4. "Suspicious Minds" - Elvis Presley
3. "Fortunate Son" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
2. "Everyday People" - Sly & the Family Stone
1. "Irene" - Caetano Veloso

1970

10. "If You See What I Mean" - PP Arnold
9. "Eleanor Rigby" - Aretha Franklin
8. "And I Love Him" - Rita Lee
7. "Chelsea Morning" - Sergio Mendes
6. "Moondance" - Van Morrison
5. "Chovendo Ma Roseira" - Elis Regina
4. "Super Bad" - James Brown
3. "Make Me Smile" - Chicago
2. "Whitey's On the Moon" - Gil Scott-Heron
1. "Fancy" - Bobbie Gentry

1971

10. "The Low Spark Of High-Heeled Boys" - Traffic
9. "Won't Get Fooled Again" - The Who
8. "What a Beautiful Place" - Catherine Howe
7. "Monkey Girl" - The Maytals
6. "Paranoid" - Black Sabbath
5. "Baby" - Os Mutantes
4. "Fire and Rain" - James Taylor
3. "Drumming, Part I" - Steve Reich
2. "It's a New Day" - James Brown
1. "God" - John Lennon

1972

10. "Popcorn" - Hot Butter
9. "One More Night" - Can
8. "Saturday In the Park" - Chicago
7. "Clapping Music" - Steve Reich
6. "Pink Moon" - Nick Drake
5. "Cravo E Canela" - Milton Nascimento
4. "O Canto de Ema" - Gilberto Gil
3. "You Are the Sunshine Of My Life" - Stevie Wonder
2. "Hallogallo" - NEU!
1. "Cabaret: The Money Song" - Liza Minelli & Joel Grey

1973

10. "Me and My Baby Brother" - War
9. "Neuschnee" - NEU!
8. "If You Want Me To Stay" - Sly & the Family Stone
7. "John, I'm Only Dancing" - David Bowie
6. "I Got a Bag Of My Own" - James Brown
5. "Living For the City" - Stevie Wonder
4. "The Love I Lost" - Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes
3. "Sebastiana" - Gal Costa
2. "TSOP" - MFSB
1. "Music For Mallet Instruments, Voices, & Organ" - Steve Reich

1974

10. "Love Epidemic" - The Trammps
9. "Can't Get Enough Of Your Love, Babe" - Barry White
8. "Funky President" - James Brown
7. "People's Parties" - Joni Mitchell
6. "Viva Tirado" - Fania All-Stars
5. "Bend Down Low" - Bob Marley
4. "Hello Music" - Fred Frith
3. "Pick Up the Pieces" - Average White Band
2. "Rock Me Again & Again & Again & Again" - Lyn Collins
1. "Lady Marmalade" - Labelle

1975

10. "Say You Love Me" - Fleetwood Mac
9. "Pierre" - Carole King
8. "You're No Good" - Linda Ronstadt
7. "Land" - Patti Smith
6. "Chocolate City" - Parliament
5. "All Around My Hat" - Steeleye Span
4. "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" - AC/DC
3. "Zawinul/Lava" - Brian Eno
2. "Cut the Cake" - Average White Band
1. "Time Warp" - Richard O'Brian

1976

10. "Ponta de Lanca Africano (Umbabarouma)" - Jorge Ben
9. "A Fifth Of Beethoven" - Walter Murphy
8. "Bohemian Rhapsody" - Queen
7. "Havana Affair" - The Ramones
6. "Kicks" - Lou Reed
5. "Harvest For the World" - The Isley Brothers
4. "I Want More" - Can
3. "Roadrunner" - The Modern Lovers
2. "Desert Of Ice" - Terry Riley
1. "I Wish" - Stevie Wonder

1977

10. "Peg" - Steely Dan
9. "Marquee Moon" - Television
8. "Mai Kinshasa" - Jose Mangual
7. "Dreams" - Fleetwood Mac
6. "Disco Inferno" - The Trammps
5. "London's Burning" - The Clash
4. "Night Fever" - The Bee Gees
3. "Holidays In the Sun" - The Sex Pistols
2. "Trans-Europe Express" - Kraftwerk
1. "Heroes" - David Bowie

1978

10. "No Love Lost" - Joy Division
9. "Grease" - Frankie Valli
8. "Hot Blooded" - Foreigner
7. "Satisfaction (I Can't Get No)" - Devo
6. "Fat Bottomed Girls" - Queen
5. "Music For Eighteen Musicians" - Steve Reich
4. "Two Rapid Formations" - Brian Eno
3. "El Bollinski En D7" - Charlie Santiago and Eddie Montalvo
2. "Robots" - Kraftwerk
1. "Nervous Breakdown" - Black Flag

1979

10. "Dancin' and Prancin'" - Candido
9. "No Nos Pararan" - La Charanga '76
8. "Disorder" - Joy Division
7. "Next To You" - The Police
6. "I Heard It Through the Grapevine" - The Slits
5. "Money (That's What I Want)" - The Flying Lizards
4. "Rock Lobster" - The B-52's
3. "Object" - The Cure
2. "I Feel For You" - Prince
1. "Natural's Not In It" - Gang of Four

1980

10. "Jealous Again" - Black Flag
9. "Pay To Cum" - Bad Brains
8. "California Über Alles" - The Dead Kennedys
7. "Cars" - Gary Numan
6. "Kuru Field Of Justice" - Philip Glass
5. "You Shook Me" - AC/DC
4. "Jimmy Jazz" - The Clash
3. "When You Were Mine" - Prince
2. "Up the Neck" - The Pretenders
1. "Mirror In the Bathroom" - The English Beat

1981

10. "Sexuality" - Prince
9. "Just Can't Get Enough" - Depeche Mode
8. "Button Up" - The Bloods
7. "Message Of Love" - The Pretenders
6. "Under Pressure" - Queen
5. "Tehillim II: Psalms 34:13-15" - Steve Reich
4. "Pocket Calculator" - Kraftwerk
3. "Rise Above" - Black Flag
2. "I'm In Love With a German Film Star" - The Passions
1. "Filler" - Minor Threat

1982

10. "That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate" - Mission Of Burma
9. "Gone Daddy Gone" - Violent Femmes
8. "(Keep Feelin') Fascination" - The Human League
7. "I Ran (So Far)" - A Flock Of Seagulls
6. "Myage" - The Descendents
5. "Mo Beru Agba" - King Sunny Ade
4. "Rockit" - Herbie Hancock
3. "She Blinded Me With Science" - Thomas Dolby
2. "Breaking Us In Two" - Joe Jackson
1. "Automatic" - Prince

1983

10. "Uncertain Smile" - The The
9. "Hand In Glove" - The Smiths
8. "Back On the Chain Gang" - The Pretenders
7. "The Cutter" - Echo & the Bunnymen
6. "Coup D'etat" - The Circle Jerks
5. "Needle To the Groove" - Mantronix
4. "Swordfishtrombones" - Tom Waits
3. "Burning Down the House" - Talking Heads
2. "New Gods" - Meat Puppets
1. "Radio Free Europe" - REM

1984

10. "Love On a Real Train" - Tangerine Dream
9. "Slip It In" - Black Flag
8. "The Roar Of the Masses Could Be Farts" - The Minutemen
7. "Answering Machine" - The Replacements
6. "Close (To the Edit)" - Art Of Noise
5. "The Desert Music II: Moderate" - Steve Reich
4. "You've Got Everything Now" - The Smiths
3. "Junk Culture" - Orchestral Manoeuvers In the Dark
2. "The Beautiful Ones" - Prince
1. "Something I Learned Today" - Hüsker Dü

1985

10. "GCF" - The Descendents
9. "Close To Me" - The Cure
8. "Bitchin' Camaro" - The Dead Milkmen
7. "Kiss Me On the Bus" - The Replacements
6. "The Headmaster Ritual" - The Smiths
5. "Tango 'Til They're Sore" - Tom Waits
4. "All Told" - The Effigies
3. "New York Counterpoint: Fast" - Steve Reich
2. "Up On the Sun" - Meat Puppets
1. "King Of the Hill" - The Minutemen

1986

10. "Move Your Body" - Marshall Jefferson
9. "Eiffel Tower High" - Hüsker Dü
8. "Misirlou Twist" - Kronos Quartet
7. "The Queen Is Dead" - The Smiths
6. "I'm Bad" - LL Cool J
5. "Kiss" - Prince
4. "Wendy" - The Descendents
3. "She's Crafty" - The Beastie Boys
2. "Shadow Of a Doubt" - Sonic Youth
1. "In a Glass House" - Antietam

1987

10. "Isla de Encanta" - The Pixies
9. "Walk This Way" - Run-DMC
8. "In a Jar" - Dinosaur Jr.
7. "Skrip, Lezmerl, Skrip" - The Klezmer Conservatory Band
6. "Beauty Lies In the Eye" - Sonic Youth
5. "Four Sections: Percussion" - Steve Reich
4. "Go!" - Tones On Tail
3. "I Know You Got Soul" - Eric B & Rakim
2. "Hang On St. Christopher" - Tom Waits
1. "Peek-A-Boo" - Siouxsie & the Banshees

1988

10. "Pump Up the Volume" - MARRS
9. "Freak Scene" - Dinosaur Jr.
8. "Eye" - The Poster Children
7. "Big Fun" - Inner City
6. "Cowtown" - They Might Be Giants
5. "The History Of the Concept Of the Soul" - The Mr. T Experience
4. "Gigantic" - The Pixies
3. "El Canelo" - Los Lobos
2. "Teen Age Riot" - Sonic Youth
1. "Night Of the Living Bassheads" - Public Enemy

1989

10. "Ah Ndiya" - Oumou Sangare
9. "Shamas-Ud-Doha, Badar-Ud-Doja" - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
8. "Egg Man" - The Beastie Boys
7. "untiedundone" - The Creatures
6. "Change In Speak" - De La Soul
5. "Move This" - Technotronic
4. "See a Little Light" - Bob Mould
3. "Fight the Power" - Public Enemy
2. "Waiting Room" - Fugazi
1. "Dirty Blvd." - Lou Reed

1990

10. "Bird Brain" - Buffalo Tom
9. "Vogue" - Madonna
8. "The Summer" - Yo La Tengo
7. "Titanium Expose" - Sonic Youth
6. "Violin Doyna" - The Klezmatics
5. "Fortunately Gone" - The Breeders
4. "Make My Body Rock" - Jomanda
3. "Meetings Along the Edge" - Philip Glass
2. "Taa Deem" - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
1. "The Crankcase" - Timber

1991

10. "Selailai" - The Mahotella Queens
9. "Josephine" - The Magnetic Fields
8. "Scars, Four Eyes" - Sebadoh
7. "Four O'Clocker 2" - Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
6. "From Now On" - Pavement
5. "Brittle" - Stereolab
4. "Scenario" - A Tribe Called Quest
3. "Lineage" - Zakir Hussein
2. "Lost At Birth" - Public Enemy
1. "Lithium" - Nirvana

1992

10. "Nouveau Western" - MC Solaar
9. "Mistadobolina" - Del, the Funkee Homosapien
8. "Sugar Kane" - Sonic Youth
7. "Don't Call Home" - The Breeders
6. "Untogether" - Lush
5. "Helpless" - Sugar
4. "Perfume-V" - Pavement
3. "Magdalena" - Sergio Mendes
2. "360 (What Goes Around)" - Grand Puba
1. "So What'cha Want" - The Beastie Boys

1993

10. "Insane In the Brain" - Cypress Hill
9. "The First Part" - Superchunk
8. "Cherub Rock" - Smashing Pumpkins
7. "Genesis XII" - Steve Reich
6. "Got Kinda Hi" - The Goats
5. "All Apologies" - Nirvana
4. "From a Motel 6" - Yo La Tengo
3. "Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" - Digable Planets
2. "Stratford-On-Guy" - Liz Phair
1. "Spoon Man" - Underworld

1994

10. "Mount Pleasant" - Tuscadero
9. "Deep Shag" - Luscious Jackson
8. "Delia's Gone" - Johnny Cash
7. "Bull In the Heather" - Sonic Youth
6. "Back From the Dead" - House Of Pain
5. "Autriche" - Autechre
4. "Screenwriter's Blues" - Soul Coughing
3. "Unfair" - Pavement
2. "Rich Girl" - Louchie Lou & Michie One
1. "Jennifer's Body" - Hole

1995

10. "1979" - Smashing Pumpkins
9. "Blacktop" - Pell Mell
8. "Mookid" - Aphex Twin
7. "Little Trouble Girl" - Sonic Youth
6. "Born Slippy" - Underworld
5. "Twoism" - Boards Of Canada
4. "Schunkel" - Mouse On Mars
3. "Man With a Hat" - The Klezmatics
2. "Do While" - Oval
1. "Hyper-Ballad" - Bjork

1996

10. "Voleti Boliyan" - AS Kang
9. "Walking Wounded" - Everything But the Girl
8. "The Dicty Glide" - Don Byron
7. "The Sleepwalker" - The Beau Hunks Sextette
6. "Egon & Edith" - Rachel's
5. "You're Just a Baby" - Belle & Sebastian
4. "Song Against Sex" - Neutral Milk Hotel
3. "Percolator" - Stereolab
2. "Girl/Boy Song" - Aphex Twin
1. "I've Been Everywhere" - Johnny Cash

1997

10. "Dadyr Todur" - Huun Huur Tu
9. "Forget the Minions" - Karp
8. "Je Ne Vais Pas Travailler" - Pink Martini
7. "Shprayz Ikh Mir" - The Klezmatics
6. "Watching Windows" - Roni Size/Reprazant
5. "Subterranean Homesick Alien" - Radiohead
4. "Dog On Wheels" - Belle & Sebastian
3. "Juju" - Mouse On Mars
2. "Five Years" - Bjork
1. "Brakhage" - Stereolab

1998

10. "Praise You" - Fat Boy Slim
9. "Choserito Plena" - Marc Ribot
8. "Je Reve Encore" - Paris Combo
7. "Mundian To Bach Ke" - Labh Janhua
6. "Music For Airports: 1/1" - Bang On a Can All-Stars
5. "In Sarah, Mencken, Christ, and Beethoven There Were Women" - Tortoise
4. "Is This Desire?" - PJ Harvey
3. "The Woman Downstairs" - The Handsome Family
2. "Open the Light" - Boards Of Canada
1. "The King Of Carrot Flowers, Parts II & III" - Neutral Milk Hotel

1999

10. "Easy On Your Eyes" - The Aluminum Group
9. "Daremoshirairanai Chiisuanakuni" - susumu yokota
8. "A Cleaner Light" - Kristen Hersh
7. "Burn Don't Freeze" - Sleater-Kinney
6. "Mykologics" - Mouse On Mars
5. "Red Alert" - Basement Jaxx
4. "You Owe Me" - Nas
3. "Canned Heat" - Jamiroquai
2. "Un Poquito Mas"- Jimmy Bosch
1. "Papa Was a Rodeo" - The Magnetic Fields

2000

10. "You Said Something" - PJ Harvey
9. "Bam Bam" - Sister Nancy
8. "Possibility" - Thomas Newman
7. "Tensual" - Mouse On Mars
6. "Our Way To Fall" - Yo La Tengo
5. "Maria" - Feo-Gasy
4. "In Limbo" - Radiohead
3. "Snowflakes" - Languis
2. "The Model" - Belle & Sebastian
1. "Swing Set" - Jurassic 5

2001

10. "Bleida" - Nayim Alal
9. "Booc" - Plaid
8. "So Red" - susumu yokota
7. "Knuddelmaus" - Ulrich Schnauss
6. "Eros" - Tortoise
5. "You and Whose Army?" - Radiohead
4. "El Cholulu" - Glover Gill & the Tosca Tango Orchestra
3. "Digital 2.0" - Mia Doi Todd
2. "The Audience" - Herbert
1. "Polaris" - Bostich

2002

10. "Unionbusting" - Jenny Toomey
9. "Cheedy-Khan" - Huun Huur Tu
8. "Imaginary Places" - Busdriver
7. "Naita" - Ojos De Brujo
6. "Backfired" - Masters At Work
5. "Astro Sister" - The Negro Problem
4. "All the World Is Green" - Tom Waits
3. "Julie and Candy" - Boards Of Canada
2. "I Am Trying To Break Your Heart" - Wilco
1. "Work It" - Missy Elliott

2003

10. "I'll Be Around" - Cee-Lo
9. "Para Mi Barrio" - Vico C
8. "The Infinite Descent" - Thomas Newman
7. "Comfortably Numb" - The Scissor Sisters
6. "Backdrifts (Honeymoon Is Over)" - Radiohead
5. "Bright Future In Sales" - Fountains Of Wayne
4. "Oh, Detroit, Lift Up Your Weary Head! (Rebuild! Restore! Reconsider!)" - Sufjan Stevens
3. "Hot n' Cold" - Basement Jaxx
2. "Pass That Dutch" - Missy Elliott
1. "Hey Ya!" - OutKast

2004

10. "Take Your Mama" - Scissor Sisters
9. "Northern Line" - The Old 97's
8. "I Don't Believe You" - The Magnetic Fields
7. "Train To Heaven" - Motion Trio
6. "Insensible" - Juana Molina
5. "Margarine Melodie" - Stereolab
4. "Galang" - MIA
3. "Belleville Rendezvous" - -M-
2. "Confutatis" - Las Rubias Del Norte
1. "Hsaing Kyaik de Maung" - Bang On a Can All-Stars meets Kyaw Kyaw Naing

2005

10. "Jill" - Dynamite Ham
9. "Vo Kuch" - Kiran Ahluwalla
8. "Flaming Love and Destiny" - susumu yokota
7. "My Man Is a Mean Man" - Sharon Jones & the Dap-Kings
6. "On and On" - Missy Elliott
5. "Woman On the Screen" - Boris
4. "Gone" - Kanye West
3. "Luvin' You" - Rod Lee
2. "Tight Sweater: I. Exposed Zipper" - Marc Mellits
1. "Jacksonville" - Sufjan Stevens

2006

10. "Clapping Music Variations" - Glenn Kotche
9. "The View From the People Wall" - Mahagony
8. "Baiting the Public" - Fucked Up
7. "Ain't No Other Man" - Christina Aguilera
6. "Crazy" - Gnarls Barkley
5. "Duas Opinioes" - Tom Ze
4. "Malherido" - Juana Molina
3. "A Woman Like Me" - Spanky Wilson
2. "Connecticut's For Fucking" - Jesus H Christ & the Four Hornsmen Of the Apocalypse
1. "BKAB" - Ethan Stoller

2007

10. "Canned Goods and Firearms" - Sir Richard Bishop
9. "Tamatant Tilay" - Tinariwan
8. "They Live In the Meadow" - Black Moth Super Rainbow
7. "Someone Great" - LCD Soundsystem
6. "Faberge For Shuggie" - Of Montreal
5. "High In the Morning" - Paul Duncan
4. "Düsseldorf" - Pole
3. "Feeling Free" - Nicole Willis
2. "Sofera" - Rajery
1. "House Of Cards" - Radiohead

2008

10. "Women's Studies Victims" - Of Montreal
9. "One Day I Had an Extra Toe (Esopus Magazine)" - Black Moth Super Rainbow
8. "Chain" - School Of Seven Bells
7. "WannaBe In LA" - Eagles Of Death Metal
6. "The Cell" - Erykah Badu
5. "Gnosienne No. 1" - Chicha Libre
4. "Caña Brava" - La India Canela
3. "What New York Used To Be" - The Kills
2. "El Anden" - Bajofondo
1. "Milligram Of Happiness" - The Aluminum Group

Fisking Mamet

2008-03-13T19:43:00.000-07:00

The play, while being a laugh a minute, is, when it's at home, a disputation between reason and faith, or perhaps between the conservative (or tragic) view and the liberal (or perfectionist) view. The conservative president in the piece holds that people are each out to make a living, and the best way for government to facilitate that is to stay out of the way, as the inevitable abuses and failures of this system (free-market economics) are less than those of government intervention.

I took the liberal view for many decades, but I believe I have changed my mind.

Mamet's premise is flawed from the start. Arguing about whether people are inherently "good", as pointless as such as argument is, may have had relevance when "conservatism" stood for a Burkean preservation of aristocracy for the good of social order and "liberalism" stood for more of an Adam Smith view (classical liberalism). It may have some relevance if you're arguing with an anarchist who thinks that people are "good" in their natural state and therefore don't need a government to deal with the times when they're not.

But Mamet's premise has nothing to do with the liberal/conservative debate as it's presently understood in the contemporary American context -- that is, the context in which he believes that he is being relevant. If you believe that people are inherently "good," then why would you support the raft of liberal programs -- from the Civil Rights Act to the Securities and Exchange Commission to the Environmental Protection Agency -- that are predicated on the belief that sometimes you need the government to intervene when people don't act "good"?

Maybe Mamet takes a Hayekian point of view here, something along the lines that, in the absence of government, there's an organic logic to human society and messing with it leads to undesirable results. But this seems a lot closer to the view that people are "good" (which Mamet implies is naive) than anything contemporary liberalism comes up with, or at least that the sum total of untrammeled human interaction is "good" in the aggregate, even if individuals aren't.

Either way, Mamet starts off his political discourse with a flawed and incoherent predicate. Bad sign of things to come.

As a child of the '60s, I accepted as an article of faith that government is corrupt, that business is exploitative, and that people are generally good at heart.

These cherished precepts had, over the years, become ingrained as increasingly impracticable prejudices. Why do I say impracticable? Because although I still held these beliefs, I no longer applied them in my life.

Well, again, as applied to current policy debates, Mamet's hangups from the '60s aren't relevant. Government is corrupt and business is exploitative? How does that guide us in figuring out what to do about workplace safety or antitrust violations? If government is corrupt, then there's no answer to the exploitativeness of business?

Also, look at the obnoxious words Mamet uses: "faith", "prejudices", "impracticable." He's now changed his mind about some things, which is fine and good, and he ascribes the fact that he was wrong to a failure to think things out, which is fine and good. The implication, of course, which the title "brain-dead liberal" screams out, is that liberalism in general eschews critical thought. If the only the scales would fall from our eyes, like they have Mamet's, and we'd all be neoconservatives, liberals who have been mugged by reality!

Aside from the absurdity of thinking that reasonable people can't disagree with you, the funny part is that liberalism is almost cannibalistic in the self-doubt it puts all of its ideas through. This was a criticism of liberalism from the point of view of Marxists or anarchists (who Mamet sounds more like in this prior incarnation, actually); that liberalism was too self-critical to take the necessary radical stands against various power structures.

... we in the United States get from day to day under rather wonderful and privileged circumstances—that we are not and never have been the villains that some of the world and some of our citizens make us out to be, but that we are a confection of normal (greedy, lustful, duplicitous, corrupt, inspired—in short, human) individuals living under a spectacularly effective compact called the Constitution, and lucky to get it.

If Mamet's point is that most people in the U.S. enjoy a level of middle-class prosperity that makes us better off than a great majority of people in the human condition throughout history, then that's true, but a banal enough point to be utterly unresponsive to the issues at hand that divide liberals from conservatives. Does our privileged status mean that we shouldn't upset the apple cart with national health care? Or does it mean that it's endangered by the current health care system? Who knows? It's just a platitude.

If Mamet's point is that we are not "villains", well, what's he talking about? I'm awfully proud of the record of this country with regard to, say, the Marshall Plan, but pretty horrified by things that the US has done in places like Guatemala, Iran, Congo, Vietnam, Iraq, and Chile. An assertion like "we are not villains" may be fine and good, but for what purpose? To argue the merits of those individual cases? It doesn't do that. Rather, it's more about constructing a narrative that you can then use to shoehorn preconceived policy scenarios into (the Cuba embargo, the Iraq War, etc.) Again, ironically, it's the situational liberals who take these things on a case-by-case basis, supporting military action here in the Balkans and Afghanistan, but opposing it there in Iraq and Panama. The sweeping narratives that have little use for individual circumstances seems more the province of the flightier pretensions of neoconservatism.

And why is the Constitution "spectacularly effective", as opposed to often anachronistic, unfair, and ambiguous? Lots of countries do pretty well without bicameralism, rotten boroughs, winner-take-all first-past-the-post elections, a Second Amendment, and the Electoral College. I'm not saying that the Constitution is all bad, but vapid assertions on the "spectacular effectiveness" of the Constitution seems a lot closer to the impracticable faith-based prejudices of Mamet's prior life as a so-called liberal than a realistic look at our founding document.

For the Constitution, rather than suggesting that all behave in a godlike manner, recognizes that, to the contrary, people are swine and will take any opportunity to subvert any agreement in order to pursue what they consider to be their proper interests.

To that end, the Constitution separates the power of the state into those three branches which are for most of us (I include myself) the only thing we remember from 12 years of schooling.

Again, this is fine, but really, so what? Are parliamentary democracies like the UK or Israel, where there's a lot less separation of powers between the executive and legislative, really totalitarian hellholes? The Constitution didn't envision political parties (until the Twelfth Amendment, at least), which operate in opposition as just a good a check on the flaws of elected officials as different branches of government. But again, what's the policy implication for Mamet's gushing? And how does it square with Bushian conservatism, which seems to think that the legislative and judicial branches don't matter?

I found not only that I didn't trust the current government (that, to me, was no surprise), but that an impartial review revealed that the faults of this president—whom I, a good liberal, considered a monster—were little different from those of a president whom I revered.

Bush got us into Iraq, JFK into Vietnam. Bush stole the election in Florida; Kennedy stole his in Chicago. Bush outed a CIA agent; Kennedy left hundreds of them to die in the surf at the Bay of Pigs. Bush lied about his military service; Kennedy accepted a Pulitzer Prize for a book written by Ted Sorenson. Bush was in bed with the Saudis, Kennedy with the Mafia. Oh.

I agree with all of this, but how does this implicate liberalism? Election theft, lying, and ties to organized crime aren't the province of any political ideology. And it's not part of any liberal program I know to invade Cuba or start a war with Vietnam.

And I began to question my hatred for "the Corporations"—the hatred of which, I found, was but the flip side of my hunger for those goods and services they provide and without which we could not live.

Oh, wow. Again with the straw men. Look, just to be clear, the ability to pool large amount of resources -- capital -- for competitive enterprise facilitated by the limited liability of a state-chartered corporation has been an important cornerstone of modern prosperity. However, liberals get wary of corporations because they can also be vehicles by which powerful people can take resources from others, in the form of corporate welfare, pollution, securities fraud, or bad labor practices. No liberal I know wants to, say, ban the corporation, we just want them to fulfill the policy objective of economic prosperity, not do the opposite.

And I began to question my distrust of the "Bad, Bad Military" of my youth, which, I saw, was then and is now made up of those men and women who actually risk their lives to protect the rest of us from a very hostile world. Is the military always right? No. Neither is government, nor are the corporations—they are just different signposts for the particular amalgamation of our country into separate working groups, if you will. Are these groups infallible, free from the possibility of mismanagement, corruption, or crime? No, and neither are you or I. So, taking the tragic view, the question was not "Is everything perfect?" but "How could it be better, at what cost, and according to whose definition?" Put into which form, things appeared to me to be unfolding pretty well.

Still waiting for the payoff, of how this point of view, reasonable to the point of being boring, discredits liberalism rather than a cartoon version of it.

Do I speak as a member of the "privileged class"? If you will—but classes in the United States are mobile, not static, which is the Marxist view. That is: Immigrants came and continue to come here penniless and can (and do) become rich; the nerd makes a trillion dollars; the single mother, penniless and ignorant of English, sends her two sons to college (my grandmother). On the other hand, the rich and the children of the rich can go belly-up; the hegemony of the railroads is appropriated by the airlines, that of the networks by the Internet; and the individual may and probably will change status more than once within his lifetime.

Mamet is just factually in the wrong here. Social mobility exists to an extent, but his anecdotal yarn-spinning notwithstanding, it's actually getting harder to move from one social class to another in the US. Does Mamet really want to test his view of "penniless immigrants" against their actual earnings? Does Mamet really believe that the rich don't insulate themselves from competitive pressures? Has he heard of the debate over the estate tax? Guess which side the "brain-dead" take.

What about the role of government? Well, in the abstract, coming from my time and background, I thought it was a rather good thing ...

Didn't he say earlier that government was corrupt?

... but tallying up the ledger in those things which affect me and in those things I observe, I am hard-pressed to see an instance where the intervention of the government led to much beyond sorrow.

Umm, examples, please? How do those corporations that he reveres get the limited liability that defines them as corporations in the first place? Would Mamet get copyright protection for his screenplays in a state of nature? And how about roads, Social Security, the Voting Rights Act, subways, that military he likes so much, the GI bill, deposit insurance, and OSHA? Would he really want to eat food that isn't regulated for safety or live next to a factory that doesn't observe any environmental rules? Of all of the things Mamet has said in this article, this lazy anti-government reflex is the most vapid substitution for thought yet (although unfortunately common).

But if the government is not to intervene, how will we, mere human beings, work it all out?

I wondered and read, and it occurred to me that I knew the answer, and here it is: We just seem to. How do I know? From experience. I referred to my own—take away the director from the staged play and what do you get? Usually a diminution of strife, a shorter rehearsal period, and a better production.

Oh. That solves everything. The free rider problem, externalities, vigilantism ... just wished away. "We just seem to," because human society is just a theater production writ large? Right, Somalia's a lovely place to be.

Strand unacquainted bus travelers in the middle of the night, and what do you get? A lot of bad drama, and a shake-and-bake Mayflower Compact. Each, instantly, adds what he or she can to the solution. Why? Each wants, and in fact needs, to contribute—to throw into the pot what gifts each has in order to achieve the overall goal, as well as status in the new-formed community. And so they work it out.

See also that most magnificent of schools, the jury system, where, again, each brings nothing into the room save his or her own prejudices, and, through the course of deliberation, comes not to a perfect solution, but a solution acceptable to the community—a solution the community can live with.

Note how this contradicts Mamet's earlier disdain for the ostensibly naive liberal view that people are good.

The rest of the piece meanders along without much interesting to say. The bottom line is that Mamet suffers from the same problem someone like David Horowitz does: he starts out with an extremist, slapdash political worldview, and doesn't correct himself by moderating, but rather by projecting his personal flaws to everyone on that side of the political spectrum. The convert is more Catholic than the Pope, as they say.

The Wire: it's all over now

2008-03-09T21:38:00.001-07:00

Just finished watching the series finale, and while it wasn't as satisfying as prior seasons, it was still a nice capper to the best television show in the history of the medium. First, some of the scenes were downright hilarious: Carcetti's sputtering when he finds out about the serial killer ruse; McNulty and Daniels standing silently and grimly in the elevator; and the murder of Cheese -- of all of the heartbreaking deaths of this series -- was most pleasant in the context. Good for gravelly-voice Slim Charles.

Of course, the fact that the bad guys get rewarded, the good get punished, and nothing ever really changes in inner-city Baltimore (and the American city in general) were familiar motifs, most clumsily explored in the justice-free Sun plot. Omar lives on as Michael, Bubbles is redeemed only to be replaced by the bridge-burning Dukie (with a junk dealer, both literally and figuratively), and Marlo throws away every break he's been handed. It was funny to see Chris and Wee-Bay hanging out in prison, and Leander approaching the judge in the manner identical to Jimmy in the first episode of the series. It was also funny to see Kima confess to Jimmy and Lester -- an interesting parallel to the Stanfield crew trying to find out who the (fictional) snitch was.

I'll miss this show, but it ended at a good time. "I'm a free-born man of the USA ..."

Wire season 5, episode 4 (major spoiler alerts)

2008-01-23T19:23:00.000-08:00

First, what I didn't like about the episode: the Baltimore Sun stuff, so far, isn't the greatest. I don't mind it -- I remember feeling that way about the dockworkers plot at the this point in Season 2 and I ended up liking it a lot, so I'm patient. But I thought that the editor's reprimand of Gus for his profanity was over-the-top cartoonish. And Templeton's still an annoyingly one-dimensional character. But I did love the scene where the reporters try to come up with a better word than "incensed."

Aside from that, I thought this episode was pretty damn riveting, and it really brought home to me what I've heard David Simon say in interviews, that a lot of what the show is about is a critique of contemporary capitalism (poignantly timely these days). Prop Joe versus Marlo really underscores it nicely. Prop Joe and his co-op seem to represent the way that the American economy was conducted up through the '70s or so. There were big oligopolistic industries who were more interested in preservation of the status quo than cutthroat competition. Unions organized a big portion of workplaces, they got cut in on the deal, and no one really wanted to upset the apple cart too much. They all had a stake in it.

Then along come people like Marlo -- people who want more than these cooperative arrangements would otherwise get them. By trying to take down the competition, of course, they run the risk that they could someday get killed, too, a greater risk than the older, stodgy, cooperative Galbraithian parties used to run. But they're willing to go for it, nonetheless. So Marlo has to to kill Prop Joe, one of the more affecting scenes I've seen in television in a long time.

The other plot developments were interesting. I'm worried that Jimmy and Lester are headed for a fall, big-time (that and Marlo's ascendency would really cap off the pessimism of the series). If Jay keeps pissing off Bunk, who knows, maybe he'll get involved and get caught, too. With Beatrice finally ready to kick Jimmy out, he runs the risk of a loveless, jobless existence. Kima's maternal instinct got stroked, but didn't her girlfriend end up with someone else? And how many years has it been? That kid looks about four; it feels like he was born pretty recently. It was also amusing to see Herc in the office with Marlo.

The Wire: season 5, episode 3

2008-01-14T20:51:00.000-08:00

Whoa! Butchie killed! And by ruthless motherfuckers (I talk this way after watching me some Wire) Chris and Snoop. I guess Omar's back.

I loved the fact that Lester was into the caper Jimmy's trying to pull. I'm sure he'll come up with better stuff than the ribbon, which is, after all, pretty lame when you think about it. I liked Jay's reaction, too -- a lot of versimilitude, I wager. Ahh, good old Lester, with his jazz and love of the hunt.

The newsroom plot looks a little less predictable now; the layoffs added another dimension to the story.

So now Carcetti's firing Burrell? I thought he tried to do that in a prior season, and Burrell was able to threaten him with retribution from "the ministers," as well as prove his usefulness for dealing with things like the Herc situation.

I love the frustration Prop Joe expresses about trying to civilize Marlo. Marlo's aggressive visit to the bank showed just how hard it is to civilize him.

I felt kind of sad seeing Dukie, Michael, and Michael's little brother going to Six Flags. It underscored how they really are still kids. I know that it's a cliche to talk about youth being stolen from them, but this episode showed that better than any way we could have been told that.

And ohh, Clay Davis. I like that actor, man. Carcetti handled him probably the only way he could be handled. I wonder if he'll try to team up with Burrell to sink him.

The Wire, Season 5, episode 2

2008-01-14T20:06:00.001-08:00

I'd say that the worst thing about this episode was the portrayal of the newsroom stuff; so far it looks formulaic and predictable, but who knows? The writers have been known to throw curveballs at us before.

Aside from that, there was a lot of good stuff in this episode. For a guy who was such a villain in the first season, it was a pleasure to see Avon again, especially in contrast to the humorless Marlo -- who at least seemed to know how to talk to the Russian (and I see with the revival of the Greek connection that all of the seasons are getting tied in together -- I'm waiting to see when the Baltimore Sun's proposed series on education ends up in Prez's classroom).

I liked the humanization of Michael -- he can't shoot the kid who bears a pretty strong resemblance to his little brother. Pretty sad -- and powerfully bookended when Kima finds the other child hidden in the closet.

And Jimmy. Oh, Jimmy, Jimmy, Jimmy. What was a he thinking? Well, I have an idea as to what he was thinking; throw some negative publicity on the crime issue to get the major crimes unit up and running again so that they can get Marlo. Strikes me as an unlikely bank shot, but he's driven, I guess.

The Wire, Season 5, episode 1

2008-01-06T20:25:00.000-08:00

As with any T.V. show that's great, there's always the fear that its critical success is time-limited (see Simpsons, the). So it was a relief to see the first episode of the fifth season and love it. For a show about drugs, I guess it's appropriate for the first new episode in a year to feel like a head rush.

I thought that the opening scene was hilarious. As I recall from the Criminal Procedure class I took fifteen years ago, the deception that the cops practiced while questioning the suspect was perfectly kosher (which a former criminal defender appellant attorney confirmed for me.)

The scene where Carver addresses a room full of cops irate at not getting overtime, even under the tough-on-crime mayoralty of Carcetti, reminded me of the book "Blue Blood" by Edward Conlon, an account of life as a cop in the Bronx. Conlon disputed the notion that cops like Giuliani, citing similar kinds of workplace grievances. Of course, the budget problems facing a city like Baltimore seem tragically chronic, the bigger picture that leads to the suspension of the Major Crimes Unit.

The suspension of the Major Crimes Unit plot point felt slightly tired; hasn't there been some incarnation of this about three times in the series already? It plays into a larger theme of the show, the inertia of institutions that restricts talented individuals. While that's largely explored in the context of the Police Department, it's often echoed in the other facets of the show (like the cops and drug dealers in season three getting chewed out by their superiors for getting unsatisfactory results).

Of course, the institution the show gets into with this new season is the Baltimore Sun, which has all of the ingredients familiar to Wire viewers; talented underlings seeking to do their jobs but stymied by bureaucratic imperatives; bosses who are alternately clueless and venal; minor victories for the former that ultimately don't change the big picture. It's sort of predictable, particularly when Jimmy McNulty and the Sun reporter express identical sentiments about the institutions they work for. I didn't mind it though; I've drunk enough of the David Simon/Ed Burns kool-aid to dig in and see where it leads.

Two more minor notes: I was amused by the scene where Carcetti asks the U.S. Attorney for assistance in solving the murder committed by Marlo's crew. The U.S. Attorney will only do it if he can get a piece of the apparent prosecution of Clay Davis (about time!), which Carcetti calls out as motivated by partisanship. I saw an echo of the U.S. Attorney-firing scandal, where the Bush Justice Department seemed to be motivated by a desire to manufacture corruption charges against Democratic politicians.

I was also amused to see Herc working as a private investigator for the oily defense lawyer who once represented the Barksdale crew. That might seem to contradict his -- ahem -- perspective on his prior job, but Herc was always kind of a fuck-up and probably landed at the only place he could go. A lot of former prosecutors become defense attorneys, and the investigators they hire tend to be former cops.

So where's Omar? Prez? Namond? Valchek? Will they crowd the cast of thousands that the Wire has become? Any glimpses of Avon in jail forthcoming?

My favorite songs 1/1/08

2008-01-01T19:38:00.001-08:00

1954

10. "Taki Kari" - Yma Sumac
9. "Ling Ting Tong" - The Five Keys
8. "Shulie-A-Bop" - Sarah Vaughan
7. "I Put a Spell On You" - Screamin' Jay Hawkins
6. "A Night In Tunisia" - Dizzy Gillespie
5. "All in Fun" - Jeri Southern
4. "Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight" - The Spaniels
3. "I Just Want To Make Love To You" - Muddy Waters
2. "Mr. Sandman" - The Chordettes
1. "Sh'Boom" - The Chords

1955

10. "Mary Lou" - Young Jesse
9. "Let's Go" - The Moonglows
8. "Car Hoppin' Mama" - Hawkshaw Hawkins
7. "Singin' the Blues" - Marty Robbins
6. "Sixteen Tons" - Tennessee Ernie Ford
5. "Dripsody" - Hugh Caine
4. "Earth Angel" - The Penguins
3. "Only You" - The Platters
2. "The Comeback" - Joe Williams
1. "Lullaby of Birdland" - Sarah Vaughan

1956

10. "Tutti Frutti" - Little Richard
9. "Roll Over Beethoven" - Chuck Berry
8. "Lonely Avenue" - Ray Charles
7. "Why Do Fools Fall In Love" - Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers
6. "In the Still Of the Night" - The Five Satins
5. "I'm In the Mood" - John Lee Hooker
4. "Candide: The Best Of All Possible Worlds" - Leonard Bernstein
3. "I Walk the Line" - Johnny Cash
2. "Honey Don't" - Carl Perkins
1. "Be-Bop-A-Lula" - Gene Vincent

1957

10. "There Will Never Be Another You" - Bud Powell
9. "Come Go With Me" - The Dell-Vikings
8. "Lush Life" - Joe Mooney
7. "Searchin'" - The Coasters
6. "Conversation" - Machito
5. "West Side Story: Tonight, Tonight" - Leonard Bernstein
4. "Lush Life" - John Coltrane
3. "Walkin' After Midnight" - Patsy Cline
2. "Motel" - Miles Davis
1. "Manteca" - Dizzy Gillespie

1958

10. "Rave On" - Buddy Holly
9. "Tears On My Pillow" - Little Anthony & the Imperials
8. "Fever" - Peggy Lee
7. "Number 9 Train" - Tar Heel Slim
6. "I Mean You" - Thelonious Monk
5. "Come On, Let's Go" - Richie Valens
4. "Summertime Blues" - Eddie Cochran
3. "Bird Dog" - The Everly Brothers
2. "Cuban Nightingale" - Joe Holiday
1. "Guaglione" - Machito

1959

10. "Darn That Dream" - Sarah Vaughan
9. "Lonely Woman" - Ornette Coleman
8. "Poison Ivy" - The Coasters
7. "So What?" - Miles Davis
6. "Apes and Peacocks" - Duke Ellington
5. "Philadelphia Bound" - Jo Jones
4. "Surrey With the Fringe On Top" - Blossom Dearie
3. "Moanin'" - Charlie Mingus
2. "I Only Have Eyes For You" - The Flamingoes
1. "What'd I Say" - Ray Charles

1960

10. "Caravan" - Lambert, Hendricks & Ross
9. "Money (That's What I Want)" - Barrett Strong
8. "Rhode Island Is Famous For You" - Blossom Dearie
7. "Take Five" - Dave Brubeck
6. "New York's My Home" - Ray Charles
5. "Over You" - Aaron Neville
4. "'Til I Kissed You" - The Everly Brothers
3. "Cousin Mary" - John Coltrane
2. "Theme From 'a Summer Place'" - Percy Faith
1. "Shoppin' For Clothes" - The Coasters

1961

10. "Will You Love Me Tomorrow" - The Shirelles
9. "Runaway" - Del Shannon
8. "It's Gonna Work Out Fine" - Ike & Tina Turner
7. "Li'l Egypt" - The Coasters
6. "Unsquare Dance" - Dave Brubeck
5. "Surrender" - Elvis Presley
4. "Blue Moon" - The Marcels
3. "A Rose In Spanish Harlem" - Ben E. King
2. "Alex Mambo" - Machito
1. "My Favorite Things" - John Coltrane

1962

10. "Georgie On the IRT" - Dave Van Ronk
9. "Stormy Monday" - Bobby Bland
8. "Cocinando Suave" - Ray Barretto
7. "The Inch Worm" - John Coltrane
6. "Watermelon Man" - Herbie Hancock
5. "I'm Blue" - The Ikettes
4. "Miserlu" - Dick Dale
3. "It Didn't Turn Out That Way" - Mose Allison
2. "Green Onions" - Booker T & the MG's
1. "You Are My Sunshine" - Ray Charles

1963

10. "Be My Baby" - The Ronettes
9. "Da Doo Ron Ron" - The Crystals
8. "One Fine Day" - The Chiffons
7. "Sally Don't You Go" - The Jaynettes
6. "Hava Nagila" - Dick Dale
5. "Bolivar Blues" - Thelonious Monk
4. "Sprite" - Raymond Scott
3. "II B.S." - Charles Mingus
2. "Stella By Starlight" - Bill Evans
1. "Girl From Ipanema" - Joao Gilberto

1964

10. "Soul Dressing" - Booker T & the MG's
9. "Lupita" - Guillermo Gonzalez
8. "Fiddler On the Roof: Tradition" - Jerry Bock
7. "Everybody Needs Somebody To Love" - Solomon Burke
6. "Pain In My Heart" - Otis Redding
5. "Thank You Mama Thank You Papa" - The Dixie Cups
4. "Sweet Tater Pie" - Mongo Santamaria
3. "Canteloupe Island" - Herbie Hancock
2. "Little Girl Blue" - Nina Simone
1. "Out Of Sight" - James Brown

1965

10. "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" - The Animals
9. "Pedro Pedreiro" - Quarteto Emly
8. "Boot-Leg" - Booker T & the MG's
7. "Soledad" - Cumbia Los Galleros
6. "Descarga Cachao" - Tito Rodriguez
5. "Agua de Beber" - Astrid Gilberto
4. "Your One and Only Man" - Otis Redding
3. "Daddy Wong Legs" - Cal Tjader
2. "Cold Sweat" - James Brown
1. "Norwegian Wood" - The Beatles

1966

10. "Paint It Black" - The Rolling Stones
9. "A Simple Desultory Philippic" - Simon & Garfunkel
8. "Good Vibrations" - The Beach Boys
7. "96 Tears" - ? & the Mysterians
6. "Fried Neck Bones and Some Home Fries" - Willie Bobo
5. "Ain't That a Groove" - James Brown
4. "Do the Boogaloo" - Pete Rodriguez
3. "One Note Samba/Spanish Flea" - Sergio Mendes
2. "I'm Sick Y'All" - Otis Redding
1. "Tomorrow Never Knows" - The Beatles

1967

10. "Ode To Billie Joe" - Bobbie Gentry
9. "Boogaloo Mania" - Charlie Palmieri
8. "Hip Hug Her" - Booker T & the MG's
7. "Wave" - Antonio Carlos Jobim
6. "Dr. Feelgood" - Aretha Franklin
5. "Small Portion Of Your Love" - Sam & Dave
4. "Up, Up, and Away" - The 5th Dimension
3. "I Am the Walrus" - The Beatles
2. "Femme Fatale" - The Velvet Underground
1. "Hey Joe" - Jimi Hendrix

1968

10. "Lady Godiva's Operation" - The Velvet Underground
9. "A Deeper Shade Of Soul" - Ray Barretto
8. "Something In the Way She Moves" - James Taylor
7. "Watusi Boogaloo" - Willie Rosario
6. "Matrix" - Chick Corea
5. "Folsom Prison Blues" - Johnny Cash
4. "Ave Maria" - Caetano Veloso
3. "I Can't Stand Myself" - James Brown
2. "What Do I Have To Do To Prove My Love To You" - Marva Whitney
1. "Castles Made Of Sand" - Jimi Hendrix

1969

10. "Mama Culanga" - Johnny Sedes
9. "Norwegian Wood" - Sergio Mendes
8. "A Boy Named Sue" - Johnny Cash
7. "Mathar" - The Dave Pike Set
6. "Shangri-La" - The Kinks
5. "Fortunate Son" - Creedence Clearwater Revival
4. "Suspicious Minds" - Elvis Presley
3. "Grazing In the Grass" - Friends Of Distinction
2. "Everyday People" - Sly & the Family Stone
1. "Irene" - Caetano Veloso

1970

10. "Reverend Lee" - Roberta Flack
9. "Thank You Falettinme Be Mice Elf" - Sly & the Family Stone
8. "Cumbia En Do Menor" - Lito Barrientos
7. "Tu Loco Locoy Y Yo Tranquillo" - Roberto Roena
6. "Blackpatch" - Laura Nyro
5. "Eleanor Rigby" - Aretha Franklin
4. "Purlie: Down Home" - Gary Geld
3. "Chovendo Na Roseira" - Antonio Carlos Jobim
2. "Whitey's On the Moon" - Gil Scott-Heron
1. "Fancy" - Bobbie Gentry

1971

10. "John, I'm Only Dancing" - David Bowie
9. "Inner City Blues" - Marvin Gaye
8. "Drumming Part IV" - Steven Reich
7. "Baby" - Os Mutantes
6. "Monkey Girl" - Toots & the Maytals
5. "You've Got To Earn It" - The Staple Singers
4. "Fire and Rain" - James Taylor
3. "I Know You Got Soul" - Bobby Byrd
2. "Voodoo Village" - Tony Joe White
1. "God" - John Lennon

1972

10. "Saturday In the Park" - Chicago
9. "Pippin: War Is a Science" - Stephen Schwartz
8. "Superfly" - Curtis Mayfield
7. "Popcorn" - Hot Butter
6. "Slow Motion Part 1" - Johnny Williams
5. "Get On the Good Foot" - James Brown
4. "Cravo e Canela" - Milton Nascimento
3. "Cabaret: the Money Song" - John Kander
2. "Soy Boricua" - Bobby Valentin
1. "The Love I Lost" - Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes

1973

10. "Crazy 'Bout My Baby" - Bonnie Bramlet
9. "A Little Bit Of Love" - Brenda and the Tabulations
8. "Jolene" - Dolly Parton
7. "Sparkle City" - Shuggie Otis
6. "Search and Destroy" - Iggy Pop
5. "Jungle Boogie" - Kool & the Gang
4. "If You Want Me To Stay" - Sly & the Family Stone
3. "Living For the City" - Stevie Wonder
2. "TSOP" - MFSB
1. "Music For Mallet Instruments, Organ & Voices" - Steven Reich

1974

10. "Big John Is My Name" - Undisputed Truth
9. "Love Epidemic" - The Trammps
8. "The Pill" - Loretta Lynn
7. "Aguas De Marco" - Elis Regina
6. "Lively up Yourself" - Bob Marley
5. "Ghosts" - Fred Frith
4. "O Homem de Gravata Florida" - Jorge Ben
3. "Pick Up the Pieces" - Average White Band
2. "Rock Me Again and Again and Again and Again" - Lyn Collins
1. "Lady Marmalade" - Labelle

1975

10. "Walking In Rhythm" - The Blackbyrds
9. "You're No Good" - Linda Ronstadt
8. "Mi Rumba Echando Candela" - Celeste Mendoza
7. "Chocolate City" - Parliament
6. "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" - AC/DC
5. "All Around My Hat" - Steeleye Span
4. "Do It Any Way You Wanna" - The People's Choice
3. "Cut the Cake" - Average White Band
2. "Zawinul" - Brian Eno
1. "Time Warp" - Richard O'Brien

1976

10. "Car Wash" - Rose Royce
9. "Porcupine" - Nature Zone
8. "Bohemian Rhapsody" - Queen
7. "Say You Love Me" - Fleetwood Mac
6. "Don't Go Breakin' My Heart" - Elton John & Kiki Dee
5. "Einstein On the Beach: Knee Play 1" - Philip Glass
4. "Kicks" - Lou Reed
3. "Harvest For the World" - The Isley Brothers
2. "Roadrunner" - The Modern Lovers
1. "Across the Lake of the Ancient World" - Terry Riley

1977

10. "Marquee Moon" - Television
9. "Dreams" - Fleetwood Mac
8. "Peg" - Steely Dan
7. "Nobody Does It Better" - Carly Simon
6. "Don't Leave Me This Way" - Thelma Houston
5. "Trans-Europe Express" - Kraftwerk
4. "London's Burning" - The Clash
3. "EMI" - The Sex Pistols
2. "'Heroes'" - David Bowie
1. "I Wish" - Stevie Wonder

1978

10. "Six Fantasies On a Poem by Thomas Campion" - Paul Lansky
9. "El Bollinski en D7" - Charlie Santiago and Eddie Montalvo
8. "Robots" - Kraftwerk
7. "Bye Bye Love" - The Cars
6. "Hot Blooded" - Foreigner
5. "Nervous Breakdown" - Black Flag
4. "Music For Eighteen Musicians" - Steven Reich
3. "Indestructible" - Ray Barretto
2. "Night Fever" - The Bee Gees
1. "Inland Seas" - Brian Eno

1979

10. "The Devil Went Down To Georgia" - The Charlie Daniels Band
9. "Fire" - The Pointer Sisters
8. "Next To You" - The Police
7. "Me and My Chauffeur Blues" - Lucinda Williams
6. "Money (That's What I Want)" - The Flying Lizards
5. "Pretty Girls" - Joe Jackson
4. "Rock Lobster" - The B-52's
3. "I Feel For You" - Prince
2. "Object" - The Cure
1. "Natural's Not In It" - Gang Of Four

1980

10. "California Uber Alles" - The Dead Kennedys
9. "Upside Down" - Diana Ross
8. "Once In a Lifetime" - Talking Heads
7. "Los Angeles" - X
6. "Cars" - Gary Numan
5. "You Shook Me" - AC/DC
4. "Party Up" - Prince
3. "Jimmy Jazz" - The Clash
2. "Up the Neck" - The Pretenders
1. "Mirror In the Bathroom" - The English Beat

1981

10. "Our Lips Are Sealed" - The Go-Go's
9. "Beautiful World" - Devo
8. "Sexuality" - Prince
7. "White Girl" - X
6. "Under Pressure" - Queen
5. "Johnny Are You Queer" - Josie Cotton
4. "Pocket Calculator" - Kraftwerk
3. "I'm In Love With a German Film Star" - The Passions
2. "Just Can't Get Enough" - Depeche Mode
1. "Filler" - Minor Threat

1982

10. "Dancing With Myself" - Billy Idol
9. "Rockit" - Herbie Hancock
8. "(Keep Feeling) Fascination" - The Human League
7. "I Ran (So Far)" - A Flock Of Seagulls
6. "Breaking Us In Two" - Joe Jackson
5. "DMSR" - Prince
4. "Bhabiye Ni Bhabiye" - Alaap
3. "Myage" - The Descendents
2. "Mo Beru Agba" - King Sunny Ade
1. "That's How I Escaped My Certain Fate" - Mission Of Burma

1983

10. "New York New York" - Nina Hagen
9. "Uncertain Smile" - The The
8. "Buck Hill" - The Replacements
7. "Coup D'Etat" - The Circle Jerks
6. "Burning Down the House" - Talking Heads
5. "She Blinded Me With Science" - Thomas Dolby
4. "Real World" - Husker Du
3. "Split Myself In Two" - The Meat Puppets
2. "Swordfishtrombones" - Tom Waits
1. "Radio Free Europe" - REM

1984

10. "Slip It In" - Black Flag
9. "It's My Life" - Talk Talk
8. "Flags For Everything" - Let's Active
7. "Don't Worry Baby" - Los Lobos
6. "South Central Rain (I'm Sorry)" - REM
5. "Let's Go Crazy" - Prince
4. "Answering Machine" - The Replacements
3. "Close (To the Edit)" - Art Of Noise
2. "Maybe Partying Will Help" - The Minutemen
1. "Something I Learned Today" - Husker Du

1985

10. "How Soon Is Now?" - The Smiths
9. "Close To Me" - The Cure
8. "Bitchin' Camaro" - The Dead Milkmen
7. "Pushin' Pullin'" - The Effigies
6. "GCF" - The Descendents
5. "Kiss Me On the Bus" - The Replacements
4. "Satyagraha: Kuru Field Of Justice" - Philip Glass
3. "Up On the Sun" - The Meat Puppets
2. "King Of the Hill" - The Minutemen
1. "Tango 'Til They're Sore" - Tom Waits

1986

10. "Word Up" - Cameo
9. "Dear God" - XTC
8. "Panic" - The Smiths
7. "Michelangelo" - Astor Piazzolla
6. "Talking To Myself" - Let's Active
5. "She's Crafty" - The Beastie Boys
4. "I'm Bad" - LL Cool J
3. "All This I've Done For You" - Husker Du
2. "In a Glass House" - Antietam
1. "Shadow Of a Doubt" - Sonic Youth

1987

10. "Could You Be the One" - Husker Du
9. "When the Walls Come Down" - Naked Raygun
8. "French Kiss" - Li'l Louis
7. "Isla de Encanta" - The Pixies
6. "In a Jar" - Dinosaur Jr.
5. "I Know You Got Soul" - Eric B & Rakim
4. "Go!" - Tones On Tail
3. "Beauty Lies In the Eye" - Sonic Youth
2. "Hang On St. Christopher" - Tom Waits
1. "Peek-A-Boo" - Siouxsie & the Banshees

1988

10. "Eye" - The Poster Children
9. "Tougher Than Leather" - Run-DMC
8. "Ana Ng" - They Might Be Giants
7. "The History Of the Concept Of the Soul" - The Mr. T Experience
6. "El Canelo" - Los Lobos
5. "Freak Scene" - Dinosaur Jr.
4. "Gigantic" - The Pixies
3. "Delicious Demon" - The Sugarcubes
2. "Teenage Riot" - Sonic Youth
1. "Night Of the Living Bassheads" - Public Enemy

1989

10. "Fight the Power" - Public Enemy
9. "Get Up! (Before the Night Is Over)" - Technotronic
8. "Debaser" - The Pixies
7. "Drug Test" - Yo La Tengo
6. "untiedundone" - The Creatures
5. "Cha Cha Cha" - MC Lyte
4. "Say No Go" - De La Soul
3. "Egg Man" - The Beastie Boys
2. "Waiting Room" - Fugazi
1. "Dirty Blvd." - Lou Reed

1990

10. "Vogue" - Madonna
9. "Tunic (Song For Karen)" - Sonic Youth
8. "Stop!" - Jane's Addiction
7. "Tied Up In Chains" - The Chills
6. "Taa Deem" - Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan
5. "Fortunately Gone" - The Breeders
4. "The Summer" - Yo La Tengo
3. "Make My Body Rock" - Jomanda
2. "Violin Doyna" - The Klezmatics
1. "The Crank Case" - Timber

1991

10. "Total Peace" - Sebadoh
9. "There's No Other Way" - Blur
8. "Pure Pain Sugar" - Unwound
7. "Stacks" - Fugazi
6. "Trompe Le Monde" - The Pixies
5. "Can't Truss It" - Public Enemy
4. "Lineage" - Zakir Hussein
3. "Four O'Clocker 2" - Thinking Fellers Union Local 282
2. "Scenario" - A Tribe Called Quest
1. "Lithium" - Nirvana

1992

10. "Mistadobolina" - Del the Funkee Homosapien
9. "Lightning" - The Blue Humans
8. "Helpless" - Sugar
7. "360 Degrees" - Grand Puba
6. "Sugar Kane" - Sonic Youth
5. "Brand New Love" - Sebadoh
4. "Untogether" - Lush
3. "Magdelena" - Sergio Mendes
2. "Loretta's Scars" - Pavement
1. "Stand Together" - The Beastie Boys

1993

10. "If That's Your Boyfriend (He Wasn't Last Night)" - Me'Shell Ndegecello
9. "Got Kinda Hi" - The Goats
8. "Cherub Rock" - Smashing Pumpkins
7. "Little Jenny Bow" - Bill Frisell
6. "From a Motel 6" - Yo La Tengo
5. "The First Part" - Superchunk
4. "All Apologies" - Nirvana
3. "Rebirth Of Slick (Cool Like Dat)" - Digable Planets
2. "Stratford-On-Guy" - Liz Phair
1. "Spoonman" - Underworld

1994

10. "Green Glass" - Jawbox
9. "Kun Fe Ko" - Oumou Sangare
8. "Root Down" - The Beastie Boys
7. "Delia's Gone" - Johnny Cash
6. "Back From the Dead" - House Of Pain
5. "Cut Your Hair" - Pavement
4. "Bicycle" - Autechre
3. "Rich Girl" - Louchie Lou & Michie One
2. "Screenwriter's Blues" - Soul Coughing
1. "Jennifer's Body" - Hole

1995

10. "Leave Home" - The Chemical Brothers
9. "Moo Kid" - Aphex Twin
8. "The Holy Ghost Is Here Right Now" - Rev. Milton Brunson
7. "Saucer" - Pell Mell
6. "Little Trouble Girl" - Sonic Youth
5. "Don't Say a Word" - Yo La Tengo
4. "Josephine" - The Magnetic Fields
3. "Song Against Sex" - Neutral Milk Hotel
2. "Man With a Hat" - The Klezmatics
1. "Hyper-Ballad" - Bjork

1996

10. "Thoughts Like Rain" - DJ Spooky
9. "Blood On the Mountain" - Star Pimp
8. "The Dicty Glide" - Don Byron
7. "Valeti Boliyan" - AS Kang
6. "I Wanna Be Your Joey Ramone" - Sleater-Kinney
5. "Noise Of Carpet" - Stereolab
4. "4 Skies" - Arto Lindsay
3. "Beef Jerky" - Cibo Matto
2. "Girl/Boy Song" - Aphex Twin
1. "I've Been Everywhere" - Johnny Cash

1997

10. "Ballet Dance" - Roni Size/Reprazant
9. "Wichita Lineman" - Scud Mountain Boys
8. "Five Years" - Bjork
7. "Dog On Wheels" - Belle & Sebastian
6. "Setting Sun" - The Chemical Brothers
5. "Subterranean Homesick Alien" - Radiohead
4. "Shprayz Ikh Mir" - The Klezmatics
3. "Juju" - Mouse On Mars
2. "Magnesium Flares" - We
1. "Brakhage" - Stereolab

1998

10. "Mundian To Bach Ke" - Labh Janua & Panjabi MC
9. "Choserito Plena" - Marc Ribot
8. "Praise You" - Fat Boy Slim
7. "Cross Bones Style" - Cat Power
6. "Ten-Day Interval" - Tortoise
5. "Music For Airports: 1/1" - Bang On a Can All-Stars
4. "Is This Desire?" - PJ Harvey
3. "The Woman Downstairs" - The Handsome Family
2. "Open Light" - Boards Of Canada
1. "The King Of Carrot Flowers Part 2" - Neutral Milk Hotel

1999

10. "Cumbia Raza" - Los Lobos
9. "Cowboy" - Kid Rock
8. "Un Poquito Mas" - Jimmy Bosch
7. "Easy On Your Eyes" - The Aluminum Group
6. "Daremoshiranai Chiisuanakuni" - susumu yokota
5. "A Cleaner Light" - Kristin Hersch
4. "Porcelain" - Moby
3. "Canned Heat" - Jamiroquai
2. "Mykologics" - Mouse On Mars
1. "Papa Was a Rodeo" - The Magnetic Fields

2000

10. "Snowflake" - Languis
9. "Chartsengrafs" - Grandaddy
8. "The Model" - Belle & Sebastian
7. "Beautiful Feeling" - PJ Harvey
6. "Yolanda" - Tied & Tickled Trio
5. "Post Mid Arc" - Jega
4. "Maria" - Feo-Gasy
3. "Eros" - Tortoise
2. "Everything In Its Right Place" - Radiohead
1. "Swing Set" - Jurassic 5

2001

10. "Get the Party Started" - Pink
9. "Finding It Harder To Be a Gentleman" - The White Stripes
8. "Everybody Got That Something" - Nikka Costa
7. "Summer Sun" - Koop
6. "Booc" - Plaid
5. "Knuddelmaus" - Ulrich Schnauss
4. "El Cholulu" - Glover Gill & the Tosca Tango Orchestra
3. "You and What Army?" - Radiohead
2. "Digital 2.0" - Mia Doi Todd
1. "Polaris" - Bostich

2002

10. "Cup Of Tea" - Sage Francis
9. "Imaginary" - Bus Driver
8. "20 Questions" - Amy Rigby
7. "Unionbusting" - Jenny Toomey
6. "Skin" - Andrew Bird
5. "Astro Sister" - The Negro Problem
4. "Misery Is the River Of the World" - Tom Waits
3. "Work It" - Missy Elliott
2. "Hayling" - FC Kahuna
1. "Music Is Math" - Boards Of Canada

2003

10. "Tick" - The Yeah Yeah Yeahs
9. "Backdrifts" - Radiohead
8. "Oh, Detroit, Lift up Your Weary Head (Rebuild! Restore! Reconsider!)" - Sufjan Stevens
7. "Bright Future In Sales" - Fountains Of Wayne
6. "Comfortably Numb" - Scissor Sisters
5. "Para Mi Barrio" - Vico C
4. "Supersonic" - Basement Jaxx
3. "No Es Tan Cierto" - Juana Molina
2. "Pass That Dutch" - Missy Elliott
1. "Hey Ya!" - Outkast

2004

10. "Come As You Are" - Caetano Veloso
9. "Laura" - Scissor Sisters
8. "Neon Rider" - Junior Boys
7. "Hsaing Kyaik de Maung" - Bang On a Can All-Stars & Kyaw Kyaw Naing
6. "Galang" - MIA
5. "Wonderful Night" - Fat Boy Slim
4. "'lest Sexy" - Mahala Rai Banda
3. "Belleville Rendezvous" - -M-
2. "Northern Line" - Old 97s
1. "I Wish I Had an Evil Twin" - The Magnetic Fields

2005

10. "The Well" - (Smog)
9. "My Man Is a Mean Man" - Sharon Jones
8. "Jill" - Dynamite Ham
7. "I Love You" - Modeselektor
6. "Koi Aaya AaneBhi de" - Kronos Quartet with Asha Bhosle
5. "Orion: Interlude - Canada & the Gambia" - Philip Glass
4. "Song Of the Sleeping Forest" - susumu yokota
3. "Luvin' You" - Rod Lee
2. "You're Good" - MIA
1. "Jacksonville" - Sufjan Stevens

2006

10. "Song Song Song" - Final Fantasy
9. "Hip Hop Is Dead" - Nas
8. "Duas Opinoes" - Tom Ze
7. "Salam" - Gigi
6. "Stratographic" - Lithops
5. "No Money" - The Evens
4. "A Woman Like Me" - Spanky Wilson
3. "Malherido" - Juana Molina
2. "Connecticut's For Fucking" - Jesus H. Christ & the Four Hornsmen Of the Apocalypse
1. "BKAB" - Ethan Stoller

2007

10. "Someone Great" – LCD Soundsystem
9. "Boyz" - MIA
8. "Canned Goods and Firearms" – Sir Richard Bishop
7. "Faberge For Shuggie" – Of Montreal
6. "Loe Bar" – Bjorn Torske
5. "High In the Morning" – Paul Duncan
4. "Dusseldorf" - Pole
3. "Feeling Free" – Nicole Willis
2. "Sofera" - Rajery
1. "House Of Cards" - Radiohead

State nicknames

2006-10-31T22:48:00.000-08:00

Now that we're coming down to the wire in the midterm elections, my interest in state nicknames is reviving. I first got interested in state nicknames during the 2004 election when I was obsessively checking that electoral-vote.com website for the latest polls and hearing pundits say things like, "Kerry may very well win the Chipmunk State", or something like that.

There are different theories of state nicknames. Some refer to a physical feature of a state, like Maine (the Pine Tree State), Kansas (the Sunflower State), or Washington (the Evergreen State). Some states have bland names that, in theory, any state could aspire to, like Connecticut (the Constitution State), Arkansas (the Natural State), or Wyoming (the Equality State). On the other side of the spectrum are states with nicknames using words one rarely hears outside that one context, like Indiana (the Hoosier State), North Carolina (the Tar Heel State), or Ohio (the Buckeye State). Some states pick one particular part of their state, to the exclusion of the rest, it seems, like South Dakota (Mount Rushmore State) and Arizona (Grand Canyon State).

A lot of these state nicknames leave me somewhat unsatisfied, missing the states' real essence. They don't use criteria for nicknames that I find more interesting, like musical, culinary, or political features of the state. So, with no qualifications to speak of, I want to make my suggestions for nicknames for all the states, which are going to be heavily biased toward what I know and care about:

1. Maine is a lovely place with lots of natural beauty that, in addition to being named "the Pine Tree State", says "Vacationland" on its license plates. Why not get a little more sinister? Use Maine native son and Bangor resident: the Steven King State. But because of my obsession with foods, I have to go with the Lobster State. It's no joke, man, those lobsters are delicious! I have a sentimental place in my heart because Maine is the first place I tried lobster.

2. New Hampshire is called "the Granite State", which is a pretty cool name. It sums up the character of the Flinty, Stolid WASPs there, what with their humorless slogan "live free or die." The only other name I'd suggest is the Primary State. A double entendre: its known for its presidential primaries and it's the first!

3. For most of Vermont's history, the political posture of the Green Mountain State was Yankee Republicanism -- you know, the old-school pre-Goldwater kind, where they were still proud of being abolitionists. In more recent years, back-to-the-earth ex-New York types have moved there, and the state's politics are more associated with Howard Dean and Bernie Sanders. Partly because of the hippie ethic there and because of the dairy farming, I'd call it the Ben & Jerry’s State.

4. Massachusetts is the Bay State, and there certainly is a bay there. But this is rather bland, no? Based on the first Bay Stater I met, my law school roommate, my first instinct was to nickname it the Accent State. Massachusetts is of course known for its proliferation of universities, but "the Harvard State" or "the Ivy State" seem a little bit exclusionary, and "the Academic State" seems vague. Massachusetts also has a distinctive working class, from the oceanside towns like New Bedford (the Whaling State?) to all those Red Sox fans from Southie. Massachusetts is also the first state to have same-sex marriage. Going with the one thread holding all of these together, I'd suggest the Blue State.

5. Rhode Island is the Ocean State, its already small size bisected by Narragansett Bay. The Ocean State could also apply to a lot of other states (Hawaii comes to mind - maybe Rhode Island could be the Atlantic State?) Rhode Island could be the Small State (it has less land area than L.A. County), but if D.C. becomes a state, it would be the smallest. Based on the delightful seafood I've had on my many visits there, and taking my cue from the T.V. show "the Family Guy", I'd have to go with the Quahog State. (For the uninitiated, there are clams).

6. I know someone with definite views on Connecticut, but this is a family-friendly enterprise. To be topical, I could call it Joestate, but that won't apply forever. The Tick State isn't very nice, I guess, but how many towns get diseases named after them? Since I live in New York and visit New England often, I spend a lot more time traveling through Connecticut than spending time there, so I have that association with it. The Fung Wah Bus State? The Merritt Parkway State? Or, if you want to reflect industry there, the Insurance State? I'm at a loss.

7. New York has my least-favorite nickname, the Empire State. Living in New York City, my uncharitable impulse is to go the South Dakota/Arizona route and name New York after a monument or something I find most interesting to the exclusion of the rest of the state. Like the Brooklyn Bridge State. Or the Wall Street State (let's face it, that 's the engine that drives everything else here). The Subway State. The Theater State. To be accurate and inclusive, we could be called the Dysfunctional Legislature State. We could take pride in the art forms that originated here and spread throughout the globe, like the Hip-Hop State. From the culinary traditions of New York, there's also the Knish State or the Pizza State. But given the composition of New York State, the location of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty here, I'd settle on the Immigration State.

8. I actually like New Jersey, despite the fact that some parts of it look like someone was making an active attempt to render the landscape as aggressively ugly as possible (the Turnpike State?) Given New Jersey's placement between New York City and Philadelphia, the Suburb State would be accurate, if not complimentary. I was once in the Ironbound section of Newark getting some Portuguese food and the coffeeshop we were getting dessert at was playing Pat Benatar on the sound system and teenagers hanging out there looked like the cast of "the Warriors", making me think that another appropriate nickname would be "the Land That Time Forgot." But I think given his hometown, talent, and the joie de vivre he denotes, I'd vote for the Sinatra State.

9. Pennsylvania is the Keystone State, whatever that means. The only culinary and musical references I can think of native to Pennsylvania are more confined to Philly: the Cheesesteak State, or , in a nod to the wonderful heritage of Gamble & Huff, the Funk State or the Disco State. If you wanted to be more inclusive, have a name that takes in Pittsburgh and Allentown, you could go with the Steel State, which sounds kind of cool.

10. The First State? Yawn. Delaware's too easy: the Corporate State.

11. I don't know much about Maryland or what "the Old Line State" means. The "D.C. burbs State" isn't particularly compelling. I'd go culinary with this one: the Crabcake State.

12. I don't know much about Virginia either, I'm afraid. The Early President State would be accurate, or if you wanted to get more specific about it, it could be called the Mount Vernon State or the Monticello State. In honor of Thomas Jefferson and UVA, it could be called the Honor Code State. Or, based on the bumper sticker, the Lover State. My favorite Virginia musical connection is Missy Elliott; the Missy State? Sounds kinda nice, no?

13. North Carolina's nickname is the Tar Heel State, which does sound cool. An industry I've always associated with North Carolina is tobacco, which isn't the best thing to name a state after (NicState, perhaps?) You could combine it with the fact the Smoky Mountains are there: the Smoky State!

14. I'm drawing a blank on South Carolina. The Palmetto State sounds as good as anything. If you want to get historical, maybe the Fort Sumter State.

15. Georgia, of course, has a lot of musical associations: James Brown lives there, Ray Charles' song is the state song, and there's the whole Athens scene, what with REM, the B-52's, and Let's Active. But my current favorite is the Atlanta scene, Outkast, Ludacris, etc. I'd vote for "the Dirty South State." Hey, it's got "South" in it.

16. Anyone who's been to Florida knows that the Sunshine State is no joke. Given the entertainment Florida has provided the rest of the country in recent years (Elian Gonzalez, Katherine Harris, the Schiavos, Mark Foley), the Kooky State works for me. But lets face it: this is the Social Security State.

17. I've never been to Alabama, and people I've met from there don't have great things to say about it. It's nickname is Heart Of Dixie. Maybe they could update the spirit of that slogan a bit, nodding to the most famous tribute they've had lately: the Lynyrd Skynyrd State! Or they could offer a more historically significant tribute: the Rosa Parks State.

18. Mississippi is the Magnolia State, which sounds innocuous enough as it is, but let's face it, this isn't really what we all think about when we hear of Mississippi now, is it? In keeping with my musical preferences, I'd honor Mississippi by calling it the Delta Blues State.

19. Poor Louisiana. The indignities the state suffered last year layered on top of a terrible reputation for poverty, corruption, backwardness, and humidity that its nickname "the Pelican State" blissfully ignores. And yet Louisiana is a unique place in the U.S., with its own language (Cajun), culture, cuisine, and music. While "the Corrupt State" may be accurate, that'd also apply lots of other places, too. "The Bayou State" wouls also be accurate, but doesn't capture that Louisiana flavor. Maybe "the Jazz State" would be appropriate, although Chicago, Kansas City, New York, San Francisco, and Los Angeles can all make valid claims on Jazz's history. Perhaps a food name would work; the Po'Boy State, the Crawfish State, the Jambalaya State (which is just downright fun to say), or the Gumbo State, since Louisiana is such a mix of things as it is. The Hot Sauce State works on many levels, too. While I'd be happy with any of these names, my favorite ultimately is the Zydeco State. First of all, it's a weird and fun word. Second, zydeco is a style indigenous to Louisiana that, unlike jazz, other places don't have a claim on. Third, zydeco is a combination of Cajun folk music with R & B, and a reflection of the Creole culture of Lousiana.

20. It's hard to improve on Lone Star State as a nickname for Texas, my favorite current nickname. The map of Texas looks a little bit like a star, and the flat expanse of Texas can make someone feel "lone". (Or so I've read; I've never been there). Another name that Texans would appreciate would be the Alamo State, but that whole Alamo mythology feeds into the most annoying thing about Texans, the historical boosterism that elides a distasteful tale of separation from Mexico. Another thing that seems to characterize lots of Texas and says a little bit about the attitude would be the Big Cowboy Hat State. Texas' rip-roaring free-market business ideology would fit with the Enron State (hey, they named the Astros' stadium after them). But Lone Star State beats all of these.

21. I must plead some ignorance about Oklahoma, which is called "the Sooner State", whatever the hell that means. While having one senator as off-the-deep-end as James Inhofe is distinctive enough, Oklahoma also has Tom Coburn, so maybe it should be the Wingnut State. Given the oil industry there, though, I'd be nicer and suggest the Petroleum State. Sure, Texas and Louisiana could claim it too, but there's so much else in those two states that Oklahoma should be able to take it.

22. Arkansas is "the Natural State", and I've heard that it is a pretty place. Being the partisan Democrat that I am, my association naturally turns more toward calling it the Bill Clinton State. Maybe a reference to Clinton's childhood with a nod to Arkansas' raffish nature would work if it was called the Hot Springs State.

23. Tennessee is the Volunteer State, a pretty bland name. Given Tennessee's rich musical traditions, there's a lot to choose from. Nashville's there, so how about the Grand Ole Opry State? But Memphis is there too, so how about the R & B State? I think the two can be compromised along with a genuine regional landmark by calling Tennessee the Elvis State.

24. Before I met my stepfather's family, who have Kentucky roots, my only childhood association with Kentucky was the fried chicken franchise, but the Fried Chicken State or the KFC State sounds lame. A native son could make for a nickname, I suppose, the Daniel Boone State, or the Muhammed Ali State. But Kentucky's nickname already coincides with a great musical tradition it's got: the Bluegrass State.

25. West Virginia is currently the Mountain State. Take that Vermont, which only is the Green Mountain State. While there are certainly mountains in West Virginia, there are mountains, and taller ones, in lots of other states. Given the hard times that West Virginia has always had, and the associations I make with it to the bloody union drives in Harlan County, I'd nominate it as the Coal State.

26. I've been to Ohio four times in my life, each time for a wedding, so I'd personally call it the Wedding State. What the hell's a buckeye anyway? Ohio's hold on musical heritage is a bit tenuous: the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is in Cleveland, but a lot of places could lay claim to similar title. The Pretenders song "My City Was Gone" references bad urban planning in Akron. How about the Pretenders State? Ohio, of course, has a great industrial past, so maybe the Tire State, although that's unfortunately become a greater part of the past than present in Ohio. It's a very middle-of-the-road place with a lot of medium-sized cities that tends to vote with the winners of presidential elections, so I guess I'd rest on the Bellweather State.

27. When I first moved to New York, I fell in with some Californians, who always complained about the weather even when it wasn't that cold. Later on, I met lots of people from Michigan, who were great. They were so happy to no longer live in Michigan that they didn't complain about anything. Michigan is now the Wolverine State, which is fine and good but makes me think of the crappy movie Red Dawn. How do you nickname a state with the urban ghost towns of Detroit and Flint and the hip bohemia of Ann Arbor? The Iggy Pop State, maybe: a native son, with industrial grit and yet punk rock hipness. Or the Techno State, in tribute to the great Detroit techno sounds of Juan Atkins anad Cybotron. I guess the default would be the Automobile State.

28. Those of us from Chicago regard Indiana the way New Yorkers regard New Jersey, so I don't have much to say. They call themselves the Hoosier State, the nickname for Indianans. The Quayle State would sum up the state's political conservatism. The Nascar State might suffice, as Nascar is the trope for conservative white men these days and they do after all host the Indy 500.

29. As a native Chicagoan, I'm tempted to nickname Illinois to the detriment of the rest of the state: the Deep Dish State, the Lake Shore Drive State, the House Music State, or the Pierogi State would all do on this score. Otherwise, it's hard to think of a nickname that can encompass both Chicago and its vast, flat agricultural hinterland. I mean, if you said, "the tallest building in the U.S. is in Chicago", it would conjure up an image of an urban skyline, but if you said "the tallest building in the U.S. is in Illinois", you'd think of a silo in the middle of a field somewhere. One of Illinois' current nicknames, the Prairie State, favors the latter imagery although having driven back and forth from Chicago to Urbana numerous times during my college years, the Flat State is more honest, if less complimentary. The Land Of Lincoln is Chicago's other nickname, and maybe it will have to stand until another consensus figure can be found. Mmm ... Land of Obama ...

30. Wisconsin is officially the Badger State, but this is too easy. The Cheesehead State, of course, is what Wisconsin actually is.

31. Minnesota is sometimes called the North Star State, sometimes the Land of 10,000 Lakes (which freaked me out as a little kid because I thought all "lakes" were the size of Lake Michigan). What else do we know about Minnesota? Great '80s music, like Prince and Husker Du, historic Scandanavian heritage, traditional Humphrey/Mondale liberalism, and of course, those long, cold winters (but the Frigid State would elide the rest of the Minnesota culture). Given the fact that Minnesota's earnest reputation ties its other characteristics together, I 'd go with a local hero for inspiration: the Garrison Keillor State.

32. Iowa, what to name Iowa especially if, like me, you don't know what a "hawkeye" is. Iowa's got a lot of farmers. The first caucuses are in Iowa. It's an old-fashioned prairie populist state but hasn't been swallowed up by the Republicans yet (they can still elect a Senator as liberal as Tom Harkin!) The Farmer State doesn't quite capture it. The Cornfield State? I think that the Ethanol State encompasses the corn, the farmers, and the political clout of having the first caucuses.

33. Missouri is the Show Me State. Umm, right. Mormons believe that the Garden of Eden is in Independence, so maybe that will do. Missouri used to be called the Gateway to the West. Maybe they could update it to call it the Arch State -- that St. Louis boondoggle has to be good for something. The Barbeque State would be accurate, although other states could claim that, too. Given that Harry Truman enjoys some bipartisan popularity, how about the Truman State? Or another well-loved native son, the Mark Twain State?

34. Kansas is, of course, the Sunflower State, which sounds nice. Kansas is also noted in liberal circles these days for Thomas Frank's book lamenting that low-income voters in Kansas vote Republican against their economic interests because they're into social issues. Maybe the Red State captures the essence of it. A more neutral default could be the Wheat State.

35. Nebraska is the Cornhusker State. There goes my Iowa idea. It could also be the Accent-Free State. The Beef State would also be accurate. In honor of one of its sort-of native sons, with some appeal to both sides of the political spectrum, how about the William Jennings Bryan State?

36. South Dakota is the Mount Rushmore State, which is as good as name as any. I don't know much about South Dakota; I guess the Black Hills State would work as well. I can say that one of my favorite HBO series, Deadwood, took place in South Dakota; the Deadwood State has kind of a cool ring to it. Maybe HBO series could be a new basis for state nicknames. Maryland could be the Wire State, California the Entourage State, New Jersey the Sopranos State, New York the Sex In the City State ...

37. North Dakota is the Peace Garden State, which sounds nice, but I don't know what it means. It could also be called the Cold State (hey, when you grow up in Chicago, you've gotta have some other place to make an invidious comparison with). From what I've read about North Dakota, it could also unfortunately be called the Dwindling State.

38. Montana is currently called the Treasure State, or Big Sky Country, which are both fine names. I've never been there, but people seem to really like that place. Maybe the Fly-Fishing State would be a good nickname, as it sums up the outdoorsy appeal and easygoing rhythm of the place. I like the Bison State, too.

39. Wyoming is the Equality State, the derivation of which is that it was the first state to legalize female suffrage. Which isn't as much because Wyoming was so progressive as they were desperate to get women to move there. Sort of the electoral version of Ladies Night. Its political reputation hasn't been so progressive since then. The Cheney State sums up my view of the place.

40. Colorado is the Centennial State, which sounds accurate enough if not terribly interesting. I mostly associate Colorado with outdoors activity, like skiing or biking or rock-climbing or something. The Workout State, perhaps? I like the Rocky State, too. Sounds cool.

41. New Mexico has stunning natural beauty. Unfortunately, their nickname takes that fact and makes it kinda dippy: the Land Of Enchantment. C'mon, New Mexico can be cooler than that. The Adobe State accurately characterizes the architectural style there (to the point of monotony!) The Georgia O'Keefe State would honor a local artist who famously painted lots of local scenes. But the New Mexico cuisine is what gets me: the Green Chile State. Can't be anything else. (Well, maybe the Sopapilla State).

42. Arizona is the Grand Canyon State, which is fine as far as it goes. I could also go for the Desert State, the Cactus State, or the Tumbleweed State which evoke Arizonan imagery (so does the Cow Skull State). But let's be honest; Arizona is a fast-growing sunbelt state utterly dependent on subsidized water and the electricity dam projects bring to provide the air conditioning that makes large-scale living there possible. The Subdivision State or the Air Conditioned State would work. The Subsidized State would be a little mean. The Dry Heat State would be a little bit nicer.

43. Utah is officially the Beehive State, but come on. We all know it's the Mormon State. Maybe, going by my HBO formula, it could be the Big Love State. Sounds more fun.

44. Nevada is officially the Silver State, but this is easy too. The Gambling State. Or if you want to be more raffish, the Prostitution State. Or the Divorce State? Boy, I'm not going to run for office in Nevada anytime soon.

45. Idaho is the Gem State, following the pattern of a lot of these Western State names (Silver State, Treasure State). Based on my perhaps unfair associations, I also thought of the Militia State. Two more benign nicknames could be the Potato State and the Napoleon Dynamite State.

46. The Evergreen State is evocative of the comforting, temperate state that Washington is. It's tempting to also call it the Microsoft State, but there's more to Washington than that. The Grunge State. The Coffee State, of course. I think the Flannel State is what brings all of this imagery home.

47. Of all the state nicknames, Oregon's the Beaver State is probably the one that would make junior high schools students titter the most. Based upon its progressive reputation, especially when it comes to urban planning, I'd nominate Oregon to be the Bicycle State.

48. The monstrous injustice that is the United States Senate becomes clear when you have to come up with a nickname for California. I mean, we had to think of one for North and South Dakota, but the Golden State, with Hollywood, Silicon Valley, great burritos, redwoods, etc., has to only have one nickname to sum it all up? The Freeway State? The Nice Climate State? The Software State? It's exhausting to think about. I think I'll go with the State That's Too Big and leave it at that.

49. Alaska calls itself the Last Frontier. If global climate crisis persists, it could be the Melting State, I guess. Another accurate nickname would be the Screwed-Up Gender Ratio State.

50. Hawaii is the Aloha State! What else could it possibly be? Maybe the Volcano State, since that's what the islands owe their existence to, or the Sugar State. Or the Lei State, for some pretty enduring imagery. I'd go for the Slack-Key Guitar State, 'cause I love that sound so much.

Match Point

2006-01-15T22:46:00.000-08:00

The central flaw of this film is a theme reminiscent of "Crimes and Misdemeanors", that people who do unjust things in a godless universe can get away with it. An important difference is that "Crimes and Misdemeanors" portrayed this as a bad thing. For me, it underscored the urgency of establishing human-made justice. In "Match Point", on the other hand, it's a flippant, cynical rationalization for selfishness, as if a god's punishment is the only reason not to hurt other people. Empathy or even enlightened self-interest never figure in the calculation.

Not that good entertainment has to have moral characters as protagonists. But if you're going to make immoral people your (anti-)heroes, at least take us along for the ride with them. Make us blanche when we take their side. It's a challenge, to be sure, but possible. Think "The Sopranos", for example.

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem to occur to Woody Allen to even try to do this. Chris, the main character of this film, is inoffensive and not terribly interesting in the first scenes of the film, but he quickly shows himself to be a sullen asshole. He's a fairly accomplished tennis player who gets a job as a pro at an exclusive London club, befriends Tom, a young patron of the club who shares an interest in opera with him and sweeps his sister Chloe off her feet when he attends the opera with their family.

Chris reveals his unappealing side early on at an event with this family when he happens upon an American actress named Nola, played by Scarlett Johannsen, in a room with a ping-pong table. I don't remember his exact words, but apropos of nearly nothing, he says something like "did anyone ever tell you that you have a sensuous mouth?" while staring her down, then invading her space to show her how to use a ping-pong paddle. What are we to make of this? Chris, clearly handsome, doesn't have much use for banter or charm -- he just channels his lack thereof into sheer aggression. This is fine as far as it goes, but it demonstrates the workings of a player, a real notches-on-the-bedpost kind of guy, not the infatuated panderer he's to predictably become.

Maybe I'm reading too much into it. What I think is more likely is that Woody Allen really wanted us to believe that there was some sexual tension and flirtation going on in that scene, but he's too lazy to actually illustrate that with plausible dialogue. Chris and Nola must like each other. The auteur will say "make it so", and we just have to accept on faith that Chris' ham-handed pickup technique (perhaps worthy of the bumbling Allen Felix from "Play It Again Sam") intrigued Nola.

Right after this exchange, Tom walks in and reveals Nola to be his fiance. This doesn't stop Chris: even as he deepens his relationship with the two-dimensional schoolgirlish Chloe, he obsesses over Nola. Why? She's sexy, sure, but she can't be the only London woman with pouty lips, so the obsession with Nola just feels like Woody Allen's contrivance.

Of course, Chris and Nola end up fucking, in the garden of their in-laws'-to-be, no less. Chris agitates for more fucking, inexplicably among all the family members at an opera. Why? He's not interested in leaving Chloe for Nola; he's enjoying the fruits of Chloe's absurd wealth too much.

I just wish that casual sex existed in Woody Allen's universe. If it did, Chris and Nola would just cough nervously around each other after their tryst and go on with their lives. I guess you could posit that Chris actually falls in love with Nola, but that wouldn't explain why he refuses to leave Chloe (whom he eventually marries) even when Nola and Tom break up, and even more so when he impregnates Nola. Big spoiler alert: he resolves this dilemma by killing Nola and making it look like a random drug crime.

For those of you keeping score at home, Chris feels so little for Nola that he can murder her while she's pregnant with his baby, yet he can't stay away from her before she gets pregnant, yet Chloe's material largesse keeps him in a marriage with her.

Chris is child-like in his insistence on wanting it all -- fucking pretty Nola while screwing Chloe for all the toys her family showers on them. I guess this isn't wholly implausible, but why is this interesting to watch? Chris' predicament is so maddeningly self-inflicted and obvious that it's hard to care about him, and his character is too lame to make us care. He gets away with the murder through an elaborate series of circumstances that says a lot about a screenwriter embroidering a scenario -- not revealing a profound truth about the randomness of fortune, as Chris' voice-over pompously suggests.

Once this movie lost me, then Woody Allen's sloppy lack of attention to detail was hard to avoid, and it's all over the movie. Chris is supposed to be Irish, but he doesn't have a hint of an Irish accent. Chloe and Tom's father gives Chris a job in the family business, but no one ever says what that business is or why a tennis player is in any way qualified to do it. A lot is said about Chris' gains and losses in "the market" -- is he a trader, maybe? -- but then he's involved in some sort of business deal with some Japanese businesspeople -- is he in M & A? A broker? What the fuck is going on? Is it an impossible imposition to ask that a writer make some teeny effort to find out the professions of his characters? And Chloe's father's conversations with Chris commit the worst sins of telling-the-viewer-instead-of-showing-the-viewer: we hear stagy lines like (I'm paraphrasing): "I hear you're doing very well at the office", or "you'll get a new position; it comes with a car and driver, of course ..." yawn.

At bottom, it's all indicative of a contempt for other people. Why bother finding out about how other people live when your characters are just ciphers? When all the characters really need to do is be functionaries in an allegory about how it's OK to hurt other people?

The case for majoritarianism

2005-06-27T05:28:00.000-07:00

It's based on a simple premise: what I believe may not be right. The person who disagrees with me may have a point there. I'll believe very strongly in what I think is right, but I'm not going to be so narrow-minded as to think that no reasonable person could disagree with me.

If my beliefs are the product of a fallible imperfect person like myself and someone disagrees with me, then I think that it's inappropriate to forever prevent views opposing mine from being implemented. Instead, we should fight our differences out in the public forum, take a vote, and let the majority win.

Otherwise, if someone prevails in Court on the argument that not only do they disagree with a statute, but that it's unconstitutional, then a democratic majority can never pass it in the future even if they want to (short of a constitutional amendment, which is so hard in practice as to be impractical). And if there's actually a possibility that the opponent of a statute is wrong, my basic premise, then that would be a bad thing.

To bring up a completely random example, I think that eminent domain is frequently abused, and I'm against its use in, say, Brooklyn when it's for a basketball stadium and I likely would feel the same about an economic development boondoggle by the City of New London. There are people who disagree with me. A lot of them are in public office because of democratic elections. Now, I could engage them on the merits and hope to win my argument, organize opponents and so forth, and maybe support an opposing candidate in the next election -- not to mention being more involved from the outset so that a politician doesn't spring this on me. Or I could sidestep this process, find a sympathetic plaintiff and litigate the issue in front of a judge (or panel of judges) who are not elected and can't be fired or voted out of office. Rather than engage the merits of the issue at hand, we can parse the vague phrases in a document with onerous amendment provisions written by long-dead people.

One of the most tiresome cliches I hear in response to a pro-majoritarian argument is "tyranny of the majority." One of the clever things about this cliche is the presumption that what the majority does amounts to "tyranny", complete with the archaic diction. It doesn't address my first premise behind majoritarianism: tyranny can easily be in the eye of the beholder. People may disagree with your definition of tyranny. There are a lot of libertarians out there who think that progressive taxation is tyranny. I don't happen to think so. I think that the new bankruptcy bill Congress passed is unjust (using the word "tyranny" makes me feel like I should substitute "you" with "ye"). Lots of people disagree with me. Deciding whose definition of tyranny prevails is what democracy is about sometimes.

The Kelo case demonstrates the inadequacy of the word "tyranny". I feel bad for the people who are losing their homes to an economic development plan, but it's cold comfort to people who lose their homes to make way for expressways, which are uncontroversially allowed by eminent domain. The thundering fervor of the word "tyranny" seems ill-suited to define the plight of people who only lose their homes for economic development plans rather than roads.

Usually, people just use the word "tyranny" in this context to characterize something that they disagree with. If a government body is going to do something I disagree with -- something I feel is unjust, if you want to use stronger language, I would rather it be the government body that is accountable to my vote, and the government body whose action can be overturned by a simple majority next time around. Not only are courts unaccountable to me if they do something I disagree with, but there's a legal doctrine called "stare decisis" (Latin for "let the decision stand") which makes it really hard to change in the future.

Objections about tyranny persist, however, and one familiar way to sidestep my premise that reasonable people can disagree about an issue is to bring up an issue on which reasonable people cannot disagree, like slavery (used here, but I've heard it before).

First let me say that I am not an absolutist, and there are times when it may be appropriate for courts to overturn democratic majorities. But those times are very limited and I place a heavy presumption in favor of democratic majorities.

But it's hard to make the case against majoritarianism with propositions that there are a consensus about today. It's too hard to spin out into a situation that has actual relevance to today's world. Can you really imagine something with majority support today which is so obviously unreasonable as slavery? My premise for majoritarianism is that reasonable people can disagree about things, and supporting eminent domain for New London's economic development plan is not in the same universe as slavery on this score. As sympathetic as I may feel for the New London homeowners, it trivializes slavery to make such a comparison.

And that brings me to the most compelling case against majoritarianism: the position of abused minorities -- and no, I have no property owners in mind. I'm thinking about African-Americans primarily, American Indians, lesbians and gays, immigrants, and women with unwanted pregnancies. (Although all women, pregnant or not, have been subjected to injustice in American history, they've usually been about even with men numerically or more populous, so institutionalized sexism is a case of the tyranny of the minority and not part of this example). With clear, historical examples of abuse and oppression, I don't blame minorities who seek nonmajoritarian avenues for redress, like the Courts.

It's not easy for me to reconcile the legitimate historical experiences of minorities with important principles of majoritarianism I've expressed here. As I said before, I'm not an absolutist, and there are instances where it may be appropriate for courts to overturn democratic results. However, even these issues demonstrate that courts are not the best institution to obtain justice.

Granted, there was a time of about twenty years when courts were actually sympathetic with African-Americans, poor people, and women with unwanted pregnancies, from 1954 (when Brown v. Board of Education was decided) through 1973 (Roe v. Wade). For the remaining 196 years of the constitutional republic, courts have a pretty poor record. When issues of concern to African-Americans have gone up to the Supreme Court since 1973, they're usually brought by white people seeking to overturn affirmative action programs passed by legislatures or public universities with democratically elected regents. This puts courts back in their historic role of being able to dilute protections for African-Americans passed by democratic majorities, like they did in the late 1800s to democratically-passed Reconstruction amendments and federal civil rights statutes.

(I can't resist noting that libertarian property-rights advocates similar to the type comparing eminent domain to slavery today challenged the constitutionality of the public accommodations clauses of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, which was upheld by the thread of the commerce clause. Richard Epstein, the intellectual leader of the "constitution in exile" movement and a supporter of use of the constitution to stop legislatures from a variety of economic regulation, continues to oppose all civil rights legislation as it interferes with private property and choice).

Gay rights is probably the issue where the clash between the courts and democratic legislatures is the least settled. Some judges around the country have overturned democratic legislatures' definitions of opposite-sex marriage, and the Supreme Court found unconstitutional Colorado's statute against local laws protecting gays from discrimination and Texas's statute criminalizing sodomy. On the substantive issue, I'm a gay marriage extremist. I'm just about at that point where I find it hard to envision a reasonable opposition to gay marriage, so maybe I should support court intervention in this instance. The biggest stumbling block is political, not principled. I don't think courts are going to order gay marriage and that will be the end of the debate. Roe v. Wade really settled the whole abortion debate once and for all, didn't it? Yeesh. I think that gay and lesbian rights will end up stronger at the end of the day when full equality passes democratic majorities. There are already anti-discrimination statutes in many states and municipalities, and I think it's likely that several states will have gay marriage before this decade is over (in New York, Elliott Spitzer, the odds-on favorite to be the next governor, supports gay marriage).

In short, in limited circumstances I would support going to the Courts, but I'm very biased against it.

Let's all go to the polls, to blogs, to whatever and fight these issues out. Let's not foreclose the process by having courts declare that governments can't do things when certain parties lose in the democratic process.

Greatest movies of all time

2005-05-26T05:09:00.000-07:00

1920s-30s:
City Lights
The Gold Rush
Horse Feathers
Modern Times
The Great Dictator

1940s:
Citizen Kane
Casablanca
The Bicycle Thief
Arsenic and Old Lace
It's a Wonderful Life
The Maltese Falcon

1950s:
Rashomon
Vertigo
La Strada
Rear Window
North By Northwest
Some Like It Hot
Stalag 17

1960s:
West Side Story
8 1/2
Dr. Strangelove
The Graduate
2001: A Space Odyssey
Take the Money and Run

1970s:
Little Big Man
Harold and Maude
A Clockwork Orange
Play It Again, Sam
Fantastic Planet
Sleeper
Young Frankenstein
Blazing Saddles
The Godfather II
Monty Python's Holy Grail
Amarcord
Chinatown
Dog Day Afternoon
Love and Death
All the President's Men
The Front
Eraserhead
Annie Hall
Hair!
"10"
Breaking Away
The In-Laws
Manhattan
Life Of Brian
Being There

1980
My Bodyguard
The Blues Brothers

1981
Modern Romance
Body Heat

1982
Risky Business
The King of Comedy
Tootsie
The Verdict

1983
The Dresser
Zelig
Repo Man

1984
The Brother From Another Planet
All Of Me
Top Secret!
The Killing Fields
Stranger Than Paradise
This Is Spinal Tap
Amadeus

1985
The Purple Rose Of Cairo
Brazil
Lost In America
The Return Of the Living Dead
After Hours

1986
Hannah and Her Sisters
Down By Law

1987
Radio Days
River's Edge
She's Gotta Have It
Swimming To Cambodia
The Last Emperor
Raising Arizona

1988
Suspect
Running On Empty
House Of Games
Midnight Run
A Fish Called Wanda

1989
Crimes and Misdemeanors
Do The Right Thing
Mystery Train

1990
Metropolitan
Goodfellas

1991
One False Move
Hangin' With the Homeboys
Homicide
Defending Your Life

1992
The Player
Malcolm X
The War Room
Unforgiven
Reservoir Dogs
Glengarry Glen Ross

1993
Dazed and Confused
The Wedding Banquet
In the Line Of Fire
Dave
Schindler's List
Bullets Over Broadway

1994
To Live
I Like It Like That
Pulp Fiction
Barcelona

1995
Twelve Monkeys
Nixon
Welcome To the Dollhouse
Dead Man
Before Sunrise
Crumb

1996
Fargo
Bound
Trainspotting
Flirting With Disaster
Big Night
Lone Star

1997
Happy Together
Jackie Brown
The Spanish Prisoner

1998
Fallen Angels
The Big Lebowski
Life Is Beautiful

1999
Office Space
Three Kings
Go
South Park
Run Lola Run
The Matrix

2000
Dark Days
O Brother Where Art Thou?
Best In Show
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

2001
Ocean's 11
Waking Life
Our Song
Memento

2002
Goodbye Lenin!
Insomnia
Spellbound
About Schmidt
City Of God

2003
American Splendor
Lost In Translation
28 Days Later
The Matrix Reloaded & Revolutions
Triplets Of Belleville

2004
Downfall
House Of Flying Daggers
Sideways
Maria Full Of Grace
Before Sunset

2005
Broken Flowers
Serenity
Jarhead