30 Day Song Challenge: Part IV

Ugh... I have been under the weather for the last couple of days. I slept through most of yesterday and most of today. I am feeling a bit better but still plenty blah. But I am able to crank out another set of songs.

Day 17 - A Song That You Hear Often On The Radio

Sharp Dressed Man - ZZ Top

I drive to my dad's for work almost every day and it seems like no matter what the time is I will always hear this song either on the way there or on the way back. It doesn't matter if I leave early or if I am running late. I do think this is ZZ Top's best song so I guess I shouldn't complain!

Day 18 - A Song That You Wish You Heard On The Radio

Waiting for Tonight - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

It is no secret that I love Tom Petty. One of his best songs unfortunately never made it on to an album (except for Anthology; a greatest hits album) and therefore never made it to the radio. This song is typical Tom Petty but he also has the Bangles singing the background lyrics. I really think this could have become one of the Tom Petty's top songs if it would have made it to the radio. Oh well, at least I have it on my iPod.

Day 19 - A Song From Your Favorite Album

Dirty Day - U2

I have a lot of favorite albums but the only one that I will listen to as an album is U2's Zooropa. I rarely just play one track from that album. I usually have to play the whole thing. Dirty Day is one of my favorite tracks but I found that this remix (Bitter Kiss Mix) is so much better than the original. This song has nothing to do with the movie Departed. You don't have to watch the video, just listen to the music.

Day 20 - A Song That You Listen To When You’re Angry

Come Out Swinging - The Offspring

At my last job, when I was having a rough day I would play my Offspring playlist. Usually after listening to them I would be in a better mood. I don't know if it was the clever lyrics or the hard guitar riffs but I would end up smiling. Maybe it was because they are one of my favorite bands. This song was usually the first one that I would listen too. If you are going to fight me you better come out swinging!

Day 21 - A Song That You Listen To When You’re Happy

Paperback Writer - Beatles

I don't think there is a particular song that I listen to when I am happy. But when I am in the mood to sing (and that usually means I am in some sort of good mood) I will always crank out some Beatles. And when I play the Beatles, I always play thier awesome album Revolver. I just love this song, maybe it is because I want to be a paperback writer.

Random Ramblings

Day 289

I am happy that the weather has cooled down the last week or so. I went running today and it was not as hot as it looked. There was a gentle breeze which cooled me down and the wind was at my back. Luckily the wind was not kicking up so it didn't affect my asthma.

Speaking of running, I want to give a shout out to fellow blogger and cousin Jaimee for running and conquering her first 5K! I am very impressed, she used the Couch to 5K program and stuck with it and accomplished her goal in style. You can read about her Run for Glory by clicking on the linky.

Speaking of 5K races, I have decided that I will take the plunge and run a 5K.

What was that? Didja hear that?

That was the sound of Kristy hitting the floor.

So yeah, I am going to do it. Probably not this year (unless I can find one in October) but I will the next. This will keep me motivated through the winter to keep myself in shape. Hey Jaimee, we should run one together! We'll do one in Utah and then one in Colorado.

I go out running with my iPod (I don't care what people say, I would die from boredom if I didn't have it while running!) and I was listening to some Offspring and I found another track that I forgot to blog about. It really captures the essence of them. Take a listen, I think you will enjoy it.



One of the reasons I need to keep running is because Kristy keeps making these delicious desserts. Look at this bad boy!

Packed with tasty calories.

While we were at the reunion we were chatting about...  ...I don't know how we got onto the topic but I told the story of the time I really embarrassed myself in one of my Political Science classes at Utah State University. It was about halfway through the semester and my professor pulled me aside and said that I really need to participate in class. She told me that I should add to our daily news conversations. We would take the first 15 minutes of class and pick a news item and talk about it and it usually ended in laughter. So I thought maybe I could make a funny since everyone else was doing it. Cloning at the time was a hot topic and one student brought up how clones would be beneficial to society.

My class had a few conservative students that were really against cloning of any kind and things were getting a bit heated so I thought I would say something which I thought would relieve the tension. I raised my hand and my professor proudly called on me. I said something like this:

"I believe that producing clones would be extremely beneficial to our society. Aside from the medical and science breakthroughs, it would be a boon to the entertainment industry, especially the movie industry."

Good use of Clones in entertainment.

I got every one's attention since I was using my announcer voice so it sounded like I was serious.

Bad use of Clones in entertainment. See below for more info.

"Clones could be used as stunt people without having to worry about securing and protecting them. Hollywood could really let things fly, imagine how real movies would look if we used clones instead of trick photography using stunt men and special CGI effects. It would definitely make war and horror movies feel and look real."

*sounds of crickets*

Yeah, no one laughed. No one said a word. I was humiliated. And I am sure I disgusted a few of my fellow students who thought I was being real. I never participated again, that is until I made an off-color remark about how ratings in the WNBA could improve. 

Shirts and skins.

Again I was treated to complete silence, I could hear crickets in the distance. But everyone knew deep down inside that I was right. They just didn't want to admit it.

Speaking of clones, I am reading Spider-Man: The Complete Clone Sage Epic. I just finished volume 2 and I have already preordered Volume 3. I think there will be six or seven volumes in total. And let me tell you, I am a bit surprised.

For those that are not geeks, don't know, the infamous Clone Saga will go down in history as one of the WORST Spider-Man stories and with good reason. Basically, the Spider-Man that most of us grew up reading was revealed to be a clone and "our" Spider-Man was shipped off and replaced. What made this story even more outrageous is that sales were so good of this controversial storyline that Marvel's Marketing Department demanded that this storyline be stretched out as much as possible. The original Clone Saga was only supposed to take six months (about six issues total of each Spider-Man comic) but the creators made it last YEARS. Fans reacted and quickly stopped reading the book since it was going nowhere and for what they did to Spider-Man. It was an interesting concept but the story escaped and spun out of control. Spider-Man's sales plummeted and have barely recovered almost fifteen years later. And Marvel has never spoken about it again. They didn't reference it anyway.

Until now.

I have to admit that the first two gigantic books have been entertaining. Some good art along with some really underrated writing. But I heard it just gets worse from here. It is like a train wreck, I just have to look and be a witness. Call me a sicko if you want but I just have to read this whole horrible story.

List-Mania: Offspring Songs

Day 286

The last couple of blog entries have been long ones and have taken a lot of time to put together and post and I think I need a break. I have not done a List-Mania blog for awhile and thought of a quick and fun one to do.

I discovered the band Offspring while on my LDS mission in New York. Yeah, I know, that doesn't sound right but it is true. When I served in Jamaica, Queens our neighbor used to blast his radio very loud while he was at work. When my companion and I would come home for lunch we could hear the radio very clearly. We could hear the music and the DJ ramble and I heard a song that was quite catchy and it was not hard to figure out who they were. A couple of weeks later on my P-Day, Elder Powell and I were in a record shop and I found the CD Smash. It was on sale so I  bought it and sent it home. Music in New York was very cheap, I could usually find CDs for less than ten bucks.

Offspring had such a different sound than any of the other bands that I was listening too. Not only do they have catchy tunes they also infuse clever lyrics into their songs. Some of them are silly, some of them are funny, some of them are political and some of them speak out about society. I have bought every Offspring album since and they are a band that I would love to see in person. Not only do I really like their music, the artwork for their albums capture their essence. Here are my Top 5 Offspring songs.

NOTE: For some reason the brilliant people at Sony Music have taken all official Offspring videos off of YouTube and also from Offspring's official website.

5) Self Esteem

The song that started it all. I love the edgy feel of this song and that is what first caught my attention. But then I listened to the lyrics and found them to be unique. They were funny, sad, crude, and told an interesting story. I was hooked.

4) Hit That

Another catchy song with some interesting lyrics about youth pregnancy.

3) Gone Away

Hey! An original video! When I get down in the dumps I like to listen to this song. It projects just enough anguish and anger. After singing along, I find myself in a better mood. And I know this song on my bass!

2) Half Truism

This is the opening track of their latest album and I knew that this would be one of my favorite Offspring song after one listen. I just really dig the lyrics. My favorite being "the banner you're waving is burning and red, it's blocking the sunlight that shines overhead, you against the world, diamonds and pearls, voices inside you churn, watch the city burn."

1) Special Delivery

This song takes me back to when I worked for UPS. The song deals with obsessiveness and how relationships could turn dangerous when one spurs the other. I just think it is a catchy tune and I often listen to this song while running. It gets me into a higher gear.

List-Mania: Musicians/Music Bands

Day 34

List-Mania! I am beginning to have a love/hate relationship with these columns. I love putting things in lists but I am starting to hate putting them together. It just takes a lot of time and effort.

I love music, I love many types of music but I like rock music the best. But even my tastes in rock music differs from each other, as you will see from this list. So here are my Top Ten Favorite Bands. I listen to these guys more than any other artists.

10) AC/DC
Much of my middle school/junior high years were spent listening to this band. They are very simple. Opening riff on the guitar with pounding drums added in and you have an AC/DC song. Very catchy riffs.
FAVORITE ALBUM: Back in Black




9) AUDIOSLAVE
I never was into Soundgarden but when I heard "Like a Stone" I was taken by it. I am a latecomer, it has been only recently that I have collected and listened to thier material. Chris Cornell has the voice I wish I had. So rock and roll. Sadly, they are no more but at least I have three fantastic albums I can listen to anytime. Thier songs cover everything, they have some really rocking songs to more quiet, makes-you-think songs.
FAVORITE ALBUM: Audioslave (self-titled)

8) BELINDA CARLISLE
I know what you are thinking. Belinda Carlisle? Rock music? Well, she is my guilty pleasure. I never liked her that much when she was the lead singer of the Go-Go's but when she came out with her solo stuff, I paid attention. Of course I was sixteen at the time and I thought she was pretty hot. I still like her music, sure it very pop but I think she has a rocking voice. That is why she makes the list.
FAVORITE ALBUM: Runaway Horses

7) BEATLES
The Beatles changed the way I thought about old-fogies's music. They are older than me but when I heard them the first time, they felt fresh. Especially thier later stuff. I like the Beatles because I liked how they grew together as musicians. They tried new things and brought a lot of new innovations to music, each next album refined thier sound.
FAVORITE ALBUM: Revolver


6) ROB ZOMBIE
I wish I was Rob Zombie. He gets to do every thing that I would love to do. He writes and sings in a rock band, he writes and directs movies and he writes comic books too. You may not like him but you have to admit he is pretty creative. In fact, when I am in a writing slump I watch some of his videos and it reignites my creative drive. I also like that his songs are tinged with horror and creepiness. When I am feeling down I listen to him for a kickstart.
FAVORITE ALBUM: The Sinister Urge

5) FLEETWOOD MAC
I must have listened to this band a ton of times when I was a kid. My parents owned the album "Rumors" and I must have heard it enough times for it to be engraved on my brain. They made a comeback in the later '80s and that is when I discovered them. Then I remembered all the great music that came before. I like them because they do not have one main lead singer. They share the role and that makes them a unique listening experience. And Stevie Nicks, she has such an awesome sexy and raspy voice.
FAVORITE ALBUM: Tango in the Night

4) THE OFFSPRING
It took one song for me to become a fan of them. "Self Esteem" was a rocking song that had very clever lyrics. So I got the album and I have got them all since. What I like about them is thier lyrics. They can sing about very poignant things, serious matters to the other extreme. They have some absolute fun songs to some that make you think about life. They can ryhme like nothing else.
FAVORITE ALBUM: Rise and Fall, Rage and Grace

3) TOM PETTY
I don't know what it is exactly about Tom Petty but I sure enjoy his music. He can do it on his own with his solo stuff but his collabartions with the Heartbreakers, The Traveling Wilbury's or Mudcrutch, I love his music. He proves you do not have to have a great voice to be a fantastic musician.
FAVORITE ALBUM: Full Moon Fever


2) U2
I liked U2 when they first came out but I was not wowed until they released "Actung Baby". Then thier next album "Zooropa" really won me over. The one thing that I like about U2, and it will be hard to explain, but it seems to me that they do not waste any space or sound on thier songs. Each song feels "full".
FAVORITE ALBUM: Zooropa


1) QUEEN
I love Queen. My first exposure to Queen came from the unlikelest sources, my sister's boyfriend. When I first met Dave, he gave me a birthday present that changed my life. He was transitioning from cassettes to CDs and he gave me two of his old tapes. He gave me Def Leppard's Hysteria and Queen's Greatest Hits. After a few listens to Queen, I was enamored with the vocals and lyrics. I felt like I was listening to a soundtrack and not a collection of singles. I went and bought thier newest Greatest Hits and I quickly collected all their back material. What I love about Queen is that they hit every musical genre. Opera? Check. Heavy Metal? Check. Pop? Check. They have it all for me. Whatever mood I may be in, there is a song for that. I could go on and on but I'll stop. They can have a column all to thier own sometime.
FAVORITE ALBUM: A Day at the Races (this does change often)

Fair warning. Sometime during the course of the year, I will post (in weekly segments) my all-time favorite songs.