morning tastes better with Fountains of Wayne

specifically a rad, in-studio, Mary Lucia requested "Red Dragon Tattoo" -- one of my all-time-faves from FOW.

And I was *just* thinking how the Live Track of the Day at 7 in the morning is usually kind of a drag, and it's rarely a band I really like...and WTH!?

It surprised me and delighted me. (I especially loved the rocker piano bits!)

Lollipop and Fountains of Wayne frontman creates more pop magic in a lab

Hi.

I've been *so bad* ... I know this.

But, here are my thoughts of late:

* went to the Sound Opinions (with Jim DeRogatis and Greg Kot) shindig at the Cedar on Monday. It was mostly awesome. Town hall-style, forum about the state of music and how the future (and the present) of technology changes everything. Thought they had some great points made about how fucked the record industry has been for...ever (they have a pont when they rhetorically ask: think of one great artist since the beginning of pop music that hasn't been fucked over by the industry in some way. Start with Robert Johnson and move your way though time, really).

SO, the cliche: the more things change, the more they stay the same kept coming up again and again...which was vaguely comforting, actually. Another comforting and awesome little factoid: Treehouse Records, my local record shop, has had a huge increase in sales of vinyl in recent months. Doesn't that make you feel warm and fuzzy inside? It does for me.

DeRogatis kept using Lil' Wayne's "Lollipop" as an example of "how much is a song worth?" and how a pop song can be both stupid and great (or was it stupid and clev-ah...??haha) at the same time. Me, having my head in the sand to some degree when it comes to a lot of popular music, right now (again, yes, I know...I've been bad) had NEVER even heard it. So, I got it and listened to and...it was pretty damn good. And silly. And I thought, at first, DAMN, that is sick. SO fucking graphic, man. And then, in the next second, I thought: well, shit, think of LITTLE (Lil'??)Richard and his lyrics to "Good Golly Miss Molly." (Y'know...she sure likes to *ball* and when we're rockin' and a' rollin'...doin' the deed, y'know...can't hear yo mama call....cuz of all the loud sex and such. So, what's the damn dif?

Love that you can always bring it back home like that.

*Have you heard the new Dylan single, "Beyond Here Lies Nothin'" yet? It's kinda amazing... I fell in love with it instantly which hasn't happened with "new" Dylan for me since...prolly "Things Have Changed." It rocks, it's weird, it's catchy and it has great doomsday lyrics.

*dig this concept: Taylor fucking Hanson (yep, from HANSON) fronting a band with James Iha from the Smashing Pumpkins and Cheap Trick drummer Bun E. Carlos. WTF, right? Who the hell came up with dis? Well, who the hell else but mad scientist of pop and rock, Fountains of Wayne's Adam Schlesinger. LOVE him. His brain is up there with Brian Wilson, I'm tellin' ya...

They're called Tinted Windows and I guess I'm slow on the uptake about this thing, but it sure sounds cool...or horrible. Can't say until I hear it now, can I? heh.