Saturday Night

  A question I've been asked a lot this week is, "Why haven't you written in your journal lately?"  Well, it's not like I haven't wanted to.  Everytime I open the thing up, I start a blank page....that stays blank and stays blank and stays blank.  Then I'll be at the supermarket or something and think of something perfect to write about...only to forget it by the time I get home.  I swear my terrible short term memory is going to be my downfall someday.  But not yet- you have to be up somewhere to go down.  :-)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

AND NOW IT'S TIME FOR THE EMBARRASSING MOMENT OF THE WEEK

 This week's winner is:  my sister, Erin.

  Yesterday while driving her car, she commented to me that it was hot in there, yet the temperature was still pointed toward the cool side.  I carefully explained that the temperature gauge is the engine temperature, not the temperature of the car's interior.  :-)

---------------------------------------------------------------------

  Now normally, I hate remakes of songs just on principle.  I know a lot of times it's bands paying tribute to songs they like or maybe it's because they are lacking inspiration or maybe even their label told them they had to.  No matter how they come about, remakes are usually bland and/or uninspired.

  Then there's that one instance where doing a cover can be pure, absolute genius.  I'm talking, of course, about the insane genre-crossing cover.  When this kind of magic is released, I can't help but smile and laugh.  I usually love it.  Even if it's totally stupid, I have to say that I love it because it makes me laugh so hard.  I bring this up because, as some of you may be aware, Paul Anka has a new album out.    AOL Music: Paul Anka Rock Swings 

I can honestly say that the album's title is 100% completely accurate.

Here now, is a partial list of some of my favorite insane genre-crossing covers:

Paul Anka: Smells Like Teen Spirit- Have you, like me, wondered what the heck Cobain is saying?  Wonder no more!  Anka was handed the lyrics and enunciates them quite well.

Other swinging instant classics by Anka: Wonderwall, Eye of the Tiger, and Black Hole Sun (which somehow becomes a teary ballad... LMAO)

Pat Boone- Enter Sandman- Staying in the same vein- back in 1997, Boone released a bizarre collection of heavy metal covers called, "In A Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy".  I don't know if he was serious or not, but whatever his intentions, this thing is hi-larious.  The best of the bunch is Enter Sandman, where the line "off to Never-Never Land" goes from menacing in the original to really, really gay.

Richard Cheese- Last Resort- I don't know who this guy is, where he came from or where he went to, but in 2000 he released an album called "Lounge Against the Machine" which converted modern rock songs into, what else, a lounge act.  The result: me in stitches.  The Papa Roach cover is my favorite of the bunch, but the whole album is pretty entertaining, especially the covers of Sublime's Wrong Way, NIN's Closer, and Rage Against the Machine's Guerilla Radio.

Me First and The Gimme Gimmes: If you've ever tried to download any older songs, there's a good chance you've come across the Gimmes in your search results.  They are a punk band that takes any old crap imaginable and quickens the pace until the song becomes entirely enjoyable.  I once burned a CD of their stuff- it ended up with 45 tracks.  My favorites include, but are not limited to: I Believe I Can Fly, The Rainbow Connection, Nothing Compares 2 U, Leaving on a Jet Plane, and Rocket Man.

OTHERS:

Johnny Cash covering Hurt by Nine Inch Nails

Wang Chung's rendition of Nelly's Hot in Herre on a recent episode of Hit Me Baby 1 More Time.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

  Anyway, this is turning into a long entry, so here's what I've been listening to this week.  I won't even bother trying to find videos since most of the list I've only ever heard on Sirius 26: Left of Center.  They break stuff before it even breaks.  How's that for hip?  (Not very, I know- but at least I did an entry.)

1. Your Little Hoodrat Friend- The Hold Steady

2. Tear You Apart- She Wants Revenge

3. Dance Music- The Mountain Goats

4. In The Morning- The Coral

5. Feel Good Inc.- Gorillaz

6. My Doorbell- The White Stripes

7. Gangsters & Thugs- Transplants

8. Apply Some Pressure- Maximo Park

9. Oh My God- The Kaiser Chiefs

10. Side 2- Dressy Bessy