Weekend Roundup with Bob Segarini

The Weekend Roundup for Friday February 5^th

Random Thoughts, Questions, and Musings of Great Importance:

Would a song sung simultaneously by Yoko Ono, Laurie Anderson, Lady Ga Ga and Bjork cause a rift in the Space Time Continuum?

Yesterday, I left a half-smoked cigarette on the window sill of a Convenience Store. Today, it was still there. Are there no homeless people out of smokes anymore?

Why is everybody jumping all over Taylor Swift? So she sang a song badly. Haven’t you? She writes songs and connects with young girls about things they feel and care about. That alone is a talent. As far as being out of tune, listen to the later chorus’s in Eleanor Rigby. Paul (the Cute One) is singing a quarter tone flat harmony with himself, and that was in a studio.

I’d have trouble singing with Stevie Nicks too…I’d be afraid she would start doing the Hippie Twirl dance and hit me in the head with her shawl.

If Lady Ga Ga washes off the excessive makeup, puts on a nice dress or a pair of jeans and a top, sits down at the piano and plays me a nice song she wrote about something other than dancing, money, or her own awesomeness, I will leave her alone.

I wish I could understand what the kitties are trying to tell me. I can’t help think that whatever it is, it’s important.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU2EtLHVoiI

Why can’t you get ALL the crumbs out of a bag of chips or cookies?

Award shows either honor what is popular, or what an elitist group of people regard as important. One or the other. If they just tallied up the money, the people that made the most should win the popularity contest. If they measured the impact on society, that would determine what was important. Either way, there is no way to decide what is ‘best’, and I wish they would stop using that as a description of the winners.

Speaking of Award shows, the most interesting aspect of last Sunday night’s circus was the fact that Michael Buble and Susan Boyle, who outsold damn near every single person honored at the Grammy’s, were nowhere to be seen.

For all the Grammy hate in the press, social networking sites and in just about every conversation I’ve heard, it still managed to be a huge success with over 26 million people tuning in, in the U.S. Where are those people?

Maybe they’re like talk radio audiences, tuning in to hate what they hear…

Why did Pink, who has a decent voice and some good songs, choose to dress like a stripper in an upscale peeler bar, and then spin around in a bed sheet above the audiences head like a ceiling fan?

Did Lady Ga Ga, Pitbull, Jay Z, Sean Combs or Kei$ha exist as performers before they exploded? Are there any records or videos of live gigs anyone remembers to prove their existence prior to success?

Who would win in a fair fight…Jesus or Superman?

Am I alone in wanting to hear Mariah Carey, Beyonce,  Christina Aguilara, and even Celine, dressed down and singing some great songs live with a hot R&B band? I would love to hear them without all the glitz and production…they truly can sing, you know.

Can someone please tell me how My Name Is Earl gets cancelled, and According To Jim gets renewed?

I hate socks.

There was a network special on the other night counting down the ‘best’ Super Bowl commercials of the last decade, and extolling the latest crop of commercials (with previews!) as the reason to tune in to the Super Bowl on Sunday. Why wasn’t there a network special about the teams, the players, and the human drama that will be played out on the field between the movie trailers, beer ads, and skanky spokes-babes?

Where the fuck is Jurassic Park IV?

Last week, a friend of Pie’s who works in a candy store at the airport sold fudge to Steven Tyler and some drunk lady friend of his. Anybody know why he was in town? Does anybody care?

I hear more great music in the clubs and on internet radio stations than I do on the radio or television.

Always buy your pickles in the refrigerated section. The ones on the regular store shelves are weak.

Why is it always too hot or too cold? Why can’t it be 24 degrees Celsius all the time?

I dislike January intensely, but I despise February…it’s like getting a flat tire on the way to Spring.

At its best, the Internet is a hive mind connecting all of us and making news available as it happens, allowing creativity to flourish, and information and knowledge available to everyone. At its worst it is the Tower of Babel, everyone talking, nobody listening, and much greatness is buried under tons of mediocrity. bad taste, and ego.

I don’t know what we’d do without it, but if it suddenly disappeared, it might just give worth back to that which has lost it due to easy, free, access.

Wouldn’t that be a kick in the head?

You can hear this show by going to http://www.radiothatdoesntsuck.com/myWimpy.html Scroll down and click on ‘A&R Online Volume 44’

Chris Hart – Best of Me Saw Chris and his new band at the Horseshoe earlier this week. Great new album and a killer band live. Listen to the CD version, then watch a much more subdued performance of this song from Nashville last year. See this guy the first chance you get, and request a new song that will be on his next album, “Rock and Roll Revelation” Chris is destined for big things…  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-i6u5FrrJ4 and www.chrishartonline.com

Alun Piggins – Watching You Glow Alun was at Chris’s show and handed me his new CD. Quirky, hooky, and very personal. Looking forward to hearing him live as soon as possible. www.alunpiggins.com

Loco Zydeco – Honey Bee Ray Walsh’s Cajun flavored outfit channels some Louisiana goodness here. In this rootsy A&R Online, this track brings accordion to the mix and a great, get-up groove. Pass the bourbon and hit the dance floor. www.locozydeco.com

Glenna Green – Pink Petals The first of 3 tracks from a compilation CD called The Tracks of Kingston Volume 1. Not a  bad track on the release, but these 3 are my instant faves. Look for a great track from Kingston’s Georgette Fry on there as well. www.tracksofkingston.com

Spencer Evans – Chunk O’ Funk Great groove and a rare instrumental. Reminds me of the heyday of The Meters and Booker T and the M.G’s

Pat Temple – Raven Rappin’ More Cajun feel for dancin’ and drinkin. So much good Indie product out there…

Win of the Week

This week’s win hits very close to home. Jade ‘Pie’ Dunlop picks up the trophy for patience, fortitude, and perseverance, 3 qualities that would serve all of us well.

In April of 2008 Pie and I were ‘restructured’ out of our jobs at Astral Media. Her from CFRB, and me from SIRIUS satellite radio. No hard feelings, they were just doing what corporations do when they take control of a new investment, but it has been a very difficult time for us ever since.

We moved from a large, 2 story flat, into a tiny one bedroom apartment, but the neighborhood is so spectacular, she just fell in love with the place. No complaints, no whining, and no pining for her previous job or residence.

While I was busy being turned down for everything I applied for, (Wal Mart Greeter was next on my list when FYIMusic came calling and gave me this ‘job’, Pie went to seminars on how to write a great CV or whatever the hell they call a resume these days, visited employment counselors, and, when I wasn’t writing these columns, constantly sat at the computer, searching for jobs to apply for, positions to fill, and any work she could get to help keep us afloat. Her family graciously helped us out, but the stress of not being able to find anything ourselves was starting to wear on us. Then, long before FYI took me in, Pie found a 6 month intern position that she grew to love, even though the money wasn’t great. She was welcomed by good people and had interesting things to do, and the job had at its core, a commitment to helping the less fortunate and serving the community, two things that Pie was more than happy to be a part of.

When the 6 months were up, she became a bit despondent, things got sticky again, and her quest for work continued. Except for some dark moments when the stress became overwhelming, she kept her sense of humour, plucky dedication to finding worthwhile work, and soldiered on. Over the course of the last year she found 2 other jobs that paid well, but lacked the camaraderie and feeling of accomplishment of the first one. The people she worked for were negative in the extreme, unappreciative of her skills, and she came home from work more than once needing hugs and kisses and the unconditional love the kitties and I provide. Even while she was employed her search for a rewarding job continued and this week her hard work and determination paid off. Pie has rejoined the company she enjoyed so much after leaving radio, this time with more responsibilities and a larger salary.

She is ecstatic, and I know no one who deserves that feeling more than her.

Congratulations, Sweetie.

The company is called Food Share, and you can learn more about them and the great work they do here:

http://www.foodshare.net/

Fail of the Week

We are at the mercy of watchdogs, politically correct alarmists, and Ned Flanders. The sad thing about this is that whoever did it probably meant well, but just didn’t think it through. Not that I’m surprised…it seems that this is standard procedure over at the Peacock Network. Make a decision. Apologize. Make a decision. Apologize. Make a decision. Apologize…thin skin prevails again.

http://www.thrfeed.com/2010/02/how-nbc-honors-black-history-month-pic.html

Parting Shot

From 1999… http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=452951720653&ref=mf

Have a great weekend, see you on Monday…

That’s enough for now. Email me at segarini@fyimusic.ca with your comments, complaints, and thoughts…and remember…don’t believe a word I say.

Bob “The Iceman” Segarini was in the bands The Family Tree, Roxy, The Wackers, The Dudes, The Segarini Band, and Cats and Dogs, and nominated for a Juno for production in 1978. He also hosted “Late Great Movies” on CITY TV, was a producer of Much Music, and an on-air personality on CHUM FM, Q107, SIRIUS Sat/Rad’s Iceberg 95, (now 85), and now provides content for radiothatdoesntsuck.com with RadioZombie, The Iceage, and PsychShack. Along with the love of his life, Jade (Pie) Dunlop, (who hosts and writes “I’ve Heard That Song Before” on RTDS), continues to write, make music, and record.