Oh, Robbie!

So Robbie Williams, arguably the biggest pop star in the UK and former singer with Take That (rem. them?), recently won a libel lawsuit against several magazines who claimed the singer had 'engaged in casual gay sex.' Now some activist groups are calling on Robbie to donate his nearly half-million dollar settlement to gay charities.

In the past, Williams has apparently 'teased' his substantial gay fan base 'with comments appearing to confirm he has had gay relationships.' Indeed, a track on a 1997 album featured him singing "Am I straight or gay?"

The issue here, apparently, is not so much that Robbie is gay or isn't gay, has dabbled or hasn't. Folks are up in arms that, if the singer sees nothing wrong with being gay, why has he sued for libel? Isn't it just something he could ignore as tabloid trash and feel confident in what he claims is the truth? Food for thought. What do you think?

"If Robbie wants to make amends, and reassure his gay fans, he should donate his libel winnings to a hard-pressed gay charity like Lesbian and Gay Switchboard," Outrage founder Peter Tatchell told the BBC.

He could also invest some money in a new publicist to make sure he breaks through to the US market. He sells millions in his home country, but in America he's not really been heard of since "Millennium" in 1999.

Today's Christmas Song: Merry Christmas Darling

The lights on my tree/I wish you could see/I wish it eeee-very daaaaay...

The lyrics of "Merry Christmas Darling" were written by a man called Frank Pooler in 1946. Twenty years later, when Pooler was the director of the college choir at the University of California at Long Beach, he asked one of his students, Richard Carpenter, to put these lyrics to music.

In 1970, right after their hits "Close to You" and "We've Only Just Begun" made them a household word, Richard and his sister Karen, recording as the Carpenters, released "Merry Christmas Darling," which spent the entire season at No. 1 on the holiday charts. It was an instant classic, and in 1978, Karen, who was dissatisfied with her vocal on the original, re-recorded her parts..and that version appeared on their sublime Christmas Portrait album. This is one 1970s Christmas record that has endured, and today--35 years later--you still hear it on the radio, in grocery stores, and on holiday mixes. It's one of the most downloaded holiday songs on iTunes, as well. It's a true classic done only as the Carpenters could do it.

Best of '05 Preview: Eurythmics Go Back to the Sweetest Dreams of All

ARTIST: Eurythmics

ALBUM: Ultimate Collection; Remastered re-release of entire catalog

STANDOUT TRACKS: I've Got a Life (new single), Touch, Savage (the albums)

DISTINCTION: Who knew they were reuniting? Suddenly, there was a new Eurythmics single. And it's not half bad. The Ultimate Collection is far superior to the Greatest Hits CD that was released in the early 1990s. But the real Eurythmics news of the year was Dave Stewart's painstaking remastering of every album from In the Garden through Peace, with bonus tracks and rare photographs accompanying each. The only downside is that the original liner notes of each album have been ignored (doubly annoying for Eurythmics completists like me).

SOUND: Their post-Savage output still remains painfully dated in style. But Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This), the magnificent Touch and Be Yourself Tonight prove that theirs was a collaboration that was far from a one-trick pony. The new single combines gospel and the 80s dance beat revival...enjoyable for certain (and far better than anything off 1999's Peace), but lacking in any of the mystery or "darkness" of the duo's classic work.

YEAR-END CUMULATIVE GPA: New tracks: 3.30...Remastered catalog: 3.9...Eur-iffic!

Christmas Song of the Day: Slade's Merry Xmas Everybody

The snowy weather here in DC has put me in even more of a holiday spirit (OK, CHRISTMAS spirit, jeez!)...and here's the first in a series of Christmas songs that rock my personal world.

I was watching the Christmas 2003 episode of the brilliant BBC show "The Office" when I heard this song being played at the Wernham-Hogg Christmas party. I'd never heard it before but liked it. The Ricky Gervais commentary revealed that it was Slade, who I liked and remembered from the 80s power rock hit "Run Runaway."

I did some research but couldn't find it online, and have never seen it on any US compilation. Thanks to Limewire, however, I finally got my copy of it earlier this year.

The song was written in 1973 and went in "straight at No. 1" in the UK, where it went on to become a million seller and a sentimental favorite amongst Brits. I'm pleased to announce you can listen to at least part of this great track on the BBC Radio's website by clicking here.

It's surprising to me that "Merry Xmas Everybody" never made a dent here in the US. It's a great rocking alternative to the pop schlock that gets hauled out every year. Is it too rockin'? Maybe it's the lyrics, which don't glamorize the season and are slightly off-beat. Example: Does he ride a red nosed reindeer? Does he turn up on his sleigh? Do the fairies keep him sober for a day? Brilliant stuff.

Best of '05 Preview: Aimee Mann

ARTIST: Aimee Mann

ALBUM: The Forgotten Arm

STANDOUT TRACKS: That's How I Knew This Story Would Break My Heart, I Can't Get My Head Around It, Going Through the Motions

DISTINCTION: A concept album, designed like a pulp fiction novel (Mann is up for a Grammy for record packaging); the best thing she's done since Magnolia.

SOUND: Clean and pure; upbeat songs are as catchy as they come and the ballads are sad without being draggy at all.

YEAR-END CUMULATIVE GPA: 3.9....Manntastic! You didn't get much better than this record in 2005.

Grammy Noms: Look Who's Up for Awards in 2006!

The Grammy nominations were announced this morning in New York. I downloaded the entire nominations list for the 48th annual event. I pored through it like a scholar. I was disgusted and disheartened at the nominations in the top categories (more on that later)...and found that I must clearly be out of touch with popular music; I hardly knew anyone.
Of those I did know, I decided to pick my favorites. Here they are, folks: the not-so-pretty but nonetheless intriguing artists I'll be rooting for come February whenever-it-is.

Brian Wilson:
Up for Best Long Form Music Video, Smile. Yeah, never mind the album was a flippin' classic decades in the making and was roundly ignored by the beloved Academy.

Rick Moranis:
Up for The Agoraphobic Cowboy, Best Comedy Album.
I wondered what my favorite McKenzie brother was up to. Apparently there are no more children to shrink, or blow up.

Eric Idle:
Up for Best Musical Show Album for the very funny Spamalot. The man is a comic legend, and I think he'll be roundly rewarded for the work. This ghoulish photo of Idle, however, won't win too many awards...


Peter Griffin
(And the Family Guy creators)
Best Comedy Album, Family Guy Live in Vegas
Has anyone heard this? Please tell me it's got Stewie and Meg covering "Sisters are Doin' it For Themselves."

Best of '05 Preview: Paul Weller

ARTIST: Paul Weller

ALBUM: As Is Now

STANDOUT TRACKS: Come On/Let's Go, From the Floorboards Up, The Start of Forever, Blink and You'll Miss It

DISTINCTION: Hailed as a comeback; produced a Top 10 UK hit for Weller; goddamned good.

SOUND: Straight ahead rock with a lot of soul, loosely produced yet tight. Recorded in a very short time period, hence its immediacy.

YEAR-END CUMULATIVE GPA: 3.85...Mod-nificent!

Dec. 8, 1980 - Dec. 8, 2005

You may say I'm a dreamer
But I'm not the only one.

In all the Lennon tributes over the years, I think the best one was done by George Harrison in his song "All Those Years Ago," released six months after Lennon's death.

I’m shouting all about love
While they treated you like a dog
When you were the one who had made it so clear
All those years ago.
I’m talking all about how to give
They don’t act with much honesty
But you point the way to the truth when you say
All you need is love.
Living with good and bad
I always look up to you
Now we’re left cold and sad
By someone the devil’s best friend
Someone who offended all.
We’re living in a bad dream
They’ve forgotten all about mankind
And you were the one they backed up to the wall
All those years ago
You were the one who imagined it all
All those years ago.
They’ve forgotten all about God
He’s the only reason we exist
Yet you were the one that they said was so weird
All those years ago
You said it all, though not many had ears
All those years ago
You had control of our smiles and our tears
All those years ago

40 Years for 'A Charlie Brown Christmas!'

Good Grief, indeed.

A Charlie Brown Christmas turns forty years old on Friday! Though it seems unimaginable now, the animated classic was almost canceled due to initial concerns about the show's leisurely pace, jazz soundtrack, religious theme, and use of children's voices (kids voices had never been used in an animated special before this show).

However, thanks to a tight deadline and no time for substitution, A Charlie Brown Christmas aired for the first time on December 9th, 1965 on CBS. Nearly half of America's television sets tuned in that night to see the Peanuts characters come to life, set to the smooth bossa nova soundtrack provided by composer/musician Vince Guaraldi.

Schulz, Mendelson, Melendez, and Guaraldi received critical acclaim for their efforts, and the program was awarded an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award for excellence in children's programming.

I think I've seen about 30 of the 40 airings of this special--which dates me, yes, but also illustrates my love for this classic. I would get all excited when it came on, and when that "SPECIAL" animated logo (with the bongos) came on TV, I'd be sure to be sitting literally inches away from the screen.

A Charlie Brown Christmas is as seminal to my cultural development as hearing the White Album for the very first time or watching The Last Picture Show. Why? I can trace many "firsts" back to those cold winter Monday nights when CBS would air this special every year. Thanks to Linus' speech, I memorized the chapter of Luke he recites (the longest extended part of, well, anything I've ever memorized); I heard jazz for the very first time (thanks to the understated, cool elegance of Vince Guaraldi's soundtrack); and it marks a lifelong association of Christmas with a certain degree of melancholy.

Watch it again--for the very first time. It's looking good at 40.

Best of '05 Preview: Out Hud

BAND: Out Hud

ALBUM: Let Us Never Speak of It Again

STANDOUT TRACKS: How Long, Old Nude

DISTINCTION: Only independent group to make it in my top 20 of 2005

SOUND: Think Tom Tom Club meets Kate and Cindy from the B-52s on the way to a Kraftwerk Concert.

YEAR-END CUMULATIVE GPA: 3.6...Out [Hud] standing!

Girls, Girls! Enough Already!

Now this is rich. Have you heard about the latest catfight in the pop world? Check this out.

It was announced a few days ago that George Michael has blasted singer/DJ Boy George for acting "homophobic" toward fellow gay men.

George has reportedly tried to "remain friends with the Culture Club star," but eventually lost patience with Boy George's catty ways.

Michael says, "Boy George is great company and a man I have always wanted to like. I kept giving him chance after chance, but he's pushed it too far. He acts in a homophobic way to other gay men by being such a bitch. It's an aggression that he can't get rid of."

Earlier this year, Boy George said, "People saw me as the benchmark queer while George was passing himself off as a straight stud. In fact, he was loitering in public loos like some pre-war homosexual. It's one thing to keep quiet. It's another to pretend you're someone you're not."

Meanwhile, Boy George has sparked rumors that he has joined Kabbalah after having a Star of David tattooed on his bald head.

According to contactmusic.com, George is believed to have joined the mystical Jewish religion after he was spotted with the tattoo while on a visit to London recently. George, 44, who now lives in New York City, rushed back to London when his mother fell ill after she heard that he had been arrested in October for possession of cocaine (another weird story).

He faces up to 15 years imprisonment if found guilty of falsely reporting a burglary and being in possession of thirteen bags of cocaine. George has denied all charges.

It's such a shame when queens fight, don't you think? After looking at these pix, I don't think either of them have much room to be all high n' mighty.

Remembering John, Part 2: Gimme Some Truth

I can do no better today than to share some of Lennon's words.

* Our society is run by insane people for insane objectives. I think we're being run by maniacs for maniacal ends and I think I'm liable to be put away as insane for expressing that. That's what's insane about it.

* The basic thing nobody asks is why do people take drugs of any sort? Why do we have these accessories to normal living to live? I mean, is there something wrong with society that's making us so pressurized, that we cannot live without guarding ourselves against it?

* When you're drowning, you don't say 'I would be incredibly pleased if someone would have the foresight to notice me drowning and come and help me,' you just scream.

* My role in society, or any artist's or poet's role, is to try and express what we all feel. Not to tell people how to feel. Not as a preacher, not as a leader, but as a reflection of us all.

* Music is everybody's possession. It's only publishers who think that people own it.

* If being an egomaniac means I believe in what I do and in my art or music, then in that respect you can call me that... I believe in what I do, and I'll say it.

* I don't intend to be a performing flea any more. I was the dreamweaver, but although I'll be around I don't intend to be running at 20,000 miles an hour trying to prove myself. I don't want to die at 40.

A Step Closer to Smoke Free: WWJD (What Would Joni Do)?

DC Council members have voted to join the ranks of other cities that have implemented smoking bans.

Sigh.

"Fish has got to swim, and Joni Mitchell has got to smoke, and she does so to the exclusion of almost all other activities. She smokes not in the hopped-up, frenetic manner we associate with true addicts, but calmly and with a great deal of entitlement, as though it was the most natural thing since breathing." US Weekly, Nov. '88

Remembering John, Part One: Oh, Yoko!

Only People

'Only people know just how to talk to people
Only people know just how to change the world
Only people realize the power of people
A million heads are better than one
So come on...'

John Lennon
1972


I don't think you can have a serious conversation about Lennon without having a serious conversation about Yoko. No one in post-60s popular music has been more of a polarizing figure than she was and continues to be. But once you get beyond her ill-founded reputation as the "one who broke up the Beatles," you find there is a richness, a beauty, in Yoko Ono.

I recently watched the Dick Cavett Show interviews (from 1971 and 1972) with Yoko and John, and was mesmerized by Yoko. She wasn't the "dragon lady" the press painted her to be; not some spacy, humorless zombie; not some robotic arm candy for John. In these interviews (and in the ones that accompany the marvelous Gimme Some Truth DVD), Yoko comes across as engaging, charming, and well-spoken. She sings. She talks about her films (you get to see a bit of one called "Fly"). She touches on feminism, overpopulation, drug abuse and (what was at that time the beginning of) her 25-year struggle to be reunited with her daughter, Kyoko.

Sure, Yoko's art was for the most part "weird"...and remains challenging even today. But at the core of her work is this need to communicate--to hold a mirror up to some facet of society and say, "Look, look how strange this really is. This is you." To hear her explain it is a far more eloquent thing than I can try to express here.

And her music defied description then; today, much of it still boggles the mind. There are some immediate gems; one I can think of is a song called "Death of Samantha" from 1973, which sounds as fresh as if it were just released. And if you listen to the work of Lene Lovich, or Laurie Anderson, or even the B-52s, you can hear her influence.

The name "Yoko Ono" always meant something to me, long before I was able to piece together who she was. One of my earliest musical memories is of my sister playing John's stunning Imagine album (1971), and of me singing along to the bouncy, catchy "Oh, Yoko!" Think of my mom's reaction when I'd dance around the house singing "Oh...Yoko...my love will turn you on!"

Read more about Yoko Ono here. You'll find out her fascinating personal history, her take on art and peace, and her big resurgence as a dance music diva (thanks to our pals the Pet Shop Boys) and a gay marriage supporter and activist.

Her love will turn you on.