geeezer

 Damn, I've been on this Beatles kick nonstop for a few weeks now. I thought it stopped a few days ago when I started listening to The Black Keys--but naw man, the Beatles are too good man. No other artist has this many iconic, hit tunes.

Initially, my Beatles kick started with me having the fluffy simple songs like Here Comes The Sun and I've Just Seen A Facestuck in my head. Stuck because the sun is coming and I have just seen a face. But this past week, been listening to the deeper stuff. The Lennon-Taratinoing-Dylan track You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, Harrison's Something (which may be my favorite track off Abbey Road. And that's saying something considering that it's Abbey Fucking Road), the ridiculously cute Piggies...

But my favorite right now, the latest to be stuck is this...

CLAPTON plus Beatles man. Eric Clapton, is the dude who kickstarted my love of old music. Back in the late 90s I listened to contemporary stuff only--Green Day, No Doubt, Offspring, Blink 182, Weezer you know all them California bands. Then my friend Mike "Film and Music Snob" Liu told me he's gonna drive to Utah to see Clapton.

I foolishedly clowned him because i've always made fun of his basketball tastes. (and rightfully so, guy sucks when it comes to evaluating talent. We spent half of our freshman year arguing about who was better on the 96 Sonics--GP or Kemp...I chose GP, he chose Kemp. Yes, I know, I owned him. I own everyone in basketball debates)

I still remember his face when I said "what the heck? go to Utah to see Clapton? what has he done?"

Mike's eyes blew open.

"Oh I'm gonna fucking show you tomorrow"

This was before the days of youtube, of iphones. We were both on AOL though.

Anyway, next day he came back with a CD with Clapton songs. He played me some of his cream stuff-- White Room, etc.

Then he played me Layla. First the guitar intro melted my face off.

"This is a fucking guitar riff...not that Blink 182 shit you listen to," he says to me.

I wanted to rebut, but I knew he right.

Then Layla slows down and the piano interlude kicks in.

"Hey.. wait a minute," I said."This sounds familiar... isn't this?"

"YES SON, THIS IS THE SONG THAT PLAYS WHEN THE KID DISCOVERS THE BODIES IN THE CAR IN GOODFELLAS"

From that moment on, I knew Eric Clapton was ace. Then I started listening to Beatles, Dylan, Hendrix, Bowie, Clapton, Stones, Zeppelin.... and from that moment on, I became one of them bitter old mans who's always moaning "they dont make them like they used to"

Only it's absolutely true for music. It aint true for sports (Jordan would have averaged over 45-12-12 a game playing with all them White guys in the NBA in the 60s), it ain't true for movies. It may be true for video games (Mega man and Mario seems funner than anything today), but it's 100% true for music.

Nothing today touches on the names I just mentioned. Every now and then, we get a contemporary band that's really great--Radiohead, Jack White, the Strokes--but it's like a perfect storm. In general, music today can't measure up.

But yeah.

Enough ranting... While My Guitar Gently Weeps... Beatles + CLAPTON

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfNMrnTlK-w