My last 10 Recently Played Songs on my iPod: 6/22/09

This is something I'll try and do from time to time as kind of an updater on what I've been up to lately and gauge my musical tastes recently, as they seem to be in a constant state of flux depending on when and where I'm listening to them. So here is how this works: On my iPod, as there is on all iPods, one of the default playlists is the "Recently Played" playlist, and it's one I actually go back to a lot, because I like to listen to it and remember where I was the last time I played. So, I figured, why not write about it? I'm going to keep it to 10, and I'll do the lists at random times. I'll also include a small background about each song to keep them in context. So without further ado:

1. "Black or White" - Michael Jackson, Number Ones
LAST LISTENED TO: On my way home from work, last...I'm gonna say Thursday. Yep, Thursday. I believe I craved Taco Bell.

Ah, Michael. What a career you've led. Daddy Joe was a jerk while you were the center of attention with the 5, and then after going solo, you became a megastar thanks in large part to the incredible work of producer Quincy Jones, whose trio of albums turned you into the "King of Pop." Now, we can only look at you as, and I'm quoting Katt Williams here, the King of "Smelling Like Little Boys' Booty Holes." This was one of his last hits, with the video for this showing him, if I remember right, standing in a water tower of some sort. I don't know. I just remember that hearing Michael sing about the subject was pretty hilarious, mainly because his pigmentation surgery turned him whiter than Powder. Not like talcum powder, but Powder from the movie, "Powder" powder. The song itself is fine, but pales (heh) in comparison to his previous works.

2. "Thugs Get Lonely Too" - 2Pac (feat. Nate Dogg), Loyal to the Game
LAST LISTENED TO: I think on the same trip. Maybe a shorter trip to get gas. Nope, same trip.

I recently watched some old "Chappelle's Show" reruns and it brought me to the hilarious skit where he was dancing in the club and heard the new 2Pac and the lyrics made it sound like 2Pac recorded the song 10 days ago instead of 10 years ago. They stop at lyrics like, "George W....Smith/He used to be the mayor, of Oakland, a long time ago!" And then they keep hollering at Chappelle for hitting on a woman when he's married. Dave, come back to us. Please. The song itself I actually picked up when it was Logan Schafer's walk-up music in Brevard County and I loved the intro. Now, the intro to the song itself is a little longer than what Schafer used (he picked it up from the first drum beat) but the song is the usual post-death 2Pac fare: A beat he probably never would have used, but at the same time, worked for what they were going for. Plus, it had Nate Dogg on the hook, and that's always good, no matter what. I could write the worst rap ever (and I probably have, ask Lenny Della Cella) and have Nate Dogg on the hook and my shit would be hot. Then I'd truly change my name to Posstrofee and start my true calling as heir to the white rapper throne. But I think I'll just follow sports, instead.

3. "Fish and Whistle" - John Prine, Souveneirs
LAST LISTENED TO: Aforementioned trip.

My dad records music, and in talking to my Uncle Jay about him and his musical stylings, I told him that when I first listened to John Prine sing, I realized exactly who my dad sounded like. Now, of course, Prine was somebody who turned out to be one of the greatest acoustic guitar players ever, and my dad is someone who plays because he loves it and doesn't intend on getting famous (although if he did, it's not like he'd turn down the fame) but the way Prine sings his songs, the tonality, the strumming of the guitar, the slight raspiness, it's all in my dad's songs, too. It's nice to know that when I hear a John Prine song, it's a reminder of what my dad looks to for influence and inspiration.

4. "Behind Those Eyes" - 3 Doors Down, Seventeen Days
LAST LISTENTED TO: Aforementioned trip, but I remember exactly when I heard it: Just as I was going through the drive thru at Taco Bell. Weird.

I have a few songs that I absolutely played down to the bone in my iPod history, and the problem is that when I had to reset it or move songs to a different computer, I lose my play history, so this song, at one point, was played at the very top of the list along with another 3 Doors Down song, "Landing in London." Now, that song had Bob Seger in it, and he's pretty awesome, but I remember seeing a video that recapped a WrestleMania a few years back (I think it was 21, when Batista won the big gold belt from Triple H) and this was the song it was set to. For someone who was learning the producing ropes, that was a pretty sweet video package to watch. So it got into heavy rotation, made my Top 100 list, and I played it out until I got sick of it. I think it was about 40 times. It was #1 for like, 2 months. If Billboard consisted of only me, 3 Doors Down would be the most popular band in the United States. And not because of "Superman." That would be fine by me. The song itself is fine, but it's not as much anymore because now all those 3 Doors Down songs blend together for me. I liked them a lot at one point, but not so much anymore. Thought it was worth a listen for nostalgia's sake, though.

5. "Theme from 'Shaft'" - Isaac Hayes, Shaft
LAST LISTENED TO: Coming home from work, but before deciding Taco Bell was the place to be.

So I mentioned Quincy Jones earlier, and as if you needed any other reason to love the man, we throw this one down and you guys all bow down at the greatness of him. Now, he has two incredible themes to his credit: This one, and the theme from "Austin Powers." Yes, he wrote the theme to Austin Powers. The best of the three movie themes was the one from "The Spy Who Shagged Me" where he extended it out a bit and flared it out in the end. I almost thought they would go full James Bond and have different people do opening themes for the movies. But, alas, they instead got Britney Spears' head to explode. I guess that's a win-win? Although I'm digging "If You Seek Amy" a lot more than the other pop songs out there (I'm looking at you, Black Eyed Peas). The best part of this song isn't the lyrics. It's the layering of the instruments. Quincy figured out a way to slowly incorporate the instruments so that it was like they were all coming to a party one after the other, and then right before Isaac starts to sing, it's like Shaft had arrived to the party and they were all applauding his arrival. Of course, Isaac lays it down thick and it's an iconic piece of pop culture. Pretty incredible when you think about it.

(Sidenote: Quincy Jones has to be a Top 5, maybe Top 3 producer ever, doesn't he? I know people have their faves, like Phil Spector or Sir George Martin, who were the main producers for The Beatles. I like more recent guys like Dr. Dre, Mannie Fresh, Timbaland for hip hop and Roy Thomas Baker mostly for "Bohemian Rhapsody" but also for his work on the final album from The Darkness called "One Way Ticket...To Hell and Back". I just realized I'm writing a side note as if I'm The Sports Guy. Forget anymore sidenotes.)

6. "I'm A Flirt (Remix)" - R. Kelly (feat. T.I and T-Pain), Double Up
LAST LISTENED TO: First song that hit after I left work that Thursday.

Oh, Robert. I'm gonna lay it on the line: On pure musical talent, I don't think there's anyone in hip-hop today that has more than him. Kanye, Lil' Wayne, Eminem...you name it. P. Diddy might have invented the remix, but R. Kelly mastered the damn thing. Everyone loved the remix to "Ignition." He's written songs called "Feelin' On Yo Booty" and "Sex Planet." And the first line of this song, after the dude went to court for charges of lewd sexual misconduct with a minor are "I swear to tell the truth and the whole truth." This guy made of Teflon or something? Also, add in his part in a phenomenal episode of "The Boondocks" and his part in the "Make It Rain" remix. Oh, and then he did "I Believe I Can Fly," a song that when performed in full chorus at the MTV Video Music Awards back in 1997 was one of the best award show performances ever. Throw in new hipster icon (????) T-Pain and a guy who just came off his best album in T.I. and you got yourself a hip-hop #1 hit. Done deal.

7. "What I Got (Reprise)" - Sublime, Sublime
LAST LISTENED TO: On my way into work that Thursday.

I have bought this album three times. I first bought it, then lost it when my CDs got stolen. I got it as a gift for my birthday, then it got busted. The third time I got it, it got stolen again, but by that time, I had it saved on my computer and could burn it. I think if you were a kid in Sonoma when this came out and you weren't listening to it, people wondered what the hell was wrong with you. It's weird to listen to it now, with the only true memory I'm getting from it bringing me back to the same time: My sophomore year at Sonoma Valley High School. It's another group who I have kind of soured on, but, just like the Chili Peppers, when the summer time rolls around, this group comes to mind immediately, and usually, it brings the good times. This was one of them.

8. "Runnin' Away" - Sly & The Family Stone, There's A Riot Going On
LAST LISTENED TO: Driving home from the Wednesday day game.

So in our times where we drove to San Francisco on what seemed like a weekly basis, Blake and I would pop one of his CDs in, and we'd get in a rotation where this would be near the top of the list. Why? Because one time, when this song came on, we saw about a half dozen beautiful women driving by us on the 101. So, like most one-hit wonders, you keep playing and hope that the second and third time around bring the same results. Not so much the second time around. That being said, Sly is ridiculously cool. Will's mom knew him in high school. Literally. Played at school rallies and all that. Guess he knew way back then. So Vallejo's four greatest exports are Sly, Jeff Gordon, C.C. Sabbathia and E-40. Not bad.

9. "Mainstreet" - Bob Seger, Greatest Hits
LAST LISTENED TO: That same Wednesday, just before getting home.

Bob Seger was one of the first artists I remember listening to, along with Willie Nelson, Queen, Jimmy Buffett, The Eagles and The Beatles. I always loved his music, just because the way he sang made it sound like he was eeking out pain. Like he was looking for a way to describe heartbreak. THIS song is awesome because it talks about that heartbreak, about a guy wanting to find love in the heart of a dancer late one night downtown, probably in Detroit, but it, of course, becoming a trial and tribulation to do so. For some reason, people will talk up Springsteen for all he's worth, but Bob Seger gets left behind because he didn't write a bunch of poppy singles about the American Dream. Instead, people remember him for things like being the song in those Guitar Hero commercials where they copy "Risky Business" and being the song in the Chevrolet "Like A Rock" commercials. So two songs became commercial jingles. Awesome. I don't remember Bob Seger for those songs. I remember him for songs like this, "Night Moves," "Turn The Page," and "Hollywood Nights."

10. "Oh!" - Eric Hutchinson, Sounds Like This
LAST LISTENED TO: On the way to the ballpark early that Wednesday morning.

Alex Anthopolous, assistant GM of the Toronto Blue Jays, gave me an overview of what he'd like from me to do during Spring Training before the first game of the year against the Yankees back in February. I remember sitting down, getting the things together, and then all of a sudden, Alex calling me over and dropping a cardboard box full of CDs in my arms and saying, "Here, you can have these if you want. Welcome to Spring Training." This was on the first day I met him. Suffice to say, it's one thing to be nice, but a completely different thing to be generous. Luckily, he was both. One of his good friends was attending one of the games that weekend and dropped those off as a way of saying thanks, but Alex didn't want them and sent them my way. So I put EVERY ONE of them on my computer, and Eric Hutchinson, who I had never heard of, was one of them. He's another one of those fringe indie pop guys that sound like the music you'd hear on a teen drama like The OC or something. I guess Gossip Girls is the way to go now. Anyways, this is a song that I listened to for the first time a while back and I really enjoyed it. Good piano work (I contest to this day that the piano is the most important instrument in pop music) and I liked the lyrics well enough. He's like a poor man's Ben Folds.

Wow...it's been three months...

Go figure. Things get crazy, I forget to keep track. I guess here's the Cliff's Notes version of what has happened in the last three-plus months since I last wrote a blog entry:

-Mike got let go from the Blue Jays and moved back west to Arizona.

-I moved into a new place in Clearwater, having been looking and finally finding a place on the outskirts of town, near U.S. 19, as I'm living with a 50-year-old woman. At least I have my own room.

-Two days after I moved in, my car totally broke down on me. A couple days later, I was back on the road, but not before I thought my car was truly done for.

-I MCed the final seven games of the Spring Training season, showing off that I can do more than just write, which was a great shot in the arm.

-On the final day of spring training, I drank and ate so much afterwards that I threw up on the porch at Eddie's in Dunedin. True story. I would not drink for a long time afterwards.

-Two days later, the idea of broadcasting became relevant to the staff, and they put me in place to do a few broadcasts here and there.

-I went south for Easter with the family, enjoying a hell of a good time in the process.

-I went east toward Melbourne/Cocoa Beach to go see Brevard County sweep Dunedin, and meet some good people over there in the process as I took a player across to join the team.

-Went south and spent time on the beach with my Uncle Jay, which is always a good time.

-Did my first professional broadcast, a loss to the Tampa Yankees. I have done two more since.

-I played a lot of poker and almost won a tournament.

-I got out and saw a little bit of the area around Dunedin, and found a couple neat spots.

-Saw an amazing WrestleMania at Winghouse.

-Most recently, I celebrated my 25th birthday down in Miami/Ft. Lauderdale, and it was a weekend I sorely needed.

-I came back with a bump on my head without knowing what it is, as it hurts anytime pressure is put on my head.

And now, here I am. June 18, 12:25 EST, and I'm finishing up this blog post with one more home game to go before this weekend's All-Star festivities. I won't have another weekend until July 16th, when I head back west to see family and friends for a couple of days, but if there's anything I've learned, it's to give yourself checkpoints if you feel yourself down. I have one month until I head west. With that as the goal, it's up to me to work my butt off and work towards that weekend as an ending point. It's been a rollercoaster of emotions, with plenty of ups and downs, but life is all about finding balance. I still haven't found it, but it's something that's always a work in progress...and something I hope to find much sooner than later.