Mark Stratton's Blog: AGGASPLETCH, page 8

72. No, Really…You’ll Love the Punch Line…(iPod Challenge)

We’ve all been there. Some more recently than others, but we’ve all had that kicked in the gut feeling from a break up gone horribly wrong. The one you didn’t see coming, catches you completely off guard and you don’t or can’t let it go. It eats at you, gnaws at you, crawls inside your dreams and will not leave. It’s the sort of break up where the hope of reconciliation flows like wine at a party, but deep down where you’re painfully honest with yourself, it ain’t happenin’.

Okay, so maybe not...

73. Relatable Anger (iPod Challenge)

I am so tired of cranky old men that pitch endless bitches about how music today is all blah, blah, blah, the fucking blah. The sound like my mother, to be honest. Dad never said much about my taste in music unless I asked. So…I didn’t.

Now, this is supposition on my part but I get the idea that the whiney geezers hear what’s on the radio and dismiss it out of hand as what is happening in the world of music today. Which is such a waste of time. Today’s radio is all about what the corporate he...

74. No Explanation Needed (iPod Challenge)

There is no great story, no deep or dark reason why I included this song on the list. Some songs need no reason. Some songs you just like a helluva lot. This is one of those songs.

I mean, I could wax poetic about the voice of Martha Davis or how The Motels could’ve been bigger than they were or how I remember listening to the cassette tape while driving back roads, but I won’t. I just give you the song, number 74 on the countdown, a long distance dedication to kick ass guitars, great lyrics,...

75. A Cover of a Springsteen Song Preferred to the Original (iPod Challenge)

My first exposure to The Boss was “Born to Run”. I was young, loved the song, but didn’t know much about him beyond Mother saying he looked like he needed a bath.

It was with some surprise that I later discovered that this song recorded by Manfred Mann’s Earth Band (insert joke about bands from other planets here) was originally written by Springsteen. This in no way detracts from my enjoyment of this song, by the way. I just found it rather interesting as I know I’ve mentioned before how fond...

76. (iPod Challenge) This Post has No Title and I Blame Dave…

I associate this song with a guy named Dave. I went to high school in Michigan with Dave. I hung out at the roller rink with Dave. He played guitar and loved Robin Trower (amongst others). In particular, he loved this song. I haven’t seen Dave since I was 16.

What is funny (weird, not haha), I didn’t hear the song for years after I last saw Dave. Like, more than 10 years closer to 15 maybe. See, even though I knew Dave’s taste in music at the time, and my burgeoning taste in music at the time,...

77. Swimming in the Blues

The meanings of some songs change in your life as life changes around you. Perspective, y’know? You grow, stagnate, regress, whatever but Life itself doesn’t remain static. If you’re paying attention and willing to be more than a little honest with yourself, the music of your life changes meanings with you.

Changes how, you ask? Great question!

When I was working at a rock station in Columbia as a Part Time Jockey, I came across Gary Moore and the song “Still Got The Blues”, a hard rock style b...

78. Radio Memories

Some years ago a country singer named Lionel Cartwright had a hit with a record titled, “I Watched it All on My Radio“. It struck a nerve with me because the world came to me via my AM radio when I was a boy.

I can still see that AM Radio, a General Electric Superheterodyne AM Clock Radio (Model 1400A). A white case, black face, silver clock dial and tick marks on the tuning dial. On the right side were two large knobs; one for changing the station and the other for volume (George Carlin menti...

79. Setting Summer to Music

We all know the sounds of summer; kids playing outside, lawmowers, bugs, music on the radio, fireworks, baseball games, first kisses and falling in love. But have you ever wondered what Summer, set to music, sounds like?

War filled my room with the sounds of “Why Can’t We Be Friends” and “Low Rider” when I was a boy. I liked both of those songs enough so that later in life I found a “Best Of” LP at a used record store to add to my collection. This was the first time I’d heard this song, and I...

80. We Mourned in Celebration…

What started as the B-Side to a George Harrison single morphed into one of the more interesting and well received of the so-called “Super Groups” to ever come down the pike.

George Harrison, formerly of some band from Liverpool, Jeff Lynne of the Electric Light Orchestra (and huge fan of said band from Liverpool), Tom Petty of the Heartbreakers, Bob Dylan of Duluth, MN (Saa-Loot!)and Rock Legend and Icon, Roy Orbison formed the Traveling Wilbury’s. This is all fairly well documented so I won’t...

Easy Isn’t Always Right – Lessons From My Father (Birthday Edition)

I’m sure my mouth was hanging open in disbelief when he told me that his legal obligations to me were over, that at months end I was no longer welcome to live in his home. I do remember it was a while before the shock wore off and the anger set in. My dad had just thrown me out of his house. Less than 30 days to make other arrangements, organize my stuff and go.

Damn him, anyhow.

That was 30 years ago this summer. I did leave his home on July 31, 1983. Not only that, but I left Wisconsin. I did...