Song of the day : He knows if you’ve been bad or good...

How appropriate... but also how unbearable !

All the radios play that song all day long. Depending on the radio, the interpret might change...
The Boss' version made my day this year ! (Easy to find on YouTube)

Bruce Springsteen - Santa Claus is coming to town

Quote of the day : The Beatles finally

"I'm particularly glad to no longer be asked when The Beatles are coming to iTunes."

- Ringo Starr, November 2010

Song of the day : Did someone say Halloween ?

The most appropriate song for the occasion, released on one of Bowie's best albums.

David Bowie - Scary monsters (and super creeps)

Quote of the day : Halloween

Are your carved pumpkin and costume ready for tomorrow ?

"What kind of magic spell to use ? Slime and snails ? Or puppy dog tails ? Thunder or lightning ?"

- David Bowie, Dance Magic Dance, Labyrinth

Song of the day : Celebrating John Lennon's 70th birthday

John Lennon would have turned 70 last Saturday.

Though it may seem cheesy, I sincerely think the world would be a better place with him.
RIP, John.

John Lennon - Starting over

Quote of the day : Columbus day

"Following the light of the sun, we left the Old World."

- Christopher Columbus

I wish I could do the same, soon.

Song of the day : It does not seem the human race will make it through the year :-(

Placebo finally released a song they've been performing on stage for the past year. Not a very optimistic song though...

Placebo - Trigger happy hands

Quote of the day : Yodaism

"Try not. Do, or do not."

- Yoda, Star Wars

Song of the day : San Franciscans

Another cool pop / rock band from San Francisco is currently touring. They had a huge hit a few years ago with a song called "Drops of Jupiter".

Train - Hey Soul Sister

Quote of the day : Wanted or unwanted epitaph... (4)

She said :

"Getting old ain't for sissies."

... And on her tombstone is written :

"She did it the hard way."

- Bette Davies

Song of the day : Maiden is back

Another band raises from their ashes : in August, Iron Maiden released a new album, "The final frontier". They are currently touring. And Bruce Dickinson is back.

Iron Maiden is another great example of a band that has very loyal fans, that sold probably more than 100 million records, and still does not get much coverage in the media.

Iron Maiden - Blood brothers

Quote of the day : Television

"Television has made dictatorship impossible but democracy unbearable."

- Shimon Peres

Song of the day : Jaiguru Deva Om

Great song. Covered many times. Sung by Brian Molko in Brussels for the I (*HEART*) EU event. Belgium took over the European presidency for a 6-month period, which is funny, because, due to a major political crisis, Belgium does not have a government at the moment...

The Beatles - Across the universe

Quote of the day : What life is about, by Mark Twain

"Twenty years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover."

- Mark Twain

Brian Molko gave his own version of Twain's philosophy, in a 2009 interview :

"I think there's nothing more wonderful about life, than seeing life as an adventure. You know... We should all try things that we're afraid of, like jumping out of an airplane, or, you know, having sex with a man. We should all try all of these things."

- Brian Molko, 2009

Song of the day : Bob Dylan ? WTF ?

I know, I've shown through many posts that I'm more of an alt rock person than a... hum... folk person. Still, there is no way to talk 20th / 21st century music without mentioning Bob Dylan.

My song of the day will be three songs (hey !... after all, this is MY blog...) : one of the most famous Dylan's songs, and two other songs I particularly like. That way, I won't have to talk folk music again !

Bob Dylan - Like a rolling stone

Bob Dylan - Subterranean homesick blues

Bob Dylan - Man gave names to all the animals

On a side note, "Like a rolling stone" has been covered many many times, including one by David Bowie.

Quote of the day : At war

"If you sit by the river long enough, you will see the body of you enemy float by."

- Often attributed to Sun Tzu

Song of the day : Foo Fighters (again)

The Foo Fighters frontman, Dave Grohl, was Nirvana's drummer. He's also part of Them Crooked Vultures.
This song was on an album called "One by one". Dave Grohl stated once that on that album there were only four good songs. The seven other songs were never played again... This song is one of the four !

Foo Fighters - All my life

Quote of the day : Wanted or unwanted epitaph... (3)

"Here lies W.C. Field. I would rather be living in Philadelphia."

- W.C. Fields, 1925

W.C. Fields had the most cynical sense of humor. However, this sentence is not on his grave. He proposed it, but his grave only reads "W.C. Fields 1880 - 1946". He was born in Philadelphia, and joked quite often about his birth town.

Song of the day : Scissor sisters

I just discovered this flamboyant band from New York. They already sold 7 million albums.

Their new album, "Night work", is expected on June 28th. Check out the album cover...

Scissor Sisters - Fire with fire

Quote of the day : Wanted or unwanted epitaph... (2)

"Here lies Steven Tyler, the Demon of Screamin', who never woke up from the dream he was dreamin', until one day he drank some magic potion, now all that's left is sweet emotion."

- Steven Tyler

Song of the day : Duets (part 5)

How to relaunch a career... After losing themselves in substance abuse and miscommunication, Aerosmith rose from ashes.

Aerosmith feat. Run DMC - Walk this way

Quote of the day : Wanted or unwanted epitaph... (1)

"Here lies Paul Newman, who died a failure because his eyes turned brown."

- Paul Newman, 1960s

Song of the day : Duets (part 4)

Freddie Mercury, you are sorely missed.

David Bowie feat. Queen - Under Pressure

Quote of the day : Peace and love / Seriously

"Peace will come when the Arabs will love their children more than they hate us."

- Golda Meir, Israeli Prime Minister, 1957

Song of the day : Peace and love

In the seventies, one had to take sides : Rolling Stones or Beatles ?
I've always been more of a Rolling Stones.

But for peace's sake, I'll be fair and after picking a Stones song, I'll pick a Beatles song...
Once more, tough choice...

The Beatles - Revolution

Writing about the Beatles reminded me of a movie I love - probably the only Sean Penn performance I find bearable... - "I am Sam". Lots of Beatles references. Great movie.

Quote of the day : The Rolling Stones

"Art ? As far as I'm concerned, that's just short for "Arthur"."

- Keith Richards

Song of the day : I can't believe !!!...

I can't believe I have not picked a Rolling Stones song yet ! My bad !!!

Once again, it is hard to pick one song from the Stones discography. I chose one of the most famous, and one of the most beautiful songs ever written (I think).
So, was this song written about Mrs David Bowie, or not ?

Rolling Stones - Angie

Quote of the day : Ambiguity

"I just enjoy screwing with people's heads. For the first half of our gigs, there's normally some guy convinced I'm a girl, and a pretty cute one at that. As the gig continues, it begins to dawn on him that I'm a bloke, and suddenly he has to ask himself some serious questions. Ha ha !"

- Brian Molko

Song of the day : Duets (part 3)

One of the greatest singers with one of the most famous and sexiest Italian singer. Even his name is sexy.

Eros Ramazzotti feat. Tina Turner - Cose della vita

Quote of the day : Healthcare (... Churchill's humor)

"An apple a day keeps the doctor away... especially if you aim carefully."

- Sir Winston Churchill

Song of the day : Duets (part 2)

An amazing cover by two mega-rock stars !

David Bowie and Mick Jagger - Dancing in the street

Quote of the day : Healthcare (... more Groucho's humor)

"I'm not feeling very well. I need a doctor immediately. Ring the nearest golf course."

- Groucho Marx

Song of the day : Duets (part 1)

Some artists recorded cool duets. In the next days, I'll pick some.

Santana recorded an album called Supernatural that included several duets. I like some of them. He also recorded a duet with Steven Tyler (this duet is not on Supernatural).

Santana feat. Steven Tyler - Just feel better

Quote of the day : Everybody needs a good laugh...

I'm a huge Marx fan. Not of Karl, of Groucho, of course !
Being such a huge fan, I can't give only one quote.

"I've had a perfectly wonderful evening, but this wasn't it."
"I must say I find television very educational. The minute somebody turns it on, I go to the library and read a good book."
"I refuse to join any club that would have me as a member."

- Groucho Marx

Song of the day : God is in America

"I'm afraid of Americans,
I'm afraid of the world,
--- God is in America."

Well, probably, since we haven't seen him here for a while...

David Bowie - I'm afraid of Americans

Quote of the day : Just say no !

"There are three side effects of acid : increased long-term memory, decreased short-term memory and I forgot the third."

- Timothy Leary

Tim Leary was a symbol of the counterculture of the 60s. He was a psychologist and a writer. He experimented all kinds of substances.

Song of the day : Stupid lawsuits, keeping judges busy

New fad : don't take responsibility for anything, sue whoever you can sue for your own wrongdoings, keep courts busy. Stupid lady burns her tongue with a coffee, sues McDonald's, wins.

Not exactly matching what I was describing above, this story :
RHCP (THE Red Hot) are suing some Hollywood producers for using the word "Californication" as a title for a TV show. Guys, please take it outside, talk, sort it out - you don't need a court to settle that matter.
BTW, kudos to those Showtime producers who were dumb enough not to ask for permission.

Anyway, I love the album, I love the song and I particularly love the music video.

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication

Quote of the day : RIP, Malcolm McLaren

Malcolm Mc Laren was laid to rest yesterday in London.

Here is what was written on the casket :

"Too fast to live, too young to die."

- Slogan taken from a store Malcolm McLaren once owned on King's Road, London.

Song of the day : Abuse

Possibly the most beautiful song about abuse.

Placebo - Pierrot The Clown

Quote of the day : Probably the most famous quote ever

"Everyone will be famous for 15 minutes."

- Andy Warhol

Song of the day : Steves, Stevens...

Sheryl Crow - Steve McQueen

Steve Jobs,  Steve Wozniak, Steve McQueen, Steven Spielberg, Steve Fossett, Stephen Hawking, Steven Tyler, Stephen King
What's with the name ?

(Hum... and Steve Forrest...!)

Quote of the day : Dark cloud from Iceland, airplanes

I'm not sure it really happened, but if it did, it is really funny...

Passenger : "Superman don't need no seat belt."
Flight attendant : "Superman don't need no airplane, either."

- Dialog between Muhammad Ali and the flight attendant who asked him to fasten his seat belt

Song of the day : Dark cloud from Iceland, all planes in northern Europe grounded

Foo fighters - Learn to fly

That's the closest to a flight-related song I could come up with. I like the Foo Fighters. "Learn to fly" is certainly their most famous song and their funniest video clip, though it's probably neither their best nor their most representative song.

After playing with Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, Dave Grohl is currently playing in a very interesting and promising band, Them Crooked Vultures. Alt rock amateurs, check them out. Them Crooked Vultures are Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters, Josh Homme from the Queens of the Stone Age and John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin.

Musicians don't belong to one band anymore. Bands are not monolithic anymore. Influences are diverse and mixed. Aerosmith recorded a blues LP. Bon Jovi was #1 on a Country chart. It's wonderful.

Quote of the day : Einstein, again

"It is easier to disintegrate an atom than a prejudice."

- Albert Einstein

Song of the day : Rest in peace, Malcolm McLaren

Malcolm McLaren - Buffalo Gals

Sex Pistols' manager, Dame Vivienne Westwood's ex-husband, artist. RIP.

Quote of the day : Coincidence

"Coincidence is God's way of remaining anonymous."

- Albert Einstein

Song of the day : Energy !...

Placebo - Post blue

Look for a live version of that song on YouTube to see Brian Molko jump up and down !

Quote of the day : Experience

"Experience is the name everyone gives to his mistakes."

- Oscar Wilde, 1896

Song of the day : Feeling lower...

No comment today. Everything is said in this post title.

Placebo - Meds

Quote of the day : Experience

"Good judgement comes from experience, and experience comes from bad judgement."

- Barry B. LePatner

Song of the day : Feeling low today...

One of my parents currently faces some serious health issues. Here is a classic song we both like. I only recently discovered the meaning of the song...

Bee Gees - I started a joke

Quote of the day : Learning

"Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other."

- John Fitzgerald Kennedy, 1963

Song of the day : Leaving New York ?...

Leaving San Francisco reminded me of that song, about another city which is hard to leave :

REM - Leaving New York

Quote of the day : Leaving San Francisco

"San Francisco has only one drawback. 'Tis hard to leave."

- Rudyard Kipling

Song of the day : A classic

Clapton is a great musician.
In the 70s, he had a guitar called "Blackie". I find it very sweet when musicians name their instruments. Jimy Hendrix had a guitar called "Black Beauty".

"Layla" was played a couple of days ago in a mall while I was shopping. It reminded me how much I loved this song.

Eric Clapton - Layla

Quote of the day : In San Francisco

"It's an odd thing, but anyone who disappears is said to be seen in San Francisco. It must be a delightful city and possess all the attractions of the next world."

- Oscar Wilde

Indeed, San Francisco is a delightful city. I would not know about the next world.

Song of the day : Aerosmith to tour ! With Steven Tyler ! YESSS !!

The day after I asked "Will Aerosmith ever reunite ?", Aerosmith announced a European Tour for next summer, with Steven Tyler ! Yay !

AeroForceOne sent out an e-mail titled "Aerosmith picks lead singer for 2010 tour" that included a link to a funny video with ST saying "I just auditioned and I got the gig" !

Again, my song of the day is an Aerosmith song.

Aerosmith - Baby (Steven ?), please don't go

Quote of the day : Travelling to San Francisco

"The coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco."

- Mark Twain

Song of the day : Will they ever play together again ?

Can Aerosmith be Aerosmith without Steven Tyler ? Will the ex-Toxic Twins make peace and reunite ?

Aerosmith - Love in an elevator

Quote of the day : Steve was right, and Ken was wrong

"There is no need for any individual to have a computer in their home."

- Ken Olson, President, Digital Equipment Corp. (DEC), 1977

1977 was the year the Apple ][ and the Commodore PET were introduced.

Song of the day : Another great cover of a Pixies' song

Blogging about Placebo's "Where is my mind" cover, reminded me of another cover of a Pixies' song, by David Bowie.

I honestly think that the cover is far better than the original.

Today's song of the day is :

David Bowie - Cactus

Quote of the day : Elton John about Jesus, tolerance

"I think Jesus was a compassionate, super-intelligent gay man who understood human problems. On the cross, he forgave the people who crucified him. Jesus wanted us to be loving and forgiving. I don't know what makes people so cruel. Try being a gay woman in the Middle East - you're as good as dead."

- Elton John, Feb. 2010

Song of the day : A cool cover

A fabulous cover by Placebo of a Pixies' song :

Placebo - Where is my mind

What is encouraging and amazing with Placebo - apart from their talent - is that they got help from a major artist when their career started, and now, they are helping other artists. Placebo are touring with several bands at the moment. One of those bands is an Australian band called Expatriate. Placebo's frontman,  Brian Molko, took over the residency on XFM in December 2009, and presented Expatriate as one of his favorite bands.

Placebo were greatly helped by David Bowie who invited them to join him on a tour, as an opening act. David Bowie recorded a song with them ("Without you, I'm nothing"), played on various shows with them (look on YouTube for a cover of T-Rex' "20th century boy" featuring David Bowie), and even invited them to play at his 50th birthday gig at Madison Square Garden. Rumor has it that Placebo had not even recorded their first LP when Bowie contacted them.

BTW, Placebo's new drummer, Steve Forrest, is the best ! I love the way he enhanced Placebo's older songs, playing a bit harder and a bit faster than their previous drummer, Steve Hewitt. And, what's even better, he is really cute, and looks so happy to be there !

Quote of the day : "Reality tour" release (more)

"You think that being a famous rock star married to a super-model would be one the greatest things in the world ? It is."

- David Bowie, Late night with Conan O'Brien

Song of the day : "David Bowie : A Reality Tour (audio)" was released last week

... and to celebrate, my song of the day is one of my favorite Bowie songs. It is very hard to choose just one song from this unbelievably prolific artist's discography, but I picked this one :

David Bowie - Ashes to ashes

I was lucky enough to attend one of the Reality Tour concerts. This tour will probably be Bowie's last tour. The concert was one of the best concerts I ever attended, if not THE best (and I've been to many concerts).

As innovative as ever - remember BowieNet, the Bowie bonds, and the release of an album online in 1999 ? -, Bowie toured with an incredibly large video screen behind the band on stage, that had never been seen before.

It is odd to see rock musicians get old or retire. Up to very recently, the end of a rock band would only occur as the result of a huge fight, or the death of a band member, or substance abuse, or all of the above.

Quote of the day : What is it called ? An epiphany ?

"Writing code with zero vulnerabilities is not possible."

- David Ladd, Principal Security Program Manager, Microsoft, Feb. 2010

Song of the day : And the winner is... not Bon Jovi...!

Grammy Awards, 2010. Again, Bon Jovi lost.

I'm not that big a fan, but it never ceases to amaze me to see that a band can sell out 100 stadiums in 10 minutes, and still not be valued by critics and peers.

So, here's to you, Bon Jovi, my song of the day is :

Bon Jovi - We weren't born to follow

Quote of the day : More about Michael Dell, Steve Jobs, Apple

"It's only us and Dell making money [among computermakers]. They're making money because they're Wal-Mart, we're making money because we're innovating."

- Steve Jobs, 2002

Song of the day : Dixie mood...

Today, I'm in a Dixie mood.

Abbie Gardner - Happy feet

Quote of the day : Michael Dell, Steve Jobs, Apple

"I'd shut it down and give the money back to the shareholders."

- Michael Dell, about Apple, 1997

Song of the day

I simply love this song.

Cold War Kids - We used to vacation

Quote of the day : About the iPad

"Last time there was this much excitement about a tablet, it had some commandments written on it."

- The Wall Street Journal, about the iPad, Jan. 2010