Carl

I got a hold of a DVD with a bunch of music videos directed by Spike Jonze. There are 2 Weezer videos on there, including "Buddy Holly," which is really funny and harkens back to Happy Days before Fonzie jumped the shark. Worth a rental if you haven't seen it.

I think the risk/reward on this one makes it not worth the effort, at least right now. A lot of people might find it helpful, but we haven't been able to sort out the legal issues and it would require a fair amount of code.

I thought there were 2 standout performances: Alicia Keys/Lenny Kravitz/Stevie Wonder and Christina Aguilera/Nelly. The great thing about bringing out Stevie and doing one of his truly great songs (Anyone see Hi Fidelity? - "Do you even know your daughter!") is that a younger crowd can get to know him. He's one of the greats and should be appreciated. Christina Aguilera is proving to be a spectacular performer. She really means it when she sings and can absolutely wail. With MTV under the Janet Jackson restrictions, the Flapper Dresses and Zoots Suits were brilliant. Some observations: What did Chaka Khan swallow that made her sound like an American Idol reject? She's better than that - I wonder if she did it on purpose. Viacom clearly wanted to plug Comedy Central, but they managed to make both John Stewart and Dave Chapelle look incredibly unfunny. Chapelle may have been collared by the restrictions, but Stewart's stuff was taped - someone should have stopped it. Shaq looked like he was in great shape. Let's not bash the US Olympic Team, who at least went to Greece to represent instead of hanging out in Miami. I was surprised the Kerry daughters got booed, but it proves that people don't respond well to political messages when they are out for entertainment. That was a bad idea.

When it comes to Pop, I think the creation of the product is more important than the delivery vessel (translation: songwriting and production are more important than performance). Billy Joel is a great Pop singer because he writes great Pop songs. Give "Say Goodbye To Hollywood" to George Michael, Micheal Penn or Penn Gilette (you know, from the comedy duo Penn & Teller) and you'll get roughly the same result. Give these guys "Captain Jack," and it's a completely different song. On the production end, Mutt Lange or Desmond Child can make slick Pop for just about anyone with some talent. Anyway, here are some great Pop performers: Cyndi Lauper Hanson David Bowie Cheap Trick Joan Osbourne Paul McCartney

Hi all. We got a note from an Australian journalist who is working on a feature for a travel magazine. She's looking for songs that mention or have something to do with beaches - she gave "Rockaway Beach" as an example. Any ideas?

Guys like Sam Cooke, David Ruffin and Bill Withers are my pick, but on the Rock side, how about Gregg Allman? I can't think of any other Rock vocalist who sings with such passion, yet makes it easy to understand the words, even live.

Pat from Billerica, MA wins a clean and comfortable Songfacts T-shirt. Here are the answers: What popular singer released a book called Sex? - Madonna What group is made up of 3 guys and a girl named Fergie? - Black Eyed Peas What popular band is named after the church they attended as kids? - Our Lady Peace Nazareth was a good guess, but they took their name from a line in The Band's song "The Weight." What popular rap group has 2 members named Adam? - The Beastie Boys What was the first band to have 4 US #1 hits from their first album? - Creed What band opened a tour with a simulcast of the show in movie theaters across the US? - Phish The opening show to their 2004 farewell tour was shown in 46 theaters. What popular band from the '70s was named after their keyboard player? - Manfred Mann We also accepted KC & The Sunshine Band and Booker T & The MGs. We didn't accept The Alan Parsons Project even though we were tempted. The group was more of a collection of musicians Parsons would use to record his stuff. What famous band once appeared on stage dressed as light bulbs? - The Red Hot Chili Peppers They did it at Woodstock in 1994. Devo was a good guess - they wore a variety of metallic costumes on stage, but RHCP were clearly light bulbs. What famous musician took his wife's last name when they got married? - Jack White of the White Stripes His name was Jack Gillis, but he changed it when he married Meg White, who is also his drummer. A lot of people guessed John Lennon, who changed his middle name to "Ono." Worldwide, what is the best-selling single with a title that is the name of a girl? - "Macarena" This stumped just about everyone. Good guesses include Billie Jean, Diana, Jenny, Mandy and Rosanna. Thanks to everyone who took the quiz, and be sure to take the new one here.

To make a nice, clean break in your relationship, show up with a box of forever roses (so you will never have to buy her flowers again), do dinner at the Arby's drive thru, and put on this classic from The Beastie Boys: Girls - to do the dishes Girls - to clean up my room Girls - to do the laundry Girls - and in the bathroom Girls - that's all I really want is girls Two at a time - I want girls

I got my free CD a few days ago. I went to their website, filled out a simple form, and someone somewhere airmailed me a copy. How's that for confidence in your product. While many bands are doing battle to keep their music from being downloaded, Marillion is sending free CDs across the Atlantic Ocean. It's good stuff. They have a very clean sound and I really like the songwriting. I'll probably get some more Marillion soon.

"I noticed you're drinking 1% milk. Is that because you think you're fat?" This movie is really funny. The dance scence reminded me of the time Carlton went on Soul Train on The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air. Scott, I know you live in a 3 electoral vote red state, which means it won't make to a theater anytime soon, but you need to rent this movie as soon as you can.

I love whatever Ozzy says at the open of "Crazy Train." SNL did a great skit where a couple was having a romantic dinner, when the waiter asks them if they'd like some music. They break into "Crazy Train" and hijinks ensue.

We had to find out if "MMMBop" was inspired by The Grateful Dead - the rumor was they would scat out "MMM - Bop" when playing a cover of "Not Fade Away" at concerts. So we talked to Zac Hanson, who is the drummer and youngest of the 3 Hanson brothers. It turns out there is no truth to the story, but he did give us the history of the song, which despite being one of the most ferocious earworms ever recorded, is a great pop song. These guys write their own songs and even critics seem to love their 3 albums. They have loads of talent and should be around a long time. Here are the Songfacts: http://www.songfacts.com/factSearch.lasso?artistsearch=Hanson

There's a Country song called "You can feel bad if it makes you feel better." At any given time, it helps us to feel miserable - it's allows us to take some time and feel better again. There are some people in this world who seem to create unhappiness for themselves, and you'll win a prize for your writing if you can figure out why. I think tragedy is popular because it is fascinating to us. It's why we gawk at accidents and watch J. Lo movies. Songs like "Dead Man's Curve" and "Leader Of The Pack" have been drawing us in for years.

This is a great question. I'm thinking it's one of Clapton's bands, but still can't figure it out. The Yardbirds?

I think Flea does some of his best bass thumping on their cover of "Higher Ground." I'd like to add: "Rock Lobster" by The B-52s. Once that gets in my head, it clutches tight and won't let go. "Seven Nation Army" by The White Stripes. And they don't even have a bass player.

In the final 4 of great debut albums, I put: Van Halen (self titled) The Pretenders (also self titled) Meat Loaf - Bat Out Of Hell Elvis Costello - My Aim Is True And the winner is: The Pretenders

Badfinger - Signed to Apple Records, ended up getting screwed by another record company. 2 members killed themselves. Tim Hardin - Wrote "Reason To Believe" and lots of other amazing songs. Dead at 39. The La's - Recorded the original version of "There She Goes." Everyone loved them, but somehow they just went away.

I did some research on this as part of our interview with fellow Domino Bobby Whitlock. It seems Jim Gordon is still in prison, although according to the terms of his sentence, he is eligible for parole.

I'm going to try an intervention here. At this point, I was reading this thread and thinking, "This is good, we're having a constructive discussion about a very controversial topic without personal attacks." It went downhill pretty fast, so I deleted all the posts from this point down (including mine). I know it's hard to discuss this movie without bringing politics into the game, but I ask anyone who would like to post in this thread to please keep it civil and try to talk about the movie.

I think Ashlee is a much better singer then her older sis. I'm surprised she was able to break away from Jessica's gravitational pull - other sisters have not done nearly as well. Britney and Beyonce both have younger sisters who haven't made it in the biz.

I have no proof, but I have read in at least 2 publications that it is Rundgren's "Time Heals." I hope we can figure this one out.

allmusic.com has some great charts where you can find music that is similar to or an influence on a certain band. It's fairly subjective, but a good start. You might try posting here with some bands and albums you like and letting us lob some ideas your way. If you're truly into Rush, I'm sure there are a few people here who can make some suggestions for further listening. ::

They put those headphones on to make me sleep. I recently found out what was playing - The Jesus Christ Superstar soundtrack.

My friend Kevin claims he went to high school with John Mayer and played in a band with him. I still haven't met John Mayer. My friend Rusty (the only Rusty in Connecticut) claims Cyndi Lauper is a family friend. I still haven't met Cyndi Lauper. For years, I was on the air at a Classic Rock station in Hartford. I usually did a show on Sunday afternoons, and if there was a big concert in town, some of our jocks would interview the musicians while I was back in the studio. In this way, I didn't meet Steve Miller, George Thorogood, Charlie Daniels, Ted Nugent, Carlos Santana or any member of Tesla, Molly Hatchet or Cheap Trick.

As far as I know, Buddokan is a sacred Japanese temple with great acoustics and mystical powers that make Cheap Trick sound great. I think holding concerts there was a big deal due to its sacredness. In the US, the exotic concert location of choice is Red Rocks, Colorado.