Today is the 100th birthday of the pioneering indie director, Edward D. Wood, Jr!
Today’s song of the day is the theme from Tim Burton’s 1994 biopic of the director. In my opinion, this remains Burton’s first film. Burton also directed the musical video below while the great Toni Basil choreographed. And, best of all, the dancer is named Lisa Marie!
Happy birthday, Ed, wherever you may be.
My Dad passed away last night. Today’s song of the day is dedicated to him.
My Dad was many things. He was a fighter. He was a trucker. He was a biker. He was a rebel. He loved action movies. He loved his country and distrusted his government. He was the most honest man I ever knew, always telling the truth even when it would have been easier to lie. He was someone who stood up for himself and never backed down from a challenge. I remember, when I was a kid, he would frequently get pulled over for speeding and he would always give the cop the finger while accepting the ticket. My mom would get mad at him for that and my other sisters would admonish him with, “Dad, you’re going to get another ticket!” but deep down, we all knew that was what he had to do. That was just who he was. He lived his life his way and I’m thankful that we reconnected and we were able to fix our own relationship before he passed.
My Dad was ten years sober when he passed and I know he took a lot of pride in that. A lot of people didn’t think he was serious when he said he had given up drinking but I knew he was and I knew he’d stick with it. I was proud of him and I still am.
Today’s song of the day could have been written about him.
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy 79th birthday to the legendary Debbie Harry!
Our song of the day is my favorite of Blondie song (and, believe me, there were many to choose from), Atomic! This song, which was subsequently covered for Trainspotting by Sleeper, is one that I often find myself not only quoting but also hearing in my head.
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to recording artist Rita Coolidge!
Rita Coolidge, who rose from being a backing singer to being a successful headliner in her own right, sung my favorite James Bond theme song, All Time High from Octopussy.
(Not surprisingly, this was a rare care of the Bond film’s title not being used in the theme song.)
I love this song and not just because it’s one of the few that I can actually sing. As performed by Coolidge, this song captures the romance, mystery, and fun that epitomized the Bond franchise before Daniel Craig came along and turned James Bond into a sexless, weepy loser.
It only seems appropriate to make All Time High today’s song of the day!
I was torn about whether or not to listen to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon during the eclipse because — bleh! — Roger Waters. But then I remembered that the other members of the band hate Roger Waters as well and I was able to use that to justify things. I mean, seriously, some things are just made for eclipses and that’s certainly true of the somewhat silly and portentous but still effective Dark Side of the Moon.
(Silly, portentous, and effective is also a good description of Pink Floyd as a whole.)
So, with that in mind, here is today’s special Eclipse Day song of the day. Actually, I guess I should say that these are today’s songs of the day because technically, they are two separate songs. But they might as well be two.
Today is the 80th birthday of Who vocalist Roger Daltrey so it seems only appropriate to pick one of The Who’s most recognized songs for today’s song of the day. Enjoy Teenage Wasteland!
Okay, just kidding. I know the name of the song is Baba O’Riley. But seriously, there are thousands of people out there who think that this song is called Teenage Wasteland and, when I first wrote the first draft of my review of Summer of Sam, I may have actually been so exhausted that I actually referred to it as being Teenage Wasteland but, fortunately, if that did indeed happen, Jeff pointed out my mistake before I hit that publish button. Pete Townshend, who wrote the song, later said that the reference to a “teenage wasteland” was inspired by the audience Woodstock and it was not meant to be complimentary.
This performance, featuring Daltrey’s amazing vocals, is taken from the 1979 concert film, The Kids Are Alright.
I meant to share this yesterday for Johnny Cash’s birthday but I was pretty tired when we got home from the lake and I missed my chance to do so. But the voice of Johnny Cash was so strong that it can justify a song of the day even after his birthday.
So, with a belated happy birthday to the spirit of Johnny Cash, here is today’s song of the day!
Continuing our tribute to Lee Marvin on what would have been his 100th birthday, our song of the day is a reminder that Lee Marvin was not just a tough guy actor.
He was also a singer who had a number one single in the UK and Ireland with this song from 1969’s Paint Your Wagon! The same two weeks that Lee Marvin had the number one spot, The Beatles had the number two spot with Let It Be.
Today, the Shattered Lens wishes a happy birthday to Joe Pesci! A favorite of Scorsese’s, an fascinating interview subject, and the star of the short-lived series Half-Nelson, Joe Pesci has become a true American institution.
It’s often forgotten that, before he became an award-winning actor, Pesci pursued careers as both a stand-up comedian and a singer. Here he is, performing a lounge version of The Beatles’ Fool On The Hill for his 1968 album, Little Joe Sure Can Sing!
Since today is Grace Slick’s 85th birthday, today’s song of the day features her (and, to be fair, the rest of Jefferson Airplane) performing White Rabbit at the first Woodstock.
Grace Slick and Jefferson Airplane not only performed at Woodstock but they were also among the bands who attempted to perform at the Altamont Free Concert a few months later. Needless to say, the vibe at Altamont — which featured the Rolling Stones as headliners and the Hell’s Angels providing security — was far more aggressive and hostile than the vibe at Woodstock. While the Stones were performing, a member of the audience got into a fight with the Hell’s Angels, raised a gun, and was stabbed to death.
As seen in the documentary Gimme Shelter, even before the murder that ended the 60s, the Angels were aggressive, even knocking out Jefferson Airplane’s other singer, Marty Balin, in the middle of the band’s performance. Also seen in that documentary is Grace Slick doing her best to calm the crowd and, along with Paul Kanter, rather fearlessly talking back to a drunk Hell’s Angel who tried to take over the stage.
(It should be noted that Grace did all of that even though she had forgotten to put in her contact lenses that day. Me, I can’t even walk from one end of a room to another if I forget to put in my contacts.)
White Rabbit
(Lyrics by Grace Slick)
Through the Shattered Lens 