0:00:01-0:06:29) Television The Drug Of The Nation by The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy off of Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury
0:06:30-0:07:39 (Rev’s First Interruption music: Musica ricercata No. 3, Allegro con spirito by Pierre-Laurent Aimard off of Ligeti: Études; Musica Ricercata)
Hello again and welcome to Aurally Fixated. Today is the twenty-first day of November, and according to the United Nations it is World TeleVision Day. Thats’ why we opened this episode with some very early Michael Franti. In the early 90s, before he joined up with SpearHead he was a Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy. And that was them with Television: The Drug Of The Nation.
Now, I’m not a fan of TV. I’m kinda addicted to screens, can’t be trusted with them. So, since when I’m dying and my life is flashing before my eyes – I don’t want it to be reruns – I just don’t have one. But enough about me, lets get on with our little TV Party, shall we?
0:07:40-0:11:50) TV Party by Asylum Street Spankers off of What? And Give Up Show Biz?
0:11:51-0:13:39Ex-Lion Tamer by Henrietta Collins and the Wife Beating Child Haters off of Drive By Shooting
0:13:40-0:16:30) Along Came Jones by The Coasters off of The Great Coasters
0:16:31-0:18:29) T.V. Zombie by The Rondelles off of Shined Nickels And Loose Change
0:18:30-0:21:30) I Should Watch TV by David Byrne & St. Vincent off of Love This Giant
0:21:31-02:23:15 (Rev’s Second Interruption music: Send Help by Paper Tiger off of False Hopes)
Yes, ladies, gentleman, all points in-between, and out-of-bounds, that strange assemblage of sounds was just the brain-child of those two beautiful weirdos David Byrne & St. Vincent. From Love This Giant, that was I Should Watch TV. Before that we had The Rondelles telling us about their T.V. Zombie from their Shined Nickels And Loose Change album. And immediately preceding that was the classic Coasters amusing observation on the formulaic predictability of most television shows, Along Came Jones.
We started this set off with Asylum Street Spankers giving their take on TV Party. And of course we couldn’t hear them channeling the young Mr. Rollins and not follow it up with something by him, so then came Henrietta Collins and the Wife Beating Child Haters covering the old Wire tune Ex-Lion Tamer.
As I said, I’ve never had television, but that doesn’t mean I don’t have any fond memories with it. I remember as a child, staying over my Aunt’s house, who had cable, staying up all night by myself; watching racy movies, cheesy b-horror, and of course MTV.
(02:23:16-0:27:14) MTV Brasil by Diego’s Umbrella off of Viva La Juerga
0:27:15-0:30:33) Video Killed the Radio Star by VV Brown off of Traveling Like the Light
0:30:35-0:34:10) MTV Get Off the Air by Dead Kennedys off of FrankenChrist
0:34:11-0:35:12 (Rev’s Third Interruption music: The Scrap Metal Theme by Annie Gosfield off of State Of The Union)
That was Mr. Jello Biafra, from Dead Kennedys‘s 1985 Release FrankenChrist with MTV Get Off the Air. MTV went on the air just a few years earlier, towards the end of ’81. And the first video they aired was, of course, Video Killed the Radio Star. The version we just heard was a cover, a bonus track from Ms. VV Brown album Traveling Like the Light. Before which we started it all off under Diego’s Umbrella, watching MTV Brasil from their Viva La Juerga record.
Since MTV started old folks have complained about how it exposes kids to things they’re too young to know about – and it’s general unsavory nature. They seem to think we should all watch something nice, educational, wholesome things, like the news.
0:35:13-0:36:25) CNN by Bill Hicks off of Live in Montreal
0:36:26-0:37:06) Agents Of Repression by Paris off of Sonic Jihad
0:37:07-0:41:10) News At 6 O’Clock by Insane Clown Posse off of The Tempest
0:41:11-0:42:14) New News by George Carlin off of An Evening With Wally Londo
0:42:15-0:46:25) GHN: Elections & Crisis by Dead Prez off of Information Age
0:46:26-0:48:19 (Rev’s Fourth Interruption music: Falcons Landing by The Bombay Royale off of The Island of Dr. Electrico)
Welcome back my fellow Aurally Fixated. And I’m sure many of you probably recognized the voice of our passed on prophet, Bill Hicks from a recording of him Live in Montreal he began that Knott of noise with his take on CNN. Then came a about 40 second clip from Paris’ album Sonic Jihad with a track called Agents Of Repression – which worked at a nice intro into News At 6 O’Clock, by Insane Clown Posse. Then came another late great American treasure George Carlin bringing us some New News. And lastly we had a report from Dead Prez and the Global Hood News.
News, by its very design, is misleading. By definition, news is only what’s rare. If it’s normal or commonplace it isn’t “news.” The problem’s when we watch a lot of it. Our brains didn’t evolve in the Information Age. So we think if we see something all the time, that must be how life is. Shit. But the fact that people being awful to each other is still “news” proves that we’re not so bad after all. Animals ripping apart smaller ones – not news. Human’s ripping apart a smaller one national news! And don’t kid yourself, if you were tinier than your kitty or puppy it’d torture you to death for its own amusement. And roll around in your entrails. Not news But a human doing that to an animal – News!
Anyway, I’ll just say that sometimes news can be more trouble than it’s worth. And it never tells us the stuff we really need to know. Like, The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.
0:48:20-0:51:19) Revolution Will Not Be Televised by Gil Scott-Heron off of Pieces Of A Man
0:51:20-0:55:05) Fade Away And Radiate by Blondie off of Picture This
0:55:06-1:00:25) TVC 15 by David Bowie off of Station To Station
1:00:26-1:04:40) T.V. Eye by The Stooges off of Fun House
1:04:41-1:06:20 (Music for Rev’s Fifth interruption: Frosti by Björk off of Vespertine)
Hello dear friends, that right there was the one-of-a-kind voice of Mr. David Bowie singing TVC 1-5, a true song about the time he was hanging out with Iggy Pop and a television ate Jim’s girlfriend. Admittedly it isn’t my favorite Bowie song, but that is now one of my favorite sentence. And we followed that up with The Stooges and their song T.V. Eye. I don’t know if they’re about the same experience, there was about 5 years between the release of the two, but I like to think they are.
Before those we heard from Blondie, and how she’ll Fade Away And Radiate in front of the TV. And we charged our way into the din with a phrase that’s become cliché over the years, but comparatively few have heard where it came from. The Revolution Will Not Be Televised. By Gil Scott-Heron.
Ok, now it’s time for me to shut up and play as many great songs as I can.
1:06:21-1:08:49) 57 Channels (And Nothin’ On) by Bruce Springsteen off of Human Touch
1:08:50-1:12:45) Basic Cable by Aesop Rock off of Float
1:12:46-1:14:03) GHN: Global Hood News by Dead Prez off of Information Age
1:14:04-1:16:40) 500 Channels by Choking Victim off of No Gods, No Managers
1:16:41-1:18:34 (Music for Rev’s sixth interruption: Miso by Sadistik & Kristoff Krane off of Prey for Paralysis)
From the tippy-top of that little block we had Bruce Springsteen performing 57 Channels (And Nothin’ On). It’s quaint, how that seemed like a lot back then. Springsteen was followed by Aesop Rock singing about Basic Cable. Then we had another news interruption from Dead Prez’s Information Age. And lastly we ended it with a noise anthem. From Choking Victim’s only LP No Gods, No Managers we heard 500 Channels. And aint it quaint how that seemed like a lot of channels back then.
I tried to keep the music varied, but could’ve done and entire episode of only punk songs about the “learn by example lie” called TeleVision. And I don’t know wether to apologize or say “you’re welcome” for not. What can I say? Not a lot of TV is made about folks who sit around watching Television.
It’s not all bad though, I do believe that seeing people different than us, even if their just actors or characters on shows, portrayed as “real” people with “real” lives, so to speak – helps humanize them. Of course, as that jaded old saying does – if it did any real good it’s probably be outlawed. Or that would be censored instead of; people – wearing only nature’s garb, – or them engaging in – flesh-sessions. Or saying certain “dirty” words.
Speaking of which I’ll leave you with Carlin’s Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television and Blink-182‘s Family Reunion.
(1:18:35-1:25:34) Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television by George Carlin off of Class Clown
(1:25:35-1:26:10) Family Reunion By Blink 182 off of Short Music for Short People
