Of al-Qaeda & Grammys: ‘Baby, it’s cold outside’
’Tis still the season for “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” — at least until the chill of winter finally leaves us. And in the American songbook classics, it’d be hard to find a song whose backstory goes as far afield as this one. Its Grammy Awards nomination — for the Willie Nelson-Norah Jones version as Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals — put it back in music news a while ago, but it has a connection of sorts to the defining news events of the decade — at least here in the United States.
Composer-lyricist Frank Loesser introduced the duet as an informal party item in 1944 — or so Wikipedia reports, citing a Loesser biography. And with its two voices dancing around their intentions — she’s half-heartedly trying to leave while he slowly reveals why he really wants her to stay — it’s easy to see how much fun it could be with a game couple at the piano and listeners gathered around.
It wasn’t released commercially until it showed up in the 1949 film Neptune’s Daughter. In the film, it’s performed by two sets of duet partners: Ricardo Montalbán and Esther Williams, and Red Skelton and Betty Garrett. An Oscar for Best Original Song followed, as have seemingly endless interpretations. Homer and Jethro with June Carter, Sammy Davis Jr. and Carmen McRae, Margaret Whiting and Johnny Mercer, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan, Ray Charles and Betty Carter … down through the years to the Nelson-Jones version.
But it’s also a song with the distinction of being cited as an example of American decadence by a spiritual godfather of al-Qaeda. In The Looming Towers, his masterful examination of the roots of al-Qaeda and the 9/11 attack, Lawrence Wright of The New Yorker goes back to saga of Sayyid Qutb, an Egyptian writer, a mid-level bureaucrat, an anti-colonialist and a proponent of what was not yet called Islamic fundamentalism.
Years later, Qutb would be executed for his views and allegiance to the cause, but from 1948 to 1950, when he was in his early 40s, Qutb traveled and studied in the United States, finding offense in the wantonness and materialism he saw everywhere. Americans were “a reckless, deluded herd that only knows lust and money,” wrote Qutb.
Studying at what was then Colorado State College of Education in Greeley, Qutb sometimes attended Sunday church services and after-service dances, one of which he wrote about in some detail. “The room convulsed with the feverish music from the gramophone. Dancing naked legs filled the hall, arms draped around waists, chests met chests, lips met lips, and the atmosphere was full of love,” Wright quotes from Qutb.
And after putting on “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” — whose rendition is apparently not noted — Qutb wrote: “The minister paused to watch his young charges swaying to the rhythms of this seductive song, then he left them to enjoy this pleasant, innocent night.” Wright underscores the sarcasm in the innocent.
Radicalized rather than liberalized by his time abroad, Qutb returned to join the Muslim Brotherhood faction of the anti-colonial movement that helped bring Gamal Abdul Nasser (a secular nationalist) to power in Egypt. The factions quickly fell out and, after the Brotherhood’s failed bid to assassinate Nasser, Qutb was jailed. He was later freed, then jailed again and executed, in 1966, in connection with another alleged plot. He became a martyr and his austere book, Milestones, in particular, an inspiration to the founders of al-Qaeda, among others.
We might wonder whether al-Q follower Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, our would-be underwear bomber, heard “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” during his time in London.
It is cold out there. Colder than Frank Loesser ever imagined.
AL KOOPER DIGS THE SILENT YEARS
In case you're not totally sick of year-end "Best of" lists yet, Detroit music fans might get a kick out of the fact that the Silent Years placed on a very prestigious list that ran in the Boston Herald this past Sunday and was compiled by the legendary Al Kooper.
"Legendary" is, of course, an overused term these days so how legendary is Kooper? Well, he played the famous keyboard part on Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone," among numerous other tracks by the bard (in addition to playing the infamous "Dylan goes electric" Newport Folk Festival gig), as well as playing on several Hendrix tracks. He was a founding member of Blood, Sweat & Tears and Blues Project; wrote "This Diamond Ring" (a hit for Gary Lewis & the Playboys); discovered and produced Lynyrd Skynyrd; put Mike Bloomfield together with Stephen Stills for their Supersessions albums; produced the Tubes' debut album; and also did session musician work with the Stones, George Harrison, Simon & Garfunkel and the Who, among numerous others. (On the other hand, he's real old now... so what the fuck does he know?)
Seriously, though, the Herald asked Kooper to pick the 50 best songs he heard in 2009 -- and the Silent Years placed a lucky number 13 on his list. Here's what he had to say:
13. "Pay It Back," The Silent Years. College pals from Detroit make some fine noise under the guise of indie rockers. Great brass and string parts on a catchy track.
Congratulations, dudes and dudettes. Impressive kudos, indeed. You can read Kooper's entire list by clicking here.
The Silent Years: How does it feel...?
MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Merry Christmas to all our loyal readers. Let's dance around the Christmas tree, next year, we'll still (hopefully!) be making rock 'n' roll history. (Check out the Roy Wood video below for an explanation and to see that's not just our ego speaking)...
Unfortunately, the powers-that-be won't allow a video of the Raveonettes ' "Christmas Song," the best rock 'n' roll yuletide classic of this decade, to be posted on Youtube. So seek it out yourself and settle for this one, instead. It ain't bad at all.
PJ'S LAGER HOUSE FEATURED ON CNN MONEY...
Late last week, PJ's Lager House, one of D-Town's favorite rock haunts, was spotlighted in an incredibly interesting feature story on CNN Money, titled "How To Lose Money Fast, Start a Business." The story deals with the trials and tribulations of running a bar and musc venue, especially in the depressed climates of the Motor City, and features an in-depth interview with PJ Ryder, the owner of the Lager House.
The story begins: "P.J. Ryder knew making the rock club he bought a financial success was going to be a challenge. But he didn't anticipate that two years after opening, P.J.'s Lager House would still not be profitable...
Intriguing enough of a lede for you? Read the whole CNN story by simply clicking here.
Speaking of the Lager House, their New Year's Eve festivities will feature sets by the Muggs, the Beggars, the Wrong Numbers and Bixy Lutz. The $8 cover price includes a free champagne toast at midnight and festivities that run from 9 p.m. to 4 a.m.
And speaking of local music events, we blogged about it several weeks ago, but don't forget the fourth annual Mittenfest festival, which presents 40 bands in four days, at the Elbow Room in Ypsilanti. The fest runs from New Year's Eve afternoon through January 3rd and benefits 826michigan, a nonprofit writing and tutoring center. Click here for the full schedule and all the info you'll need.
P.J Ryder of the Lager House as he appears in the CNN article.
UPCOMING COOL SHOWS: SOUNDS AND SPIRITS, ROCK REVIVAL...AND PATTI!
*In case you aren't aware yet, the annual Detroit Sounds and Spirits benefit show is scheduled for this coming Wednesday, December 23rd. at the Magic Stick, and not the earlier date we mentioned in our annual Christmas music roundup in the issue two weeks ago (that's what we get for trusting Facebook!). It's a great cause and always great fun as well. A few new acts have been added to the bill, including the debut performance by Conspiracy of Owls (featuring members of the Go, Sisters Lucas and the Wildbunch), the Davidson Family (featuring Ethan Daniel Davidson and members of Slumber Party), Sean Hoen Sleeps Til Dusk (featuring members of Your Skull, My Closet, ShaDiamond LeFreedom and Jarrod Champion), and
A Kroha Family Smithmas (featuring Danny Dollrod of the Gories, etc.; Muffy Kroha of the Sirens, and Jackson Smith of Back in Spades. The bill is rounded out by such local greats as the Hard Lessons, the Satin Peaches, Silverghost, Friendly Foes, the Hounds Below, Mick Bassett & the Marthas, Outrageous Cherry, Allan James and Cold Wave, the Oblesons, the Barrettes, Fawn, Duende!, Amy Gore, the Octopus, the Mydols, Old Empire, the Pop Project and American Mars.
*And tomorrow night, December 18th, in Ann Arbor, the Blind Pig is featuring a bunch of vintage Detroit rockers (or at least "influenced by Detroit" rockers), including Mazinga, Gorevette, Scott Morgan and the IrRationals, and Deniz Tek (or Radio Birdman fame and also the guy who almost filled in for Ron Asheton with the Stooges when Mr. Asheton passed away earlier this year. the Ann Arbor Rock 'N' Roll Revival is $10 at the door. There will also be appropriate vinyl spinning in between the bands provided by DJ Jeremy Wheeler from the Bang Dance party, with MC Stanley the Madhatter hosting the entire evening's festivities.
*And, finally, speaking of Jackson Smith (as we were above), the dude's mom -- the legendary Patti Smith -- will be back in town for "an intimate show" at St. Andrew's Hall on Friday, February 19th. Tickets are $20 and go on sale tomorrow morning at 10 a.m. We love Ms. Smith and have since we first saw her perform at the Brewery in Lansing (anyone remember that?) when she was on her Horses tour, so one of her shows is always an exciting prospect...
DETROITERS WERE THE DECADE'S BEST-SELLING ARTISTS...
We're approaching the end of the year -- and, of course, the end of the decade -- so the next several weeks will be nothing but lists, lists, lists, and more lists all over the place. But as our city continues to get a bad rap via the national media in other parts of the country, we can still be awfully proud of the music that has come out of Detroit over the years.
And it was Detroiters who were the biggest sellers in two categories for the decade, according to Billboard magazine and their SoundScan tracking system. Our own homeboy Eminem was the best-selling artist of the 2000's...with 32.2 million units sold during the last ten years (and that doesn't include illegal downloads!). The only other act to come anywhere near to that amount were the Beatles (which is pretty damn interesting in and of itself) with 29.9 million units sold. Below those two were basically a bunch of losers -- with Tim McCraw at number 3, Toby Keith at number four, Britney Spears at number five, Kenny Chesney at number six, Linkin Park at number seven, Nelly at number eight, Creed at number nine and Jay-Z at number ten. All we're gonna say in regards to the Linkin Park and Creed placements is: "What the fuck??"
Eminem wasn't much of a surprise. What was a surprise, however, was that the biggest-selling catalog album of the decade didn't come from Pink Floyd or even the Fab Four. Nope. The best-selling album was Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band's Greatest Hits album, which was released in 1994. Good ol' Bob beat out Bob Marley & The Wailers' Legend (at number two), Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon (at number three), Metallica's eponymous album (at number four), and the Beatles' 1 (at number five). Click here to view the entire top 10 list.
Congratulations to our homegrown talent. This had nothing to do with opinion; this had everything to do with the general public voting with their pocketbooks. Still totally baffled by Linkin Park and Creed, though...
Eminem: The decade's biggest star...
STOOGES FINALLY IN HALL OF FAME...
The Stooges will finally be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at the 25th annual ceremony on March 15th at the Waldorf Astoria in NYC. It's about freaking time...although it took so long for this to happen, it's almost anticlimactic at this point. Nevertheless, the good news is that we'll probably get a nice sneak preview of how the reunited Iggy & The Stooges (with James Williamson) sound live when the show is finally aired on TV.
In our exclusive interviews with Iggy and Williamson earlier this year, Pop said about the nomination: "It's one of those things. [laughs] It comes up to remind me; "Oh, the holidays are coming." [laughs] I really never think about it until someone says, "You were nominated." Again? I try to just...you know, it's none of my business. It's their thing and it's nice to be nominated for anything." It's a much more diplomatic Igster these days than the one who told me years ago that maybe he'd get in if he titled one of his albums "Fucking Heroic Young Record Executive or something like that!"
The other inductees are a little on the weak side, with the possible exception of the Hollies. The other three inductees are Genesis, ABBA and Jummy Cliff. Anyone who's been listening to holiday music on the radio this week and happened to hear Darlene Love's eternally great "Christmas (Baby, Please Come Home)" might be outraged that she wasn't inducted after being nominated this year...but the bright side here is that neither the repugnant Red Hot Chili Peppers or KISS made the cut, either. You know Gene Simmons is just frothing at the mouth about it today...but if either of those bands go in before the MC5, Mitch Ryder, the New York Dolls, Alice Cooper...well, hell, if that happens, they may as well shut the place down. That's how much credibility it will still have.
Also inducted in the non-performer categories are executive David Geffen and a bunch of songwriters -- Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Ellie Greenwich (who passed away earlier this year) & Jeff Barry, Jesse Stone, Mort Shuman and the great Otis Blackwell (I mean, it took till 2009 to induct the man who composed "Don't Be Cruel," "Great Balls of Fire," "Fever," etc., etc., etc.??)
Anyway, congrats to Iggy, Williamson, Scott, the late Ron Asheton (who was the one in the band who really wanted this, it's been said) and Dave Alexander, Mike Watt and everyone involved in making this band one of Detroit's proudest musical exports.
Congratulations, dudes. You're in the Hall of Fame....
ANOTHER RECORD STORE RIP
We just heard today that one of the area's best, foremost record stores -- Rock-a-Billy's in Utica -- is shuttering. It'll be done by the end of the month, in fact. Its entire stock, thousands of great titles that run the musical gamut, is on sale from now to Christmas, a total store liquidation.
It's a sad day because we here buy music from
local retailers. It's sad because Rock-a-Billy's is/was a
record shop in that traditional sense, where you could hang, listen and
talk music with other like-minded music heads, discover something rare,
and sometimes catch a live show from some touring band. It's sad because
it's yet another local business
whose employees will now be out of work. It's sad because music retail trending sees
many people shopping online or downloading music, thus taking coin out
of local pockets and into those of corporate behemoths such as Amazon,
even for vinyl.
But
for for Rock-a-Billy's, its closing wasn't simply sour economics: We
hear its owner recently became ill and can no longer run the shop.
Rock-A-Billy's
8411 Hall Rd.
Utica; 586-731-0188
O Sh*t! Ro Spit & Monica Blair take on Jay-Z & Alicia Keys
Earlier this year, Jay-Z, the self-appointed Don of hip-hop, and still arguably one of the best in the game (recently coming out of retirement a la Michael Jordan), collaborated with Grammy Award winning songstress and native New Yorker Alicia Keys to make the epic anthem "Empire State of Mind."
You might remember their inspired MTV Music Video Awards performance being sabotaged by the drizzunk Lil Mama, she of the MTV show America's Best Dance Crew and most likely to play Lisa Turtle in a never to made Saved By the Bell full-length feature film. Or perhaps you only remember this:
Dig this: Rapper Ro Spit and singer/poet/ Monica Blaire put together a Jigga-Keys inspired Detroit anthem of their own they call "Renaissance State of Mind." it's a dope track that can't help but hit home. Ro, Monica, what up doe?
9/11, 911 -- who doesn't get confused?
Everybody makes mistakes, and we've made enough of our own -- oh, confusing the Vatican astronomer with a Vatican astrologer comes to mind painfully, and the time a reporter mistakenly attributed those comments to Knight Ridder chief Tony Ridder in the middle of the Detroit newspaper strike, and ... but enough about us.
We just got up from the floor after reading a recent Washington Post correction forwarded to us by our former culture editor Sarah (Sparkly Devil) Klein:
A Nov. 26 article in the District edition of Local Living incorrectly
said a Public Enemy song declared 9/11 a joke. The song refers to 911,
the emergency phone number.
DETROITERS & THE GRAMMYS....
Let's face it: The Grammy Awards are kinda like the weather -- everybody bitches about them but nobody ever does anything about it. Nevertheless, some people seem to take them very seriously (possibly the same people who thought Jethro Tull had recorded the "best heavy metal album" the year they won that award) and it's an honor just to be nominated, etc., etc., etc.
MT editor W. Kim Heron took the time to go through today's nominations to find the ones that have something to do with our lovely city. I'd like to thank him for that, as I just went through the list myself and couldn't find any others. If we're missing some, please let us know and we'll certainly amend this. Happy that Eminem is up for so many this year at any rate, though does he really care at this point if he gets another Grammy or not? Who knows? Below is a list of the Detroiters (or former Detroiters) who'll be going to L.A. for the ceremony next year on January 31, 2010 at the Staples Center in L.A.
Best Male Pop Vocal Performance (for a solo vocal performance. Singles or tracks only): "All About The Love Again," Stevie Wonder (Hidden Beach Records)
Best R&B Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocals (for duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only): "Higher Ground," Robert Randolph & The Clark Sisters (EMI Gospel)
Best Rap Solo Performance (for a solo Rap performance. Singles or Tracks only): "Beautiful," Eminem (Aftermath/Interscope Records)
Best Rap Performance By A Duo Or Group (for duo, group or collaborative performances of rap only. Singles or Tracks only): "Crack A Bottle," Eminem, Dr. Dre & 50 Cent (Aftermath/Interscope)
Best Rap Album (for albums containing 51% or more playing time of VOCAL tracks): Relapse, Eminem (Aftermath/Interscope)
Best Gospel Performance (for solo, duo, group as collaborative performances. Singles or tracks with vocal containing Gospel lyrics. All genres of Gospel music are eligible): "Wait On The Lord," Donnie McClurkin Featuring Karen Clark Sheard [track from We All Are One (Live In Detroit)] (Verity)
Best Traditional Gospel Album (for albums containing 51 percent or more playing time of vocal tracks), How I Got Over, Vickie Winans (Destiny Joy Records)
Best Classical Crossover Album (award to the artist and/or to the Conductor): The Melody Of Rhythm, Leonard Slatkin, conductor; Béla Fleck, Zakir Hussain & Edgar Meyer and the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (E1 Music)
Click here to read all of today's nominations...
Eminem: Our homeboy headed for the Grammys yet again...
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