Big Nothing: 06/06/23
Naming the RV, PUNKIN' JAZZ, roots reggae, hip hop and yacht rock.
This weekend we went to a 2 year old’s birthday party at Cape Lookout Park on the Oregon coast with our early 90s pop-up camper, a Jayco Eagle 8. A couple weeks ago, a friend of mine asked me if we had named it yet. Generally I try to be someone who gives silly names to things like pop-up campers, guitars and what not. For instance, if I were ever to join a beer-league softball team, I would most assuredly name my bat “Fuck Face” in glowing homage to Billy Ripken’s iconic 1989 Fleer card. However, so far I am coming up blank for the hallowed garnet walls of the Jayco Eagle. No doubt, my wife would not approve of me naming it “Fuck Face” (or even “Rick Face” which some people thought was the inscription on Ripken’s bat before he confirmed that it was, indeed “Fuck Face” in an interview commemorating the 20th anniversary of the infamous card) so I’m at a loss.
Any suggestions?
Uptown Top Ranking - Althea & Donna
I’ve probably talked multiple times on Big Nothing about my ongoing conversation with my 2 year old daughter about music genres and her tenuous and hilarious grasp thereof. Recently she’s really been going for it, although at the moment I think she might believe that all music is jazz. And maybe it is, if you really think about it, man. A few days ago she asked for “hot jazz” which is absolutely a music genre. Later that week she asked for “punk jazz” which is less of a genre than it is an ethos. I contemplated starting her off with John Zorn’s Naked City or John Lurie’s Lounge Lizards before settling on the band Karate which I think slots in pretty nicely despite being more aptly called “emo jazz” instead.
Then this weekend she asked for “punkin’ jazz” which was a bit harder to pin down. I asked her if she meant, “punk n’ jazz” and she said no. I asked her if she meant “pumpkin jazz” and she said no before emphatically asserting that she wanted to listen to, “PUNKIN’ JAZZ!” This generally means that it’s just dealer’s choice, so I put on the music that I wanted to listen to, which at the time was roots reggae/dancehall. “THIS IS PUNKIN’ JAZZ!” she shouted from the back seat of my truck, bopping along to Althea and Donna’s late 70s reggae masterpiece. A few songs later, some more current electro/jungle dancehall came on and she said, “THIS IS NOT PUNKIN’ JAZZ!” So I switched back to a more vintage sound which seemed to satisfy her. Maybe she does have her own little set of rules after all…
Eye Know - De La Soul
I’m working on my summer playlist which I’m sure I will roll out to y’all sometime soon. Recently I was reading an article about the reclamation of Steely Dan by my generation and those younger than me who had less context for their chronically dorky brand of yacht rock than, say, Gen Xers who heard it on the radio all the time. Interestingly, the article brought up this song by De La Soul which was released in 1989, probably the zenith of Steely Dan’s uncoolness in the zeitgeist.
I honestly had always just glossed over that this song straight up just uses a line from 1977’s “Peg” as the centerpoint of the beat. The interesting part is that the hook of the original song, featuring backup vocals from an absolutely unhinged Michael McDonald, isn’t even the main hook of “Eye Know” which instead grabs a quick snip from the prechorus.
In any case, it would be fun to run down how many wildly famous rap songs sample the smooth stylings of yacht rock. Of course, Warren G and Nate Dogg’s “Regulate” is probably the first one that springs to mind, sampling Michael McDonald’s, “I Keep Forgettin’ (Every Time You’re Near)” for it’s sublimely moody beat, but I’m sure there are tons of other ones. Fortunately for me, my friend (and sometime Big Nothing contributor) Steven is a consummate appreciator of both yacht rock and hip hop, so Steve, the ball is in your court, buddy.
Bonus: The bar from Cheers (the physical bar itself from the show, not the facade from the intro) has sold at auction for over a half million dollars. Who’s inviting me over?
That’s all for today. Thanks for listening.