Psychedelic Sunday

This song isn't particularly psychedelic, but my response to it was when I heard it while shopping for jewelry supplies in a Beverly's yesterday. This is not a song you expect to hear in a store. I present for your listening "pleasure," Winchester Cathedral by The New Vaudeville Band. It's a real treat for the senses.

Psychedelic Sunday

This song is the flavor of the day. "California" by Robert Charlebois from 1966.

Music?

Because I am cheap, lazy, and don't know what's good in my old age, I only buy about one album a year. It's usually with the BooBoo Records gift card given to me by Santa, and this year was no exception. I heard about Jim Sullivan on NPR news, which has sadly replaced music in my radio life for some reason. His story is incredible, but the music is really what caught me off guard. Watch this video and prepare for the aftermath of a blown mind.

Put the Lotion in the Basket...

I've been off having adventures, sleeping, and acclimating to my new job, which is located in San Francisco's most prominent open-air shopping center and office park. It's a weird environment; everywhere I go, there's something to buy! Shoes, coffee, lotion, chocolates, clothes, spatulas...it's all there, and it's all in my face. I'm considering not bringing any money to work so I don't have to deal with the temptation any more. I realized, though, that I'll never need to buy hand lotion again if I rotate using samples at the five beauty stores within a one-block radius. Sweet Jesus!

The best thing about working in a mall is the music piped in from the sky. Usually it's some pleasant piano, but this week they started playing "spooky music" for Halloween. It's a pretty creative mix; instead of just "Monster Mash" over and over again, they're really stretching it. On my break, I heard ELO's "Evil Woman," and as I left work, I heard one of my super-favorite jams, "Season of the Witch" by Donovan. It's a weirdly sexy song that's been rightly covered by tons of bands, and I present it to you now accompanied by a witchy scene from George Romero's film of the same name.

I have a problem with listening to new music. I don't download songs, I don't buy cds; it's been so long that I've forgotten it's even an option to procure new music for myself. Like with books, I'm weirdly content to listen to the same things over and over again. That said, Derek gave me a cd three summers ago that included two albums by Lee Hazlewood, Love and Other Crimes and Cowboy in Sweden. You may know Lee from his collaborations with Nancy Sinatra, but a dose of pure Lee can really hit the spot.

Cowboy in Sweden has been my car album for the past few weeks, and when Peter and I got stuck in traffic on the Bay Bridge, I put it on. Peter, always the skeptic, said, "Oh, you're just listening to this because it's kitschy," to which I responded, "NO! I'm listening to it because it's GOOD! How dare you." And after a few songs, he too was convinced that good ol' Barton Lee is a little kitschy, but also actually, truly awesome, no irony involved (take that, Chuck Klosterman!).

Here's the video for "No Train to Stockholm" from Cowboy in Sweden, which was not only a sweet album but also a TV special. It features Lee without his signature moustache, but don't worry; it's still a great song with a late-Elvis vibe.

Psychedelic Friday!

I wanted to post the video to Serge Gainsbourg and Brigette Bardot's Comic Strip for y'all, but I couldn't bring it to the blog. However, I may have found something even better. I've never heard of this movie before today, but I'm ready to see it right now. Here is the Japanese trailer to 1967's Anna, starring Anna Karina, Marianne Faithful, and Serge G.