It’s summer, which in the movie business means it’s the time for sequels and reboots… at least in a regular year. I decided this week I’d do my own sequel of sorts. A few months ago I collected the questions posed by the geniuses in charge of the Record Archive social media accounts and gave you my answers. Let’s do that again with some questions from the past couple weeks.
“Record Archive Twittbookagram 2: The Return of Billy’s Answers”
Q: What is your favorite double feature you’ve seen?
A: Maybe folks don’t realize what a huge selection of DVDs and blu-ray discs Record Archive has. There are even some VHS tapes. This includes a “Buy one get one free” section, so you can create your own double feature for the price of one movie.
When I was a kid I lived near the old Coronet Theater in the 19th Ward area of Rochester, and on Saturdays they’d show old movies… everything from The Three Stooges to the Japanese monster movies from the 60’s… and I used to go every weekend. Even at the age of 12 or 13 I knew I was seeing something special when they paired the Marx Brothers “Animal Crackers” with the original “Dracula” starring Bela Lugosi. Two stone cold classics.
Q: Do you have a “road tripping” album?
A: Hey, I remember when we used to go places and do things!!! Maybe that’ll happen again someday. I used to like to kick off trips with something like a live album or greatest hits disc from Barenaked Ladies. Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers “Live At Billy Bob’s Texas” and “Up To Date” by The Partridge Family are also favorites. Yes, you read that correctly. Classic soul music from Stax, Atlantic, and Motown are also absolute musts. That’s just to start.
Q: What’s your go to pop punk band?
A: Are Soul Asylum considered pop punk? Maybe. Maybe not. Actually, no band is making me happier right now than Bowling For Soup. Just fun rock and roll with lyrics that have been known to make me laugh out loud. I think it’s awesome that after not having a radio hit in about 15 years they’re back on the charts with a song about WWE wrestler Alexa Bliss.
Q: Now that Kanye is running for president, what other musician would you like to see as his veep?
A: Easy one… The leader of Wilco, Jeff Tweedy. Who wouldn’t want to vote for country music legend Kanye Tweedy?
Q: What musician are you like 99% sure is a demon from the underworld?
A: My first instinct is to pick one of the many hard rock and heavy metal musicians that try to convey evilness in their songs and appearance. Gene Simmons in his Kiss makeup is even referred to as The Demon.
I realized this line of thinking is wrong. Someone from the underworld doesn’t want to scare you away in your initial meeting. They’re going to try and befriend you. They’ll be kind, charming, trustworthy, and unthreatening until they can lead you down their dark path and before you know it, it’s too late.
Using this logic it turns out that there actually three musicians ready to be your tour guide into hell. Watch out for the unholy triumvirate of Paul McCartney, Taylor Swift, and Weird Al Yankovic.
I’m wearing a Weird Al concert shirt as I type this, and now realize it’s too late for me… there are literally dozens of songs I’ll never be able to sing the correct lyrics to ever again. Damn you Al!!!!!!!!
The next time you stop into Record Archive ask James about McCartney. He’ll tell you I’m right.
Q: Who is your favorite Jazz horn player?
A: I’ve gotta go with the legendary Louis Armstrong for this one. Along with his incredible trumpet playing you also get that soulful growl of a voice, and a discography that covers many decades and collaborations with other jazz greats.
Eight or nine years ago my wife (then girlfriend) bought me an amazing Armstrong box set for Christmas…. Satchmo: Louis Armstrong, The Ambassador of Jazz contains 10 CDs, a 200-page hardcover book by Richard Havers and an assortment of sheet music reproductions, all housed in a replica of Armstrong’s travel trunk. It’s currently out of print and fetching up to $500 online, so if you can pick it up somewhere at a better price I suggest you do so. In It’s place I recommend this two disc Best Of collection to get you started…
My choice for the “Most Improved Jazz Horn Player” goes to The Big Bad Wolf from the classic Looney Tunes short “Three Little Bops”. Through most of the seven minutes the pigs had never heard such a corny horn, but by the end the wolf learns the rule…. you gotta get hot to play real cool.
Actually, “Three Little Bops”, might be my all time favorite cartoon (and I love cartoons). The writing is by Warren Foster, direction by Friz Freleng, animation by the Warner Brothers crew at Termite Terrace, all the vocal parts by the great Stan Freberg (one of the few times Mel Blanc didn’t voice a Looney Tunes short), and of course the fantastic jazz score by Shorty Rogers and his combo.
If you just want to see that one cartoon you can take the easy way out and click here. I suggest you get yourself a whole collection of WB classics featuring Bugs, Daffy, and the crew along with Three Little Bops. Buy that set HERE.
In the words of Porky Pig…. Th-th-that’s All Folks!!! -Billy