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theblogismineredux.blogspot.com has now moved to....


WORDPRESS!

Join me there, won't you? Smoochies

talk about redux, what would Louise Jefferson say?

I Feel Like Chicken Tonight!!!

Jillian and I just got our utilities in our apt! We can now cook delicious meals and save money on eating! Holla! Enjoy:




Love the dude with the briefcase!!!

4 Non Blondes

Can't help it. Part II.

So upon deeper exploration, I found that one of my favorite Blondie songs is actually a COVER!

The Tide is High is not an original Blondie production!! It's actually a song written by John Holt in 1967, for his band, The Paragons!

The Tide Is High - The Paragons

According to wikipedia, "the song... was popular in Jamaica and became popular amongst West Indians and skinheads in the UK when a deejay version by U-Roy was released in 1971."

West Indians and SKINHEADS...

Cray (x2). I'd like to know more. And yet, from where can I garner such information? Where did wikipedia generate such knowledge?? I'd like to know!

What about the song's lyrical content and melody appeal to these two (distinct?) populations of peoples...

It's not the things you do, that really hurts me bad
But it's the way you do the things, you do to me
I'm not the kinda man who gives up just like that oh no

So then... in 1980, Blondie jazzed it up, and reached an audience beyond solely West Indians and skinheads apparently, and went straight to Number Uno on the Billboard Hot 100!

WARNING: GRATUITOUS DEBBIE HARRY LOVE SESH APPROACHING:

Anywhooo... Blondie hasn't been immune to thirsty fans and tribute covers. Slash sampling and interpolations! Holla!

Check these girls out. My South Asian sisters, covering Blondie's 1999 comeback single, "Maria"!!! I know the audio is a bit spotty, but its totes worth it, to see these ladies killin it!




And the thing that brought me back to "The Tide is High" in the first place... a reggae song by Kardinal Offishal just released this past Oct. called "Numba 1 (The Tide is High)." It appears that Kardinal tried on many leading ladies to sing the hook and bridge on this sortof addictive track, including Nicole Scherzinger from the Pussycat Dolls and our fave tonedeaf but beautiful belle, Rihanna. My fave is definitely the one that made it to the official single... KERI HILSON: fierce, talented, and so gorg! I'm like, kiiiindof obsessed with her. Love it! Love her.

The thing I DON'T love about this song are the whack lyrics! "she just my trophy piece or me hot, hot gal/never ever would I call her mrs. Offishall /never ever would I bring her around my fam /she be cryin' on the phone when she knows who I am." LAME SAUCE WOMPZ

Hey Kardinal - stop being a misogynistic jackass and put somethin out there that we can respect! In the meantime, I will fast forward to the parts that feature Ms. Hilton, all the while wishing that the song was hers and hers alone!


Numba 1 (Tide Is High) feat. Keri Hilson - Kardinal Offishall

And because the title of this post was a shout out to Linda Perry's finest:


haaaayaaaayayaaayaya. I said hey! What's goin on!

The Tide is High...

...but I'm holdin on! I'm gonna be your Number One!

Hi friends!


fierce fierce fierce

I love her. She's definitely on my list.

I'm not a hundred percent sure where my love for her or the band originates... but I'm pretty sure it stems from my early childhood, when little first grader Promas and big sis used to create elaborate fake music videos and dance choreography for various melodies on the Parallel Lines album.

Now arguably, my personal connection to this album makes me feel as though it is Blondie's best... and it's the most successful, thus the most mainstream, but I truly love each and every track on it. From the upbeat and effervescent "Pretty Baby" and "Picture This" (Both of which are included in my lovetunes playlist!), to the haunting tones of "Fade Away and Radiate," all the songs do well to showcase the versatile appeal of Debbie's sultry voice and the supporting dudes that make the music pop! Not to mention the unique lyrical content, that make the songs intriguing to listen to, and easy to love! :)

My espesh fave is when the guys (Chris Stein, Clem Burke, Jimmy Destri, Frank Infante) join in on some of the background vocals like circa 2:14 during the quintessential and enduring "Heart of Glass," a song I can never ever ever tire of. Check their kicks!

heart of glass - blondie

Got me through some timez. Even though it's sortof a departure from the band's New Wave beginnings into a distinctly disco-ish vibe... I'm all about genre blending and experimentation when it comes to music! Ridin high on love's true bluish light...

Quickly back to Debbie before I bid ya'll adieu... She was born in 1945, worked in a Dunkin Donuts and was a Playboy Bunny before joining a girl group where she met her future epic love and Blondie guitarist, Chris Stein. I love that dude too. They started Blondie and named it after the cat-calls foxylady Debbie would get walkin down the street. Don't hate her because she's beautiful. It's painful to be that hot. yikes!

Note that I have avoided all discussion of "Rapture," Debbie's attempt at paying homage to a genre of music she admired and loved, but probs shouldn't have really delved into. Save the rap, I love that song, even though that's whyy it's so famous. *toe to toe dancing very close barely breathing almost comatose* Poo to those who credit Blondie as being the reason for rap's mainstream success. Let's not diminish the power, strength and pure talent of the brown bodies and voices that actually made that happen. Holla!

Shouts to my neww roomie(!), who fulfilled my fantasy of wearing Blondie paraphenalia, by letting me borrow a ferocious black miniskirt with the silhouetted likeness of Dirty (Deborah) Harry in pink, blue, and purple. Sigh...

Just a Reminder:

As of late, this blog has become EXTREMELY 90s heavy! I just want to state for the record that it was not my intention to create a nineties blog, but rather, one invoking general nostalgia for various things that I love!

Having said that (and also since my imeem isn't being my friend and allowing me to embed music properly onto my blog! wompz (x3)), here's some quick lovin' from my boys, the O'Jays, a recording of "I Love Music."



Something for you to nibble on: The bongo drums in the intro of the song were played by everybody's favorite fake dad... Bill Cosby! holler!

Also, this song appears on the CARLITO'S WAY soundtrack. Mayb not my favorite movie, but it would be a lie to say that after I watched it last winter that I didn't go ahead and download all the songs that I heard on it... yikes!

90s Schnineties!

I recently attended a 90s Mix Cd Exchange Party. Shouts to Charley for this totes brill and boisterous party idea! Success!!

Given that the party's attendance included some of NYC's most intelligent and most knowledgable of minds, especially in the pop culture realm, the presh was on...


The night was so much fun! There were cameos made by Mariah Carey and Gin Blossoms... Biz Markie and Garbage, Crystal Waters and the Beastie Boys among others. Good times.

Here's My List
entitled, "To Wong Foo, Thanks For Everything. - Julie Newmar: Not Really, But a Disc of Nineties Goodness!):

Dance Tonight - Lucy Pearl
Vasoline - Stone Temple Pilots
Groove Thang - Zhane
You're All I Need - Method Man and Mary J. Blige
Are You Gonna Go My Way? - Lenny Kravitz
Freak Like Me - Adina Howard
Buddy Holly - Weezer
Gotta Get You Home - Foxy Brown feat. Blackstreet
Today - Smashing Pumpkins
Tell Me - Groove Theory
Return of the Mack - Mark Morrison
Comedown - Bush
Creep - TLC
All My Love - Queen Pen
Closer - Nine Inch Nails
Coolio - Fantastic Voyage
Clarissa Explains it All Theme Song

Loves to Branny whose mix yielded the title of this post, as well as some goodies from Dishwalla, Orgy and Toad the Wet Sprocket!

What would be on yours?

Wanderin' Down This Road That We Call Life...

So last week, in an effort to cheer up a friend perishing in the boredom of her return to academia... i sent a text that articulated a question that has been long pondered in my mind:

Eric Matthews or Shawn Hunter?

And I'm talking about in all the ways. Who makes your heart aflutter? Who can you tolerate more? Who would you do!?

For all of you who weren't Boy Meets World-heads in your past... i feel you. My interest was spotty at best, over the years. There was a definite shift in the character development and plotlines after the first few seasons. But the biggest heartbreak for me was the disappearance of the quirky opening credits and transitional music used throughout the episodes. Also Minkus (Later found on One Tree Hill)!

Anywayyy, back to Eric or Shawn. Will Friedle was a cutie, no doubt. Especially during the first season, when he had the shorter hairdo and was just the sensible, if mainstream older bro. And with each progressive season... he became increasingly insane and stupid... it was so overwhelming and borderline unbearable. whoa! mayb my language about this is getting too strong, but i feel very passionately against where they took that character. he just got so cray cray. and i'm not really into crazy. and that high pitched voice that he used to do. yikes. bad news bears! Remember when he used to date Jennifer LOVE?! The only thing that tickles my heart when thinking about Eric Matthews... is that Will Friedle provided the voice for Terry McGinnis is Batman Beyond... and you know my love for the Caped Crusader.

In later years, Matthew Lawrence was brought in to fulfill that sortof teen heartthrob sitch... fresh from his stint on Super Human Samurai Syber-Squad! (not a typo. whatchu know about that!?) He was for the most part fly... and not as short as he looks on tv, FYI. And for extra chuckles, hit up that Google and find a pic of his younger bro/co-star on Brotherly love (also with big bro JOEY "whoa!"), Andy Lawrence. Props to Lindeloo and Jbillzo for identifying his much older doppelganger for the future...

Oh no! Tangent! Back to the inquiry at hand! Shawn Hunter was my choice! Hands down! Hands down! He was about SO much more! He was deep and angsty, seeping with his soulfulness and family dramz, trying to fit in with the Matthews family and all of their Leave it to Beaver dramz. Remember when the hotshot mullethead, Mr. Turner, came through and tried to "turn" Shawn's life around?? haha. EPIC HUMOR FAIL! Also, the key to my heart... Shawn's love for women of color. Holla! I'll always remember the episode where he dumped angela to keep up with his "2wks only rule," only to find a purse whose contents (including a book of poetry. swoonz) would indicate the owner was his soulmate... Obvz Angela. Rider Strong aged decently too - though poss grew into a jacked up Jeremy Sisto. Rollin with da homiez...

Thoughts?

Said friend opted for a third candidate:

Whoaz! I'd rather Mr. Feeny!

PS. Let me not go without stating that: Topanga was always fly. I love me some curvy women on TV during their teenage years, that was probs mad difficult and crazy awkward. Get it Girl!!!