After a good three year run, this blog has now come to its end. What started as a place for honors students to express themselves about various themes in politics and the media has evolved greatly from its beginnings. At one point this blog was very popular on the American University campus and in some quarters of D.C., but no longer. All of the original writers, save for the faculty sponsor and editor have left the project. After it became apparent that the young writers could no longer sustain the project, nor could it exist in a limbo between a completely professionalized staff and mostly student volunteer writers, it is now time to formally say good-bye. Thanks to all the writers and readers along the way. All things must pass.
After another short hiatus, the underground podcast returns this week with our first opportunity to acknowledge the passing of the great Les Paul, the innovator who brought us the modern electric guitar. So expect this program to rock. The Wizard of Waukesha, as Paul was known, shows up twice in this program and many of those who were influenced by him also are included as the program covers almost 55 years of sound. The program ranges from landmark recordings by Paul to blues, blues-rock, garage rock, psychedelia, punk and pop. And if you think Paul's influence is all older rock, listen again. This program includes a hefty slice of new rock too. Enjoy as we salute the legend.
(To stream or download this podcast, please click here.)
Playlist
"Vaya Con Dios" by Les Paul & Mary Ford Cover Me:"Rock 'n Roll Hoochie Koo" by Les Paul, Edgar Winter & Kenny Wayne Shepherd “Walkin' Blues" by The Paul Butterfield Blues Band "Walking By Myself" by Earl Seratte & the Blues Kings "Albatross" by The Mick Fleetwood Blues Band "Fly Farm Blues" by Jack White "Brown Sugar" by ZZ Top "American Made" by Gary Hoey Rick's Metal Shoppe: “Journey to the Center of Your Mind” by Ted Nugent & The Amboy Dukes Jeff’s New Wave: “Kill the Poor” by The Dead Kennedys “You're No Rock N' Roll Fun” by Sleater-Kinney “To the Enemies of Political Rock” by Team Dresch “21 Guns” by Green Day "Discovery" by Orange Shirt "Can You Tell" by Ra Ra Riot "Oxford Comma" by Vampire Weekend
Program contains songs with explicit lyrics.
(Mp3 Runs - 1:17:13; 72 MB.)
(The photo of Les Paul performing at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City in 2008 is by Thomas Faivre-Duboz of Paris, France via Flickr, using a Creative Commons license.) DISCLAIMER: The iVoryTowerz podcast is a non-commercial, non-profit program designed and used for educational purposes. Some of the material contained in this podcast is previously copyrighted but used with permission. Other copyrighted material is reused following fair use guidelines. Any copyright holders who do not wish to have their material used should contact the programmers directly at ivorytowerzradio@att.net and it will be removed. The programmers do not support filesharing and encourage listeners to buy music from the artists featured in this podcast.
The underground podcast returns and we will do our best to come back on a regular basis after our summer hiatus. Of course, we return with plenty on our collective minds. And sometimes what we are talking about isn't always evident. This program certainly has plenty of subtexts. See if you can trace them. If we overexplain here, the effect will be lost. As usual, we have an unexpected eclectic mix that puts a different spin on rock radio: we are what classic rock radio could have been. So there's a hefty portion of new music and some classics too. The program ranges through classic rock, punk, New Wave (or what some call First Wave now), alternative, alt-country, country-rock, Americana, and even some heavy metal. Enjoy.
(To stream or download this podcast, please click here.)
Playlist
"Aqualung" by Jethro Tull Rick's Metal Shoppe: “37 Stitches” by Drowning Pool Jeff’s New Wave: “Peaches” by The Stranglers “Window in the Skies" by U2 "Funny the Way It Is" by The Dave Matthews Band "Hey 19" by Steely Dan "Mohammed's Radio" by The Matthew Show "Werewolves of London" by Warren Zevon "Poor, Poor Pitiful Me" by Jackson Browne & Bonnie Raitt “When the Wheels Don't Move” by Son Volt “The Weight” by The Band “You and I” by Wilco with Feist "Thoughts of Mary Jane" by Nick Drake "Old Days" by John Hiatt "Wild at Heart" by Gloriana Cover Me:"Girl fro the North Country" by Kermit Lynch
Program contains songs with explicit lyrics.
(Mp3 Runs - 1:23:26; 77 MB.)
(The photo is by audreyjm529 of Pennsylvania via Flickr, using a Creative Commons license.) DISCLAIMER: The iVoryTowerz podcast is a non-commercial, non-profit program designed and used for educational purposes. Some of the material contained in this podcast is previously copyrighted but used with permission. Other copyrighted material is reused following fair use guidelines. Any copyright holders who do not wish to have their material used should contact the programmers directly at ivorytowerzradio@att.net and it will be removed. The programmers do not support filesharing and encourage listeners to buy music from the artists featured in this podcast.
Anything appearing in this space this summer is certainly unexpected. But add to that a number of bands that we've never played before and you have an unexpected treat. About a third of this underground podcast touches on material never before podcast here, but our eclectic mix remains intact. On this podcast you'll find progressive, progressive metal, heavy metal, alternative, indie rock, new wave, country rock, and even some punk polka. Somehow although this mix includes plenty of new material we still cover more than 40 years of modern rock. One part of the unexpected mix is how this program blends FM hits and superstars with our usual selection of B-sides and rarities. Enjoy.
(To stream or download this podcast, please click here.)
Playlist
"Whisky Train" by Procol Harum Rick's Metal Shoppe: “Highway Star” by Buckcherry “Cotopaxi" by The Mars Volta "I Live With You" by Grizzly Bear "The Harbour's Cold" by Dieter Schöön "Down to Earth" by Peter Gabriel Jeff’s New Wave: “Johnny 7” by Stiff Little Finger "Peek-A-Boo" by Siouxsie & the Banshees "Roses in the Park" by Lichtenstein “Going Down to Liverpool” by The Bangles “Something in the Air” by Thunderclap Newman “Barking at the Moon” by Jenny Lewis "Leave My Woman Alone" by Peter & Gordon "It's So Easy" by Linda Ronstadt "Foggy Mountain Blue" by Gabrielle Maren Cover Me:"I Can See for Miles" by Brave Combo
Program contains songs with explicit lyrics.
(Mp3 Runs - 1:16:57; 71 MB.)
(The photo is by :: Suwaif :: of the United Arab Emirates via Flickr, using a Creative Commons license.) DISCLAIMER: The iVoryTowerz podcast is a non-commercial, non-profit program designed and used for educational purposes. Some of the material contained in this podcast is previously copyrighted but used with permission. Other copyrighted material is reused following fair use guidelines. Any copyright holders who do not wish to have their material used should contact the programmers directly at ivorytowerzradio@att.net and it will be removed. The programmers do not support filesharing and encourage listeners to buy music from the artists featured in this podcast.
Off the air for several weeks, the underground podcast is back with a vengeance. Download this one quickly because who knows how long it will stay online. This podcast is so deep underground it approaches the globe's molten core. This is potentially the most controversial podcast from us ever. There's not just one controversial song here, or one controversial set, but controversy from start to finish. Although this is a special presentation, we still manage to serve up the sensational songs in the midst of the usual eclectic format. The program covers 45 years of music ranging through folk, country, country rock, New Wave, punk, grunge, metal, progressive metal, progressive, and alternative. Strap in. The rants and hot licks come fast and furious. But please, enjoy responsibly!
(To stream or download this podcast, please click here.)
Playlist
"Qu'ran" by Brian Eno & David Byrne “I Talk to the Wind" by Steve Hackett "21st Century Schizoid Man" by Seasons (request) "Red" by Brand X Rick's Metal Shoppe: “Court of the Crimson King” by Saxon "All Apologies" by Nirvana "Pepper" by The Butthole Surfers "Seventeen" by The Sex Pistols Jeff’s New Wave: “It's the End of the World as We Know It” by R.E.M. Cover Me:"Louie, Louie" by Joan Jett & The Blackhearts “Creedence Song” by John Fogerty “Wrote a Song for Everyone” by Creedence Clearwater Revival (CCR) “Zantz Can't Dance” by John Fogerty "Not Ready to Make Nice" by The Dixie Chicks "Talkin' John Birch Paranoid Blues" by Bob Dylan "Forbidden City" by Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros Program contains explicit song lyrics and discussions of mature content including graphic language. Rated: R.
(Mp3 Runs - 1:33:13; 86 MB.)
(The graphic is by Mr.Enjoy of Funchal, Portugal via Flickr, using a Creative Commons license.) DISCLAIMER: The iVoryTowerz podcast is a non-commercial, non-profit program designed and used for educational purposes. Some of the material contained in this podcast is previously copyrighted but used with permission. Other copyrighted material is reused following fair use guidelines. Any copyright holders who do not wish to have their material used should contact the programmers directly at ivorytowerzradio@att.net and it will be removed. The programmers do not support filesharing and encourage listeners to buy music from the artists featured in this podcast.
My hero is gone. Walter Cronkite has passed. An era is truly now over.
Cronkite shaped journalism. At CBS he created the type of journalism I wanted to practice ever since I was a boy. Watching him every night inspired my career and my life. He instilled a sense of history and place in me and catalyzed me to find answers in history books, in outer space and in everyday reporting. Taking the foundations established by Edward R. Murrow at CBS and with the help of his able producer Ed Bliss, Cronkite’s CBS Evening News established a standard for news on television.
I’m sorry to say it seems that was the zenith of television journalism. The state of journalism on television has receded quickly ever since Cronkite departed the airwaves. You can blame Dan Rather, or CBS or Van Gordon Sauter, but Cronkite’s news organization was dismantled. The version of CBS News anchored today by Katie Couric is not even a ghost of the past, Bob Schieffer’s contributions not withstanding.
Cronkite was for years the most respected man in America. He deserved it. He was known for reporting straight ahead. No frills. I watched American history through Cronkite’s lens: the Kennedy assassinations and that of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. too; Vietnam (a war that Cronkite affected with his frank commentary after the Tet Offensive); and the landing on the moon.
In the 1990s, I got to meet my hero. At the time I was at the University of Southern California. Cronkite came to pick up an honor and speak to journalism students. “You’ll have to speak up,” Cronkite told me immediately upon my approach in a very loud tone, “these days I’m as deaf as a post.” Helped by his wife, I was able to have a nice chat with Uncle Walter about the state of journalism. This was a tiny moment but a memorable one because Cronkite was the man who had been projected to all of us for so many years via television: he was friendly and avuncular but also honest and direct.
I am sad to see him go. Television news, these days, does not reach the standard he set. His passing marks a moment that means truly those glory days of television journalism are mostly in the past. And that is also sadder, but that is the way it is, Saturday, July 18, 2009.
~Rick Rockwell
(The photo of Walter Cronkite is from a speech at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. in 2004. The photo is by Bill Ingalls of NASA; as the photo is from NASA, a government agency, it is in the public domain. Please see The New York Times for Cronkite's obituary. To see a retrospective on Cronkite, in his own words, please check below.)
After three weeks on hiatus it is time to return. Our apologies for the radio silence without warning. There are many reasons for the lapse. We would offer some up to you, but many will just sound like excuses. So we will dispense with the reasons, only to say we are sorry we have not been here. Likely, the blog will not be a daily affair again, at least for the short term. We will monitor reader reaction a bit more closely to see if frequency has any effect on the impact of this blog. We want to continue to bring you strong commentary, but only if it has sufficient audience and reaction. Thanks for your patience while we regrouped.
If that picture gives you any ideas, then you know you're in the right place this week, as the underground podcast is in an especially eclectic and niche mood. Now, don't get the wrong idea. We haven't turned into musical festishists. But we do find a way to head off on to odd tangents and still tie them all together. And although we don't start off with standards all the time, this week we commence with perhaps the biggest song of all time about boots. And we march on from there. As usual, this podcast includes music from most eras of rock: stretching back about 45 years, but also with a strong dash of new sounds. The mix this week includes: garage rock, proto-punk, punk, power pop, metal and much more. So strap on your boots and get ready to party and dance with us. And well, if you're not up for dancing, then well just shake your head, stretch out those booted legs and look cool in the summer heat. Enjoy!
(To stream or download this podcast, please click here.)
Playlist
"These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" by Nancy Sinatra Cover Me:"Kicks" by The Ventures with Nancy Sinatra “One Man Girl" by Lost Agency "Destroyer" by The Kinks "Chinatown" by Tahiti 80 "So Far Away" by The Apples in Stereo "Skeletons" by Tiny Masters of Today "Sixteen" by Iggy Pop Jeff’s New Wave: “Love Comes in Spurts” by Richard Hell & the Voidoids “Son of a Gun” by The Vaselines “Jesus Doesn't Want Me for a Sunbeam” by Nirvana “One of a Kind” by Placebo "West Coast Smoker" by Fall Out Boy with Deborah Harry "Lifeline" by Papa Roach "Let's Go Crazy" by Incubus Rick's Metal Shoppe: “Deep Unknown” by Stratovarius (Mp3 Runs - 1:15:42; 70 MB.)
(The photo is by Avasopel of Spain via Flickr, using a Creative Commons license.) DISCLAIMER: The iVoryTowerz podcast is a non-commercial, non-profit program designed and used for educational purposes. Some of the material contained in this podcast is previously copyrighted but used with permission. Other copyrighted material is reused following fair use guidelines. Any copyright holders who do not wish to have their material used should contact the programmers directly at ivorytowerzradio@att.net and it will be removed. The programmers do not support filesharing and encourage listeners to buy music from the artists featured in this podcast.
I never thought the day would come when I would see an ad for specialized vampire dental care shown before a movie. But there it was; between the slides pitching Ray’s Ribs and all too obvious movie trivia, a nauseatingly blue screen promising perfect discretion to the office’s fanged clientele. A few years ago, this would have been more than cause for a double take, but now barely warrants a raised eyebrow.
Speaking to my grandmother about the obsession today’s youth have with these fanged creatures, she expressed confusion, and even concern that with the tweeny-bopper Twilight series at such popularity, the line between good and evil was being continually blurred. Now, I have many gripes (as do others) with the Twilight series: endless adverbs, weak female characters and poorly written, for a start. But this was not one that had originally occurred to me. The American public has always clung to our dark anti-heroes; we’ve gone through obsessions with Italian mobsters, bankrobbers, and hitmen — so why is the new vampire obsession creating such a dividing line in our popular culture?
Possibly because; more than our love affairs with the dark and daring figures in the past, this movement speaks to a younger generation. (Though there are exceptions; I for one can attest that at the ripe age of 12 I was already reaching unhealthy levels of fascination with the gangsters of The Sopranos) The romantic and eternal adolescence can appeal to any kid with fears of what comes next, but who is too jaded to believe in the magic of a figure like Peter Pan. While the one-dimensional Twilight uses this enduring and dark love as its main appeal, the prevalence of this mythic monster figure is also giving rise to an ability to build upon the traditional mythology, and create something entirely new.
HBO’s True Blood doesn’t bother to catch up its audience with a primer on vampirism, but rather throws them into a society full of metaphor and depth. While the seemingly mandatory human/vamp/human love triangle does frequently take center stage, aspects of vampirism; the condition itself, the euphoria inducing qualities of the creatures’ blood on humans, and the bizarre and dangerous sexual practices of the vamps, all act as analogies for racism, drug addiction and carnal fetishes in Southern society.
So for all the griping that anti-fangophiles and Twi-hard haters commit, it is possible to look beyond a one or two misery inducing interpretations of this classic monster, with the hopes that its newfound prevalence will lead to more daring imaginings. Without the sulking Cullen Clan of Twilight, the empowering figure of True Blood’s Sookie Stackhouse may never have hit the small screen. And this vampire obsession doesn’t look to be headed away anytime soon. There are rumors of rebooting the Buffy series (please, God, no), and the next film adaption of Twilight already looks to make a fortune in box office receipts. So no matter your opinions on these nocturnal creatures of the night, it’s high time for you to retract your fangs and smile for the possibilities in their newfound resurgence.
(The promotional graphic is from HBO's True Blood. To see a trailer for the second season of the series, please check below.)
iVoryTowerz (2006-2009)
