325 épisodes
DIG THIS WITH BILL MESNIK AND RICH BUCKLAND- THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS Rich Buckland and Bill Mesnik
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- Musique
My Fellow Americans, Life is actually just a microscopic, deluded moment in time, so let's cut to the freakin' chase. One look at our impending election debacle can solidify my case. It has been my contention since birth, that the answer to every difficulty we encounter on this sacred yet demented Stone, can be revealed with ultimate clarity through the ultra neurotic engagements of Music, Art, Literature, Film, Poetry and a good Pastrami sandwich. Why would any sane human spend so must time on a film set (Do you know how long you gotta wait until your 8 second deliverance of an edited beyond repair line gets a chance to become a professional embarrassment etched in time forever? ) or expend so much energy in a recording studio, piecing together another ode to a man or woman who could not care less how much love existed within your digestive tract? It's all about hymns and prayers and a quest for mercy and forgiveness and silence and faith. We were blessed with Charles Bukowski, Gene Chandler, Lenny Bruce, Mitch Ryder and a legion of creative explorers whose influences provided the air we breathe. So Let's Dance! This site shall explore the reaper, find a way to disarm the stench of injustice, discover some true loves and talk it all over before it's all over. So what's the worst that our desires could produce? Failure? So sue me. I'm going to require your assistance in making as much trouble for the grown-ups as possible. Let the record show that my childish heart yearns to disrupt the madness. Join me Ladies and Germs!
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BILL MESNIK OF THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS PRESENTS: THE SUNNY SIDE OF MY STREET - SONGS TO MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD - EPISODE #58 - "THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC"- LOUIS PRIMA AND KEELY SMITH- Capitol Records-1958
In 1948, New Orleans veteran trumpeter and singer Louis Prima stumbled into a young girl named Keely Smith. She was barely a performer at all, almost half his age, destined for a relatively quiet life; their encounter was pure coincidence. But they went on to invent “The Wildest,” the most exciting and successful lounge act Las Vegas has ever seen, an act that became one of the hottest in the U.S. in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Their records were hugely popular, and they were courted by Frank Sinatra, Ed Sullivan, Robert Mitchum, and other well-known entertainers of the day. Their professional success helped bring about the rise of Las Vegas as a mecca of American entertainment. Their love story ended soon after they helped usher in John F. Kennedy’s presidency–singing “That Old Black Magic” for him at his inauguration–but their influence is still evident.
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HOTEL BOHEMIA PRESENTS "POETRY IN MOTION- THE ODYSSEY AND TRIBULATIONS OF WILLIAM BLAKE"- FEATURING JACK KEROUAC, TOM WAITS, HARRY DEAN STANTON, KURT COBAIN, PATTI SMITH, WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS, JIM CARROLL , BILL MESNIK AND MORE!
ALL THINGS BLAKE: THE POETRY FOUDATION https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/william-blake
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BILL MESNIK OF THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS PRESENTS: THE SUNNY SIDE OF MY STREET - SONGS TO MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD - EPISODE #57-: "ONCE IN A LIFETIME"- TALKING HEADS- Sire Records-1981
The Meaning of “Once in a Lifetime”
Byrne might have used preacher cadences as a jumping-off point for the song. But his message is more universal than regional, as he hints at the idea of someone living a life that has developed almost beyond their control. The refrain of You may find yourself supports this notion. Byrne implies that a person’s location, car, and spouse might not be anything they’ve actually chosen.
In the second verse, consciousness and free will bubbles to the surface. This is not my beautiful house, the unnamed protagonist snaps. This is not my beautiful wife. In the final verse, he looks for a way out. Where does that highway go to? he wonders. And then, in a killer of a final line, he realizes that somewhere along the way, his journey has created consequences: My God, what have I done?
In the refrains, water, both to baptize this lost soul and to wash away his sins, floods over the proceedings. But even that isn’t enough to effect any meaningful change in the course of a life. Same as it ever was, Byrne direly intones. That stagnancy might have affected the folks struggling within “Once in a Lifetime.” But Talking Heads made sure with songs like this that they were never settling for the same-old, same-old. -
HOTEL BOHEMIA PRESENTS "THE HIT PARADE OF CAMPAIGN SONG CAROLERS "- AS THE MOST MURDEROUS PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN AMERICAN HISTORY APPROACHES, THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS BREAK CONVENTION WITH A LOOK BACK AT SOME POLITICAL TUNES THAT MADE AMERICA INFAMOUS
COME VISIT THE BILL MESNIK SONG SAMPLE SITE! http://www.billmesnik.com/Samples.html
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"DIG THIS" WITH THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS -"CHIP TAYLOR- PART TWO" - WRITTEN PROOF THAT ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE WHEN THE HEART HEARS WITH LUMINOUS CERTAINTY- THE TRUTH OF CHIP TAYLOR GOES MARCHING ON
Like a cat with nine lives, Chip Taylor’s persona has embodied many iterations. Starting with his successful “songwriter for hire” status, penning golden hits like Wild Thing, and Angel of the Morning, up through his phoenix-like resurgence as an Americana elder statesman, the story of this man’s artistic survival, emerging as it did, out from the quicksand of addiction, stands as one of the Splendid Bohemian’s tales of celebration. So much so that it has to be told in two parts.
BROWSE THROUGH THE CATALOG OF CHIP'S RECORD LABEL "TRAIN WRECK RECORDS" https://www.trainwreckrecords.com/
https://www.songhall.org/profile/chip_taylor -
BILL MESNIK OF THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS PRESENTS: THE SUNNY SIDE OF MY STREET - SONGS TO MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD - EPISODE #56: DON’T WORRY, BE HAPPY by Bobby McFerrin (1988, EMI - Manhattan)
Inspired by a quote attributed to the eastern mystic Meyer Baba, Bobby McFerrin created this a cappella masterpiece. And, although Michael Musto of the Village Voice has proclaimed it the “worst song of all time”, and Blender Magazine snarked “it’s difficult to think of a song more likely to plunge you into suicidal despondency,” this irrepressible ditty stands as the cornerstone of a singular musical career, festooned with awards and encomiums, including a Grammy for Lifetime achievement in 2022.
It’s not so much the possibly insipid - (depending on your level of cynicism) - lyrics, it’s the purity and perfection of Bobby’s voice alone, albeit overdubbed, that communicates its message of joy. The son of an opera singer and a voice teacher, Mr. McFerrin possesses a preternatural perfection of pitch and tone that has enabled him, among many other extraordinary feats, to trade horn parts with the Marsalis brothers, or deliver a flawless William Tell Overture solo.
As a philosopher and exponent of music’s healing potential for the human brain, Bobby continues to spread his message. Since 2021, he has conducted “Circlesongs” at Freight and Salvage in Berkeley, CA, where audience members are encouraged to improvise alongside the master - a unique fusion of jazz and therapy.
Here’s an ironic side-note: George H.W. Bush used the song for his presidential campaign, and Bobby protested, saying he would not vote for him. Then, he stopped performing the song in protest. I guess he wasn’t too happy.