From the Vault: Aerosmith - "What It Takes"

In 1989, my mother did not permit me to watch MTV. As a responsible 4th grader at the time, I fell victim to the injustice of the world - or at least the injustice of my mother and her ability to filter what I watched on the Time Warner cable network. The weekends were a serious challenge to survive, but I coped with the situation monday-friday because I knew that each following morning I would once again get my MTV fix.

Every morning before school I would walk to my friend Eric's house. His father, Mark, was a wonderful man...he not only allowed his own children to watch MTV, but he allowed neighborhood children such as myself the ability to view such splendid programming. Mark was kind of like the Harriet Tubman of the "Underground Railroad" of MTV. Do they give out medals of valor for acts such as this? If so, I would like to sign up Mark Hoffman.

The odd thing is that all these years later, I only remember two specific videos from that time period of escaping the non-MTV prison in which I called a "home". The first, "Kickstart My Heart" by Motley Crue and second, "What It Takes" by Aerosmith. Now, don't get me wrong..."Kickstart My Heart" was a great video: lots of car crashes mixed with rock n' fuckin' roll. "Kickstart My Heart" remains my favorite Motley Crue song to this day, likely a direct result of knowing I was breaking the rules by simply watching it. It was amazing (Mark stated on more than one occassion that he felt the video was "bad ass") but for some reason, "What It Takes" by Aerosmith has remained an even more vidid memory from my childhood.

I believe it was the Heather Duke factor. You see, I was in love with Heather Duke and things were unraveling in our relationship. "What It Takes" seemed very relevant to my life at the time and therefore, I clung to it. "So baby, what's the story? Did you find another man?" These were real questions I could ask Heather. "Tell me what it takes to let you go? Tell me how the pain's supposed to go?" Again, serious questions I was forced to ask myself somewhere between learning about the native American population of southern Ohio and proceeding into the world of double-digit multiplication problems.

Eventually Heather and I split, she started dating my friend Eric (yes, the same Eric mentioned above) and we eventually ended up dueling for the allustrious hand of Heather after school one day. Mark (read: the greatest man to ever walk the Earth) actually intervened and split up the skirmish (good thing he did that, Eric had me by about 30 pounds and would have most likely beat the shit out of me on that day).

Many years later, I am left with only a few words for Heather Duke:

"Girl, before I met you I was F.I.N.E. Fine, but your love made me a prisoner, yeah my heart's been doing time. You spent me up like money, then you hung me out to dry. It was easy to keep all your lies in disguise, cause you had me in deep with the devil in your eyes."

My Top 25 Favorite T.V. Shows (That Are Still On)

(in order)

1. PTI
2. Sportscenter
3. Cops
4. Family Guy
5. The Simpsons
6. Good Eats
7. Intervention
8. Nova
9. Frontline
10. Saturday Night Live
11. American Experience
12. Inside the Actors Studio
13. Aqua Teen Hunger Force
14. American Dad
15. True Life
16. 60 Minutes
17. The Soup
18. Scare Tactics
19. The Office
20. 30 Days
21. Austin City Limits
22. Curb Your Enthusiasm
23. The Henry Rollins Show
24. Cash Cab
25. Charlie Rose

My Top 10 Favorite John Hughes Films

John W. Hughes was born February 18th, 1950, in Lansing Michigan. After spending his youth in the Detroit suburbs, he moved to Chicago, Illinois with his family at the age of 13 (his father was a salesman). The Hughes family lived at the much-scorned outskirts of a wealthier suburban-Chicago neighborhood, which permanently cemented his loathing disrespect and jealousy of snobs. Chicago would become an area that would figure prominently in most of his films (not to mention some rich, snobby characters).

He graduated from Glenbrook North High School in Northbrook, Illinois in 1968, and moved to Arizona State University but dropped out his junior year. By this point he was already married (he met his wife Nancy in high school) and became an advertising copywriter (some of his ads were for 7-UP). He also wrote many short stories, magazine articles, unpublished novels, and jokes for stand-up comedians such as Rodney Dangerfield, Henny Youngman an Rip Taylor. "It was good training in minimalist thinking, and taught me how to think comically."

In 1979 he became an editor for National Lampoon magazine. It was here where he broke into professional screenwriting with National Lampoon's Class Reunion (1982) and in 1993, National Lampoon's Vacation, which was based on a short story he wrote called "Vacation '58." (When another writer's Lampoon short story became the genesis of Animal House, Hollywood studios started recruiting all the Lampooners to come up with movies, and thus John got his big chance at a movie career.) He also made Mr. Mom (1983), but it was in 1984 when he made it big with the teen crowd with his films Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink and Weird Science.

While toiling as a rewriter and script doctor on many early 80s films (including Joy of Sex), John saw Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Risky Business, and Wargames, and realized that he could be writing vastly superior teenage entertainment, and eventually create a niche for himself. His first teen script was The Breakfast Club, but it did not get made until after he'd first proven himself with Sixteen Candles. Plot, scene, and character elements from a lot of these earlier films he'd seen as a rewriter would soon pop-up again again and again (in altered Hughes versions) throughout his 80's teen flicks.

It was also in 1985 when he entered a multiple-picture contract with Paramount, and produced films under his own banner, the John Hughes Company. In 1988 Hughes Entertainment became associated with Universal. Today many of his films are released through Disney and their subsidiaries.

(in order)

1. She's Having a Baby



Great movie. Very overlooked and underrated.

2. Planes, Trains and Automobiles



"We can laught about it now...it's all over with" (car is still on fire)

3. Career Opportunities



Another overlooked/forgotten film of the Hughes collection. I just watched this yesterday to be reminded of how funny it is.

4. Some Kind of Wonderful



This is one is a real gem. Who knew teenage love triangles could be so interesting?

5. Uncle Buck



"Bobby you little piss ant....what are ya drunk?"

6. National Lampoon's Vacation



"Is that real tomato ketchup Eddie?"

7. Ferris Bueller's Day Off



"Your son has been absent.... NINE TIMES"

8. Mr. Mom



The Soap Opera dream scene is still just as funny now as it was the first time I saw it.

9. Pretty in Pink



People should still make movies like this, it would help the integrity of the film industry.

10. The Breakfast Club



I wish pop culture would not have raped and pillaged this film of all its precious jewles, alas...it happened and I just cannot enjoy this one as much as I once did. It's still a great film though.

Honorable Mention:

Sixteen Candles
National Lampoon's European Vacation
Weird Science
The Great Outdoors
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
Home Alone
Dutch

The Greatest Song of All Time?

"Love Will Tear Us Apart" is a song by the British post-punk band Joy Division. "Love Will Tear Us Apart" was written in August and September of 1979 and was debuted when the band supported Buzzcocks on their UK tour in September and October 1979, and it is one of the few songs in which singer Ian Curtis played guitar (albeit somewhat minimally).

The lyrics are perceived to reflect the problems in Ian Curtis' marriage to Deborah Curtis, as well as his general frame of mind in the time leading up to his suicide in May 1980. Deborah Curtis had the phrase "Love Will Tear Us Apart" inscribed on Ian Curtis' memorial stone.

The song was first released in April 1980 and, after Curtis' suicide that May, became the band's first chart hit, reaching number 13 in the UK. The band broke up after his death and reformed as New Order. "Love Will Tear Us Apart" was re-released in 1983 and reached number 19 on the UK charts.

In November 1988, it made one more Top 40 appearance in New Zealand, peaking at #39. "Love Will Tear Us Apart" appears on the 'Substance' compilation album. It was first recorded for a John Peel session in November 1979, then re-recorded in January 1980 and March 1980. It is the latter version that appears on 'Substance'. The song was listed by Rolling Stone magazine at number 179 in its top 500 songs of all time.



My introduction to "Love Will Tear Us Apart" was actually through the Girl Skateboards "Yeah Right!" video in the summer of 2004. Marc Johnson used the Squarepusher cover version of the song for his section. As I sat in a basement in Bloomington, IN I was floored. Where had this song been all of my 24 years?! I proceeded to watch that specific part of the video three more times, I simply could not detach myself from the song.

My next move was straight to the computer. I looked up "Love Will Tear Us Apart" and expected to begin my tedious search for what I assumed was a rare song. I soon discovered that this song, was not rare...it was about as popular as bottled water. It was everywhere. The mystery of how I did not know of this song prior to that day grew even deeper. Nonetheless, I had a new favorite song for that time in my life.

For the next month, I spent my days wandering the city of Bloomington looking for answers on where to go in life. I was scheduled to move to southern California but it did not look promising. I had no money but I had the most important thing of all: friends who cared about me. When you're broke and hungry, you know it. This was the reality I awoke to everyday for two weeks. All I knew is that I had to make it through the day... and then worry about the next. I barely had enough money to eat, but I was somehow intoxicated every nite. Three songs carried me through those tough times: Allman Brothers "Melissa", Nas "Life is a Bitch" and...Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart".

Despite the fact that the lyrics themselves had nothing to do with my life situation at the time, I related with them on a level that transcended my lack of money and food. Ian Curtis was only a year younger than me when he wrote the painfully genius lyrics to what would become his greatest success. Curtis, who married at 19 and had a child at 23, was crushed under the weight of depression, the success of his band, epileptic seizures and infidelity. In the early hours of May 18th, 1980, Curtis hanged himself in the kitchen of his house in Macclesfield, England. Sadly, Ian Curtis left a young wife and daughter on that morning, but one great thing he did do was to leave the world what I consider to to be the greatest song of all time in "Love Will Tear Us Apart".



When routine bites hard,
And ambitions are low.
And resentment rides high,
But emotions won't grow.
And we're changing our ways, taking different roads.

Love, love will tear us apart again.
Love, love will tear us apart again.

Why is the bedroom so cold?
Turned away on your side.
Is my timing that flawed?
Our respect run so dry?
Yet there's still this appeal, that we've kept through our lives.

Love, love will tear us apart again.
Love, love will tear us apart again.

Do you cry out in your sleep?
All my failings exposed... gets a taste in my mouth
As desperation takes hold.
Why is it something so good?
Just can't function no more?

Love, love will tear us apart again.
Love, love will tear us apart again.
Love, love will tear us apart again.
Love, love will tear up apart again.


Suggested viewing:

15 Years Ago Today: Charles Bukowski Dies in San Pedro, CA

Henry Charles Bukowski (August 16, 1920 – March 9, 1994), was a German American poet, novelist and short story writer. Bukowski's writing was heavily influenced by the geography and atmosphere of his home city of Los Angeles, and is marked by an emphasis on the ordinary lives of marginalized poor Americans, the act of writing, alcohol, relationships with women, the drudgery of work, and horseracing. A prolific author, Bukowski wrote thousands of poems, hundreds of short stories, and six novels, eventually having over 60 books in print. He is often remembered as "The Poet Laureate of Skid Row".



a poem I wrote about Bukowski:

"To a man I never met, yet know so well"

There is one night I remember well...

walking down Hollywood Blvd.
walking into a bookstore where you once roamed
I smelled the history
I felt you in there with me...

when asked of you -

"he used to come in and sell his autograph for a dollar
and then he'd go buy a drink across the street"
said the woman working the counter

walking back down the famed boulevard,
smiling, thinking of your life that once was

the past met the present in a whirl of Hollywood ghosts -

a lone dollar bill blew up the boulevard,
finding its ways to my feet, stopping there

Was that your dollar, Mr. Bukowski?

I'm quite sure that it was

Your tales of :

women
madness
drunkenness
shitty jobs

have all given me much more than you will ever know

thanks for the dollar (I needed the drink)

and thanks for sanity amidst madness

- Mikeal P. Davis

My favorite Charles Bukowski poem:

"Bluebird"

there's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out
but I'm too tough for him,
I say, "stay in there,
I'm not going to let anybody see you"

there's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out
but, I pour whiskey on him and inhale cigarette smoke
and...
the whores
and the bartenders
and the grocery clerks
never know that he's in there.

there's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out but I'm too tough for him,
I say, "stay down, do you want to mess me up?
you want to screw up the works?
you want to blow my book sales in Europe?"

there's a bluebird in my heart that wants to get out but I'm too clever,
I only let him out at night sometimes when everybody's asleep.
I say, "I know that you're there, so don't be sad..."

then I put him back,
but he's singing a little in there,
I haven't quite let him die and we sleep together like that with our secret pact,
and it's nice enough to make a man weep,
but I don't weep, do you?



Charles Bukowski died of leukemia on March 9th, 1994, in San Pedro, California, at the age of 73, shortly after completing his last novel, 'Pulp'. The funeral rites, orchestrated by the widow, were conducted by Buddhist monks. An account of the proceedings can be found in Gerald Locklin's book 'Charles Bukowski: A Sure Bet'. His gravestone reads: "Don't Try", an epitaph that has sparked some speculation over its true meaning.

Suggested reading:





Suggested viewing:

22 Years Ago Today: U2 Release 'The Joshua Tree'

'The Joshua Tree' is the fifth studio album by Irish rock band U2, released March 9th, 1987 on Island Records. Recording sessions took place from July to November 1986 at Windmill Lane Studios in Dublin. The album features the band's exploration of roots rock, with their music exhibiting influences from blues-rock, folk rock, country music, and gospel music. Lyrically, 'The Joshua Tree' depicts the band's fascination with America, but also its discontent with the foreign policy of the United States. The album was produced and engineered by Brian Eno and Daniel Lanois.

Upon its release, 'The Joshua Tree' became a critical and commercial success, increasing the band's stature "from heroes to superstars," according to Rolling Stone. The album produced several hit singles, including "Where the Streets Have No Name", "With or Without You", and "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For", all of which remain classic rock radio staples. 'The Joshua Tree' won Grammy Awards for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Album of the Year in Grammy Awards of 1988.

In 2003, the album was ranked number 26 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time. The album is one of the world's best-selling albums of all-time, having sold over 25 million copies. In 2007, a remastered version of the album was released to mark the 20th anniversary of its original release.

Suggested Viewing:

"With or Without You"



"I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For"



"Red Hill Mining Town"

12 Years Ago Today: Notorious B.I.G. shot and killed in Los Angeles

Christopher George Latore Wallace (May 21, 1972 – March 9, 1997), popularly known by Biggie Smalls (after a fictional gangster in the 1975 film 'Let's Do It Again'), and his primary stage name, The Notorious B.I.G., was an American rapper.

Raised in Brooklyn, New York, Wallace grew up during the peak years of the 1980s' crack epidemic and started dealing drugs at an early age. When Wallace released his debut album with the 1994 record 'Ready to Die', he was a central figure in the East Coast hip-hop scene and increased New York's visibility at a time when hip hop was mostly dominated by West Coast artists.

The following year, Wallace led his childhood friends to chart success through his protégé group, Junior M.A.F.I.A. While recording his second album, Wallace was heavily involved in the East Coast-West Coast hip hop feud, dominating the scene at the time.

On March 9, 1997, Wallace was killed by an unknown assailant in a drive-by shooting in Los Angeles. His double-disc set 'Life After Death', released fifteen days later, hit #1 on the U.S. album charts and was certified Diamond in 2000. Wallace was noted for his "loose, easy flow", dark semi-autobiographical lyrics and storytelling abilities. Since his death, a further three albums have been released. MTV ranked him at #3 on their list of The Greatest MCs of All Time. Because of his success and influence on music, he has become a cultural icon.



Wallace traveled to California in February 1997 to promote his upcoming album and record a music video for its lead single, "Hypnotize". On March 5, 1997 Wallace gave a radio interview with The Dog House on KYLD in San Francisco. In the interview he stated that he had hired security since he feared for his safety, but this was because he was a celebrity figure, not specifically a rapper. 'Life After Death' was scheduled for release on March 25, 1997.

On March 8, 1997, he presented an award to Toni Braxton at the 11th Annual Soul Train Music Awards in Los Angeles and was booed by some of the audience. After the ceremony, Wallace attended an after party hosted by Vibe magazine and Qwest Records at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. Other guests included Faith Evans, Aaliyah, Sean "Puffy" Combs and members of the Bloods and Crips gangs.

On March 9, 1997, at around 12:30 a.m., Wallace left with his entourage in two GMC Suburbans to return to his hotel after the Fire Department closed the party early due to overcrowding. Wallace traveled in the front passenger seat alongside his associates, Damion "D-Roc" Butler, Junior M.A.F.I.A. member Lil' Cease and driver, Gregory "G-Money" Young. Combs traveled in the other vehicle with three bodyguards. The two trucks were trailed by a Chevrolet Blazer carrying Bad Boy's director of security.

By 12:45 a.m. the streets were crowded with people leaving the event. Wallace's truck stopped at a red light 50 yards (46 m) from the museum. A black Chevy Impala pulled up alongside Wallace's truck. The driver of the Impala (an African-American male neatly dressed in a blue suit and bow tie) rolled down his window, drew a 9 mm blue-steel pistol and fired numerous rounds into the GMC Suburban; four bullets hit Wallace in the chest. Wallace was rushed to Cedars-Sinai Medical Center by his entourage but was pronounced dead at 1:15 a.m.

Suggested viewing:

"Juicy"



"I'll Be Missing You"

Top 5 Songs I am Currently Listening To...

1. Kings of Leon - "Arizona"
2. Grizzly Bear - "Two Weeks"
3. Kanye West - "Flight School (Feat. T-Pain)"
4. Suicide - "Cherree"
5. The Magnetic Fields - "I Wish I Had an Evil Twin"

The Top 40 "Top 40" Songs I Never Want to Hear Again...Ever (Vol. 3)

(in some sort of order)

1. Katy Perry - I Kissed a Girl
2. Soulja Boy - Crank That
3. Shop Boyz - Party Like a Rockstar
4. ZZ Top - Legs
5. Taylor Swift - Love Story
6. Kid Rock - All Summer Long
7. Britney Spears - Womanizer
8. Nickelback - If Everyone Cared
9. Gretchen Wilson - Redneck Woman
10. Black Eyed Peas - Let's Get it Started
11. Cher - Believe
12. Aerosmith - Love in an Elevator
13. Lifehouse - Hanging By a Moment
14. All-4-One - I Swear
15. Jet - Are You Gonna Be My Girl?
16. EMF - Unbelievable
17. Ashlee Simpson - Boyfriend
18. Tal Bachman - She's So High
19. J. Geils Band - Freeze Frame
20. Paula Cole - I Don't Wanna Wait
21. Spice Girls - Wannabe
22. Backstreet Boys - Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely
23. Village People - In the Navy
24. Tracy Chapman - Give Me One Reason
25. Sheryl Crow - Steve McQueen
26. Cameo - Word Up
27. Sir Mix-A-Lot - Baby Got Back
28. Hammer - 2 Legit 2 Quit
29. Technotronic - Pump Up the Jam
30. Nelly - E.I.
31. Sixpence None the Richer - Kiss Me
32. Billy Squier - The Stroke
33. Toni Braxton - Unbreak My Heart
34. Duncan Sheik - Barely Breathing
35. Ashford & Simpson - Solid
36. Lee Ann Womack - I Hope You Dance
37. Heavy D. & The Boyz - Now That We've Found Love
38. Blues Traveler - Hook
39. Onyx - Slam
40. Earth, Wind & Fire - Shining Star

From the Vault: UB40 - "Red, Red Wine"

UB40 may have released "Red, Red Wine" in 1983, but my first memory of seeing the video of it on MTV was somewhere around 1989. I was in the 4th grade and I was dating a much older lady of 13, by the name of "Ivy". I liked Ivy a lot...and she really liked "Red, Red Wine" by UB40. I found out this pertinent information during one of our many 45 minute phone conversations that happened nearly every day after 3:45pm. The funny thing now is that this has become the ONLY piece of information I ever remember her telling me. Ivy and I broke up at some point (I don't recall that either) and she eventually ended up working at Sears a few years later, while I went on to date women within my own 12-14 year old range, but I never forgot that Ivy really enjoyed "Red, Red Wine".

The odd thing is that over the course of the last twenty years, I never forgot that Ivy loved that song, but the most interesting thing that I have discovered is that there is a long, untold history of "Red, Red Wine" that goes beyond Ivy and I. The song itself is actually a cover song five times over. Neil Diamond actually wrote and released it first in 1968. One year later, Tony Tribe, a Jamaican singer recorded the song with an injection of heavy reggae influence. That same year, rock/pop singer Charles Mann released his own version of the song and one year later, Vic Dana released yet another version which briefly charted on the Billboard Hot 100. Then in 1972, country singer Roy Drusky enjoyed mild success with his version. Finally in 1983, the song saw its greatest success yet with the UB40 version reaching #1 on the UK charts in August of 1983.

The video itself tells a very simple story: boy works hard, boy goes to bar after a hard day of said work, boy daydreams about his "female love interest", while daydreaming within a daydream...boy recalls how much he dislikes living at home with his uncouth parents and siblings, boy gets pick-pocketed, boy watches his "female love interest" enter the very bar in which he sits, boy becomes excited...only to find that she is not alone, but with another man! The booze (which is actually beer and NOT red, red wine) then takes on a 'Schindler's List' moment and becomes more frequently ingested in order to forget the "female love interest" that has entered the scene with a new "male love interest". By the end of the night, boy is found by his father and his dogs and promptly returned home to sleep off the last three-four hours.