By Jack Silbert on March 26, 2019
EPISODE #323: 1969
happy 50th to me
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
The Stooges — “1969”
Tommy Roe — “Dizzy” [the No. 1 song the week I was born]
Creedence Clearwater Revival — “Fortunate Son”
Dusty Springfield — “Don’t Forget About Me”
Sly & the Family Stone — “Stand!”
The Kinks — “Victoria”
Tommy James & the Shondells — “Crimson & Clover”
Jimmy Cliff — “Many Rivers to Cross”
The Band — “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down”
David Bowie — “Space Oddity”
The Velvet Underground — “Pale Blue Eyes”
Roy Orbison — “Walk On”
Fairport Convention — “Farewell, Farewell”
Frank Sinatra — “My Way”
The Beatles — “The End”
Jack’s Aquarium podcast is proudly recorded in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged 1969, Beatles, Creedence Clearwater Revival, David Bowie, Dusty Springfield, Fairport Convention, Frank Sinatra, Jimmy Cliff, Roy Orbision, Sly & the Family Stone, The Band, The Kinks, The Stooges, Tommy James, Tommy Roe, Velvet Underground
By Jack Silbert on March 20, 2019
4.5 stars out of 5
As I watched this movie, I realized that I’m a pretty neurotic fella. If this film was about me, it would be a lot more “oh does she like me, should i call, should i wait, why did i say that thing that i said.” A Woody Allen flick, basically. But Gloria Bell is not neurotic. She’s a 50-something woman, 12 years divorced, living her best-ish life: working, checking up on her grown kids, socializing, doing yoga. And to unwind, she loves to dance. Maybe for you it’s vaping or running or video games or obsessively going to see live music (wait, what?), because we all need that escape.
While out dancing, she meets a guy, one year divorced. (Rookie!) Played by our man John Turturro, Arnold is awkward at first, but soon they’re a thing, and it’s nice. When we’re a bit older and set in our routines, it can be a real challenge to open up and let a new person in. But Gloria takes it all in stride… as we watch her life slowly weaken at the seams.
It’s been a minute since I’ve seen Julianne Moore as the sole lead in a movie and she is in absolute top form here, carrying the film on her shoulders. (Speaking of shoulders, she’s looking rather well.) There’s a scene where the camera focuses on Gloria as Arnold reads a poem to her, and it had me thinking, hand Moore the Oscar right now. So tuned in, so expressive throughout the proceedings.
The story also deals with the realities and indignities of aging, without hitting us over the head with it. On the one hand, Gloria tells us that the body is always young and regenerating itself, and that she hasn’t had any plastic surgery. Later a friend (Rita Wilson, yay) says if you get a new hairdo when you get “work” done, people notice the hair, not the surgery. We also see Gloria calmly following her… uh… “womanscaping” routine. Life takes effort.
And there is comfort in the past. She sings along to old favorites in her car. (Because of this, at first I wasn’t sure if the movie was set in the present day. It is.) She goes dancing where they play familiar tunes. Gloria finds warmth in the easy revisionist-history nostalgia of family, with burly ex Brad Garrett (good) and a subdued Michael Cera as her son. When all else fails, there’s always mom (our old bosom buddy Holland Taylor).
Two little gripes: This is a world where no one turns their ringer off — though I guess that’s a good shorthand to show that someone is constantly calling. And the good-time oldies that Gloria enjoys so much seem to a little too perfectly match whatever is going on in her life. And yet, I’ll allow that too, because when we’re falling in or out of love, it really does seem like every song on the radio understands us.
Will Gloria succumb to everything quietly crumbling around her, or can she summon some inner reserve? The climax and then final scene are positively exquisite; I left feeling extremely satisfied. Thank you, Julianne Moore and writer/director Sebastián Lelio!
Posted in movie reviews | Tagged 10s movies, Julianne Moore
By Jack Silbert on March 19, 2019
EPISODE #322: WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH 2019 (HOBOKEN)
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
artists participating in Women Who Rocked the Hoboken Sound events at WFMU’s Monty Hall, March 23/24, 2019:
Karyn Kuhl Band — “Be Your Friend (deluxe mix)”
Wild Carnation — “Acid Rain and ‘The Big One'”
The Wygals — “Eat a Horse”
Long Neck — “Matriarch”
Tiny Lights — “Flowers Through the Air”
The Cucumbers — “Who Betrays Me”
Gut Bank — “Dreamland”
Human Switchboard — “(Say No to) Saturday’s Girl”
Kate Jacobs — “Girlfriend”
Debby Schwartz — “Tribe”
The Special Pillow — “Her Dogs”
Jaime Rose — “Breathe”
Rest Ashore — “Last Afternoon on Earth”
Dick Dale — “Mr. Eliminator” [r.i.p. Dick Dale and Hal Blaine]
Jack’s Aquarium podcast is proudly recorded in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Debby Schwartz, Dick Dale, Gut Bank, Hoboken, Human Switchboard, Jaime Rose, Karyn Kuhl Band, Kate Jacobs, Long Neck, Maxwell's, Rest Ashore, Special Pillow, The Cucumbers, The Wygals, Tiny Lights, WFMU, Wild Carnation, Women's History Month
By Jack Silbert on March 15, 2019
EPISODE #321: INFORMATION
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Dave Edmunds — “Information”
Brother J.T. — “T.M.I.” [r.i.p. Ron Kuhn]
Joan Jett & the Blackhearts — “TMI”
Beck — “The Information”
Shuggie Otis — “Inspiration Information”
Ex Cops — “Jazz & Information”
Wimp Factor 14 — “Infotainted”
Wire — “Lowdown”
The Jesus & Mary Chain — “Facing Up to the Facts”
Delia Derbyshire — “Frontier to Knowledge”
Operation Ivy — “Knowledge”
Plastic Bubble — “About Your Data/About a Hobo”
XL Kings — “Observe! Record! Annoy!”
The Fastbacks — “No Information”
Steve Goodman — “My Old Man” [in memory of my dad, Alan Silbert]
Jack’s Aquarium podcast is proudly recorded in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Beck, Brother J.T., Dave Edmunds, Delia Derbyshire, Ex Cops, Fastbacks, Hypnolovewheel, Operation Ivy, Plastic Bubble, Steve Goodman, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Wimp Factor 14, Wimp Factor Fourteen, Wire, XL Kings
By Jack Silbert on February 19, 2019
EPISODE #320: BLACK HISTORY MONTH 2019 (SOUL)
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Aretha Franklin — “See Saw”
Solomon Burke — “Cry to Me”
James Brown — “Try Me!”
O.V. Wright — “I’d Rather Be Blind, Crippled, and Crazy”
Carla Thomas — “Gee Whiz (Look at his Eyes)”
Arthur Conley — “Take Me (Just As I Am)”
Arthur Alexander — “Pretty Girls Everywhere”
Sam & Dave — “You Don’t Know Like I Know”
Jackie Wilson — “Am I the Man”
Clarence Carter — “She Ain’t Gonna Do Right”
The Staple Singers — “This World”
Sam Cooke — “That’s Where It’s At”
Otis Redding — “I’ve Been Loving You Too Long (To Stop Now)”
Marvin Gaye — “Baby Don’t You Do It”
Wilson Pickett — “She’s Looking Good”
Al Green — “You Ought To Be With Me”
The Soul Clan — “Soul Meeting”
Jack’s Aquarium podcast is proudly recorded in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Al Green, Arthur Alexander, Arthur Conley, Carla Thomas, James Brown, Marvin Gaye, O.V. Wright, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, Solomon Burke, soul music, The Soul Clan
By Jack Silbert on February 12, 2019
EPISODE #319: VALENTINE’S DAY 2019 (ROSES)
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Jimmy Work — “I Would Send You Roses (But They Cost Too Much)”
Flatt & Scruggs — “Will the Roses Bloom (Where She Lies Sleeping)”
Laura Cantrell — “When the Roses Bloom Again”
Camera Obscura — “A Red, Red Rose”
The Orange Peels — “She Is Like a Rose”
Casio Adcock — “Don’t Say a Rose”
Screaming Females — “Rose Mountain”
The Smithereens — “Blood and Roses”
The Glands — “Rose”
Rogue’s March — “A Rose Is God’s Autograph”
The Long Ryders — “If I Were a Bramble and You Were a Rose”
Jonathan Richman — “The Rose”
Nick Lowe — “Stoplight Roses”
Chumpot — “The Ballad of Glen Jones and X. Ray Burns” [in memory of X. Ray Burns, a.k.a. Kenneth Green]
Jack’s Aquarium podcast is proudly recorded in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Camera Obscura, Casio Adcock, Chumpot, Flatt & Scruggs, Glen Jones, Jimmy Work, Jonathan Richman, Laura Cantrell, Long Ryders, Nick Lowe, Rogue's March, The Glands, The Orange Peels, The Smithereens, Valentine's Day
By Jack Silbert on February 7, 2019
Beloved folk/pop duo the Kennedys will be appearing at Guitar Bar Jr. on February 23. I’ve written a short preview for hMAG.
Posted in shameless self-promotion | Tagged Guitar Bar Jr., hMAG, Hoboken, The Kennedys
By Jack Silbert on February 5, 2019
EPISODE #318: ASK JACK, INSTALLMENT 12
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Question from Rich:
Hush puppies or conch fritters?
Post-answer song:
Herman’s Hermits — “There’s a Kind of Hush”
Question from Audrey:
I started getting my hair cut at a new place a few months ago. The guy at the front desk who makes the appointments, takes the payment, etc, is very friendly and we always chat, but I never asked his name. I’ve been there 4 times now and I don’t know his name. How do I ask what his name is the next time I’m there without it seeming awkward, since I’ve been there so many times already?
Post-answer song:
Morrissey — “Hairdresser on Fire”
Question from Michael:
Do you know where I left my iPod?
Post-answer song:
Neko Case — “Where Did I Leave That Fire”
Question from Lisa:
What do you do when you walk into the office one day, say hi to the work husband, and discover to your shock and dismay that the honeymoon is over (and a work divorce is not possible)?
Post-answer song:
Radiator Hospital — “Honeymoon Phase”
Question from Jim:
How can I get more people to listen to my podcast?
Post-answer song:
The Merry-Go-Round — “Listen, Listen”
Question from Maggie:
?I have a question about airplane etiquette. When the plane lands and people jump up and grab their things quickly, is it fair to block the aisle and allow everyone seated in front of them to get off the plane first, or should they be permitted to get off the plane first since they’ve been standing the longest?
Post-answer song:
James Brown — “Get Up Offa That Thing”
Question from James:
Why is there no “mouse flavored” cat food?
Post-answer song:
The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion — “Flavor”
Question from Kate:
I am in the supermarket, idling around the onions. I see an acquaintance, or someone from work with whom I would normally exchange pleasantries and move on. We do indeed exchange a few words and go our separate ways, in opposite directions. However, in the next aisle we are coming towards each other again. I know from our speed and direction that we will continue to cross over in each subsequent aisle. What shall I do?
Post-answer song:
The Clash — “Lost in a Supermarket”
Question from Todd:
Should Hawaiian pizza be banned?
Post-answer song:
Bouncing Souls — “The Pizza Song”
Question from Allison:
Does it all really tie together?
Post-answer song:
Julian Cope — “An Elegant Chaos”
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Ask Jack, Bouncing Souls, Herman's Hermits, James Brown, Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, Julian Cope, Morrissey, Neko Case, Radiator Hospital, The Clash, The Merry-Go-Round
By Jack Silbert on January 29, 2019
EPISODE #317: BEATLESQUE
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
The Brian Jonestown Massacre — “All Around You [intro]”
The Spongetones — “She Goes Out With Everybody”
The Sneetches — “Love Comes My Way”
Robyn Hitchcock — “Flesh Number One (Beatle Dennis)”
Higgins — “Drop Off”
Cheap Trick — “World’s Greatest Lover”
Elliott Smith — “Little One”
Ron Sexsmith — “The Grim Trucker”
Liam Finn — “I’ll Be Lightning”
Dr. Dog — “We All Belong”
The Apples in Stereo — “Strawberryfire”
The Fut — “Have You Heard the Word”
The Rutles — “Cheese and Onions”
Jack’s Aquarium podcast is proudly recorded in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Apples in Stereo, Cheap Trick, Dr. Dog, Elliott Smith, Higgins, Liam Finn, Robyn Hitchcock, Ron Sexsmith, Rutles, The Fut, The Sneetches, The Spongetones
By Jack Silbert on January 22, 2019
EPISODE #316: BODY PARTS
The Who — “Happy Jack” [THEME]
Pylon — “The Human Body”
Bob Neuwirth — “Sweet and Shiny Eyes”
Digital Underground — “No Nose Job”
Ron Sexsmith — “Music to my Ears”
Screaming Females — “Broken Neck”
The School — “Shoulder”
The Pains of Being Pure at Heart — “The Asp at my Chest”
Darren Hanlon — “Elbows”
The Replacements — “Staples in her Stomach”
The Yardbirds — “Honey in Your Hips”
Mississippi John Hurt — “Big Leg Blues”
Tom Petty — “Ankle Deep”
Life in a Blender — “Stranger’s Foot”
Hefner — “Your Head to Your Toes”
Jack’s Aquarium podcast is proudly recorded in Hoboken, NJ.
Posted in internet radio playlists | Tagged Bob Neuwirth, Darren Hanlon, Digital Underground, Hefner, Life in a Blender, Mississippi John Hurt, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Pylon, Ron Sexsmith, Screaming Females, The Replacements, The School, Tom Petty, Yardbirds
Jack Silbert, curator