Raised on Radio #18- The Cars

Getting back to the series where I share the favorite songs of my youth.

The Cars were on the short list of favorite bands. The Cars I grew up with were the huge stars of Heartbeat City.

I still waffle back and forth on on the megahits "Drive" and "You Might Think" (#3 and #7 respectively in 1984), mainly because they were and still are in constant rotation, and I occasionally get tired of them.

Years later, I would go back and discover The Cars's first album which I absolutely love. Without a doubt, the modern sounds of bands like the Strokes would likely not exist without the Cars. "Best Friend's Girl", "Just What I needed" and "Good Times Roll" are FM standards, and I think with that album, the Cars made some songs that are truly timeless.  Right now, there's some indie snob that is telling all of his friends about this pop-punk band he thinks is the most incredible band ever, and their disc isn't as good as the Cars first album. 

My favorite cars songs in those days were probably in order "Hello Again (#20 in 1984)", "Let's Go (#14 in 1979)", and "Tonight She Comes (#7 in 1985)" None of which get as much as airplay as the two biggest hits.

To a certain point, I get it. "Let's Go" is making a comeback because of an ad I can't recall, but the "nightlife" lyrics harken back to a time where disco is king. "Hello Again" is the kind of big arena rock that can't transcend being a song of 1984 (Why, yes, "Mutt" Lange did produce it).

My mom many years ago bought me a cutout bin cassette of the band's last album Door to Door (and it's unbearably terrible, even if you attempt to like it).

I skipped over Todd Rundgren's New cars, but the reunion album (Benjamin Orr is not alive anymore, I know) from last year Move Like This is an enjoyable listen, and won't disappoint fans.

Anyway, here's "Hello Again" which features an undiscovered Gina Gershon and Andy Warhol as a bartender.  Ah, the 80s.

Mexico- People, places, things

The first thing you notice when you are in Southeastern Mexico is all of the lizards and iguanas.

I went full tourist and like everyone realized around Iguana #5, I better stop taking pictures of reptiles or I would have to buy a new memory card.




Let me reiterate, there were lizards everywhere.  It was comparable to rabbits in Iowa or squirrels in central Illinois.

The commonest birds are crows or ravens (online research shows its likely both). The Crow on the thatched roofs really make me feel I am in the Caribbean, and remind me of the logo they used in those Puerto Rican rum ads I grew up with.

There were butterflies on occasion that were huge and bright blue jaybirds that looked different from anything I had ever seen.




There were occasions that I ran into coatis, which resembled raccoons.  i had a family of five that crossed in a line inf ront of me that looked like the sort of thing you would only see in a Disney movie.  It of course, caught me totally unawares, and so no pictures, so you will have to use this found internet picture to see what a coati looks like.



We didn't venture too far from the main drag, but I will tell you that the Yucatan looks like Florida.  It is an unending row of resorts and tourist destinations.  It isn't the brand new attractions that garner your attention (well, they do, too), it's the places that look like they were brand new 20 to 30 years ago, and look the absolute same, a relic of someone who planned on making it rich, but were passed by better competition.  Like Florida, these are often the live animal experiences that look just  a bit too shady.

The stretch of Mexico I was in, the only domesticated animals I saw were horses.  No cattle, pigs, or sheep like i am used to.

I was told by another American that there was a fear of tourist buses being hijacked, but I don't know how common that is.  We were always on main roads, so it never felt like a real possibility.  There were occasional highway guards (and Ms. Bedsitter said they were packing rifles. A fact I can't confirm, but seems plausible) and   enough policia that it always felt safe.

I don't think I have any more observations expect that it really felt like Florida (climate and tourist traps everywhere).  To  a certain extent, there has become a truism that every town in america looks the same, and it's probably become an international thing.  There are all the big name logos you are already familiar with - Burger King, Auto Zone and Sam's Club.

I do feel that I should make a mention of what appeared to be then indigenous people of the Yucatan and their living conditions.  There are a lot of Indians in the area (more than half of the population if my google skills stand up).  We did drive by some places that looked like literally dirt floor tent housing that looked like it was where people resided.  It is hard to imagine that life (but my eyes didn't deceive me, these windowless huts with no plumbing are someone's houses.)  it is hard to imagine that such poverty exists next door to hotels that cost millions of dollars and golf courses designed by the likes of Nick Price.

New Music Initiative 049: My Autumn Empire

One more new band to throw your way, and we'll make it a little quieter than those last three.

My Autumn Empire is Ben Holton and Rob Glover from Epic45 (Yeah, i will have to look them up,too). In 2012, they released The Village Compass and this summer they release II.

It has a sleepy lo-fi feel that on occasion will reach out to the Beatles's most prog moments and at other times approaches Elliott Smith territory. For those who like acoustic indie and chillout.