Black (Turtleneck) Friday

.....If you have someone in your life who loves their music to be a little more thought provoking than the hit parade (or, if you read this blog often, are that person) you might be interested in this recent article from NPR's "All Songs Considered", the musical counterpart to their news magazine format show "All Things Considered". It includes a half hour audio interview with Will Hermes about his new book, "Love Goes To Buildings On Fire", about the New York art-rock scene in 1973-1977. It might make a good Christmas gift for somebody. And if you're really cheap, so would this link:

http://www.npr.org/2011/11/22/142550159/when-new-york-was-on-fire-a-mid-70s-musical-revolution#playlist

.....Someone in the comments keeps asking, "What? No Ramones?" repeatedly, which is confusing because (a) they never really professed to be or were considered to be an art-rock outfit; (b) they do appear in the book anyway because they were close contemporaries of the bands who were and staple performers at many of the same venues; and (c) they're explicitly mentioned in the interview. Yeesh. After this weekend I'll try to write about as many Christmas songs as I can on the "New Carolls For This Merry Time" blog (link on the right) and make the occasional spotty post here until New Year's Day, then switch priorities. I hope to finish the Checklist of Shame series by then (I'm doing 'S' now)so that I can get the blog back to its original purpose.