“You ask me why we’re called Gnarls Barkley and I’m asking you ‘why not?’ The name Gnarls Barkley isn’t anchored down. It’s a drifter. A High Plains drifter, I might add.” – CeeLo Green
“There’s no story behind it. The name doesn’t have anything to do with anything.” – Danger Mouse
Gnarls Barkley’s Danger Mouse was born Brian Burton on this date in 1977. A handful of their songs are included on today’s playlist.
Today’s playlist celebrates the November 8 birthdays of Icona Pop’s Caroline Hjelt, Eric B., Bonnie Raitt, Rickie Lee Jones, Against Me!’s Laura Jane Grace, Patti Page, Minnie Riperton, Wizzard’s Roy Wood, The Manhattans’ Gerald Alston, Chapterhouse’s Stephen Patman, Glass Tiger’s Alan Frew, Khia, Diana King, Sam Sparro, Thomas Rusiak, Leif Garrett, and J.J. Jackson; and the November 9 birthdays of Sleater-Kinney’s Corin Tucker, Pepa, The Pretty Things’ Phil May, Peter Paul and Mary’s Mary Travers, Big Pun, Roxanne Shante, Sisqo, Scarface, French Montana, Domino, and Dorothy Dandridge.
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Today’s playlist celebrates the September 18 birthdays of The Ramones’ Dee Dee Ramone, Dizzee Rascal, The Jayhawks’ Mark Olson, Noname, Bell Biv DeVoe’s Ricky Bell, Frankie Avalon, Xzibit, Dodgy’s Nigel Clark, Kira Isabella, Friends’ Samantha Urbani, and Jimmie Rodgers; and the September 19 birthdays of Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker, Chic’s Nile Rodgers, Mama Cass Elliot, The Righteous Brothers’ Bill Medley, Skepta, 10cc’s Lol Creme, Billy Ward, Tegan and Sara, Marshall Jefferson, Brook Benton, Les Savy Fav’s Tim Harrington, Jay Electronica, The Springfields’ Mike Hurst, Eamon, Lit’s A. Jay Popoff, Lita Ford, Rex Smith, Austin Roberts, and Teddybears’ Patrik Arve.
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Inspired by the September 19 birthdays of Chic’s Nile Rodgers, Pulp’s Jarvis Cocker, Tegan and Sara, Mama Cass Elliot, The Righteous Brothers’ Bill Medley, Teddybears’ Patrik Arve, Skepta, Rex Smith, The Springfields’ Mike Hurst, Brook Benton, Lol Crème, Austin Roberts, Eamon, Marshall Jefferson, Adam West and Frances Farmer.
Earlier this week I mentioned that the Village People suddenly find themselves with a hit song on the Adult Contemporary chart. Because 2020 needs to be even stranger, that classic group is joined in the upper reaches of that chart by Corey Feldman. Corey Feldman. Corey Feldman’s “U R Free” is in the top 20 of Billboard’s Adult Contemporary chart. Corey Feldman. 2020, am I right, people?
Today’s playlist is inspired by the May 8 birthdays of Earth Wind & Fire’s Philip Bailey, Toni Tennille, Basement Jaxx’s Felix Buxton, Rick Nelson, Martha Wainwright, Katy B, Bloodstone’s Charles McCormick, Darren Hayes and Jack Blanchard.
Inspired by the April 20 birthdays of A Tribe Called Quest’s Q-Tip, The Spinners’ Bobby Smith, Eels’ E, Stray Cats’ Brian Setzer, Maren Morris, The Flamingos’ Nate Nelson, Katrina Leskanich, Sheb Wooley, and Poor Righteous Teachers’ Wise Intelligent.
Inspired by the March 12 birthdays of James Taylor, Blur’s Graham Coxon, Liza Minnelli, Libertines’ Pete Doherty, La Roux’s Elly Jackson and Jack Kerouac; and the March 11 birthdays of Cheryl Lynn and Bobby McFerrin.
My friend David hosts these wonderful parties where several of his performer pals entertain the guests. At last weekend’s bash David, himself a talented writer and performer, gave me the honor of regaling the assembled folks with tales about my love life, or as David put it, my “very personal, terribly tragic, and utterly hysterical tale of internet dating gone wrong.”
GWM not seeking married, seven-toed, gun-toting, Satan-worshipping, homicidal sociopath who isn’t out to his housekeeper
Robin Carlsson, the Swedish singer-songwriter who goes by the stage name Robyn, is no stranger to disappointment in her affairs of the heart. In “Dancing on My Own,” my #3 song of 2010, Robyn goes to a club and watches her ex-boyfriend dancing with his new girlfriend. She makes a lovable stalker, and while I never stalked an ex, I relate to how Robyn feels. There was that time I went with a date to a dance club. Sometime during our date he started dating someone else on the floor. And against a pole. And at the bar. I was dancing on my own, until I finally up and left.
I didn’t share that story at David’s party. I’m having second thoughts about sharing it here, but today is Robyn’s 35th birthday, which is a good excuse to overshare as a means of introduction to her music.