Give the Devil His Due: The Mix Tape

A Side

“The Devil Wears a Suit and Tie”–Colter Wall
“The Devil’s Right Hand”–Bob Seger
“The Devil Went Down to Georgia”–The Charlie Daniels Band
“The Devil Takes Crae of His Own”–Band of Skulls
“Friend of the Devil”–Ramblin’ Jack Eliot
“Speak of the Devil”–Chris Isaak
“Seven Devils”–Florence and the Machine
“Sympathy for the Devil”–The Rolling Stones

B Side

“Born By the Devil”–Lightnin’ Hopkins
“Me and the Devil Blues”–Eric Clapton
“The Devil Had a Hold of Me”–Gillian Welch
“Me and the Devil”–Gill Scott-Heron
“Preaching Blues (Up Jumped the Devil)”–Robert Johnson
“The Devil’s Gonna Lie”–Otis Taylor
“Devil’s Got to Burn”–James Blood Ulmer
“Keep the Devil Down”–North Mississippi Allstars

-K-

9 Oct 2021 0

Five Working Movies

Movies About Work to Watch After Work

Up in the Air–For those who’ve been laid off or fear being laid off. A great movie for not so great times.

Wall Street–An OG movie about hustling (and not in a good way) to get the top.

Clerks–The classic niche movie for all retail workers.

Office Space–What most of us at dead end jobs wish we could do but don’t.

Glenngarry Glen Ross–The movie that made a generation wonder if they were good enough to be a closer.

-K-

18 Sep 2021 0

Authors on Working

Several Cents Worth of Common Sense

“The best work that anybody ever writes is the work that is on the verge of embarrassing him, always.” -Arthur Miller-

“You should not confuse your career with your life.” -Dave Barry-

“Do not whine…Do not complain. Work harder. Spend more time alone.” -Joan Didion-

“Without ambition one starts nothing. Without work one finishes nothing.” -Ralph Waldo Emerson-

“Apparently I lack some particular perversion which today’s employer is seeking.” -Patrick Kennedy Toole-

“If you can do a half-assed job of anything, you are a one-eyed man in a kingdom of the blind.” -Kurt Vonnegut-

“In a culture that relentlessly promotes avarice and excess as the good life, a person happy doing his own work is usually considered an eccentric, if not subversive.” -Bill Waterson-

-K-

4 Sep 2021 0

Authors on Borrowing

Six Bits of Wisdom to Borrow

“Neither a borrower nor lender be; for loan oft loses both itself and friend.” -William Shakespeare-

“The human species, according to the best theory I can form of it, is composed of two distinct races, the men who borrow and the men who lend.” -Charles Lamb-

“Acquaintance (n). A person whom we know well enough to borrow from, but not well enough to lend to.” -Ambrose Bierce-

“To forget, or pretend to do so, to return a borrowed article, is the meanest sort of petty theft.” -Samuel Johnson-

“Borrow trouble for yourself, if that is your nature, but don’t lend it to your neighbours.” -Rudyard Kipling-

“Sure, I have friends, plenty of friends, and they’ll all come around wantin’ to borrow money. I’ve always been generous with my friends and family, with money, but selfish with the important stuff like love.” -Richard Pryor-

-K-

22 Jul 2021 0

4th of July: The Mix Tape

A Side

1. “America”–Neil Diamond

2. “Living in America”–James Brown

3. “Ragged Old Flag”–Johnny Cash

4. “Born in the USA”–Bruce Springsteen

5. “American Pie”–Don McLean

6. “Surfin’ USA”–The Beach Boys

7. “R.O.C.K. in the USA”–John Mellencamp

8. “Back in the USA”–Chuck Berry

9. “Star Spangled Banner”–Jimi Hendrix

B Side

1. “The Heart of Rock & Roll”–Huey Lewis and the News

2. “American Girl”–Tom Petty

3. “Dancing in the Streets”–Martha Reeves and the Vandellas

4. “Fortunate Son”–Creedence Clearwater Revival

5. “Sweet Home Alabama”–Lynyrd Skynyrd

6. “Chicken Fried”–Zac Brown Band

7. “Cheeseburger in Paradise”–Jimmy Buffett

8. “All Summer Long”–Kid Rock

9. “We’re an American Band”–Grand Funk Railroad

-K-

3 Jul 2021 0

Getting By: The Mix Tape

1. “House Rent Boogie”—John Lee Hooker

2. “Fast Car”—Tracy Chapman

4. “Another Day in Paradise”—Phil Collins

3. “Marie”—Townes Van Zandt

5. “Sittin’ on a Poor Man’s Throne”—Bobby “Blue” Bland

6. “King of the Road”—Roger Miller

7. “Broken Down”—Eric Clapton

8. “Times Gettin’ Tougher Than Tough”—Them

9. “Hard Time Losin’ Man”—Jim Croce

10. “Hard Time”—Gillian Welch

-K-

9 May 2021 0

Musicians on Selling Out

Four Bits of Wisdom

“Selling out is doing something you don’t really want to do for money. That’s what selling out is.” -Bono-
“Most of the people who call me a sell out were 7 when I was face-down in the punk trenches.” -Henry Rollins-

“It’s not selling out, it is called making lots of money.” -Mick Jagger-
“There are two kinds of artists left: those who endorse Pepsi and those who simply won’t.” -Annie Lennox-

-K-

16 Apr 2021 0

A Trio of Boozy Books

Some Reads Addressing Prohibition

I’ve been discussing a wide range of prohibitions over the past few weeks. Today I want to share a few books that, in one way or another, address America’s Prohibition of alcohol.

Bourbon A History of the American Spirit by Dane Huckelbridge

This one is for the armchair history buffs. Huckelbridge gives us an interesting view of American history through its relationship with bourbon (including Prohibition).

Chasing the White Dog An Amateur Outlaw’s Adventure in Moonshine by Max Watman

This one is for the DIYers. Watman provides first hand experiences along with an interesting history of that classic American spirt known as moonshine (some recipes and distilling advice included).

Moonshine by Brian Azzarello and Eduardo Risso

This one is for all the fiction, comic book, and horror fans. Azzarello’s words and Risso’s artwork is a tale a Prohibition, gangsters, lust, greed, and werewolves (yup, werewolves).

If you are looking to expand your reading list for 2021 pick up one (or all) of these books.

-K-

30 Jan 2021 0

Authors on Prohbiton(s)

Six Bits of Wisdom Concerning Prohibitions

“Three times I have been mistaken for a prohibition agent, but never had any trouble clearing myself.” -Dashiell Hammett-

“There’s an idea that the human body is somehow evil and bad and there are parts of it that are especially evil and bad, and we should be ashamed. Fear, guilt and shame are built into the attitude toward sex and the body. It’s reflected in prohibitions and these taboos that we have.” -George Carlin-

“Complete prohibition of all chemical mind changers can be decreed, but not enforced, and tends to create more evils than it cures.” -Aldous Huxley-

“Nothing so needs reforming as other people’s habits. Fanatics will never learn that, though it be written in letters of gold across the sky. It is prohibition that makes things precious.” -Mark Twain-

“Prohibition is the trigger of crime.” -Ian Fleming-

“I believe that it should be perfectly lawful to print even things that outrage the pruderies and prejudices of the general, so long as any honest minority, however small, wants to read them. The remedy of the majority is not prohibition but avoidance.” -H.L. Mencken-

-K-

16 Jan 2021 0