Show #114 2013 YEAR-END DEDICATION SPECIAL January 11, 2014

Happy New Year from All Kindsa Girls!

All Kindsa Girls- The Real Kids Real Kids 
Amanda- Green Day ¡Tré! 
Rejuvenate Me- Brendan Benson You Were Right 
Margarita- Henry Essence Shake Some Action 8 (UK/Ireland) 
Betsy- The Probers Mad At The World 
Malady- Corin Ashley New Lion Terraces 
Polly- Sneakers Ear Cartoons 
Courtney- Nerf Herder How To Meet Girls 
^Stacy's Mom- Fountains Of Wayne Welcome Interstate Managers 
Amanda Ruth- Rank and File Rank and File 
Ricki- The Go Instant Reaction 
Somebody Has Finally Found Me- Richard X. Heyman X 
Charity- The Sighs S/T LP 
Shannon- The Volcanos The Volcanos 
*Electric Fever- Free Energy Love Sign 
*Make Up Your Mind- Sugar Stems Can't Wait 
*Get Away- Julian Leal Buttons: From Champaign to Chicago 
*Taken- Lisa Mychols Above, Beyond and In Between 
*Don't Come Back Now- The Bye Bye Blackbirds We Need The Rain 
Natalie- The Sidewalks Natalie 
Elaine- The Smithereens Green Thoughts 
Georgia O- The Nields Play 
Too Much Of A Good Thing- The Yum Yums ...Play Good Music 
Veronica- Wreckless Eric Big Smash 
Jenny- Sloan Hardcore 7˝ 
Unusual Me- Phil Angotti Life and Rhymes 
Rachel- Tommy Tutone Tommy Tutone 
Hayley- Flicks Hayley 
If I Only Could- Godfathers Jukebox Fury 
Sweet Jane- The Jim Carroll Band I Write Your Name 
Jeane- The Smiths The Sound Of The Smiths
Midnight to Stevens- The Clash Sound System Extras 2 

^Power Pop Peak:  #21 Billboard Hot 100 9/29/03

*SacroSet: 2013 Top 5 Records

In the late 20th Century (1999 to be exact) I began a New Year's tradition of e-mailing a small group of friends my Top 5 movies, videos, records and books of the previous year.  One of the things I love about great movies, records and books is discussing great movies, records and books.  Yes, I'm that guy at parties who's always going on about some "awesome" new discovery.  It's a good thing I was born when I was because if I had to act like one of today's young hipsters who sneer at everything and only "like" things ironically I'd be a freaking pariah.

Malkovich, Malkovich? Malkovich!

Looking over past lists at the Rick's Top 5 Lists blog, I have to say they really stand up.  Going back to 1999, there are some all-time great movies (Being John Malkovich) and books (About A Boy by Nick Hornby) on there.  I invite you to check out the Top 5's blog and hopefully you'll unearth some gems you haven't seen/heard before.

Reviewing old lists also shows major changes in our culture.   First the technology.  Back in 1999 I included a "Videos" category (meaning VHS) which by 2003 was "Videos/DVD's" then "DVD's/Videos," and starting in 2007, just "DVD's." Last year it became "DVD's/Web Streams" and my guess is that the DVD's days are numbered.  On the plus side, vinyl LP's remain a vital part of the "LP's/CD's" category, which I've renamed "Records" as it now includes LP's, CD's and digital downloads.  I'm betting "CD's" will eventually be the odd man out as most young people opt for downloads while the number of vinyl releases (many with a code for a free download) continues to increase every year.

The even greater change is the inclusion of the "TV/Web Shows" category, which showed up for the first time in 2008- the year Deadwood blew my mind.  I'd had favorite TV shows before then (like Freaks and Geeks and Lost) but for me the medium hit some kind of critical mass in 2008.  Breaking Bad, Mad Men, Sons of Anarchy, Life (featuring a pre-Homeland Damian Lewis); many would argue that in the intervening years TV has been better than movies.  One major factor is that the way we consume TV has changed.  Jaime and I discovered binge-watching in 2008 with Buffy The Vampire Slayer and Arrested Development on Hulu.com.  Needless to say, that was a game changer.  In 2013, only five years later, two of my Top 5 TV/Web Shows (House of Cards and Orange Is The New Black) were produced by streaming service Netflix.

I'm sorry to say, the ascendance of the "TV/Web" category goes hand in hand with the demise of the "Live Performances" category.  I just can't do the 100 mile round trip into San Francisco to see bands anymore- forget about weeknights, it's even hard to make it work on the weekend.  Part of that I can blame on my kids, but part of it is my lazy

ass fault.  So, I look back at things like "Hold Steady and Drive By Truckers at The Fillmore San Francisco 11/24/08" and wistfully shake my head.  Who knows, maybe I'll add "see live music" to the list of things I'm going to do when I retire...  On the plus side, when Jaime and I were in New York after Christmas we saw the musical A Gentleman’s Guide To Love and Murder and it was awesome! 

 So, without further adieu, here are my 2013 Top 5 Lists:

TOP 5 MOVIES

The Spectacular Now (BMOC)

Fruitvale Station (American tragedy)

Enough Said (man, it doesn’t get ANY easier)

Spring Breakers (ultimate bangerz)

(tie) Don Jon, Frances Ha (the pains of being pure at heart)

TOP 5 DVD’S/WEB STREAMS

War Witch (hear Komona)

Smashed (working the program)

Warm Bodies (zombie love)

Umberto D (thank God for our dogs)

Pitch Perfect (long live Fat Amy)

TOP 5 ALBUMS

Love Sign- Free Energy (more cowbell!)

Can’t Wait- Sugar Stems (Milwaukee’s finest)

We Need The Rain- The Bye Bye Blackbirds (pure pop from Oaktown)

Buttons:  From Champaign to Chicago- Various  Artists (joyful Illi-noise)

Above, Beyond and In Between- Lisa Mychols (SoCal pop chanteuse)

TOP 5 BOOKS

The Art Of Fielding- Chad Harbach (we all need a Mike Schwartz)

Telegraph Avenue- Michael Chabon (welcome to Brokeland)

The Professional- Robert B. Parker (Mr. Parker, you will be missed)

The Imperfectionists- Tom Rachman (end of an era)

In One Person- John Irving (a spinning top)

TOP 5 TV/CABLE SHOWS

House Of Cards (smoke filled rooms)

Orange Is The New Black (pied Piper)

Game of Thrones Season 2 (winter is coming...)

Orphan Black (Cosima is my favorite)

Walking Dead Season 3 (Michonne rules!)

I’d love to hear your favorites from 2013 so please leave a comment- I’m always on the lookout for quality viewing, listening and reading material.  Here’s wishing you all a healthy, happy and prosperous 2014!!

You can download tonight's show below (if the download stops, just pause and unpause)

Hour 1

Hour 2