Listening In: All Over the Map

Music, music, I hear music, music over my head…

Hey there, and welcome to this week’s Listening In, where I, your resident music junkie, give you free stuff just for telling me what you’re into. (Speaking of, a free Patch tote bag to the first person who can identify the reference in the first sentence.)

How do you play? Glad you asked. Just send me an email at andre.salles@patch.com, with your name and hometown. Once a week, I’ll pick one of those emails at random and reply. If it’s your week, you send me the names of five songs you’re listening to lately. And then you get free Patch gear. That’s it!

Today’s contestant is Marla Holman, who referred half a dozen of her friends to Montgomery Patch’s Facebook page this week, and helped me get to 300 fans. So I’ll try to be extra nice to her. Which won’t be difficult, because Marla has eclectic and fascinating taste in music.

Here are her five selections:

1. “Time Warp,” from The Rocky Horror Picture Show. Marla originally picked a more risqué number from this movie, which all but defines the term “cult classic.” The movie is just… wow, terrible on its own, but seen after midnight, in a theater full of devotees, armed with props and an audience participation script, it’s amazing. And the songs are just incredible. “Time Warp” is the best-known, but the whole soundtrack is hilarious.

2. “Hot Hot Hot,” by Buster Poindexter. In a similar vein, here’s the greatest lounge lizard send-up of all time. Buster Poindexter is David Johansen of glam-rockers the New York Dolls. But for about 10 years, Johansen adopted this sleazy-slick persona and sang old-time jazzy covers with a horn section. I was never sure if he was serious or not, which is always the mark of a good send-up. Johansen once described “Hot Hot Hot” as “the bane of my existence,” but I still think it’s fun, and funny.

3. “Stupid Girls,” by Pink. I don’t listen to radio-pop much, but when I do, I want it to be this self-aware and smart. “Stupid Girls,” from Pink’s 2006 album I’m Not Dead, laments the dearth of bright, motivated women out to change the world. “What happened to the dream of a girl president? She’s dancing in the video next to 50 Cent…” It also has a tremendous video, linked above.

4. “Sunshine,” by Jonathan Edwards. And suddenly we’re back in 1971, for this famous protest song. It’s on Edwards’ self-titled debut, and you’ve probably heard it in a million Vietnam War movies. (At least, it seems like it’s been in a million of them.) Its sentiments still strike a chord today. I’ve always liked this one.

5. “Rhythm of Love,” by Plain White T’s. Well, you knew with a list this eclectic that Marla would pick something I don’t like eventually. There’s been a rash of rock bands discovering the acoustic guitar lately, and striking it rich in the process, and all these songs just sound the same to me. It’s harmless, though. So enjoy it if you like it!

Thanks to Marla Holman, and to you for reading. If you want to play Listening In, send me an email. That’s it for this week. Until next time, be good to each other.