Tuesday, September 28, 2004

WEEKLY KARAOKE RECAP (Sept. 24-27)

My new friend actually said the other day, "We've got to break you out of your karaoke habit." She don't know me vewy well, do she? :)

Friday, Mugzie's, 8 songs
After last week's blitzkrieg of new songs, I decided to kick it old school for the most part. 3 new, 5 old. Actually 2 new and 6 old if you count the new "Outside" (see below) as an old one.

NEW--I Believe In A Thing Called Love, The Darkness
It's about damn time I got around to this. (At least by myself. I've sung along with others often enough on this.) Nailed it. Of course. (cue ego inflation)

NEW--Tuesday's Gone, Lynyrd Skynyrd
Heard it on the radio that afternoon. Had to try it. I'm just so darn suggestible. Nailed it.

Trouble, Coldplay
An old fave. I was a bit rusty on it though.

NEW--Outside, Aaron Lewis & Fred Durst
If only I'd known sooner that they had this live, acoustic version. Helps curb my tendency to try to overpower the music on the bridge. I can relax a bit, and you can hear me. (Also I kind of like the crowd noise on it. Makes me feel like an actual rock star. Ooooh.)

Mad World, Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules
See last week.

Sloop John B, The Beach Boys
See last week.

Does Anybody Really Know What Time It Is, Chicago
Ah yes, the one I outright stole from Doug. Oh well, he knows I do it better.

One Thing, Finger Eleven
The song that drove me to Mutz in the first place. That was last November. I just had to get it out of my head. Been a while since I did it though. Sat down while singing it, just for old time's sake. (Those first several weeks I'd drag a barstool over to the mic, because I felt I did better sitting than standing.)

Saturday, Mutz, 2 songs
Eeyikes. Mutz seems to average 30 singers on Saturdays. Last week there were only 20, this week there were 40. I guess it balanced itself out. Last week I asked "Where'd everybody go?" This week I asked "Why couldn't they go wherever they went last week?!" My lack of god! Plus I overslept and got there at 10:40. Only got in 2 solo songs! D'oh! I had to resort to being "Helper Monkey" on a few other songs.

NEW--Somewhere Out There, Our Lady Peace
Hmmm. I seem to be gaining a bit more high mid-range voice, depending on the song. (What's helped is, I finally realized that's pretty much what I manage on the "Outside" bridge.)

The Last DJ, Tom Petty
See last week. Wanted to give some props to a WXUT jock who was also there singing. Not that he noticed. Ungrateful bastid.

Paradise City, Guns 'N' Roses
Helper Monkey joined a chorus of drunk frat boys, and was the only one who managed a passable Axl Rose voice, thank you.

Walk Like An Egyptian, The Bangles
Fat Bastard's female co-singer was a no-show, so he asked Helper Monkey to fill in. Um, yeah. Oh well, you know me, anything for shits and giggles. Yes, I did the dance too. I have no shame. (I even tried to moonwalk like an Egyptian. I have issues.)

Monday, Southwyck Lounge, 5 songs
Okay. I got in more songs Monday than I did Saturday. What's wrong with this picture?

Tuesday's Gone, Lynyrd Skynyrd
It played on the jukebox prior to D&M's arrival. I'm just so darn suggestible. Nailed it again. Very well-received.

NEW--Aint Talkin Bout Love, Van Halen
So there's this mp3 I really dig on, by Dirty Power, in which they do this song without ever having rehearsed it, and they totally nail it. Keeping in mind a potential future as the lead singer for Baldy, I took my own unrehearsed stab at it, and nailed it as well. A crowd-pleaser to boot. Patrock and the guys would be proud I think.

NEW--Ode To A Superhero, Weird Al Yankovic
"Sling us a web, you're the Spiderman!" Brought the "Poodle Hat" lyrics along. Doug and those in the audience who had seen the films seemed to enjoy it.

Outside, Aaron Lewis & Fred Durst
The guy who tried it last week was back. I schooled him. (Oh yeah, and the lyrics are wrong on this version too.)

NEW--A Complicated Song, Weird Al Yankovic
I asked the two singers ahead of me to let me go ahead of them so I could leave for work and they kindly obliged. I figured since I had the "Poodle Hat" lyrics with me, why not try this one? Because Al does it in a different key than Avril, that's why! Which I totally forgot. Boy did this song live up to its title!!! Had to constantly (and I mean constantly!) switch between going high and low. Ick. I guess that's what I get for queue-barging.

Next week? Got some new additions to my "want to sing" stack...
The Baby, Blake Shelton
Guy sang it Monday for his friend whose mother just died. I'm just glad I didn't start crying.
Basket Case, Green Day
I have this new thing that I do when I'm helping run the show: If someone does a song that I think I'd like to try, I keep their slip and cross their name out and write in mine and add it to the stack! Recycling, baby!
Got The Time, Anthrax
Also recycled from someone else.
I Miss You, Blink 182
Another one that keeps coming up on the backgorund playlist between singers.
Peace Train & Wild World, Cat Stevens
I gotta get to these soon. I fear D&M might deport them from their system!
It's Hard To Kiss The Lips At Night That Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long, The Notorious Cherry Bombs
The second-longest song title I've seen in the PKE book. Takes up two lines.
Dixie Rose Deluxe's Honky Tonk, Feed Store, Gun Shop, Used Car, Beer, Bait, Barbecue, Barber Shop, Laundromat, Trent Willmon
Takes up THREE lines! And yes, I'm already memorizing it! Be afraid. Be very afraid. Muwahahahahahaaaaa!!!

Monday, September 27, 2004

GEAK RADIO TOP 40 (week ending 9/25/04)

It's a classic rivalry in the making: Gomez and Simple Kid wind up in a dead heat for the top spot this week, and combine for 9 of the top 10.

(tie) 1. Chicken Out--Gomez (last week: #23)
(tie) 1. Staring At The Sun--Simple Kid (last week: #2)

3. Silence--Gomez (last week: #7)
4. Truck On--Simple Kid (last week: #1)
5. Average Man--Simple Kid (last week: #6)
6. Breakups Breakdowns--Simple Kid (last week: #16)
7. Drugs--Simple Kid (last week: #8)
8. Mad World--Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules (last week: #22)
9. Where Ya Going--Gomez (last week: not ranked)
10. Nothing Is Wrong--Gomez (last week: #15)
11. Fat Bottomed Girls--Hayseed Dixie (last week: #4)
12. My Happy Ending--Avril Lavigne (last week: #5)
13. On Top Of You--Trey Parker (last week: #10)
14. Gonna Be Some Changes Made--Bruce Hornsby (last week: #14)
15. I Want A Fat Babe--Snackstreet Boys (last week: #3)
16. All Of My Life--Todd Snider (last week: #12)
17. Catch Me Up--Gomez (last week: #32)
18. Thumbing My Way--Pearl Jam (last week: nr)
19. Centerfold--Hayseed Dixie (last week: nr)
20. Two Shots Of Happy, One Shot Of Sad--Matt Dusk (last week: #24)
21. Supertramps And Superstars--Simple Kid (last week: #11)
22. Love Is So Noisy--Barnes And Barnes (last week: #13)
23. There It Was--Gomez (last week: #17)
24. Hello--Simple Kid (last week: #31)
25. Commuter--Simple Kid (last week: #34)
26. Theme From Loaded Gun--Matt Dusk (last week: #27)
27. Highway To Hell--Hayseed Dixie (last week: #20)
28. Kids Don't Care--Simple Kid (last week: #19)
29. The Ballad Of The Kingsmen--Todd Snider (last week: #9)
30. Are You Lonesome Tonight--Sam Kinison (last week: #35)
31. It's No Good--Depeche Mode (last week: #36)
32. We Don't Know Where We're Going--Gomez (last week: nr)
33. Cold As Ice--Matt Dusk (last week: #39)
34. I Believe In A Thing Called Love--Hayseed Dixie (last week: nr)
35. All My Little Words--The Magnetic Fields (last week: #33)
36. Every Mother's Son--Matt Dusk (last week: #21)
37. Feel Like Making Love--Hayseed Dixie (last week: nr)
38. I Can't Make You Love Me--Bonnie Raitt (last week: #18)
39. I Feel Depressed--Barnes And Barnes (last week: #29)
40. The Kind Of Love You Never Recover From--Christine Lavin (last week: #28)

Thursday, September 23, 2004

NEW REGULAR FEATURE (MAYBE): WEEKLY KARAOKE RECAP (Sept 17-20)

Why not start this new feature right after what was perhaps my busiest weekend of karaoke ever? 19 songs in 3 nights! And only two that I had sung previously. I'm popping 'cherry-okes' left and right.

Friday, Mugzie's, 8 songs
The triumphant return to Dickweed's! Soon as I took the mike for my first song, I said something along the lines of "Good evening, dickweeds!" Micki scolded me later. I'm so naughty! Lighter queue than I'm used to at Mutz, about 15-16 singers total for the night. Frank from the Roadhouse was there, said he could do "Edmund Fitzgerald" without looking at the screen, but chickened out of my challenge to turn off the monitor. Guess I'll have to school him sometime.
Are You Lonesome Tonight--Sam Kinison--Frank heard me do this at the Roadhouse and requested it. It's been much more well-received now that I warn people that it's the Kinison version. As opposed to the first time I did it, with no warning, and the crowd was scared silent. [big evil grin]
Can't You See--Marshall Tucker Band--Heard it on the radio last week and forgot I had sung it before. Was always a favorite of my late bro Lou and I to sing in the car together.
Come Sail Away--Styx--Sang it in my 'new improved' Elvis voice. For some reason I stumbled upon the concept of "What if Elvis were the lead singer for Styx?" The crowd was stunned into silence. I love when that happens. I can't wait to do "Babe" as Elvis, or just about any other Styx song.
Fuck It--Eamon--First heard this when someone sang it at Mugzie's months ago. Filled out a slip for it and promised myself I'd learn it. Finally did so last week when it became relevant to me. Went over well.
Gonna Be Some Changes Made--Bruce Hornsby--A song I had them find for me. Went well, seemed like a shortened version, but not sure. Could become one of my best, but needs work.
The Last DJ--Tom Petty--Finished the night on this one. Nailed it. But it was the last song of the night so the crowd could have cared less.
Milkshake--Kelis--Changed the gender references and did sort of a Michael Jackson voice by accident. Mixed reaction. Was later complimented for having the balls to do it.
Somebody Told Me--The Killers--Another song I had them find for me, so I had to try it. Worked surprisingly well. Was worried about the range, I pushed it a bit. But I got the last high note.

Saturday, Mutz, 8 songs
Where'd everybody go? 19 singers total. Started singing at 10:05. I did the first 3 songs of the night! I was willing to keep going until someone else joined the queue or until my voice wore out. Fellow Karaokaholics Larry and Kay showed up about midnight. Had Kay do her signature, "Holly Holy". Tried not to let people see me grinning.
Dancing Queen--Abba--Did my best to do it like Robbie Fulks, including the "So utterly now!" yell, etc. Mixed reception.
The Flame--Cheap Trick--Working on some CT songs for a new friend who's a CT fan. Had to use the old reliable Eddie Vedder voice.
A Horse With No Name--America--Been meaning to try some America tunes. This one seemed to work okay. Got more ready to go.
Norwegian Wood-The Beatles--Frankly, I'm scared to try most Beatles stuff. Went low on the bridges.
Rainy Day Woman #12 & 35--Bob Dylan--Ended the night on this one, with help from Kay. She had the 3rd-to-last song of the night, the Tom Petty song with the 'let's roll another joint' line, so that was a nice lead-in. Very well-received, fun song to end on. We did some chorus-line kicks and a do-si-do during the instrums, and changed some lines: "I would not feel so in a funk / Everybody must get drunk" and "I would not feel so out of luck / Everybody must get fucked!"
Runaway Train--Soul Asylum--Been meaning to do for weeks, finally got around to it. Well within my range. Might add to my regular rotation.
Secret Touch--Rush--The only recent Rush track they have, I had to try it at least once, even though I knew the range was too high.
Wet Dream--Kip Addotta--Can you say "THUD"? My delivery was dead-on, but it fell flat. D'oh! See, this is what happens when no local radio station bothers to carry Dr. Demento!

Monday, Southwyck Lounge, 3 songs
Finally learned how to start everything up. Sort of. Now I just have to commit all the steps to memory. Some guy did "Outside". He was so-so. Shoulda left it to an expert. That fucker is MY song. My best song at that. Nobody can touch me on it. If the guy's there next week, I'm gonna have to school his ass. I've got the lyrics memorized so I never look at the screen, but as I watched I was reminded of just how wrong the lyrics are on the screen for this song.
I Want You To Want Me--Cheap Trick--Working on the CT stuff again. A vocal stretch, but I managed. I think a certain CT fan is gonna be floored.
Mad World--Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules--Keep hearing this among the songs that play in between singers. Wrote it down Saturday, practiced it Sunday, and whipped it out Monday. Kind of high, but subdued, much like Coldplay, so I handled it quite well. Another candidate for my regular rotation.
Sloop John B--The Beach Boys--Now this one goes into my regular rotation for sure! Was worried about it, but turns out it matches my vocal range perfectly. Got it in at 10:50. Sang the last line, "I wanna go home" then added "but I gotta go to work, I'm outta here!" and Doug and I high-tailed out the back door! Just barely made it to work on time. But was worth it to know I can do my favorite BBs tune from now on.

Monday, September 20, 2004

GEAK RADIO TOP 40
(week ending Sept. 18)

1. Truck On--Simple Kid (last week: #1)

2. Staring At The Sun--Simple Kid (last week: #4)
3. I Want A Fat Babe--Snackstreet Boys (last week: #2)
4. Fat Bottomed Girls--Hayseed Dixie (last week: not ranked)
5. My Happy Ending--Avril Lavigne (last week: #24)
6. Average Man--Simple Kid (last week: #7)
7. Silence--Gomez (last week: #15)
8. Drugs--Simple Kid (last week: #36)
9. The Ballad Of The Kingsmen--Todd Snider (last week: #3)
10. On Top Of You--Trey Parker (last week: #11)
11. Supertramps And Superstars--Simple Kid (last week: #16)
12. All Of My Life--Todd Snider (last week: #17)
13. Love Is So Noisy--Barnes And Barnes (last week: #5)
14. Gonna Be Some Changes Made--Bruce Hornsby (last week: #8)
15. Nothing Is Wrong--Gomez (last week: #12)
16. Breakups Breakdowns--Simple Kid (last week: nr)
17. There It Was--Gomez (last week: #6)
18. I Can't Make You Love Me--Bonnie Raitt (last week: nr)
19. Kids Don't Care--Simple Kid (last week: #21)
20. Highway To Hell--Hayseed Dixie (last week: nr)
21. Every Mother's Son--Matt Dusk (last week: #13)
22. Mad World--Michael Andrews featuring Gary Jules (last week: nr)
23. Chicken Out--Gomez (last week: nr)
24. Two Shots Of Happy, One Shot Of Sad--Matt Dusk (last week: #9)
25. Everytime--Britney Spears (last week: #10)
26. The Kind Of Love You Never Recover From--Christine Lavin (last week: #28)
27. Theme From Loaded Gun--Matt Dusk (last week: #19)
28. It's Hard To Kiss The Lips At Night That Chew Your Ass Out All Day Long--The Notorious Cherry Bombs (last week: nr)
29. I Feel Depressed--Barnes And Barnes (last week: #31)
30. Comfortably Numb--Hayseed Dixie (last week: nr)
31. Hello--Simple Kid (last week: nr)
32. Catch Me Up--Gomez (last week: #23)
33. All My Little Words--The Magnetic Fields (last week: #30)
34. Commuter--Simple Kid (last week: #27)
35. Are You Lonesome Tonight--Sam Kinison (last week: #34)
36. It's No Good--Depeche Mode (last week: #20)
37. My Sundown--Jimmy Eat World (last week: #18)
38. Chicks Dig Jerks--Bill Hicks (last week: #14)
39. Cold As Ice--Matt Dusk (last week: #37)
40. Crawl--Custom (last week: #22)

Friday, September 17, 2004

BEST BAND NAMES PLAYING THE TOLEDO AREA THIS WEEK (SEP 17-23)

Stacked Ham--tonight & Saturday at Break Room Lounge
Ten Inch Willy--tonight & Saturday at Lucky Louie's
Science Of Big Machines--Saturday at Mickey Finn's Pub
Tricked By Nixon--Saturday at Mickey Finn's Pub
Hot Karl--tonight thru Sunday at Pirate's Landing
Box Of Cats--Thursday at Bronze Boar
Halfway To St. Patrick's Day--tonight at Mickey Finn's Pub
Chain Of Words--Thursday at Mickey Finn's Pub
Variety Pack--tonight & Saturday at Speedway Bar And Grill

Monday, September 13, 2004

GEAK RADIO TOP 40
(week ending Sept. 11)

Bloody crap, I'm turning into Casey Kasem! Is Don on the phone?! Dammit, the next time I gotta come out of an fucking up-tempo record to talk about a fuckin' dog dying...!!!

1. Truck On--Simple Kid (last week: tied #2)
2. I Want A Fat Babe--Snackstreet Boys (last week: #4)
3. The Ballad Of The Kingsmen--Todd Snider (last week: #19)
4. Staring At The Sun--Simple Kid (last week: #11)
5. Love Is So Noisy--Barnes And Barnes (new entry)
6. There It Was--Gomez (new entry)
7. Average Man--Simple Kid (last week: tied #2)
8. Gonna Be Some Changes Made--Bruce Hornsby (last week: #6)
9. Two Shots Of Happy, One Shot Of Sad--Matt Dusk (last week: #1)
10. Everytime--Britney Spears (last week: #5)
11. On Top Of You--Trey Parker (last week: #15)
12. Nothing Is Wrong--Gomez (last week: #12)
13. Every Mother's Son--Matt Dusk (last week: #7)
14. Chicks Dig Jerks--Bill Hicks (last week: #8)
15. Silence--Gomez (last week: #20)
16. Supertramps And Superstars--Simple Kid (last week: #16)
17. All Of My Life--Todd Snider (new entry)
18. My Sundown--Jimmy Eat World (last week: #9)
19. Theme From Loaded Gun--Matt Dusk (last week: #10)
20. It's No Good--Depeche Mode (new entry)
21. Kids Don't Care--Simple Kid (new entry)
22. Crawl--Custom (new entry)
23. Catch Me Up--Gomez (new entry)
24. My Happy Ending--Avril Lavigne (last week: #17)
25. You Think You Know Somebody--Todd Snider (new entry)
26. Lonely Road--Matt Dusk (new entry)
27. Commuter--Simple Kid (new entry)
28. The Kind Of Love You Never Recover From--Chrstine Lavin (last week: #13)
29. Always--Matt Dusk (new entry)
30. All My Little Words--The Magnetic Fields (re-entry)
31. I Feel Depressed--Barnes And Barnes (last week: #14)
32. Beer Run--Todd Snider (new entry)
33. Here And Now--Letters To Cleo (re-entry)
34. Are You Lonesome Tonight--Sam Kinison (re-entry)
35. Silver Springs--Fleetwood Mac (new entry)
36. Drugs--Simple Kid (new entry)
37. Cold As Ice--Matt Dusk (new entry)
38. Someone I Used To Love--Jimmy Buffett (new entry)
39. Bald Headed Men--Christine Lavin (last week: #18)
40. Star Wars Cantina--Mark Jonathan Davis (new entry)

Friday, September 10, 2004

WHERE HAVE ALL THE BAND NAMES GONE?

No list again this week. There seems to be a shortage of interesting new band names lately. Even Buzz Kilman had to cut his list in half last week!

To make up for it, here's a new anti-W link...

TOP PUN

PS: A suggestion from the NWOPC newsletter:

How to start each day with a positive outlook:
1. Open a new file in your PC.
2. Name it "George W. Bush."
3. Send it to the trash.
4. Click on "Empty Trash Bin."
5. Your PC will ask you, "Do you really want to get rid of George W. Bush?"
6. Answer calmly, "Yes," and press the mouse button firmly.
--Jennifer Rockwood

Thursday, September 09, 2004

I AM CORNHOLIO!

The following is an AP story I spotted in the paper the other day. It seemed like a joke at first. I've added my own comments throughout, in bold.

***

CORNBAG GAME POPULAR IN BACKYARDS, BARS AND ON CAMPUS
by Terry Kinney, Associated Press, Monday, September 6, 2004

CINCINNATI - The projectiles are lighter than horseshoes and safer than yard darts, but the idea's the same. Players try to hit a target several paces away.

The Ohio phenomenon that is catching on nationwide is called cornhole, or corn toss, because players try to throw cloth bags filled with corn into a goal.

"It's easy to play, you don't have to dig a pit, drive stakes or tear up your lawn," said Mike Whitton, founder and president of the American Cornhole Association.

I had to fight hard to stifle my giggling on the bus at this point.

Beanbag games in various forms have been around for decades. Local players say the corn bag game originated in Cincinnati - specifically the city's west side, where Whitton grew up - although many lay claim to it.

Leave it to the clueless, bass-ackwards, right-wing, bible-thumping, Jerry Springer-electing morons in Cincinnazi (<-not a typo) to come up with a game, call it "cornhole" and not know what the word really means!

Portable goals have let the backyard game travel to tailgate parties, bars and college campuses, and a cottage industry has sprung up supplying boards, bags, clothing and paraphernalia.

The American Cornhole Association claims to be the arbiter of the game, sanctioning tournaments and "official" rules of play. It grew out of a scoring dispute at a family picnic and now has more than 3,500 members, Whitton said. It's Web site sometimes gets 300,000 hits a month.

Yes, 300,000 hits a month...though I suspect many of those are people looking for something else entirely!

"Cincinnati is the core, but I ship hats and (game) sets everywhere," Whitton said. "Many sets are going to North Carolina and Florida, but it's also spreading west, to Nebraska and Oklahoma, at a fairly rapid clip."

The simple premise of the game is to throw a bag filled with corn into a six-inch hole in a wooden ramp 30 feet away. A bag in the hole scores three points, a bag left on the platform scores one.

Although not a drinking game by definition, alcoholic beverages often are consumed. The Christian Moerlein Brewing Co. sponsors tournaments, and offers a virtual version of the game on its Web site.

Alcoholic beverages often are consumed before and/or during cornholing. DUH!

Christy's Bierstube, Rathskeller and Biergarten, which caters to University of Cincinnati students, installed a game court because regular customers asked for it, said co-owner Christy Windholtz.

It may be bringing in new business "because it gives people something to do," she said.

I did some investigating, and there are several bars in the Toledo area which cater to "cornhole" enthusiasts: Bretz, Hooterville, Rip Cord and R-House, just to name a few.

Players span all ages, but teams that compete in leagues at Tommy's on the River, a bar and restaurant adjacent to a Cincinnati marina, tend to be twentysomethings.

"Many of them are people who work at P&G (the Procter & Gamble Co.) or Sara Lee, people who have been transferred into Cincinnati and don't know many people so they play sports to meet people," said Donna Frey, a bartender at Tommy's, where beach volleyball is another popular pastime.

Ah yes, P&G, makers of Pringles potato chips. In the immortal words of Steve Dahl, "Pringles: They're stacked in a can, so you can put 'em up yours!"

Cincinnati Sports Leagues, a private company, operates the corn toss and volleyball leagues, along with flag football, softball and other sports. About 15,000 under-35s participate, said co-founder Joff Moine.

"It's safe, it's fun and you don't get dirty," Moine said of the game. Players must be 21 because some teams are sponsored by alcohol vendors.

You don't get dirty? Well, I suppose that depends on your partner's hygiene.

"We cater to young professionals just out of college," Moine said. "About every three or four weeks, we have a happy hour that about 300-400 people attend."

A ready-made board can cost about $150, but several Web sites have do-it-yourself directions. Dozens of eBay listings offer customized boards and bags with logos of professional and college teams.

"A friend and I make them on the side," Moine said. "With Christmas coming up, we've got about 20 orders."

The game is so popular around Cincinnati that nearly 400 teams competed for the $2,000 first-place prize in the Cornhole Classic in February, and organizers are planning a Holiday Cornhole Classic for Thanksgiving weekend.

"Holiday Cornhole Classic"...gives whole new meaning to "stuffing the turkey".

"We were extremely surprised. I knew it was popular, but not this popular," said Matt Dunne, general manager of U.S. Bank Arena. "We have to limit it to 400 teams because we only have room for 40 courts on the arena floor."

Entry fee is $65 per team. Beer is extra.

Moine claims to be responsible for introducing the game to Myrtle Beach, S.C., while on vacation. Students take the game with them to college.

"My little brother just graduated from Ohio State, and he says students take their OSU boards to their tailgates," said Moine, who is from Columbus. "It's picking up there, at Miami University - anywhere in Ohio. It doesn't seem to be very popular outside the Midwest."

Makes you proud to be an Ohioan, doesn't it? That's right, we invented cornholing! We also invented "Buckeyeing"! Actually, *I* invented Buckeyeing. (I think. I mean, I just now thought of it. Maybe I'm not the first.) If you ask nicely, I'll describe it to you. (Though some of my loyal readers can no doubt use their imaginations and pretty much figure it out themselves.)

The game has taken root at the University of Kentucky.

"You can't go up and down the street without seeing boards and bags," said Del Proctor of Lexington, Ky., president of the local Sigma Phi Epsilon chapter. "I have some family in Cincinnati, and they've been playing a couple of years. It seems to have migrated down here through the students."

Although the game is not very physical, Proctor said players have become more active because of it.

"It gets people away from PlayStation and Xbox," he said."

That is, until there are cornhole games available for PS and Xbox.

ON THE NET
American Cornhole Association: www.playcornhole.org
Whetstone Products: www.cornholegame.org
Christian Moerlien Brewing Co.: www.christianmoerlein.com
Hillbilly Games: www.HillbillyGames.com

Anyhoo, I think the ACA could use a mascot. Who better than...


Saturday, September 04, 2004

(Note: I've added blurbs for the songs retroactively, going back through the past 3 weeks.)

SONGS I COULDN'T STOP LISTENING TO THIS WEEK
(aka Songs I Suggest You Look For On Bearshare)

1. Matt Dusk--Two Shots Of Happy, One Shot Of Sad (new entry)

Steve Dahl played it last week. The Dusky One is my new guilty pleasure. Can't wait to karaoke his stuff.

(tie) 2. Simple Kid--Average Man (new entry)
(tie) 2. Simple Kid--Truck On (new entry)
"Average Man" was also played on Dahl last week. The Stever is a hitmaker!

4. Snackstreet Boys--I Want A Fat Babe (new entry)
Those of you I email have seen the video. I'd karaoke it but it requires two singers at times.

5. Britney Spears--Everytime (new entry)
Once again I've successfully karaoked a pop diva tune using my old reliable Eddie Vedder voice.

6. Bruce Hornsby--Gonna Be Some Changes Made (last week: #1)

7. Matt Dusk--Every Mother's Son (new entry)
The odd thing about Dusk is, he looks like a Backstreet Boy but sounds like Sinatra.

8. Bill Hicks--Chicks Dig Jerks (new entry)
Hopefully, thankfully, this one is starting to become outdated. The chicks have begun to wise up!

9. Jimmy Eat World--My Sundown (last week: #3)

10. Matt Dusk--The Theme From Loaded Gun (new entry)
If there were a new Bond movie called "Loaded Gun", and Dusk was tapped to do the song for the opening credits, this would be it. Fuckin' hilarious!

11. Simple Kid--Staring At The Sun (new entry)
An Aerosmith-style drum beat combined with a Canned Heat-style vocal? Oddly, it works.

12. Gomez--Nothing Is Wrong (last week: #9)

13. Christine Lavin--The Kind Of Love You Never Recover From (last week: #2)

14. Barnes And Barnes--I Feel Depressed (last week: #4)

15. Trey Parker--On Top Of You (last week: #5)

16. Simple Kid--Supertramps And Superstars (new entry)
Very Kinks-sounding.

17. Avril Lavigne--My Happy Ending (last week: #7)

18. Christine Lavin--Bald Headed Men (last week: #6)

19. Todd Snider--The Ballad Of The Kingsmen (new entry)
Another perennial Dahl fave and underrated singer-songwriter with both funny and serious (and sometimes in-between) material.

20. Gomez--Silence (new entry)
Good video for this one at launch.com. Between Gomez and Simple Kid, we could be witnessing a new, covert British invasion.

Honorable mention:
Barnes And Barnes--I Love To Ride The Bus
Barnes And Barnes--Love Is So Noisy
Matt Dusk--Always
Matt Dusk--Cold As Ice
Matt Dusk--Don't Go Looking
Matt Dusk--Five
Fleetwood Mac--Silver Springs
Gomez--Catch Me Up
Gomez--There It Was
Sam Kinison--Are You Lonesome Tonight
Christine Lavin--Damaged Goods
Christine Lavin--I Bring Out The Worst In You
Christine Lavin--If You Want Space, Go To Utah
Christine Lavin--Like Father, Like Son
The Magnetic Fields--All My Little Words
Simple Kid--The Commuter
Simple Kid--Hello
Todd Snider--All Of My Life
Todd Snider--Talkin' Seattle Grunge Rock Blues
Todd Snider--You Think You Know Somebody

PS: No band names this week. Again.