Friday, June 30, 2006

Halacious, vol. 2


As I reported here, my old buddy Hal Perry came for a visit. You can see a bevy of his stunning Cleveland photos here. You can also read about the Erin O'Brien Cleveland Dream Date and listen to an audio post wherein Hal makes fun of my "Cleveland accent."

(Accent my ass, Perry!)

I dragged him all over creation, particularly around old and industrial Cleveland. The funniest moment of the day was when we went to the Ohio and Erie Canal Reservation and took a walk. The path nears the Cuyahoga River right by the petroleum pipeline terminal where my husband works. I called my husband as we approached that spot on the trail. He drove through the tank farm and "met" us. The three of us stood there waving at each other from opposite banks of the river while talking on cell phones.

I call this type of behavior a Stupid Human Trick, which is what we talked about on the cell phones.

"Hal," said my husband, "she drags you all the way out here and she pulls a Stupid Human Trick? This is a Stupid Human Trick, you know."

"I know," said Hal. "It is a Stupid Human Trick."

"Lemme talk," I said. "Isn't this stupid?"

Talking about the fact that it was a Stupid Human Trick made it an even Stupider Stupid Human Trick.

The best part of the visit was the way 20 years evaporated in an instant. Hal and I were laughing and swearing and snarking as though our college days were right behind us instead of way behind us.

I made Hal a CD to take home with him. I have been playing the song list constantly myself. I can't get enough of it. So, although I can't make everyone a copy, I can list the songs here and you can find them on Napster or iTunes or wherever and dig some stuff I just love to listen to. Here's the listing:

Halacious

1. The Party Punch/The Jolly Rogers

2. Cat Black/Uncle John's Children

3. Pagoda's Theme/Mark Mothersbaugh

4. Throw the R Away/The Proclaimers

5. Screenwriter's Blues/Soul Coughing

5. Man Smart (Woman Smarter)/Harry Belafonte

7. Adventurer/Lou Reed

8. Hey/Pixies

9. Crazy /Gnarls Barkley

10. Theme From "Endless Summer"/The Sandals

11. Shapes of Things/David Bowie

12. A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off Lyric/The Magnetic Fields

13. It must be him/Vicky Carr

14. Blister in the Sun/Violent Femmes

15. Three Strange Days/School Of Fish

16. Jesus Was Way Cool/King Missle

17. Fool For Love/Sandy Rogers

18. The Man Comes Around /Johnny Cash

19. Laid/James

20. My Boy Lollipop /Millie Small

21. Roadrunner /The Modern Lovers

22. Hoodoo Voodoo/Wilco

23. Girlfriend /Matthew Sweet

24. Big Spender/Peggy Lee

25. She Don't Use Jelly/The Flaming Lips

To my friends out there who have turned me on to some of the songs on this list: thanks. I'm spreading the good vibes around as best I can.

One final note about Hal's visit. I know all the chicks in Cleveland and, hence, question the veracity of the last statement Hal makes in this post. Unless, of course, he had a chicken on his head or something. So did you have a chicken on your head, Hal?

21 comments:

Jesus Toast said...

Recently, I've been dead. Sorry.
I am now going to comment on your songs...

1. The Party Punch/The Jolly Rogers
NO idea who the fuck they are.

2. Cat Black/Uncle John's Children
Is this like Uncle Tom's Cabin by the Greatful Dead?

3. Pagoda's Theme/Mark Mothersbaugh
Mark was in Devo - Devo sounded like and were around the time the Dickies were around, and they had a song called, "Living in a a pagoda with Abe Vagoda"...total ripoff

4. Throw the R Away/The Proclaimers
I hate them and their twinness.

5. Screenwriter's Blues/Soul Coughing
Again, not a fan of the SOul Coughing

5. Man Smart (Woman Smarter)/Harry Belafonte
Harry is crazy in South America now

7. Adventurer/Lou Reed
Does anyone care that the man can't nor could he ever, actually carry a tune?

8. Hey/Pixies
Love them, love this song.

9. Crazy /Gnarls Barkley
Love it, but overexposed right now

10. Theme From "Endless Summer"/The Sandals
Um...gay.

11. Shapes of Things/David Bowie
This song was done better by the Yardbirds, and then by Rod Stewart & Jeff Beck

12. A Chicken With Its Head Cut Off Lyric/The Magnetic Fields
I love this song! Wait, I have no fucking clue who this is.

13. It must be him/Vicky Carr
She was great on the Carrol Burnett Show

14. Blister in the Sun/Violent Femmes
Ah, if I were more popular in high school I would have loved this song

15. Three Strange Days/School Of Fish
Not a fan

16. Jesus Was Way Cool/King Missle
King is amazing

17. Fool For Love/Sandy Rogers
The little known son of Sandy Kofax and Roy Rogers

18. The Man Comes Around /Johnny Cash
He was such a wuss.


19. Laid/James
I like how he sings the word "skewers"

20. My Boy Lollipop /Millie Small
Again, no idea

21. Roadrunner /The Modern Lovers
I used to see Johnothan Richman every year year when he came to Ann Arbor, then he through a temper tantrum like a little bitch, and I stopped going

22. Hoodoo Voodoo/Wilco
Great band.

23. Girlfriend /Matthew Sweet
Great again.

24. Big Spender/Peggy Lee
She was soooo gay.

25. She Don't Use Jelly/The Flaming Lip

I like Yoshimi vs. the Pink Robots better.

Erin O'Brien said...

Dear Jesus: How nice to see you have risen from the dead in order to share your Important and Invaluable Commentary on my musical selections.

Now then, instead of acting like a snarky, 35-year-old perpetual student who still lives at home, please stop whatever meaningless thing you are doing, burn me a CD of songs you find suitable for the likes of a Goddess like me to listen to and send said CD to:

Erin O'Brien
P. O. Box 470167
Broadview Hts. OH 44147

Thank you.

ps: Since I seriously doubt you will take that challenge, feel free to post a list of said songs on your blog (include a photo of a hairless, nude, anorexic 18-year-old if you feel the need) and we can all bask in your the richness of your musical savvy splendor.

pss: I have not forgotten how to flirt with you and will do so in the comment section of some future post, in the future of our online lives--that is to say, I still love you, darling.

~d said...

hey
been trying to meet you
hey
must be a devil between us
or whores in my head
whores at my door
whores in my bed
but hey
where
have you
been if you go i will surely die
we're chained

Effing LOVE that song, Erin. WOW. takes me back, mayne. Thank you for the quick trip down memory lane-all of them rock-but I don't know...this one hits me RIGHTTHERE-you know?

~d said...

P.S. you are 35? Are you sure you are not 25?

Toby said...

Nice post Erin.

Jesus is funny. Uncle Tom's Cabin - Grateful Dead.

Hal said...

Erin,

I was only referring to the natural magnetism my pal Zito and I have. I won't speak for him, but I have personally witnessed women having spontaneous orgasms when I merely walk into a room. You can only IMAGINE what happened to the women in attendance at Jacob's Field that day when they felt my overwhelming vibe (pun intended).

PDD said...

I can't tell you how many times I have listened to Screenwriters Blues by Soul Coughing. Once I had it on repeat for an entire day. I can never ever get sick of that song. I have been listening to it for many many years, over and over and over again. What a great band too. I have only two Cd's of Soul coughing however. That "Ruby Vroom" Cd of course and the other for which title I cannot recall at the moment. I mainly listen to the Ruby Vroom cd.

... And the radio man says women were a curse. So men built Paramount studios. And Men built Columbia Studios. And Men built Los Angeles...

...And the radio man says it's a beautiful night out there in Los Angeles. And the radio man laughs because the radio man eff's a model too...

It is not 5:00am however.

In fact, I just now put on the CD and listening to it now.

I was going to put this song on my blog a long time ago, but I don't know how to do it.

Anonymous said...

the love of old friends ,ahh...nothing witty to say .I enjoyed checking out Hal's image story on his blog. It gave me some inspiration to get my old slides turned into photos. anyhoo, moving .I have a summer cold, cough cough...

Erin O'Brien said...

~d: I am SOOO not 25. I am 41, baby. And going in the same direction as everyone else. Yeah, yeah ...

Toby: I agree. Jesus is an effing riot. I've always said, need a good laugh, look up J. C.

Hal: BELIEVE me. Had their been a massive female orgasm at the Jake, I would have known about it. They just don't do that stuff around here without me! It's the law!

PDD: My kid loves that song too and I am obligated to explain to her, in my calm Mom voice that the phrase "fucks a model too" is impolite and she is therefore not allowed to share this song with all her little friends.

Ha!

Erin O'Brien said...

Just missed you, nadina. For your cold: crush 7 or 8 cloves of garlic through a press into some chicken broth. Add a tablespoon of Tabasco. Boil it for a while.

Drink it down with a shitload of vitamin C.

You will smell awful for two days, but your cold will be gone.

Jozee said...

When one's too sick to cook, the uncooked version:

1 tablespoon cayenne powder
1 tablespoon goldenseal powder
water to equal 1 shot.

Mix it and pound as if it were a shot of tequila. Tastes nasty, works good.

Is it bad if the only song I know is "Crazy"?
;-x

PDD said...

Erin, are you camming it tonight? I am here. and bought 4 bottles of wine.

I want Erin Cam!

Anonymous said...

sniff sniff..cough..will you make it for meee, erin pie....ai
okay I took cold-fx and i will load up on the garlic rose. Me on Taquila is ..well lets just say ,ah hell I'm a wild woman, then I throw up.

jamwall said...

ah yes hal (from one of your previous posts). its amazing how much better people look in the present day, than from Hal's Dirk Diggler days of the early 80s.

Zen Wizard said...

My Cleveland Dream Date:

1) Hookup with Lewis and Oswald (or better yet, Lee Harvey Oswald) at the Warsaw Tavern.

2) Go to Drew Carey's and shoot pool outside.

3) Ask Drew if I can borrow one of his Real Dolls.

The End.

Hope said...

nice!! came in to catch up on yer blog...you SO rock erin. I love coming in here. What is that pink shit in the freezer? hahahahahaha! Thanks for your e-mail sister! Always happy we hooked up in internet land!

josh williams said...

I was at a trade show a few years back in Cleveland and made sure my benefactors saw me then darted out for a walk, the R&R hall of fame had not even opened but it was in the works. I walked dow to the Cuyahoga river and there was a Hooters suddenly I realized I was hungry, posessed a thirst that demanded attention and nerves that had to be steadied for the tedium of the flight home.
Apparently the Hooters is closed or you would have taken Hal...

Jesus Toast said...

...I'm pretty sure Chris Rock lives in that Greatful Dead song, at least the one I am referring to...

Unknown said...

The only names I recognize is Johnny Cash and Dirk Diggler. I think I have some catching up to do.

Erin O'Brien said...

Jozee: No. In fact, it is good. Now there are 24 reasons to goof off downloading Good Erin Vibes today.

PDD: Sorry girl! Soon, I promise.

N: I'l make it for you, baby girl. Go get your slippers on ...

Jam: Did you have a baby cowbell when you were a baby?

Zen: *sniff* Not even one erin visit here in C-Town?

HD: Welcome back. You have kids, you know how that unidentified-shit-in-freezer thing is.

Josh: Men who visit me in Cleveland generally don't ask to go to Hooters.

*Jesus*

Vince: You and Jozee should make it a date.

josh williams said...

Nuff said...