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All Over the Map All Over the Map Two weeks ago, I picked my personal Top 24 Rock Songs of All Time and printed them in this space. My inspiration for the column came from, of all people, Stephen King, who published his personal Top 24 Rock Songs of All Time in a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly. (The reasoning of 24, instead of 20 or 25, came from 24 hours in a day.) Since the column, I've received a number of lists from regular readers of this space, and I've heard from some folks who consider the majority of my list bunk. (Chief complaint: "Too much Springsteen." Another complaint: "I've never heard of most of your songs.") Anyway, I've printed some submitted lists below. Ponder them and discuss among yourselves. From a reader who wished to remain nameless (comments are his): 1. Jailhouse Rock by Elvis Presley (has to be #1 - he's the King) Honorable Mentions: Respect by Aretha Franklin; Rescue Me by Fontella Bass; Garden Party, Travelin' Man and Fools Rush In by Rick Nelson (to whom The Eagles owe a huge debt); Needle and the Spoon and Gimme Three Steps by Lynyrd Skynyrd; Fortunate Son, Bad Moon Rising, It Came Out of the Sky, Hey Tonight and Up Around the Bend by Creedence Clearwater Revival; Roam by The B-52s; Sittin' on the Dock of the Bay by Otis Redding; Dancin' in the Street by Martha & the Vandellas; Twist & Shout by The Beatles. From a local doctor, here's a list of his 24 favorite songs -- in no particular order: 1. Every Little Thing She Does is Magic by The Police Finally, a reader named Steve couldn't help himself. He submitted two lists of his Top 24 Rock Songs of All Time. His first: 1. Over The Hills and Far Away by Led Zeppelin And his second list: 1. All Along the Watchtower by Jimi Hendrix You can write Rob in care of Arkansas Weekly, or e-mail him at rgmax99@yahoo.com. You can view Rob's blog at http://suburbanvoodoo.blogspot.com. All Over the Map Greetings dear reader. I will be skipping this week due to limited space. Next week, I'll tell you all about my dream to bring warring Los Angeles gangs together by introducing them to the art of square dancing. Actually, some readers have submitted their choices for the Top 24 Rock Songs of All Time, and next week I'll print a few in this space. Have a great week! You can write Rob in care of Arkansas Weekly, or e-mail him at rgmax99@yahoo.com. You can view Rob's blog at http://suburbanvoodoo.blogspot.com. All Over the Map 6:30 a.m. Friday, June 8. I tell you this because our printing schedule at Arkansas Weekly demands that everything be delivered to the printer on the Friday before publication, and I am very much past our office deadline. (The free classifieds we print have a deadline of noon on the Thursday before publication -- so I am cutting it close, as well as making our graphics manager very unhappy. But that's why I'm here: to irritate my fellow workers.) Yet the news of today -- again, June 8 -- demands I wait to the very last minute. You see, dear reader, one of the most important news events of our life is rapidly unfolding as I type these words, and I want to make sure I have all the details in order to properly pontificate on this incident. By the time you read these words, much of the events surrounding this developing story will have been settled -- so, perhaps this column was written in vain. But I still believe that you, dear reader, would want to know my thoughts on this event that will likely have international reverberations for years to come. Of course, the story of which I write is the continuing saga of Paris Hilton. As we all know, yesterday morning -- June 7, our national nightmare ended with the release of Ms. Hilton from a Los Angeles jail facility. She had been unfairly incarcerated since June 4 for some trumped up charge or something. I don't know -- driving on a suspended license or something trivial like that. At the time, her sentence for 40 days in jail drew rightful worldwide outrage. Who in the heck did this judge think he was? This was PARIS HILTON. Paris Hilton does not go to, of all places, jail! She is the international face of everything that is right about America. When our friends around the world think of America, the first thing that pops into their heads is Paris Hilton. She represents the riches that one can have in this country. She represents opportunity, hard work, and of course, pizzazz! (Remember she did once work at a Sonic in Altus, Arkansas -- so, yes, she has paid her dues.) Yet when some judge decides to heartlessly toss her in some jail with criminals, another image of America develops in the eyes of our foreign friends: INJUSTICE! The jail sentence handed down to Ms. Hilton ranks up there with other horrific injustices perpetrated by those in this country who wished to soil America's reputation: the Abu Ghraib prison scandal in Iraq, the Rodney King beating, and of course, the cancellation of Full House in 1995. Yet when Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca released Paris because of some potential psychological problems she was having, America -- and the world -- collectively let out a sigh of relief. Celebration parties across the globe spontaneously developed. In major cities, there were all types of people dancing in the streets. Paris was free. Glory halleluiah, Paris was free! Then...the tide turned. Word from Los Angeles came that Paris still had to serve her sentence with home confinement. The evil snake that is injustice had struck again. How would we survive knowing that Paris would not be able to walk down a red carpet, enveloped by the camera flashes of adoring photographers and fans, for 40 days?!? She wouldn't even be able to go shopping, for the sake of heaven! Comfort did come in the realization that Paris would be able to be in the loving companionship of her friends, family and of course, her beloved dog, Tinkerbell. Yet denying Paris the opportunity to live her life as she deserves was still a bitter pill to swallow. Then, more horrible news: this morning -- again it is June 8 as I type these words -- it was revealed that the demonic judge who threw Paris in jail has demanded she come to his court later today. Hasn't Paris lived through enough trauma? Remember the feud she had with Nicole Richie? Remember the unfair reception to her groundbreaking singing debut? And remember, earlier this year, it was revealed that she had somehow also contracted herpes? (Many of us still question how such a virtuous young woman could contract a disease usually associated with lust-filled sex deviants. A conspiracy, perhaps?) Regardless, the time has come for me to turn in this column to our graphics manager at Arkansas Weekly. I will be eagerly awaiting word from the Los Angeles courthouse this afternoon on the fate of America's closest thing to a royal princess. In the meantime, I will hold a prayer vigil in this time of national crisis. We're here for you, Paris. Stay strong. And more importantly, stay glamorous! * * * I've been receiving feedback from my list of the Top 24 Rock Songs of All Time. I will post some of them on my blog at www.suburbanvoodoo.blogspot.com, and in a later column. Thanks for all the comments. You can write Rob in care of Arkansas Weekly, or e-mail him at rgmax99@yahoo.com. You can view Rob's blog at http://suburbanvoodoo.blogspot.com.
All Over the Map Blockbuster novelist Stephen King recently released his choices for the Top 24 Rock Songs of All Time. (Twenty-four for the hours in the day.) King, who published the list in his monthly column for Entertainment Weekly magazine, has always been a rock fan. He is even a member of The Rock Bottom Remainders, a band with such fellow best-selling authors as Dave Barry, Mitch Albom, Amy Tan and Scott Turow. King's list included such gems as "Dead Flowers" by the Rolling Stones, "Burning Love" by Elvis Presley, and "Ramrod" by Bruce Springsteen. However, there seemed to be a few duds in there as well: "On the Dark Side" by John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band (!); "Stupid Cupid" by Connie Francis (!!); and "I Want to Help You Ann" by the Lyres (What!?!? Who!?!?). Anyway, it got me to thinking: What would I put on my list? (I know what I wouldn't put on it. "Stupid Cupid," for one.) But compiling such a list is a fool's errand. There are simply too many classic rock songs out there to narrow down to 24. Finally, I just decided to name some songs off the top of my head, songs that have left a lasting impression on me for years. There will be more than one from some of the same artists, namely Springsteen, the Stones, the Who and The Beatles. But, that's one reason those artists are legendary. 24. "I Can't Explain" by The Who There you go. It's guaranteed that each and every one of those songs have played full blast on my car radio at least once in the past six months. And, if you would have seen me at a stoplight while one of those tunes was pumping out of my speakers, you likely saw me screaming along. Feel free to send your list of the top 24 rock songs of all time. I'll print them in this column or on my blog, the address of which is listed below. You can write Rob in care of Arkansas Weekly, or e-mail him at rgmax99@yahoo.com. You can view Rob's blog at http://suburbanvoodoo.blogspot.com. |
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