Willie Simpson

Month: April 2011

  • The Beatles, You Never Give Me Your Money

    For part 50 of my youtube countdown, we dissect the many ways in which life is a bitch.  For instance, I was laid off my job yesterday.  Yes, loyal readers, I am now but one of the unemployed masses, set to be scrambling for an unemployment check, desperately sending out resumes, left wondering what it…

  • John Lennon, Jealous Guy

    For part 49 of my youtube countdown, I found an awesome clip of John talking about love and relationships before launching into “Jealous Guy,” his song from 1971’s Imagine.  “Jealous Guy,” was originally written when the Beatles were in India as “Child of Nature.”  The original lyrics were about self discovery, but the new words…

  • Willie Simpson, Sip From Your Fork

    Another live show, this time me playing an original.  Sip From Your Fork, written when I was 22, never properly recorded.  A damn fine set of lyrics. It was clearly your fault, you are locked in a vault and what’s worse you have swallowed the key You are covered in sleet and you are in…

  • Louis CK on Late Night with Conan O'Brien

    Welcome to part 48 of my youtube countdown!  Sorry music fans, I got a comedy video for you, and guess what, I’m not really sorry!  This is Louis CK, the funniest standup comedian alive, talking about how nobody is happy with the incredible futuristic society we were all born into.  I actually remember seeing this…

  • Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins, Mean Woman Blues/Blue Suede Shoes

    In part 47 of my youtube countdown I present to you two titans of classic rock and roll.  Jerry Lee Lewis, the Killer, and Carl Perkins, the king of rockabilly, united, as they often were, having a ball playing a medley of “Mean Woman Blues,” and “Blue Suede Shoes.”  This video is a blast of…

  • The Beatles, Strawberry Fields Forever

    In part 46 of my youtube countdown, we travel back to the past again, my past.  When I was 17 years old, “Strawberry Fields Forever” was my favorite song in the world.  I don’t know why exactly, but this song just seemed like the greatest work of music I’d ever heard.  I loved the loping…

  • Ween, Freedom of '76, The Jane Pratt Show

    The alternative vibe continues in part 45 of my epic youtube countdown.  This time its Ween, on the, ahem, “unforgettable” Jane Pratt Show in 1993 playing “Freedom of ’76.”  The song, a slow soul jam, comes from Ween’s brilliant album Chocolate and Cheese.  Ween, for the uninitiated, consists of Gene Ween (aka Aaron Freeman, lead…

  • The Flaming Lips, She Don't Use Jelly, Live on Letterman

    Welcome to part 44 of my youtube countdown!  Today I bring you a real blast from the past.  It’s the Flaming Lips on the David Letterman show in 1995 performing their only commercial pop hit, “She Don’t Use Jelly.”  I discovered the Flaming Lips when I was 17 years old ten years ago, right before…

  • The Magnetic Fields, Grand Canyon

    In part 43 of my youtube countdown, I present to you the Magnetic Fields singing “Grand Canyon,” one of their great songs off their epic 69 Love Songs album.  The Magnetic Fields are the brainchild of serially depressed genius Stephin Merritt.  To me, Stephin is lyrically as brilliant as Bob Dylan..yes, I know what I…

  • 17 Year Old Biggie Smalls, Street Rap Battle

    For part 42 of my youtube countdown, we continue our prodigy theme as we take a look at Christopher Wallace, aka Biggie Smalls, aka the Notorious B.I.G..  In this clip we see a 17 year old Biggie on the street in Bedstuy proving that he will be the best rapper in the world.  There is…