Raymond Taylor, Best Wheel of Fortune Contestant Ever

Posted in Fun and Crazy, Wheel of Fortune, Youtube Favs on December 15th, 2011 by Willie

So the story goes that while on the road in Chicago, the Wheel of Fortune game show had a contestant drop out at the last minute.  The producers found some guy named Raymond Taylor on the street, gave him a suit, and propped him on the stage.  I have no idea if this is true or urban legend, but legend is the operative word when describing Raymond Taylor’s exploits on Wheel of Fortune.  Raymond was a skinny Chuck Berry clone who could never look anyone in the eye, and was constantly fidgeting around the set.  He was also TV gold.  He was genuinely witty and cutting in all his remarks and timing, and he was a stunningly adept “Wheel” player.  Many people assume, with racist underpinnings, that Raymond was a crack addicted clown.  I’m not going to go that far.  Television has a way of either making people conform with fear, or bringing out their inner star.  I think this was the case of the latter.  Raymond ended up winning over 80k in cash and prizes, and actually began to stalk the Wheel of Fortune studios looking for a job.  The studio ended up putting a restraining order against him.  It’s a bizarre end to a hilarious and peculiar story, but check Raymond out yourself in his best moments on his unreal Wheel of Fortune run.

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The Black Keys, She Said She Said

Posted in The Beatles, The Black Keys, Youtube Favs on November 28th, 2011 by Willie

The Black Keys are guitarist Dan Auerbach and drummer Patrick Carney.  Together they have forged a highly successful blues rock revivalist band that are the darlings of the upper tiers of the indie rock world.  I’ve always like them, but have not extensively combed through their catalog.  Perhaps I’ve finally found a reason to.  The reason comes in the form of their cover of the Beatles “She Said, She Said,” from their debut album The Big Come Up.  The original Beatles song, from Revolver, is about one of John’s most infamous LSD trips.  In 1966, he was tripping in LA with the rest of the Beatles, the Byrds, and Peter Fonda.  Fonda, tweaking out, began to obsessively tell a story about how he nearly died as a boy, and couldn’t stop saying, “I know what its like to be dead.”  John, understandably freaked out by Fonda’s dark ramblings, promptly wrote a song, and changed Fonda into a girl to fit the Beatle songwriting mold.  Though, by 1966, the Beatle mold now included feedback, acid drenched distorted guitars, and glorious swirling psychedelic harmonies.  The song was a progressive leap forward for the Beatles, and for rock and roll as a whole.  36 years later, the Black Keys took that song, a song that was still in mid leap mind you, and gave it a real throwback treatment, turning it into a hip 60s blues club rocker.  I love the Black Keys version, as it gives the song a grungy and gritty makeover and reveals the essence of the song’s fantastic pop melody.  Because it is so fantastic, I’m giving you two versions, the unofficial music video, and a cool live performance.  Check em out.

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The Doors, Kids in the Hall, Waiting for the Sun

Posted in Kids in the Hall, The Doors on November 8th, 2011 by Willie

The Kids in the Hall were a sketch comedy team formed in the 1980s by a group of talented and semi-demented Canadian geniuses.   SNL guru, and fellow Canadian Lorne Michaels gave them a show that pushed the limits of comedy to frightening new edges of hilarity.  Playing out like an uncensored SNL, the Kids in the Hall tackled drugs, homosexuality, counter-culture ideas, religion, and raving lunacy with breathless confidence, finding humor in very dark places.  In many ways, its no surprise they were Doors fans.  The Doors were a group who too were unafraid to push boundaries, and they did both musically and socially with their manic psychedelic rock and with the outrageous behavior of lead singer Jim Morrison.  So, Kids and the Hall and the Doors?  Match made in heaven.  Check out the hilarious clip below where the Kids in the Hall teach you exactly how to be a Doors fan, and then watch the clip of “Waiting For the Sun,” preferably at dusk.

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John Lennon, #9 Dream

Posted in John Lennon, The Beatles, Youtube Favs on October 9th, 2011 by Willie

I was sneaking under a bus parked over a snowy muddy pit.  I jostled a hinge holding the front of the truck to the freight, and it began to collapse on me.  As it caved in on me, I genuinely thought I was going to die.  This was the phrase that went through my mind, “This is the end of Willie Simpson…”  (lame I know.)  The truck hadn’t completely caved, so I dashed away from the pit and jumped just as the freight tipped over and crushed the bottom of my legs.  I couldn’t feel a thing and I assumed I was in extreme shock.  I was wrong, I had just woken up from an intense dream.  Naturally shaken by such a thing, I went right to my website, which I forgot to update yesterday, and found “#9 Dream,” the John Lennon single from Walls and Bridges that peaked on the Billboard Charts at #9.  Nine was John’s lucky number as he was born on the 9th day of October, and accorded it special status in his life, already borrowing it for “Revolution #9.”  He wrote the song when he was broken up with Yoko Ono, and living with May Pang in Los Angeles, in fact she’s in the backing vocals.  Other famous “Beatle friend” luminaries include the presence of bassist Klaus Voorman, (the German who discovered the Beatles in Hamburg), Nicky Hopkins, (famous British piano player who jammed frequently with the Beatles, Rolling Stones, and Kinks), and Jim Keltner on drums, (a famous session man who appeared on all the solo Beatle records and a zillion other super famous mega acts albums.)  Lastly, that mysterious phrase Lennon chants throughout the song, “Ah! böwakawa poussé, poussé” has no meaning whatsoever and is exclusively from the dream that inspired the song.  Enjoy the tune, as its one of John’s best solo efforts, and be careful in your dreams, or you might wake up thinking your dead.

EDIT:  When I posted this at 7 am this morning, I had no idea, that today, would have been John Lennon’s 71’st Birthday.  How’s that for Instant Karma!?

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Ricky Gervais Meets Larry David

Posted in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Fun and Crazy, Larry David, Seinfeld on July 20th, 2011 by Willie

If you’ve been following the site lately, you’ve noticed that I’ve been alternating its content between rock and roll and Larry David.  Larry is just one of my biggest comedy heroes, and his newest 8th season of “Curb Your Enthusiasm” is off to a roaring start.  The trailers for season 8 point to an appearance by legendary British comic Ricky Gervais, creator of “The Office.”  For anyone who has followed Rickey, you know that he loves “Seinfeld” and considers George Costanza the greatest sitcom character of all time.  I found this incredible 6 part interview of Rickey sitting down with Larry, where they have an enlightening and hilarious conversation about comedy, and delve deep into each others pasts.  It is so entertaining, insightful, and funny, and it’s guaranteed to be the best thing you watch today, so enjoy.





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Curb Your Enthusiasm, Season 8!

Posted in Curb Your Enthusiasm, Fun and Crazy, Larry David, Seinfeld on July 8th, 2011 by Willie

Larry David is coming back, this Sunday, to HBO.  Seinfeld, Larry’s first masterpiece of television an amazing 9 seasons, so it’s equally incredible that Curb Your Enthusiasm is about to enter its 8th glorious season, and by the looks of it, Larry hasn’t lost his touch one bit.  The write up today in the nytimes proclaims that the new season is just as brilliant as any other, and these trailers I’ve provided below seem to indicate the truth of such statements.  From what I gather, Larry travels back to New York City, comes across Michael J. Fox, Ricky Gervais, and even former disgraced Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner!  Unreal.  I am dying with anticipation for these episodes.  DYING!  My enthusiasm will not be curbed…Check it out!


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The Doors, Break On Through (To The Other Side)

Posted in The Doors, Youtube Favs on June 17th, 2011 by Willie

Part 92 of my youtube countdown tears you into another dimension with the Doors, “Break On Through (To the Other Side).”  This is one of the greatest psychedelic pop singles you’ll ever hear.  It’s got an iconic pulsing keyboard bass intro played by the genius Ray Manzarek, propulsive drumming by John Densmore, stunning pickless riffs by Robby Krieger, and perfect dark lyrics and singing by the immortal Jim Morrison.  This version is actually a special remix featuring the original, “She Gets (high)” lyric that was censored for over 30 years until the 1990s.  The Doors are one of the coolest bands that ever existed for a bunch of reasons.  #1.  The name- In 2011, all amazing rock band names have been taken, and the Doors grabbed that special piece of real-estate all the way back in 1965, bastards.  #2., #3, #4, Manzarek, Densmore, and Krieger-  These 3 were all geniuses of rock and roll.  Manzarek is the greatest psychedelic keyboard player of all time.  Krieger could hold his own with anybody on guitar in the 60s, which says a lot.  Oh, he also wrote “Light My Fire.”  Densmore was a fantastic and exciting drummer who contributed a lot to the bands overall sound.  #5. Jim Morrison-  One of the greatest lead singers of all time.  To me, he is better than all the 70s hard rock bands he inspired, and that includes Led Zepplin’s Robert Plant.  He was an outrageous real rocker with no inhibitions who blazed a comet of artistic unstopability!  One last rock and roll fun fact before I go.  My dad was at the infamous Miami concert when Jim Morrison supposedly pulled his cock out and got himself arrested for indecent exposure.  Well according to my then 19 year old father, Morrison NEVER did it.  He said the cops were on the stage, and he threatened them that he would pull dick out, but he didn’t.  He said the cops just jumped him and dragged him off stage!  Of course we all know what happened next.  Morrison escaped to France to avoid prosecution, and soon died of a heroin overdose in his bathtub at age 27…Seems unfair in light of what really happened, no?  Luckily we have “Break On Through” so Jim can live on.  Enjoy.

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Jeff Bridges, The Man in Me

Posted in Bob Dylan, Jeff Bridges, Youtube Favs on May 31st, 2011 by Willie

For part 77 of my countdown, I got Jeff Bridges performing “The Man in Me” at a Lebowski Fest in Los Angeles.  The song of course was featured beautifully in the Coen Brothers ultra cult classic, “The Big Lebowski,” when the Dude is riding that magic rug.  Dylan wrote this song for his 1970 LP New Morning.  It’s a gorgeous folk rock ballad about love from a man’s perspective, featuring an aching lead vocal and beautiful background vocals.  I think it’s one of Bob’s more touching melodies, and I’m glad its popularity is enhanced by its inclusion in the film.  Jeff Bridges does a really good job crooning this, and it speaks highly to his character to attend a Lebowski Fest and give his fans something so personal and fun.  So, check this video out, and share it with your friends, its really great.

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