Cheesespread

Celebrities revealing
I get a lot of junk sent to me in the mail. The latest was a book called Star Tunes: Celebrities Reveal the Top Ten Albums They Can’t Live Without, edited by LA record producer Michael Friedman (who must have a lot of time on his hands). I thought I would share a few that I found interesting.

Joan Rivers—No. 10, Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP
Ron Jeremy—No. 8, simply Dave Koz, saxophonist
Thurston Moore—No. 1, Teenage Jesus and the Jerks (Eps)
Winona Ryder—No. 2, Tom Waits, Closing Time
Henry Winkler—No. 6, Pink Floyd, The Wall
Dennis Hopper—No. 7, Bob Dylan, Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid sdtrk
Sandra Bernhard—No. 2, Laura Nyro, Eli and the 13th Confession
David Bowie—No. 5, Pixies, Doolittle
Fabio—No. 3, Van Halen, For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge
Dr. Drew Pinsky—No. 7, Richard Pryor, Supernigger
Tony Hawk—No. 10, Madonna, The Immaculate Collection
Kato Kaelin—No. 10, Harry Shearer, OJ on Trial: The Early Years
Dennis Rodman—No. 6, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Mothers Milk
Tyrese—No. 7, Tyrese, Tyrese
Monica Lewinsky—No. 1, Cinderella Television sdtrk
Lou Reed—No. 1, Ornette Coleman; Change of the Century; No. 7, Anthology of American Folk Music (Harry Smith)
Elliott Smith—No. 2, The Saints, Eternally Yours
Henry Rollins—No. 9, James Brown, Revolution of the Mind
Jackie Chan—No. 2, Air Supply, Lost in Love
J. Mascis—No. 3, Sandy Denny, Best Of
Mike Watt—No. 2, Richard Hell & The Voidoids, Blank Generation; No. 4, Wire, Pink Flag
Dave Grohl—No. 1, Bad Brains, Rock for Light; No. 2, The Pixies, Trompe le Monde
Chloe Sevigny—No. 1 through No. 6, The Smiths
Billy Bob Thornton—No. 6, Captain Beefheart, Trout Mask Replica
Paul Reubens—No. 4, Leon Russell, Leon Russell

Still the best
On the advice of a co-worker, I caught the Frank Black show at Harlow’s in Sacramento and must say, that for $12.50, he puts on one of the best shows in all of rock ‘n’ roll. Former Pixies drummer David Lovering opened with a weird, Vegas-style magic act using the magnetic pull of a meteor to move items until people shouted, “You suck!” Later on, Black broke out his bevy of great songs, peppering the two-hour-plus set with Pixies classics like “Nimrod’s Son,” “Mr. Grieves,” “Gouge Away,” “Where is My Mind"—as well as a terrific cover of Arlo Guthrie’s “Coming into Los Angeles” and a sped-up country version of Tom Waits’ “Black Rider.” The packed house loved every minute, chanting along to lyrics like “You are the son of a motherfucker.” Black is the real deal. Watching him in a small club is like catching Mick Jagger at the Blue Room for four bucks.

Weekly props
1. John McKinley’s new deli (8th & Broadway)
2. Friends of the River
3. Boozy cherries
4. Operation: midnight dog rescue