Blog Posts by Robert of the Radish

Chi-town has played second fiddle to New York City since it was incorporated in 1837. This number two spot on the "greatest cities in America" list has earned it the nickname "Second City", in addition to numerous other labels. 

This fine Illinois metropolis is a ganglion of American culture, and it's musical heritage could spin off piles of fine playlists.

For this one however, we focus on songs that pay homage to the city in some way. Of course, the list contains no-brainers like "Sweet Home Chicago" by Robert Johnson, "My Kind Of Town" by Frank Sinatra and "The Night Chicago Died" by Paper Lace, but also contains lesser-known odes from scads of musical genres.

Sufjan Stevens kicks off this playlist with "Chicago" from my favorite album of 2005, Illinois, which is the second effort in his audacious attempt to create on full-length album for each of the 50 states. (Also, see Michigan). Other artists in the list include Ryan Adams, Wilco, Jim Croce, Merle Haggard, Smashing Pumpkins

honda.jpgI resisted my destiny of becoming a "minivan man" for years, but I'm afraid that I've lost the battle. My family is one among legions of families with small children who need the room, and appreciate the safety record a minivan provides.

There comes a point in your life when impressing others and driving fast is just not important. I was never a big sports car guy, and have been a Jeep customer for years. After all, a Jeep was still manly and had room for a family. However, even with a roof box, two children, a 90 lb. black lab, and all the accessories that go with them, long trips are difficult to navigate in a Jeep. I'm also not impressed with an SUV's roll over ratings, nor it's pitiful gas mileage. So last year I made the decision to jump into minivan land.

My wife has been dead set on the Honda Odyssey since the word "minivan" first entered our lexicon in a context other than a joke. I, on the other hand, had to do some serious research. Safety was the most important factor for

Selecting music for a romantic evening can be a dangerous road to travel. Depending on how serious you are with your potential mate, the wrong musical selections can easily reveal you as a complete cheeseball. Of course, you'll need to hone your romantic list to fit the taste of your date. However, some hard and fast rules apply across the board. For example, you would never want to include songs like "I Wanna Sex You Up" by Color Me Badd or anything by G.G. Allin or Blowfly. Just trust me on that.

lovers.jpgThis playlist includes highly-filtered tracks, all hand-picked for a wonderfully romantic evening. If you're looking for that perfect soundtrack to a big date, this could be the playlist for you.

I have taken great care to select only highly-sophisticated numbers that can put even the most unassuming milquetoast in a romantic mood. It's an eclectic list that will show your diversity and taste. It's heavy on standards, bossa nova, and jazz, but with just the right blend of classic soul,

Here's an example of an interesting way to put songs together. 

It a "playlist play" in four acts, that is, a group of songs that tell a story, or lay the foundation for a story, or another way to think of it is, "A Playlist Rock Opera."

This one follows a prison escape and is divided into the following four parts, "The Pre-Escape & Planning," "The Escape", "On The Lam" and 'The Return." As you listen, the songs in this playlist will paint images in your head, and with a little bit of imagination, you'll come away with a full story, just as you would if you read it in a book, or saw it on a stage.

A Playlist Play in 4 Parts: The Jailbreak

ACT 1: The Pre-Escape and Planning
1. "Folsom Prison Blues" - Johnny Cash
2. "We Gotta Get Out Of This Place" - The Animals
3. "The Waiting" - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers

Act 2: The Escape
4. "Jailbreak" - Thin Lizzy
5. "Fuck Tha Police" - N.W.A.
6. "Freedom" - Rage Against The Machine

Act 3: On The Lam
7. "Run Like Hell" - Pink Floyd
8. "You Can't Catch

dylangreenwich.jpg

When it comes to opinions on the greatest city in the world, I fall squarely on the side of New York City. New York is simply the main power source of creative energy in the modern world. Even England's mighty John Lennon chose New York as his new home. You can walk down almost any street in New York, and you'll be walking in the footsteps of some of the world's greatest songwriters, or looking at scenery that has inspired some of the world's greatest songs. The place is a living monument to music.

New York has been the birthplace of many important movements in popular music, but in addition to this, NYC has inspired more timeless classics than can be counted. For this playlist I've selected only songs about, or inspired by New York City, but each track also has an acoustic guitar as the composition's foundation. The result is a cohesively mellow playlist that pays homage to the Big Apple.

The list is just over an hour and 15 minutes long, and although I usually try to avoid including

The talk box is an effects box used with an electric guitar.

It consists of an guitar amplifier connected to a tube that runs up the microphone stand, and ends close to the guitarist's mouth. The musician can then let the sound from his amplified guitar enter the mouth, and can mouth audible words into the microphone with the guitar replacing the vocal cords.

The most famous sample of the talk box in popular music is, without much doubt, Peter Frampton's "Show Me The Way" from his breakthrough Frampton Comes Alive! album, circa 1976.

The talk box was first created in 1971 by Bill West for Joe Walsh to use on the song "Rocky Mountain Way", which also appears in this playlist. However, the talk box has found its way into many other recordings over the years. This playlist contains songs that utilize this unique instrument effect.

It's a classic rock-heavy list for sure, but also contains some funk, which is a genre that's used it to great effect as well.

The Playlist:

1. Show Me The

dahmer.jpgLike film, music can convey a myriad of emotions, including those of the vile and disgusting sort. And once in a blue moon I find myself being pulled to this dark side of music.

Jeffrey Dahmer was one of the most notorious serial killers in American history, and his life and crimes have inspired many songs.

Dahmer murdered 17 young men between 1978 and 1991, and the gruesomeness of his crimes captivated the nation. This is a man who lured mostly homosexual men of color back to his north central Milwaukee apartment.

The apartment, #213, became one of the most inhuman crime scenes ever discovered when Tracy Edwards, Dahmer's intended 18th victim, escaped and waved down police. Dahmer's reign of terror was finally stopped, two months after police bungled a chance to save victim number 13, Konerak Sinthasomphone .

What was found in apartment 213 included corpses stored in acid-filled plastic vats, severed heads in the refrigerator, and what was to be an alter made from human skulls and