shiny grey takeover - number three - eugene s. robinson

it's that time,kids. it's SHINY GREY TAKEOVER time! today's episode is brought to you by eugene s. robinson. he shouldn't really need any kind of an introduction but he's getting one anyway. he fronts a band called oxbow. maybe you've heard of them. he was also in a band called whipping boy. he's an author. he's a journalist. he has a podcast (ozy confidential). you can see him on the youtubes (the eugene s. robinson show stomper!). he's a fight aficionado. what more do you want to know? are you writing a fucking book?!
so without further ado let's make mr. robinson* feel at home and enjoy his picks.

*=don't even try any of that simon & garfunkel crap here,kid.

"Willie Nelson: September Song: the thing that rock and roll doesn't do well? Age. I find the process of aging much more monumentally heavy than anything that was driving me during my late 1970's entry into punk rock. And this song, a standard? Jesus H. Christ. Mighty. And terrifying. And heartbreaking. Which is every thing great music  sometimes is and should always be."

"Elvis Presley: I'll Never Let You Go (Little Darlin'): I share Eddie Murphy's love for this man. The lope of this song hints at a future very different than the future he actually had. and in the last 30 seconds when it morphs into some early rockabilly it's a nice dynamic and a nice nod to one of Elvis' least loved hits."






"Scott Walker: Clara: he's dead. Before his time. Breaks my heart. As does this song."

"The Make-Up: We're Having a Baby: now morphed into some version of Chain and the Gang ...I find it curious how anti-success Ian has been but almost every single one of his ideas seems to have some sort of serious genius attached to them. Though it's even more curious how not happy it seems to make him. Doesn't matter ultimately. This sort of Neo-Prince take? Fuck. Love it."

"The Lively Ones: Surf Rider: from the Pulp Fiction soundtrack...isn't it strange how much heat Tarantino is getting these days? It hasn't really taken hold but it's funny to watch him wake up and discover he's somehow part of the establishment. and just another rich, white cat whose bonafides people are perfectly comfortable shitting on. Hipster today, swine tom'w....yeah, we eat our young. But I still like him. And this song. Not the percussive attack of the recently departed Dick Dale but nice So Cal swagger."

Sham 69: Whose Generation: I don't know why the first words I wanted to use when describing this pick were "guilty pleasure" but maybe it's because of how significantly those Hersham boys stumbled in various comeback attempts. Doesn't change the fact that the record this is off, Tell Us the Truth, is a great soundtrack for either getting your head kicked in or kicking someone's head in. And this fairly psychedelic song, as those things go, was a nice zig to that era's typical zag.

"Tricky: Black Coffee: I saw Tricky once. Was so excited when he broke into a Slick Rick cover that I started singing along. Which probably would have been fine if I hadn't been standing in the front row. At first he was pleased that I recognized it but into the second verse he was annoyed and I suddenly realized I was one step removed from that FreeBird guy. I shut my mouth, enjoyed the rest of the show in silence. And shame. Happy though that he didn't kick me to death as it was very clear to me that he was a Muay Thai guy. Means nothing to anyone else but for me as both a singer and a martial artist I really felt I should have known better. But I love Slick Rick so much I couldn't help it."

"The Cadillacs: From This Day On: you don't like Doo-Wop? You're missing one of life's great delights. Not many vocal histrionics but still a way to deliver a love song that doesn't make you feel cheeseball for liking it."


"Judas Priest: Freewheel Burning: I love shit that I cannot do that's done better than I could ever imagine myself doing it. Motorcycles, heat, leather and full-on hysteria. Through in the homosexuality? Hands down one of the best metal songs EVER."






"Afghan Whigs: Brother Woodrow/Closing Prayer: in the past in a curious turn of events and in the midst of an evening of tremendous debauchery a music industry turned to me and apropos of nothing said, "You know OXBOW reminds me a lot of Afghan Whigs." He never mentioned this again and in the clarity of the passing days I was unsure if he had ever said this so I tracked them down and listened. Any band that they use words like "louche" to discuss (Barry Adamson comes to mind) I'm prone to like but I dig these cats. Now this song has no vocals on it but that's why I dig it, though I do also like Dulli: I can sing whatever I want when it's playing and sure as shit...it sounds like OXBOW."