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Thursday, May 24, 2001

TUBE TUNES vol. 1, no. 15
May 24, 2001

While this is usually reserved solely for music on TV type things, I would be remiss if I neglected to plug my magazine, Sticks & Stones. The new issue has arrived. It features a lengthy cover story about Guided by Voices that includes a track-by-track analysis of the band's 4-disc "Suitcase" box, interviews with Richard Davies and Steve Ward, a look at the top 10 discs of 2000 and more than 150 CD reviews, book reviews and other assorted words and sentences about all things music. It's available direct from me for $3, or you can wait for it to be stocked at Not Lame, Insound and probably Parasol as well. I can be reached at:
John Kenyon
614 Reno St.
Iowa City, IA 52245

Thanks. Now back to your regularly scheduled column, found, as always, at
http://www.oocities.org/tubetune

PROGRAMS OF NOTE
(all times CST; days begin and end at 5 a.m.)

Friday, May 25
Wilco on "Later with Jools Holland." BBCAmerica, 6 p.m. Jeff Tweedy takes his American pop machine over the pond to play for Mr. Holland.

Saturday, May 26
Shelby Lynne on "Austin City Limits." PBS, 8 p.m. This repeat features Lynne performing tracks from her excellent 2000 LP, "I Am Shelby Lynne."

Sunday, May 27
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band on "Live From New York City." HBO, 8 p.m. Kickstart summer with the Boss. Either see it again or make sure you catch it before DVD is your only option.

Monday, May 28
Palo Alto on "Trackers." Oxygen, 4 p.m. This sub-Radiohead combo seemed destined for next-big-thing status, but everybody must have skipped reading the music magazines that month. See 'em live here.

Tuesday, May 29
The Rosenbergs on "Trackers." Oxygen, 4 p.m. The Rosenbergs, a pleasant pop band, made headlines last year when it spurned Farmclub USA's overtures, refusing to perform on the show because performers agreed to sign record contracts that the band thought too restrictive.

Wednesday, May 30
The Minus Five on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." NBC, 11:35 p.m. The Five, led by Young Fresh Fellow Scott McCaughey, gets ink because R.E.M.'s Peter Buck is the guitarist. The band ought to be known for McCaughey's catchy, quirky pop songs.

Thursday, May 31
Stephen Malkmus on "The Late Show with David Letterman." CBS, 10:35 p.m. The erstwhile Pavement frontman brings his solo gig to TV, a good fit for his newly accessible tunes.

Friday, June 1
Rainer Maria on "Trackers." Oxygen, 4 p.m. Continuing an amazing streak, "Trackers" welcomes this post emo-core boy-girl trio whose quietly intense music is all the rage with the kids.

Saturday, June 2
Mark Knopfler on "Parkinson." BBCAmerica, 11 p.m. Set the VCR for this one to see Knopfler, whose most recent disc, "Sailing to Philadelphia" slipped unfairly under the radar.

Sunday, June 3
Idlewild on "Later with Jools Holland." BBCAmerica, 6 p.m. Another of those buzz bands whose album finally got released here after tons of press in Britain, Idlewild shows what its made of for Jools. Oh, and that "Trackers" streak? It ends today with an appearance by the Baha Men.

Monday, June 4
Lucinda Williams on "The Late Show with David Letterman." Williams debuts her "Essence" LP for Dave. If you like what you hear, pick it up when it's released Tuesday. Funny how that works, huh?

Tuesday, June 5
Weezer on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." NBC, 11:35 p.m. If you missed the resurgent pop-rockers on "Saturday Night Live," here's another chance to catch a run through "Hash Pipe."

[JK]



Thursday, May 10, 2001
TUBE TUNES vol. 1, no. 14
May 10, 2001

The dog days of summer are shaping up to be all right for music on television. Sweeps brings us Paul McCartney's silly love song to himself, "Wingspan," while R.E.M. brings us a new album, "Reveal," and the accompanying promotional appearances.

Bypass VH1's "Top 100 Videos of All Time" show, which can't be that much different than MTV's quarterly programs that run under the same name. This is the equivalent of a 70s-era DJ putting on the side-long "Dazed and Confused" from Led Zeppelin's "The Song Remains the Same" album so he could take an extended powder in the men's room. Your time would be better served -- let alone MTV's time -- watching something better, like:

http://www.oocities.org/tubetune

Or perhaps just this:

PROGRAMS OF NOTE
(all times CST; days begin and end at 5 a.m.)

Friday, May 11
Starlight Mints on "Trackers." Oxygen, 4 p.m. Just when you're ready to write off a certain show, they go and pull a stunt like this. "Trackers" usually skews toward chick rock, but here they give a shot to the Mints, an off-kilter Oklahoma pop band worth watching.

Paul McCartney on "Wingspan." ABC, 8 p.m. This is certainly the most-hyped event this time out, a sweeps dream for ABC; if anyone watches, that is. Sure, a similar TV bio about McCartney's other band drew a few viewers, but are there really any juicy bits to be learned behind the scenes of Wings?

Chuck D on "Politically Incorrect with Bill Maher." ABC, 11:05 p.m. Whaddaya wanna bet Napster is raised as a topic?

Saturday, May 12
R.E.M. on "R.E.M. Revealed." MTV2, 8 p.m. The Athens trio shills for its forthcoming 12th studio LP, "Reveal," which comes out Tuesday, May 15. A showing of the band's 1991 visit to "Unplugged" in support of "Out of Time."

Sunday, May 13
Luna on "Trackers." Oxygen, 2 p.m. Speaking of not giving up on "Trackers," they give this criminally ignored band a crack at some airtime. If you've taken a pass on the band's last couple of discs, give this a try and/or pick up the group's most recent live disc. It ain't half bad.

Monday, May 14
Paul McCartney, Wings on "Best of Paul McCartney and Wings: Wingspan." VH1, 5 p.m. If ABC's Friday night documentary whet your appetite for more Wings, try this hour-long special on for size.

Tuesday, May 15
R.E.M. on "The Late Show with David Letterman." CBS, 10:35 p.m. Nothing like playing in front of a live studio audience on the day your new LP is released, huh? They must have a good manager.

Wednesday, May 16
David Byrne on "The Late Show with David Letterman." CBS, 10:35 p.m. Byrne's latest, "Look into the Eyeball," has been greeted with huzzahs from critics, who call it his best solo effort. That's not saying much to these ears, but if Byrne has recaptured some of the magic he seemed to lose around the time of the Talking Heads' "Little Creatures" LP, then I'm all for it.

Thursday, May 17
Radiohead in "Meeting People is Easy." Sundance, 6 p.m. Radiohead will issue the year's next big disc with the June entry "Amnesiac." Gear up for it with this engaging if overlong documentary about the band's "OK Computer" tour.

Friday, May 18
I'm trying hard to not fall back on "Later with Jools Holland" every Friday, but if you haven't seen Beth Orton's appearance yet, tune in to BBCAmerica at 6 p.m.

Sunday, May 20
Hootie and the Blowfish on "TV Funhouse." Comedy Central, 9:30 p.m. You might want to print this week's list out for safekeeping, because it'll be the only time H and the B's are recommended here. And really, this wouldn't be happening at all were it not for an appearance on "TV Funhouse," Robert Smigel's twisted, hilarious vanity project.

Tuesday, May 22
OK, this one is a stretch, but you know you're gonna watch it anyway: Catch Jerry Reed in "Smoky and the Bandit" on EncoreAction, 5:20 p.m. That, a Dr. Pepper and a Diablo sanchwich and you've got your whole night right there, bub.

Wednesday, May 23
Ike Turner on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." NBC, 11:35 p.m. Insert your own "Tina Turner abuse" joke here.

[JK]




Thursday, April 26, 2001

TUBE TUNES vol. 1, no. 13
April 26, 2001

Spring has sprung, so the last thing you want to be doing is watching a lot of TV. And yet, what do they do? Schedule sweeps during the best weather of the year.

We're here to help. Through this listing and prodigious use of your VCR, you can maximize the sunshine and save up a lot of good rockin' TV for a rainy day.

As usual, check out the web site, pass this on to friends, and, in these days of better weather and more daylight, use your VCR liberally.

http://www.oocities.org/tubetune

PROGRAMS OF NOTE
(all times CST; days begin and end at 5 a.m.)

Friday, April 27
At the Drive In on "Farmclub." USA, 10 p.m. This one is fairly old, but if you didn't catch it the first time, this is a good chance to catch this incendiary act live. They're not for everyone, but you can't deny the energy of this onslaught. U2 also appears, doing two tracks.

Saturday, April 28
Green Day on "Mad TV." Fox, 10 p.m. These Bay area punk poppers keep on keepin' on despite a waning fan base. They're still worth catching live, so tune in.

Sunday, April 29
Pavement on "Later with Jools Holland." BBCAmerica, 11 p.m. Richard Thompson also appears on this episode. If you haven't rolled tape on this one, set your VCR now.

Monday, April 30
The Doves on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." NBC, 11:35 p.m. The Doves have been drawing raves for their latest disc, Lost Souls. The single, "Catch the Sun," is a nice slice of bright, buzzy drone-pop.

Tuesday, May 1
Shuggie Otis on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien." NBC, 11:35 p.m. Otis, son of Johnny Otis, is back in the spotlight more than 25 years after cutting his debut (and only) studio album, Inspiration Information. That 1974 disc was reissued this year by David Byrne's Luaka Bop label, and Otis is now touring a bit in support. It's a solid, funk-soul outing that doesn't sound very dated in this Roots-Outkast kinda world. A definite must-see.

Wednesday, May 2
David Gray on "The Late Show with David Letterman." CBS, 10:35 p.m. Gray, no dummy, quickly followed his breakthrough LP White Ladder with an acoustic collection of old songs and is taking another spin through talk-show land in support.

Thursday, May 3
Prince on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." NBC, 10:35 p.m. The purple one is now offering his music straight to his fans through his website, and some of the stuff isn't bad. Check in to see how it comes off live.

If Prince isn't your thing, Semisonic is on "The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn" at 11:35 p.m. on CBS, while Anthony and Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers appear in Keanu Reeves' best film (and Patrick Swayze's second best, after "Roadhouse"), "Point Break" on HBO at 8 p.m.

Saturday, May 5
Bob Schneider on "Austin City Limits." PBS, 8 p.m. Schneider is THE deal in Austin, having led local faves the Scabs. Plus, he's dating Sandra Bullock. Does he have the goods to break nationally? Tune in. In case he doesn't, we also get a half hour of the engaging Patty Griffin.

Sunday, May 6
Steve Earle on "Later with Jools Holland. BBCAmerica, 6 p.m. This episode is crammed with music, including the Pretenders and the Mavericks.

Monday, May 7
"The Chris Isaak Show." Chris must have a thing for hair metal (or else his writers have assumed, rightly, that hair metal makes for big, big laughs). Motley Crue's Vince Neil appears just a few week's after Bret Michael from Poison starred. Neil's band, by the way, has a new CD that includes the song "Kicked in the Teeth by Love." You can't make this stuff up.

[JK]