Forgotten Classic Video of the Week / Never Forget the Green Monkey

As most of you know, I've been a frequent particpant in Splotchy's Green Monkey Music Project, and even recently became a "Green Monkey Master." The thrill of creating my own mix was suddenly marred by Splotchy's announcement that he is discontinuing the GMMP, for undisclosed reasons. (I'm betting that it has something to do with Lars Ulrich, that bastard.)

However, the thrill has returned! I provided Splotchy with the mp3s for my song selections, and the other participants in Volume 10 followed suit. The blanks were filled in by the fabulous Beth, and now we have a full mix! I feel kind of bad for the other Monkey Masters who won't have a chance to cash in on their Master privileges, but the selfish part of me thinks it's kind of cool that I got to close out the project!

The last and tenth installment of the GMMP is "Battle of the Sexes," a 50-song compilation devoted to songs about boys and girls. Tracks can be downloaded here. As is the custom, I'll give you a little bit of info on my song selections.

"Darlene," Led Zeppelin - While I'm a huge Zeppelin fan, this song wouldn't make it into my Top 20, but that's primarily because they have too many great songs. Coda probably isn't any Zeppelin fan's favorite album but it has its moments, specifically this tune and the superior, rollicking "Ozone Baby." Funny thing about "Darlene" - I thought for the longest time that Robert Plant was singing "Double D." Now, whether I was imagining this to be an ode to Duran Duran or a woman with big breasts, it always made me smile and I still sing it incorrectly more often than not just for fun. Zep always did songs with major tempo/mood changes really well, and this is no exception. It starts out as a groovy, blues-rock number and morphs into a bit of blue suede rockabilly. Sometimes I feel like the song goes on a tad too long, but then I think about "In My Time of Dying" and decide that the play time is just about right.

"Vicky Verky," Squeeze - I know I said before that I was going to try to avoid putting Squeeze and Pearl Jam in all of my mixes, but I'm glad that I didn't stick to such a stupid rule now that I know this is the final mix! (You know that I would've picked PJ's "Jeremy" had I taken the boys' side in this. I'm still annoyed that no one picked it.) Anyway, this is one of my favorite song titles because it's such fun to say. As most Squeeze tunes are, it's a really wonderful pop tune but the big difference here is that there is no chorus. There are a bunch of verses and something resembling a bridge, but no chorus. Yet, it never becomes monotonous. It's also another Squeeze tune that I assumed was a cute little love song upon first listen, but it's actually about lost love, teen pregnancy, and abortion. (I know I've said this before, but Glenn Tilbrook can make any subject sound trés sweet.) But hey, it ends on an up note with love renewed! Oh, and here's another "'scuse me while I kiss this guy" moment for you all...I originally heard the line "Although she's only fourteen, she really knows her courting" as "Although she's only farting, she really knows her courting." Of course, I knew right away that couldn't be the lyric but, like "Double D," I often still sing it the wrong way for shits and giggles.

"Blue Jean," David Bowie - I think this is one of Bowie's most underrated songs. I love it. I vividly remember all the hubbub surrounding the world premiere of this video on MTV, and then they played it constantly. (The short version, not the weird mini-movie, thankfully.) I never really got tired of it though. I think this was around the time that I started to find David Bowie attractive, even though I thought he was better looking with all the weird blue genie makeup on. The other thing I remember about this video that really annoyed me was the lead girl who kept rubbing her nose. Did she have a cold? Was it a nervous twitch? Was she a coke fiend? I didn't know, but it drove me nuts. And when she wasn't rubbing her nose, she was tugging on her ear. Who was she, Carol Burnett? See more on this later.

"Hey Julie," Fountains of Wayne - FOW were a little more animated when talking about some other chicks, like "Stacy's Mom" or "Denise," but as fun as those songs are, I prefer this sweet little tune. It's just really simple and catchy and makes me want to sit around a campfire singing and roasting marshmallows.

"Always Claire," Knockout Drops - Ok, so no one probably knows who these guys are unless you're a New Yorker with awesome musical taste or you just read my blog a lot and actually remember everything I say. Knockout Drops are a local band here in NYC who I became a fan of a few years ago and gradually got to know them and ended up managing their MySpace page. I've since given up that job to Chris, the lead singer. He was once quite the tech-not, so I'm very proud of his newfound, mad PC skillz. Anyway, this was never my favorite song of theirs, but it's certainly catchy enough and boasts some interesting lyrics. Any song that rhymes "wacky broad" with "powder dilaudid" is a winner in my book.

Go forth and download.

Now, on to the Forgotten Classic Video of the Week. Nice of me to wait until the end of the week, eh? Well, David Bowie is always worth waiting for. I will let you all decide what the hell is up with that girl in the "Blue Jean" video. Upon watching the video again, I'm noticing that she really only rubs her nose twice. It still annoys me though.