It’s been some time in the making, but the new podcast is finally here.

You can call it a special edition, ’cause there’s a holiday-inspired motif. Some may find it pretentious and interminable. Those people can go stuff a stocking.

The theme this time around is *spirituality* in music. That doesn’t mean I’ve chosen a bunch of religious songs; far from it. The tunes in this batch were picked due to how they make me feel, which is markedly different from other material. Some challenge my assumptions of faith-based music. Others simply crack me up. A lot of it is pretty personal.

Brooke and I are going to DC tomorrow. I hate flying and am convinced of my fiery demise. If I don’t make it, you can play this podcast at my funeral.

Oh, and Happy Holidays!

The Contrarian’s Corner – Episode III: The Reckoning

PS: We saw GWAR on Saturday, but I’ll probably write about it in the paper rather than here. My column needs some serious padding this week.

Casey Rea was the Seven Days music editor from 2004 until 2007. He won the 2005 John D. Donoghue award for arts criticism from the Vermont Press Association.

29 replies on “New Podcast!”

  1. I’ve always had a little theory (totally unfounded) that both Beginning To See The Light and What Goes On from the S/T VU were those kinda songwriting experiments where you take a line or a title from another song and try to make your own song out of it. Witness:http://acappella.colormaria.com/2694C/2694C^I+m_Beginning_to_See_the_Light.mp3http://indierepublican.typepad.com/musicisnotdead/files/08_what_goes_on.mp3Coincidence? Maybe. I guess I’ve just always seen those VU songs as fun rockers wihtout a whole lotta deep meaning. It’s “Jesus” and “I’m Set Free” from that album that always get me kinda spiritually verklempt.And that’s all the comments I’ll make before I actually listen to the fucking podcast. Thank you, Casey. I owe you beers.

  3. While the majority of the VU songs use drugs as a metaphor, I don’t think it’s fair to consider Lou Reed a writer of “drug songs”. For example, to think of “Heroin” as nothing more than an ode to getting high will result in missing out on some powerful innovation in rock formalism (pounding bass & drums as heartbeats) as well as some powerful poetics about modern life, alienation & existential angst. Blah, blah, blah…. 🙂

  5. Picture it: The Olde Northender. Saturday night. I’m there for a birthday party, and am on the front porch enjoying a cancer stick, and trying to not get embroiled into a conversation with some of the more inebriated regulars, when a youngish woman walks up the street and gets hailed down by the regs. I cannot remember her name, but we’ll call her Susan. “Eh, there Susan! Where you been?””I just went to the CRAZIEST show…” That’s when I noticed, beneath her jacket, she had a pink dress on…except the skirt was white. “Ohmigod, did you go see GWAR?” I scream. All heads turn in my direction, and then back to Susan. “Yeah, it was F&*%ing NUTS.””Dude, I am soooo jealous of you.” I said. The regulars, once again, are confused by me, in my vintage cute little dress.

  6. That’s my new tag: “The Axl Rose of Podcasting.” Now let’s start a riot.Re: VU: I try to justify the selections through my annoying voice-overs! In some instances it’s simply fun to examine a tune from a perspective completely unintended by the artist. Someone like Bono seems to want people to think his music is *spiritual.* Lou Reed on the other hand, well, everyone knows he’s an asshole. So it’s more fun. In reality, I’m guessing that 85% of VU songs are about speed.

  7. Finally. I thought you were becoming the Axl Rose of podcasting.I never could figure out what “Beginning To See the Light” was about. I could be as equally swayed that 1) Reed was either seeing the light of cleaning up his crazy behavior or that 2) Reed was endorsing a drugs and all-night partying life while the rest of us “work very hard but never get it right”. I hadn’t even thought of a spirituality bent. Oh, well. I guess it’s futile to delve too deeply into Reed’s electro-shocked brain.Thanks for the podcast.

  9. Nice theme & tracklisting; looking forward to listening to the podcast!I too share your fear of flying. And yet I work a job where I have 50% travel, nearly all of which is by air…I think I’m just a masochist.Have a good time in DC & happy holidays!

  10. Here’s the tracklisting:Intro: Christian Death — Easter1.Bob Marley & the Wailers — High Tide or Low Tide2. Woven Hand — Dirty Blue3. The Soul Stirreres — Jesus Be a Fence Around Me4. Danzig — Sistinas5. The Beach Boys — Hold On Dear Brother6. Bill Fay — ‘Til the Christ Comes Back7. The Velvet Underground — Beginning to See the Light8. The Smiths — There Is a Light That Never Goes Out9. Cat Power — Sea of Love10. Philippe — Spiritual Orgasm11. Mahavishnu Orchestra — Meeting of the Spirits12. Spaceman 3 — Lord Can You Hear Me?13. Steely Dan — Bodhisattva

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