Pop Talk

Washington Post music critic J. Freedom du Lac was online Wednesday, Oct. 19, at 2 p.m. ET to talk about the latest on the music scene: hip-hop, pop, alternative, country, alt-country, rock, reggae, reggaeton, R and B and whatever it is that Ashlee Simpson does.

The transcript follows.

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J. Freedom du Lac: Hello, musicheads. Anybody read Blender's list of The 500 Greatest Songs Since You Were Born (i.e., the past 25 years)? The whole point of these listy exercises is, of course, to get people talking. Well, they stuck the hook through the bait, and now I'm biting. How in the world did "I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" wind up as the first Prince song listed (at No. 24)? A fine song, for sure. An awfully fine one, even. But come on. It's no "When Doves Cry," which was a totally radical-sounding track that somehow became the biggest hit of 1984. "Doves" checks in at No. 169. (Funny folks, them Blender eds.) For the record, "When You Were Mine" was at No. 98 and "Little Red Corvette" was at No. 106.

Also, what's up with Public Enemy's "Bring the Noise" at 100, behind Kelly Clarkson's "Since U Been Gone," the Freelance Hellraiser mashup "A Stroke Of Genius" and the one and only hit by B-Rock and the Bizz, "MyBabyDaddy," which was at No. 34 - even though it didn't deserve to be ranked any better than 340th. Boo hiss.

At least the Pixies' "Monkey Gone to Heaven" made the Top 50. Good times.

Onward....

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Columbia, MD: I assume you attended the Clap Your Hands show last night. I'm going to see them tonight in Baltimore, what can I expect?

J. Freedom du Lac: I assumed I was going to attend, too ... until the band got too popular and overpopulated its guest list and made it pretty much impossible for me to go, short of spending next month's rent on a scalped ticket. So, it was Clap Your Hands Say No for moi. The producer of This Very Chat, however, was in the hizzouse and might be convinced to chime in. But you'll have to ask nicely.

Also, for those keeping score at home (or, I guess, the office), we'll have a Patrick Foster review of said Say Yeah show in tomorrow's Style section. Though that won't exactly help your efforts to track down a scouting report in advance of the B'more show, eh?

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Call me Clay....: But I've got the catchiest song of the year as Kelly Clarkson's "Since You've Been Gone." It's like bubble gum in my hair; I can't get it out!

J. Freedom du Lac: OK, Clay.

Lucky for me ... I have no hair! No need to worry about getting Ms. Clarkson's song stuck in my locks.

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Philadelphia, PA: 50 Cent's new release: is it worth the far more than 50 cents it will cost to buy it?

J. Freedom du Lac: Wait, I thought music was free these days via BitTorrent, et al.

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Washington, D.C.:

Were you serious in asking us to consider Blender's list of the top 500 songs since 1980? Britney and Backstreet Boys are both in the top 20, after all. Although I admit the juxtapositions are often amusing, such as having Belle and Sebastian in between Tupac and The Game, or Magnetic Fields' "A Pretty Girl Is Like" back-to-back with "Big Pimpin'."

I think my favorite section was:

471. "Hunger Strike" - Temple of the Dog

472. "Small Stakes" - Spoon

473. "Autumn Sweater" - Yo La Tengo

474. "Gigantic" - Pixies

J. Freedom du Lac: Yeah, but at least Joy Division's "Love Will Tear Us Apart" made the Top 10! (Run-DMC's "Sucker MCs," too.)

The juxtapositions were, in fact, my favorite part of the list. Mary J. Blige and .38 Special followed by Elvis Costello, who gives way to Eminem and then the Ramones? Genius!

I also liked reading the artists' own Top 5 lists. Jim James from My Morning Jacket had, perhaps, the best: Dan Fogelberg's "Leader of the Band," Kermit the Frog's "The Rainbow Connection," the Flaming Lips' "Feeling Yourself Disintegrate," Erykah Badu's "Next Lifetime (Live)" and Neil Young's "From Hank to Hendrix." That rules.

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San Ramon, CA: I noticed you were singled out in the Jim Brady online chat earlier today as being "combative" ... how would you respond to such a combative description of your style?

J. Freedom du Lac: I'd probably kick you first. (And answer later.)

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Cap Hill Manager: Howdy, I was always a big fan of Sinead O'Connor in college, and I just got her new album. It's reggae and GREAT! I was shocked by how good it was, have you heard it? Is she touring? Have a great day!

J. Freedom du Lac: And howdy to you. I have to admit, this didn't sound like a particularly good idea on paper. Sinead doing reggae? Would "Throw Down Your Arms" be as bad as Willie Nelson's "Countryman" (which, by the way, has to be the year's worst album by an otherwise great artist)? I mean, come on: Irish brogue + jaunty/wikki-wikki reggae tracks = potential for serious disaster.

But boy, did she pull it off or what? Her hyper-impassioned, more-measured-than-usual alto serves the songs exceptionally well, and she done good in choosing songs. (Gotta love a woman who has just a little more hair than Mr. Clean singing a song like "Curly Locks." Brilliant!)

I suppose it shouldn't be such a huge shock that she pulled it off, given that she's one of the better interpreters in contemporary pop. Course, it didn't hurt that she got the great Sly & Robbie to produce. They be jammin'.

And yes, she's touring. Mark your calendar: At the 9:30 club on Dec. 6. The official announcement is coming from the club next week.

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washingtonpost.com: Willie Nelson Meets Reggae: Just Dreadful

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Arlington, VA: J,

Just curious, to what extent do you pay attention to the reviews of your "competitors" at other papers?

If you are so inclined, I recommend you check out the prose of your predecessor, Sean Daly, at the St. Petersburg Times or even that of your colleague, Mr. Harrington. Other than an Shania Twain-like over-reliance on exclamation points (although you're improving there) and a counter-intuitive penchant for reviewing everything about a show except for the songs that were actually played, there seems to be little distinctive about your writing style.

The good news: you're better than David Segal, who was an abomination -- the only pop music critic I know who genuinely seemed to hate pop music.

J. Freedom du Lac: What do you mean I have an over-reliance on exclamation points?!?!?? That's the most ridiculous thing I've heard all day!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I pay attention marginally, at best, to what folks at other papers/magazines/Webzines/blogs/etc. write. I do read every word that Richard Harrington puts into The Post, though, and I'm also a fan of Sean's work, both in the St. Pete Times and on his blog. I disagree that David hated pop music. Certain acts? Jes. Pop music in general? No way.

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20009: I listened to "Electric Ladyland" in the car this morning, and no one has come close to Jimi Hendrix in all these years. No one, Bubba.

I just wanted to share. Thank you.

J. Freedom du Lac: Yeah, he wasn't so bad, was he?

Required reading, for Hendrix fans: The new Jimi bio, "Room Full of Mirrors," by Virginia native Charles R. Cross. It's good stuff.

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Clap your hands harder, DC: I was at the Black Cat show last night for Clap Your Hands. Have to say I left disappointed. Yes they played songs from their CD but their stage presence/banter was nil. The Decemberists show from earlier this month was much more electrifying.

J. Freedom du Lac: There you have it. Sell your ticket to the Baltimore show while there's still time!

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Washington, DC: Do you remember and alternative band out of N.C. called The Veldt? If so, whatever happened to them and where can I get info on them, such as fan sites etc. Thanks.

J. Freedom du Lac: Vaguely. But I know nussink about what's become of them.

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

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Capitol Heights: Hello! Is Lil Kim just looks, or can she rap, or whatever she does?

J. Freedom du Lac: Yes, she can rap. But she's also selling an image, and the visuals play a veddy important role.

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Raleigh, NC: Is it just me or has Vibe magazine gone way down hill and doesn't cover the music as much as it used to?

J. Freedom du Lac: It's just you. Actually, I'm not sure how much less (or more) they're covering music these days. But there's still some terrific writing in the mag.

Speaking of which, did you read the Vibe feature a couple of months back on Terrence Howard? Not about music, obviously. But that was a darn fine piece of journalism.

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Alexandria, VA: Bizarre experience last night: I didn't even know Supergrass had a new album out until I found it at Wal-Mart, of all places - the last place I generally shop for music. At any rate, "Road to Rouen" is excellent, as are all of SG's works, if you ask me.

J. Freedom du Lac: OK, I'll ask you just so you can answer: What do you think of Supergrass?

That's kind of funny, though, that you stumbled upon the thing at WalMart. Wish you would've told me you were headed there; I need some refills for my Swiffer.

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du Lac, du lac, du Lac: I have friends in Fond du Lac. Are you any relation?

More importantly, "I Could Never..." is a great SINGLE--probably Prince's best. I recently listened to the mid-'90s Best Of's and realized why you don't like "I Could Never...": the album track went on way too long and was marred by "Kat! We need you to rap!"

Since you're a pro, you might only have heard the long version, in which case, you'd be right.

Best,

Old White R&B Fan

J. Freedom du Lac: Am I any relation to your friends? No. To the town? Yes, it's named after me. (OK, not really.)

"I Could Never Take the Place of Your Man" is NOT Prince's best single, by the way. Noooooooo. (And I've heard both versions - great point about the album track.)

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Washington, DC: So I'm guessing J. Freedom du Lac is not the name on your birth certificate (unless you are the child of hippies). So what is your real name, seriously?

J. Freedom du Lac: Bad guess, as that is, indeed, the name on said certificate. Though the "J" is followed by five letters.

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Columbia, MD: Okay Mr. Producer, how was the show last night? Did you clap your hands and....sorry.

J. Freedom du Lac: David, the people have spoken. Da-VID. Da-VID. Da-VID.

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Jackson, N.J.: Have you heard anything about a possible Ray Davies (Kinks) solo album coming out anytime soon ... Thanks.

J. Freedom du Lac: There's a new EP out in the UK, but I don't think it's available just yet in the U.S. The full-length album ("Other People's Lives") is due next year.

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J. Freedom du Lac: You asked. We give.

Here are Producer David's thoughts on the Clap Your Hands show:

"Re: CYSHY, if you like the album, you should enjoy the show. Pretty faithful renditions of most of the songs, Ounsworth's voice is even more incoherent and yodel-y in person. They aren't the most dynamic performers by any means, which is sort of to be expected given their meteoric rise to (semi) fame. They should still be cutting their teeth in front of a few dozen people in their home town, but instead are playing sold out shows across the country. You could definitely of sense a bit of shell shocked-ness up there. But in terms of actual song quality, they are way ahead of most of these other vaguely/not-so-vaguely '80s sounding bands."

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Falls Church, VA: Son Volt - Like 'em?

J. Freedom du Lac: "Trace" was one of my favorite albums of 1995, but I've been much less enamored with their output since. Can't say I loved them live, but I'll probably go to Friday's show just to see if they can change my mind.

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Brooke Hogan: Anything ever happen with Brooke Hogan?

J. Freedom du Lac: America is still wrestling with that very question about Ms. Hulk Hogan Jr.

Can't say I've followed her career. Do you have an update for us?

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Ballston, VA: So what do they call you around the water cooler? J.? Freedom? du Lac?

J. Freedom du Lac: Wait, there's a water cooler here? You know, I suspected that I was being shunned by my colleagues. Now I have proof.

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Rockville, MD: Hello Jason, going to the Bright Eyes show next month. Have never seen him in concert. Any idea what I might expect. Solo guitar? Classical band? Or a Mariachi Band, for back ups? I like his songwriting, and he seems to mix up his songs a lot, so I was just wondering. Thanks

J. Freedom du Lac: Jason? What is this, Friday the 13th?

Bright Eyes at DAR Constitution Hall with the Magic Numbers opening? You know it! But I sure as heck hope that Mr. Eyes doesn't bring a mariachi. That would be kinda ... weird. Like a Sufjan Stevens show or something.

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RE: CYHSY: I don't think CYHSY staying in their hometown and playing shows to 15 people is going to happen. They are from here in New York City and their shows sell out very quickly.

J. Freedom du Lac: Take THAT, Producer David.

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Linden, VA: Will any of those 500 songs be remembered 25 years from now? Some will, but most won't, I think.

J. Freedom du Lac: Yes, I will remember Maroon 5's "This Love" in my nightmares.

Sure, a bunch of the songs will be long forgotten 25 years hence. Though I can see the Britney and the Backstreet Boys being referenced in a comedy, just for yukks.

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Washington, DC: Why does Philly get Keane and we don't? Poo.

J. Freedom du Lac: I dunno, but Producer Dave just made a funny about Keane: "They make Coldplay look like the MC5." Ouch.

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Covering D.C.: One of my favorite things about going to concerts is hearing the random cover songs that the performers sometimes will do mixed in with their own songs. This question is sparked after hearing Tori Amos sing two different covers each night on her most recent tour. I think she's done about 130 different covers ranging from Aerosmith, Nirvana, Madonna, and Kylie Minogue to Eminem, Oasis, AC/DC, and Slayer. Any opinions on who does the best cover songs during their concerts?

J. Freedom du Lac: I one saw/heard Tori sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" in concert. It was completely bizarre ... and yet, totally enthralling. I can't imagine her doing Eminem. Or Slayer. What songs? Were they any good? Methinks I'll have to start trolling for some Tori bootlegs.

Hmmm ... best covers? Bjorn Again does a mean ABBA, but that's no really what you meant, since they're a full-time cover band. (Along those same lines, btw, Super Diamond is great, too.) Not really from the file-under-irony category, a la Tori Amos, but I've generally liked the Pearl Jam covers I've caught in concert. Especially the Who songs.

Though it's fairly well-documented that I didn't love the Coldplay show at Nissan Pavilion, I was pretty fond of their cover of Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." The Foos started to do a Police song during their late-Sunday show at the 9:30 but abandoned ship pretty quickly. I think seeing/hearing the whole thing implode was more memorable than a full cover might have been.

Any other thoughts out there re acts that give good cover?

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Overki, IL:

How do you keep your head above the musical waters? As an obsessed music collector/live performance attender/magazine reader, I find myself immersed in everything from Common to Ralph Stanley to U2 to Lizz Wright. But after a while it all runs together. I need to come up for air. I'm convinced there is more good music being made than I'll ever get to hear. Help me weed out the filler, so I can concentrate on the killer! How do you keep track of everything?

J. Freedom du Lac: I don't. If you saw my desk right now, you'd laugh. And then you'd call for a search and rescue team to find me. I'm buried in music. There is absolutely more good stuff being made than we'll ever get to hear. I think there are roughly 35,000 new releases every year. Let's be generous and say that 6% of them are good. That's 2,100 albums a year -- more than three albums every day. It'd be hard to keep up with that pace, even if you also didn't waste time listening to the bad stuff (which I do, usually while hunting for The Good). And you wouldn't really have much time to look back at your favorite albums. Good times, eh?

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Alexandria, VA: Freedy Johnston gives fantastic cover. "Rocket Man" is actually a great song when he sings it.

J. Freedom du Lac: One vote for Freedy.

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Los Angeles, CA: What do you think of Stevie Wonder's new album, "A Time to Love"?

Is he still relevant in today's pop culture?

J. Freedom du Lac: I think that ... um, well, that I still need to listen to it. I have medium-level hopes. Richard Harrington's review in today's Post declares it Stevie's best album since his early/mid-70s peak. But, as Richard notes, Stevie hasn't exactly been prolific since "Songs In the Key of Life" dropped -- and what he *has* released in the intervening years should be filed under songs in the key of lame. Alas.

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washingtonpost.com: Stevie Wonder's Midlife Classic

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Anonymous: I know it isn't POP, but did you watch the 4 hr. Bob Dylan documentary ? I thought it was great. And hey, Joanie still has it big for this guy.

J. Freedom du Lac: Pop music = popular music, and Mr. Zimmerman most certainly qualifies. I thought the documentary was great. Definitely better than Dylan himself was when he played at the ballpark in Bowie earlier this year. Weird show, that.

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Best Covers: Hands down: Mavericks closing with "It's Not Unusual" a couple of years after closing with "Crackling Rosie."

Cheese is a big part of cover selection, you know.

And the best Prince song is "Gett Off" -- captures his dirty side, his romantic side, and his elusive sense of humor.

J. Freedom du Lac: Raul Malo doing Tom Jones? Genius! (I agree about the cheese, for the most part. But Pearl Jam's Who covers were earnest as heck, but they still scorched.)

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Raleigh, NC: Re: Vibe

There is some great writing in there, esp the Terrence Howard piece (did ya see him on Oprah talking about "Crash"? That was heavy). But there are too many spreads on gadgets, make-up and fashion for me. I want more in depth interviews. I had the same issue with Rolling Stone. At least Blender is funny and they focus on music.

J. Freedom du Lac: I guess I don't notice the gadget spreads, since I never read them. But let's be clear about one thing: Rolling Stone jumped the shark a LOOOONNNNNG time ago.

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Prince Song: Raspberry Beret!!!!!

J. Freedom du Lac: No write-in votes, please.

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RE: Good Covers: British Sea Power does a nice cover of Galaxie 500's "Tugboat." Also, Luna does a great cover of "Everybody's Talkin'" from Midnight Cowboy, with Dean Wareham on Kazoo.

J. Freedom du Lac: Luna with a kazoo? I'd pay to see that.

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Petworth, Washington, DC: Are you a fan of Rufus Wainwright? 9:30 Club on Halloween!

J. Freedom du Lac: Yes. Perhaps I'll go dressed as his sister. (Though she was kinda disappointing opening for Madeleine Peyroux at Lisner last month. Way too toned-down.)

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Walnut Creek, CA: In your opinion, what is the most prestigious award a musician can receive ... and what is the most important award?

J. Freedom du Lac: The J. (NOT Jason) Freedom du Lac Seal of Approval. Coveted the world over!

Stateside, Grammy still rules. It helps move markets, and it's the award that the largest number of artists want to win the most. Not everybody cares, of course. But there's no way Kanye West throws a hissy fit over losing out to Gretchen Wilson in the Best New Artist category if he's at the American Music Awards or MTV VMAs or People's Choice Awards, etc. It was all about the Grammy.

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On covers...: Another thing is, in certain music styles (rockabilly, for instance), covers are a badge of honor. I hear in Nashville, all the good bands can play a mean version of "Folsom Prison Blues."

In this vein, I say Social Distortion's covers of "Making Believe" and "Ring of Fire" are the best.

J. Freedom du Lac: I've never seen Social D doing Ring of Fire. Sounds potentially disastrous. But you'll vouch?

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Philadelphia, Pa.: Any comments on the WXPN Greatest Albums of all time?

J. Freedom du Lac: I have been advised by my attorney to say nothing more than no comment. (But what was No. 1?)

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Adams Morgan, Washington, DC: So what band do you love that you can't understand why they aren't popular?

J. Freedom du Lac: Fantastic question. Let's go there next week; I've gotta study for the U2 show tonight.

Thanks for stopping by, folks. (And thanks, to Producer Dave, for his Clap Your Hands thoughts.)

Appreciate all the posts. Well, except for the mean and combative ones. Can't you people be just a little more civil? Jeez.

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Jerome?: I think you'll have to get another costume. Rufus is going dressed as his own sister.

J. Freedom du Lac: And, the coda.....

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