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]
posted by John Kenyon at 8:02 AM
