The rock band Cake performed at a benefit event last weekend at the Fox Theatre in Oakland and a few days prior their leader John McCrea appeared on KQED Forum with Michael Krasny. Frida and I sat rapt in the kitchen listening, and typing (me at least; Frida got in the spirit by letting her chin become caked with a fish and potato mush). I posted this already but am compelled to remount it thus:

We don’t have in our music the equivalent of deforestation.

Turning the amp to 11 is not subversive; it’s what Exxon is doing.

I grew up in Berkeley and had to move to Sacramento as a tennagaer and hated it at first.
I appreciate the humility of it, the sort of matte finish approach to life there; it’s not a glamourous place. (NB: McCrea also lived in England as well so does indeed say “glamourous” not “glamorous”).

Bekrekey is more glamourous than Sacramento. Ideals,  intellect.

Working farm town, half-hazardly converted to political hub.

Not cynical, sincerely housed within same song. Comedy and tragedy sitting on the same sofa.

Phonetics. Marie Antoinettes. Phonetic power of a word you cannot say on radio,  without the baggage. (The mention of that French name reminds me, and compels me to add here, like croutons on my word salad, that tap tap tap, as Michael Wolfe surely knows, the great New Orleans piano player and pop song Titan Fats Domino is known to us cognescenti as Antoine, in the way that Dr. John is Mac, and this all comes out of Henry Butler and I side-stage at Cake at Greek and John calculating how to fit Henry’s sound into his own; the next day, as a step in that direction, walkin’ down the street, there debuted — that sounds French — and dissolved a duo of Etienne DeRocher and Henry Butler, at Cafe DuNord. See, there is a whole lotta shakin’ in that one loaded, caked word).

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VefXPh31HM4&feature=related

We didn’t cultivate another more flashy image. (Or he might have said “We didn’t cultivate another, flashier image”).

Distance. Turning point. (As in, It was a turning point, the success of the single, “The Distance”)
Didn’t make a dent in other countires. Sports encouragement anthem for some people.

We visited Turkey and it was “Perhaps, Perhaps Perhaps” that the people wanted to hear.

(The two mentioned that Cake’s breakthrough hit, “The Distance” was actually written by guitar player Greg Brown, a founding member who, like original bassist Vic Damiani, left the band shortly thereafter. But John noted that Greg played on the recent album, which they, after stints on Capricorn and Sony, released on their own label).

Folks told us we’d be crushed like a bug if we did that, but happilty we are not.
Given precipous decline we could trust somebody else who works at a label.
We were number 1 for a minute. Unusual for us.
What is was about for me is that we have a relationhsp with our listeners and thry trusted us to purchase from us.

Content workers generally have to fgure out who they are and wehre they stand and wther they need to organize or not.

Mexico. Stately rhtym ¾ country song.

10:35
I have amtathc she had lighter.
I had a flmae she had a fire…
I was high but she was the sky.
Obyay I was bound for meixo.
Oh, baby, I was bound to let you go, oh oh wow. Ah ha ha bad a dum

I don’t know much aougt cinco de mayo
Im neer shure what its all about.
I say I want you and you don’t believe me.
You say you want me but I’ve go my doubts

I was bound to let you go. Oh, etc
I was bound for mexico

I had a match she had a lighter
I had a flame but she had a fire.
I was bright but she was much brihter
I was high but she was the sky.

Bound for mexico.

To let you go.

10:35 John McCrea on KQED

epic narrative : Krasny

sad love song not cynical.

Opens the phones at 10:35

866n 733 6786
forumat kqed dot org

dancing around with vibarslap – but not today.

Facets of the human psyche – rabbits and bears in videos

Sardonic part sad part funny I think

Phyllis diller and rick james and frugal gourmet in “Love You Madly” video
We were trying to avoid doing a video with five white guys in an urban decay and it occurred that we could do a cooking show.

Youtube – great to have such easy access to culture. Great that people are feeling creative to make own videos to songs they like. But content providers have to eat food.

War pigs?
Joined by Kelli Corrigan of Notes and Words Benefit for Children’s Hospital, and a former student of Krasny – last year they had Beth Lisick, Hyim and Megan Slankard.
Michael Chabon, Cavilier and Clay
Anne Lamott
Some dude with a page on NY Times.

My husband and I have seen them five times and my kids know the words.
“Icing on the cake’ Krasny

We are pro medicine and pro hospital and Oakland as well. And I knew you would say “icing on the cake”.

Shadow Stabbing. Old song I wrote yearsa go. At 19, it’s a chesnut.
10:45
I don’t thik I know this

Adjectives on the typewriter.
He moves his words like a prizefighter.

The man on the street might just as well be 3x
Outside the world you don’t hear the echos and calls.
Steel eye say it all
White paint plastic XXX
Somebody got to say it all.
I’m so nervous I’m so tense.
I can’t forget selfdefence.
I know this can’t last.
Steel eye tight jaw say it all
White paint plastic saint

Some body got to say it all.
Adjectives
Frenzy face of the mind inside in the cell.

(I have not heard this before, but I’ve seen Cake 20 times and presented them twice)

Playing around on the guitar and putting things together that don’t go together and some times they fit, like a puzzle.

A caller said she was in the “Winter” video. And then asked about the social media page. And motivations. “Are you upset?’ John asks. Vitrol?

We don’t tell people what we think we ask questions, although they are perhaps pointed questions. I am not sure if people, do we have a list of occupations that are not allowed to be political? Yes, there are silly things said by Hollywood stars.

Itn’s not that I care about he envirornent more than other issues, but its fundamental. You need clean air in order to protest other issues. And its generally ignored.

Birds falling, tortes and cakes and the differences….are you foodies?
I do keep chickens. Cake as a verb, cake dried banana on your corduroy trousers or mud is on your shoes.

By the way, you can see John McCrea and Cake on April 28 at Fox Theatre.

We will probably make one more album then see what happens. On our own label.

edit to add: Oh baby I was bound for Mexico