3 Chords & the Truth: Wassup, moon?

In a small, darkened studio sits an aging radio guy, playing the music from days gone by.

His show is called 3 Chords & the Truth -- or the Big Show, as it's known in the booth.

The music is loud; the music is soft. The songs make you think; your thoughts go aloft.

And when your thoughts reach high in the sky, it's like 3 Chords & the Truth is a balloon . . . to the moon.

BUT THEN the light starts to wane, and the stars come out. And the music plays on, all through the house.

Good night, house.

Good night, mouse.

Good night, dog.

Good night, fog.

Good night, pillow.

Good night, Big Show.

Good night, spoon.

Good night . . . bom ba ba bom ba bom ba bom bom ba ba bom ba ba bom ba ba dang a dang dang,

Ba ba ding a dong ding Blue moon moon blue moon dip di dip di dip,

Moo Moo Moo Blue moon dip di dip di dip Moo Moo Moo Blue moon dip di dip di dip,

Bom ba ba bom ba bom ba bom bom ba ba bom ba ba bom ba ba dang a dang dang,

Ba ba ding a dong ding,

Bom ba ba bom ba bom ba bom bom ba ba bom ba ba bom ba ba dang a dang dang,

Ba ba ding a dong ding . . . blue moon.

Your Daily '80s: Original Omaha punks

On this edition of Your Daily '80s, we see the evolution of some original Omaha punks -- R.A.F.

Remember, they're not getting older; they're getting balder.

First, we see R.A.F. from a cable-access program, Underground Omaha, in 1985. Think of it this way, what we have here is a time capsule of old-school punk, second generation.


Then, we see R.A.F. in concert in 1991.


And, finally, a couple of years ago at the My Generation Punk Reunion Show, held at The Waiting Room in Benson. I wonder what their teenage kids thought?

F***in' A. Rock 'n' roll!

Your Daily '80s: A bitter PiL

John Lydon of Public Image, Ltd., possessed many skills in 1980. Lip syncing was not among them.

Come to think of it, remembering the lyrics most of the time wasn't part of his skill set, either.

And Dick Clark thought things would go according to plan when the former Johnny Rotten of the Sex Pistols and his new band, PiL, came for a May 1980 visit . . . why, exactly? Like, dude, this ain't no Fabian or Frankie Avalon you're dealing with here.

WELL, Dick, it doesn't have much of a beat, and you can't do The Hustle to it, so I'll give it a . . . 275 out of 100.

The Man totally had it stuck to him that day.




IN JUNE of 1980, on the other hand, the great Tom Snyder of the Tomorrow show wasn't taking any of that s***.

If Lydon was gonna throw curve balls -- or a googlies, if you want to be cricket about it -- Snyder was gonna grab his bat and take his cuts. And not necessarily at the ball.

I've featured the Tomorrow interview before, but it's well worth another look.

Musical youth

Just sittin' here thinkin' early on a Sunday morning. And for no particular reason, here's a brief timeline . . . of my musical youth.

1966: "Dem goddamn Beatles say dey bigger den Jesus Christ. Dey muss be a bunch a commerniss."

I am 5 and easily bullied by parental units. Original copy of "Meet the Beatles' given to me by Aunt Sybil ends up busted up and pitched into the garbage as some sort of religious act. As opposed to . . . going to church?

1966-67: Take to playing the phonograph in the 1949 Silvertone console, cutting musical teeth on old 78s by Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five, Ivory Joe Hunter, Hank Williams and (yes) Elvis Presley (quite rare, as it turns out). Burn through vintage 45s by the Everly Brothers, Elvis (again), Jerry Lee Lewis, The Kingston Trio, et al.

Unfamiliar enough with the concept of "irony" not to appreciate it in the context of what I've just been listening to from my folks' 1940s and '50s records as compared to their rants about "n****r music."


1971: "C'mon Mama, it's the Carpenters. The Carpenters ain't hippie music."

"Oh, all right."


1971: Out at camp in Head of Island, stay awake half the night under the covers, earphone in ear, listening to acid rock on the "Chad Noga Choo-Choo" on Rampart 102 in New Orleans.

1972: Score 45s by Joe Tex, Dr. Hook, Edgar Winter Group and Gallery, among others, at Howard Bros.


1973: Score 45s by George Harrison, Paul Simon, Billy Preston, Wings, Clarence Carter, Dobie Gray, Elton John and Three Dog Night, among others, at TG&Y.

Have a knack for winning stuff on the phone from WLCS.

1975: Divide listening time between WLCS and Loose Radio.

1976: Skip lunch a lot to spend lunch money on LPs. All "hippie music."

Regular midnight announcement from parents' bedroom -- "CUT THAT S*** OFF!"


SUMMER 1977: "It's the Sex Pistols. So what?"

FALL 1977: Radio teacher John Dobbs bans from the WBRH airwaves (and confiscates) the copy of "God Save the Queen" my Aunt Ailsa brought back from London that summer -- just as I begged her to. I get my 45 back after promising never to bring it to school again.

Thus ends the last time ever that Baton Rouge was a trendsetter.

NOVEMBER 1977: Special trek to Musicland at Cortana Mall to buy "Never Mind the Bollocks." Lustily sing the chorus to Bruce Springsteen's "Badlands" while playing air guitar.

For the ones who had a notion, a notion deep inside
That it aint no sin to be glad you're alive
I wanna find one face that aint looking through me
I wanna find one place, I wanna spit in the face of these Badlands
You got to live it every day
Let the broken hearts stand
As the price you got to pay
We'll keep pushing till it's understood
And these badlands start treating us good

1979: Find now-rare "fire cover" of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Street Survivors" (complete with concert-schedule insert) hiding in the bins of the little-visited Sears record department. Also find "Let It Be" with a rare red-apple label.

1980: Finally get around to replacing that copy of "Meet the Beatles."

3 Chords & the Truth: The water's fine!

Dear folks,

Hope things are going well back at 3 Chords & the Truth! Am having a great time on this mental trip to the Bahamas.

The water is fine, the beach is pristine, and I'm doing my own musical thing here! Nobody looks askew at me when I play wild, crazy, improbable collections of all kind of music -- because here on the beach, in the Bahamas, everybody's free to do our own thing, baby!

And I'm a-doin' it! You can make book on that.

You just wouldn't believe the fineness going on here by the ocean, in the Bahamas of my mind.

Sweet!

I MEAN, all these crazy artists are here -- like, people who would NEVER play on the same bill -- and they're having this amazing jam session on the beach outside my cabana. OMG!

Really . . . wish you all were here!.

Hello! This is the Internet, people . . . you can join me on my mental trip to the Bahamas! WOOT!

Did I mention the water's fine?

Anyway, gotta go -- time to play some more tunes! So join me on the Big Show, won't you?

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

Oh, wait. "Aloha" is Hawaii, isn't it?

3 Chords & the Truth: We all sprawl

It's the scene of the crime.

It's the place we longed for -- the place to get away from it all. The place to be an individual just like the Joneses, with whom we must keep up.

It's the adjustable-rate American Dream, the one where we lose ourselves as we lose our way, and the neighbors can't help because -- frankly -- we don't know them all that well.

It's the hour commute of our discontent. It's where we come to know poverty can be more than a lack of disposable income. It's where we have everything and have nothing.

It's a way of life we're finding we no longer can afford, fueled by resources we're running out of.

It's Suburbia . . . and we're taking a musical look at it this week on 3 Chords & the Truth, just in time for the release of Arcade Fire's excellent new album, The Suburbs.

What does it all mean? Well, it depends.

Download the Big Show, put on your musical thinking cap and see whether you can sort it all out. Or just turn off your brain and rock out -- it's totally up to you.

Really.

LET'S SEE . . . what else we got going on on this edition of 3 Chords & the Truth? Well, lots, actually.

We go under the covers, and you can use your imagine to decide what that's all about, because I ain't giving it away here. You'll have to listen to be sure.

And . . . what else? Let's see, we also go all the way back to 1949 to see what was on the radio back then, as we look for the roots of rock 'n' roll in there somewhere.

Sound like fun? Yeah? Then what are you waiting for? It's up there on the audio player, and it's here, too.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

3 Chords & the Truth: Wake us up next week

If you're wondering what happened to this week's edition of 3 Chords & the Truth . . . there isn't one.

We're taking the week off. As you can see from this picture of my assistant Scout, we're tired.

As you also can see from my assistant Scout, it's impossible to find good help that works for dog treats.

We figure the Big Show will be back next weekend, and we also figure that it just might blow your mind.

It already has blown Scout's.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there next week (or listen to the archives now). Aloha.

3 Chords & the Truth: Was he stoned, or what?

This episode of the Big Show seeks to answer a single, simple question. Was Rusty stoned, or what?

He hadn't been himself lately. Normally, he would be the life of the party, telling jokes and flirting with all the women.

Tonight, though, he seemed different. Introspective. He kept putting this Joan Baez album on the record player, and listening over and over again -- deep in thought.

RUSTY, normally a leisure suit full of laughs and hijinks . . . piss and vinegar, got a little weepy talking about Janis Joplin. Wondering about the music of her former beau, Kris Kristofferson.

Yeah. He used the word "beau."

It's the pure-dee 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all.

We asked him to sing that "La Vie en Rose" thing he does, but he said he wasn't in a bistro-y, chanson-y kind of mood. He was hitting the Early Times pretty hard.

I mean, you saw him -- was Rusty stoned or what?

Man, I sure hope Mary was driving home -- if Rusty was behind the wheel, it'll be "Book him, Dano" time.

That boy -- there's four letters for that boy . . . D-R-N . . . U . . . D-R-A . . . . There's five letters that spell that boy's name -- S-T-O-N-E-D.

I DUNNO. Listen to the Big Show right now and let me know what you think.

Hey, babe! Hit me up again with a double of somethin', doll!

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

(Thud.)

3 Chords & the Truth: The poor Omaha mall!

If a certain teen-age heartthrob is any indication of "how we ball at the Omaha mall," I'd rather watch paint dry.

But Twitter says this is da bomb, trendingwise, so it must be fab.

Or . . . maybe it's time for America to overthrow the running-dog teenybopper mindlessness and return whathisname to performing in the annual talent show at some fresh suburban high-school hell.

Maybe it's time to rise up against a level of adolescent crap that makes Donny Osmond look profound.

MAYBE it's time to dig deeper into the music -- maybe it time to try music for a change -- and "trend" over to the Big Show, otherwise known as 3 Chords & the Truth.

What do you have to lose? It's not like 3 Chords & the Truth could be any worse putrid than how Justin Bieber "balls" at the Omaha mall.

Save America's children. Eschew the suck. Rebel by playing the good stuff -- loudly.

It's only Western civilization that lies in the balance. Your choice.

I'm not bitter or anything. No sirree. Not me.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

3 Chords & the Truth: Lidsen doo da Bigb Showd

Lidsen, ah godt terruhble allebgies ribe now, so ahm gonnab pubt on dis new ebbisobe ub 3 Chorbs & da Troof, anb youb cam enjoyb yoursebf while ah go blown mah node and taghe some more nadal spray.
Dere's lobs ub good stubf on da Bigb Showb dis weeg, so ah don dink youb wib be ad a loss for enderdainmenb.

Reahlyb, ah don'b.

AH MEANB, we gob eberyding fromb Moby Grabp do Pedrob da Liomb, amb all ginds ob eclegdic stubt im bedweemb.

Eggscudse meeb for a minbid. . . .

AAAAAAACHOOOOOOO!!!

Nah, wherb wad ah?

Oh yeahg, ah wad delling youb dad dis weeg's ebbisobe ub 3 Chorbs & da Troof ids anodder eggsellend eggsamble ub freeformb egglegdicism juz ligh radiob used do bee a long dime ago. So, youb lidsen do da Bigb Showb, guz ah can'd dawk no morb.

Idd's 3 Chorbs & da Troof, y'alb. Be dere. Alobgah.

3 Chords & the Truth: Six to the three

This week on 3 Chords & the Truth (among other aural goodness). . . .

Well, hang on. Let me quote the Four Seasons here:

Oh, what a night!
Late December back in '63,
What a very special time for me,
As I remember what a night,
Oh what a night!
You know, I didn't even know her name. . . .

WELL . . . all right, then. Enough of that.

How about that 3 Chords & the Truth, eh? Good stuff, am I right? We present only the finest in musical entertainment on the Big Show.

YEP, a chunk of this week's show is devoted to the one to the nine to the six to the three -- 1963.

You know, stuff like this:


AND THIS:

LEST WE GET carried away completely here, maybe it's time to apply the brakes to all this:

SO, WE'LL just leave you with this simple thought. Here goes.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

Drat. Five years too soon with that one.

3 Chords & the Truth: On the road

We're on the road again.

Just can't wait to get on the road again. . . .

Now, wait a minute. With apologies to Willie Nelson, you can't get on the road again if you've never gotten off. And that's the story of life -- you're on a long, long road and you never get off.

At least until . . . well.

WE'RE ALWAYS on the road to something or down the road from something. Life is a journey, and we live it on the road. This week on 3 Chords & the Truth, we'll celebrate that little fact with a great big, honkin' set of songs for . . . the road.

And that's just one part of the deal with the latest episode of the Big Show. Maybe you need to tune in to see what it's all about, Alfie.

But that's another song, entirely.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

3 Chords & the Truth: Saints and sinners

It's gray. It's wet. It's cold.

And it's drafty in here.

I've been drinking so much hot tea -- with the requisite amount of fresh mint -- that my kidneys bought one of those inflatable giraffe life-ring thingies kids use in the swimming pool. All I need to accessorize my toasty flannel robe is three days without a shave and an empty six-pack of Schlitz.

I'VE GOT SOME SORT of low-grade crud, my sinuses hurt, and I'm thinking that -- if I'm really lucky -- people will someday pray for my purgating self on All Souls' Day. I will be the reason future Catholics still are at it the day after All Saints' Day.

Hey! There's an episode of 3 Chords & the Truth in there somewhere.

Ah . . . look. Here it is.

As usual, the Big Show has the usual variety of great music, spanning various styles and genres. This week, in addition to our saintly and "soulful" musical musings, we also saunter through the '70s.

AND THEN WE . . . aw, hell, you just need to listen to the thing, all right? It'll be worth an hour and a half of your time.

Really.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

3 Chords & the Truth: Two! Four! Six! Eight!

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Good God, it really is the '60s all over again.

Of course, when you're talking Louisiana, that can have, er . . . interesting ramifications. Really, when did you ever think miscegenation would be a legal issue again?

Can you say "biracial president"?

AND I THINK we at 3 Chords & the Truth now can answer -- musically and with full confidence -- the burning question "Will Louisiana ever stop shooting itself in the foot . . . and other interesting places?"

The answer is "no."

But anyway, since it's the '60s again, and since elected officials in the Gret Stet are still doing '60s-stupid (not to mention flat-out evil) things, I guess it's time to start the protests. Right here.

Right now.

LOUISIANA, this episode of 3 Chords & the Truth is for you. From your perspective, that is not a good thing.

For everybody else, I think you'll enjoy this week's edition of the Big Show.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

Jim Carroll: I'll miss him. He died.

Jimmy started playing ball when he was a kid,
Started writing too, told us everything he did,
Catholic boy big star, in the paint and with a pen,
Poetry in motion, and looking for a fix, fix,
Poetry in motion, and looking for a fix, fix

Jump shot, junk shot, he was a boy genius
But, damn, the kid needed something intravenous,
Shoot some hoops, write some books,
Hustle on Times Square for that damn fix, fix
Hustle on Times Square for that damn fix, fix

Traded NYC for the DTs, cleaned out his brain
On the West Coast, wrote some more verse
Tried to sell some books, tried to shake that curse
Got on the stage, turned poems into punk, punk
Got on the stage, turned poems into punk, punk

Basketball Diaries, the Jim Carroll Band
Took the cards he got dealt, played out his hand
He was a punk poet -- banging heads, writing verse
That's how he lived; that's how he died, died,
That's how he lived; that's how he died, died

3 Chords & the Truth: Never ask a dog

This is what Scout, one of 3 Chords & the Truth's production assistants, thinks of this week's edition of the Big Show.

I had to ask.


THIS IS Scout reconsidering the matter when I asked him once more, in my "Do you ever want to eat again?" tone of voice, what he thought of this week's stellar episode of 3 Chords & the Truth.


SCOUT, having reconsidered the matter, agrees that the Mighty Favog has done a damn fine job on this week's show. He went on to say the show is as fine an example of contemporary freeform programming as one will find -- either on or off of the radio airwaves.

Furthermore, he thinks you should just download the show right now. Listen to it several times, even.

Good dog, Scout!

It's 3 Chords & the Truth. Be there. Aloha.

Treat, Scout? Treat!?!

3 Chords & the Truth: As seen on '60s TV

This week's episode of 3 Chords & the Truth has a lot to do with this. "This" being the video just above.

Of course, "a lot to do with" doesn't mean the Big Show is about nothing but the old Red Skelton Hour on 1960s television.

That's just our jumping-off point.

For instance, this week's program also could be said to have much to do with this:

OR PERHAPS this instead:

AW HELL, it's 3 Chords & the Truth, which means this week's episode could have something to do with most anything. That's just the way your Mighty Favog rolls.

Give it a listen and find out what's in it for you today.

3 Chords & the Truth: As seen on MP3

Remember back when you were young and you used to sit in your room and listen to the stereo, shutting the world out with your music blasting through your headphones?

Those days are back! That's right, you can hear those same wonderful songs you loved as a teen-ager . . . or a young adult . . . or love right now . . . all in pristine digital quality!

We call it the 3 Chords & the Truth collection, and it all can be yours for the price of a free download over the Internet. You've never had it so good -- at least not since you were 17 and borrowing your dad's car to take your honey to the malt shop, where you danced all night to your favorite hits on the Rock-Ola jukebox.

HI, I'm the Mighty Favog, and we at the Big Show know what that music means to you. Why? Because we know what it means to us.

And it's all right here -- yours for the listening -- on the 3 Chords & the Truth collection. For three easy payments of not a single dime, you can relive those halcyon days when music was music and your pimples were starting to clear up.

A little.

It will seem like it was just yesterday when you spent all night "Hanging on the Telephone," where you "Heard It Through the Grapevine" straight from your best friend, who heard it from a cousin, who heard it from a neighbor, who got it from somebody who saw it all happen. Honest to God!

And when you tune into the Big Show, yesterday will be today . . . and you're skating on thin ice, Mister! Because your old man saw you hanging out in that hippie coffeehouse, listening to that commie Miles Davis be-bop crap and snapping your fingers like some damn mental deficient!

Cut your damn hair! You look like some kind of a bum . . . or a girl! A girl bum!

What are you anyway, some kind of dope fiend?

I'M TELLING YOU, buddy boy . . . you'd better give your heart to "Jesus of Suburbia," because your ass is gonna be mine!

That's right, the 3 Chords & the Truth collection will make it seem like you're 17 once more and have had it up to f-ing here with that square old bastard.

Or, as one of our favorite bands said:

This is the day
Of the expanding man
That shape is my shade
There where I used to stand
It seems like only yesterday I
gazed through the glass
At ramblers
Wild gamblers
That's all in the past

AH . . . but it doesn't have to be "all in the past." Not with this fine collection of your favorite music, available exclusively through the Big Show! Listen to your old Mighty Favog . . . it can be yesterday once more.

After all, they call Alabama the Crimson Tide . . . call me Deacon Blues.

That made absolutely no sense, did it?

Well, neither did being 17. Back when you were drinking scotch whiskey all night long and trying not to die behind the wheel.

If you download right now, not only will you get the wonderful 3 Chords & the Truth collection, you'll also receive -- absolutely free -- the illusion of recovered youth and eternal coolness.

BUT WAIT! There's more!

As a token of our appreciation for listening to the Big Show, we'll also send along a three-month supply of Stridex and a crapload of raging insecurity. And it won't cost you a penny!

So what are you waiting for? Download now . . . it'll be righteous! Maaaaaan.

I'm the Mighty Favog, and we'll be seeing you on the Internet.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.

3 Chords & the Truth: My name is Mudd

A show like this can mean only one thing: My name is gonna be Mudd.

C'mon, I reference freakin' Hee-Haw, for pity's sake! I even assume people will remember the show . . . and Junior Samples' hilarious bits selling used cars. That number again: BR-549.

And then on 3 Chords & the Truth, we go on to play stuff by the band that took its name from Samples' Hee-Haw bits -- BR5-49.

IT'S NOT flippin' brain surgery. I am an idiot. I have outed myself as a gol-darned redneck. I had relatives who lived in the country.

In trailers.

Some still do.

And, oh, what's the point . . . I mean, what the hell. The Big Show is gonna end up being the no-show. OK, you want some truth with your three chords?

I'll give you truth. Whether or not you can handle it is another question.

I drink Schlitz . . . PBR is kind of pricey.

There. I've gone and done it now. My credibility is toast. I don't care.

So, if you care about as damn little as I do, give 3 Chords & the Truth a listen this week. It's the Big Show. Be there. Aloha.

HEY, Y'ALL! Watch thi. . . .

3 Chords & the Truth: It's summer!

This week, 3 Chords & the Truth sounds like summer.

There's a good reason for that -- it's summer (at least unofficially), and we're ready to bust out and celebrate summertime, summertime sum-sum-summertime.

So, given all that, this episode of the Big Show might be a good one to load onto the iPod and take to the pool. Or maybe you could plug it into a boom box and kick it "old school" at the campsite or at a picnic.

ALL YOUR NEIGHBORS will want to know what the cool show is on the radio. Except it's not the radio exactly. It's better than the radio . . . it's freeform, and HAL 9000 at MegaCorp Broadcasting don't know nothin' 'bout no freeform programming.

Really . . . does HAL 9000 know who Mose Allison is, even? Ella Fitzgerald? Dale Hawkins? Matthew Sweet? BillyBraggWarParliamentMarshallCrenshawDanleers ZacharyRichard?

We do. We play 'em all this week.

And we're having more fun than is legal in 27 states.

OK, here's our guarantee for this week's episode of 3 Chords & the Truth: If we don't blow your mind outright, we'll at least expand it. And if you don't like it, we'll give you your money back.

OF COURSE, the Big Show is free, but that's not important now. The important thing is it's summertime, and we're livin' large. It's the only way to go.

It's 3 Chords & the Truth, y'all. Be there. Aloha.