Pleasure in Pain

Schadenfreude is a feeling you've probably had, even if you don't know what it means. German-born sociologist Theodor Adorno defined Schadenfreude as “largely unanticipated delight in the suffering of another which is cognized as trivial and/or appropriate.” Anticipated or not, there is something slightly uncomfortable about taking pleasure in another's pain. But the singers in today's mix sound pretty damn smug about their adversaries' demise. People say, "hate to say I told you so," but really they love it.

William Bell - I Told You So
I bet you regret it already, lady. William Bell was obviously the sexiest guy you'll ever lose.

? and The Mysterians - 96 Tears
If ever there were a man who took rejection into his own hands, it's Question Mark. He's been dumped and has already formulated a plan to win back his girl, dump her, and then derisively make fun of her for it.

Syndicate of Sound - Little Girl
So demeaning, spiteful and danceable. I couldn't get this to an mp3 version, so it's strictly iTunes-playable.

The Beau Brummels - Laugh Laugh
Look at them laughing at you in that picture up there. Joke's on you.

The Shirelles - Foolish Little Girl
Even girls can demean other girls by calling them "little girl."

Lesley Gore - Judy's Turn to Cry
Part two of Lesley's classic "It's My Party" has her acting pretty smug about getting her man back. Good luck, Lesley.

Original Sinners - Who's Laughin' Now
Exene's most recent newish band churns out some perfectly snotty punk. Apologies for the completely incorrect and mildly offensive cover art, if you get that far. I don't know how to get rid of it.

Some Fun

Katie has just finished her new website. More coolness and exciting features will be added when the time is right.

Mixes are also in the works, but it's way hard to find the original versions of oldies on emusic. And, as per past mixes, these mixes involve a lot of old rock and roll.

Here are unrelated tidbits to sate the appetite:
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick and Titch - Hold Tight
The Thunderbolts - The Fisherman

Guys with cool names

Dr. Louis Lasagna

Did you ever wonder who discovered the placebo effect? Louis Lasagna, that's who.

Food of the Day

Pho from Pho Saigon

You might think this is the perfect food when it is drizzly and gray outside. You're wrong. This is the perfect food on a warm and blindingly sunny day in May.

Song of the Day:
This weird number from a MOJO compilation:
Roy Wood - Wake Up

Rollin' Hard

Hypercorrect and all its friends are big Rolling Stones fans, so tonight I'm featuring some ripped vinyl from the record The Rolling Stones Now from 1964. The only real hit on here is "Heart of Stone," and then there are two covers of fantastic songs by Bo Diddley and Otis Redding. Excellent background music for wholesome activities like weekend cleaning, and not-so-wholesome activities, like weekend day-drinking.
Here's a taste:
Everybody Needs Somebody to Love - The Rolling Stones

And here's the album all zipped up:
The Rolling Stones Now

LUX FOREVER

Goodbye Cramps. Goodbye Lux.

Here's some Shortnin' Bread for your Saturday. Freak out to it.

The Cramps - Shortnin' Bread

This Is For Dancing

Get together with a few people in your living room tonight, plug in some Christmas lights, and go to town.

Hercules & Love Affair - Hercules Theme

Terrible Sounds

For those of you not privileged enough to have a copy of Schott's Miscellany Page-A-Day Calendar, I've decided to post January 5th's entry for your amusement and feedback.

THE WORLD'S WORST SOUNDS

Professor Trevor Cox, an acoustics expert at Salford University, spent a year researching the world's worst sounds. Cox posted clips of 34 objectionable noises online, which were rated by 1.1 million visitors. In 2007, the sounds voted most unpleasant were:

1. Vomiting
2. Microphone feedback
3. Wailing babies
4. Train wheels scraping on tracks
5. A squeaky seesaw
6. Badly played violin
7. Whoopee cushion
8. An argument in a soap opera
9. The hum of electricity
10. A Tasmanian devil's scream

Surely Professor Cox must have missed a few. Can you think of any that top these?