Have just stumbled across a little-known fact that, for reasons known only to me*, I find to be fascinating.

Vincent Damon Furnier was a DeMolay kid.

That’s “Alice Cooper” to you and me.

That’s what I said. ALICE COOPER was DEMOLAY.

Fascinating.

Added
“You Me and the Bourgeoisie,” The Submarines, Honeysuckle Weeks
“Fool In The Rain,” Led Zeppelin, In Through The Out Door
“I Can See My House From Here,” The Glands, The Glands

I think some of the fiercest lyrics every were penned by Ben Folds on “Julianne.” When I get that song lodged in my Psychic Music Mobius, there’s no stopping it. So. ‘Tis added.

Added
“Julianne,” Ben Folds Five, Ben Folds Five
“Big River,” Johnny Cash, Folsom Prison Blues
“How Was California?,” Reckless Kelly, Bulletproof
“Each Year,” Ra Ra Riot, The Rhumb Line
“Super Bad,” Kashmere Stage Band, Jump Back

She insists she’s not into anything having to do with vampires. Yet, we’ve just gotten her all caught up on “Battlestacked Galactica” up through season 4.0, which has rebroadcast on HD channels, and there’s an hour to SNL. Fine, she says. Let’s try your damned vampire show.

After the first episode, well, she says, we have to see if Sookie Stackhouse gets rescued. Let’s watch another. I warn her that they’re all like that, they each and every single solitary episode will end with a cliffhanger. I’m trying to warn her that she is on the slippery slope to actually enjoying this vampire show.

Soon, it’s 3 a.m., and she resigns herself to continuing our marathon the next morning.

I am warning you. HBO’s “True Blood” is more addictive than V-Juice itself.

It is an interesting show to watch, too, in the shadow of having just been steeped in BSG. There are similarities, the otherworldly natures of the protagonists, do they sleep, do they dream, do they breathe, do they eat? An entire netherworld exists within each narrative filled with characters we instinctively fear and loathe and yet find ourselves sympathetic, that, perhaps, the similarities outweigh the eerie differences. So watch this fine program at your own risk. You will not be able to turn it off.

Added
“Organized Meat,” Cows, Whorn
“Pheonix City,” The Skatalites, Greetings From Skamania
“A Hit By Varese,” Chicago, Chicago V
“Lemon Grove Avenue,” Mason Jennings, Use Your Voice
“103,” The Whispertown 2000, Swim

“Rabou-Abou-Kabou,” Rabih Abou-Kalil, Blue Camel
“Land of 1000 Dances,” Sam & Dave, Sam & Dave All Time Greatest Hits
“Karma Police,” Easy Star All-Stars, Radiodread

Believe it or not. The “Karma Police” dub is pretty good.

“Straight to Watts,” Jimmy O’Brien, Straight To Watts: The Central Avenue Scene 1951-54 Vol 1
“Tired,” Adele, 19
“Train in Vain,” The Clash, London Calling

It may be my age, or my natural inclination toward old-mannish crabiness regarding such issues, but it seems to me that there are certain arguments you just cannot have about contemporary popular music anymore.

One of those arguments that falls apart: Greatest rock drummer. Who since Alex Van Halen has been worth arguing about?

One of the hands-down champs of those wars, Mitch Mitchell of Jimi Hendrix fame, has died.

Without Mitchell, there would have been no Jimi. That is an incontrovertible fact. Put on “Spanish Castle Magic” or “Little Miss Lover” sometime and try to tell me any other drummer in the universe could have made it sound like that. I think Mitchell invented the oddly marchy beat in “Little Miss Lover,” but you know it’s been duplicated and sampled.

I latched on to Axis: Bold as Love and Experienced when I was 12 or 13. And, of course, Hendrix’s balls-out innovative approach to his instrument was part of the attraction. But only part. Without Mitchell or Noel Redding, without that exact chemistry, it would have been lost on anyone. Just put on one of the Experience albums sometime and listen to the drums instead of Jimi. Listen to the fills and the beautfully unique sensibility Mitchell achieves. Honestly, the only drummer I’ve heard approach it of late is Meg White. I know that’s an odd comparison. But it strikes me as apt.

Bye, Mitch. And, thanks.

Added
“Manic Depression,” The Jimi Hendrix Experience, Are You Experienced
“Rockin’ in Rhythm,” Duke Ellington, The Essence of Duke Ellington
“The Pot Head Pixies,” Gong, Flying Teapot
“Living On A Thin Line,” The Kinks, Come Dancing With The Kinks
“Jesu, Joy Of Man’s Desiring,” Leo Kottke, 6- And 12-String Guitar
“Booth Shot Lincoln/It Ain’t the Heat It’s the Humidity,” Contratopia, Hands Four
“Drain the Blood,” The Rural Alberta Advantage, Hometowns

Kim Wilde’s “Kids In America,” by The Muffs, Hamburger.

Also:
“Milk Skates,” Black Moth Super Rainbow, Drippers
“The Hounds of Letterfrack,” Sharon Shannon, The Diamond Mountain Sessions
“Offbeat Feeling,” The Resignators, Offbeat Feeling

Fresh Cut Dyanamite, Squatweiler
Salty Dog, Flogging Molly
Steeple in the Snow, Jackie Mittoo
3121, Prince
Hi-De-Ho, Blood, Sweat and Tears
Eager Beaver, Stan Kenton
Your English Is Good, Tokyo Police Club
Pow, Beastie Boys

Righteous Babe Records, now on eMusic. Get it while it lasts.

Added
Witch Doctor, The Yardbirds (eMusic download)

Present Infant, Ani DiFranco (eMusic download)

Ruby Sees All, Cake (eMusic download)

Gates of Hell, The 241ers (eMusic download)

I Forgot to be Your Lover, William Bell (eMusic download). This is, ostensibly, the song a young lad called “Billy Idol” covered years later. I said ostensibly. Though it doesn’t quite sound the same. Thank goodness.

Added
Dance Crasher, Alton Ellis and the Flames. This amazing old-school ska song has been on the liszt before but is being added again to recognize the passing of Alton Ellis on Oct. 10. The Godfather of Rocksteady was 70.

Masters of War, Bob Dylan GO VOTE, already.

Anthem for the Earnest, The Bad Plus Speaking of ridim…