Wednesday, March 26, 2008

And the Fitzcarraldo Award Goes To....

...my old critical colleague David Klein, currently doing business at the quite wonderful music site Merry Swankster. What's he up to specifically? Well, as his fellow Swanksters describe it, he's embarked on "an ill advised quest to find the definitive song for every number from one to a hundred. It's starting to creep everybody out."

And they're not kidding. Dave in fact hosts a regular feature over there called "Numerology" in which he's doing exactly that -- and more, i.e., he also offers a definitive essay on each definitive song. Forget Weekend Listomania; this is pop obsessiveness in a whole other dimension, and I for one applaud it.

Here's this week's essay for the Number 44. (Hint: the song it celebrates is either by The Zombies or Howlin' Wolf).



Okay, actually it's by the Zombies. Anyway, after you've read the current installment, feel free to scroll down to the archive, which extends back to the Number 1, of course (Hint: the definitive song is by Sparks).

Seriously, this is mad, brilliant stuff, and it would definitely motivate me to shake Dave's hand if I wasn't, at this point, a little nervous about being in the same room with him. Meanwhile, get over there and give him and the rest of the Swanksters some love.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Just stopped by the Merry Swankster's. Steve, if I was you, I'd be concerned about MS knowing that I existing.