So last September, "Karl Show! (starring Jason)" invited me into their studio for an interview, some beer, and also to spin a few songs I like. They’ve finally posted the discussion as a podcast.
We talked for an hour and a half about "The Sabertooth Vampire," being adopted, finding your birthparents, "CulturePulp," "Mr. Do & Mr. Don’t," the single toughest night of cartooning I ever pulled off, my working relationship with Bill Mudron, the changing state of film writing, tips for interviewing filmmakers, the brand-driven cineplex, why “Eyes Wide Shut” is underrated, and a bunch of other stuff.
Also we played a lot of funk. After the jump: the playlist I put together for the show, at their request, if you’re curious.
1. “A.D.T.” (“Act Don’t Talk”) By Lo-Fi-Fnk
Stripped-down little song by a Swedish electropop band. Discovered it via Fluxblog years ago. Love the first verse about the poser who won’t ever get around to writing that novel.
2. “You Are The One” by Am-Fm
3. “Back It On Up” by Chuck Brown & The Soul Searchers
Couple of tracks off a recent acquisition, the awesome “GoGo Get Down” anthology collecting the classics of Washington, D.C.’s GoGo funk scene from the late ’70s and early ’80s.
4. “I’ve Got You Under My Skin” by Frank Sinatra (from 1966′s “Sinatra at the Sands,” featuring Count Basie)
My favorite Sinatra song, and one I sang WAY too much at karaoke bars in my lame, long-lost early 20s.
5. “The Asteroid Field” by John Williams
Spent a lot of time as a kid drawing to John Williams scores. It’s still audio comfort food for me today.
6. “Main Titles (Alternate)” from “Enter the Dragon” by Lalo Schifrin
Had my film-music-loving horizons expanded later in life by listening to the great Jimmy Aquino’s “Fistful of Soundtracks” streaming show. He turned me on to a lot of the great brassy ’70s scores. Here’s one of my faves, from the legendary Lalo Schifrin.
7. “Rush” by Yoko Kanno & Seatbelts
Another life-changing “Fistful of Soundtracks” discovery: hard-charging brass from the now-classic score to the “Cowboy Bebop” anime. Great middle-of-the-night get-pumped on-deadline music. Bill Mudron has suffered through me penciling frantically to this on more than one occasion.
8. “A Martini For Mancini” by Joey Altruda
Never quite got over that bachelor-pad lounge revival fad from the mid-’90s. It’s terrific cartooning music. This track from L.A. ska and session musician Joey Altruda’s “Cocktails With Joey” is one of my faves from that period, and also how can you argue with epic flute solos.
9. “You Haven’t Done Nothin’” by Stevie Wonder
One of my all-time faves is 1970s Stevie Wonder. Kills me that so many people think he’s that 1980s “I Just Called to Say I Love You” hack when tracks like this 1974 anti-Nixon classic (featuring the Jackson 5 on backup vocals) exist.
10. A Fistful of Rupees (draft), remixed by Bobby Roberts
A shameless plug for my pal and former podcast-mate Bobby Roberts’ free “Geek Remixed” albums, which I’m drawing to constantly. This track contains samples from “Ecstasy of Gold” composed by Ennio Morricone and “Overworld Theme” by Koji Kondo from “The Legend of Zelda.”
11. “Make It Funky, Pts. 1-4” by James Brown
I come up with a lot of cartooning/writing ideas while running, and this James Brown call-and-response epic is one of the secretly greatest long-distance running songs there is. Once jogged 10 miles listening to nothing but this on a loop.
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Karl Show! Starring Jason: Interview w/ Mike Russell (May 16, 2014) [ iTunes ]
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