Feeling chippy

Here's Alvin and the Chipmunks' version of "Route 66" by Depeche Mode. Yech. I suppose Alvin and the Chipmunks were amusing for five minutes or so when their "The Christmas Song" became a hit in 1958. But taking hit pop songs and simply speeding up the vocals in an attempt to amuse is just lazy. … Continue reading Feeling chippy

Weekly “Route 66” radio show begins Saturday in Joplin

Radio host Terry Hester is debuting a new weekly music show, "Route 66," at KZRG in Joplin, Mo., on Saturday. In an e-mail, Hester said he would be playing the top pop hits from 1957 to 1972 to "relive the music of the Mother Road," along with "bits of audio from that time frame ... … Continue reading Weekly “Route 66” radio show begins Saturday in Joplin

A license to play

If you're a Route 66 fan and a musician, you could do worse than this functional cigar-box guitar made with a Route 66 license plate: It's made by Chickenbone John Guitars, a one-man shop based in England. The Route 66 guitar isn't on his online shop, but he says on the video notes that he … Continue reading A license to play

Meditations with music

Here's a remarkable story in the Los Angeles Times about the Church of Beethoven, which is less than a block off an old alignment of Route 66 in Albuquerque and has its beginnings on the Mother Road. The whole thing is worth reading, but this excerpt captures the place's purpose well enough: It's not really … Continue reading Meditations with music

For Bob

This U2 song, "Kite," has been echoing through my head since learning that Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire was terminally ill. A little background: This performance took place the same day of the funeral for the singer's father. Life should be fragrant Rooftop to the basement.