Happy 52nd, Eddie!

Eddie Murphy hits the big five-two today.

In the early '80s, the then-shit-hot Murphy could do no wrong: he ruled Saturday Night Live (playing Gumby, Buckwheat, Mr. Robinson, James Brown and Stevie Wonder, among others), he starred in a few decent films (48 Hrs., Trading Places, Beverly Hills Cop), and he recorded the novelty classic "Boogie in Your Butt" (above). Pretty much everything since then sucked... What happened?

What made the biggest impression on me by far was his 1983 standup special Delirious. I first saw it at the relatively tender age of 14, after school one day at the home of a pal who taped it off HBO. I'd never heard anything so incredibly filthy in my young life, and despite its grossly homophobic moments, I'd never heard anything so incredibly hilarious either. I don't think I'd even seen a full standup performance before, and though I was too young (and sheltered) to get many of the 22-year-old's jokes, Delirious thoroughly blew my mind.

Watch the whole thing here...



Goonie goo goo.
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Happy 25th, Sub Pop!

The venerable Seattle label hits the big two-five today, at least according to Sub Pop. Wikipedia says otherwise -- a lame April Fool's joke?

Toeing the company line, Mudhoney frontman Mark Arm mentioned today's 25th anniversary during tonight's in-store show at the West Seattle Easy Street Records. A good performance, and afterwards I went into total fanboy mode: I had all four band members shake my hand and sign my free Ed Fotheringham poster, and I even got a photo with Mark Arm himself, one of my all-time rock 'n' roll idols...

 

Sub Pop was the shit in late-'80s/early-'90s Seattle, when Mudhoney was king (tho' soon dethroned by lesser label-mates Soundgarden and Nirvana). While Sub Pop worked with heaps of cool acts, my other all-time favorite band to record for the label is Girl Trouble.

Looking forward to July's Sub Pop Silver Jubilee...
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