Mike Keenan

John Brown's Body

Best Album(s) of 2008

Elvis Costello - Momofuku
I’ll be honest, I don’t own this yet but I have heard it and love that he’s playing rock tunes again. While I wanted him publicly flogged for the Juliet Letters and that Burt Bacharach thing this might be sufficient redemption. In a year when so many acts having underwhelming re-emerged it’s good to see our Declan McManus back to form again.

Favorite Song(s) of 2008

'The Bones of You' from Elbow off of the Seldom Seen Kid.
I love this band would consider killing to tour with them. The entire band seems to perfectly understand their individual roles required to make the whole brilliant. Guy Garvey has the ability to rip you from where ever you are and bring you to his often blurry eyed daydream inspired world. The lyrics paint magnificent visuals and his voice is slightly Peter Gabriel like.

Your Personal Favorite On-stage Moment/Show of 2008

I missed every big show I wanted to see this year due to my own gigs so I’m going to be vein and say that it was having Darryl Thompson of Sly and Robbie, Black Uhuru, Peter Tosh and Sinead O’Connor fame sit in with us in Charleston, South Carolina. He was playing with Mishka and was one of the coolest and most inspiring musicians I’d ever met. We would guitar/music nerd out before many shows. He inspired us to raise the level of our playing without feeling like music school dickheads.

Classic Album or Artist You Discovered This Year

Pete Seeger- My wife likes the show Weeds and his “Little Boxes” is the opening music. This put his voice in our heads. The more I explored it the cooler he seemed. The song “Which side are you on” seemed like an appropriate anthem for this election year. I wanted to do an updated reggae cover but it never left the demo stage.

Favorite new gadget, technology, site or application you can't live without

Skype - It’s not new but I’ve used it in luau of an expensive electronic leash (cell phone). Not to mention when I was a kid this was Jetson’s type of technology.

Artist You Are Most Excited About In 2009 (any medium)

Shepherd Ferry - His murals and paintings helped throw Obama over the top. I saw elderly women and punk rock kids wearing the same Obama/Ferry pins this year. That is pretty insane. His work seems simultaneously anthemic and underground. If that’s not walking a tight rope I don’t know what is. My fear for the year ahead is that his work will become a mockery since he’s now involved with way over priced trendy clothing.

Your Latest Guilty Pleasure

HBO’s True Blood. You have to love a show that picks up where Anne Rice left off keeping the South simultaneously sexy and creepy.

What should President Obama change first in 2009?

I would like to see a “Green” Manhattan Project where we essentially put every mind and resource towards finding, creating and implementing every form of clean renewable energy. It would create jobs, clean the earth, create valuable exports (besides weapons) and stop the endless flow of cash to hostile countries. This would undercut terrorism without killing anybody. This would be a novel tactic. Obama spoke of this on the campaign trail. If he does it I say we put him on the dollar bill. After all Washington has the quarter too.

A Memorable/Humorous/Classic Moment on the tour bus/road in 2008

We were on tour with Giant Panda Gorilla Dub Squad and our keyboard player’s brother Sean Goodwin left a horrific present for them in their Sprinter. I wrote about it in my blog. See the 10/15 and 10/18 updates for details…
http://www.johnbrownsbody.com/wordpress/?p=18

*Bonus question – great YouTube or viral video you saw this year

We never stay in the cities we play in. There’s always some dismal drive to some dump where the hotels are cheaper. To pass the time late night viewings of Salad Fingers have proved “most pleasing to the tips”: http://www.fat-pie.com/salad.htm