How about that keyboard reflecting in Ray Charles’s sunglasses?  That’s rock and roll, or more specifically, the blues.  This legendary scene, from the “Blues Brothers” movie, is and irreplaceable document of blues rock awesomeness.  The Blues Brothers were a group formed by Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi, two SNL geniuses who loved the blues and came up with this brilliant concept for a Chicago based blues group.  The dark suits, hats, and shades are icons of TV and movie magic.  It’s just another example of the insane role that the likes of Aykroyd and Belushi were on in the late 70s/early 80s when it came to dominating the coolest ideas of global comedy.  The original Blues Brothers band consists mostly of the first SNL band, and they really cook.  It’s a reminder of how huge SNL was in the late 70s that even the band members got starring roles in a blockbuster feature film.  The movie, directed by hot 80s director John Landis, is a crazy car crashing romp of great music and fantastic dance sequences, evidenced below.  Check it out.

Welcome to part 44 of my youtube countdown!  Today I bring you a real blast from the past.  It’s the Flaming Lips on the David Letterman show in 1995 performing their only commercial pop hit, “She Don’t Use Jelly.”  I discovered the Flaming Lips when I was 17 years old ten years ago, right before they blew up again in the pop culture landscape.  They are kind of impossible not to love.  Their sound is a psychedelic mix of screeching yet melodic electric guitars, bodacious larger than life drumming, and lead singer Wayne Coyne’s unmistakable, warbly high, pitched croon.  For whatever reason, “She Don’t Use Jelly” made it to #55 on the US Billboard charts, probably just riding the grunge wave of the early mid 90s, but the Flaming Lips were never a grunge band.  They have always been a psychedelic garage band bent on pop music domination, clawing their way to immortality by recording dozens of gorgeous songs and records, having an always incredible experimental live show, and lastly, just through sheer grit and determination.  They are the ultimate underdog story in rock history.  So, without further ado, I present to you their epic ode to female masturbation, with Paul Shaffer making another appearance in a band that no one would have ever have guessed he performed with.  Enjoy.

Part 15 of my youtube favorites continues with Motorhead covering Chuck Berry’s Let it Rock on the old David Letterman show.  Now, you’ve probably never heard of Let it Rock.  It’s one of Chuck’s lesser known tunes.  It’s basically Johnny B Goode with different lyrics and no choruses.  But the lyrics are amazing, featuring an incredible intro, “In the heat of the day, down in Mobile, Alabama, working on the railroad with a steel driving hammer…”  AMAZING, and Motorhead knew this.  I love this hard thrashing performance that basically proves the Marty McFly maxim; play any Chuck Berry song hard, and thou shalt rule the universe.  Also great to see Paul Shaffer as a temporary member of Motorhead, just legendary.