Author Archives: Jon Sidel

Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Well, I saw Uncle John with long tall Sally / He saw Aunt Mary comin’ and he ducked back in the alley oh baby / Yeah baby, woo baby / Havin’ me some fun tonight, yeah, ow / Well, long, tall Sally / She’s built for speed, she got / Everything that Uncle John need, oh baby / Yeah baby, woo baby / Havin’ me some fun tonight, yeah…

Long Tall Sally, what a grand ol’ dame in the history of rock ‘n’ roll. She stands tall against the test of time. I imagine her as long woman, drinking a pint of whiskey, sweating it out on a juke joint dance floor.

Who sweating up with dat gal? Little Richard, Bumps Blackwell, or Enotris Johnson? Two of ’em must be slipping and a sliding in rock n roll heaven tonight.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Oh help me Jesus / Come through this storm / I had to lose her / To do her harm / I heard her holler / I heard her moan / My lovely daughter / I took her home / Little fish, big fish, swimming in the water. / Come back here, man, gimme my daughter. / Little fish, big fish, swimming in the water. / Come back here, man, gimme my daughter.

For years The Idelic Hour has featured a Coachella inspired setlist for the drive out to Indio. Coachella, the grandaddy of California music festivals, begins today. I wouldn’t want to poop a party, so I won’t.

Between and before Eminem and Beyonce there are a dozen or so well-selected young rock bands playing Indio over the next two weeks. Thee Oh Sees, Cherry Glazerr, Snail Mail, The Drums, Goat Girl, War On Drugs, and Rolling Blackouts Coastal Fever to name a few.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

We’re only making plans for Nigel  / We only want what’s best for him / We’re only making plans for Nigel / Nigel just needs this helping hand / And if young Nigel says he’s happy / He must be happy / He must be happy in his work…

Written by bassist Colin Moulding of the British new wave band XTC, “Making Plans for Nigel” is a New Wave classic. The song comes from the point of view of a parent. To be honest I can’t really remember making too many “life plans” in my early 20s.

This said, I did make “nightlife plans” daily and I dare say notoriously. As I’m putting together this week’s set I’m procrastinating thinking about how, as we’ve grown older, we tend to always be making serious plans. Ugggh…what a revelation. “What’s your plan?” Every day, with everything.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

She rides unclothed through the streets of Coventry / Upon a great cockhorse hair to her knees / I wore a Minotaur’s Mask and I played the Moon Cow / I was the last to see her anyhow / No one’s gonna lay eyes to see / Lady Godiva and me…

Easter break in the canyon finds us driving south to Long Beach for Passover. Years ago “Passover in the OC” would have seemed like a strange thought, but in 2018 it will be a relief. I’m grateful to have the fellow Sidel/ Fineman/ Berman clan within 50 miles of us.

Also this week, visiting from Thailand, we had my brother and sister-in-law staying with us. Our family has become a fun and yummy melting pot of cultures. Sometimes we function like a herd of kittens, but we try to give ourselves purpose. Props to my uncle Elliott and cousin Elisa for making this weekend special for the kids. Hopefully they won’t get too carried away with egg hunts and video screens.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Tonight you’re mine, completely / You give your love so sweetly / Tonight the light of love is in your eyes / But will you love me tomorrow / Is this a lasting treasure / Or just a moment’s pleasure / Can I believe the magic in your sighs / Will you still love me tomorrow / Tonight with words unspoken / You say that I’m the only one/ But will my heart be broken / When the night meets the morning sun / I’d like to know that your love / Is a love I can be sure of / So tell me now and I won’t ask again / Will you still love me tomorrow

Today I’m celebrating love for a childhood friend. (Shit, I’m learning as I get older to hold those special friendships dear.) There was a day when I was carefree—I’d get home from school, lace up my Pro Keds, and head out. My spot; a pair of tucked away basketball courts located behind the 86th Street crosstown in Central Park. Yes, it was “schoolyard ballin,” New York City, ’70s style. Before Air Jordans and leather sneakers there was Connie Hawkins and Julius Erving (better known as “The Doc”).

Between games (as we called it, “run”) we played frisbee. Before we tossed “the disc” we rolled joints in ’em. In those days weed was a weed with TONS of seeds, so the frisbees had a duel function. Rolling papers, a quart of beer, and a basketball was all we needed. We didn’t really give a fuck about anything other than music. It was the age of the concerts and going to a rock show at age 14 in NYC in the 1970s was like venturing into JRR Tolkien’s Middle Earth. There was fun, beauty, and sometimes great danger.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Oh, let the sun beat down upon my face / And stars fill my dream / I’m a traveler of both time and space / To be where I have been / To sit with elders of the gentle race / This world has seldom seen / They talk of days for which they sit and wait / All will be revealed / Talk in song from tongues of lilting grace / Sounds caress my ear / And not a word I heard could I relate / The story was quite clear

MATT DIKE | 1962–2018

It’s difficult to sum up the life of a human with just a few words, yet the tale of Matt Dike is a rock ‘n’ roll tale, and this Idelic Hour of songs is my best pitch.

In the ’80s, Dike was LA’s coolest—the kid from the New York suburbs who turned DJing a dorm room into rock legend. The guy had it all. Taste, looks, charm, charisma, and a fun sense of humor. For the two to three years we ran underground nightclubs together, Dike was my best friend and constant companion.

It came as no surprise that Dike named his label Delicious Vinyl. Dike was a vinyl collector of epic proportions. Records literally meant the world to Matt, for it was his DJ sets and a collector’s nature that were at his core, his soul, his god. As Dike’s business partner, it was part of my job to protect “the records” over all else. Money, the sound system, the staff, as he bluntly explained, “can be easily replaced, but my records would take years.”

In the heat of running a sometimes illegal party, the stacks of heavy milk crates could really weigh a dude down, but fuck man…so many great times. And all of them revolving around songs and record collecting. We used to sit and eat the $2.99 breakfast special at the greasy spoon joint on Santa Monica Boulevard and discuss his DJ sets, freaking about that magical, unpredictable record that would seem to drop out of left field and rock an unsuspecting dance floor into both sweat and ecstasy. “How about ‘Atomic Dog’ into ‘How Soon Is Now?'”  a then new single from The Smiths.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

Is there anybody going to listen to my story / All about the girl who came to stay? / She’s the kind of girl / You want so much, it makes you sorry / Still you don’t regret a single day / Ah, girl, girl

When I think of all the times / I tried so hard to leave her / She will turn to me and start to cry / And she promises the earth to me / And I believe her / After all this time I don’t know why / Ah, girl, girl

This week’s Idelic Hour features more songs about girls. It’s really a playlist with one very special girl in mind. She’s young, beautiful, talented, wild, and in danger.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

I would say I’m sorry / If I thought that it would change your mind / But I know that this time / I have said too much / Been too unkind / I try to laugh about it / Cover it all up with lies / I try and laugh about it / Hiding the tears in my eyes / Because boys don’t cry / Boys don’t cry

Last night I watched two shows—a Vice news episode on a Chinese family celebrating the Lunar New Year and Chris Rock’s new Netflix special. Two extremes, both amazing and insightful. I ran the gambit of emotion—laughter, sadness, hope, etc. The planet and its inhabitants are coming together…and moving miles apart simultaneously.

This week I’m contemplating how life has changed since boyhood.

I used to have an office. Now I work in a modern environment, one long table with various co-workers. Some days I’m seated with all women. I heard one say the other day how “boys have it rough now.” Meaning, since “#MeToo,” boys are fucked.

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Greetings from Miami Beach!

Out of the tree of life I just picked me a plum / You came along and everything started’in to hum / Still it’s a real good bet / The best is yet to come…

This city has never been my scene. It’s here that my dad Kenny has decided to retire, so knowing I’d been down south last weekend, we cashed in some “miles” and pulled together a last-minute trip to bring young Jonah down to see his Granddad.

Traveling to Florida during spring break is something I haven’t done since I was a boy Jonah’s age. At times all of us have gotten a touch cranky. I had actually planned on taking a week off the show fearing a wonky internet and family distractions, but last night’s dinner in Little Havana was inspiring and I wanted to send heartfelt and grateful vibes into the universe.

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Greetings from Laurel Canyon!

I hear the whispers, and I hear the shouts / And though they never cry for help / Tell me who sends these / Infamous gifts / To make such a promise / And make such a slip / Oh no / Can’t pull a trick / Never the rose / Without the prick / Oh, but tell me how do I say? / I woke up and it’s yesterday / Do I again face this night? / Guiding light, guiding light / Guiding through these nights

This has been one of those weeks when I’ve needed a friend or stranger to nudge me in the right direction. A ray of light. A glimmer of hope. A laugh, a tug, a pat on the back, and a dare I say a hug.

To be honest, Spotify randomly played “Guiding Light” from Marquee Moon. It’s funny, I’ve been thinking about Verlaine’s songs this past month but not this one. Digging through a few crates I found more songs about “light” and “the light” than most.

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