They don’t care about your flat-front khakis and they don’t want to know about your slim-fit jeans; they are Men Without Pants, the duo of Dan “The Automator” Nakamura (Gorillaz) and Russell Simins (Blues Explosion). Debut album Naturally (Expansion Team) is out now, featuring guest musicians Sean Lennon and members of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Cibo Matto and the Mooney Suzuki. Pantsless frontman Simins made MAGNET a plus-sized mix tape of his favorite songs, hitting the percussion standouts heavily. Needless to say, there is nothing safe about dancing to these songs.
“And The Girls Go” (download):
1. SERGE GAINSBOURG/JANE BIRKIN “Le Decadence”
This is the most beautiful pop song I’ve ever known. Serge is the master of capturing the down and dirty and real and sexy with inimitable style. Jane is his vocally brilliant hot muse. The bands that he recorded with are always top-notch and groovy-sounding, as are the arrangements, and the drummers always have such great feel. Serge’s chord changes can often make me cry; they’re so brilliant and moving. This song is him at his best.
2. THE VELVET UNDERGROUND “Heroin”
The first line: “I don’t know where I’m goin’.” Seven-plus minutes later, last line: “And I guess I just don’t know.” Punk-rock anthem, psychedelic anthem, metal anthem, hard-rock anthem, no-wave anthem, avant-garde anthem. And it manages to be a catchy kinda pop song, too. Put an end to Dylan being the sole father of punk. Maybe in style and swagger, Dylan is still the first, but this is the birth of punk-rock music and attitude as we know it in all its various forms. And Moe Tucker’s drumming!
3. BERNARD PURDIE “Soul Drums”
Along with Ziggy Modeliste, John Bonham, Charlie Watts, Levon Helm and Ringo Starr, Bernard Purdie has made a most indelible impression on me as a drummer. Pretty Purdie is a master of feel like none other, and the feel and the funk on this track is mind-blowing. Not to mention the crazy cool reverb on the snare drum.
4. JAMES BROWN “Tell Me That You Love Me”
Simply one of the most captivating rock/soul tracks ever recorded, brought to you like only James Brown can. It’s a live recording from 1966. The Blues Explosion has played this live a few times. We tried to do it justice. Totally inspiring and insane.
5. JOHN LENNON “God”
The naked truth! Lennon was the king of stripping it all down and telling it like it is. And he managed to be sensitive while doing it all. Such a dimensional personality, and it all comes through in this song. The raw-yet-pretty production (which he was really mostly responsible for on this album, even though it’s credited to Phil Spector), the lyrics and his unmatched vocal intimacy. Ringo Starr’s drumming is an added plus and, as always, perfectly simple and very uniquely Ringo.
6. BOB DYLAN “Idiot Wind”
Not from the properly released Blood On The Tracks, but the first NYC version before Dylan went to L.A. and recorded it differently. I find the New York sessions, particularly this song, to be more intimate and touching. Not to take anything away from Blood On The Tracks.
7. BOB DYLAN “One Too Many Mornings”
From Live In 1966. My favorite Dylan lyric, at arguably Dylan’s greatest moment. The performance is cantankerous and lazy, chaotic and controlled, with the Hawks backing him up. He was changing the face of popular music, and this song moves me more than any other. I used to only be able to hear this on a rare bootleg I have called Ten Of Swords. For years, that was the only way I knew it. When this concert came out as part of the officially released bootleg series, it was pretty amazing to hear it in an official form.
8. OL’ DIRTY BASTARD “Shimmy Shimmy Ya”
The Jerry Lee Lewis of rap. From the opening scratchy-record sounds and swarthy infectious piano sample to the moment you hear his voice and his shameless, breathy, salivating vocal style and the unique flow to his vocal tweak when he utters, “Nuh ooooorman Bates,” you know this is an original like no other. Such great apparent lo-fi production on this one; it makes it punk. ODB is the greatest personality in rap. He even beats out Biz Markie to me, which in and of itself is unbelievable.
9. YEAH YEAH YEAHS “Y Control”
The best girl to ever lead a band. Period. Karen O’s refreshingly honest “I don’t give a fuck but I do give a fuck” way as a performer is the bottom line of punk. It keeps it alive regardless of the seemingly mass-produced punk stylings of Green Day and a hundred other bands. This song captures her at her best and also really features Brian Chase’s trademark awesome drumming. Nick Zinner is great on this one, too; he really hooked up our song “Let’s Meet In Real Life” on the Men Without Pants record. The Blues Explosion toured with YYYs for about a year. We took them under our wing at the time; they opened up for us all over the U.S., Europe and Australia, and it was a total blast. Brian and I used to go vintage-drum shopping together.
10. GEORGE JONES “Walk Through This World With Me”
Best voice ever. Tremendous love song. Although he didn’t write a lot of his songs after a while, he still made them his own with his incredible voice and so heartfelt delivery. This one really says it all about finding true love.
11. BEETHOVEN “Late String Quartet Opus 131 in C Sharp Minor – 1st Movement” / THE BEACH BOYS “God Only Knows”
The first movement of this is truly a sublime mixture of the dark and the light. Like Brian Wilson’s best songs, one of which, “God Only Knows” (one of his masterpieces), I have to include here.
12. MILES DAVIS “Shh/Peaceful” and “Blue In Green”
Tony Williams drumming on “Shh/Peaceful” (off of In A Silent Way) and Miles’ coolest-of-cool fusion band never gets boring. “Blue In Green” (off of Kind Of Blue) is just the most gorgeous fucking jazz number off the most amazing jazz record of all.
13. ROLLING STONES “Rocks Off”
The greatest rock song opening up the greatest rock album of all time. Charlie Watts and his signature behind-the-beat style and fills have never sounded better. What rock ‘n’ roll is all about.
14. TELEVISION “Marquee Moon”
Punk rock at its most glorious.
15. TOM WAITS “Take It With Me”
The best, rawest modern-day singer/songwriter in my book, and this is just one of many examples. I played drums for him on Letterman a few years back. He’s the original: the Charles Bukowski of song. No bull and a totally hilarious sweetheart. I initially met him at a meeting that was set up for us at a roadside diner near his Northern California home. He ordered fries and coffee. We cracked each other up for about an hour. He was really happy to hear the Animals on the radio in the diner.
16. BUTTHOLE SURFERS “The Shah Sleeps In Lee Harvey’s Grave”
This basically wipes the floor of any hardcore punk before it, at the time of it and after it. It rips your face off and you love it! Period! With all due respect to Black Flag and the Bad Brains.
17. SLAYER “South Of Heaven Into Silent Scream”
Metal and metal drumming (the one and only Dave Lombardo) at its peak.
18. ROBERT JOHNSON “If I Had Possession Over Judgement Day”
The blues begins and ends for me with Robert Johnson. There are others, of course: Howlin’ Wolf, John Lee, R.L. Burnside, etc. But nothing ever come close to Robert Johnson for me. I played drums on a record we made with R.L. He’s actually a link to the original Delta blues. What an amazing muthafucka R.L. was!
19. ELVIS PRESLEY “Baby Let’s Play House”
From The Sun Sessions. Sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll is born for all.
20. BIG STAR “Sixteen”
Alex Chilton was such a master of the melancholic pop song. Here’s one example that could end every one of my mix tapes.
And I’d have to add these at some point. Just a few artists and songs I can’t live without while I’m on the road.
NICK DRAKE “Time Has Told Me”
TOWNES VAN ZANDT “No Place To Fall”
LEONARD COHEN “Secret Life”
ELLIOTT SMITH “Pitseleh”
SPIRITUALIZED “The Straight And The Narrow”
NEIL YOUNG “On The Beach”
THE CURE “In Between Days”
