May
8
May 8, 2007
JB gave me a copy of The Zombie Survival Guide and I cannot put it down. I highly recommend it, especially if you’re already semi-obsessed with zombies and you find yourself thinking about them at least as frequently as you think about, say, which boat crew on Deadliest Catch is going to get the most crab this season, which is to say, probably more often than is healthy.
The book includes, among other things, instructions for making your house as safe as possible during the inevitable zombie invasion. Basically, if you live in a one-story house without an attic—as we do—you’re fucked. You have to get on the roof. So now I think we should scrap this whole kitchen remodel business and build a second floor. With built-in zombie trapdoors. And multiple brain-smashing tools, such as crowbars, stashed in convenient locations.
What? It’s only paranoia if zombies don’t exist.
(STOP LOOKING AT ME LIKE THAT.)
I went running (so as to better prepare myself for escaping zombies, of course) yesterday evening, as long as we collectively define “running” as “alternating between trotting and walking while consistently producing the sort of wheezing you’d hear from an elderly, asthmatic pug”. It was a gorgeous, warm day here in Seattle (also, I would have loved a little of this sudden summery weather over the weekend instead of the chilly gray skies we did have, I mean what’s with the 75-degree temperatures showing up when I’ve got to sit in an office all day? NOOO THEY BE STEALIN MY BUCKET) and by the time I got back home I felt quite virtuous, what with my sheen of sweat and all. I’ll tell you, there’s nothing in the world like the feeling you get from running . . . when you stop, that is.
I’m looking to create the Ultimate Playlist for Running, because the iPod really does make all the difference in terms of distraction and motivation to keep going (instead of giving in to my natural desire to curl up on the road and weep steadily into the pavement). So far I’ve got:
Run Rabbit Run, Eminem
When the Music Stops, Eminem
Whiskey in the Jar, Metallica
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger, Daft Punk
Blue Orchid, White Stripes
Buzzbomb, Dead Kennedys
Charlotte Mittnacht (The Fabulous Destiny Of…) , DeVotchKa (This one’s great for the end when you stagger up your driveway all triumphant-like.)
Perhaps you noticed this is a short list. Well, shut it. I can’t run very far yet. But on the theory that someday I will be able to pug-wheeze along far enough to need a longer playlist, or just to have some rotation, I want your recommendations. Share your favorite heart-pumping, zombie-escaping songs—anything that motivates you to move. Otherwise, I’m just going to add more Eminem, and then my language is just going to get worse. Won’t you think of the children?
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Ooh you guys RULE. Thanks and keep ’em coming if you have more!
I love to run to disco/dance and some classic rock songs. The beat is just perfect for a 5mph run/walk. Some of my current faves are:
I Don’t Feel Like Dancing (Scissor Sisters)
Looking for You (Kirk Franklin–yes, it’s gospel, but it rocks)
Boogie Wonderland
September (Earth, Wind & Fire)
Separate Ways (Journey)
Heaven Must be Missing an Angel (Tavares)
Boogie Oogie Oogie (A Taste of Honey)
…or, you may choose the dance remake, Delicious (Pure Sugar)
Get Right Back Where We Started From (Maxine Nightingale)
I’m Too Sexy (Right Said Fred…okay, it just makes me laugh long enough to get through 3 more minutes!)
Don’t Stop Believin’ (more Journey)
Oh Sherrie (Steve Perry)
Then to cool down…
Turn the Radio Up (Eric Carmen…classic!)
What You Won’t Do For Love
When I’m running and I know I can do just a little bit more the two songs that get me through are:
1) Party Up – DMX
2) Call On Me – Eric Prydz
The best thing about the second song is that it’s 3 minutes long and very repetitive, so it’s over before you know it.
Long time lurker, first time commenter. Love your show.
I have a couple 3-mile running playlists on the old Nano. Here’s a sample:
Peaches — Presidents of the United States of America (warm-up song; last exactly three minutes)
Lust for Life — Iggy Pop (gets me to exactly half a mile)
Flagpole Sitta — Harvey Danger (for old times sake; I imagine I’m back in Seattle on the Burke Gillman Trail)
Ride a White Swan — T Rex
Hot Stuff — Donna Summer
Son of A Preacher Man (an odd one, but it works. I imagine I’m knocking them dead with my Dusty Springfield chops at some local karaoke bar)
Ray of Light — Madonna
Reach Up For the Sunrise — Duran Duran
If I Ever Leave This World Alive — Flogging Molly (for when I feel like I’m about to pass out)
And for cool down: Fix You by Coldplay. Because at this point I feel I could do with some fixing. Or a nap.
99 luft balloons
more than a feeling
undertow – tool
just a girl – no doubt
hyperballad – bjork
its my life – Gwen Stefani
morning light – concord dawn (this is super good to do exercise to)
I haven’t been running in awhile; I usually do the cardio machines, but here are some from my workout collection that might be up your alley, as well as some that were on my running mix when I did run:
Machinehead – Bush
Mr. Jones – Talking Heads (love the horns)
Blind – Talking Heads (ditto)
Comfort Eagle – Cake
Black Tambourine – Beck
Dope Nose – Weezer
Hash Pipe – Weezer
Head Over Heels – GoGos
Our Lips are Sealed – GoGos
You Wreck Me – Tom Petty
Middle of the Road – Pretenders
I Want to Take You Higher – Sly and the Family Stone
Thank You Faletting Me… – ”
Go – Pearl Jam
Pon de Replay – Rihanna (same shame level as Britney)
Elevation – U2
Peace Frog – Doors
…. can’t think of them all… i love making mixes and wish that the iPod had been around when I was younger and had all the time in the world to do them. I used to spend hours in front of the turntable/double deck cassette recorder.
I heard a song called Nowhere With You by Joel Plaskett Emergency on Perez Hilton’s site tonight. Sounds like an AMAZING running song. http://www.joelplaskett.com or http://perezhilton.com/topics/listen_to_this/listen_to_this_dr_beat_20070508.php
don’t know if it’s been mentioned yet since I’m terrible at skimming through 40+ comments, but you can always add Richard Cheese’s version of “Down with the Sickness”. A lovely song featured in the remake of Dawn of the Dead.
Oooo I thought of another one….
David Bowie-suffragette city
Iggy and the Stooges are fun too!
You want more? I’ll give you more……
Well not really, but maybe just one more. Call me slow, (but then I am from down under..) but I have recently discovered Wolfmother – partcularly Joker and the Thief. Worked out to it this morning and that’ll get your heart pumping. Iggy Pops “Lust for Life” isn’t bad either
Any song off of Luscious Jackson’s first release (1993) “In Search Of Manny” would be great jogging music! So would that one awesome song by Northern State “Dying in Stereo.” You’ll be singing along as you run! And all of it is girl-power music, to use a cheesy but appropos phrase. :)
Ooh Ooh Ooh!!! I completely forgot about the “Rogue Traders” (Another Aussie band of course)
I love listening to Charlotte Mittnacht when I’m riding on the train, because I feel oddly transported back to the 1930s, and it makes the passing scenery seem a little more quaint. I’ve never listened to it while running, but now I’ll have to try…
My music recommendations would include:
Kings of the Wild Frontier – Adam & The Ants
Here It Goes Again – OK Go
Take Me Out – Franz Ferdinand
U + Ur hand – Pink
Danger! High Voltage – Electric Six
Whatever Happened – The Strokes
A Southern Thing – Better Than Ezra
Live Fast, Die Young – DeVotchKa
I Want Candy – Bow Wow Wow
Build Me Up Buttercup – The Gimme Gimmes
Le Disko – Shiny Toy Guns
The Saints Are Coming – Better Than Ezra
Better Off Dead – Faders
The Love of My Life – Cowboy Mouth
as a matter of fact, this has just been discussed here: http://captainhambone.typepad.com/not_that_you_asked/2007/04/mix_it_up.html
Here are my humble suggestions for wheezing around the neighborhood…
Ladytron – Destroy Everything You Touch, or Seventeen
Air – Sexy Boy, or Surfing On A Rocket
Lily Allen – Friday Night or Everything’s Just Wonderful
Nada Surf – Blankest Year (if anything just for its chorus of “Oh fuck it, I’m gonna have a party!”)
New Order – Bizarre Love Triangle
Pet Shop Boys – West End Girls, or What Have I Done To Deserve This (which is what I often ask myself whilst limping around the last corner before home.)
Sorry if any of these are repeats from above!
Only one suggestion, as I see the prior commenters have pretty much covered it all.
Brick House by The Commodores – I clean the house like I’m on speed to this one.
I feel so freakin’ old… who are some of these, er, “musical acts”… WAIL I AM SO STUCK IN MY HAPPY SUBURBAN BLISS… Oh well, whatev.
I like to run/walk/drag my limp lifeless (and chubby) body to Dave Matthews – he is the greatest EVER. Any CD really and any song. Maybe not the slower stuff but he has some rip roarin’ songs that make me pick up the pace. Oh and the Bare Naked Ladies and Amy Winehouse. Okay, so yeah I am probably dating myself for liking DMB and BNL… oh poor me.
Ha, zombies are out there as are ghosts and spirits – I believe. Ever watched The Haunting on Discovery, I think? OMG, I so believe in ghosts after weeks of watching that show during my lunch hour!
My first comment — woo, hoo! Your posts always make me laugh and having to be at work becomes a little more bearable.
I don’t run, but I do use an elliptical every day, which seriously kicks. my. ass. Here are some songs that help:
Heartbreaker – Pat Benatar
Barracuda – Heart
Rusty Cage (album: Badmotorfinger) – Soundgarden
Bright Yellow Gun – Throwing Muses
Tick (album: Fever to Tell) – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
oh, and pretty much anything by Rage Against the Machine
Good luck with the running!
reason #458 why i love the gym: elyptical machines allow you to run in place….which means i can close my eyes and find my zen place while my legs are turning into rubber bands….
see, i dont have an ipod (gasp!) so i’m just not as lucky as you.
You’re going to think I’m nuts….but…
Darude-Sandstorm
The Killers-Somebody Told Me, Who Let You Go
Maroon 5-Harder to Breathe
Def Leppard-Pour Some Sugar on Me (GREAT rhythm for weightlifting)
OAR-Night Shift, The Gas Was Low
BT feat. Tori Amos-Blue Skies
Pixies-Wave of Mutilation (not the UK Surf mix, the regular version), Here Comes Your Man
Eiffel 65-Blue
Dead Milkmen-Instant Club Hit (You’ll Dance to Anything)
New Order-Bizarre Love Triangle
Madonna-Ray of Light, Sky Fits Heaven
Frankie J-Suga Suga
Crazytown-Butterfly
Erasure-A Little Respect, Star, Love to Hate You
Garbage-Not My Idea, Stupid Girl
Gigi D’Agostino-I’ll Fly With You
Green Day-Basket Case, Longview, When I Come Around
Ben Folds Five-Army
Bravery-Honest Mistake
Ramones-I Wanna Be Sedated
Laura Branigan-Gloria
Michael Penn-No Myth
Pet Shop Boys-Always on My Mind
Gloria Gaynor-I Will Survive (Dance Mix)
Red Hot Chili Peppers-Give It Away
Real McCoy-Another Night
Scissor Sisters-Filthy/Gorgeous
Stone Temple Pilots-Vasoline
Indigo Girls-Shame on You
Tori Amos-Cornflake Girl
Violent Femmes-Add it Up
Village People-Go West
Wham-Freedom
Offspring-Why Don’t You Get A Job, Pretty Fly for a White Guy
REM-End of the World as We Know It, Finest Worksong
The Cure-Just Like Heaven
Iggy Pop-Lust for Life
You MUST add Extraordinary” by Liz Phair into the mix. When I’m running and I hear that song, I feel like I can fly!
goddess:
“Son of A Preacher Man (an odd one, but it works. I imagine I’m knocking them dead with my Dusty Springfield chops at some local karaoke bar)”
Oh, good. I’m not the only one with a tendency to do that then. And not just with Dusty Springfield, oh, no. Ahem. :)
OK i am a strict lurker but for this 1 instance I decided to be a tad social…
1) Because of you and the internet as a whole i am now convinced that zombies in fact do exist, therefore not a paranoia; in fact you are learning valuable information in the event of a zombie onslot.
2) i am not much of a runner, i do the eliptical and on occassion will torture myself with either a run out doors or worse the treadmill, but that is when i am being completely sadistic… but anyway 1 of my favorite workout songs in Cherry Lips – Garbage, it gets me moving, could be do to the fact that she sings “Go baby go go, we’re right behind you” over and over again makes me feel like i am being chased or something….
Anyway there you have it and i will go back to my usual anti-social lurking behavior now! Thank you :)
The B-52s have some good running songs. “Cosmic Thing” comes to mind for one. But then again I’m 40 so….
I don’t know if this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316015849/ref=wl_it_dp/104-6278340-9112769?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3JEJ6LQR1S53N&colid=10SZ3PK361K9J
was on your reading list?
For songs? I’m so boring…
I don’t know if this: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0316015849/ref=wl_it_dp/104-6278340-9112769?ie=UTF8&coliid=I3JEJ6LQR1S53N&colid=10SZ3PK361K9J
was on your reading list?
For songs? I always listen to Paul Weller. Love him. Especially Sunflower. However, From the Floorboards Up and Come on Let’s Go are good. The Jam’s Down at the Tube Station at Midnight.
And I always find INXS motivating. Maybe it’s just my belief that Michael Hutchense was so darn sexy…
Yikes! Sorry about the double post. Forget the first one!!
Hi, I really like
Let’s Get it Started….Black-eyed Peas
Jump Around…House Of Pain
Bombs Over Bagdad…Outkast
Rosa Parks…Outkast
I used to run to Shaker hymns. They made me feel virtuous and hard-working.
In other news, I am lame.
I like to jog to cheesy ’80s music. mostly. The beats are good and the nostalgia helps me ignore the pain I’m in. Some selections from my playlist:
Dancing With Myself, Billy Idol
Footloose, Kenny Loggins
Mysterious Ways, U2 (maybe that’s ’90s. yes, I think so)
Pepper, Butthole Surfers (may also be ’90s. It’s all a blur to me)
Take On Me, A-ha
Word Up, Cameo
Oh! I also have the cover of “Smooth Criminal” by Alien Ant Farm. Most excellent to jog to.
“Hate To Say I Told You So” by The Hives. It’s a most excellent song to flee from zombies to.
You know I tried to leave a comment yesterday and it didn’t post so I tried again and it said “it looks like that’s a repeated comment” or something and it STILL didn’t post. I’m kinda bummed because I spent so much time putting down songs that were good for faster, medium and cool down running.
I’ll narrow it down. I think the most important thing I said was “It’s not a running playlist without Missy Elliott”. I recommend: Lose Control, Pass that Dutch, Work It, Really Hot and Get Ur Freak On (also The Rain & Sock it To Me are good warm up songs). A lot of them have kinda video game-ish beats which makes me feel like I’m in one. I like that feeling. Who doesn’t want to be in a video game.
Crap, I’m sorry — some comments went into the spam bucket (NOOO!) for some stupid reason. I just went and unspammed them so hopefully they should show up now.
oh yeah and I am SOOO old (ha, if you consider 33 old…) I do not even own an iPod but I think about them often. Then I wonder when in the midst of work, cleaning, cooking, and taking care of four toddlers (you know the little boy, the husband and two dogs…) would I find time to take care of an iPod the way it ought to be…
I think my previous tries yesterday got spam-bucketed, so I’ll try again:
Holding out for a hero – Bonnie Tyler
SexyBack – Justin Timberlake (I can’t believe I’m admitting to this one)
Light Fingered – Composure
Hell Above Water – Curve
Hollaback Girl – Gwen Stefani (I can’t believe this one either; let’s just say I can only run to songs with a good beat)
All the things she said – t.A.T.u.
Send me an angel – Thrice
Crystal Ship – X
Pure Reality – Popnuvo feat. :Lotus
Oh and I just remembered! If Riley is ANYTHING like most toddlers I know, he will love to dance to the song Lose Control. My niece has actually learned to clap along during the pause in the music (and she’s 3). It’s adorable. Try it out when you guys have your next dancing session!
My favorite cardio workout song is ‘Scotty doesn’t know’ from the Eurotrip soundtrack…. its silly, but fun.
And speaking of zombies check this out http://gofugyourself.typepad.com/go_fug_yourself/2007/05/fug_blanchett.html#more
Zombies exist, and they are all in Hollywood *shudder*
I would say anything by Prodigy or Korn or Tool during the running. While stumbling up the driveway or cooling down, I’d go with Imogen Heap or Circa Survive.
Anything by Seabound really gets me going. Oo oo, I also like to exercise to NIN “Pretty Hate Machine” or some depeche mode.
first to comment on zombies: i went with a friend to hear david sedaris speak a few weeks ago (he’s even better in person than he is on paper) and he recommends a book at the end of every show. he recommended the zombie book! apparently david’s also completely distracted and generally paranoid about the possibility of a zombie attack. who knew?
as for songs, i have a playlist called “work it” and a handful of songs from that list:
let’s get retarded – black eyed peas
senorita – justin timberlake
walk away – kelly clarkson
shake your coconuts – junior senior (this one rocks my ass off – it’s got a great pace-setting beat)
bartender – hed p.e. (this one makes you want to beat the hell out of something)
get it poppin’ – fat joe featuring nelly
roda – regina ellis (from the be cool soundtrack – fun!)
Jump by Van Halen
Only Human (Second Wind) by Billy Joel
An absolute must:
You Shook Me All Night Long/ AC/DC
Not 1st on the list or the ensuing sprint will trash you for the rest ofyour run.
“Jane Fonda”
by MICKEY AVALON
it’s terrible but fantastic, makes you run fast and also dance a little mid-stride.
Nine Inch Nails, “Head Like A Hole”. You have to be careful not to run too fast when you listen to it, or your heart will explode.
Ah, the spam filter. I wondered why my first post didn’t show – I see that you weeded out my second one. I thought maybe it was something that the proxy at my office wouldn’t let through. Sorry for the double!
I alternate walking and running, and I recommend some Motley Crue, Guns’n’Roses and Iron Maiden. Especially Run to the Hills.
PS – my favourite lolcat is the cat eating the birthday cake and then getting dragged away. “nom nom nom…noo, it are my birthday!”
Disco Science – Mirwais
You can run, just like the rabbit in “Snatch”
the absolute best song i have on my workout playlist is “fighter” by christina aguilera. i’ve never been a huge fan of hers, but “fighter” is a-mazing when it comes to working out. i seriously feel like kicking some ass when i hear it; it pumps me up like no other…and quite unexpectedly!also, jamiroquia is pretty great for warming up or doing a semi-light workout.
I’m glad that you had a zombie themed post today because I wanted to show you a link that was zombie-related and I didn’t want to do it on a really sweet entry about Riley or something.
Given that you’ve started working out again and are obsessed with zombies, when I read this yesterday, I immediately thought of you. Creepy? Maybe.
http://joshsgarage.typepad.com/articles/2007/05/the_grindhousep.html