What songs give you an unadulterated happy?

shrift, I answered this for you elsewhere as well, but wanted the chance to pimp this song to y'all, which is possibly my favorite song of the year: "I Hear the Bells" by Mike Doughty, which is just so simple and joyous and perfectly-crafted that I can't help busting out into a huge smile every time I hear it.

Mike Doughty's Haughty Melodic might be my record of the year, actually. (I know, it's a 2005 release, but I didn't pick it up until this summer.) Either that or Begin to Hope by Regina Spektor, but that one starts to fizzle a bit around the 2/3 mark, whereas Haughty Melodic ends as well as it begins. I didn't know Doughty could be so unabashedly poppy, but oh, he does it marvelously.

I didn't know Doughty could be so unabashedly poppy, but oh, he does it marvelously.

When I was researching the bubblegum book, I had some great quotes by Doughty about bubblegum and the Spice Girls. He's well versed in the pure pop.

Mike Doughty

Former lead singer for Soul Coughing, yes?

Former lead singer for Soul Coughing, yes?

That's him.

There's a BBC documentary on "Fairytale of New York"

I saw that a couple of months ago. It's as thorough as a documentary about a four and a half minute song should be.

Butane James, the Godfather of Soul is dead.

What's your favorite thing about James Brown ever?

Could be a song, or a moment or concert or a TV appearance.

I have an odd affection for his rare ballads like "It's a Man's World." Also love his odd collection of popcorn related dance hits in the mid sixties. My favorite James Brown was that brief year and half he had with the JBs including Bootsy. The live stuff from that era is unbelievably ferocious.

On Sesame Street they used to have a superbad animated James Brown doing letters of the alphabet. It was the early sixties edition of JB with his towering conk, and satin jacket and very tight pants.

Favorite song: "Out of Sight."

Best Title: "Funky President (People It's Bad)" - during the Watergate era, of course.

The thing he would do, where he'd sort of walk away from the audience, and a minion would cover him with a cloak, then JB would turn around and start being all bad and funky again.

All the odd vocalizations that Eddie Murphy made jokes about.

Jump back, I kiss myself, HAI!

Favorite song: I Feel Good.

My all time favorite thing about James Brown ever is actually a parody Celebrity Hot Tub on SNL but I also love him as Reverand Cleophus in The Blues Brothers. Favorite song: Sex Machine.

Here's a clip of the JBs doing Sex Machine: [link]

My favorite is Superbad.

I loved James Brown's cameo appearance in Undercover Brother which was pitch-perfect funny, especially his appalled expression in the limousine. He should have acted more!