Testing an NYC Librarian's Music Knowledge

Are you ready? I don't want to say I was born for this, because I don't want to ruin it. Before we start with the music, introduce yourself. Hi, my name is Dan. I'm a librarian here in New York City for the New York Public Library, and I'm a big music fan. How long have you been a librarian? I've been a library system for about eight years, and I've been a librarian for about five. Is there a music book section? Yeah, it's in the Dewey Decimal System in the 700s. I know exactly where it is at our library. It's a great resource. Do you read a lot of music books? I read a fair amount of music books. I'm not always interested in a music book, sometimes I'd just be listening to the music jack. But if it's an artist I really like, I'll get down to that book, yeah. Here you go. All right. Uptown, baby, uptown, baby, gets down, baby. This is Black House, Dewey Dan. I love that. What time? You did that little performance. Well, that's, they sampled this. Yes, in that song. We're in the greatest classic albums recording, where they show you how they make Asia, they got Steely Dan, Walter Becker, and Donald Fager in the studio, and they dropped the beginning of this song, and Donald Fagan's like, uptown, baby, and then Walter Becker cracks up. Uptown, baby, uptown, baby, we get down, baby, up on the crown, baby. You love Steely Dan? I love Steely Dan. Top three. Why? Well, I was thinking about this lately. I feel like I just get Steely Dan. I feel like I'm tapped into it. I don't need to think about it. That's my music. All their songs are like story songs, all their characters are incredible. The music is just funky, complicated, but like in an accessible way, they're like the best version of a hipster. Did you always love them, or did you grow into them? It wasn't like something that my parents played around the house. I kind of grew into them a little bit, but early it just became my thing. You're one for one. Justin. This is our warrant, Zeevan. Yes, it is. Excitable, boy. Yes. Technically a stirred record. This one is kind of, we don't talk about, then there's the debut, self-title, warrant Zeevan, and this is an excitable boy, the title track. Why should people listen to him? Again, not too dissimilar from Steely Dan. These guys songs are unlike other people's songs. Very funny, literate lyrics. You love to read, you love books, Zeevan, but he's also was like an crazy alcoholic, basically, for much of his life. Yeah. Not the most savory guy. He's a songwriter, a songwriter, maybe. You know, the guy is from the Eagles, Jackson, Brown, Linda, Ron, Stan. They all loved warrant Zeevan and it never really took off the way he wanted to because of his behaviors and the way he was. But the music is great. Two for two. Two for two. How much money have I won? There's another one that's in the same vein. Gotta get up. Harry Nielsen. Uh, Nielsen Schmielsen. First track, I believe. Yeah. Nielsen again. It's a great opening track. Because you gotta get up. It starts it. You can't get down. Getting down is good. But, you know, again, I mean, I don't know, Jack, you know me too well, perhaps. We got the Steely Dan characters. We got the maniac Warren Zeevan. We got Harry Nielsen, another kind of wild man. He's all over the place. Yeah. He never did like one thing. He was a great interpreter of songs. Yeah. But he was also a really original songwriter. He was writing songs that other people weren't writing. Yeah. Like, good old desk. He's writing about his desk. The G.O.D. God. The one thing I've got. A huge success. My good old dad. He's writing his weird quirky songs that are really catchy. And really emotionally powerful. You wanna do another weird one? I'll do whatever you want. I'm feeling good. Oh, well. Ocean Mad. Diner. Diner. And G.O.D. Ween. These are guys are kind of almost like the Steely Dan of the 90s. I mean, don't fact check me on that. I'm not exactly sure if it checks out entirely. But they're one of my favorites, too. Ween. Check this one out. This is also-- Is it those? This is off the country record. 12th of all the country grades. Are they making fun of country music? Maybe a little bit. Oh, they're definitely appreciating it. They got session players on this, the real deal. I mean, again, another people may point to them and say, "Pastiche." But I think they elevate. They're really weird. Gina has one of the all-time great voices in rock and roll. I got their record in high school, chocolate and cheese. And, you know, I'm like, "This isn't serious music." And I put it away. But then later, as I got a little older, I could appreciate it for what it was. I was like, "No, music doesn't have to be serious." You don't have to cry. You can cry, but you can also laugh, Jack. Is this a blind? No, what is this? Oh, this is Elvis Costello. Yes. Watching detectives. Yes. I love Elvis Costello, the angry young man. This is off his debut record. Instead, I've been one of my favorite of his songs. Yeah. It's got that kind of ska. I don't know if Rayleigh Noelle was listening to it, but that's what I thought of me. A little sublime action. They were definitely losing Elvis Costello. You think so? For sure. My wife doesn't like him. My wife doesn't like two artists. Ween and Elvis Costello. I get. Not liking Ween. I get it, too. Yeah. You might be like, "Music is a serious thing. Stop fucking around." Yeah. And then Elvis Costello, I don't know what it is. There is something about him that. It's his voice. Yeah. 'Cause he can get big. It's his voice. He can get big. A sound. A sound. A sound. A sound. A sound. A sound. As a kid, I loved it, though. My mom had a couple CDs. And I just. A sound. A sound. This is Macdemarco. Yes. Macdemarco is great in the same vein. Yes. I think that his latest record, guitar. Yeah. That was my record of the year. It's a love letter to the guitar. Because the guitar is like the only thing in his life that's a constant. Yeah. I think he's, you know, up and down a little bit. I can't speak for the man. But I thought it was so much better than his other material. Every song starts immediately with vocals. There's no keys and synths on it. I like that. Yeah. Finally, raw catchy songs. I found myself listening to it like a lot less you. What's the record of the year so far? Joyce Manor. Why? They released. They used to go to this bar. It's another under 20-minute pop punk record. Great songs written by Barry Johnson. Well executed by the boys in the band, Chase and Matt. It's catchy. It's fun. It's emotionally resonant. They're the best. What's next? Jesus just left Chicago by ZZ Top? Yes. The reason I know this song and ZZ Top is because of fish. Fish would cover that song. And that's the first time I heard it. Jesus left Chicago. And he had it down to New Orleans. ZZ Top is great. There are strange band three instruments. They've been playing together for the longest time. I was just in Texas. My wife's in Texas. We just passed by La Grange. And I'm like, let's crank it. Great song. Oh, great song. Yeah. Trace Ambrace. I'm brave. And then you're driving around. And that's on. And you're there. And you're driving around with your head. What? Oh, this is Bob Bones. Yes. I saw him play in Williamsburg, the entire copper blue record. Three shows. He has a great memoir. And he has an interesting life. He's an interesting guy. I like him because he's bald, first and foremost. But he's a great guitar player. He's a really great melodicist. Yeah. He's really a straight ahead memoir. But there's a lot packed into it. He's gay in that, like, punk scene. Not always easy for him. And he's a really good, uh, a math. Yeah. That's like his biggest skill as math. It's more than a songwriting, I think. That's my big takeaway from the book. I didn't know that he was good at math. What Sco-Doo means math is great in Danish. I made that up. I'm kidding. What Sco-Doo? I don't know what that means. I recognize the voice. I don't know if I know this song. Okay, so I'll give you a hint. I'm a kid. I just walked in library. Yeah. I'm looking for a book about a certain type of animal. Uh-huh. And I'm obsessed with this animal. That's extinct. Oh, it's science with junior. Yes. Jack. This was fun, man. Zaden? That's it?