February 2, 2008

That’s Dangerous! :: The Mix

A thoughtful friend sent a book to our house around Christmastime called That’s Dangerous!. Originally published in France, it is a slightly alarming collection of cute drawings showing a scrawny little boy doing all sorts of dangerous things (kicking a bully, climbing into a washing machine) and after each picture, kids can easily learn that the facing page warns, “That’s dangerous!” My four year old was delighted and a little awed by all the varieties of heretofore unthought-of trouble that one could possibly get into if they were so inclined.

My mother taught me to always say thank you, but instead of a dull note this time around, I realized how rich my iTunes library was with fodder for a cautionary mix for adults, detailing all the perilous things we can get ourselves into. There’s some genuinely dangerous stuff here, sure, and then many things which are really just . . . not a good idea. Paradoxically, many of those things those are also kind of fun. Such is life.

I entertained myself thoroughly with the making this one, and sent it off by mail as my thanks to the gift-giver. The mix should all fit onto one CD and in addition to being funny, it also sounds hazardously good. What else would you expect? Cue the warning sirens:

THAT’S DANGEROUS!: THE MIX
Which Of The Two Of Us Is Gonna Burn This House Down? – The Star Spangles
Shadow Stabbing – Cake
U Make Me Want To Drink Bleach (Stylophone mix) – Easyworld
Running With Scissors – Ben Lee
Kicking Television (live in Chicago) – Wilco
You Left The Water Running – Otis Redding
Positive Bleeding – Urge Overkill
Street Fighting Man (Rolling Stones cover) – Oasis
Fairly Blacking Out – The Takeovers
Can You Please Crawl Out Your Window (outtake) – Bob Dylan
Riot In Thunder Alley – Eddie Beram
Touch Me I’m Sick – Mudhoney
Busting Up A Starbucks – Mike Doughty
Sink To The Bottom – Fountains of Wayne
(She Was) Only Sixteen – Sam Cooke
I’m On Fire – Bruce Springsteen
Fighting In A Sack – The Shins
A Quick One, While He’s Away – The Who
Wondering Where The Lions Are (Bruce Cockburn cover) – Donavon Frankenreiter
Tied Up And Swallowed – Black Crowes
Dancing In The Dark (Springsteen cover) – Pete Yorn
The Light At The End Of The Tunnel (Was A Train Coming The Other Way) – Richard Hawley

A DANGEROUS ZIP

Bonus related tracks: My friend Tom is thinking is a similar direction when he posted these “warning label” songs about artists and their mercurial relationship with their record labels. A clever twist.

14 Comments

  • Great mix as always Heather. Donavon Frankenreiter played that tune when I saw him opening for Ben Harper last fall; just awesome.

    – Neil

    Anonymous — February 2, 2008 @ 5:05 pm

  • you better be preparing something special for yield’s 10th birthday, or i for one will be very disappointed

    Anonymous — February 2, 2008 @ 8:58 pm

  • This is such a good idea! That song about Macdonalds and Pizza Hut oughta be on there,too…..

    Russell — February 3, 2008 @ 4:27 pm

  • you’re showing a seriously scary dark side on this one.

    I love it. great stuff.

    p.s. thanks for the link

    -tom — February 3, 2008 @ 8:09 pm

  • No Misfits “Skulls” ??

    SINEDDIE — February 3, 2008 @ 8:53 pm

  • That’s such a great idea for a mix. Brava!

    zara hemla — February 3, 2008 @ 9:04 pm

  • oh, so clever!

    leave it to you, to master mind a mix like this.

    might i offer up: “Like Eating Glass” – by Bloc Party

    Luke — February 4, 2008 @ 11:15 am

  • Check Wilson Pickett’s version of “You Left the Water Running.” Quite tasty.

    OneWag — February 4, 2008 @ 5:51 pm

  • thx for this “mix tape” – love your site

    tumbling upwards — February 5, 2008 @ 11:23 am

  • I would add “Bomb Yourself” by TV On The Radio

    My son is 4.5, so I totally understand!

    Dynamic Meter — February 5, 2008 @ 11:54 am

  • Tied Up And Swallowed by The Crowes? Noice. 😉

    WARPAINT!

    Anonymous — February 5, 2008 @ 10:16 pm

  • Loving the mix and your site Heather. Thx for all the work you put into it.

    Dan — February 6, 2008 @ 9:32 pm

  • can you put this back up? i want to dl this mix! pretty please?? xo

    gina — June 1, 2010 @ 10:39 pm

  • Will you PLEASE post this back up? That would make my day.

    Dave — June 3, 2010 @ 6:43 am

Comments RSS

Sorry, the comment form is closed at this time.

Subscribe to this tasty feed.
I tweet things. It's amazing.

Bio Pic Name: Heather Browne
Location: Colorado, originally by way of California
Giving context to the torrent since 2005.

"I love the relationship that anyone has with music: because there's something in us that is beyond the reach of words, something that eludes and defies our best attempts to spit it out. It's the best part of us, probably, the richest and strangest part..."
—Nick Hornby, Songbook
"Music has always been a matter of energy to me, a question of Fuel. Sentimental people call it Inspiration, but what they really mean is Fuel."
—Hunter S. Thompson

Mp3s are for sampling purposes, kinda like when they give you the cheese cube at Costco, knowing that you'll often go home with having bought the whole 7 lb. spiced Brie log. They are left up for a limited time. If you LIKE the music, go and support these artists, buy their schwag, go to their concerts, purchase their CDs/records and tell all your friends. Rock on.

View all Interviews → View all Shows I've Seen →