12 Sep Matador Playlist 9/12/25

Here I am once again, tucked into the dim corner that serves as the DJ booth of Ye Olde Matador Bar & Lounge. It is September 11–a date that remains laden with the weight of events that unfolded 24 years ago in New York, Washington DC, and rural Pennsylvania. I remember the day all too well. By the time I woke up that Tuesday morning the tragedy was already underway and it took me several groggy minutes to try and make some sense of what the radio was telling me. By the time I staggered downstairs and turned on the television United Airlines 175 had slammed into the south tower of the World Trade Center. In that moment I realized that the world had changed. Forever changed and much for the worse. I don’t mean to get all grim about this—not my signature jam, Gentle Reader(s)—but there just ain’t no way around it: We live in difficult and precarious times and it doesn’t take much imagination to draw a line directly from the global cataclysm spawned by 9/11 to where we find ourselves today.

The assassination of Charlie Kirk yesterday was horrifying and tragic in every possible way, whether you agree with anything he said or not. If I’m being honest with you, I’d have to say that I don’t ever recall having heard of the man prior to his murder. I probably read something about him or heard his name mentioned on the news, but apparently none of it made any impression upon me: Yet another millennial MAGA agent provocateur—no shortage of those these days.

From what I’ve been able to glean about Charlie Kirk, I’m probably at odds with just about everything he said and stood for, but one thing has impressed me: It seems that he believed in dialogue. He was engaged in open public debate—such as is guaranteed to us in the First Amendment to the Constitution—when he died. Regardless of his opinions, his wife is now a widow and his two small children have lost their father. That is some genuinely tragic shit, regardless of which side of the political divide you place yourself upon. The one thing of which we can be completely certain: Violence begets violence, now and forever.

At this fraught moment it has been good to hear Spencer Cox, the Republican governor of Utah, turning away from the language of vengeance and blame. In a normal world this would be the type of calming influence one would expect from the president of these allegedly United States, but that’s not where we’re at these days. Instead we have dark threats about searching out and punishing the vague (if not imaginary) evil left-wing organizations that the Goblin alleges are responsible for the actions of a delusional 22-year-old college dropout. It’s at times like these that I can’t help but thinking that if we can get through the remaining 3 1/2 years of DrumpfReich 2.0 without civil war breaking out it’ll be nothing short of a miracle.

But let us put all of this unpleasantness aside for a moment. Let us turn instead to the healing and uplifting powers of music. I don’t harbor any delusions about the significance of my long-running Thursday night gig at the Matador, but perhaps in some small way it’s my feeble contribution to trying to make the world a slightly better place. It ain’t much, but it’s something. In that spirit I offer to you this week’s Matador Playlist in all of it’s wildly gyrating glory. The link to the YouTube manifestation is HERE, so go ahead and tune into the toons and turn off the news and the social media doomscroll. I invite you—nay, I implore you.

Hang in there, Gentle Reader(s).

Grammar of Life – Charles Bukowski
So Alive – Love & Rockets
Ultra Twist – the Cramps
Tired of Waiting for You – the Kinks
Look Back & Laugh – Minor Threat
Just Got Paid – ZZ Top
Bohemian Like You – the Dandy Warhols
Vicious – Lou Reed
Tony Adams – Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros
Heartbreaker – Led Zeppelin
Living Loving Maid (She’s Just A Woman) – Led Zeppelin
Saturday Morning – Eels
Vaccination – Helmet
I Got A Right – Iggy & the Stooges
Five Guys Named Moe – Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five
Jungle Man – the Meters
New Low – Middle Class Rut
In My Eyes – Minor Threat
Mr. Soul – Neil Young
About A Girl – Nirvana
NYC Observation – Parquet Courts
Gouge Away – the Pixies
Monsters in the Parasol – Queens of the Stone Age
Shiftless When Idle – the Replacements
Sex With An X – the Vaselines
The Last Time – The Rolling Stones
Six Pack – Black Flag
Outta Control – the Tip
Push It – Salt-N-Pepa
Possum Kingdom – Toadies
I Thank You – Sam & Dave
I Fought the Law – the Clash
It’s Not Unusual – Tom Jones
Wet Hair – Japandroids
Pineola – Lucinda Williams
Heartbreak Beat – the Psychedelic Furs
True Romance – Tiger Army
I’m A Believer – the Monkees
Psycho – the Sonics
Ash Gray Sunday – Screaming Trees
Let Yourself Go (Live @ the Apollo medley)- James Brown & his Famous Flames
There Was A Time – James Brown & his Famous Flames
I Feel Alright – James Brown & his Famous Flames
Cold Sweat – James Brown & his Famous Flames
Cry – the Birthday Party
Harley Quinn – Fuerza Regina & Marshmello (request)
H Eyes – the Ruts
All Day Day Light – the Morning Benders
Band of Gold – Freda Payne
Why Don’t We Try Anymore – the Knitters
Godzilla – Blue Öyster Cult
Kneebending – Cowboy
Sisters of the Moon – Craig Wedren & St. Vincent
What’s My Age Again – blink-182
Hey Bulldog – the Beatles
Twenty Four Hours – Joy Division
Doo Wop (That Thing) – Lauryn Hill
Black Tie White Noise – David Bowie
Little Sister – Elvis Presley
I Love A Man In A Uniform – Gang of Four
Fight The Power – Public Enemy
Pelo Suelto – Fea
Hollywood Babylon – the Misfits
Margin Walker – Fugazi
Hunter – Bjørk
La Tanguita Roja – Oro Solido (request)
We The People – A Tribe Called Quest
Motorcycle Leather Boy – Guitar Wolf
Siyaphesheya – Junior de Rocka (request)
Oye Como Va – Santana
It’s You – Black Motion (request)
Army of Me – Bjørk
City Girl – Kevin Shields
I Fink You Freeky – die Antwoord
Sinnerman (Felix da Housecat Mix) – Nina Simone
Punk Is Dead – Crass
Never Said – Liz Phair
What We Do Is Secret – Germs
Cool Water – Marty Robbins
Motorcycle – Love & Rockets
Town Called Malice – the Jam
Everyday – Buddy Holly & the Crickets
Gates of Steel – Devo
Never Tear Us Apart – INXS
World Without Tears – Lucinda Williams
Buona Sera – Louis Prima
Happy Trails – Roy Rogers & Dale Evans
Taxi – Bryan Ferry