March Madness!

You can put your sweat/wristbands away. This isn't a basketball thing, but I have borrowed the theme for this month's Multitracking Mix. Below is my hand crafted compilation devoted to one subject: insanity!

Whether the subject matter is about a person who is crazy, becoming mad, or something else that's complete bonkers, this mix provides an ecclectic assortment of artists and genres pertaining to the insanity that lives in all of us.

You can find this mix in its entirety at http://8tracks.com/jonogray/multitracking-mix-march-madness-by-jono-gray
Let's dive in, shall we?

1) Steve Martin - "Ramblin' Man/Theme from Ramblin' Man"
The lush ramblings of a very funny man. Not only my favorite comedy album (Let's Get Small), but one of my favorite (even if short-lived) stand-up comics.

2) Jukebox the Ghost - "Half Crazy"
Worry can make a person crazy, as illustrated in this song. This band got their big break after touring with Ben Folds in 2008.

3) Space - "Be There"
A man who unconditionally loves a woman. A man in a straitjacket. **Fun fact: the keyboardist/vocalist was commited to a mental institution between their 2nd and 3rd albums.

4) The Magnetic Fields - "(Crazy for You But) Not That Crazy"
Being in love makes you do crazy things, but within reason, right? Stephen Merritt changed my life and the gay music scene with his voice, lyrics, and this epic 3-disc opus, 69 Love Songs.

5) The Big Bopper - "Crazy Blues"
The late Big Bopper cracked out this tune before his famous "Helllllooooo" in Chantily Lace.

6) Ramones - "Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment"
Picking an insanity-related song by the Ramones is like asking for bread in a sandwich shop. Oh, but which one? That's the real challenge! Take it Dee-Dee!

7) The Modern Lovers - "She Cracked"
But before the Ramones were incoherently babbling "Gabba Gabba", Jonathan Richman was outfitting the 70s rock scene with the likes of memorable rock anthem "Roadrunner." This song is about a girl who is so far gone and beneath young Mr. Richman.

8) Rollins Band - "Crazy Lover"
Just after leaving Black Flag, Henry Rollins released Hot Animal Machine, the most important punk/rock/art/noise piece that changed the late eighties forever. And he talks about how crazy he is with a woman. Granted it's a cover by Richard Berry, but Rollins totally owns it!

9) Talking Heads - "Psycho Killer"
It wouldn't be a crazy-themed compilation without this classic Talking Heads track. Though, many tracks from Remain in Light could belong, too.

10) The Wesley Willis Fiasco - "He's Doing Time in Jail"
Wesley Willis is the Chicago Rock 'N Roller who coined the phrase "Rock over London, rock on Chicago..." He suffers from schizophrenia, and this is a song about an encounter he had with a different crazy person on a bus.

11) Tom Waits - "What's He Building?"
Some of my favorite "tales" are from this baldry man. And this one is about the man next door. The same man you were too afraid to approach after your frisbee flew over the fence.

12) Frank Black - "Where Is My Mind?"
Just like Psycho Killer, I couldn't help myself with this delicious track. In 2004, Frank Black released Frank Black Francis which included the original acoustic demos from 1987 as well as a second disc that featured re-worked versions of Pixies songs.

13) The Mountain Goats - "No Children"
From the themed Alpha Couple album, Tallahassee, this song details the account of a ficticious couple and their increasingly maddening hatred for each other. I love the Mountain Goats, particularly the Alpha Series and "Going to..." songs. From their earlier lo-fi sound to their full band studio-mixed latest album, which will be released next week.

14) "Weird Al" Yankovic - "The Night Santa Went Crazy"
A tremendously horrifying (yet hilarious) take on jolly old Saint Nick.

15) Ben Folds - "Bitch Went Nutz [Fake Track]"
The title says it all, doesn't it? Poor Ben. This particular mix is from Stems and Seeds version of Way to Normal.

16) Math the Band - "Why Didn't You Get a Haircut?"
Epic-great synth-pop 8-bit band! The material is crazy enough, did you hear the chorus?


17) Atom & His Package - "It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Mad Lib"
One man band Atom Goren teams with his QY-700 keyboard to crank out electro-punk synth tunes. This one is taken straight out of a Mad Libs book. With the blanks filled, madness begins!

Again, you can find these songs in a created mix at http://8tracks.com/jonogray/multitracking-mix-march-madness-by-jono-gray. I hope you enjoy my first contribution to Multitracking! Thank you!