It's not all that esoteric

Dillinger
14 x 11 inches, oil on canvas, 2020

Cocaine in My Brain was a huge Top 40 hit for Reggae star Dillinger during my coming of age years in the Netherlands. It made it all the way to #1 in 1976. I'm sure the single Marijuana in My Brain from the following year was intended to replicate that success but failed to do so. You'd expect more given the Dutch affinity with marijuana. The band Doe Maar had a smash hit in 1980 with their marijuana anthem Nederwiet. I bought the Dillinger single in 1987 (I used to write dates on 45s). Dillinger, named by the legendary producer Lee Perry, was born Lester Bullock on June 25, 1953 in Kingston, Jamaica. I just finished painting Dillinger and have now just six more to go for the Top 100 2019. I figure I forward some of the (not so esoteric) paintings from these series that were painted last year. First Nick Cave, who after so many years made the list again due to the Peel Session Sampler LP that I played a few times last year. The record features Big Jesus Trash Can by Cave's band The Birthday Party. Adam Horovitz returned because of an MTV video  Live in Glasgow that can be watched on YouTube, and Captain Beefheart's Owed t'Alex appears on the compilation The Dust Blows Forward from 1999. It originally appeared on Shiny Beast from 1978.

Captain Beefheart
14 x 11 inches, oil on canvas, 2019

Nick Cave, The Birthday Party
14 x 11 inches, oil on canvas, 2019

Adam Horovitz, The Beastie Boys
14 x 11 inches, oil on canvas, 2019

2016

The Beastie Boys

Adam Horovitz
oil on canvas paper, 16" x 12", 2015

Just picked up a second Beastie Boys cd filled with marvelous instrumental jams. The band was already dominating the 2015 top 100 list by way of the cd Ill Communication (1994) that I picked up in the beginning of the year for twenty cents, and the ($1) purchase of The In Sound from Way Out! (1996) will further establish the Beastie Boys in this year's list. And it's due time as the band didn't appear since 1987, when they had a couple of hits in the Netherlands (Fight for Your Right and No Sleep 'till Brooklyn). The In Sound from Way Out borrows its title (and graphics) from Perrey and Kingsley, pioneers in synthesizer music. It features a tribute to Groove Holmes, Tibetan chanting, and tons of funky riffs.

Top 100 2015

The Beastie Boys
16" x 12", oil on canvas, 2015

Yes, the Beastie Boys, they are starting off a brand new top 100 edition. If the first two months are any indication to what the music year 2015 has coming, then it's a shift away from female singers' dominance towards a more equal distribution. After a decade of painting Kathleen Hanna, I now, for the first time, portrayed her husband Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz. He's situated in the middle flanked by Michael "Mike-D" Diamond and Adam "MCA" Yauch. The CD Ill Communication, bought for 20 cents at a thrift store, has provided many hours of rocking out while driving. Three songs are already guaranteed a spot in the new list, of which the biggest hit from the album, Sabotage, is one.