Starting in the city of my birth, Cleveland, Ohio...
Frankie Yankovic - Cleveland The Polka Town
Drew Carey - Original Theme to The Drew Carey Show (Moon Over Parma)
Presidents Of The United States of America - Cleveland Rocks
Jefferson Starship - Stairway To Cleveland
Crosby Stills Nash And Young - Ohio

Our next stop in St. Louis (where my L.A.-bound family joined Route 66) is dedicated to the Late Great Brad "Bradlands" Graham, who would have let me crash on his couch 40 years later... Sad :(

Getting your kicks on Route 66...

Television's Greatest Hits - Route 66 Theme
Tex Beneke - St. Louis Blues March
Steely Dan - East St. Louis Toodle-Oo
Nat King Cole - Route 66
Weird Al - Albuquerque
Depeche Mode - Route 66 (Beatmasters Mix)
Spike Jones & His City Slickers - Barstool Cowboy From Old Barstow
The Mountain Goats - San Bernardino

Led Zeppelin - Going To California
The Mamas & The Papas - California Dreamin'
Deanna Durbin & Robert Paige - Californ-i-ay
... "free avocados for everyone", how can you beat that?
The Rivieras - California Sun
The Beach Boys - California Girls
Tupac Shakur - California Love
Lesley Gore - California Nights
Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication

I'm here for this one!

you made it just in time for my first Regularly Scheduled Technical Difficulties...

Arlo Guthrie - Coming Into Los Angeles
Lyle Lovett - L.A. County
...and into the San Fernando Valley...
The Flying Burrito Brothers - San Fernando Road
Bing Crosby - San Fernando Valley
Frank Zappa (with Moon Unit Zappa) - Valley Girl
...in fact, I spent my teens in the Valley Girl's neighborhood, but the Galleria wasn't built until I went to college...
The Doors - L.A. Woman
Randy Newman - I Love L.A.

...next, Hollywood and other suburbs...

Ha, when I was working in Cali I had my driver bring me to Pico and Sepulveda so I could take a picture of that storied place. (not much to look at really)

The George Garabedian Players with the Awful Trumpet of Harry Arms - Hooray For Hollywood
Boz Scaggs - Hollywood
Steely Dan - West of Hollywood
Counting Crows - A Long December
Felix Figueroa and his Orchestra - Pico and Sepulveda
... I worked for several years a few blocks from this famous intersection, but the taco place in the strip mall was good (and, based on Google Maps, still there)...
Jan & Dean - Little Old Lady From Pasadena
Weird Al - Money For Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies
Kay Kyser & his Orchestra - When Veronica Plays the Harmonica

Albert Hammond - It Never Rains In Southern California
Spike Jones - It Never Rains in Sunny California
Propellerheads - Take California
Parker Brothers - Your California
The Eagles - Hotel California
... yeah, you knew we'd have to check in there sooner or later, but NEVER leave? We'll see about that...

NEVER leave? Oh man! I am going to order so much room service! Steak, fresh fruit, imported beer, single malt, and I'm going to smoke an evening cigar next to the pool.

X - Los Angeles
America - Ventura Highway
Art Garfunkel - 99 Miles From L.A
...maybe not out of the state, but if you're getting out of L.A., there are worse routes than the Ventura Freeway (which that wacky America band decided needed a cooler name for their song), and when you're 99 miles out, you're more than halfway to San Luis Obispo...

...so now we arrive at my new home and the original inspiration for this set, an odd little rarity from "Dr. Demento's Basement Tapes". If you didn't know, Weird Al Yankovic attended Cal Poly University here in "SLO Town", where he recorded his first 'Dr. Demento Hit', "My Bologna", at the college radio station (actually in the Mens Room down the hall for the acoustics). And he also did this tongue-in-cheek song for a local tourist promotion, without accordion OR 'Weird' designation... yes, it's really him...
Alfred Yankovic - Take Me Down

The Mountain Goats - Dance Music
...another musical artist associated with San Luis Obispo is John Darnielle of the Mountain Goats, although his family moved out of the area when he was about the same age I was when MY family moved out of Cleveland...

Ted Wulfers - San Luis Obispo
...and finally, a brand new song that really does speak well of this area, from a country-folk-rock singer-songwriter's album of mostly Christmas music (HUH?!?) titled "What Would Santa Do?" Still, if I have my way, Ted Wulfers will become the Jimmy Buffett of the Central California Coast (the musical resemblance is obvious, at least on this song)...

And that concludes this evening's tour. Please remain seated until the music comes to a complete stop...