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.