Letters to the Editor

Why do gyms play such crappy music? Monotonous techno monopolizes the sound system at my local gym. Is it really the best music for working out? [2007-06-16]

• Coconut Monkeyrocket!

  The world would be a better place if gyms played Coconut Monkeyrocket.

  Also:

  -- Messer Chups

  -- The Atlantics (and other surf guitar bands, Dick Dale, etc.)

  -- Yello ("Pumping Velvet," etc.)

  -- Aphex Twin ("Digeridoo," many others)

  -- The "Run Lola Run" soundtrack

  -- Royksopp ("Alpha Male," others)

  -- Front 242 ("Skin")

  -- KMFDM

  -- Tenpole Tudor ("Swords of a Thousand Men")

  -- Orbital ("Lush," "The Box," etc.)

  -- Jean-Jacques Perrey

  -- Nortec Collective

  -- The Avalanches

  -- Can

  -- Bill Laswell

  -- Chemical Brothers

  -- Ulrich Schnauss

  -- Modeselektor ("Vote or Die")

  -- Amon Tobin

  -- The Aquabats

  -- Madness / + any other good ska

  -- Screaming Blue Messiahs ("Smash the Marketplace")

  -- Shriekback ("Nemesis," etc.)

  -- Flaming Lips ("Pompei Gottendammerung")

  -- Kraftwerk ("Tour De France")

  -- James Brown

  -- George Clinton / Parliament

  -- Frankie Smith ("Double Dutch Bus")

  -- David Bowie / Iggy Pop / Roxy Music / and friends

  -- anything on MOTOWN Records

  -- any good old ATLANTIC R&B

  -- 1940s swing from Benny Goodman, Artie Shaw and friends

  -- Xavier Cugat

  -- The Bran Flakes

  -- Tipsy

  -- Ursula 1000

  -- Martinibomb

  -- Montefiori Cocktail

  -- Plastic Bertrand ("Ca Plane Pour Moi")

  -- Yes ("Roundabout," anything with a semi-consistent beat)

  -- Talking Heads

  -- Devo ("Beautiful World," "We Like Explosives," etc. NOT "Whip It")

  -- Thompson Twins ("Love Lies Fierce" and other remixes)

  -- The The

  -- Public Image Limited

  -- Barenaked Ladies

  -- They Might Be Giants

  -- Adam Ant / Bow Wow Wow

  -- Siouxsie / Cocteau Twins / Cure / March Violets

  -- Curve / Laika / Seefeel / The KLF / Saint Etienne

  -- Grandaddy / Postal Service / Radiohead / Blur / Pulp

  -- The Killers / Hot Hot Heat / Yeah Yeah Yeahs

  -- The Go! Team

  -- Any new-music offerings in the int'l ROUGH GUIDE series

  -- 808 State / Eon / Prodigy / Moby / FSOL / Messiah

  -- Yellow Magic Orchestra

  -- "Night on Disco Mountain" / other good disco

  -- the soundtrack to the Katamari Damacy video game

  -- Fela Kuti

  -- Japanese Pop: Halcali, Puffy, 5-6-7-8's, Pizzicato 5, etc.

  -- Bob Wills & the Texas Playboys

  -- Bollywood: from Asha Bhosle to "Bride & Prejudice"

  -- Gary Numan / Ultravox / Nina Hagen / Propaganda

  -- The Art of Noise

  -- Kool & the Gang / Sly & the Family Stone / Stevie Wonder

  -- Giorgio Moroder / Jean-Michel Jarre / Tangerine Dream

  .....but most of all: COCONUT MONKEYROCKET

  -- Xrandadu Hutman
  [Read Xrandadu Hutman's other letters]
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