Ginger Root -- Better Than Monday

 

Of course, when it comes to tiny television stations trying to make a go of it with some distinctive programming, there is "SCTV" and one of their famous shows "Great White North" with the McKenzie Brothers.

Looks like Cameron Lew , aka Ginger Root, is in the same boat. Apparently, he was kicked out of his former station and is now attempting his own broadcasting enterprise. But of course, things go awry just minutes away from launch which means a lot of improvisation among the motley crew who come in like an A-Team of sorts (or a G-Team).

Meanwhile, the adventure is accompanied by Ginger Root's latest single from a couple of weeks ago, "Better Than Monday". Of course, the gloppy 80s synthpop is his thing but I can also pick up on a bit of slightly minimalist Doobie Brothers and Steely Dan in the arrangement. The wonderful thing about it all though is that Ginger Root provides that bridge between the nostalgic funky goodness of the past and the freshness of non-mainstream catchiness in the present. "Better Than Monday" is also available on his next album "SHINBANGUMI" scheduled for release later this September.

P.S. I found this video from more than a year ago when Ginger Root was a guest on Haruomi Hosono's（細野晴臣） radio show. He and I do share one thing in common in that we both had YMO to introduce us into the wonderful world of Japanese pop music. One thing that we don't is that while Cameron was very calm and assured in the interview (especially speaking in Japanese), I probably would have been speaking in tongues in absolute terror.