A friendly contest

So, Tribune Web guy Danny Thorogood and I are having a little contest.

Danny's more or less a friend of mine, so please take the following in the spirit of open hostility in which it was written.

Danny (that's him at right) is from Scotland. I acknowledge that the Scottish have given us many fine things. Like scotch! Also: Sean Connery, Ewan McGregor and the Highlander. But it's a well-known fact that the Scottish possess neither taste nor ability in music.

You want proof? Bagpipes. You want more proof? Name a popular Scottish band or musician.

Go ahead, I'll wait.

OK, besides Franz Ferdinand and the Jesus and Mary Chain. Or Marillion. Or Annie Lennox. All right, so there are a few important musical Scots. But I say again: bagpipes.

Anyway, I was talking to Danny about music and mentioned something about now-in-rehab songbird Amy Winehouse being an awesome singer. He said something to the effect of "Nuh-uh!" — only in that adorable brogue of his.

So of course I immediately challenged Danny to a mix-off, a gentlemen's duel to determine which of us could produce the most awesome mix CD (me).

He spat something back in indecipherable Scotlandish, but by his bristling red beard and honking bagpipes, I could tell he was willing to take up the gauntlet. We settled on these terms: one week to fill a CD with the awesome-est songs around.

Being a professional editor accustomed to working on deadline, I was naturally two days late with my entry. I apologize for nothing! True greatness takes time.

Features reporter Pat Pemberton has graciously agreed to arbitrate our feud, and he will soon post in this very space with his thoughts on both discs, and which one is the winner (mine).

There can be only one!

Following are the songs on my mix, and why I chose them. And I don't need any smart-alecks pointing out that there aren't any Amy Winehouse songs. I have no concept of irony, and your protests will be ignored.

1. "No One Knows" — Queens of the Stone Age
Queens of the Stone Age has a largely fluid membership and that worked much to the advantage of this song, which sports an awesome drum line courtesy of Dave Grohl, founder of Foo Fighters and drummer for Nirvana.

2. "Tumble in the Rough" — Stone Temple Pilots
Stone Temple Pilots was awesome in the '90s, and this is one of the group's catchiest songs.

3. "Apocalypse Please" — Muse
Muse is what would happen if "The Bends"-era Radiohead fused with "A Rush of Blood to the Head"-era Coldplay and morphed into a world-conquering arena rock band a la Queen. Sounds pretty awesome, doesn't it? This is one of the group's loudest, most tooth-rattling songs.

4. "Dog Faced Boy" — Eels
Eels is a semi-obscure band, especially since the mid-'90s, but just try not to groove along to this sludgy rocker.

5. "The Negotiation Limerick File" — Beastie Boys
The Beastie Boys are awesome enough to get away with recording a track that has lyrics written entirely in limerick form.

6. "The Man Who Sold the World" — David Bowie
Who's more awesome than David Bowie?

7. "Come Together" — The Beatles
For that matter, who's more awesome than The Beatles?

8. "Paranoid Android" — Radiohead
No mix by me is complete without a Radiohead song, and this is my favorite of them all.

9. "Heaven Beside You" (Live) — Alice in Chains
Recorded for MTV's Unplugged, this rendition is just as thick and sludgy as the electric version.

10. "The Hardest Button to Button" — The White Stripes
A cut from "Elephant," this White Stripes piece has their usual blend of catchy vocals, crunchy guitars and Hulk-smash drumming. Plus the music video, directed by Michel Gondry, is pretty great.

11. "Dead Man" — Self
The music on the album this song comes from, "Gizmodgery," is entirely performed with toys and toy instruments. How awesome is that? So awesome.

12. "I Only Want You" — Eagles of Death Metal
Every couple years one of the core members of Queens of the Stone Age gets together with a buddy and they record an Eagles of Death Metal album. This is the first track off the band's first disc, and it made a convert out of me.

13. "Mary Jane's Last Dance" — Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
This song is so awesome that the Red Hot Chili Peppers totally ripped it off for their hit "Dani California."

14. "Cold Water" — Tom Waits
Tom Waits has a voice like wet gravel and a talent for spinning vivid tales of romantic vagabondage. This is one of his best, a languid first-person account of a rambling life.

15. "March Into the Sea" — Modest Mouse
From the guitars by The Smiths' guitarist Johnny Marr to the choked-out laughter of singer Isaac Brock, this is one of the band's most engaging songs.

16. "John the Revelator" — Depeche Mode
That Depeche Mode still manages, without a shred of irony, to make virtually the same heavy-handed and ponderous music it was making in the 1980s, is awesome enough to warrant their inclusion on this mix. Ditto Nine Inch Nails, but there wasn't room.

17. "Today" — Smashing Pumpkins
The Smashing Pumpkins' signature piece is one of the great moments for alternative rock.

18. "Dream Brother" (Live) — Jeff Buckley
Buckley only released one album and a couple EPs before he drowned at age 30, but his work was memorable, and this live rendition of "Dream Brother" is raw and stellar.

You can drop by Danny's blog space to read his mewling, ineffectual reply.

— Justin H.