I've been all about the new Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey series on FOX. Yes, FOX. Say what you want about Seth McFarlane, but they guy used his Hollywood mojo to get a Neil deGrasse Tyson and Ann Druyan produced update of the Carl Sagan classic made on a network that thanks to corporate synergy insulates it from attacks from Fox News, and that's beyond heroic. More importantly though, it's brilliant television that expands the mind through... get this... the imparting of scientific knowledge, and boffo CGI that's in true Sagan fashion rather trippy. Colbert Report favorite deGrasse Tyson has been hitting it out of the park these last few weeks, and in honor of his service to America and humanity I've compiled a playlist celebrating space and it's psychedelic virtues. Enjoy.
"Space Oddity" performed by Scott Hadfield on the International Space Station. This dude got everything right for this one, a wondrous fusing of art, taste, and science.
Daft Punk, "Contact." This one is for the die hard Sagan fans out there, fans of the dubious screen adaption of his book with Jodie Foster, Matthew McConaughy, Buffalo native William Finchner, and fans of Kubrick.
The Flaming Lips, "Vein Of Stars." This fan made video amazingly makes this already sexy Flaming Lips ode to oral sex under the stars even sexier.
Sun Ra Arkestra, "Face The Music" and "Space Is The Place." Sun Ra's deeply soulful and liberating space jazz is a perfect vehicle for freeing one's self from the static checking and holding you back, a metaphor for the societal backdrop for DeGrasse Tyson's "journey of imagination."
Kate Bush, "Hello Earth." Part of the joy of Cosmos is how it provides a universal context for where our planet and the life on it fit into it, providing a new way to view us. Also, welcome back Kate Bush, who's slated to perform live this year for the first time in decades!
Beastie Boys, "Intergalactic." Another "journey of the imagination," with the Beasties, a giant robot, and Godzilla.
David Bowie, "Life On Mars?" Alas, the answer is no.
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