She Wogs in Mysterious Ways

The world is a mysterious place. Remember that, even on those delightful summer days when everything feels easy and straightforward. If you want a little musical reminder of the power of the other side of the mind, check out this week’s beautiful playlist, Enter the Mystery. It’s not fast paced, so you’ll have time to ponder it all. And at the end of your walk, let the vibes keep flowing through you. Maybe your dreams will be more interesting tonight...

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The King of Pop is Dead. Long Live the King.

Now matter what you think of Michael Jackson’s lifestyle, his bizarre antics and possible criminal activities that made him anathema to many, there can be no doubt that his music was immensely entertaining, ushering us into the MTV age with timeless singing and dancing that energized all of us. So this week’s wog is all Michael: seven of his best numbers, from Off the Wall, Thriller, and Bad. I hope you find them as fun to walk and jog to as they are to dance to.

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W-O-G in the U-S-A

Ah, the American Dream. Get Rich or Die Trying. Land of the Free, Home of the Brave, where a sucker is born every minute and the best wogging music this side of the Atlantic can be found. Here’s a Wog-a-Thon, nearly one hour, of heart-pumping, red-blooded American musical action. Classic American artists like Tom Petty, the Grateful Dead, and Neil Young (oh, wait—he’s from CANADA) will rock your wog. But be careful—the American Dream is full of pitfalls. Can you make it all the way through the waves of amber grain, past the purple mountains, from sea to shining sea? It’s your trip, man. Heavy. At Pogwogging.com.

Oh, and Happy Summer!

Twin Cinema

This week’s wog features songs from one of the more interesting alt-rock groups to spring up this past decade: the New Pornographers. From the chunky guitar rock of Three Or Four to the alt-folk of The Bleeding Heart Show, this album packs considerable melodic and rhythmic punch. If you like Arcade Fire or the Shins, or even R.E.M., you’ll love the New Pornographers (who don’t deal in the skin trade, don’t worry). Twin Cinema is, put simply, loaded with highly likeable, quirky but intriguing, pop songs that function beautifully together for a 48-minute Brisk wog. On Podwogging.com

Pounding Through the Eighties

Here we go, my fastest Flatliner yet. Stuff your disco duds in the closet and put on your serious running shoes, because these songs take off. After a cool warmup from Red Rider’s Lunatic Fringe, you’ll be propelled at over 150 BPM by Devo, Robert Plant, the Violent Femmes, Chris de Burge, the Police, and the Alarm before Kate Bush watches you relax a bit at the end. And where you gonna get your BPMs? Podwogging.com, natch.

Take Your Trip at a Vigorous Clip

Experience all of the fun groovy fun without any of the bummer flashbacks in this week’s first wog in June, Psychedelicatessen. It’s a Wog-a-Thon, meaning that even though it’s over an hour long, it’s easy to skip songs and get to a pace you prefer—wog your own thing, man! You’ll find classic psychedelic pop from the Small Faces and Strawberry Alarm Clock, as well as trippier stuff from Country Joe and the Fish, the Beatles, and Traffic. Not to mention the Doors, Pink Floyd, Cream, the Amboy Dukes, Statis Quo, the Byrds, Jimi Hendrix, the Jefferson Airplane, and even the Rolling Stones. So flash on my website, Podwogging.com, and blow your mind (and hopefully, not your hamstrings!).

A Quick Threesome

Many of us have busy lives that make taking time for an hour—even half an hour—of exercise difficult. That’s why I have my collection of Quickies. This week I’ve posted three such playlists, all coming in under 19 minutes.

First up, this week’s wog, Itty Bitty Witty Ditties. As befitting their light subject matter and style, none of the songs in this one get above a brisk walk. Use this wog for a mental break as much as a light physical one.

Next, on the opposite side of the scale, comes Loners. This wog is highlighted by two versions of Solitary Man, the original by Neil Diamond and the cover by Chris Isaak. They’re short, but intense. Overall, this one rates as Very Vigorous.

Finally, I whisk you back to the days of Soul with Souled Out: 18 minutes of R&B bliss, featuring classics like Dionne Warwick’s Walk On By, and a rousing Heat Wave from Martha and the Vandellas, plus Soul Man by Sam and Dave (later covered by the Blues Brothers). Depending on whether you run, walk, or skip to Heat Wave, this Quickie is Vigorous or Light.

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