Alby's Latest Posts
Song of the Day 5/2: Duane Eddy, “Rebel Rouser”
Duane Eddy, whose deep, twangy guitar instrumentals helped lay the foundations of rock ‘n’ roll, died Tuesday at age 86. His string of hit singles produced by Lee Hazlewood, who discovered the teenage Eddy in Arizona, influenced countless rock guitarists – Dave Davies, George Harrison and John Fogerty, to name just a few. Eddy’s trademark […]
Song of the Day 5/1: John Lennon, “Working Class Hero”
It’s International Workers’ Day in 160 countries, but not the United States, where every day is Industrialists’ Day. Get back to work. John Lennon recorded more than 100 takes of this song for his first solo album in 1970. Two different takes were spliced together for the final cut. You can hear the change at […]
DL Open Thread Wednesday, May 1, 2024
I’m not going to bother with a Trump trial wrap-up, because if you consume news you can’t avoid the media’s information avalanche. I can’t tell who’s winning, but it’s pretty clear the loser is the American justice system: The judge fined Trump the maximum amount for nine violations of his gag order: $9,000, or $1,000 […]
Song of the Day 4/30: Riley Puckett, “The Cat Came Back”
As I noted yesterday, and Kristi Noem is finding out at her leisure, Americans treasure two animals above all others – Man’s Best Friend, and His Noble Steed – and you can tell by how many sappy, schmaltzy songs have been written about dogs and horses. People shed tears at “Old Shep” and “Wildfire.” For […]
DL Open Thread Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Gov. John Carney officially announced his candidacy for mayor of Wilmington Monday. If he succeeds, it would mark one of the biggest self-demotions since ex-President John Quincy Adams was elected to Congress. If he fails, it would be even more embarrassing. It must be the season for political comebacks. DL patron saint Howard Dean is […]
Song of the Day 4/29: Dave Matthews Band, “Ants Marching”
Seems this was the year the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame bit the bullet and opened its doors to bands that were popular but critically scorned. Foreigner was finally honored after a 22-year wait, of course, but the Hall also admitted the Dave Matthews Band. Granted, they’ve only been eligible for five years, but […]
DL Open Thread Monday, April 29, 2024
Trump’s courtroom snoozing isn’t just a punchline – according to this expert, it’s another sign of his cognitive decline. According to Dr. John Gartner, “Trump fell asleep 4 out of 6 days of his own trial. Falling asleep is not in and of itself particularly specific to dementia. I fall asleep at dinner parties, because […]
Song of the Day 4/28: Henry Gross, “Shannon”
You don’t have to be an animal lover to find yourself aghast at the Kristi Noem dog-killing story – not just that she did it in the first place, which is horrifying enough, but that she’s actually trying to defend her behavior. Even Michael Vick had more sense than that. Americans treasure two animals above […]
Song of the Day 4/26: The Beatles, “I’m Only Sleeping”
He’s at it again. Trump reportedly took a “bonafide nap” during his lawyer’s cross-examination of National Enquirer honcho David Pecker this morning. Remember, with people like Trump, every accusation is a confession, which is why he calls Biden “Sleepy Joe.” John Lennon’s ode to the joys of staying horizontal presaged his later bed-ins for peace. […]
Song of the Day 4/25: Mary J. Blige and U2, “One”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame long since stretched the definition of “rock and roll” to include other genres, especially hip-hop and R&B, which often draws scorn from rock purists, myself included (Janet Jackson? Really?) Mary J. Blige, though, is OK by me, because unlike last year’s honoree Dolly Parton, she has at least […]
DL Open Thread Wednesday, April 24, 2024
If you were wondering what kind of coverage the News Journal would give the race for governor, today’s paper is discouraging. They’ve got a story touting – I kid you not – her endorsement by a bunch of lieutenant governors of other states. Nowhere in the article does it point out that these people know […]
Song of the Day 4/23: Foreigner, “Urgent”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame announced its Class of 2024 the other day, and the list of inductees was greeted not with the usual griping but rather a giant, collective “meh.” I blame this on Foreigner. See what I mean? You probably went “meh” at the mention of their name, because that’s always […]
DL Open Thread Tuesday, April 23, 2024
The media desperately wants Trump on Trial to be as big a ratings hit as O.J. was, but the dynamics are different. O.J. had a dream team of lawyers, so he kept his mouth shut and tried to look amiable. Trump’s lawyers are not the stuff of dreams, and their client is constitutionally incapable of […]
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