Alby's Latest Posts
Song of the Day 1/8: Prince and the Revolution, “Let’s Go Crazy”
Now that Kevin McCarthy has handed the loonies the keys to the new 2023 Congressmobile, they need a song to play on the radio — a theme song, if you will. How about this Prince number from 1984’s “Purple Rain”? Though you could make the argument that the so-called Freedom Caucus doesn’t have to go […]
Song of the Day 1/7: J. Geils Band, “Give It to Me”
Matt Gaetz admitted that he finally voted “present” to allow Kevin McCarthy to become Speaker of the House because he had run out of things to ask for. McCarthy failed to learn the lesson Paul Ryan and John Boehner so clearly laid out for him — if you cede the power of the position, there’s […]
Song of the Day 1/6: The Beach Boys, “Do It Again”
We all know Kevin McCarthy isn’t the brightest bulb on the GOP Christmas tree — to be fair, a lot of those lights don’t work at all — so I’m guessing he’s never heard about Sisyphus. If he had he might not keep doing the same thing over and over again expecting a different outcome. […]
Song of the Day 1/5: The Eagles, “Witchy Woman”
Christine O’Donnell was merely ahead of her time. An alleged Republican witch, one Anna Paulina Luna, has been elected to Congress from Florida. Like O’Donnell, she denies it. This all came out via lawsuit. Seems a MAGAt who chickened out of primarying her claimed he was told — by someone from Hispanics for Trump — […]
Song of the Day 1/4: Lit, “My Own Worst Enemy”
This one’s for Kevin McCarthy, whose capacity for self-embarrassment appears limitless. Like McCarthy, Lit hails from California, though from Orange County, not Bakersfield. This track, a single from their 1999 sophomore LP “A Place in the Sun,” took months to rise to No. 1 on the Modern Rock chart, but it’s had a long afterlife. […]
Song of the Day 1/3: R.E.M., “Radio Free Europe”
This year marks the 40th anniversary of alternative rock reaching the mainstream, via R.E.M.’s debut LP, “Murmur,” and this, its leadoff song, became the band’s first single — and the first to reach the Billboard charts. OK, so it only reached No. 78, but it indicated the growing audience for music that didn’t fit the […]
DL Open Thread Monday, Jan. 2, 2023
Will Donald Trump be brought to justice in 2023? If so, on which grounds? Would it be for his treasonous role in the Jan. 6 failed coup? His many apparent tax crimes? Michael Smerconish, the reasonable-conservative pundit, says indictment is most likely in the stolen-documents case because special counsel Jack Smith is a bulldog whose […]
Song of the Day 1/1: Siedah Garrett, “Man in the Mirror”
The older you get, the less likely you are to make New Year’s resolutions, I’m guessing because we geezers realize how resistant we are to change. But almost 40% of US adults make them, and linking the holiday to the desire for self-improvement — the three most popular resolutions involve diet and exercise — appears […]
Song of the Day 12/31: The Spinners, “The Rubberband Man”
In his Dec. 25 Open Thread, El Somnambulo noted the death of composer/producer/arranger Thom Bell, who with Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff comprised the Mighty Three of Philly Soul. The long list of hit records he wrote, usually with Linda Creed, and/or produced contains more than a few syrupy ballads, but he could funk it […]
Song of the Day 12/28: The Specials, “Vote for Me”
Singer Terry Hall, frontman for three bands that reached the British charts in the 1980s, died last week at age 63 of pancreatic cancer. Best known as co-lead vocalist for British ska revivalists the Specials, he left in 1981. He formed a series of bands and guested on many artists’ albums before reforming the Specials […]
DL Open Thread Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2022
David Cay Johnston, who has chronicled Donald Trump’s financial chicanery for decades, has sifted through the Jan. 6 Committee reports and found evidence of at least 26 instances of tax fraud over the six years he was running for and served as president. If I were a Russian oligarch, I’d be looking for ways to […]
DL Open Thread Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022
There was so little news yesterday that media has been reduced to carrying the brainless ramblings of America’s most disgraced former president. His latest fantasy included the baseless notion that he’s immune from prosecution, which he most definitely is not. The Brazilian criminal George Santos, who got elected to Congress thanks to the incredible ineptitute […]
Song of the Day 12/26: Fleet Foxes, “White Winter Hymnal”
Some songs are born to be played at Christmas. Others have Christmas thrust upon them. “Jingle Bells” and “Let It Snow” never name a holiday. The Pretenders’ “2000 Miles” does conclude each chorus with the word “Christmastime,” but it’s not about the season. “My Favorite Things” made the yuletide playlist just for mentioning brown paper […]
Recent Comments