Alby's Latest Posts
Song of the Day 7/27: The Coasters, “Young Blood”
Aged-out frat boy Matt Gaetz thinks he’s somehow going to survive his scandalous behavior with underage females, even in the face of stories like this one, in which the sister of his fiancee calls Gaetz a “literal pedophile” (she later corrected that to “ephebophile,” the term for someone attracted to post-pubescent teens). Where could Gaetz […]
Song of the Day 7/26: Iggy Pop, “China Girl”
For Gerald Brady. Yeah, you know the hit version (No. 10 US, No. 2 UK) that Nile Rodgers produced for David Bowie, but it was first recorded six years earlier by Bowie’s co-writer, Iggy Pop, for his debut solo LP, 1977’s “The Idiot,” which Bowie produced. According to a Bowie biography, the song was inspired […]
Song of the Day 7/25: The Weakerthans, “Psalm for the Elks Lodge Last Call”
When people complained about Bob Dylan being awarded the Nobel Prize in literature because “lyrics aren’t literature,” they betrayed their ignorance about literature. Some of the earliest writings in the Western canon, including the Bible’s Book of Psalms, originated as song lyrics. The word “psalm” itself is derived from the Greek word meaning music and, […]
DL Open Thread Sunday, July 25, 2021
Is anyone under the impression that the Democratic Party has moved to the left? If so, please take a look at the vote to increase Pentagon spending by $25 billion, to $740 billion, passed the Senate Armed Services Committee on a 25-1 vote. Elizabeth Warren was the only one to vote against it. Democrats who […]
Song of the Day 7/23: John Mayer, “Last Train Home”
The last thing I expected this summer was brand-new yacht rock, yet here it is. Someone played this for me and dared me to guess who it was, and all I could come up with was “Stevie Winwood or maybe Mark Knopfler but somebody else singing.” The last person I would have guessed was John […]
Song of the Day 7/22: Bruce Springsteen, “Wings for Wheels”
An odd story about a Bruce Springsteen composition popped up recently — an argument about the lyrics to his iconic song “Thunder Road.” Since the release of his “Born to Run” album in August 1975, everyone has sung the first line of the song as “The screen door slams, Mary’s dress waves,” with good reason: […]
DL Open Thread Thursday, July 22, 2021: Return of the Masks
I hope you haven’t stowed your face coverings too deep in the closet, because the smart money says we’re building toward a third-wave pandemic peak, probably in September. You can tell it’s gonna be bad because as of yesterday, both Fox News and some of America’s dumbest, most recalcitrant GOP pols — people like Mitch […]
Song of the Day 7/21: Big Star, “Watch the Sunrise”
As Jason noted, raging wildfires are turning the West into a hellscape, but it is giving us colorful sunrises and sunsets. The rest of the day needs some work — the sun is obscured today by the remains of millions of dead trees. Big Star formed in 1971 when Alex Chilton, who left the Box […]
Song of the Day 7/20: Bo Burnham, “Bezos (I & II)”
I really wanted someone to headline the Bezos in Space story “Giant Dick Travels to Space in Giant Dick,” but for some reason he actually has fanboys. I think comedian Bo Burnham is mocking Bezos, but I can’t be sure; he posted a tweet congratulating Bezos this morning, and I couldn’t tell if that was […]
Song of the Day 7/19: Bill Withers, “Who Is He (And What Is He to You)?”
I hadn’t heard this one in ages until Meshell Ndegeocello’s cover, which I’d never heard at all, popped up WXPN the other day. The funk comes from musicians who had been the core of the Watts 103rd Street Rhythm Band, particularly bassist Melvin Dunlap and guitarist Benorce Blackmon. The LP also launched the long studio […]
DL Open Thread Sunday, July 18, 2021
We laugh and shake our heads at conservatives who believe American cities are being burned down by Antifa and BLM protesters, but we’re guilty of the same thing when it comes to media reports about the popularity of American fascism. Two stories illustrate this. First, a couple of has-beens, Donald Trump and Bill O’Reilly, have […]
Song of the Day 7/16: General Johnson and Joey Ramone, “Rockaway Beach”
Carolina beach music was invented for this time of year but, despite the title, “Rockaway Beach” is not beach music. At least, it wasn’t before General Johnson enlisted Joey Ramone to join him in a beach-music reworking of the punk classic for a mid-’90s compilation album. General Johnson is known to most music fans as […]
Song of the Day 7/15: Old 97s, “Bird in a Cage”
In the ’90s the Old 97s were one of the top acts in what was then known as alt-country (now Americana). Saleswise their career peaked in 2001 with their third and final major-label release, “Satellite Rides,” a disc full of Rhett Miller’s catchiest country-rock. This tune was one of my favorites, and apparently it’s one […]
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