Alby's Latest Posts
How ‘Good Republicans’ Let Fascism Capture Their Party
I have to disagree with my esteemed colleague on the subject of so-called “good” or “moderate” Republicans. They do exist — not in Congress, which is why Chris Coons is pissing up a rope, but they are out there. I know more than a few myself. They’re the sort of people who have a decent […]
Song of the Day 8/10: Carole King, “It’s Too Late”
Yes, we take requests — we don’t always fulfill them, but we take them — and Jason330 suggested this as the response to the UN report on climate change that concluded we’re already fucked. Might as well stay in bed all morning — not just to pass the time, but to minimize your carbon footprint, […]
Song of the Day 8/9: Kool & the Gang, “Get Down on It”
Dennis “D.T.” Thomas, alto saxophone player and founding member of Kool & the Gang, died Saturday, and while the obituaries listed the band’s numerous hit records and various lifetime achievement awards, one honor was conspicuous by its absence: They are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. My theory about Hall of Fame […]
DL Open Thread Sunday, August 8, 2021
Alexander Pope was right: A little learning is a dangerous thing. He put it more poetically, but his observation was spot on. People who know a lot usually know how much they don’t know, whereas people who learn only a little tend to overestimate their knowledge. A perfect example played out yesterday at Christiana Hospital, […]
Song of the Day 8/7: George Harrison, “Cosmic Empire”
A remastered box set of George Harrison’s “All Things Must Pass” is out to commemorate, one year late, the 50th anniversary of its initial release. The original three-LP set is accompanied by a number of the 40 demo recordings Harrison made, singing alone with just his acoustic guitar, on his first two days in the […]
Song of the Day 8/6: Stephen Stills, “4 + 20”
Back in the ’60s, when television was confined to three channels, if the counterculture wanted to confront the establishment, it had to do it in their arena. People we now remember as anti-establishment showed no qualms about taking their message to the masses via some of the squarest talk-show programming around — John and Yoko […]
Song of the Day 8/5: Chicago, “Dialogue (Part I & II)”
The progressive-vs.-moderate dichotomy is back in the news because Bernie Sanders ally Nina Turner lost an Ohio primary to a more moderate (and more local) woman who was backed by Hillary and made her support for Biden a major theme in her campaign. It seems fresh, but that dichotomy has existed as long as the […]
DL Open Thread Thursday, Aug. 5, 2021
I wonder if the media aren’t creating a false picture of who the anti-vax maskholes are, because apparently it’s not all the right-wingers: 90% of U.S. seniors are now vaccinated. So expect lots more articles like this one, about a Texas GOP official who mocked vaccines and masks on social media for months. He caught […]
Song of the Day 8/4: Cam Cole, “Mama”
I was watching the first season of “Ted Lasso,” the Jason Sudeikis comedy about an American football coach who’s hired to manage a British football squad. In one episode the owner of the team is hosting a benefit gala when the featured musical act, Robbie Williams (a big star in Britain), cancels at the last […]
Song of the Day 8/3: Hüsker Dü, “Love Is All Around” (Mary Tyler Moore theme)
Back in the days of punk rock, a lot of bands would emulate the Ramones by covering familiar songs at a breakneck tempo — think of the Clash covering “I Fought the Law,” or the Ataris’ take on Don Henley’s “Boys of Summer.” Part of the fun was choosing songs totally incongruous with punk aesthetics, […]
Song of the Day 8/2: Foxes and Fossils, “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes”
This is the story of a local cover band that became YouTube famous. I first started seeing Foxes and Fossils in my feed a year or more ago, during the pandemic lockdown, probably because I listen to a good bit of vocal harmony stuff. I don’t recall clicking on anything, but lots of other people […]
Song of the Day 8/1: Los Lobos, “Native Son”
H/t Nathan Arizona Los Lobos just dropped a new album of cover songs, “Native Sons,” all by bands from Los Angeles, and not just obvious choices like the Chicano band Thee Midniters — the Beach Boys, Buffalo Springfield, the Blasters and even Jackson Browne are represented. Los Lobos did write one original song for the […]
DL Open Thread Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021
Everyone acts surprised that Republicans “don’t believe in science,” but they shouldn’t be — conservatives have never bothered to support any of their arguments with data that go beyond anecdotes. To pick the most obvious example, they prattle on and on about trickle-down economics yet have never produced any evidence that it works — indeed, […]
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