Alby's Latest Posts
DL Open Thread Friday, May 21, 2021
This is a short news roundup today for a simple reason: Damn near every story on the internet tells me I should be very, very afraid of damn near everything. In the media, the Democrats have already lost the 2022 midterms, because — you’ve read this thin gruel cooked up from flop sweat and bovine […]
Song of the Day 5/20: Carole King, “Will You Love Me Tomorrow”
There’s no question Carole King belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame — she’s been there, along with her first husband and lyricist, Gerry Goffin, since 1990. By one standard, she’s the preeminent female songwriter of the second half of the 20th century — she wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that reached the […]
DL Open Thread Thursday, May 20, 2021
New York magazine’s Jonathan Chait says most people, liberals included, are failing to appreciate how much legal jeopardy the Last Guy is in now that the New York AG’s office is looking at criminal charges over Trump Org tax dodging. Chait warns that prosecutors need to prepare the country for the unprecedented move of indicting […]
Song of the Day 5/19: Gil Scott-Heron, “The Revolution Will Not Be Televised”
For some reason, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame couldn’t simply place Gil Scott-Heron among the pantheon. He’s in this year, but as an “early influencer.” If they’re talking about his influence on rap, well, that’s undeniable, but that shortchanges an artist whose body of work towers above some of the acts already in. […]
Song of the Day 5/18: The Go-Go’s, “Our Lips Are Sealed”
I like the Go-Go’s, really I do. Their peppy power pop fit nicely with the New Wave movement of the early ’80s and MTV made sure you noticed how easy they were on the eyes. I saw them play at the UD Fieldhouse — the old one north of Main Street that had acoustics like […]
Song of the Day 5/16: Billy Preston, “Nothing From Nothing”
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is deeply flawed, but it does serve to shine an annual spotlight on some musicians who have faded into obscurity. Billy Preston will be honored this year, 15 years after his death, with the Hall’s Musical Excellence Award, which it gives to sidemen, producers and the like. Sure, […]
DL Open Thread Sunday, May 16, 2021
We now have demonstrative proof that today’s Americans are stupider than Americans of the past. We had actual gas shortages in the 1970s, and officials didn’t have to issue warnings not to put gasoline in plastic bags. What could be stupider? How about pumping gas into a laundry basket? That stupid enough for ya? The […]
Song of the Day 5/14: Todd Rundgren, “Couldn’t I Just Tell You”
The poobahs who run the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame finally got around to admitting Todd Rundgren this year, in his 25th year of eligibility as a solo artist. That says a lot more about the people making these decisions than it does about Todd Rundgren, who has disdained the institution from the first. […]
DL Open Thread Friday, May 14, 2021
Sorry for the delay, we had some issues with WordPress. Joe Biden’s statement of support for Israel did not sit well with some progressives in Congress, so the media is celebrating their chance to dust off the “Democrats in disarray” headlines. Here’s a challenge for you: Find me an American who cares more about this […]
Song of the Day 5/13: Foo Fighters, “Big Me”
Yes, you are getting old. The Foo Fighters were among those selected for the 2021 class of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, which means the band, which started as a solo project by Nirvana drummer Dave Grohl after Kurt Cobain’s suicide, has been around for 25 years. Grohl, now 52 years old, has […]
DL Open Thread Thursday, May 13, 2021
Israel and the Palestinians are fighting again. This is news in the same sense that the weather is news — the particulars change, and sometimes there’s a hurricane, but the most common forecast from the meteorologists is “clouds and sun,” which pretty much covers the whole spectrum, doesn’t it? The violence has a clear cause […]
Song of the Day 5/12: Tré Burt, “Under the Devil’s Knee”
Protest songs are pretty common, but really effective ones are not. I heard this the other night on the folk show on WXPN, and I think it belongs in the latter category. All I know is about him is that he’s from Sacramento and has been signed by John Prine’s Oh Boy Records, signifying a […]
Song of the Day 5/11: Randy Rainbow, “Clang, Clang, Clang Went Josh Hawley”
Randy Rainbow, like the rest of the media, has mostly moved on from the Last Guy and has now focused his attention on the lesser imps and demons who populate Cult 45. Rainbow’s already-impressive production values also seem to have improved.
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