Alby's Latest Posts
Song of the Day 2/24: Dolly Parton, “Mule Skinner Blues”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona The first thing to know about the country classic “Mule Skinner Blues” is that is that no mules are actually skinned during the course of the song. The second thing is that it was written in 1930 by the Father of Country Music, Jimmie Rodgers, although he gave it the […]
DL Open Thread Monday, Feb. 24, 2024
Here’s another sterling example of why you shouldn’t give the mainstream media your trust or your money: A former KGB spy said that the Russians have cultivated Donald Trump as an asset since 1987. No American media has reported it. Donald Trump was recruited by the KGB in 1987 and given the codename “Krasnov,” claims […]
DL Open Thread Sunday, Feb. 23, 2024
I’ll be filling in for El Som this week, and if you’re looking for stories about Fascism on the March, you’ll have to look elsewhere for the links. I won’t support news organizations that report every foul emission from the mouths and pens of these people while failing to headline the fact that most of […]
Song of the Day 2/22: Jerry Butler, “He Will Break Your Heart”
As El Somnambulo noted last night, soul singer Jerry Butler died Thursday at age 85. When his recording career wound down in the ’80s he got elected to the Cook County Board of Commissioners, a post he held for 32 years. Butler was born in the Mississippi Delta but grew up in Chicago, where he […]
Song of the Day 2/21: Brian Setzer, “Blue Moon of Kentucky”
Man, old rockers are dropping like flies. I don’t mean they’re all dying. Some are just hitting the rock and roll disabled list. Just the other day rockabilly revivalist Brian Setzer of Stray Cats fame announced on social media that an autoimmune disease has left him unable to play guitar. “There is no pain,” he […]
Song of the Day 2/20: David Johansen, “Heart of Gold”
David Johansen is not a guy who gives up. When the New York Dolls broke up he went solo. When that didn’t pan out he became Buster Poindexter. As Buster, a nightclub entertainer turned up to 11, he had a big hit that would drive you crazy if you heard it too much, and Johansen […]
Comment Rescue: Et tu, Bryan?
“Dude,” writing about why Bryan Townsend should be primaried, posted this comment under El Som’s top 5 2026 targets. Because Townsend’s seat isn’t up until 2028, I’m reposting it here, because people should know that Bryan Townsend, like so many Delaware Democrats, is liberal as all hell when it comes to social issues, but when […]
Song of the Day 2/19: Johnny Rodriguez, “Deportee (Plane Wreck at Los Gatos)”
As usual, the cruelty is the point. The White House released a video of captive immigrants shackled for air transport; naturally no details about who they were or where they were headed, just that they departed from Seattle. To amuse themselves the MAGAts labeled it “ASMR,” which IDs them as the sort of deep thinkers […]
Song of the Day 2/18: Chumbawamba, “The Day the Nazi Died”
I’m not on social media but my wife is, and this Chumbawamba song has popped up on her scroll several times lately. Listening to the lyrics I understand why. The world is riddled with maggots The maggots are getting fat They’re making a tasty meal of all The bosses and bureaucrats When Chumbawamba wrote this […]
Song of the Day 2/17: Sheryl Crow, “A Change Will Do You Good”
Sheryl Crow made the news the other day for doing something that’s become increasingly difficult recently: She sold her used Tesla. We know this because she posted about it on social media, along with the news that she’ll donate the proceeds to NPR, “which is under threat by President Musk.” She didn’t say what she’ll […]
Song of the Day 2/15: The Wallflowers, “Sleepwalker”
Since I featured Sam Cooke’s “Cupid” yesterday I felt I had to follow it up with Jakob Dylan’s oblique answer song, which drew a bit of attention when it was released as the lead single from the Wallflowers’ “Breach” LP in 2000. Bob Dylan’s son stepped out of his father’s shadow with the band’s multi-platinum […]
Song of the Day 2/14: Sam Cooke, “Cupid”
By all accounts, Sam Cooke didn’t need Cupid’s help. Girls rushed to the front pews to get a glimpse of him when he sang with the Soul Stirrers, a phenomenon new to gospel, and once he went secular his reputation as a ladies’ man became as legendary as his expressive tenor voice. So, no surprise, […]
Song of the Day 2/13: War, “Slippin’ Into Darkness”
Theme song for the United States of America. The band that became War started out in Long Beach, Calif., in the early ’60s. They were a tight unit by 1970, when songrwriter/producer Jerry Goldstein saw them backing a local R&B singer. He hooked them up with British singer Eric Burdon, fresh off the breakup of […]
Recent Comments