Alby's Latest Posts
Song of the Day 10/7: Fred Neil, “Dolphins”
Guest post by Nathan Arizona Fred Neil wrote a sad, beautiful and enduring song called “The Dolphins” as a Greenwich Village folk singer in the mid-1960s. “I’ve been searching for the dolphins in the sea,” he sang plaintively. He doesn’t find them. Neil, who suffered from stage fright, soon dropped out of the music business […]
Song of the Day 10/6: The Sex Pistols, “Pretty Vacant”
They would never admit it, even to themselves, but the Freedom Caucus apparently is in favor of anarchy in the U.S. House, which makes the Sex Pistols the perfect soundtrack for their exercise in nihilism. According to original bassist Glen Matlock, who wrote the song, “‘Pretty Vacant’ is a primal scream kind of thing: We […]
Song of the Day 10/5: The Kinks, “Situation Vacant”
With a tip o’ the sombrero to El Som. Yoohoo, anybody home? House Republicans are demonstrating that maybe men do too think about the Roman Empire too much, and no that good comes of it. One online reviewer called this tune “a classic Ray Davies character piece in which ambition leads to misery.” That sounds […]
Song of the Day 10/4: Buffalo Springfield, “On the Way Home”
Buffalo Springfield had broken up by the time their third and final album, “Last Time Around,” was released in 1968. The LP was assembled from previously recorded material to fulfill the band’s contract commitment. Neil Young’s “On the Way Home” was one of the earliest, recorded in late 1967, after the return of Young, who […]
DL Open Thread Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2023
Chris Coons must be having the mother of all sads today. After Kave-in McCarthy was ousted as House speaker, a GOP member of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus told CNN that Republicans in the group are considering quitting en masse because none of its Democratic members voted to retain him. Republicans apparently can’t conceive of […]
Song of the Day 10/3: The Ramones, “Why Is It Always This Way?”
Elon Musk’s fascist leanings are obvious at this point, and Russian state TV put a fine point on it yesterday by bragging that “Elon Musk really is our agent.” That got me thinking about “Rocket to Russia,” the Ramones’ third album. Unfortunately for the band that essentially invented punk rock, it came out just as […]
DL Open Thread Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023
Matt Gaetz – am I the only one who thinks he looks like a low-quality AI rendering of a young Jack Nicholson? – has pulled the trigger on his threat to depose Kevin McCarthy as speaker of the House. This puts McCarthy’s fate in the hands of House Democrats; Josh Marshall weighs the pros and […]
Song of the Day 10/2: The Traveling Wilburys, “Not Alone Any More”
Rock has had a lot of so-called supergroups, but I think the superest of them all is an easy choice. The Traveling Wilburys featured Beatle George Harrison, Nobel Prizewinner Bob Dylan and Hall of Famers Tom Petty and Jeff Lynne, all of whom were in awe of their fifth member, Roy Orbison. Orbison’s career started […]
DL Open Thread Monday Oct. 2, 2023
It takes a lot of dysfunction for the media to notice the GOP is in disarray, but that tipping point has been reached. Matt Gaetz says he’ll try to oust Kave-in McCarthy as speaker, while as-yet-nameless Republicans are expel Gaetz from Congress because, one said, “No one can stand him at this point.” This is […]
Song of the Day 9/30: “Flipper” Theme
Former Republican poll watcher Scott Hall pled guilty to five criminal counts and must testify against co-defendants, notably former Trump lawyer Sidney Powell, his contact in the plot. He’s the first of 19 defendants in the case to flip. I’m guessing he won’t be the last. For those too young to remember it, “Flipper” was […]
Meanwhile, in New Jersey…
Indicted Sen. “Gold Bar Bob” Menendez refuses to resign, but nobody expects him to survive a primary for his seat. Yet so far only one office-holder, U.S. Rep. Andy Kim, has stepped forward to announce a challenge to the scandal-plagued incumbent. As this story recounts, it’s not for lack of people who want a higher […]
Song of the Day 9/29: Fitz and the Tantrums, “MoneyGrabber”
Bethany Hall-Long’s intended coronation as Delaware’s next governor has hit a major snag. Seems like her rivals’ campaign signs might not be the only thing her sleazeball husband/campaign treasurer has gotten his hands on, as the campaign is undergoing an outside audit. Meanwhile, she has demonstrated why she’s not to be trusted in Woodburn by […]
DL Open Thread Friday, Sept. 29, 2023
Considering the pointlessness of the entire spectacle – all the challengers combined don’t reach Trump’s share of the Republican voters – the media sure is spilling a lot of pixels talking about the GOP gabfest. I’m not linking to any of it because I don’t want to encourage them. Besides, only 9.3 million people tuned […]
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