Arts and Entertainment
Song of the Day 2/27: Neil Diamond, “America”
I wanted to get this one on the record before the Trusk Administration fuckwads ban it. Don’t laugh – Clear Channel, now iHeart Radio, banned its stations from playing it after the 9/11 attacks, so it’s already on notice. That might not be necessary anymore. The song was released as a single from the soundtrack […]
Oscar the Obscure
Guest post by Gary Mullinax Which of these movies have you seen? “Anora,” “I’m Still Here,” “Emilia Perez,” “Conclave,” “Nickel Boys,” “The Substance.” None, I’m guessing. But they’re all nominated for a best-picture Oscar, which will handed out Sunday night with all the rest of them. Of the other four, only two have wide appeal. […]
Song of the Day 2/26: Father John Misty, “I Guess Time Just Makes Fools of Us All”
Ever since it was released last summer, I’ve heard this song a lot on WXPN, a radio station Father John Misty has an interesting history with. Misty, whose real name is Josh Tillman, played in 2016 at WXPN’s annual summer XPoNential music festival, and it happened to be the day after Donald Trump accepted the […]
Song of the Day 2/25: Roberta Flack, “The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face”
The popular memory of Roberta Flack, who died yesterday at 88, boils down to two songs, this one and “Killing Me Softly,” and no wonder – they won the Grammy for Record of the Year in 1972 and 1973, making Flack the first to win the award in consecutive years (U2 and Billie Eilish have […]
DL Open Thread Tuesday, Feb. 25, 2024
I realize it’s not popular, because everyone who’s not a MAGAt seems to think the proper response to this American idiocy is to declare that we’re doomed, but there are signs that the Trump/Musk/Project 2025 destruction of the federal government isn’t going as smoothly as the mainstream media would have you believe. The media reports […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Anybody Been To Clearwater?
My brother and I are heading down to catch the Phillies in Spring Training for a week beginning this Saturday. First time for both of us. Does anybody have any dining/drinking/touristy recommendations for us for those rare times when we’re not at the games? I also know that Clearwater is close to some other Florida […]
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 […]
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