Arts and Entertainment
Song of the Day 7/17: Tom Waits, “Circus”
I haven’t tuned in to the Republican National Convention, but I imagine it’s very much like Tom Waits described his circus in this cut from 2004’s “Real Gone.” Waits doesn’t play piano on any track on the LP, but he does play the background music here on a keyboard instrument – the chamberlin, a precursor […]
Song of the Day 7/15: Justin Townes Earle, “Look the Other Way”
This track from Justin Townes Earle’s 2012 album “Nothings Gonna Change the Way You Feel About Me Now” could be a theme song for Judge Aileen Cannon, who’s shown she’s a pro at looking the other way.
Song of the Day 7/14: The Clash, “Guns on the Roof”
Nobody is sure how many guns are in private hands in the United States; most estimates put the figure well above 300 million. It doesn’t seem to be making anyone safer. From “Give ‘Em Enough Rope,” the second studio LP by the Clash.
DL Open Thread Sunday, July 14, 2024
Have you noticed that nobody is surprised at the attempted assassination of Donald Trump? I’m only surprised it took this long for someone to do it, because for eight years now we’ve been told that Trump is an existential menace. You have to assume that eventually someone will take that seriously enough to act on […]
DL Open Thread Saturday, July 13, 2024
The most interesting aspect of the current Democratic civil war is that the rank and file is decidedly not behind the move to oust Biden from the ticket. Surprisingly, those on the left, who are often critical of Biden, are among those who, like the Squad, are ridin’ with Biden. The media echo chamber, meanwhile, […]
Song of the Day 7/12: Huey Lewis and the News, “Stuck With You”
Joe Biden’s press conference last night satisfied neither side of the Democrats’ civil war. Biden stumbled but he didn’t fall, so neither side can claim vindication – though both already have. Meanwhile, it continues to look like the party is stuck with him – sort of the way the ’80s were stuck with Huey Lewis. […]
Song of the Day 7/11: Suzanne Vega, “Luka”
The literary world was shaken this week when Andrea Skinner, youngest daughter of Canadian author Alice Munro, revealed to the Toronto Star that her stepfather, Munro’s second husband, molested her when she was 9 years old – and that when Munro learned of it 15 years later, she refused to leave him. The shocking disclosure […]
Song of the Day 7/9: Keane, “I’m Not Leaving”
Any hope of removing Joe Biden from the Democratic ticket depends on him going willingly. Instead he’s given every indication he’ll put up a fight. It’s been 20 years since Keane’s “Hopes and Fears” LP, which contained their biggest hit, “Somewhere Only We Know,” which turns up on TV a lot, on both soundtracks and […]
DL Open Thread Tuesday, July 9, 2024
The media’s feeding frenzy for forcing Biden out of the race continues but seems to be slackening a bit because the public isn’t climbing on board. Like a pug on your leg, WaPo and all the political sites are still humping away at it, but the broader Democratic public doesn’t seem to see the big […]
Song of the Day 7/7: Mötley Crüe, “Don’t Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)”
The punditry consensus says Joe Must Go, but if you check the comments at liberal web sites it seems a lot of their readers aren’t sold on the idea. You can’t expect someone in mental decline to recognize the severity of their own condition, and Joe has turned characteristically combative in response to the calls […]
Song of the Day 7/6: Ella Fitzgerald, “Too Darn Hot”
Just walking to the mailbox the past couple of days brought to mind this little rhyme I think I first heard in junior high school: When the weather’s hot and sticky That’s no time for dunkin’ dickie When the frost is on the pumpkin That’s the time for dickie dunkin’ I always liked that bit […]
Song of the Day 7/5: The Ramones, “The Job That Ate My Brain”
Joe Biden’s fight for survival wasn’t helped by telling his staff he needs an early bedtime, and he’s clearly made an enemy of the New York Times. So we’ve got three old guys running for president. To paraphrase Billy Martin, one’s got brain worms and the other two are senile. Trump and RFK Jr. have […]
Song of the Day 7/4: Trey Parker, “America, Fuck Yeah!”
The South Park team’s marionette movie, “Team America: World Police,” was released 20 years ago, during the Iraq War, when patriotism was running high and Hollywood action movies pandered to it. Trey Parker and Matt Stone mocked both America’s imperialism and Hollywood’s outspoken liberal contingent, but the list of American cultural exports – McDonald’s! Disney […]
Recent Comments