Arts and Entertainment
El Somnambulo Reviews Wrestlemania 37-Night One
An utterly insipid pre-game panel featuring one Kayla Braxton as the host; Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler, dressed like a maitre d’ at a red gravy joint; Booker T: JBL, and somebody named Peter Rosenberg. It’s been raining in Tampa, but it appears that it will stop in time for the kickoff of the show. Drew […]
Song of the Day 4/10: Billy Joel, “Captain Jack”
A song for the Delaware Republican Party, which, like the protagonist of this song, has been reduced to just jacking off. In a way, Philadelphia — in particular this live 1972 performance of what became one of his signature tunes — is responsible for Billy Joel’s subsequent career. WMMR-FM staged an hour-long performance at Sigma […]
Song of the Day 4/8: The 1910 Fruitgum Company, “Indian Giver”
Baseball is back, which seems to be a mixed blessing in Georgia, where the GOP’s existential panic over its suckitude cost Atlanta the annual all-star game. I suppose Braves fans would call MLB Indian givers. Seriously, though, with fans back in the stands and sports leagues starting to root out Native American nicknames, some are […]
Song of the Day 4/7: Winger, “Seventeen”
H/t Foster McKenzie for this one, which I had never heard. He’s right, this should be Matt Gaetz’ rally music, not just for the apt lyrics but for its general cheeziness. Grunge might not be everyone’s favorite rock genre, but this is a good reminder of the played-out formula it replaced. This was one of […]
Song of the Day 4/6: They Might Be Giants, “Minimum Wage”
In keeping with today’s theme. Though they more recently gained attention for kids’ records like “Here Come the ABCs,” 30 years ago They Might Be Giants — basically the duo of John Flansburgh and John Linnell — were at the peak of their popularity as a post-new wave alternative band. Their 1990 LP “Flood,” overflowing […]
Song of the Day 4/5: Temple of the Dog, “Hunger Strike”
Alexei Navalny, the anti-corruption Putin opponent who has been jailed for being an anti-corruption Putin opponent, is in the sixth day of a hunger strike he undertook to protest his treatment in prison. He’s already sick with a fever and cough, and given the Putin government’s general treatment of its opponents, I’d say the prognosis […]
Song of the Day 4/3: Little Richard, “I Saw Her Standing There”
The only difficulty in picking a theme song for Matt Gaetz is that rock ‘n’ roll, especially the early stuff, is full of songs that traffic in misogyny and ephebophilia, often at the same time. But when a song starts out, “She was just 17,” you know you’re in Matt Gaetz territory. Yes, it’s a […]
Song of the Day 4/2: Simon and Garfunkel, “Keep the Customer Satisfied”
Paul Simon has joined the parade of aging songwriters peddling their catalogs for big bucks, selling off his entire output — over 400 songs from both Simon and Garfunkel and his solo career — to Sony for an undisclosed sum that certainly reached nine figures. This song from “Bridge Over Troubled Water” is an upbeat […]
Song of the Day 4/1: The Bee Gees, “I Started a Joke”
The joke certainly was on Robin Gibb — he had the best voice in the group but older brother Barry had the good looks, and their conflicting ideas about who should be the front man led to years of squabbles and bad feelings. “Massachusetts” was Robin’s breakout hit, but “I Started a Joke” was his […]
‘Bulo’s Fave Tunes: March 2021
If two of these songs seem kinda ‘out-there’ even by my standards, no, my tastes haven’t changed. It’s just that two great songs happened to be ‘out there’ this month. See if you can spot them amongst the other gems: One of the best videos I’ve seen in forever. Something you may not have known […]
Song of the Day 3/31: Steely Dan, “My Old School”
Only the good die young, they say, which is probably why G. Gordon Liddy, mastermind of the Watergate break-in, lasted 90 years before he shuffled off this mortal coil Tuesday. Several years before he made his mark on history with CREEP (note for the kidz: that was the incredibly apt acronym for the Committee to […]
Song of the Day 3/30: James McMurtry, “We Can’t Make It Here (Anymore)”
Author Larry McMurtry, who gained his greatest fame for his screenplay work in film and television, died last week. His musical legacy is his son James, who has carved out a 30-year career in the folk rock/Americana market with literate songs that include more than a little pointed social commentary along the way. He won […]
Song of the Day 3/29: Johnny Cash, “A Boy Named Sue”
The Republican war on trans people put me in mind of this old Johnny Cash song. Recorded live at San Quentin State Prison, the novelty tune was written and recorded earlier that year by singer-songwriter/children’s book author/Playboy cartoonist Shel Silverstein. June Carter heard Silverstein sing it one night and thought it a good fit for […]
Recent Comments