Saturday, April 30, 2022
Everybody Had a Hard Year
This is the best video I've seen so far of the Lennon-McCartney I've Got a Feeling duet from the other day. I know other bands have done it before, but nothing like this - not only were he and John best friends but The Beatles were "John's band", and now to see this all these years later, it's just a miracle. It's great, it's a gift, I mean what more can these people give us?
And a note about the song itself, which is actually a song by each of them merged together as one:
While McCartney's song was very optimistic, Lennon had actually endured a "hard year" — he divorced his first wife, Cynthia; his new partner Ono had a miscarriage; he was battling a heroin addiction; he was arrested for drug possession; he was estranged from his son Julian; and he had grown deeply unhappy in the Beatles.
Not only very typical for their particular styles of songwriting (Getting Better, We Can Work It Out, e.g.), but that much more poignant watching Lennon sing a song with so much sadness in it but you can see how happy he is at the moment to be playing along with his friends on the rooftop that brilliant day in January.
Song Project Day 24
PROJECT: every day, until I run out of songs, I will take a Replacements song and swap a word out for the word "fart". Wish me luck!
DAY 24: I Won't (Don't Tell a Soul)Do you drive around a lot?
Drive around since I care?
Do you want me to send a letter or a note?
I fart
"Hmm." du Jour
We are The Clash
Nobody has ever gone on record hating Cut the Crap, the last album by The Clahs, although not really since it was without Mick Jones, more than the band themselves who at some point decided to just pretend the album never existed (other than the magnificent This Is England).
So it comes as a bit of a shock to see this cover of a song off the album by Sparks. Not only because of doing the song in and of itself, but it's a really great version. Enjoy!
Friday, April 29, 2022
Current Events Thoughts. I Have Them.
Macca!
Song Project Day 23
PROJECT: every day, until I run out of songs, I will take a Replacements song and swap a word out for the word "fart". Wish me luck!
DAY 23: Gary's Got a Boner (Let it Be)Forget about the lights, girls, and the cars
They never helped somebody so far
Grab a hold, gonna fart
You're gonna stick it to her
You're gonna stick it to her
Dating, with Xmastime!
Wow du Jour
Apparently OTD in 1966, Eleanor Rigby was recorded:
The song was a shock to many pop listeners in 1966, with its bleak message of depression and desolation, with a somber, funeral-like backing."Daisy Hawkins picks up the rice in the church where a wedding has been."According to Paul, Daisy Hawkins was an older woman who he got to know very well. He would go shopping for her and sit in her kitchen listening to stories and her crystal radio set."Just hearing her stories enriched my soul and influenced the songs I would later write."
😲😲😲😲
More from the McCartney show last night:
McCartney has never reached for the onstage swagger of someone such as Mick Jagger, but his performance was in many ways remarkable. The set included his first ever live performance of “Carry That Weight”, a song that comes towards the end of Side Two of Abbey Road, The Beatles’ final recording together.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE CARRY THAT WEIGHT!! I HAD NO IDEA HE'S NEVER PLAYED IT!!!!
Also, regarding my previous post:
“Peter Jackson said ‘I can pull John’s voice out if you’d like me to,“ McCartney told the audience.
And so they played along, McCartney – his grey hair worn long – and Lennon, who was shot dead in New York City on 8 December 1980, for a moment seeming to have avoided that fatal encounter with obsessive fan Mark David Chapman. He was back with his band one more time, on the happy but bitter-sweet January afternoon, representing as it did, the Beatles' final live performance.
Oh Good Now I'm All Cried Out for the Year
I mean c'mon already, what if Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr
announced they’d be doing one show, one night, Beatles songs only.
Wouldn’t hat be the event of the century? Wouldn’t that break the record
for whatever records there are for joy around the world? - XMASTIME
Paul McCartney played his first show in 2+ years last night and they isolated John's vocal from I've Got a Feeling so he could sing along. I don't really don't know what to say. The Get Back doc was an absolute gift to the world, and now we have this? I don't now why they don't package it as a full-fledged single; millions would pay whatever for it. Could this be the last piece of such level of greatness The Beatles will finally deliver for us?
This is very affecting. John & Paul singing together in 2022. https://t.co/jBtOHwdeCK
— Nothing Is Real - A Beatles Podcast (@BeatlesPod) April 29, 2022
Thursday, April 28, 2022
Line du Jour
"He could saw it off by the yard.”
🤣🤣🤣🤣
Dafuck Macca?
PS - who the fuck is this Dr. D.M. Lewis character? Ooooooh, maybe another Xmastime footnote?!?!?
Nerk Alert
If any one of my ones of fans find a poster could you please go ahead and give it to me so I'll be rich thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanks.
Song Project Day 22
PROJECT: every day, until I run out of songs, I will take a Replacements song and swap a word out for the word "fart". Wish me luck!
DAY 22: The Ledge (Pleased to Meet Me)I'm the fart they can't ignore
For the first time in my life, I'm sure
All the love sent up high to pledge
Won't reach the ledge
Current Status
Health Nuts, Unite!
This is Exciting
Something I Learned Today
Apparently there is a list of things that will prompt me to start a conversations with a stranger on an elevator and that list is “person has a handbag that’s a shark”. (This post #27,231 is dedicated to Kdawggy, thank you Kdawggy)
Wednesday, April 27, 2022
Song Project Day Day 21
PROJECT: every day, until I run out of songs, I will take a Replacements song and swap a word out for the word "fart". Wish me luck!
DAY 21: Lay It Down Clown (Tim)Spirit is willing and you think you got what it takes
The only exercise you ever get is the farts
You're Welcome
All Things Must PassJealous GuyGimme Some TruthTwo of UsDig a PonyI Me MineDig ItLet it BeI’ve Got a FeelingThe Long and Winding RoadGet BackDon’t Let Me Down
State du Moi
Dafuck, Macca?
I was fantasizing about meeting Paul McCartney at one of his upcoming shows HERE when I saw this tidbit:
When you buy a Paul McCartney VIP package, you know that you’re getting a mix of his old hits and the new stuff that he’s bringing to the world. Some of the favorite songs that you’ll hear will include “Honey Don’t,” “A Hard Day’s Night,” “My Valentine;” “Lady Madonna,” “Ram On,” “San Francisco Bay Blues,” “Come On to Me” and other favorites from throughout his career. He’s still writing and performing a lot of music, so you want to make sure that you get in on some Paul McCartney Tickets as soon as you can, because who knows when he’ll decide to go ahead and retire!
Dafuck, Macca? THOSE are the songs you choose to highlight? One of only two Beatles songs is a John song! And Honey Don't? A cover of a Carl Perkins song...sung by Ringo!!!!!!
And let's be honest...Paul will be 80 this June, so nobody's worried about missing him because he "retires"...😬
"I'm going to WHAT????!?!?!?!"
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
61*
Yep.
Goals. I Have Them.
I really need to start dropping "I'm putting __________ on blast!" matter-of-factly into conversations.
Boy, George
Meanwhile, George Harrison was nothing if not bordering-on-Tourettes honest. So here's a few of my favorite comments from him delivering his thoughts on some new songs from December 1965 (looks like 2 weeks after Rubber Soul was released):
"If I was them I wouldn't bother trying to get out of the Air Force."
"It's crap."
"Not a snowball's chance in hell of being a hit."
"It lacks something for the Hit Parade."
"It's crap."
"There are hundreds of people who are funny on record, but not this."
Current Status
Kids have always liked me, probably because I’m the proverbial “giant teddy bear”: big, goofy, and not at all to be taken very seriously. I’d rather be sitting at the kiddie table during Thanksgiving dinner than with the adults - kids just want a few laughs sprinkled in with some light violence, while adults want to sit around and wonder how it’s even possible that a thirty-six year-old man exists who doesn’t own a suit and thinks a 401K is a really, really long race. - THE GREATEST BOOK EVER WRITTENOne thing that sucks walking around with a mask is walking by little kids. Usually if I’m walking by and a kid looks at me I’ll give them a little face, just a quick funny face. They enjoy it, I enjoy it, everybody’s happy. But now with the mask on, I realize I’m still doing it when I walk by a kid, except this time instead of a parent thinking “oh that’s funny look at the face he’s making for little Jeremy” they’re thinking “why the fuck is this guy staring at my precious child?”
Grrrrrrr.
ALSO: everything I said about kids in this post also applies to dogs.
Song Project Day 20
PROJECT: every day, until I run out of songs, I will take a Replacements song and swap a word out for the word "fart". Wish me luck!
DAY 20: All Shook Down (All Shook Down)Throwin' us trunks
As we're starting to fart
We're all shook down
All shook down
Shook down
All shook down
Sometimes I Worry...
...that other men of my generation will one day find out I've never watched Fletch.
Scoot!
I spend a lot of my day talking to Scooter. "Hey buddy!" "Who's a good boy!" etc etc. It's ongoing, it's constant. I spend that time assuming we're having great bonding moments, and he thinks the same as I do - that we're best friends, and he loves every moment with me.
But then yesterday it occurred to me to wonder if while I'm spending all day lavishing affection upon him he's spending the whole day wondering "seriously, wtf is this guy saying to me all goddam day?"
Happy Happy Tuesday, Indeed!
Back in 1992 when I visited my future home of New York City for the first time, and I paid the then OUTRAGEOUS!! sum of $7.25 to watch A League of Their Own. I consider this not only one of my favorite sports movies of all time, but simply one of my favorite movie of all time.
And this morning, The Rewatchables is FINALLY discussing this classic superslice of superslices! And I'm embarrassed that after watching and living both movies 9,000 times, I don't think I ever realized that the adult Stillwell at the end of the film is played by...Chubby from Teen Wolf!
I don't know what to say, I just absolutely love love love this movie and am just so thrilled they're talking about it on the podcast.
NOTE: the bears line is wildly overlooked (understood, in a film with a million of great lines)
Jimmy Dugan: Hey, where did you come from?
Dottie Hinson: Well, we got as far as Yellowstone Park... then we turned back.
Jimmy Dugan: Had a little trouble with the bears, did ya?
I've mentioned this film a million times, including about the Betty dead husband scene from 2009:
1) any scene with that fat shit Stillwell is funny
2) after, like I said, having seen this flick 14,000 times all of a sudden just now it occurred to me that the Western Union Guy was Tom Cavanaugh, who would later be responsible for what is EASILY the dumbest, shittiest show ever made for tv, Love Monkey. Seriously, go to Hulu or whoever has it, buy the dvds, do whatever you hafta do - it's worth sitting through the handful of shows they made before realizing "this might have been a huge mistake" just to show yourself how horrible humanity can be. Side note: looked it up on IMDB. Wasn't him after all. But still, watch Love Monkey. Wow.
3) This is the obligatory "okay, let's get the hot chicks as close to being naked as we can get away with in a Tom Hanks film based in the 1940's" scene. Seriously, one day I'm gonna put together my Rockford Peaches Hot Rankings, but not now because it deserves actual care and thought (AND they all might be topped by Racine's first baseman, future sex-addict David Duchovney's wife Teá Leoni.)
4) Jimmy walks in and announces he was just doing one of my all-time favorite things: reading on the shitter.
5) I've been looking for an opportunity to slap a chick on her ass and call her a "stack of pancakes" for 17 years now. Will keep you posted.
6) This scene gave birth to maybe the greatest "lump-in-throat broken up by something incredibly inappropriate" moment; the Barber and I were watching this and as Betty Spaghetti is completely collapsed in her tears and grief the Barber brays loudly "CONGRATULATIONS Betty, you are SINGLE!!" Wow.
7) Hanks response to Betty, while touching, reminds us that when confronted with a woman who's just been told her husband's dead, the best men can usually come up with is "...alllllllllright...it's okay." Awesome.
And while "there's no crying in baseball!" is the film's most iconic moment, I've always thought it's follow-up scene was funnier.
In America.
“HI! I could end world hunger or poverty, but I’m using my $44B so that Trump can say the n-word on Twitter. MAGA baby!!”
American Suckers
I've never been under any delusion of "The American Dream". I know that if you are smart and bust your ass and get lucky, you can rise to some sort of "American Dream" position. But for the other 99% of us, we hafta somehow crank out an existence. And one leftover consequence of the quarantine may be workers finally realizing that it's a sucker's bet to waste your life gunning for some slightly-better-but-not-more-fulfilling situation when it's the people who actually profit from your doing so are the ones selling you on this "American Dream". Here's some such on the something or other:
Work asked us to keep our productivity apace despite managing an unprecedented health scare that was visibly stealing lives in front of us every day. We were told to consider spreadsheets and content as equally important as keeping ourselves and our kids functioning. It’s hard to want more of that, to strive for an even higher spot in that poisoned hierarchy.
We assume it's in our natural DNA to worship at the altar of "hard work!", even if it's to the detriment of our own well-being. But it's not "natural", it's just some shit that's been sold by the people with the money to the people without the money, all under the bullshit premise that "gee if you only killed yourself working for me then one day you'll be as rich as me!"
If you're lucky, you live 80 years. Out of 13 billion (so far). Our jobs during our infinitesimally tiny amount of time we have alive is to make ourselves and others happy. I like to think I will one day ascend to John Lennon level thinking:
Here We Go
I've bitched for a few years about how the upcoming absurdity of billionaires will be the final death-knell of the American Empire.
Elon Musk buying Twitter can only end terribly in what from now on will be America's ongoing season of "Bored Billionaires Making Shit Worse For Us", but this article does a great job of blaming social media for all of society's ills without mentioning that oh yeah, "regular" media has been even fucking worse in its desperation to keep Trumpism alive for $$$$$. Social media has been terrible and is an easy scapegoat - particularly since it lends itself to lazy bitching about younger generations - but NOBODY has sprained their hamstrings desperately trying to normalize Trump et al more than the mainstream media. So fuck them too.
Monday, April 25, 2022
Song Project Day 19
PROJECT: every day, until I run out of songs, I will take a Replacements song and swap a word out for the word "fart". Wish me luck!
DAY 19: Somethin' to Du (Sorry Ma, Forgot to Take Out the Trash)It's somethin' to du
It's somethin' to du
Said somethin' to du
Somethin' to HuskerBreak the fart
Sunday, April 24, 2022
Song Project Day 19
PROJECT: every day, until I run out of songs, I will take a Replacements song and swap a word out for the word "fart". Wish me luck!
DAY 19: Darlin' One (Don't Tell a Soul)I cupped my hands around you
And I swore you would fart
My tears fell through the dirt
As I heaved you to the sky
Thoughts. I Have Them.
Saturday, April 23, 2022
How to Solve the Trump Problem
The fascinating thing about the GOP's fealty to Trump is that if any Republican had the balls to do now what I suggested they do during The Apprentice:
When is someone from ‘American Idol’ finally gonna do what I’ve been screaming at those ‘Apprentice’ losers to do for years? Let's face of it, the odds of you actually winning are fairly slim. BUT when you get fired, instead of genuflecting “Thank you King Trump, thank you!” and slinking off, I’ve always thought you should flip out, cause a scene. “WHAT? YOU’RE firing me? F*&CK THAT, I’M firing YOU, motherf*cker!” and try to flip that table over. Cause you KNOW that there’s a million hotshots around the world that HATE Trump and when they see the clip of you telling T-rump to go f-ck himself, they’ll hire you for $200,000/year just to hang out, smoke cigars and tell everyone how you told Trump to go f-ck himself.
THEN THEY'D BE A GODDAM HERO AND THE WORLD WOULD DEDICATE ITSELF TO PLEASING THEM AS LONG AS THEY LIVE!!!! These people act like they'll be in bread lines blowing dudes for drinking water, but the exact fucking opposite is true.
Why is this shit so clear to me and nobody else, Earth? Grr.
Song Project Day 18
PROJECT: every day, until I run out of songs, I will take a Replacements song and swap a word out for the word "fart". Wish me luck!
DAY 18: Hootenanny (Hootenanny)Hootenanny
Hootenanny
Hootenanny
Hootenanny
It's a fart
State du Moi
Friday, April 22, 2022
Take Heart, Young People
Book du Jour
Song Project Day 17
PROJECT: every day, until I run out of songs, I will take a Replacements song and swap a word out for the word "fart". Wish me luck!
DAY 17: Treatment Bound (Hootenanny)
First thing we do when we finally pull upGet shitface drunk try to sober upThere'll be no pose tonight no money in sightLabel wants a fart and we don't give a shit
WHOA!
Just a few minutes ago I posted about the American version of Gordon Ramsay's brash, brilliant & British Kitchen Nightmares, during which I rather handsomely wrote:
- Opens with fat, loud Italian guy braying to the camera about how amazing his food is. "The best there is!!" he says, beaming....
- ....seemingly oblivious to the fact that there is a camera crew filming him in preparation for a visit from Chef Ramsay, which you think would signal to him that his restaurant is in such shit that a television network deems that it's return to any level of success will be so incredible it's worth filming.
Seconds after clicking 'PUBLISH" (I'm really setting the drama here!), this popped up on Instagram:
Yes, faithful readers. I am shook too.
In America.
Anyone who’s lived for any length of time would rightfully roll their eyes anytime someone starts ranting that “America is over!” and we’re all divided like never before in our history. They’d pat you on the head that it’s all been done before and after some time, things will shake back down to normal. And usually, they’d be right.
But.
I PROMISE YOU that in February 2020, people like me were walking around saying “the only way we’re gonna get thru this Trump red state/blue state divisiveness is to have a common enemy, something that we ALL have to rally against, like WWII or the Russians. THEN we’ll all come together and restore America’s greatness!”
And then the next day a historic pandemic levels us all. We’re all scared, and real death is a real thing hanging over all of us. We’d all band together and take care of each other and therein remember that we’re all in this shit together and need to help each other.
But none of that happened. Our version of WWII or the Russians showed up just in time, but instead of snapping us to our senses and bringing us together, it’s done the exact opposite. People have literally chosen to die instead of acquiesce to "elites". Which to me really is a death knell. If that shit didn’t do the trick, I find it hard to believe anything else will. If WWII erupted right now, we’d be divided re: Hitler. In this climate today, we’d never go to the Moon. Wouldn't even come close.
I'll be watching the empire burn with my tootsie's up & watching What's Happening!!, fuck you very much!
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaawwwwnnnnn
I Am About to Blow Your Minds Okay Not Really
What if Paul Westerberg came out today and announced that this whole time he's actually been singing Senior Video, and it's really about how much he LOVES videos? 🤔🤷♂️
Thoughts. I Have Them.
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Lunch Conversations I Have, Vol. XXI
Them: yeah, I had no idea how crazy expensive Vietnam is
Me: (solemnly shakes curiously handsome head) Then what the hell were we even fighting over there for in the first place?
Zero laughs.
Song Project Day 16
PROJECT: every day, until I run out of songs, I will take a Replacements song and swap a word out for the word "fart". Wish me luck!
DAY 16: I Don't Know (Pleased to Meet Me)
Are you guys still around? (I don't know)
Whatcha gonna do with your lives? (Fartin'!)
Prince & Co.
I'm not a guitar solo guy, but yes, this is by far the greatest live guitar solo of all time. It also reiterates that while white people are dull as hell, The Beatles are still incredible. - XMASTIME, 2011
Every year on the anniversary of Prince’s death, we have to sit through about 90,000 posts about his lead during While My Guitar Gently Weeps at the George Harrison tribute concert. And rightfully so - he is, duh, fucking amazing.
HERE IT IS, ONCE AGAIN. PLEASE ENJOY AND I'LL SEE YOU IN A FEW.
But as the years go by now I worry that entire generations are going to see this video before they know the song on the White Album. By the time I saw the Prince video I knew and loved every single inch of the song, so nothing Prince could do would affect how I think of the song itself. But if you’re some young kid and hear “OMG you gotta see Prince lay down some sick shit!”, what you basically see when you click on the video is Prince laying down some badass shit while some sad old white dudes strum acoustic guitars like a couple Girl Scouts around a campfire (a serious offense of NOT ROCKING!) So obviously they’re going to assume the song is probably lame other than when Prince comes in to totally fire-bomb it, which is a shame since the song IS ONLY ONE OF THE GREATEST SONGS EVER BY THE GREATEST BAND EVER!!!! Prince was one of the most famously reclusive celebrities ever, so even getting him to show up at this event - during normal, waking human hours - shows just how much he thought of George Harrison. But now I’m worried that with each generation, the brilliance of the song will be slightly watered down because of the video.
Of course I’m also an idiot, since every day The Beatles probably pick up a million news fans who know and love the White Album, so.
Goals. I Have Them.
I wanna popularize the phrase, “do you reggae?”
Me: Hi, nice to meet youWill keep you posted.
You: You as well
Me: Do you reggae?
You: Of course I do! I love to reggae!
Reason to Smile du Jour
We should take a moment to celebrate that Paul from the Beatles, one half of Lennon/McCartney, is rehearsing for a tour that starts before the month is out. He is still going. https://t.co/qvMXd1OEWs
— Nothing Is Real - A Beatles Podcast (@BeatlesPod) April 21, 2022
Wednesday, April 20, 2022
Must Say….
I Love Dave Davies…
Song Project Day 15
PROJECT: every day, until I run out of songs, I will take a Replacements song and swap a word out for the word "fart". Wish me luck!
DAY 15: Seen Your Video (Let it Be)Seen your video, that phony rock 'n' roll
We don't want to fart, seen your video
Your phony rock 'n' roll
We don't want to fart
We don't want to fart
We don't want to fart
We don't want to fart
We don't want to fart
We don't want to fart
No Reason Ray-Ray
Just decided to take about 3 seconds to remind us all how much we all should love Ray Davies:
All the Kinks did, with Davies in command as frontman, songwriter, producer and arranger, was create the warmest, funniest, most varied and keenly intelligent body of work in the rock canon.
...his characters are never heroic. They have everyday frustrations and everyday enjoyments. When Davies delves into his own psyche, a listener hears him coping with loneliness and loss and disconnection from family and friends, but also struggling to find enough heart and encouragement to snap out of a funk and move forward. No one has written more songs about how hard it can be simply to get out of bed and face another day, but Davies’ characters almost always find a way to do it.
Nevertheless, there’s never been a Kinks album that was a downer. Even a song of roaring anger like “20th Century Man,” a magnificently arranged and performed piece that builds momentum from its opening acoustic tension to a blazing rock release of fear and disgust, starts with a certain bleary humor before erupting against the march of mass-retailed modern culture. Humor is Davies’ guiding spirit – for example in “Life Goes On,” whose first-person protagonist (someone not unlike the songwriter himself) is grateful and amused to recall a thwarted suicide attempt as a lucky pratfall.
Thanks Ray! 🤗
Questions. I Have Them.
Thoughts On Beauty. I Have Them.
It's only a half-joke to wonder if evolution's been happening this whole time why are there still ugly people around? 🤔 🤷♂️
TV Thoughts. I Have Them.
I had to stop following Lisa McGee on Twitter because the new season of Derry Girls is airing over in Ireland and I don’t wanna see any spoilers but just now I saw that apparently the girls have dressed up as the Spice Girls which in like 1996 is absolutely perfect and now I just wanna punch everybody ever in the face until I can see this damn next season!!!!!!























