• Let’s Go Crazy

    Last Tuesday CBS aired a very important program. Officially titled Let’s Go Crazy: The Grammy Salute to Prince, the show as a tribute to the late Prince, who died exactly four years ago from its initial air date. The show got such a great reaction that CBS re-aired it Saturday night. I recorded the Tuesday broadcast and watched it Thursday…

  • Friday Playlist

    https://open.spotify.com/playlist/7ddMMjiHleKoYQxrbqYtS6?si=X92EEij0R8-j-eVxPIdeQg “Runaway Dog” – Retirement Party Seems like there have been several songs I’ve shared lately that have a strong, mid–90s vibe. Not sure if that means the grunge years are coming back. Add this one to the list. Especially in the rhythm section this has the feel of a Belly song. “Wash it Away” – Black Lab This wasn’t…

  • Reader’s Notebook, 4/23

    I worked my way through my stack of library books a few weeks ago, so it’s down to the Kindle and re-reading a few books I have around until the physical library opens again. Let the Northern Lights Erase Your Name – Vendela Vida With the transition to Kindle books, I’m finding recommendations in odd places. Someone on Twitter recommended…

  • Covid Chronicles, 4/22

    This is more of a random tidbits post. Nothing real earth-shattering in it. More mundane details of life in April 2020. I think we’ve reached the point in our house where we are all a little pissy with each other. Last week did not help. Damp, dreary, cool. We were stuck inside all last week due to the chilly, wet…

  • Reaching for the Stars, Vol 41

    Chart Week: April 10, 1982 Song: “Genius of Love” – Tom Tom Club Chart Position: #37, 12th week on the chart. Peaked at #31 for two weeks. (Administrative note: this is the second RFTS entry from this chart week. The first is here.) This entry is both about the song and about the radio station on which I heard it…

  • Friday Playlist

    I’m going to try to mix these up a little more than I have been lately. The focus will still be on sharing new(-ish) music. But I’m also going to throw in a few more older songs each week, just to stretch this out a little and make it feel a little more like my old podcast. If I could…

  • Covid Chronicles, 4/16

    First, some great news. I have not shared here that a good high school friend of S has been in the hospital with Covid–19 for over three weeks. He was in the ICU on a ventilator for over two of those weeks. Based on the updates we were getting, we think he was very close to death on at least…

  • Reader’s Notebook + The Masters Rewinds

    The Second Life of Tiger Woods – Michael Bamberger There was a hole in Easter weekend: there was no live coverage of the Masters. Even in that long stretch when I didn’t have much interest in golf, the Masters was still must-watch TV. It was a sign that spring was close, the carefully manicured lushness of Augusta National giving hope…

  • Reaching for the Stars, Vol. 40

    Chart Week: March 30, 1985 Songs: “Missing You” – Diana Ross, “Nightshift” – The Commodores Chart Positions: #15, 18th week on the chart. Peaked at #10 for two weeks in April. #10, 10th week on the chart. Peaked at #3 the week of April 20. Music fans know where I’m going with this entry. These two songs were both tributes…

  • Covid Chronicles, 4/13

    Well, it is April 13, Easter is behind us, and after a week-plus of fine-to-perfect weather, suddenly it feels like winter again. Currently the winds are roaring, the sky is filled with thick, angry clouds, and the windchill is a nippy 26 degrees. Ah, life in the Midwest! These last gasps of winter this time of year always suck. Over…