Reaching For The Stars, Vol. 101
Chart Week: June 4, 1983 Song: “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’” – Michael Jackson Chart Position: #22, 2nd week on the chart. Peaked at #5 for two weeks in July. High Fidelity was one of my favorite movies of the early 2000s. I loved the record store culture it celebrated. Hanging around with fellow music geeks, arguing about insanely obscure bits…
Weekend Travel Notes
A busy weekend back in the Motherland. KC Trip Lots of fun on my first Kansas City visit in two years, first solo one in five. As always, it was too brief but I packed plenty in. I flew in Friday morning and got to experience the new KCI for the first time. Soooo much better than the old airport.…
Thursday Playlist
Posting this a little early as I have a busy Friday morning. “Sabotage” – Beastie Boys Thirty years and one week ago the Beasties released Ill Communication. I’ve always been a Paul’s Boutique guy, but there are plenty of people who think IC was their best album. And, of course, this song was the basis for one of the greatest…
Reaching for the Stars: The First 100
With 100 Reaching for the Stars entries under my belt, it is time to break down where we’ve been, AT40 style. It should be no shock that there have been more entries from 1984 than any other year, a healthy 18 posts from the greatest year in pop music history. I was mildly surprised that 1982 was second with 16.…
May Media
My goal for May was to adjust away from so much YouTube back towards more traditional shows and movies. I didn’t do a great job of that. I have started a summer viewing project, so while the hours may adjust in June, I don’t know if the number of entries in each section will change much for awhile. Movies, Shows,…
Friday Playlist
“Bored In The Summer” – Bad Bad Hats Too soon? “Dotted Line” – Why Bonnie Blair Howerton wrote this in a moment when she “felt the weight of capitalism” pressing down upon her. I love shit like that. Also a nice warning to prospective artists about being aware of what they are giving up when they sign that record deal.…
Wednesday Notes
A few more random notes that didn’t fit into the weekend wrap-up. Number Three Behind The Wheel L finally got her learner’s permit today. She had been gung-ho about driving since she was 13, and dove into the driver’s ed self-teaching program when we signed her up back in December. We’ve been taking her across the street to drive around…
Weekend Notes
A long holiday weekend filled with guests, rain, and fun. L had a group of girl friends over Friday night. Storms curtailed their pool time but otherwise they kicked off their summer well. Since she spends so much time with basketball girls, it’s always good to get a confirmation that she hangs out with other freshman girls sometimes. Sorry, sophomore…
Friday Playlist
It’s summer time, bitches! “Summertime” – DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince DRUMS PLEASE! “Dancing In The Streets” – Van Halen This song has always meant summer to me. It seemed like I heard it constantly Memorial Day weekend 1982, but it hadn’t cracked the Top 40 yet so I’m not sure how accurate that memory is. “Summertime Tiger”…
Reader’s Notebook + Thoughts On Cassettes
High Bias: The Distorted History of the Cassette Tape – Marc Masters A single-book focus for this entry, less because of the book’s quality than what it got me thinking about. The book itself wasn’t as good as I hoped it would be. Masters begins by laying out the history of the cassette tape and tape players. Then he dives…