open.spotify.com/playlist/… “September” - Earth, Wind & Fire OK, we’re a day off. But I can’t miss my annual chance to throw this into a playlist. “Deep End (Paul’s in Pieces) - The National The National dropped a surprise album Monday, serving as a companion to First Two Pages of Frankenstein, released earlier this year. There are two really good songs on it. This is obviously one of them. You think I would waste your time with a bad track?
Chart Week: September 19, 1981 Song: “General Hospi-tale” - The Afternoon Delights Chart Position: #35, 9th week on the chart. Peaked at #33 for two weeks. I’ve been reading through the RFTS archives and was surprised that I’ve never written properly about a novelty song, stuff like “Pac-Man Fever” or “The Curly Shuffle,” for example. I probably should have held off until one of those popped up on an old AT40, but this record was so strange that it required my first novelty song post.
Curb fans will enjoy this real-life origin story. One evening, as they drank into the night, it dawned on them. ‘I looked at his face and I said, “There’s something about you, man, that spooks me.” Just saying that spooks everyone!’ It clicked. ‘“You’re Richard Lewis!” “You’re Larry David!”… I was yelling at him, he was yelling at me.’ ‘I disliked him intensely’: Richard Lewis on first meeting Larry David A great Q&A with Darryl McDaniels of Run-DMC.
HS Football Two games again this weekend. Friday night Cathedral played at the public school down the street. Both girls had some friends over before the game and we walked to the stadium. First play of the night CHS snapped the ball over the quarterback’s head, he chased but could not cover, and North Central took over in Irish territory. Not a promising start. North Central was winless and it showed, as they went nowhere and gave the ball back to CHS, who methodically ran up a 49–0 lead before halftime.
The music vault is overstuffed again, so we’re back to extra large playlists. open.spotify.com/playlist/… “Little Fires” - The Gaslight Anthem Now we’re talking! This is the return to the classic TGA sound we’ve been waiting for. “Coming Home” - Echo Ladies “Resolution/Revolution” - The Linda Lindas “Nightmare Nights” - Church Girls Three straight songs featuring female vocalists who kick ass. I heard them in this order this morning, driving home from dropping L at basketball at 5:45.
I have some assorted items that have been sitting around for a week or two that aren’t big enough for their own post. So you get back-to-back Notes entries. Kid Hoops L is in her third week of basketball workouts at CHS. The first two weeks were before school on Wednesdays and Fridays. She’s been getting up before 5:00 on those days. My alarm is set for 5:19 but I generally hear her banging around and wake up well before that.
A lot of sports and stuff to get through from the past weekend. HS Football Weirdest game of the season for Cathedral, against rival Bishop Chatard. It was CYO Night + Homecoming + Chatard, so the stadium was packed. We got there an hour early and still had to park in the overflow section a couple blocks away. The Irish started hot, jumping out to a 21–0 lead in the first quarter, and it looked like it would be a repeat of the past three years, all blowout CHS wins.
It’s a big weekend for me: Sunday evening I’m seeing Pearl Jam for the first time since 2000. I’m pretty excited about it. I re-added the SiriusXM Pearl Jam channel as a favorite a couple weeks ago and have been listening to it a lot in preparation. I’ve also been spinning their songs on Spotify in between all the other stuff I regularly listen to. I’ve been tracking their current set lists, although with PJ that tells you nothing about what they will play at your show.
A special playlist to come later today. [youtu.be/CN_-BFeRr...](https://youtu.be/CN_-BFeRrrU?si=sk1xh9RrVdl6adur) “Love is Alive” - Gary Wright Mr. Wright died this week. Contrary to popular belief, he was not a one-hit-wonder: he had three songs that cracked the top 20. By every measure except for one, this was his biggest hit. Like “Dream Weaver,” it peaked at #2 on the Hot 100. It remained on the chart seven weeks longer than “Dream Weaver,” and finished #9 in the 1976 year-end countdown to #37 for “Dream Weaver.
As I skimmed the site’s archives over the summer, I realized I’ve gotten away from the half-assed NFL predictions that used to be a staple this time of year. That is mostly because I was busy with kid sports and the beginning of the NFL season often snuck up on me. And because I loathe how the NFL offseason dominates sports media and largely tune it out, not checking back in until the games begin.
It wasn’t that long ago when Labor Day weekends were big, involved deals for us. When we were lake house owners, that would always be the last blowout of the year. Lots of friends or family down for two final days of floating, swimming, boating and fun. We’ve backed off that pace quite a bit and these weekends are much more laid back. We did have some friends over Sunday evening.
Movies, Shows, etc Step Brothers I had the joy of introducing this to S, who had never seen it before. Not sure she totally got it. Then again, I don’t know if I did, either, the first time I saw it. A delight for me, though. It also made me look up and re-read this piece. Unadulterated Joy: An Oral History of ‘Step Brothers’ A- Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgandy Perhaps the height of Will Ferrell silliness.
A rare Friday post about something other than music promoted by the beginning of college football and an interesting night at a high school game earlier this week. KU Football I was thinking last night that there have been very few falls in my life when KU fans were genuinely excited about the coming football season. I’m talking about the excitement that comes with the chance for a really good season, not just “Hey, if everything breaks right, we might win six games this year!
open.spotify.com/playlist/… “Labor Day” - The Dead Milkmen How old do you have to be to get this song? Happy holiday! “Truck” - illuminati hotties This song is about mortality and whether or not heaven exists. Which is great. To me it hits as a late summer song for days when lounging in the pool has become routine but you’re not quite ready for fall to arrive. “Alone Again” - Split System These dudes sound like a punkier version of Jet.
Rememberings - Sinéad O’Connor After O’Connor’s death, there were many references to her autobiography, most of which came with the comment that it was a fantastic read. Those recommendations were right on. This is one of the best musician autobiographies I’ve ever read. It’s frank, funny, and frightening although also incomplete. O’Connor admits that a long stretch of her life after that tumultuous period in 1990–91 is lost to her. Which is a shame, because she is often shockingly honest about other parts of her life, and it would have been fascinating to read how she dealt with the years when much of the western world thought she was the embodiment of evil.
This is kind of a weird piece. I would put passing on Breaking Bad or Arrested Development’s disastrous fourth season in the same category as the networks calling Florida for Al Gore in 2000. And I’m not sure the numbers next to some of these match their significance. It is a pop culture list, though, and you all know how I love those. The 50 Worst Decisions in TV History
Not the most exciting weekend of the year. I feel obligated to share the minor doings anyway, since that’s kind of our thing here. HS Football Number two Cathedral went west of town to Brownsburg, where they went 1–1 last year, to face the #5 Bulldogs. Last August CHS fell behind 21–0 before making a furious comeback that fell short, losing 42–35. This year they started better - although they gave up an 80 yard TD pass on the first defensive possession of the game - and led 17–14 late in the second quarter.
open.spotify.com/playlist/… “Make It Work” - Swiss Banks Holy Smiths tribute! Or is it an Interpol tribute? The vocals are straight out of the Morrissey school. But musically, this song is way closer to Interpol than The Smiths. Interesting combination. I think it works. “Different Now” - Courtney Barnett covering Chastity Belt It’s been awhile since I’ve enjoyed one of Barnett’s new songs. It took a cover to get me back on board.
Time for another entry in the (very) occasional Ranking Shit series. This time I’m going to rank a few of my Old Man Tendencies that have popped up, or grown stronger, in recent years. 5 - Fussy About the Dishwasher I’ve set some very clear standards on how our dishwasher should be loaded. But the other three (sometimes four) people who live with me just refuse to follow those guidelines. To be clear, if you are a guest at our house and you are kind enough to load the dishwasher after a meal, I do not care how you do it.
Chart Week: August 29, 1981 Song: “For Your Eyes Only” - Sheena Easton Chart Position: #29, 6th week on the chart. Peaked at #4 for for weeks in October and November. I’ve heard a glut of 1981 countdowns recently. To be honest, it’s a little much. The quirkiness of that era grates rather quickly upon repeated exposure. However, I did learn something new and amazing in the process. On a countdown from earlier in the summer of ’81, a bonus track outside the Top 40 added to the new recording was Sheena Easton’s “For Your Eyes Only.