music Archives - Page 21 of 261 - Ramblin' with Roger

October rambling: tax billionaires

everythingistb.com

State Street in ALB between Lark and Willett, 20 Oct 2024

Of course, we can tax billionaires. They disguise their demands (“don’t tax billionaires”) as observations (“it is technically impossible to tax billionaires”).

Find Out Who Funds Political Action Committees

Six Lies Elon Musk Believed (in a 24-hour period)

‘Serious Risk’ of Vital Ocean Current Collapse by 2100, Warn Scientists

One in three tree species at risk of extinction: report

Mifepristone, round 2

Order Your 4 Free At-Home COVID-19 Tests: Every U.S. household is eligible to order 4 free at-home tests.

Traffic Stops: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver

Will Arthur’s ballot be counted?

Democracy Succumbs in Silence

The Trouble With Tradwives. TikTok’s old-school housewives paint a rosy picture of their lives. Ex-tradwives and Influencer moms tell a vastly different story.

The US Copyright Office Frees the McFlurry

City On Fire: The night during the Civil War that violent anti-government conspirators sowed chaos in the heart of Manhattan.

The game

Wordle 1,214 was the third-hardest ever and the hardest for two years, and people are angry—here’s why. (I got a 6.)

Why Not Shake Up the Olympics?

Field of Dreams: Sometimes Myth and Reality Coincide

Obituary: pitcher Luis Tiant (1940-2024)

Trailblazing pitcher Fernando Valenzuela passes away at 63

Teri Garr died at 79. I saw her in Tootsie, Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Oh God! and many TV appearances. Oh, and Young Frankenstein (1974) – Put the candle back!

Singer Jack Jones, RIP

Ron Ely, RIP

Tim Urban: Why I Brought My Toddler to Watch SpaceX’s Flying Skyscraper. I can’t shield my daughter from negativity. But I can continually redirect her attention to the rocket—showing her all the ways our species is incredible.

John Green’s new book, Everything Is Tuberculosis, is coming out March 18, 2025

What Really Happens When We Unfriend Someone On Facebook?

The language we speak can change our perception of time.

Mark Evanier’s links to several full-length movies such as Naked Gun, American Graffiti, and Hannah and Her Sisters

Bob and Ray in “The Hobby Hut”

Kelly’s a little stealing on Sunday

Now I Know: The Identity Theft That Went Backward and Is It Illegal To Not Wish Someone Farewell? and Where Everybody Knows Your 6E 61 6D 65 and The Fish That Glow… As a Warning?

Security Updates for the Internet Archive

Starting earlier this month, the Internet Archive faced a DDoS attack. After temporarily taking the site offline to enhance security, they have resumed services to Archive.org, Open Library, Wayback Machine and Archive-It. For ongoing updates, please follow their blog and official social media channels on X/Twitter, Bluesky, and Mastodon.

FAST COMPANY: The Internet Archive is even more essential than I realized

WASHINGTON POST: The world’s largest internet archive is under siege — and fighting back

WORDPRESS FOUNDATION: WordPress Foundation Donates $100,000 to Internet Archive

COLUMBIA JOURNALISM REVIEW: The organization that safeguards the internet’s history is under attack

SF GATE: The random Bay Area warehouse that houses one of humanity’s greatest archives

MUSIC

Mitzi Gaynor sings I’m Gonna Wash That Man Right Out Of My Hair from South Pacific; she died at the age of 93

Vale Alan Mansfield of the band Dragon died

Dancing In The Street – Dick Carpenter Trio

Suite from Camelot, original music by Frederick Loewe, and arranged by Robert Russell Bennett

I’m Yours and Puttin’ On The Ritz – Herb Alpert

The Kairn of Koridwen by Charles Tomlinson Griffes

Airport Codes (Big Band Version) – Aubrey Logan

The Pink Panther theme song and the James Bond theme song go well together

The welcome arrival of rain by Dame Judith Weir.

Favorite Songs By Favorite Artists: The (English) Beat and The Replacements

Coverville 1506: Cover Stories for Natalie Maines and David Lee Roth and 1507: The Katy Perry Cover Story III

Triumphal March from Aida by Giuseppe Verdi

Convection Oven – Peter Sprague

Wichita Lineman – Colin Hay

Inch Worm – Road Work Ahead

The theme from Exodus · Ernest Gold

Jayne Torvill and Christopher Dean performed at the World Figure Skating Competition with a routine set to the Entr’acte of the original Broadway production of Mack and Mabel.

Spies – Randy Newman

Sesame Street Cast Crashes The Late Late Show with James Corden

I Just Called To Say I Love You – Stevie Wonder

K-Chuck Radio: Another 10 classic pop songs you barely remember (actually, one I recall quite well)

Sunday Stealing: blueberry muffins

Bonnie, Neil, Diana, and Mac

Here’s another installment of Sunday Stealing, which is reason enough to have a picture of blueberry muffins. The first question is, What’s your guilty pleasure?

I’ll list foods I should not eat but crave for this exercise. These tend to involve pastry with fruit, such as banana bread, blueberry muffins, and apple pastry.

Which meal is your favorite: breakfast, lunch, or dinner?

Dinner, because it tends to be the most varied. Breakfast is almost always oatmeal. Lunch is whatever leftovers might be kicking around. Dinner tends to be the most interesting.

What do you do when you want to chill out after a long day?

It tends to be watching television, specifically the Evening News, which we record and fast-forward through the commercials. So, I’ve managed to miss the bulk of the political ads running. Then, my wife and I play the New York Times Connections together.

How would you spend your ideal weekend?

On Saturday, we usually attend some event: a concert, play, musical, movie, or social gathering. Sunday involves going to church and then talking to my sisters on Zoom.

MUSIC, of course

Do you listen to podcasts, or mostly just music? What’s your favorite podcast?

I listen to a lot of music, usually seven CDs per day. Bonnie Raitt, Diana Krall, Dr. John, and Neil Young are currently heavily in the rotation. But not many podcasts because I can’t multitask. I have to listen intently. It’s the same reason I can’t listen to audiobooks and do something else, as some people, notably my wife, can. I am utterly incapable. I have to concentrate on the item. So, besides Arthur’s occasional AmeriNZ item, the only podcast I listen to regularly is Coverville, which is mostly music.

Brian Ibbott usually picks covers of artists whose birthdays are divisible by five. So in November, he might select Chris Difford (Squeeze), 70, on the 4th; Bryan Adams, 65, on the 5th; Corey Glover (Living Colour), 60, on the 6th; Rickkie Lee Jones, 70, on the 7th; Bonnie Raitt, 75 on the 7th, etc.

Do you prefer to go to the movies or watch movies at home?

Cinema, always. I saw many movies at home during COVID-19, but it wasn’t the same. I remember going to the Spectrum Theatre when the vaccine was available, but social distancing and masks were the norm, and it was such a treat to see the films on the big screen.

TeeVee

What was your favorite TV show growing up?

The Dick Van Dyke Show. Mark Evanier has linked to his ten favorite episodes. (His #2 may be my #1)

What’s your favorite TV show now?

CBS Sunday Morning, a magazine on the air since 1979.

How would you spend your birthday if money was no object?

I’d rather throw a surprise party for Kelly with a few dozen of his closest friends and family in Washington, DC.

What’s your favorite season? What do you love most about it?

Spring. It could have snow or 86°F/30°C, but ultimately, it will have new life.

Do you prefer camping or going to the beach?

I don’t like either. If I had to choose, I’d say go to the beach, but I’d need a huge umbrella to protect me from the sun.

Which phone app do you think you use the most?

I probably use Noom because it can track all my food consumption. After that, I’ll probably use Venmo to send money to my daughter and the CDTA navigator so I can get around on the bus in Albany.

Steppin’ Out

Would you instead cook, order delivery, or go out to eat?

I would eat out almost every meal, every day. There’s something about other people preparing your food for you and then cleaning up afterward. It’d be different restaurants with a variety of levels of fanciness.

How do you drink your coffee?

I don’t drink coffee. I know it’s unAmerican.

If you could have any animal as a pet, what would you choose?

I don’t want another pet. We had two cats this year; one of them died. It’s much easier to go away when you don’t have a creature depending on you. I liked having them and love our remaining cat, but I reckon we won’t have another one.

1994 #1 country hits

Joe Diffie, John Michael Montgomery, Neil McCoy…

Unlike the concise number-one lists for pop, R&B, and adult contemporary, the 1994 #1 country hits list is long, with 30 records. I will list them all, but I’ll only link to the ones that reached #1 for over a week because I’m a lazy blogger. Well, except for two.

Four weeks at #1

Pick Up Man – Joe Diffie. Bobbie Jo Gentry? An obvious reference.

Wild One – Faith Hill

I Swear – John Michael Montgomery, #42 pop. I recall a discussion at the time about how the lines of music had blurred with this song, as All-4-One’s version hit #1 the same year

Wink – Neil McCoy, #91 pop

Three weeks at #1

Summertime Blues – Alan Jackson, #104 pop. It’s a cover of that Eddie Cochran/Blue Cheer/Who song.

Living On Love – Alan Jackson

No Doubt About It – Neil McCoy, #75 pop

Two weeks at #1:

My Love – Little Texas, #83 pop

If The Good Die Young – Tracy Lawrence

Don’t Take The Girl – Tim McGraw, #17 pop

Be My Baby Tonight – John Michael Montgomery, #73 pop

XXX’s and OOO’s (An American Girl) – Trisha Yearwood, #114 pop

Third Rock From The Sun – Joe Diffie, #84 pop

She’s Not The Cheating Kind – Brooks and Dunn

A single week at #1

The rest of the songs were only #1 hits for one week

Live Until I Die – Clay Walker, #107 pop

I Just Wanted You To Know -Mark Chestnutt

Trying To Get Over It – Vince Gill

Piece Of My Heart – Faith Hill, #115 pop. It is the song I know from Janis Joplin!

A Good Run Of Bad Luck – Clint Black

If Bubba Can Dance (I Can Too) – Shenandoah

Your Love Amazes Me – John Berry

That Ain’t No Way To Go – Brooks and Dunn

Foolish Pride – Travis Tritt, #112 pop

Dreaming With My Eyes Open – Clay Walker

Whisper My Name – Randy Travis

Who’s That Man – Toby Keith, #102

Shut Up and Kiss Me – Mary Chapin Carpenter, #90 pop. I own a physical copy of this song and have over a half dozen MCC albums.

If I Could Make a Living -Clay Walker, #121 pop

The Big One – George Strait

If You’ve Got Love – John Michael Montgomery

October rambling: Sudden Genius

The Mystery of Sudden Genius. The phenomenon of acquired savant syndrome reveals what happens when brain damage unleashes brilliance. I know Diana, who is profiled in the piece.

Federal Courts: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver and The Interview: John Oliver Is Still Working Through the Rage:

One year after October 7

Junk Science Put Me on Death Row. I Shouldn’t Die.

A Woman Was Accused of Murder After Losing Her Pregnancy. Now She Tells Her Story

Twitter is not Elon’s

To Understand Trump vs. Harris, You Must Know These American Myths

‘Trump Bible’ is one of few that meet the criteria for Oklahoma classrooms. “According to the bid documents, vendors must meet certain specifications: Bibles must be the King James Version; must contain the Old and New Testaments; must include copies of the Pledge of Allegiance, Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights; and must be bound in leather or leather-like material.”

The Republican Ethic of Lies

Jill Stein: The Grifter Who May Hand djt the White House Again

1950s TV episode featured a con man named “Trump” who wanted to build a wall

Also

John Amos, ‘Good Times’ Dad, Dies at 84. I saw him perform at Capital Rep in Albany in the August Wilson play Fences as the father several years ago, and he was very good.

I knew the plantation before I knew the college.

U.S. Divorce Rates Down, Marriage Rates Stagnant From 2012-2022

2023 New Zealand Census data

Wrecked rain gauges. Whistleblowers. Million-dollar payouts and manhunts. Then a Colorado crop fraud got really crazy. “The sordid story of two ranchers who conspired to falsify drought numbers by tampering with rain gauges on the plains of Colorado and Kansas, resulting in millions in false insurance claims.”

History of the Famous “Daisy” Attack Ad from the 1964 Presidential Election

A history of Western art (in less than 7 minutes)

Horse-Riding Librarians Were the Great Depression’s Bookmobiles.

Cookbooks and the war of the sexes

Zoom Sex

Drake Hogestyn, a ‘Days of Our Lives’ Veteran, dies at 70. I only watched DOOL for a couple of years, but I remember him well.

Now I Know: Another Brick in the Wall of Prohibition, and He Complained — and Proved Himself Wrong, and You Could Say Their Commute Goes Swimmingly and Why Late 16th Century British Workers Had to Wear Hats

Word of the Day: Zhuzh– Make something more stylish, lively, or attractive. This would be a brutal Wordle word.

MUSIC

For sister Leslie: He that that a pleasant face by John L. Hatton

When I Go Away – Levon Helm

Nocturne in E min by Fryderyk (Frédéric) Chopin; Grazyna Auguscik

Avinu Malkeinu – Barbra Streisand

Favorite Songs By Favorite Artists: The Cure

Bela Fleck and the Flecktones Live at The Egg, Hart Theater on 2016-06-08

When Somebody Loved Me – Sarah McLachlan from Toy Story 2

Our Time – Jim Walton, who originated the role of Franklin Shepard in the musical Merrily We Roll Along

I Am What I Am – Voctave and the The Swingles

Matrix III by John Whitney Sr.

Bus Stop (The Hollies) and Taxman (The Beatles) – MonaLisa Twins

Death Of Suzzy Roche-The Roches (live)

An Oscar-Nominated Short Film of John Lennon’s Ramblings

Professor of Rock interviews Weird Al

The last of the DNC 2024 roll call and playlist

South Carolina — Get Up – James Brown, who grew up in rural southwestern South Carolina

South Dakota — What I Like About You – the Romantics

Tennessee — 9 to 5 – the Tennessee singer, artist and activist Dolly Parton

Texas — Texas Hold ‘Em – Beyoncé, a Texas native.

Utah — Animal -Neon Trees, from just outside Salt Lake City.

Vermont — Stick Season – Noah Kahan, who hails from Vermont, mentions “I Love Vermont” in the song.

U.S. Virgin Islands — VI to the Bone – Mic Love, about the Virgin Islands.

Virginia — The Way I Are – Timbaland, born and raised in Norfolk, Va.

Washington — “Can’t Hold Us,” by the Seattle-based hip-hop duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis.

West Virginia — “Take Me Home, Country Roads,” by John Denver, a song so core to West Virginia that it is considered an official state anthem.

Wisconsin — “Jump Around.” Though written by California’s House of Pain, this song is played at University of Wisconsin football games.

Wyoming — “I Gotta Feeling,” by the Black Eyed Peas.

Kris Kristofferson (1936-2004)

singer/songwriter

The music of Kris Kristofferson seemed to have bookended my adult life until now. During my first marriage, we had an album the record company had just reissued as Me and Bobby McGee, previously called Kristofferson. It had many songs that other people were making famous, such as Help Me Make It Through The Night and For The Good Times. After the Rhodes scholar, working as a janitor, landed a helicopter on Johnny Cash’s lawn, the Man In Black covered Kris’ Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down.

But I particularly enjoyed a couple of other songs on that premiere album. The first track, Blame It On The Stones, features a chorus swiped from Bringing In The Sheaves and lyrics telling us to “blame it on those Rolling Stones.”

Another great song was The Law Is For Protection Of The People. “A rule’s a rule, as any fool can see.” We don’t need certain people “scaring decent folk like you and me. No, siree.” I love that album, and I might still have it on vinyl.

I also had the next album, Silver Tongued Devil and I. It featured The Pilgrim, Chapter 33. I used to quote the line, “He’s a walking contradiction; partly truth and partly fiction,” inordinately frequently. It seems particularly apt to describe many people I’ve known.

A find

While going through my father-in-law’s music collection after he died in 2020, I discovered a two-CD set of Kristofferson’s music titled Singer/Songwriter. One disc features him singing his songs and the other features about a dozen and a half artists covering Kris. It’s quite a fine album. He doesn’t have the prettiest voice, but it has a certain amount of character.

Speaking of character, on “Oct. 16, 1992, Columbia Records threw its longtime artist Bob Dylan an event at Madison Square Garden to celebrate the 30th anniversary of his first album with the label.” Sinead O’Connor, who had made a controversial appearance on Saturday Night Live, was booed by the MSG audience, but Kris supported her onstage.

Kris Kristofferson did his final live performance at Willie Nelson’s 90th birthday party concert in April 2023. With Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Kris gone, Willie’s the surviving Highwayman.

Oh yeah. He was in the movies, too, but I only saw a few, all at the cinema. In the early 1970s, he appeared in Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore. The only reason I saw Rollover (1981), also starring Jane Fonda, was that part of it was shot at the UAlbany campus. My family saw the two Dolphin Tale (20111, 2014) films.

More songs

Jody and the Kid – Kris

Help Me Make It Through The Night – Kris

For The Good Times – Ray Price

Me and Bobby McGee – Roger Miller

Sunday Mornin’ Comin’ Down – Johnny Cash

To Beat The Devil – Waylon Jennings

Lovin’ Her Was Easier (Than Anything I’ll Ever Do Again) – Waylon Jennings

Why Me – Kris

I’d Rather Be Sorry – Kris and Rita Coolidge

Nobody Wins – Rita Coolidge

Please Don’t Tell Me How The Story Ends – Ronnie Milsap

The Hawk – Tom Verlaine

Highwayman – The Highwaymen (a Jimmy Webb song)

Paperback Writer – Kris (Lennon/McCartney)