(Above: How many New Year's Eves were spent.) This is a series of stories in a few parts that all sort of fit together - it's like "Love, Actually" without the pretty models. New Year's Eve used to be my favorite holiday. We would all gather together with a lot of alcohol and a … Continue reading Fast away the old year passes: Dan Fogelberg, “Same Old Lang Syne” (1980)
1980s
Rest in peace, George Michael: “Freedom ’90” (1990)
(Above: George Michael, in somewhat happier times.) To say that 2016 has been a rough year in popular music - especially for fans of the 1980s - would be an understatement. I was still dissertating earlier in the year when we lost David Bowie and Prince, so I did not create entries specifically for their … Continue reading Rest in peace, George Michael: “Freedom ’90” (1990)
12+ Blogs of Christmas: Just Like The Ones We Used To Know
(Above: The author, exactly 45 Christmases ago.) Nostalgia is Christmas, and vice-versa. What happens when the family gets together for the holidays? As Andy Williams put it, "the tales of the glories of Christmases long ago." So much of the Christmas celebration is tradition. Normally I am opposed to "we've always done it that way," … Continue reading 12+ Blogs of Christmas: Just Like The Ones We Used To Know
12+ Blogs of Christmas, Airing of Grievances Edition: Bob Rivers, “The Twelve Pains of Christmas” (1988)
(Above: "I gotta lot of problems with you people..." Say the word "festivus," and most people with a handle on popular culture of the 1990s will know exactly what you mean. The holiday, first introduced to the lexicon by Seinfeld (a show that added such phrases as "double-dipping" and "not that there's anything wrong with … Continue reading 12+ Blogs of Christmas, Airing of Grievances Edition: Bob Rivers, “The Twelve Pains of Christmas” (1988)
12+ Blogs of Christmas: It Must Be Saint Nick
(Above: A man who has sold a lot of product.) December 6th is the Feast of Saint Nicholas. The story "A Visit from St. Nicholas" has been a longtime Christmas classic. From these events, we got Santa Claus, who has had an important role in the marketing of the Christmas season. Santa has also figured … Continue reading 12+ Blogs of Christmas: It Must Be Saint Nick
One morning in college radio: December 5, 1988
(Above: Some of the WLRA airstaff, Spring 1988. Yours truly is in the mismatched Hawaiian clothing at the left of the frame.) Monday, December 5, 1988 was a chilly day in Chicagoland. In the news, PTL Ministries head Jim Bakker was indicted on charges that he defrauded his flock. (The various Bakker scandals would introduce … Continue reading One morning in college radio: December 5, 1988
12+ Blogs of Christmas: Band-Aid, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (1984)
32 years ago today - December 4, 1984 - one of the most polarizing Christmas songs ever was released. It's the song that people love to hate. Time is not necessarily kind to all music. Some songs, when you look at them closely, aren't as, well, nice. Songs like "Ahab the Arab", "Speedy Gonzales", and … Continue reading 12+ Blogs of Christmas: Band-Aid, “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” (1984)
12+ Blogs of Christmas: “Sleigh Ride”
(Above: You can't go wrong with Santa Alpert.) Some of the annual Christmas selections cause problems for radio programmers. You can't just play the same songs too close to each other, no matter how many times they were done. While there are some unique versions that stand out, there are some Christmas songs that people … Continue reading 12+ Blogs of Christmas: “Sleigh Ride”
You can’t have one without the other: The Kings, “This Beat Goes On/Switchin’ To Glide” (1980)
(Above: The Kings debut LP. I'll take a hundred or two for it.) I actually got to thinking about this topic in the car this morning on the way to campus. One of the Sirius XM classic rock channels (and I have all of them on the same bank in the memory) played Elton John's … Continue reading You can’t have one without the other: The Kings, “This Beat Goes On/Switchin’ To Glide” (1980)
30 years ago this week: Billboard’s Top 40, November 29, 1986
To close out the Thanksgiving weekend, we made a trip to Chicago to celebrate with my dad as he turned 70. One of the things I normally listen to in the car on weekend trips into the city is Sirius XM's 80s on 8 channel. While the novelty of the original MTV VJs on the … Continue reading 30 years ago this week: Billboard’s Top 40, November 29, 1986
45 Ruminations Per Megabyte 