Old-school news, just in time
by Kevin Burton Steve Mingori was an excellent left-handed relief pitcher for Cleveland and Kansas City in the American League. He finished a 10-year career with an ERA of 3.03. I always thought of him as a “minus” pitcher. That means in my baseball board games, if a certain number came up and …
Continue reading “Leap For Joy Leaplings, Today Is Your Big Day”
by Kevin Burton We may have to file this under Benign Stupidity, but after (maybe not enough) careful thought, I’m going to do the story. We’re talking 70s pop music as we often do on Tuesdays. I love this band, I love this song, please hear that up front. But what a load …
Continue reading ““It Only Takes A Minute” Has Strange Lyrics”
by Kevin Burton I’m inclined to give Billy Joel a pass, aren’t you? Hasn’t he proven his brilliance? Hasn’t his place in music history been settled, certified for decades now? Any music-related hall of fame that he is not in, he should be in. Hey, if Dolly Parton is in the Rock …
Continue reading “Billy Joel, We Love You Just The Way You Are”
by Kevin Burton Is it just that easy, like flipping a switch? Guess we’ll find out Thursday, when Columbia Records drops the first new Billy Joel single in 17 years, a song called “Turn The Lights Back On.” “In a press release from his label, Columbia Records, the song is said to …
by Kevin Burton Steely Dan and four others will be inducted into the Songwriters’ Hall of Fame this year, according to multiple reports. R.E.M. and three non-performing songwriters, Hillary Lindsey, Timothy Moseley (Timberland) and Dean Pritchard will also be inducted. I don’t know if the Songwriters’ hall has toxic politics the way …
by Kevin Burton One of the greatest vocal performances in my time as a consumer of pop music is on a song that leaves me deeply conflicted; Stoney End by Barbara Streisand. The song grabbed me on some level immediately upon its 1971 release, even before I had the life experience to understand …
Continue reading “What Is The Meaning Of Nyro’s “Stoney End”?”
by Kevin Burton I love me some Al Michaels. Our sportscaster-sports consumer relationship goes back more than 50 years. How much do I love Al Michaels? Well, I watched the entire unwatchable Raiders-Chargers game Thursday because he was calling it. I didn’t even have any fantasy players involved. And I’ve been watching …
Continue reading ““Here Comes Foster!” There Goes Al Michaels”
by Kevin Burton Got re-acquainted with an old boyhood pal last Wednesday and I had lasagna for dinner. Sounds like glad tidings, yes? Well maybe not so much. The “lasagna” came out of a can. This all started with an e-mail from the Interesting Facts website, that alerted me to the …
Continue reading “Chef Boyardee And Midweek Culinary Capers”
by Kevin Burton The television shows produced by Norman Lear were a cultural backbone for 1970s America. In this case, the backbone was connected to the funny bone. When I read that Lear died Tuesday at 101, my mind went immediately to that instrumental piano-driven song that played over the closing credits for …
by Kathy Ehrich Dowd Time Magazine Mary Prince, a Black woman who had been convicted of murder, was already a controversial figure at Jimmy Carter’s 1977 Presidential Inauguration. Although she was incarcerated, Prince was given permission to travel to Washington, D.C. for the event and arrived in a dress made of material given …
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