Let me tell you something, my friend. Hope is a dangerous thing. Hope can drive a man insane. Hoping that you'll identify all the people below and work out what connects their songs... well, it might well be too much.
But hey, I will give you one clue: this week's link has nothing to do with Morgan Freeman. So don't waste any time barking up that tree...
15. Clio knew she was all wrong.
14. Enormously boring.
13. What General Zod said to Jesus.
12. Native American Confederacy mucking around in the studio.
11. Forecasters.
10. Joint. Room. Grease.
9. Residents at Nick's gaff.
8. Pet Shop Boy who lives in a Van.
7. Shout! If you want to become a cannibal.
6. JR rival, gone for a Burton.
5. Glennis sighted - but it might be someone else.
4. Rose Bowlers.
3. I've been listening to your voice on the radio...
2. Sounds like Jaki is in charge of the rowing team.
1. AKA Erhart Flinn.
Fear can hold you prisoner. Hope can set you free. Answers can stop you puzzling. So they'll be here tomorrow morning...
Today is National Weather Person’s Day, primarily in the USA
where it marks the birthday of John Jeffries, thought to be America's first
weatherman. He was also the first person to ever collect weather data
from a balloon over London in 1784, rising to a height of 9000 feet with a
thermometer, a barometer, and a hygrometer to see if it was raining. Presumably
he also took an umbrella.
Here are some predictable tunes about Weather People to
celebrate…
I'm trying to keep away from the news this week, to take a break from the awfulness of it all, to grant my brain a temporary respite from Trump Derangement Syndrome. But that's almost impossible, isn't it?
I'm sure you've heard this by now. Everyone's heard it by now. Even people who don't like Bruce have shared it. I'm posting it here merely for posterity's sake...
And it's not the only one. I'm thankful that while I do my best to bury my head in the sand, there are people out there far braver than me, who keep on speaking out...
And here's a related tune from Mr. Hannon...
All the sycophants and narcs
All the cannibals and sharks
A secluded paradise
Of spies and cypress trees
Mar-a-Lago by the sea
Cheating losers on the greens
Swapping wives for beauty queens
Making turgid wedding speeches
Entertaining fascist leeches
Mar-a-Lago, how I miss
The golden johns in which I pissed
All that ostentatious wealth
The paintings of myself
When I was young and free
Oh wait... this just in! Even Roger Taylor's having a go.
Now, I know, you probably haven't got much time for Roger Taylor. I'm a Queen fan, and even I don't have much time for Roger Taylor. Still, fair play to him for this...
As George and Ernie are both out on manoeuvres, and because last week's bumper edition nearly finished me off, we're having a rest from Namesakes this week. All being well, it will return to bore you next Tuesday.
At the weekend, Louise and I went to see the new stage adaptation of To Kill A Mockingbird. It was excellent. I've long been a fan of Aaron Sorkin's sparky, snappy dialogue, and he found some excellent ways to use the themes of the novel to say important (if ultimately futile) things about the state of America today. If it comes to your neck of the woods, I'd highly recommend going along to see it.
Here are some tunes related, in one way or another, to Harper Lee's famous novel...
More tracks from Sam's inexplicably favourite in-car CD...
Track 11: Pat Benatar – Heartbreaker
Not one of Pat Benatar’s UK hits, I first heard this on the
soundtrack to the movie Nobody in which Better Call Saul star Bob Odenkirk
realises his action hero side as a mild-mannered office schlub who used to be a
John Wick style badass in a previous life. You can guess the rest.
Anyway, soundtracks can often breathe new life into old
songs, and this was certainly the case here. It’s not a Benatar
original – all her biggest hits were written by other people – and the song was
originally recorded back in 1978 by West Midlands rock chick Jenny Darren.
She appears slightly miffed that Benatar was the one who used it as a springboard
to fame and fortune.
Track 12: Squeeze - Pullin' Mussels From A Shell
I remember when I was compiling this CD for Sam, I had a
slight reservation over whether to include this track. I guess by this point
I’d already used all the obvious Squeeze singles (Cool For Cats, Up The
Junction, Labelled With Love, Hourglass) and this seemed the next obvious one
on the list, even though it never actually cracked the UK Top 40. BUT… is it a
suitable for little kids? The singalong title / chorus is a huge, mucky
innuendo, isn’t it? Oh yes, it is. Although I guess the only way you’re going
to know that is if someone tells you. If you’re reading this and you never knew
that “Pullin' Mussels From A Shell” was Chris Difford’s clumsy/genius* (*delete
as appropriate) metaphor for “the use of fingers to stimulate the female sexual
organs”… then I’m really sorry if that’s ruined the song for you. Despite this,
and the song’s lack of chart success (Were the two linked? Was radio hesitant
because of the innuendo?), iffypedia claims Pullin’ Mussels is one of the
band’s catchiest and most popular tunes. And who can argue with that? It’s a
high point on this compilation.
Track 13: Liam Frost - The City Is At A Standstill
While I have listened to more songs by Jake Bugg in the
hope of finding something as strong as Lightning Bolt, I can honestly say I’ve
never made a similar effort with Liam Frost… and maybe I ought to. As of this
writing, this is the only song I know from this Manchester lad, but it’s a
belter.
I know this world is vicious darling lets make tracks now Black out all the city lights and drink till we both grown
numb And lay down to sleep I feel like I ran all day
Liam doesn’t appear to have released anything new since 2019,
so I wonder if he’s packed it all in and found a day job? Shame if he has, and
I blame myself for not paying more attention. That's right: his entire career was dependent on whether I bought a couple of his records.
