Ever hear a song you haven’t even thought about in years, and you think, OMG, this song is AWESOME?
That’s tonight’s serenade. I’ve made no secret that boy bands are my guilty pleasure. I heard this Backstreet Boys classic the other day and I haven’t been able to get it out of my head. Because it’s amazing, that’s why. Okay, granted, the video is cheesy as hell, but if you just close your eyes…
Speaking of cheesy videos (and because you groaned when you realized I was posting boy bands this week–you know you did, LOL), I decided to include a second 90s gem from BSB rivals NSYNC.
Hope you have a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend. Regardless of whether your area is reopened yet, I hope you’re staying in and safe. Be sure to hug those you love.
Covid-19. Global pandemic. How are you faring during these unprecedented times?
If I’m sitting back and observing, and I am, because as a writer, it’s what I do, it seems to me that crisis brings out both the best and the worst in people.
At our best, we’re pitching in and helping people, both materially and emotionally. We’re donating to worthy causes, sharing what we have with those who don’t have, and appreciating those who are going above and beyond. We’re staying home to stem the spread of disease, and we’re creating new ways to remain connected.
Case in point, tonight’s first song, a very worthy cover of the Talking Heads’ Burning Down the House, this time performed by The Cringe. According to their Wikipedia page, “The Cringe is an independent rock band based in New York City.”
In this song, the banjo player is John Cusimano, lawyer in his day job, also known as Mr. Rachel Ray. I don’t normally watch Rachel’s cooking show because A, I don’t cook, and B, I find her annoyingly cheerful. But they played this song at the end of a recent at-home show, and my hand froze on the remote. See what you think.
I was planning on talking about us at our crisis worst, but I think I’ll save that for another post. I’m liking the positive vibes we have going tonight. Instead, I’ll end with this gem from one of my all-time favorites, Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong, who, along with his sons, knocked out this fantastic cover of I Think We’re Alone Now.
So be safe and know the stats in your area. If they’re not meeting the basic requirements for safe reopening (like here in Palm Beach County, where they’re decidedly not meeting that threshold), stay home if it’s possible. Let everyone else be the ‘canaries in the coal mine’. (Tired of that expression yet?) Be sure to hug those you love, especially all the mothers out there, even if it’s just virtually.
I’ve had this song running through my head all day. That’s because last night, we started watching Season 2 of the Netflix show, Afterlife. The second season of this bittersweet Ricky Gervais comedy opens with the Carpenters’ Top of the World. I had forgotten how great this song is, and the Carpenters in general are.
You can’t help but look at Karen’s face, though, and feel sad for her tragic life. I have a good friend who has struggled with eating disorders for decades, and I know it’s a terrible thing. But her legacy is a treasure trove of really wonderful music.
If you’re looking for your next quarantine-binge-worthy show, I highly recommend Afterlife on Netflix. Gervais plays a recent widower struggling for a reason to be alive anymore. He’s surrounded by a cast of quirky characters who each, in his or her own way, help him make it through another day. It’s smart and funny and heartbreaking, all at the same time.
I hope you are well this evening. Be safe and hug those you love, even if it’s only virtually.
That Thing You Do! is a 1996 film written and directed by actor Tom Hanks. It’s the story of a fictional 60s pop band that became a one-hit wonder. Oh, but that one hit!
The movie is available to rent on YouTube, and it’s probably a few other places as well. While you’re stuck at home, it’s a great way to spend a couple of hours. I think of it as comfort food viewing.
The title song is a catchy tune I defy you not to keep singing all day long once you hear it. It’s happy and fun, and it was written by Fountains of Wayne founder Adam Schlesinger, who we lost to Covid-19 at the age of 52 on April 1. Lest we forget we’re still in the middle of a global pandemic.
Stay safe. Stay home. Hug your loved ones virtually. Our family has taken to having weekly get-togethers via Zoom. Maybe you can do the same. Because you never know.
Seems we all have a lot of extra time on our hands these days. When you’re stuck in the house, you get creative to occupy yourself.
Lucky for us, Green Day has a new album out and they released this song not long ago. If it sounds familiar, it should. Oh Yeah! samples the Joan Jett classic, Do You Wanna Touch.
Which doesn’t make it any less cool. They’ve put their own spin on it and made it something of a tribute to my punk idol. I’ve always said that when I grow up, I want to be Joan Jett.
I’m including the original because how can I not?
And before I go, I’ll drop this little trailer here. If you haven’t yet discovered Tiger King, you’re missing out on Netflix’s absolute trainwreck documentary obsession. I just can’t look away. If you were feeling badly about your life, worry no more. You can’t even make this stuff up. You’re welcome, LOL.
Stay home this weekend. Keep yourself and everyone else safe. HUGE shout-out to those on the front lines of this thing. You are our heroes. Be sure to at least virtually hug those you love.
Wow. 2020 has turned into something I don’t think any of us saw coming. Sure, we expected that an election year would be bumpy, right? They always are, and this cycle has been beyond contentious.
But a global pandemic? I never imagined in my wildest dreams that the Vegas strip would be shut down, that entire states, nay countries, would be locked down, that average families would be quarantined for weeks on end. That beloved public figures would be diagnosed with the scariest disease since ebola.
It’s crazy. Every couple of hours, there’s a new regulation, a new restriction, a new closure. From professional sports to entertainment events to ‘non-essential’ businesses… The govenor of Florida closed the beaches yesterday. The BEACHES. The best place I can think of for fresh air and sunshine. It’s hard to wrap my head around it.
Not helping things at all, and I’m going to say it here, like it or not, is the contradictory, and often inaccurate, information coming to us from the White House. First it was a hoax, and the next thing you know, he saw it coming long before anyone else.
I have a certain perspective on the epidemic–I teach Chinese kids online every morning. I’ve watched as families have been quarantines formonths. Months, y’all. Which is necessary to prevent mass casualties. It’s not a hoax, it never was. It’s very, very serious.
And the other day, when the President was given an opportunity to say a few reassuring words to the nation, instead he chose to attack the journalist who asked the question. That’s the world we live in right now. (And before you go off on me about ‘fake news’, I watched the exchange live, with my own eyes and ears.)
On the other hand… There are many people who are going above and beyond to help make this time a little more pleasant. Some entertainers are taking their roles to heart by reaching out from their ‘shelter in place’ places to try to lift up the rest of us.
Tonight’s song is Norah Jones’s brand new cover of Guns N Roses’s Patience. It’s just a subtle little gift from her home to ours. And it’s amazing!
Also from home, Jimmy Fallon has been putting out an abbreviated version of his late night talk show, with the assistance of his wife doing camera work and his daughters as comic relief. I look forward to his new show every day. Here’s the first episode.
And on St. Patrick’s Day, Dropkick Murphys streamed an entire concert live because they could. It’s the best no-audience show you ever saw, and I’m dropping the entire thing right here. It was so much fun, and just an example of people doing what they can, when they can, to make things better for everybody else. And it’s appreciated.
I hope you’re having a wonderful weekend. I know things are very weird right now. But if we take the proper steps, we can keep ourselves and everybody else safe. Stay on the lookout for great things other people are doing to help. And maybe do what you can, too.
But stay safe. Hug those you love, even if it’s over video.
Okay, sure. He’s a reality television talent show winner. And a boy-band graduate. But Harry Styles has an undeniably cool vibe, and if anyone can move on from insane pop culture royalty (like Justin Timberlake, maybe) to a real adult music career, my money’s on him.
I’m digging Watermelon Sugar. It’s quirky and weird, but resistance is futile. You know you love it, too.
I’m also including this snippet from his recent appearance on Howard Stern where he pays homage to Peter Gabriel’s 80s classic MTV anthem, Sledgehammer. I think you’ll like it.
And just because I love you, don’t miss Harry’s performance with Stevie Nicks at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, where he stepped in for the late, great Tom Petty on Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around.
Not mentioning the ‘C’ word tonight. It’s everywhere, and there should be at least one place where you can just chill and forget about the world for a while. That being said, stay safe, be healthy, and at the very least, tell your loved ones how much they mean to you.
I’m still hugging Mr. R because, well, that’s just how I roll. 😉
I’m getting super-excited about the Season 3 Premiere of HBO’s Westworld on March 15. I’ve been watching since the beginning, and when they recently released the new trailer, I was immediately hooked.
In the story, it looks like everything is finally coming together and they’ve added at least one new character played by Aaron Paul, Breaking Bad‘s Jessie Pinkman.
But what really drew me into the new trailer is this piano version of Guns N Roses’ Sweet Child O’Mine. The acoustic vibe really takes the song to the next level, and I hope you enjoy it.
Westworld was originally a 1973 film written and directed by Michael Crichton (yes, that Michael Crichton of Jurassic Park fame). Incidentally, he wrote a number of terrific contemporary sci-fi suspense novels, and I recommend them all! I was always a huge fan of the old Westworld movie, which was great for its time. When HBO came out with this updated version, I had to check it out.
While the television version is vastly different, the main plot is the same. Lifelike robots imbued with artificial intelligence decide they’d like to have some say over their lives. Violent chaos ensues. But there’s a smart undercurrent, a moral quandry: What constitutes humanity? And who is entitled to it? Something to ponder in 2020.
I’m including the Season 3 trailer, but you absolutely have to start at the beginning to appreciate the story arc. In the meantime, enjoy the great music.
Have you read the news? In the Soho Tribune? Or anywhere else?
Four of the most iconic 80s bands are coming together for the Stadium Tour of a lifetime. Motley Crue, Def Leppard, Poison, and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts will be touring together beginning in late June.
The nearest they’re coming to us is down at the Hardrock Stadium (home of the Dolphins) in Miami. If you click the link above, you can see if they’re coming anywhere close to you.
For tonight’s serenade, I’m choosing one favorite from each band. While I’ve never seen the Crue or Def Leppard, I have seen Joan Jett several times and she still kicks ass.
But one of my most surprising experiences was seeing Poison a few years ago. If they’re left over from some of the cheesier 80s moments, nobody told them. They get out and absolutely rock it on stage, and I’d go see them again in a heartbeat.
If the tour is not going to be close enough for you to go see them, or you’re like me, broke AF, maybe these blasts from the past will give you a little taste of the show.
I hope you’re having a great weekend. Be sure to hug those you love.
Friday is Valentine’s Day, and it puts me in the mood for romantic music.
I absolutely love this Ed Sheeran song, Thinking Out Loud. And the video is sexy and romantic.
I think it’s important to mark special occasions like Valentine’s Day and anniversaries and birthdays. Our coffers are far from full so I don’t see any romantic candlelight dinner at a fancy restaurant in the cards for us this year. But I still want to remember that I love Mr. R more than life itself, and if I have to go through the fire, he’s the one I choose to have by my side.
What’s your favorite romantic song?
I hope you enjoy your weekend and that you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day. Be sure to at least hug the ones you love.
Adventures in Date Night 
You must be logged in to post a comment.