War is Hell

So somebody sent me this hilarious list of Trump's military brain trust the other day...

...but after I stopped chortling, I realized there were a bunch of figures omitted that really bugged me.

I mean, no Sgt. Ernest Bilko? This will not stand!

That said, and all snark aside, they really should have found room for this guy.

Lance is one of my all time fave mid-Sixties soul singers -- he's iconic in England, I'm told -- and I would just like to go on record as saying that many of the best early things by Van Morrison and Bruce Springsteen are unthinkable without the influence of Lance, particularly his immortal "The Monkey Time."



A song that never fails to make me smile, and a pretty great way to start your morning, don't you think?

In the meantime, if somebody wants to add Sgt. O'Rourke and Corporal Agarn to the graphic above...

...be my guest.

Hey, they're more competent than that retired Christianist crackpot General that's actually advising the Cheeto Benito.

To Boldly Go...

Oops.

Yesterday was the 50th anniversary of the premiere of Star Trek, and schween that I am, I forgot to celebrate it here.

So, to make amends, from 1979, please enjoy the curtain raiser to Star Trek: The Motion Picture (the pre-credits music, in other words) by the late great Jerry Goldsmith.

ST:TMP isn't a great movie (although I think it's fair to describe it as a great work of kinetic art, at least in the trip through the great space cloud sequences), but Goldsmith's scores is one of the best in film history. Gloriously melodic and overflowing with inspiration -- for my money it's right up there with Alex North's work on Spartacus or Prokofiev's on Alexander Nevsky or any of Bernie Herrmann's classics.

Have a fab weekend, everybody!

Closed for Monkey Business

Taking a much needed mental health day. Tanned, rested and ready posting resumes tomorrow.

The Way We Were

From somewhere in Rockland County, approximately 30 years ago, please enjoy ace roots-rockers The Roues Brothers -- tolerating, out of the great goodness of their hearts, a special guest asshole whose name rhymes with Sleeve Nimels -- and a pretty damn funny version of Van Morrison's immortal "Gloria."



That Nimels guy was pretty skinny. And had so much hair he didn't need a beret. Wow.

But seriously, folks, the Roues Bros. are an amazing band, as you can see, and they're still at it -- you can read more about them HERE. But for those of you who remember those fabulous 80s, they used to do business as The Broadcasters. a group who made an album for Enigma, produced by no less a worthy than Wayne Kramer of the MC5, that is one of the great lost masterpieces of its decade. If you can find a copy, pounce.

I bring all that up because, if you listen carefully, guitarist Billy Roues breaks into the opening riff of "Down in the Trenches" toward the end of the live video. Too bad I didn't let them do the entire song, and all these years later I apologize profusely.

I should also add that I wouldn't have had the stones to front a band doing "Gloria" if it hadn't been for my old college pal Eric C. Boardman. Thanks Eric.

Your Tuesday Moment of Words Fail Me

From Liverpool in 2014, it's The Mona Lisa Twins...

...and a jawdroppingly fabulous live cover of The Easybeats' immortal "Friday on My Mind."



There are million more of their 60s covers videos on YouTube; some of them are little twee, but a lot of them are great (I recommend "The Last Time") and what I wouldn't give to see them in a bar.

It's Labor Day, Bitches!!!

Neil Young goes all solidarity on our asses, and good for him.

I should add that for many years here I used to post "Part of the Union" by The Strawbs on the holiday, but in 2013 a Brit reader informed me that in England the song has been read as anti-, rather than pro-, the labor movement. I can't hear it myself, but I took his word for it. Hence Neil.

Regular apolitical postings resume on the morrow.

Mirando Mi Puerta Trasera

From that just released Latin CCR tribute album we mentioned on Wednesday, please enjoy the lovely and talented Guatamalan-born Gaby Moreno with a wonderfully sprightly version of "Lookin' Out My Back Door."

Like I said the other day, the album itself is as inconsistent as most other exemplars of the genre, but I think this track is absolutely terrific. I should also add that Ms. Moreno is extremely easy on the eyes, if I may be shallow enough to point that out.

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Closed for Monkey Business

Crazy day. Regular posting resumes on the morrow.

Donald Trump: “When Mexico Sends Its People, They’re Not Sending Their Best."

Oh fuck you, Donald. For starters, they sent us this guy.

From a just released Latin tribute to CCR...

...please enjoy the late Juan Gabriel and a really splendid cover of "Have You Ever Seen the Rain."



To be honest, I had never heard of Gabriel until last weekend, when I saw an obit for him on CNN, but he was apparently about as iconic as a human can be in his native country, and throughout Latin America. In any case, this is pretty much the standout track from the album, which is as spotty as most similar compilations tend to be. Although there's a wonderful version of...hmm, I think I'll save that one for tomorrow.

Gene Wilder 1933 - 2016

We must accept Wilder's passing with quiet dignity and grace.



I've said it before and I'll say it again -- this death shit is really starting to piss me off.