Category Archives: pop music

A playlist to celebrate the winter solstice


I walked past Swamp Rabbit’s shack yesterday and heard him grumbling about the early darkness as he tried to install a gigantic inflatable Santa Claus out front. “Quit complaining,” I said. “Yesterday was the winter solstice. That means we might … Continue reading

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Jingle this: the 2023 alt-Xmas playlist


My neighbor Swamp Rabbit looked puzzled when he checked out my Christmas playlist. “What’s up, Odd Man? I ain’t never heard most of them tunes.” “That’s because you only get to hear the standards, and most of them suck, ” … Continue reading

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A bigoted Earthling with interplanetary dreams


My neighbor Swamp Rabbit and I saw a news report about Elon Musk, who wants to direct the course of wars and launch billionaires to Mars. He owns a big chunk of social media and is in the electric car … Continue reading

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Jann Wenner’s R&R ‘masters’ are all rich white guys


Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner’s book of interviews he conducted with famous rock ‘n’ roll artists will be published next week. It’s called The Masters, and its subjects are Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Mick Jagger, Jerry Garcia, Pete Townshend, Bono … Continue reading

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Robbie Robertson (1943-2023) and the rock of ages


Swamp Rabbit and I were talking about the death at age 80 of Robbie Robertson, lead guitarist and main songwriter in the Band, one of the most artful and influential acts in rock ‘n’ roll history. I’m tempted to use … Continue reading

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Behold! Seven-headed dragons just up ahead.


I was telling Swamp Rabbit about former VP Al Gore’s recent comments on global warming, which included this one-liner: “Every night the TV news is like taking a nature hike through the Book of Revelation.” “That’s pretty funny,” Swamp Rabbit … Continue reading

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A wake-up call, or just an excuse to zone out?


I forgot to turn off the radio before I left my shack to go to work. My cats, Thoughts and Prayers, were locked in and had to listen all day to scary weather reports on NPR. No wonder they seemed … Continue reading

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Somebody give me a ($700) cheeseburger!


“My birthday’s comin’ up,” Swamp Rabbit said. “Maybe I’ll go uptown and treat myself to one of them $700 burgers.” He was referring to the beer garden in Philly whose menu reportedly includes “the most expensive burger in America.” Presumably, … Continue reading

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20 years since Shock and Awe? ‘Good God, y’all!’


Swamp Rabbit examined the playlist of protest songs I compiled to acknowledge the 20th anniversary of the Second Persian Gulf War. He played “Won’t Get Fooled Again” and started laughing. “That song came out in 1971, during the Vietnam War,” … Continue reading

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Belated valentines for the broken-hearted


Swamp Rabbit was at my shack waiting to welcome me home from a long road trip that ended on the treacherous backstreets of York, PA. I drove through an intersection with a sudden slope and the car came down hard … Continue reading

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