The Stranglers meet the Mystery Men

Ever stumble upon a song only to remember it from your youth? Then by rediscovering the song you truly discover the band for the first time? Then by the discovering the band you open a vista of existence that was invisible yet always there?

No?

Oh, well never mind then....




To hell with that I'm going to continue. This happened to me this week thanks to the recommended feed of YouTube. I know the site's algorithms can sometimes act...hmmm... how do I say this....off balanced? Irrational? Under the influence of seriously potent subscription drugs? If you frequent the site you know of what I speak. But this time! This time it did good.

Behold! The Stranglers' "Golden Brown" circa 1981.

The band The Stranglers have been around since 1974. I was five when they formed. That was the year Mohammad Ali fought George "The Grill" Foreman. Stephen King's "Carrie" was published. The Sears Tower was the tallest building in the world. Alanis Morissette was born. Blazing Saddles, Young Frankenstein, and Zardoz came to the silver screen while Kolchak: The Night Stalker and The Planet of the Apes threw weirdness at us from our television screens. And they are still around today albeit with the normal trials and tribulations accompanying their age. Pretty damn amazing.

While delving into the band I discovered a popular release titled "No More Heroes." That sounded familiar. Do you recognize it?

Perhaps this?

That's the Violent Femmes covering The Stranglers. How cool is that!

This is the kind of thing I am talking about. Random chance nudges a domino and suddenly you're riding a wave to the delightfully unexpected. I want more of that in my life.

Do you?

I hope so.

Be well, gentle reader.

-Sam

The Election Rant Post I Should Just Cut-n-Paste Every Four Years

Ah, election time. 

The season where we flex our ancient talent for creating gods and monsters. Build them up with wants and wishes. Tear them down when their need is done. Or simply dispel them when some clever mage on the “other side” crafts a spell exposing the mere human hiding underneath. Not to worry. Plenty more where that came from. Donate now! The Vatican thinks it knows a thing or two about sinners and saints? Amateurs. If it’s for a good cause then normal rules don’t apply. Heck, even abnormal rules don’t apply. It’s “us” versus “them”, remember? This is WAR so don’t be so damn judgmental.  Besides, plenty more where that came from. Not to worry. Donate now! Remember what you are fighting for. Make it your life until we tell you about the new thing we need to make the most important thing which is WAY more important than the last three things that we told you were the important thing to think about. I know it is confusing. It’s supposed to be. We’re smarter than the “other side”. That’s why we’re here! We’ll let you know what to remember and what to forget. Let us do the heavy lifting. You have so much on your plate and here’s a list to constantly remind you. The best minds, our minds, are working on solutions right now, but you have to donate! Without your help we can't take control and fix everything. Yes, get in control and fix you. I know what that sounds like, but words don’t always mean what they sound like. You know that, right? You’re smart enough to know that, right? I know it is confusing. Not to worry. Plenty more ideas where those came from. Donate now!

Support your candidate of choice. It is for your own good.