Today in (My) History

An ordinary Monday for most, today is momentous for me in a couple of ways.

First, as of 2:30pm, I have sold the house we bought in 1983. As I wrote here almost exactly two years ago, I spent my middle and high school era here before renting and then buying the house from my folks over the past five years.

Not that anybody either remembers that I wrote two years ago "I'm gonna stay a while" or would hold me to it, but as they say about mice and men...

I recently decided to shack up with my lady friend (wwoman just doesn't look right), and we bought a place. As such, the old domicile had to go. Rates were rising, so it was touch and go, but it worked out.

And so I bid adieu to a home I've known for just shy of 40 years. Happiness, relief, wistfulness. 

On another note, 21 years and some hours ago, I came home from a night of heavy beer-swilling at the Cowboy Cafe, nodded off for an hour or so, and was awakened by my wife's contraction-induced alarm.  Several hours later, my first child entered the world in our nation's capital. 

Today that child could go into the Cowboy Cafe and legally order a beer.

Makes a man feel old, but all is well. Happy 21st to my Zoë. 

Bringing a Knife to a Gunfight (Like He Said)

Sean Connery is 90 today. 

The quintessential man's man from the Highlands.  A wise man once said, "Manly props to Sean Connery -- not only was he the best James Bond, he also was Mr. Universe and has a black belt in karate (athlete)."

Beyond that, he's been in a series of terrific films, many of which featured him as the bad-assed hero or antihero.

You loved him as James Bond. We know this.

You likely enjoyed him as the Soviet Admiral submariner.


Older Pi Lams were cultists for his Ramirez. (Once.)


You've seen him excel at game shows.


And you've probably liked him in an assortment of other roles, from Indy's dad to the guy who escaped Alcatraz to King Arthur to Robin Hood to the man who would be king in The Man Who Would Be King. Watch clips from someone's list of his best roles here. 

But -- despite the protestations from Sick Boy -- I'll take his Academy Award-winning work as Jimmy Malone in Brian DePalma's masterstroke, The Untouchables. DeNiro was top-notch, Costner was at the crest of his super brief but impressive wave, and Sean Connery crushed it.  Watch it again.

Okay, now. Everybody celebrate the new nonagenarian Sir Sean Connery KBE's birthday by speaking like him for a minute.  Like this. 

Happy Belated

There's surely such a thing as issuing too much content on one subject.  Me being that for the Joe Strummer / Clash material.  But this was awesome.

Birthday cards some in many forms. Hallmark, homemade, or a strip-o-gram.  Or a two-hour tip of the cap from a bevy of musicians who are fans of yours.  That's what this is for Joe Strummer, who, as I commented Friday, would have entered his 69th year had his heart not given out in 2002. Mostly musical tributes, with a few old stories from old friends.  My favorites include a couple of cool covers of "Death or Glory" (Jeff Tweedy; Bob Weir) and some Spanish dames dropping "Spanish Bombs."

Joe Strummer died when he was 50, a number I turn next month. With COVID putting an annoying crimp in group revelry for such events, I could (and will) do way worse than to have such a birthday card. So I'll enjoy this instead.

"Wish you were here, Joe, We could use you now more than ever."

30 Years of Fear

Public Enemy released their masterpiece "Fear of a Black Planet" 30 years ago today. This makes me feel very old, and like posting some of the tracks that still hold up.

"Brothers Gonna Work it Out" and "Welcome to the Terrordome" still bang. Some of the hardest conscious hiphop ever.





I stupidly put this song on a Unit M party mix one time. The Burg wasn't ready for it.



I've said it before and I'll say it again: The Chemical Brothers, Prodigy and the rest of those late-90's electronic were just ripping off PE. They owe The Bomb Squad at least half of all the money they made.



I think "Fight the Power" is a little played out but it cannot be ignored when talking about "Fear of a Black Planet." The intro to this version is still relevant today, unfortunately.

Happy Birthday To...

Today is April 4th, a day which brought us such luminaries as guitarer Mick Mars, baseballer Tommy Herr, linebackerer Jack Del Rio, magicer David Blaine, Joker Heath Ledger, & famed boogier Arthur Murray.

It is also the day that our own Doofus Overlord came into this world, naked and bleary eyed - much like Saturday night at OBFT.

In honor of the birth of Baby Tejus, we present this melange of Muppet clips, because who doesn't need some Muppet on their B-day.

Bert & Ernie Bust It (it never gets old)



Old Skool Muppet Show



Theme For Muppet Die Hard



Muppet Robin Thicke