Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I was promised a recession.

Second rate reporter says what?

The willow is too close to the house.

They’re not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

A Senator Walker would be an insult to the state and the nation.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Everybody saw this coming.

Let’s delete this post and never speak of this again.

Bark louder, little dog.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Eh, that’s media spin. biden’s health is fine and he’s doing a good job.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

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147Comments

  2. 2.

    Cris

    Eurythmics are one of several bands who I didn’t care for when I was a kid and their music was new, but who I’ve learned to really appreciate as an adult.

  7. 7.

    Leelee fo Obama

    I had the advantage of being past 30 when the Eurythmics were all over MTV, and I worked at home, so I had MTV on all day! I always thought they were fabulous, and Annie Lennox is just awesome.

  9. 9.

    Xenos

    I was recently killing some time and wandering through youtube, and ran across some old Pretenders and Clash tunes. The early 80s (when I was 16, of course) was the best time for music, ever. No logic, evidence, or reasoned argument can make me budge from that position, no way.

  17. 17.

    Kobie

    @Comrade Luke: They still haven’t gotten over the Dixie Chicks? Sweet jeebus, it’s been seven years. Of course, these are the same people who still think Jane Fonda should be strung up in the town square after 40 years. So yeah.

  25. 25.

    JGabriel

    @Yutsano:

    As long as you’re not gonna break the Ballon Juice.

    Ballon Juice is breaking my spirit! Okay, here’s what I was trying to post, with misspellings to avoid the spam filter:

    .

  33. 33.

    JGabriel

    @Yutsano: FYI, Pop Musik was, in fact, one of the songs I was trying to link to. The other was by The Buggles, featuring a song title that is apparently in the WP filter — no matter how badly you misspell it.

    .

  39. 39.

    Texpunk

    My First Real Stadium Concert:
    Thompson Twins w/ INXS opening
    at the Colosseum, Houston Tx – 1982? maybe.

    (my earlier “Paul Davis” concert shouldn’t be held against me!
    I was 16 for God’s sakes)

    Bonus points to anyone who can name Paul Davis’s big hit.

  43. 43.

    JGabriel

    @Texpunk: I Go Crazy — which has no place in this thread, as it’s from 1977. Though I probably should have linked it the night we did Atrocities from the Seventies!

    Don’t know why I didn’t think of it, at the time it broke the record for longest run on the Billboard Top 40, or Top 100, at 41 weeks. I wouldn’t be at all surprised if he still holds that record.

    .

  44. 44.

    Keith G

    @Omnes Omnibus:

    It is odd now to think that INXS opened for anyone.

    Spring ’83 at the now gone Houston Coliseum, INXS openned for….wait….

    Adam Ant.

    We were all like, “Who are these guys? They rock!”

  45. 45.

    MaximusNYC

    @Xenos:

    The early 80s (when I was 16, of course) was the best time for music, ever. No logic, evidence, or reasoned argument can make me budge from that position, no way.

    Word.

    I was just a few years younger, but I still love the pop music of that time more than any other.

    For those who share the new wave nostalgia, you might have noticed the waves of ’80s revivalism that have been building and breaking over the last several years.

    One of the interesting newer examples is La Roux, who have topped the UK pop charts recently with music reminiscent of Eurythmics, Yazoo, etc. They’re my favorite pop discovery of 2009.

    They have a young, androgynous lead singer with a very high, intense voice, and songs with killer hooks and decent lyrics. And very stylish videos:

    In For The Kill
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXtATeQ7GKg&feature=fvst

    Bulletproof
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kk8eJh4i8Lo&feature=channel

    Quicksand
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kErEUhlPoMU&feature=channel

  46. 46.

    MikeJ

    When I was 15 I was still sneaking into clubs, not even daring to have a beer for fear I might get caught and thrown out of shows like this.

    And my first stadium concert was probably The Police, either Ghost in the Machine or Synchronicity, I forget which tour.

  47. 47.

    JGabriel

    Yutsano:

    I think WP is just trying to make an example of you. Exactly what the example is supposed to be is unfortunately beyond my ken.

    Perhaps you’re right. It just ate my last submission, too, from: The Descendents.

    Edited to add: Hmm, I’m detecting a theme here: song titles bad, band names ok.

    .

  48. 48.

    justme2

    First ever concert — 1978, San Jose Civic, Peter Gabriel solo. Traded my brother’s 2-disc “Lamb Lies Down on Broadway” for the ticket. Took me about a year to pay him back (with interest) for that.

  50. 50.

    Texpunk

    @JGabriel

    Okay. What about his big hits:
    “65 Love Affair” and “Cool Night”

    They’re pretty Eighties: In a Journey/Hall&Oates kinda way.

    ——

    @KeithG
    Maybe it *was* Adam Ant, i saw w/ INXS ???

    Who opened for the Thompson Twins, then?

    :sigh:
    Oh, the memory is really going.

  67. 67.

    Mike G

    The early 80s (when I was 16, of course) was the best time for music, ever.

    I concur. Not sure if it was just because I was in my early teens, the prime age for getting into music in a big way.

    Objectively, lots of new wave bands were breaking through because they’d jumped early into producing videos when more established record-company-favorite bands had not, and MTV was hungry for content to fill their airtime. There was a paradigm shift from radio to video, and a window of a few years when the innovative had a chance to break through before the industry dinosaurs caught up.

  72. 72.

    Martin

    Most of my big concerts were in Central Park starting with Elton John. One of my favorite 80s concerts was U2 in Philly when Bono had a broken arm and Bruce showed up to help out the band. Getting a free and unexpected Bruce show in Philly is a bit like having Jesus show up in Christmas mass.

    But nothing beats a They Might be Giants show. I mean, if we’re gonna talk 80s music…

  75. 75.

    inkadu

    If you play fingerstyle guitar, here’s a good reason to stop. Cover of Billie Jean by what looks like a twelve year old kid.

  76. 76.

    JGabriel

    Martin @ 62:

    But nothing beats a They Might be Giants show. I mean, if we’re gonna talk 80s music…

    Don’t let’s start…

    They really were good. I saw them a few times in Central Park, once in Sag Harbor, and a couple of other times of which I, uh, don’t remember where? They were probably the best ones. Oh, wait, also at The Bottom Line.

    Ah, my wasted youth as a college DJ, and pseudo-hipster nerd-geek.

    .

  78. 78.

    MattR

    @JGabriel: In a further attempt to appease our neighbors to the north, here is some late 80’s Rush with Aimee Mann on background vocals.

    @inkadu: I don’t see a link, but I am guessing you are talking about Jake Shimabukuro. If so, he is absolutely amazing.

    @JGabriel: I am pretty sure They Might Be Giants still play weekly in New York City.

  81. 81.

    asiangrrlMN

    @MattR: So, I’m assuming that the US won today? You’re cracking me up.

    P.S. I am watching the Olympics on DVR and just saw the end of the US/Canada game. Where’s my foam finger?

    U-S-A! U-S-A!

    @Yutsano: I linked that the other day as a weightless song. I was thinking of balloons, not of the message–as someone aptly pointed out was not light at all.

  84. 84.

    Comrade Luke

    NBC just broke into tape-delayed coverage of bobsledding – in the middle of a run! – to show the last 30sec and post-game analysis of a hockey game I watched live three hours ago on MSNBC. Then they came back to tell me they’re moving the bobsledding coverage to later so they can show me live ice dancing.

    This is the worst coverage I’ve ever seen.

  88. 88.

    MattR

    @asiangrrlMN: It’s too late to edit. FYWP. Is there a limit to the number of links you can have? I can’t think what else tripped it in the bit I tried to add.

  89. 89.

    Martin

    @MattR: Live 3 hours ago, just as the skiing was live 3 hours ago when we saw who won the gold. And now the post hockey game commentary that we also saw 3 hours ago.

    “Back to you, Bob”

    Fuck you NBC.

  90. 90.

    Yutsano

    @mcd410x: I shit you not, first game I bought for my phone was Tetris. I play it every single night before going to sleep. I think I might need therapy over it.

  94. 94.

    MattR

    Martin: Well that would have done it. I tried to respond to three posts and added a link. I did not think the acronym TMBG was the trigger.

    Since this part of the comment does me no good in moderation, I guess I have to repost it.

    In a further attempt to appease our neighbors to the north, here is some late 80’s Rush with Aimee Mann on background vocals. @

  97. 97.

    asiangrrlMN

    I gotta say, I am fascinated by biathlon. I have no idea why as I am not a shooting aficionado, but something about the volatility of the shooting is riveting.

    I hate Al Trautwig, though. it’s H-uge, Al, not Uge.

  100. 100.

    Comrade Luke

    @MattR: The ice dancing was live three hours ago I think. The skiing was from many hours ago, hence the sun :)

    Here’s my theory as to why this is so fucked up.

    First of all, NBC has admitted that they’re going to lose “several hundred million” dollars no matter what happens because that asshat Ebersol grossly overpaid for broadcast rights.

    No matter what they say, NBC would delay the east coast feed if they could. But they can’t delay the east coast feed because if they did east coasters wouldn’t get results until after midnight in many cases.

    So they delay the west coast feed so they can cut it up and add more commercials. They give us play, replay, commercial, commercial, commercial, play, replay, commercial, commercial, commercial. And then they cut down the actual events down to not only the events that the US medals in (like always), but to only the runs of the actual medal winners plus other US competitors.

    They’re using the west coast to try and scrape up a few extra advertising dollars by basically fucking us over.

    It’s a disgrace.

  103. 103.

    MattR

    @Comrade Luke: I fel your pain. I am pissed about them not showing live coverage of alpine skiing and a couple other things. I would be livid if I was on the west coast.

    And since it is almost 2 am here on the east coast and I have to be up early for my flight to the Great White North, I should probably go to bed.

    Anyone need anything from Toronto? I already have a shopping list from various relatives for foods (and Olympic mittens) only available in Canada. And I just realized I did not account for that at all when packing my suitcase. Repacking on Thursday may be interesting.

  106. 106.

    MattR

    @asiangrrlMN: Thanks. I was reading earlier that Toronto was having an unusual lack of snow this year. And of course that they are expecting their first significant accumulation tomorrow evening/night.

  107. 107.

    Yutsano

    @MattR: I know what you can get me. You asleep. Something tells me you’re not a happy traveler tired.

    @asiangrrlMN: At least it’s you and not the Dawg. He’d be rubbing it in for about oh a couple hours or so.

  108. 108.

    MattR

    @Yutsano: Had to walk the dog before bed. I actually travel very well and am usually asleep shortly after the engines/propellars start up. My problem is actually waking up to get to the kennel and airport. But that is why I am digging out the extra alarm clock :) Good night all (for real this time)

  109. 109.

    Yutsano

    @MattR: I have to watch take-off (which I love) then the break through the cloud line. By the 10,000 foot bell I’m either ready to sleep or indulge myself in whatever entertainment is available. As long as you know how you travel and you know you’ll be all right.

  110. 110.

    NineJean

    @Texpunk:
    “I know most of you old fogeys probably hate even the idea behind mash-ups…”
    Probably being older than most of y’all… but I actually watched this, and saw about forty years of my life flash by. Have to think about that.

    Love Annie. [And working on how to actually do quotes. Old, and all that, dontcha know…]

  124. 124.

    JGabriel

    Yutsano @ 108: Still no joy. Maybe someone just blocked it in the past few minutes? Very weird – I mean, I can tell the link is properly formatted, but youtube takes it and converts it to the home page. What song is it? Got it now.

    Anyway, here’s some more, probably forgotten, 80’s tunes, if anyone’s still listening:

    Prefab Sprout – Bonny. From Steve McQueen, aka Two Wheels Good.

    Aztec Camera – Jump, Van Halen Cover. Killing two 80’s birds with one stone.

    Lloyd Cole and the Commotions – Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken? Not even the government are gonna stop you now! Are you ready to bleed?

    Kind of reminds me of pulling a late night at the college radio station, back in the day …

    .

  127. 127.

    Yutsano

    @JGabriel: How bizarre. That link goes right to it for me. Huh. Worked for wifey too. I don’t get it. It’s “Rock Me Gently” by Erasure.

    Heh. The Aztec Camera one sounds like Van Halen on Halcyon.

  139. 139.

    Napoleon

    Annie Lennox is one of the great unappreciated talents and I think the reason why is touched on by some above, that she could come off as weird. Compare her career to Madonna, who roughly became a hit at the same time (and is someone it doesn’t look like anyone mentioned in this thread). IMO Madonna is a talentless PR creation but yet she is in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Annie could sing circles around her and the best of Annie’s is head and shoulders better then Madonna’s, but because Madonna was considered sexy or something everyone knows about her.

  140. 140.

    Xenos

    @Napoleon: Annie is indeed sexy, but in a more adult way than your typical pop princess. Most teenagers are attracted to lighter fare.

    Chrissie Hynde was thrilling, if a bit terrifying. Someone just dug the original Tattooed Love Boys video out of the vault, and while the video is a bit dated the full glory of the music is preserved.

    Can’t find a decent live version of The Wait, unfortunately.

  141. 141.

    master c

    Check out WOXY vintage internet radio….prompted me to
    email friends from 30 years ago…to say “Up the Neck”
    is still bad to the bone. Dont hear that on Jack FM.
    Annie is great too

  144. 144.

    master c

    prefab sprout!!!!!!!!
    Loved them…..saw that a 25 year old “steve mcqueen” or “two wheels good” depending on whether it was the import, was released.
    I still listen to some of those songs.

  145. 145.

    Joel

    Not for nothing, but 1989 was the greatest year in hip-hop history:

    De La Soul, “Three Feet High and Rising”
    Beastie Boys, “Paul’s Boutique”
    3rd Bass, “The Cactus Album”
    Public Enemy, “Fear of a Black Planet”

    Also, Big Daddy Kane, Biz Markie, Jungle Brothers, etc…

  147. 147.

    Panurge

    Heck, if it hadn’t been for Lou Reed, there might not have been an ’80s.

    Truth be told, the whole ’80s pop rock enterprise is largely an effort to repeal the late ’60s and ’70s in a way that still sounds on the surface like a step forward (which may be where the “irony” comes from, or else this was supposedly the best way to express ironically the situation at the time, or something)–the only difference between that and cultural Reaganism is that cultural Reaganism just wants to go further backward. New sound, old music.

    Two thought experiments:
    What might the ’80s have sounded like if they’d sprung from classic rock? (Mr. Mister, maybe? Van Halen? And the guys in the Police all had ’70s-rock histories; Andy Summers was a member of Soft Machine for a year or so back in 1967.)
    If punk and new wave were really necessary, what might’ve happened in the ’70s to make them unnecessary?

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