Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Let’s finish the job.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

DeSantis transforms Florida into 1930s Germany with gators and theme parks.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

How can republicans represent us when they don’t trust women?

In short, I come down firmly on all sides of the issue.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

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

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

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216Comments

  1. 1.

    Rawk Chawk

    PINK CADILLAC – Aretha Franklin

    “Pull on over into that Better Than Ever Street, baby…”

  3. 3.

    shortstop

    “Roadrunner” by Jonathan Richman and the Modern Lovers. I’m in love with rock and roll, and I’ll be out all night.

  10. 10.

    freelancer

    Deftones – Passenger
    Don McLean – American Pie
    Beach Boys – I get around

    and the superpop guilty pleasure hit of the early 90’s, Tom Cochrane’s Life is a Highway.

  11. 11.

    jl

    Hey, kids, you want to experience that fuzzy almost out of signal range radio music while driving wwaaaayyy out in the boondocks sound, and you want it right now?

    Your tolerance of irritation extremely high?

    Well then, this song is for you.

    Pere Ubu Horses & Crush This Horn & Arabian Nights
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtlczHSQ59U

    Edit: middle track, Crush this Horn

    Its about the only Pere Ubu song I can listen to without asking myself, ‘what were they thinking?’. It’s very grouchy Brian Eno music for speed freaks on the road.

  12. 12.

    Craig

    @shortstop: Yeah, I mean…yeah.

    I’ll throw a vote at “Drivin'” by the Kinks, even though it’s maybe the crappiest song on Arthur because, well, it’s the Kinks.

  15. 15.

    Tehanu

    Oh please. I suppose I’m showing my age, but “L.A. Woman” is the only song for driving on the freeway at night. Doors rule!

  19. 19.

    jl

    @Rawk Chawk: Excuse me, you mean Freeway, of Love!, right?

    That is a good one.

    but is it really road music? For that I go with I Get Around

    But I need to go check out some ZZ Top, they got some road music.

  21. 21.

    MikeJ

    If you’re just driving around in the city (not long distance point to point driving) Screewriter’s Blues by Soul Coughing.

  22. 22.

    Dream On

    Morrissey: “Driving Your Girlfriend Home”
    U2: “Daddy’s Gonna Pay For Your Crashed Car”
    Ride: “Drive Blind”
    Cranes: “Driving In the Sun”
    Neil Young & Crazy Horse: “Drive Back”
    Beatles: “Drive My Car”
    Julian Cope: “Drive, She Said”

    Hope that helped. Damn, I’m cool.

  23. 23.

    Jimbo316

    Anything by the Pretenders, the Stones, the original Fleetwood Mac, lots of other bands, this is pretty open; okay I am dating myself but also a whole slew of other ’80s bands, dribble ’90s and 00s wonders too. You can’t just listen to one song unless you are just going to get a bottle of milk in which case get on yer bike or walk, don’t need the music. And if you are biking/walking, the best music comes from the birds unless you are negotiating traffic, of course. :)

  30. 30.

    Villago Delenda Est

    Oh…and Jan and Dean. The Little Old Lady from Pasadena.

    Dead Man’s Curve

    I was cruising in my Stingray late one night
    When an XKE pulled up on the right
    He rolled down the window of his shiny new Jag
    And challenged me then and there to a drag

  31. 31.

    ...now I try to be amused

    “Radar Love” is one of my favorite rock songs period, but I also love “Roadrunner”.

    @efgoldman:

    Mississippi state Rep. Steve Holland (D) has introduced a bill that in Mississippi, would rename the Gulf of Mexico as the “Gulf of America.”

    I’ve heard US government spokespeople call the Persian Gulf the “Arabian Gulf”. I expect it’s in deference to the sensibilities of the Arab states on its southern/western shore, who are our allies unlike those nasty Persians on the opposite shore.

  33. 33.

    shortstop

    There is a bit of seriously insipid musical taste on display here. Some of you are not coming on my road trip unless you have above-average snacks.

  36. 36.

    Jimbo316

    @efgoldman: These are the same kind of simple feeble-minded idiots that argue about whether a certain Middle Eastern body of water should be called the Persian Gulf or the Arabian Gulf. We live in a period of time in which the American public with unmatched global information available to it, is by far the most ignorant population among the developed countries. Horrifying, really.

  37. 37.

    freelancer

    @shortstop:

    Music ain’t like movies. It’s much more to each his own than any other media, in my opinion. But if you listen to modern Country music you need your head examined.

  40. 40.

    runt

    I guess it’s a draw between “(Looking for) The Heart of Saturday Night” and “The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota”.

  42. 42.

    Dream On

    Does Warren Zevon’s “My Ride’s Here” kind of count?

    Also, Suicide: “Ghost Rider”. And “Taxi.”

    Lastly, Dead Kennedys: “Buzzbomb From Pasadena”

  47. 47.

    Mike in NC

    @…now I try to be amused:

    “Radar Love” is one of my favorite rock songs period, but I also love “Roadrunner”.

    My two driving-at-night favorites as well.

    I’ve heard US government spokespeople call the Persian Gulf the “Arabian Gulf”. I expect it’s in deference to the sensibilities of the Arab states on its southern/western shore.

    That’s been going on well since my deployment there way back in ’84. The Persians couldn’t get no respect from Uncle Sam. Six months in hell.

  49. 49.

    scav

    @efgoldman: BGN won’t bother, and I can’t think how many mapmakers are going to bother with special atlases for that market. Well, I suppose it’s a line in his political CV and possibly a few extra jobs at an in-state printer to run up the freebie state road maps. Victory!

  50. 50.

    tkogrumpy

    @freelancer: Vocals maybe, but some of the most impressive musicians I have known in my long musical career have been country music instrumentalists.

  51. 51.

    MikeJ

    If you’re in a car but not moving, Back of a Car by Big Star. If you are moving, very, very slowly, Big Black Car. Maybe I’ll sleep in a Holiday Inn.

  52. 52.

    Quaker in a Basement

    Mercury Blues, done by all kinds of folks. I’m partial to David Lindley’s version.

  54. 54.

    MikeJ

    Jenny Toomey fans here? Liquorice had a great song called Drive Around, but it was more about the metaphor of driving around aimlessly being like general aimlessness.

  57. 57.

    Old Dan and Little Ann

    This thread made me youtube Bitchin’ Camaro. I loved that in 3rd of 4th grade. Now, not so much.

  58. 58.

    jl

    @efgoldman:

    “ETA: Janis’ “Mercedes Benz” too.”

    thanks, that was in the back of mind, but, as you say, was just a little before my time. Dangerous DFH music I was not allowed to listen too as a young lad playing in the school yard.

  59. 59.

    Nemo_N

    From Sully’s blog, because I see this argument used too often to defend the crazies (in this case Karen Handel):

    Balloon Juice doesn’t realize that her exit will only empower her.

    So you see, let the crazy people do whatever they want, otherwise YOU WILL BE EMPOWERING THEM!

    This is being held hostage to irrationality.

  63. 63.

    TheColourfield

    Prefer the Jazz Butcher version of Roadrunner but Richman wrote it so I guess he wins.

    Nothing like driving in the rain at night listening to Riders on the Storm.

  68. 68.

    Gin & Tonic

    65 comments and nobody mentioned Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild”? Is everybody drunk, or asleep?

  69. 69.

    Suffern ACE

    @Nemo_N: Well wasn’t that one of those arguments that was floated as to why Elizabeth Warren shouldn’t run for office? Cause not having any position of direct power or influence to speak of is just better than having one. Liberals and women in general (even conservative ones) are probably at their greatest strength when they are free of the ability to actually do anything.

  72. 72.

    Violet

    @MP:

    I’ll go with Windfall by Son Volt. Love the line about “switchin’ over to a.m.”

    Agreed. One of my favorites.

  73. 73.

    jl

    Who here among you mere mortals, can beat Route 66, to get your kicks?

    Ultimate road song. Case Closed. Goodnight.

  74. 74.

    chrome agnomen

    lotta songs off Nebraska. plus stolen car, drive all night, wreck on the highway, used car. bruce is a road tripper.

  75. 75.

    Brian S

    There’s a song by a band from Missouri named Big Smith called “No Sir” which includes Oklahoma State Troopers pulling the singer over to check for illegal immigrants which is pretty good.

  79. 79.

    Felinious Wench

    And no one here learned to drive in the late 80’s? “Behind the Wheel,” Depeche Mode.

  80. 80.

    Dream On

    lovers: “People In Cars Don’t Face Each Other”
    Johnny Cash: “Drive On”
    Big Star: “Big Black Car”

    How could I forget?

    Kraftwerk: “Autobahn”

  81. 81.

    piratedan

    well geez…. where to start

    There and Back Again – Marshall Crenshaw
    Promised Land – Chuck Berry/Dave Edmunds
    Crawling from the Wreckage – Dave Edmunds
    POW – The Lovin Spoonful
    Long White Cadillac – Dwight Yoakum
    Cruisin Music – The Raspberries
    Gearjammer – George Thoroughgood
    Six Days on the Road – Steve Earle
    Copperhead Road – Steve Earle

    and that doesn’t begin to cover the stuff that I speed to……

  88. 88.

    burnspbesq

    Duke 85, Carolina 84. Down ten with 2 1/2 minutes to go, won it on a three at the buzzer.

    Indescribably delicious.

    Chic, “Good Times.” Over and over and over.

  91. 91.

    Jim Pharo

    There are three correct answers:

    1. Goin’ Down the Road (Feelin’ Bad)

    2. Beat it on Down the Line

    3. Hot Rod Lincoln.

    That is all.

  92. 92.

    Jager

    Deep Purple’s Highway Star….

    Fresh out of the the US Army, ’69 Camaro Z28 blasting through the mountain twisties on my way to Durango to meet a blonde I met at an airport months before!

    ttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dg3o-fL4GC0&feature=related.

  93. 93.

    Lynn Dee

    I was going to say Six Days on the Road as done by the Flying Burrito Brothers. But Patty Loveless’ Nothing But the Wheel is a fantastic song. You don’t get more lost than that.

    Hmm. Kasey Chambers did something similar a while back… ah yes. “Don’t Talk Back” on her The Captain CD.

  96. 96.

    eemom

    umm…
    Girl With Faraway Eyes
    Roadhouse Blues
    Driver 8
    Drivin My Life Away

    I’d add Next Best Western, but I am clearly dealing with amateurs here.

  97. 97.

    burnspbesq

    If you’re of a certain age and grew up in SoCal, there’s only one driving song: “Whittier Boulevard” by Thee Midniters.

  101. 101.

    brewmn

    Agree w/Radar Love, Windfall by Son Volt, and any of about maybe four songs from Springsteen’s Nebraska.

    But no song makes me happier to be behind the wheel and headed to someplace other than where I’m at than the Dead’s version of the traditional folk tune “Goin’ Down the Road Feelin’ Bad.”

  105. 105.

    piratedan

    just so many to be mined….

    Take it Easy – The Eagles
    Rockin down the Highway – Doobie Brothers
    Paradise by the dashboard lights – Meatloaf
    drivers seat – sniff and the tears

    sheesh

  112. 112.

    Jager

    Years later after marrying and divorcing the Durango Blonde, driving down the road listening to Garth’s “Much To Young to Feel this Damn Old” in my Volvo while tossing Wendy’s wrappers out of the sun roof!

  115. 115.

    patrick II

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Agreed.
    I should be dead because of that song. Back in the day before freeways were crowded, a camero, an overnight trip to Florida (from Chicago), an eight track Steppenwolf tape and speeds up to 130. Swerving to avoid a dog in the road almost ended it all — I can still see the dogs eyes lit up by the car lights, too frightened to move.

    Now I go 55 now in the right lane and listen to Adele.

  116. 116.

    divF

    Almost all of the songs I would have listed came up already – except for Tom Waits’ “Diamonds on my windshield”. I saw him perform it in 1974 when he was an opening act for Frank Zappa. Someone from Zappa’s entourage came out before the show started and told the audience that Frank wanted everyone to pay attention to this guy, because he was really good.

    And he was.

  117. 117.

    Dream On

    @smintheus: Does that mean “Come Sail Away” is de facto driving? Or King Crimson’s “A Sailor’s Tale” qualifies?

    Your broad ruling smacks of judicial tampering, legislating from the bench. I oppose it, with Santorum at my side.

    :)

  118. 118.

    suzanne

    The Format’s “Tune Out”.

    “The 51 is backed up and too slow/Let’s tune out by turnin’ on the radio.”

  119. 119.

    reality-based

    My pick –

    “Baby, You Can Sleep While I Drive” – Melissas Etheridge

    C’mon Baby, let’s get out of this town
    I got a full tank of gas and the top rolled down
    I got some money I saved, enough to get underway
    And Baby, you can sleep while I drive – –

  122. 122.

    GG

    I think Mary G hits the bull’s eye and gets the prize.

    Running on Empty is the best road song ever. And the rest of that album has many runners-up.

    In second place, Born to Run.

    Then there’s nearly a tie between Radar Love and Turn the Page, but when you need to hang on for the last couple of hundred miles, Radar Love gets the edge.

    Btw, efgoldman, Golden Earring is hardly a “one-hit” wonder group. (Wikipedia ref to follow after I get back.)

    Not that I don’t love Hot Rod Lincoln & Little Old Lady, and even Drive My Car and Maybellene, but they’re not contenders for serious road songs.

    ~ GG, who drove/rode somewhat over 900,000 miles in 20 years. (In 3 vehicles – all Chryslers, fwiw)

  123. 123.

    Aaron S. Veenstra

    The Breeders, “Drivin’ on 9”
    Piebald, “King of the Road”
    Kay Hanley, “Galapagos”

    Bonus favorite song to play while driving:

    nine inch nails, “the great collapse”

  126. 126.

    MikeJ

    @TheColourfield:

    Driver 8 is a train song technically :-))(but it is awesome)

    That was why I switched to Little America after thinking of it. Another Greenville, another Magic Mart…

  127. 127.

    suzanne

    @MikeJ:

    f you’re just driving around in the city (not long distance point to point driving) Screewriter’s Blues by Soul Coughing.

    Concur. Love that song. Mike Doughty also has a solo track called “White Lexus”.
    Speaking of Mikes, Mike Ness’ “I’m In Love With My Car” is also a contender.

  129. 129.

    darkmatter

    Space Truckin’ – Deep Purple
    New Speedway Boogie – Grateful Dead
    Back On The Road Again – REO Speedwagon

  130. 130.

    Dream On

    Shouldn’t the proper question be, “what song is best to drive to with a dog tied on the roof of your car” a la the Mittster family?

  131. 131.

    Citizen_X

    The Clash: Brand New Cadillac
    Motörhead: We Are the Road Crew
    Magazine: Motorcade
    And my favorite song ever–I’m serious, play it at my funeral–Iggy Pop: The Passenger

  133. 133.

    Villago Delenda Est

    @Dream On:

    houldn’t the proper question be, “what song is best to drive to with a dog tied on the roof of your car” a la the Mittster family?

    Sympathy For The Devil?

  137. 137.

    celiadexter

    These are great — I actually made a playlist last year of car/road songs to dance to and will have to add some of them! A couple you’ve surprisingly left out (or I missed) are Iggy Pop, Cold Metal; and Prince, Little Red Corvette.

  139. 139.

    Flagrante

    I saw one reference to

    -Willin’

    which was written by Jon Randall.

    -Six Days on the Road

    written by Carl Montgomery and Earl Green is a great one, Taj Mahal plays my favorite version.

    I’ve got some friends who wrote a song called

    -J.D.

    about James Dean that has a lot of driving references in it, “A hundred miles an hour with old J.D., YEAH,” and is a great song, but I’m probably the only one here who has heard it.

    -Bad Motor Scooter

    by Montrose rocks the house.

  143. 143.

    Bruce S

    No Particular Place To Go – Chuck Berry

    Ridin’ along in my automobile
    My baby beside me at the wheel
    I stole a kiss at the turn of a mile
    My curiosity runnin’ wild

    Cruisin’ and playin’ the radio
    With no particular place to go.

    Ridin’ along in my automobile
    I was anxious to tell her the way I feel,
    So I told her softly and sincere,
    And she leaned and whispered in my ear
    Cuddlin’ more and drivin’ slow,
    With no particular place to go.

    No particular place to go,
    So we parked way out on the Kokomo
    The night was young and the moon was gold
    So we both decided to take a stroll
    Can you imagine the way I felt?
    I couldn’t unfasten her safety belt!

    Ridin’ along in my calaboose
    Still tryin’ to get her belt aloose
    All the way home I held a grudge,
    For the safety belt that
    wouldn’t budge
    Cruisin’ and playin’ the radio
    With no particular place to go.

  144. 144.

    JGabriel

    New Sensations — Lou Reed

    I took my GPZ out for a ride
    the engine felt good between my thighs
    The air felt cool, it’s was forty degrees outside
    __
    I rode to Pennsylvania near the Delaware Gap
    sometimes I got lost and had to check the map
    I stopped at a roadside diner for a burger and a coke
    __
    There were some country folk and some hunters inside
    somebody got themselves married and somebody died
    I went to the juke box and played a hillbilly song
    __
    They was arguing about football as I waved and went outside
    and I headed for the mountains feeling warm inside
    I love that GPZ so much, you know that I could kiss her

    .

  147. 147.

    Tone In DC

    Gary Numan “Cars”
    George Thorogood (others as well) “Josephine”
    Jimi Hendrix “Crosstown Trraffic”

    And because 95 is such a quick, relaxing drive so much of the time… AC/DC “Highway to Hell”.

  148. 148.

    ChrisB

    I was beaten to Turn the Page, Rockin’ Down the Highway and Running on Empty so I’ll add Jackson Browne’s The Load Out (though that may be more about riding than driving).

  149. 149.

    dswagz

    “Skidmarks on my heart” – The Go Go’s

    I buy you cologne, you want axle grease
    You say “Get a Mechanic” – I say “Get a Shrink”
    I need promises, you need Motor Trend
    Our love needs an overhaul, or this, this may just be the end

  150. 150.

    Apocalypse Tom

    A few of my favorites:

    “Doreen” and “Niteclub” – Old 97s
    “Car Wheels on a Gavel Road” and “Lake Charles” – Lucinda Williams
    “I’ve Been to Memphis” – Lyle Lovett
    “The Road Goes On Forever” – Robert Earl Keen

  151. 151.

    handsmile

    There’s one hell of a lot of winning mileage on this thread! Fortunately, a long road trip for the handsmiles is being planned for the near future.

    A song for a different kind of driving: “America”, Simon and Garfunkel.

    And while not officially a driving song, one that’s burned into my brain is “I’m Deranged” by David Bowie. It wails through the opening and closing credits of Lynch’s “Lost Highway,” as the car hurtles into the night’s maw, headlights skittering.

  155. 155.

    Dream On

    If Nick Drake sings “Rider on the Wheel”, would that suggest driving? And if Mazzy Star see a “Ghost on the Highway”, could that ghost be driving? It would be irresponsible not to speculate. The math demands it.

    Gotta give some love for B-52’s “She Brakes For Rainbows” and Johnny Cash’s “Hit the Road and Go.” And if “I’ve Been Everywhere” could have occurred without driving one hell of a lot, I’d like to know how.

  156. 156.

    de stijl

    Motor Away – Guided By Voices

    There is no other acceptable choice.

    This is the song that makes you want to punch God in the throat just because every other song in the universe isn’t this awesome.

  157. 157.

    Rita R.

    Native NYer who doesn’t really drive, but the song that used to always run through my head during rush hour on the subway is “Synchronicity II” by The Police. Because, you know, of “packed like lemmings into shiny metal boxes.”

    Hoping to make it to McGee’s. Worked — and drank — in that neighborhood for years, don’t know how I never managed to go there before…

  159. 159.

    GG

    Well, I got back, and LexPax was playing “Hit the Road, Jack.” No, it wasn’t a message…

    Y’all have mentioned so many great songs, we’re having a fantastic evening catching some of them, many we haven’t thought of in years.

    Golden Earring also did “Twilight Zone” and has several decades of success in Europe. (Just a Wikipedia ref, sorry: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_Earring )

  162. 162.

    Death Panel Truck

    “Drivin’ South,” The Jimi Hendrix Experience. It’s from the Radio One CD. I got a ticket while listening to that song on Highway 95 in southwest Idaho.

    And yes, I was drivin’ south, from Homedale, Idaho to Winnemucca, Nevada.

  163. 163.

    Jebediah

    @kth:

    “Motorway”, Tom Robinson (actually a British trucking song)

    I love that song so much I tried to marry it once, years ago, but was told marriage was between a man and a woman, not a man and a song. Damn.

    Also want to second “Roadrunner” and “Windfall.” There’s another one on the tip of my brain that I can’t quite recall… oh well, my memory never was what it used to be.

  164. 164.

    JC

    Hands down. “Driving Song” by Widespread Panic

    The leaves seen through my window pane
    Remind me that it’s time to move my life again
    November sun is felt by none
    A chilly breeze has blown my thoughts to what’s to come
    A cup of warm coffee, some vitamin C
    A bowl for the cat, a bowl for the dog, a bowl for me
    Choose my bluest tape and unlock my car
    An honest tune with a lingering lead has taken me this far

    On the edge of the porch in the warm evening night
    Throwing the bone for the dog I see two passing lights
    Well, I wonder where that driver’s bound
    Is there someone, somewhere, someway out there that I’ve not found
    A touch of smoke ain’t what it seems
    Dust and sunshine can also make my eyes look mean
    But there’s a brown cat sleeping through this day’s show
    Toppin’ off the woodpile, breathing slow

  165. 165.

    dead existentialist

    Ramble On set me off every autumn from my 17th year to at least my 25th. Never could stay still during those months.

    Oh wait. You said driving songs. I didn’t do the driving bit. I stuck my thumb out and got whisked away to some incredibly interesting adventures.

  166. 166.

    Jebediah

    @Death Panel Truck:

    And yes, I was drivin’ south, from Homedale, Idaho to Winnemucca, Nevada.

    “Winnemucca” makes me hear Johnny Cash singing “I’ve Been Everywhere.” And that’s good.

  167. 167.

    joel hanes

    Another vote for Little Feat doing “Willing”

    Of course, there’s The Rolling Stones “The Girl With The Far-Away Eyes”

    I was drivin’ early Sunday morning through Bakersfield, listening to gospel music on the colored radio station, and the preacher said, ‘You know you always have the Lord by your side.’ And I was so pleased to be informed of this that I ran twenty red lights in His honor. Thank you Lord. Thank you Jesus.

    and Cream “Politician”

    Hey now baby, get into my big black car. I want to just show you what my politics are.

  168. 168.

    joel hanes

    It’s a tribute to the taste of the commentariat that no one has nominated “Ventura Highway”

  169. 169.

    joel hanes

    Mason Proffit “Hard Luck Woman”

    I pulled my Diamond REO into a truckstop down the road. I asked for toast and coffee, but the waitress told me ‘No.’ She said she’d heard about me, and all the wrong I’d done ‘Bout how I’d left my wife and kids for the truckin’ I’d begun

    Commander Cody “Mama Hated Diesels”

    But although it’s not explicitly about driving, my favorite road song is Led Zeppelin’s “Ramble On”

  174. 174.

    GG

    @Joel Hanes: “Ventura Highway” is a great road song. It was done by a group from Knaresborough, Yorkshire who were Yank kids living there, so they called themselves America. We lived near there when they were very popular, and it was wonderful to see how proud the Yorkshiremen were of those guys.

  177. 177.

    Xenos

    Are Burns and Yutsano still around? FATCA regs just dropped with an announcement by the British government that it and France, Germany, Spain and Italy will cooperate and get FATCA-type reciprocity from US banks.

    All this happening in the middle of the night while the press just happens to be preoccupied by sex and contraception. If this was intentional on Obama’s part then it is masterful. When those Bush tax cuts end there will be few reputable places left to stash any cash that needs to be stashed.

  178. 178.

    Elizabelle

    @Apocalypse Tom:

    @ JGabriel: Thinking of another Lucinda Williams song, “Crescent City”: love the image of driving Lake Ponchartrain

    Everybody’s had a few
    Now they’re talking about who knows who
    I’m going back to the Crescent City
    Where everything’s still the same
    This town has said what it has to say

    Now I’m after that back highway
    And the longest bridge I’ve ever crossed over Pontchartrain
    Tu Le Ton Son Ton that’s what we say
    We used to dance the night away

    Me and my sister me and my brother
    We used to walk down by the river
    Mama lives in Mandeville
    I can hardly wait until

    I can hear my Zydeco and Laissez Les Bon Temps Roulez
    And take rides in open cars
    My brother knows where the best bars are
    Let’s see how these blues’ll do in the town where the good times stay
    Tu Le Ton Son Ton that’s all we say
    We used to dance the night away …

    More lyrics: http://www.lyricsmania.com/crescent_city_lyrics_lucinda_williams.html
    All about Lucinda Williams: http://www.musictory.com/music/Lucinda+Williams

  179. 179.

    Elizabelle

    incidentally:

    “Tu Le Ton Son Ton” was apparently a Zydeco hit by Clifton Chenier. A play on

    “tous les temps en temps”–means “every now and then”

    Thank Dog for the internet.

    And for KBON radio in Louisiana.

  183. 183.

    Allen

    In the early mid 70’s I had a very early ’73 Lotus Europa Special. I sold that car to a dealer in Havre, Montana on the condition (my condition) that I deliver it. This was when the daylight speed limit in Montana was “reasonable and prudent”. If you haven’t been there you have no idea how long a state Montana is. Anyhoo, couldn’t go anywhere without hearing Radar Love. Especially across Montana.

    As a longer as a longer aside, when I lived in North Idaho, my dad claimed he knew the guy who wrote “Hot Rod Lincoln”. Yeah Dad, sure. Well, he took me to meet the guy. Turn’s out the song is about the drive from Lewiston (Idaho) to Spokane. I have fond memories of that drive.

    Much later I lived in Seattle on Capital Hill, before gentrification, where there was a pub that seemed like it had Commander Cody as a house band, had to tell the Idaho story to Frayne and Kirchen. Turned out they heard about it but I provided confirmation.

  185. 185.

    burnspbesq

    @Xenos:

    I haven’t looked at the FATCA regs yet; I have a couple of emails in my work inbox with links to the full text that I haven’t clicked through. But you’re generally correct. The IRS has been ratcheting up the pressure on folks with assets hidden offshore since 2009, and it has no intention of turning back any time soon. Her Majesty’s Revene and Customs have also drunk from that batch of Kool-Aid.

    Oddly, the French Cour de Cassation ruled the other day that the DGI can’t do anything based on the infamous HSBC client list, because the list was stolen. That hasn’t seemed to bother anyone else.

  187. 187.

    Raven

    The wheel is turning and you can’t slow down,
    You can’t let go and you can’t hold on,
    You can’t go back and you can’t stand still,
    If the thunder don’t get you then the lightning will.

    Won’t you try just a little bit harder,
    Couldn’t you try just a little bit more?
    Won’t you try just a little bit harder,
    Couldn’t you try just a little bit more?

    Round, round robin run round, got to get back to where you belong,
    Little bit harder, just a little bit more,
    A little bit further than you gone before.

    The wheel is turning and you can’t slow down,
    You can’t let go and you can’t hold on,
    You can’t go back and you can’t stand still,
    If the thunder don’t get you then the lightning will.

    Small wheel turn by the fire and rod,
    Big wheel turn by the grace of God,
    Every time that wheel turn ’round,
    Bound to cover just a little more ground.

    The wheel is turning and you can’t slow down,
    You can’t let go and you can’t hold on,
    You can’t go back and you can’t stand still,
    If the thunder don’t get you then the lightning will.

    Won’t you try just a little bit harder,
    Couldn’t you try just a little bit more?
    Won’t you try just a little bit harder,
    Couldn’t you try just a little bit more?

  188. 188.

    Xenos

    @burnspbesq: I had missed the news from Paris. The ministry is downplaying it, of course.

    le ministère du Budget a rappelé que l’administration avait “toute une palette d’outils” et estimé que le fichier HSBC n’était “qu’une indication parmi tant d’autres”. “

    On prend acte de la décision qui ne concerne que les ‘visites saisie’

    et qui reste pour nous sans incidence sur les autres procédures fiscales et pénales en cours”, a indiqué le ministère.

    I can’t imagine the Swiss going along with any part of it. Even here in Lux the attenuated banking secrecy laws don’t allow that sort of sharing of information, which is a problem because State Street and Fidelity have a huge presence here and make up a not insignificant component of the economy. Some sort of regulatory change may be needed for them to qualify as FFIs.

  190. 190.

    Montysano

    Well, the Allman Brothers’ “Hot ‘Lanta” isn’t necessarily about driving, but like much of their music, it is “driving”. When, as a scared 23 year, old I left Indiana for Atlanta, I queued it up on the 8-track player in my ’63 Chevy Biscayne, pulled onto the interstate on-ramp, lit one up, and let it fly.

  192. 192.

    Friday Jones

    @GG: I was going to add Running on Empty…glad to see you caught it! The whole album is fantastic to drive to…”Rolling down 295 out of Portland, Maine, still high from the people up there and feelin’ no pain…”

    And I love the Bottle Rockets’ Radar Gun…”I’m making money and I’m having fun with my radar gun, radar gun…”

  193. 193.

    ellie

    “Is It Really So Strange?” by The Smiths. The best driving song ever.

    Why is the last mile the hardest mile?
    My throat was dry, with the sun in my eyes.
    And I realized, I realized
    I could never
    I could never, never, never go back home again.

  194. 194.

    burnspbesq

    @Xenos:

    If the rest of the world starts threatening to terminate income tax treaties with Switzerland or Lux, they will get the message. Too many multinationals are only in Switzerland and Lux (see, e.g., ArcelorMittal) because they can get the benefit of treaty-based reduced rates of withholding tax on royalties. If Switzerland or Lux don’t play ball, they can easily go to the Netherlands, which also is an attractive place to do R&D because of its innovation box.

  197. 197.

    TAGinMO

    @reality-based: “You Can Sleep While I Drive” is my fave, too. The twist in the last two lines is still a bit of a punch to the gut every time I listen to it; you get so caught up in the picture of the road-trip that you forget it’s coming.

    Trisha Yearwood also recorded the song several years ago (not sure if it was before or after Melissa recorded it). In some ways, I prefer Yearwood’s version, even though I hardly listen to country at all anymore. But they’re both great.

  198. 198.

    Paul in KY

    Sure its already been mentioned:

    ‘Radar Love’ – Golden Earring.

    Also; ‘T Bird’ by Blondie

  199. 199.

    Paul in KY

    @efgoldman: That one is freaky because Jan Berry crippled himself at that curve they sing about.

    If you’ve evr seen before & after photos of him, it’s clear he never came back from dead man’s curve.

  202. 202.

    Paul in KY

    @JC: Saw them play for 3 1/2 hours straight at last year’s Bonnaroo. Must have heard this one as they had to have done every song they knew.

  205. 205.

    The Golux

    Steve Earle, “Guitar Town”

    Hey, pretty baby, you know it ain’t my fault
    I love to hear them steel belts hummin’ on the asphalt

  211. 211.

    MarkJ

    I’ve seen a few Tom Waits tunes but no ‘Ol 55. Appologies if it has already been mentioned, but if not add that one to the list.

  212. 212.

    dance around in your bones

    I have the greatest memory of coming out of some club with my best friend and getting into the car and “Because The Night” by Patti Smith came on the radio and we drove and blasted it full volume and we just wanted to keep driving and driving and playing it over and over.

    Not exactly a driving song, but a great one for driving at night.

  213. 213.

    mikita21

    Thunder Road by Robert Mitchum. The Terror of Highway 101 by Vaughn Monroe. Damn, I’m old.

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