Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

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

Republicans seem to think life begins at the candlelight dinner the night before.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

This fight is for everything.

The willow is too close to the house.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

The only way through is to slog through the muck one step at at time.

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

You cannot shame the shameless.

Tick tock motherfuckers!

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

“Jesus paying for the sins of everyone is an insult to those who paid for their own sins.”

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

People are complicated. Love is not.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Weird. Rome has an American Pope and America has a Russian President.

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

Technically true, but collectively nonsense

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

Good lord, these people are nuts.

You are here: Home / Nature & Respite / Friday Evening Pop-Cult Open Thread: Boomer Options

Friday Evening Pop-Cult Open Thread: Boomer Options

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59Comments

  2. 2.

    eclare

    Prince…I was in high school when he released Purple Rain. I think I listened to it non stop for six months .

    Dream if you can a courtyard…

  5. 5.

    FelonyGovt

    Springsteen’s concerts are marathons. They go on and on. He must be in great shape- he’s older than I am and I certainly don’t have that kind of stamina.

  6. 6.

    Cheryl from Maryland

    I had a hip replacement in 2019 due to ice skating and other athletics. I was up and climbing stairs the same day as my surgery. I can’t think of Prince or Tom Petty without feeling how stupid they were and how they should be alive today.

  7. 7.

    Jack Canuck

    On the less happy 80s music front, Andy Fletcher of Depeche Mode has died aged 60. One of my all-time favourite bands, and they’re still making music that stands with their best work, judging from the latest album in 2017.

  8. 8.

    CaseyL

    If rock and roll stars manage to get through the drug-and-addiction phase alive, it looks like they can tour and perform well into what used to be called “their dotage.”

    I’d say surviving the heavy drug use somehow makes them immortal (Exhibit A being, of course, Keith Richards) but a few of the current geriatric Jumpin Jack Flashes never got that deeply into the drug scene. Springsteen, for one; AFAIK he never had a reputation for over-indulging in anything.

  9. 9.

    Poe Larity

    Saw Prince in 2013 at a small venue. Just $250. It was a steal. Had guys go thru the line buying from scalpers. Then they came back with a cop, got the money back and threw them out. Best encore ever.

  10. 10.

    kalakal

    ‘@CaseyL The one who survived long past his expected date was Ginger Baker. He made Keith Richards look like a champion of abstinence and somehow made it to 80 (Richards is 78)

  11. 11.

    JMG

    I love the Stones, but I never went to see the Who after Keith Moon died and I sure as hell won’t see the Stones minus Charlie Watts.

  12. 12.

    Raven

    Cheryl from MarylanD

    That’s some bullshit about Petty,

    “ Petty was found unconscious at his home, not breathing and in cardiac arrest, in the early morning of October 2, 2017. He was resuscitated and taken to the UCLA Medical Center in Santa Monica, California, where he died at 8:40 p.m. PDT[84] after premature reports of his death throughout the day.[85][86][87][88] A memorial service was held at the Self-Realization Fellowship Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, on October 16, 2017, four days before his 67th birthday.[89]
    On January 19, 2018, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner announced that Petty had died accidentally from mixed drug toxicity,[90][91] a combination of fentanyl, oxycodone, acetylfentanyl and despropionyl fentanyl (all opioids); temazepam and alprazolam (both sedatives); and citalopram (an antidepressant).[92] In a statement on his official website, Petty’s wife and daughter said he had a number of medical problems, including emphysema, knee difficulties “and most significantly a fractured hip”. He was prescribed pain medication for these problems and informed on the day of his death that his hip injury had worsened. The statement read, “[it] is our feeling that the pain was simply unbearable and was the cause for his overuse of medication.[..] We feel confident that this was, as the coroner found, an unfortunate accident.”[93]
    On September 28, 2018, Petty’s widow Dana gave an interview to Billboard saying that Petty put off hip surgery his doctors had recommended for some time. “He’d had it in mind it was his last tour and he owed it to his long-time crew, from decades some of them, and his fans.” Dana said that Petty was in a good mood the day before his death: “He had those three shows in L.A. Never had he been so proud of himself, so happy, so looking forward to the future – and then he’s gone.”[94]
    Equipment

  14. 14.

    CaseyL

    Kalakal – Wow. That was some life. Baker and Richards remind me a little of the famous English actors – Burton, O’Toole, Richard Harris – who were as famous for their prodigious, medical-science-defying drinking as they were for their acting. Burton died relatively young, but Harris made it to 72, and O’Toole to 81.

  16. 16.

    Another Scott

    I have a vague recollection that Jagger said sometime when he was around 40 that he expected to keep on going the way Muddy Waters did, that (roughly) the best rock and roll voices were those of the great oldsters. So I’m not surprised that he’s still trying to make a go of it.

    I should listen to more new music, and I’ve been sure to include WPGC in my channel rotation in the car. I still like the music I liked when I was in my teens and 20s, but, man it’s kinda pathetic so many stations are stuck on 50+ year old songs…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  17. 17.

    BellyCat

    “Living in a Ghost Town” by The Stones may be viewed as among their best in another 50 years. Captures COVID incredibly well. The video of NYC utterly empty is a mind blow, as well.

  19. 19.

    kalakal

    ‘@Jay Thanks for showing that. It’s hilarious. The bit with the fridge just wiped me out. I love Ryker

  20. 20.

    Liminal Owl

    ‘@Major Major Major Major: OK, I didn’t envy anyone in this thread until I read your comment. Just missed Leonard Cohen’s final tour, and he played a show right in my stepfather’s neighborhood.

    My favorite, in my teens, was Don McLean. He’s still around, but I don’t want to see him. Glad he dropped out of the NRA convention this week, under pressure; I won’t forgive him for planning to play there n the first place. Let alone for abusing his wife and daughter.

  21. 21.

    Ohio Mom

    If Tom Petty had just called an ambulance to take him to the ER for emergency hip surgery instead of “treating” himself…(I could probably say the same thing about Prince but I know/remember less about the details of his death.)

    Mick Jagger has an exercise routine that makes (dating myself here) Jack LaLane look like a slacker. When I’m reminded that he’s a dad, I always try to imagine him stuck playing Chutes and Ladders or Candyland or whatever inane kindergarten board game English children play. It doesn’t compute for me.

  23. 23.

    JMG

    A security guard at the old Rosemont Arena in suburban Chicago told me once the two best-conditioned athletes he saw there were world middleweight champ Marvin Hagler and Springsteen.

  24. 24.

    Mousebumples

    I’m a huge Queen fan. Would have loved to see them in concert with Freddie, but I was like 10 when he died.

    I’ve seen them twice with Adam Lambert. If you enjoy their music, and have the opportunity to see them, I’d recommend it. There are some decent youtubes of their performances, too.

  25. 25.

    HumboldtBlue

    I made sure to bookmark the temporary site. I did bookmark and made sure to move it up the queue underneath the original site. I still have yet to correctly click the temporary bookmark, I keep clicking on the original before catching myself.

  27. 27.

    CaseyL

    ‘@Jay – Ryker’s (very short) time as a trainee service dog is one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. I think he has a little **too much** enthusiasm for the role! (There’s an update, BTW: a trainer adopted him. Unfortunately, the article doesn’t say if it was the same trainer )

  29. 29.

    lowtechcyclist

    Since this is an open thread, how are the DC area jackals enjoying today’s weather? Particularly thinking of @Spanky, who’s over on my side of things (calvert county).

    We had some crazy high winds in the early afternoon that, along with the tornado watch, drove us into the basement for awhile. (“Dear, we never go down into the cellar anymore,” I told my wife.) A big-ass branch was torn off one of our tulip poplars, and the heavy end missed the house by only about 8 feet. And several houses in our neighborhood did get damaged by falling trees and branches.

    And just now we had a tornado warning and a severe thunderstorm warning, so back into the basement we went. The worst of the storm has headed out into the Chesapeake, headed for the Eastern Shore, so now we’ve just got a few hours of rain coming at us, and we’re back upstairs.

  30. 30.

    Spanky

    ‘@ltc: Funny you should ask. We got in the cellar around 8:30 and the cell went right overhead. Without anything touching down but some rain, fortunately. All clear, now.

    Lost power for about 4 hours a bit after noon when that cell came through. Hit like a wall and just snapped trees.

  32. 32.

    Suzanne

    So the fire at my neighbors’ house was two weeks ago today. We left the house at about 6pm to do some shopping before the weekend (bought a new outdoor rug and pillows to replace the ones ruined by the breaker-inner). When we got back, there were cones set up in the street blocking off the area for construction staging, for 35 days, including weekends, for all hours.

  33. 33.

    Spanky

    ‘@suzanne
    What? The whole block? Talk to a) your local fire company, and b) your city councilman.

  34. 34.

    Another Scott

    geg6 taught us that loans for student aid is complicated. Politico is now discovering that, as is Twitter.

    The Department of Education doesn't know what people's income is, and the IRS isn't allowed to tell them. So you can't just wave a magic wand and cancel all student debt for people making less than X dollars a year. You have to make them apply.

    — Angus Johnston (@studentactivism) May 15, 2022

    I have little doubt that any debt forgiveness is going to be complicated, but Democrats need to give it their best too make a dent in the problem.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  38. 38.

    NotMax

    First wash (by hand) of the still new to me vehicle done yesterday. Remain gaga over it.

    Last time thoroughly washed a vehicle by hand was some 50 years ago. Significant improvement in cleaning products and tools (microfiber towels!) since then. Also took advantage of squeaky clean status to apply a ceramic coating spray. Stuff is almost ridiculously easy to use – it’s magic in a bottle.

  39. 39.

    trollhattan

    “Covid, it’s so booooring.”
    “But, Covid’s not bored.”

    “We have been informed that as of today, Sacramento County has been moved into the yellow tier of risk for contracting Covid-19. There is currently no mask mandate but the CDC highly recommends the wearing of masks indoors during public events.”

    Yay, us.

  41. 41.

    Salty Sam

    Open thread? I need to whimper and moan a bit.

    Two weeks ago, I had eyeball surgery, followed by the excision of second and third melanomas this year (looked like I’d been in a knife fight). All is well with those things, not too much pain. I had to take it easy all last week to recover, and get ready for our trip to visit my cousin in western N. Carolina – been looking forward to that for months.

    Monday, Salty Spouse (who’d been complaining of “allergies” over the weekend, got a call from her client who had just tested positive for Covid. SS tested immediately, was positive. Bleah. There went our trip to the mountains.

    I semi-quarantined with her this week, and was looking forward to getting back to work out in my shop this weekend. I tested positive this morning, and feel like hammered shit now.

    So, to recap: two weeks of surgery recovery/semi-quarantine, and now I’m confined to quarters for at least another week, feeling like crap and missing our Smoky Mountains trip. Poor poor me.

    OK, self pity over now.

  43. 43.

    debbie

    Here in The OH, we’ve had 23 inches of rain so far this year, including the almost three inches today.

  44. 44.

    CaseyL

    I had no idea the East was getting such bad storms. Then I spoke to my Aunt (lives in Philly half the week, spends the other half in Ocean City NJ), who talked about her condo clearing the pool deck and other precautions. I said, “It’s not hurricane season, WTH?” and she said, “Welcome to climate change; it’s always hurricane season.”

    Jolly.

    Stay safe, East Coast jackals!

    @SaltySam – I am so sorry to hear that! Hope your case is very mild and you recover quickly. Will you be able to reschedule?

  46. 46.

    glc

    ‘@ Major Major Major

    Stayed to the end, after climbing to the “vertiginous heights” – as he described them – of Madison Square Garden.

    “We may not pass this way again, we’ll give it all we’ve got.”

    All of the suggestions are fine with me. I came to Prince very late indeed but became a fervent admirer.

    Needs more Dylan. More cowbell too I suppose.

  48. 48.

    Amir Khalid

    Bruce and The E Street Band have never toured Asia, and they won’t next year either, which makes me sad.

  50. 50.

    BellyCat

    ‘@HumboldtBlue

    Thanks! Will check out and report back in between kiddo wrangling

  51. 51.

    Redshift

    I got to see Prince on one of his last tours. The whole concert was energetic and fun, but the most memorable part was after the intermission, when he came out by himself with a guitar. He day on a stool in the middle of this giant arena and held everyone spellbound. It’s hard to express how good he was.

  53. 53.

    opiejeanne

    ‘@Salty Sam, I’m so sorry. I hope you feel better soon.
    I’ve been on Paxlovid for 3 days and feel a lot better, and am doing battle with the forces of “the clinic is swamped and we can’t get to the phone to call in your prescription”. My husband tested positive yesterday, and again today at the clinic this morning.
    And my son’s 14 yo step-daughter tested positive today, so we invited her to stay with us for a while because her mother is pregnant and we’d rather she didn’t catch it.
    I’m recovering pretty well, I think, and I want the same for mr opiejeanne. Tomorrow is the last day he can start the Paxlovid, so we’re racing the clock a bit. I’m going back to the clinic tomorrow morning at 9, when they open, and picking up the “just in case” written prescription to run it to CVS. If they don’t have it I’m going to pitch a fit.
    Drove past the theater and the parking lot was full. I think I know why the clinic is slammed.

  54. 54.

    Mo Salad

    Girlfriend & I made drive from Detroit to a lake front house of her friend’s in Buffalo MN today.

    On the return trip, we’re going to meet up with Cole’s Twitter fave Dana Houle for a bit in Chicago. Garden City (East) HS Class of 1982. We were both part of it. Oddly enough, I was the on who went to Boys’ State. He got to live that shit.

  55. 55.

    Chris T.

    “The only way to stop a bad guy with a gun–”

    “… is to make sure the bad guy doesn’t get a gun in the first place!”

  56. 56.

    Spanky

    Well, here it is no longer Friday evening in the Eastern CONUS. Just dropping in to say that Cole sent out an intetesting update last night, which will hopefully be frontpaged shortly.

    Off to start the day!

  58. 58.

    lowtechcyclist

    ‘@Spanky: Yeah, that last burst of rain was pretty impressive, but at least the wind was nothing compared to earlier in the day, at least at this end of the county.

    But the sun is out now, and it looks like a beautiful weekend is on tap. Once the roads are dry, I think I’ll go for a bike ride. Too good a day to pass up!

  59. 59.

    TaMara

    ‘@Jay, I needed that laugh so much today. Thank you. Someone is getting an awesome pup. What a spirit.

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