Blowouts

Thank Lilith It's Friday!

"Tell me how 'cute' you think I am one more time. I dare you!"

Uncivil War

One of the more benign political events in America is the annual Al Smith Dinner,
a fundraising event for Catholic charities named in honor of the first Catholic to run for president.




By tradition, during presidential election years the dinner is the final joint appearance by the candidates before the election, and the white-tie affair is typically an opportunity for some good-natured humor, a reminder that our political differences, while important, are less so than the things which bring us together.

Predictably, asshat Donald Trump and black-eyed skank Hillary Clinton screwed things up royally. Trump's ego wouldn't permit much joking at his own expense, so instead
he engaged in crude attacks on Clinton that got him booed (and remember the attendees are mostly clergy). Clinton's remarks (no doubt carefully focus-grouped for her in advance of the dinner) showed a similar lack of self-deprecation and graciousness.

What a waste of carbon those two are...

"Good luck with that election thing, bipeds."

Too late...our luck has already run out...

Feast or Famine

In Game 1 of this year's NLCS, the Cubs beat the Dodgers 8-4 with a 5-run 8th inning rally that included back-to-back home runs, one of them a grand slam. In Games 2
and 3 the Cubs didn't score at all, with the Dodgers winning 1-0 and 6-0. The Cubs ran their scoreless-innings streak to 21 on Wednesday night before winning Game 4 10-2. Last night in Game 5 the Cubs' bats were lively again...

Exploding for a five-run 8th inning for the second time in five games, the Cubs beat the Dodgers 8-4 at Dodger Stadium to take a 3-2 lead in the series, which will resume tomorrow at Wrigley Field.

"Do you think the Cubs can beat Kershaw?"

Well, things are more complicated than that, but Maddon has the Cubbies feeling pretty confident right now...should be a fun game to watch...

National Apple Day

I don't eat apples as often as I once did, but I shall do so today to join in the observance of National Apple Day. In the meantime, here are a couple of my favorite works of art...

Still Life With Apples (1895)

by Paul Cézanne

Apples On a Table (1916)

by Henri Matisse

What Did You Expect?

From the pen of Henry Payne, whose editorial cartoons you should read often, as I do.

Until Next Time...

Even relatively minor musical artists can come up with a signature song, a hit so popular they are obliged to perform it for the rest of their careers on stage. In fact, there is an entire category of musical artists known as "One-Hit Wonders" whose sole claim
to fame is their signature song.

Artists enjoying relatively long and more successful careers make it more difficult to identify their signature song, but there are a handful of artists who have produced enough memorable hits that the task is simply impossible. Elvis Presley certainly falls into that category, having produced 18 No. 1 hits on the Billboard charts alone, as well as another 14 songs that made the Top 5 without reaching the pinnacle.

One could make the argument that a typical Presley concert by the late '60s consisted of nothing but signature songs, and by the time he became a headliner in Las Vegas it was certainly true.

That said, for many of us it will always be the earliest hits that evoke the fondest memories. For my own part, I'm not sure any Presley song will ever top "Jailhouse Rock," the legendary Jerry Leiber/Mike Stoller composition written for Elvis's film of the same name in 1957.

Original 1957 45 rpm single

On October 21, 1957 "Jailhouse Rock" hit No. 1 on the Billboard "Best Sellers in Stores" chart
(the precursor of their Hot 100),
a position it would hold for six straight weeks and seven weeks altogether that year.

It also topped the Country & Western and Rhythm & Blues charts, demonstrating Presley's crossover appeal, and received two platinum certifications from RIAA.



"Jailhouse Rock" is included on Rolling Stone magazine's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list, and was selected for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll list (one of seven Presley songs to be so honored).

Today's send-off is the 2002 remastered version of the original single, as it appeared on the Elv1s: 30 #1 Hits compilation. Enjoy...