Monday, March 30

Maurice Jarre is no longer with us

The film composer, known for the "Witness" soundtrack and countless others, has died at age 84. So it goes.

Monday, March 23

If you like pina coladas

The New York Times has an interesting column about how your choice of drink reflects on you and how people order their adult beverages for fear of judgment.

I don't live in such fear. I'm more of a beer and wine person, with the occasional margarita or gin and tonic in the summer. I also enjoy a Franko martini on the happy occasions that he and I are in the same location. I have yet to drink a White Russian.

Wednesday, March 18

Ron Paul gets punked

As if being chided by us wasn't enough, now the former presidential candidate is a target of seduction in the upcoming "Bruno" movie.

Oh, Ron Paul. Will you ever win?

Tuesday, March 17

Happy St. Patrick's Day, Dullards!

Drink a Guinness on the brewery's 250th anniversary.

Saturday, March 14

Happy Pi Day, Dullards!

Pi is good. So is House of Pies, and so is Pie Town, New Mexico.

Friday, March 13

"Seinfeld" cast to be curbed

The core cast from "Seinfeld" will appear on several episodes of the next season of "Curb Your Enthusiasm." No word on when that season will begin airing, however.

Saturday, February 28

Paul Harvey is no longer with us

The radio broadcaster has died at age 90. I recall hearing him whenever driving with my grandfather, who was a big fan.

So it goes — and good day.

Thursday, February 26

Kraken chaos on the Santa Monica Pier

An octopus opens a valve at the aquarium, causing a flood.

Sunday, February 15

Former Gitmo guard on what went down

Putting this here to read when I have better internet access, but from the summary posted, it looks like some Very Bad Things went on at Gitmo.

Friday, February 13

Worst song ever? Only time will tell

Picking the worst song in the history of rock music is no easy task. There's plenty to choose from.

The entire catalogs for Mr. Mister, Kansas or Toto come to mind. All certainly awful, but the worst? Jethro Tull's "Aqualung" is wretched as well, but any "poor old sod" would have to admit that it's fun to sing along with. And forget about all of those one-hit wonders. That one-hit thing is a redeeming factor, even for "In the Year 2525," "Billy, Don't Be A Hero" or "Take On Me."

Instead, we submit "Only Time Will Tell" by Asia as the worst song in the history of rock. The band's "supergroup" label is one strike against the song, which was released in 1982. The fact that Asia has a geographically based name is another. But wait, there's more:

The music: "Only Time Will Tell" is a piece of corporate prog-rock, a cynical attempt at radio airplay on stations that played what was then known as album-oriented rock. It also has cowbell. The song opens with a dated '80s synth part that is even more painful to hear now. It then switches to a bone-crunching guitar riff, then settling into a marching pace that seems designed to appeal to goose-stepping stormtroopers. Indeed, the song has a spirit-killing, soulless feel.

The lyrics: With the title itself a cliche, "Only Time Will Tell" is a petulant and spiteful rant by a rock star who feels wronged by a woman. The song's singer, John Wetton, is put out by his wayward lover. Portraying himself as the "starry-eyed" victim in this failed romance, Wetton decries her "insincerity," even as his own unconvincing vocal performance exposes that it is he who is most likely the insincere one in the relationship. Of course, in Wetton's view, the passage of time will vindicate him and condemn the one who dared leave him. It's a result as "sure as the sun will cross the sky" — another cliche.

For these reasons, we offer "Only Time Will Tell" as the worst song in the historia del rock. Watch the horrible video (with an unexplained appearance by a gymnast) and see if you agree. We're open to other nominations, of course.

Sunday, February 8

Happy birthday, Creed Bratton!

The "Office" character and real-life musician is 66 today. Enjoy some "Creed thoughts" here.

Thursday, February 5

Lux Interior is no longer with us

The Cramps singer has died at age 60. So it goes.

I wonder if he ever got an answer to the question, "Can Your Pussy Do the Dog?" See him ask it here.