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8.07.2017

Yes, it's that time again

THT has alerted me to the fact you all are approaching 5,000 posts, which means it's time for a new thread. It would be my pleasure to create said new thread. Before I leave, however, I'd like to provide you a picture of the always-lovely Mariska Hargitay.

Have a nice day.

3816 Comments:

michael said...: "I'm tired, so tired, tired of waiting for OCs and DCs" - Ray Davies

3605 - Hottest record on years; 10:06 AM
michael said...: Hey THT, I don't understand what is happening here at all, but it seems to gross out people who are smarter than me:

https://twitter.com/marklewismd/status/1602086839585689600

3607 - King of the Solar System is decided by competitive eating contest; 10:42 AM
michael said...: What's up?

3608 - The sky is still up; 6:17 PM
Michael said...: Is this thing on?

3606 - Time is bent!; 6:37 PM
E-Bro said...: My 1970s music project is hitting the home stretch with only ten albums to go. First up at number 10 and number 9 are Bitches Brew and Innervisions.

3607 - Happy New Year!; 3:13 PM
michael said...: "If peeing your pants is cool, consider me Miles Davis!"

3610 - Time travel ended; 4:34 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: This thing's still alive?

E-Bro, if you haven't yet included them, no 70s music project will be complete until you listen to some Potliquor

3611 - almost 1600 years later, that burger eater's corpse is still poohing burger; 1:10 PM
E-Bro said...: Not sure that one's going to make the cut, but with 8 spots left to fill, you never know.

3612 - 3612 Overture is written by AI Robot simulating Tchaikovsky, but forgot to include cannons and is destroyed.; 3:17 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: Nobody said it was easy, E-Bro. Speaking of which, how 'bout some LeRoux?

3613 - giant pit of goat fossils discovered in Idaho.; 1:53 PM
E-Bro said...: Sorry, no LeRoux or Potliquor yet, THT.

This week's 70s album entries are the Ramones self-titled debut and Marquee Moon from a band I'd never even heard of before, Television. They sound a bit like The Strokes (or, you know the other way around since Television predates The Strokes by 25 years) if The Strokes were a prog-rock punk band that jammed more.

3614 - Judy is still a punk.; 2:10 PM
E-Bro said...: Running out of time, THT. It was Sly and the Family Stone's "There's a Riot Goin' On" and The Who's "Who's Next" last week.

This week's it's "Led Zeppelin IV" and the Stones' "Exile on Main Street". Pretty dang sure that one of the last two next week will be "Blood on the Tracks".

One of my favorite discoveries of this project has been learning just how on fire The Rolling Stones were in the late 60s/early 70s with their blues/country/roots sound.

3615 - Warmest year on record.; 4:20 PM
michael said...: You never listened to Television, Ebro? And here I thought you were a true hipster.

That album is absolutely amazing. Such good intricate guitar work. Tom Verlain just died, RIP.

3615 - Ebro is canceled for listening to the Nazi shatze-approving Ramones; 4:24 PM
E-Bro said...: Nah, man, my head was stuck in the sand the first 20-25 years of my life and I've been playing catch-up ever since. Some things have slipped through the cracks which is why this project has been nice.

Downside is the amount of artists we've lost while discovering or re-discovering their work. Verlain this past weekend and we listened to Rumours not even a week after Christine McVie passed away.

3616 - Hey ho, let's go!; 2:44 PM
michael said...: PREDICTIONS ROUNDUP!!!!

We've made a lot of predictions around here. I thought it would be fun to collect our predictions from the last few years that could be verified. Who was right? Who was even more right? Well here ya go:

2012- Ebro Kissed a Girl....and liked it. – Eddie (mjt note: this was posted in 2012 so may have not been a prediction)
2013 Inflation ignites like white phosphorus in the wind. – THT (mjt note: a tad early but not wrong)
2015 Gene Chizik will be comfortably enjoying his new Gig as Special Consultant to the University. - Eddie
2015 - Flying cars and hover boards have still yet to be invented.- Ebro
2015- The Alabama football team does its beat impression of the Japanese cruiser Mikuma as they have a losing season while also being discovered to be horrible cheaters by the NCAA. Their coach is fired, and the program never really recovers. - mjt
2017 - Following the national championship win and facing high expectations, Auburn struggles and loses 5 games in the regular season. – Michael
2018- an independent panel confirms that 2015 was adequately covered on 1.0. - mjt
2018 - AU fires Gus and hires Ellis Johnson due to his commitment to academics. – bubbs
2019 - Flying cars and hover boards are invented. - Ebro
2019 - after a 6th consecutive season without a winning conference record, AU decides to join the Sunbelt Conference. – THT
2019 - Battle of Midway blamed for rampant inflation in the price of potatoes, and a concomitant increase in arrests for possession of hot potatoes.- THT
2020 - the foresight vision needed for our next coaching hire. – THT
2020 - After winning their home super regional in 2019 and losing in the final game of the CWS, Auburn wins CWS! – cincy
2021 - I'm too scared to think where the world will be. - THT
2021 - AU removes the upper decks at JHS. – bubbs
2021 - AU wins another CWS. AU Equestrian wins their bazillionth NCAA championship. AU football wins their fifth consecutive Iron Bowl. – THT
2022- Apple Ipone 15 Comes out. We are back to smaller being bigger again. -Eddie
2022 - Battle of Midway – mjt
2022 - President Trump ends the Battle of Midway, then tweets disparaging remarks about the losers and his own generals. – THT
2023- Ronnie Brown's son becomes Auburn's 7th Heisman Winner.
2023 - The president is secretly admitted to the Betty Ford Twitter Addiction Treatment Center. - THT

3618 - MJT's prediction roundup blows even more minds; 2:00 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: That's some first rate research, michael!

Actually, I guess it's just second rate. First rate would have included sources properly cited using Chicago Manual of Style format.

3619 - the year of the flat stock market, reruns only on tv, leftovers only for dinner; 5:41 AM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: NSD part deux was non-existent

3620 - NSD moved up to June 1 of recruits' 6th grade year.; 11:26 AM
michael said...: When you think about it, every day is NSD

3621 - No NSD this year.; 3:11 PM
E-Bro said...: Ended up the 70s with Blood on the Tracks and London Calling. Time to rest for a little bit and catch up on some contemporary music while we wait to start the 80s.

One of my takeaways from the 70s is how influential punk was on modern music. There are still genres like punk or punk-pop that persist today (Paramore just released a new album last week), but starting with punk bleeding into new wave in the 80s, so many of the punk albums I listened to from the 70s had a lot in common with so many of the indie/alternative records that I love from the 90s on.

3622 - Aliens back out of colonizing earth when they learn how hot it is.; 3:07 PM
michael said...: I love 70s punk and proto-punk. Did you listen to any Stooges or New York Dolls? The Stooges Funhouse is a super awesome album, hope you didn't miss it when you did your 70s.

There is some 80s punk I really like. There was a lot of punk music that just wasn't any good from the 90s on. Most of it just had no soul and focused on a very narrow definition of punk (London Calling wouldn't even be considered punk if it came out today).

You're right about its influence. Even though the genres are mortal enemies, punk was even an influence on the Metallica/thrash metal scene in the 80s. Obviously, most of the 90s alternative bands were heavily rooted in punk as well. Was a big launching point for multiple sounds.

3623 - Aliens come back to earth when they discover 70s punk.; 5:38 PM
E-Bro said...: We did indeed hit up New York Dolls, which I liked fine, but probably not as much as I was supposed to.

Also listened to the two Stooges records from the 70s, both of which I liked, but not as much as their 1969 self-titled debut. I had heard snippets of it before, but it was my first full listen and it blew me away. Maybe that and Hendrix's Axis: Bold As Love were the two albums from the 60s that sounded like something zapped in from another planet, let alone the future, compared to everything else.

Honestly, it was hard to consider London Calling a punk record even in the context of the 70s. The Clash were a strange beast. Their debut sounded to me like something done by a bunch of college-aged aspiring intellectuals sitting around in tweed jackets smoking pipes. Maybe didn't help that it was the same week as the Sex Pistols album. I still liked it, but it didn't register with me like SP.

Then London Calling started leaning into reggae and other influences so much that, yeah, like you said, it was hard to think of it as out and out a punk album. More a bridge album that got us from punk to new wave to ska to indie rock.

3624 - Aliens stick around longer to discover all the great music of Earth.; 3:39 PM
michael said...: Not all New York Dolls songs are created equal... I definitely skipped a lot on the one album of theirs I bought. But "Trash" could be a dang Strokes song. Super ahead of their time (or more likely, the Strokes have always been behind the times, which is why I love them)

Can't argue with the 1969 Stooges album. Great stuff.

How dare you find it hard to consider London Calling a punk album... that's my whole point, punk was more of a scene and attitude than a hyper specific sound. When most punk bands became pale imitations of The Ramones and The Sex Pistols, it became less interesting.

3625 - Music; 6:58 PM
michael said...: What year are we going to get a new post on this thing? I wonder if Jay G remembers his password?

3626 - Password; 11:37 AM
michael said...: it's almost Puppet Hour.

3627 - AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!; 3:57 PM
michael said...: hip hop hippity hop.

3628 - hop; 1:05 PM
michael said...: We continue our march to insanity.

3629 - marchy march; 11:42 AM
michael said...: I'm gonna get that new thread. You just watch.

3630 - still on the old thread; 12:14 PM
michael said...: Look down! Look down! You're standing in the way!

3631 - I stole a loaf of bread!!!!; 2:39 PM
michael said...: New thread up

3632 - psyche!; 11:13 AM
E-Bro said...: Thought we would be close to 5,000 by the time I got back from my trip. What happened?

3633 - What didn't happen?!; 2:59 PM
michael said...: I got exhausted. I'm sorry Ebro.

3634 - finally get some rest; 2:09 PM
michael said...: What albums are you listening to now, Ebro?

3635 - Bum Cover; 10:51 AM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I'm listening to the original London Eponine (Frances Ruffelle) sing "On my own". What a great voice.; 3:41 PM
michael said...: Went on a double date to Les Mis with some good friends a few years ago, and my wife and the other couple were aghast that I didn't cry any during the musical.

3637 - Les Mis is Les Meh; 10:51 AM
E-Bro said...: Taking a breather on the Pitchfork Project for a bit, MJT, and then we'll start going through the 80s in a few weeks or months. In the meantime, catching up on some music releases from the last six months or so.

Not to be THAT 40ish white dude because a lot of what I'm listening to now is new music from new artists (mostly female artists at that), but it's been a minute since I've really dug a Band of Horses record and their release from last year was a blast. Recent Gorillaz was full of fun, space-y dance tracks. Also, new M83 just dropped and I'm still getting my head around it.

For some non white-dude music, the record last fall from Plains (featuring B'ham's Waxahatchee and Texan Jess Williamson) might've been the record that made me smile the most in 2022. Two southern indie artists who leaned hard into their Southern music roots and knocked it out of the park.

3638 - c'est la vie.; 3:15 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: mjt, you are either heartless or it was just a lousy performance.
MrsTHT made me find tickets on the secondary market in London in 1987 so she could see it. My only knowledge of "musicals" up to that time was Oklahoma movie where they talked and then burst into song for no good reason (with lousy acting to boot). I wasn't expecting a musical to be, well, all? musical. I loved it! Two years later when we returned to London, we saw Phantom of the Opera on our first day and on two other days we saw Les Mis again... and again. Took the kids to see it in 2003.

3639 - Les Mis still selling out in London; 10:27 AM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: How did the first thread to reach 5000 posts recently (i.e. in the past 6 months or so) lose 20+ posts?

3640 - ...3612 is your destiny; 12:01 PM
michael said...: I've noticed this disappearing posts as well. I can only assume that Mother Google is going through and reading every post and deleting the ones that aren't that good.

3641 - This post is good so it will last forever.; 1:30 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I remember every post I've ever made and not a single one is missing. The Chinese post judges should be giving me a lot more praise.

3642 - Informative post helps with every encounter writing excellence!; 2:46 PM
michael said...: Anyone need help with their dissertation?

3643 - Scandal erupts as it is discovered that 94% of dissertations written in the 2007-2030 time period were written by Feng.; 10:44 AM
michael said...: You don't hear about volcanoes that much anymore, you know?

37 - Meredith Scorpionsuit

3642 - Archeologists working to uncover the ruins of Pompeii from the 2030 eruption of Mt Vesuvius make casts of the remains of the tourists. Most of them were taking selfies when they died, frozen in time.; 2:43 PM
E-Bro said...: You mean, like, in Eurasia?

https://www.cbsnews.com/video/iceland-volcano-eruption-lava-discoveries-60-minutes-video-2023-04-02/

3645 - TikTok coverage of the latest eruption on Mauna Loa blows up if you know what I mean.; 3:07 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I don't need the Chinese helping me with my dissertations or hacking my phone with their apps. Well, at least not the apps I don't want.

3546 - Mt. Etna erupts, and due to a messed up jet stream, buries Pompeii and that little squirt of a volcano Mt. Vesuvius; 12:53 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: Oh lordy, I lost us one hundred years

3647 - Calendaroligists are debating what to do about the missing last year.; 12:54 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: Well, i've searched everywhere* and I could not find it.

*equivalent to nowhere

3648 - Calendarologists say screw it and go back to sipping their mint juleps.; 12:56 PM
michael said...: I always wanted to be a calendarologist, but it's just too much dang school. Who needs to study calendars for 10 years before you start operating them?

36 - Sensational Sally

3649 - Calendars outlawed; 1:18 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: school ain't so bad, especially if you can get a good NIL deal. Maybe michael can get one for each of his 100 favorite goats. He'd be filthy rich! That's why you should never let goats in the house.

3650 - thanks to the well-intentioned but very poorly executed calendar control laws, only outlaws have calendars.; 1:20 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: that's so weird. We were at 3601 – 3649 of 3649 with michael's post, which is the only reason I posted to get it back even. And look what blogger did to me. We're STILL on 3601 – 3649 of 3649. How does that happen?

3649to the nth - aka 3651 - blogger caught in a temporal phase shift hole thingy; 1:27 PM
michael said...: (I think google must have deleted one of Ebro's earlier posts that just wasn't all that good)

3651 - Terror on the high seas!!!!!; 3:40 PM
michael said...: After Jet's fakeout, I'm really jonesing for a nugget from Feng.

3652 - Feng Nuggets are all the rage!; 2:42 PM
E-Bro said...: Think another of my not-so-good posts must have gotten deleted.

In other news, we started the the 1980s for our music project. One of the first albums was Paul McCartney's "McCartney II" and I'd no idea that McCartney made a new wave/synth pop album. Coming Up was the only song I recognized.

3652 - This post is deleted for not being very good.; 3:04 PM
michael said...: Not really familiar with that album. What the verdict, Ebro?

Hey THT, how about that one hockey team blowing a 3-1 lead?

3652 - the year that will never end.; 1:50 PM
E-Bro said...: Eh...outside of "Temporary Secretary", it was a mostly fun experimental album and we even got a classic McCarntey ballad out of it, "One of These Days", but nothing I'm going to be coming back to again and again. Interesting to note that he did have a song called "Waterfalls" that, thematically at least, was just like TLC's.

Will say that last week's music entry gave me a very good band I'd never heard of before...Swell Maps. They don't have much of a catalog, but we listened to their album, Jane From Occupied Europe, and it had some solid, solid stuff on it. It sounded alternately at times like an early Stooges album and then at others, like a classic lofi 90s indie rock album. It was like they were stuck between the past and the future in 1980.

3653 - A new year.; 3:00 PM
michael said...: Why does my Jan Terri picture have a Scarlet M? Can't remember the context of that.

3654 - years haven't been deleted in years!; 6:07 PM
michael said...: Man, I'm bummed. I just almost sold my house to some dude for 7 million dollars, but THT swooped in out of nowhere and told the guy my house is fake. Rats!

3655 - Fake year!; 5:18 PM
michael said...: Remember snap bracelets? Those things were cool!

3656 - professional wrestling trading cards become the national US currency.; 12:56 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: That scarlet M probably has something to do with your brand after that drifter incident.

Swell Maps? That does sound interesting, but I know better.

3657 - THT's The Monkees trading cards are deemed as worthless as counterfeit ten penny nails.; 11:56 AM
E-Bro said...: I bet $7M that THT does not remember snap bracelets, but I do. As soon as I collected enough to be considered cool, they stopped being cool.

3658 - Hey, hey.; 3:58 PM
michael said...: Hey Ebro, I've been listening to a bunch of classic albums I hadn't listened to before. Should I put my reviews here?

3659 - CDs are back in!; 5:33 PM
E-Bro said...: Where else would you?

3660 - iPods rediscovered and used by getaway drivers to synch of their car's movement.; 2:04 PM
E-Bro said...: I have to say, the 80s have ruled so far. We've rejigged the countdown a bit to listen more in chronological order rather than listening purely by ranking order and it's yielded some great early returns.

Listened to a Pretenders album for the first time and it ruled. Listened to all of Sandinista for the first time, and while it's still too long, it solidifies that at the time of its release, The Clash was probably the best band in the world.

Then there's been more great discoveries of bands I've never heard of like X, Young Marble Giants, and The Feelies.; 2:25 PM
E-Bro said...: 3662 - What happened to 3661?; 2:25 PM
michael said...: So I have been doing very mind numbing data analysis at work the last month or so, so I decided to listen to some classic 90s albums I've always been meaning to listen to.

Neutral Milk Hotel - In the Aeroplane Over the Sea

This one blew me away right on the first listen. Right up my alley, weird and catchy and unique, and you definitely hear the influence going forward in a lot of other indie stuff the last 20 years. A++++ album, worthy of the effusive praise it has received.

Pavement - Crooked Rain/Crooked Rain
So this one is a little different because I already knew multiple songs from the album. Even though I had no idea who Pavement was in the 90s, Spotify and Appple Music and the 90s Sirius station have always been keen to throw them in the mix. But again, spectacular album. Unlike NMH, took a couple of listens to really appreciate it, but I love it. I wouldn't say I found it quite as influential as NMH going forward, but just a great piece of punk influenced 90s alternative music that's just a little too off to have made it big in the mainstream. So again, right up my alley.

My Bloody Valentine - Loveless
This one is complicated for me, Ebro. In the opening notes of the first song, I was like, WOW, this sounds exactly like Smashing Pumpkins. I did a quick internet search, and lo and behold, Billy Corgan admits that he was trying to sound like MBV in early Smashing Pumpkins.

So this brings about complicated feelings for ole MJT. I really liked early Smashing Pumpkins, if not ever being able to take them very seriously on account of Corgan's vocal choices. But in 7/8th grade, I was fully HATING them, because they were everyone's favorite band, and I thought they weren't worthy of that. I don't know if I ever hated a song with the passion I hated "Tonight, Tonight." I had the same approach to DMB in high school, going from mild appreciation to fiery hate.

BUT.. MBV sounds way more like Cherub Rock, which I still dig, so I kind of was able to do some mental flips and fight the initial hate I had for the album Loveless. And the vocals blend into the soundscape in a very cool and dreamy way, kind of the opposite of what Billy Corgan does. After a few listens, I was like, OK, this is a very good album. And when you talk about them releasing this in 1991... holy cow, what an incredibly unique and new sound they brought to the table. Influence on the rest of the 90s is off the charts. Billy Corgan made millions ripping them off.

So of the three 90s classics albums I am reviewing, this one is the most important... but also the least likely for me to come back to. Again, very good, just not quite as up my alley as the other two albums.

3663 - 3623333 3623333 3623333 for pizza hut delivery!; 12:01 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I'll take that bet and retire comfortably. Those were those little things a very young 2.0 would slap on her wrist.

Generally don't like punk cause it's usually more noise than music. But hey, The Clash made some good music, and how can you not like a band that uses an armadillo in their music video?

Neutral Milk Hotel??? Where on earth do you find this stuff? "'Punch yourself in the face 3 times, read Anne Frank’s diary and listen to your high school marching band practice' might be the most hilarious and accurate description of Neutral Milk Hotel ever"

"Life is neverending" is pretty good, but it sure sounds like a song from the late 60s or early 70s that I can whistle the tune, but just can't remember the words or artist... probably one of those British bands

3664 - NMH posthumously inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame which relocated to downtown Ruston, LA.; 10:16 PM
michael said...: "Punch yourself in the face 3 times, read Anne Frank’s diary and listen to your high school marching band practice." Wow, that is the perfect description, lol. Sign me up!

All the NMH songs have really simple chord progressions, so that song probably is just like some song from the 60s/70s.

3665 - NMH posthumously inducted into Eurasian Hall of Fame; 10:39 AM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I've never been to a Super Bowl, but I'd find a ticket if the halftime show was NMH!

3666 - AU plays OU for the second time since OU joined the SEC.; 5:52 PM
E-Bro said...: Cool to read your thoughts, MJT. I really don't know much about MBV other than that I've heard of them. May get to them yet when we head into the 90s. Always dug "Cherub Rock" myself and was never hipster enough to resister the charms of "1979" and the other hits from Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.

The other two I'm quite familiar with. My musical fandom has been rather late-blooming, but the buddy of mine who initiated this Pitchfork Project used to drive around a car in high school in the 90s with a sticker that said Pavement on it. My other friends and I asked what the heck a "Pavement" was and we've slowly been fed a diet of indie rock ever since (though that's waned in recent years has he's started to look more backward into music than forwards).

Dude eventually started making mixtapes for us in college and that's where I first heard "Range Life" (speaking of mixed feelings on Smashing Pumpkins...) and "In the Aeroplane Over the Sea" and, yeah, that slowly set in motion a healthy obsession with all kinds of music. It's especially made listening to the punk in the 70s and 80s revelatory in sensing how broadly influential that music was and continues to be with regards to indie rock.

Curious if you've ever listened to Silver Jews which was a project fronted by David Berman and formed with Stephen Malkmus and another member of Pavement? Berman passed away in 2019 from suicide, and if you listen to his darkly comic lyrics, it won't come as a surprise, but one of the better lyricists to come out of 90s indie rock (he was a poet as much as a musician), but it still had a great indie rock sound at the same time.

3667 - David Berman's soul hospitalized for approaching perfection.; 3:21 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: at the rate the other threads are losing posts, this one will be the postiest thread before Christmas.
Speaking of which, not many shopping days left until Irony Day.

3668 - THT's 3668 post is now the 88th post on this thread; 4:08 PM
michael said...: EBro, Spotify regularly sends me to Silver Jews (usually the song "Smith and Jones") after listening to Pavement, and I definitely dig the sound. Should I put some full albums on my listening list?

I feel dirty for listening to The Decembrists for near 20 years before listening to NMH, given Melloy so shamelessly steals the dude's singing style.

You listened to any Big Star, Ebro? I've been playing their album "Third" a lot lately, and it def fits in the "70s/influential" category. Hey THT, you might like that one too! More like a college marching band than a high school marching band!

Big Star is a Memphis band so was kind of locally famous (side story: my dad is good friends with a guy that was asked to join The Box Tops before Alex Chilton was. But my dad's friend's parents wouldn't let him go to the studio to record. He could have had a disappointing rock career instead of Chilton!). Anyway, when we got Apple Music a few years ago, one of the first albums I downloaded was #1 Record on account of how some of my favorite bands said Big Star was super influential, and that was kind of the "editor's choice" album or whatever. Good album, and "Thirteen" is just a magnificent song... but I didn't get the whole influential talk? Just sounded like your standard early 70s album to me.

A few months later, I downloaded Radio City, and I got the picture much better. There were jangly pop guitars that sounded much like REM and their ilk. There was some weird Pink Floyd influenced stuff. Big artistic step up from #1 Record.

Not sure why, but I never moved on to their third album, but I finally did a few weeks ago. And I'm like, ah, here it is. A lot of odd stuff for mid 70s, and different things that you could tell drove a lot of indie music for a long time. You could have told me "Holocaust" was a Death Cab for Cutie song, and I'd be like, oh, Ben Gibbard is doing something different with his voice, but otherwise I might believe you? So yeah, highly recommend Big Star to all 1.0 readers.

3669 - (*whispers* I like "1979" now too. "Tonight, Tonight" still sucks tho); 4:53 PM
E-Bro said...: MJT, on Silver Jews, I'd start with American Water and jump around after that. The opening track from that record was my introduction into the band and it was perfect.

Cool to hear about your connection(ish) to Big Star. We did actually cover all of their 70s albums on our look back at that decade. We noted the jangly guitars as well in our commiserations over their music.

By my recollection, one of my big takeaways (besides the opening credits song of That 70's Show being a Big Star song) from their music is that while liking them, I could've seen myself falling HARD for them had I first heard them in high school in college instead of approaching 40. The subject material of their songs would've hit 20ish year old E-Bro like a ton of bricks.

Probably need to carve out some time to go back and listen some more based on your musings given that things start to run together a bit when we were listening to different 70s albums every week.

3669 - Will this year never end?; 3:47 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: Big Star Third a real snoozer. I think the reason I'm not a huge fan of these obscure groups is mainly cause their music sucks! At least most of it. Which is also why these groups are so obscure. If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get back to some great 80s music. Yes, I'm talking about the soundtracks to Les Miserables and Phantom of the Opera.

3670 - Happy New Year!; 12:09 PM
michael said...: Les Mis is the worst collection of music I've ever heard. Soooo much boring filler, so much monotone operatic plot-furthering singing. A couple of OK songs for sure, but my goodness, that's a long time to sit through a musical for a couple of competent moments.

Haven't been suckered into sitting through the Phantom of the Opera yet, but I'll get my review out whenever that happens.

3671 - Oh no, some guy who had been in jail turned out to be nice, I think I'll throw myself off a bridge right now, yes this is certainly a rational way for a human being to act and not heavy-handed/on-the-nose writing or anything.; 3:23 PM
michael said...: Hey!

3672 - hey!; 1:41 PM
michael said...: 35 - Gunnar Langlo

3673 - Dontae Aycock is the only remaining Auburn player from the 2021 recruiting class.; 5:55 PM
E-Bro said...: Hey, MJT, what are your thoughts on Talking Heads?

Saw EDSBS retweet someone a few weeks back saying that they're the best American band of all time. Having listened to "Remain In Light" recently, our third TH record of the Pitchfork project, I'm starting to come around on that sentiment.

The obvious contenders that come to mind are The Beach Boys, The Velvet Underground, and The Allman Brothers Band. And from the 80s on, you have Sonic Youth, REM, Pixies, and the explosion of great indie bands from the 90s onward, but thinking in terms of bands that most people have at least heard of...maybe?

3674 - How did I get here?; 3:34 PM
michael said...: Been a big Talking Heads fan since high school. Remain in the Light is in a class by itself for me, but so many great albums and songs. I actually listened to them a lot for a couple of days pretty recently after seeing a tweeted clip from Stop Making Sense.

"Best American Band" is way too strong for me... I feel like popularity has to be taken into consideration for such a title, as well as influence. There are definitely more popular bands and more influential bands... Not sure they would be in my Top 10. Aerosmith and Beach Boys kind of pop into my head as "Best American Band," even if I personally like TH way more. VU is way too underground to get the title even if they pass the influence test, and I feel like we might overrate Allman Brothers in the south... Skynard is probably the better representative of southern rock on the Greatness scale.

It's hard for me to rate the 90s bands, because at the time they seemed so important... like it was the Beatles and then Nirvana as far as Biggest Bands of All time to 6th grade me. Looking back, a lot of it is very derivative... I know all rock technically is, but the way the 90s worshiped the 70s, whether it be punk or classic rock, was particularly strong. So how can you rightfully say anyone from that time frame is The Best? Of course Aerosmith and even the Beach Boys were pretty derivative too... and I already named them as my Top 2 off the top of my head, but for some reason I forgive derivativeness a little easier if it happened before I was born.

Van Halen and Metallica certainly have to be in the mix with their wild popularity + influence.

3675 - Scientists program an advanced computer to determine The Best American Power Trio. The conclusion? Rush.; 4:22 PM
E-Bro said...: If we're being honest, the best American band of all-time is probably all the dudes who recorded "Kind of Blue" or any of the other groups that Miles Davis headed up...

Shook by your assertion that we "might" overrate Allman Brothers. I admit we're grading them on a curve, taking for granted the excellence they would have continued to produce had Duane Allman and Berry Oakley not tragically died.

I like Skynyrd fine, but I definitely think ABB are a cut above, though comparing the two is apples and oranges to me. It's probably reductive to call either group Southern Rock because I think both bands have a unique sound all their own, even if it is no-doubt southern-tinged. Either way, one is a rock band and the other is a blues band in disguise.

3676 - America celebrates its 1,900th birthday by honoring its greatest musician of all time, Bad Bunny.; 3:36 PM
michael said...: A quick google reveals that Allman Brothers sold 8.2 millions records total, and Skynyrd sold 27.9 million total. So again, with my assertion that popularity has to be taken into consideration, Skynyrd wallops Allman Brothers, even though I personally own AB records and personally like them more than LS (Ebro is welcome to define "greatest" in some other way, mind you)

My boys Pearl Jam sold more than 10 million records with their first album alone, and they were very influential in that a bunch of losers copied the way Eddie sang, so I will go ahead and name them the Greatest American Band of All Time.

3677 - two bits four bits six bits a dollar; 10:04 AM
E-Bro said...: So focused on the metrics, MJT. What are you, an engineer or something?

That said, I was less focused on defining "greatest" between those two bands and was leaving that conversation behind momentarily to exclaim in a snooty hipster way that no way is Skynyrd as good or better than ABB, record sales be damned.

But back to the "greatest" criteria, I don't want to get too bogged down with numbers (said the liberal arts major), otherwise we'd have to seriously consider Nickelback one of the greatest bands of all time, which, no thanks.

I'm not saying record sales have no bearing. Let's say you at least had to have one or more albums go gold or platinum, but I'd also lean towards a more nebulous popularity standard. Have most people who listen to popular music at least heard of a certain band and can they recognize their songs even if they can't always place the tune with the band?

You're probably right on the Velvet Underground. Using my Dad as an example, a top 40 radio kind of guy whose favorite band is The Eagles, he may have heard of VU, but not sure he'd recognize any of their music if it came on the radio (or, more likely, my iPhone or a Spotify playlist).

3678 - Warmest year on record, but we got good tunes.; 3:38 PM
michael said...: Like any good engineer, my metrics account for your Nickelback proposition. Nickelback would get hit hard by my "influential" metric, in that they were pretty derivative and basically at the tail end of the post-post-post-post-grunge movement, with a sound and a production in hard rock that had become entrenched in the late 90s.

In my original proposition of popularity + influence for my "Greatest" formula, record sales is only part of popularity. We all know my boys Phish don't sell many records, and they are extremely popular. And like you say, there is the Q score of bands, the fact that some are just out there in the ether and recognizable past the point their record sales would suggest. We all know Nirvana was more popular/greater than Pearl Jam, even if Pearl Jam was selling more total records.

But I just have to say, it ain't a list of "My Favorite American Bands" darn it! You said the thought exercise was "Greatest American Bands." I'd request you refrain from talking about Ebro's Favorite American Bands until the next post is up, just to avoid confusion.

34 - Paul Trinketspickle

3679 - Warmest record with tunes.; 4:02 PM
E-Bro said...: Was definitely thinking about Phish and Grateful Dead and bands of that ilk, so glad you have engineered a way to include them.

But this is where my credentials are unimpeachable, MJT. I wouldn't classify any of the bands I've mentioned so far as my favorites. In fact, I don't own any ABB albums (do have some mixtapes with some songs burned) while I own a few of Skynyrd's from my Skynyrd phase back in high school.

Since I'm still focused on the pre-1990 oeuvre of popular music what with my friends group's project just starting the 80s, I'm sort of hesitant to come to too much of a consensus until I (slowly) fill in the gaps, so that's another reason I'm skewing more towards bands from that time period or before, and the best of what I've heard so far is probably ABB, the Beach Boys, VU, and Talking Heads, with the latter being the most consistently excellent to my ear.

I think critics generally fawn over all of VU's output, and while I do love certain songs or albums more than other, I'm definitely not a VU stan. Some of their stuff is pretty out there, and while I do love indie music, in the end, I'm usually just looking for a good hook and that can be hard to find with VU at times.

For the record, E-Bro's favorite American band is probably Beach House.

3680 - House of Blues is on fiyahhh.; 3:25 PM
michael said...: Would ice cream be considered impeachable since THT puts peaches on his?

I probably share your feelings on VU, but I will still call myself a stan. Some of their songs I straight up don't like. Sister Ray is unenjoyable (which is supposedly a lot of people's favorite song?). I do love some of VU's very avant garde stuff, like The Murder Mystery and The Gift. Just depends on the song.

3681 - The sounds of Beasley coming down the hall...; 12:21 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: Paul Revere and the Raiders is my all-time favorite British band from Idaho (as a kid, I mistakenly thought they were part of the British Invasion). However, the greatest of the British bands has to be the rubber band.

Lynyrd Skynyrd is a phenomenal band. Without Dickey Betts, ABB is just another band. I never thought of The Beach Boys as being fantastic musicians from an instrument playing perspective, but always was wowed by their musical compositions. Mind you, I know nothing about music composing, but listening to their songs and how they put all the instruments and sounds and vocals together always wows me.

3682 - E Street Band still getting lots of air time.; 4:28 PM
michael said...: AUFC isn't working for me at work! I hope it isn't blocked.

1.0 is ole reliable.

3683 - F Street Band supplants the E Street Band; 5:50 PM
michael said...: Hey everybody!

3684 - Days of yore; 3:11 PM
michael said...: I'm pretty sad that I turned 1700 years old a few posts ago, and THT didn't wish me a happy birthday.

3685 - MJT turns 1703 years old, which is not a nice round number, so nobody cares.; 5:55 PM
michael said...: I haven't eaten bacon in awhile.

3686 - Dance party with strobe lights!; 5:59 PM
michael said...: The Taskmaster Kevin Sullivan was such a despicable guy. Here is video evidence:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KAUuFuEM5KI

What a lovely ceremony for Dusty Rhodes. All those nice things being said about him, the presenting of the plaque. And then comes in Kevin Sullivan, who was SUSPENDED I remind you, and he throws ink all over Dusty's sister. She had to go to the hospital to get her eyes checked out

3687 - 1706th Anniversary of the classic wrestling match Dusty Rhodes vs Kevin Sullivan 2; 6:16 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I'm here! I'm here!!!

36BEASLEY!!!; 3:32 PM
michael said...: There it is!

See, I knew this place wasn't dead!

3689 - 1.0 is still thriving; 3:53 PM
michael said...: Hey THT, how is the grand-niece doing at Auburn?

3690 - baseball strike!; 1:58 PM
michael said...: We're gonna make it here.

3691 - they made it!; 3:58 PM
michael said...: The loneliness.

3692 - Columbus's great-times-a-bunch grandson sails the ocean blue (on Europa).; 1:38 PM
michael said...: Strong men also cry.

3693 - Coffee mug full of pens; 10:53 AM
michael said...: Ninja turtles were really cool to me in the 1980s.

3694 - antihistamines have a vote and become pro-histamine.; 8:50 PM
michael said...: If you see a man in a trance, and he is in line somewhere, you can skip him and he won't stop you because he is in a trance.

3695 - Trance crisis; 10:47 AM
michael said...: I a eating way too many donuts in these meetings.

3696 - Donughts; 10:49 AM
michael said...: If I was working on a ship in the olden days, I would prefer a job that didn't involve pulling ropes all the time. Just seems like that would be rough on the hands.

3697 - Oh, so sissy boy is too good to pull ropes, huh? Guess who is on poop bucket duty?!; 2:51 PM
michael said...: Always wanted my own train, but the whole thing about them being restricted to train tracks has been such a deal breaker when I get real close to buying one.

3698 - Trackless trains are invented!!!!; 11:56 AM
michael said...: They taught us what a rhombus was and then you never hear about a rhombus again until your kid learns about what a rhombus is.

3699 - they finally finish naming all the shapes.; 1:50 PM
michael said...: Close you eyes. Imagine how many squirrels there are in the world. Now open them again. Feel any different?

3700 - Legumes; 1:36 PM
E-Bro said...: Ninja Turtles are still really cool to me.

3701 - Prime number year! Deion Sanders wins national title.; 3:18 PM
michael said...: Ebro came back!

We'll get THT and bubbs back here soon and it will be a real party again.

3702 - Prime number year; 11:27 AM
michael said...: Right?

3703 - three prime number years in a row!; 12:28 PM
E-Bro said...: bubbs is still too busy counting his winnings from the bet he placed on the Auburn-New Mexico St. game to show up here.

3704 - You don't say!; 3:08 PM
michael said...: I wonder which presidential candidate i the best surfer?

3705 - the flu; 3:26 PM
E-Bro said...: Kelly Slater 2024!

3706 - Dysentery; 4:43 PM
michael said...: Hey!

3707 - day; 1:42 PM
michael said...: I will never retire from my position as King of Eurasia.

3708 - Hey hey hey; 12:25 PM
michael said...: What if 1.0 was all a dream?; 3:36 PM
michael said...: I can dance for awhile, but then my feet start to hurt*

*this is only true in theory. I've never actually danced to that point, but based on other data points including hiking and basketball, this is what would eventually happen; 7:42 PM
michael said...: Wanted to make my carrot, onion, and jalapeno thing, but the carrots were all rotted. Guess I'll buy some carrots tonight. I already bought the jalapenos, so I am fine there.; 2:11 PM
michael said...: I realize my last post contained some uncertainty: yes, I have plenty of onions, too. Unlike THT, we always have a bag of onions sitting around, so don't even worry about that, fellas.; 2:12 PM
michael said...: If I saw someone who had a lot of chlorine, here's what I would say:

"That boy over there's got enough chlorine to chlorinate a water park!"; 11:00 AM
michael said...: I remember one episode of "Trading Spaces" where the interior decorator person totally ignored the wishes of the homeowners, and they hated what he did, and it was a really funny episode.; 3:08 PM
michael said...: If I had four hippos, I'd have them all face each other and throw volleyballs in the middle of them to see exactly how realistic "Hungry Hungry Hippos" really is.; 12:14 PM
E-Bro said...: Sorry to interrupt, MJT, but got some new(ish) music for you to try from a band called Gaadge. It sounds like an indie rock fever dream. I hear everything from Sonic Youth to Pavement to Guided by Voices to the Strokes in it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sB78PdMT8hc&list=OLAK5uy_lCIBwABTr1oRCQK75y83_LLqCWtTYk7_U; 4:41 PM
michael said...: Welcome back!

I will definitely give that a listen.; 2:23 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I definitely won't. I love all the songs I currently have in my iTunes, and I hardly listen to them. Though, I must admit, I did listen to Charlie Daniels's Carolina (I remember you) about 20 times this weekend when my phone kept playing it over and over and I was too lazy to make it go to something else.

Snowflakes as big as goose feathers
A moon the color of new-made country butter
a night sky like diamonds on black velvet

ALL IN ONE SENTENCE!

and my favorite...
the conductor's watch looked as big as one of my grandmother's biscuits

3718 - number of times THT has played Carolina (I remember you) this month.; 9:02 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: To answer your question, michael, I have no idea. We're not exactly a close knit family. Not even a fishnet weave. More like two parallel threads that never meet.

And you'd have been much better off if you'd just stuck with the rotten carrots as your only ingredient.

3719 - Prime wins again; 9:07 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: UPDATE: I received a text msg from my sister today. Grandniece, who I still haven't met, apparently is going to return for sophomore season. She asked her grandmother what game they are going to come down to next Fall (translation: "Ask your brother which game he'll give us his tickets.")

3720 - Grandniece and THT finally meet when she agrees to fly him and MrsTHT to all the AU home games in exchange for a ticket.; 3:33 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: If I saw someone who had a lot of chlorine, here's what I would say:
"That boy over there's got enough chlorine to chlorinate a water park!"

That could be emotionally rough on a 10 year old short-haired girl.

3721 - Feng XXIX exacts revenge, stealthily becoming CEO of ChatGPT and gutting everything artificial. Thesis writers everywhere turn in pitiful work generated only by real intelligence.; 8:20 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: Do they still dissect "The Death of the Ball Turret Gunner" in freshman English? That is quite literally the only thing I remember from three qtrs of freshman English.... which leads me to conclude that the rest of it was a complete waste of time and should not have been required for graduation.

3722 - Taking a page from a 1970s NCAA playbook discovered in the archeological ruins of West Vance, college graduation now only requires that one register for classes.; 9:08 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: Today is voting day. Or so I was told. I don't pay it no mind, except the polls are about to close and I just cast my vote for bubbs to be elected to the RoF. Can't trust the vote counters, though.

3723 - To ensure fair elections and prevent nefarious no gooders from voting multiple times, the King of Eurasia declares that everyone not named King receive a permanent mark indicating they have voted. The mark is generated by a razor sharp ax chop to the neck. King's campaign slogan, "Vote with your head, not with your heart."; 6:12 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: FETCH-AI BABY!!!

3724 - Coldest Crypto Winter on record; 7:33 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: ;dfasjka;jjsd[qeohyqoegirngkaldf?

3725 - puzzling question remains unanswered; 3:50 PM
michael said...: oihfdoisjhgdoijaeso;igj;aosdgj;oisdgj!!!!

Glad to hear your grandniece, whom you are very close with, is returning to Auburn. My daughter also will be returning to Auburn for her sophomore year, and my second oldest plans to attend for her freshman year.

The only thing I remember about freshman English is that we watched an episode of the Simpsons during class once.

Also, I feel terrible for making that short-haired girl cry.

3726 - Apes take over! But not the whole planet, mostly just a tree at the ape exhibit at the zoo. But they are in charge there, no doubt!; 5:51 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I don't wanna do yard work. I really don't.

<4 hrs later>

So, I haven't.

But I better get out there quickly or I'll be in deep cole slaw soon.

3727 - 1700 year ban on yardwork in Eurasia is lifted. To quote Randy Newman, "It's a jungle out there."; 2:40 PM
michael said...: Yard work is gonna be very easy for me this year. I decided not to do a vegetable garden. Could probably learn a foreign language now with all my free time.

Oh darn it. Forgot the reason I wasn't doing a garden was because I need to finish a huge drywall project. I'll have to learn Klingon at a later date.

3728 - booyakasha; 4:04 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I once enrolled in a class to learn Cardassian. At least, that was the plan. We were taught Kardashian by some valley girl.

3729 - What Ever; 10:37 AM
michael said...: Which alien species had the worst/best makeup deal in Star trek? Cardassians and klingon actors probably had it rough. Romulans and Vulcans had it pretty easy, just those pointy ears. Bajoran makeup is just a little wrinkle on the nose. So it probably comes down to preference, if you'd rather have stuff on your nose or ears.

3728 - warp drives are invented.; 11:21 AM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I've seen proof of a warp drive at least 1700 years earlier than that. warp drive

"just a little wrinkle on the nose" HA! You've obviously never seen a shirtless Bajoran. The wrinkles on their backs are just insanely intricate. I think they even spell out Bajoran recipes. The makeup for those takes hours and hours. I'll stick with the Romulan ears.

3731 - years start counting foward again; 12:16 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I found a bunch of vintage Aubie head stickers on the cheap, and now they are being applied to everything I own. They make everything look better. I should probably put a few (hundred) on my forehead.

3732 - Not an odd year, obviously, but a peculiar year.; 5:10 PM
michael said...: Are they still sticky? or are you supergluing them to things? How long before a sticker goes bad?

3733 - basically the same stuff happened in this year that happened in 3730.; 3:40 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: the "Aubie head" is vintage, not the sticky. Do I have to explain every one of my poorly written sentences? Where's Feng when I need him?

3734 - Bo wins another Heisman; 7:41 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I'm still having nightmares of Leon Douglas. I hope I find a cure tomorrow night.

3735 - Prickly Pears; 5:27 AM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: well, that sucked.

3736 - THT's nightmares enter their 1,940th year, padding the gap between Nancy Thompson's recently ended streak.; 7:41 AM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: mid 80s and even hotter wind today. This is obviously the hottest year on record.

3737 - Temp never rises above 37 degrees... celsius. Cooler than 1700+ years ago, but still too blame hot.; 4:29 PM
michael said...: We had "storms" come through last night and now it is 50 degrees again. How about that? I like the cool as long as it doesn't get so cold it messes up my fruit trees.

3738 - People fight about something.; 12:14 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: We're 10 degrees cooler today, still too hot. We'll be another 20 degrees cooler tomorrow. That I can live with, plus 30s in the a.m. Why can't I get that all year long?

3739 - Beligerents in the Thermostat War discuss potential peace settings and dial down the rhetoric.; 3:20 PM
michael said...: The thermostat war at my house has reached a cease fire. At the ripe old age of 40, my wife no longer gets cold all the time, and now she wants it colder in the house. Peace has finally occurred due to hormonal changes!

3740 - civilization crumbles to the ground.; 12:01 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: we used to freeze in the winter. MrsTHT would say, "Put more clothes on." Thankfully, she's mellowed and let's me run the heat in the winter. I love cold weather... outside. Still have some work to do to get the inside cool enough in the summer.

3741 - the return of tulipmania; 8:38 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: Hooked on Rawhide on PlutoTV. Head 'em up. Move 'em out.
Just read up on the lead star, trail boss played by Eric Fleming. He drowned in a Peru river while filming in 1966.

3742 - Rawhide the top rated show in syndication for the 188th consective year.; 8:23 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: It makes me sad to be old enough to realize a lot of the "outdoor" scenes in Rawhide were filmed in this huge building in Hollywood. And Gilligan's Island everything "outdoors" except the lagoon was filmed indoors. The lagoon was a pond just outside the building. It eventually turned into a parking lot and finally into a building. I feel betrayed by Jimmy.

3743 - Truth in Television law passes; no fake sets allowed. No one knows what to do with the law since television hasn't been around for 1699 years.; 3:39 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I bet traffic lights in Eurasia are better synchronized than in Chapel Hill. Wait... do they have traffic lights in Eurasia?

3744 - it's finally green. GO!; 9:13 PM
michael said...: I want to know more about Eric Fleming drowning. It deserves more than the couple of sentences that it got on wikipedia!

His wikipedia page said Rawhide's ratings went down partly because of being up against Combat!, which made me think of Vic Morrow and his untimely demise on set. Tell you what, being a Hollywood actor is more dangerous than being a drifter hanging out near Jordan-Hare!

3744 - Truth in television law results in lots more people being killed in action scenes. No fake deaths allowed anymore; 5:43 PM
michael said...: Of course we have traffic lights in Eurasia. They are manually operated by conscripted Traffic Light Volunteers. They are given no training other than to make sure they give me all green lights every time, or be executed. The current system has 100% approval rating amongst current Eurasian Kings, so they must be doing something right!

3744 - Somehow, it's still 3744. Time has become stuck!!!!; 5:46 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I confess, I contributed to Combat!'s higher rating. I was also a big fan of Rat Patrol.

3747 - Time unstuck following a timely laxative. Forget traffic lights; 3d roundabouts are all the rage.; 6:31 PM
michael said...: I watched Combat with my dad back in the day. He liked the Sarge better than the Lt. Did you have a preference? It was pretty cool when they would have a combo episode!

3748 - blogger.com fans love the habotn episodes with the both THT and MJT starring.; 3:15 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: Sarge, of course. And PFC Littlejohn

3749 - habotn episodes bump Rawhide from top rated show in syndication; 5:26 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: Sorry about those Smilodons last night... or this morning. I was hoping they would be the first away team to be victorious in this year's Quest, but alas, it looks like those pesky Islanders may do that tonight against my 'Canes.

3750 - a living Smilodon comes out of hibernation in Halls, TN. State's NHL franchise relocates to the local 152 seat arena after "Smiley" eats Gnash.; 8:27 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: whoa! Toronto, 0-8 against Boston in their last 8, and without a lead against Boston in over 400 minutes of game time, won in Boston. Meanwhile, there are still 9 minutes to go in Raleigh.

3751 - season tickets for Halls PREDS newly expanded arena, now seating 158, sell out in 7.88 seconds.; 9:02 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I wonder what fossilized Grape-Nuts will look like in thousands of years. I'm guessing they'll look like the grit on the floor mat of my car near the gas pedal.

3752 - Fossils defeat the Terminators; 4:23 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas cicadas

3753 - first time in history all cicada broods emerge on the same day in the same year; 12:50 PM
michael said...: You got cicadas? I ain't seen any yet. But I've been in Hawaii the last week and a half, and they don't have cicadas. I don't think?

My mother in law texted me asking me how old my pear tree was because she was worried cicadas will kill it. It's like 10 years old now, so I ain't too worried.

3754 - bugzzzz; 7:17 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I've been in W-S today, so happy to be away from all those bugzzzz. It's so nice and quiet here.

3755 - All cicadas are are sent in exile to Kerguelen Island.; 8:21 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: Maybe you should get a guard partridge for your pear tree.

3756 - Epidemic obesity develops amongts Kerguelen Island tern population. Simultaneously, cicadas are placed on endangered species list. Government raises taxes to fund 20 year research to determine if there is a connection.; 8:28 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: Flyers didn't make it. Capitals eliminated in 1st round. Bruins gone in 2nd round. Now I can just sit back and enjoy the remaining NHL playoffs.

3757 - archeologists and scientists still haven't determined how to distinguish a new hockey puck from a petrified hockey puck.; 4:24 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: huge landscape project underway in CH. Retirement pushed back to age 75.
A map conservator in her 50s says her dad is 83 and a radiologist who still works full time. He remarried and has worthless step kids he has to support. I wasn't really planning on getting that old, but if I do, I sure hope I ain't employed.

3758 - Social Security benefits begin at age 132.; 2:07 PM
michael said...: I'm pretty far from retirement, but the way things are going, I'll probably still be paying for all the stuff on my tab right now by the time I am at retirement age.

3758 - THT is still radiologizing; 7:05 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: 3758 will give me chest pain.

3759 - Nitroglycerin shortage.; 9:02 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: actually, your counting is already giving me chest pain.

3761 - year of mourning for 3760.; 9:07 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: Watched Rio Bravo last night before hockey. I think I'll go with El Dorado tonight. I think RB is my favorite of the three, but Rio Lobo has a special place in my heart since The Original THT and I went to see it in Jacksonville on the day before the Pat & Archie bowl game. El Dorado had the best opening credit artwork, original western-themed paintings by an immigrant from Denmark, who was also given a bit part in the movie, ironically as "the Big Swede." How on earth could they have passed on "the Great Dane"?

3762 - old recording of Jim Croce surfaces. People listening to it spend months trying to decipher the code for the seemingly nonsensical phrase, "Operator, will you help me make this call?"; 5:16 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: Rumor has it that Dontae Aycock has entered the Transfer Portal.

3763 - Dontae Aycock exits The Portal. He's now rated a 50*; 1:45 PM
michael said...: Silverado is the best ado in my opinion. Watched that with my dad when I had chicken pox.

3764 - This is Dontae Aycock's year!; 1:20 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I just looked at the list of cast members for Silverado and could not find John Wayne's name. The Academy of Hollywood Westerns criteria for best -ado requires John Wayne in the cast. You are entitled to your opinion, but just know that it will never be officially recognized.

3765 - The Academy of Hollywood Westerns rethinks their criteria after watching Jupiterado, an awesome Western set in the unsettled Jupiter frontier, starring French space traveler turned actor, Jean Weine (rhymes with Seine); 11:18 AM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: Hey FSJ, when is Apple going to release the iPhone 6?

3766 - THT is long gone when Apple finally releases the iPhone 88.; 5:55 PM
michael said...: You think Chris Todd's shoulder is healed up?

3767 - shoulders are obsolete.; 4:43 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I think he's still on SEFLTIR*

3768 - yep, he's still on that list

*Super Extra Forever Long Term Injured Reserve; 5:18 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: back in 2024, AU played @ Duke in basketball for the third time. Now fifteen years later, AU still hasn't had a home game against Duke.

3769 - AU beats Duke in the NBA College Division national championship game.; 6:57 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I.R.S. is a great song.

3770 - Jan Terri's estate gets audited for unpaid taxes on royalties from I.R.S.; 8:08 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: What this world really needs more than anything right now is year round hockey.

3771 - A year later, William Churton, who actually drew the map before he died, is still laughing in his grave at John Collet, who subsequently took credit for it. The 2000th anniversary of the "Collet" map of NC went unnoticed due to all the attention garnered by the Jan Terri Estate audit.; 5:38 PM
michael said...: How does it even make sense that they were still playing hockey in June? Isn't the ice melted by then?

3772 - explorers discover the lost underwater city of Eufaula, full of redneck mermaids and mermen.; 11:32 AM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I think they play June hockey on dry ice, so no, it isn't melted. I'm sure some of it sublimates, but it doesn't melt.

3773 - surprisingly similar to that other year 3773 when the last 3 came first; 7:56 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I've finished decorating for Irony Day. Which means, I haven't decorated at all.

3774 - Beluga whales are no longer sentient.; 12:52 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: i'm excited about tomorrow!

3775 - Moai become sentient, but stilll can't figure out how to move.; 6:51 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: This is painful. I need hockey and college football.

3776 - In a stunning upset, Maoi Bob is elected President of the United States of Latin America. Political pundits claim the key to his victory was that he didn't open his mouth and say stupid stuff during the campaign. His first act as President is to erect an impenetrable force field on the border between the USAL and Canada.; 6:00 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I wonder what Dear Leader is up to.

3777 - Maoi Bob is impeached when it is learned he made Moai Bob do the famed Easter Island faceplant and then took his place in the election.; 7:01 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: Difficult to believe that Feng could have planned that all by himself.

3778 - Archeological team unearths gunpowder residue in the Grassy Knoll.; 8:43 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: I mailed my $19.95 subscription fee to Dear Leader last week and I got a free HABOTN beanie!

3779 - Beanies for everyone!; 6:48 PM
michael said...: Hey! How's it going?

3780 - the back of Moai Bob's head is covered in dirt and then grass, soon becoming a grassy knoll. No current or former presidents are willing to go within 151 yards of him now.; 10:30 AM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: blogger acting goofy on my end. Can't see the recent posts.

3781 - blogger unclogger flogger program fails; 8:41 AM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: yea! Blogger back to its old stodgy self.

3782 - ancient hard drive discovered in the ancient archeological ruins of Leeds, AL. Researchers are wondering what the purpose was for filling the drive with monster truck videos.; 8:39 PM
michael said...: does this thing still work?; 2:29 PM
michael said...: Blogger seems to have made it considerably harder to do what we have been doing. I think I will fax Nathaniel H. Blogger himself and complain.; 2:33 PM
michael said...: A shame this thing started acting goofy so close to a BEASLEY!!!!; 11:40 AM
michael said...: Almost there; 2:40 PM
Tar Heel Tiger said...: Almost where? I can't see where we are at all. We're going to have to storm the Blogitol and write this terrible wrong.

This terribel wrong.
This terribel wrong.
This terribel wrong.

I wonder if the teacher will notice that I intentionally misspelt terrible. I'm thinking the teachers never even read these writing assignments. Come to think of it, I don't ever recall getting a grade on one.; 5:25 PM
michael said...: 37BEASLEY!!!!!!; 1:32 PM
michael said...: I thought I made a BEASLEY!! post several weeks ago... I wonder if blogger deleted? Oh well, didn't mind doing it again.; 1:33 PM
michael said...: We are gonna make it to 5k. I believe in us!; 1:33 PM
michael said...: Choppin wood!

3791 - breath mints become really popular; 10:45 AM
michael said...: We will get a new thread eventually!!!

3192 - new threads outlawed; 1:06 PM
michael said...: How's it going today?

3193 - translucent shoes; 3:39 PM
michael said...: Anyone seen my black workout shorts? I loved that pair of shorts... been lost for months.

3194 - Krakatoa spews molten cheese!; 11:09 AM
michael said...: Walmart tires overcharged my daughter! I told her to go back and get a refund. We'll see if it works!

3194 - Rolling Stones still touring.; 4:08 PM
michael said...: 3195 - Water balloons filled with Dr Pepper; 3:57 PM
michael said...: 3197 - Baby porcupines; 6:18 PM
michael said...: Entering the home stretch here. Only a little more than a thousand more comments and we get a new post from Jay G!; 2:46 PM
michael said...: 3799 - Hobbits take control of the airline industry; 5:37 PM
michael said...: What rhymes with Slurn the Cage?; 6:34 PM