Saturday, March 16, 2024

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Dance Hall Crashers, "Blind Leading the Blind" from The Old Record (1989-1992) (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Friday, March 15, 2024

Bonus! Fish Fry Song o' the Day

Less Than Jake, "Johnny Quest (Thinks We're Sellouts)" from ? (Rude Boy Mike Papa Wreckfish)

Commentary: The inflation conflagration has caused a decrease in real wages (nominal wages have increased, as President Biden likes to crow, but wages have increased at a slower rate than inflation; meaning, those higher wages have less purchasing power than the lower wages of yesteryear) & real people are suffering. We at the fish fry have felt this ourselves. We had to raise fish fry prices in both 2022 & 2023, because the cost of our supplies increased so much, but we held prices steady in 2024 & we still have the least expensive fish fry around.
"Well, I really don't know
If it matters at all so,
But we try to keep the prices low
For our records and our shows…"

The Rebel Black Song o' the Ides o' March

Operation AXIOM: The 2,068th Anniversary of the Assassination of Julius Caesar
Mustard Plug, "Twist the Knife" from Can't Contain It (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Thursday, March 14, 2024

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Reel Big Fish, "Somebody Loved Me" from Cheer Up! (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:
"I think somebody loved me once,
I think somebody loved me once,
I think somebody loved me once,
But I cannot remember why…"

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Goldfinger, "Superman" from Hang-Ups (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: Starting to ramp up to SKApril? Don't mind if I do!

Operation ÖSTERREICH: IV Week of Lent Edition

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 348.8 lbs.
This weigh-in: 342.0 lbs.
Difference: -6.8 lbs.
Bonus! Lied von ÖSTERREICH
Robbie Williams, "No One Likes a Fat Pop Star" from Swings Both Ways (Mike Papa Watercress)

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

The Explorers' Club, № MXVI

Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—The 50th Anniversary of Mars 6 & Mars 7
5 August 1973-12 March 1974: The identical Mars 6 (5 August) & Mars 7 (9 August) landers lifted off from the Kazakh S.S.R.'s Baikonur Cosmodrome atop Proton-K rockets; Mars 6 transmitted degraded data during its descent through the thin Martian atmosphere, but contact was lost prior to a presumed crash landing; Mars 7 had difficulty separating from its cruise stage & missed Mars completely.
Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: Mars 6 & Mars 7
Dennis McCarthy, "Out of Control/The Crash" from Star Trek Generations: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Semper exploro.

Bonus! Song o' the Day!

The Aquabats!, "The Legend Is True!" from Hi-Five Soup! (Captain Thumbs Up!)

Commentary:
"I like your face and you like mine too,
I like your face and you like mine too,
Your looks are legend,
And the legend is true!
I like your face and you like mine too…

"And there across the sky
I can see what makes the legend,
The legend is true,
And it's you,
Yeah, you are the legend,
The legend is true!…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Mustard Plug, "Beer" from Evildoers Beware! (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: On this week's Chris Demakes a Podcast podcast, I learned that Mustad Plug's "Beer" is not about beer. I suspect I already knew this, as "Beer" is not included on my playlist "Prost!"

Monday, March 11, 2024

Autobahn

This afternoon, while motoring through Grand Blanc, I espied a remarkable sight: A Pepto-Bismol-pink Maserati Quattroporte sporting the vanity license plate EATCAKE. Whether this is an exhortation to eat cake (of the carpe diem/you only live once variety) or an echo of Rousseau's "let them eat cake" ("Qu'ils mangent de la brioche"), I leave it to you to decide. I found the pink paint to be garish, but was at the same time delighted with the coincidence of the day before being the Laetare Sunday, the Fourth Sunday of Lent, on which priests & deacons vest in pink. (Technically, the vestments are "rose," but I have little patience for clerics who are persnickety about wearing rose not pink, yet casually refer to their usual Lenten vestments as purple when theliturgical color is technically "violet.")
Commentary The pink Quattroporte above is not the car I saw—I was too busy driving to take a photograph—but the fruit of an internet image search for "pink Maserati."

Bonus! Song o' the Day
Real Can of Yams, "Always, Grand Blanc" from the Nothing Can Kill the Grimace E.P. (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer, "Death or Radio" from Schematics (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:
"Let's hold hands and listen to shitty bands,
Tossing records out the window.
Now, it's either death or radio.
Who are you and where did you come from?…"

Sunday, March 10, 2024

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the IV Sunday o' Lent

The Fourth Sunday of Lent (Laetare Sunday)
The Articles, "Mr. Pink" from Flip F'real (Penitent Mike Papa Whiskey)

Bonus! Song o' the Day

Zolof the Rock & Roll Destroyer, "The Way It Goes" from Schmatics (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Snow! Glorious snow! It should all melt by tomorrow, but for today the world is blanketed in snow, glorious snow!

Saturday, March 9, 2024

Bonus! Song o' the Day: Trivia Night

Melbourne Ska Orchestra, "Get Smart" from Melbourne Ska Orchestra (Mike Papa Whiskey)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Today

Samstag, 9. März
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, "The Old School Off the Bright" from A Jackknife to a Swan (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:
"Flush the boys out of Dot,
We're gonna need them there,
And tell the trouble-makers that
Hang out in Harvard Square:
We need every able asshole,
Every asshole you can spare,
We’re going off the bright,
Invite them to this fine affair…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Yesterday!

Freitag, 8. März
The Aquabats!, "Red Sweater!" from The Fury of The Aquabats! (Captain Thumbs-Up!)

Friday, March 8, 2024

Bonus! Fish Fry Song o' the Day

Kemuri, "Raindrop" from Freedomosh (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whale Shark)

Commentary: Last week, my co-chairman was away at a convention, which left me pulling double duty: performing my own responsibilities & much of his, too. I'm very glad he's back this week.

Alas, the forecast is for rain throughout the afternoon into the evening, which I suspect will depress turnout, at least slightly. Rain or shine, though, we'll be frying fish in the fry trailer & baking fish in the kitchen. Come on out!

Thursday, March 7, 2024

The Explorers' Club, № MXV

Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—The 50th Anniversary of Mars 4 & Mars 5
21 July 1973-28 February 1974: The identical Mars 4 (21 July) & Mars 5 (25 July) probes lifted off from the Kazakh S.S.R.'s Baikonur Cosmodrome atop Proton-K rockets; Mars 4 suffered a computer failure (30 July) that left it unable to perform orbital insertion maneuvers; Mars 5 succesfully orbited Mars (12-28 February), though for less time than planned, probably due to micrometeoroid damage.
Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: Mars 4 & Mars 5
"Weird Al" Yankovic, "Attack of the Radioactive Hamsters from a Planet Near Mars" from U.H.F.: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Semper exploro.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Today

Donnerstag, 7. März
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, "Green Bay, Wisconsin" from While We're at It (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary:
"She drew a war tribe skull with a Sharpie fine point marker
On the back of her army green Fred Perry parka,
Drove her Vespa motor scooter overnight right through the valley
To the Lake Geneva motor scooter rally,
Checked into the Château Royal Inn,
She had to let the living part of life begin…"

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Yesterday!

Mittwoch, 6. März
The Aquabats!, "My Skateboard!" from The Fury of The Aquabats! (Captain Thumbs-Up!)

Commentary!:
"I just wanted you to come over,
Sit on my couch and hold me tight,
But you went out with some dumb jock
And left me with my skateboard tonight!…"

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Operation ÖSTERREICH: III Week of Lent Edition

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 355.4 lbs. (Wednesday, 21 February)
This weigh-in: 348.8 lbs.
Difference: -6.6 lbs.

In the three weeks since Ash Wednesday, I have lost almost twelve pounds (11.8 lbs.), an average of almost four pounds per week (3.93 lbs./week), which is almost twice our weekly goal of two pounds per week (2 lbs./week). That's three "almosts" in one sentence. This weight is still the low-hanging fruit, but 'tis movement in the right direction nonetheless.
Bonus! Lied von ÖSTERREICH
Lalo Schifrin, "Mission: Impossible (Main Title)" from The Best of Mission: Impossible—Then and Now: Music from the Original Television Soundtracks (Mike Papa Watercress)

Tuesday, March 5, 2024

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Reel Big Fish, "Take On Me" from BASEketball: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Skammentary: A '90s ska-punk cover of an '80s pop song? Yes, please. YouTube-link.

Monday, March 4, 2024

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Today

Montag, 4. März
"Weird Al" Yankovic, "Another One Rides the Bus" from "Weird Al" Yankovic (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Queen's "Another One Bites the Dust" came up in conversation this morning. Given the choice between an earnest original & a parody, nine times out of ten your humble narrator will choose the parody.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day before Yesterday

Samstag, 2. März
Toto, "Africa" from Toto IV (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: During the three & a half hour drive to Xanadu on Saturday, I heard "Africa" twice, on two different radio stations.

Yes, I am aware that this map is outdated, that it does not contain South Sudan.

Sunday, March 3, 2024

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the III Sunday o' Lent

The Third Sunday of Lent
Sufjan Stevens, "In This Temple, As in the Hearts of Man for Whom He Saved the Earth" from Sufjan Stevens Invites You to: Come on Feel the Illinoise (Penitent Mike Papa Whiskey)

Friday, March 1, 2024

Bonus! Fish Fry Song o' the Day

Reel Big Fish, "Sell Out" from Turn the Radio Off (Mike Papa Whelk)

Commentary: Last week, I order twenty per cent (20%) more fish than I had the previous week, when we sold out early; last week's fish fry went the distance, but we had no fish left over. We are blessed to have such loyal customers. We acknowledge this & strive to give them value for their hard-earned money. This Lent, we have also been blessed with fair weather, most importantly dry roads, which is quite a help.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

Smash Mouth, "Road Man" from Astro Lounge (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: I'm not going anywhere to except around town running fish fry errands, but methinks "Road Man" came to mind in part because I have a long journey coming up in a fortnight, the longest journey I'll undertake since the Before Times, before the pandemic & our botched response to the pandemic.

Thursday, February 29, 2024

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Leap Day

Upbeat Allstars, "Leap" from Wake Up! (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Carpe diem!

Wednesday, February 28, 2024

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day before Yesterday

Montag, 26. Februar
Everclear, "Santa Monica" from Sparkle and Fade (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary:
"We can live beside the ocean,
Leave the fire behind,
Swim out past the breakers,
Watch the world die…"

Operation ÖSTERREICH: II Week of Lent Edition

Please Stand By | Mea culpa, mea culpa, mea máxima culpa!

Weekly Wednesday Weigh-in
Last weigh-in: 355.4 lbs. (Wednesday, 21 February)
Bonus! Lied von ÖSTERREICH
Melbourne Ska Orchestra, "While You Wait" from Melbourne Ska Orchestra (Mike Papa Waiter)

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Today

Mittwoch, 28. Februar
The Aquabats!, "Look at Me, I'm a Winner!" from Charge!! (Captain Thumbs Up!)

The Stars My Destination: Elliot See & Charles Bassett

Operation AXIOM: The Space Race—In Memoriam Elliot See & Charlie Bassett
Fifty-eight years ago to the day, 28 February 1966, Mister Elliot McKay See Junior & Major Charles Arthur Bassett II, U.S.A.F., died when their T-38 Talon crashed into the McDonnell Aircraft factory in foggy conditions; See had been selected as part of N.A.S.A. Astronaut Group 2 in September 1962, Bassett as part of N.A.S.A. Astronaut Group 3 in October 1963.
The Wayback Machine Tour of Elliot See & Charles Bassett
The Explorers' Club, № DCCCII

Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: In Memoriam
The Phenomenauts, "Heroes" from For All Mankind (Space Cadet Mike Papa Whiskey)

Requiescat in pace.

Tuesday, February 27, 2024

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Primary Election Day

Fitz and the Tantrums, "Dear Mr. President" from Pickin' Up the Pieces (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Commentary: Polls show that the majority of Americans don't want a re-match between President Biden & President Trump, each running for his second term, in this fall's general election. A primary system that delivers such a baleful outcome is clearly broken, empowering the radical fringes of both parties to choose the most divisive candidates. Bring back meaningful conventions! We must bring back the smoke-filled rooms where party grandees horse-traded to come up with the best candidate for the general election. An excess of direct democracy is the surest, swiftest route to the end of our constitutional republic & the tyranny of first the mob & shortly thereafter the dictator.

Sunday, February 25, 2024

The Explorers' Club, № MXIV

The Space Race—The Fourteen, Part II
David Randolph Scott (born 6 June 1932), Colonel, U.S. Air Force—He flew Gemini VIII (1966) & Apollo 9 (Gumdrop & Spider, 1969) & commanded Apollo 15 (Endeavour & Falcon, 1971); he swam on scholarship at the University of Michigan; he was the first member of Astronaut Group 3 to fly, the seventh of the twelve Moonwalkers, & was Director of N.A.S.A.'s Dryden Flight Research Center.
Bonus! Space Race Song o' the Day: The Fourteen—Dave Scott
The University of Michigan Marching Band, "The Victors" from Forever Valiant (Space Cadet Mike Papa Wolverine)

The Wayback Machine Tour of Dave Scott
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCIV: The 55th Anniversary of Gemini VIII
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCXXXV: The 51st Anniversary of Apollo 9, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCXXXVI: The 51st Anniversary of Apollo 9, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCXXXVII: The 51st Anniversary of Apollo 9, Part III
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCXXXI: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 15, Part I
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCXXXII: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 15, Part II
"The Explorers' Club," № DCCCXXXIII: The 50th Anniversary of Apollo 15, Part III
Semper exploro.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the II Sunday o' Lent

The Second Sunday of Lent
Sufjan Stevens, "The Transfiguration" from Sufjan Stevens Invites You to: Come on Feel the Illinoise (Penitent Mike Papa Whiskey)

Saturday, February 24, 2024

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the War

Samstag, 24. Februar
The Skamotts, "From Russia with Love" from Pleasure Isle (Rude Boy Mike Papa Whiskey)

Operation AXIOM: The 2nd Anniversary of the Russian Re-invasion of Ukraine
Two years ago to the day, 24 February 2022, ground, air, & naval forces of the Russian Federation crossed the frontiers of both Russia & Belarus into Ukraine, a thrust aimed at capturing Kyiv & decapitating the Ukrainian government. The Kremlin's aim has been clearly stated, to erase the Ukrainian national identity & re-absorb the country into their sphere of influence, the Russkiy mir ("Russian world" & "Russian peace," mir being a multivalent word).

The war is not our fault, the war is the fault of Russian strongman Vladimir Putin & his personalist authoritarian regime. But we failed to deter Putin & we are to blame for our fecklessness. Putin, as prime minister under President Boris Yeltsin, cemented his legitimacy by re-invading Chechnya in 1999, returing the breakaway region to Moscow's control; we did nothing, despite the brutality of the Russian invasion. In 2008, Putin's Russia (at the time, he was prime minister under President Dmitri Medvedev) invaded Georgia, establishing a permanent military presence inside Georgia within the breakaway republics of Abkhazia & South Ossetia; we did nothing. In 2014 (when Joe Biden was vice president of the United States), Putin's Russia invaded Ukraine, illegally annexing the Crimean Peninsula & beginning an insurrgency in the Donbas; we did nothing. In the run-up to 2022's re-invasion of Ukraine, President Biden spent more time ruling out potential American responses than threatening an effective American response; that this utterly failed to deter the invasion became lamentably undeniable on 24 February two years hence.

Russia invaded the Ukraine, again, two years ago today, 24 February 2022.

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' Yesterday

Freitag, 24. Februar
Magic!, "Rude" from Don't Kill the Magic (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Friday, February 23, 2024

Bonus! Fish Fry Song o' the Day

Fountains of Wayne, "Bright Future in Sales" from Welcome Interstate Managers (Mike Papa Whitefish)

Commentary: The fish fry's operating hours are 4:00-7:00 P.M. Last week, we sold out by 6:15 P.M. The weather was cold, but clear, & the roads were perfect. We're hoping for an even bigger crowd this week.

Thursday, February 22, 2024

The Rebel Black Dot Song o' the Day

The Feast of the Chair of Saint Peter the Apostle
Letters to Cleo, "St. Peter" from Wholesale Meats and Fish (Mike Papa Whiskey)

Wednesday, February 21, 2024

The Explorers' Club, № MXIII

Operation AXIOM: The 30th Anniversary of Aldrich Ames's Arrest
21 February 1994: C.I.A. officer Aldrich Ames was arrested for spying against the United States since 1985, for first the Soviet Union & later the Russian Federation; up to twenty-five American sources inside the Soviet Union were executed due to Ames's betrayal; ostentatious displays of wealth were ignored for years; Ames passed polygraphs in 1986 & 1991, despite identifiably deceptive responses.
Semper exploro.