We open with a brand-new single from TIRnRR poster lads THE ON AND ONS, and we keep right on a-pummelin' with more groovy new stuff by THE GREENBERRY WOODS, MICHAEL SLAWTER AND JULIAN VOLPE, THE COCKTAIL SLIPPERS, THE DOLLYROTS, THE GLIMMER STARS, and THE HOLLYWOOD STARS, and we accompany all of that sheer freshness with a barrage of recent and classic tracks by THE SPONGETONES, THE DRIFTERS, JOHN AND YOKO, ULTRAVOX, THE MONKEES, THE GRIP WEEDS, THE LEGAL MATTERS, THE MOSQUITOS, X-RAY SPEX, THE VIBEKE SAUGESTAD BAND, TAJ MAHAL, GRAHAM PARKER AND THE RUMOUR, TOMMY JAMES AND THE SHONDELLS, THE HALF/CUBES, THE CYNZ, SPECTRAFLAME, THE NERVES, SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE, THE RAMONES, and our prerequisite MORE, MAN, MORE!!! All this, and we continue getting set for THE SURFRAJETTES' eagerly-anticipated Syracuse appearance this week. Let the beach party commence at will. Sunday night, 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming via sparksyracuse.org, and as WESTCOTT RADIO on the Radio Garden app. The weekend stops HERE!
My thoughts on pop music and pop culture, plus the weekly playlists from THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO with Dana and Carl (Sunday nights 9 to Midnight Eastern, SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM in Syracuse, sparksyracuse.org). You can support this blog on Patreon at https://www.patreon.com/user?u=2449453 Twitter @CafarelliCarl All editorial content on this blog Copyright Carl Cafarelli (except where noted). All images copyright the respective owners TIP JAR at https://www.paypal.me/CarlCafarelli
Sunday, March 15, 2026
Saturday, March 14, 2026
10 SONGS: 3/14/2026
10 Songs is a weekly list of ten songs that happen to be on my mind at the moment. The lists are usually dominated by songs played on the previous Sunday night's edition of This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl. The idea was inspired by Don Valentine of the essential blog I Don't Hear A Single
This week's edition of 10 Songs draws exclusively from the playlist for This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1327
THE SURFRAJETTES: Easy As Pie
I swear to Joey Ramone that I chose this as the opening track for this week's 10 Songs before realizing today is Pi Day. It's not that I wouldn't sink to the level of making that joke; it's just that I didn't think of it.
No, this week's radio show and today's blog post start with the Surfrajettes because that incredible rockin' instrumental combo is coming to Syracuse next week for a show at Middle Ages Brewing. HuzZAH! That will be Thursday March 19th, a splendid time will be forcibly mandated for all, and you can get your tickets here. Do so! NOW...!!
Given all that, it was a no-brainer that we were gonna program some Surfrajettes music. And speaking of no-brainers, I was mortified to discover that this is the Surfrajettes' TIRnRR debut. Man, what the hell's wrong with us? But we're gonna make up for our lapse, starting now with the title tune from the Surfragettes' 2024 album Easy As Pie. We'll hear another fine Surfrajettes selection on Sunday night, and we promise more Surfrajettes to come.
Who wants pie?
THE FLASHCUBES: Reminisce
On the air this week and in the commentary accompanying the posted playlist, I mentioned that Paul Armstrong--really loud guitarist for Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse the Flashcubes--was once cited by a local journalist (probably Russ Donahue) as the one person most responsible for bringing punk and new wave to Syracuse in the '70s. In my (eventually) forthcoming book Make Something Happen! The DIY Story Of A Power Pop Band Called THE FLASHCUBES, PA is referred to as the Godfather of Punk in Central New York. Ain't no one more deserving of that billing.
"Reminisce' was the first of three new original Flashcubes recordings I solicited to enhance Big Stir Records' 2025 various-artists blockbuster Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes. It's a testimony to the group's ongoing Cubic mojo that the three new songs--PA's "Reminisce," bassist Gary Frenay's "The Sweet Spot" (written with the late B.D. Love), and guitarist Arty Lenin's "If These Hands"--can stand with pride alongside other great songs the lads have written from 1977 to date. As I've said elsewhere:
The Ramones remembered rock 'n' roll radio. KISS vowed to rock and roll all night. The Bay City Rollers promised a rock 'n' roll love letter. Power Pop Hall of Famers THE FLASHCUBES were there, and they saw it all. And now? They wanna reminisce.
ORBIS MAX: Don't Lose Me Now
Pop music can swing, pop music can punch, and pop music can ache with loss and longing, fueled by its own regret and desire. The latest Orbis Max single "Don't Lose Me Now" aces the trifecta, built by guitars standing on the shoulders of guitars and driven by the desperation to make things right, or at least make one last stand in the effort. Heart on sleeve. Let the teardops fire at will.
THE CYNZ: Love's So Lovely
An absolutely dynamic cover of Tom Petty's "You Wreck Me" is the current single off Confess, the dynamic new album from the Cynz. We played "You Wreck Me" on last week's show, but this week and next we're returning to one of the album's previous singles, the irresistible original song "Love's So Lovely." Yes! ORIGINAL Cynz! I slay me. But I confess that we can't go wrong either way.
TAVARES: It Only Takes A Minute
The Greatest Record Ever Made!
THE SPONGETONES: So Long
Like the Flashcubes, North Carolina stalwarts the Spongetones are for damned sure also in The Power Pop Hall Of Fame. And whenever the Spongetones release something new, TIRnRR is for damned sure going to play it. An advance copy of their latest fab single "So Long" reached us after this week's show was already programmed, but just in time for us to make a quick substitution and squeeze it in. (Our apologies to the Dave Clark Five, but you'll be back.) "So Long?" Hello!
SLYBOOTS: If We Could Let Go
As the country and the world seem increasingly eager to leap into the abyss and take us all with it, I've been trying to draw strength from my current favorite phrase: The audacity of joy. It takes a lot--a lot--to even attempt any kind of positive outlook. But we can't give up on hope. That would mean giving in, and that's what the bad guys want us to do. I refuse. We need to do much more than just hold hands and sing "Kumbaya"...but we DO also need to hold hands and sing "Kumbaya." If we lose joy, we lose everything.
Slyboots' sublime 2024 single "If We Could Let Go" has become my top song choice to accompany the audacious pursuit of delight when delight feels elusive. Join hands. Let go of everything else.
Dave Edmunds covering Bob Seger, and Chuck Berry inspiring the Seger tune that Mr. Edmunds is covering. In or out of Denver, they play that guitar like a-ringin' a bell. Go GO!!
THE RAMONES: Do You Wanna Dance?
Yep. Always. In times of trouble, we maintain a steadfast embrace of the audacity of joy.
If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.
I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.
This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.
Friday, March 13, 2026
COMIC BOOK COVER GALLERY: THE BRAVE AND THE BOLD, Part 3: Issues acquired new in the '60s and early '70s
A little earlier than originally planned: Today's Comic Book Cover Gallery presents the third piece of a four-part retrospective of The Brave And The Bold. Part 1 reviewed B & Bs I acquired as back issues, Part 2 covered [HAR!] coverless issues reunited with their long-lost fronts, and this week and next week address issues I acquired new.
My first issue of B & B was the Batman-Hawkman free-for-all pictured above: The Brave And The Bold # 70 (February-March 1967). It was (with World's Finest Comics # 164 and the Archie Comics/Radio Comics superhero book Mighty Comics # 43) one of three new comics I discovered at home, presumably in late '66, presumably purchased by my Dad or by one of my older siblings.
I don't think I personally plucked an issue of B & B off a spinner rack or display shelf until The Brave And The Bold # 78 (June-July 1968). Many, many more would follow, enough MORE! that it seemed best to split this into two separate posts.
Across the four parts of this Brave And Bold cover gallery, we'll be sticking exclusively to the '60s-'80s era of acquisition I've established for these galleries. The selections include books I bought new, back issues I acquired after the fact (but within the timeline), and B-stock contraband originally purchased without their covers. These aren't actual photos of comics in my collection; most images are courtesy of the Grand Comics Database, which is grand indeed. But I did have each and every one of 'em at some point in time.
NEXT WEEK: The epic conclusion! B & B seeing you!
If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.
I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.
This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.
Thursday, March 12, 2026
TV EYE: Another updated list of TV series I've seen in their entirety
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| Above image by Tyrone Biljan, courtesy of 13thdimension.com |
In 2021, I posted a list of TV series that I've seen in their entirety, every episode. This is another update of that list, still missing a number of shows my memory can't retrieve, but adding some recent completions. The list also includes current series that I've watched in their entirety to date, with either the promise or the hope of additional episodes coming soon. Those series are marked with an asterisk.
I like TV shows. This is an attempt to list every TV series I've ever watched in its entirety, from Season 1 Episode 1 through the blowout finale. It includes mini-series, broadcast series, cable series, and streaming series without discrimination. And it includes some series I saw piecemeal, as long as I'm sure I saw all of the episodes in whatever sequence I got to them. Some I saw on first run, others I watched after the fact. It is a woefully incomplete list--because, y'know, memory--but it's a start. I'll come back here to add more series as I remember them.
If I forgot any series you think I must have seen from start to finish, I welcome attempts to jog my stubborn memory.
There is one series cited with a double-asterisk: The 1994 PBS comedy series The Steven Banks Show. I saw all of the broadcast episodes, but there were additional episodes completed but never aired. Haven't seen those, so...double-asterisk. (Some previous versions of this list also asterisked NBC's 2017 DC Comics sitcom Powerless, but I have now seen all of its episodes, including the three that were never broadcast. I also found the series' unaired original pilot on YouTube; the pilot was very different from the later pilot and series, and I wish the show had followed its original direction.)
If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. You can also become a Boppin' booster on my Patreon page.
I compiled a various-artists tribute album called Make Something Happen! A Tribute To The Flashcubes, and it's pretty damned good; you can read about it here and order it here. My new book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get my previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books, OR an autographed copy here. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.
This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at SPARK stream and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. You can read about our history here.