GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS! My book of short stories reaches a complete first draft

In the first nine days of May, I finished work on three new short stories. With those stories done, my short story collection Guitars Vs. Rayguns! Short Stories And Other White Lies has achieved a complete first draft. I've now begun proofreading and editing; once I've gone through all of that, I will schedule the book for publication. The book has had a target date for publication on May 30th; it is possible that I'll make that date, and I should at least come close to it.

I think I'm proud of this book. I say "I think" because I haven't yet read the whole thing in sequence, and I can't properly weigh its worth (or lack thereof) until I've reviewed the entire finished product. But I quite like the individual stories, and I believe I will be happy with how they play together. Publishing this book is the realization of a dream I've had for more than fifty years, ever since I was a teenager reading Harlan Ellison's short story anthologies and saying, I wanna do THIS!

Here's the book's back cover description:

"An anthology of short stories and other white lies, gathering tales of a foul-mouthed rock 'n' roll guitarist hijacked into space, an Old West gunslinger, a film noir gun moll who longs to be in a musical, a humorous fill-in superhero suddenly called to greatness, a former boy band star turned record company fix-it man, a would-be painter, an obsessed collector, a fated swordswoman, a fallen giant, a frustrated time traveler, a departed soul interviewing for a spot in Heaven, a 1976 Beatles reunion concert, and other untruths detailing love, loss, disappointment, a fascination with shiny objects, and—occasionally--a juvenile sense of humor. 

"WARNING: RUDE LANGUAGE! The author is a potty-mouth."

The "rude language" bit is why I elected to take most of my Copperhead Kid stories out of this book and reserve them for use as a potential novel for young adults. And now, here's an updated look at this book's blueprint:

GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS!! Short Stories And Other White Lies

Table of Contents

FOREWORD: Short stories and other white lies
Introduction: IT'S HARLAN ELLISON'S FAULT!
GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS!
HOME OF THE HITS
THE LAST RIDE OF THE COPPERHEAD KID
POP FRICTION
MONTIE PYLON FINDS HIS HOLY GRAIL
THE PICTURE OF AMONTILLADO
TIME, AND THE JUNK FOOD OF YOUR LIFE
GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS! Last Stand On Uranus
THE GREATEST THUD NEVER HEARD
RAIN-HAT SAM
JACK MYSTERY (some truths and some white lies)
GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS! Battle Of The Band
THE BEATLES: The 1976 Reunion Concert
AN OPEN LETTER TO AN IMAGINARY ROCK BAND
THE LOVABLE LUNKHEAD RETURNS
SWORD OF THE CHOSEN ONE
DREAMING DEADLY

GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS! Return To Uranus
PRESIDENT COPPERHEAD
JUSTICE FOR THE PUPPET MASTER
I'M AT BAT!
THE TRAITOR'S TOURIST GUIDE TO HELL
YOU'LL BE JUDGED BY THE HEARTS YOU BROKE

LONE STAR FALLING
GUITARS VS RAYGUNS!! Live At BudoKHAAAAAAAAN!!

APRIL REGRETS
LAZARUS LIVES
AFTERWORD

The approximately 140-page book will retail for $15, and it will be available to order through independent bookstores, bookstore chains, and your usual online resources, or you can get it directly from me. I will make an announcement when the ordering portal opens. For now, the process of proofreading and editing has commenced. 

Tweak tweak tweak. Rayguns at the ready. Guitars tuned and turned UP.

This is my third book, following Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones and The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). We'll have a little sneak peek at the introductory sections of my forthcoming fourth book (Make Something Happen! The DIY Story Of A Power Pop Band Called THE FLASHCUBES) in this space on Friday. Hey, talk about guitars turned UP...!

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.

COMIC BOOK COVER GALLERY: JACK KIRBY covers accumulated in the '60s, '70s, and '80s

Today's gallery celebrates the King: JACK KIRBY! By any account, Jack "King" Kirby was one of the most important and influential creators in the history of American comic books, and many (me included) would say Kirby was THE single most impactful figure in the field. Kirby is best known for his artwork--his dynamic characters just about jumped off the page, and jumped off swingin'--but he was a storyteller, first and foremost. As the creator or co-creator of Captain America, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, the Hulk, Thor, the Avengers, Dr. Doom, the Silver Surfer, Darkseid, and dozens and dozens of others, Kirby's effect on comics, superheroes, and pop culture has been enormous. Kirby's career spans decades; even if we limited our spotlight solely to what he did in the 1960s to make Marvel Comics into MARVEL COMICS!!, that body of work would provide sufficient grounds to name him King. But his reign began long before that, and continued thereafter. King Kirby. In the words of a former (complicated) Kirby collaborator: 'Nuff said.

But with that said, our gallery here is limited to Kirby covers on books I grabbed in the '60s, '70s, and '80s. It doesn't include any of his 1940s or '50s work with Joe Simon, and I don't recall whether or not I ever picked up any of his '80s work on his own Captain Victory And The Galactic Rangers. It does include my two favorite Kirby classic series: Marvel's Fantastic Four in the '60s, and the Fourth World material (New Gods, The Forever People, and Mister Miracle, plus Superman's Pal Jimmy Olsen) Kirby crafted for DC in the early '70s. 

(And yeah, I know clueless suits at DC insisted on replacing Kirby's depictions of Superman with what they felt were more on-brand renditions by other artists. It was kinda like getting the Beatles to record a song, and then dubbing in someone else's voice. Silly DC suits. Make mine Kirby!)

As always, we'll be sticking exclusively to the '60s, '70s, and '80s era of acquisition I've established for these galleries. Today's 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.

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.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1336

I wanna be your boyfriend

There is an element of yearning inherent in pop music. Sure, the phrase "rock 'n' roll" is specifically about sex, but rockin' pop can include a longing for love along with its lust for action. Hands to be held. Promises to share. Long walks, fate-filled dances, first dates, second dates, the tantalizing prospect of more. The more can be as chaste or as earthy as mutual hearts desire.

It would be disingenuous (to the point of outright fibbing) to claim that power pop isn't at least sometimes about gettin' it on. I mean, the Knack and the Raspberries (among others!) would beg to differ immediately. The Rubinoos' 1979 power pop classic "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" has always had it both ways, implying a one-night stand that can last forever. The song's presumed innocence is balanced by its sheer urgency. Hey, hey, you, you, I wanna be your boyfriend.

Brazil's phenomenal pop combo Banda AL9 have just released their own incredible cover of the Rubinoos' "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend," retaining the original oomph and deliberate dichotomy, as faithful as a good boyfriend must be, and as electrifying as consummation should be. Banda AL9's Rubinoos cover opens this week's show. 

And we follow Banda AL9's "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" immediately with a different song of the same title, courtesy of the Ramones. Playing against punk type, the Ramones' "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" feels even more emphatically innocent than the Rubinoos song; Dee Dee Ramone once claimed that the Bay City Rollers wanted to cover that very Ramones song, and while the claim is almost certainly nonsense...

...it's also plausible nonsense. Pop music. It is large. It contains multitudes. Just like love does. This is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on another Snday night in Syracuse this week.

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 all about this show's long and weird history here: Boppin' The Whole Friggin' Planet (The History Of THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO). You can follow Carl's daily blog at Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do).

TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS are always welcome.

Carl's latest book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) is now available, and you can order an autographed copy here. You can still get Carl's previous book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones from publisher Rare Bird Books. If you like the books, please consider leaving a rating and/or review at the usual online resources.

The many fine This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio compilation albums are still available, each full of that rockin' pop sound you crave. A portion of all sales benefit our perpetually cash-strapped community radio project:

Volume 1: download
Volume 2: CD or download
Volume 3: download
Volume 4: CD or download
Waterloo Sunset--Benefit For This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio:  CD or download

Volume 5: CD or download

TIRnRR # 1336: 5/10/2026

TIRnRR FRESH SPINS! Tracks we think we ain’t played before are listed in bold

BANDA AL9: I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (Wicked Cool, single)

THE RAMONES: I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend (Rhino, Ramones)                  

GIRLSCHOOL: 20th Century Boy (Lemon, The Singles)

YOUNG HOMEBUYERS: Boyfriend (Zero Hour, VA: Power Pop From The Garage: Austalian Power Pop, 74-86)

THE PORTUGAL JAPAN: Boy Meets Girl (Dionysus, VA: Innocence Is Bliss [A Female Frenzy Of Sensational Sounds!)

THE ANGELS: My Boyfriend's Back (Mercury, VA: Growin' Up Too Fast: The Girl Group Anthology)

--

GO TIME!: Rules Don't Apply (Kool Kat Musik, 11)

THE SHADOWS OF KNIGHT: Follow (Collectables, The Super K Collection)

AMOS MILBURN: Down The Road Apiece (EMI, The Best Of Amos Milburn--Down The Road Apiece)

NICK LOWE: When I Write The Book (Yep Roc, Quiet Please...The New Best Of Nick Lowe)

THE SEVEN AND SIX: The Wonder (n/a, EP # 1)

THE POPPY FAMILY: Beyond The Clouds (March, A Good Thing Lost 1968-1973)

--

THE ON AND ONS: Constance (Jem, Luminary)

DAR WILLIAMS: Teen For God (Razor & Tie, My Better Self)

P. P. ARNOLD: God Only Knows (Sequel, The First Cut)

TALK TALK: Talk Talk (Parlophone, The Party's Over)

THE LEGAL MATTERS: It Doesn't Matter (Big Stir, Lost At Sea)

TALKING HEADS: Love Goes To A Building On Fire [demo] (Rhino, Tentative Decisions: Demos & Live)

--

7 DOOR SEDAN: I'm On A Rocket Ship (Heading My Way Back Home) (single)

THE KNACK: Rocket O' Love (Big Beat, VA: Rockets Of Love! Power Pop Gems From The 70s, 80s & 90s)

THE ONLY ONES: Another Girl, Another Planet (Rhino, VA: DIY: Teenage Kicks - UK Pop I [1976-79])

THE PRODUCERS: What's He Got? (Big Beat, VA: Rockets Of Love! Power Pop Gems From The 70s, 80s & 90s)

THE SUPREMES: Stop! In The Name of Love (Motown, DIANA ROSS & THE SUPEREMES, The Ultimate Collection)

TOMMY TUTONE: 867-5309/Jenny (Big Beat, VA: Rockets Of Love! Power Pop Gems From The 70s, 80s & 90s)

--

CHROME AGNON: Ion You (Futureman, VA: Back In Time--Lost Hits Of The 80's Vol. 2)

RICHARD X. HEYMAN: Vacation (Big Beat, VA: Rockets Of Love! Power Pop Gems From The 70s, 80s & 90s)

THE CHELSEA CURVE: Ride (Rum Bar, The Rideout)

sparkle*jets u.k.: No One Rides For Free (Big Stir, Best Of Friends)

SAM AND DAVE: Soul Man (Atlantic, VA: The Complete Stax-Volt Singles 1959-1968)

THE ENGLISH BEAT: Rough Rider (IRS, I Just Can't Stop It)

--

ROB MOSS AND SKIN-TIGHT SKIN: Everything In The World/Cement Man (single)

THE DUKES OF EARL: Him Or Me (Vivid Sound, VA: He Put The Bomp In The Bomp: Greg Shaw)

THE MONKEES: She (Rhino, More Of The Monkees)

THE REPLACEMENTS: Takin' A Ride (Sire, For Sale: Live At Maxwell's 1986)

THE SHIRTS: Tell Me Your Plans (Think Like A Key Music, Live At Paradise 1979)

NIKKI CORVETTE AND THE HELL ON HEELS: What A Way To Die (Vivid Sound, VA: He Put The Bomp In The Bomp: Greg Shaw)

--

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

HEADGIRL: Please Don't Touch (Lemon, GIRLSCHOOL: The Singles)

HOLLY GOLIGHTLY: Time (Damaged Goods, Look Like Trouble)

SERGIO CECCANTI:  Leave The Past, Don't Look Behind (Kool Kat Musik, Leave The Past, Don't Look Behind)

THE REMAINS: Don't Look Back (Rhino, VA: Nuggets)

JOHNNY NASH: I Can See Clearly Now (Rhino, VA: Can You Dig It? The '70s Soul Experience)

JOSIE COTTON: The Night Before (Cleopatra, Everything Is Oh Yeah)

--

THE RIFLEBIRDS OF PORTLAND: And Your Bird Can Sing (Regional, April)

THE MUFFS: That's For Me (Omnivore, No Holiday)

FOXY: Not For Sale (Rum Bar, single)

SHADOWY MEN ON A SHADOWY PL:ANET: The Alouette (She Was Canada's First Satellite, Way Before The Americans Even) (Yep Roc, Dim The Lights, Chill The Ham)

THE HALF/CUBES FEATURING GLENN BURTNICK: Bend Me, Shape Me (single)

ELASTICA: Annie (DGC, Elastica)

JIM BASNIGHT: Get It Out (Kool Kat Musik, Under The Rock)

THE JAM: All Mod Cons (Polydor, Dig The New Breed)

--

BANDA AL9: She Calls Me Love (Wicked Cool, Hey! Hey! We're Banda AL9)

THE DAMNED: Smash It Up (Part 2) (Sanctuary, Smash It Up: The Anthology 1976-1987)

THE FLASHCUBES: Got No Mind (Northside, Flashcubes On Fire)

SQUEEZE: Vicky Verky (A & M, The Squeeze Story)

SLYBOOTS: If We Could Let Go (single)

THE SEARCHERS: Love's Melody (Omnivore, Another Night: The Sire Recordings 1979-1981)

THE CYNZ: Ghost Rider (Jem, Confess)

THE BEATLES: Getting Better (Apple, Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band)

--

THE METERS: Thinking (Rhino, Look-Ka Py Py)

Tonight on THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO

It's the mother of all rockin' pop radio shows, with new music from BANDA AL9, GO TIME!, THE ON AND ONS, ROB MOSS AND SKIN-TIGHT SKIN, and 7 DOOR SEDAN, plus more by THE CYNZ, THE RAMONES, DAR WILLIAMS, THE JAM, THE SHADOWS OF KNIGHT, THE RIFLEBIRDS OF PORTLAND, AMOS MILBURN, NICK LOWE, THE SEVEN AND SIX, THE LEGAL MATTERS, THE POPPY FAMILY, THE SUPREMES, THE KNACK, THE CHELSEA CURVE, SAM AND DAVE, SPARKLE*JETS U.K., THE SHIRTS, THE REPLACEMENTS, THE MONKEES, THE FLASHCUBES, THE ENGLISH BEAT, HOLLY GOLIGHTLY, SERGIO CECCANTI, JIM BASNIGHT, JOSIE COTTON, THE HALF/CUBES FEATURING GLENN BURTNICK, SQUEEZE, THE DAMNED, THE SEARCHERS, and even that ain't all. Listen to your mother of all rockin' pop radio shows: We know what's good for you. Listen and like it! 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!

10 SONGS (plus one): 5/9/2026

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 # 1335

THE GREENBERRY WOODS: The One That Makes You Happy

If you thought the release of another new single by long-standing power pop idols the Greenberry Woods would automatically occupy the lead-off slot in this week's show, you were correct in your thinking. You're pretty good at this thinking stuff. "The One That Makes You Happy" lives up to its titular hype, and we're happy to play it. "The One That Makes You Happy" serves as a sneak peek at the new Greenberry Woods album It's All Good, Sugar..., which is due out May 29th.

And that should make everyone happy. That's what we think.

T. REX: Cosmic Dancer

When T. Rex singer Marc Bolan was killed in a car accident in September of 1977, I was a college freshman and I was pissed that no one else in my dorm knew who Marc Bolan was. It's not like I was an expert on all things related to T. Rexstasy--at the time, I only knew "Bang A Gong (Get It On)"--but I did have at least an inkling of Bolan's importance, and I was disappointed to discover how alone I was in that setting. (Later, "20th Century Boy" assumed the permanent role of my favorite T. Rex track, as detailed here). I remain a Marc Bolan dilletante, and I owe myself a deeper Jeepster dive in the near future.

Although I've owned a copy of T. Rex's Electric Warrior album track "Cosmic Dancer" for decades, I didn't notice it until it popped up in an episode of the (now-cancelled) 2025 Amazon Prime TV series Étoile. Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino (creators of Gilmore Girls and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel), Étoile details the dynamics of a pair of interconnected ballet companies, one in New York and one in Paris. Hijinks ensue, as they often do. The series is most definitely not for everyone, but one doesn't need any proper knowledge of ballet to follow what's going on here (nor in the Palladinos' previous ballet-set series Bunheads). For us rockin' pop enthusiasts, David Byrne makes a cameo appearance in one episode, and Sparks perform "I Married Myself" in the series finale.

In one episode, "Cosmic Dancer" plays in the background, the song's ethereal evocation of dance serving as accompaniment to the visuals while bellying up to the barre in its own right. That was sufficient inspiration to place "Cosmic Dancer" on this week's playlist.

SPECTRAFLAME: Yesterday (Jane)

Sometimes it take us time to get around to things. TIRnRR plays the music of Spectraflame with some frequency, as we oughta. We'd planned to program Spectraflame's "Yesterday (Jane)" a while back, but the track got lost in our self-inflicted shuffle. We're inept, but we're adorable. We got to it now! TODAY, Jane! Today!

GENERAL JOHNSON AND JOEY RAMONE: Rockaway Beach (On The Beach)

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

FIRST CLASS: Beach Baby

KIRSTY MacCOLL: He's On The Beach

THE GO-GO'S: Beatnik Beach

THE FLASHCUBES: Muscle Beach

THE 'B' GIRLS: Fun At The Beach

Segues are often capable of writing themselves, without much (if any) reliance on prior blueprinting. I had determined ahead of time that I wanted General Johnson and Joey Ramone's sublime beach-soul remake of the Ramones' "Rockaway Beach" to occupy this week's Greatest Record Ever Made! slot. This was the sum total of preplanning that went into the forging of what wound up being an entire beach-related set.

Dana followed Johnson 'n' Ramone with First Class and their first-class Beach Boys homage "Beach Boys," a lovely track that earns its own chapter in my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). This prompted me to answer with Kirsty MacColl's "He's On The Beach," a fantastic track that I hadn't had any intention of playing this week. But...it fit! And so it played.

Game on.

Our Kirsty inspired Dana to play "Beatnik Beach," a vibrant li'l number that was the B-side of the Go-Go's' irresistible "Vacation" 45. HuzZAH! I was compelled to follow the Go-Go's with Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse the Flashcubes, represented by an incendiary 1979 live performance of Paul Armstrong's "Muscle Beach" from the album Flashcubes On Fire. Dana wrote finis in the sand of this beach trip with the 'B' Girls and "Fun At The Beach."

Does big-time TIRnRR DJing seem easy to you? It IS! We always follow the can't-miss two-step formula to programming the best rockin' pop radio. STEP ONE: Know which rockin' pop songs are the best rockin' pop songs. STEP TWO: Play those. Hodads! Honeys! Fall in! The sound of the beach awaits.

THE CHELSEA CURVE: Ride

The same self-inflicted shuffle that delayed us in playing Spectraflame's "Yesterday (Jane)" nearly did similar disservice to the Chelsea Curve's recent single "Ride." But we love the Chelsea Curve, and we made damned sure to navigate that imposing shuffle and guarantee that "Ride" secured its rightful place on this week's playlist. The Chelsea Curve's new album The Rideout is available now. The single rides again on our next show.

THE RONETTES: Be My Baby

Also The Greatest Record Ever Made! Godspeed, Nedra Talley.

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.