THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO # 1356

Almost the entirety of my teen years occurred in the 1970s. And when I say "almost the entirety," I'm acknowledging the first sixteen days of 1980, during which time I was still technically a teen (just like the first sixteen days of 1960, when I was still technically unborn). 

The overriding pop culture passions of my '70s teen years have remained with me. I still love superhero comic books. I still love pulp paperback storytelling. And, of course, I still love pop music, especially pop music in the form of rock 'n' roll. For the first part of the '70s, the love of rockin' pop music was mostly served by AM Top 40 radio. That experience is with me every day of my life, and it is a large, large part of what makes This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio tick. 

Dave Cope's new album AM Silver is a love letter to the classic sounds that made amplitude-modulation we-play-the-hits radio so essential and so irresistible in the '60s and '70s. But it's not a covers album; Cope accomplishes his tribute by crafting original tunes that channel the sheer rush of keeping one's young ears affixed to the ol' transistor when Badfinger or the Honey Cone played. On AM Silver, Dave Cope nails his delighted evocation of that experience. Released digitally in 2025 and due on CD shortly from our friends at Kool Kat Musik, AM Silver stands as affirmation of a golden era that will always mean the world to me.

And every week, Dana and I also try to exult in affirmation of that era. What if AM Top 40 had played the Ramones? What if time frames didn't matter, and AM Top 40 could pummel the airwaves with great stuff from today AND great stuff from the '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, '90s, 2000s, and 2010s? Come to think of it, WOLF-AM introduced me to Chuck Berry in the early '70s, thinking nothing of programming "Johnny B. Goode" fifteen years after its release, nestled comfortably amidst the sounds of '73. 

That's a lesson we apply on this show. Great music doesn't care what year it is. Rock 'n' roll radio plays the hits, and it plays the stuff that should be a hit. In that spirit, let's hit the road with Dave Cope. And this is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on another Sunday night in Syracuse this week.

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 new book Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies is available! Read about it here, and about its truncated six-chapter sampler A Band Called GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS! here. Autographed copies of Carl's previous book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) are available here, and you can still get Carl's previous 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 # 1356: 10/4/2026
TIRnRR FRESH SPINS! Songs we think we ain’t played before are listed in bold

DAVE COPE: Hit The Road (Kool Kat Musik, AM Silver)

THE PRETENDERS: Middle Of The Road (Sire, The Singles)

RAY CHARLES: Hit The Road Jack (Castle, The Collection)

RONNIE LANE'S SLIM CHANCE: One For The Road (UMC, Just For A Moment [Music 1973-97])

THE GRATEFUL DEAD: The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion) )Warner Brothers, The Grateful Dead)

THE SPLENDORS: Dirty Road (n/a, The Splendors)

--

GENE CHAMPAGNE: I'm Disconnected (Sioux, Too Pop For Punk...Too Punk To Care)

DISCO ZOMBIES: Disco Zombies (Cherry Red, VA: 1979: Revolt Into Style)

THE TRAAMPS: Disco Inferno (Rhino, Rhino Hi-Five: The Trammps)

ALTERED IMAGES: Disco Pop Stars (Connoisseur Collection, The Best Of Altered Images)

THE RAMONES: Do You Wanna Dance (Rhino, Rocket To Russia)

FIRST CLASS: The Disco Kid (Cherry Red, Beach Baby: The Complete Recordings)

--

DAVID MYHR: Say Yes (Oglio, Everything Is All About You)

THE SHANGRI-LAS: Love You More Than Yesterday (Mercury, The Best Of The Shangri-Las)

COCKTAIL SLIPPERS: Back Where You Belong (Wicked Cool, Joyride)

BIG HELLO: Today Will Be Yesterday Tomorrow (Parasol, Apple Album)

KISS: Tomorrow (Mercury, Unmasked)

THE CONQUERORS: Yes I Know (High Dive, Wylde Time)

--

ORBIS MAX AND NEIL CHRISTIE: That Riviera Touch (single)

GARY PIG GOLD AND SHANE FAUBERT: Gotta Get In Touch (Futureman, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 1)

THE ROMANTICS: Keep In Touch (Nemperor, The Romantics)

THE OUTSIDERS: Touch (Rhino, VA: Nuggets II)

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

THE PRIMITIVES: I Almost Touched You (Camden, Best Of The Primitives)

--

SORAIA: The Witch (Wicked Cool, single)

THE 'N BETWEENS: Girl Child,I Am An Evil Witchman (Cherry Red, VA: A Slight Disturbance In My Mind--The British Proto-Psychedelic Sounds Of 1966)

THE HALF/CUBES: When The Lights Are Out (Jem, single)

LUNA: Season Of The Witch (TAG Recordings, VA: I Shot Andy Warhol)

PERILOUS: Overwhelmed By Reality (single)

GUIDED BY VOICES: Cut-Out Witch (Matador, The Best Of Guided By Voices: Human Amusements At Hourly Rates)

--

ROB MOSS: The More I Scroll (single)

THE ICICLE WORKS: Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream) (EMI, VA: Living In Oblivion: The 80's Greatest Hits, Vol. 5)

THE DEL FUEGOS: When The News Is On (London, The Best Of The Del Fuegos--The Slash Years

GEORGE HARRISON: Apple Scruffs (Apple, All Things Must Pass)

THE CYNZ: Neighborhood Bully (Jem, VA: Jem Records Celebrates Bob Dylan)

THE SCREAMING BLUE MESSIAHS: I Wanna Be A Flintstone (Elektra, Bikini Red)

--

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

CYNDI LAUPER: I Drove All Night (Epic, The Essential Cyndi Lauper)

THE SCRUFFS: She Say Yea (Northern Heights, Wanna' Meet The Scruffs?)

THE FLASHCUBES FEATURING TOM KENNY: Got No Mind (Big Stir, single)

SCREAMING LORD SUTCH AND THE SAVAGES: The Train Kept A-Rollin' (MOJO, VA: MOJO Working! THE UK R & B Explosion!)

CHUCK BERRY: All Aboard (MCA, Blues)

THE NASHVILLE RAMBLERS: The Trains (Big Beat, VA: Come On Let's Go! Power Pop Gems From The 70s & 80s)

--

KATE JACOBS: Deep Talk (Bar/None, The Calm Comes After)

SHADOWY MEN ON A SHADOWY PLANET: Harlem By The Sea (Yep Roc, Savvy Show Stoppers)

RADIO KARMA: Sweetheart Deal (n/a, We Were Gods)

THE SMALL FACES: Rollin' Over (Sanctuary, Ultimate Collection)

DEAN LANDEW: Sayin' Goodbye To My Crazy Days (DRL, single)

LULU: Call Me (RPM, Shout! The Complete Decca Recordings)

NELSON RIDDLE: Batman Theme (Hightower, VA: The Music Of DC Comics: Vol. 2 [incorrectly credited to NEAL HEFTI])

BIFF BANG POW!: Fifty Years Of Fun (Cherry Red, VA: The Sun Shines Here--The Roots Of Indie Pop 1980-84)

--

THE JACK RUBIES: Witch-Hunt In Lotus Land (Big Stir, single)

CROSSWORD SMILES: Lotus (Big Stir, Pressed & Ironed)

THE KENNEDYS: Girl On A Motorcycle (The Kennedys, Smoketree)

VAUGHN MONROE: Black Denim Trousers And Motorcycle Boots (Heartland, VA: The Fabulous Fifties: Back To The Fifties)

THE JIVE FIVE: What Time Is It (Collectables, Their Greatest Hits)

ROBERT GORDON AND CHRIS SPEDDING: Motor Biking (Sunset Blvd, Tear Up The House)

BRIJITTE WEST AND THE GREENOWSKIS: Doin' Alright  (Rum Bar, Brigitte West And The Greenowskis)

THE BEATLES: Drive My Car/The Word/What You're Doing (Apple, Love)

--

APE HANGERS: Miss You Girl (Rum Bar, Ape Hangers II)

Tonight on THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO

ROCKETEER ROLL CALL! We hit ignition with the latest from DAVE COPE, and keep right on blastin' off with new and recent flyin' saucers by GENE CHAMPAGNE, THE CYNZ, THE FLASHCUBES FEATURING TOM KENNY, DAVID MYHR, THE HALF/CUBES, COCKTAIL SLIPPERS, SORAIA, ORBIS MAX WITH NEIL CHRISTIE, THE KENNEDYS, PERILOUS, ROB MOSS, DEAN LANDEW, RADIO KARMA, APE HANGERS, BRIJITTE WEST AND THE GREENOWSKIS, and a returned-to-the-spacewaves remaster from THE JACK RUBIES, all fortified by the irresistible retro rockets of CHUCK BERRY, THE PRETENDERS, THE SCRUFFS, THE SMALL FACES, THE JIVE FIVE, THE RAMONES, THE SHANGRI LAS, RAY CHARLES, BIG HELLO, GEORGE HARRISON, KATE JACOBS, THE DEL FUEGOS, ALTERED IMAGES, and more supernova superstars than you can shake a telescope at. ROCKETEER ROLL CALL! Stand up, be counted...and SOAR! 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: 10/3/2026

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 # 1355

THE HALF/CUBES: When The Lights Are Out

I was in eighth grade in 1972, when UK stompmeisters Slade hit Syracuse's WOLF-AM with their irresistible glam-pop classic "Gudbuy T' Jane." In this bright 'n' shiny new millennium, Syracuse's own power pop powerhouse the Flashcubes channeled that memory of perfect AM Top 40 splendor with a cover of "Gudbuy T' Jane," as heard on the 'Cubic covers collection Pop Masters. A splendid time was bludgeoned into the craniums of all.

Now, essential Flashcubes offshoot the Half/Cubes return to the scene of the really loud chime with a stupendous new rendition of Slade's lesser-known gem "When The Lights Are Out." Hit the lights, Jane! Say gudbye to the day, and say hello to what the night may bring.

THE FLASHCUBES FEATURING TOM KENNY: Got No Mind

Speaking of the Flashcubes, our friends at Big Stir Records are now accepting preorders for "Got No Mind," the new 45 by the Flashcubes featuring Tom Kenny. Offered as a memorial tribute to Flashcubes guitarist Paul Armstrong (the song's author), the track has already been a TIRnRR fixture, and it will remain so for the foreseeable. And to sanctify the release of this 7" slab o' cantankerous wonder, the mighty Big Stir is also offering original copies of two previous Flashcubes 45s--1979's "Wait Til Next Week"/"Radio" and 2016's two-fer of Chris Spedding covers, "Boogie City"/"Hey Miss Betty"--both individually and in bundles with the new one. Visit The Flashcubes page at Big Stir for details.

THE DEAD BOYS: All The Way Down (Poison Lady)

The passing of Dead Boys guitarist Cheetah Chrome compelled some Sonic Reducer recognition on our playlist. We considered "All This And More," "3rd Generation Nation," and (obviously!) "Sonic Reducer," but opted instead for "All The Way Down (Poison Lady)," a 1987 Dead Boys reunion single that still feels like a righteous summary of everything young, loud, and snotty. I'm working on an eventual Greatest Record Ever Made! piece about "3rd Generation Nation," but for now we go all the way down with a poison lady who loves it loud. Godspeed, Cheetah Chrome.

THE AMPLIFIER HEADS: They Don't Dance Anymore

And. They. Should. From their fab current long-player Super 8, Boston's phenomenal pop combo the Amplifier Heads bemoan the lack of boppers on the boppin' floor with "They Don't Dance Anymore," and if you ain't swaying, you're not listening. 

While we're listening and dancing, we can also cast our votes for the Amplifier Heads in The 2026 New England Music Awards. Super 8 is vying for Album of the Year honors, and the AmpHeads themselves are up for Rock Act of the Year. You can vote once per day.

And I tell ya--this is a good month to practice the responsibility of voting. 

TODD RUNDGREN: Couldn't I Just Tell You

One of the all-time defining examples of power pop. That said, my deep and abiding affection for Todd Rundgren's "Couldn't I Just Tell You" doesn't ameliorate the toxic absurdity of cranky curmudgeon Todd's recent old-man-yelling-at-clouds dismissal of Taylor Swift's music as "the apotheosis of mediocrity." In a world where the biggest hits of Journey and Bob Seger already exist, it's condescending and absurd to refer to Swift in such obnoxious terms. "The apotheosis of mediocrity?" Have you heard any friggin' Bro Country songs, Todd?

(To be clear: I don't consider myself a Swiftie, and I really dig only a relative handful of her recordings. For more of my perhaps-unlikely testimonial on behalf of Taylor Swift, read here. And we still love ya, Todd. But it's time for your meds, Pops.) 

PLASTICSOUL: J'adore

Oui! California's Plasticsoul were the very first Big Stir Recording Artists, signing with the then-new label for the group's 2017 album Therapy. They return now with "J'adore," a fresh blast of corrosive and combustible rockin' pop that stands as the opening salvo from their forthcoming new album. Ain't nothin' plastic here, my friends. 

THE DIXIE CUPS: Iko Iko

From a previous post:

Like Mary Poppins and the Ramones, the Dixie Cups' "Iko Iko" is practically perfect in every way. There's also much to be said for the group's originally-unreleased alternate version (which refers to a boy as "a sex machine," and probably wouldn't have made it to the radio in 1965), but nothing compares to the well-known hit rendition. The Greatest Record Ever Made? Well...yeah.

BRIJITTE WEST AND THE GREENOWSKIS: Doin' Alright

HOLY...! Man, this is good. I don't think I've had any prior familiarity with Brijitte West and the Greenowskis, nor with Ms. West's previous work with NY Loose. New single "Doin' Alright" scribbles its ornery tags all over and all around that particular tabula rasa, and I am instantly in its thrall. Alright! 

RUSH: Circumstances

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE KENNEDYS: Girl On A Motorcycle

As I write this, I'm looking forward to seeing the Kennedys bring their always-engaging alchemy of coffeehouse pop to a live performance at The 443 Social Club & Lounge in Syracuse. By the time you read this, I will have already witnessed and enjoyed that show. MUSIC IS TIME TRAVEL!! And what better way to travel than with this "Girl On A Motorcycle?" One of my immediate favorite tracks on the Kennedys' superb new album Smoketree (a splendid record that conveys a more rooted version of the Laurel Canyon vibe, RIYL Gene Clark), "Girl On A Motorcycle" spins here again Sunday night. 

MORE time travel! Rev it, girl. Rev it.

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.  

My new book of short stories Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies is out now, and you can get autographed copies of the new book, its six-chapter novelette digest A Band Called GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS!, and my previous book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) directly from me. You can still get my previous 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.

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. 

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

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! Rush, "Circumstances"

Expanded from previous posts, this is not part of my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1).

An infinite number of tracks can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Today, this is THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE!

RUSH: Circumstances

Written by Neil Peart, Geddy Lee, and Alex Lifeson

Produced by Rush and Terry Brown

From the album Hemispheres, Anthem Records [Canada]/Mercury Records [USA], 1978

A girl. A boy. A band.

When we're talking about a band's fanbase and the band happens to be Rush, there's a widespread presumption the circumstances will be Boys Only!, no gurls allowed. But the first Rush fan I ever knew was a young woman I met in college at Brockport in 1979. Allison seemed smart and friendly, and she was from my native stomping grounds in Syracuse. We were, at best, casual acquaintances, but we started chatting when she noticed I had a poster of the Flashcubes on the wall of my dorm suite. The Flashcubes?, she said. The Flashcubes from Syracuse? 

Yes, ma'am. We had a pleasant exchange regarding our mutual interest in Syracuse's own power pop powerhouses, and she mentioned knowing 'Cubes guitarist Arty Lenin. Given the current circumstances of me telling you this much, you've already realized that Allison's favorite band was Rush.

Allison and I agreed to disagree. As a pop 'n' punk enthusiast, my cuppa wasn't terribly likely to accommodate Rush's progressive leanings; their ability to mix the heavy and the twee was impressive and accomplished, but squarely outside of my chosen POV. The first Rush song I recall hearing was "The Trees," a less-heavy/more-twee li'l ditty delivered to my ears via Rochester's WCMF-FM in '78. In the years that followed, as Rush got bigger and racked up more and more airplay, I could never warm up to them. Much, much later, my mind was sufficiently open to accept and embrace Rush's pretty-damned-good 2004 eight-song album Feedback, which found Allison's boys executing killer covers of the Who, Buffalo Springfield, the Yardbirds, and Love. I wouldn't have thought Love's furiously sublime/sublimely furious '60s nugget "7 And 7 Is" would be appropriate cover fodder for a band like Rush. Damned if they didn't pull it off anyway. (Of course, they felt the need to spell out the numbers in the song's title as "Seven And Seven Is." Just to be, y'know, Rush about it, I guess.) Beyond Feedback though? My apologies, Allison. Rush is not the band for me.

Well, there was one exception to that. One glorious, transcendent exception.

From Rush's 1978 album Hemispheres, the LP that (like the Lorax) spoke for "The Trees,"  a song called "Circumstances" just freakin' rocked, and I liked it a lot. The song is unmistakably Rush; singer/bassist/Moogist Geddy Lee is absolutely Geddy Lee at all times, and bandmates Neil Peart and Alex Lifeson bring the respective percussion and guitar (and more Moog) wizardry that you would expect and demand of a proper Rush record. But something about it seeps its way into my world as well, conjuring an agreeable if incongruous hybrid of a progressive Ramones backing Frankie Valli, but a Frankie Valli with a higher voice. To this day, I never get tired of hearing it. Score one for Allison.

At the top of this rant, we mentioned a girl, a boy, and a band. Allison and Rush, please allow me to introduce you to a boy named Kevin, who was a friend of mine in the early '80s. Kevin was a little bit younger than me, in his late teens when I was already in my early twenties. We worked together at McDonald's of Brockport, where I was putting my minty-fresh Bachelor of Arts degree in English to the best use I could imagine. It was...actually, it was a good time. I was young, in love, and learning how to make my way. Also learning how to make Egg McMuffins. Some of my memories of that time of my life retain a glow bright enough to scatter the shadows.

At least sometimes, given the right circumstances..

Decades have passed. I remember the camaraderie of Kevin, me, and another friend and co-worker, Jeff, trading puns as we seared burger patties to the grill, singing TV theme songs as we assembled Quarter Pounders. Outside of work, we occasionally gathered to party, and to listen to music. Our tastes could be disparate, but there was overlap, and there was respect. Jeff played guitar, and he liked Ted Nugent. I played absolutely nothing, and I liked the Ramones. Kevin? Kevin was a drummer.

And Kevin's favorite band was Rush. I don't think he ever met Allison, but I betcha they would have gotten along famously. 

Kevin is no longer with us. He passed a few years ago, far too young. I hadn't spoken with him since those Brockport days. But I remember. I'll always remember, for as long as I have memory. I'll remember happier days and troubled days alike, but right now, I'll remember that glow: Of friends and co-workers laughing and joking, being young, being alive, and listening to music. Growing up. The music playing still.

(And as far as Rush's presumed mostly-male demographic goes, I'm told by the hosts of The Spoon podcast that current drummer girl Anika Nilles has been welcomed alongside those boys Geddy and Alex as a worthy successor to the late Neil Peart. That makes me happy. Girls, boys, and a band that goes on.)

So yeah, I remember this boy Kevin. I remember this girl Allison, and I wish her well wherever she is. And of course I remember the band the three of us had in common, even if my share of the commonality totaled just one song.

But all the same, we take our chances. Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose. We make the best of the circumstances at hand.

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.  

My new book of short stories Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies is out now, and you can get autographed copies of the new book, its six-chapter novelette digest A Band Called GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS!, and my previous book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) directly from me. You can still get my previous 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.

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. 

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

THE SHOW MUST GO ON! (Oh, the plays I've seen--updated list)

Those of us who live in Central New York are blessed with so many lovely opportunities to experience live theater. Between student productions and local organizations, there is an amazing amount of talent in this area; add the touring companies (plus local collaborations with theaters in other parts of the country), and we wind up with ready access to brilliant and rewarding productions. 

So following another--yes, ANOTHER!--wonderfully busy run of recent plays, it's time again to update my attempt to list every theatrical production I've ever seen.

 Author! AUTHOR!

As I wrote in a separate post in 2020: "After finally experiencing my first-ever play on Broadway in 2019, I hoped to make that an annual event. The pandemic deferred that plan, but Broadway will return, and I will return to it." I look forward to adding more plays to this list...someday."

From previous updates: 

"As a companion to my ongoing Virtual Ticket Stub Gallery of pop performers I've seen in live concerts, and a follow-up to my love letter to theater, this list will attempt to make note of every live play I've ever seen. The limits of memory place an even greater restriction on this than on my concert-goin' resumé recreation, but I'll continue to update this list as both sudden recollection and (I hope) new live theater experiences dictate.

"This list does not differentiate between musicals and dramatic plays, nor does it care if the setting was Broadway, off-Broadway, the Apollo Victoria Theatre in London, Syracuse Stage, community theater, college campuses, high schools, middle schools, elementary schools, or Shakespeare in the park. As always: the play's the thing."

The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee
35mm: A Musical Celebration
The 39 Steps
1776
Amahl And The Night Visitors
Anything Goes
Beatlemania!
Brigadoon
Bye Bye Birdie
Carnival
Carousel

A Chorus Line
A Christmas Carol
Clue
Co-Op (eration)
Come From Away
The Comedy Of Errors
Company
Da’
Dames At Sea
Damn Yankees

Dear Evan Hansen
Die Fledermaus

Dinner With Friends
Fiddler On The Roof
Freaky Friday
Fun Home
Godspell
The Grapes Of Wrath
Grease
Guys And Dolls
Hadestown
Hair
Hamilton
A Hauntingly Whimsical Victorian Christmas 
The Hello Girls
Hello, Dolly!
High School Musical
How The Grinch Stole Christmas
How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying
Into The Woods
It's A Bird, It's A Plane, It's Superman
Jagged Little Pill
Jerry's Girls
Jesus Christ Superstar
Joe Turner's Come And Gone
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
La Cage Aux Folles
The Last Five Years
Leading Ladies
Les Misérables School Edition
Mean Girls
A Midsummer Night's Dream
Much Ado About Nothing
The Music Man
Oklahoma!
Oliver!
Once
The Pajama Game
Pippin
Plaza Suite
Rent
Rise: The Rock Musical
The Rocky Horror Show
School Of Rock
The Second City--65th Anniversary Show
Six
Tales By Candlelight
The Tempest
Thoughts Of A Colored Man
Three Men On A Horse
Twelfth Night
The Unsinkable Molly Brown
West Side Story
Wicked
The Wizard Of Oz
You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown

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.

My new book of short stories Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies is out now, and you can get autographed copies of the new book, its six-chapter novelette digest A Band Called GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS!, and my previous book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) directly from me. You can still get my previous 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.

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. 

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 # 1355

In lieu of a commentary to accompany this week's playlist, I want to link you to my recent guest appearance on The Spoon podcast with Robbie Rist, Chris Jackson, and Thom Bowers. an episode they called "Haha, I'm On The Radio! (The Carl Cafarelli Story)." The discussion there touches on a lot of stuff directly related to This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, as well as how this little mutant radio show feeds my writing, my books, and my ongoing efforts to locate soapboxes to scale and podiums to pound. If you like whatever the hell it is we do here on TIRnRR, odds are better'n decent you'll dig spending some time with The Spoon.

You know what else you'll dig? THIS SHOW! My gosh, when it comes to slappin' together The Best Three Hours Of Radio On The Whole Friggin' Planet, Dana and I are infallible. Evidence of that infallibility is displayed below. If you missed the Sunday night webcast, check out the schedule for encore presentations. It's ALL pop music! And this is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on another Sunday 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. If you miss the show, it repeats immediately from Midnight to 3 AM on Monday, Thursday from 9 AM to Noon, Friday from 5 PM to 8 PM, and finally Sunday from Noon to 3 PM before a new show takes over that evening. All times are Eastern.

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 new book Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies is available! Read about it here, and about its truncated six-chapter sampler A Band Called GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS! here. Autographed copies of Carl's previous book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) are available here, and you can still get Carl's previous 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 # 1355: 9/27/2026
TIRnRR FRESH SPINS! Songs we think we ain’t played before are listed in bold

THE HALF/CUBES: When The Lights Are Out (Jem, single)

SWEET: Action (Capitol, The Best Of Sweet)

THE FLASHCUBES FEATURING TOM KENNY: Got No Mind (Big Stir, single)

SYLVAIN SYLVAIN: Teenage News (Wounded Bird, Sylvain Sylvain)

THE DEAD BOYS: All The Way Down (Poison Lady) (Cleopatra, Ignorance In Action [The Rarities])

T. REX: Jeepster (Reprise, Electric Warrior)

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THE AMPLIFIER HEADS: They Don't Dance Anymore (Rum Bar, Super 8)

TALKING HEADS: Wild Wild Life (Rhino, The Best Of Talking Heads)

THE SUPREMES: Up The Ladder To The Roof (Motown, The '70s Anthology)

TODD RUNDGREN: Couldn't I Just Tell You (Rhino, Something/Anything?)

ETTA JAMES [FEATURING HARVEY FUQUA]: If I Can't Have You (MCA, At Last!)

TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS: Refugee (MCA, Anthology: Through The Years)

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PLASTICSOUL: J'adore (Big Stir, single)

TOMMY JAMES AND THE SHONDELLS: Mirage (Rhino, Anthology)

COCKTAIL SLIPPERS: Back Where You Belong (Wicked Cool, Joyride)

THE TRAVELING WILBURYS: Runaway (Rhino, Traveling Wilburys Collection)

THE DIXIE CUPS: Iko Iko (Varese Sarabande, The Complete Red Bird Recordings)

THE TREMELOES: Here Comes My Baby (Sequel, Good Times: The Ultimate Collection)

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WILDERSPOOL: Wild Apple Girl (Think Like A Key Music, As All The Stars Begin To Fade)

THE TURTLES: Outside Chance (Sundered, You Baby)

ABBA: On And On And On (Polydor, More ABBA Gold)

ULTRAVOX: Rockwrok (Cherry Red, VA: 1977--The Year Punk Broke)

LITTLE RICHARD: Long Tall Sally (Specialty, The Georgia Peach)

THE UNDERTONES: Thrill Me (Sanctuary, Get What You Need)

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THE POZERS [FEATURING ROGER JOSEPH MANNING]: Somewhere In My 21 (Omnivore, VA: International Pop Overthrow Volume 27)

THE VAPORS: Sixty Second Interval [demo] (Cherry Red, Waiting For The Weekend: The United Artists And Liberty Recordings)

TAVARES: It Only Takes A Minute (Rhino, VA: Can You Dig It? The '70s Soul Experience)

WEIRD AL YANKOVIC: Beat On The Brat (Demented Punk, VA: Dr. Demento Covered In Punk)

THE RAMONES: Cretin Hop (Rhino, Rocket To Russia)

THE VELVET UNDERGROUND: What Goes On (Polydor, Peel Slowly And See)

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BRIJITTE WEST AND THE GREENOWSKIS: Doin' Alright (Rum Bar, Brigitte West And The Greenowskis)

WARREN ZEVON: Poor Poor Pitiful Me (Rhino, Genius: The Best Of Warren Zevon)

PERILOUS: Overwhelmed By Reality (single)

VIC GODARD AND THE SUBWAY SECT: Johnny Thunders (Motion, Twenty Odd Years)

THE NEW YORK DOLLS: Babylon (Mercury, Rock 'N Roll)

XTC: Respectable Street (Virgin, Upsy Daisy Assortment)

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The Greatest Record Ever Made!

RUSH: Circumstances (Mercury, Hemispheres)

THE YARDBIRDS: Over Under Sideways Down (Rhino, Ultimate!)

TOMAS NILSSON: She's Alright And That's Alright (Kool Kat Musik, Hello Pretty World)

THE ZOMBIES: Tell Her No [acoustic piano version] (Big Beat, Zombie Heaven)

1.4.5.: Your Own World (Kool Kat Musik, VA: This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio, Volume 4)

MATTHEW SWEET AND SUSANNA HOFFS: Care Of Cell # 44 (Shout Factory, Under The Covers, Vol. 1)

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DEAN LANDEW: Sayin' Goodbye To My Crazy Days (single)

SHADOWY MEN ON A SHADOWY PLANET: Reid's Situation (Yep Roc, Dim The Lights, Chill The Ham)

RADIO KARMA: Sweetheart Deal (n/a, We Were Gods)

THE MnM'S: Knock Knock Knock (Burger, Melts In Your Ears 1980-81)

THE KENNEDYS: Girl On A Motorcycle (The Kennedys, Smoketree)

ELVIS COSTELLO: Welcome To The Working Week (Rykodisc, My Aim Is True)

ELVIS PRESLEY: Hard Headed Woman (RCA, The Top Ten Hits)

THE DONNAS: Da Doo Ron Ron (Real Gone Music, Early Singles 1995-1999)

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THE GRIP WEEDS: This Wheel's On Fire (Jem, VA: Jem Records Celebrates Bob Dylan)

ALEX CHILTON: Free Again (Big Beat, VA: Thank You Friends: The Ardent Story)

THE MONKEES: Whatever's Right (Rhino, Good Times!)

THE ALLAH-LAS: Could Be You (Mexican Summer, Calico Review)

NIKKI AND THE CORVETTES: You're The One (Bomp!, Nikki & the Corvettes)

AMOEBA TEEN: Melody Told You (Big Stir, Amoeba Teen)

THE ISLEY BROTHERS: Shout (Part 1) (MOJO, VA: Songs The Beatles Taught Us)

THE BEATLES: Mean Mr. Mustard (Apple, Abbey Road)

THE BEATLES: Polythene Pam (Apple, Abbey Road)

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TREVOR BLENDOUR: She's Still My Baby (Family Spree, Breaking Up With Trevor Blendour)