This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1325

Reach out.

As February begins to fade, we wanted to take the opportunity of this longest shortest month’s final weekend to commemorate Black History Month. We wrote the following about a year ago in this space, and it still applies:

History matters. We can't learn from the past if we don't know the past: The good, the bad, the proud, the shameful, the wins and the losses, the triumph and tragedy alike. It matters. It always will. Our country, our culture, our species--none of it can advance if we don't retain awareness of the roads that got us here. Wrong turns included.

And if all history matters, then certainly black history matters. We celebrate black history every February. Sure, we should revel in the rich heritage of black culture more often than just a single month each year. But designating an official Black History Month at least provides an essential reminder of the importance of recognizing and celebrating that heritage.

Every month should be Black History Month. Every month should be Women's History Month, and Pride Month, and so on. But efforts to deny the worth of those specific months are never--never--carried out with intent to expand their scope; they are, invariably, an effort to marginalize them and eliminate them.

We reject those efforts. In the popular parlance: Fuck that noise.

February is Black History Month. It's a necessary focal point in our ongoing dedication to understanding the whole of our stories, inclusively and completely, twelve months a year. This week, This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio celebrates Black History Month with a little bit of music. It's what we do.

He who forgets the pasta is condemned to reheat it. I...don't think I got that quote quite right. The past lives on, and we can't hope to build a proper future without it. Tonight, let's play some music. Tomorrow, we keep fighting to preserve, protect, and defend what's right.

And in 2026, we still hold those truths to be self-evident. In that spirit, we present a celebration of black history, demonstrated implicitly in the art of song. Some of the groups contain a multiracial selection of players, and some of the lead singers of color choose to work with musicians of varying hue and identity. We are stronger together. Purity tests are for the bad guys. WE’RE the good guys.

Reach out. Get a shot of rhythm and blues. And pop. And soul. And ska. And punk (and punk funk). And disco. And hip-hop. And power pop. And new wave. And girl group. And reggae. And country. And Gospel. And rock 'n' roll. This is Black History Month. 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. 

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 # 1325: 2/22/2026

RIHANNA: Shut Up And Drive (Def Jam, Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded)

BLACK HEAT: Drive My Car (Ace, VA: Come Together: Black America Sings Lennon & McCartney)

CHUCK BERRY: Come On (MCA, The Anthology)

WEE WILLIE WALKER: Ticket To Ride (Ace, VA: Come Together: Black America Sings Lennon & McCartney)

THE FLIRTATIONS: Nothing But A Heartache (RPM, Sounds Like The Flirtations)

OTIS REDDING: Day Tripper [alternate take 4] (Ace, VA: Come Together: Black America Sings Lennon & McCartney)

--

SLYBOOTS: If We Could Let Go (single)

CHAKA KHAN: I Feel For You (Warner Brothers, I Feel For You)

LEMOYNE ALEXANDER: Insecurity (single)

OHIO PLAYERS: Love Rollercoaster (Shout! Factory, VA: Old School Soul Party)

WILD KISSES: Feels So Fine (DRL, Wild Kisses)

RICK JAMES: Super Freak (Gordy, Street Songs)

--

THE SELECTER: Carry Go Bring Home (EMI, Greatest Hits)

BETTYE LEVETTE: My Train's Comin' In (Sundazed, Do Your Duty)

SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE: Stand! (Epic, Greatest Hits)

DONNA SUMMER: I Feel Love (Casablanca, Summer: The Original Hits)

DERRICK ANDERSON: When I Was Your Man (Omnivore, A World Of My Own)

EDDIE BO: Funky Jam (Funky Delicacies, The Hook And Sling)

--

WILSON PICKETT: Land Of 1000 Dances (Rhino, A Man And A Half)

LITTLE EVA: The Loco-Motion (Collectables, VA: Great Ladies Of Rock & Roll: The 60s)

PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION: Raspberry Beret (Warner Brothers, The Hits/The B-Sides)

THE ISLEY BROTHERS: It's Your Thing (Epic, The Essential Isley Brothers)

THE BUSBOYS: Me And The Band (BEO Entertainment, In My Heart)

THE RONETTES: Be My Baby (Abkco, The Best Of The Ronettes)

--

RONNIE SPECTOR AND THE E STREET BAND: Say Goodbye To Hollywood (Sony, VA: Cleveland International 1977-1983)

SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS: Frenzy (Rhino, VA: Loud, Fast & Out Of Control: The Wild Sounds Of The '50s)

THE BANDWAGON: People Got To Be Free (Kent Soul, Breakin' Down The Walls Of Heartache: The Best Of 1968-1975)

SAM COOKE: Another Saturday Night (Abkco, 30 Greatest Hits: Portrait Of A Legend 1951-1964)

THE DRIFTERS: Only In America (Atlantic, Rockin' & Driftin')

THE SHIRELLES: Boys (Varese Sarabande, 25 All-Time Greatest Hits)

--

THE EDWIN HAWKINS SINGERS: Oh Happy Day (Buddha, VA: Dick Clark 20 Years Of Rock N' Roll)

SMOKY ROBINSON AND THE MIRACLES: Going To A Go-Go (Tamla, Going To A Go-Go)

JIMMY CLIFF: The Harder They Come (Island, VA: The Harder They Come OST)

SOLOMON BURKE: Everybody Needs Somebody To Love (Rhino, The Very Best Of Solomon Burke)

THE EQUALS: Baby Come Back (Ice, First Among Equals)

THE STAPLE SINGERS: I'll Take You There (Stax, VA: Stax 50th Anniversary Celebration)

--

WAR: Why Can't We Be Friends? (Hip-O, Icon 2: The Hits & More)

SUGAR PIE DeSANTO: In The Basement [Part 2] (Kent Soul, Go Go Power--The Complete Chess Singles 1961-1966)

LOVE: 7 And 7 Is (Rhino, Love Story 1966-1972)

THE SUPREMES: Love Train (Motown, The '70s Anthology)

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

TAJ MAHAL: Six Days On The Road (Columbia, The Best Of Taj Mahal)

--

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

LL COOL J: Mama Said Knock You Out (Def Jam, All World)

BARRETT STRONG: Money (That's What I Want) (Motown, VA: Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971)

THE BELLRAYS: One More Night (Sweet Gee, Heavy Steady Go!)

BOOKER T AND THE MG'S: Green Onions (Atlantic, VA: The Complete Stax/Volt Singles 1959-1968)

LIVING COLOUR: Should I Stay Or Should I Go (Epic, Vivid)

RICHIE BARRETT: Some Other Guy (MOJO, VA: Songs The Beatles Taught Us)

DEATH: Playtime (Tryangle, N.E.W.)

THE DONAYS: Devil In Her Heart (Ace, Silver Disc: 25 Years Of Ace)

--

TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS: Pressure Drop (Island Jamaica, Time Tough)

THE TEMPTATIONS: My Girl (Motown, Gold)

MILLIE SMALL: Killer Joe (Caroline, The Best Of Millie Small)

THELMA HOUSTON: Jumpin' Jack Flash (Motown, Best Of Thelma Houston)

JAMES BROWN: Please, Please, Please (Polydor, The 50th Anniversary Collection)

MERRY CLAYTON: Gimme Shelter (Columbia, VA: 20 Feet From Stardom OST)

THE FOUR TOPS: Reach Out I'll Be There (Motown, The Ultimate Collection)

AL GREEN: I Want To Hold Your Hand (The Right Stuff, Green Is Blues)

--

ARTHUR ALEXANDER: A Shot Of Rhythm And Blues (Razor & Tie, Ultimate)

CLIFF NOBLES AND CO.: The Horse (Rhino, VA: Beg Scream & Shout! The Big Ol' Box Of '60s Soul)

Tonight on THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO

PRINCE AND THE REVOLUTION. SUGAR PIE DeSANTO. THE BELLRAYS. OHIO PLAYERS. SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE. CHAKA KHAN. SAM COOKE. THE STAPLE SINGERS. LEMOYNE ALEXANDER. THE SHIRELLES. LIVING COLOUR. AL GREEN. THE FLIRTATIONS. TAJ MAHAL. THELMA HOUSTON. WILD KISSES. DERRICK ANDERSON. BETTYE LAVETTE. SLYBOOTS. SCREAMIN' JAY HAWKINS. WAR. DEATH. LOVE. Selections from the catalogs of MOTOWN, STAX, KING, TROJAN, CHESS, ISLAND, T-NECK, ATLANTIC, 2-TONE, DEF JAM, CASABLANCA, SPECIALTY, and more, across genres and across eras from the 1950s through the 2020s. Black voices, multiracial ensembles, standing together at the mic, letting slip the miracle of music. THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO celebrates BLACK HISTORY MONTH. 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!

GUITARS VS. RAYGUNS!! Writing (and tweaking) short stories

As I prep my short story collection Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies for its tentative May publication, I'm working on a few more stories I may want to include in that book. Here are the openings to some of my current works in progress:

THE TRAITOR'S GUIDE TO HELL

The ghost of Quisling knocked back a drink. The liquor had no effect on him. Souls damned to spend eternity in Hell felt no buzz from alcohol, no fulfillment from food, no relief from any resource, no matter how much they consumed. Quisling drank anyway, out of habit. He downed another shot before rising to greet the tourists that had entered his dismal office.

"Vidkun Quisling at your service," he purred, his cheery facade unconvincing to anyone who bothered to pay attention. The indifference of his guests rendered the point moot. "I shall be your tour guide on your visit to Hell."

The guests murmured in vague acknowledgement. "Follow," the host bid them, and the group obeyed, trailing Quisling's ghost as he descended into the brimstone realm they'd come to see...

...The question made the ghost pause. He resisted the unfamiliar urge to gaze toward Hell's opposite, toward the eternal realm reserved solely for the kind and the just. "No," Quisling replied. "There is no music in Hell, no music of any kind." A sadness tinged his voice. A memory of a waltz he'd loved in life almost--almost--crept into his head, but the memory was denied access. Hell's rules are Hell's rules. "The devil has no music to call his own. Music belongs...elsewhere."

With a dismissive shrug, the ghost of Quisling consigned the tourist to the pits. To Quisling's ears, the hapless sinner's screams served as the best available substitute for music. The others in the tour group remained unconcerned. Nothing had happened to them....

THE ADVENTURES OF CAPTAIN MAGIC, CHAPTER 13

Darren was 13 years old, and his parents had just divorced. His mother no longer loved his father. His father never loved her to begin with, and they only married because it was the right thing to do: You get a girl pregnant, you do the right thing. The right thing doesn't come with an asterisk or an escape clause; it's the right thing, and you do it.

But the Mom and the Dad did love Darren. They had stayed together for Darren's sake, for as long as they were able, trying to love each other, trying to keep on doing that damned elusive right thing. As their arguments worsened, as money got tighter and tempers shorter, as temptations grew more irresistible and frustrations more palpable, the Mom and the Dad agreed on one thing only: Ending the marriage would hurt Darren, but prolonging its loud and unpleasant facade would hurt him even more.The magic was gone. Really, the magic had never been there to begin with.

Darren understood. He did. He tried to put on a brave face, like the mighty comic book superheroes he adored. He hid his mild-mannered self behind adolescent bravado. He only cried when he knew that no one could see him.

The bravado proved to be a problem. His smart mouth drew the ire of bigger boys in school. Darren was neither faster than a speeding bullet nor more powerful than a locomotive, and he got his ass kicked with depressing regularity. 

Darren's parents grew up in an era when the notion of counseling was an admission of flaws, an admission of defeat. But they loved Darren. They swallowed their pride, and sought help on Darren's behalf....

THE FIRST RIDE OF FREEDOM'S WHIP

Hattie would obey no longer.

It was 1861. Hattie was fourteen years old, and she had been born into slavery. Her mother had been abducted from Africa, shipped to America, sold to a fat white devil who believed in his right to own people. He didn't regard them as people. They were his property, and that was all they were. He could do with his property as he saw fit....

THE COPPERHEAD KID'S NEW YORK ADVENTURE

He wasn't really used to big cities. But being in a teeming metropolis didn't bother him. The twenty years he'd spent on the run from the law taught him to adapt, to find his place in whatever place he found himself. Places were temporary. As a fugitive, he usually wouldn't stick around long enough to care all that much about where he was.

He'd settled down since then. Decades ago, he'd been a young gunslinger called the Copperhead Kid. He wasn't young anymore, and he wasn't a gunslinger anymore. He'd faked his death, put down his guns, and left the West behind. Go East, old man. Thirty-five years later, twenty years into this new 20th century, the former Copperhead Kid had a new life with a new name, a wife, a family. His younger sister's cheap tin brooch was the only thing he'd held onto from his past, and he kept that out of sight. There was no need for anyone to remember the Copperhead Kid.

But someone did remember. 

The Kid was pushing 70 by now. Old enough to have one foot--hell, both feet--in the grave, but that had been true of the Kid for many years. Old enough to be a grandfather, but he'd started normal life late in life. He had a son, Hart, aged 29, who now lived in Harlem, and a 13-year-old daughter, Hedda, who lived with the Kid and his wife upstate. 

How do I know all of this? I'm Hedda. I was there, for the Copperhead Kid's New York adventure. Daddy just didn't know that I was there. Not yet.

I trailed Daddy to an office building in Manhattan. From my vantage point out of his line of sight, I saw him stop at a newsstand. He appeared to be angry about something he saw there.  As he disappeared into the building, I ran up and could immediately understand what had drawn his ire: a row of 10-cent story magazines--I guess they were called "pulps"--with a garish logo proclaiming The Copperhead Kid. We'd seen similar Copperhead Kid magazines--pulps--at a five-and-dime back home. 

Daddy was not pleased. That's why he came to New York: To put a stop to it.

Permanently....

Time will tell if I complete any or all of these stories for inclusion in the book. I also want to write at least one more story in my foul-mouthed rock 'n' roll science fiction comedy series Guitars Vs. Rayguns to complete this short story anthology bearing the GvR! name. I'm still targeting mid-May for publication. Stay tuned as the tweak goes on.

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.

Fake THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO Playlist: These are a few (more) of my favorite things

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl is simply too large a concept to be neatly contained within a mere three-hour weekly time slot. Hence these occasional fake TIRnRR playlists, detailing shows we're never really going to do...but could.

In the course of recording this coming Sunday night's real-world radio show, I made a few references to Slyboots' fantastic song "If We Could Let Go," naming it as my favorite individual track of 2024, one of my top five (at least!) tracks of the 2020s so far, and certainly on my all-time Hot 200.

Afterward, it occurred to me that "Hot 200" could be interpreted as faint praise, but it's not. I love a lot of songs, and I consider "If You Could Let Go" one of my many toppermost of the poppermost picks. And it then occurred to me that was a ripe subject for another imaginary TIRnRR playlist.

So! Avoiding tracks and artists listed in my recently-posted All-Time Hot 125, here's a primo playlist of still more Fave Raves. Would all of them make my all-time Hot 200? Many of them absolutely would, and each is at the very least a legit contender. We play the HITS! And here they are....

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl--y'know, the real one--airs Sunday nights from 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ 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). TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS are always welcome.

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

Fake TIRnRR Playlist: These are a few (more) of my favorite things

SLYBOOTS: If We Could Let Go

STYX: Kiss Your Ass Goodbye

THE RICHARDS: Five Personalities

DAVID RUFFIN: I Want You Back

MARY LOU LORD: Aim Low

THE STALLIONS: Why

--

THE SEARCHERS: Hearts In Her Eyes

THE FLIRTATIONS: Nothing But A Heartache

SEX CLARK FIVE: Fool I Was

SCRUFFY THE CAT: My Baby She's Alright

TWINKLE: Golden Lights

CYNDI LAUPER: I Drove All Night

--

THE GREG KIHN BAND: The Break Up Song (They Don't Write 'Em)

RIHANNA: Shut Up And Drive

DAVE DEE, DOZY, BEAKY, MICK AND TICH: Hold Tight

THE MARVELETTES: I'll Keep On Holding On

THE CREATION: Making Time

THE MC5: Kick Out The Jams

--

THE TOYS: May My Heart Be Cast Into Stone

RONNIE SPECTOR AND THE E STREET BAND: Say Goodbye To Hollywood

BILLY JOEL: An Innocent Man

SAM AND DAVE: Soul Man

DON HENLEY: Boys Of Summer

BLONDIE: (I'm Always Touched By Your) Presence, Dear

--

MARYKATE O'NEIL: I'm Ready For My Luck To Turn Around

FIRST AID KIT: America

CAST OF WEST SIDE STORY: America

PINK FLOYD: Wish You Were Here

MERLE HAGGARD: Mama Tried

TOOTS AND THE MAYTALS: Pressure Drop

--

THE LITTLE GIRLS: How To Pick Up Girls

LYRES: You Won't Be Sad Anymore

THE OHMS: License To Kill

MELANIE WITH THE EDWIN HAWKINS SINGERS: Lay Down (Candles In The Rain)

THE HUMAN SWITCHBOARD: (Say No To) Saturday's Girl

ARTHUR CONLEY: Sweet Soul Music

--

THE ZOMBIES: She Does Everything For Me

GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS: Midnight Train To Georgia

DAVID BOWIE: Life On Mars?

THE ROMANTICS: What I Like About You

THE SHIRTS: Reduced To A Whisper

JAY AND THE AMERICANS: Only In America

--

SQUEEZE: Goodbye Girl

THE HOODOO GURUS: Bittersweet

THE POLICE: Roxanne

SUGAR: If I Can't Change Your Mind

THE ISLEY BROTHERS: Got To Have You Back

JUICE NEWTON: Queen Of Hearts

THE SOFT BOYS: Queen Of Eyes

SUZI QUATRO: Tear Me Apart

--

BIG MAMA THORNTON: Hound Dog

THE ARCHIES: Jingle Jangle

THE BOB SEGER SYSTEM: 2 + 2 = ?

STARZ: Cherry Baby

THE CICHLIDS: Did You Ever

THE ROLLING STONES: Jumpin' Jack Flash

THE ENGLISH BEAT: Save It For Later

--

THE BREAKAWAYS: Walkin Out On Love

LAZARUS LIVES: The Death And Life Of Lazarus [another glimpse inside a novel in progress]

We saw the introductory section of my proposed novel Lazarus Lives here. The novel is told from the point of view of a middle-aged man named Steve, looking back on the short life and self-inflicted death of his best friend John decades ago. Memories of their 1970s teen efforts to write original comics together are central to the story, so it occurs to me that I have to try to conjure some semblance of what Steve and John were attempting to create.

Tell us about it, Steve....

We didn't know how to write comics. One could say we didn't know how to write at all, but no matter. We pooled our ideas, our concepts, our passion, our ambition into an outline for our character's introductory chapter.

THE DEATH AND LIFE OF LAZARUS

At the outskirts of a dark and foreboding urban sprawl stands a billboard, bidding cheery welcome to its denizens, its visitors, and its would-be tourists: 

ENTERING EDEN CITY

Welcome to PARADISE!

The sign had been graffitied years ago. "Don't listen to snakes!" "Try an apple! What's the worst that could happen?" "Don't blame Eve--it was Adam's fault!" And in big, bright, blood-red letters:

ABANDON ALL HOPE, YE WHO ENTER HERE

The billboard was in disrepair. No one in city government cared enough to bother maintaining it, nor even to clean up the vulgar epithets and swear words that had been spray-painted upon it. Eden wasn't Paradise. The vast, foul-smelling Eden River might as well have been the River Styx. 

Welcome to Paradise? No. Eden was Hell on Earth.

One evening, at he stroke of Midnight, a broken man climbed his way to the top of the billboard. He knew the city's promise of paradise was a lie. And it was a lie he would no longer live.

The man took one last swig from the bottle at his hip, and spit upon the dirty water below. His name was of no importance. He was of no importance. His tale of misfortune, defeat, and despair was his own, and not ours to share. Tears ran down the crags of his face. No one would miss him. No one would mourn. No one would care. He stepped off the billboard, ready for his final fall...

...And paused in mid-air.

Confused. Frightened. Suddenly sober, aware that whatever was happening to him could not possibly be happening to anyone. He kicked and flailed, an airborne performative dance lacking the joy of art or expression, a Spandau ballet somehow divorced from the finality of death.

And death was all this poor soul had sought.

He descended to the ground, slowly, almost delicately, his hysteria frozen inside him, his misery contained by walls of his own design. His tears stopped. His demeanor calmed. He stood straighter, taller.

And he faced two towering beings not of this Earthly coil.

An angel. A demon. Both female, both emanating power beyond human comprehension. The angel's face was kind, if sad. The demon scowled.

"Mortal," they spoke in unison. "You have attempted to forfeit your life. This capital sin should consign you to the fiery pits for all eternity.

"We have saved you instead. Heaven and Hell have other plans for you."

The angel spoke alone. "I am Becca, this is my sister Toxina. We come to you as emissaries of a pact between the Divine Presence's decree and the Satanic Majesty's request..."

Toxina interrupted. "Her lord God, my liege Lucifer."

Becca continued. "The judgement of your ultimate fate has been deferred. You shall serve as an Earthly agent of both eternal realms, Heaven and Hell, charged with a mission to determine other mortals' paths to salvation or damnation. You shall be judge. You shall be jury."

"And," Toxina hissed, smiling without warmth, "you shall be executioner when that task arises."

The angel and the demon spoke again as one. "You are no longer your own. You belong to us now."

A flash of...something? Not fire and brimstone, not an aura of halos and light, but something with elements of each. It lit the dismal area at the feet of Eden City's billboard. In that flash, the lost soul was transformed.

In his place stood a figure clad in red cloak, black hood, and white mask, his dark tunic emblazoned with an image of flame rendered in deepest scarlet, the flame's icon crowned with gold. The angel and the demon heralded his appearance by chanting:

The mortal is gone, his past life but dust

His spirit charged with this sacred trust

The profane and divine join in chorus

Behold our agent:

LAZARUS!

With that, the angel and demon look at each other. "The pact is sealed with a kiss." Becca's celestial lips brushed the mask of Lazarus. Lazarus could feel the sting of Toxina's teeth against his face. Then Becca and Toxina's mouths met, a kiss that lingered beyond sisterly affection.

"Judge not, mortal," Toxina growled. 

Another flash. And the scene was empty, leaving only a unique sight behind: A patch of scorched dirt, a rainbow hovering above it. Heaven, Hell, and their agent of judgement...

...LAZARUS!

Lazarus.

I snapped out of my reverie. 

It was embarrassing to recall. More than fifty years since John and I put our mutant heads together to hash this out, the memory was still fresh, still vivid, still real, or at least as real as fantasy can be. Such purple prose, such preposterous concepts, all so damned wordy for a freakin' comic book. But we meant it. We were teenagers on a mission to revolutionize comic books. We meant it. By God, we meant 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.

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.

10 SONGS: 2/18/2026

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 # 1324

MIKE BROWNING FEATURING ELENA ROGERS: Over And Under And All Around

THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO TEAM-UP! Like the first time Marvel Comics bowslinger Hawkeye joined forces with Marvel Comics bowslinger other Hawkeye, TIRnRR Fave Raves Mike Browning and Elena Rogers pool their mighty talents for the amazing, fantastic, and incredible new single "Over And Under And All Around." I can do this all day, and I can play this all day. AVENGERS ASSEMBLE!

DAVID RUFFIN: I've Got A Need For You

From a previous 10 Songs: 

"I continue to be mystified about why Motown Records didn't release David Ruffin's proposed album David in the early '70s. It's such a fantastic record, and I wish we'd been able to experience it fifty years ago...

"...Sublime stuff. It borders on heresy, but I may even prefer the tracks on David to Ruffin's classic work with the Temptations."

From the originally-unreleased David, Ruffin's exquisite take on the Jackson Five's "I Want You Back" earned a chapter in my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), and we've programmed a number of the album's other tracks at various times here on TIRnRR. Stellar, stellar album. I can't fathom what Motown execs were thinking when they shelved it. 

MICHAEL SIMMONS: America

America feels like a dream to me now.

As duly ranted here, I'm in absolute thrall to Fun Where You Can Find It, the recent all-covers album by Michael Simmons. Among its garden of earthly sweets 'n' treats, my go-to selection has become Michael's lovely and moving version of Simon and Garfunkel's "America." Much of this interest is driven by the need for comfort in the midst of the country's spiraling miasma. The song provides some of that comfort, at least to the extent that a record can provide comfort. 

GLADYS KNIGHT AND THE PIPS: I Heard It Through The Grapevine

Most music-lovers likely consider Marvin Gaye's performance of "I Heard It Through The Grapevine" definitive, and I would agree. If I understand the story right, Gaye recorded the song before Gladys Knight and the Pips did, but Gladys's "Grapevine" reached retail well before Marvin's, and it became a hit. Years ago, and for many years thereafter, I dismissed the Pips' take as too...show biz? Vegas, even? That was nonsense--nonsense!!--and I disavow my former POV as the hopelessly chuckleheaded take it was. Stupid young punk! 

WORMSTEW: Spinning

SUPERgroup! SoCal pop combo Wormstew has been around for ages honestly, originally as a solo DIY recording project for songwriter Mike Schnee. Now a trio, with the right honorable Mr. Schnee joining forces with longtime TIRnRR stalwarts Teresa Cowles and the above-mentioned Michael Simmons, Wormstew's new digital single "Spinning" heralds the release of their forthcoming album Last Days Of Loma. We're spinning! It's what good DJs do.

THE FLASHCUBES: Reminisce

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE HALF/CUBES: Whenever You're On My Mind

As we continue to bliss out with the pristine perfection of the Half/Cubes' current album Found Pearls, a long-player filled t'burstin' with nonpareil covers of underappreciated  pop pearls, my mind wanders to prolonged consideration of what other worthy source material our Half/Cubes could unearth for a hypothetical third album. It's...a long list, and I'm still adding to it as an idle exercise in delighted daydreaming. In the here and now, we're enthusiastically digging the latest single from Found Pearls, a go'geous cover of Marshall Crenshaw's "Whenever You're On My Mind," which the Half/Cubes accomplish with able assistance from Tom Teeley and Robert Crenshaw. Whenever pop music's on my mind, the Half/Cubes are THERE!

PARTHENON HUXLEY: Double Our Numbers

ALSO The Greatest Record Ever Made! We played Ballzy Tomorrow's ace cover of "Double Our Numbers" on last week's epic tribute to Parthenon Huxley. We program the original version this week. Once again: Godspeed, Parthenon.

TELEVISION: Elevation

Yet another hero passes, as This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio remembers Television bassist Fred Smith. Television's 1977 debut album Marquee Moon is rightly recognized as classic, and I've always been particularly drawn to its Side Two opener "Elevation." From its chapter in my GREM! book:

"Vertigo.

"For the disaffected and dissatisfied in 1977, no track expressed the feeling of rock music in dizzying free fall with greater menace and implied ennui as 'Elevation' by Television...

"...From Television's debut album Marquee Moon, the track 'Elevation' just fascinated me when I was 17. Fall of 1977, freshman in college, trying to finally hear all these punk or new wave or whaddayacallit bands I'd read so much about in the pages of Phonograph Record Magazine. I asked the campus radio station for help, and was rewarded with the sounds of the Ramones, Blondie, the Dictators, the Adverts, the Jam, Willie Alexander and the Boom Boom Band, the Runaways, and oh yeah!, Television. I could never get enough of this jagged, loping, serpentine noise, so mesmerizing, so different, so gratifyingly dizzying in its willful application of elevation going to my head. And staying there. Marquee Moon was among my earliest LP purchases in this broad category of NEW MUSIC circa '77 and '78. It would not be the last...."

SLYBOOTS: If We Could Let Go

The only thing more powerful than hate is love. And yes, Slyboots' "If We Could Let Go" is indeed another sterling example of The Greatest Record Ever Made! My favorite individual track of 2024 and one of my favorite tracks of the decade, we'll hear this wonderous gem again on our next show. 

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: Superhero Versus Superhero in comics acquired in the '60s, '70s, and '80s

Aw, who doesn't love a good superhero battle? Let's gather a few of those costumed crusader clashes for this week's Comic Book Cover Gallery.

Like any decent no-holds-barred wrasslin' match, this one's pretty lenient in applying the ol' rulebook. Doppelganger against doppelganger skirmishes are okay, though they need to be legit doppelgangers (like the Earth-One vs Earth-Two Superman tussle pictured above), and not involve anyone or anything pretending to be something they ain't (like the robot Spider-Man sent by Kang the Conqueror to scuffle with the Avengers):

While one could argue that real life larger-than-life superstar Muhammed Ali wasn't really a superhero, I say he was, and I further say that Superman Vs. Muhammed Ali remains one of my all-time favorite Superman stories.

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