Live at THE LOST HORIZON in Syracuse, November 7th: A MUSICAL TRIBUTE IN MEMORY OF PAUL ARMSTRONG of THE FLASHCUBES

On Saturday, November 7th, fans and participants representing the Syracuse power pop and new wave rock 'n' roll scene that THE FLASHCUBES ignited in the late '70s will gather at Syracuse's original home of rock 'n' roll THE LOST HORIZON to pay loud and heartfelt tribute to the late, great PAUL ARMSTRONG. 

In his brash capacity as a guitarist and general spark plug for the audacious energy of the Flashcubes, Paul Armstrong was a key figure in the history of Syracuse rock 'n' roll, and the impact he and his brother Flashcubes GARY FRENAY, ARTY LENIN, and TOMMY ALLEN have had upon my life and work is damned near beyond measure. As we bid farewell to Paul Armstrong, you can be damned sure we're gonna put on a tribute show that would make PA proud.

And to do that, a bunch of performers who loved Paul and shared his passion for three chords and a cloud of dust will gather at the Lost for a full-volume celebration of his legacy. We'll have live sets by AMERIKAN PRIMITIVE, PERILOUS, Boston's DRIVIN' SISTERS (with SAL BAGLIO, MIKE GENT, and ANTHONY KACZYNSKI), 1.4.5. SURVIVORS, THE JOHNNY THUNDERS ORCHESTRA, THE WAX MUSEUM host RONNIE DARK, Syracuse's favorite son TOM KENNY, and THE FLASHCUBES WITH MARK DOYLE. Your emcees will be DANA AND CARL, and we promise the sort of bright-lights bonanza that Paul Armstrong would have dug the most.

TICKETS ARE ON SALE NOW! It's possible there will still be tickets available at the door...but given the response so far, I would not recommend waiting. This one's for PAUL ARMSTRONG. And it's gonna be as loud as he was. YOU should join us. Got no mind? WE don't mind!

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! Cyndi Lauper, "I Drove All Night"

Drawn from a previous post, 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!

CYNDI LAUPER: I Drove All Night

Written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly

Produced by Cyndi Lauper and Lennie Petze

Single from the album A Night To Remember, Epic Records, 1989

Is 1989's "I Drove All Night" my favorite Cyndi Lauper track? Yeah, I believe it is. And that's not faint praise; I think Cyndi's great, and I love her big smash hit records, including "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun," and especially "Time After Time." I think the first time I heard the latter was when she appeared on The Tonight Show in 1984, delivering an electrifying performance of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" and then topping it with a dramatic rendition of "Time After Time." Watching it on my little black and white TV, my jaw dropped. I was impressed, and I believe Johnny Carson also approved. Smart guy, that Carson. Robert Klein seemed to agree, too. Another smart guy!

Memory suggests The Tonight Show also introduced me to "I Drove All Night" a few years later. Hey, who needs radio when ya got Johnny Carson? Whether my first exposure or a reinforcement of established bias, Lauper's "I Drove All Night" knocked me out. Songwriters Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly originally crafted the song for Roy Orbison, and that intent is evident in the song's only-the-lonely DNA even if you've never heard Orbison's own splendid, posthumously-released version. Lauper owns it anyway; can't say that about many Orbison numbers performed by artists who weren't Roy razzafrazzin' Orbison.

In both the Lauper and Orbison performances, "I Drove All Night" just simmers with controlled desire, an earthly passion--burning up inside--accompanying a pristine love, impossible to resist, even if one were foolish enough to want to resist in the first place. Its consummation is sweet and well-earned.

Lauper's best track? 

Yes. Don't argue with the driver.

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

COMIC BOOK COVER GALLERY: October cover dates acquired in the '60s, '70s, and '80s

We're back for another Comic Book Cover Gallery celebration of comic books whose covers proclaim a shared calendar month. The claimed cover date was almost always some time later than the actual date of publication--those comics companies were a bunch of lovable li'l rascals, weren't they?--but today that practice gives us an excuse to slap together some funnybooks that self-identify as October releases.

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.  

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

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 TRAMMPS: 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