10 SONGS: 3/27/2026

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 # 1329

THE ANDERSONS!: From The Get-Go

SPECTRAFLAME: I Always Wanted You To Stay

We play the hits. Our little mutant radio show first invaded the airwaves at the very end of 1998, a few months after power pop force of nature the Andersons! released their debut album Separated At Birth. From that album, an insanely infectious track called "From The Get-Go" was a huge, huge favorite during TIRnRR Year One, and it still occasionally makes its winning way to our playlists even now. Our old pal Robbie Rist was a proud member of the Andersons!; the first time Dana and I appeared as guests on The Spoon (Robbie's podcast with co-hosts Chris Jackson and Thom Bowers), Robbie figured that your Dana and your Carl had probably played the Andersons! on the radio, but he wasn't for-sure certain. "Robbie," I assured him, "We were playing the Andersons! from the get-go."

HA! I slay me.

Robbie's worked with tons of artists. One of his current collaborations is with Florida's phenomenal pop combo Spectraflame, whose recent single "I Always Wanted You To Stay" has already just about locked up a berth on our year-end countdown show. Central 'Flame Steve Burgess knows how to craft and execute a pop tune, and our Robbie knows how to help him deliver it. A hit record. It stays on the playlist for our next show.

ANY TROUBLE: Playing Bogart

THE HOLLIES: Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress

Listen: If you're gonna try your hand at playing Bogart, you're gonna wind up sitting in a nest of bad men, whiskey bottles piling high. Any Trouble's "Playing Bogart" into the Hollies' "Long Cool Woman In A Black Dress" may be the most impeccable segue in TIRnRR's long history of impeccable segues. Pop noir!

DEVIL LOVE: Tell Me You Love Me

Devil Love's wonderful current single "Tell Me You Love Me" has become a welcome earworm, playing inside my delighted li'l cranium with remarkable frequency. TIRnRR airplay has not yet mirrored my love for this track, though that's just a byproduct of programming logistics; for example, I planned to play "Tell Me You Love Me" again on our next show, but it was among several selections bumped aside when the passing of Chip Taylor prompted me to wedge in five songs from the Chip Taylor songbook. Devil Love's fantastic single will be back. I tell you: I love it.

(Incidentally: The Chip Taylor tribute will include two obvious hits, one [in some circles] lesser-known album track, and two covers, one of which I mistakenly refer to on-air as the original version. Oops.)

THE SMITHEREENS: House We Used To Live In

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE SHIRTS: Starts With A Handshake

In 2025, the visionary Think Like A Key Music label released Live Featuring Annie Golden, a previously-unissued 1981 live-in-the-studio exhibition by CBGB vet'rans the Shirts. It's invigmoratin', like getting a brand-new classic Shirts record, and its track "Tears Comin' Down" made our year-end countdown show of TIRnRR's most-played tracks in 2025.

Now, Think Like A Key once again emerges from the archives with more new old Shirts. Live At Paradise 1979 preserves a Boston gig broadcast on WBCN, and it friggin' kicks, man. The album includes bravura performances of long-time TIRnRR Shirts favorites like "Tell Me Your Plans" and "Reduced To A Whisper," plus a lotta fab shots we ain't played yet. If there are still more vintage Shirts hangin' in the closet, here's hoping Think Like A Key Music can dig them out as well. And if the label could clear rights to reissue the group's two long-outta-print Capitol Records long-players (and the rest of the group's albums to boot), well, those Shirts would provide the best fit ever.

THE HALF/CUBES: Something's Gonna Happen

We have--of course!--been playing selections from the Half/Cubes' superb current album Found Pearls, as any decent rockin' pop radio outlet should. BUT! We now have a brand-new non-album Half/Cubes single, with Special Guest Bat Villain Glen Burtnik of the Weeklings taking on lead vocals for a cover of the American Breed's "Bend Me, Shape Me." That will open our next show this Sunday night.

SERGIO CECCANTI: Leave The Past, Don't Look Behind

From a previous 10 Songs:

"Our little mutant radio show has a long and rewarding history with the mighty Kool Kat Muzik label. Even before Ray Gianchetti (Mr. Kool Kat hisself) made his superfine rockin' pop imprint the home of our TIRnRR compilation albums, we've been programming Kool Kat cuts since the dawn of ever. Every new Kool Kat release is automatically under consideration for TIRnRR airplay, and almost all of them result in at least one track getting a spin on one (or more!) of our playlists. We're FANS!

"And right now, I'm a big fan of Leave The Past, Don't Look Behind, the new Kool Kat Musik release by Sergio Ceccanti. The title track is just perfect--perfect!--for the radio-ready vibe we crave, channeling a '60s garage-pop atmosphere in service of a steely-eyed determination to seek a sure-footed next step forward...."

Like Devil Love's "Tell Me You Love Me," Mr. Ceccanti's "Leave The Past, Don't Look Behind" hasn't yet received the TIRnRR exposure it deserves. But it will spin again this Sunday, and on some future Sundays thereafter. Leave the past. We'll barrel ahead from here.

THE CYNZ: Love's So Lovely

Awright, this one we HAVE been playing, and we're not stopping now. So lovely. So right. From their current album Confess, the Cynz supply the love we all need.

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.

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! The Smithereens, "House We Used To Live In"

Drawn 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!

THE SMITHEREENS: House We Used To Live In

Written by Pat DiNizio

Produced by Don Dixon

Single from the album Green Thoughts, Enigma Records, 1988

In some Greatest Record Ever Made! stories, the artists are front and center, while other such stories blend the facts behind the music with expressions of how the music affected the listener (i.e., me). The Smithereens are one of the all-time great rock 'n' roll groups, and a pair of previous GREM! entries (about "Behind The Wall Of Sleep" and "Face The World With Pride") talked about the band.

This one? This one's purely personal.

This is the house we used to live in, this is the place we used to know.

My childhood home was a place I call 308, a Cape Cod in Syracuse's Northern suburbs. It was built in the early '50s, and its only owners had been members of my family. My aunt and uncle originally secured 308 on behalf of my mom and dad, who purchased it in short order. My sister bought 308 when my dad died in 2012. My sister lives in England, and she kept the house for our mom. Mom continued to live there until it became impossible for her to do so anymore; she moved to a nursing facility in 2017. My daughter and her boyfriend (now husband) lived at 308 for a few years before buying their own house in 2022. 

Mom passed at the end of 2021. There was no longer any good reason to hold on to 308.

And so in January of 2023, we emptied 308 of its accumulated artifacts. My siblings and I kept a few scattered mementos; the rest was assigned as either donations or discards, and relocated accordingly. And then a new family--someone I have never met--took our keys and made 308 their home. 308 is still there. 

It is no longer ours.

Music and emotion go hand-in-hand. At least that's the way it is for me, and the combination builds essays and radio playlists.  In January of 2023, I opened an episode of our radio show with these words:

"I want to start things off with a note of passage, a farewell to a place that meant the world to me. It's a house in North Syracuse, a house I call 308. It was my parents' house, the house where I (in theory) grew up, and it remained a part of my life for all the decades since. I helped look after 308 throughout all the transitions this mortal life brings. 

"And now, there's one last transition, as for the first time since it was built more than 70 years ago, 308 will be owned by someone other than my family. 

"And that's okay. It's time. And it is finally time for me to say goodbye, and thank you, to 308, the house we used to live in." 

And the Smithereens sang their mournful farewell, "House We Used To Live In." 

Transitions can sting, even when they're a good thing, even when they're a necessary thing. I'll keep my memories of 308 for as long as I retain memories. It is such a weird, weird feeling to know that I will never again set foot in 308.

On January 24th of 2023, while I was at work, my wife Brenda met my sister Denise at 308 to help with the final ritual of clearing the space, cleaning, packing, shuffling its remaining castoffs to Goodwill. I joined them in the evening to complete the culling. 308 stood empty.

I took a last look in each bare, silent room, from basement to attic. I saw where our little pool table used to be, where Dad had his baseball memorabilia, where Mom had her jazz and Broadway LPs. The driveway where my brother Art's ill-fated Alfa Romeo once sat. The backyard where my brother Rob tried to teach me how to throw a football. The living room where Denise introduced me to a TV show called The Monkees. The kitchen where we ate macaroni and meatballs, and hot dogs, and beef stew, and carrot cake, and breakfast cereal, and Friday night fish fry, and so much more. My old room, where I listened to music, read comic books, tried to write, tried to draw, tried to dream. 

I remember. My memories of 308 are a kaleidoscope, a collision of colors that refuse to cede their distinct hues as time forces them--all of them--to turn to gray, no matter what vibrance they wish to retain. The brilliance remains in my mind's eye.

Our work done, our cars packed, Brenda, Denise, and I walked out of 308. We closed the door and it locked behind us. We drove away. We had driven away from 308 so many times before, always knowing we could and would return.

That was no longer true. 

I heard that the new owners have a dog, which is cool. A long time ago, we used to have a dog named Bear, and Bear was a part of our family at 308. We wish 308's new family a life of love and happiness in the house we used to live in.

Yeah, it's a weird feeling. My twinge of sadness will pass, has passed. My wealth of recollections remain. 

But it's time to let go of the rest of it. 

Here's to the house I used to live in. Here's to 308. And here's to whatever comes next.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

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.

DOWNSIZING, Part 1: LPs

I own a lot of stuff. I mean, I own a lot of stuff, much of it pretty cool stuff, at least in my biased opinion. Books. Comic books. LPs. 45s. CDs. Magazines. VHS tapes. DVDs. Blu-Rays. 8-tracks. Flexi-discs. Mini-discs (though none prerecorded). Posters. Tchotches of all size and description. 

And as much as I love my stacks and stacks and stacks of stuff, I have too much. Downsizing is imperative. Although I expect to remain in this world for quite some time to come, and I further plan to keep adding new stuff at will, I don't want my daughter to have to clean up my amassed stuff when the time finally comes for me to exit. I'm going to get rid of at least some of my stuff in the here and now.

I've always purged items from my collection. Starting before the pandemic, I began getting a little more ruthless in my culling. I sold a large percentage of my comic books. I sold a lot of my books (which are the most difficult thing for me to let go of). I sold a bunch more books last year and this year, and I also sold roughly two-fifths of my LP and 12" single collection.

This is all that's left:

I no longer buy vinyl, and I very, very rarely play the vinyl I have. It was time. I still have a lot, including cherished keepsakes like a KISS album my sister gave me, another KISS album my parents gave me, an Elvis Costello and the Attractions album my girlfriend (and eventual wife) gave me, a bunch of records that have never been issued on CD, and various I'm hangin' on to THESE works by the Beatles, the Ramones, and the Flashcubes. And more. There's still a great deal of MORE!! here.

Just a little less MORE!! than there used to be. I'll turn my attention to further downsizing my comic books and CDs in the near future. 

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

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: Music-related issues acquired in the '60s, '70s, and '80s (with one side trip to 2016)

Over the course of my 66 years spent here on your (intermittently) charming little planet, my two main passions have been music and comics. My interest in the rock and the roll predates the Beatles' conquest of America in 1964, as my three-to-four-year-old self bopped to Chubby Checker, Sam Cooke, Gene Pitney, Eydie Gorme, and the Four Seasons before Britmania ensued thereafter. I was also into TV superheroes Superman and Flash Gordon (and even enjoyed the occasional Superman comic book) prior to the 1966 Batman TV series making me a dyed-in-the-wool funnybook fan. So why not combine those passions for this week's Comic Book Cover Gallery?

Gaps in my memory and gaps in my collection make this gallery incomplete. For example, I never owned a copy of The Cowsills' Harvey Comics one-shot, and I can't remember which relevant issues of Archie, Mad House Glads, or Josie And The Pussycats I did or didn't have. This LP will have to stand in for those selections:

And, of course, my favorite rockin' comics crossover (a book I talked about here) falls outside the timeline. The 2016 publication of Archie Meets Ramones was one of the very few times I picked up multiple copies of an issue just to own variant covers.

(A few years later, Archie Meets Ramones writer Alex Segura was kind enough to provide a blurb on behalf of my 2023 book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones. Much obliged, Alex!)

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.

And finally, although it's not evident on the covers, this three-issue 1988 serial from Detective Comics # 587-589 is loaded with music references, from the New York Dolls to the Flamin' Groovies. At one point, Batman angrily switches off the Batmobile's radio when KISS comes on.

Man. Even Dark Knights are critics nowadays.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider a visit to CC's Tip Jar. 

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.