Series Fun

Yes, I AM only in blogging for the money. There are dozens of dollars to be made in this lucrative field.

If necessity is the mother of invention, then the logistics of maintaining a daily blog likewise demand a certain level of inspiration on demand. It's been four years and twelve days since I committed to this cockamamie idea of posting at least one item each day in this forum, and although there are days when that instant spark of invention proves more elusive, I remain committed to that schedule. (Some would say I should be committed, but that's another story.)

For dramatic purposes, the part of a reader who says I should be committed shall be played by actress Margot Robbie

One of the things that has kept this goal within reach is my use of recurring series, like The Greatest Record Ever Made! and Virtual Ticket Stub Gallery. I debuted a new series yesterday: Didn't Hear THAT Coming! (Unexpected Covers In Concert). This series was born from my usual method when I don't have a blog subject in mind for the next day's post: I look through my vast 'n' voluminous archive of drafts in search of an idea. Among my drafts was a piece called "Unexpected Covers In Concert," which was intended to be a shortish collection of five in-concert memories where a performer surprised me with a choice of cover song. As I began writing that, I realized the initial section about The Flashcubes covering the Herman's Hermits oldie "Mrs. Brown You've Got A Lovely Daughter" was a slightly larger story than could be told in a paragraph or two. It was clear that this subject of unexpected covers was better suited to a series of separate posts rather than an all-in-one one-shot. 

So a series it became. I'm not sure how often Didn't Hear THAT Coming! will run, but I have placeholder posts set up to discuss my in-concert cover memories starring David Johansen, Let's Active, The Skeletons, Paul Revere & the Raiders, Cheap Trick, The Bangles, The Ramones, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers, The Rascals, and The Smithereens. As I think of more, I'll add 'em to my draft queue and post them as I complete them.



Tuesday marked the third weekly edition of 10 Songs, a series inspired by I Don't Hear A Single's auteur Don Valentine. These have been a blast to write, and they give me a natural segue from the weekly This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio playlist (posted each Monday) into a new week of blog posts. The reaction to these has been encouraging, and they will continue for the foreseeable future. 

I don't have any more new series planned for imminent introduction. Then again, Didn't Hear THAT Coming! wasn't planned as a series until the day before yesterday. I like to keep me guessing. 

Many of my previous series will likely return for fresh posts at some point. Some maybe sooner than others. The Everlasting First has its eye on Tarzan and The Troggs, The Best Of Everything is thinking about The Kinks, The Who, and The Rolling Stones, Comic Book Retroview has a 100-page issue of Shazam! in view, Guilt-Free Pleasures wants a look at The Partridge Family, and Love At First Spin still has a crush on an LP by The Jam. There are a lot of blog posts left for me to write. That's why Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do) is here every day. Thanks for boppin' by.

Guilt-free, guilt-free you found me....

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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, and on the web at http://sparksyracuse.org/ You can read about our history here.

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

Hey, Carl's writin' a book! The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1) will contain 100 essays (and then some) about 100 tracks, plus two bonus instrumentals, each one of 'em THE greatest record ever made. An infinite number of records can each be the greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns. Updated initial information can be seen here: THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! (Volume 1).