Monday, March 10, 2025

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1276


We're told the Grim Reaper doesn't play favorites, and he doesn't take requests. Hemingway warned us that this world kills the very good and the very gentle and the very brave impartially. It's for damned sure that it kills our heroes.

Most fans knew that both Joey Molland and David Johansen had been ill, so I can't say the news of their passing was a surprise. It's still a rabbit punch, as we bid farewell to a pair of artists that were so different from each other and yet both were of such enormous importance in the creation of this show's rockin' pop DNA, particularly for their work as members of Badfinger and the New York Dolls respectively.

I've written in the past about Badfinger (here), about Johansen and the Dolls (here and here), and I'll have a bit more to say about Johansen within a few days. For now, we play the music, we mourn, and we remember.

Love is gonna come at last. Babylon. Rainy day man. Cool metro. Got to get out of here. Lookin' for a kiss. No matter what. Personality crisis. This is what rock 'n' roll radio sounded like on another Sunday night in Syracuse this week,

(And if you missed it, it plays again Monday night at 9 pm Eastern.)

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. Recent shows are archived at 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). 

TAX DEDUCTIBLE DONATIONS are always welcome.

Carl's new 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, OR an autographed copy here. 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 # 1276: 3/9/2025
TIRnRR FRESH SPINS! Tracks we think we ain't played before are listed in bold.

DAVID JOHANSEN: Cool Metro (Razor & Tie, David Johansen)
BADFINGER: Got To Get Out Of Here (Real Gone Music, Wish You Were Here)
THE OPEN MIND: Magic Potion (Rhino, VA: Nuggets II)
THE CYNZ: Heartbreak Time (Jem, single)
THE BEVIS FROND: He'd Be A Diamond (Woronzow, New River Head)
--
NATURAL GAS: I've Been Waitin' (Renaissance, Natural Gas)
THE ARTWOODS: Things Get Better (RPM, Steady Gettin' It: The Complete Recordings 1964-67)
THE NEW YORK DOLLS: Fishnets & Cigarettes (Roadrunner, One Day It Will Please Us To Remember Even This)
THE THREE O'CLOCK: With A Cantaloupe Girlfriend (Rhino, VA: Children Of Nuggets)
THE BARRACUDAS: Violent Times (Voxx, Drop Out With The Barracudas)
--
MICHAEL C. MITSCH: I Don't Want To Waste Another Day (single)
JOHN AND MARY: I Became Alone (Rykodisc, Victory Gardens)
PARANOID LOVESICK: Icicles (Copper, VA: Come And Get It--A Tribute To Badfinger)
THE DREAM SYNDICATE: Tell Me When It's Over (Rhino, VA: Children Of Nuggets)
DAVID JOHANSEN AND ROBIN JOHNSON: Flowers In The City (RSO, VA: Times Square OST)
THE LA'S: There She Goes (Rhino, VA: Children Of Nuggets)
--
THE LONELY BULLS: Never Say Goodbye (Kool Kat Musik, The Lonely Bulls)
LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: Out Of Your Hair (Big Stir, How To Make Friends By Telephone)
LES HANDCLAPS: Goodbye (Handclaps, Sessions: Brooklyn)
JOEY MOLLAND: Better Tomorrow (Omnivore, Be True To Yourself)
THE NEW YORK DOLLS: Who Are The Mystery Girls? (Mercury, Rock 'N Roll)
--
CLIFF HILLIS: Things You Can't Erase (Kool Kat Musik, VA: Pop Aid 2)
MARY HOPKIN: Goodbye (Apple, Come And Get It: The Best Of Apple Records)
DAVID JOHANSEN: She (Razor & Tie, In Style)
NEW ORDER: Dreams Never End (Factory, Movement)
JOE GIDDINGS: Tonite, Tonite (Kool Kat Musik, Stories With Guitars)
BADFINGER: Love Is Gonna Come At Last (Permanent Press, Airwaves)
--
JOEY MOLLAND: Rainy Day Man (Omnivore, Be True To Yourself)
THE HOLLIES: King Midas In Reverse (EMI, All The Hits And More: The Definitive Collection)
THE COCKTAIL SLIPPERS: You Do Run (Wicked Cool, Live At Blaker Festival Norway [single])
THE NEW YORK DOLLS: Trash (Mercury, Rock 'N Roll)
--
The Greatest Record Ever Made!
DAVID JOHANSEN: Frenchette (Razor & Tie, David Johansen)
GENE CLARK WITH THE GOSDIN BROTHERS: The French Girl (Sundazed, Gene Clark With The Gosdin Brothers)
THE BEATLES: Michelle (Apple, Rubber Soul)
BADFINGER: Love Is Easy (Real Gone Music, Badfinger)
THE KNACK: Your Number Or Your Name (Capitol, Get The Knack)
--
JOEY MOLLAND: You Make Me Sick (Rykodisc, The Pilgrim)
DAVID JOHANSEN: Melody (Razor & Tie, In Style)
GEORGE HARRISON: What Is Life (Apple, All Things Must Pass)
THE DAVID JOHANSEN GROUP: Babylon (Epic, The David Johansen Group Live)
JOHN LENNON: Jealous Guy (Apple, Imagine)
THE DAVID JOHANSEN GROUP: Lookin' For A Kiss (Epic, The David Johansen Group Live)
JOEY MOLLAND: All I Do Is Cry (Omnivore, Be True To Yourself)
MEDLEY:
THE NEW YORK DOLLS: Personality Crisis (Mercury, Rock 'N Roll)/BUSTER POINDEXTER AND HIS BANSHEES OF BLUE: Hot Hot Hot (RCA, Buster Poindexter)
BADFINGER: No Matter What (Apple, No Dice)
--
JOEY MOLLAND'S BADFINGER: Baby Blue (Gonzo, Without You--Live In Sellersville, Philadelphia 2010)
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Sunday, March 9, 2025

Tonight On THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO

We remember JOEY MOLLAND and DAVID JOHANSEN. We'll also have new tracks from MICHAEL C. MITSCH and THE COCKTAIL SLIPPERS, a new archival release from THE LONELY BULLS, another track from POP AID 2, and lotsa full-on greatness by THE FLASHCUBES, THE CYNZ, SORROWS, THE BARRACUDAS, THE DREAM SYNDICATE, PARANOID LOVESICK, SQUEEZE, LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS, JOE GIDDINGS, THE HOLLIES, THE YACHTS, THE KNACK, and more. We will surround all of it with Joey and David Jo, each as solo artists, each with BADFINGER and THE NEW YORK DOLLS respectively, and each performing under other rockin' pop DBAs. No matter what, we're lookin' for a kiss. Sunday night, 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, https://sparksyracuse.org/, streaming on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. The weekend stops HERE!

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Saturday, March 8, 2025

Eso Bezos

I will be among those observing the one-week boycott of Amazon, a boycott which began yesterday and continues until March 14th. The only Amazons I intend to support during this time are Wonder Woman and her sisters-in-arms.

How much good will it do? Possibly none. But even a symbolic action is at least slightly better than no action at all. The timing further compromises the effectiveness of my boycott: I'm an Amazon Prime member, my membership is already paid for the year, and I haven't reached a decision about canceling it outright.

Yep--pretty namby-pamby boycott, I realize. I've been trying to think of alternatives to Amazon, and maybe I will terminate my membership next year. But I'm not quite there just yet.

I do use Amazon for things I've had difficulty purchasing locally, but I will continue to investigate alternative methods. The only books I buy from Amazon are specific used books, and I don't buy those all that often. For new books, I buy comics-related titles from Comix Zone in North Syracuse and nearly everything else from Parthenon Books. For CDs, I favor buying directly from the artist or from Bandcamp, but I often wind up at Amazon for music not easily obtained through my preferred means. For new CDs, I should start placing more special orders through a local vendor; I've been lazy about that, and I need to do better. Used CDs are tougher, but perhaps not impossible.

Digital downloads are another matter. I have Apple Music, but I like to own tracks rather than just streaming them. QUESTION: For mp3 tracks not available through Bandcamp, is there a viable legal (and less socially oppressive) alternative to Apple and Amazon? If so, I'd love to hear about it. I rarely go a week without buying at least one digital track from Amazon, but I'm more than willing to make those purchases from another resource instead.

I've been watching Pop Culture Jeopardy! on Prime Video. I won't miss it for a week. Maybe I'll find I can do without it entirely. Symbolic gesture. But it goes well with the single-finger gesture I offer to the odious forces that brought us to this point in the first place.

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Friday, March 7, 2025

10 SONGS: 3/7/2025

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 # 1275

STAR COLLECTOR: I Feel You
DAVE COPE AND THE SASS: Starlight
THRIFT STORE HALO: Do You Still Feel Like I Do?


Superb music for a worthy cause. Our friends at Kool Kat Musik have assembled Pop Aid 2, an irresistible various-artists compilation to benefit American Red Cross relief efforts for those affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. We are delighted to support this project, and I've ordered my own physical copy. This week we start our on-air support of Pop Aid 2 with selections by Star Collector, Dave Cope and the Sass, and Thrift Store Halo. We'll hear another track from Pop Aid 2 on our next show.

ROBERTA FLACK: Killing Me Softly With His Song

When news broke that Roberta Flack had died, my wife wondered whether or not Dana and I would consider any of Flack's work sufficiently within this little mutant radio show's hypothetical format. No worries; I've always loved "Killing Me Softly With His Song," and I gave it a chapter in my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1):

"...Roberta Flack's 1973 hit "Killing Me Softly With His Song" presents a haunting mix of smooth 'n' silky delivery with an exposed vulnerability bordering on the outer suburbs of paranoia. It was an unforgettable component of my prime AM radio-listening era...."

And I say it fits in perfectly with whatever the hell it is that we do here. Rest in peace, Ms. Flack. 

THE CYNZ: Heartbreak Time

New music from the Cynz?. Yes, please. From their forthcoming album, "Heartbreak Time" joins previous TIRnRR Fave Rave "Woman Child" as an effective shill for the next Cynz long-player. "Heartbreak Time" crushes its TIRnRR debut this week, and it spins again on the radio in Syracuse this coming Sunday night.

(I don't think the Cynzs have made a public announcement of the title for their new album. I say it should be Forgive Us Father, We Have CYNZ!! Rock 'n' roll absolution awaits.)

THE HALF/CUBES: The Girl
HARMONIC DIRT: Tumbleweeds
MODAFFERI: Raw Foundation

The SAMMYs (Syracuse Area Music Awards) are tonight, and each of the above albums has been nominated for an award. The Half/Cubes' Pop Treasures is up for recognition in the Best Rock category, Harmonic Dirt's Tumbleweeds is in Best Americana, and Modafferi's The Production is in Best Alternative. All great choices, well worthy of acclaim. The Half/Cubes' remake of the Rubinoos' pop treasure "The Girl" has the added oomph of studio assistance from members of the 'Rubes themselves.

And we've been playing all of these on TIRnRR. Dana and I grew up hearing Syracuse music on the radio, AM and FM, seeing local bands in clubs, buying their 45s, cassettes, LPs, and CDs at area record stores. Syracuse is a great place to be a fan of music. Best of luck to the Half/Cubes, Harmonic Dirt, and Modafferi, and we hope to see to a bunch of Syracuse music fans at the SAMMYs tonight.

(Dana and I will be among the celebrity presenters at this year's SAMMYs, proving once again that Syracuse has a very loose definition of "celebrity." The SAMMYs take place at The Palace Theatre on James Street, with doors opening at 6 pm and show commencing at 7 pm. If you can't be there in person, you can see the free livestream at the SAMMYS Facebook page.)

THE GO-GO'S: We Got The Beat

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

BADFINGER: Keep Believing

This week's show was already fully programmed and recorded before we learned of the passing of Badfinger's Joey Molland. It will surprise no one that we happened to have a Badfinger track on this playlist anyway. 

"Keep Believing" comes to us from the recent release of Badfinger's previously-unreleased 1974 album Head First. Like most of Badfinger's best-known songs ("No Matter What," "Baby Blue," and "Day After Day"), "Keep Believing" was written by Pete Ham. Molland was no longer in the band by this time. We'll put a specific spotlight on Molland's work on our next show, and we'll also salute the late, great New York Dolls frontdoll David Johansen. 

It pains us to have to bid farewell to so many of our heroes so goddamned often. Nevertheless: We keep believing.

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. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

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Thursday, March 6, 2025

THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO: Another updated list of Featured Performers


This is a (presumably) complete list of all groups, singers, musicians, and/or pop wunderkind that have ever been a Featured Performer or Personality on THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO with Dana & Carl. When we have a Featured Performer, that performer is played at least once per set in that week's show, which generally means a minimum of eight or nine tracks in a three-hour show (and often more than that). Our first Featured Performer was the Kinks, who remain the only act to ever take over an entire episode of TIRnRR; in fact, we have now done TWO all-Kinks shows. This list will continue to expand as we program more Featured Performers and Personalities on future shows.

TIRnRR FEATURED PERFORMERS/PERSONALITIES

1.4.5.
Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass
The Animals
The Archies
Paul Armstrong
Burt Bacharach and Hal David
The Bandwagon/Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon
The Bangles
Syd Barrett/Pink Floyd
Jim Basnight
The Bay City Rollers [2 times]
The Beach Boys
The Beatles [3 times]
Jeff Beck
Chuck Berry
The Bevis Frond
Big Star
Simone Berk
Hal Blaine
Joe Bompczyk
David Bowie
The Buzzcocks
Glen Campbell
Eric Carmen
Ducky Carlisle
The Catholic Girls
Alex Chilton
The Dave Clark Five [3 times]
The Clash
Gene Clark/The Byrds
Cocktail Slippers
Paul Collins


Justine Covault
Cotton Mather
The Cowsills
The Creation
David Crosby
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich
Devo
The Dickies
Dog Party
Micky Dolenz


Fats Domino
Tommy Dunbar
The Dukes of Stratosphear
The Easybeats
The English Beat
The Equals
The Everly Brothers
The Flamin' Groovies
The Flashcubes [9 times]
The Fleshtones
Gary Frenay
The Bobby Fuller Four
Game Theory
Go Home Productions
The Go-Go's
Lesley Gore
Rachael Gordon
The Grip Weeds [2 times]
George Harrison [3 times]
Herman's Hermits
John Hiatt
The Hollies
Buddy Holly
The Hoodoo Gurus
Parthenon Huxley/P. Hux
In Deed
The Isley Brothers
Joe Jackson [2 times]
The Jam
Jefferson Airplane [2 times]
The Jellybricks

Joan Jett
David Johansen
Davy Jones
Tommy Keene
Scott Kempner
Greg Kihn
The Kinks [3 times]
KISS [3 times]
The Knack [2 times]
The Knickerbockers
Arthur Lee/Love [2 times]
John Lennon [5 times]
Circe Link
Roy Loney and the Phantom Movers
Nick Lowe
Lyres
Mad Monster Party
The Marlowes
Adam Marsland/Cockeyed Ghost
Norm Mattice [1.4.5./The Richards/Dress Code]
Paul McCartney [4 times]
Joey Molland
The Monkees [8 times]
Michael Nesmith [2 times]
Andy Paley
The Pandoras
The Partridge Family
Irene Peña
The Pengwins
Pezband
Wilson Pickett
Gene Pitney
Pop Co-Op
The Poptarts
The Pretenders
Prince
Suzi Quatro
C. J. Ramone
Joey Ramone
Johnny Ramone
Marky Ramone
The Ramones [2 times]
The Raspberries
Lou Reed/The Velvet Underground


Paul Revere and the Raiders
The Rolling Stones
The Romantics
The Rubinoos
The Runaways
Kelley Ryan/astroPuppees
Screen Test
The Searchers
Bob Seger
The Sex Pistols
Kim Shattuck
The Shocking Blue
Shoes
The Small Faces
The Smithereens [2 times]
Squeeze [2 times]

Ronnie Spector
The Spinners
The Spongetones
Ringo Starr
Gary Stewart
Steve Stoeckel
Sweet
Shel Talmy
Johnny Thunders
Peter Tork
The Tragically Hip
The Trend
The Turtles
Dwight Twilley
The Dwight Twilley Band
Fritz Van Leaven
Vegas With Randolph
Chris von Sneidern

Mary Weiss/The Shangri-Las [2 times]
Lou Whitney/The Skeletons/The Morells
The Who
John Wicks/The Records [2 times]
X-Ray Spex [2 times]
XTC
The Zombies [2 times]

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. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

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Wednesday, March 5, 2025

THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! A weekly feature on THIS IS ROCK 'N' ROLL RADIO [updated list]

The pop noir genius of Todd Alcott

Time for another update on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio's weekly Greatest Record Ever Made! feature.

With the publication of my book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), some of the GREM! pieces linked below have been removed from this blog for the time being; I'm told it's because of something about free milk and a cow, but I don't understand dairy farming. They'll be back...someday. In the mean time, y'know, BUY THE BOOK!!

Here's the weekly GREM! story so far:

In 2022, we started doing The Greatest Record Ever Made! as a (nearly) weekly feature on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio. Here's an updated list of the weekly GREM!s so far. More to come. Some of these will (I hope) appear someday in my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1), some will not, and one--the Ramones' "I Don't Want To Grow Up"--appears RIGHT NOW in my book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones.

Each update gives me another chance to share some of Todd Alcott's brilliant images of classic rock 'n' roll songs reimagined as pulp paperbacks. I need to devote a full post to Alcott's work one of these days (or nights). Meanwhile, you can visit his site and buy some stuff. 


And here's a reprise of what I previously wrote about TIRnRR's weekly GREM! series:

An infinite number of tracks can each be THE greatest record ever made, as long as they take turns.

In 2022, with an eye toward mining the vast resource of material prepared for my ongoing concept The Greatest Record Ever Made!, we started doing a weekly GREM! feature on This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl.

Part of the motivation here was, frankly, an effort to cut a tiny little corner in writing my weekly 10 Songs column. See, laziness is the mother of invention. Deciding that one 10 Songs entry each week could be a link to a previously-written Greatest Record Ever Made! piece meant that I only hadda write about nine songs. FREEDOM!

But a weekly feature also enhances the show itself. Prior to this, it had been a very long time since we had any specific weekly feature on TIRnRR. There used to be a weekly Forgotten Original!, there was a weekly Mystery 45! (where Dana grabbed a single from his collection and played it without previewing it), there was a very brief flirtation with Unsafe At Any Speed! (playing a record back at something other than its intended rpm), and I think we even may have had a weekly GREM! feature at some point. Maybe not. Maybe.

But these were all many years ago. The tentative beginning of our current weekly GREM! feature was in February of 2022, when we played Dusty Springfield's "I Only Want To Be With You" on our February 6th show, and then followed with "Thank You, Girl" by the Beatles the next week. Then, in typical fashion, I completely forgot about the idea for a few weeks.

Pretty quick work, right?

GREM! resumed as a weekly thingie at the end of March in 2022, and continued thereafter. It skips a week every so often...but not very often. Anyway, here's a list of all of 'em so far. I think the only one we repeated was "That Thing You Do!" by teen sensations the Wonders. Please be aware that I am not under oath. 

But we played them all on the radio. It's our own ongoing contribution to the infinite.

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio with Dana & Carl airs Sunday nights, 9 to Midnight Eastern, on the air in Syracuse at SPARK! WSPJ 103.3 and 93.7 FM, streaming at sparksyracuse.org and on the Radio Garden app as WESTCOTT RADIO. The weekend stops HERE!


THE GREATEST RECORD EVER MADE! The Weekly TIRnRR Featured Songs [updated list]

SOUTHSIDE JOHNNY AND THE ASBURY JUKES: I Don't Want To Go Home

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. Recent shows are archived at Westcott Radio. You can read about our history here.

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