Sunday, September 13, 2026

This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio # 1353

This week's extravaganza opens with "Overwhelmed By Reality," the latest supercool single from the mighty Perilous. In addition to its status as another righteous rock 'n' roll ripper from these ever-reliable TIRnRR fave raves, the title itself serves as my own status update.

Overwhelmed by reality? Yeah, that sums me up pretty succinctly nowadays. I don't want to do anything. I don't even feel like writing, and I usually love writing. I disagree with Dorothy Parker's POV of disliking the act of writing and only digging the result of having written. Man, I enjoy the process of writing, and I am my own biggest fan. But the spark isn't sufficiently there at the moment. It's not writer's block; I know how to deal with that. It's a lack of motivation. It's a feeling of defeat.

I also know that bad guys win when good guys give in or give up. I may not quite qualify as a good guy, and writing about pop music or superheroes falls far short of even a minimal threshold for truly fighting the good fight. But living is an act of defiance. Enjoying life and love and art and community is de facto resistance. Surrender bad; perseverance good. Our path to overcoming a seemingly overwhelming reality begins by moving forward, in whatever incremental step is within our capability.

These are the incremental steps in my immediate view. This week, I'll be appearing on The Spoon podcast with Robbie Rist, Chris Jackson, and Thom Bowers to talk about my books, and probably about navigating our current road to ruin. I'm going to try to restart and continue work on my next book. I'm going to walk hand-in-hand with my wife, I'm going to play music, and I'm going to dance, because oppressors just hate it when we dance. 

And when early voting commences in New York next month, my ballot will be straight BLUE, no matter who. It's time WE overwhelm THEM. 

In the meantime, we got songs! 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 new book Guitars Vs. Rayguns!! Short Stories And Other White Lies is available! Read about it 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 # 1353: 9/13/2026
TIRnRR FRESH SPINS! Songs we think we ain’t played before are listed in bold

PERILOUS: Overwhelmed By Reality (single)
NICK LOWE: Nutted By Reality (Yep Roc, Jesus Of Cool)
MARVIN GAYE AND TAMMI TERRELL: Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing (Motown, VA: Hitsville USA: The Motown Singles Collection 1959-1971)
BLONDIE: Kung Fu Girls [Take 8] (Numero, Against The Odds: 1974-1982)
CHRISTINA JEAN AND HER ALL-STARS: Teenage Kicks (Rum Bar, single)
VIOLENT FEMMES: Blister In The Sun (Beyond, Viva Wisconsin)
--
THE KENNEDYS: Girl On A Motorcycle (The Kennedys, Smoketree)
THE HOLLIES: Carrie Anne (EMI, All The Hits And More: The Definitive Collection)
THE VIBEKE SAUGESTAD BAND: Last Days Of Summer (Rum Bar, The Sun Sessions)
MARY LOU LORD: Driven Away (Fire, She'd Be A Diamond)
THE CYNZ: Neighborhood Bully (Jem, VA: Jem Records Celebrates Bob Dylan)
JOAN JETT: Wooly Bully (Blackheart, Bad Reputation)
--
COCKTAIL SLIPPERS: Back Where You Belong (Wicked Cool, Joyride)
DEBBIE DUVEEN AND THE MILLBANKS: Don't Belong (Woronzow, Neon Classic)
THE KINKS: This Is Where I Belong (Sanctuary, The Anthology 1964-1971)
THE QUICK: It Won't Be Long (Real Gone Music, Mondo Deco)
TOM PETTY AND THE HEARTBREAKERS: I Don't Belong (Reprise, An American Treasure)
--
GARY CALAMAR: She's So Mid-Century (Big Stir, Odd Numb3rs And Slanted Rhymes)
LUIS FONSI/ELVIS COSTELLO AND THE ATTRACTIONS: Tu Eres Para Mi [You Belong To Me] (Universal, Spanish Model)
LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: 1972 (Big Stir, single)
THE ENGLISH BEAT: Two Swords (IRS, I Just Can't Stop It)
JOHN LARSON: Let's Kiss And Break Up (Shiny Fly, Wonder Over Worry)
THE KNACK: Can I Borrow A Kiss (Rhino, Zoom)
--
TA-80: Two Slices Of Bread (single)
ROB MOSS AND SKIN-TIGHT SKIN: Black Glitter (single)
THE BANGLES: Glitter Years (Columbia, Everything)
SIR PRIZE AND THE TOMORROW KNIGHTZ: Illuminaughty (n/a, Glitter Gum And Bubble Pop)
THE EQUALS: Police On My Back (Ice, First Among Equals)
THE JAC (INTERNATIONAL EDITION): Are You Ever Coming Back (single)
--
DEAN LANDEW: Sayin' Goodbye To My Crazy Days (DRL, single)
JOE JACKSON: Beat Crazy (A & M, Steppin' Out: The Very Best Of Joe Jackson)
SPECTRAFLAME: The Look In Your Eyes (single)
ROXY MUSIC: Angel Eyes (Atco, Manifesto)
DARRELL BANKS: Angel Baby (Don't You Ever Leave Me) (Sepia Tone, Darrell Banks Is Here!)
THE GRIP WEEDS: Before I Close My Eyes (Ground Up, House Of Vibes Revisited)
--
The Greatest Record Ever Made!
DAVID RUFFIN: I Want You Back (Hip-O Select, David Ruffin--The Unreleased Album)
THE PRETENDERS: Back Down (Rhino, Pirate Radio 1979-2005)
RADIO DAYS: Keep Me Straight (Wild Honey, Off The Record)
MATTHEW SWEET AND SUSANNA HOFFS: Back Of A Car (Shout Factory, Under The Covers Vol. 2)
SKOOSHNY: Crossing Double Lines (Think Like A Key Music, The Recordings 1971-1981)
THE WELL WISHERS: Back Of The Line (n/a, Expected Outcomes)
--
GLENN ERB: Foggy Clouds (single)
THEE HEADCOATEES: Give It To Me (Damaged Goods, The Kids Are All Square--This Is Hip & Girlsville)
THE RAMONES: I Can't Give You Anything (Rhino, Rocket To Russia)
THE MUFFS: My Mind's Eye (Sympathy For The Record Industry, Hamburger)
THE HALF/CUBES: The Mighty Quinn (Jem, VA: Jem Records Celebrates Bob Dylan)
THE 'B' GIRLS: Fun At The Beach (Other Peoples Music, Who Says Girls Can't Rock)
JOE GIDDINGS: Tonite Tonite (Kool Kat Musik, Stories With Guitars)
PEARL HARBOR AND THE EXPLOSIONS: Black Slacks (Blixa Sounds, Pearl Harbor & the Explosions)
--
RADIO KARMA: Sweetheart Deal (n/a, We Were Gods)
SHOUT OUT LOUDS: Oh, Sweetheart (Bud Fox Recordings, Howl Howl Gaff Gaff)
THE MONKEES: Love To Love (Rhino, Good Times!)
SPEEDFOSSIL: Sweetheart (Sonic Escort, Room With A VU, Vol. 1)
THE FOUR TOPS: Reach Out I'll Be There (Motown, The Ultimate Collection)
SPITBALLS: Way Over There (Castle, Home Of The Hits/The Beserkley Records Story
[REDACTED] FEATURING [REDACTED]: [REDACTED] (Big Stir, single)
THE BEATLES: Dizzy Miss Lizzie [live] (Apple, The Beatles At The Hollywood Bowl)
--
PERILOUS: Rock & Roll Runaway (single)

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