10 SONGS: 7/10/2026

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 # 1344

ACTION SKULLS: Waiting For Day

Action Skulls are John Cowsill, Vicki Peterson, and Bill Mumy, and "Waiting For Day" is a Vicki Peterson composition from Action Skulls' 2023 album From A Running Horse. The song made its TIRnRR debut a couple of shows ago, as part of our spotlight on the music of Vicki Peterson and John Cowsill on June 21st. Great song, and since then the mighty Micky Dolenz has announced he'll be releasing his own version of "Waiting For Day" on his forthcoming six-song EP Timeless, due out in September. Micky has taste! We're very much looking forward to Micky's take on "Waiting For Day," and the news inspires an encore spin of the Action Skulls original this week. No need to wait. No need to wait at all.

BEN VAUGHN: Don't Say You Don't Wanna

While a couple of friends of this show (TIRnRR Fave Raves Dolph Chaney and Eytan Mirsky) have appeared as contestants on Jeopardy!, this is the first instance of a friend of the show being the proper response to a clue on Jeopardy! Under the category It's Silent, G, the game show's June 18th episode presented the clue, "Musician Ben or actor Vince," prompting me to yell from my couch, WHO IS VAUGHN?

I know who the actor is (though I don't know if I've ever seen any of his movies), and I for damned sure know the music of Ben Vaughn. Ben's syndicated radio show The Many Moods Of Ben Vaughn airs in Syracuse on SPARK WSPJ, the very same station that brings you the weekly rock 'n' roll adventures of Dana & Carl. We've been playing Ben's music for decades, going back to our pre-TIRnRR mid-1990s series Radio Peace. It was a kick to see the esteemed Mr. Vaughn receive a shoutout on the Alex Trebek stage.

As a freelance writer, I interviewed Ben Vaughn for Goldmine magazine in the '90s. Brett Vargo, co-host of the essential weekly classic alternative podcast Only Three Lads, has asked me to dig out and blog-post the Goldmine article I wrote from that interview. Good idea, Brett! It may not be soon, but it will be. I can't say I don't wanna.

BANDA AL9: I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend

Speaking of Only Three Lads, the assembled lads are planning a rare live O3L podcast on Sunday, July 19th, welcoming as their special guests Brazil's phenomenal pop combo Banda AL9. Let's have the lads tell you all about it:

"Join the Only Three Lads podcast for a special LIVE event featuring Brazil’s sensational pop combo Banda AL9! Celebrate the release of their new album, Hey! Hey! We’re Banda AL9, on Wicked Cool Records with a live Q&A, fun, games, and prizes.

"Known for their dazzling harmonies, retro-inspired style, and infectious melodies, Banda AL9 have quickly become one of the most exciting new acts in modern pop. Now, the Lads are bringing the Bandamania straight to you for an interactive event packed with music talk, behind-the-scenes stories, and plenty of laughs.

"Fans will get the chance to chat live with the band, test their pop culture knowledge in O3L-style games, and celebrate the launch of one of the year’s most buzzworthy releases. Whether you’re already a devoted AL9 fan or just discovering their music, this is your chance to experience the excitement firsthand.

"Don’t miss this unforgettable morning of music, mayhem, and pure BANDAMANIA!"

"Bandamania?" It's BANDAMONIUM!! In a good way. The O3L/Banda AL 9 team-up occurs July 19th at 10 AM Pacific time, aka 1:00 PM for us ahead-of-our-time New Yorkers, and is scheduled to bop its winningly boppin' way for about two hours. Details are here. Meanwhile, here's another spin of Banda AL9's supercool cover of the Rubinoos' power pop touchstone "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend." HEY! HEY! YOU! YOU! A splendid time is guaranteed for all.

BETH PEABODY: Get It Out

Last week's show debuted "Out And About," one of two tracks occupying the virtual sides of a new digital single by Beth Peabody. Both "Out And About" and "Get It Out" were written and previously recorded by the great Jim Basnight--Beth is a member of Jim's band--and we also played Jim's original "Get It Out" last week. This week, we encored Beth's "Out And About" and debuted her take on "Get It Out," and we rejoiced in the power of pop. We'll hear one of these songs again this Sunday night. Which one? We'll get it out and about at the proper time.

TRIP WIRE: Katie Says

THE WELL WISHERS: Dangerous

We got two in a row from musician Jeff Shelton! See, THAT's why this is The Best Three Hours Of Radio On The Whole Friggin' Planet! In case you were, y'know...wondering. We've been playing Jeff's fine music since the early days of TIRnRR, starting with his work with Spinning Jennies. The Well Wishers! Trip Wire! Deadlights! When Jeff Shelton hits us with a rockin' pop dba, we play that rockin' pop dba!

We debuted "Dangerous" (from the new Well Wishers album Expected Outcomes) on last week's show, and I already intended to give it another spin this week. Dana's independent pick of Trip Wire's 2020 single "Katie Says" served up the perfect spot to reprise "Dangerous." 

Because all rockin' pop radio shows should occasionally offer two in a row from Jeff Shelton. GET WITH IT, you programmers! The act of doing so provides its own reward.

ANNETTE FUNICELLO WITH THE BEACH BOYS: The Monkey's Uncle

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

THE RAMONES: Touring

The summer's here. The time is right. Let's hit the road with the Ramones.

MICHAEL SIMMONS: America

I programmed this beautiful cover of Simon and Garfunkel's "America" (as heard on Michael Simmons's superb 2025 covers album Fun Where You Can Find It) without really thinking about the fact that this week's show would air the day after July 4th. I confess I haven't felt even the merest investment in our country's 250th anniversary, simply because I don't see the current state of our union as something worth celebrating.

But I still believe in the American dream, or at least I believe in its possibility. We can be better. We can regain our commitment to being a beacon for the world, even though lately we've become more like a razzafrazzin' bug-zapper. For all who are willing to walk off to look for America--the real America--we're walking right with you. 

I'm empty and aching and I don't know why.

Sometimes I lose hope of finding it. But it's out there, waiting to be restored. Truth. Justice. No kings (other than Elvis). 

The American way. Sing it, Michael.

VICKI PETERSON AND JOHN COWSILL: Don't Look Back

Good advice. Onward.

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 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

10 SONGS: 8/18/2023

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 # 1194. This show is available as a podcast.

THE FLASHCUBES: Do Anything You Wanna Do

I've been itching to do another all-covers TIRnRR for a while. They're fun to put together, they present a deep range of programming choices (as evidenced here), and the result is always cooler'n cool. 

The August 11th release date for both the Flashcubes' incomparable new covers album Pop Masters and the new various-artists Kinks tribute album Jem Records Celebrates Ray Davies presented a no-time-like-NOW! opportunity for an all-covers rockin' pop radio show. 

Pop Masters is magnificent, an utterly ace new album from my long-time Cubic Fave Raves. The album's current single is a cover of the Motors' "Forget About You," and that was a carved-in-stone prerequisite for this week's all-covers playlist. We would not forget about that.

Still, I wanted to open the show with one of the Flashcubes' older covers: "Do Anything You Wanna Do." The 'Cubes did the song for their 2003 album Brilliant, and theirs is the definitive version. Yeah, even though Eddie and the Hot Rods' superswell original rendition earns a chapter in my long-threatened book The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). The Flashcubes' cover is even greater.

(What? Ya can't qualify an absolute? Nothing can be greater than greatest? Sorry: Objection overruled. It's what I wanna do.)

HEADGIRL: Please Don't Touch

God, this is such an irresistible steamroll through a Johnny Kidd and the Pirates tune most Americans never knew about in the first place. Hell, most of us didn't know about Headgirl, the one-time-only 1981 team-up of piledrivin' British metal groups Motörhead and Girlschool. I did hear (and dig) the Pirates' original many years ago, but I encountered the Headgirl headbang for the first time in 2021. For several days after that initial exposure, it was the ONLY track I played, over and over. I could stand to hear it again right about now. It's such an incredible, storm-the-barricades assault, yet still as pop as anything. It's as great as, like, the Ramones, and c'mon--there ain't anything as great as the Ramones! Impossible but true. I wish I knew this record decades ago.

BEN VAUGHN: My Reservation Has Been Confirmed

Ben Vaughn is a colleague, at least technically. We've never met, though I did interview him (via telephone) for Goldmine magazine in the '90s. More to the point is the fact that his weekly radio show The Many Moods Of Ben Vaughn is carried in Syracuse by our own SPARK! WSPJ. Yes! The same mutant radio outfit that brings you This Is Rock 'n' Roll Radio With Dana & Carl also serves up your recommended weekly allotment of Ben Vaughn's wireless audio mood menu. So: colleagues! Sort of.

Anyway, like the new 'Cubes album and Jem's Ray Davies tribute, the release of Ben's new covers EP Interpretations coincided with the planning for TIRnRR's covers show. Can't exclude a colleague! We opted to spin Ben's interpretation of Herman's Hermits' "My Reservation Has Been Confirmed;" independently, SPARK!'s own Rich Firestone also opted to program the track in Sunday's edition of Rich's show Radio Deer Camp. All good. We have no reservations about the appeal of a heapin' helping of Vaughn-accomplished Hermitage. Here's to our colleagues!

THE SUPREMES WITH THE FOUR TOPS: Love The One You're With

Continuing my current obsession with '70s works by the Supremes, our covers show turns to an agreeable take on Stephen Stills' "Love The One You're With." This li'l gem comes from the 1973's Dynamite, which was the third (and last) album by the combined forces of the Supremes and the Four Tops. Magnificent, and I very much prefer this to Stills' original. 

THE MIDNIGHT CALLERS: Come Dancing

From Jem Records Celebrate Ray Davies, the Midnight Callers take on one of the Kinks' two all-time biggest U.S. hits. The original Kinks version's # 6 berth on the Hot 100 matched the pop sales position of 1965's "Tired Of Waiting For You," but I think "Come Dancing" enjoyed slightly more chart dominance than its '65 predecessor. I've never disliked "Come Dancing," but it's certainly not my favorite Kinks song. Most casual fans would be amazed to learn that it outperformed "You Really Got Me," "All Day And All Of The Night," and "Lola"--the Kinks' only other U.S. Top 10 hits--but I guess that's what the Electoral College picked, or something.

The Midnight Callers do an excellent job of boppin' this one up. It's not a radical remake, but it does up the oomph factor enough for us to dig it anew. Don't be afraid--come dancing! It's only natural. And yet another track from Jem Records Celebrates Ray Davies will make its TIRnRR debut on our next show.

TIRnRR ALLSTARS: Waterloo Sunset

Well. We certainly couldn't attempt an all-covers TIRnRR without playing this, could we? Once again, we thank our friends for their support. Ray Davies was wrong. We do need our friends. And with them, we are in paradise.

AL HIRT: Green Hornet Theme

The Greatest Record Ever Made!

LIBRARIANS WITH HICKEYS: Listen, The Snow Is Falling

Librarians With Hickeys cover Yoko Ono. Because what's an all-covers playlist without an earnest attempt at Yokomania?

THE RUBINOOS: I Think We're Alone Now

The Rubinoos' splendid cover of the Tommy James and the Shondells classic "I Think We're Alone Now" just missed the Top 40 in 1977, standing alone at a peak position of # 45. It is somehow the only one of the Rubinoos' many, many superlative records to ever breach the Billboard Hot 100. The fact that the Rubinoos didn't have the long string of monumental chart hits their work merits is nothing short of a crime against music. At the very least, the Rubinoos' original song "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend" shoulda been huge. Huge.

I know I'm not alone in thinking that.

THE FLASHCUBES: Forget About You

Album of the year. Maybe single of the year, too. You should maybe oughta buy it.

If you like what you see here on Boppin' (Like The Hip Folks Do), please consider supporting this blog by becoming a patron on Patreon, or by visiting CC's Tip Jar. Additional products and projects are listed here.

Carl's new book Gabba Gabba Hey! A Conversation With The Ramones is now available, courtesy of the good folks at Rare Bird Books. Gabba Gabba YAY!! https://rarebirdlit.com/gabba-gabba-hey-a-conversation-with-the-ramones-by-carl-cafarelli/

If it's true that one book leads to another, my next book will be The Greatest Record Ever Made! (Volume 1). Stay tuned. Your turn is coming.

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.

I'm on Twitter @CafarelliCarl