"Do you expect me to talk?"

Ok, I laughed at #1. What else would have been expected?

What else would have been expected?

Death, obviously...

I am hoping someone will decide to air Zardoz this week.

Funny Zardoz costume: https://cdn.ebaumsworld.com/mediaFiles/picture/2183782/86263139.jpg

i liked james bond as a kid, the movies haven't aged well IMHO.

his five best non-bond films, ranked:

1. 'the hill' -- connery as a tough guy WWII soldier in a brutal middle eastern stockade for punching an officer. it's a very raw viewing experience.

all the others are roughly the same.

'untouchables' -- his performance is the only saving grace of a dumb movie that plays fast and loose with the facts of eliot ness and al capone.

'marnie' -- watched it so long ago but i'm pretty sure i liked it. it was a hitchcock film and his performance was praised.

'the man who would be king' -- worth a watch for sure, connery and caine are a great combo. huston is our greatest underrated director.

'entrapment' -- a little dated, but once again he demonstrates how well he works with certain actors, in this case his matchup with zeta-jones is delightful.


mild recommendations for the indiana jones thing, 'robin and marian', 'russia house', 'name of the rose', and i guess that one he did with wesley snipes about the japanese taking over america back in the 90s, 'rising sun'.

Sigh. 2020. Alex Trebek now. Not really a surprise of course.

i was so saddened to see the news about ol' Alex.

his wit and understated charm were a real balm over the last four years.

the show has announced we'll have episodes through christmas.

RIP

A very bad week for SNL's Celebrity Jeopardy sketch.

Hide Turd Ferguson!

I guess Trebek had been filming until recently, and they will have episodes to air deep into December. It will be emotional watching - a weird statement for a game show.

1. 'the hill' -- connery as a tough guy WWII soldier in a brutal middle eastern stockade for punching an officer. it's a very raw viewing experience.

I'll second *The Hill* rec. Directed by Sidney Lumet.

"Harutyuumu" by nakigoto. A bit of a slow starter, but my favorite song of the past month or so. I love the guitar sound, and the extended solo that Ami Okada rips into at about the 3:10 mark is wonderful, as is the final vocal segment after the solo, with the busy drumming.

"Orange" by Akai Ko-en. I had been wondering what would happen today. November 25 had been announced as the release date for this single before band leader/guitarist Maisa Tsuno took her life last month. I'm glad they went ahead with the release - the song deserves to be heard - but it's a bit hard to watch the video, knowing what was to come.

A very nice live version (with string section!) of "Circle of Time", the closing track to GLIM SPANKY's excellent new album "Walking on Fire". The band is very much influenced by Western rock of the '60s and '70s, and it's great to hear a band do a rave-up ending to a song, as bands used to do back then. Feels so strange to have it end, though, and then hear the silence in an empty hall and be brought back to 2020...

Wasn't able to find a December thread, which is probably reasonable since there were only 15 posts in the November one. In any case, here are my Top Songs of 2020 and Top Albums of 2020.

As always, these will mostly be appealing to you if you like indie rock women singing about their feelings, but there's a decent bit of electronic stuff, quite a lot of ambient, some pop, some rock, and quite a bit of other stuff in small doses.

I'm curious to know what other folks have been listening to this year. And also just how much you've listened to music. I know a lot of folks who basically stopped listening to music after COVID hit, which feels bizarre to me.

I've recently been immersing myself in '60s garage rock, so probably I'd be better equipped to judge someone's picks for best songs & LPs (though very few of these bands recorded more than a single or two, of course) for 1967. Offhand, the only new stuff I acquired this year was the latest by KMFDM, Wire, the Old 97's & the Chats, four acts that have nothing in common.

20 songs from 2020:

1. Them! - Acid Mammoth
2. Icee Blue - Crisman
3. Bodge - Jabba
4. Commuter Rage - Painted Zeros
5. Rose Royce - Preservation featuring Quelle Chris
6. Try Burning This One - The Exbats
7. Holes in Everything - The Stroppies
8. The Howling - Yatra
9. Slow Demise of a Futuristic Mind - Man-Eaters
10. The Fury Never Fades - Hour of Lead
11. Button Masher - Aesop Rock
12. Inauguration Day - Coriky
13. Destroyer - Henrik Palm
14. Cloud City - Hum
15. Keep the Change - Mattiel
16. We All Get a Raise - We Versus The Shark
17. Sensations of Cool - TTRRUUCES
18. Survival - Soulside
19. Stay There - Mourn
20. How to Stop Caring - Park National

Wasn't able to find a December thread, which is probably reasonable since there were only 15 posts in the November one. In any case, here are my Top Songs of 2020 and Top Albums of 2020.

Baldrick, gotta say, I checked out those lists out of curiosity. To even create a list shows you're exposed to more new music than I am. So I peruse the list. None of it is familiar to me. "Okay," I think. "Maybe this is someone whose tastes are just a whole 'nother body of water compared to mine." So I search the site for the first artist I know well who came to mind: Bob Dylan. There are numerous search results, so clearly my unfamiliarity with the titles in your 2020 albums list is all about me. Anyway, I click on your post about top 10 Dylan songs. "That'll at least gives me a sense of his taste," I tell myself.

Well, we've got a lot of disagreement with your choices. But that's not my point. Your three-paragraph description of "Tangled Up In Blue" is stunning. I don't think anyone could capture such a complex, woven song so succinctly. I tip my cap.

Your three-paragraph description of "Tangled Up In Blue" is stunning. I don't think anyone could capture such a complex, woven song so succinctly. I tip my cap.

Agreed. And that's my favorite Bob Dylan song, also.

Agreed. And that's my favorite Bob Dylan song, also.

Among favorites (not best) it might not make my top 10. But Baldrick's description, like the song, was one of those times where afterward the reaction is, "Whoa! What was that?! Gotta do that again. NOW."

Your three-paragraph description of "Tangled Up In Blue" is stunning. I don't think anyone could capture such a complex, woven song so succinctly. I tip my cap.

Wow, thanks.

And yes, I think my favorite Dylan songs are pretty specific, and I'm sure will differ quite a bit from just about everyone else. But to me that's part of what makes list-making so fun. Trying to sort out what goes in each place really sharpens your thoughts about just how much you like a song (and what specifically about it is so appealing). So it's fun to then try and write that out in a way that will also mean something who doesn't already share your idiosyncrasies.

Doesn't always work, but sometimes you hit a home run.

Thanks for posting that Baldrick. I normally do peruse your lists and glad to see it again. I actually ran counter to your experience. I dove back into music during Covid. Lots of reasons. I now WFH permanently (good opportunity to play stuff during the day), a lot more walks around the neighborhood and trails, and frankly I wasn't committed to day after day saga of news (mostly bad).
I'm surprised Tame Impala's-The Slow Rush didn't make your list. I found that to be quite good, likely not getting the love a normal year would have brought to Kevin Parker. Glad to see you put the War on Drugs album on the list. Yeah, live is usually fun and that's all, but it is really a strong record. I think about the show I attended a few years back everytime I hear them. I think they are definitely a must see band. The Beths another good selection. I enjoyed Waxahatchee quite a bit. Others that I enjoyed (admitting I can't credibly assemble some kind of best albums list). Oceanator was worth my time+, I'll go back to that again, my kids liked (and I kind of liked it) Beabadoobe. I know I'm omitting other noteworthy discoveries. Fleet Foxes was interestingly enjoyable to me, despite thinking it could have come out in 1975/1985.

By the way, I sat through Smashing Pumpkins latest self-indulgence. Quite sad I've concluded. A few faint moments to enjoy but ultimately a gluttonous chore to listen to that to the end. Was Jimmy Chamberlin being punished I kept thinking.

Yes, Baldrick, I really enjoyed your list. I have been listening quite a bit to Gordi as a result - that is very much the kind of music I like, more so than her earlier albums because not as lavishly produced.

And also just how much you've listened to music. I know a lot of folks who basically stopped listening to music after COVID hit, which feels bizarre to me.

A lot. Probably even more than usual. One thing I did this year was to make sure I walked regularly for exercise, so I put a whole bunch of playlists on my iPod to listen to while I walk, which made the walks a lot more pleasant. I was even inspired to make a year end list of songs, which I haven't done in ages.

This list is primarily all-female bands, although I broadened the parameters a bit - to J-rock and J-pop songs with a female singer, meaning that there are all-female bands, mixed-gender bands with a female singer, and female solo artists. Song titles are often English translations via Google, and may not be 100% accurate. Links are provided for the Top 15, plus two really good live videos listed after the Top 40. Anyway, here's the Girl Band Mecca 2020 Top 40:

1 - 1997 - Regal Lily
2 - Mischief - tricot
3 - There Is No Tomorrow - SHISHAMO
4 - Spring Dream - nakigoto
5 - Daggers - Culenasm
6 - stolen worlD - Seiko Oomoro
7 - Centimeter - the peggies
8 - A.M.D.K.J. - SCANDAL
9 - FREE - Polkadot Stingray
10 - To You in the Desert - Hitsujibungaku
11 - Eat the Wind - Yorushika
12 - Brightness - Sachie Hiraga and Homecomings
13 - Jealous Person - Eriko Hashimoto
14 - I Want to See You - snooty
15 - Girls, Youth and Disappointment - Kaneyori Masaru
16 - Sea Side - Split end
17 - Mitsumetetai - CRUNCH
18 - FULL HOUSE - GIRLFRIEND
19 - Raspberry Tart - Rina Katahira
20 - Up To You - SILENT SIREN
21 - Red Alliance - Tokyo Jihen
22 - Hollyhock Bridge - Sayuri
23 - Yura Yura - Lucie,Too
24 - Teenage Sunsets - Hump Back
25 - Flower Song - FLOWER FLOWER
26 - Like a Cat That Can Only Sleep In Her Arms - Kaneko Ayano
27 - Overflow - YeYe
28 - Time Warp - PERFUME
29 - Suicide Girl - SPOOL
30 - DeadRock - Miyuna
31 - White Mud - Mone Kamishiraishi
32 - You - MASS OF THE FERMENTING DREGS
33 - Eikou e no Yell - ELFRIEDE
34 - Smoke - Yuki Akira
35 - October I Forget the Silent You - Atarayo
36 - Wash - Fuyuko Shioiri
37 - Racing into the Night - YOASOBI
38 - Orange - Akai Ko-en
39 - Light - Aurain
40 - Farewell – Aimyon

Bonus: Two really good official live videos of older songs that were released this year

Choose me - BAND-MAID
The Final Episode - yonige

Anyway, here's the Girl Band Mecca 2020 Top 40

Nice. I don't love the genre with anything like your passion but I always find some nice stuff from your recommendations. Look forward to listening.

I had also forgotten that there was a band called Mass of the Fermenting Dregs, and was delighted anew to be reminded of their existence.

things stuck in orifices this year:

“PATIENT’S SIBLINGS PUT A PIECE OF PAPER IN PATIENT’S RIGHT EAR TRYING TO SHOW HIM A MAGIC TRICK”
...
“FOUND A BEAD AND PLACED IT IN HIS EAR SO HE WOULDN’T LOSE IT”
...
“PLAYING WITH PHONE AND FELL ASLEEP WHEN HE WOKE UP HIS STYLUS WAS IN HIS URETHA. INJURY OCCURRED 4 DAYS AGO AND DIDN’T SEEK TREATMENT”
...
“HAS HAD A MARBLE IN HIS PENIS FOR THE PAST 4 YEARS AND DECIDED HE NEEDS IT REMOVED”
...
“PATIENT WAS INTOXICATED 4 MONTHS AGO PLACED A CRUMBLE OF TIN FOIL INSIDE VAGINA”
...
“PUT A PENCIL UP RECTUM AND NOW NOT ABLE TO SIT”
...
“WAS INTOXICATED & IS UNCERTAIN IF SHE USED HER ANAL BEADS OR NOT, CANT FIND THEM @ HOME […] NONE FOUND IN ER EXAM”
...
“3 WEEKS AGO HE WAS DRUNK AND PUT A LIGHT BULB UP HIS RECTUM.”

I watched 70 opera videos this year, as well as listening to 12 complete operas on CD and innumerable opera highlights. I am just assuming nobody wants me to post a list :) None of these operas were composed more recently than just post-WW2, but some of the performances were very recent, even a couple from early 2020 just before the opera houses closed. Lisette Oropesa in Verdi's I Masnadieri from Milan (2019) was particularly good.

the expanse is kind of almost good.