Roy Orbison and Joe Melson wrote this week’s theme song in 1960. The story goes that it was written in Roy’s car. Wherever it was written, it was Orbison’s first major hit. Dum-dum-dum-dummy-doo-wah.
The full title is Only The Lonely (Know The Way I Feel) but I went short for the post title to avoid a WordPress freak out. Dum-dum-dum-dummy-doo-wah.
We have three versions of Only The Lonely for your listening pleasure: the studio original, Roy live, and a 1996 cover by Orbison acolyte Chris Isaak.
Dum-dum-dum-dummy-doo-wah.
It’s time for a trip to disambiguation city with Frank Sinatra singing Sammy Cahn and Jimmy Van Heusen’s Only The Lonely:
I don’t know about you but I’m still feeling lonely. Let’s bring in the Gibb brothers and see if they can help:
Feeling less alone?
We begin our second act with a political story that jives with my review of Tim Miller’s book.
The Most Pathetic Men In America: Mark Leibovich is a very funny writer. His book about Washington, Our Town, is a classic that’s in one of my book piles or on one of my bookshelves somewhere. He’s back with a new book about Trump and his sycophants. There’s an excerpt of said book at the Atlantic. I’m on the record as loving book excerpts.
Leibovich is not a fan of the Trump story or the man himself:
Trump said and did obviously awful and dangerous things—racist and cruel and achingly dumb and downright evil things. But on top of that, he is a uniquely tiresome individual, easily the sorest loser, the most prodigious liar, and the most interminable victim ever to occupy the White House. He is, quite possibly, the biggest crybaby ever to toddle across history’s stage, from his inaugural-crowd hemorrhage on day one right down to his bitter, ketchup-flinging end. Seriously, what public figure in the history of the world comes close? I’m genuinely asking.
Thanks for asking, Mark. Nobody comes close to the Impeached Insult Comedian.
Mark Mark’s words by clicking this link.
I propose this golden oldie as a possible theme song for Thank You for Your Servitude: Donald Trump’s Washington and the Price of Submission.
Tony Sirico, RIP: Paulie Walnuts has left the building. Tony Sirico and his awesome hair died last week at 79. He merited a NYT obit. Well done, Gray Lady.
I re-watched Pine Barrens and Remember When in honor of Sirico’s passing. You all remember the first episode, the second comes from the final season when Tony Soprano and Paulie go on the lam to Florida. Paulie drives the boss nuts with his incessant chatter and annoying laugh. Tony contemplates whacking Paulie but does not. So it goes.
David Chase sat for an interview with Vulture’s Matt Zoeller Seitz to discuss the life and times of the man who played Paulie Walnuts. Here’s my favorite bit:
I personally got more laughs from watching that guy than I did from most of the big comedians of that time. I was talking with Michael Imperioli about him after I heard the news and I said, “That moment in ‘Pine Barrens’ when he lost his shoe was hysterical.” I mean, it was all hysterical. Any scene with two of those guys together was hysterical. Tony and Michael were one of the great comedy teams.
Yeah, you right, David.
We haven’t talked about Tony Sirico’s amazing hair wings. I’ll let the Talking Sopranos guys have the last word of the segment:
And now for something completely different.
Documentary Of The Week: I’m not exactly a fashionista but I do watch Project Runway and Tim and Heidi’s Amazon show. I dig the divas, especially my countryman with an Irish last name, Michael Costello. He cried so much that Paulie Walnuts would have wanted to slap some sense into him.
TCM is doing one of its cooler features this June and July. It looks at movies and fashion. It was inspired by an exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum: Follow The Thread. As was the documentary of the same name.
Here’s the trailer:
Follow The Thread is streaming in 8 segments on HBO Max. Dr. A and I celebrated America by watching it on Independence Day.
Grading Time: I give Follow The Thread 3 1/2 stars, an Adrastos grade of B+ and a tip of Faye Dunaway’s beret.
The last word of our second act goes to a souped-up song by Don McLean:
We begin our third act with our favorite stolen feature.
Separated At Birth Twitter Edition: I hereby apologize to Paul Rubens for this pairing. I wouldn’t use it if it weren’t spot on. Sorry, Pee Wee.
Twins separated at birth? #JoshHawley pic.twitter.com/6W4RO44VvM
— Patty Harbison (@PattyHarbison) July 13, 2022
Now that I think of it Pee Wee and Hawley are both malakas. Literally in Pee Wee’s case.
The Movie List: We’re watching Jeff Bridges in the swell FX spy series The Old Man. It inspired this list. I’m going to cheat a bit and make it a dozen. Jeff Bridges has made a lot of great movies y’all.
The Jeff Bridges Dozen
- The Last Picture Show
- Tucker: The Man and His Dream
- The Fabulous Baker Boys
- The Big Lebowski
- The Fisher King
- Hearts Of The West
- Jagged Edge
- Seabiscuit
- Starman
- Fearless
- Hell Or High Water
- Thunderbolt and Lightfoot
I skipped his Oscar winning role in Crazy Heart: it’s not as good as the films listed here. I loved the Coen Brothers version of True Grit but ditched it because it was a remake. This could have easily been a top 20 but I like tormenting myself list wise.
Repeat after me: Jeff Bridges has made a lot of great movies.
In honor of Jeff’s first teevee appearance since he was a kid, Neil Young gets the last word of the listicle segment:
The Best Of SCTV: We were watching Only Murders In The Building the other night. I realized that Marty Short’s impression of murdered building president Bunny sounded like his Jerry Lewis. Here’s a double dose:
That second vid was fuzzy, but it nearly caused a spit take.
Saturday GIF Horse: Speaking of fashion, here are Tim Gunn and Zac Posen doing the Project Runway thing.
Let’s close down this virtual honky tonk with some more music.
Saturday Classic: This 1974 radio appearance by Steely Dan foreshadows this week’s Sunday Dozen. Say no more.
That’s it for this week. The last word goes to Cybill Shepherd and Jeff Bridges in Peter Bogdanovich’s The Last Picture Show.
