It’s Twelfth Night aka King’s Day. It’s the day on which we can eat King Cake, which has become an obsession in New Orleans. We’ve always loved the sweet doughy confection but it gets more popular with each passing year; so much so that my dear friends Will and Jennifer Samuels founded The King Cake Hub in 2019 to sell cakes from many bakeries.
Will died in 2021, but Jennifer is still at it thereby proving that King Cake not only rocks, it rules. Check out this interview Jennifer gave to the Gambit.
This week’s theme song was written by Robin Zander, Rick Nielsen, Tom Petersson, Jerry Dale McFadden, and Robert Reynolds in 1997 for Cheap Trick’s second eponymous album. Who do they think they are, Peter Fucking Gabriel?
We have two versions of Carnival Game for your listening pleasure: the studio original and CT live. Hit it, guys:
If you’re feeling cranky that I didn’t use a New Orleans song as the theme song, take a chill pill and play this:
Now that we’ve discussed King Cake and listened to Al Johnson, we begin our second act with a look back at 2023.
Hail and Farewell: As First Draft’s obit specialist, I say, Hail, yes. What that means, I’ll never know.
Dave Barry Does 2023: I had to do some detective work to find Dave Barry’s 2023 year in review. It used to appear in the WaPO Magazine, which is no more. Barry’s home paper, The Miami Herald has a paywall, so I’m depending on the kindness of Microsoft. I am not making this up.
Dig this title, Dave Barry Year in Review: 2023 was the year that AI and pickleball came for humanity
It’s another good outing for Dave BUT he makes some lazy jokes about Joe Biden’s age. I’m disappointed in you, Dave. But I have to forgive you since I stole one of your catch phrases: I am not making this up. Does that make us codependent? Let’s ask the fine band with a dumb name:
The Doobies are damn dependable, but The Rolling Stones get the last word of our second act:
Keith Richards dependable? Who knew? Thanks to Dr. A for giving me the new Stones album on the first day of Christmas instead of a partridge in pear tree.
We begin our third act with our favorite stolen feature.
Separated At Birth: Speaking of gifts, I found the OG SAB book under the tree or in a stocking on Christmas morning some time at the end of the 1980’s.
I just posted a Stones tune, so that’s out. How about a song with birth in the title?
Aztec Camera has a great name as does their front man, Roddy Frame. Whenever I hear the name Roddy, I say aye and hear bagpipe music. FYI, Kitty Claire Trevor hates bagpipe music as much as I do. It interferes with her beauty rest.
Your Weekly Oscar: How about some Carnival music from OP? Make that Carnaval:
Have I told you lately how much I love Oscar Peterson?
The Best Of Letterman: It’s been a tough time for comedy legends. We not only lost Shecky Greene, Tom Smothers died at the age of 86 last month. Despite being the goofball in the act, Tom was the brains of the outfit.
Here are Tom and Dick Smothers with Dave in 1982.
The Best Of Johnny: I don’t usually post Letterman and Carson clips in the same post but we’re in the middle of an informal Tom Smothers tribute:
Yo, Carson estate, Shecky wants more Shecky clips on the YouTube.
Saturday GIF Horse: It’s time for the scariest mascot in the NBA:
Mercifully, King Cake Baby only mascots during Carnival, then goes back in its proofing drawer. I have, however, no proof of this; neither does Paul Simon:
The Junk Drawer: My main man, Shecky Greene, is most associated with Las Vegas, but he was originally from Chicago. Here are some ads for his appearances at Mister Kelly’s and the Showcase Lounge in the Windy City:
My Windy City reference led to this earworm.
Let’s close down this virtual comedy club with some more Smothers Brothers.
Saturday Closer: Tom Smothers was a yo-yo wizard. Dig these moves:
That’s all for this week. The last word goes to Cheap Trick:
