New Orleans set a record I don’t particularly care for: record snowfall. As a second generation snow hater, I knew there was a bill to be paid after people were finished frolicking and playing hockey on Canal Street; reports of burst pipes and water mains began to filter in.
The good news is that most of the snow has melted. The bad news is the mess it left behind. One could even call this post storm period, Plumberpalooza.
The featured image is from a terrific photo essay by Picayune photographers. They hit the frozen streets and made pictures of well-known spots around town in the snow. It’s some memorable shit even if the blizzard made me miserable.
Repeat after me: I hate snow.
We had a freak blizzard in New Orleans. In Washington, there’s a blizzard of lies. Hence this week’s theme song.
Dave and Samantha Frishberg wrote Blizzard Of Lies in 1983. It spoofed Republican lies of that era. Reaganites were pikers compared to Trumpers, but they told their share of lies too.
We have 2 versions of Blizzard Of Lies for your listening pleasure: The Frishberg OG and Susannah McCorkle.
We begin our second act with a segment about David Lynch who died this week at the age of 78.
David Lynch, R.I.P. He’s best described as an erratic genius. His work was inconsistent but when he was on, he was ON all the way. My favorites include Blue Velvet, Wild At Heart, Mullholland Drive, and the OG Twin Peaks, which brought Lynchian surrealism into the homes of Middle America.
We have links to two tributes to Lynch. One professional, the other personal:
Matt Zoller Seitz writes about Lynch’s movies in a Vulture tribute entitled Nothing Will Die, Especially Not David Lynch.
Will Bahr grew up on David Lynch’s block in LA. He wrote about Lynch’s other side in an Atlantic piece, David Lynch, My Neighbor.
Carpooling with David Lynch sounds like quite an adventure. I wonder if Laura Dern ever rode shotgun…
Garth Hudson, R.I.P. The last surviving original member of The Band has died at the age of 87. Garth was a quiet man who produced a mighty sound on whatever instrument he picked up. He was a classically trained pianist who could play any style. Truly, a marvelous musician.
Before learning the news, I knew something was up when I saw a spike in hits for my Robbie Robertson tribute and The Band Dozen. It’s the end of an era.
Garth was so shy that I don’t know very much about his life. One thing I’m certain of is that he was the secret sauce to the one of the greatest bands in rock and roll history. He was the last Band man standing. He will be missed.
The last word of our second act goes to Garth Hudson and The Band:
We begin our third act with our favorite stolen feature.
Separated At Birth: I was floundering with what to do this week when I remembered David Lynch co-starred in the first iteration of this feature in 2016 alongside baseball Hall of Famer, Grover Cleveland Alexander.
That’s old Pete on the left and the neighborly Mr. Lynch on the right. I’m not quite sure why Alexander was called Pete, but it beats the hell out of Grover.
Your Weekly Oscar: Let’s warm things up with this OP-Nat King Cole doubleheader. Nat was Oscar’s hero, so he recorded a tribute album after King Cole’s passing.
Have I told you lately how much I love Oscar Peterson? I’m fond of the other pianist as well.
The Best Of Letterman: This episode of The Late Show was shot during a NYC blizzard. Beware of flying snowballs and goofball hosts:
Saturday GIF Horse: Let’s get weird with images from David Lynch’s Blue Velvet and Twin Peaks.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t post Blue Velvet. But I’m skipping the Bobby Vinton OG and going for the gusto whatever the hell that means.
His voice was a bit shaky at that recording session, but it doesn’t matter: I still miss Tony Bennett.
Let’s close down this virtual honky tonk with some more music.
Saturday Closer: One of the highlights of Blue Velvet was its twisted use of this Roy Orbison classic. Here’s an In Dreams doubleheader for the road.
I think that scene from the movie scared me away from karaoke bars; that and bad singing.
That’s it for this week. The last word goes to Laura Dern and David Lynch on the set of Wild At Heart.
I was a speech teacher and debate coach during the Reagan years. The Reagan lie that still rankles was referring to Ronnie as “The Great Communicator.” Oh, Lordy! Every time he opened his mouth (Every. Time!; Every. Sentence!), his head would tilt, he would half-chuckle, and say “Well……” 😖 It was his go-to filler word. No different from “um, er, now, like, and ya know.” It’s a stall, a diversion, a way to slow the audience down while trying to come up with an answer. And, then, he would answer. Uck! The worst kinds of obfuscation and gobbledy-gook would spill out. 🤪
As a grader, I would rate Reagan a C-. Today, Sphincter Face would get a C+ because he never hesitates…the obfuscation and gobbledy-gook (i.e. lies) come quickly! No filler words here!! 😂