It was a slow hurricane season until this week. That’s when Hurricane Isaias popped up in the Gulf. It headed away from New Orleans and made landfall in the Florida panhandle. Despite that, my social media feeds were full of New Orleanians freaking out. Anyone who flooded during past storms gets dispensation from me. Everyone else is annoying as hell but harmless. Some people enjoy freaking out. I do not.

Another freak out occurred when the Saints lost to the Falcons on Monday Night Football. It was the 20th anniversary of the Domecoming, which was the first game in the Superdome after Katrina and the Federal Flood.

The Saints won that game but the second time was not the charm: Our guys got blown out by the Dirty Birds 45-24. It wasn’t the best way to honor this moment:

Steve Gleason became a local legend because of that blocked punt. He’s become a local hero because of his activism after being diagnosed with ALS. Steve Gleason is proof positive that there are still good people in the world. Lou Gehrig would be proud of you, sir.

This week’s theme song was written by Walter Becker and Donald Fagen for Steely Dan’s 1973 album, Countdown To Ecstasy. Hence the featured image of Show Biz Kids Angela Cartwright and Bill Mumy in Lost In Space.

We have three versions of Show Biz Kids for your listening pleasure: The studio OG, Steely Dan live, and Rickie Lee Jones.

Before moving on to our second act, a word from Sonny Rollins:

This week, we have a pupu platter of pieces to pique your interest. We begin our second act with a political piece by the great Frank Rich.

The Collaborators: Frank Rich doesn’t write as often for NY Magazine as he once did, so it’s an event at Adrastos World HQ whenever he does. In Trump’s Shameless Collaborators, he goes after and nails those who have sold their souls to Donald Trump and MAGA.

You say collaborators; I say Quislings. Let’s move on to the next segment.

Spy Magazine’s Brief Return: Spy Magazine tormented Donald Trump throughout the 1980’s. They saw him as a joke, not a menace back then. They called him a short-fingered vulgarian among other epithets. Spy Magazine is doing a pop-up of sorts at Substack featuring some of the best pokes at the man I call the Insult Comedian.

For more on this welcome comeback, get thee to the New York Times.

I’ll let Guster play us out of this segment:

When Niles Met Daphne: Despite Kelsey Grammer’s egregious wingnuttery, Frasier remains one of my all-time favorite sitcoms. Among the shows many comedic delights was the relationship between Niles and Daphne.  David Hyde-Pierce and Jane Leeves, the actors who played these memorable characters are still close friends and they recently sat for an interview with The Guardian’s Hollie Richardson.

The last word of our second act goes to Squeeze:

We begin our third act with our favorite stolen feature. Who did I steal it from? Kurt Andersen of Spy Magazine, that’s who.

Separated At Birth Tome Time: We have a first this week, lookalike book covers. It continues the collaborator theme:

I’m not sure if posting this song is courageous or cowardly but it has profile in the title, so why not?

Your Basic Basie: This time, a version of On The Street Where You Live I omitted from this week’s Friday Cocktail Hour:

Have I told you lately how much I love Count Basie?

The Best Of Letterman: They may not be child stars but they had a moment of fame in this segment called Dave Talks To Kids:

Things You Don’t Know About Me: I talk to myself. It’s something I picked up from my mother. She assured me that it wasn’t crazy as long as I didn’t answer myself. Let’s see what Bonnie Raitt thinks:

Saturday GIF Horse: See Daphne and Niles dance. Dance, Daphne. Dance, Niles.

They may not be Fred and Ginger but who is?

Toon Time: Fake War Secretary Pete Hegseth is a didactic hypocrite who keeps striking the wrong note. He should take a closer look at himself and his colleagues. This is how the rest of country sees them.

If you haven’t read Parenthetical’s excellent piece about Weirdo Pete’s public execution gambit, click here.

Let’s close down this virtual honky tonk with some more music.

Saturday Closer: Here’s one for the drum enthusiasts out there from the OG superstar drummer.

That’s all for this week. We’re all hanging on for dear life until election day. The last word goes to countdown guy, Harold Lloyd.