Danged Good Stuff

Let's praise some terrific stuff from the teevee and the intertoobz this past week.

First, if you haven't already seen it, go watch the first five minutes of Jon Stewart hammering Fox News' criticism of the Tucson memorial service. After Laura Ingraham, Charles Krauthammer (we're guessing), and David Gergen wring their hands over the behavior of the crowd, the perpetually smug Michael Gerson concludes with "You can either have a pep rally or a memorial service. You can't have both." Stewart sends that hanging curveball into orbit:

You ever been to an Irish wake? I've never been sadder and laughed harder in my life. And I got news for you guys: "Amen" ain't that far from "woo hoo!"

Then at Slacktivist, TWDQ's favorite blog, Fred Clark takes apart Brit Hume's petty complaints about the Native American blessing that opened the service:

If Brit Hume would like, he could arrange to host a seminar on comparative religion, a forum for discussing the merits and demerits of burning sage or blessing the four-legged creatures or turning to the four corners of the world. In such a forum he'd be free to tell us what sort of rituals, prayers or blessings he prefers, what sort of rituals, prayers and blessing he doesn't care for, and why.

But if Hume ever shows up at a funeral or a memorial service or any other gathering of mourners, his job there is to shut up and mourn with those who mourn.

Amen (and woo hoo!), Fred.

Lastly, if this video of a tune by one of TWDQ's favorite musicians doesn't want to make you move to Fayetteville, NY just for the cool public library and librarians, we have to talk:



We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sorry Seems To Be the Hardest Word

An aide to former half-term Gov. Sarah Palin says the crosshairs on this map--since scrubbed from her PAC website--were "surveyors' marks", not rifle sights.

TWDQ respectfully calls bullshit and offers This Week's Discussion Question:

What the hell ever happened to "We're sorry, we were wrong."?

Please keep the discussion civil and feel free to wander off into "If they were surveyors' marks, why remove the map from your site?" or "Why did Sarah herself call them 'bulls-eyes' in a tweet?" or "Methinks the lady doth protest too much."

Discuss.

Calmly.

Sunday Random 10

Here's what the little green Nano shuffled up on this sad, sad Sunday morning:

Fountains of Wayne - Revolving Dora
Jonathan Rundman - Chopin's Heart
The Hold Steady - Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night
Split Enz - History Never Repeats
Split Enz - Matinee Idyll (129)
Peter Wolf - Overnight Lows
Wilco - I Am Trying to Break Your Heart (live)
Pete Special - St. James Infirmary
Ray Charles & Diana Krall - You Don't Know Me
The Coasters - That Is Rock & Roll

The Nano seems to be exploring the new Split Enz compilation we picked up in November, but hasn't chosen anything from the Christmas/year end shopping acquisitions.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

Happy New Year! Let's see what the little green Nano shuffled up today.

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

Over the Rhine - Born
Uncle Tupelo - Give Back the Key to My Heart
Split Enz - I Walk Away
Jonathan Rundman - Get Behind the Wheel
The Beatles - A Taste of Honey
Beki Hemingway - Simplicity
The Kinks - You Really Got Me
Los Straitjackets - Ana (Anna)
The New Pornographers - Sing Me Spanish Techno
Dan Zanes & Friends - I'm Flying

Nothing from the Christmas gifts or year-end shopping acquisitions. Hmmm. Still some really good stuff here, since four of these tunes (the opener and the last three) made one of our year-end Faves CDs.

As always, feel free to post your own tens in the comments.

All the best for a great 2011 from TWDQ!

We now return you to...yeah, like there's a fresh question being discussed.

Sunday Random 10

Hope you're enjoying a great holiday weekend! Didn't load anything new onto the Nano this week, so let's see what popped up this morning.

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

The Waterboys - World Party
Vigilantes of Love - Unsuccessful
Gear Daddies - Dream Vacation
Vince Guaraldi - Treat Street
XTC - Greenman
Split Enz - Shark Attack
Otis Redding - Respect
Bruce Springsteen - The Promise
Derek & The Dominos - Tell the Truth
Otis Redding - These Arms of Mine

And one more since you've all been so good this year:
The Waterboys - Fisherman's Blues

Guess the Nano wanted to hear some non-Charlie Brown Christmas Guaraldi and really wanted to hear a lot of Mike Scott and Otis. The title tune from Springsteen's "Darkness" leftovers is a terrific song.

As always, feel free to post your own random tens from your own devices down in the comments.

Thanks to all three of you who read this regularly for another great year!

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (The Intelligence Committee? Heh.), already in progress.

Sunday Random Ten

Let's see what the little green Nano has for us this week!

Let's... Hit... Shuffle!

Bob Dylan - Tomorrow Is a Long Time
Eric Lugosch - Good News
Los Lobos - On Main Street
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - Maggie May
Johnny Rivers - John Lee Hooker
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - I'll Still Be True
The Who - Won't Get Fooled Again
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Ohio
Girlyman - Soldiers
Vince Guaraldi - Star Song

Didn't pick up any of the holiday tunes we loaded last week, but there's a interesting little juxtaposition of a couple of great 70's political songs by The Who and CSN&Y.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (Wow, Fox News viewers are the most misinformed! Who knew?), already in progress.

Sunday Random 10 (Snowpocalypse Edition)

Greetings! TWDQ HQ is shoveled and blown out from the fifth worst blizzard in recorded history in our native state, so here's this week's shuffle, along with last week's. (We had last Sunday's mix all ready to go, but just didn't find time to post it, so you're getting another tw0-fer this week!)

Let's... Hit... Shuffle!

12/05/2010
Marshall Crenshaw - What Do You Dream Of?
The Replacements - Never Mind
Fountains of Wayne - Yolanda Hayes
Split Enz - Years Go By
The Pogues - A Pair of Brown Eyes
Steve Dawson - Sweet is the Anchor
Barbara Lewis - Hello Stranger
Del Amitri - Being Somebody Else
Bill Evans Trio - My Foolish Heart
XTC - Life Begins at the Hop

12/12/2010
The Temptations - Don't Look Back
John Stirratt - Wayfaring Stranger
Rosanne Cash - Motherless Children
Bruce Springsteen - Ties That Bind
Old 97's - W. TX Teardrops
The Rolling Stones - Tumbling Dice
Over the Rhine - Cruel and Pretty
Them - Baby Please Don't Go
Ted & Marcia Johnson - Erie Canal
Miles Davis - Flamenco Sketches

We should note that the version of "Erie Canal" (from the Old Town School of Folk Music Songbook - Vol. 1, as is the tune by Wilco bassist Stirratt) doesn't mention a mule named Sal. It's the cool one they didn't teach you in school, whose chorus goes: "Oh, the Er-i-e was risin'/The gin was gettin' low/You'd scarcely think we'd get a drink/Till we get to Buffalo, oh, oh/Till we get to Buffalo." Sal, schmal, we'd have loved singing that in elementary school.

As always, feel free to post your own random tens in the comments.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question ("Is this a sign of hope for America?"), already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving weekend! We're especially thankful for little green Nanos that shuffle up great music, so let's see what it has for us this week.

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

Mumford & Sons - The Cave
Adam Again - It Is What It Is
Legendary Shack Shakers - Nightride
Old 97's - Over the Cliff
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Nobody's Baby
Girlyman - House Song
Johnny Cash - There You Go
Over the Rhine - Changes Come
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Without a Heart
Fountains of Wayne - Fire Island

As always, feel free to post your own tens in the comments.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (C'mon! Is there no one else in Washington on Sunday mornings?), already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

Let's see what the little green Nano shuffled up yesterday!

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

Fleetwood Mac - Tusk
Los Lobos - Tears of God
Wilco - I'm Always in Love
Crowded House - Mean to Me
Talking Heads - This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
Talking Heads - Once In a Lifetime
Adam Again - Worldwide
Alice Cooper - I'm Eighteen
Diane Birch - Fools
Rosanne Cash - Bury Me Under the Weeping Willow

Nothing from Mr. Springsteen's new double-disc set (which is good, but also proves that he rather astutely chose what made the cut for Darkness on the Edge of Town), but some of our all-time favorite artists are in this list. We were concerned that there wasn't going to be anything from the 21st century until Ms. Birch and Ms. Cash came through at the bottom of the batting order.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (Sarah Palin, voracious reader?), already in progress.

Sunday Random Ten

It's Sunday! In the space of one week, we went from raking leaves to blowing snow at TWDQ HQ, so we spent the morning looking out at the fresh blanket of white, listening to what the little green Nano cooked up.

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

The Beatles - Long Tall Sally
This Train - Great Atomic Power
The Hold Steady - Banging Camp
Elvis Presley - Baby Let's Play House
Peter Wolf - Lying Low
Erik Brandt - Hanna Marie
Tom Waits - Goin' Out West (live)
Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey - Geometry
Neville Brothers - Hey Pocky Way
Al Green - Let's Get Married

Lots of great stuff here, kids. We're starting out with the Fab Four again, followed by a band near and dear to our hearts covering the Louvin Brothers making evangelical hay while the Cold War shone, and there's some Elvis from the room we once wept in. It liked Peter Wolf so much it played the same song again this week, delivered a lullaby from a great local guy whose day job is teaching at our alma mater, Mr. Waits' making big plans for the coast ("I don't need no makeup, I got real scars"), a pop gem from the former dB's, then the Nevilles at their funkiest and, bringing us back to Memphis, the Reverend Al.

Feel free to post your own random tens in the comments.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (Could we get this chart plastered everywhere in the next few weeks, please?), already in progress.

Miss You (revisited)

We have a follow-up to a previous edition of This Week's Discussion Question!

Yep, no one misses you, Mr. President.

Of course, maybe it's easily explainable. Here's This Week's Discussion Question:

Do you suppose all the conservatives were over at ABC watching Dancing with the Stars, where there's a chance a Palin could actually win?

Discuss.

Update: Yeah, that might be where they were.

Sunday Random 10

Had the Sabbath gasbags on briefly this morning at TWDQ HQ, but after a few minutes of Rep. Mike Pence (R-IN) on ABC's This Week, we could hear brain cells screaming so we decided it was time to fire up the Nano.

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

The Beatles - I Saw Her Standing There
Kirsty MacColl - He's on the Beach
Wilco - Say You Miss Me
Neil Finn - Truth
Vince Guaraldi - Oh, Good Grief
Peter Wolf - Lying Low
Preservation Hall Jazz Band (feat. Jason Isbell) - Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out
Stevie Wonder - Golden Lady
Allen Toussaint - St. James Infirmary
Wilson Pickett - I'm in Love

Kinda cool to have this week's shuffle kick off with that great "One, Two, Three, Faw!" and we think the Preservation Hall Jazz Band record is lobbying to be named Album of the Year. Really good stuff, kids.

Feel free to post your own tens in the comments.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (Seriously, you 6th Districters, what the hell were you thinking?), already in progress.

Sunday Random 10 (Wednesday recount edition)

Did this week's shuffle while raking the back 40 of TWDQ HQ Sunday, but when we came inside to back through the tracks to jot 'em down for posting, we inadvertently reset the Nano's shuffle, so we created another shuffle on Monday morning. Since then, things have been kinda busy.

Let's...Hit...Shuffle! (Again!)

- The Smiths - Ask

- Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - She May Call You Up Tonight

- Robbie Fulks - Fountains of Wayne Hotline

- The Beatles - Act Naturally

- Crowded House - Locked Out

- Paul Simon - Ace in the Hole

- Fountains of Wayne - Barbara H. (live)

- The Smiths - Hand in Glove

- The Who - The Real Me

- Stevie Wonder - He's Misstra Know It All

The Nano continues to like the newly-acquired Smiths collections and we get some real Fountains of Wayne to go along with Robbie Fulks' absolutely brilliant ode to the pop geniuses' stellar customer support.

As always, feel free to post your own random tens in the comments.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question ("What the hell is wrong with voters in the 6th District?"), already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

Hey! We're posting on time! (Don't get used to it...)

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!!!

Professor Longhair - Looka, No Hair
Crowded House - Everything is Good for You
Talking Heads - I Wish You Wouldn't Say That
Van Morrison - Sweet Thing
Phoenix - Armistice
Elliott Smith - Last Call
Joe Henry - Richard Pryor Addresses a Tearful Nation
The Smiths - Nowhere Fast
The Lamont Cranston Band - Keep on Drivin'
The Jayhawks - The Liquor Store Came First

Only a Smiths tune from our more recent acquisitions, but some old favorites popped up this week, like one from Crowded House's Recurring Dream best-of (our musical comfort food), one from Joe Henry's terrific Scar (the soundtrack to the painting of the living room at the old TWDQ HQ), and a couple songs from a couple of great local bands to wrap up.

Feel free to post your own random tens in the comments.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (So what exactly DO Muslims wear?), already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

Time to find out what the little green Nano offers up this week.

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

Johnny Rivers - Mountain of Love
John Legend & The Roots - Shine
Son Volt - Route
Wild Tchoupitoulas - Here Dey Come
Bill Evans Trio -My Foolish Heart
Neville Brothers - Performance
The Beatles - Pepperland
Old 97s - Mama Tried (live)
Steve Dawson - Worry Worry Worry
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - Maggie May

Let's see. There's our all-time favorite Johnny Rivers song; a track from the fine new Legend/Roots collaboration; a couple doses of New Orleans; more evidence that the Nano loves the $1 copy of Evans's Waltz for Debby; a mental note that the next time we need room for more tunes, the orchestral tracks from "Yellow Submarine can go; and Mr. Sweet & Ms. Hoffs reminding us that Rod Stewart, who's about to release volume five of his Great American Sedative Songbook albums on Tuesday, was a critically and commercially acclaimed artist making records that were anything but phoned-in.

Shuffle up your own device and share your random ten in the comments.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10 for 10/10/10 (and belated random 10)

Here's what the little green Nano shuffled up on these last couple of unseasonably fabulous autumn Sundays. Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

10/03/2010
Fountains of Wayne - The Girl I Can't Forget
Phoenix - Lisztomania
Jonathan Rundman - Grace is Crying Her Eyes Out
The Replacements - We're Coming Out
Jonathan Rundman - The Prophetstown Tornado
U2 - Zoo Station
Bill Mallonee - Wintergreen
Dan Zanes & Friends - Thumbelina
Frontier Ruckus - Nerves of the Nightmind
Preservation Hall Jazz Band (feat. Cory Chisel) - Some Cold Rainy Day

10/10/2010
Bill Evans Trio - Milestones
Thee Midniters - Whittier Blvd.
Fountains of Wayne - Stacy's Mom
Peter Case - Put Down the Gun
Aaron Neville - Waiting at the Station
Laura Nyro - Be Aware
Jackson Browne - Fountain of Sorrow
Muddy Waters - Walkin' Thru the Park
Dave Rawlings Machine - It's Too Easy
The Bangles - Bell Jar

Didn't think quickly enough to load a 10cc album on there. Oh well.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

Been busy, blah, blah, blah. Thanks for your patience. Here's what the little green Nano's shuffled up the last three Sundays.

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

09/12/2010
Jill Scott - Bedda at Home
Robert Cray Band - Chicken in the Kitchen
The Ike Reilly Assassination - When Irish Eyes Are Burning
The Smiths - Girlfriend in a Coma
Nick Lowe - Let's Stay In and Make Love
The Replacements - Swingin' Party
Nick Lowe - I Live on a Battlefield
Ivy - Be My Baby
Elvis Costello - Radio, Radio
The Bill Evans Trio - Waltz for Debby (Take 1)

09/19/2010
Lucy Wainwright Roche - Bridge
The Bill Evans Trio - My Foolish Heart
Steve Dawson - Ten Thousand Pounds
Preservation Hall Jazz Band (feat. Pete Seeger & Tao Rodriguez-Seeger) - Blue Skies
Erik Brandt - 1-4-5
Elvis Presley - I'm Left, You're Right, She's Gone (Slow Version)
Neil Young - Harvest
Patty Griffin (feat. Julie Miller) - Coming Home to Me
Jonathan Rundman - Dialysis Carpool
Lucy Wainwright Roche - Poison

09/26/2010
The Kinks - Tired of Waiting for You
Neil Finn - Dream Date
The Kinks - All Day and All of the Night
Dan Zanes & Friends - I Don't Need Anything But You
Old 97's - Can't Get a Line
Los Lobos w/Mavis Staples - Someday
The Beatles - Because
The Beatles - I Me Mine
Brian Wilson - Summertime
Tom Waits - Get Behind the Mule (Live)

"Summertime," from the new Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin, was a fantastic tune to listen to in the car on this gorgeous first Sunday of autumn.

Feel free to shuffle up your device and post your own random tens in the comments.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question--and hey, we just had one!--already in progress.

Sorry, Charlie, for the imposition...

The Minnesota Family Council and the National Organization for Marriage are running a TV ad complaining that gubernatorial candidates Mark Dayton (DFL) and Tom Horner (Ind.) favor "imposing gay 'marriage' on Minnesotans" by not supporting the right of the people of Minnesota vote to amend the state constitution to ban same-sex marriage.

Interestingly, the ad opens with shots of a women's suffrage rally, a banner from the Selma march, and a shot of the U.S. Constitution fading to Dr. Martin Luther King, trumpeting the importance of the right to vote.

Watch:


So here are This Week's Discussion Questions:

How do you think a vote on voting rights for women would have gone around the turn of the 20th century?


How do you think a vote on civil rights for blacks would have gone in Alabama in 1965?


Is this a road you really want to go down?


Really?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Would this 'imposition' turn my traditional marriage 'gay'?" or "Biblical view of marriage? How many wives did Solomon have again? Not counting concubines, of course."

Discuss.

Sunday Random 10 (Ernie Banks edition)

Hope you're enjoying your Labor Day weekend! It's a beautiful day* so let's play the last two Sundays' Random 10s that we didn't get around to posting the last couple of Sundays.

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

08/29/2010
Mary Chapin Carpenter - Iceland
Kirsty MacColl - They Don't Know
Preservation Hall Jazz Band (feat. Del McCoury) - Careless Love
Vigilantes of Love - Certain Slant of Light
The Rolling Stones - As Time Goes By
Deer Tick - TWenty Miles
Elaine Moore - Just a Closer Walk with Thee
Coldplay - Viva La Vida
Ry Cooder - It's All Over Now
The Beatles - I'm Only Sleeping

09/05/2010
Elvis Presley - Hearts of Stone (Live)
Los Lobos - Be Still
U2 - Who's Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
R.E.M. - (Don't Go Back to) Rockville
Bruce Springsteen - Jungleland
Los Lobos - Burn it Down
Joe Henry - Civilians
The B-52's - Strobe Light
Joe Henry - Good Fortune
Deer Tick - Twenty Miles

*(Okay, it's raining right now, but work with us here...)

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (If the Bush Administration spent eight years screwing up the economy, why does the Obama Administration only get 18 months to clean up their mess?), already in progress.

I'm with Stupid (or Evil)

Jon Stewart poses This Week's Discussion Question and Wyatt Cenac and John Oliver both make strong cases:

Is Fox News Evil or Stupid?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Evil! Evil! Evil!" or "Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!" or "Could we break it down on a personality-by-personality basis? Beck, stupid. Hannity, stupid. Rove, evil..."

Discuss.

Sunday Random Ten (Let's Play Two!)

Was on the road last Sunday so we'll make it up with a doubleheader today.

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

08/15/2010
Van Morrison - Have I Told You Lately
Beki Hemingway - Siouxanne
Nick Lowe - Hope For Us All
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - Something's Changed
Uncle Tupelo - Gun
The Beatles - Cry Baby Cry
The Mercy Seat - He Said
Joe Henry - Bellwether
Crowded House - Weather with You
Joe Tex - Show Me

08/22/2010
World Party - Private Revolution
Tinted Windows - Back with You
The Decemberists - The Perfect Crime #2
The Hold Steady - The Swish
Tom Waits - Hold On
The Beach Boys - Let's Go Away for Awhile
Fountains of Wayne - Elevator Up
Bill Mallonee - Wintergreen
Del Amitri - Here and Now
Johnny Rivers - Where Have All the Flowers Gone?

Was kinda tough this week. Just added the fantastic new "Brian Wilson Reimagines Gershwin" and when we hit shuffle today we swear we heard the little green Nano whisper "Are you sure you wanna do that?"

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (You want to get worked up about how much vacation President Obama takes? Really?), already in progress.

Sunday Random 10 (Monday Edition, Tuesday Publication)

Been nuts around TWDQ HQ, so we didn't get to the Nano until Monday, and haven't gotten to posting until Tuesday.

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

Nick Lowe - When I Write the Book
The Beatles - Slow Down
Solomon Burke - I Need Your Love in My Life
Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
Kirsty MacColl - Innocence
Joe Henry - I Flew Over Our House Last Night
Del Amitri - Crashing Down
The Cars - Let's Go
The Beatles - Revolution 9
The Swell Season - Paper Cup

Track 9? "Revolution 9". We swear the iPod's messing with us.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

Let's see what the little green Nano has in store to ring in August!

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - I Learned the Hard Way
Rosanne Cash - Black Cadillac
The Mercy Seat - I Am a Pilgrim
The Beatles - Maggie Mae
Dan Zanes & Friends - Goodnight, My Someone
Vince Guaraldi - Christmas Time is Here
Dolly Varden - Some Sequined Angel
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Into the Great Wide Open
The Pogues - Sally MacLennane
The Faces - (I Know) I'm Losing You (Live)

We're just going to say that the Ms. Jones tune is a strong contender for the 2010 Faves compilation, unless one of the other fine songs on that album (What? You don't have it yet? Go!) muscles its way past it.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question (Really, Anne Rice? You've never heard of any of the other flavors that aren't anti-gay*, anti-feminist, anti-artificial birth control? Really? Really?!?), already in progress.

*Sadly, our flavor can't yet claim this one. Someday, someday.

They'll Know We Are Christians By Our Love, Pt. 72610

As we pose This Week's Discussion Question, Jesus is leaning over a toilet bowl somewhere, asking one of the angels to help him hold his hair back.

The stupid never stops, does it?

Please keep the discussion civil and feel free to channel Stephen Colbert: "I believe it's divinely inspired, because whenever I tell people what they're doing, they always say, "Holy shit."

Discuss.

Sunday Random 10

Let's see what the little green Nano is shuffling up on this gorgeous Sunday morning!

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

Ry Cooder - Fool for a Cigarette/Feelin' Good
Over the Rhine - Nobody Number One
World Party - When the Rainbow Comes
Ike Reilly - Seven Come Eleven
The Beatles - Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
Johnny Rivers - It Wouldn't Happen with Me
The Beatles - Don't Pass Me By
The Replacements - Swingin' Party
Continental Drifters - I'm a Dreamer
The Replacements - Valentine

The Johnny Rivers song is about how you'd be better off with him than one of the Beatles or Ricky Nelson, so it being wrapped by Beatles tunes, especially one sung by Ringo, who's name-checked in the song, makes us wonder what exactly Jobs' people stuck in that shuffle code.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

It's Sunday again! Much quieter around TWDQ HQ this weekend, save for last night's storms, so here's this week's offering from the little green Nano.

Let's...Play...Shuffle!

Elvis Presley - Money Honey (Live)
Elvis Presley - Blue Moon
Aaron Neville - The Greatest Love
Del Amitri - Roll to Me
The Hold Steady - Banging Camp
The Avett Brothers - All My Mistakes
Fountains of Wayne - Strapped for Cash
This Train - Who's Stopping You
Joe Henry - Cold Enough to Cross
The Hold Steady - The Sweet Part of the City

Looks like the Nano had a thing for Elvis and The Hold Steady this week.

Had a funny spell of shuffling the other day. Aretha Franklin singing "R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me" followed by the Old 97's "If I had half a brain left after my debauchery, I'd give up the other women and the W-I-F-E."

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10 (Monday Edition)

Busy day at TWDQ HQ yesterday, so here's the Monday Edition of Sunday Random 10.

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

Fountains of Wayne - Imperia
Rosanne Cash - Miss the Mississippi and You
Patty Griffin - Wiggley Fingers
Wilco - Outtasite (Outta Mind)
The Who - My Generation
Wilco - Jesus, Etc.
The Avett Brothers - Kick Drum Heart
Los Lobos - Shakin' Shakin' Shakes
Eddie Cochran - Nervous Breakdown
The New Standards - Hey Ya

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question ("Can you blend a vuvuzela?") already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

Happy Independence Day to our fellow Americans!

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

Van Morrison - Bright Side of the Road
The Swell Season - Fantasy Man
Patty Griffin - I Smell a Rat
The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - Back of a Car
Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey - To Be Loved
Kathleen Edwards - In State
Beki Hemingway & Jonathan Rundman - No Regrets
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers - Here Comes My Girl
Crowded House - Something So Strong

Well, it came up half American today. Couple of Brits, an Irish/Czech combo, a Canadian, and we wrap with New Zealand's finest. (We admit to grabbing a guitar and hitting the replay button on Ms. Edwards about ten times before moving on with the last entries. Go click that link if you haven't heard it. Or this one.)

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question ("How can you let a .158 hitter pound a pinch-hit salami?"), already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

Busy day yesterday at TWDQ HQ, first out celebrating birthdays and anniversaries with a New Orleans brunch, then back to HQ for some televised baseball & World Cup, then some lawn mowing and a movie. Finally got around to the little green Nano late last evening. Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

Jason Falkner - Miracle Medicine
The Beatles - Honey Don't
Laura Nyro - He Was Too Good to Me
Shawn Colvin - You're Gonna Make Me Lonesome When You Go
XTC - Books Are Burning
Old 97's - Color of a Lonely Heart is Blue
The Jayhawks - Six Pack on the Dashboard
Dave Edmunds - Girls Talk
The Beat Farmers - Happy Boy
Joe Henry - Stop

If you've only heard "Happy Boy" on the daily segment on Ian & Margery's radio show, you're missing a couple of verses that might put one off one's breakfast.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

Sorry we missed you last week, been a whirlwind couple of weeks around TWDQ HQ and while we shuffled up the iPod last week, we didn't get around to posting. So here's another two-fer.

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

06/13/2010
The Beatles - You Won't See Me
Oberhofer - o0O0o0O0o
Fountains of Wayne - You're Just Never Satisfied
Professor Longhair - Thank You Pretty Baby
Jonathan Rundman - In Thee Is Gladness
Stevie Wonder - Higher Ground
Laura Nyro and Labelle - Gonna Take a Miracle
Shawn Colvin - Polaroids
Rosanne Cash (w/Neko Case) - Satisfied Mind
Beki Hemingway & Jonathan Rundman - Easy Chair

06/20/2010
Lucy Wainwright Roche - University Drive
Van Morrison - Wild Night
This Train - Seafoam Green
Sarah Jaffe - Stay with Me
Los Lobos - One Time One Night
Kirsty MacColl - Can't Stop Killing You
Professor Longhair - Baby Let Me Hold Your Hand
The Replacements - Here Comes a Regular
Ike Reilly - The Assassination of Sweet Lou Diablo
Patty Griffin - Flaming Red

Let's see...we just saw the amazing Ms. Griffin last evening with the amazing Buddy Miller, there's a pair of tunes from 'Fess reminding us that we must get ourselves to New Orleans some time, we're looking forward to Ms. Cash's gig at the free bandshell at the State Fair this August, and we've already mentioned Laura Nyro & Labelle's wonderful Gonna Take a Miracle album and if you don't already have it, you should stop reading this instant and go get it.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Graveyard Shift

After catching Jake Tapper's roundtable on This Week this morning, here's This Week's Discussion Question (Thanks for the idea, Arianna!):

Man, how much overtime does the PolitiFact crew have to put in when Liz Cheney's on This Week?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Why does anyone care what Liz Cheney thinks about anything?" or "Holy crap, I agree with George Will that Bud Selig did the right thing! Sorry to anyone who got splattered when my head exploded."

Discuss.

Sunday Random 10

Before we head out for some quality contemplative time behind the TWDQ HQ lawnmower, here's what spilled from the little green Nano this week.

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

U2 - Until the End of the World
The Beatles - When I'm Sixty-Four
Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Cinnamon Girl
Sally Seltman - Harmony to My Heartbeat
Crowded House - Everything is Good for You
World Party - And I Fell Back Alone
Fairground Attraction - Falling Backwards
The Beatles - Hold Me Tight
Los Lobos - I Will Go Sailing No More
Dan Zanes and Friends - I'm Flying

Feel free to post your own random ten in the comments.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

Happy Memorial Day Weekend! We at TWDQ hope you're taking time out to honor the memory of those who've served this nation and all those who have gone before.

Here's this week's shuffle:

Wilco - Say You Miss Me
Ike Reilly - God Damn Shame
Fountains of Wayne - Peace and Love
Over the Rhine - Suitcase
The Muppets - Wipe Out
Joe Henry - Tiny Voices
Rhett Miller - Refusing Temptation
The Hold Steady - The Smidge
Fountains of Wayne - Hung Up on You
Patty Griffin - Mary

Way poppier this week. Looks like the little green Nano is back from its Tom Waits obsession.

Still looking for time to post a question or two. In the meantime, the right-wing hissy fit about the President's Memorial Day plans not including Arlington National Cemetery (which the president--even the Republican ones--hasn't always done every Memorial Day, but facts always seem to get in the way of a good hissy fit, don't they?) does make us wonder if we were this damned whiny during the eight years of Junior's administration. It's a shame nobody could be bothered to get worked up over torture or a war sold with lies.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

The iPod Has Been Drinking (or Sunday Random Tens)

Sorry we missed you last week, kids. Been busy 'round TWDQ HQ. Here's a couple of weeks worth of Sunday Random 10s for you.

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

05/16/2010
The Pogues - The Broad Majestic Shannon
Mary Lou Lord - Speeding Motorcycle
Sam & Dave - Hold On, I'm Comin'
The Replacements - Valentine
The Replacements - Nightclub Jitters
Norah Jones - Young Blood
Gear Daddies - Time Heals
Dave Brubeck Quartet - The Way You Look Tonight (Live)
Beki Hemingway & Jonathan Rundman - No Regrets
The Coasters - I Must Be Dreamin'

05/23/2010
Mary Chapin Carpenter - Mrs. Hemingway
Over the Rhine - Ohio
Tom Waits - Metropolitan Glide (Live)
Tom Waits - Trampled Rose (Live)
Over the Rhine - Born
Beki Hemingway - Over With
Preservation Hall Jazz Band (feat. Tom Waits) - Corinne Died on the Battlefield
Vince Guaraldi - Mr. Lucky
Tom Waits - Shiver Me Timbers
Over the Rhine - All I Want Is Everything

This week's list is really interesting. Once that first song kicked in, I was wondering if one of Ms. Hemingway's cuts would pop up. Sure enough! Then the little green Nano definitely had it in a big way for Mr. Waits and we swear it KNOWS we contributed to the Let's Make a Record project so Over the Rhine could spend this past week in Los Angeles recording their new album with Joe Henry. (Mr. Henry's luminous "Love Is Enough" from the excellent Civilians made an appearance a few songs after the initial ten wrapped up.)

Gonna be a busy week, but stay tuned, we might have an actual question here soon.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

Hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day! Gorgeous day here.

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

Crowded House - Not the Girl You Think You Are
Old 97's - Can't Get a Line (Live)
The Beatles - One After 909
The Ike Reilly Assassination - I Will Let You Down
Bob Dylan & The Rolling Thunder Revue - A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall (Live)
Crowded House - Everything Is Good for You
Joe Henry - Want Too Much
Jason Falkner - Take Good Care of Me
Neil Young - A Man Needs a Maid
Preservation Hall Jazz Band (feat. Pete Seeger & Tao Rodriguez-Seeger) - Blue Skies

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

Hey, it's Sunday again! And no Discussion Question again! It's a good thing we got us an iPod, eh?

Here's what it shuffled up today. Let's...Hit...Shuffle!!!

Jonathan Rundman - Kuortane
Patty Griffin (feat. Buddy Miller) - Never Grow Old
The Pogues - Sit Down By the Fire
The Heardsmen - She Knows It
The Beatles - Get Back
The B-52's - Mesopotamia
World Party - When the Rainbow Comes
Tom Waits - Get Behind the Mule (Live)
Bruce Springsteen - Backstreets
Joe Henry - Widows of the Revolution

Wow. That's about as solid a list as it's ever produced. We're going to see Mr. Rundman Wednesday night and Ms. Griffin (w/Mr. Miller opening) in June. We just saw the amazing Mr. Henry in March. The Pogues and Springsteen tunes are from our stack of desert island discs. The Heardsmen tune is from one of our favorite film soundtracks. The kid played in a B-52's cover band while in college. We wore out World Party's Goodbye Jumbo and Waits' "Mule Variations back in the day. And, of course, it all comes back to The Beatles. (BTW, "Help" was the 11th tune up.)

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question already in progress for several weeks now. We know, we know.

Sunday Random 10

It's Sunday and you know what that means? (We mean besides the Twins blowing the final game of a series instead of sweeping.)

It's time to see what the little green Nano's going to cough up! Let's... Hit...Shuffle!!!

The Replacements - Gary's Got a Boner
Los Lobos - La Bamba
The Beatles - I Need You
Laura Nyro and Labelle - I Met Him on a Sunday
Talking Heads - Love -> Building on Fire
Rufus Thomas - Walkin' the Dog
Peter Holsapple & Chris Stamey - Some of the Parts
Over the Rhine - Born
Dan Zanes - California
Kristina Train - I Can't But Help

Interesting mix. Once again, if you don't already have that Laura Nyro and Labelle album Gonna Take a Miracle, it's less than eight bucks here. Go! We are also huge fans of the Dan Zanes record, which is so loose and fun it made Springsteen's Seeger Sessions disc seem like a dull lecture.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

It was a beautiful Sunday in TWDQ's neck of the woods and we got mildly sunburned watching baseball, which is a possibility once again in TWDQ's neck of the woods! Now it's time to fire up the little green Nano.

Let's...Hit...Shuffle...

Over the Rhine - When You Say Love
Peter Wolf (w/Neko Case) - The Green Fields of Summer
She & Him - I'm Gonna Make It Better
Elvis Presley - Good Rockin' Tonight
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - When the Other Foot Drops, Uncle
Gnarles Barkley - Crazy
The Beatles - Two of Us (Let it Be...Naked version)
Johnny Cash - Luther Played the Boogie
The Beatles - Let It Be (single version)
The Twilight Hours - Dreams

Thanks to everyone who raved about the new Wolf record. We're so glad we picked it up.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

This Is How We Do It

Here's This Week's Discussion Question:

Isn't this beautiful?

Please keep the discussion civil and do feel free to wander off into "Da da da da da" or "All together now!"

Sing.

What the World Needs Now, Vol. 41110

Since she didn't show up in today's random 10, here's This Week's Discussion Question:

Why is anyone still watching American Idol?

Please keep the discussion civil, but for cryin' out loud, people, if you want a new singer who came out of obscurity, there isn't a better story than a funky, gritty, 50-something former Rikers Island corrections officer fronting a top-notch soul band.

And if you want to watch competition, baseball season just started.

Discuss.

Sunday Random 10

It's Sunday again! Let's see what the little green Nano has to offer this week.

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!!!

The Beatles - Lonesome Tears in My Eyes
The New Standards - Maps
The Rascals - Lonely Too Long
Miles Davis - Blue in Green
XTC - Ball and Chain
The Who - Substitute
Van Morrison - Brown Eyed Girl
Kirsty MacColl - Can't Stop Killing You
The Pogues - If I Should Fall from Grace with God
Patty Griffin - Carry Me

Cool. Something from the newly-acquired Beatles "Live at the B.B.C." and the title track from one of our Desert Island albums.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

Let's see what springs from the little green Nano on this Easter Sunday. Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

Wilson Pickett - I'm in Love
Dan Zanes - Phone Call Home
Dan Zanes - The Colorado Trail
Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham - I'm Living Good
The New Standards - Bring It On Home to Me
The Beatles - I'll Cry Instead
The Who - A Legal Matter
Nick Lowe - Homewrecker
Fountains of Wayne - Joe Rey
Dusty Springfield - I Don't Want to Hear It Anymore

Hope you all had a great day! We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

It's Sunday again! Hey, did we mention that we're in the paper this morning?

Well, let's see what surprises the little green Nano has in store for us today. Ready?

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

Kristina Train - I Can't But Help
The Suburbs - Rattle My Bones
Dan Zanes and Friends - Gary, Indiana/The Wells Fargo Wagon
Shawn Colvin - I'm Gone
Muddy Waters - She's Nineteen Years Old
U2 - FEZ-Being Born
Miles Davis - All Blues
The Coasters - Smokey Joe's Cafe
Allen Toussaint - Solitude
Professor Longhair - Mardi Gras in New Orleans

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Papers

Hey! We're in the Sunday paper!

Hot, Hot, Hot

We interrupt This Week's Discussion Question to point you--once again--to Fred Clark's blazing work at Slacktivist.

Boy, oh boy, Fred OWNS the internets these days.

Go. Read. Now.

Discuss.

Sunday Random 10

Been a busy day at TWDQ HQ, so we had to wait until tonight to see what the little green Nano would shake out. Ready? Let's...Hit...Shuffle!:

Son Volt - Roll On
The Rascals - See
Wilco - Muzzle of Bees (live)
Wilco - Misunderstood
Johnny Cash - I Walk the Line
Gear Daddies - Get It Right Someday
The Beatles - Rocky Raccoon
Dusty Springfield - So Much Love
The Decemberists - A Bower Scene
XTC - That Wave

We'll have more in a few days on a couple of great shows that book-ended last week, as well as some more pointers to our favorite blogger, who is currently owning the internets, so stay tuned.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

It's Sunday again, so Let's...Hit...Shuffle!:

The Who - Call Me Lightning
Kirsty MacColl - Caroline
Allen Toussaint - Blue Drag
Tinted Windows - Back with You
Gary U.S. Bonds - Not Me
Muddy Waters - (I'm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man
Gear Daddies - No One's Home
Over the Rhine - Here it Is
Joe Henry - Monkey
The Beatles - If I Fell

Hope you've all adjusted your clocks accordingly and will enjoy the later sunset this evening. We're off to a darkened jazz club to see the artist responsible for the penultimate tune and the production on the third track.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Monday Morning Rock (Belated Sunday Random 10)

Didn't get around to shuffling the little green Nano yesterday, so here's the mix from Monday morning. Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

Van Morrison - Domino
Joe Henry - Prelude: Light No Lamp When the Sun Comes Down
Gnarls Barkley - Crazy
Jonathan Rundman - Continental Divide
Joe Henry - Lighthouse
Bob Dylan & The Rolling Thunder Revue - Hurricane
Aaron Neville - Waiting at the Station
Tom Waits - What's He Building?
Brendan Benson - Feel Like Taking You Home
Alice Cooper - School's Out

The little green Nano must know we're going to see Mr. Henry next Sunday evening at a cozy little jazz club. The list also features no fewer than three tracks from the annual faves compilations we've been assembling since 2003.

Mr. Waits' spoken-word track is also a long-time favorite from which some of the TWDQ HQ crew regularly recite lines: "He has no friends, but he gets a lot of mail. I'll bet he spent a little time in jail," or "I'll tell you one thing, he's not building a playhouse for the children," or just "What the hell is he building in there?" (Naturally, one needs to recite these in his/her best Tom Waits growl.)

And last, but not least, the final cut prompts This Week's Discussion Question:

Is there any verse more rock 'n roll than this?:

Well, we got no class
And we got no principles
And we got no innocence
We can't even think up a word that rhymes

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Grease is the time, is the place, is the motion; Grease is the way we are feeling," or "Well, since she put me down there's been owls pukin' in my bed..."

Discuss.

I'm Talking to You...

We're pleased to introduce "I'm Talking to You,"* a new feature on This Week's Discussion Question that will consist of open letters to whomever we feel like addressing open letters.

Chuck Todd, I'm talking to you:

While watching the 2010 Olympic Games coverage, we saw the spots for your new show, The Daily Rundown, where you gush about how much you love politics. "I wish every day was Election Day," you say.

Well, every day isn't election day, Chuck. The rest of them are governance days, which are important not for how they impact an elected official's chances of getting re-elected two or four or six years down the road, they're important for how they impact people's everyday lives.

If you want to cover horse racing, apply for a transfer to NBC Sports and knock yourself out every damn day.

(While Googling around for Chuck's line in the commercial, we learned that we're thinking like the pros.)

Sports networks, I'm talking to you:

We're not waiting four more years for our two-week fix. Cut a bunch of your poker programming and give us curling!

John Yoo, I'm talking to you:

If we'd just been given a pass on professional misconduct for our part in writing memos that authorized torture, we'd be keeping such a low profile that we'd be looking up at Dick Cheney's final approval rating. But hey, if you want to keep flapping your yap until somebody finally gets fed up and indicts your arse, be our guest.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

* We regret that we were unable to find a YouTube clip of Mary Lou Lord performing the title song.

Sunday Random 10

Had shuffle going while painting one of the bathrooms at TWDQ HQ yesterday, so here's a belated posting of yesterday's Random 10.

Let's...hit...shuffle!

Brendan Benson - Garbage Day
Dan Zanes - The Railroad Cars Are Coming
Dusty Springfield - Goodbye
The Beatles - All Together Now
Fountains of Wayne - Peace and Love
The Kinks - Dedicated Follower of Fashion
Uncle Tupelo - Anodyne
Wilco - Far, Far Away
Vince Guaraldi - Star Song
Wilco - Heavy Metal Drummer

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

We interrupt This Week's Discussion Question for a special "Twins' Pitchers and Catchers Reporting Day" edition of Sunday Random 10, so Let's...Hit...Shuffle!!!

The New Standards - September Song
The New Standards - London Calling
Rickie Lee Jones - It Hurts
Lucy Wainwright Roche - Chicago
XTC - Books Are Burning
Dusty Springfield - Live Here with You
Fountains of Wayne - Strapped for Cash
Van Morrison - Wild Night
The Beatles - From Me to You
Muddy Waters - Don't Go No Farther

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

You Talk Too Much

Caught a bit of the former Vice President on ABC's This Week with Some Reporter this morning and it prompted This Week's Discussion Question:

How many times can you publically confess to war crimes before you get formally charged with them?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "No, we don't miss you either, Dick."

Discuss.

Sunday Random 10

It's Sunday! Let's...Hit...Shuffle!!!

Al Green - You Ought to Be with Me
Los Lobos - Wicked Rain (Live)
Elvis Costello - Alison
The Decemberists - The Crane Wife 3
U2 - Zoo Station
The Clash - Train in Vain
Interference - Gold
The Hold Steady - Don't Let Me Explode
Tom Waits - That Feel
The Beatles - Sea of Holes

Ooh! Couldn't have been a more appropriate opener than the Reverend Green! Happy Valentine's Day, everybody!

Miss You

You never know where This Week's Discussion Question will pop up so you have to keep your eyes open.

A couple of questions arose over the weekend, one in a Nashville hotel ballroom and one along an interstate highway not far from TWDQ HQ, so as Mr. Cub would say, "Let's play two!"

How's that Hopey, Changey stuff workin' out?

and

Miss me yet?

Please keep the discussion civil and please, do not read from the crib notes scrawled on your palm.

The correct answers, however, are "One helluva lot better than it would have if you'd been elected," and "Considering Princess Dumbass of the North Woods, we miss you only in the same way that you made us unexpectedly nostalgic for Dick Nixon," respectively.

Discuss.

O Say, Can You See Who Are You?

The championship of American football was decided this evening, raising several opportunities for discussion.

And now, Bridgestone Tires presents the Doritos/Bud Light/E*Trade Super Bowl Edition This Week's Discussion Questions:

Why isn't "America the Beautiful" the National Anthem?

Could we please give the old rockers a rest?

Did CBS push to have The Who because all 42 CSI shows use a Who tune in their opening credits?

Is Dave Letterman a genius or what?

and

WHO DAT?

Please keep the discussion civil and feel free to wander off into "Ms. Underwood sure has guts to sing that lame anthem after what the Queen did," or "To their credit, after a rusty "Pinball Wizard", Pete and Roger tightened it up nicely," or "Football season's over!!!"

Discuss.

Sunday Random 10

It's Sunday, so Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

The Wild Tchoupitoulas - Here Dey Come
Wilco - Should've Been in Love
Golden Smog - Red Headed Stepchild
Crowded House - In the Lowlands
Ritchie Valens - We Belong Together
Fountains of Wayne - Tell Me What You Already Did
Elvis Costello and The Attractions - Radio Radio
Wilco - I Got You (At the End of the Century)
Vigilantes of Love - Blister Soul (Reprise)
Levon Helm - When I Go Away

We wondered if the first track out of the chute was a sign that Mardi Gras was going to come early this year.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

Sorry this is late, just got back from a baseball banquet where Danny Gladden was telling some pretty good stories.

Let's...play...shuffle!

Fountains of Wayne - Hackensack
Fountains of Wayne - The Girl I Can't Forget
Old 97's - Friends Forever (Live)
The Beatles - Come Together (Anthology 3 version)
Allen Toussaint - Bright Mississippi
Matthew Sweet & Susanna Hoffs - Care of Cell #44
Jonathan Rundman - Daylight Saving(s) Time
Wilco - You Never Know
Jonathan Rundman - Armyman
The Saw Doctors - I Useta Lover

Nice mix, including two songs from this year's edition of our annual faves compilation (Toussaint & Wilco), plus one from an earlier faves compilation (the second Fountains entry).

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Hot Stuff

We interrupt This Week's Discussion Question to say that Fred Clark has been on fire lately. And the footnote in this one is excellent, too.

Go forth and bookmark.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

It's Sunday and time once again to find out what surprises the little green Nano holds for this week. Ready? Let's...hit...shuffle!

The Wonders - That Thing You Do! (Live)
Neil Finn & Friends (Eddie Vedder, vocal) - Stuff and Nonsense
Talking Heads - Memories Can't Wait
U2 - Peace on Earth
Fountains of Wayne - Baby I've Changed
The Chantrellenes - Hold My Hand, Hold My Heart
Stevie Wonder - Jesus Children of America
U2 - Stand Up Comedy
Elvis Costello - New Amsterdam
Rickie Lee Jones - Road to Emmaus

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

It's Sunday again! We don't have a question again! (Well, we've got one but not enough time to write it up.)

Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

The Beatles - This Boy
Nick Lowe - Man That I've Become
The Beatles - Roll Over Beethoven
The Beatles - What Goes On
Dusty Springfield - Stay Awhile
Girlyman - Joyful Sign
The Cure - Friday I'm in Love
The Rascals - I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore
Gear Daddies - Party Stomp
The Rascals - Love is a Beautiful Thing

3404 songs and we get three tunes from the Liverpool lads and a couple from Felix and the boys, but we aren't complaining.

Hey, number 11 just popped up the live version on Shawn Colvin's "Sunny Came Home", so here's a This Week's Discussion Question for ya:

Why wasn't "Get Out of This House" a monster hit?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Couldn't people just buy Shawn Colvin records and we could forget about finding another American Idol?"

Discuss.

Sunday Random 10

It's Sunday! Let's...hit...shuffle!!!

Todd Rundgren - You Cried Wolf
Crowded House - Private Universe
Stevie Wonder - Jesus Children of America
Rhett Miller - Haphazardly
Patty Griffin - Go Now
Wilco - Nothing'severgonnastandinmyway (Again)
Marshall Crenshaw - Little Wild One (No. 5)
Dusty Springfield - Just a Little Lovin'
Jonathan Rundman - Sick of Eric Blues
Mark Mallman - The Fool on the Hill

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

That Toddlin' Town - 08 & 09-01-10

When in Rome, or Chicago...

08-01-10
1. Interstate highways between Columbia Heights and Chicago were way, way, WAY clearer than anticipated. Major props to DOT workers in all three states.
2. Pretzel buns on the burgers at Charlie's Ale House on Clark.
3. Discussing atonement theology on the El.
4. Finding Runt: The Ballad of Todd Rundgren on vinyl at the Reckless Records outpost in the Loop! Also, EW&F on vinyl and Ivy, Kristina Train, XTC, and Beatles Anthologies 2 & 3 on CD.
5. A subdued hootenanny at Casa Oscar Romero.

09-01-10
1. Ann Sather cinnamon rolls.
2. Ann Sather cinnamon rolls.
3. Ann Sather cinnamon rolls.
4. Ann Sather cinnamon rolls.
5. Ann Sather cinnamon rolls.

Oops...

1. Ann Sather cinnamon rolls.
2. Leftover breakfast bruschetta at a beautiful rest stop near the Dells. (Complimented one of the workers on how great it'll look when it's done.)
3. See "Interstate Highways, Clear", above.
4. Turned off the Wild/Blackhawks tilt in disgust when the Hawks were up 4-1 and appeared to be simply toying with the locals. Later, down in the young man's place, he flipped the game on as the foghorn went off to signal the tying goal with about a minute and a half left in regulation. Watched the Wild steal a win in an eight round shootout.
5. Bed & pajamas.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

Happy New Year, faithful blogreaders! (Remember blogs? Back before Facebook?)

Let's see what the little green nano shuffled up this week:

Son Volt - When the Wheels Don't Move
Miles Davis - Freddie Freeloader
The Avett Brothers - Tin Man
Joe Henry - Stations
Jonathan Rundman - Gospel Verses
Jonathan Rundman - Second Language
7 Worlds Collide (John Stirratt, vocal)- Over and Done
Dana Thompson - Golden Nightlight Lullaby
Joshua James - Coal War
Marshall Crenshaw - Our Town

There were really 11 tracks this week because after the Son Volt tune, it ironically pulled up a track with Garrison Keillor chatting with his former Uncle Tupelo bandmate Jeff Tweedy of Wilco on A Prairie Home Companion on 10/03/2009.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

Hope you all had a great Christmas! Here are the ten the Nano shuffled up this week:

Van Morrison - I'm Confessin'
Nick Lowe - 14 Days
U2 - Get on Your Boots
Crowded House - Don't Dream It's Over
Gear Daddies - Drank So Much (Live)
Nick Lowe - Indian Queens
Wilco - Comment (If All Men Are Truly Brothers) (Live)
The Hold Steady - Citrus (Live)
Stevie Wonder - Higher Ground
Van Morrison - Warm Love

New and old bookends from Van the Man, a pair of later Nick Lowe tunes, some fresh U2, one of the best songs of the 70s and what mightbe the best song from the 80s.

See you next year!

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

I bought a crap detector...

Had Meet the Press ("THE Place to Go to Get Your Message Out!") on this morning and as GOP shill Ed Gillespie opened his yap, the teevee started buzzing, Ed lips moved silently, and a green bar appeared at the top of the screen, scrolling white text and we thought we had been gifted with This Week's Discussion Question:

Hey, when did they implement the Early BS Warning System?!?!

Unfortunately, it was just a test of the Emergency Broadcast Warning System, so we'll have to go with the alternate question:

How great would an Early BS Warning System be?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Heh. Fox News Channel would only need to broadcast an audio signal for the commercials," or "Not that Glenn Beck has any advertisers left, mind you."

Discuss.

Sunday Random 10

It's Sunday again, so Let's...Hit...Shuffle!

Bob Dylan & The Band - Million Dollar Bash
Jonathan Rundman - Out Behind the Old Hotel
Todd Rundgren - I Went to the Mirror
Old 97's - Designs on You (live)
Jonathan Rundman - Every Town's the Same (live)
The Pogues - The Battle March Medley
Fountains of Wayne - The Senator's Daughter
This Train - A Million Years
Jonathan Rundman - Ambassadors
Los Straitjackets - Christmas Weekend

Couple of nice Christmas tunes in there. One's obvious, one not at all but it's one of our favorite Christmas songs. Plus, there are two, maybe three tracks from our list of Desert Island Albums.

Merry Christmas, faithful readers.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

It's Sunday again, so Let's... Hit... Shuffle!:

The Beatles - You're Gonna Lose That Girl
Fairground Attraction - A Smile in a Whisper
Son Volt - Atmosphere
Elvis Costello and the Attractions - I Can't Stand Up for Falling Down
Aretha Franklin - Respect
Them - Gloria
The Suburbs - Monster Man (R.I.P. Bruce C. Allen)
Over the Rhine - Goodbye Charles
The Coasters - Bad Blood
Old 97's - The Other Shoe

Wow. Very, very cool mix today. As a bonus, we've linked to a great post on the craft of a Help! "throwaway" song and an obit for the 'Burbs guitarist who passed this week (he also designed the cover of this).

Also, the Over the Rhine track is from Snow Angels, their terrific Christmas album from a couple of years back, and if you shuffled that tune in with the rest of Vince Guaraldi's classic A Charlie Brown Christmas soundtrack, not many people would notice.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

The Nano shuffled up a lot of the Fab Four this morning:

The Beatles - A Hard Day's Night
The Temptations - Get Ready
Throw Me the Statue - Ancestors
The Beatles - Don't Bother Me
Bob Dylan - Shake Shake Mama
Stevie Wonder - All in Love is Fair
The Kinks - Sunny Afternoon
The Beatles - Dig a Pony
Sam & Dave - You Don't Know Like I Know
Glen Hansard & Marketa Irglova - Leave

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Sunday Random 10

Here's what the iPod shuffled out this week. Let's see if it grabs anything from this week's additions (Cachao, Peter Case, Fairground Attraction, Midnight Oil, and Van the Man from the Thanksgiving week pilgrimage to the amazing Reckless Records in Chicago's Wicker Park neighborhood; and Los Lobos, the spanking new Tom Waits live, the Dan Zanes and Friends Broadway album, and this month's Paste Magazine sampler that were in the mailbox when we got back into town):

The Rascals - See
State Radio - Calling All Crows
Elvis Presley - Kentucky Rain
Bruce Springsteen - Backstreets
Nick Lowe - High on a Hilltop
Jonathan Rundman - Calm the Storm
Los Lobos - Sabor A Mi
Crowded House - Private Universe
The Wild Tchoupitoulas - Indian Red
The Beatles - Birthday

None of the new stuff (the Lobos tune was from a different record), but that last one's really interesting because today's my brother's birthday! Hey Don, we really had a good time. I'm glad it's your birthday. Happy birthday to ya!

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Chapter and Verse(s)

Heard about these Psalm 109:8 bumperstickers the other day on the radio:

During the last few days, Psalm 109:8, a Bible verse in the form of a "prayer for Obama," has topped the Google trends chart: "May his days be few; may another take his office." Evidently, a bumper sticker emblazoned with this verse has popped up in various parts of the country. It is a sort of right-wing Christian equivalent to the old "01.20.09" stickers looking forward to the end of the Bush era.

It was, most likely, intended as a joke. But it isn't really very funny. Especially since the next verse reads, "May his children be orphans, and his wife a widow."

Rather than being horrified by the subsequent verse, they actually printed up bumperstickers and coffee mugs and whatever else Cafe Press prints junk on, so here's This Week's Discussion Question:

What the hell is wrong with these people?

Please keep the discussion civil and do feel free to wander off into "What the hell ever happened to context?" or "01.20.09 bumperstickers are most certainly not equivalent. Never, not for a nanosecond, did we wish President Bush or Vice President Cheney harm. Impeached? Absolutely. Hauled up on charges at the International Criminal Court? We'll buy their one-way tickets to The Hague. Shunned by decent society, ashamed to show their faces in public? You bet. But dead? No, not ever. Never. Also, 'it isn't really very funny', is an incredible understatement. It ought to earn someone a visit from the Secret Service."

Discuss.

Sunday Random 10

Greetings faithful readers! Thanks for getting off Facebook for a few minutes to read a blog, any blog!

TWDQ HQ was recently assimilated into the Apple Borg, and after years of railing against the silliness of the shuffle button on a CD player--Do you know how long the band spent sequencing that album so it flows properly?-- we're in love with shuffle on this device.

Sunday mornings are usually pretty quiet around TWDQ HQ, so we're proud to present the inaugural edition of Sunday Random 10.

To borrow a phrase from the gang down at the Xcel Center, "Let's hit SHUFFLE!":

Heartless Bastards - The Mountain
The Beatles - Martha, My Dear
Laura Nyro and Labelle - The Wind
St. Dominic's Trio - Home on the Range
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - Adam Raised a Cain
Yonlu - I Know What It's Like
The Swell Season - This Low
Matthew Sweet - Sick of Myself
The Beatles - There's a Place
Wilco - We're Just Friends

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Going, Going, Gone

We interrupt This Week's Discussion Question to acknowledge America's newest author (and boy, do we use that term loosely):

Rogue, schmogue, whatever. As long as you go.

Oh yeah, you're going.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

This is Easy

This Week's Discussion Question comes from Larry "Lonesome" Rhodes Glenn Beck:

Can you imagine what America would be like if we didn't have Fox News?"

Glenn suggests that progressives would think it'd be utopia. (We'd settle for a populace that's better informed less disinformed and less afraid.)

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Holy crap, he's finally right! It would be utopia! "

Discuss.

It was twenty years ago today...

We interrupt This Week's Discussion Question (and will step out of the third person) for a bit of personal reflection.

A co-worker and I were chatting yesterday about The Beatles' "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band", an album he'd just listened to for the first time in a long time while driving to his uncle's funeral. His uncle succumbed to cancer at 56 and it reminded me that it was 20 years ago today that my dad lost his battle with lung cancer at the much too young age of 58.

20 years. Twenty years! The then-youngest grandchild, who'd just turned two, graduated from college in May. The now-youngest grandchild, born nearly 10 years after his passing, just turned ten.

And I'm now six years shy of 58 and I am reminded of what a gift each day is. Recently, I asked a former pastor how she and her husband were enjoying retirement, she said simply, "We're doing the things we want to do and not doing the things we don't want to do."

Yeah. Do the things you want to do. Don't do the things you don't want to do. Savor each day. You never know how many you're gonna get.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress. Heck, we don't even remember what the current question is, but feel free to wander off into "Should I get the Stereo Box set, the Mono Box set, or the individual Beatle albums?"

Breakdown Dead Ahead

Look at this and when you're done shaking your head, take a whack at This Week's Discussion Question:

How long before Glenn Beck completely melts down?

Please keep the discussion civil and shame on you if you're watching Beck for the impending flameout. Also, shame on you if you're watching Beck thinking he's got some insight to share. To borrow a line from the great Fredonian philosopher Rufus T. Firefly, Beck "may talk like an idiot, and look like an idiot, but don't let that fool you: he really is an idiot."

Discuss.

School's Out

We interrupt This Week's Discussion Question to say that if you object to this, the only acceptable note that ought to be accepted to excuse your kid from watching it/coming to school that day (Who knew Fox News was pro-truancy?) would read:

Please excuse (kid's name here) from class today because her/his parents are morons.

Also, we'd like to remind you that even though Van Jones resigned, it doesn't mean that Republicans aren't assholes.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

This Is How We Do It

Bill Moyers hit one out of the park Friday night:



Here's This Week's Discussion Question:

Is PBS an example of a government-run agency outperforming the private sector?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "If you added Glenn Beck and Sean Hannity's intellect to that of Crazy Michele and Princess Dumbass of the Northwoods [1] how many hammers would you have to take out of the bag to make it competitive?"

Discuss.

[1] h/t Charles Pierce

Idiot Wind, Pt. 949

We interrupt This Week's Discussion Question to bring you yet another gem from TWDQ's former congressional representative. (Have we mentioned that getting out of her district was the best side benefit of last summer's move? We have? A couple of hundred times? Oh, well.)

Here's Michele!:

"They want to make sure no women, no woman becomes president before a Democrat woman," Bachmann said, "and so they're doing everything they can to, I think, sabotage women like Sarah Palin, perhaps women like myself, or similarly situated women, to make sure that we don't have a prominent national voice."

Damn it, kids! She's onto us!

Okay, you've sussed us out, Congresswoman. We just want a "Democrat woman" in the big chair before you or Sarah get a turn.

Doesn't have a thing to do with the fact that the two of you are dumber than a bag of hammers. (And that's the two of you combined vs. a single bag of hammers. And it's not a large bag.)

Nope, not a thing.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Odds 'n Sods

No, we didn't forget about this blog once we got on the Facebook thingy. Been a busy summer, but the graduate is now off to Chicago for a year with Lutheran Volunteer Corps, so after a great summer, things are quieting down around TWDQ HQ once again.

(Speaking of Lutherans, here's a big shout-out to the ELCA, which voted last week to allow openly gay clergy to serve churches. As a result of another of vote last week, the ELCA is now in full communion with our brand, which, sadly, is not yet as enlightened on this issue.)

As such, we thought we'd dump out some random thoughts that have crossed our minds over the summer, so feel free to discuss them if you'd like.

Quotes of the summer:

Michelle Cottle, on the theory that the Obama Administration's program of soliciting tips about health care disinformation so they could fight the b.s. was really encouraging "informants" to help them build an "enemies list":

"I have given up hope for a loyal opposition. I'd settle for a sane one."

Next, Minnesota Twins first base coach Jerry White, who also works with the outfielders. LaVelle E. Neal first related this story in his blog, but here's the tidied-up version that ran in the dead-tree edition:

The MLB Network aired a replay of the 1981 National League Division Series between the Dodgers and Expos. Since Jerry White played for Montreal at the time -- he hit .313 with a homer in the series -- the clubhouse television was turned up.

"Hey, Jerry, did you play in this game?'' Carlos Gomez asked. "I just wanna know if you did anything in this game.''

Gomez asked the question again, and White couldn't resist.

"I hit the cutoff man!'' White fired back, "I know that for sure!''

Jon Stewart, who, after running clips of Glenn Beck moaning about his rectal surgery ordeal to his tiny CNN Headline News audience and how the U.S. health care system nearly killed him, juxtaposed with his Fox "News" cheerleading for the totally excellent U.S. health care system, summed it up:

"I'll tell you what really doesn't speak well of our health care system: That in those 16 months, the hole that they stitched up in Glenn Beck's ass hasn't healed enough for him to stop talking out of it."

And we'll close by saying that we're pleased that Eric Holder's taking baby steps toward doing the right thing on torture. Here's dday, with the most hopeful paragraph we've read in a long time:

We know that none of the torture here happened by happenstance, but through a directed policy emanating from the top. Instead of prosecuting "bad apples" who were young MPs on the night shift in Baghdad, we're talking about mid-level career CIA. They aren't dupes, and they know how to shift the attention up the chain of command. I don't think these interrogators will live with being the scapegoats. It may take some time, but we really could see some legitimate accountability here. And I hope so - because otherwise this will remain a black mark that can never wash out.

We hope so, too.

More soon...

Messing with My Head

Went to the Twins game last night and saw The Great .400 Hope Joe Mauer bang into four ground outs to the second baseman, one of which became a 4-6-3 double play. Today, he whiffs four times in five hitless trips to the dish, bringing us to This Week's Discussion Question:

Can you screw up your swing before being in the Home Run Derby?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "I sure hope the left field fence is low," or "Weekly, huh? Been about nine weeks, dude."

Discuss.

Reason #50809 Why Baseball is Better...

We interrupt This Week's Discussion Question to bring you yet another reason why--despite one of its biggest stars being booted for 50 games for testing positive for a female fertility drug--baseball is still the Best. Game. Ever.

Pioneer Press beat writer Phil Miller had this excellent item in his ugly road trip wrap-up blog post this morning:

-- Speaking of (Manny) Ramirez, (Michael) Cuddyer was generous with his time in talking about the case, and about how careful players have to be to protect themselves. And it led to a pretty funny moment. In asking him about how much players really know about what they're taking, I pointed to a bottle on the shelf of his locker. "How sure can you be that that's safe?" I said, pointing to the bottle. Cuddyer laughed, and said, "Pretty sure, since I only put that stuff on my glove." Good answer.

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Is This Thing Working?

We interrupt This Week's Discussion Question to note that after reading this fine piece of "journalism", we breathlessly await Politico's upcoming pieces in the series, "Does human trafficking work?" and "Does genocide work?"

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Drift Away

We interrupt This Week's Discussion Question to reassure Minnesotans that Senator-in-waiting Al Franken doesn't stand a snowball's chance of snaring the title of "America's Most Embarrassing Congressperson" when there's competition like this, kids. (And it's not Crazy Michele this time!)

We now return you to This Week's Discussion Question, already in progress.

Update: Giant Blooming Pansies!* This dim bulb thinks he outwitted the Nobel Prize-winning Secretary of Energy.

*We saw that on a florist's sign this weekend and are trying it out as a catchphrase.

Sunday Morning Comin' Down

One of the great things about participating in a community of faith that worships at 5 p.m. Sundays is that you can sleep in a bit, then lounge around in your bathrobe on Sunday mornings. The downside is that if you have the teevee on, you can frequently catch something that'll make you spit your Cheerios across the room.

Like when Serious Person Peggy Noonan said this to George, George, Cokie, and Sam about the decision to release the OLC torture memos:

"It's hard for me to look at a great nation issuing these documents and sending them out to the world and thinking, oh, much good will come of that."

Now here's Charles Pierce checking in last Friday, chez Alterman:

I have now lived through three major episodes in my life where the political elite have told me quite plainly that neither I nor my fellow citizens are sufficiently mature to suffer the public prosecution of major crimes committed within my government. The first was when Gerry Ford told me I wasn't strong enough to handle the sight of Richard Nixon in the dock. (Ed. note--I would have thrown a parade.) Dick Cheney looked at this episode and determined that the only thing Nixon did wrong was get caught. The second time was when the entire government went into spasm over the crimes of the Iran-Contra gang and I was told that I wasn't strong enough to see Ronald Reagan impeached or his men packed off to Danbury. Dick Cheney looked at this and determined that the only thing Reagan and his men did wrong was get caught and, by then, Cheney had decided that even that wasn't really so very wrong and everybody should shut up. Now, Barack Obama, who won election by telling the country and its people that they were great because of all they'd done for him, has told me that I am not strong enough to handle the prosecution of pale and vicious bureaucrats, many of them acting at the behest of Dick Cheney, who decided that the only thing he was doing wrong was nothing at all, who have broken the law, disgraced their oaths, and manifestly belong in a one-room suite at the Hague. Not to put too fine a point on it, but I'm sick and goddamn tired of being told that, as a citizen, I am too fragile to bear the horrible burden of watching public criminals pay for their crimes and that, as a political entity, my fellow citizens and I are delicate flowers encased in candy-glass who must be kept away from the sight of men in fine suits weeping as they are ripped from the arms of their families and sent off to penal institutions manifestly more kind than those in which they arranged to get their rocks off vicariously while driving other men mad.

Hey, Mr. President. Put these barbarians on trial and watch me. I'll be the guy out in front of the courtroom with a lawn chair, some sandwiches, and a cooler of fine beer. I'll be the guy who hires the brass band to serenade these criminal bastards on their way off to the big house. I'll be the one who shows up at every one of their probation hearings with a copy of the Constitution, the way crime victims show up at the parole board when their attacker comes up for release. I'll declare a national holiday -- Victory Over Torture Day -- and lead the parade right up whatever gated street it is that Cheney lives on these days. Trust me, Mr. President. I can take it.

So here's This Week's Discussion Question:

What would you give to see Pierce at that table with Noonan, Roberts, and Will?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "Man, it'd make yesterday's 14-run top of the second at Yankee Stadium look like a 1-0 pitchers' duel" or "Yeah! And wearin' Levi's!"

Discuss.

Update: Jon Stewart takes Ms. Noonan downtown in the last bit of this segment and Stephen Colbert just put Mr. Will's anti-denim nonsense through the wringer a few moments ago. Link coming...

Update: As promised, here's the Colbert link.

I'm Gonna D.J.

We're only five games into the new baseball season and we're pleased to present another Greatest. Sport. Ever. edition of This Week's Discussion Question:

We've heard of bench jockeying, but how cool is a sport where players are disk jockeying?

Please keep the discussion civil and do not wander off into "The Cell? They call it the Cell?"

Discuss.