Category: music

My Summer Concert Tour

~ Jim Flanigan ~ 1 Comment

Thankfully, I will not be touring to perform but to partake. I hit the road Wednesday with my 13 year old daughter to head to St Louis to see two concerts, squeeze in one day of work, do some sightseeing, and get my daughter over to see her cousin from Arizona who is staying with a relative in Central Illinois. I know you’re thinking, “Jim, please tell us more about that fascinating day of work you have planned with your daughter.” Well, work plans are still in flux, so instead I will tell you about the concerts.

Wednesday we drive straight from home to our hotel, check-in to the luxuriously-appointed Holiday Inn Express, and walk across a couple parking lots to the concert venue to see …

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When Doves Cry

~ Jim Flanigan

For those of you music aficionados who are soon to be disappointed to discover that this is not a blog post about Prince and his music, here’s a link to the title song. Satisfied? Now, on to a post about doves. Yeah, the birds.

I really meant to protect the baby dove. I had no intention of going all Ozzy Osbourne on the dove, although I had not yet had breakfast. I truly thought I was getting the baby dove out of harm’s way.

I was on a very long, early morning walk yesterday. There was the baby dove, huddled in the middle of the road. I scooped it up and moved it into an area off the road near some mailboxes. It moved around a bit while in my hands, so it seemed relatively healthy. I planned my walking route to pass that spot on my way back home to make sure the dove had moved on.

Only it hadn’t. There it was in the exact same spot. And it sounded like it was crying. Ugh! I vowed to give it some time for the day and the dove to warm a bit and check back. Besides, the local animal shelter would not be open for hours yet. So, I left the baby dove, vowing to return, not knowing the imminent danger to which I had exposed the bird.

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Take the Journey

~ Jim Flanigan

Not Journey the band. I wish! I really like “Wheel in the Sky” from the boys at Journey including lead vocalist Steve Perry. But wait, if Steve Perry was their lead vocalist, who’s this guy?

Oh, right. He’s the Journey vocalist after Steve Perry left when their albums sucked. That makes sense that he’s playing a free concert locally. Hard pass from me.

But that’s not the journey I’m writing about. I want to get a little contemplative and explore why I am writing this blog and why you may be reading it.

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My Dermatologist Doesn’t Want Me to be a Star

~ Jim Flanigan ~ 1 Comment

Who does? I’ve encountered all sorts of obstacles on my way to Hollywood. My first movie role as Racist Restaurant Patron was eliminated when my scene was cut after the restaurant backed out of allowing filming in their place. I secured my next role as Office Worker, but family obligations conspired to keep me from attending the filming. We celebrated our youngest daughter’s church confirmation on the morning of filming and attended an Eagle Scout ceremony during the afternoon of filming. By the way, the Scoutmaster really missed a great opportunity at the end of the Eagle Scout ceremony. How about finishing up the ceremony by rocking out to Robin Trower’s “Day of the Eagle?”

I did audition for a speaking part as Family Member #2 in a film but was not selected for the role. I guess that’s more on me than anyone else’s fault because of my complete lack of acting talent or training. I have an audition this weekend for a speaking role in an indie feature film about punk music called Screw City. I’m hoping my affinity for punk music will be evident and make them overlook my dearth of acting talent and training I mentioned before.

So, you may be wondering what my dermatologist has to do with all this. Well, I went under her knife this week for a skin cancer removal through Moh’s surgery, which I understood to be a gentle scraping of layers off my skin until all the cancer can be confirmed removed. Instead, it looks more like I had Moe’s surgery.

I’ll caution those more sensitive readers (what are you doing at this blog anyway?) to not click to continue reading. This is the result of my surgery.

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Walking in Chicago

~ Jim Flanigan

If you listen to Fox News or Trump, you would think that walking in Chicago is impossible without being shot, but it is actually a lovely city to walk. According to CBS News, as of February this year, Chicago was only 28th on the list for most murders per capita among cities in the US, virtually tied with Birmingham in Republican Alabama. Of the 27 cities with higher per capita murder rates, 14 are located in Republican-dominated states like Alabama, Louisiana, Arkansas, Indiana, South Carolina, Florida, Tennessee, and Missouri. So, if you ever get to Chicago, take a walk and see the city.

Friends of mine did just that the other night. I have no idea how far they walked from their parked car to City Winery, but they ended up at a Marc Cohn concert. You probably remember Cohn from his memorable hit song, “Walking in Memphis.” Such a beautiful song.

Now if that was my signature song (I wish!), at some point in the song I would sing, “Walking in (insert city name I’m performing in).” Audiences eat that up. I was surprised to hear he didn’t sing a random “Walking in Chicago” at least once. Maybe that’s why Cohn played to hundreds at City Winery rather than 60,000+ at Soldier Field on the lakefront with a laser light show and smoke machines.

As I reflected on my friend’s concert experience, it amazed me to realize that if not for a lack of musical ability, an abrasive singing voice, and a low aptitude for songwriting, my friends may have been listening to me in concert at City Winery rather than Marc Cohn. So close.

Owl Issues

~ Jim Flanigan

I’m pretty upset about the war on Ukraine, and then I get this email.

I use Gift Tree to send business Christmas gifts to valued customers, so very few. I guess they now want me to send overpriced gift baskets to people for their birthdays. That is not going to happen. But I opened their email because I want to know why owls give birthday gifts as teased in the subject line. However, nowhere in their email do they explain why owls are birthday gifters. This is driving me crazy/crazier. Why DO owls give birthday gifts? Because they give a hoot? That’s weak but all I could come up with. I googled that riddle and came up empty. Can someone help me? In the meantime, here’s some Owl City to inspire you to come up with an answer.

Twice as Bad Edition of … Am I a Bad Guy?

~ Jim Flanigan

The other day, I added air to my wife’s car’s tires using an air compressor that plugs into the car’s 12V power outlet. The use of the compressor plus the cold weather overnight was enough to drain the car’s battery, and my wife was unable to start her car the next morning. After driving her to work, I used a trickle charger on the battery and got it back to full strength.

Yes, I admit I drained the battery. But I do want credit for:

  • Inflating the tires.
  • Driving her to work.
  • Charging her battery.

Am I a bad guy?

And now on to my Spotify dilemma …

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Repost of Yorn Yule Tune & All New 2021 Content

~ Jim Flanigan

As I find myself woefully unprepared for Christmas once again, I harken back to advice crooner Pete Yorn gave us 2 Christmases ago – calm the hell down. Read on.

Christmas can be a fun time, but also a very stressful time. There are gifts to buy, MAGA relatives to rub shoulders with, and decorations to put up outside often in less than ideal conditions. But Pete Yorn is back with some sage advice for this season.

Where’s Yorn been since he captivated us musically a decade ago with lyrical tales of his “Strange Condition?” Well, he’s been making music, but just not super memorable. This new tune from his 7th album may not be memorable, but it excellent advice to just calm the hell down.

If you aren’t calm after listening to that tune, then there’s something seriously wrong. Calm down. The gifts will get wrapped. The tree will be trimmed. You’ll get to go a-Wassailing, whatever that is. Ask Uncle George in his MAGA hat about his health. He won’t have time to talk about Trump. He’ll be too busy talking about his gout and the root canal he needs and the fried foods he can’t eat anymore because his cholesterol is too high and … well, you get the idea. When he’s done, just tell him to calm down because he looks great. Okay, that’s probably a lie. What is that spot on his head? But, what the hell, it’s the holidays. Maybe that Christmas lie will help him enjoy a Merry Christmas, like all of us will if we just calm down.

Continue reading for new content.

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A Netflix Christmas Miracle

~ Jim Flanigan

There has not been a miracle like I experienced this weekend since the weeping Madonna.

No, not that Madonna. You know, the Madonna, the Virgin Mary, mother of Jesus. Some of her statues have supposedly wept and really made a mess like this one.

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Band on the Run?

~ Jim Flanigan

I know the world is sick of Covid, and everything is opening back up, despite breakthrough cases of Covid continuing to take the lives of double-vaccinated people who thought they were safe. I’m slowly trying to safely head back out into this weird, new, masked Covidy world. I recently went to an outdoor football game, and I went to a basketball game in a big indoor arena. I felt safer outdoors at the football game, but the seats at the basketball game were positioned in such a way that I felt okay about being there. But indoor restaurants? No, thank you. I’ll take the food to go.

I enjoyed safely meeting with friends over the summer at restaurants with outdoor patios. But last night, it was below freezing out, and I was scheduled to have dinner with friends. What do we do? We decided to head to a place with an outdoor patio that they wrap in plastic and keep cozy with overhead and tableside heaters. Even better, live music was scheduled for last night.

They looked fun and upbeat with an indie-artist vibe to them, sort of a cleaner-cut version of the Strumbellas from Canada. Take a look and you decide.

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New Music for Old Rockers – The Two Faces of Hush

~ Jim Flanigan ~ 1 Comment

I have a friend and reader of this blog (and therefore, waster of time) who wrote a great song decades ago, but won’t record it. Why? Because Styx stole the title for this sappy song.

I have tried to convince my friend that it doesn’t matter that Styx pilfered his title. His song is superior. Record it, put it up on YouTube, and I am sure in no time it will surpass the 4,205,467 views the Styx music video has. It is really okay to reuse a song title. Here’s a great example.

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New Music For Old Rockers – Taking a Walk in the Murder Capital of the USA Edition

~ Jim Flanigan

While on my recent business trip, I decided to take a walk on a treadmill in the fitness room of my hotel. Here’s the problem … I couldn’t figure out how to get there. It appeared that the elevator would take me to the 7th, 5th, 3rd, or 7th floors.

I took the stairs. Nobody takes the stairs in hotels with elevators. I don’t blame them. Elevators are fun. I like jumping in the elevator while it is moving. Yes, I got one stuck once. Oops.

Anyway, the stairs led me straight to the laundry room on the first floor. Oops, again. I saw a door and headed toward it, hoping it would take me to the hotel lobby. Nope. It was an exit. There I was, standing outside in St. Louis … the murder capital of the USA. Oops, thrice.

So, I made the bold decision to take this sage advice printed on my hotel room key packet.

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A Whale of a Forgotten One-Hit Wonder

~ Jim Flanigan

You may have heard about this recent story about a man swallowed by a whale that then spit him out.

No, not that “whale swallows man” story. This one that’s a bit more recent.

I want you to look very closely at the title of this video and at the very beginning of the video. What do you see?

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New Music For Old Rockers & Forgotten One-Hit Wonders – Combo Heat Wave Edition

~ Jim Flanigan

It’s been very hot in Chicagoland, especially out west where we live. We’ve had a stretch of heat with highs daily around 90F/32C. And this weekend, we have 2 outdoor parties. How will I cope with the heat? Two words – crop top.

A nice bare midriff will keep me from being a Hot Child in the City, which just happens to be the name of our Forgotten One-Hit Wonder by Nick Gilder.

It’s kind of a mess of a music video about the exploitation of teenage runaways. I’m not a big fan of the song either. I just included it because of the heat theme. No wonder this feature doesn’t normally get many likes. The real point to this post is this newish song …

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Banking on Sushi

~ Jim Flanigan

I am starting to think my priorities are out of whack. I find that I’m planning my business banking on the day that a local store that houses a branch of my business bank offers discount sushi.

Frankly, I’m not sure bargain raw fish is ever a good idea, but it was delicious.

And now I’m sad because writing about sushi reminds me that I never saw Fee Waybill and The Tubes in concert.

But they are still touring …

Lollapalooza Coolness Test

~ Jim Flanigan ~ 1 Comment

Lollapalooza returns to Chicago in 2021 after being Covid-cancelled in 2020. The line-up for the 3 day music festival has been released. I heard on my transistor radio that you can tell how cool you are by how many rows down the Lolla poster you can recognize acts.

Editor’s Note: The mere fact that this idiot is listening to a transistor radio negates any potential coolness gained by knowing music performers.

Hey, you pompous ass, what am I supposed to do? I suppose you want me to listen to the radio on my phone.

Editor’s Note: YES!

On my new flip phone?

Editor’s Note: Ugh, never mind.

As I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, the word I hear is that you can consider yourself moderately musically cool if you are familiar with music acts in at least the top 7 rows of the Lolla poster. Let’s take a closer look at those first 7 rows. I have identified the acts I know with red boxes around them.

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Forgotten One-Hit Wonders – Twofer Edition (not applicable in Australia)

~ Jim Flanigan ~ 1 Comment

Well, that’s a confusing title. Our first “Forgotten One-Hit Wonders” post was greeted with such indifference that I decided that maybe a twofer edition would garner twice as many readers. Except, how can there be a twofer edition when the very definition of a one-hit wonder means there was only one hit? And why is this post not applicable in Australia? Have I whipped you into a questioning frenzy yet? Are you foaming at the mouth and falling over backwards with excitement?

Exactly! Well, allow me to first resolve the “not applicable in Australia” issue. In the USA, this band was a one-hit wonder. In Australia, these guys were HUGE with numerous hits. But who are they?

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Forgotten One-Hit Wonders – Inaugural Edition

~ Jim Flanigan ~ 1 Comment

I warned you. I’m starting a new series of musical posts despite the undeniable lack of popularity of my music-themed blog posts. So, why am I doing it? Because I want to. As with all my posts, I will try and make them interesting with little twists and tidbits for you, like in my last music post where I revealed that my oldest daughter had been the nanny for the children of Ted Nugent’s private pilot. Now that’s information you just can’t Google!

This series of posts will feature forgotten one-hit wonders. I will try and stay away from wacky novelty songs like “Disco Duck” by radio deejay Rick Dees. I want to remember legit bands or solo artists that did their best to break through, but only had one single, solitary hit before retreating into musical obscurity.

Our inaugural edition features a very talented band that has spawned a modern day music mystery. The band released their debut album in 1976 and found themselves with a hit single on their hands that reached #9 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1977. I’ve got a video for you of their lip-syncing performance of their one hit on The Midnight Special. Even better, they were introduced by none other than the lovely and talented Helen Reddy! Take a look and listen.

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New Music For Old Rockers – Michigan Edition

~ Jim Flanigan ~ 4 Comments

At one time, Michigan was known for the Motown sound and building cars in the Motor City of Detroit. These days, Michigan may be more well known for its beaches. I can attest to the fact that Michigan has amazing beaches with giant sand dunes and beautiful waters. You may be thinking, “Really? A state stuck in the middle of North America has great beaches?” Yep, thanks to the Great Lakes. Michigan’s southern border is nothing special with Ohio & Indiana on the other side. Build the Wall! But head west, and you run into Lake Michigan where the sunsets are amazing. To the north lies Lake Superior and its cool, clear waters. And to the east is a bit of Lake Erie and a whole lot of Lake Huron. There are water and beaches everywhere in Michigan.

So, why am I about to plug a couple songs from an L.A. band for a Michigan music post? Well, the band is Lord Huron, and it was started by Ben Schneider who grew up in Michigan, spending his summers at Lake Huron. After moving to L.A., he formed Lord Huron, which I believe he named after English poet Lord Byron. Anyway, they’ve got a 4th album coming soon, and if the first two songs they have released are anything like the rest of the album, it may be their best yet.

But before I get to Lord Huron’s music, here are two obscure connections to Michigan music that my oldest daughter has …

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