"smokey stevenson"

this is not yet a euphemism for anything but feel free to go to work

today I cross the Skungamaug River. Wish me luck

me finding the soda fountain that has Mr PiBB

front cover of Jackson Browne's 1973 album For Everyman, crudely defaced so the title reads: For Bong Prong

(unfortunately, every goofball-well-met-along-the-twisty-path story now comes with a sour coda: "wonder if (s)he's MAGA now.")

is there still glory in this tatterdemalion sunset America for the everyman likes of Bong Prong?

my brother went to college with a guy named Bong Prong and I still think of him sometimes.

Pic of brown-green spring lawn (not mine) edged by a ridge of snow and trickles of meltwater. When my nephew was very young he and my brother used to refer to puddles as “bootwater” and it is definitely bootwater season, o fabulous reader

much to her dismay, David Geffen told Joni that “The Trickling of Spring Lawns” needed some work

looking forward to a nice sunset

the Quartz Belt

goo goo ga joob

totally reversed course and now running at 16 rpm. Yay

Aw man, I was convinced this was gonna be Light Sweet’s year

not to be confused with Cecil Adams, who of course was immediately who I thought of

I have trouble resisting free coffee and now I’m in full not-to-touch-the-earth mode

Technically he did: he was called up by the Pirates in September 1979 but never got into a game

Display screen in car cuts off the last word of a song title for space limitations. The song is John Cale’s “The Man Who Couldn’t Afford to Orgy”

the limitations of the display screen (it doesn’t scroll) create an exquisite suspense.

series of four more concert ads from the March 9, 1976, Boston Phoenix alternative newspaper. All black and white. This one advertises two shows at Symphony Hall: Leo Kottke with Tom Waits opening on March 21, and Patti Smith on March 28

ad for Sha Na Na concert at the Boston Orpheum Theatre on April 11, 1976. Layout of ad simply consists of the words Sha Na Na over and over again at different sizes. what was it with those guys, anyway?

ad for Maria Muldaur concert, with guests Doc and Merle Watson, at the Harvard Square Theater on March 18, 1975. In a creative touch, the square ad is divided into four smaller squares so it looks like Ms. Muldaur is looking come-hitheringly through a window

Tony Orlando! And Dawn! April 3, 1976, at Boston Garden! Get your tickets now!

A music lover could also see Tom Waits opening for Leo Kottke; Tony Orlando & Dawn headlining the Gahden two weeks after David Bowie did it; and other delights.

series of four concert ads from the Boston Phoenix alternative newspaper of March 9, 1976. This one has no photo, but simply says in big letters: DAVID BOWIE ON STAGE. (he's at the Gahden on Mahch 17 -- and what says St. Patrick's Day in Boston like the Thin White Duke?)

cartoon portrait ad with big loopy lettering advertises Genesis show at the Orpheum Theater on April 10, 1976. The figure in the ad rather resembles Peter Gabriel, who was gone from the band at that point; it sure ain't Phil Collins

shot with basic black and white headshots of both performers advertises Emmylou Harris and Jonathan Edwards at the Harvard Square Theater, March 19, 1976

basic black and white headshot advertises Laura Nyro at the Boston Music Hall, March 11, 1976

Entertainment options in Boston, March-April 1976, from the Boston Phoenix 50 yrs ago OTD. A music lover could spend some money ...

trails that cross state lines (and tell you!) are cool

I saved a whole pile of potential avatars off Discogs, and now I totally gotta use 'em all before the site goes to hell.

getting a postcard out of the blue that said only ”the people in this novel need to bone already!,” or “if I were the Mariners I would simply score nine runs,” with no other info or context, would sorta low-key rule

Surely some sports editor has gotten away with something like:

Jazz hands
Celtics a loss

Carlos Santana, who once got fired from his own band, was back in by the time I saw them (granted, it was 20 years later)

these guys could probably have gotten by with an extended cab pickup truck, but they were nice enough to buy the van and give the world a good laugh

Hippies roll their own at a marijuana party in Tompkins Square Park

forgot to post this yesterday: that time the daily news caught my dad rolling a number at a country joe show in tompkins square park, august 1967.

Colored-pencil card drawing of John Cale in white suit

John Cale, 1973 Topps style, in honor of his birthday today

call them Stanley and Simmons

Commuter rail train rolls past while cars wait and lights flash. It’s darker than it looks. Reader, the US blew up a fucking school and … I dunno what consolation to offer except I think you’re great for following me

it’s dark at the train station, gumby

silent sorrow in empty docks

(another of my "if you get this reference, you are my friend" posts)