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Believe it or not, we’re coming onto the 50th anniversary release of Elvis Costello’s “My Aim is True.”
I can still remember hearing songs like “Sneaky People,” “Alison,” and “Watching the Detectives” on WBCN in Bostob. Costello, with the funny name and glasses, standing pigeon toed on the cover, and looking like Buddy Holly — the whole thing was revolutionary.
Come October 2nd, the five CD set will be out, including lots of extras, demos, and songs we haven’t before now. They’re billing it as the 49th anniversary instead of 50th, because that’s iconoclastically Elvis.
First up is a track called “I Turn Around,” recorded in 1976. You can hear it below, and it’s a winner. Costello, aka Declan McManus, is one of two or three major forces to come out the punk/new wave era, and you can see why with this song. Music was changing in 1976, turning away from bombbastic rock and disco to a new level of songwriting.
From the press release:
“This Collection Features 104 Tracks, 52 Of Them Previously Unreleased Songs, Demos, Outtakes and Live Performances. The 2026 Remaster of Original Album Is From Pathway Studios Master Reels.”
OK! There’s also “A New 72-Page Essay With Contributions by Nick Lowe, John McFee, Gregg Geller, Bill Flanagan, Warren Zanes, Rosanne Cash, Peter Wolf and Jim James as well as recollections from Steve Nieve and Pete Thomas.”
Costello says of “I Turn Around”: “Anyone who has heard that peppy toe-tapper will be surprised to find that the entire title refrain had first served as the chorus of an entirely different story, written 19 years earlier” for a B side from his masterwork album, “Imperial Bedroom.”
All of this led me over to Spotify where I rediscovered a 40 year compilation of Costello pieces including sensational covers of Yoko Ono’s “Walking on Thin Ice,” and Smokey Robinson’s “From Head to Toe.” The album is called “Out of Our Idiot.” It’s definitely streaming, and there are probably CDs out there in the world.
Don’t call me October 2nd — I’ll be knee deep in this box set!
“Spider Man: Brand New Day” came thisclose to hitting the $900 million mark last night. The total this morning is $899.762,111.
So today’s the day for this momentous event. The $1 billion mark is within reach, although I can’t imagine there’s anyone who hasn’t seen Tom and Zendaya once, twice, or three times this summer.
As I’ve said before, the big winner is producer Amy Pascal, who even as we speak is deciding on the actor who will next play James Bond. Meetings have been going on this week. Whoever it is, we’re ready for a new 007, I think. By 2028, we’ll have one.
…After 8 days, “Coyote vs. Acme” is at $22 million. See it this weekend, you won’t be disappointed.
Prince’s estate has released its first posthumous album of unheard songs. The great pop R&B and rock star died in 2016 and it still seems unreal.
The album is called “Timeless,” and has had little fanfare since it launched last week. It’s currently number 18 on iTunes when it should be number 1.
Super fans were angry about the song selection and execution. In particular a song called “Calabama,” wasn’t finished by Prince but by musicians who worked with him a long time ago.
I feel there are great songs on this album, and it should have every opportunity to be heard. One track, called “I Wonder,” should be pushed onto radio. (It’s below.) It’s a hit. And really the whole album is terrific. We have to accept what they’re going to give us, and it ain’t bad.
Here is the estate’s post on Instagram as they try to calm the super fans down.
His White House website has a new alarming page at arcade.gov.
On it you can play 5 different video games. Two of them are specifically about immigration. “Protect the border from the coming horde” and “Border Patrol along the Rio Grande” depict brown cartoon characters running for their lives.
The other three pertain to Trump’s dubious children’s accounts, the bald eagle, and the school lunch programs (which he won’t fund).
Trump has turned the White House into a wrestling match, a race car track, and now video games. This is what MAGA’s taxes go to, not lowering gas or food prices, or contributing to healthcare.
The two immigration games are clearly racist, which he endorses whole-heartedly.
Donald Trump is vexed about Maria Bartiromo getting canned at Fox News.
He says on Truth Social:
“I can’t believe Maria Bartiromo is no longer going to have her great show(s) on FoxNews/Business. Three different shows, always number one. Maria is a total professional, and a true warrior. Her fans, of which there are many, will not be happy. God bless you, Maria! President DONALD J. TRUMP”
Well, he’s lost a huge toadie who let him get away with lies and crackpot ideas during interviews. Bartiromo was part of a group that cost Fox News $787 million in a judgement to Dominion Voting Systems. And still she kept letting him say there was voter fraud in 2020 — there wasn’t.
In the end, say reports, Bartiromo got so involved with pleasing Trump that she was telling him insider stuff from the network, and then going back and pleading his case. Yet another story of how this fascist roped someone in and ruined their lives.
Actually, Donald, I don’t think the Fox viewers will care one way or another.
Amazing that Fox News played the integrity card this time.
And here is the result. For her first single, Miley has a new single called “Bizarre Persuades. It’s as if Madonna and Lady Gaga had a child and produced this record.
What does Miley want? Her biggest success was with the song, “Flowers,” which was matched her cheerful twangy voice to country alt-pop. :”Flowers” was her first big hit since “Wrecking Ball” and “Can’t Stop” in 2013.
Those are the actual big hits. Is “Bass Persuades” going to take off? Miley has tried punk music before, and it was a disaster. We’ll see what happens.
The stunning news today, that Maria Bartiromo was fired by Fox News after 12 years.
Now the reasons are coming out, and they are doozies. The best explanations come in the Los Angeles Times and Status newsletters.
They say that Bartiromo became so unhinged helping Trump prove voting fraud in the 2020 election that she stopped thinking as a journalist and became his advocate.
The LA Times’ Stephen Battaglio writes:
“Bartiromo was one of the network’s staunchest believers in Trump’s false accusations of voter fraud during the 2020 presidential election won by Joe Biden. The claims, many of them perpetuated on Bartiromo’s Sunday program, resulted in Fox News paying a $787.5-million settlement to Dominion Voting Systems, which sued the network for defamation.
“Bartiromo is also named in a $2.7-billion defamation suit filed by voting equipment company Smartmatic. Smartmatic is arguing that Fox News’ airing of the false statements about voter fraud hurt the London-based company’s ability to expand its business in the U.S. Barring a settlement, the case is expected to go to trial.
Status tells this story:
“The day after Trump’s prime time address, Fox conspicuously avoided covering the debunked claims the president had pushed. The lack of coverage raised eyebrows among media observers at the time. It also appears to have caught the attention of the White House.
“It’s unclear whether Trump or someone at the White House inquired with Bartiromo about the lack of coverage. But ultimately Bartiromo spilled the secret, Status has learned, divulging to the White House that Trump’s speech had received scant coverage on the channel because network bosses had ordered it so. I’m even told the text message in which Fox Business brass offered their guidance was shared by Bartiromo with the White House. In doing so, Bartiromo not only effectively betrayed her employer, but also disclosed confidential company information, violating the terms of her employment agreement.”
Is Maria done with journalism? No. But she won’t be with a news organization. She does have the money to launch a video Substack or YouTube channel, however. Her husband, Jonathan Steinberg, could put that together in an afternoon.
Meantime, Bartiromo is on the Trump appointed board of his Kennedy Center.
Some of the hundreds of tribute that came pouring in today from fans of Gloria Steinem. After Dolly Parton, you’d think everyone was all talked out. But these were the heros of our time.
Neither one of Kanye West’s shows at Soldier’s Filed in Chicago are sold out.
On StubHub, there are plenty of seats for tonight and tomorrow.
Price range around with some very expensive ones available to really stupid people.
This is all to promote the album called “Bully,” which was a stink bomb sales wise.
Meantime, Saturday night’s West family performer is 13 year old daughter, North West at a local club. She’s rapping and whatever. Maybe she can use the experience to write an essay in 7th grade– if she’s going to school at all.
