"Come And Stay With Me" - BOTB

Here's an oldie: "Come And Stay With Me." The original was done by Marianne Faithful in 1965; so it's over fifty years old! It has a nice beat and lyrics, in my opinion. Marianne Faithful was asked to record "As Tears Go By,"  by Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham. Later on, she recorded an album which made her a hitmaker in her own right. This song got a lot of radio play; reaching #4 in the U.K.

Shortly afterwards (1968), Jackie DeShannon, the original writer of the song, did her own version. It can be found in her Laurel Canyon album.

Jackie DeShannon wrote and performed a number of classics in her time; most notably, "What the World Needs Is Love. Born Sharon Lee Myers in Kentucky to a musical family, she was, in my opinion, the most underrated of the female song writers who also performed. Listen to her sing "The Weight."

Finally, Cher did a version around the same time frame as Marianne Faithfull and Jackie DeShannon. She is better known as half of the Sonny and Cher duo; and later as an actress.

So, with three versions of the same song, which of the artists did the best rendition?

Marianne Faithfull         _____
Jackie DeShannon         _____
Cher                              _____

Y'all cast your vote for your pick. (Chicago rules do not apply; only one vote per person, please.)

And check out these other Battle of the Band sites. You are certain to be delighted with many of the musical choices offered for this round.

ANGELS BARK

BOOK LOVER

CURIOUS AS A CATHY

DCRELIEF - BATTLE OF THE BANDS 

FAR AWAY SERIES
HOLLI'S HOOTS & HOLLERS
J.A.SCOTT
JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE

MIKE'S RAMBLINGS
NOVEL BREWS
QUIET LAUGHTER
ReINVINTAGED

STMcC PRESENTS BATTLE OF THE BANDS

THE DOG LADY'S DEN

THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING 

TOSSING IT OUT

JANIE JUNEBUG RIGHTING AND EDITING

YOUR DAILY DOSE

Golden Oldie Music

The realm of golden oldie music does not always have the streets paved with gold; some lanes are unimproved dirt roads on which unaware dirtbag D.J.s nevertheless travel. The station I occasionally listen to, WMTY-FM out of Sweetwater (TN), has a few which really rock, and numerous ones which could be removed by Ko-ko, the Lord Chief Executioner, and they never shall be missed.  

Okay, here's a few that can be listened to with pleasure: "For What It's Worth," "Honky Tonk Women," "Barbara Ann," "Third Rate Romance" and the great ones from the turn of the millennium: "Please Remember Me," "Kiss Me," ""Baby One More Time," and so on. Those in the latter category do not make the era WMTY covers.

But maybe there should be a statute of limitations on some music. Let's face it: the 1950's stuff has a lot with inane lyrics and backup singers making strange sounds, like shadoop, shadoop. and so forth. And name the goddamn horse (from the 1970's)! And stop complaining about American women. Those refer to songs whose lyrics immediately prompt me to change the station!

There's a noticeable cut-off at around 1975. Why leave out ABBA, Fleetwood Mac, and so forth? Why is the hippie stuff enshrined but not 1970's pop or disco?

However, in all fairness, music does get entwined with personal, often happy or bittersweet memories and that results in the personal appeal that some songs have, and why people listen to golden oldie music. And some of it does wear well, even after 50 years.

The problem is that old stuff becomes too easily canonized by virtue of being old. Are there any oldie songs that you think should be sent to oldie limbo? Tell it all, podners! Cleanse the soul and musical palate.

Selecting a Boyfriend: A Teen's Guide

Being a teenaged girl can often result in one clashing against the status system, and its various ramifications. Yes, it can be a jungle out there, despite the best efforts of nice parents and the somewhat benign school systems. Yes, as the movies Mean Girls and Bring It On depicts, there are winners and losers; and while some lucky girls in this derby get to wear a collar of roses and brandish a gold cup in the winner's circle, there are numerous others out of the money.

Despite the wishes of most feminists, having a status boyfriend is part of the equation. Now this status is operationally defined in terms of him being really movie star handsome, having money, being a great athlete, and having charm and coolness comes into this multifaceted trait. Ideally, the Platonic ideal would be a heartthrob boyfriend who is also wealthy, has real style, and is the quarterback for the football team.

Faced with this teen-perceived fact of life, some may opt out and look for other rewards; maybe by being nonconformists, skater gurls, latter-day beats, or schoolyard religious. For many of them, they might be unattached; or go in for guys with different but less conventional selling points.

So, for those who choose not to play with the conventional rules, here are a few types  of guys to consider. 

1. The Band Nerd - Members of the high school band usually are fun, have musical tastes beyond what the band plays in concerts and at games, and are not whipped out tired after high school games so you and he can do something afterwards with him until the curfew hour.

2.  Member of the Track Team - While some football players run track in the Spring, most are participants in track only. Since few people see track as a status sport, there's not as much competition. Track guys are accessible; but often tired from practice.

3.  The Bad Boy - The subject of several 1960's classic oldie songs (Leader of the Pack, etc.), some may be strategically housebroken. A bonus: Some reflected glory adheres to you, especially if you're seen as taming him. A disadvantage is that they think so strongly in terms of sex.

4.  The Student Government Type - They are typically ambitious, with adulthood future goals in mind. Are you sure you want to pair off with someone who has a design to be a lawyer or a member of the legislature someday?

5.  The Sk8r Bio (Skater Boy) - He is feasible of you want to be a sk8r gurl. He is daring, a nonconformist, athletic in his odd way, and a member of a sort of cult. A disadvantage is that many tend not to spend much time with you. (For some, that might be seen as an advantage.) A disadvantage is that Sk8r bois are inclined to have gross tattoos.

6.  The Very Religious Guy - These belong to a mixed category. Some might be seen as nonconformists; especially if they differentiate themselves in dress. Some might provoke the school authorities, whether by leading an overt group prayer around the flagpole or injecting religion into a valedictory speech.  If he is Catholic, there may be an outside chance that he might be thinking of the priesthood in his future.

7.  Chess Nerd - Highly intelligent and focused. The disadvantage is that the only move he will make on you is Pawn - King Four.

8.  Drama Club Member - He's highly ambitious, with designs on moving to The Big Apple someday  and making it there. He's high maintenance, as he likes having an audience. And you're it!

9.  The Geek - If you can get past the unusual interests, they can be a lot of fun. Be a gamer girl!

10.  The Frat - Has status and ostentatious style. Has lots of guy friends that might encourage him into excesses. Be careful: you might become another mark on his scorecard and get the reputation to go with it.

11.  Any Guy Not Easily Categorized - The two of you are seen as not playing in the status game, and therefore both of you are seen as more mature.

Now you know. Each have his strengths and weaknesses. Choose wisely, mes amis!

Making Our Politicians More Palatable

At long last; after many months of making the least trusted designation on the Gallup Poll, the elected Representatives and Senators started getting their heads together to win hearts and minds of the Electorate again. But in Washington fashion, they hire out a public relations firm to advise them on which path to pursue. And in really true Washington style, they give it to several companies as part of a network of political favors.

Using this approach, how did these hired flacks propose to put some lipstick on a pig? And toenail polish as well? When Congress goes whole hog, it does it Cadillac style!

Well, one company suggested that they do a Congress Swimsuit Issue. Now this idea worked both for Sports Illustrated and for various organizations; why not depict their nations' lawmakers in very human, relaxed poses?  As a matter of fact, nearly 400 of our reprehensives offered to pose. 

But the photographers found this task to be intolerable, even when the Congresspersons posed seductively. Especially then. They remarked that The Annual Roadkill Swimsuit Issue would draw more of an audience.

Another company proposed "Dancing with the Politicians." But the Republicans and Democrats could dance only around issues only; except Ted Cruz, who would not dance with anyone. And then someone proposed Donald Trump dancing the tango with Nancy Pelosi to puncture that bubble.

The old-style politico trick of kissing babies might have worked in a more innocent time; but nowadays this could be twisted into a rumor of pedophile tendencies. Likewise, they must refrain from kissing blonde homecoming queens! Poll makers have not thus far discerned whether it's okay to kiss gothic lolitas; but it might help with the millennial vote. (Think Abby on NCIS.)

But somehow our vaunted election primary process has managed to come up with two presumptive candidates who both have more than half of the people distrust them. Will this result in a Clinton win by default; or the ascendancy of a new, third party? And that's only the "very unfavorable" ratings, folks!  

Some possible candidates develop a strategy of running as an outsider from Washington; but that doesn't play too well when the same candidate runs for reelection. The temptation of recycling candidates does have an intuitive appeal. Let them run for a different office.

Legislation to Ban Video Games

Rep. Dewaynus Holm (R - Bogalusa) was known in the Louisiana House as being a bit of a lazy and retrograde thinker; however one time he manfully jumped into the breech and came to the aid of lonely teen girls. Kind of like a blind hog finding an acorn in the forest.

It started when he overheard his daughter Mitzi and her friends lamented their lack of dates on Friday night; and he was an old-fashioned father, yessiree!

He further eavesdropped, and thought that he got to the root of the problem. They boys spent all their time playing video games on their X-Boxes, and not courting* teen girls like they should. And presto! We have the emergence of a falling birth rate which would result in fewer grandchildren to grace parents' old age!

Zounds! And holy cow! (Dewaynus had a rich vocabulary from having read a lot of pre-Victorian literature.)

So being a selective governmental interventionist, he decided to get to the root of the problem in a manner typical of a legislator. Yes, he would sponsor a bill to ban devices that play video games. It was a long time since he had played Frogger!

So he wrote a bill, and after politicking behind the scenes, he put it before the Louisiana House.

"Fellow members of the House, I offer this bill to ban video games as a means to redress a possible threat to the well-being of our daughters and the good of the state.  Fewer girls are being courted After all, if teenaged girls are unhappy, their grades suffer, they spend a lot of time moping, and some might turn to non-Biblical sex to fill in the gap! I ask for your support for H-29."

Rep. Horace Watson (D - Bunkie) countered with a comment, "I am surprised that my esteemed colleague from Bogalusa would move to curtail a harmless pastime and thus circumscribe personal liberty. Where is your Libertarianism now? And in the process increase the possibility of teens engaging in s- * - x outside of lawful marriage."


Rep. Henri Arnaud (R - Thibodaux) raised a possible problem: would banning X - Boxes stimulate bootlegging from nearby Texas and Mississippi? Nothing pisses the Louisiana legislature more than outsiders contributing to crime that they can't get kickbacks from.

But Rep. Sylvia Avery (R - Bossier City) commented, "In my opinion, a bigger problem comes from football and basketball. Boys get so involved with practicing for those sports that they're too tired to do schoolwork or to date. We should consider limiting high school football!"

A shiver of horror, like a blast of arctic air, went through the Louisiana House like Marley's ghost had paid a visit.

"We can't do that! Think of the trickle-down effect on L.S.U. football!"

"That would make Baton Rouge even duller than it is now!"

Clearly, the legislators were in session too long. This in-House debate made the news on major state news channels like WBRZ-TV and WWL-TV. And WDSU-TV made a special editorial asking for help with the problem by requiring teen boys to date at least one girl a month. LGBT people objected. 

Anyway, raising the specter of cutting back on football did result in a watered-down version of the bill that made playing video games legal only from Sunday to Thursday. Even the Louisiana House knows how to compromise. 

*Dewaynus Holm was rather retro in his vocabulary.

"Bob Wills Is Still the King" BOTB Results

At last! All of the votes from the outlying precincts are in, and America awaits the final tally. Who won this version of Battle of the Bands? Was it the artist who performed the original, Waylon Jennings; or was it those upstarts from England, The Rolling Stones?

The envelope, please......

The final tally has it with:

The Rolling Stones, with 14 votes,

Waylon Jennings, with 9 votes,  

and a special write-in vote for Merle Haggard.

Take a bow, Sir Mick!

And be a dear and check out other BOTB results:

"Seig Heil" Dog

A little item appeared in Metro, a British "news" source, recently which related that a man was arrested for 'causing offence' for having taught his girlfriend's pug dog Buddha to give a Nazi salute when commanded "Seig heil." This was posted on You Tube, and got over a million views. Admittedly, the guy doing it was a douche move; but is that really something to arrest him for? 

I think a better case could be made for his gross tats and piercings 'causing offence'; but I'm not English. Indeed, I wonder how rarified is the social environment there so that that sort of thing causes offense? Are there other traps an unsuspected tourist or local might fall into? It's not like teaching him to pee on the sofa.

Anyway, it was a pretty lame way to annoy his girlfriend.Here's Donald Duck, also seig heiling all over the place:

Are some people possibly getting a wee bit too thin-skinned nowadays; or is this just another opportunity for some people to wax indignant! 

Over there in Merrie England, would I cause offence for spelling it offense?