RIP Gene Hackman

  I’ve always believed that Gene Hackman was the most underrated, greatest actor of his generation. A generation begun in the late 60’s with Hoffman, Nicholson, DeNiro, Pacino.  Hackman ever got mentioned in their company despite a body of work that is equal to many of his peers. The only lifetime achievement award he received was at the 2003 Golden Globes.  He left acting in 2004 and deserved so many more accolades.

  Part of this underrated career had to do with his acting. The word everyman gets used a lot about Hackman and it fits. It describes his style of acting no ,after the role. Hackman was worth watching in everything he did. Whether the film connected or not.  I first saw him as a teenager in the Poseidon Adventure. Next up was Young Frankenstein. Then in the first two Superman movies. Later as I grew older I caught the French Connection, Bonnie & Clyde, Night Moves and the Conversation just to name a few. He was everywhere in the late 80’s and 90’s. 

  I’m sorry he died without getting the rewards he deserved. He was a fabulous actor. Much like Paul Newman, another Everyman in many movies, I stop what I’m watching when his films are on. His was a gold standard career. 

SNL at 50

   I didn't watch Saturday Night Live until early 1976.  Mostly from hearing middle school kids talking about this new program that is on late night Saturday.  From then I was hooked.  At least during the classic era of the late 70's.  The buzz this show gave was deep during this period.  And we knew all the names: Dan, John, Chevy, Bill, Gilda, Garrett, Jane, Laraine.  The co-hosts, skits and the musical guests.  I should say that teenage me didn't know some of the guests at the time.  Now most are part of my musical life, but at the time a lot of these musical guests were eye an ear openers.

  The next buzz that SNL gave occurred when Eddie Murphy arrived.  The 70's cast members had all moved on and until Murphy arrived SNL was just another late night comedy show.  But he was must-see tv.  I should say that all of this happened before DVR's and just as VCR's were coming along.  So, you had to watch the show live or catch it later on reruns.  Once these things happened, I taped the show weekly.

  Now in its 50th year, the show is hit or miss.  But still a must watch.  Nothing beats the excitement of those early years though.  

Playlist for 2/15

Dearly Beloved: A Prince Songbook - Various

BB King - In France 1977

Charlie Parker - Bird In Kansas City

Cold Chisel - East 

John Farnham - Whispering Jack

Rosali - Bite Down

Ladies & Gentleman-SNL Music (Documentary)

2025 Grammy Awards 

SNL50: Homecoming Concert 

Latest Podcast Appearance (Rock in Retrospect)

 Once again I jumped on Nick Bambach’s Rock in Retrospect podcast. This time myself, and four others, talked about the 2025 Rock Hall nominees. 

Rock In Retrospect 2025 Rock Hall nominees

Poll: Janurary 1964 Songs

January 1964 and I'm 5 months away from being born.  So I had to go back and listen to a bunch of these songs.    

For this latest poll 41 songs were picked to vote on. Here are my rankings.  Listen to this countdown at popradiogold.com

"She Loves You", Beatles : 1
"I Want To Hold Your Hand", Beatles : 2
"Anyone Who Had A Heart", Dionne Warwick : 3
"Louie Louie", Kingsmen : 4
"Popsicles And Icicles", Murmaids : 5
"Surfin' Bird (The Bird Is The Word)", Trashmen : 6
"Drag City", Jan & Dean : 7
"You Don't Own Me", Lesley Gore : 8
"Um, Um, Um, Um, Um, Um (Born With A Curious Mind)", Major Lance : 9
"I Only Want To Be With You", Dusty Springfield : 10
"Baby, I Love You", Ronettes : 11
"(They're Out There, A-Having Fun, In That Warm) Cailfornia Sun", Rivieras : 12
"Hey Little Cobra", Rip Chords : 13
"Pretty Paper", Roy Orbison : 14
"Since I Fell For You", Lenny Welch : 15
"The Nitty Gritty", Shirley Ellis : 16
"Please Please Me", Beatles : 17
"What Kind Of Fool (Do You Think I Am)", Tams : 18
"Java", Al Hirt : 19
"I'm Leaving It Up To You", Dale & Grace : 20
"Be True To Your School", Beach Boys : 21
"Out Of Limits", Marketts : 22
"Quicksand", Martha & the Vandellas : 23
"There! I've Said It Again", Bobby Vinton : 24
"Wives And Lovers", Jack Jones : 25
"As Usual", Brenda Lee : 26
"(There's Nothing In This World I Wouldn't Do) For You", Rick Nelson : 27
"That Lucky Old Sun", Ray Charles : 28
"(Somewhere, Someday, I'll Find My Love) Somewhere ", Tymes : 29
"When The Lovelight Starts Shining Through His Eyes", Supremes : 30
"Roberta (I'm In Love With You)", Barry & the Tamerlanes : 31
"Talking About My Baby", Impressions : 32
"Drip Drop", Dion : 33
"You Don't Have To Be A Baby To Cry", Caravelles : 34
"Forget Him", Bobby Rydell : 35
"Whispering", Nino Tempo & April Stevens : 36
"The Boy Next Door", Secrets : 37
"Daisy Petal Pickin'", Jimmy Gilmer & the Fireballs : 38
"(Meet Me At) Midnight Mary", Joey Powers : 39
"Dominique", Singing Nun : 40
"Talk Back Trembling Lips", Johnny Tillotson : 41

Ranking: Songs from Michael Jackson - Thriller (1982)

  In the U.S. Thriller is the biggest selling studio album ever.  Worldwide it's the best-selling album in history. Some prefer the more R&B/Disco tracks on Off The Wall.  But in 1982, my ears fell for the more Pop leaning sounds of Thriller.  After Off The Wall, Michael Jackson to make the biggest album ever.  Thriller covers a lot of bases.  Pop, R&B, Rock, Quiet Storm.  It's a compact 9 songs at 42 minutes.  This is the pre-CD era.  Before everyone put out 1 hour albums that dragged to the finish line.  7/9 of these songs hit the Hot 100 Top 10.  MJ also took advantage of the new music video era.  Even if MTV dragged its behind playing "Billie Jean"  and other videos by black artists.  3/7 of the singles had classic videos.  Those no doubt played a part in the album taking off sales wise.  

Overall these tracks weren't hard to rank:

1.  Billie Jean

2.  Beat It

3.  Wanna Be Startin' Something

4.  Human Nature

5.  Lady In My Life

6.  Thriller

7.  P.YT.  (Pretty Young Thing)

8.  The Girl Is Mine

9.  Baby Be Mine

For more on my thoughts about Thriller, check out the podcast I was a guest on last July about the 2023 documentary Thriller 40:

Playlist for 2/1

Kim Deal - Nobody Loves You More

Zach Top - Cold Beer & Country Music

Oxford American Memphis Mixtape - Various

Doechii - Alligator Bites Never Heal

Ella Langley - Still Hungover

Fats Domino - Fats on Fire

Anita Carter - Anita of the Carter Family

FireAid Benefit Concert