Originally published at parlando. Please leave any comments there.

Abba: The vowels in their name stood for vowels in the group members’ names as well.

The Velvet Underground: Introduced zeugma into rock lyrics.

The Monkees: I think the “y” in monkey is voiced like a consonant, don’t you? Yuh. Monkey-yuh. Right? So they picked up a vowel here.

( Read more... )

Originally published at parlando. Please leave any comments there.

Following this week’s release of our new Kevin Kline/Busta Rhymes musical starring the great Ed Asner, SKIP TO MY LOU, Cinema Virtuel studios is proud to announce our exciting schedule of releases for the next few weeks. Hold on to your popcorn! (But not too tight or a clump will ( Read more... )

Originally published at parlando. Please leave any comments there.

When I die, I want to reserve a large field - Kansas, say - and I want it roofed over, because I don’t want a wet funeral. I want an honor guard from all five military branches, and a new branch created for the occasion and disbanded immediately thereafter. My casket should be made ( Read more... )

Originally published at parlando. Please leave any comments there.

from The Gospel According to Nathaniel, Chapter 4, Versus 1 through 12

“To my parents, Ayn Rand and God.”
-possibly apocryphal dedication, frequently cited by partisans in the Serial Comma Wars

And he condescended to come down among them, and stood disdainfully in the plain, and in ( Read more... )

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Greetings, fellow travelers; my name (if you must label me) is Scraps. Don’t you despise these potted biographies? How can the complexities of a life be limned in a few short sentences? Do we think we know each other because we know a name, a few pale facts, a clutch of opinions ( Read more... )

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“After a lot of drink and passive-aggressive conversation, aided in no small part by biased counseling and stupid advice from so-called ‘friends,’ we have made the precipitous and petulant decision to break up our engagement, management partnership, and most of our furniture. We ( Read more... )

Turns out the little thing Rolling Stone dot com bought from me ran back in July! It got 149 comments, too.

Top ten rejected Who album titles

In all the comments, I think the only one I'm sorry I didn't come up with myself is Who's Left.

Originally published at parlando. Please leave any comments there.

New York Met Julio Franco is my favorite player. He turned 48 today, and is not only still playing but is still an important part of his team.

Julio Franco has been around a while. Julio Franco played with Mike Hargrove, you know. Not for, with. Julio Franco played with Toby Harrah ( Read more... )

Originally published at parlando. Please leave any comments there.

Top five Ian Frazier lines:

5. I’m writhing around like a carp here.

4. Behind the intelligence, etc., is an attitude best summarized.

3. Then I pulled all of the other knobs, and nothing came out - a metaphor.

2. Some critics have called him the white Paul Laurence Dunbar.

1. We are ( Read more... )

When I die, I want to reserve a large field -- Kansas, say -- and I want it roofed over, because I don't want a wet funeral. I want an honor guard from all five military branches, and a new branch created for the occasion and disbanded immediately therafter. My casket should be made from the material of the Fortress of Solitude, filled with all ( Read more... )