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2 MAJOR ANNOUCEMENTS
before we begin this E-Ticket Show:
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#1) Judge Al Bondigas received an Email from Elon Musk (via dogGe.gov), informing him that he is no longer employed in the Federal Court System. Therefore, henceforth (and going into the future, too), Judgey will no longer be making "rulin's" in the Battle Of The Bands contests....
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...other than mine, of course. After all, he still owes me 'cuz I did save his life once, after he chased a badminton birdie and went crashing through my bedroom window, cutting his artery and slicing himself open from the armpit straight down Lincoln Boulevard to the bend in the road near Culver City! And then he had the audacity to tell me what to do:
"Just let me die".
I'm sorry but NOBODY breaks my bedroom window and then tells ME what to do!!
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.jpg) |
| Scars? Judge Al's got 'em! |
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| New window & new (wealthy) homeowner. |
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BTW, Judge Al's life wasn't the only one I've saved. I probably also saved my own Ma's life when she panicked and likely would have drowned in a Lake Tahoe motel swimming pool. (At some point, someone should have enough respect for me to address me as "Saint Bernard").
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It may possibly be within 'The Realm Of Possibility' that I also saved the life of some unknown young woman at the northeast corner of Wilshire Boulevard & Gayley Avenue early one morning in early 1982..
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| Northeast corner of Wilshire Blvd. & Gayley Ave. |
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She had NO business... being near the scene of the crime 10 hours later! But then again, neither did I. ...Something about a massive bank window being kicked in (15 feet tall & 5 feet wide) and... somebody (i.e., the kicker, who was not me) having to retrieve the shoe that fell off his drunken foot and landed inside the bank. I dunno... I'm felly confused-uh! To me, it all seems like something from a Mr. Peabody's 'Waybac Machine' dream.
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Regardless & nevertheless, in the early morning fog, a speeding car ran a red light, and some exceedingly hungover guy -- who felt very remotely like me -- extended his right arm to prevent the lovely lady from stepping off the curb and getting hit by the speeding, red light-running .
That's all I can recall about the event, but if you greatly desire less info about it, you should consult your copy of 'The League Of Soul Crusaders', chapter 12 ('In Formation'), pages 80 & 81, wherein the incident is not at all mentioned.
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#2) Uhm... uh... Sorry, but I've forgotten what the second major announcement was supposed to be.
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Alright, let's get on it!
Let's get ON this thing!!
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In my last BOTB's Battle Of The Booze [here], I featured two ballads (also Dodger Stadium, Lifeguard Station #26, as well as Disneyland and its formerly great Hotel). This time we're turning 180-degrees and listening to some high-energy Rockers! (You should must crank the volume up to eleven!)
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In 1973, Elton John had a big hit with 'Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)', a song that I strongly feel deserves a place in the official Punk Rock timeline.
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Sometime after Brian Setzer broke up his neo-Rockabilly band the Stray Cats, he formed a new group called The Brian Setzer Orchestra. (Methinks it shoulda been called Brian Setzer & His Domesticated Dogs. But what could a poor, uncelebrated blogger like me know?).
Anyway, Elton's hit is facing off against Setzer's remodeled Stray Cats hit 'Rock This Town'. Both songs mention booze ("belly full of beer" & "whiskey on the rocks") and both of them also mention Saturday night & fisticuffs.
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Please vote here and at the other BOTB contests. I intend to return here on March 8th with my own vote and the Final Tally.
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'SATURDAY NIGHT'S ALRIGHT (FOR FIGHTING)'
by Elton John
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'ROCK THIS TOWN'
by The Brian Setzer Orchestra
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TTFN,
~ Saint Bernard
You're rambling more than I was in my post. Must be something in the air or something.
ReplyDeleteI'm not the biggest fan of either of these songs although I appreciate the Elton song more now than I did back in the day. I thought his Yellow Brick album was a downward slide from his first albums and didn't listen as much to his music after that. Except I couldn't avoid hearing it on the radio and elsewhere. He's good and all, but Saturday Night is not my favorite song.
I can appreciate the orchestration of the Setzer song, but this is another song I don't much care for. Maybe a little too much ruckus for my early morning listening. A lot of intricacy in this piece of music.
Maybe another night and mood this music might get me rocking, but for now I'm going with how it makes me feel right at this moment.
I vote for Elton John.
Lee
R. LEE BOID ~
DeleteAbout 4 or 5 nights ago, I decided to sit down and type up my next BOTB post. I guess the "muse" was in the house, because this is what spilled out. I just let it go, because I learned long ago not to question the process, and just trust in my invisible lady, Miss Stream O'Consciousness.
Over the next few days, twice I decided to cut out everything that wasn't essential. But both times, when I sat down to operate on this piece and remove everything that didn't look like a BOTB blog bit, I changed my mind and just left it alone.
That second paragraph, mentioning Lincoln Boulevard & Culver City, wouldn't let me remove it. So, I decided to leave it *all* alone.
Back in the '70s, I had a number of Elton's albums but 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' was my favorite. Today, I only own one Elton album -- his soundtrack for the movie 'FRIENDS'. That one has a lot of personal meaning for me.
~ D-FensDogG
And Stephen....
ReplyDeleteThis is tough one. I got memories attached to both songs and I like both of them. I'm going to vote for Saturday Night as I prefer the original Rock this Town and by did we Rock this Town. I saw good ol Elton John during his Yellow Brick Road Tour in 1973 and have seen Brian Setzer and his Orchestra both at the Hollywood Bowl. Both great shows with Elton's edging out Brian there too. But not by much.
I recall slathering on some Brut cologne and playing Saturday Night before going out to look for girls which were hard to find in the 70's. But what with the drinkin and all...
JW,
Poooh!
...AND, POOH, THAT'S NOT ALL!...
DeleteI never did see a show at The Hollywood Bowl, and I regret that. For some years I had "B.B. King @ The Hollywood Bowl" on my bucket list. But then B.B. King kicked the bucket, and I knew that dream was "gone, Rudolph". Now I have to be satisfied just watching Martin & Lewis at the Hollywood Bowl in the movie 'Hollywood Or Bust'.
The original Stray Cats recording of 'Rock This Town' always takes me back to the front lawn at 824 Bay Street. I think it must have played on a radio while some sort of 80-proof rambunctiousness was occurring for the neighbors to see... and fear.
I was with Nappy and driving back to Phoenix from Tombstone, AZ., when I first heard Setzer's Orchestra version of 'Rock This Town' on the radio. It knocked me for a row-a lib-labs and I bought the CD within a day or two.
General Poohregard, my thanks to you for bringing a sixer of Pepthy Light to this party. Now if only we had some Maggie's Eths. :^D
~ D-FensDogG
Mrs. Pooh loves the Hollywood Bowl and we subscribe to their summer series and go to about 5 shows a year. And you know what? I remember all of em! What with the non-drinkin and all....
DeleteJW,
Pooh
****TAKE TWO!****
DeleteSheesh, POOH!
Here's 17 oz. of Pure Himalayan Ancient Pink Sea Salt... rub it into my wound, why don'tcha?!
I'm jus' jokin'. I'm jealous, but not mad. After all, it wouldn't be the same for me, anyway, without "the drinkin' an' all".
Plus, for me, the Hollywood Bowl just wouldn't feel right without Mr. Bascom in it:
[Link> 'Hollwood Or Bust' @ 1:23:12
~ Mr. Bascom DogG
A couple of famous competitors here, with the songs have done about equally well on the Hot 100 back in their day. I was surprised to see that S.N.A.F.F. did not make the top ten, was the first single on Yellow Brick Road, and that it was considered a bit of a failure.
ReplyDeleteIn regard to Rock This Town, it was always a fun piece. My mother loved Setzer and loved this song.
But "Saturday Night" has always been one of my favorite Elton John songs (unlike Lee.) I agree it is proto pop punk. Most Elton John songs seem to be driven by lyrics and melody, but this one feels driven by musicianship. To me, what makes this song is how they play it. Usually John's excellent band simply blends into the background: they are great but go unnoticed. With this song what jumps out to me are the excellent little drum fills, the raw power chords, and the Entwistle-like bass accents. I am unsurprisingly casting my vote for Elton John.
Shegoyganboy Sixgun
SIR SIXY ~
DeleteIt's hard to believe that 'Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)', reaching #12 on Billboard, could have been considered a bit of a failure.
And, of course, some songs in some areas got radio airplay that didn't exactly reflect their chart positions. 'S.N.A.(F.F.)' got played to death in the L.A. area. I would have thought it was a Top 5 hit.
I suspect that in a poll of 'Most Overplayed Hit Songs' the Eagles' 'Hotel California' would come in first, or at least close to it. And I totally get that.
However, for me, the very first song that enters my mind when someone says "overplayed songs" is 'Black Water' by The Doobie Brothers! I used to like that song a great deal. But then - in the L.A. area - it got to the point where I couldn't even listen to the radio for 4 hours without hearing 'Black Water' 3 times. I'd switch from one station to another (FM and AM) and just couldn't get away from it. Yeah, I used to like it, until I started to get the creepy feeling that it was trying to enter & possess my soul! GOL!
This Elton John song has a real Punk Rock buzz saw sound, and the lyrics are quite Punky, too! The big difference, of course, is that Elton's band had genuine musical talent, whereas most Punk Rock bands had 6-months' worth of basement skills.
Thanks for your input, Sixgun!
~ D-FensDogG
As I was saying...You're amazing. Now you save people too? Sorry to hear the Judge won't be judging any more. If I were to guess, I'd guess the Judge would go for Brian Setzer, like me ;-) We may never know...but Brian gets my vote. Cool battle!
ReplyDeletedIEDRE ~
DeleteHa!-Ha! Well, I only occasionally save people in my spare time, because I feel that everyone ought to have a hobby. [;^D}
The ol' Judge *will* be making a rulin' in this Battle at some point, so we will get to see which song he prefers in the final analysis. I'm not sure which way he's going to swing his gavel.
I'm glad you dug the Battle, dIEDRE! Thanks for bringing some brandy for ye olde punch bowl.
~ D-FensDogG
VOTE = BRIAN SETZER
ReplyDeleteOh, man, you know how to construct a tough battle! Is it odd that I almost feel like a traitor eschewing Elton for Brian? Nah. I have both of these songs on regular playlists, and I dig 'em whole-heartedly when they come on in the random shuffles. But, whatever, Rock This Town edges out ...Alright for Fighting for me. ~Ed.
EDDIE ~
DeleteI'm pleased as spiked punch that you found the contest somewhat of a challenge.
I have a massive playlist of over 130 songs that mention booze, hooch, & "evidence", which I study when I'm preparing to create my next Battle Of The Booze installment.
I wanted to use the orchestra version of 'Rock This Town' but I couldn't find any song on my list that I felt was high-energy enough to compete against it. I was bemoaning the fact that I had previously used ZZ Top's 'Beer Drinkers & Hell Raisers', as I felt *that* would have been the ideal match-up for 'Rock This Town'.
But then, thankfully, I remembered Elton's 'S.N.A.F.F.' (and the line "belly full of beer"), which wasn't even ON my playlist! And then I breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that this was gonna be a "goot juan".
~ D-FensDogG
And so it is; so it is, meine goot mahn.
DeleteSt. Bernard,
ReplyDeleteGeez, that's some story about your brother! I'm sure he really appreciated at the time you going through the trouble of saving his life. No double, he was in shock. A childhood neighbor had a St. Bernard. That thing was like a pony to small child and that's what i was. That dog was so friendly. He wouldn't hurt a hair on your head. He loved to grab you by the arm to drag you places. I was too afraid of him, though.
Anyway, onward to your battle. Both great songs! I'm giving my vote to Sir Elton and "SATURDAY NIGHT'S ALRIGHT FOR FIGHTING".
Have a bandtastic week, my friend!
CAThy ~
DeleteSo often, when I look back at incidents in my life with 20/20 hindsight, I see these patterns that indicate the Hand of God in everything.
One example: My Grandpa had been a Police Reserve Captain, and when I was a young teenager, he suggested I get involved with the Police Explorer program. I never had any desire to become a cop, but I joined because it just seemed like something interesting to do.
At the Police Explorer Academy in 1974, I was taught some medical emergency procedures, including how and when to apply a tourniquet.
When I saw my Brother come running up the stairs from the basement with blood shooting out of his arm and splashing on everything, I also went into shock. I immediately turned around and ran out the front door and was shouting in the street!
Then, somehow (thank you, God!), my mind kicked back in again, and I realized that Judge Al (real name: Nappy) was dying inside the house. So I ran back inside, found him collapsed in the bathroom, and I applied a makeshift tourniquet.
If it hadn't been for my Grandpa urging me to join the Police Explorer program, I would have known NUT'N about tourniquets, and my Brother would have died that day... in the bathroom.
So, me being able to do what I did that day seems like it had been ordained, because God knew that I'd need that knowledge someday in the not-too-distant future.
I thank you for your vote, CAThy!
~ St. Bernard
(a.k.a. D-FensDogG)
WOW, what a story and I totally agree God used your grandpa to charge your interest to join the Police Explorer Academy in '74. Isn't that amazing and wonderful? I know you're very happy that you took your grandpa's advice and even more thankful to God for moving your feet in that direction. He has a plan for everyone of us!
DeleteCAThy ~
DeleteAlthough it didn't end well, my experiences in the Police Explorer program, and especially in the Academy (which was very much like old school boot camp in the military) played pivotal roles in my early development.
The Academy was a 16-week program - all day on Saturdays, starting before sunrise! It was so stressful that *half* of the recruits dropped out after just the first Saturday.
We had to turn in a notebook every week detailing everything we'd learned the previous Saturday (they had all kinds of formatting rules and DOs & DON'Ts). I scored a 32% on my first notebook. On my eighth notebook, I scored a 100%, which I believe was the first 100 in the Academy's history. I managed to get several more, including a 100% on my big, bad Final Notebook.
My Academy class was the last, or second to last, in which they applied all that stress (stuffs like "Get down and give me 25 perfect push-ups because I saw your eyeball move while you were at 'attention'!"). I really hated it at the time, but looking back years later I could recognize how all of that discipline & focus on tiny details suited me well in other subsequent endeavors.
~ D-FensDogG
Thank God Judge Al didn't contract a brain worm! That is scary because he could have bled out very fast if you weren't there. Glad you saved your mom. I lost my shoe out of a hotel window. Thankfully, the crowd heard me and flung my shoe back up. It was some drunken fest and my friend through my shoe out. When I asked for it, manynpeople were watching our hotel room rather than the laser show. It was Oktober fest in Kitchener one year. Anyhoo, I'm voting for Stray Cats. I love the music and his fun time creating the big band era
ReplyDeleteAl Bondigas here. Birgit, the doctors said there was very little chance of that due to the diminutive size of my brain.
DeleteBIRGIT ~
DeleteI know I've said this in the past, but... you would have really enjoyed hanging out with The League Of Soul Crusaders. Not many females felt comfortable in that environment. (Mostly just a few of my Sister's friends and a girlfriend here and there.) However, those gals who liked us, knew that we were not only Party Central, but wherever we were was also the safest place they could be. We were mostly misunderstood by the outsiders; and in actuality -- despite appearances (and volume) -- we wuz the goot guyz!
Indeed, the paramedics who arrived on the scene stated that had I not done what I did, my Brother would have bled to death before they were able to get there.
Thanks so much for your continued support of my BOTB contests. (I raise my glass of RyeBon and toast ya!)
~ D-FensDogG
I've never broken through a window, but I do remember that when I was around 10 years old I had a dentist who was so annoyed by me that at one point he gritted his teeth and asked me if I wanted to know what it was like to fly out of his window (we were on the second floor). I remember just laughing. I also remember him being a giant scam artist and my parents never listening to me (shocker, right?), but years later eventually telling me, "You know what, you're right, I don't think any of his procedures or devices were helping your teeth at all."
ReplyDelete(Spoiler alert: they weren't. You've seen my smile in pictures. My teeth were fine. This dude was scamming my parents by trying to sell them these janky, overpriced chicken wire devices to 'perfect' my teeth when they were already fine)
Alright, onto the battle. Elton John - he might need a janky chicken wire device or two for his gapped chompers - but alas, I do have a soft spot for a few of his songs. Saturday Night is one of them. I also really like Brian Setzer. This one was a tough one, admittedly. I've come back to it 3x now, each time with a different bote, but tonight I'm putting my foot down.
Monday night's alright for a bote, and Saturday Night's (always) Alright For Fighting. Give my bote to Elton John, but don't give him my old dentist's number; he's likely to throw him through a window.
~Chief Julio flies through glass with a perfect smile
CHIEF TOM HARPBERRY ~
Deleteor... is it CHIEF TOM BERRYHARP?
(Sorry, but at age 2,065, I gets felly confused-uh.)
I knew that some folks in the Medical field were evil & dangerous, but I never thought of dentists as evil & dangerous. Feared, yes; and also rotten with a gun (Dr. Jesse W. Heywood, I'm looking at YOU!) But evil & dangerous? Nope.
Nevertheless, I recognize that there are still some goot doctors out there. Not too long ago, I had a visit with my primary care physician's assistant. The assistant asked me, "Did you get a Covid-19 vaccination?"
I answered, "No".
[Somehow, I miraculously managed to refrain from adding, "I'd like to see someone... or even the Hell's Angels... attempt to give me a CONvid-19 vaxxxination!"]
And the good doctor's good assistant replied, "Good".
So, yeah, there are still some goot doctors out there.
Thanks for bringing some (non-GMO) Wild Turkey 101 bourbon and 101 rye for the BOTB punch bowl, Brother!
~ Dr. D-FensDogG
When I saw this battle, I said, "Hands down, it's gotta be Setzer!" I was in college when "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road" came out, and it immediately went on heavy rotation on every rock outlet in Chicago (and there were A LOT of rock outlets in Chicago). Neither the song nor my reaction to it have changed in the 50 years since. Don't like it. Sorry.
ReplyDeleteBrian Setzer almost managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory with his arrangement of "Rock This Town," however. Things that sound great on a Gretsch Country Gentleman don't sound as good when you try arranging a full big band's brass section to duplicate them, and "Rock This Town" is definitely a song set up for a minimal combo, whih The Stray Cats was. Still, I like the song better than "Saturday Night's All Right For Fighting." Mark my ballot for Brian Setzer.
SIR JOHN ~
DeleteD'OH!
It sounds like, for you, this was less like a Battle Of The Bands contest and more like a Presidential Election (i.e., "a vote for the lesser of two evils").
Sorry about that.
[Link> My next one will be better!"
Nevertheless, according to my own Math (always my very worst subject; closely followed by English, History, and Science), this Presidential Election is a tight race, and may even come down to the "hanging chads" argument in the recount.
So far, I've got it Elton -- 5, Setzer -- 4.
At this point, almost anyone could win the Battle, including [Link> the Saturday night Ticket-Taker at the Ivar Theatre!
Stay tuned! We gots us a close one. Looks like a photo-finish in the making.
~ D-FensDogG
That's a shame about Judge Al losing his job and also retiring from BOTB. Glad he survived his fall through your window and that you saved him, Stephen! You are a hero to many, it seems. As for the battle, I choose Elton. This song used to be the opener for the weekly Hockey Night In Canada telecast, (until it was deemed politically incorrect 🙄), so I have fond memories. MInd you, it was a Nickelback/Kid Rock cover, and therefore much raunchier. 😆 Video clip
ReplyDeleteDEBBIE D('DOGLADY) ~
DeleteI thank you for coming by with a vote and an entertaining comment!
I never could have guessed that such a famous song ['Saturday Night's Alright (For Fighting)'] by such a famous American singer [Sir Elton John] could have been so well-known in Canada. [GOL!] I thought all you Canadians always hated us Americans (except for Bob and Doug McKenzie of the SCTV skit 'Great White North').
I always felt that hockey looked like an exceptional sport involving exceptional athletes. My big issue with it, however, was the so-called "fighting". I love that line (Don Rickles?), "I went to a boxing match and a hockey game broke out!"
I truly think that I could learn to greatly love hockey, but for the crappy fighting. There should be a rule that *any* hockey player who throws a punch is required to fight a professional boxer of the same weight class the following day. That would surely end the (so-called) "fighting" in hockey on the first day that the new Rule was initiated. Then... I could dig hockey!
Debbie, I am nowhere near as psychic as Daphne Moon (nor even as psychic as dIEDRE kNIGHT), but I have a hunky hunch that your vote just determined the outcome of this BOTB installment. (And I sincerely hope that I am right about that because, in this installment of BOTB's BOTB, I'm unabashedly rooting for the All-American boy, Elton John!)
~ Ol' Stephen T. McCarthy
Not addressing the Canadians hating Americans thing, for obvious reasons right now! 😆 Fighting has always been part of hockey, Stephen, but these days, there are more rules in place, and you no longer see the bench-clearing brawls of yore. So, I'm guessing mine is the last vote and Elton wins? Cool! ☺
DeleteDEBBIE ~
DeleteAmericans suck!! There, I said it (and meant it), so no one else needs to say it. :^D
Uhm... well, the BOTB voting window is still open for two more days. Right now, it's Elton 6, Setzer 5, which doesn't include my own vote to come. I guess this could still wind up in three different ways.
You had said that the song 'S.N.A.(F.F.)' is no longer used as the theme for Hockey Night because it was deemed politically incorrect. I just now went and listened to it again with that idea in mind and I came away mystified. Un-P.C.? Stretching my imagination to its fullest, the *only* thing I could come away with was... politically incorrect because it only mentions "boys" and isn't inclusive enough to mention "girls"? SMH! I sure hope it isn't something as stupid as that!
~ D-FensDogG
Nope. It was deemed politically incorrect because it condoned and glorified fighting. 🙄 As I said before, fighting has always been and always will be , to some extent, part of hockey. Emotions run high on the ice.
DeleteWell, I agree with that. I know that fighting has always been a part of hockey, but it's also the Neanderthal-like behavior that prevented me from learning the rules and getting interested.
DeleteHockey just seemed to *accept* the fighting. Football, however, is every bit as physical, but fights breaking out on the gridiron were viewed as unacceptable & quickly punished. As a result, there have always been far, far fewer fights in the NFL than in the NHL.
But it's nice to know that the NHL is at least a bit less tolerant of that boorish behavior than it once was.
Unfortunately, for various reasons, ALL sports completely lost me as the decades went on. I can't even remember the last baseball game I watched; and the 2017 Super Bowl may have been my final football game.
~ D-FensDogG
Al Bondigas here. Not to worry Debbie D, the powers that be have restored my rulin’ privileges, so I will continue to be making uneducated rulins for quite some time. Yes, there’s no exaggerating in Stephen’s statement that he saved my life. I’m just now beginning to forgive him for it. ( kidding ). Sort of. Anyway, rulin’ fer Brian Setzer!! That’s it, that’s muh rulin!!
ReplyDeleteJUDGE AL ~
Delete"Oh, yeah, life goes on
Long after the thrill of livin' is gone"
~ John Mellencamp
'Jack & Diane'
The way I figure it is that YOU probably saved my life the last time, so me saving you in *this* lifetime was just your bad karma coming home to roost! You earned it, now deal with it.
Dang & doggone it! We've got a 6 to 5 Battle here right now. I don't like the way it's shaping up. I can almost feel a Tie looming overhead!
~ St. Bernard
(a.k.a. Mr. Bad Karma)
Glad you'll still be around, Judge Al!
DeleteThank you Debbie. 👍😁
Delete************************
ReplyDelete************************
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BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Results For 2025, March 1st.
'SATURDAY NIGHT'S ALRIGHT (FOR FIGHTING)'
by Elton John
versus
'ROCK THIS TOWN'
by The Brian Setzer Orchestra
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Hokey-Smoke! & Hoo-Wee! (i.e., !!)
I had computer issues over the last two days and am getting this Results post posted while, hereabouts, there be barely over an hour remaining in March 8, 2025. I don't like cutting my BOTB Results posts so close, but... I've cut my own life closer at times. (God has Great Mercy on me!)
My computer got stuck on "Airplane" mode, and wouldn't allow me to revert to "Wi-Fi" mode. I did NOT put the computer on "Airplane" mode at *ANY* time, because I have no intention of flying ANYWHERE again at ANY TIME for the rest-of-the-world-time! And some computer geek had to be paid $30 to fix the problem that my computer willfully caused. How did the geek heal the problem? He pressed the "Fn" button & the "PrtScr" button simultaneously. For those of you who are not nearly as mathematically-proficient as I am, that was $15.00 per button press. (Occasionally, this dumb DogG questions the various professions he pursued during his working/breathing life.)
Secondeth & Secondmostest, my E-Ticket Thanks to everyone who took the time to visit and cast a vote in my BATTLE OF THE BANDS' Battle Of The Booze contest. I enjoyed our exchanges in the comment section.
I liked both of the songs I presented in this Battle but my vote went to THE BRIAN SETZER ORCHESTRA. I actually dig his 'Orchestra' version of the song more than his 'Stray Cats' version of it.
FINAL TALLY:
Elton John = 6 votes
Brian Setzer Orchestra = 6 votes
Yes, another frickinfroggy TIE! (Phuqen' Ties! -- I HATE 'em!!)
Butt(!), I'm not going to let it tick me off too much this time!
BATTLE OF THE BANDS' Battle Of The Booze is a single-elimination tournament. And back in June of 2019, I actually did a BOTB match-up between Setzer's Stray Cats 'Rock This Town' and Setzer's Orchestra version of 'Rock This Town'.
[Link> His original Stray Cats' recording won 15-2.
In May of last year, during this 'Battle Of The Booze' series, Setzer's Stray Cats' 'Rock This Town' clobbered Jerry Lee Lewis' 'Drinking Wine Spo-Dee-O-Dee', meaning that the (supposedly) "best" version of Setzer's hit song is *ALREADY* in the BOTB's BOTB playoffs. And because history already informs us that the Stray Cats' version of this song would destroy the Orchestra's rendition of this song, there is no point whatsoever in advancing the Orchestra's recording in this Playoff series.
Therefore, even though Elton & Setzer tied in this round, I am making an executive decision and *eliminating* the Brian Setzer Orchestra version of this song (which I never should have included to begin with) from further competition in this series.
Elton's song is going to get its arse kicked further on down the Playoff Road ("Duh!"), but for now, anyway... he's still standing.
I hope to see y'all back here again on MARCH 15th. I've got a Battle planned in which I will be pitting Baby against Baby (both Baby's indulging in booze, naturally).
~ Stephen
A tie! Well, they are both good songs, but I liked your executive decision. And a big DUH about your computer getting stuck in airplane mode. 😆 You could have asked Google what to do for free. Google has answers for everything.
DeleteDEBBIE ~
DeleteI tried everything I could think of to correct the problem, and even tried a few things that I couldn't think of. Then I tried googling the problem and still came away without a solution. I suspect the issue may have been that this laptop is so old that the gnomes at Google don't consider posting solutions to its problems to be relevant in this modern age. ;^D
Perhaps the solution to the glitch *did* appear, but was located on, maybe, page 1,229 of the results. However, I just don't have 1,229 pages worth of patience.
~ D-FensDogG
Ties may infumigate you, Esteebie; but this here dude of Trulyyoursville is of the opinion that ties are, like, the coolest EVER! Grinning over here.
ReplyDeleteEDDIE ~
ReplyDeleteFor sure, on one hand, a tie is indicative of a well constructed Battle. (I would argue "too well constructed".) And I have had so many ties over the years that I've come to think of the word "tie" as being synonymous with "a waste of everyone's time, including mine".
And I *particularly* hate seeing a tie when it occurs in an ongoing single-elimination series which is supposed to culminate with someone being crowned the ultimate champion. Ties just impede the march toward the goal line.
(Now watch! All my bitchin' & moanin' will be rewarded with another tie in my March 15 Battle. I can already imagine that happening!)
~ D-FensDogG
Here's hoping you don't have another tie next time, mi amigo.
DeleteSorry about the tie.
ReplyDeleteI will vote for "Saturday Nights Alright" again the next time no matter who you put up against it, it MAY win the whole thing if your fightin' readers stick to their guns! I may just "fight along this line if it takes all summer." (Ulysses S. Grant thought that every day was alright for fighting, not just Saturday nights.)
So are the songs for next time "Rescue Me" and "Downtown"? Admittedly, Downtown does not mention booze, but it DOES mention the Temple Bar!
Sixgun
SIR SIXGUN ~
DeleteYou done right! I always want everyone to vote 100% honestly. The results? I'll deal with 'em.
Whoa! Dude! You're pert-goot. You got it half right.
I did not know 'Downtown' but just listened to it for the first time. Yeah, it wouldn't be eligible because a bar's name alone doesn't make a song eligible in this series. The song must mention a type of alcohol, an alcohol brand name, or the name of a drink made with alcohol.
If a bar's name could get a song into the contest, I'd have already used 'A Rock For The Forgotten' ("at the Firefly, we all tell lies"), which is one of my two favorite songs by David & David. The other one being 'Swallowed By The Cracks'. Boy Howdy, can I ever relate to both of those songs!
I still kick myself for never having gone into the Firefly. I knew exactly where it was and I was in that neighborhood countless times. I've walked right past the place. But by the time I realized that it was the same [Link> Firefly mentioned in the David & David song, it was... "gone, Rudolph!" That Firefly had flown away. (I'm sure it was exactly like many other dives I've been in, but still... it would have been way cool to be able to say I'd had a boilermaker in the David & David 'Firefly'.)
I'm surprised you read this Results comment. Do you always do that?
I think you'll like my next Battle. In fact, we - you and I - might be the only voters who really do. I've been deliberately saving it for a time such as this. ;^D
~ D-FensDogG
AH... I figured it out. I know the other one. It is a goodie. Neither song will win the whole shebang but you and I will enjoy it! Frankly I was pokin' you about voting for SNAFF no matter what, and I would vote for this upcoming song over it... hahaha!
DeleteYes, I do usually read the results and comments, but do not often comment there. This time it was intriguing because you hinted at the upcoming battle and I wanted to figure it out.
"Downtown" is one of my favorites of the dude in question (the big baby.) I really like most of his catalog after he became a solo artist.
Six
HA!... Yes, I believe you *have* figured out the other competitor.
DeleteI'm really super-curious about how this next one is going to turn out. Two songs - neither one being even remotely close to a Top 40 hit - which may be completely unheard by any of my regular voters, other than us. I really can't even guess which song is going to win. (It could be another damnable tie!)
You know what's ironically humorous? Even though this band of infants is one we strongly agree on, we *still* don't fully agree on the reason. I know that, personnel-wise, for you it's primarily about John. But for me, it's primarily about Tony & Wally. Funny! There's some "Divide" even when we mostly agree. GOL! :^D
I concur that whichever song wins this next Battle is highly unlikely to win the entire BOTB's BOTB contest, but I'm still looking forward to the contest (and a couple of minor stories I will be telling).
~ D-FensDogG
Come on over to my place if you want a battle that's way too lopsided which is a killer. I did an awful job pairing bands together in my BOTB but it was still fun nonetheless. I liked the idea and it's certainly one revisiting next year featuring different songs/artists, if I don't forget. I'm surprised your battle ended in a tie, though. Although, I voted for Elton, I sort of thought Brian Setzer would win. Looks like I was wrong. Oh well...that's the way things go. Don't beat yourself up over it. You still put together a fabulous BOTB with two awesome song picks and artists. It was great fun, my friend!
ReplyDeleteThanks, CAThy! ~
DeleteFUN is the important thing. If it ain't fun, there's no real point in it... seeing as how nobody is awarded trophies or ribbons. ;^D
Actually, I also guessed that Brian Setzer would win (by 1 to 3 votes). I'm usually pert-goot at guessing the winners / losers, but I missed it this time.
I thought winding up with a tie in BOTB was pretty neat the first time or two that it happened. I just now checked and saw that over the 11.5 years of BOTB, I've collected 23 ties. That's nearly a year of ties! Yeah, it's safe to say that, when it comes to ties, for me, what B.B. King said is true: the thrill is gone.
~ D-FensDogG