Valentine’s Day. Enjoy it if you can. I’m going shopping.

I’d expected a smoother show for the second time around on Lollapaloser. I set it up to be a sad Valentine’s show, but my solo radio instincts have got a ways to go. I found my groove again around halfway through, maybe I need to do a 90 minute show, and not broadcast the first 30.

It would have helped if I’d remembered to put my phone into airplane mode.

I played some of my very favourite sad songs, including the saddest song I know, Sufjan Stevens’ Casimir Pulaski Day.

My greatest regret is that I didn’t fit in The Verve’s The Drugs Don’t Work.

Drive-By Truckers’ The Sands of Iwo Jima has made me cry numerous times. It’s nice to be reminded that you’re not a psychopath every once in a while.

*nervous laughter*

It also would have been pretty sweet if I had exposed a few new people to ‘Til Tuesday and Voices Carry. I still gave Aimee Mann’s Labrador a play, though, so that will have to be consolation.

This last link is to a low-quality Valentine's Day-inspired piece that I wrote and performed for the Comedy Loser live show four years ago. I look a lot different in it than I do now, but I think the piece still has some merit.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10150196844665128&l=3705608179031137754

The Drive-By Truckers

I think that The DBTs are my favourite band.

Definitely a country-influenced rock band. I never thought that would happen, but I cried today when I was listening to "The Sands of Iwo Jima" from their album, The Dirty South. I don't think I have ever cried listening to a song, but that one punched me right in the guts.

They have made some amazing records in the last ten years, culminating (in my opinion) with Brighter than Creation's Dark, their 2008 epic 19-track tale of the ups and downs (mostly downs) of Americana. Songs about the struggle of living, of surviving, in America. Tales of the people who exist in every city and town who have shit to deal with on a day-to-day basis, who ultimately seem to struggle and fail.

Do yourself a favour and give it a try. Even if you're not a country fan, any rock fan will find songs they can enjoy.