BREAKING NEWS:
Word on the street is Adel Yakoub Stop Ti Fart Poop
Fire Drill Egypt Airport. I will update with more information as
events warrant but I felt you all should know about this developing story.
Fungus Curtain
My Big Blue Friend Is Here
Back in the spring and all through the summer,
I didn’t see the blue heron at the park until now.
I had seen him for 15 consecutive summers and
I thought he had reached the end of his lifespan,
but it happily appears that is not the case.
Here’s to my elusive blue friend
and Summer Number 16. Welcome back!
Personal Significance:
The great blue heron is a powerful symbol in many
cultures, often representing patience, self-reliance
then strike with precision, embodies patience, focus
and timing. Additionally, the heron is seen as a
messenger between the earthly and spiritual realms
in some traditions, suggesting a connection to the divine.
A heartfelt turntable tribute goes out to
Connie Francis
Birth Name: Concetta Rosa Maria Franconero
December 12, 1937 – July 16, 2025
Godspeed, Ms. Francis and thank you
for your sweet voice and bright spirit.
I had no idea that my Colbert / O’Donnell post
was gonna go viral. I must have tapped into a
collective nerve. Hey, that works for me.
For the record, in case it wasn’t obvious,
I’m Team Colbert and Team Rosie all the way.
It got picked up by The Other 98% and then....
That moment when Rosie O’Donnell reposts your viral
Threads post about she and Stephen Colbert which
The Other 98% picked up and ran with. How about some
on air Zoom chats between you two?
Team Ro and Team Colbert FOREVER!
After a day of receiving messages
about the surprisingly viral
Colbert / O'Donnell thing, I shared the
following message on my socials...
Hey all... Thanks for the nice words, both public and
private. I just want to be clear that I understand that
we live in very complex and troubling times. I realize
that I am not stopping genocide, curing disease or
saving the world by posting an idea I had before
bedtime on Threads. I have no delusions of grandeur.
I'm just a guy who is watching multiple narratives unfold
and I had an idea that I thought could work given the
perspectives and experiences of two public figures. It's very
nice that a large number of others agreed and as one
friend put it, watching this unfold has been a fun bright
spot amid a lot of darkness and confusion so there's that.
If you know me at all, as a good many of you do, my "agenda"
if there even is one, isn't what some would call "woke".
Using that term is a misappropriation of a term that once
meant "informed" in certain circles, particularly in
African American culture. The word "woke" has been weaponized
against people, establishments, music, art, books, films
and yes, even fictional characters like superheroes who
display a consideration or empathy for the rights and well
being of others. I would like to think that I am one of those
who has empathy and understanding for the people that
cross my path and at times this is a HUGE challenge. It doesn't
make me "red" or "blue" or "left" or "right". It just makes
me human. Whether anyone wants to hear it or not, I do
understand that I have the cultural privilege of being a white
cisgender male... and by the way "cisgender" is not a
pejorative attack on anyone who is not trans. It is a scientific
descriptive. "Cis" is the scientific prefix for "same" - your sex
at birth being the same as your gender identity, whereas "trans"
is the scientific prefix used to denote a difference between
the two. That said, given my surface identity I know that
certain doors have been easier for me to pass through in my life,
both figuratively and literally. I do however have a vulnerability
as a member of the LGBTQ community. I am not a victim (and
never will be) but I do have the very clear and present possibility
of having my basic rights compromised by the very forces
and factions that work to inhibit free speech or, in this case,
silence television hosts and derail entire shows. That inherent
vulnerability keeps me forever vigilant and will forever keep
me aware of others who may not have the same advantages
that I have had in my life. If anyone asks me why I care
about all this, I just say "...And then they came for me."
If you know, you know. Cheers to all. XO - CDM
Another viral Thread happened later with more than
twice the traction of the Colbert / O'Donnell Thread I posted.
I watched that brilliant South Park episode and
had another idea for The Late Show. Stephen Colbert should
just hire me to book all of his future guests.
Wet Leg - Moisturizer (2025)
LP, cassette and CD
Since I Left You by The Avalanches
is the Paul's Boutique of the 2000s.
This is a compliment to both The Avalanches
and Beastie Boys.
Goldie Hawn Is Watching
John Michael “Ozzy” Osbourne • 1948 - 2025
Goodnight, Prince Of Darkness. Release The Bats!
27 July 1983 • 42 Years Ago Today
Madonna released her self titled debut album and the
landscape of women in popular music was forever changed.
With a modern blend of disco rhythms merging with freestyle
beats, singsong melodies and a measured dose of guitar, a
fresh yet familiar sound was alchemized into something exciting
yet accessible. The voice was of a high pitch; her presentation
street chic. East Village funky with a nightclub sheen. Her eyes
Something beyond the dance floors of downtown. In this first
iteration of Madonna, the public couldn’t have known where
she would go with her music or how deep and far into the
collective consciousness her voice and image would travel.
But she had a plan. The face on this album cover says it all.
She’s not so much looking at you as she is looking through
you toward her next adventure, transformation and
statement… and the ones beyond those… and the ones
beyond those. Oh, what a ride it would be.
CHUCK MANGIONE • 1940 - 2025
Personal Story: This album is where my lifelong love of music
began. It’s an album made for children. When I was a small child,
my mother and father brought this album by Chuck Mangione,
vocalist Esther Satterfield and The Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra
home to our apartment in Staten Island. This is the exact 1973 copy
they purchased to share with me on our Fisher Stereo in our dining
it has been treasured by me for my whole entire life. At the time,
my hard working parents were in their early twenties and did not
have a lot of extra money. Any time they purchased an album, it
was a big deal and trust me, I listened to every single album in
their collection very closely because each one of them was a
special treat that was not to be taken for granted. Records were
luxuries. Think Dom Perignon. Givenchy. Lalique. Bentley. Le Cirque.
Hermès. Records were on that level for me. This sophisticated,
beautiful and joyful album has an added layer: It was the first piece
of vinyl that my father hoisted me up toward (the turntable was on
a credenza) and allowed me to drop the needle on. The entire course
of my music loving life was activated with the soft crackle of that
moment. You may also notice the album cover art. Whimsical,
colorful, bold and steeped in magic. Those of you who know my
creative aesthetic might see another way in which this album
was pivotal in my interpretation of ideas and the world around me.
The sounds and look of this LP not only encouraged me to create
a world of beauty for myself but also for others. Carrying the grandeur
of this music in my heart, I followed other musicians and bands.
I asked for new albums any time there was a holiday, birthday or
an exceptional report card. Pretty soon I was spending all of my
birthday or Christmas money at the record store and this only escalated
once I had a job and money of my own. Starting with this beautiful
gift from my parents, music continues to give me everything… and
if you’re reading this because I met you through our shared love of
music it gave me YOU as well. Thank you, Chuck.
