in Music on with 2 Comments by Jodi Chromey

Emails From People Who Think I am Paul Westerberg: The Greatest Hits

In honor of the release of Rockin’ Here Tonight, a 2-CD benefit compilation for Slim Dunlap (he replaced Bob Stinson in The Replacements, in case you are new here), I decided to do a little compilation of my own. If you are really new here you might not realize that I’m responsible for a Paul Westerberg fan site. I am exactly that kind of fangirl. Since it’s not called jodichromeysfansiteforpaulwesterberg, a lot of people seem to think the site is,…

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in Music on with 3 Comments by Jodi Chromey

Questions Raised By ‘The Devil Went Down to Georgia’

Who does the Devil answer to? So the Devil goes down to Georgia because he was in a bind, and way behind. My assumption is that the Devil most have some sort of soul-stealing quota. From the lyrics it is unclear if this is a monthly, quarterly, or yearly quota. All we know is that he was behind and this is why he approached Johnny for this fiddle duel. Who is keeping track? What happens if the Devil doesn’t meet…

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in Writing on with 3 Comments by Jodi Chromey

Except for Kurt Cobain Who Sprung Fully-Formed from the Space Needle

We were at Grumpy’s, because of course we were. All my stories that don’t start with “I woke up from a nap” start with “We were at Grumpy’s.” It was fitting because I was grumpy as fuck. I’ve been grumpy as fuck for a long time. Itchy, unsure, cranky, not depressed, and not afraid, but just generally unpleasant-like in my brain. I know why I’ve been like this, because I haven’t written a goddamned thing worth a goddamn in about…

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in Books on with 2 Comments by Jodi Chromey

The Ocean at the End of the ZZZzzz

Warning: I’m going to state a personal preference in a minute. Please try not to bunch yer undies. I know we live in a time where having a personal preference has morphed into some sort of damning of all that you don’t prefer. For instance it seems, at least on the Internet, that saying ‘hey I like to read old-fashioned paper books’ is often interpreted as ‘you who read ebooks are ruining everything with your electronics and stupid fart faces.’…

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in TV on by Jodi Chromey

Observations on Re-watching the First Season of ‘Family Ties’

A few weeks ago at a gathering of the Black Sheep, Steve told us about how when he and his wife lived in Brooklyn they went on a “Family Ties” bender. They were so obsessed, he said, they went out and bought an orange juice pitcher and cups set, like the Keatons have. Also, the cereal container things. Shortly after that I was reading Last Night at the Viper Room, which had a few paragraphs about the episode of “Family…

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in Books on by Jodi Chromey

Pat Benatar Does Not Mess Around, Hits You With Her Best Shot

At some point this summer I put aside Pat Benatar’s memoir Between a Rock and a Heart Place. I can’t remember exactly why I abandoned it. Maybe I was lured away by a shiny new “it” book from the library. Maybe I was bored. Who knows? What I do know is that one night, after finishing The Queens of Noise, I snuggled into bed with plans to read Simple Dreams: A Musical Memoir only to discover I had left it…

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