Finn Brothers - Last Day of June

Famous Enzedians. Of course, there it's a winter song.

Bound to happen sooner or later...

We've put the nothing-matters-but-stock-prices-because-the-free-market-regulates-itself bean counters in charge of the medical profession. Guess what the result is.

The Black Irish Band with Michael Martin Murphey - Life Is Like A Mountain Railroad

An old gospel song.

How to Trim the Deficit

From TPM: the Congressional Budget Office predicts that "deficits will disappear entirely by the end of President Obama's second term (if he gets a second term) if Congress were to just sit on its hands and do nothing."

Super slow-motion popping of water balloon

What can I say? I just think stuff like this is cool.

Celebration at Stonewall

From Talking Points Memo.

The Rolling Stones - She Smiled Sweetly

To continue in the vein of ballads partly written by Keith Richards...

Keith Richards - Locked Away

People generally don't think ballad-with-rich-harmonies when they think of Keith Richards, but lookie what we got here.

Bob Dylan - Dignity

From his Unplugged session.

"Someone showed me a picture and I just had to laugh;
Dignity never been photographed."

The Illusionist - Trailer

By far the finest French animated movie set in Edinburgh in 1959 that I have ever seen. Highly recommended if you liked The Triplets of Belleville and/or Jacques Tati.

The Beach Boys - Our Prayer

Happy birthday to Brian Wilson.

Randy Newman - My Life is Good

Newman at perhaps his most cynical, though as usual the delivery is straight-faced. From 1983.

Goodbye Wild Man Fischer

Larry "Wild Man" Fischer died Thursday. The fact that at one point I listened to Wild Man Fischer meant that a lot of other music around at the time sounded very boring. Here's the trailer to Derailroaded, a documentary about him from 2005.

"Texas state budget includes spending on commercials for Fortune 500 companies"

Unbelievable.

State Rep. David Simpson says the state budget lawmakers sent to Gov. Rick Perry spends money in the wrong places — such as on Walmart commercials.

Neil Young - Harvest

Just because.

Adam Mansbach - Go the Fuck to Sleep

The now-famous "children's" book, as read by Samuel L. Jackson.

Vanilla Fudge - Shotgun

Quasi-psychedelic version of the Junior Walker song.

nada considers the void

Nothing today, sorry.

Geoffrey Chaucer - The Canterbury Tales: General Prologue

Wallace Stevens - Sunday Morning

Don't know who the reader is. I could have posted this on Sunday morning, but I'm posting it now because it's the closest thing to an elegy (although it isn't a true elegy) that says something like what I wanted to say today.

James Taylor - Fire and Rain

Such an iconic song of the easy listening type, it's hard to remember that it's about dealing with a friend's suicide and heroin addiction. But it is.

In Memoriam

You never know what's going to break your heart next.

Linda Ronstadt - You're No Good

Posting this because nearly all the instruments were played by one person, Andrew Gold, who died a few days ago. A remarkable piece of musical craft.

Weinergate, the Latest

From Talking Points Memo, ordinarily sympathetic to Anthony Weiner, a useful overview of his comments.

"Collateral Damage"

Haven't commented on Weinergate yet, and hadn't planned to, but this is a good article on one aspect of it: the college student to whom the rude Tweet was sent.

“If I’ve refused to do interviews with credible shows like Good Morning America, why would I give an interview to @NewYorkPost?” she tweeted. Again, rhetorically addressing Fenton, she tweeted: “Why would I do an interview with a tabloid about how I don’t want media attention? Trash.”

Gerry Mulligan & Paul Desmond - Stand Still

Baritone and alto, with only bass and drums, is a combination you don't hear often. But it's Mulligan and Desmond, so...

Oliver Nelson - Stolen Moments

The band consists of Nelson, Freddie Hubbard, Eric Dolphy, Bill Evans, Paul Chambers, and Roy Haynes. From the classic album Blues and the Abstract Truth.

Willie the Lion Smith - Echoes of Spring

Arguably the most influential pianist in jazz history, simply because he was a big influence on the generation that included Duke Ellington and Fats Waller (among others), who then went on to influence everyone who followed them. But Willie did not really record until the 1930s, apparently content before that to make a living as a live performer in New York. Combining commanding technique with an encyclopedic knowledge of early twentieth-century popular song (not to mention an engaging personality), from the thirties until his death in 1973 he performed all over the world.

The Beach Boys - Heroes and Villains

There are always heroes, there are always villains. Music by Brian Wilson (hero), lyrics by Van Dyke Parks (also hero).

Nelson Riddle & His Orchestra - Route 66 Theme

To celebrate Nelson Riddle's birth on this date in 1921.