Writing takes time. Even the best writers can't spit out finished product copy ready for public consumption. So, even the weekly blog posts here are time-consuming. I'm not complaining and it's certainly my choice to do this. What's the total opposite of "having a gun to my head?" But I was wondering what's the best way to post this week without actually writing? And then it occurred to me.
Clip show!
You know what a "clip show" is, right? It's a TV show with a suspicious amount of recycled footage. When old school sitcoms were exhausted, making 26 episodes per season. So, they'd write a paper thin episode where one beloved character says to another, "Remember when ..." and then the picture fades into flashback mode. The producers, writers, actors, and crew all get credit and pay for the episode and everybody goes home early that week.
Here, I'm doing the blog version of this. I'll just pick out some of the posts I'm happy that I wrote and perhaps nudge some of you to take a second (or first) look.
I'm going to limit this to one per year. I need to save enough to do a Clip Show #2 in a future season.
Remember when .... [spacey music plays, fade to clip]
The Beatles: Get Back - Click here to read Date: 2021/12/14 A running diary of observations watching the marathon Beatles documentary.
I didn't see the in-fighting, I saw a band of best friends continuing to make earth-shattering music despite the obstacles.
-------- Why I Picked This: I love writing about other musicians, and who better than the Beatles.
Also, this is one of the first posts for this blog, so perhaps you might notice some changes in writing style over just 5 years.
Excerpt: I’m not the first one to bring this up, but was everybody in late 60’s Britain this much into eating toast or was it just The Beatles?
ASCAP OnStage - Click here to read Date: 2022/04/26 At our lower-level of show business rung, it's just as important to do all of your admin/paperwork stuff right and be professional as it is for large acts - perhaps even more so, since us little guys have no margin for error.
This one's about how songwriting royalties work.
-------- Why I Picked This: One of the main goals of this whole blog exercise at the outset was to give non-musicians a peek behind the curtain of how things work.
We have an interesting perspective for being a DIY band that tries to do things professionally. Excerpt: Right away you can tell that we might not necessarily be motivated to enter ASCAP OnStage data for every small show, since each song is drawing 25 cents. But look at House Of Blues, $2 a song. If we played 10 originals, that’s $20. And then remember that those are just songwriter royalties; we also fully own our own publishing rights, which is the same amount. In our publisher ASCAP login, we would get the same $20 as publishers.
Gig Story: Halloween At A Nudist Colony - Click here to read Date: 2023/01/17 A gig story, a very odd gig story.
It's from a Halloween show at a nudist colony.
-------- Why I Picked This: Everybody loves a good gig story, and it's another way of peeking behind the curtain of what playing shows is like.
And even better that this is a really weird one. Excerpt: When you’re looking for nudist colony hijinx there are two things you don’t want to spoil the fun: 1) Cold weather, and 2) Costumes. I got cheated on both fronts that day since it was a Halloween show.
Although I will tell you, the winner of 1st place in the costume contest was Dracula from the waist up and nothing on the bottom. That was pretty good.
Stuff On The Moon - Click here to read Date: 2024/06/04 Instead of writing a well-researched article about all of the things mankind has left on the moon, I wrote this song instead.
Much easier and much more rewarding in the long run.
-------- Why I Picked This: Another raison d'etre for having a blog is to talk about your own music.
We love breaking down a song - I mean what musician doesn't love talking about themselves. Excerpt: But the part that makes me happy is the 2 minutes of space junk sound effects at the end. Not sure which easter egg brings me the most joy: the wall of electric guitars, the "game over" video game sound, Neil Armstrong, or the Dolby THX sound effect. A great two minutes for being high and listening with noise-canceling headphones.
The George Michael Sports Machine - Click here to read Date: 2025/09/23 A nostalgic look back at a truly odd curio of late 20th century sports television.
-------- Why I Picked This: This is ostensibly a music blog, but it's MY music blog.
Which means I get to write about any oddball topic that I want.
What's better than a guy pressing a giant red button to allegedly initiate sports highlights. Excerpt: It wouldn’t be a TGMSM show without a theme of neon, chrome, and digital text that belonged on a Vic Commodore 64 computer. Segments swooped in with 80's screen wipes and title cards, the kind that insisted you take "Highlights From the Indy 500" as seriously as a nuclear launch countdown. But it wasn’t just the RadioShack set dressing that made it magical. It was George Michael’s dead serious delivery. He would run through his copy of a slam-dunk contest as if he was narrating the D-Day landing on Omaha Beach.
My Favorite 2024 Music - Click here to read Date: 2025/05/27 A great end-of-year playlist of 2024 music with very capsulized reviews of the top songs.
-------- Why I Picked This: From time to time we have theme playlists and also end of year best lists on the blog.
The discovery possibilities for these playlists is probably the best public service function this whole thing fulfills. Excerpt: Father John Misty "Mental Health" - Not a banger but no song has crept into my head like this. Wow. Can listen to this beautiful one on repeat for a long time.
The San Diego Padres in 27 Games - Click here to read Date: 2026/06/16 A fan’s history of the San Diego Padres, a franchise that has historically been more about unique moments and whimsical events than winning championships.
-------- Why I Picked This: It's not necessarily music writing, but a post that I really love.
It's on the long side and a precursor to an even longer Padres fandom piece I'm pitching to outlets as I write this.
A favorite. Any San Diegans or baseball fans may feel the same. Excerpt: Also, on Opening Day we left my crummy seats to watch from the sushi bar in the left field Western Metal Supply building. While looking for a bathroom, I inadvertently discovered an open wine closet. And for some reason the bartender at said sushi bar provided me with a corkscrew, no questions asked. For Game 2, that wine closet was locked. Also, while improving the 2004 Padres finished 6.5 games out of first - yet by August I couldn’t even leave my lousy tickets as tips in restaurants.
Defining Yacht Rock - Click here to read Date: 2026/02/03 A true manifesto on what is and what isn't "yacht rock."
I've devoted an insane amount of time to the subject, and this could be the definitive celebration and definition of those magnficient, smooth 1970's bastards.
-------- Why I Picked This: My favorite writing here on Words About Music are usually about other people's music.
Sometimes it's an artist appreciation piece, or a description of a music scene.
But this is by far the most extensive and serious piece about something so un-serious. Excerpt: 3 Little River Band "Reminiscing" This could easily be #1. Only a couple of micro-groove units short of "Biggest Part Of Me." The harmonies on the "Hurry don't you wait" bridge are what this list is all about. Super subtle congas and electric-piano forward. And not as much of a forlorn downer as some of these other ones can be. Don't be fooled by how mellow it is, it rocks.
Cokie Awards - Click here to read Date: 2022/01/11 Recognizing excellent in cocaine snorting in film and television.
High marks for the over the top TV classic Vinyl which is the Babe Ruth of insane coke consumption on screen.
-------- Why I Picked This: Why here on the music blog?
Because I don't have a movie blog. Excerpt: BEST COKEHEAD CHATTER - Winner: In Bruges - You know what we're talking about: lots of rapid dialog about how "we should hang out more often", "we should write a screenplay", "we should redecorate this room" or "can we get more coke?" (This Amber/Rollergirl scene already won a Cokie above, so we're disqualifying it here)
A running diary of observations watching the marathon Beatles documentary.
I didn't see the in-fighting, I saw a band of best friends continuing to make earth-shattering music despite the obstacles. 
At our lower-level of show business rung, it's just as important to do all of your admin/paperwork stuff right and be professional as it is for large acts - perhaps even more so, since us little guys have no margin for error.
This one's about how songwriting royalties work. 
A gig story, a very odd gig story.
It's from a Halloween show at a nudist colony. 
Instead of writing a well-researched article about all of the things mankind has left on the moon, I wrote this song instead.
Much easier and much more rewarding in the long run. 
A nostalgic look back at a truly odd curio of late 20th century sports television. 
A great end-of-year playlist of 2024 music with very capsulized reviews of the top songs. 
A fan’s history of the San Diego Padres, a franchise that has historically been more about unique moments and whimsical events than winning championships. 
A true manifesto on what is and what isn't "yacht rock."
I've devoted an insane amount of time to the subject, and this could be the definitive celebration and definition of those magnficient, smooth 1970's bastards. 
Recognizing excellent in cocaine snorting in film and television.
High marks for the over the top TV classic Vinyl which is the Babe Ruth of insane coke consumption on screen. 