Wednesday Wordisms
Thoughts from a recovering potty mouth, plus Disco Demolition Night.
What the F Bomb?
Twenty-year-old me would laugh at what I’m about to write, but here goes: I’m sick of hearing the F-word.
It used to carry some weight because there were few places outside of an R-rated movie and the halls of high school where you could expect to hear it.
Now it is everywhere — especially podcasts.
I write this as a recovering potty mouth who played fast and loose with the F-word in my youth and got in trouble for it … a lot.
Today it’s so ubiquitous and so not clever that it has lost its heft. It’s just lazy thinking and writing.
No one I hang around with today uses the word much, if at all.
Am I alone?
⚾️ Remembering Disco Demolition Night
Forty-four years ago tonight, July 12, 1979, my hometown Detroit Tigers were involved in one of the most memorable days in baseball history: Disco Demolition Night at Comiskey Park.
This doubleheader featured on-field destruction of disco albums between games as part of a rock radio station promotion.
Then things got unruly. As Tigers shortstop Alan Trammell summed it up:
"The outfielders were definitely a little scared and Ronnie (LeFlore) wasn't usually afraid of anything."
The thing I remember most was watching Sox owner Bill Veeck limp on his wooden leg out on the field and begging the rock-and-rollers to get off the field — and to keep their rain checks!
As for the games, the Tigers swept both ends, winning 4-1 in the opener and then won the nightcap in a 9-0 forfeit.
The Tigers finished the ‘79 season in fifth place, 85-76. Hiring Sparky Anderson as manager and Disco Demolition Night were the only highlights I remember from an uninspiring season.
🎶 “The Only Flame in Town”
This is one of my favorites from the summer of 1984 and as I remember it I only heard it on MTV, never on the radio. Having Daryl Hall in it was a bonus.
"The Only Flame in Town" is the first song on the "Goodbye Cruel World" album and ranked 56 on Billboard's Top 100. The album reached number 35 on the Billboard 200.
In 2004, Rhino Entertainment released a two-CD set and the second disc included a live version of "The Only Flame in Town" and, man, is it about as different as a song gets.
Elvis himself in the liner notes writes that the tune was composed with Aaron Neville in mind.
Enjoy this one, and enjoy the rest of your week.
Yeah - I agree about the f-word. It used to be NSFW, but I'm not sure that's the case anymore. I still cringe when I hear it on a work call--seems like there are other ways to get the point across. When I find myself using it, I usually wish I hadn't.