Cartoons Tuesday!

Plus: Dylan, Zevon, Ronstadt, Paul Simon, Dr. John, Buddy Holly, Woody Guthrie and Wilco/Billy Bragg welcome the new baseball season.

Mar 26, 2024

Greg Mitchell is the author of more than a dozen books (see link) and now writer/director of three award-winning films aired via PBS, including “Atomic Cover-up” and “Memorial Day Massacre” which are still up at PBS.org. Before all that, he was a longtime editor of the legendary Crawdaddy. You can still subscribe to this newsletter for free.

Before we get to this week’s political potshots, a few songs for Opening Day this Thursday. Skippingh the overused “Glory Days” and “Centerfield.” Note: You might enjoy my baseball memoir (it was even optioned by Tom Hanks for a movie), especially if you played or coached Little League or just watched your kid in action in youth sports….

Billy Bragg and Wilco music, Woody Guthrie lyrics, “Joe DiMaggio Done It Again”

Dylan mid-’70s outtake “Catfish.” At Crawdaddy we actually went into the Yankees clubhouse to ask Catfish Hunter if he’d ever heard the song. He had not, but he did know who Dylan was (barely).

Warren Zevon classic re: wacky baseball pitcher and “space man” Bill Lee.

Paul Simon (subject of two-part Alex Gibney streaming series right now) with his sad “Night Game.” Well, opening day should always be played in the afternoon!

You never want to hear “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” again? Then you haven’t heard. Dr. John’s version.

Finally, Buddy Holly’s version of Chuck Berry’s “Brown-Eyed Handsome Man” (which allegedly was first titled “Brown-Skinned Handsome Man”) with its famous closing stanza.