Small Town Skyline

Circleville, Ohio

John Mellencamp - Small Town

Rick's

Chillicothe, Ohio

Rick James - Give It To Me Baby
Rick Springfield - I've Done Everything For You

Time to Buy a New Car

Delaware, Ohio

The Beatles - Drive My Car

Pink

Taken by my partner in crime as well
Jacksontown, Ohio

John Mellencamp - Pink Houses (yeah, you knew that was coming)

Houses

Columbus, Ohio

John Cougar Mellancamp - Pink Houses

Solid Rock Statue

Solid Rock Church
Monroe, Ohio

The Supremes - Stoned Love
Journey - Stone In Love

Small Town

Gazebo
Lebanon, Ohio

John Cougar Mellencamp - Small Town

Holophane

Holophane Factory
Newark, Ohio

The Doors - (The Wasp) Texas Radio & The Big Beat

Music - Manic Street Preachers, Suicide Is Painless (M*A*S*H theme)

If you haven't heard of the Manic Street Preachers before, you might go here for some long and fascinating reading. I'd limn it all out but it's neither here nor there. This song was released in 1992, and was evidently their first top ten UK hit.

Onto the song. It's the theme from M*A*S*H, both the movie and the tv show. In the movie, it's used with lyrics; for the tv show, of course, they only used the melancholy music. The title's a little play on words, because while the lyrics work on their own, they're also applicable to the scene in the movie in which the song is featured -- the dentist, whose nickname is "Painless," decides he's going to commit suicide, and his colleagues "help him out."

It's also one of the saddest, most haunting songs I've ever liked. (I generally avoid both slow songs and sad songs.) These lines especially always get me:

The game of life is hard to play
I'm going to lose it anyway
The losing card I'll someday lay
So this is all I have to say.

Damn, that's bleak.

For the record, I think M*A*S*H is a rare instance of a TV show rising above its source material. The movie's okay -- it's certainly acclaimed -- but there's a lot about it that works my nerves. The tv show had more heart and the time to be able to properly explore whatever themes they felt like exploring. As far as the actors, I like Donald Sutherland, but Alan Alda made Hawkeye a world-class smartass and a joy to pay attention to. And Sally Kellerman is a more annoying Hot Lips than Loretta Swit.

Manic Street Preachers - Suicide Is Painless

You can buy the song here.

Music - Thunderclap Newman, Something In The Air

Fun Facts:

Thunderclap Newman is not the name of the guy who did the song. It's the name of the group who did the song. I know, very confusing.

It has a little bit of honky-tonk piano, and the name "Thunderclap" in conjunction with it is apt, because it has a sound I can only describe as ozoney.



It was released in 1969, the year of my birth. It is a damn good driving song. Especially if you have no idea where you're going, and can take your time getting there.

Call out the instigator
Because there's something in the air
We've got to get together sooner or later
Because the revolutions here
And you know it's right
And you know that it's right
We have got to get it together
We have got to get it together now

Thunderclap Newman - Something In The Air

Music - Elvis Presley, A Little Less Conversation

From the CD "Elvis: 30 #1 Hits"

It's Elvis, but it's not Elvis. That is to say, it's Elvis, but it's remixy and danceable and modern. You'll shake your ass, you'll grow addicted, you'll listen to it over and over.

Elvis? If you really are still alive somewhere, you need to come back and do a whole album like this. Pretty much any producer would be happy to work with you.

Besides, he uses the word "satisfactioning" with a straight face and it works. It really must be heard to be believed.

Elvis - A Little Less Conversation