A Three-Legged Dog & the Wisdom of “Louie”

The wonderful Charles Grodin has now made a couple of short appearances on Louis CK‘s FX television show Louie. In a recent episode during this season, Grodin appeared again as Louie’s cranky Dr. Bigelow, reluctantly dispensing his advice to an eager Louie. What comes out is both wise and hilarious.

When Louie runs into Dr. Bigelow taking his three-legged dog for a walk, Louie seizes the opportunity to ask him about his latest love dilemma. Louie wonders what he should do about a woman he has been seeing who is going to move out of the country. Dr. Bigelow recounts some of the horrors of the world, showing Louie how he should not worry so much about his choice. And then he uses his dog to illustrate how happiness is relative.

You may learn something from Dr. Bigelow, or at least get a few laughs. Charles Grodin’s face at several points along with his sigh after he recounts the horrors of the world are priceless. [Update: The video is no longer available on Youtube.]

Here’s to making the best with what life hands us. Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    What If “Toy Story” Were a Horror Movie?

    If you ever wondered how Toy Story (1995) might look if it were a horror movie, you no longer have to wonder. Bobby Burns has cut a trailer from the film as if it were a scary movie with Woody Pride (Tom Hanks) as something a little more psychotic than he was in the original film. Check it out . . . and play nice.

    [2024 Update:  Apparently, the trailer by Bobby Burns is no longer available, but since then a large number of people have created horror movie trailer versions of Toy Story.  So you can go to YouTube and search for “Toy Story Horror” and catch a variety of them.]

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    The Real-Life Sadness in “Under the Boardwalk”

    The members of The Drifters were in mourning when they went into the studio to record “Under the Boardwalk.”

    Under the Boardwalk

    On the evening of May 21, 1964, The Drifters went into the studio for a scheduled recording session. But the session did not go as the group had originally planned, because the group’s members found out that day that singer Rudy Lewis had died a day earlier.

    That Thursday night at the studio, the members of the group were in tears but decided to go through with the recording session. During the session, the band recorded “Under the Boardwalk,” with singer Johnny Moore taking the lead on the track that was intended for Lewis.

    The song evokes the “happy sounds of the carousel” and lovers hanging out by the beach. But there is a bittersweet tone to the song, so if you listen close enough, you may feel you can hear a little of the sadness that the men were feeling when they recorded the song.

    Different websites report different causes of death for Lewis, saying there is some confusion about whether he died from either a drug overdose or from asphyxiation in his sleep from overeating. But one site says the cause of death was a heart attack. Lewis — whose voice is featured on such Drifters’ classics as “Some Kind of Wonderful,” “On Broadway,” and “Up on the Roof” — was only 27 years old.

    And that is the story behind the song “Under the Boardwalk,” written by Kenny Young and Arthur Resnick. Rolling Stone magazine lists the song as the eighteenth greatest summer song of all time.

    What is your favorite song by The Drifers? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Free Listen & Download of “Thunder Road: A Folk-Punk Tribute to Bruce Springsteen”

    Thunder Road Folk-Punk

    A new Bruce Springsteen tribute CD takes a folk-punk approach to many of the singer-songwriter’s songs, including “Thunder Road,” “Lucky Town,” “Radio Nowhere,” and “Born in the U.S.A.” The album, entitled Thunder Road: A Folk-Rock Tribute to Bruce Springsteen, features performers such as Cactus Vella, The Matchup, Jon Creeden, and Jesse LeBourdais.

    My favorite tracks include Swissknife’s “The Wrestler,” Jon Creeden’s “Atlantic City,” and The Matchup’s version of “Radio Nowhere.” An unusual and delightful sing-along version of “I’m On Fire” by Choir!Choir!Choir is worth checking out.

    If you like what you hear, Anxiety Attack Records has made the music available for free download. You may listen to the music and download if you choose by going to the Anxiety Attack Records website.

    What do you think of the folk-punk tribute to Springsteen? Leave your two cents in the comments.

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    Willie Nelson’s New Video for “The Wall”

    Band of Brothers Nelson

    Willie Nelson will release his first album since his duets CD To All The Girls. . . (2014) with Band of Brothers (2014). Legacy Records will release the new Nelson album that features fourteen tracks. Nine of the songs are new originals by Nelson, making Band of Brothers the first time in more than two decades that Nelson is releasing an album of predominantly new originals.

    The video for one of the new songs, “The Wall,” has been released. The song recounts a number of recognizable events from Nelson’s life.

    The new album will also include a duet with Jamey Johnson on Billy Joe Shaver’s “The Git Go.” Band of Brothers hits stores June 17.

    Leave your two cents in the comments.

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