Month: October 2019

 

Lightning hockey and that blogger named John…

I’ve posted no updates regarding the Bolts so far this season, this isn’t really one either. I needed to make one casual remark that has nothing to do with the 2019-20 season:

Because I tend to use the Lightning’s own logo for all Lightning related posts, I’m actually overdue to start using the “Boltsmag” logo. After all: Boltsmag.com points to my hockey-related category here on Johnny Fonts.

If you do need to hear me state something about the season, I’ll be short in saying defense, where is it? Tampa Bay is allowing too many shots on goal and hasn’t been that steong while short-handed. That needs to improve going forward.

I’ll shut up now… ☺

This summarizes society’s opinion of the 45th President

Presidents have drawn boos when attending sporting events before. It’s a partisan thing, it’s a public reaction thing. Yet those happenings are forgettable in part because of the larger reputation of the Commander-in-Chief.

In the case of Donald John Trump, this reaction drawn at Game 5 of the World Series on Sunday, October 27, 2019, coincides with the volatility and chaotic tenure of his Presidential Administration:

https://twitter.com/JesseYomtov/status/1188623566369165314

With what is publicly on-record with Trump’s fits and emotional reactions, one must wonder what is forthcoming in the days ahead from The Donald.

Guitar

Wondering about the Rock History of “Boogie Man”

It’s really a simple question of classic rock and roll and not something that would be focused on in interviews unless you’re deep in biographies or talking how-to with the performer/songwriter.

Was “Boogie Man”, from Aerosmith’s 1992 release, Get a Grip:…


…inspired by, at least in name, the instrumental classic “Sleep Walk” by Santo and Johnny?

Of all things Aerosmith is known for personally and professionally in music, “Boogie Man” isn’t a song of mass notoriety (even with a Grammy nomination) or a pop-culture element like the video for “Living on the Edge” was, or how the video for “Crying” propelled actress Alicia Silverstone to stardom. “Boogie Man” is a fantastic guitar-piece composed by Joe Perry, Steven Tyler and Jim Vallance; it does come off like what Santo did with the sliding guitar work the 1959 piece that’s lingered in history.

Seeing the boogie man is try traditionally a creature of the night like most sleepwalkers take to the task at night… well? Is that where the name came from? Has Perry, Tyler, or Vallance ever given more info on the backstory of Get a Grip‘s final track?

In search of Andy Hardy’s “Casablanca” parody-clip with Head Coach Sam Wyche

In search of Andy Hardy’s “Casablanca” parody-clip with Head Coach Sam Wyche

The late Andy Hardy was Sports Director at WTVT Channel 13 for longer than I know. In his last years in his role, the latest futility of Tampa Bay Buccaneers football was overseen by head coach Sam Wyche (we’re talking 1992 through 1995).

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This Johnny Fonts has been on Twitter 11 years

(Im)mobility in Tampa Bay

This will be short, but I’m in a serious situation right now where I’m researching transportation assistance for the mobility impaired (disabled). What I’m finding in my research is the grand division of the Tampa Bay metro region.

Perhaps there are options from singular cities that serve the region, but searching for Tampa Bay options resulted in Tampa-specific and Hillsborough County-specific options. That didn’t state or show support for those in the region who have to commute from Pinellas County to Tampa or vice-versa.

The Hatfield-vs-McCoy approach of his region is a disability of its own that impends the mobility in progress.

Updated: The Lighter Side of Tampa Bay playlist on Spotify

Early this year, I unveiled a playlist orf Tampa Bay artists that could be classified as a chill playlist, adult contemporary, relaxing, whatever… It mostly featured artists that I’d crossed on Music Tampa Bay Top 100 lists from years-gone-by..

The nominee list for Creative Loafing’s 2019 Best of the Bay awards changed that.

I’ve been going through that list and adding songs that fit from acts I hadn’t heard o or been tipped off to. There are more acts I need to review from the list but here you go:


If you are a musician in the Tampa Bay area and think you have a song that fits the bill, you can submit it in the comments section o this post or through the site contact form. Playlist feedback from listeners is also appreciated (trolling is not).

“Where are they now?” of hockey blogging?

It’s on my mind as something that should be done but I don’t think I’m the one who should do it:

Someone should do a feature on members of the hockey blogosphere of the 2000s that helped bring media into the current state it’s in (hello, James Mirtle!_.

While we’re at it, someone ought to explore what happened to SB Nation hockey site founders and key staff members on certain sites. Some who came into the network in 2008-09 are still there while others have disappeared into the cosmos or onto rinky-dink personal blog sites that don’t have much exposure or notoriety. Like myself. Hi. ?

Wishful thinking: Parody, Politics, and the Not-Ready-For-Prime-Time-Players

Here we are, Early October is when the Not-Ready-For-Prime-Tim-Players tend to kick off. Yes, folks, the next season of the long-run, late-night, skit-comedy series Saturday Night Live, will be kicking off a new, shall-we-make-you-laugh-your-ass-off? season shortly.

Meanwhile, the Presidential Administration of Donald J. Trump keeps playing like skit-comedy in its revealed words, choices, actions, and deeds. Sadly, with how politics reach and what they do to society, it’s not a laughing matter to mess up, screw up, or use shady tactics to try to solidify power while gaining personally at great cost to the public.

It’s ripe for parody, though. Alec Baldwin can tell you that. The veteran actor has been inspired (in the worst way possible) to play President Trump on SNL a countless number of times the past two seasons.

This season of Saturday Night Live coincides with the 30th anniversary of a movie that Baldwin co-starred in that mixed action and drama with politics and espionage of the Cold War. The Hunt for Red October is one of my personal favorite films and the only Tom Clancey novel-turned-film that I liked. I never took to Harrison Ford as Dr. John “Jack” Ryan in the two sequels, but that’s just me… I liked Baldwin’s Ryan (“I’m just an analyst!”) better than a typical action/thriller movie star like Ford taking up the role.

I keep having Red October pop into my head as scandals play out in the news. How one notable name in the current political dramatic climate rhymes so well with the name of the “phantom Russian submarine” that the film involves and its name is based on.

Red October. Robert Mueller.

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The season after regular-season domination and the Tampa Bay Lightning (with poll)

The 2018-19 Tampa Bay Lightning achieved. Oh, boy, did they achieve… The spectacular run was complemented by the spectacular, Hindenburg-like crash in the 2019 playoffs). The in-season run amounted to 62 victories, a feat that’s only been accomplished one other time in the history of the National Hockey League. Only two teams in league history won 75% of their season contests like that.

Yeah, but what happened next?

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