Dude, all the real miserable middle-aged hipsters use hearing horns.

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First the Walkman, then the hearing aid. He's terribly sensitive.

IIRC from one of Hec's Remedial Pop Literacy lessons, the hearing aid is a callback to an early rockabilly performer who wore a hearing aid as an affectation.

Jilli, the SP videos are gorgeous, and they'd probably be just as ravishing if you looked at them with the sound turned down or the winsome/mournful/tormented/glamourously swooning musician of your choice blasting instead. Oh, so pretty. I wanted to jump into them and roll around and snuffle them up like an eager (but gracefully tormented) puppy -- possibly a brindle greyhound puppy.

I have decided that I am going to add one more CD to my Xmas list: The Best of Roger Miller. Don't laugh! I mean, you can laugh, 'cause Roger Miller is funny, but don't laugh in the Nelson way.

I own that. Should I toss a little Roger Miller onto Buffistarawk to whet your appetite? I also have Roger performing live at The Big TNT Show. R.E.M. covered "King of the Road" - one of the better earworms out there.

IIRC from one of Hec's Remedial Pop Literacy lessons, the hearing aid is a callback to an early rockabilly performer who wore a hearing aid as an affectation.

Johnny Ray. Not a rockabilly singer, but a pop singer with a highly emotional style that was considered kind of controversial. Which is 50s coded language for Gay Gay Gay Gay Gay. He used to break down sobbing on stage while he sang. Morrissey wore the hearing aid as an affectation/tribute; Johnny Ray actually needed it.

Johnny Ray. Not a rockabilly singer, but a pop singer...Morrissey wore the hearing aid as an affectation/tribute; Johnny Ray actually needed it.

I'm embarrassed at my terrible retention rate. Thank God I never have to go back to real school again.

IIRC from one of Hec's Remedial Pop Literacy lessons, the hearing aid is a callback to an early rockabilly performer who wore a hearing aid as an affectation

HAR! In the Danny Kaye movie "Wonder Man", there's a running joke of a thug who uses a hearing aid. The hearing aid actually occludes his hearing and he keeps having to ask his co-thug to repeat things. When co-thug finally flips out, he retorts "I think it makes me look very distingué".

Wow, I didn't know that about Johnny Ray (not that I knew a lot about Johnny Ray). That Hecubus is a treasure trove.

The Great Pop Things cartoons about Morrissey and his gigantic sad chin are treasures of rock criticism.

And while I'm referencing Morrissey references, in the back of my head I'm hearing "I saw you on TV/Doing a bad imitation of a second-rate songwriter from the 80s named Moh-riss-ey/I never liked Moh-riss-ey/And I don't like you" from "Anti Music Song," which always makes me laugh.

Are we talking about the potential Smiths reunion yet, by the way?

Oh, and I'll add that the Pet Shop Boys' "I Didn't Get Where I Am Today" rocks as hard as it does because of the great Johnny Marr. And I actually recognized his sound, which I am never music-smart enough to do before I know who's actually playing.

I too didn't know that about Johnny Ray. Though I'd recommend his music to anyone exploring the roots of rock 'n' roll. "Cry" may be the very first great blue-eyed soul song.

earwormed with "Come on Eileen" with all the Johnny Ray talk. THANKS GUYS!

At this moment, you mean everything, msbelle.