T.J. Gillespie

"f I have Nevermind, why would I bother with Bleach aside from the odd song or two?"

Can't blame the band for the audience's clothing. (I was probably rocking a fisherman sweater those days. But boat shoes? Never.) Business major Brent! What an asshole!

I think we can agree that even with "About a Girl," BLEACH is not the ninth best album of this year. Is EARWIG better? Today it is. Going with Juliana.

Can’t decide what to buy on Prime Day?

Try: absolutely nothing, and then go support indie bookstores instead 📚

Long before Sabrina Carpenter was a glint in Disney Channel producers' eyes, NC delivered the original "Manchild." And "Buffalo Stance" is certainly one of the best singles of 1989! But I am going with the hypnotic, otherworldly DIFFERENT TRAINS.

We might quibble over the ordering, but this is the right five!

Kent, you bring so much joy to music fans on this app every day. Thanks for doing all you do. My condolences to you and your family.

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Hell yeah! Crank it

Pure cinema

lolmets

Listen, I’m really happy the Eagles won that game, but today is all about making sure the Mets lose and miss the playoffs

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But how many Schwarbomb did he hit?

Attention: Stubbs Club!

Grilled? Or simmered in beer? Mustard or nah?

Hell yeah!

Josh Harris? He must sell the Sixers! Release the files

I like Cracker more than CVB and I like "Pictures of Matchstick Men" (even if it's a cover) more than "No Myth." But do I like MARCH more than KLP? In a tie, I usually go with whoever has the janglier guitars, but today I'll throw my vote to the underdog.

The Wedding Present covering Pavement in 1989 proves they were ahead of their time. Jangle rockers who could crank it up to 11. Got my vote!

BIRDS.

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On your recommendation, I just listened to "2541." A gem. Never would have found it without this cheer.

I have to admit I first heard Bob through Sugar and the early 90s alternative era. I missed the heyday of Husker Du and never really listened to his solo stuff before. What's the best off Workbook?

I played "See a Little Light" this morning since that was my favorite from Workbook. It's fine. Reminds me of Billy Bragg.

Then I played "Because I Got It Like That" and there's no contest. Jungle Brothers got it going on. So on to the next round.

Eagles win in incredible fashion, Green Bay chokes against Cleveland, the Mets lost, and now how bout them Bears! What a day to be alive!

Can't wait for this week's sportscast

The Jordan Davis game

Never a doubt!!!!!! Haaaa! What!?!!

You know Stanford just keeps throwing to Puka over and over. Yeah, we should do that with A.J.

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Voting for my personal favorite album of 1989...and maybe any year

Going with Kristy. I know I shouldn't let the bonus tracks enter it, so I'll say I like the songs she does with Marr. I prefer Kirsty's voice, but no slander to Kate.

Not really an overstatement to say that the test of a free society is whether or not comedians can make fun of the country's leader on TV without repurcussions.

When Vai, in Pudin me dected ), one of his hrst acts was to kill "Kukly," a sketch puppet show that portrayed him as Little Tsaches, a sinister baby who uses a "magic TV comb" to bewitch a city. Putin threatened to wreck the channel, NTV, unless it removed the puppet. NTV refused. Within months, it was under state control. According to Newsweek, "Putin jokes quickly vanished from Russia's television screens." Soon after Trump was elected, he, too, began complaining about a sketch show: "Saturday Night Live," which portrayed him as a preening fool, Putin's puppet. His tweets lost the shape of jokes, unless you count "Not!" as a kicker. He was no longer the blue bear. Instead, he was reportedly meeting with Rupert Murdoch about who should head the F.C.C. Soon, Trump would be able to shape deals like the A.T. & T. and Time Warner merger, to strike back at those who made fun of him or criticized him, which often amounted to the same thing. Fox would likely be Trump TV.

Last week, at his first press conference as President-elect, Trump made no jokes. He was fuming over the BuzzFeed dossier and all those lurid allegations worthy of "South Park," the pee jokes lighting up Twitter. Only when he reminisced about his rallies did he relax, recalling their size, the thrill of the call and response. He almost smiled. But when CNN's Jim Acosta tried to ask a question about Russia, Trump snapped back, furiously, "Fake news!" —and the incoming White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, told Acosta that if he tried that again he'd be thrown out. Now, it seems, is when Trump gets serious. A President pushes buttons in a different sense. As Putin once remarked to a child, "Russia's borders don't end anywhere" — before adding, "That's a joke."

The Kimmel cancellation reminded me of the final paragraphs of the essay I wrote about Trump, TV and humor back in 2017: