Today in 1990 the Hubble Space Telescope was launched into space from the Shuttle Challenger. If I had a nickel for every time someone’s asked me, “like the telescope?” I’d have about a dollar. (People hate science.)
Talk about Argofuckyourself…. today in 1980 Jimmy Carter’s limp-ass military launched Operation Eagle Claw in an attempt to rescue the 52 Americans being held hostage in Iran. It was one of Delta Force’s first missions and it failed miserably. Eight helicopters were sent to the initial staging area, but only five showed up operational. In planning the rescue mission, it was decided that the mission could be aborted if six or less of the helicopters remained operational, even though only four were needed for the mission. The commanders of the mission asked Carter if they could abort and in a decision that is still discussed in military circles, Carter aborted the mission. Eight US servicemen then died when one of the helicopters crashed into a transport aircraft. I think it was the only time in its history the US ever dropped to “others receiving votes” in the world power rankings.
Today in 1953 Queen Elizabeth II knighted Winston Churchill. Nick Faldo has since been knighted. That’s sort of like Babe Ruth and Don Sutton both being in the baseball Hall of Fame, no?
It was today in 2005 that Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger became the 265th Pope of the Roman Catholic Church, taking the name, Pope Benedict XVI. He resigned earlier this year, becoming the first Pope to step down since 1415 and the first to do so of his own accord since 1294. I think you can find him singing karaoke on Tuesday nights at Joe’s Crab Shack in Naples.
Tom Petty released his first solo album today in 1989, “Full Moon Fever.” Some of the Heartbreakers were a little pissed off about it, but all but one of them ended up contributing at least a little. Petty tells a great story about how Heartbreakers bassist Howie Epstein heard a track and shook his head no and called it terrible. The song was “Free Falling.” The lesson, as always, the lead singer is the lead singer is the lead singer. (Unless it’s Stillwater.) That song, “Running Down a Dream,” “I Won’t Back Down,” “Yer So Bad,” “The Apartment Song,” “Zombie Zoo,” I’d say TP did okay.
David Robinson wrapped up the NBA scoring title tonight in 1994 by scoring 71 points against the Clippers, to finish the year with a 29.8 average, besting Shaquille O’Neal’s 29.3. At the time Robinson was just the fourth NBA player to score over 70 in a game, joining Wilt, Elgin and David Thompson. Kobe has since joined them.
Barbara Streisand is 71, Danny Noonan (Michael O’keefe) is 58, Kelly Clarkson is 31 and Tyson Ritter (All-American Rejects) is 29.
Ritter:
- Gives You Hell
- The Last Song
- It Ends Tonight
- I For You
- Kids in the Street
- Dirty Little Secret
- Swing Swing
— Bill Hubbell
Full Moon Fever is top five all-time for me. The idea that “Runnin’ Down a Dream” can be the third-best song on an album is incredible. Last summer, heard the Zac Brown Band cover it live. Didn’t disappoint. Underrated in there? Yer So Bad.
Danny Noonan might be my favorite Law & Order guest star (more than once!) where I cannot imagine you as anyone but that one guy you once were.
A few thoughts:
1. I love this post.
2. Danny Noonan is 58? Where did his life go? Geez.
3. If it weren’t for you, Billy, I would know nothing about music since post-Cobain death, but how “Gives You Hell” can top your A-AR list is nutso. Swing Swing is their masterpiece, followed by “It Ends Tonight.” I’ll brook no argument on this. And where is “Move Along?”
Oh, and one of the best concert experiences I ever had was seeing Tom Petty WITH GA (not that GA was performing; we went together) in Gainesville on the UF campus. Your Epstein anecdote is hilarious and when Tom Petty relates it in the DVD about his career, the smirk on his face says it all: I’m the genius here, kids; don’t any of you forget that.
Man, I listened to that first AAR album a hundred times in the running store in Scottsdale. I couldn’t get over the fact that it was put out by a couple of teenagers. I consider them the best ’90’s band of the 2000’s and I mean that as a compliment.
I would have bet a lot that they would’ve reached Maroon 5 type status (at least before The Voice Maroon 5 status) by now.
Great band with four great albums under their belt.
(This might be the first internet exchange ever about AAR between people not female and between the ages of 16-30. Or from Stillwater, Oklahoma)
I have a couple of bootleg Petty concert CDs, and oddly enough, one of them was the Gainesville show in 1993. Holds up pretty well almost 20 years later, better than I do anyway.