Late night open thread

Don't drink and dribble...

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

World Cup Today: Knockout round Day 1

Ok soccer fans, here we go. No more "We'll just beat Tunisia next match and get back on track." One loss, you go home in shame. Would you look at that. The two biggest stars on the planet both play today.

Argentina vs France
When this kicked off, Johnny picked France to win. He hasn't seen much short of Belgium to shy him off of this choice. Yes, Argentina has the best player in the world who makes those around him better (unless the team is Argentina and they are dunderheads) and is capable of moments of magic that should scare France. Horse around and Messi starts getting cards on Umtiti and crew and France are hampered in the back. Johnny thinks France with Pogba, the vastly underrated Griezmann, Dembele, and a few others should overrun the shaky Argentina defense which has shown itself to be shaky. Unless Messi plays one of the five best games of his life this is France's match to lose.

France 3
Messi 1

Uruguay vs Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo is dangerous in big games. He's deadly in big games. He gets calls for penalties in big games. In Johnny's thinking though, so does Luis Suarez. He's Europe's leading scorer the last three years not named Messi or Ronaldo. Suarez scored the winning goal in Barcelona's last Champion's League title match. He's every bit the diver Ronaldo is AND he has Edinson Cavani who is also a top flight striker. Uruguay has looked balanced in the group stage and looked like a team that can make at least the semi-finals. Will they rise to the occasion or allow Ronaldo another moment of glory?

Uruguay 2
Ronaldo 1

Let's enjoy some Lionel Messi magic shall we? It's just fun to do...

Late night open thread

Gonna be hot. Gotta eat that ice cream fast this weekend.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with EDWYN COLLINS!

'A Girl Like You' is not a good song, it is a great song. Probably you should find your headphones because this particular one sounds even better with them on. Like a good friend once said, "There is no substitute for good headphones."

Hey Edwyn, Johnny used to have a shirt like that, then his dad got a job!

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES!

Did anyone ever get an exact headcount on how many Banshees there were? We know there were 10,000 Maniacs backing Natalie Merchant so how many Banshees played with Siouxsie Sioux? It's like that fucking owl and Tootsie Pop paradox all over again isn't it?

Please enjoy 'Kiss The For Me' while Johnny does his numbering and factoring on this...

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with MARTHA & THE VANDELLAS!

You can't usher in a proper heat wave without an official ok from Martha and the Vandellas. By next Friday as it drags on this will not be amusing AT ALL. 'Heatwave' sending you on your way into this sticky summer night air.

Johnny's gotta break some bad news -- The heat wave will last a week

Starting today friends we have to be extra vigilant checking in on the elderly and more vulnerable of our citizens AND our pets! This heat wave, with Sunday temperatures being the hottest in forever with heat indices into the 110º range could last into NEXT Monday.

So be a good neighbor/citizen and check on those who might really be under the strain of the weather. Remember, you may need this very help when you're older.

Late night open thread

"And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer."

—F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

It's an 'All the gruel you can eat' Monday

"In this price range..."

Late night open thread

An old guy approaches the window of the movie theater with a chicken on his shoulder, and asks for two tickets. The girl at the counter wants to know who is going in with him. He replies, "Well, my pet chicken, of course!"

The girl tells him that he can't take a chicken into the theater, so he goes around the corner, and stuffs the chicken into his pants. He returns to the window, buys his ticket and goes in.

Inside the theater, the chicken starts to get hot and begins to squirm, so the man unzips his pants so the chicken can stick its head out and watch the movie.

Sitting next to him are two old women. The one closest to the old guy nudges her companion and whispers, "Lucy, this man over here has just unzipped his pants!"

Her companion whispers back, "Oh, don't worry about it. If you've seen one, you've seen them all."

"I know, but this one's eating my popcorn!!"

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with NICK LOWE!

As you read down below earlier today Nick Lowe is in Jersey City tonight, in fact he's more than likely on stage right now over at White Eagle Hall. We are gonna get tonight's Music Series stepped off right with something Johnny just knows is on the set list tonight. 'Half A Boy and Half A Man'

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with MARY WELLS!

What a unique and exceptional song. Mary Wells has two lovers and she is not ashamed. She's not having your judgments. The great thing about this song is you have to listen until the end to get the meaning. Johnny loves her voice, just loves it. 'Two Lovers' batting second tonight.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE CLASH!

One day New Jersey, Governor Unkie Phil is gonna get this whole legal weed thing together. Combustible refreshments will be coming to a dispensary near you.

Until then everyone is a narc.

The Clash tried teaching us this way back when. Good lads, The Clash. Julie's not your friend. Julie needs stitches. 'Julie's Been Working for the Drug Squad' wrapping things up tonight. That smart piano is being played by Allen Lanier of Blue Oyster Cult.

Lucky us! One night only, tonight, White Eagle Hall -- Nick Lowe's Quality Rock & Roll Revue Featuring Los Straitjackets!

You simply can't do any better than having Nick Lowe performing a few blocks from your house Jersey City and tonight that's exactly what's going to happen. White Eagle Hall hosts Nick Lowe's Quality Rock & Roll Revue Featuring Los Straitjackets and what a great night of music it'll be.

Probably be a Nick Lowe song on the Music Series tonight in celebration...

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Cooling centers are open in Jersey City during this mini heat wave

The humidity later today will push the feels like temperatures into the 100º's and Jersey City has cooling centers available for the next couple days. Follow this handy link to find one near you and make sure you check up on the elderly and vulnerable adults on days like these and bring those pets inside and give them access to plenty of water.

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE FACES!

Johnny supposes that if you're Rod Stewart and you're gonna tell the tale of taking a groupie to bed for a one-night stand  you should probably let Ron Wood lay down some of the guitar work on that. You know, like ya do.

'Stay With Me' kicking off tonight's festivities.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with LIZ PHAIR!

Johnny had such a crush on Liz Phair during her whitechocolatespaceegg era. He used to spin that disc and others on his Discman plugged into the cassette slot in the old Chevy Lumina driving back and forth from Ypsilanti to Maumee Ohio every day for work. Johnny would like to dedicate this one to US-23.

'Polyester Bride' all up in your ears.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with U2!

All you hear is the live version of this song. It's become canon. Johnny prefers the studio version. Guess whose blog this is...

U2 helping you skedaddle into this glorious June evening with 'Bullet the Blue Sky'

Rock on Edge.

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with SNIFF 'N' THE TEARS!

Another one of those songs you haven't heard in many moons and in this case maybe many many moons. Johnny has always simply loved this song since it broke back in the 70's (The 1970's). If you are looking for some sharp as hell guitar work this song is for you bunky. This here is the kind of song that makes you want to go get into your car, drive for a while and stop somewhere and fight.

But don't do that.

Sniff 'n' the Tears with the timeless 'Driver's Seat'

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with STEVIE WONDER!

Did you know then that the background singers on this one are The Jackson Five? Now you know. You even hear Stevie say it 1:47 into 'You Haven't Done Nothin'. They were label-mates in 1974 on Tamla Records, an offshoot of Motown. If you are not absolutely funking out during this song wherever you are at there is something very very wrong with you.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT!

Bazinga!

No, Alan Parsons, not Jim Parsons. Oh you kids. Johnny could have picked like five or six tracks off this masterpiece of an album, I Robot, but went with 'Some Other Time' as he remembers it sounding really good in Kalamazoo at his best friends house at a party once. Funny how memories work. Funny how nobody was 'Rowing the Boat' at Western Michigan University back then either. Slug-A-Beds they were. Johnny went to Eastern Michigan where academics happened, just not for Johnny.

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Call it a Johnny hunch -- Bob Menendez is in trouble

Just a feeling. Johnny does not know yet where he will be voting this November, here in Jersey City or back in Michigan once his home sells (A place has already been picked out and Johnny knows the city -- all in good time friends, all in good time) but Sen. Bob Menendez is in trouble in his re-election bid. Democrats had better turn out in really large numbers because there's not going to be an "I gotta vote FOR Bob Menendez today" wave out there anywhere.

Keep an eye on this. See if you don't see what Johnny sees.

Late night open thread

Like the rings of Saturn, backyard astronomers like Johnny never tire of looking at the Horsehead Nebula just below Orion's belt.

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Sunday sails

It's the wind kids, not the lack of sun that makes for good sailing on the Hudson River...

Late night open thread

Time for Jersey City, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with PUBLIC ENEMY!

Starting off with quite an attention getter. Go big or go home. We have the right band with the absolute right song to get us started on a warm early-summer night for that.

'Fight the Power' from Public Enemy, one of the best songs ever, ever done. No, any genre.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with FOLK IMPLOSION!

Sure, right now you're saying, "Folk Implosion, who is THAT Johnny?" In 20 seconds you'll be saying, "Oh man, I LOVE this song, haven't heard it in forever, thanks Johnny!"

You're welcome.

Folk Implosion with 'Natural One'

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with SHERYL CROW!

Today is June 1st which means those car systems are going to be turned up louder and the windows are going to down further. Know whose music usually sounds great coming from a nearby car? Sheryl Crow. She was made for that summertime music sound, and when that happens, you go with it. Sheryl Crow sending you out into this humid-ass evening with 'Anything But Down'

Johnny loves Sheryl Crow but will be the first to say we need another Globe Sessions one of these days.