–Take a look at Andrew O’Hehir’s article about David Chase’s new film, Not Fade Away. In the article, O’Hehir says, “As any ‘Sopranos’ buff will tell you, Chase’s episode-closing musical selections bespoke a long and obsessive relationship with pop and rock from multiple and not overly compatible eras…”, which is true. But Chase’s use of pop and rock music, and the industry that produces it, as motifs in his writing goes back at least as far as his teleplays for The Rockford Files, which often featured musicians, music producers, and singers as central characters. (I just caught one of them on Netflix: the season six two-part episode “Only Rock and Roll Will Never Die”.) The musician characters on The Rockford Files were usually either drug addled or alienated, but Chase almost always found a way to slip the teenaged dreams that got them into music in the first place, if only to counterpoint teenaged fantasy with adult reality.

Yep. One of my rainy day pastimes is tracing the thematic elements in writers’ works. It’s what makes me so fun at parties. You can check out another example of Chase’s early work incorporating the music industry into The Rockford Files in the episode below, “The Oracle Wore a Cashmere Suit”, Chase’s first credited script for the series. (The script also has a delightful go at crime-solving psychics, which were all the rage in the 1970s, and which may have served as Chase’s tongue-in-cheek goodbye to the paranormal series, Kolchak, which gave him his start in television.)
[hulu id=fc6nmtk85-gcmzlf8qm-_w width=512 height=288]

–My peace lilly plant has getting yellow leaves at the base lately (picture below). Anyone who has gardening advice is encouraged to proffer advice. I will mention that it doesn’t sit outside or in direct sunlight. I have watered the soil only when I’ve pressed a finger into it and found it dry, but I’m afraid I did let the pot rest in some standing water for a period. I’ve fed the plant only once, but it is possible that the fertilizer concentration was off. I’m just hoping it’s not root rot or a parasite.

–Word is that Tim Tebow’s next stop is Jacksonville, which demonstrates the commitment of Jaguars team management to do everything in their power to get worse at every position. But where will the Jets find someone else to block for their punter?

—Wayne LaPierre tells us that we should crack down on violent movies like American Psycho and video games like Grand Theft Auto, I guess on the principle that commercial products known to inspire violent thoughts in a certain segment of the population need to be regulated so that they don’t pose a threat to public safety. I guess I missed the part when he explained how guns never inspire violent thoughts and aren’t a commercial product.

–And if you were worried about an asteroid hitting us in 2040, you can stop.

Later.