158: A Man In the Mirror Who Has Everything

158. "The Luckiest Man In the World" by Neal McCoy [iTunes? Yes]

Apparently, we are in the middle of the country music section of the HondoJoe Top 200. First we had John Denver, and now we have Neal McCoy.

I came across this song on iTunes while trying to put together a mix tape for The Wife. And, you know what, I really, really like it.

And now, because no one asked for it, my Top 6 McCoys!

6. Colt McCoy

Colt McCoy

I'm not a big fan of University of Texas football. I, like 99.8% of America, have been completely indifferent to his NFL career with the Cleveland Browns. So, why is Colt McCoy on this list? Because "Colt McCoy" is an absolutely AWESOME name!!! Seriously, I'll bet Louis L'Amour is probably rolling over in his grave (he is dead, right?) because he didn't think up the name of "Colt McCoy."

5. Neal McCoy

Neal McCoy

I like his song, and I like his grit. It can't have been easy for a black man to forge a career as a country music star. All I can think of are Charley Pride and Neal McCoy. (Did Snoop Dogg have any cross-over hits?)

4. Van McCoy

Van McCoy

I don't know why, but I never really thought of Van McCoy as a black man, let alone as "The Disco Kid." And, for always and forever I will associate Van McCoy with Coach Pratt. Because Coach Pratt made us do "The Hustle" in junior high.

3. Jack McCoy

Assistant District Attorney Jack McCoy

Over the years, I've probably watched about 11,429 hours of Law & Order. And I know one thing, Perry Mason is pretty darn lucky he never had to go up against Jack McCoy!

2. Hank McCoy

Hank McCoy, aka The Beast

Yes, I am a comic book nerd. And I always liked The Beast. Of course, the incarnation of The Beast that is my favorite is from his brief time with The Avengers in the mid-70s, not so much his years with the X-Men or his time with The Defenders. Or X-Factor. Or his time with the Justice League of America.

1. Leonard "Bones" McCoy

Leonard "Bones" McCoy

Could there have been any other choice? How can you not like a man who grumpily exclaims, "Damnit, Jim, I'm a doctor not an escalator!" (Plus, his nickname is "Bones." How cool is that?) (Okay, not quite as cool as "Colt McCoy," but it'll do.)

COMING UP NEXT: Time to play "B" sides.

159: I Got Cakes On the Griddle

159. "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" by John Denver {#1; 3/75} [iTunes? Yes]
"So, I fiddle when I can, work when I should."

I've written before about a guy I occasionally see at work who looks (and acts) like John Denver. (See: John Denver Guy) He is partially responsible for this song being on this list. Whenever I see him, this song gets stuck in my head for the rest of the day.

But, he's only partially responsible. Even without him, this song is a real hoot. (Possibly even a hootenanny.) City folk just wouldn't understand. I am glad I'm a country boy.

(Yeeha!!!)

COMING UP NEXT: The "Real" McCoy

160: Things Will Get Better

160. "Smile" by PoP Is ArT [iTunes? Yes]
"Everything is gonna be just fine."

I found the group PoP Is ArT one day while fiddling around on the iTunes store. I was looking around at the "If you like _____, then you might like ____." Apparently, if I like ELO, I might like PoP Is ArT.

And I do. I listened to the preview and liked it enough that I bought the album. This is the best song from their album "Epiphany." There are a few other good songs on the album, too. (And some of the songs have more of a Pink Floyd feel than an ELO feel.) "Smile" has a "Mr. Blue Sky"-esque feel to it. And, it has a nice message. (The message being: Smile, things will get better, everything will be just fine.)

It's a good thing I like the song. Because I find the use of capitalization in the group name of "PoP Is ArT" to be more than a bit pretentious. Hey, I'm all for being weird, but not if it seems like your are trying too hard.

COMING UP NEXT: Riddle me this!

161: He Still Has His Sense of Humor

161. "Jack the Lion" by Harvey Danger [iTunes? Yes]
"Jack the Lion roaring his last. Like a vision sent from the past. Bedside crying, holding his hand."

Like Deep Blue Something, Harvey Danger was a "one-hit wonder" band from the mid-90s. Their one hit was a song called "Flagpole Sitta." I tried out their album, and found that I really liked several of the songs. I bought the next couple of albums they put out, too, really liking most of their stuff. The best way I can think of to describe their music is it's like someone took the best parts of Weezer and combined it with the best parts of Green Day. Anyway, I really like their music and would highly recommend any of their three albums.

This song starts out with a driving guitar riff, followed by some good ol' hand claps. (I likes me some hand claps!) And then, it turns into a heartfelt song about a guy going to visit his dad, who is on his death bed.

It takes me back to the spring and early summer of 2006. We knew my Dad was dying. Each time I went up to Arimo to visit him he would be a little bit weaker. It was difficult to see this big, strong man that I had looked up to my whole life getting so weak and feeble. I will always remember the last time I saw him. As I went to leave, he held onto my hand for a few extra seconds, like he knew it would be the last time. I wish he could have lived to see me with my family now. I wish he could have met Amber and been here to share smiles with Roni and Buzz.

This song takes me back to that last day. It has a special place in my heart.

Well, okay, so I know you don't come here to read this expecting sadness and melancholy. You come here to catch a little humor. So, in honor of Harvey Danger, I come to mourn the loss of the name "Harvey."

Is there anyone under the age of 60 named Harvey? I can think of my Uncle Harvey, Harvey Cole, Harvey Korman, and Harvey Kietel. But nobody under the age of 60.

My question is, which is more responsible for the killing off of the name Harvey?
O A. Harvey, the Jimmy Stewart movie about a large imaginary rabbit.
O B. Lee Harvey Oswald.

Personally, I blame Oswald. Not only did he kill JFK, he killed off the name Harvey and the name Oswald. (He might have killed off the name Lee as well, if Lee Majors hadn't been around to hold up the name for heroic goodness!)

COMING UP NEXT: If you chance to meet a frown, do not let it stay.

162: We Both Kinda Liked It

162. "Breakfast At Tiffany's" by Deep Blue Something {#5; 8/95} [iTunes? Yes]
"I said, 'What about Breakfast At Tiffany's?' She said, 'I think I remember the film. And as I recall, I think we both kinda liked it.' And I said, 'Well, that's the one thing we've got.'"

Personally, I've never seen the film. Although, based on a quick perusal of the IMDB site, I think I might kinda like it. Why? Well, I knew Audrey Hepburn was in the movie, but I didn't know who played her love interest. Who, you ask? George Peppard! Yes, that's right, the guy who played boss-man "Face" Hannibal from The A-Team is in this movie!

But wait, there's more! Also featured in Breakfast At Tiffany's? Buddy Ebsen! Yes, that's right, the guy who played Uncle Jesse Clampett in The Beverly Hillbillies is in this movie! And you know who else is in this movie? Mickey Rooney! Yes, that's right! (I think he played "Whiplash" in Iron Man 2. Either that or he was the guy who had those grumpy comedy segments at the end of 60 Minutes. I'm not sure.)

Anyway, with all those peoples in the movie, it's no wonder that the guy and the gal in this song both "kinda liked it."

Deep Blue Something is mostly known as a "one hit wonder" band, their lone hit being this here song. At the time, I liked this song enough that I bought the album on which it was featured. (Probably a "Columbia House" record club choice to pad out my order.) I found that I liked several of the songs on the album, including "Home," "Done," "Song to Make Love To," "Red Light," and the instrumental "Gammer Gerten's Needle." I liked the album so much, that I bought Deep Blue Something's follow-up album. Unfortunately, it only had two song that I liked, "She Is," and "Page Me Wolverine." So, that ended my following of the Deep Blue Something.

Why this song? Well, it is one of the best "sing along" songs you will ever find. My bet is that just from reading the first paragraph of this post the song is probably stuck in your head. Whenever I hear it, I find myself singing along. Whenever The Wife hears this song, she sings along. The chorus repeats itself so often it almost feels like one of those "round" songs that they used to teach us in elementary school. (You know, like "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" and the like.)

Anyway, I dare you to play this song without singing along. Go ahead, try it! I double-dog dare you!!!

COMING UP NEXT: Guitars! Hand-claps! Danger! (And more than a bit of melancholy.)

163: Tell Me Your Troubles and Doubts

163. "Don't You (Forget About Me)" by Simple Minds {#1; 2/85}[iTunes? Yes]
I'm pretty easy. If you want me to like your song, there are three easy ways to get me on your side. 1) Hand-claps. I love hand-claps in songs. 2) A well-timed "Hey!" or "Hey, hey!" And, C) Throw in a good "la-la-la" or "na-na-na." If you put these three things in a song, I am most likely going to like it.

I had finished the first draft of the HondoJoe Top 200, and "Don't You Forget About Me" was on the outside looking in, one of a large number of songs that I deemed worthy of consideration, but not quite good enough to make the list.

And then, one day, I heard it on the radio. It starts out with a great, "Hey, hey, hey, hey!" I found myself singing along through most of the song. And then there's that ending: "La! La-la-la-la. La-la-la-la. La-la-la, la-la-la-la-la-la-la!" How can you not sing along? It was then I decided that, yes, this song had to make the Top 200!

(If Simple Minds had thrown some hand claps in there, we might not be talking about this song until the Top 100.)

I know for many people this song brings to mind the movie The Breakfast Club. Me, not so much. (Although I never understood why Judd Nelson didn't have a better career.) (Ally Sheedy? Never understood why she had as much of a career as she did.)

Another thing I like? Musical questions. And I like the musical question: "As I walk on by, will you call my name?"

Will you call my name?

COMING UP NEXT: Sing along with Audrey Hepburn!

164: Don't Call Me Jughead

164. "I Like Hubcaps" by Brak [iTunes? Not that I can find. An unofficial YouTube link is here: Brak: I Like Hubcaps ]

It's the musical question somebody had to ask: Pineapple upside-down cake. Why's it upside down? WHY'S IT UPSIDE DOWN???

Brak is clearly one of the most under-appreciated comic geniuses of our time! It's like he's on his own little comic cloud. And nobody comes to visit him in his little cloud. (I don't know why. Probably because he's cutting muffins.) (Muffins? Oh baby, pass the butter!)

This is the third song of The Brak Trifecta. ("I Love Beans" didn't quite make the HondoJoe Top 200 cut, but "I Love You, Baby" did.)

Brak likes Charles Nelson Reilly, Veronica and Betty, and all kinds of corn. (ALL KINDS OF CORN!!!)

In fact, I'll go out on a limb and call Brak the funniest alien of all time! Yes, of all time. Who else makes the list? I'm glad you asked. Here are a few funny aliens that come to mind:

7. Jar Jar Binks

Funny has a middle name, and that middle name is "Jar."

6. Galactus

He's the Devourer of Worlds! (And he's got hockey sticks coming out of his hat!)

5. Mork from Ork

Might have been higher on this list if not for "Patch Adams."

4. Alf

Can you ever get tired of cat-eating jokes?

3. Marvin the Martian

It's funny when other people are angry. Very funny, indeed.

2. Mr. Spock

It may not seem logical, but this guy is a hoot!

1. Brak

Don't call him Jughead!

COMING UP NEXT: I forgot.

165. Good Information from a Man Who's Made Mistakes

165: "Tell Her About It" by Billy Joel {#1; 7/83} [iTunes? Yes]

This is just a great song. The lyrics are meaningful and true. The music is peppy and fun. It's just a good, solid song!

I watched the video for the first time in years. (Here's a link: Billy Joel: Tell Her About It) It had been a long time since I had seen the video. It was good to see Rodney Dangerfield again! (It's always good to see Rodney, as long as it's not in high definition.)(No respect, indeed.) It's a pretty fun video. I especially like how Billy inserts himself in as the pizza delivery guy at the pillow fight/slumber party. (In the real world, do attractive girls ever sit around in their underwear and have pillow fights? Or is this just the fantasy of some Hollywood writer that has been used so much it has become a cliche? These are things I want to know.)

On the social commentary front, I'm not sure what to make of the fact that every single one of the Affordables from "BJ and the Affordables" was black. It seems a little iffy. (What, Liberty DeVito wasn't affordable?)

COMING UP NEXT: Charles Nelson Reilly!