the ghost of Xmas 1976
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jabartlett.bsky.social
the ghost of Xmas 1976
@jabartlett.bsky.social
Writer (mostly at thjkoc.net), radio jock (retired), beer geek, Badger fan. Tempting the wrath of the whatever from high atop the thing. Madison, Wisconsin.
Pinned
Me, then: I am a keen observer of politics and culture

Me, now: this is my favorite spoon
a few years ago i ranked the tracks on Hotel California

thjkoc.net/2017/04/04/y...
Hotel California, the fifth studio album by the Eagles, was released #OTD 1976 on Asylum Records.
December 8, 2025 at 12:52 PM
not even 30 Days in the Hole?
no taste for humble pie
December 7, 2025 at 4:40 PM
Reposted by the ghost of Xmas 1976
Fifty years ago today, Bob Dylan brought Rolling Thunder to a NJ prison to play a private concert for Rubin "Hurricane" Carter and his fellow inmates.

A journalist who covered the event looks back (and shares some never-seen photos):
A Legal Journalist Remembers Covering Bob Dylan's Rolling Thunder Prison Show—And Helping Set 'Hurricane' Free
Plus never-seen photographs of the show and behind-the-scenes
www.flaggingdown.com
December 7, 2025 at 2:15 PM
teenage Jim adored ELP

in my geezerhood they play differently to me, but Jerusalem and Karn Evil 9 remain awesome
Emerson, Lake & Palmer’s ambitious album – Brain Salad Surgery – was released today in 1973. It’s full-on ELP – with plenty of bombastic virtuosity. It’s difficult to imagine anyone other than Keith Emerson, Greg Lake & Carl Palmer throwing themselves into something akin to “Karn Evil 9”
December 7, 2025 at 2:09 PM
this is Cameron, who will sit on any lap any time
December 7, 2025 at 3:30 AM
When you are lost, at the end of your rope

Remember, while through that darkness you grope
December 6, 2025 at 12:44 PM
these are delightful

the modern miracles that topped Mom's Christmas list in 1964
December 6, 2025 at 1:54 AM
am i the only person who thinks the Ohio State Buckeye logo looks like a pot leaf?

o high o
December 5, 2025 at 11:17 PM
here i am writing about that radio station in the Twin Cities that got stuck the other night
Two-and-a-Half Hours
Every radio jock who worked in the old days has stories. A record stuck on the air, a tape cartridge got eaten in mid-commercial, a telephone feed dropped off and the dial tone got on the air, or the transmitter quit unexpectedly. It was an "oh shit" moment but you fixed it, maybe you made a joke about it, and you moved on with your show.
thjkoc.net
December 5, 2025 at 6:35 PM
every time i had to say "Ritt Momney" on the radio back then my soul died a little
Five years ago, the charts were lit up by a little song called "Put Your Records On" by a singer called Ritt Momney
December 5, 2025 at 3:13 PM
Reposted by the ghost of Xmas 1976
Are you ready for Crapmas? Because Crapmas is coming.
‘Look what you’ve done to my children!’: a tale of winter wonderland disasters
These events are meant to make Christmas magical, and while many do, a few fall spectacularly short. Here, in no particular order, are some of the worst offenders
www.theguardian.com
December 5, 2025 at 9:22 AM
this thread is a journey

at least two journeys actually
A tale of media shenanigans today, because it’s the 17th anniversary of the historic day the Facebook Republican Army was EXPOSED in the media in a SHOCKING story which APPALLED the RESPECTABLE people of BRITAIN
December 5, 2025 at 12:20 PM
"perhaps"?

move your dang pillow, ya knob

do i have to do everything around here?
You have discovered a planet. It is under my pillow. 2 moons orbit below its young sun. We could visit there, perhaps.
December 5, 2025 at 12:09 PM
did my first substitute teaching gig today
1974 HITS ARCHIVE: Sister Mary Elephant - Cheech & Chong (mono 45)
YouTube video by AnotherProf
www.youtube.com
December 4, 2025 at 10:50 PM
good morning everyone
my guide to intermittent fasting
December 4, 2025 at 4:03 PM
great Christmas album, or the greatest Christmas album?

there's no better way to relaunch your Steve Cropper appreciation (and the rest of the MGs too)
Booker T. & The MG's ‎– In the Christmas Spirit (USA, 1967) / Full album Stax S713 - Atlantic 7 82338-2 (1991) - YouTube
www.youtube.com
December 3, 2025 at 10:49 PM
this is a tough one to take

Steve Cropper was a giant whose like will never be seen again
Steve Cropper, Legendary Guitarist for Booker T. & the MG’s, Otis Redding and the Blues Brothers, Dies at 84
Steve Cropper, guitarist for Booker T. & the MG's, Otis Redding, the Blues Brothers and many more, has died. He was 84.
variety.com
December 3, 2025 at 9:57 PM
all most radio stations are doing now is making sure *something* is on the air; nobody's monitoring to make sure it's the right thing
Cities 97.1 Gets Viral Moment After Automation Glitch - RadioInsight
radioinsight.com
December 3, 2025 at 3:43 PM
good morning everyone
December 3, 2025 at 12:45 PM
the Dems proposed slogan for 2026 is "Strong Floor, No Ceiling"

the floor is irrelevant if it's built over a pile of shit to begin with
The Erfurt Latrine Disaster: History’s grossest tragedy?
The grim details of the Erfurt Latrine Disaster of 1184 are not for the faint of heart. Discover the full story of one of history's grossest tragedies.
www.history.co.uk
December 3, 2025 at 11:28 AM
my only regret about the end of my radio career is that i won't get to read the bulletin and follow it with Kool and the Gang's Celebration
There’s a good chance that when it finally happens it will happen on camera and you’ll get to enjoy watching it over and over and over for the rest of your life, and while that’s not much, it’s not nothing. We’ll have that.
December 3, 2025 at 1:27 AM
my most-used words on Bluesky in 2025 were

1 morning (62×)
2 wisconsin (51×)
3 radio (43×)
4 beer (30×)
5. game (30×)

most engagements

1 @kurtblumenau.bsky.social
2 @ihavethatonvinyl.com
3 @jeffash26.bsky.social
4 @sleestak.bsky.social
5 @funky16corners.bsky.social

See yours
anisota.net/harvest
Anisota's Annual Bluesky Harvest 2025
A recap of your year on Bluesky. Discover patterns, connections, and insights from your journey in the ATmosphere.
anisota.net
December 3, 2025 at 12:02 AM
Reposted by the ghost of Xmas 1976
Hot take: If your policies as a Democratic candidate/elected put you to the right of the Steve Miller Band circa 1976, you gotta go.
also this is a vastly better message than anything jeffries & the DNC are coming up with:

Feed the babies
Who don't have enough to eat
Shoe the children
With no shoes on their feet
House the people
Livin' in the street
Oh, oh, there's a solution
December 2, 2025 at 5:17 PM
December 2, 2025 at 6:56 PM