Mark Hoppus Shares Unreleased The Cars Cover

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Mark Hoppus has shared an unreleased cover of The Cars’ “Just What I Needed” on Soundcloud. It included the following message:

A couple years ago, I was asked to record a creepy cover of Just What I Needed for a tv show. They wanted moody and strange, dark, and drony, with space for dialogue to go over it. I went into the studio with my friend James Ingram and this is what we came up with. The show was cancelled so quickly the episode never aired, but if you can imagine a grim and grizzled detective determinedly working a murder case that shook them to the very core of their being, this is the music the show requested. It’s been sitting on a hard drive ever since, and with the sad news of Ric Ocasek’s passing, I thought I’d put it up here. Enjoy it. And go listen to The Cars.

Ric Ocasek Passes Away

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Ric Ocasek, the frontman for The Cars, passed away over the weekend.

Ric Ocasek, the songwriter, rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the Cars, was found dead on Sunday afternoon at his townhouse in Manhattan.

The New York Police Department confirmed the death but did not give a cause. Sources have differed on Mr. Ocasek’s age — some saying he was 70 — but a few public records and previous articles about him suggest that he was 75.

My Thanks to the ‘Who Will Survive’ Book

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My thanks to this week’s sponsor, Chris Vuoncino, who just released the new book, Who Will Survive. The hook for this novel is that it’s inspired by the music of Murder by Death and it’s now available for purchase in paperback and for the Kindle via Amazon.

The blurb for the book reads:

It’s late in the night at Bart’s Saloon, a seedy hangout on the outskirts of small town. The drinks are flowing, patrons are laughing and the Devil himself is at the center of attention. The night seems set to end without conflict until three gun shots ring out and leave the Devil a bloody mess, just a few steps from making his exit. Jack didn’t know he would be pulling the trigger when he entered the bar that night, but he felt justified in his actions as he made his way out the back door of Bart’s. What Jack could not have known, is that the Devil’s idea of revenge is far deeper, far crueler and more far fetched that anything he could imagine. One man’s actions will reverberate throughout a seemingly innocent town and everyone will be forced to fight off their demons, those which haunt them internally as well as externally.

The author received the blessing of the band in creating and publishing this story.

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Liner Notes (September 13th, 2019)

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Let’s get ready for action.

This week’s newsletter has my first thoughts on the upcoming album from Blink-182. I also have some opinions on other new music released recently, including MUNA, Fall Out Boy, Green Day, and Charli XCX. I also have a few brief thoughts on preparing for trips, a couple of thoughts on the Apple event, and I go through my usual media diet rundown from the week. There’s also a playlist of ten songs I enjoyed this week. This week’s supporter Q&A post can be found here.

If you’d like this newsletter delivered to your inbox each week (it’s free and available to everyone), you can sign up here.

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