Following your ears

But I reckon Old Dog was only ten that song came out, what would he know then of the great tragedy of teen breakups?

Close enough, but I didn't hear that song until a few years later, maybe '62 or '63, on WLS.  The deejay was Clark Weber, who I believe was the program director so he could play whatever the hell he wanted.  I don't think he referred to Tragedy as an "oldie" but he mentioned that it came out some years ago and he liked it a lot.  So did I, but he didn't play it very many times and I never caught the artist's name.  It took about thirty years for me to find that song on a CD, and I'm glad I did.  There were a couple of other versions, both good, one by The Fleetwoods and the other by the one and only Brenda Lee.

I'm not going to say that the Old Dog never gives up the hunt once he catches the scent but there was another song that took decades for me to find.  I only heard it once, and it was in the movie "Bunny Lake Is Missing."  There was a scene that took place in a pub and in the background, on the telly, The Zombies were singing "Just Out Of Reach."  Never forgot that tune and I was extremely pleased when I found it on an import CD at the long gone Tower Records on Clark Street.

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I'm completely with Mr. Beagles on the manual transmission issue.  There is an enhanced sense of control and the unquestionable satisfaction of mastering a difficult skill.  But if you follow the money you will see that there is no plot to take the stick shift out of your dying hands.  Except for enthusiasts there is very little demand for manual transmissions and, truth be told, the automatics are superior, performance-wise.  I don't care too much for electric windows or air conditioning either, but enough of the the buying public wants these things that it's cheaper for the manufacturers to install them on every vehicle they produce.  These are tough times for automobile makers and they're not going to stick their necks out and risk producing cars that nobody wants to buy.  The only actual car that Ford produces today is the Mustang; everything else is an SUV, cross-over vehicle, van, or truck.

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I see that a newer version of the Mueller Report has been released.  You guys know that those reports are available as free downloads, don't you?  Your tax dollars at work.