The 2022 I, Omnibus music year in review

“I ain’t even trippin’, I’m not slippin’, I just come on back for more
What? Me, worry?”

Portugal. The Man – “What, Me Worry?”

Let me be clear, 2022 was a very good year in music. It has been a long time in which we had a quantity of quality. And it should be no surprise. During the pandemic of 2020, we had so many musicians that had nothing better to do than write and create music. And this was the year we heard the fruits of their labors. There was so much music, bands like The Red Hot Chili Peppers released not one, but two albums this calendar year. That’s the good news. The bad news is that despite all of the new great songs that were heard on the radio this year, 2022 will be remembered for 2 older songs that were released years ago.

The dirty secret why NYC’s Alt92.3 FM failed

On October 27, 2022, the popular all-news radio station 1010 WINS began its simulcast on the FM dial, taking over the 92.3 frequency that previously belonged to the alternative rock station. This is not the first time an alt-rock station lost its FM station in order for an AM station simulcast in New York City. Once again, this leaves the largest media market in the US without a modern rock station. Technically, that is not true. There are two stations that play a vast amount of what is considered “adult alternative.” One is the Fordham University radio station, WFUV 90.7. The other is situated just outside the five boroughs in Port Chester, NY, WXPK 107.1. Along with modern adult alternative, they also play an eclectic mix of music from the past 55+ years, which I must conclude is the personal preference of the Program Director. (It just so happens that their taste in music coincides with mine… so bully for me?)

This makes all the sense in the world for the parent company conglomerate, Audacy. The all-news station has been in the top three in ratings for the important morning and afternoon rush hour periods for as long as I can remember. And as you can probably tell based on the image above, the music station has been relegated to the HD2 Phantom Zone, which you might as well say is the same as not existing at all. And while I feel bad for all of the on-air personalities that have lost their jobs, the station has only itself to blame for its own demise. Because there is a secret about the late Alt 92.3 that didn’t want you to know.

I, Omnibus Power Ranks the best Coffee Whiteners

“More coffee for me boss / ‘Cause I’m not as messed up as I want to be”

They Might Be Giants – “Hearing Aid”

When I visited my goods friend’s house last year, we had multiple conversations about coffee. The two biggest reasons were: (1) my experience working at Starbucks; and (2) we are borderline caffeine addicts (along with his wife, who loves this stuff more than both of us combined). I also explained my preference to skim milk over regular milk, and perhaps one her daughters might end her aversion to milk if she tried skim instead. He asked if I add skim milk to my coffee, and I said, “hell no.” I explained how that is possibly the worst additive you can put in coffee – at least among whiteners. I should have mentioned that there is one exception. It is a derivative of the old joke, “would you like any coffee to go with your coffee?” It was my loophole to the Starbucks’ employee regulation of one free drink per shift – coffee doesn’t count. So I used to make myself a venti iced coffee which was 75% – 80% skim milk, and 20% – 25% coffee.

There are other additives you can put in your cup o’ joe, such as sugar, artificial sweeteners (e.g., Equal, Splenda), syrups, cinnamon, to name a few. But today, I’m focused on just the whiteners, those that make your cuppa bean juice sweeter and lighter. I prefer to have my morning blend to look like something close to my skin color – a tannish hue. So I’ve ranked my personal favorites below. So for those of you who are lactose intolerant, or just take theirs black, this is not for you.

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The Top Ten People with the initials L.B. not mentioned in R.E.M.’s It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

“Leonard Bernstein, Leonid Brezhnev
Lenny Bruce, and Lester Bangs
Birthday party, cheesecake, jelly beans, boom!
You symbiotic, patriotic, slam, but neck, right? (Right!)”

R.E.M. – “It’s The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)”

The R.E.M. song “It’s The End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)” is famous for multiple reasons; one of them is referencing multiple people with the initials L.B. –  Leonard Bernstein, Leonid Brezhnev, Lenny Bruce, and Lester Bangs. Lead singer Michael Stipe stated that the inspiration all came to him in a dream. It’s not the only time a famous rock song was inspired from a dream. But this one seems like it is more likely inspired from a Gilbert Godfried stand-up routine rather than a stream of conscious of someone channel surfing. Memo to self: Never play Drink ‘Til You Think against Michael Stipe.

The thing is, there are many other famous people with the initials L.B. that could have been included in the song. All but one on my list, and one on my honorable mentions were famous enough before or at the time this song was written, which I assume was sometime around 1986-1987. This song is a classic that has stood the test of time. There is no need to update it with modernized lyrics. However, with the threat of a possible World War III at its highest level since the mid 1980’s, we could go for an extended remix. Extended with more people with the initials of L.B. of course. But whom do we add? I’m glad you asked.

The 2021 I, Omnibus music year in review

“It’s hard to make friends when you’re half in the grave
But I ain’t dead yet, and I’ve got something to say”

Lord Huron – Not Dead Yet

Every year has their ups and downs, but 2021 was more mercurial than most. And it trended downwards, as the valleys were more numerous than the peaks. But enough about the Mets my life. When it comes to music, we certainly had the quantity of good music, but a surprising lack of “great” or “future classic” songs. I was hard pressed to pick a top ten list, and I’m positive that when I look back at this year’s list, I will ask myself, “What was I thinking?” Honestly, it’s more of a Top Two + 8 Other Songs that are Pretty Good. The good news is that this year provided a motherlode of IOmni™ Awards. So, let’s hand out some of that imaginary hardware out before we get to my Top Ten.

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The craziest Poker variant you probably never heard of

“The pleasure is to play, makes no difference what you say

I don’t share your greed, the only card I need is the Ace of Spades”

Motorhead – Ace of Spades

When I visited my grandparents when I was a child, they would occasionally allow me access to the apartment complex’s library. One of the books I “borrowed” was a book titled “Poker Is the Name of the Game” by Walter Gibson. It was a quick 143 page paperback that was originally published in 1974. It is almost as old as me, and like me, it has not aged well. Most of the book covers the stud variety of poker, and specifically I mean the seven card stud version. There is only one mainly dismissive paragraph that mentions (Texas) Hold ‘Em. By way of comparison, this book dedicates an entire chapter on one of the most craziest variant of seven card stud poker that is so ridiculous, I would bet that you never even heard of it.

The I, Omnibus 2020 music year in review

“So if it calls you
Embrace it
If it haunts you
Face it”

– Tame Impala, “Lost In Yesterday”

While most of us agree that most everything associated with the year 2020 sucked, there are a few exceptions to that consensus. One of those things that was not horrible in 2020 was its music. I have even been informed that even pop music showed some signs of life during the latter half of the year. But what does pop even mean in this digital download era when no one even knows what is (or was recently) considered the #1 song by the industry’s charts? It was a year in which we had a quantity of quality – so much that you can have several favorite/best of year-end lists that have no duplicate entries, and not one list would be wrong. What I’m saying is that 2020 was one of the most musically diverse years we haven’t experienced since the early 90s.

TOURNEY TIME! MUSICAL MARCH MADNESS IN AUGUST

 

In honor of the return of professional sports in North America (for now), I have chosen to create this little project / thought experiment. I have brought back America’s newest, favorite, month of March pastime: filling out brackets. Because one of the first sporting events cancelled due to COVID-19 was the NCAA basketball tournaments, millions of Americans were denied their gambling fix of submitting multiple entries of tournament spreadsheets. But this has gone way beyond college basketball. Almost every popular website had created some sort of non-sporting, seed-based brackets for years. Topics has spanned all interests from food, to movies, to TV characters, to video games, etc. If you can create a list of 16, 32, or 64 related items, chances are, some website created a poll(s) for it. I’m fairly certain my topic has been done before, but what the hey: their polls have been closed for years. Here you can vote early and often (in fact, it’s encouraged!)