MY FOURTH of JULY VACATION STARTS HERE:
…with THE BEACH BOYS! It's time to "Do It Again." Because folks my age will always remember their mammoth July 4th concerts at the Washington Monument — as with this 1980 take on "Good Vibrations." Their "Lost Concert" from 1964 includes "Fun, Fun, Fun," "Long, Tall Texan," "Little Deuce Coupe," "Surfer Girl," "Surfin' USA," "Shut Down," "In My Room," "Papa Ooh Mow Mow," and "Hawaii." Their take on "Dance, Dance, Dance" from Shindig! later that year is like a slice of Christmas in July. There's also a nifty twofer of "I Get Around" and "'When I Grow Up (To Be A Man)" from their first UK TV appearance on Ready Steady Go! The Andy Williams Show serves up "Help Me, Rhonda," while The Jack Benny Hour produced these quick takes on "Barbara Ann" and "California Girls." There's a primitive video for "Wouldn't It Be Nice" that starts with a cameo from Brian Wilson's dogs (Banana and Louie), who appear at the end of the Pet Sounds LP. And I'll finish with a live version of "God Only Knows" from the 1967 European tour — one of the last Brian would do for a decade or so. BONUS: Part 1 and Part 2 of the epic Political Beats podcasts covering the entirety of the Beach Boys' catalog.
RAY CHARLES performs "America The Beautiful" like no one else.
INDEPENDENCE DAY: Bruce Springsteen, circa 1978, before it came out on The River.
AMERICAN MUSIC: The Violent Femmes, circa 1992.
DAVE ALVIN: Hey, baby, it's the "4th of July."
JAMES LILEKS: Truth.
JOHN ADAMS, on helping with the Declaration of Independence. And being told to sit down.
AMERICA'S MOST PATRIOTIC (and Un-Patriotic) Musical Offerings?
THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER: As performed by Jimi Hendrix, Whitney Houston, Smokey Robinson, Marvin Gaye, members of the Grateful Dead, and Umphrey’s McGee.
WILLIE NELSON, Live in Austin, 1975. Just because.
QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE plays KEXP.
DINOSAUR JR shares "Several Got Away." Nice and tight.
BLOC PARTY shares "Love Bombs."
MARY IN THE JUNKYARD shares "Blood."
JOSH DA COSTA shares "96 Year Old Girl."
JELLO BIAFRA made a surprise return to the stage after his stroke in March. Good on him.
MORRISSEY is selling new versions of The Smiths iconic merchandise, but with his name on the items instead.
MICK JAGGER, interviewed by NME.
MINIONS & MONSTERS debuts at 93 percent on the Tomatometer. (It's currently at 91.)
GENE WILDER's voice is getting the AI treatment for a Wonka-fied Netflix show.
NETFLIX's new horror game had secret collaborators like David Fincher and Zach Cregger.
COLONY, from the director of Train to Busan, has a trailer online.
JAMES BOND's former casting director would not pick Jacob Elordi or Callum Turner.
MONICA BARBARO may join the Oceans 11 prequel.
BLAKE LIVELY wants 8MM in attorney fees from Justin Baldoni.
WILL FERRELL is selling Skims.
THE BEST MOVIES of 2026 (So Far), according to Variety.
THE TOP 25 MOVIES That Explain the American Soul, according to THR.
MICHAEL BYRNE, the British character actor and stage veteran who played a Nazi in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade and the wizard Gellert Grindelwald in Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1, died June 20. He was 82.
CATS & DOGS, living together…
A DEER and his doggo.
A DOGGO trusts the vet.