Kansas City Playlist: Summer Reading

We had an idea for the playlist that actually works better as a top post for the morning.

However . . . We didn't want to skip out on our Saturday night tradition and we have a few moments to share some favorite songs. 

Accordingly . . .

Tonight we celebrate the work of an author who rose to prominence locally and continues focus on some local events as he documents sporting life. 

The latest from JoPo .  .  .

Why We Love Football: A History in 100 Moments by Joe Posnanski

In the ebullient follow-up to 2023's Why We Love Baseball, journalist Posnanski rolls the highlight reel on the most memorable p...

A book we're still working our way through apropos for Summer . . .

'Why We Love Baseball' is a jovial celebration of the game

A little over a year ago, I reviewed Joe Posnanski's "The Baseball 100," an 800-page monster which I really liked but is probably a little dense for the kind of

And so . . . Only for friends of the blog . . .

PLEASE FEEL FREE TO SHARE ANY WORTHWHILE SUMMER READING SUGGESTIONS THAT MIGHT BETTER INFORM OUR KANSAS CITY CONVERSATION GOING FORWARD!!!

And on the topic of the written word . . . We celebrate our other main interest . . . Old school tunes that are still worth revisiting . . . Tonight's www.TonysKansasCity.com topic is contemporary literature. 

A hard rock start as always, this classic by Led Zepplin as influenced by J. R. R. Tolkien's fantasy novel The Lord of the Rings.

Yes, we've shared this song before but now we like it even more because the backstory comes by way of family bickering. A relevant deet about how the tune was conceived: "Paperback Writer" was largely written by Paul McCartney, who based the lyrics on a challenge made to him by his Aunt Lil. McCartney said in 1966: "Years ago, my Auntie Lil said to me, 'Why do you always write songs about love all the time? Can't you ever write about a horse or the summit conference or something interesting?' So, I thought, 'All right, Auntie Lil.'"

A beloved classic one this blog . . . One of our all-time faves is a cartoon all for literacy and self-care with more than a bit of snark.

This is another fave but for tonight's reference we're also including more backstory . . . A quote from a  stylistic and musical legend: In an interview from November 1998, Elvis Costello said "Everyday I Write the Book" was "a song I wrote in ten minutes almost as a challenge to myself. I thought, maybe I could write just a simple, almost formula song and make it mean something. I was quite happy with it and I tried to do it in a kind of lovers-rock type arrangement and I wasn't happy with it and then ended up putting this other kind of rhythm to the song, which was written originally as a kind of Merseybeat knock off...I invested less emotionally in it than any other songs from that time yet it's the one that everyone warmed to."

Finally, an old-school tribute to the foundations of pop culture . . . Fun fact regarding romanticism and commerce, the song "Book Of Love" was based on lead singer Charles Patrick's inspiration from a Pepsodent toothpaste commercial.

As always, thanks for reading tonight have have a safe & fun Saturday night.