Wednesday, December 31, 2025
For those of us who there at the beginning, MTV has long been dead, i.e., the part that mattered, the showing of round-the-clock music videos. But apparently there’s some scrap or remnant …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:18AMTuesday, December 30, 2025
Today’s new Travalanche posts for December 30, 2025 are about Patti Smith, and a wrap-up of those we lost in 2025. There are a large number of rock and rock adjacent births on December 30.…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 05:42PMI won’t mince words. The top things we lost in 2025 weren’t mere individuals, they were institutions that once served American society: democracy, rule of law, the U.S. Congress and Supr…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 02:36PMPatti Smith (b. 1946) hits a much rounder birthday next year, but I have multiple reasons for wanting to visit this topic now, among them: 1) the fact that Smith’s debut LP Horses turned 5…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:32AMDecember 27 is the birthday of Lenny Kaye (Lenny Kusikoff, b. 1946). Kaye is a man of many accomplishments, but I am going to tout one in particular. The nephew of Hollywood songwriter Larry…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 08:12AMMonday, December 29, 2025
This one goes out to my good friend Tammy Faye Starlite, New York’s, and probably the world’s, pre-eminent Marianne Faithfull impersonator. Tammy also does Mick Jagger, which makes me YE…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 05:06PMToday’s new Travalanche posts for December 29, 2025 are about the late Marianne Faithfull, jazz man Clyde McCoy, and bio-pics about President Andrew Johnson and air force pioneer Billy Mit…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 05:06PMI have a question for any Hatfields out there (I have some Hatfield relatives): in your bid to pick off and incapacitate McCoys, would you include CLYDE McCoy (1903-1990)? For the jazz trump…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:48PMBorn December 29, two (unrelated) American leaders who broke rules, were publicly disgraced, and yet became the subjects of Hollywood bio-pics, Andrew Johnson and Billy Mitchell. The stories…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:32AMSunday, December 28, 2025
Today’s new Travalanche post for December 28, 2025 is about Alex Chilton of The Box Tops, Big Star, et al. Earlier Travalanche posts for December 28 (in no particular order) include ones o…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 05:42PMIn a land and a business predicated on perpetual change it’s rare for those in the music business to maintain street cred across multiple generations, but Alex Chilton (1950-2010) did. Few…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:18PMSaturday, December 27, 2025
Today’s new Travalanche posts for December 27, 2025 are about Beulah Booker (from Keaton’s The Saphead) and author/actress Sarah Vowell. Also, we’ve just learned (from Eve Golden) that…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 04:36PMToday a rare appreciation for a public figure who’s younger than this correspondent, the divine Sarah Vowell (b. 1969). Vowell is probably most widely known for playing the teenaged daught…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 03:32PMHere I thought I’d long since written about every one of Buster Keaton’s leading ladies, but here’s one that fell through the cracks (with good reason though). Beulah Booker (1901-1973…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:24PMFriday, December 26, 2025
Today’s new Travalanche post for December 26, 2025 is about actor Richard Widmark, who got his start in radio! Other earlier Travalanche posts for December 26 (in no particular order) incl…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 06:42PMRichard Widmark (1914-2008) was born of a Boxing Day. I wonder how many newborns are accidentally tossed away with the packages and wrapping paper every year on that day? Well, if it was don…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:24PMThursday, December 25, 2025
Merry Christmas! Happy Holidays! Season’s Greetings! And Be Cool This Yule! Today’s new Travalanche post for December 25, 2025 is about Bing Crosby’s long association with the Christma…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:48PMMerry Christmas, Season’s Greetings, and Happy Holidays — whatever doesn’t put your nose out of joint on this day of days. I got the idea for this post only yesterday, though it’s a …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:36AMWednesday, December 24, 2025
Today’s new Travalanche post for December 24, 2025 is about Eugène Scribe and the Well Made Play. In honor of the season, here are some highlights of the Christmas section of Travalanche:…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:06PMWell, if you’re named “Scribe”, you had better be a writer. Eugène Scribe (1791-1861) was to be one of the most prolific and influential playwrights in theatrical history. He turned o…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:02AMTuesday, December 23, 2025
Today’s new Travalanche posts for December 23, 2025 are about Cecil and Sally (John Patrick and Helen Troy) and Harry Guardino. Other earlier Travalanche posts for December 23 (in no parti…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 02:06PMThat’s right! Harry Guardino (1925-1995)! Born a century ago today! And gone three decades. I don’t know if there ever was such a thing as a Clint Eastwood stock company, but if there wa…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:02PMThe radio comedy team of Cecil and Sally were John Patrick (John Patrick Goggin, 1905-1995) and Helen Troy (1903-1942). Their collaboration enjoyed a brief window of fame in the late ’20s …
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:48AMMonday, December 22, 2025
Today’s new Travalanche posts for December 22, 2025 are about Dame Peggy Ashcroft and a dame named Peggie Castle. Other earlier Travalanche posts for December 22 (in no particular order) i…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:06PMHaving done a single post on two Elaines just a couple of days ago, I promise this post on two Peggies represents a coincidence, not a trend. These otherwise completely unconnected women sha…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 11:02AMSunday, December 21, 2025
Today’s new Travalanche posts for December 21, 2025 are about western sidekick Guy Wilkerson and the late Melanie Winter, vaudeville descendent and environmental activist. Other earlier Tr…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:12PMI just heard from my old friend Dan Hagen that the lovely Melanie Winter (b. 1958) passed away from cancer a couple of months ago. The context in which I became acquainted with Melanie is an…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:06PMA brief nod in the direction of western character actor Guy Wilkerson (1899-1971). Wilkerson was a native of Whitewright, Texas, an hour north of Dallas, just over the Oklahoma border. He be…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 10:02AMSaturday, December 20, 2025
What does it say about America in the late 20th century that classy, dignified, well-spoken actor John Hillerman (1932-2017) seemed to be from ANOTHER TIME? America had become slovenly and l…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:24PMToday’s new Travalanche post for December 20, 2025 is about the late actor John Hillerman. Other earlier Travalanche posts for December 20 (in no particular order) include ones on: Charlie…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 01:24PMFriday, December 19, 2025
Today’s new Travalanche posts for December 19, 2025 are about Elaine Joyce, and one of the last Munchkins, Elaine Merk. Other earlier Travalanche posts for December 19 (in no particular or…
SOURCE: Trav S.D. at 12:36PM 
