This year for the 2023 A-Z Blog Challenge, I’m going to begin by listing a song or musical subject, and then see how fast and how far I can completely blow up my own “stream of consciousness,” and head “off the reservation,” by linking every real, and “Zulu Delta-imagined” fact, piece of music trivia, or not so apparent connection to what is racing around my head to that song in an “unstructured, graffiti-like” format. Complete and utter nonsense! Turn it up and turn it on, but as Van “The Man” Morrison said…….”It’s already turned on!”

It all started out when I discovered the TV show “Chuck.”

I also discovered a lot of music. Not surprising as the show had 524 songs played on it.

Surprising to almost “nobody” who knows me, I discovered the show “Chuck,” long after it had been cancelled (“NO WAY Uncle Zulu!!!!”).

The crux of the show is about a young genius who gets unjustifiably kicked out of Stanford while getting a computer science degree, and winds up as a manager of the “Nerd Herd” at the local Buy More (basically the “Geek Squad” at the Best Buy Electronics Store). He also winds up as a quasi-CIA agent after he gets all kinds of Top- Secret files downloaded into his head, and can’t give them back (maybe that’s what really happened to a “certain orange Buffoon/Russian Mole” living at Mar-a- Lago in Florida?). On the show, even all of the minor characters are unique and hilarious.

The show theme/title song is from Cake; “Short Skirt/Long Jacket.” Just awesome lyrics! Not to be confused with the show character “Captain Awesome.” Chuck said; “We call him Captain Awesome. Everything he does is awesome; surgery, jumping out of airplanes…..Flossing!”

Lyrics- Short Skirt

…….I want a girl who gets up early (gets up early)
I want a girl who stays up late (stays up late)
I want a girl with uninterrupted prosperity (uninterrupted)
Who uses a machete, to cut through red tape

…….I want a girl with a smooth liquidation (smooth liquidation)
I want a girl with good dividends (good dividends)
At Citibank, we will meet accidentally (meet accidentally)
We’ll start to talk when she borrows my pen

In the “modern world,” any song that is attached to a TV show or movie has the music rights and conditions all worked-out ahead of time in pre-production. If and when the art is released on DVD, streaming or any kind of syndication, the music is allowed to be in the electronic media. In the early days of DVD/Video, a show often had a hard time for reproduction because the music rights were included in the original movie or show but not contracted for post public release. Sometimes viewers may notice that a DVD or streaming show has different music than the original TV show because it was legally easier to “add new” music than include the “original” music. One of the main reasons the TV show “ED” was never released on DVD, or Video in the U.S. was too many musical copyright issues. Outside of the U.S.? It’s was a free-for-all!

Josh Schwartz was one of the original creators for the TV show “Chuck.” He was born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island. He was also the creator for the pop cult TV hits such as “The O.C.”, and “Gossip Girl.”

He was a big music fan and often picked the music and bands to appear in his shows.

His production company for “Chuck” was “College Hill Pictures, Inc.” This of course would be “College Hill” in Providence, Rhode Island; a large section of the East Side of the city that is home to Brown University, the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD-“RIS-Dee” ), Moses Brown Prep School and his own prep education; The Wheeler School. This was also home turf to the hip, “I can’t wait until I can get in there,” Spats Pub; ultra- cool hang out for the “older college kids” we admired from high school.

Josh’s parents were toy designers at Hasbro. One of the oldest and most iconic toy makers in the United States. They made “G.I. Joes,” the board game “Monopoly”, and “Tonka Toys.”

One of my favorite bike rides is to cruise past the design building at the Pawtucket World Headquarters and see all the toys they designed and made in the windows.

After my junior year in high school, I applied for a summer factory job at Hasbro. I didn’t get it.

I guess they decided they had all the “Mr. Potato Heads” they could handle.

Just as well.

One funny video for the road. Creepy Jeff and Lester are lured back to work at the Buy More! When Lester tries to put the “Jedi Mind Trick” on Morgan………..Hahahahahahahaha!!!!