As we get closer to midnight, a City Desk New Year's Eve standard!

All our regular fans will know what's on the way, and for you noobs here tonight, it's always our last track before midnight, 'Gimme Shelter' by the Rolling Stones. Johnny is happy to carry on that tradition again this year. We'll see you on the other side of midnight.

Strawberries? Oh, wait...

Not strawberries, simply Strawberry Letters, 23 in all.

Johnny loves this song but especially the remix with DNA

Suzanne Vega and DNA to be exact with the awesome remix of 'Tom's Diner'

Is the groove in your heart tonight?

Because it sure is around here... Deee-Lite keeping things going.

A Michigan New Year's Eve party you say? We have music for that

AND we have more music than just about any other place for that or any occasion.

Ypsilanti's Iggy Pop sassing up this afternoon with 'Lust for Life'

It's 3 for a quarter on the Oscoda City Desk jukebox, Song 2 is, well, Song 2

Blur baby, Blur

12 hours out from a brand new year, Johnny's kicking off New Year's Oscoda Rocking Eve

Our own take on music on New Year's Eve. Johnny has been doing this every year there's been a City Desk somewhere. Let's get it going this afternoon with Slim Harpo and a bluesy step off, 'I'm a King Bee'

Late night open thread

Time for Oscoda, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with BRYAN ADAMS!

Sometimes you just need a good, straight up rock and roll song to get things started proper. Bryan Adams favors us with such a song here, 'Run To You' which has long been a Johnny fave, just don't ask him to listen to Mr. Adams soundtrack work and there will be peace in the realm.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE TUBES!

If you've seen Fee Waybill and The Tubes live at C.B. Hedgecock Fieldhouse on the campus of Northern Michigan University, raise your hand.

OK, that would appear to be Johnny and nobody else. You'll just have to imagine the magic. Up next, 'Talk To You Later'

Note: This YouTube version seems to (It doesn't seem to Johnny, it DOES) go up in volume. A friendly reminder.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE WAITRESSES

Sucker, HmmmmmmHmmmmmHmmmmm.

The Waitresses with their 80's calling card, 'I Know What Boys Like'

Late night open thread

A good conscience is a continual Christmas.
 -- Benjamin Franklin

Time for Oscoda, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE CHURCH!

A band that Mrs. Johnny hipped Johnny to, The Church. Johnny has always liked this song for the overall song itself but the bagpipe solo is a superb touch, not overbearing. Not many bands use bagpipe solos. 'Under the Milky Way' leading us out tonight.

Did you know then, The Carpenters never used bagpipes.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with BOB DYLAN!

Since the killings in Jersey City that made national news (and continues to) a lot of Johnny's friends reached out and asked (now that he's been gone for a year) if 'it's really like that' in Jersey City or New Jersey. Johnny calms their minds and tells them no, sometimes it's like 'Hurricane'

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with BERLIN!

'Sex (I'm A...)' was one of those songs back in the day that red and yellow cards from radio decency referees and several cuts existed with this cut, that bleeped but something else left in -- for this purpose Johnny's just running the long uncut version tonight, taking us through Christmas, the perfect song!

Late night open thread

Time for Oscoda, After Dark

Final day at K-Mart Oscoda, Johnny's live report...

Well Oscoda, today is the last day at the only big box store around town. Now you either find it at Roger's or Family Fare or head down to Tawas City or up to Alpena. There's not much left to choose from. In the few times Johnny has visited the last few weeks the amount of goods being sold is impressive. The store today was quite "crowded" this morning meaning giant open spaces with scads, yes scads, hanging around installments shopping. They must have had more fun-size Purells because Johnny got more. Paid like $3 for 15 or so.

So, 5pm and it's all done. If you're looking for racks and stands and things like that, some of those are for sale as well. Just an idea. Here are a few pics and an in-store action video/gif to mark this historic day. Oscoda Township offices? Meijer? Johnny's Whirly Ball World? Stay tuned to this questionable Oscoda news source for more on what happens to this piece of real estate.

Late night open thread

I once wanted to become an atheist, but I gave up - they have no holidays.
 -- Henny Youngman

Time for Oscoda, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with JERRY LEE LEWIS!

Johnny has a niece who was raised in a very, say, serious Christian household. Not one of those off the rails stories you hear, but they were very adherent. This same niece had started taking piano lessons a couple years before and had become quite proficient. One day Johnny and the late Mrs Johnny were in town for a family event where people had to be shuttled from one place to another. Johnny had planned to grab his niece and drive her to the restaurant specifically so she could hear Jerry Lee Lewis songs because she was never going to hear them other wise. You should have seen her face friends, it was something special.

Mrs Johnny said Johnny was a good and caring uncle. All it takes is getting underprivileged kids Ferriday Fireball records and you too can be a great uncle friends.

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE THE!

Johnny has never heard anyone pronounce this band's name THEE THEE, it's always THUH THUH. Just sayin'. Whatever your linguistic efforts, this song is all that and a bag of chips. Batting second tonight (But first in your hearts) it's 'Uncertain Smile'

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with NEW ORDER!

Just a perfect song to end a Music Series with. We're guessing you like the song and know enough of the words to make a go of singing along though it may have been a while since you've heard it. Hopefully it'll be the song you wake up humming tomorrow. New Order taking us out with 'Regret'

Late night open thread

Time for Oscoda, After Dark

Only five days left for the Oscoda K-Mart

Johnny ran up this morning to the barely there K-Mart on US-23 and what he saw was a lot of sad. Mea culpa, Johnny did take advantage of the sales, he cleaned them out of travel (ie fun size) Purell. He's just that way at his house, it's always out.

There were big signs greeting shoppers saying 5 days left! Johnny inquired and the fifth day is Sunday, everything is done there at EOB Sunday. Johnny would go back but unless they get some more Purell in, there's nothing left there he needs.

Johnny would also like to point out that despite the decision to close the Oscoda K-Mart, abandoning our community as they have so many others, those left still working at K-Mart Oscoda are not letting the closing affect their attitudes. They are handling themselves and the situation with grace and class. A tip of the Oscoda City Desk cap to them.

Late night open thread

Time for Oscoda, After Dark

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with JOE JACKSON!

One of Johnny's absolute favorite Joe Jackson tracks that was on the radio maybe five times. 'Cha Cha Loco' from the Body and Soul album. He's so excited to play it he's just gonna shu

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with THE FLYING LIZARDS!

Many people congratulated The Flying Lizards back in 1979 after they dropped 'Money' this crazy, stripped-down cover of the Beatles classic....Except this is a Motown song. It's true. In fact, this song was Motown's first big hit back in 1960. The Beatles covered Motown.

Commence to Googling!

Friday night MULTIMEDIA EXTRAVAGANZA with MISSING PERSONS!

The 80's rock and roll sounds of Missing Persons with 'Walking in L.A.' sending you on your way tonight. The band basically grew out of the fact Dale Bozzio sang on Frank Zappa's classic Joe's Garage album, as Mary and the Crew Slut, and Missing Persons was born shortly after.

Extra points if you knew that like Debbie Harry, Dale Bozzio was also a Playboy bunny.

Late night open thread

“It was snowing. It was always snowing at Christmas. December, in my memory, is white as Lapland, though there were no reindeers. But there were cats.”
 -- Dylan Thomas, A Child's Christmas in Wales

Time for Oscoda, After Dark

Today Johnny celebrates arriving in Oscoda exactly one year ago today

Just one short year ago today, Johnny left his friends in Ypsilanti (after driving from Jersey City the day before) along with his trusty pup and drove to East Tawas to collect the keys and then a short time later got to his new place. This isn't so much about the home as it is about the town.

Johnny can say, after one year, he made the exact right choice of towns to move to. Remember, he had no ties to Oscoda or Iosco County other than Johnny's last high school football game many moons (and we mean many moons) ago was against Oscoda. The people here are friendly, oh so friendly. Helpful with tips and ideas for things to do around here, helpful info on certain retailers and shops. Really great people and seriously, for the views, you can't do better than Oscoda and AuSable. The summer here was Johnny's spirit animal, were there even 5 days it got above 83º? Johnny got to experience the canoe races, the initial Rockfest, the farmers market, the Lumberman's Monument, the beauty of River Road, Johnny's first Paul Bunyan festival and that big old amazing lake so many times.

Of course Johnny, along with almost everyone has issues with the PFAS in the local waters and he is here to be a team player to help rattle cages to get that fixed. It didn't start on Johnny's watch, but he sure as hell will stand up for the good people around here and push the Air Force to do what's right by a place they called home for decades. He's not crazy about this new proposed SpacePort either (Gentrification in an area ill-prepared for rising costs and tax abatement giveaways -- things Johnny saw close up happen in downtown Jersey City) but we'll get to that when we do.

Overall year one has been a great success Oscoda, Johnny thanks you. Here's to many many more.