So this is weird. I was in the car driving back from Albany when my cell phone rang. It was somebody from K-something radio station somewhere in CA (I have a great ear for detail) who wanted to talk to the guy who did the Baby Got Back cover. He asked if I’d be willing to do an interview and when I said yes he asked me to hold on because he had to play a song, and suddenly the station feed was coming through my phone. I realized then that he meant I was going to do an interview, like, now. So I waited on hold a minute listening to them play some Boston song. Then someone else came on the line and said that they just wanted to make sure it’s my cover, and they play it for me. Turns out it’s not me – it was a little hard for me to hear over the phone, but I could tell it wasn’t me. Just a guy and a guitar, no other instruments or vocals as far as I could tell. I told them so, and they said they needed to regroup and then call me back. And then they never called me back.

Now I wish I could remember the radio station, or the guy’s name, because I’m dying to know where that other version came from. Is it possible there are two Baby Got Back covers floating around out there? Does this ring any bells with anyone?

Enough already with the hoboes! I know, sorry, one more thing though because it’s kind of cool. Someone has thrown down the challenge for 700 illustrators to each draw one of the hoboes and post it on flickr. Any of you artist types out there may want to get in on this action – just post to flickr and give it the “700hoboes” tag. There are already 16 of them done, so that only leaves 684. I suspect you can still find some good ones in there. See existing drawings here: 700 hobo drawings

I set up some space on the songs page to download Thing a Week songs and get lyrics. Don’t forget to give me money!

My friend Brett tells me that last week’s thing was good because it was angry, and that I should be angry more often. Fine! This week’s thing is an angry breakup song! It was written a few years ago, but I somehow lost the recording. Honestly, it wasn’t that good an arrangement so nobody cared, I like this one much better. And the last verse needed to be rewritten anyway, somehow the first time around I missed the opportunity to do the “somebody, nobody, everybody” structure, which I find very satisfying.

Here is the song: Brand New Sucker

Hodgman book tour news: John and I will be at Quimby’s in Chicago on Wednesday November 2 at 7 PM. Then on Friday November 4 at 7:30 PM we’ll do a Little Gray Books lecture about Brookline, John’s hometown, at the Coolidge Corner Theater in Brookline MA.

Just a heads up to my so-called friends up North – I’ll be interviewed on CJAD 800 AM tonight at 9 PM EST by Peter Anthony Holder. I suspect there will be some discussion of Baby Got Back. Also, John Hodgman and I will be appearing at the Chelsea Barnes and Noble tonight at 7 PM. He will speak of lobsters. I will try not to forget the lyrics to the song that I have not quite finished, even now. Should be fantastic!