DAILY DIRT: DR LOV is in the house, and it’s the new gold standard in this year’s Great Plate Debate

November 8, 2024 | By Steve Eighinger Muddy River News Minister of Culture and Doctor of Love

Daily Dirt for Friday, Nov. 8, 2024

The current top three is arguably the strongest contingent of creative plates in the long and storied history of this competition … Welcome to today’s three thoughts that make up Vol. 1,108 of The Daily Dirt.

1. Just when I was getting ready to have the 2024 Great Plate Debate trophy engraved … BOOM!

Just a few days ago when pulling into a vacant space in a local parking lot, I looked at the license plate on the car situated directly in front of me. I’m not positive, but I think I heard angelic voices accompanied by trumpets sounding.

We just might have our annual winner, folks. I know, there are still six weeks or so left in the calendar year, but this entry is going to be tough to beat. Ladies and gentleman, I present to you the new gold medal entry for 2024:

DR LOV

This plate has knocked GOD 911 off the top spot, a position it had heled since Oct. 3. Can it hang on to No. 1 through the end of December to capture one of the most coveted prizes in online journalism?

Here are the new rankings:

Gold medal: DR LOV (Admit it, now you can’t stop hear the old KISS song, “(They Call Me) Dr. Love,” from rampaging through your brain … )

Silver medal: GOD 911.

Bronze medal: XLMAMA.

This week’s best of the rest:

6HOST
MJ TRX 1
4 DHTRS
BIRD 36 (Didn’t Larry Bird wear No. 33?)
WEAZY 9

2. Did you know (Part 180)

That the guy who invented Vaseline, a fellow named Robert Chesbrough, ate a spoonful of the stuff every day.
That the national sport in China is actually table tennis.
That the Walton family (yes, the Walmart people) is the richest family in the world with a net worth of $347 billion.
That the retirement age in Saudi Arabia is 47.
That Ric Flair’s contemporary Mount Rushmore of pro wrestling would include: The Undertaker, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels. “Shawn was the greatest of all time,” The Nature Boy said.

3. Three covers that were major hits on the Billboard Hot 100, far outperforming the original songs that barely blips on pop music’s radar.

Debbie Harry and Blondie’s “The Tide is High” went to No. 1 in 1980, which far outdistanced the Paragons’ 1967 effort, which failed to even chart.
George Harrison’s 1987 hit, “I’ve Got My Mind Set On You,” which also reached No. 1. The original by James Ray in 1962 failed to crack the Hot 100.
Soft Cell’s 1981 hit “Tainted Love” reached No. 8, far better than Gloria Jones’ 1962 version that never charted.

Steve Thought O’ The Day – The Paragons’ “The Tide Is High” is actually not too bad. Take a trip down YouTube memory lane and see if you agree.