Daily Dirt for July 15, 2021

by Steve Eighinger

Three more thoughts as we wait for baseball season to resume. For those keeping score, this is Vol 7:

1. One of the most overlooked female singing groups in rock’s modern era is the Honey Cone.

Those girls gave us such classics as “Want Ads” and “One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show.” Edna Wright was the lead singer, and I can still hear her belting out:

“Wanted, young man single and freeExperience in love preferred, but will accept a young trainee
Oh I’m gonna put it in the want ads, I need a love that’s true
Gonna put it in the want ads, my man and I are through.”

Now, THAT is what a No. 1 song should sound like!

2. Interesting question I saw the other day? If you’re in line at the supermarket with a full cart and someone behind you has only one or two items, do you let them go in front of you? 

3. The 1990s proved to be an important decade. That 10-year span was when cell phones and the internet emerged as must-have items. The 1990s also produced some outstanding films. My top 10 from that decade:

1. “Saving Private Ryan” (1998). An intriguing war drama with a great, great cast headlined by Tom Hanks, Edward Burns, Matt Damon and Tom Sizemore. A side note: I’m probably Burns’ No. 1 fan in the world.

2. “Pulp Fiction” (1994): This might be the only movie John Travolta appeared in that is worth seeing.

3. “Silence of the Lambs” (1991). Jodie Foster’s best performance ever? Oh, and Anthony Hopkins’ screen time wasn’t too shabby, either.

4. “Fight Club” (1999). One of the best endings ever, and arguably my all-time favorite Edward Norton film.

5. “Unforgiven” (1992). It’s Clint Eastwood. It’s a western. Need I say more?

6. “Forrest Gump” (1994). Obviously, another great Tom Hanks movie … but maybe, just maybe, a tad overrated?

7. “Se7en” (1995). Two detectives hunt a serial killer who uses the seven deadly sins as his motives.

8. “Miller’s Crossing” (1990). An extremely underrated mob movie featuring one of my favorite actors, Gabriel Byrne.
9. “Reservoir Dogs” (1992). If you like a little gunplay, well …

10. “The Shawshank Redemption” (1994): Most of it was filmed in the town I grew up in: Mansfield, Ohio.