Cold Brother, the Background Brethren, and Christopher Walken

The YouTube Music app has a feature on the home screen called Speed Dial, which has quick links usually to songs you've listened to very recently. Last night, it had, as usual, links to songs I had listened to very recently, including some I've posted about here ("Scarlet Begonias," "This Ain't the Summer of Love," that "Crush" mashup with the Pixies riff). However, three of the links stood out as out of place. One was "Circle of Steel" by Gordon Lightfoot, a song I know and like but haven't listened to in a couple of years. The second was "Coming Up Roses" by Elliott Smith, a title that seemed vaguely familiar but again something I hadn't listened to in a long time if at all. The third really stumped me. It was something by Fall Out Boy, but I would have to tap to see what song it was. Fall Out Boy? Had I ever listened to Fall Out Boy in my life? Could I even name a single song by them? After a moment's thought, I had a vague memory of Bill once mentioning one of their songs, something named after an actress who had come up in the syncs. Anne Hathaway? No, wait, I got it: Uma Thurman. I must have given that a listen back when Bill mentioned it, and the algorithm had somehow decided I wanted it on speed dial. I tapped the link, fully expecting to get "Uma Thurman."

Oh. Right.

It was "We Didn't Start the Fire." Back in July, when I had that dream about the Background Brethren singing an updated version of that Billy Joel song (see "Some say the world will end in fire"), I had wondered whether anyone had created an updated version in real life. It turned out that Fall Out Boy had, in 2023. I had completely forgotten about that.

Now "Circle of Steel":

The last time I'd listened to that was probably back around the time I posted about it, so I searched out the post: "Gordon Lightfoot's UFO song," posted in January 2023. The post was occasioned by a dream in which Christopher Walken, playing Whitley Strieber, quotes a line from "Circle of Steel" in reference to aliens, and so the post begins and ends with Christopher Walken, opening with a description of his wacky portrayal of Strieber (a Catholic from San Antonio) as "a neurotic New York Jew" in Communion (1989) and ending with a reference and link to the SNL "More Cowbell" sketch.

As it happens, I just posted a link to "More Cowbell" two days ago (October 20), in "Rub-a-dub-dub, it was the Summer of Love." And on the very same day, Chris Knowles posted "Return to the Year that Broke Reality." Although the year referred to in his title is 1983, he ends the post with a reference to a certain film released in 1989:

1983 would have an impact both on Whitley Streiber and the world with the start of the Hudson Valley UFO wave, which lasted for several years. Streiber would document his own UFO wave in his Hudson Valley vacation home in the 1987 blockbuster Communion. 

That book would make alien abduction a household world [sic] and later be adapted into a film starring -- you guessed it -- Christopher Walken.

Finally, "Coming Up Roses":

It turns out I listened to that song, apparently for the first time, on September 3, as noted in a comment on "The moon is a sickle to cut." The title of that post is a line from a dream, and when I'd searched for it, I'd found "Coming Up Roses," which uses a very similar phrase. Looking at the lyrics now, though, it's a different phrase that jumps out at me:

The moon is a sickle cell

It'll kill you in time

Your cold white brother will ride in your blood

Like spun glass in sore eyes

On October 13, I posted "Cold Brother," also a line from a dream.

In the Elliott Smith song, the Cold Brother appears to be connected with the Moon. This could be a link back to the Background Brethren (i.e. Brothers), who dress as blue (a cold color) rabbits (a lunar animal).