Programming note: I'll be back later today, Saturday, with the latest episode of our eighth-birthday Tale for Our Time, Three Men on the Bummel by Jerome K Jerome.
~In this week's episode of Mark Steyn on the Town, we have a Eurovisionish edition, but don't worry, it's from the days before Eurovision was either bouncy-bouncy boom-bang-a-bang or just screamingly camp. Plus the Continental Sinatra and a cavalcade of Non-Stop Number Ones.
To listen to the programme, simply click here and log-in.
~Thank you for your kind comments about last week's edition of our show. Michael Smith, a Maryland member of The Mark Steyn Club, says:
At the golden spike's centennial Waylon Jennings was starting his overmedicated run that would meld rock and country, Bob Wills was fading after doing the same with swing and country, and Ruth Buzzi was a frumpy old lady on TV beating back lechers with her purse. I was a kid up north, oblivious to it all except when I got to stay up for Laugh-In.
The irreplaceable talent of Mark Steyn is to weave them all together in a one-hour show. Thank you.
On the other hand, Glen Flint, a First Fortnight Founding Member, found our detour into western swing a little unsettling:
This morning I woke up from the craziest nightmare. Mark had opened a Texas Road House across the street from the Cafe Imperial where the patrons enjoy songs with a soupcon of Waylon and Willie and the boys. There was a sinister Teutonic horse and the heads of Europe were busily snorting cocaine on a train to Kiev. Perhaps too much civilizational collapse or a fragment of underdone potato?
The Texas roadhouse apocalypse is upon us. That said, Peter, a North Yorkshire Steyn Clubber, appreciated our Tuscan roadhouse:
Enjoyed this episode Mark. Pleased that you included Katyna Ranieri. Italian singers are sometimes overlooked in the pantheon of popular music. Worth mentioning that two of the greatest Ornella Vanoni and Gino Paoli will both be 91 in September, born within a day of each other 22 and 24 September respectively. Particularly remarkable for Gino who still has a bullet in his body from attempted suicide.
We played Ornella Vanoni a couple of months back, Peter, and we shall certainly play her again. For Bob Loblaw, it was our Sinatra Sextet that made an impression:
Really enjoyed today's show! The phrase "all my tomorrows belong to you" is so genuinely sweet... thanks for sharing the great variety of songs (and the stories behind them) each and every week 👍
— Bob Loblaw 🇺🇸 (@BobLoblaw555) May 10, 2025
For Gary Alexander, the entire mix evoked nostalgic delights:
What a great show, packed with memories. First, the Bob Wills set. Back in the 1970s I played in a Western swing style dance band (quintet) with a great steel guitar player and my sax fit in well, as Wills had a sax too.
Then, the Sinatra sextet reminded me of a whole album of Dean Martin lullabies, all conducted by Frank, in "Sleep Warm" (1959), a favorite of my youth. I always loved Frank's conducting in these slower tempi.
And a nice closing tribute to Ruth Buzzi too. Maybe your gang don't know (as I'm sure you do) that comedienne Martha Raye could really belt (or caress) a melody like a pro back in 1939.
One more on this Steyn Club eighth birthday from First Weekend Founding Member Josh Passell:
How generous of you to honor Ruth Buzzi. She didn't make as big a name for herself as her Laugh-In colleagues Goldie Hawn and Lily Tomlin, but she did get as far as... Sesame Street. Let's not hold that against her. She wasn't a bad singer and could hold her own in sketch comedy.
What a weird phenomenon Laugh-In was. The sets were of the psychedelic Sixties, but the humor and the mind altering substances were strictly squaresville. How could we Boomers explain to Millennials that our 'coolest' show spawned such timeless phrases as 'Sock it to me, 'You bet your sweet bippy', and 'Hear comes the judge'? They already think we're lame without giving them more proof. I did rather like the Fickle Finger of Fate award, however. Michael Mann should lie about winning that too.
~On the Town is my weekly music show on Serenade Radio every Saturday at 5pm British Summer Time - that's 6pm in western and central Europe or 12 noon North American Eastern. You can listen from anywhere in the world by clicking the button at top right here.
As you know, I'm a great believer in old-school appointment listening, and love the way Serenade's Saturday schedule flows through the day. However, we appreciate that many potential listeners are, at the appointed hour, shampooing the cat. So, as a bonus for Steyn Club members, we post On the Town at SteynOnline every weekend. You can find all our previous shows here.
We do enjoy your comments on our weekend programming. Steyn Clubbers are welcome to leave them below. For more on The Mark Steyn Club, as we commence our ninth years, see here - and don't forget our special Gift Membership.
Mark Steyn on the Town can be heard on Serenade Radio back at its regular times next weekend:
Saturday 5pm London time/12 noon New York
Sunday 5am London time/9pm Los Angeles
