Top Comments: This Time Last Year Edition 03.13.08

Welcome to Top Comments, that daily space where we recognize comments made in the past 24 hours that for whatever reason are just too good to let fall by the wayside.

If you find a notable comment during the day click the date/time stamp to get a direct link, copy it then send to topcomments at gmail dot com by 9:30PM Eastern! Don't forget to include your screen name so we can credit you! Anyone can submit comments- if you didn't do so today, please give it a try tomorrow!

Mining for comments is patriotic! Even more so than slapping a magnet on your car! Why do those of you who read but who do not send them in hate America your TC diarist du jour?  Please demonstrate that you are a patriotic Kossack, and mail those comments in today!

One year ago, I was in mourning. Today, I can look back, and remember a man gone too soon, but more importantly a friendship I am blessed to have...

On Friday March 9 of last year I was readying to leave work when I got a frantic phone call from a friend whose husband crews for a local band. "They cancelled tonite's show. The band is meeting now."  A little while later I got another call. "He's dead." The band was Beatlejuice, a talented group of musicians united in their love of the Beatles. The he was Brad Delp, the band's lead vocalist. Oh yeah- he was also frontman for the rock band Boston. Well, f-ck.

I wrote about my small connection with the man and my love for the music over at StreetProphets, so won't bore you with a cut-n-paste :-). Suffice it to say that Beatlejuice was an extremely important part of life at Casa Brillig. One of the hardest things I've ever had to do was tell Kid Brillig- then eight years old- the news. Fast forward a couple of days. Mr. Brillig boarded a plane to Brussels for a meeting, and I went about readying to join him two days later. Then, once again as I was packing to leave work, I got another phone call. My sister-in-law the reporter said "did you see the news?" No, I hadn't. She sent a link to the AP story- that it had been a suicide. And my world shattered. The nicest guy in the rock-n-roll world, always there for everyone, and we'd not been there for him. (yes, I know it is no one's fault, but at the time all I could think of was what did his friends and family miss that might have saved him?)

I had to get home to pick up Kid Brillig from afterschool, and to get ready for my flight the next day. I was crying and shaking and not really all right at all. And I couldn't call Mr. Brillig. So I called my best friend- who stayed with me on the phone for the entire drive to KB's afterschool. Who talked to me, made me smile with thoughts of happy things, and kept me in control enough to drive safely. Words will never express how lucky I am to have such a friend. I hope you all have someone such as that in your life, and also that you are that person to someone else.

A year has passed since those awful days. Whenever a Beatles or a Boston tune plays- and that's fairly often- I think of him. Beatlejuice continues searching for a new lead singer- it's hard to find someone who can do all four voices to perfection and be humble enough to fit in. They've been performing with a guest cast of singers; we haven't made it to as many shows as we'd like to, but we will be at the one mid-April (if you live in the Greater Boston area, give me a shout-out for the schedule :-)). The biggest change for me, though, is that I don't take casual mention of suicide so well anymore. The phrase "I could just kill myself" took on a whole new meaning last year, and I'd rather piss off a friend by checking in on them as to how they're doing than miss a signal for help.

Before we get to Top Comments, have a couple of songs on me. Links to Beatlejuice follow... yeah I know most of you think of that voice and hear More Than A Feeling, but to me the voice that was Brad Delp forever will be singing Rock & Roll Music, Lady Madonna, and While My Guitar Gently Weeps.

Now, She Loves You (well, I do :-)), so it's on to Top Comments!

First up are those submissions found in the Top Comments mailbox, sent From Me To You from you to us here at topcomments at gmail dot com:

From geomoo:

This hilarious comment thread just builds and builds.  Since the diary was simply posted without content to replace the shutdown comments on the KO diary, the initial comment had no point and thus this is ironic from the start. (Diarist note: yes, the original comment is from outside the 24-hour comment window, but the fun continued well past 10pm last nite so I'm including it here)

From sccs:

Nominating cskendrick for the biggest warm fuzzy comment. It's pride, hope, and a committment to work for it, all in one- a sorely needed pick-me-up.

From earicicle:

In mcjoan's story about Bush's latest FISA ravings, entlord1 had this excellent, if terrifying, insight.

From indiemcemopants:

The responses in this thread to a video made by Clinton supporters HYSTERICAL. (Diarist note: I am soooooo not choosing a side in Teh Candidate Warz by including this comment recommendation. I Can Haz No OhPinYun, dammit!)

From lineatus:

I want to submit this comment by Scarce. Why?  Scarce wrote a diary about Mark Penn's remarks today.  When I commented that it had been already diaried a few times, Scarce took down the diary and posted a comment in the front page story on the same topic that went up right around the same time.  If more people followed that example, the recent diaries list would be a lot better these days.

From sardonyx:

UU VIEW notes that racism has deep roots in this nation.

missreporter points out that most newspapers these days are light and flimsy in The Sinistral's diary Why Newspapers Are Dying.

And now, A Day In The Life of dKos through my not-nearly-present-here-enough eyes:

In Hope08's diary Thank You John Kerry, gchaucer2 has this to say about the Traditional Media.

In other72384's diary NRCC sent me a survey today -- what do I send back?, discocarp had a suggestion that stopped me in my tracks. Inventor had a useful idea, too.

I know better than to read dKos while drinking beverages, but Iz I Lerning? No... as demonstrated by my cleaning gleaning this gem by jalapeno in buhdydharma's diary A Tribute: Meteor Blades, mcjoan, and KagroX.

Lastly, your Ticket To Ride, also known as Top Mojo!

Top Mojo excluding search-identifiable tip jars and first diary comments:

  1) Obama's name wouldn't have been on the ballot by Muzikal203 — 262
  2) I am happy to have Keith speak out by MingPicket — 123
  3) I'm afraid it's only the beginning by Dallasdoc — 111
  4) PLEASE EMAIL MSNBC. HRC SUPPORTERS ARE PLANNING by Taz Man — 107
  5) with you too but she will NOT get my vote. nt by newyorknewyork — 98
  6) She is way too much like Bush 43 by RubyGal — 97
  7) that's really what it is by thereisnospoon — 96
  8) The Fed's bail out of Carlyle Capital failed by FishOutofWater — 94
  9) One thing that struck me at the outset by Barcelona — 93
10) Keith broke the internets by steelman — 91
11) your crazy every removed their name including by ronnied — 88
12) they broke the mold by FireCrow — 88
13) Wow. That's a great line from Kerry by droogie6655321 — 86
14) Where's the gong? by FishOutofWater — 85
15) Thank you...this is an awesome exhibit... by mayan — 82
16) She'll invent any rationalization by betson08 — 80
17) And why New York? by Pager — 79
18) Plain as day. Clinton is a Liar. by BlueGenes — 78
19) Yeah, same here by PomperaFirpa — 78
20) Daddy's home, Daddy's home! by Ninepatch — 76
21) Oh there was anger... by mayan — 73
22) because it is saddening by teacherken — 72
23) Olbermann for VP! by Apphouse50 — 72
24) What is this??? by Morgan Sandlin — 71
25) I'm in Michigan by ManahManah — 68
26) She'll say and do anything by RobertInWisconsin — 66
27) I'm with you on that girl... by bigpappa10834 — 66
28) 0h no! by anastasia p — 65
29) I ♥ Keith Olbermann by SallyCat — 65
30) Uncommitted had it easy... by Morgan Sandlin — 64
31) Because they no longer have a team of Handlers by Particle Noun — 64
32) Esc! Esc! by PhillyGal — 64
33) He is just lucky by ford prefect 2 — 64
34) bravest thing i've ever seen by Steven R — 64

Top Mojo with No Exclusions:

  1) Tip Jar by BoBo2020 — 743
  2) $0.00 and 0:00:00 by kath25 — 407
  3) Tips/Recs by Hope08 — 339
  4) Tips because.... by USArmyParatrooper — 273
  5) Obama's name wouldn't have been on the ballot by Muzikal203 — 262
  6) The rest of it was by Kab ibn al Ashraf — 193
  7) Donate, Take a Breather, and Rec.... by icebergslim — 187
  8) Exclusive tip jar. by Cat Servant — 166
  9) Just doing my job. by Andy30tx — 150
10) Tips for the poor... by Sick Of It — 149
11) Why y'all keep attacking me? by Scarce — 129
12) I'm personally petrified . . . by nyceve — 124
13) I am happy to have Keith speak out by MingPicket — 123
14) Tip Jar by advisorjim — 115
15) I'm afraid it's only the beginning by Dallasdoc — 111
16) PLEASE EMAIL MSNBC. HRC SUPPORTERS ARE PLANNING by Taz Man — 107
17) C&J Welcome Back Bill Edition by Phil N DeBlanc — 104
18) with you too but she will NOT get my vote. nt by newyorknewyork — 100
19) that's really what it is by thereisnospoon — 99
20) She is way too much like Bush 43 by RubyGal — 97
21) is that Poppy Bush's Carlyle group? by duha — 96
22) The Fed's bail out of Carlyle Capital failed by FishOutofWater — 94
23) I saw this online last night. by espresso — 94
24) One thing that struck me at the outset by Barcelona — 93
25) Keith broke the internets by steelman — 91
26) Tips for Trying by Travis Stark — 90
27) they broke the mold by FireCrow — 88
28) your crazy every removed their name including by ronnied — 88
29) Wow. That's a great line from Kerry by droogie6655321 — 86
30) Where's the gong? by FishOutofWater — 85

OK, time to let me take you home to the comments (fyi- the band singing this is Fortune, another fantastic Boston-area band). Have at it, y'all!