Good Good Things – Issue 24

Hi friends, I wrote about saying goodbye to our sweet girl Starr yesterday, which is definitely not a good thing, but the kind texts and comments I received on Bluesky and FB were super nice, very comforting, and greatly appreciated. As a thank you, here is a new issue of GGT, packed with some fun stuff. Thanks again, much love!

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De La Soul: Tiny Desk Concert

Happy De La Soul Day!

De La Soul came to us to celebrate a few milestones: its latest album, “Cabin in the Sky,” and year three of the De La catalog back under the members’ control. This Tiny Desk releases on March 3, which is known as De La Soul Day.

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This Young Man Playing Keyboards and Dropping Beats While Walking Through NYC is Very Talented

I was in a pretty rough mood over the weekend due to the ongoing horrors, but my spirits were soon lifted after Instagram showed me a clip of this guy named Ari marching around NYC with a 50+ pound mobile music-making contraption, inviting people to sing and rap along with beats and music he made up on the spot. It was pretty amazing, and it made lots of people very happy. I’m not gonna say he restored my faith in humanity (humanity is not the problem), but he is doing good things by creating much-needed joy. I ended up heading over to YouTube and watching about 10 videos in a row.  Follow ARIatHOME.

We ran into multiple NYC Freestyle Cypher groups, and they went CRAZY on 10 different beats. Mostly new freestylers, but also some familiar faces you guys might recognize! Such an insane day!

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An Archive of Commercial Illustration (c. 1950-75)

Treat yourself to a treasure trove of eye-pleasing and playful commercial art and illustration (via Kottke.com).

Modern Illustration is a project by illustrator Zara Picken, featuring print artefacts from her extensive personal collection. Her aim is to preserve and document outstanding examples of mid-20th century commercial art, creating an accessible resource for understanding illustration history.

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New Wave Nirvana: “Urgh! A Music War” (1982)

This music doc is a must-watch for fans of early 80s music and it rules for many reasons:

• The audio and video is incredibly good for a 45-year-old film.
• The Police were the perfect band to kick this off and close it up.
• Andy Partridge seems like he was a handful, especially during the last song.
• Lesser-known acts like the Au Pairs, The Alley Cats, and Skafish blew me away.
• Gary Numan driving around on stage in a little car!
• UB40 were good??
• The mystery behind the Invisible Sex band, who were they?

Urgh! A Music War is a 1982 British concert film featuring performances by punk rock, new wave, and post-punk bands and artists. Filmed in August to September 1980 it was directed by Derek Burbidge and produced by Michael White and Lyndall Hobbs. Among the acts featured in the film are Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark, Magazine, the Go-Go’s, Toyah Willcox, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, X, XTC, Devo, the Cramps, Oingo Boingo, Dead Kennedys, Gary Numan, Klaus Nomi, Wall of Voodoo, Pere Ubu, Skafish, Steel Pulse, Surf Punks, 999, UB40, Echo & the Bunnymen and The Police. These were many of the most popular groups on the New Wave scene; in keeping with the spirit of the scene, the film also features several less famous acts. More >

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Why This Norwegian Bakery Became a Local Favorite

You know your boy loves a good Scandinavian bakery video and this is one of the best.

We’re visiting Snurr Håndverksbakeri in Trondheim, Norway, founded by one of the country’s top pastry chefs, Lars Lian. Known for their iconic snurr buns, sourdough breads and laminated pastries. Snurr has become a local favourite in Trondheim in recent years. In this video, we follow the bakers from the early morning starting at 7:00 AM, baking sourdough, croissants, mixing bun dough, and making Norwegian “Snurr”.

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Goo Goo Dolls on How They Made The Epic Ballad “Iris”

Is “Iris” the greatest rock ballad of all time? Absolutely. Let’s see how it was made.

I went back to my hotel, where I had a guitar with four strings and a bizarre tuning: all Ds and a B. Like most of what was going on in my life, it was mangled. But I used it to write a song about the joy and pain of being human. It took about four hours. When I played Warners what I had – intro, verse, chorus – they loved it.

Here’s a great version with Daryl Hall…

Also, I’m a big fan of The Goos…

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The Goo Goo Dolls are named after Goo Goo “GG” Allin.

— Jeff (@gojeffgo.com) January 21, 2025 at 7:52 PM

Getting ahead of this: Last night, I was caught on a KissCam at a Goo Goo Dolls concert eating an entire pan of spinach lasagna.

— Jeff (@gojeffgo.com) July 18, 2025 at 8:17 AM

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Giant Tortoises Take First Steps on Galápagos Island after Nearly 200 Years

This is so lovely, look at all these beautiful creatures. I would probably try to take one home, you know, there’s a lot of them. “Jeff, what’s in your backpack?”

More than 150 giant tortoises have been reintroduced to Floreana Island in Ecuador’s famed Galápagos archipelago, where they disappeared more than a century ago. It marks a major step in a reintroduction program aimed at restoring a lineage that disappeared locally in the 19th century.

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Pretty Good Turtle Names

• Turtellini Alfredo
• John Turtello
• Turt Reynolds
• Snapper John, M.D.
• Young Shelldon
• Shellraiser III: Shell on Earth
• Slow E. Deschanel
• Ol’ Turty Bastard

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Quick Hits

• Trader Joe’s Parking Lot Architects
• 5 Romantic Novels That Were Scandalous When They Were Published
• Being a Luddite Is Cool and All, but Have You Seen the Hilarious Tapestries These New Looms Are Making?
• Lit Hub Daily
• Good Dude Alert: High Performance Exerciser Jacob Banta
• Bikini Kill on Tour!
• Petey the Singing Dog
• BTS’ New Album Has Contributions From Tame Impala, JPEGMAFIA, Flume, El Guincho, & More
• Solid collection of punk t-shirts

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Out Singer Brandi Carlile Raises Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars for Minneapolis

Good people doing good things. Read more >

Brandi Carlile held a benefit concert in Minneapolis on Saturday that raised $600,000 for families impacted by ICE’s occupation of the city. “Last night was something I’ll never forget,” Carlile wrote Sunday on Instagram. “Minnesota is so deeply inspiring to me and the whole country. I can’t believe I got to sing for you and WITH you last night.”

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Watch: “How to Get to Heaven from Belfast”

Ireland + bad weather + dark humor + grim mystery = I’m in. Read more about it here. In a similar vein, I really enjoyed “Bodkin.”

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Voice Acting Legend Jim Cummings Answers Voice Acting Questions

I can do two impressions: Strong Bad and Tim Gunn. This legend can do a few more!

Legendary voice actor Jim Cummings, who has brought to life Winnie The Pooh, Tigger, Darkwing Duck and more, joins WIRED to answer the internet’s burning questions about voice acting.

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Every Year, This Chickadee Raises a Family in My Backyard Nestbox

Chickadee Fun Fact: In the fall, chickadees store seeds in different locations. To remember them, the hippocampus area of their brain increases by as much as 30%.

In this video, you will get to witness the journey of a black-capped chickadee family, from building the nest to first flight, giving you a unique look into their world.

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Ten Great Punk Videos – Vol. 1 and Vol. 2

Am I too old to still listen to punk and punk-adjacent music? Yes, absolutely. Will that not stop me? No. What would The Lawrence Arms, the Descendents, and High Vis do if old guys like me — wearing Vans, dark zip-up hoodies, and thick black-rimmed glasses — stopped going to their shows? Who would stand in the very back with their earplugs and giant cans of over-priced IPA, gently air-drumming and mouthing the wrong lyrics to themselves? Our absence would be devastating.

To prevent that from happening, I will continue to attend shows (alone) and buy records. In honor of my stance, I will post 10 straight-up bangers each week, a mix of old and new, for all of my aging punks to enjoy. Dive into the pit >

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The 12 Best Book Covers of February

Lot of good covers this month, get some inpsiration, discover some good books.

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Very Good Videos

Mogwai – “Lion Rumpus”

Tanukichan – “Take Care”

Snail Mail – “Dead End”

Basement – “Wired”

Iron & Wine – “Wait Up” (feat. I’m With Her)

Totorro – “New Music”

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Fred Armisen Takes the Rock Wizard Quiz

Little disappointed in Fred’s performance. (this is so funny)

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Very Good Music Facts Archive

Want to wow your friends with incredible music fun facts?

Jonny Greenwood and Phil Selway of Radiohead, and Jarvis Cocker and Steve Mackey of Pulp were all part of the “Weird Sisters” band featured in “Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire” (2005).

When writing “Purple Rain,” Prince thought it might sound too similar to Journey’s ballad “Faithfully,” so he called Jonathan Cain to ask for his blessing before releasing it. Cain loved it.

Bruce Dickinson, lead singer for the band Iron Maiden, and Rob Dickinson, lead singer for the band Catherine Wheel, are cousins. Both band names have torture device meanings, though Catherine Wheel is named after the spinning pinwheel firework.

Dig into our five large volumes of nuggets!

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Art Corner

When you know you’re about to destroy at show and tell.

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