This is an unfortunately "special" episode, in which I try to process the murder of Rob and Michele Reiner, while also celebrating some of my favorite movies, directed by Rob, and honoring their memory and legacy. I'm not happy with the episode. It's too rambly and aimless. But it's something.

I don't even have a good episode photo because all of my DVDs/BluRays are in stacks for the annual re-sorting that I do at the end of every year. So I can't easily physically get to my Rob Reiner movies to take a picture...but maybe this cover photo is appropriate. "None more black" and all that.

Let's try to have a happier episode soon, okay everybody?

This episode is very raw and emotional. It absolutely comes with a trigger warning, if you are negatively effected by grief, death, mourning, or just-plain hearing someone struggle with loss.

Sometime on Sunday morning, November 30th, 2025, my friend Michael Feldman passed away, after a lengthy battle with cancer. I had been in bands with Mike for about 25 years. He's someone who will remain in my heart forever.

Later that evening, I sat down in front of a microphone, played one of Mike's albums, and recorded this episode, while I listened (and beyond). What you're hearing here isn't my prettiest moment--I cry several times--and it is NOT the place I would begin listening to this show...but I needed to do it, for myself, and for my friend.

This barely scratches the surface of my memories of Mike. But it's something. I hope there's something in it that speaks to you. Thanks for listening.

Blog: http://emptychecking.blogspot.com email: db@derekbrink.com

It's a Thanksgiving treat! There's a new episode of Empty Checking!

In advance, I ended up doing something else and did NOT get the nap I was hoping for throughout the episode...but at least I got to talk about music from Cheap Trick, Envy of None, Drive-By Truckers, and Hayley Williams, then about the last Downton Abbey movie, Frasier, and the King of the Hill revival! I had fun doing this one, even though it was willfully rushed and could've been time spent napping. Hope it makes your Thanksgiving Day/weekend pass a little more happily.

Blog: http://emptychecking.blogspot.com Bandcamp: http://derekbrink.bandcamp.com email: db@derekbrink.com

Time Index:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 8:01 - Forever Home
• 8:32 - Recent Listening
  • 8:32 - Cheap Trick - All Washed Up
  • 13:46 - Envy of None - Stij(e)en Wavz (That's as close as I can get to their dumb spelling without using characters that won't show up on some computers)
  • 18:38 - Drive-By Truckers - The Definitive Decoration Day
  • 25:15 - Hayley Williams - Ego Death at a Bachelorette Party
• 31:20 - You and You Alone
• 31:51 - Recent Watching
  • 31:51 - Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
  • 43:33 - Frasier
  • 45:28 - King of the Hill (Revival Series)
• 52:01 - Indelible
• 52:32 - Outro

In this episode, Your Uncle Derek and Papa Dave are counting down their Fab 15 Rush songs! Rush is one of our collective favorite bands, and narrowing it down to just 15 was a TOUGH battle. We had a lot of fun rehashing old stories and talking about music that means a lot to us. We hope you enjoy this one, as the subject is very close(r) to our hearts!

Blog: http://emptychecking.blogspot.com Bandcamp: http://derekbrink.bandcamp.com email: db@derekbrink.com Spotify Playlists: https://open.spotify.com/user/317eypfciiajkyay2kxloz3kreoa?si=f046115ad0514079

Time Index:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 11:55 - #15
• 15:42 - #14
• 23:46 - #13
• 33:51 - #12
• 43:24 - #11
• 50:04 - #10
• 53:48 - #9
• 1:02:08 - #8
• 1:12:50 - #7
• 1:12:58 - #6
• 1:15:40 - #5
• 1:23:17 - #4
• 1:33:05 - #3
• 1:38:53 - #2
• 1:50:23 - #1
• 2:02:31 - Honorable Mentions and Other Subjects
• 2:19:32 - Music Break: Greetings from Far Away
• 2:19:50 - The Final 15 and Closing Thoughts

It's a new episode of the thing! I talk about Dropkick Murphys, Alison Brown and Steve Martin, The Who, Downton Abbey, and a semi-obscure movie called Still Crazy. I had a lot of fun with this one, despite a lot of back pain. Enjoy!

Blog: http://emptychecking.blogspot.com Bandcamp: http://derekbrink.bandcamp.com email: db@derekbrink.com

Time Index:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 11:39 - I Hope You're Happy
• 12:10 - Recent Listening
  • 12:24 - Dropkick Murphys - For the People
  • 16:09 - Alison Brown & Steve Martin - Safe Sensible and Sane
  • 22:18 - The Who - Who Are You Super Deluxe Edition
• 29:30 - Useless
• 30:00 - Recent Watching
  • 30:32 - Downton Abbey Movies
  • 40:59 - Still Crazy
• 47:20 - That Weekend (Blue Tattoo)
• 47:51 - Outro

In this episode--which is neither spooky, nor scary, despite the upload date--I talk about a bunch of new music and get mad at Taylor Swift fans (but maybe not in the way you think). It's a fun one. Check it out!

Blog: http://emptychecking.blogspot.com Bandcamp: http://derekbrink.bandcamp.com email: db@derekbrink.com

• 0:00 - Intro, including a tribute to Prunella Scales
• 13:26 - Live Your Life
• 13:57 - New Music Reviews
  • 14:46 - Max Richter - Sleep Circle
  • 21:12 - Sloan - Based on the Best Seller
  • 24:28 - Amanda Shires - Nobody's Girl
  • 34:54 - Los Straitjackets - Somos Los Straitjackets
  • 38:35 - Halestorm - Everest
  • 43:08 - Taylor Swift - The Life of a Showgirl
• 48:45 - Every Day
• 49:15 - Outro, including a brief review of Only Murders in the Building

In this slightly shorter (but if you ask me TWICE as fun!) episode, I mostly just talk about the 50th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the reunion of RUSH! I had a blast doing this one. I bet you at least sort of enjoy having it on in the background while you work or go to the gym or walk the dog or whatever!

Blog: http://emptychecking.blogspot.com Bandcamp: http://derekbrink.bandcamp.com email: db@derekbrink.com

Time Index:

• 0:00 - Intro
• 14:13 - Deeper Than Oceans
• 14:44 - Rocky Horror 50th Anniversary
• 29:23 - Burn
• 29:54 - RUSH!
• 48:46 - Intervention
• 49:17 - Outro

In this episode, your Papa Dave joins us to count down the FAB 15 Van Halen Songs! (The episode also intermittently features my fridge fan humming. Sorry!) We're both big VH fans, and this one just happens to be coming out on the heels of the 5 year anniversary of the loss of Eddie Van Halen, so it seems a very apt episode. And it's a lot of fun! It's a little longer than usual, just because I was enjoying listening to us talk and kept forgetting to edit! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Blog: http://emptychecking.blogspot.com Bandcamp: http://derekbrink.bandcamp.com email: db@derekbrink.com Spotify Playlists: https://open.spotify.com/user/317eypfciiajkyay2kxloz3kreoa?si=f046115ad0514079

• 0:00 - Introduction, Rules, and So On
• 16:40 - #15 - (Derek Note: In the days since the show was recorded, I looked the song up on Wikipedia and there does not seem to be any indication that Eddie had anything to do with the lyrics on my choice for #15.)
• 26:54 - #14
• 32:08 - #13
• 36:22 - #12
• 44:11 - #11
• 49:24 - #10
• 1:02:51 - #9
• 1:06:20 - #8
• 1:12:31 - #7
• 1:17:27 - #6
• 1:24:42 - #5
• 1:31:11 - #4
• 1:39:21 - #3
• 1:48:42 - #2
• 1:49:55 - #1
• 1:55:51 - Honorable Mentions
• 2:07:45 - Music Break: Intervention
• 2:08:06 - Picking #1
• 2:13:02 - The Final 15 and several minutes of us still having fun talking about Van Halen