This week's Snap Crackle POP! show was dedicated to the memory of Sal Maida (1948 - 2025), the legendary bassist and New York City icon who left us too soon - and who had played with Roxy Music, Sparks, Milk 'n Cookies, Cracker, Lisa Burns and many other memorable rock 'n' roll combos and projects.

The John Sally Ride, a band led by singer/songwriter John Dunbar, is releasing the latest (and last) album: FOR SAL. Sal was the bassist for the band's previous releases; for this one, John wrote a suite of songs based on Sal's epic autobiography "Four Strings, Phony Proof, 300 45s & Bottom's Up", and invited an impressive assortment of guest musicians (including Phil Manzanera, Steve Wynn, Dennis Diken, former Sparks bassist Martin Gordon and Justin Strauss from Milk 'n Cookies) who knew and had played with Sal to help him record the album.

This episode features songs from over Sal's career mixed in with interview soundbites and songs from the new album, which is being released on December 4, 2026 on Think Like a Key Records. Please give a listen especially to the "The Kindest Blue Eyes", an deeply touching song about Sal by his wife and collaborator Lisa Burns.

Virginia Plain – Roxy Music

Mott And Broome – The John Sally Ride

Sally, Go 'Round The Roses – The Jaynetts

Get Lost Kid – The John Sally Ride

Society’s Child – Janis Ian

Pyjamarama (live) – Roxy Music

Stranded After Touring Stranded – The John Sally Ride

Chance Meeting (live) – Roxy Music

Little, Lost and Innocent – Milk 'n Cookies

How to Make a Cult Classic – The John Sally Ride

Tinkertoy Tomorrow – Milk 'n Cookies

Big Boy – Sparks

A Little R and R – The John Sally Ride

Fill-Er-Up – Sparks

Nightline – Velveteen (feat. Lisa Burns)

Science Fiction Daze – Cherie Currie

Hello LA – The John Sally Ride

School Days – The Runaways

Some Girls – Sarah Brightman

Gossips Truths n Lies – Edward Rogers

The Kindest Blue Eyes – Lisa Burns

This is a VERY SPECIAL SUPERSIZED EDITION of SNAP CRACKLE POP! On Monday, October 19th 2026, I aired a 2-hour version of a show I had originally aired on WPKN in December 2022, when John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants called in for an interview to help promote his band's New Years Eve gig... in 2022. Fast forward (almost) four years, and I'm noticing that They Might Be Giants will be BACK at New Haven's College Street Music Hall on December 31, 2026! So I decided to replay the 2022 interview on Monday, with my exhortations to have listeners email in for a ticket giveaway.

But - check THIS out - now I'm uploading the show, I decided to add in more than a half-hour MORE music and MORE John Flansburg that I had leftover from the 2022 interview! Plus new music from the lads on their excellent 2026 album THE WORLD IS TO DIG. So this is pretty substantial... and I hope you enjoy! Thank you, John. I LOVE THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS.

Wu-Tang (The World Is To Dig, 2026)

13 [excerpt] (Miscellaneous T, 1991)

Boat Of Car (They Might Be Giants, 1986)

Number Three (They Might Be Giants, 1986)

We’re The Replacements (Miscellaneous T, 1991)

Put Your Hand Inside the Puppet Head (They Might Be Giants, 1986)

Don’t Let’s Start (They Might Be Giants, 1986)

Snowball in Hell (Lincoln, 1988)

Piece of Dirt (Lincoln, 1988)

Ana Ng (Lincoln, 1988)

Your Racist Friend (Flood, 1990)

Older (Long Tall Weekend, 1999)

I Palindrome I (Apollo 18, 1992)

Fingertips (Apollo 18, 1992)

Meet James Ensor (John Henry, 1994)

Laughing – Pere Ubu (The Modern Dance, 1977)

Boots – The Residents (Meet The Residents, 1974)

I Should Be Allowed To Think (John Henry, 1994)

S-E-X-X-Y (Factory Showroom, 1996)

I Can Hear You (Factory Showroom, 1996)

James K. Polk (Factory Showroom, 1996)

Doctor Worm (Severe Tire Damage, 1998)

Mink Car (Mink Car, 2001)

No! (No!, 2002)

Fibber Island (No!, 2002)

Boss Of Me (Mink Car, 2001)

Flying V (Here Come the ABCs, 2005)

Violin (No!, 2002)

Twisting (Flood, 1990)

Here In Higglytown (Here Come the ABCs, 2005)

Another First Kiss (Mink Car, 2001)

Cloissoné (Join Us, 2011)

All Alone (They Got Lost, 2002)

Memo to Human Resources (The Spine, 2005)

Wicked Little Critta (Mink Car, 2001)

Can’t Keep Johnny Down (Join Us, 2011)

You’re on Fire (Nanobots, 2013)

The Communists Have the Music (My Murdered Remains, 2018)

Moonbean Rays (Book, 2021)

Overnight Sensation (The World Is To Dig, 2026)

They Might Be Giants (Flood, 1990)

Birdhouse In Your Soul (Flood, 1990)

On September 3rd 2018, I had a 3-hour 4-7 afternoon on-air shift at WPKN. It was Labor Day, and before the show I put out a "hive mind" request on Facebook for recommenmdations on songs that would be, well, good to play on Labor Day, about Labor, as this holiday is particularly distant from its reason for being - it's almost completely only thought of the "summer is over, back to school/work" holiday. I got over 400 replies! When I got to the (old) WPKN Studios at the University of Bridgeport, the AC was not working, and boy did I complain. 🙄 I edited out of most of the whiny complaining part for today's show.

Now it's September 7, 2026 (zoom!) and it's once again a Labor Day and a Monday, the day on which I now have a weekly two-hour "drive time" 7-9am morning show. I decided to resuscitate, as it were, the 2018 show and songs, with a tiny bit of updated VO and "rewind" sound effects. So I did, and here's what today's show sounded like, with a little "thank you" coda at the end.

Minimum Wage – They Might Be Giants

Get a Job – The Silhouettes

Working in The Coal Mine – Lee Dorsey

Big Boss Man – Jimmy Reed

Chain Gang – Sam Cooke

Back On the Chain Gang – The Pretenders

9 to 5 – Dolly Parton

Car Wash – Rose Royce

A Day in the Life of a Working Man – David Ruffin

I've Been Working – Van Morison

Bus Rider – Guess Who

Working Too Hard – The Beat

Millworker – Bette Midler

Allentown – Billy Joel

5 O’Clock World – The Vogues

Matthew & Son – Cat Stevens

I Just Got My Pay – The Beach Boys

Government Center – Jonathan Richman & The Rubinoos

Manic Monday (extended version) – The Bangles

Don't Worry About the Government (live) – Talking Heads

The Good Thing – Talking Heads

Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now – The Smiths

There Is Power in a Union – Billy Bragg

Take Stuff from Work – King Missile (feat. John S. Hall)

Workingman's Blues #2 – Bob Dylan

VDT – Tom Juravich

Sick Day – Fountains of Wayne

It’s Not My Place (In the 9 to 5 world) – The Ramones

Career Opportunities – The Clash

Clampdown – The Clash

Shipbuilding – Robert Wyatt

Unemployment – JJ Cale

Welcome to the Working Week – Elvis Costello

Thank you for all the song recommendations via Facebook! Mark Sagarin, Bill Holdship, Patrick Trettenero, Daniel Martin Baker, Marice Elizabeth, Larry Stockel, Jimmy Howland, Daniel Martin Baker, John S. Hall, Jeff Samet, David Belgrave, Jhh Lowengard, Darren DeVivo, Bruce Bernstein, Howard Wuelfing and Norm Wallerstein (RIP)

(Artwork pictured: "Workers on the Cathedral of Learning" by Harry W. Scheuch, born Elizabeth, NJ 1906, died Pittsburgh, PA 1978.)