Darrell Clem
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darrellclem.bsky.social
Darrell Clem
@darrellclem.bsky.social
Retired journalist / music addict / film buff (TCM) / road trips / foodie / progressive / college hoops (Kentucky) / Detroit sports / in search of the perfect burger /🏳️‍🌈
Metro Detroit
Name 4 of your favorite 80s movies (non-horror). Mine are:

Paris, Texas
Au revoir les enfants
Fanny and Alexander
A Room with a View
January 14, 2026 at 6:16 AM
#70sTop30
13/30
Doing #ClassicSoul

Al Green’s smooth vocals and those Memphis horns combined for some of the best soul songs of the 1970s.

Some of his other songs rivaled this one, but I would argue none surpassed its brilliance.

Let’s Stay Together
youtu.be/XXx6RDzR6eM?...
Al Green - Let's Stay Together (Official Audio)
YouTube video by Al Green
youtu.be
January 13, 2026 at 10:05 PM
Rewatch: THE WOLF MAN (1941) remains a #horror classic, with fog-shrouded sets creating the perfect atmosphere as Lon Chaney Jr. exudes the desperation of a man coming to terms with the horrific beast he has become.

Settle in and remember childhood fears of werewolves.
January 13, 2026 at 4:48 AM
#70sTop30
12/30

The Staple Singers could teach today’s angst-ridden world a lesson with this 1971 tune, with timeless lyrics that easily apply to the KKK, Nazis and ICE.

“Take the sheet off your face, boy
It’s a brand new day …”

Respect Yourself
youtu.be/J89Ix38oXJ0?...
Staple Singers - Respect Yourself (1971)
YouTube video by moondoggy
youtu.be
January 12, 2026 at 10:03 PM
First watch: #NoirAlley feature THE SECOND WOMAN (1950).

A year after his fiancée is killed in a car he is accused of driving, is Robert Young’s character mentally unstable and self-sabotaging or the victim of vicious acts?

I enjoyed the often-eerie atmosphere …
#FilmSky #noir?
January 12, 2026 at 4:27 AM
#70sTop30
11/30

The Stylistics had a string of 70s hits with their silky smooth Philly soul sound.

Hard to choose a favorite, but this is a strong contender:

Betcha By Golly, Wow
youtu.be/9IpyJ8xUfio?...
The Stylistics - Betcha By Golly, Wow (Official Lyric Video)
YouTube video by The Stylistics
youtu.be
January 11, 2026 at 10:01 PM
Favorite 10 Bowie?

Ashes to Ashes
Rebel Rebel
Fame
Golden Years
John, I’m Only Dancing
Fashion
Space Oddity
Changes
Young Americans
Suffragette City
Favourite 10 Bowie:

Life on Mars?
Queen Bitch
Diamond Dogs
Station to Station
Breaking Glass
Warszawa
Always Crashing in the Same Car
Beauty and the Beast
Yassassin
Boys Keep Swinging
Favourite 10 Bowie Songs*

Aladdin Sane
Diamond Dogs
The Man Who Sold the World
Sound and Vision
Heroes
Oh You Pretty Things
Moonage Daydream
Rock n Roll Suicide
Golden Years
Lazarus

*will change day by day
January 11, 2026 at 2:56 PM
@robgasper.bsky.social Well that was weird. I know I’ve been following you for a long time but I just had to do it again. Technology!
January 11, 2026 at 12:25 AM
#70sTop30
10/30
Doing #ClassicSoul

Why *did* Freda Payne’s groom stay in a separate room on their honeymoon?
Was he gay? Impotent? Shy?

I suppose we’ll never know. But it makes for a great song.

Band of Gold
youtu.be/Fco8oPGu5EY?si…#MusicChallengege
Freda Payne - Band Of Gold (Stereo)
YouTube video by skytrax1
https://youtu.be/Fco8oPGu5EY?si…
January 10, 2026 at 11:19 PM
#FilmNoir alert.
TCM is on fire starting at 6am ET Sunday with these four.

> THE HITCH-HIKER (1953, directed by Ida Lupino)
> DETOUR (1945)
> D.O.A. (1950)
> CRIME OF PASSION (1957, a repeat of the midnight showing on #NoirAlley).
#noir #FilmSky
January 10, 2026 at 9:00 PM
#70sTop30
9/20
Stepping away from my #ClassicSoul theme for a day for this gem.

Gordon Lightfoot’s song about falling out of love is beautifully executed and perfectly written, including gothic images of a ghost in a dark castle.

If You Could Read My Mind
youtu.be/jiU2lrGnT7U?si…
If You Could Read My Mind
YouTube video by Gordon Lightfoot - Topic
https://youtu.be/jiU2lrGnT7U?si…
January 9, 2026 at 8:56 PM
First watch: REPEAT PERFORMANCE (1947)
I hate stopping a film once I've started, but this was torturous.
What happens when a woman kills her husband on New Year's Eve and miraculously gets a one-year do-over?
Will the end result change?
To me this film fails on every level.
Repeat performance? NEVER
January 9, 2026 at 4:59 AM
#70sTop30
8/30
Doing #ClassicSoul

During a time of war in Vietnam and societal unrest, Chicago’s The Five Stairsteps brought much-needed hope and optimism with this track, singing that “things are gonna get easier.”

Ooh Child
youtu.be/ov_s6mGXLjQ?si…
Five Stairsteps - Ooh Child (May '70) HQ
YouTube video by Johnny Aguilar
https://youtu.be/ov_s6mGXLjQ?si…
January 8, 2026 at 10:23 PM
Rewatched THE PARADINE CASE (1947) for the first time in decades.

Gregory Peck leads a first-rate cast as a London barrister who defends—and falls in love with—a woman accused in the poisoning death of her older, blind, wealthy husband.
I quite enjoyed it …
#FilmSky #MovieSky
January 8, 2026 at 5:01 AM
#70sTop30
7/30

Marvin Gaye’s poignant anti-war masterpiece What’s Going On has lost none of its relevance 55 years on.

This is a #Motown legend riding a tidal wave of creative talent.
youtu.be/H-kA3UtBj4M?...
Marvin Gaye - What's Going On
YouTube video by SuperWhoopass
youtu.be
January 7, 2026 at 11:43 PM
#70sTop30
6/30
Doing #ClassicSoul

Brook Benton’s version of Rainy Night in Georgia is a lonely, yearning story, presumably of a homeless man “hovering by my suitcase, trying to find a warm place to spend the night” as he misses his true love.

Just beautiful.
youtu.be/bDRbF80NKDU?...
Brook Benton - Rainy Night in Georgia
YouTube video by Southerngirl675
youtu.be
January 6, 2026 at 8:58 PM
Late night Twilight Zone: TO SERVE MAN (1962).
Not feeling very hungry after watching this one. It’s about as appetizing as Soylent Green.
a man with a big head and beard is reading a book
Alt: A character with a book in The Twilight Zone episode To Serve Man.
media.tenor.com
January 6, 2026 at 6:07 AM
#70sTop30
5/30
Doing #ClassicSoul

One of #Motown’s most socially relevant songs is perfect—the bass, horns, wah-wah guitar, orchestration, handclaps and, of course, tragic lyrics about a family abandoned by the father.

Papa Was a Rollin’ Stone
youtu.be/S5xAtsXb8Vs?...
The Temptations - Papa Was A Rolling Stone
YouTube video by Michael Thomas
youtu.be
January 5, 2026 at 8:36 PM
First watch: THE BIG LIFT (1950), the only film I hadn’t seen starring Montgomery Clift, one of my favorite actors.

Post-WWII military forces airlift supplies to Western-occupied sectors of Berlin, amid romance between Clift’s character and a German woman …
1/2
#FilmSky #MovieSky
January 5, 2026 at 5:02 AM
#70sTop30
4/30
Doing #ClassicSoul

Are The O’Jays on to something or just paranoid, with their suspicions about neighbors and friends trying to make moves on their women?

Back Stabbers
youtu.be/UCY6flzgfA4?...
The O'Jays - Back Stabbers (Official Soul Train Video)
YouTube video by Philadelphia International Records
youtu.be
January 4, 2026 at 7:00 PM
Today’s to-do list:
Marvin and I are going to a pizza and beer party for the last Detroit #Lions game of a disappointing season.
Or is it a pity party? 😂
Oh well, any excuse for 🍕and 🍻.
#GoLions
a blue and white logo for the detroit lions
ALT: a blue and white logo for the detroit lions
media.tenor.com
January 4, 2026 at 5:46 PM
#70sTop30
3/10
Doing #ClassicSoul

William Devaughn sounds silky smooth with his message that you don’t need a fine car and riches to have self-respect and dignity.

“Remember, brothers and sisters, you can still stand tall.”

Be Thankful for What You Got
youtu.be/jvSlGRyj_cw?...
William Devaughn - Be Thankful For What You Got (1974) *with lyrics*
YouTube video by jewelsky2012
youtu.be
January 3, 2026 at 7:57 PM
Rewatch: THE AMITYVILLE HORROR (1979)
Takeaways:
Never buy a house where a man killed his family.
But if you do and an evil voice tells a visiting priest to get out, go with him.
But if you don’t and blood starts dripping down walls and stairs, wise the f*ck up and leave.
#horror #FilmSky
January 3, 2026 at 6:19 AM
#70sTop30
2/30

The Spinners had an incredible string of hits, especially in the 70s.
This is my favorite most days, with Could It Be I’m Falling in Love a very close second.

I’ll Be Around
youtu.be/DTNZylLm4Hk?...
The Spinners - I'll Be Around (1972)
YouTube video by Cherry "Ms Lady C" Webb | MLC Media
youtu.be
January 2, 2026 at 5:31 PM
First watch: POSTMARK FOR DANGER (1955).

Average #NoirAlley feature involves a newsman killed in a car crash while investigating an international diamond smuggling ring.

An actress is presumably killed with him, but there’s a LAURA-ish twist that’s far inferior to that superb #noir.
#FilmSky
January 2, 2026 at 4:37 AM