Show #186 2025 Year-End Special January 10, 2026

Like every year, the 2025 Year-End Special is dedicated to ALL KINDSA GIRLS! 

 

All Kindsa Girls- The Real Kids Real Kids 

I'm Not The One- The Gnomes The Gnomes 

Judas- The Saints Long March Through the Jazz Age 

#Big Fat Rock- Brian Posehn Grandpa Metal 

#Somebody Will- Andrew Durand Shucked (2023 Original Broadway Cast) 

#Afternoon Tea- Shonen Knife Our Best Place 

#Insane- Shaina Taub Suffs (2024 Original Broadway Cast) 

#Keep on Lovin You- Spike Sikes & His Awesome Hotcakes While The Sun Is Still Shining 

*Unhand Me- Genuine Fakes 3  

*Connie- The Prize In the Red 

*Raw Muscular Power- Death By Unga Bunga Raw Muscular Power 

*Capitol Cooler- Sloan Based on the Best Seller 

*Bystander- Wyldlife sorted. 

^Good Friends- Milk 'N' Cookies Milk 'N' Cookies (Sal Maida)

^Saturday's Kids- The Jam Setting Sons (Rick Buckler)

^Girls- David Johansen David Johansen 

^Because I Love You- Badfinger Say No More (Joey Molland)

^I Can Make You Cry- Brian James Ain't That A Shame 

^Glass- Gang Of Four Entertainment! (Dave Allen)

^In The Sun- Blondie Blondie (Clem Burke)

^Frantic Romantic- Scientists Frantic Romantic (James Baker)

^New York Groove- Ace Frehley Ace Frehley 

^Is That Love?- Squeeze East Side Story (Gilson Lavis)

^Teenage Days- Hilly Michaels Calling All Girls 

^Musta Notta Gotta Lotta- Joe Ely Musta Notta Gotta Lotta 

52 Girls- The B-52's The B-52's

 

SacroSet[s]: #Top 5 Live Performances of 2025

*Top 5 Records of 2025

^Roll Call:  Those We Lost in 2025

It's getting harder to stay positive these days yet I continue to try.  The internet has monetized bad faith- does anyone actually believe anything they say anymore?  With clicks and shares the only goal, for many it seems like honesty, intellectual rigor, and belief itself are outmoded concepts.  It's a lot.  Thankfully, things are great closer to home- our first grandchild was born in March!  Sonoma Arts Live, our theater company, had another great season and ALL KINDSA GIRLS, my radio show, is going into its 18th year on KSVY.  And 2025, like every year, had its share of stellar movies, TV shows, records, books, and live performances.  There is much to be thankful for.  So, in a tradition that dates back to 1999, I humbly submit my 2025 Top 5 Lists:

TOP 5 MOVIES
Black Bag (marriage Bonds) 
Weapons (Aunt Gladys gonna getcha)
Hamnet (art redeems) 
28 Years Later (Sir Jimmy's got next) 
One Battle After Another (PTA goes genre) 

TOP 5-ish STREAMING/DVD MOVIES
Presence / His Three Daughters (haunted families)
Griffin In Summer / Nouvelle Vague (our tortured artists) 
Lake George / Train Dreams (nature calls)
Heavy Trip / Splitsville (comedy gold!)
The Sadness / Heretic (horror-ific) 

TOP 5 CLASSIC THURSDAY MOVIES
Vivacious Lady  (screwball classic)
The House Across The Street (big laughs w/body count) 
The Seventh Veil (psychomelodrama) 
The More The Merrier (Jean Arthur rules!) 
Blast of Silence (brutal noir) 

TOP 5 WORKOUT ROCUMENTARIES
Who Is Harry Nilsson (And Why Is Everybody Talkin' About Him)? (think about your troubles)
Devo (through being cool) 
Sly Lives! (AKA The Burden of Black Genius) (running away)
The Stones & Brian Jones (2000 light years from home)
The Greatest Night In Pop (we are the world)

TOP 5 ALBUMS
The Genuine Fakes- 3 (Thank you Stockholm)
The Prize- In The Red (Melbourne's answer...)
Death By Unga Bunga- Raw Muscular Power (Norway now)
Sloan- Based On The Best Seller (The Masters return)
WYLDLIFE- sorted. (NYC Baby!)

TOP 5 TV SHOWS
Pluribus (Please Carol!)
Adolescence (parents' nightmare) 
The Residence (Watch for it!) 
Dying For Sex (sad/funny/sad)
Forever (the Maya/Fred one, the Netflix one is also great) 

TOP 5 BOOKS
The Known World- Edward P. Jones (what freedom?)
All Fours- Miranda July (metaphorical journey)
Greenwood- Michael Christie (Great Canadian Novel)
Chain-Gang All-Stars- Nana KwameAdjei-Brenyah (Thurwar's war)
Vera, or Faith- Gary Shteyngart (brave/sad new world)

TOP 5 LIVE PERFORMANCES
Brian Posehn 3/8/25 Sebastiani Theater, Sonoma CA (Revenge of the Nerd)
Shucked 9/24/25 "Corn" Theater, San Francisco CA (a-maize-ing)
Shonen Knife 10/21/25 HopMonk Tavern, Novato CA (Let's Knife!)
Suffs 10/30/25 Orpheum Theater San Francisco (keep marching!)
Spike Sikes & His Awesome Hotcakes 10/17/25 Murphy's Irish Pub, Sonoma CA (Soulmen) 

Past Top 5 lists (going back 27 years!) are available at Rick’s Top 5 Lists.  If you're curious about what I'm watching/listening to/reading/attending during the year check out the ALL KINDSA GIRLS Twitter (still disavowing the name change) or Bluesky pages.  I'd love to hear your 2025 favorites too- as you've no doubt noticed,  I've got a huge appetite for quality viewing, listening, and reading material.  Perhaps you'll see your picks in next year’s lists! 

Here's hoping for a brighter 2026!

Click the link below to stream/download this week's show:
ALL KINDSA GIRLS Show #186 2025 Year-EndSpecial