Trampled by Turtles and Caamp – “Alone”

Trampled by Turtles performed at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado this past summer with the folk trio Caamp. The groups joined together for this performance of TBT’s “Alone,” from the 2012 album Stars & Satellites.

Bits of Bly: August Sun

The five-part series of clips from a 1997 Robert Bly interview from KUMD concludes with the poet reciting his poem “August Sun.”

The Hermits – “Peel”

Duluth-based grunge band the Hermits released a debut music video this week. The song “Peel” is from the group’s EP titled If; the video was shot by Grayson Nolan.

Cross-country skiers push for Duluth to be ‘fluoro wax-free city’

As the national SuperTour race hits Spirit Mountain in Duluth this weekend, Minnesota Public Radio delves into the potentially harmful effects of per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances found in the fluorinated ski wax used by elite cross-country ski racers.

Bits of Bly: The Time of Grief

In part four of the 1997 Robert Bly interview from KUMD, the poet talks about the future of American poetry.

Postcard from the lobby of Duluth’s McKay Hotel

This undated postcard, published by Bloom Brothers Company of Minneapolis, offers a view of the lobby of the Hotel McKay, which stood at 430 W. First St. in Downtown Duluth from 1901 to about 1965.

Monthly Grovel: December 2021

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Oh, holy night and joy to the flippin’ world! The halls of the PDD Calendar are so decked with holiday events that you can’t even find the Clem Snide show you’re looking for. That just means PDD’s merry elves are doing their jobs, publishing enough events to keep your bells completely jingled.

Each month we reach out with one beggarly blog post to remind everyone that human beings and not machines are at work editing and publishing calendar events. So if you appreciate it, drop a few bucks in the PayPal account.

Bits of Bly: Transfusions from Other Cultures

In part three of the 1997 Robert Bly interview from KUMD, the poet talks about Spanish poetry and other influences, including the Indian poet Ghalib.

Dusty Slay jabs Great Lakes Aquarium on Tonight Show

Last night comedian Dusty Slay appeared on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallen and at the end of his monologue launched into a story about a visit to the Great Lakes Aquarium. The story, which begins at the 3:15 mark in the clip above, concludes with Slay asking a “fish expert” at the aquarium whether fish sleep. To not spoil the punchline, let’s just say he gets a Yogi Berra-style response.

Slay does not mention the Great Lakes Aquarium by name, but as a story on Mix 108’s website notes, “he’s certainly not referencing World of Fish.”

KUMD is now WDSE 103.3 FM “The North”

After 64 years of affiliation with the University of Minnesota Duluth, 103.3 FM is now a product of the Duluth Superior Area Educational Television Corporation, the public media organization that also owns WDSE/WRPT-TV, the Duluth area’s PBS affiliate.

Indigenous Stories of Strength: Jessica Gidagaakoons Smith

The Johns Hopkins Center for American Indian Health’s Great Lakes Hub in Duluth, located at 1915 South St. near the Duluth Labor Temple, just sent out an announcement of Indigenous Stories of Strength, a website collecting stories of life under COVID-19.

Bits of Bly: The Suburbs of Jerusalem

In part two of the 1997 Robert Bly interview from KUMD, the poet talks about nature as an influence and following a thread with words.

Beyondbliss – “Divide and Conquer”

Duluth rapper Beyondbliss divides the screen and divides himself in this video, rapping about the Kyle Rittenhouse trial, critical race theory and all the divisive divisiveness.

A Record Collection Autopsy

Once more through the trove of treasure from Gabriel’s Books in Lakeside. In addition to finding awesome old records and books, you should know, if you have kids: “All children, from birth to high school graduation, may pick out a book for free, each time they visit our store.” They are well-worth a visit.

Bits of Bly: The Sibling Society

Poet and social critic Robert Bly, who penned many of his works from a cabin on Moosehead Lake about 30 miles southwest of Duluth, died on Nov. 21 at the age of 94. He was interviewed in the fall of 1997 on KUMD radio in Duluth, and a cassette of the interview survives in the Perfect Duluth Day archive. Consider the clip above to be part one of a short series.

The interview took place the year after Bly’s book The Sibling Society: An Impassioned Call for the Rediscovery of Adulthood was published.