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Johnny Loftus

@johnnyloftus.bsky.social
215 followers 136 following 93 posts

Writer, Chicagoan. No AI ever. Interests include reading, 🍕; being a nice person.

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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 22/08/2026
The nine dollars I spent at Tape World on Finley Avenue in the summer of 1992 had a good run of cool jams.
An old of tape of mine, Sonic Youth ‘Dirty’, disintegrated.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 14/08/2026
Someday Reacher will block out the sun in your town while stomping dudes like it's an A-Team episode in 1985. But for Season 4, he's doing all that in Philadelphia. Happy to be Reacher-capping the Big Cheesesteak's exploits once again for @deciderdotcom.bsky.social. decider.com/2026/08/12/r...
decider.com
‘Reacher’ Season 4 Episode 1 recap: Shot, chaser
Reacher’s in it now. (Again.)
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Think I picked this one up at Dusty Groove. But the funny thing is I’ve seen records w/ this same sticker at shops all over the city. Nosa Osayamwen’s collection lives past its borders, though it sounds like they’d be mad about that.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 09/08/2026
Sunday listening. With an emphatic (stuck-on) note from a previous owner.
An LP copy of Billy Hart, Enchance (Horizon/A&M, 1977) A close-up of a very protective previous owner’s system, which included applying adhesive Post-It notes to album covers?
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 25/07/2026
Cleaned out my storage unit; here are a few highlights from the “Ancient Tech” bin.
A Flip video device, a microcassette recorder, and a really old iPhone.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 04/07/2026
Had some Hag on, and 70s Willie, but on the 4th of July, when it came time to make bacon, I had to throw on JJ Cale. In this house, “Clyde” is a Founding Father. “Misery loves company, his old dog sings harmony; Tambourine tied to his tail…”
Naturally (JJ Cale; Shelter Records 1971)

Artwork depicts a raccoon in top hat and tails w/ a walking stick and companion dog.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
“Despite my advanced age, I am still just a rat in a cage”
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 23/06/2026
He showed up in a few recent music docs with a big white beard; it sort of softened his whole angle, like "Alright, that's cool, Grandpa Corg's got takes."
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 21/06/2026
Speaking of, this whole album art is an entire 70s film. I was reaching for Lady Gaga (The Fame) for later when I pulled a Move Left in the collection and landed on the perfect record for a sunny Saturday afternoon.
Kris Kristofferson & Rita Coolidge, Breakaway (Monument/CBS 1974)
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 12/06/2026
I definitely saw Stereolab at Reptile back in those days, and the show was so loud (or the equipment so F’d) that there was a delay for a blown-out sound system. I don’t see that listed in the show notes though, so maybe it was plus or minus a couple years off 1993.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 04/06/2026
Super lame-o from the Fork. Is this enshittification hitting my past in the present?
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 28/05/2026
The takes, they flowed with freedom. MDG, thanks for being such an intuitive putter-of-writers to material.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 16/05/2026
Blasting down the Blue Line where it gets really fast, on that old, loud, elevated stretch between Logan and California, the car’s little half windows were open. On a perfect weather day in Chicago, the train packed, it felt like having the crash doors open on a Huey.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 30/04/2026
I have imagined entire 70s films that don't exist to Kristofferson records.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 14/04/2026
Beautiful Weather = Loud Music today in Chicago. Probably the best jam-from-car moment I heard was a guy cranking Miley's "Wrecking Ball" at a light. "I never meant to start a war; I just wanted you to let me in." There are so many wars right now. Things felt sunny/solved in that fleeting moment.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 06/04/2026
Benetti is fucking brilliant on these Sunday night games. Somehow makes two analysts better. Another version of the medium he just steps into and owns. ⚾️⚾️⚾️
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Here at Jeff’s Red Hots, they just put Heart “Alone” into Sabrina Carpenter, and we’re all eating dogs with everything plus sauerkraut. Nothing can stop us.
A Chicago dog w/ everything, Jeff’s Red Hots-style (add kraut).
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 04/04/2026
Alright, I have a player copy of ‘Rebel Yell,’ probably a “Nice Price” sticker at one point. But after writing about this entertaining doc @deciderdotcom.bsky.social for I’m hitting crates this weekend for Idol. Flesh! For fantasy. decider.com/2026/04/02/b...
decider.com
Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Billy Idol Should Be Dead’ on Hulu, a documentary about the singer, his success, and his life of excess
In the midnight hour babe, MORE MORE MORE! Billy Idol Should be Dead proves the singer lived this mantra.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 28/03/2026
Love that Olivia has fully taken on the task of promoting past jams/artists by playing cool covers w/ cool people.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 01/03/2026
Of interest with Man on the Run is how cool Paul and Linda looked throughout the 1970s. If it was 2026 when Macca left the Beatles and fled into zippered sweater solitude, his beard definitely would have had its own Instagram. decider.com/2026/02/28/p...
decider.com
Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Man on the Run’ on Prime Video, a documentary about when Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles life gave him Wings
Paul McCartney of today narrates Man on the Run, which considers the Paul of the past as he built Wings and moved past the Beatles.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 27/02/2026
Adding "Look of Love" by ABC; disregard unsophisticated spaghetti-eating guy in the video. www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNEd...
youtube.com
ABC - The Look Of Love
YouTube video by ABCVEVO
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 18/02/2026
Past Me evidently missed this one, which Current Me regrets!
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 28/01/2026
JJ Cale, man. Choogling will save us.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 23/01/2026
Thank you for the note!
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 17/01/2026
Every time I’m at Reckless there are kids absolutely swarming the CD racks. It’s an interesting trend.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 15/01/2026
As a person who swears by written notes, obsesses over them being "clean," and hates having to cross out a mistake/misspelling, covering THE PITT and its firehose of medical terms/weird disease names presents particular challenges. Let's just say "Dr. Strikethrough" is always on call.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 09/01/2026
After Season 1 I'd think about characters on THE PITT like they were past coworkers, or people I knew in a different city. "I wonder how it's going with Whitaker crashing at Santos' place," etc. Anyway I'm insane. Hyped to be 'capping S2 for @deciderdotcom.bsky.social . decider.com/2026/01/08/t...
decider.com
‘The Pitt’ Season 2 Episode 1 Recap: Captain Crunch Flying Squirrel Socks
“I love boba!”
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 24/12/2025
A train station bar is random by design, especially on a holiday. So I appreciate the bartender who did not deviate from her playlist of 80s metal deep cuts. Faster Pussycat, Britney Fox, a FireHouse cut I’d never heard, a lesser Poison Bic ballad; the Crue w/ “Kickstart,” just for a holiday jolt.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 17/12/2025
I commanded myself about a month ago: no buying any records until at least when Spring Training starts. It's been going great, the rediscovery. The hearing things in unexpected new ways. Like you just did with that Chet Atkins, I've often said about something I already had, "Oh shit, this rips!"
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 16/12/2025
Part of my recent break from buying new-to-me vinyl is because I realized I need to separate the thrill of discovering something cool/new from simple enjoyment/getting into again all the great shit I already have. (Sometimes if I go to grab a record, I listen instead to what's to the left of it.)
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 21/11/2025
Slinky! Those harmonies.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 14/11/2025
You should chase away the bullshit this weekend w/ 'Last Samurai Standing,' a thrilling, thoughtful action series set in 19th c. Japan, where a noble samurai has a few things left to prove to the jerk-offs running his country. Wrote about it @deciderdotcom.bsky.social: decider.com/2025/11/13/l...
decider.com
Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Last Samurai Standing’ on Netflix, a limited series where the last of Japan’s legendary warriors must battle to survive
In modernizing 19th century Japan, as the samurai are getting canceled, one warrior decides the only way to survive is to fight his way through.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 28/10/2025
You should know your Lewes FC updates led me into a deep dive on the (long!) history of the Dripping Pan ground.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 10/10/2025
Thanks for reading ‘em!
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 11/09/2025
I guess I was right about it flipping to Gen Alpha.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 15/08/2025
A galactic criminal is tapped by a shadowy Rebel Alliance recruiter for a crew attacking an Imperial outpost. The rebellion itself isn’t a thing yet. But momentum builds as Andor is radicalized. Like all of us, you will also become fascinated w/ Dedra Meero of the Empire’s Imperial Security Bureau.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 13/08/2025
I’m recapping ‘Alien: Earth’ for @deciderdotcom.bsky.social, which is awesome because this show is scary and stylish and weird and a great place to escape to, even if its future is still full of rich dipshits. Also: Sabbath and Tool and other exquisitely curated jams. decider.com/2025/08/12/a...
decider.com
‘Alien: Earth’ Episode 1 Recap: Cool If We Crash Here?
The first few scenes are committed to bringing its franchise’s past into its present.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 03/08/2025
While I detest in all its forms the in-game interview w/ coaches/players, I’d pay extra for a feature that opened a (listen-only) mic whenever players were talking at first base.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 02/08/2025
Alternate idea: just combine. After Weezer, Olivia could’ve brought out the Korn dudes for a cover of “Got the Life.”
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 22/07/2025
I feel like for FOUNDATION S3 — what year is it in this show? Wellllll… — basically everybody, even Asimov heads, must be watching only for its flowing river of impenetrability. My sense of what’s happening? Vague. But! Space drugs, mind-control pirates, and “something casting shadows in the math.”
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 10/07/2025
Was able to dart in and grab an extra ice cube from the tray while my freezer's door was closing, extricate my arm without disturbing its motion. 🏆 (Feel like I deserve to take the rest of the day off)
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 08/07/2025
No way never! The van’s powers would override my stupidity.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 26/06/2025
Live shot of Jake being forced to listen to Disturbed covers
media.tenor.com
a man wearing a hat and a red jacket is singing into a microphone ..
Alt: The playa haters ball
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 25/06/2025
TS at the Empty Bottle when
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 09/06/2025
Sly was so cool, and his music will forever be powerfully danceable. Questlove's recent Sly doc is also totally brilliant. decider.com/2025/03/25/q...
decider.com
Stream It Or Skip It: 'Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius)' on Hulu, a thoughtful Questlove-directed doc about the leader of Sly and The Family Stone
Questlove directs Sly Lives! (aka The Burden of Black Genius), a doc about Sly Stone that finds wider import in what it meant when he became a kind of Black Elvis.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 06/06/2025
Like 20 years ago, I rested a coffee on the roof of a car before climbing in. Drove away and it went flying. “Never again!” I swore about roof-resting things. Anyway, I just rested my computer on a car’s roof and drove away 💀
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 31/05/2025
Nothing but anecdotal data on this, but TV used to have more bar fights. Nice to see a few pool cues meet cheekbones in the latest ep of DUSTER. Took a drag on a recap: decider.com/2025/05/30/d...
decider.com
‘Duster’ Episode 3 recap: Slippin’ into darkness
“Follow the numbers.”
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 24/05/2025
DUSTER is cruising away from all noise and bullshit at 275hp. I mean, in the second episode, 70s Josh Holloway is out here robbing Elvis. ‘Capped it for @deciderdotcom.bsky.social: decider.com/2025/05/23/d...
decider.com
‘Duster’ Episode 2 recap: Too late to turn back now
Duster continues to have a whole lot of fun with its take on the 1970s.
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Reposted by Johnny Loftus
Mark Graham @unclegrambo.bsky.social · 19/05/2025
DUSTER is one of my fave pilots in some time. Thrilled to have the former Metro Wheelman himself, @johnnyloftus.bsky.social, recapping the exploits of Josh Holloway's wheelman over at @deciderdotcom.bsky.social. Fire up your 8 tracks and punch your gas pedals, hombres! decider.com/2025/05/16/d...
decider.com
‘Duster’ Episode 1 recap: You don’t mess around with Jim
This thing feels as much like a riff on real life as it does a tribute to how the ’70s used to look on TV.
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Johnny Loftus @johnnyloftus.bsky.social · 02/05/2025
'100 Foot Wave' makes being an infinitesimal speck of dust -- one human against a zillion tons of surging water -- look both insane and totally cool. And as a proud Midwestern flatlander, surfing to me just seems beautiful and impossible. Maybe like life? Wrote about it: decider.com/2025/05/01/1...
decider.com
Stream It Or Skip It: ‘100 Foot Wave’ Season 3 on HBO, where Garret McNamara and his fellow big wave surfers keep chasing the dream
What about a 500-foot wave? A thousand? If it’s out there, the athletes profiled in 100 Foot Wave will surf it.
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