I got an email recently, which led to the following discussion:

Dear Matt,

Remember when you used to do those funny Cage Matches every week, featuring a battle between two bands, presenting the opportunity for people to comment and make fun of your musical taste?

Sure do.

What happened?  It’s been two weeks!

I dunno.  I got busy, had out-of-town visitors, left the house and did stuff in the real world – that’s good, right?

I guess so.  Any plans to get back to those Cage Matches?

Funny you should mention that – I think you’re going to like the following post!

I know, I know – we’ve been slacking here at ATV – sure there have been posts about this and that, but what about the Cage Match, man?

Let’s get back to it, and start with a bit of congrats to Cage Match board member D.X. Ferris from Scene Magazine!

D.X. recently picked up a shit-ton of awards from the Ohio Society of Professional Journalists – five of them to be exact, including top placement in the category of “media criticism,” and “best rock and roll feature reporting.”

Hopefully you got a chance to check out the Monday Mix that D.X. served up last week, and if you didn’t, you’re in luck because we’ve decided to hold the mix over for an extra week, to recognize D.X.’s tremendous journalistic accomplishments!

Congrats!!

In honor of the above, we also decided to let D.X. pick  this week’s Cage Match, and he happily sent Kenny Loggins and Cinderella over as contenders!

Cleverly, both tracks are titled “Nobody’s Fool.”  The Loggins track comes from the ill-fated sequel to Caddyshack, titled appropriately enough, Caddyshack II.  When this one came out in 1988, I thought it was about the coolest thing I’d heard in forever.  I went right out and bought the cassette single, because if you looked at the rest of the soundtrack’s track listing, there was clearly no need to buy the whole thing.  Or see the movie.

20 years later, I still find “Nobody’s Fool” to be a rockin’ listen, something that Jefito from Popdose damn near disowned me for, when I said this out loud on Twitter.  And now, here it is, posted for posterity and eternal potential embarrassment on the blog.  I’ve got no shame, but you guys are well aware of that already.

On that note, don’t buy the newest Loggins solo disc – it sucks.

Shifting over to Cinderella, “Nobody’s Fool” was such a successful single for the band, that their album Night Songs eventually outsold Michael Jackson’s Thriller album.  Now, that’s a complete lie, but I think you’re all a little bit more awake now, aren’t you?  The single actually charted inside the Top 20 and from what I hear, the band members bought matching DeLoreans.

Enjoy your morning coffee, and rock out with these two tunes.

P.S. – While we’re talking about Cinderella, is it just me, or did “Don’t Know What You Got Til It’s Gone” sound GREAT in The Wrestler?  Another great example of perfect cinematic musical placement – a job well done and many kudos to the music supervisors for that flick, which had a pretty excellent soundtrack throughout.

Kenny Loggins or Cinderella?  Pick your poison!