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Nights When Whiskey Hits the Spot, the Blues Never Dies: The Mystery of ZZ Top's TV Debut and a Delightful Storm in the Music Scene The ice clinks lonely in the glass. Good grief, here I am again tonight—a grown man sniffling over the dusty scent of the blues rising from the grooves of a vinyl record. To be completely honest, I got so emotional listening to music through my earphones on the commuter train earlier that I almost rested my head on the shoulder of the businessman next to me—a near-fatal brush with social ruin. No matter how old you get, music remains a troublesome companion. Anyway, another batch of deliciously quirky news has bubbled up from the bottomless swamp known as the music industry. Grab a glass and indulge my rambling for a bit. First up: television screens and Texas dust. According to Ultimate Classic Rock, the legendary Texas band ZZ Top didn't make their late-night TV performance debut until 1986—a rather unbelievable fact. "Wait, did those bearded, sunglass-wearing icons really hate television that much?" I almost choked on a bar peanut just reading it. Why did a band already rocking massive stadiums take so long to grace the small screen? Did TV producers beg on their knees for them to trim their beards, or was there genuine concern that the CRT tubes would shatter under the sheer weight of their aura? Whatever the reason, watching these men oozing pure blues and rock stubbornly carve their own path makes every middle-aged guy want to shed a tear and give a standing ovation. Life is just so much more fun when things don't go smoothly.…