Muller Monthly Music Meta, January 2014 — “State Lines”

puzzle 7:04; meta 4 minutes (Matt) 

Season 3, episode 1 of the Muller Monthly Music Meta is here! Exciting, especially considering how outstanding last season’s mega-meta was. The Muller meta has become one of the highlights of the crossword puzzle world for me, so let’s get started on the new set.

Pete gives us a gentle introduction for January with a straightforward meta. Instructions ask for a rock hit from 2000 that would make a good theme entry. Let’s see what we’ve got:

18-A [Southern spill preventer?] = MISSISSIPPY CUP

20-A [Suspicion of corporate tax shelters?] = DELAWARINESS. I think that reference is to Delaware’s lack of state tax, which leads many companies (notably DuPont) to have their headquarters there.

37-A [Mountain biker with black fingernails?] = OREGOTH

49-A [Swamp thing?] = LOUISIANIMAL

58-A [Exhausted after listening to too much bluegrass?] = KENTUCKERED OUT

So we’ve taken a U.S. state, chopped off its last letter, and then added some more letters to make a longer word. That tells me we’re looking for “Californication” by the Red Hot Chili Peppers as our meta answer. A quick Goog tells me that it indeed came out in 2000 and hit #69 on the charts (snicker), fitting for a song with the word “fornication” in its name.

Nice and easy way to start the year. Highlight fill includes the musical LOUIE LOUIE and SALIERI, plus TAG! YOU’RE IT, WEIGH IN, both SBARRO and UNO’S, ON PATROL, MINOTAUR, and the amusing rhyming crossers of TUBA and ARUBA.

3.65 stars. See you back here for episode 2 the first week in February.