Rex Parker Does the NYT Crossword Puzzle: ASCAP alternative

Constructor: Gary Whitehead

Relative difficulty: Medium-Challenging

THEME: REDSTARTS — all theme answers begin with a word that can signify a variety of RED

Word of the Day: REDSTARTS (34A: Boldly patterned warblers ... and a hint to 17-, 24-, 50- and 59-Across) —

Redstarts are a group of small Old World birds. They were formerly classified in the thrush family (Turdidae), but are more often now treated as part of the Old World flycatcher family (Muscicapidae). There are two main groups: the true redstarts of the genus Phoenicurus and the more aberrant and not too closely related White-capped, Plumbeous, Luzon, and White-bellied Redstarts. // These are insectivorous ground feeding birds, many of which have the red tail ("start" is the modern English reflex of Middle English stert, Old English steort, tail of an animal), which gives the group its name. Most northern species are strong migrants. (wikipedia)

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So ... REDSTARTS. Never heard of 'em. Hard to love or adequately appreciate a puzzle when the revealer — the central component of the puzzle — is some "Old World" bird that's completely off your radar.

Also, in the end, the puzzle is just "Kinds of red" or "These start with reds," the sort of "first-words-alike" puzzle we see all the time. Liked BLOOD MONEY, despite its gruesomeness; the others are just OK. Wife and I both had trouble (me a little, her a lot) getting into the NE corner because CHERRY CRUSH isn't exactly bursting with familiarity. I got it much easier than she did, but I she grew up in N.Z. where I doubt it exists, and I can't remember the last time I saw a CRUSH ad on TV or anywhere (used to be ads on TV in the '70s/'80s all the time, esp. for the much more common ORANGE CRUSH). Wife, however, had heard of REDSTARTS. Wife, however however, is kind of into birds. And it's not like she was particularly chuffed (her word, good word) to see the REDSTARTS. Both of us finished up at the second "T" in REDSTARTS—she *had* it in place and wanted to know why it was right; I did *not* have it, and only put it in place because I figured out why it was right — THEY is two words: THE Y (36D: Place with a gym). Cheap and unnecessary and been done. Too bad, as it cuts into the top of the SE corner, which is the prettiest of the bunch.

Theme answers:

17A: Part ofa drug lord's income, maybe (BLOOD MONEY) — we were trying to figure out what BLOOD MONEY would mean in this context — the clue seems right, but we couldn't come up with good examples
24A: Fruity soda (CHERRY CRUSH)
50A: Rolling Stones hit of 1967 ("RUBY TUESDAY")
59A: Certain mason (BRICK LAYER)

Trouble started for me in the NW, where [Flexible blades] made no sense to me. I don't think of EPEES as "blades." They can't cut. So lord knows what I put there. Couldn't figure out how anything starting with "S" could be [Stuff sold in rolls=>SOD].

Couldn't make ECONOCAR fit in the allotted spaces (the answer's ECONOMY; that's why) (3D: Rental car choice). Had IMPRINT for EMBLEMS (1D: Insignia). So it was a train wreck up there. Oddly, perhaps ironically, the key to my sorting out that whole corner was a tiny piece of crosswordese: EDO (23A: Shogun's capital). Had an "I" in first position and wrote in ITO, then thought "that's not right. That's a Japanese skater, or judge..." Fixed it, and the whole corner fell into place from there. Most other parts were more doable. Couldn't finish off CHERRY- but got EVEN SO off the initial "E" (28A: Still), and then USO SHOW off that "O" (13D: Base entertainment). Fortuitous. Middle of puzzle was tough, for reasons already stated. Damn birds. Botched the SE at first because I didn't take a close enough look at the dates in 45D: World Series-winning manager of 1981 and 1988 and dropped in LARUSSA instead of LASORDA. Built BOSSA (66A: ___ nova) off the "A," so LARUSSA was that much harder to get rid of. Fixing that answer let me finally see BRICKLAYER, and the rest was pretty easy. Finished up in SW and then went back to the lone empty box near the center. THEY!

Bullets:

41A: Big film shower (IMAX) — never been to one. I don't live where they ... exist. THEY!

6D: Actress Mary Tyler ___ (MOORE) / 7D: Co-star of 6-Down in 1970s TV (ASNER) — a lovely, simple pairing.
22D: When Emperor Henry IV was dethroned (MCV) — Probably more annoying than RRNs usually are because many will have looked to this answer as a way of getting the first cross after CHERRY. I'm doubting many (if any) solvers could have plunked down MCV with no crosses.
35D: Target of Pierre's prayers (DIEU) — "Target" sounds funny. "I'm gonna hit you with these prayers, God. Look out!"
40D: 1966 musical based on "I Am a Camera" (CABARET) — "I Am a Camera" was a play inspired by Christopher Isherwood stories. Title always makes me think of two songs.

43D: Gentle breezes (ZEPHYRS) — "Whan Zephyrus eke with his sweete breeth / Inspired hath in every holt and heeth..." and all that. That's how I know the word, anyway.
44D: Sides accompaniers (ENTREES) — completely backwards (Sides "accompany" entrees), which I didn't mind at all. Nicely loopy.

Signed, Rex Parker, King of CrossWorld

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