MOSTOV'S MUSINGS

Give the groom’s best friend a microphone and you never quite know what will happen next. After 28 years of weddings, I’ve heard Best Man speeches that brought entire rooms to tears, speeches that nearly brought marriages to an end, and plenty that landed somewhere wonderfully in between. The best ones embarrass the groom, make everyone laugh, celebrate the couple, and reveal exactly why this particular friendship matters.

Few songs have lived nine lives in American pop culture quite like “Shout.” From its soulful 1959 Cincinnati birth to its Animal House revival and its eternal role as a wedding-reception floor-filler, this entry explores the wild history of The Isley Brothers’ greatest party anthem — plus the surprisingly tricky science behind the “a little bit softer now” squat that stumps half my dance floors every Saturday night. The moment John Belushi and Animal House introduced a new g