Hear anything good lately?

Sorry I've not posted much this month, my time seems to slip away faster during this season than any other. I did script a guest post Sunday on Nate's blog and you can read it here.


In other news, there was a helluva good article last week by Bob Lefsetz, as he casts his eagle eye on the music biz. While I'm a big fan of Bob's blog anyway, this quote pretty much boils down the problem with the music industry, and it really stood out for me:

We don’t have a theft problem. We’ve got a MUSIC problem.

This business is too long in the tooth. It used to be run by renegades, now it’s controlled by major corporations, only interested in the bottom line. It’s all about the money, baby.

And then, as I'm cruising thru the days that follow, someone pointed out an older NYTimes article about Walmart's deal with AC/DC in selling their new disc, "Black Ice." And in that article was a very interesting quote from the head of Columbia Records:

“If you want to be a physical band, you better make an alliance with a strong physical retailer,” said Steve Barnett, chairman of Columbia Records. “It’s a great way to sell the new album, the catalog, the game, merchandise and DVDs.”

By the way, when ol' Steve says AC/DC is a physical band, he means they're not available on one of the digital download stores, not even at walmart.com. In other words, their music is currently being pirated because there isn't an option to buy it online. (Yep, I said it, and I wish someone could prove me wrong, but that's not gonna happen.)


And then, I'm on the treadmill this morning, finishing out the Sound Opinions podcast (Best of 2008, yeah!) and into the podcast from the groovy gang at Buzz Out Loud (#873, 12/16/2008) when they bring up this juicy bit of info - a recent study suggests that people are listening to music LESS. And these folks are also listening to TV less as well, but not quite as much.

Overall audio consumption – whether music (73 percent), television shows, news or information sources (68 percent) – is a large part of consumers’ day-to-day lifestyle. But, the study found that consumers appear to be listening less than they were three years ago. The percentage of consumers reporting daily consumption of music has fallen to 73 percent from 91 percent while TV show audio listening has dropped to 68 percent from 81 percent since 2005. Only audio from playing games has remained stable at 34 percent.

“Gone are the days when consumers purchased a single type of content, to play on a single type of device, exclusively for dedicated audio listening,” stated Steve Koenig, CEA’s director of industry analysis

Now, let me tell you where I'm coming from and where these things lead my thoughts...

I listen to a LOT of music. I hear between three and five different CDs a week, plus a couple dozen different singles, and all of these are in all different styles. (For instance, just a few weeks ago I listened to Kayne West “808’s and Heartbreak,” the Killers “Day & Age,” Trace Adkins' “10,” and Tom Jones “24 Hours” and found enjoyable moments in all of these, as well as some less-enjoyable moments. Let's just say I have a voracious appetite, which is helpful considering the demands of the job.)

But when I ask folks that I meet [or just run into] what they're listening to, it's a lot of humming and hawing (unless they're just as music-crazy as I am), finally mumbling "whatever's on the radio." Really? You don't change the station when a commercial comes on, or when a song that you don't like comes on? "Ummm, yeah, sometimes." Or they just say that they listen to everything, which is a load of crap - and I know, 'cause I do listen to damn near everything (more recently, it was the soundtrack from “Cadillac Records,” Panic at the Disco “Live In Chicago,” Brandy “Human,” Fall Out Boy “Folie a Deux,” the All-American Rejects “When the World Comes Down," and Britney Spears “Circus” - I listen to Britney so YOU don't have to!). But they sure can tell you what their score on Rock Band was last night! (Ye gods... yes, I know it's a fun little videogame, but playing an actual instrument is MORE FUN. Trust me on this.)

Getting back to where this all leads - Bob's right. People just don't care about the music anymore. The product is dead. Thanks, all you bean counters that have run the music biz into the ground. 'Preciate that. Because the worse that the music biz gets, the more greedy and corrupt cesspool/black hole of a moneypit that it becomes, the more it will alienate the public from the product it so mercilessly dispenses. And the public will turn away and shuffle off after poking the dead corpse with a stick once or twice to see if it's really dead.

(Sorry, I get that way even after limited exposure to Britney's "music.")

Then we can go out and listen to some real music, made by people who are driven to create because they can't imagine not creating; there will be wandering minstrels again, who spread their tales thru their own little cults of followers, invisible to the indifferent masses but able to make a living - not a rockstar living, mind you (the days of Led Zep and the Beatles are long gone, baby) - but be comfortable and do what they love to do for people who love them for doing it.

Music will flourish again as the business crumbles, and if you want proof, look at this year - the death spasms are becoming more evident and there was a metric shitload of great music that you won't ever hear on the radio (unless you get Sound Opinions or Musicheads on your NPR station, right?). Fans will pass USB drives to their friends, downloaders will scour music sites such as Largehearted Boy, 3Hive, Fluxblog, Passion of the Weiss, Word the Cat, Fluokids, Pinglewood, or Stereogum to feed their need for tunes that resonate, fans will hold virtual meet-ups on Facebook, and shiny happy people will hold hands and laugh.

So - heard anything good this year?

FLAME bait

Really? Burger King cologne?



You WANT to smell like meat?




Oh yeah, THAT's going on the gift list.

What the hell happened to Barry Manilow?

OK, yes, I understand that this is not a burning subject for just about anyone. But I've always respected Mr. Manilow as an artist; he's had a very creative run, and whether or not you liked his music, you gotta admit he had some class and style.

But now I think Barry's gone too far.

In previewing his latest disc, "The Greatest Songs of the Eighties," I'm wondering in what alternative space/time continuum were THESE songs the greatest of that very weird decade. Allow me to count the ways in which this sucks:

1. Islands In The Stream (with Reba McEntire)
I liked this a lot better as Pras' "Ghetto Superstar" from the Bulworth soundtrack.

2. Open Arms
This was a song that I made out to when I was a teenager, so this is one of three songs that I will not quibble with.

3. Never Gonna Give You Up
Really, Barry? Rickrolling us just three songs into the disc?

4. Have I Told You Lately
Though I will always prefer the original, this is the only the second song on this list that I will not quibble with. Then again, I do believe Rod Stewart did it better in the nineties. Oh god, please don't follow this crap up with "Best of the Nineties!"

5. I Just Called To Say I Love You
Possibly Stevie Wonder's most egregious crime in his career. Why in god's name do we need another reminder of this hair-pulling list of unfinished lyics masquerading as a song?

6. Against All Odds (Take A Look At Me Now)
Oh, for god's sake. Hasn't Phil Collins made enough money off this dreck?

7. Careless Whisper
It would be infinitely more enjoyable to listen to Barry doing unpleasant things to George Michael's private parts than to hear this song again in my lifetime.

8. Right Here Waiting
Richard Marx? What, did you miss getting a mullet back in the 80's, Barry?

9. Arthur's Theme (Best That You Can Do)
Actually, you could've covered another Christopher Cross song, "Sailing," which would've made more sense here. Instead, we get another limp performance of a mediocre movie theme.

10. Hard To Say I'm Sorry
And yet, the apologies should've started nine tracks earlier.

11. Time After Time
OMG - this was actually a great song in the eighties. So, that's three. Three out of...

12. (I've Had) The Time Of My Life
Re-insert 'limp performance of a mediocre movie theme' meme here.

So, what SHOULD Barry have recorded? Out of the twelve songs on this disc, only three were not awful, depraved and uninspired choices. So here are the nine he should've done, in order to claim that greatest of the eighties title.

1. I Melt With You - Modern English
This is one that few people can screw up on a karaoke night. It's low hanging fruit - mainly 'cause everyone else is singing along with you!

2. Relax - Frankie Goes To Hollywood
It's got a good beat, you can dance to it, and you don't have to hide the fact that you love this song.

3. Livin' On a Prayer - Bon Jovi
They had great hair and they rocked us all. 'Nuff said.

4. All She Wants to Do Is Dance - Don Henley
Shake your booty with social commentary.

5. Addicted to Love - Robert Palmer
You could even remake the video for this, but have drag queens instead of ice queens writhing with guitars in the background. It'd be something you could easily restage in Vegas, baby!

6. We're Not Gonna Take It - Twisted Sister
Get your leathers out of the closet and just go nuts with the makeup, you know you want to.

7. Just A Friend - Biz Markie
The only rap song you could sing better than the original - true that.

8. Eat It - Weird Al Yankovic
Covering two for the price of one, you'll get geek cred and street cred in one shot, plus up your humor quotient.

9. Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For - U2
Could be helpful in explaining to your less-observant fans why you've never married, dude.



BTW, I have a guest post on Nate's blog and you can read it here.

How to Leave a Voicemail

Why do I hate voicemail? Because it's so rare anyone leaves one that follows these three simple rules:

1. Speak your name (and your company, if you're calling for work) slowly, and enunciate carefully.
2. Briefly explain why you're calling.
3. Say your phone number slowly, enunciating carefully - twice. Be sure to add the area code, just in case (or country code if you're calling from another country).

Why is this so hard? I can't tell you how many people are unintelligible when they leave me a voicemail. They race thru their telephone number (like there's a finish line, and first prize is cake!), they mumble their name, and give you no reason to call them back.

"This is George AweroidoknglksEFffles, call me at eightninethreefourseventytwentylebbensomething."

OK, why? Why in the world would I take the ten minutes to replay the message forty times to get your number (one digit at a time) and sound out your name? There's no reason that I want to talk to you, Mr. Vowel-Movement. And if I did, and I got your voicemail, what do you think I'd be tempted to do?

"This is Tom rqwaNDAshabbiTZLe returning your call. Tag! Try me at eight seven six five four three."

That's right - only six digits. How long you think it'll take 'em to figure that out?

Veteran's Day: sadness in my smile

It's been a week since Senator Obama became President-elect Obama, and I have to admit I also am just a little jazzed just to type those words.

But there's a bit of sadness in my smile tonight. Just last year, one of the folks who would've thrilled to see these days passed away. For me and a lot of my family, Uncle Buck was Washington DC.

I don't think Buck was a liberal or conservative; he was pragmatic in his support of politicians, because he'd seen and heard, up close, some of the flaws and foibles of our leaders. Buck himself was a leader, a retired major in the US Army, and well connected in the Pentagon even after his retirement. I never think of our nation's capital without thinking of him and my Aunt Irene. They lived for many years just outside the beltway. Anytime one of the family would be in the area, they'd get the grand tour - or they'd just have a place to lay their head, whatever they needed.

Buck was the best at the beach. He would float among the waves for quite some time; all you would see was his gut and his cigar above the crests. He loved the family gatherings and especially enjoyed tormenting the kids with his white glove inspections and his dictatorial decree that no sand should be brought in by little boys' feet - you had to dunk your feet in the bucket of water that he had stationed outside the doorway before you entered.

Buck had a great love for our country; he fought for it in WW2 and worked for it most of his life. I was there, at the graveside in Arlington, where he laid down his burden. As the horse drawn carriage pulled away, with the smell of the gunpowder from the soldiers' salute still lingering in the air, my eyes were  dry. He'd had a marvelous ride and was off on a new adventure, and while we'd all miss him, I knew he wouldn't miss this world all that much.

Until now.

I think Buck would've loved to see Barack Obama win last week, to see the dreams and ideals that he'd fought for his whole life walk right up to the White House and be greeted warmly, invited in, and made to feel at home, in what will very soon be his home. Buck would be e-mailing and calling all sorts of people, friends from forty years ago, neighbors that moved in during the last election, and someone he'd met at the grocery store that afternoon, and he'd've been bursting with pride at what his country can do.

There are a lot of veterans who will be remembered tomorrow. I'll call my father and thank him for his service. I may even get up the gumption to call my father in law, though we've never talked about his time in the service. There are many vets who had paid for this moment of freedom with everything they had, and I will never know all their names or the depths that their families grieved for their loss. I hope they will be remembered by their loved ones on Veteran's Day and honored by those who served with them.

And there is one call that I really do wish I could make, to say thank you just one more time. Just to hear him pick up and bellow "HELLO!" full of spit and vinegar and a deeply studied love of life.

Thanks, Uncle Buck.

Got Filter?

Keeping up with the music biz as well as music itself is important to me, and if you've not reading the Lefsetz Letter, you're missing some good stuff. Just have to pass this on from a recent entry of his, "What If We Had Elections In The Music Business?"

This war against consumers is unwinnable.  And it’s ruining the business’ economics.  The only people who won’t admit this are those with the power, trying so desperately to hold on to it.

But holding on to the old ways, aligning with despised power, got the Republicans neutralized in Congress, going from the majority to the minority.  And caused them to lose the Presidency.

John McCain tried to throw the long ball.  He signed Sarah Palin.  Just like the labels made a deal with MySpace.  But just like Sarah was the wrong female, MySpace is the wrong social networking site.  And Sarah may be a female, but she was not the woman the female electorate was clamoring for.  Women wanted Hillary...

  To the degree MySpace is shiny, it’s definitely not what the public wants.

Nor is the music being purveyed.  All those simpleton Top Forty hits?  If not being tuned out in droves, all that’s selling is the track. Labels lamenting single track sales on iTunes is like the Republicans decrying early voting.  The tide has turned.  Change has come.

It's going to be fascinating to see what happens to music now. There is so much great music being made today, more than at any time in my life, and there's also metric tonnes of total crap out there as well (clogging the tubes). Just when things change, they often stay the same.

It used to be that the record labels had a function, and that was introducing the public to that next great song or artist. "Look here! This one has made it through our system - nicely packaged, wrapped up in a pretty bow for you! You need not scour the country and listen to all the others, because we've done it for you."

Now we have search engines, and our personal filters (whether they're friends, podcasts, satellite radio, or any of the other ways we find music in our lives), instead of record companies, have become more powerful. We're making the decisions; we're in charge, we're in the driver's seat. Hang on!

Personal Milestones

A couple of milestones recently in the personal life:


My Sweetie and I finally got the backporch finished (along with the reflooring of the kitchen – may I recommend tile + bare feet + November for waking up quicker than whiplash) and moving the treadmill out there to use. And then actually getting on the treadmill each day (except for that one day I woke up late, felt like crap and decided to take a day of rest).


Now it’s past the two week point and this morning (OMG yes, I got up at 6am on a Sunday morning – aren’t you jealous?), after an evening out visiting and playing pool with Sarah and Nate (down from KC for the weekend) down in Fayettenam, and I got on the treadmill. Usually music just throws off my rhythm when I’m on the treadmill, so I use that time to listen to my podcasts (this morning, catching up on Sound Opinions).


Well, I’m fifteen minutes into it and I want it to last. There’s the change. I’m not even noticing the clock/counter on the t’mill, it’s just going and I’m going and I feel like I could do another 20 minutes no prob. And then I notice that my speed is up a point. Usually something I’d notice within, say 30 seconds of walking, now I’ve been trotting along for fifteen and just noticed.


So here are two concrete things I’m seeing: stamina’s up and my body is reacting to challenges in a positive manner rather than dragging me down. Both of us are feeling better (and our attitudes are up as well) and doing more. Though the issues with my Dad still exist, though I’ve got a lot of stuff going on at work, though there are a another hundred or so little things nibbling at me every moment of every day (just like everyone else in the world, eh?), I am feeling like I’m riding the crest of the wave instead of trying to race the collapsing tunnel.


Just in case you needed some motivation for your own workout – and if I need to be reminded of what it can feel like, I'll just come back here.

A Change Has Come

 Rev. Jesse Jackson, courtesy of the Huffington Post

When I woke my wife this morning, she sleepily asked, “Is Obama still president-elect?” When I assured her he was, according to NPR and all the websites I’d seen so far, she sighed relief. “They didn’t take it away.”

I’m sure there were like-minded individuals that woke up this morning with the same thoughts. “Did this really happen?” “Was it a dream?” And once they wiped the slumber from their eyes and cobwebs from the corners of their head, they realized that it was not a dream anymore.

I know that there are folks on the other side of the coin, too, who woke up with very different feelings. They, like others before them on the day after elections that didn’t go their way, will have to make peace with the fact that their guy lost. Having been one of those others several times in my life, I know it’s not gonna be easy for ‘em for a while. Perhaps that’s why there’s a period of time between election and inauguration, to let people get used to the idea.

Some will be surprised that our president-elect is not really a Muslim. Some may complain that he’s not a socialist like they’d been told. I hope many question their sources of information and become more skeptical, because I have been quite disappointed in the way both sides have been treated during this long, long, LONG election.

I hope that the election of Barack Obama marks an elevation of our national discourse. I hope that it signals a change in how we choose our leaders, not as much of “someone I wanna have a beer with,” but “someone that’s smart enough, tough enough, and strong enough to lead our nation.” I feel that community organizers and community leaders across the country will have just a little more spring in their step as they see one of their own ascend to the highest office in the land. I think that many Americans who have felt disenfranchised or beaten down by the weight of their life will look back on this day as an affirmation of the possibilities of life in the USA.

I am no longer a child, yet I still dream. I still hope. And I’ll continue to hope and dream, and work to make those hopes and dreams come true, because last night I saw a dream become reality for an entire country.

The way I see it : mobile communications

Here's an article that really shows the big difference between the implementation of cellphone technology from Apple and Google.

Apple has a tightly controlled application environment. You have to conform to their standards, and even then, your application may not make it to the iPhone application market. Then, if it does make it, it might still be pulled after it's hit the market and been downloaded.

Not so with Google. Their open-source implementation on it's admittedly clunky first-gen G1 phone will open their Google apps market to all developers. Instead of Google having the control, the holder of the phone does.

As many of you probably know, I'm not much on getting the latest & greatest tech the moment it comes out, mainly 'cause I'm not rich! But rather than being a Luddite, I just wait and watch. I'm terribly interested in these gadgets and I scour the nets to find the things that interest me.

So, right now, I don't have a smart phone. (It's not a terribly dumb phone, it just doesn't scour the net or do a lot besides alarms, tip calculator, text and make calls) Perhaps one of these days, not too far down the line, I'll have a mobile device that will have internet access, communicate in several ways with my family and friends, and keep me on schedule and productive, and all for under a hundred bucks with a monthly bill that's about half that.

Right now I'm leaning towards the clunky Google phone, because of the unlimited potential it has due to it's open-source philosophy. And that's the way I see it.

Where to vote?

Here's a great tool for you - just in case you don't know where you're going to go vote in the next 13 days (as of this writing) - find your polling station with Google.



This is just brilliant and I hope that people can use it this election season. Kudos to the koders that kame up with it!

Picture of the Week

courtesy of dvorak.org/blog

Some Meetings You Want To Attend...

...especially if you get a chance to chat & have a picture made with someone like this guy.

 

Shoulda had him sign my hat.  Oh well...

Brevity

My hat's off to folks who really know how to put things in perspective powerfully and succinctly.

 

 tip o' the hat to Print the Truth's kickass posters

Joke of the Day

What's the difference between training a pit bull and training a hockey mom?

Lipstick.

Banned Books

Time just slips away from me - in the midst of lotsa work, lotsa worry (sick father, sick sweetie, and I think my 401K is now a 41k), I nearly forgot about Banned Books week! Luckily, the nice folks at the Fayetteville Flyer and the Arkansas Times reminded me with two really nice articles, bringing me back to reality and my bookshelf. I'm happy to say that some of those banned books are ones I own, have read multiple times and love.

But I had to throw in a list (thanks to the Forbidden Library) of some of those challenged books that both asks and answers that timeless question, what the hell some people were thinking. Here's a few of my favorites (with snarky editorial comment in italics afterwards):

Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank. Challenged in Wise County, Va. (1982) due to "sexually offensive" passages. Four members of the Alabama State Textbook Committee (1983) called for the rejection of this book because it is a "real downer." OMG, really? A young Jewish girl starts a diary on her thirteenth birthday, right before she and her family are forced into hiding by the Nazis, and someone in Alabama thought it should've been more upbeat? Ye gods.

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl. Removed from a locked reference collection at the Boulder, Colo. Public Library (1988), where it had been placed because the librarian thought the book espoused a poor philosophy of life. Wonder what they thought of the Tim Burton version? Probably locked away in some reference DVD library...


The Lorax by Dr. Seuss. Challenged in the Laytonville, Calif. Unified School District (1989) because it "criminalizes the foresting industry." Um, Dr. Seuss? Really? Now I'm surprised that the Cat and the Hat wasn't challenged by an organized group of interior decorators and babysitters.


The Rolling Stone Illustrated History of Rock and Roll by Jim Miller, editor Challenged in Jefferson, Ky. (1982) because it "will cause our children to become immoral and indecent." Obviously an opinion that was written by squares. Dude, that was the frakkin' point! Hand me that spliff! Rock and Roooollll, baby! Woooooo-hooooo!


Where's Waldo? by Martin Handford Challenged at the Public Libraries of Saginaw, Mich. (1989), Removed from the Springs Public School library in East Hampton, N.Y. (1993) because there is a tiny drawing of a woman lying on the beach wearing a bikini bottom but no top. They obviously missed the point - yer supposed to look for the goofy guy in stripes, not the beach bunnies. Brought to you by Overachievers Anonymous.


A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle Challenged at the Polk City, Fla. Elementary School (1985) by a parent who believed that the story promotes witchcraft, crystal balls, and demons. Challenged in the Anniston Ala. schools (1990). The complainant objected to the book's listing the name of Jesus Christ together with the names of great artists, philosophers, scientists, and religious leaders when referring to those who defend earth against evil. Yeah, 'cause Jesus is too busy looking for Waldo amongst all the beach bunnies to be fightin' the devil, right?


Stranger In A Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein This book was challenged, but retained in the South Texas Independent School District in Mercedes,TX (2004). Parents objected to the adult themes - sexuality, drugs, and suicide - found in the 1962 Hugo Award-winning novel being used in a summer Science Academy curriculum. I guess I'm most surprised that there haven't been more challenges for this book, especially to the 1991 restored edition, but it has certainly made it's mark on our society. Grok?        

Got a book you love that others hate? Let me know in the comments!

Scary pic of the day

Well, this is just so bloggerific, I had to link to it.

Brace yerself...

image from the lovely & talented folks at Arkansas Blog 

Now, truthfully... do ya need a cold shower?

Living in a Dump... Truck?

I am NOT a neat-clean freak. God knows that Felix Unger would have several hissy-fits just looking at my messy desk. Indescribably, I am drawn to pictures of terribly organized people, but this guy just blew my frakkin' mind.

image from apartment therapy blog

He refurbished a garbage truck as his residence. Seriously. Talk about a DIY genius. Click the link to check out more pics and drool over the incredibly organized garbage truck dweller.

Pirates > Religious Nutcases

In celebration of Talk Like a Pirate Day, here's a heartwarming story from our barefooted and dungaree'd Natural State of hilarity:

photo from Arkansas Blog, taken by Brian "the Brave" Chilson

who wandered into a den of pirates at risk to life, limb, and his personal rum supply

Thank you, Arkansas Times. I needed a good laugh tonight. More rum! ARrgh!

Snake!

OK, I'm not much of a gamer. Anyone who's ever played cards with me already knows this. Even so, I remember this game from my second cellphone - and I loved it. So here's a web version, courtesy of the good folks at Download Squad, who brought it to my attention. If you find a minute or two in your busy day (not you Kevin, get back to work - hee hee!) to just space out and play a game, this one's easy to learn and hard to master. (And you get to be a snake!) Enjoy!

 

image courtesy The Download Squad

Now the Hockey Moms are Pissed...

OK, this is funny, I don't care who you are....

Lies, Damn Lies

Y'know, it takes a lot to offend me, but I am offended by McCain/Palin. As a voter, I want to see integrity in the people who seek high office. I see no integrity in politicians who lie, have their lie disproven by multiple sources, and continue to use the same lie - like I'm not supposed to know the difference. They must think I'm stupid, along with the rest of the American voters. They must think I'm not paying attention. I'm driven to believe that they must not think it matters, as long as they win.






They're wrong. I'm paying attention, and so are a lot of people. I'm paying attention to how community organizers are derided, I'm paying attention to how a VP candidate won't give straight answers to questions, when she concedes to answer questions at all. I'm paying attention to how even on a fluff show like the View, people are calling out the lies and searching for some answers.

Meanwhile, here's the funniest photoshopping I've seen in a while (thanks to Chez's blog):

Love this!

OK, not only do I blog, I also read blogs (other than the ones by people I actually know - see blogroll, eh?), and I thought Chez had one of the, if not the best of the week. Check it out.

Oh yes, I have a new desktop pic! ;-)

Funny, I was thinking the same thing.

And here's the thing that's bugging me too... They've been in power for eight years. They support all of Bush's policies. And they say they're bringing reform?


UPDATE: Just have to throw out the link to the delicious article by Roger Simon on the Politico entitled "Why the Media Should Apologize."


Just frakkin' hilarious, about the time I needed something a bit less serious.Like this!

Two recent losses

You may only know him from the thousands of movie trailers that his magnificent voice graced, but that's the way Don LaFontaine wanted to be known. He may have been the most productive voice actor ever, and though we live in a world where a boatload of folks will try to imitate him, he was one of a kind. Here's a great pic from SWINDLE - so now you know what he looked like.

Photo from Swindle Magazine/Aaron Farley

Again I go to the movies and remember the large screen and larger than life stories I saw in my youth. One of my favorites was "Smokey and the Bandit," and I really wanted a Trans-Am as cool as the one Burt Reynolds drove. I actually went to see "Smokey and the Bandit" with a buddy that could've passed for Burt's buddy Jerry (though I was nowhere near as cool as Burt). Tonight I'm sad to learn that Jerry has finally succumbed to Father Time and Gravity. Thanks for the pickin' and all the laughs, Jerry.

Summer Movie Review

Now that it's Labor Day and the summer is officially over, I can finally confess: of the top fifty grossing movies this year, I've seen only four this summer - Dark Knight, Iron Man, Indiana Jones, and the Incredible Hulk. Of the four, my Sweetie saw two of them with me, the best and the worst. Neither of us were happy with the Indiana Jones movie, and both of us were blown away by the Dark Knight. I enjoyed Iron Man over Hulk, mostly because of the actors involved. Downey did a great job with Tony Stark's character, and I'm quite looking forward to Shellhead's next adventure. Norton brought a greater depth to the Hulk as expected, and I was impressed by William Hurt in his role as Gen. Thunderbolt Ross, but there were some minor missed notes that kept me from enjoying it as much as Iron Man. She'll see both on video eventually, but I couldn't've dragged her to see another Hulk flick, because I don't think she's ever forgiven me for the first Hulk flick (thanks fer nuttin', Ang Lee!).

The ones I missed that I wanted to see were Hancock, Wall-E (both of which I still have a pretty good chance of seeing before they leave the theaters), Kung-Fu Panda (just because of Jack Black, but it also got pretty good reviews), Get Smart, You Don't Mess With the Zohan, Tropic Thunder, Cloverfield (out on video, but how scary can a monster movie be on video? I'll have to write a whole 'nother post on Godzilla - when I first saw it, on TV with commercials, and when I finally saw it on the big screen), Pineapple Express, Hellboy 2, and Harold & Kumar Escape (also out on video).

Actual movies (not TV series or other DVDs) that I've rented this summer were Paprika (quite delightful) and In the Shadow of the Moon. I suppose I should count Prey for Rock and Roll, as I watched it Saturday, but it kinda left me flat (not as sharp of a film as I like - OK, I'll stop with the music jokes so the rest of you can catch up after an appropriate interval of silence).

Now, what the hell did I wind up watching at home? I completed the Star Trek Voyager series, thanks to Netflix and my ever-indulgent Sweetie. It's become my second-favorite Trek series, behind Deep Space Nine and just slightly in front of the original series (which a lot of folks refer to as TOS). Not a lot, but slightly, and I credit both the completion of the series arc and the more-consistent writing with putting Voyager over the edge. I got lots of love for Kirk, Spock, Bones, Uhura, Scotty, Sulu and Chekov, but Janeway, Chakotay, Torres, Paris, Neelix, the Doctor, Tuvok, Kim, Seven, Kes, and even Naomi Wildman stole my heart across the Delta Quadrant.

My Sweetie also found some love for Netflix, specifically at first for their streaming videos, where she got caught up in MI-5, Monarch of the Glen, and McLeod's Daughters, and wound up renting the ones that were not streamed. We wound up increasing our subscription from two to three so she could have her 'own movies' coming in. Good job, Netflix!

But now summer is over and it's time for some serious movies, and I really have no idea what's in store. I've not kept up online, don't know what's in the hopper (except that they moved STAR TREK - the only film I might've actually gone to see on a Christmas Day - and yes, I think it's awful that theaters are open on Christmas Day, but that's besides the point)... So, I'm just curious (and fishing for comments): what movies are you looking forward to in the next four months? Don't be shy, just reply!

Yes, another link, but you'll love me for it!

OK, I'm still catching up...

Not too throw too many links at you, but one of my favorite folks to follow on the interwebitubes posted a shot of this brilliant billboard greeting arrivals at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport this week.

A Man's Woman

OK, this is funny, I don't care who you are....

http://www.arktimes.com/blogs/arkansasblog/2008/08/who_said_it.aspx

Update! Even funnier...

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/archives/211662.php

Removing wind from sails

OK, you probably already knew where I stood on the political side, but it took some reporter at NPR to bring up a reference I missed during Senator Barack Obama's acceptance speech last night:

The times are too serious, the stakes are too high for this same partisan playbook. So let us agree that patriotism has no party. I love this country, and so do you, and so does John McCain.

The men and women who serve in our battlefields may be Democrats and Republicans and independents, but they have fought together, and bled together, and some died together under the same proud flag. They have not served a red America or a blue America; they have served the United States of America.

So I've got news for you, John McCain: We all put our country first.

...and from the website http://www.gopconvention2008.com:

The convention's overall theme, "Country First," reflects John McCain's remarkable record of leadership and service to America.

Just frakkin' brilliant.





And I just can't help pointing out McCain's limp response to Obama's speech:

Tonight, Americans witnessed a misleading speech that was so fundamentally at odds with the meager record of Barack Obama. When the temple comes down, the fireworks end, and the words are over, the facts remain: Senator Obama still has no record of bipartisanship, still opposes offshore drilling, still voted to raise taxes on those making just $42,000 per year, and still voted against funds for American troops in harm's way. The fact remains: Barack Obama is still not ready to be President.

I can only assume they let the guy who does obituaries for the RNC newsletter write that one ahead of time.

OK, that's all the politics for the weekend; and while this is published after the announcement of Gov. Palin as McCain's veep choice, I don't have any comment on that because, like dang near everyone else, I don't know anything about her (but that won't stop me for long, right?). Everyone have a great Labor Day!

Either it's Christie's next auction item or a very stiff Klingon extra audition...

 

photo from the Mail Online article

Not sure how this almost-ancient item floated to the top of the pond this AM, but you just gotta love the mindless fear-mongering of this article :"This horrifying five-foot weapon has been recovered by police during a knife amnesty.The three-handled sword with a blade at either end, designed to be swung like a paddle, shocked officers who took custody of it."

Hokey Smokes, Bullwinkle! What are the kids of today up to now?

And yet, the really fun stuff is in the comments! Here's just a taste:
 
Zero tolerance is the only deterrent. Youngsters should be made to watch real footage of what these knives can do. They are so used to video games where people get cut to shreds and beheaded and then jump up and start again. They should be punished. - Anne, Buckingham, UK, 25/5/2006 5:35

Waitaminute, you mean none of that stuff on Star Trek was REAL?

 

This could never be taken out in public without drawing considerable attention - there is a miniature version, around 9-10', which - if misused - could be concealed and used as any other street weapon.- Ann, Saltdean, UK, 25/5/2006 5:46
 

Oh yeah. I can easily hide a nine or ten foot weapon in my purse. Of course, then my wife complains that it pokes her in the car, but that's just another story.

I suppose there will be an amnesty on forks soon in the UK.- David Coward, Caldwell, New Jersey United States of America, 1/6/2006 23:57


If wishers were horseys - well, now they're just forking with our minds...









But my favorite was from a former VP who really knows about global warming & Klingon cutlery (c'mon Al, no fair hiding behind a semi-anonymous nom de 'net AND name-checking a Trek alien in the same post!):


If having Klingon knives is criminal, then only Klingons will have Klingon knives.- Al Gorn, Albany, NY, USA, 25/5/2006 21:08

THE LIMITS OF POWER

Whilst driving my buns off the last two days, I happened to listen to the podcast version of Bill Moyers' excellent PBS show where he interviewed Andrew J. Bacevich. And I know that I have a lot of friends, on both sides of the political divide (yeah, as long as I don't make any more movie recommendations, right Skip?), but this is something that I think everyone should think about and discuss prior to our elections this November.

No, it's not about changing someone's mind on their particular political persuasion, it's just some food for thought, no matter what side of the issues you're on. I don't think Mr. Moyers' TV show gets nearly enough attention, and the issues that Mr. Bacevich has written about are certainly not front page news, but I'm thinking that they should be. Take a look, take a listen, and take a good long think...

Doris Redwine 1926-2008

Doris Redwine 1926-2008

My Sweetie wrote this for Mom and has allowed me to reprint it here:

Before I ever met Doris Redwine, I knew her basic story. She was a child born of the depression. She had three sisters and one set of twin brothers. She attended college earning a degree in chemistry - something few women even thought about doing in at that time.

She married Bob and she had three children. It was when I heard about those children that I first realized what an incredibly strong woman my mother in law to be was.

I could not imagine how anyone could survive giving birth to three beautiful boys and losing one to complications of Downs Syndrome, one to leukemia and fighting to keep alive one born with major heart defects.

But fight she did. When Tom was born she knew almost right away that something was wrong. She was told it was just fear. That after the birth of little Jim she was expecting something to be wrong.

Fortunately, she didn’t let anyone force her to doubt a mother’s instinct. She made the doctors see what she saw. That Tom could not breathe right. Many should be credited with saving her second sons life, including her husband Bob who insisted Tom get the very best doctors in the country and of course those doctors. But without Doris’ perseverance, my husband would not be alive today.

Just when she must have thought she had conquered the greatest challenge a mother could endure, she was forced to fight again. Her healthy son was diagnosed with leukemia. That four year long battle ended with heartbreak. And Doris was forced to once again endure a parent’s greatest tragedy- to have a child die before it’s mother.,

Even today, I cannot possibly understand the strength it took for Doris and Bob to survive that loss. But I suspect that the one thing that helped the most was the love of her family.

Before Tom and I could even say our “I Do!s” I realized there was something incredibly special about the Jones Family and Doris’ love for them all. The first clue was in how many members of the family made the long trek from the Carolinas to Arkansas for our wedding. The second clue was the teasing, laughter and all the picture taking at the wedding festivities. (Boy, that family can take pictures!)

But the biggest sign of the strength of the Jones Family love was the annual Christmas’ spent together in Badin and the summers at the beach. During those big family gatherings (and I do mean big – some summers gathered sixty or more extended family members together) I saw just how much that the Jones Family gave each strength through love, friendship and a willingness to share burdens.

The importance of family was clearly a lesson Doris and the siblings learned from their parents William Clyde and Aurene Ellis. And it may be the most important lesson she passed on to her own son.

But I don’t think Doris’ idea of family stopped at blood. Over the years I began to realize how much she appreciated and valued the friends who gave her so much support throughout the years. She spoke often of her book club, her friends at the beauty salon, and let’s not forget the friends she saw daily on TV all those years she watched her soap Days of Our Lives.

But I think the one’s who meant the most to her were the friends that she and Bob met through their church. People like Bill and Perky Foster who helped so much during the years when she battled for the lives of her sons.

I can’t tell you how many times Doris told me to value friendship and the support true friends can provide. It was family and friends who helped Doris survive for so many years when a weaker woman would have faltered. And it was family and friends who helped her endure the many physical and emotional pains she suffered in recent years. Even in the last few years when she did not often leave her home and eventually her bed,. she never stopped talking about the people who shared their strength and love with her.

I know she valued them all and I know that there is so very much we can all learn from her example. Yes, Doris had her moments of weakness, her times when sadness and pain made it difficult to get out of bed. But so many times in her life she was strong. Learn the lessons she taught me. Be stubborn. It can save a life. Value today. Tomorrow will bring many changes. And always do your best to see the good in life even when the darkness surrounds you.

A hair-raising tale...

Yes, this is bloggity gold!

Do Hairy Women Signal A Rough Economy?

Thanks, all you bloggity gods at NPR! I owe you a newly sharpened razor!

Damn....

It just got a lot sadder this weekend...

I'll miss ya, Bernie - I always thought you and Chris Rock would be great in the White House.

Not only that, three weeks ago I was reviewing "Hot Buttered Soul" for use on air and just groovin' more than I'm probably permitted at work. It was such a groove that I wasn't doing much beyond listening (whereas I normally have a little multi-tasking going on). I'm sure I'll keep finding more cool music from Mr. Hayes, but it's sad he's not going to be making any more.

King me [checkers vs. chess]

 A pair of legs reach for the floor

A pair that isn’t there anymore

 Perhaps one perhaps both are gone

And that’s all she wrote, son

Still you have to get out of the bed

The day begins and you must make a stand

Even tho

Two arms reach for the sky

In a city where the sky hangs about

your shoulders like a itchy sweater

quick as that, one then two lives are gone

a scream and a shout and a clip

caught in the webstream

another story breaks beneath the murk

 
A cat’s paw nudges a bit of string

Does my attention wander so

A splash and they’re off

Once and future

Take Down the Statue

Here's an article regarding an upcoming anniversary in our fair city. Nearly a hundred years ago, a statue of a Confederate soldier was erected in our town square, so people can remember the men (mostly) that were killed in the War Between the States (or, as I was taught, the War of Northern Aggression).

I have very mixed feelings about this upcoming anniversary, mainly because of what I've learned since being taught in school about that war. Where I certainly would not want to dishonor any of those that gave their lives in a cause they believed in, the soldier on the square is no longer a symbol of southern heritage but of southern sin.

Anyone who says that the Confederate War was about states' rights hasn't read enough about it (or, more likely, hasn't read anything about the war). The damn thing was about keeping people as slaves, a horrific and unjust practice during the time the war was fought and unthinkable today. I can only imagine what some of our newest citizens, fresh from other places and other backgrounds, think of our fair city when this symbol greets them in our town center.

So why do we have a symbol of racial suppression being celebrated in the 21st century? I believe that this is an excellent year to remember those who fought in service of their government, and replace this outdated symbol with something more respectful of their memories while keeping in mind that we are more than a hundred years away from the kind of thinking that started that war.


Update: interesting mix of events going on this Friday; on the same day as the Statue Celebration, The Iconoclast notes that Sen. John McCain will be in town on Friday for a fundraiser. My favorite part is the parting line: "McCain did not attend the original parade and dedication of the Confederate statue in 1908."

No word on Paris Hilton's plans for Friday as of yet...

Kick Your Morning Off With A Thump!

Three giants of BASS - Stanley Clarke, Marcus Miller, and Victor Wooten - have a album coming out on 8/12, and you know it's gonna be funky. Don't miss out, my funky friends!

True-Life Horror

Here's the latest trailer from an upcoming true-life horror movie... just thought I'd share! ;-)

News from Space!

Two items from outer space caught my eye today; one from Kevin Coupe of MorningNewsBeat on his weekly podcast, describing an NYT column by Glenn Smith on harvesting solar power in space; and the other from several sources, where Dr. Ed Mitchell, who was an astronaut on the Apollo 14 mission, talking about the reality of space aliens.

Being an avid fan of sci-fi and space, I want to believe Dr. Mitchell, but I think Mr. Smith's ideas may prove to be more, uh.... grounded. And wouldn't it be totally cool to live in a city powered from space?

When We Were Young

One of my favorite artists, who my Sweetie introduced me to early in our relationship, was profiled on NPR's "All Things Considered" this afternoon. Janis Ian, who holds the #2 spot on my "Best Intimate Concerts" list for a great show she did in Fayetteville, AR, several years ago, talked about her first big hit, "Society's Child," with Robert Siegel, and being seventeen in 1968.

Most people may remember her for either the controversial "Society's Child" or her monster seventies hit "At Seventeen" (which she still plays, beautifully and passionately, in her shows). Janis has not been quiet since the seventies, though - she's put out some really great music since then, and you can find some free mp3's on her website.

Janis is a real DIYer as it comes to the music industry, and I'm looking forward to reading her memoir, which is coming out tomorrow. Here are a couple of her CDs that I really like, "God and the FBI" and "Breaking Silence." Hope you also find her entertaining and intriguing.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

Some thoughts on vacations, after having just experienced one…

Check your directions before heading out in the morning, especially before you miss an exit and take a four-hour detour… especially when you have reserved tickets to see “The Producers” in Memphis.

Don’t make reservations for a play while you’re traveling between cities.

Set aside one day of recovery for every 750 miles you drive. Yer butt will thank you.

Always take time to see old friends. Thanks, Lex & Val, for your wonderful hospitality, the criminal beer and the relaxin’ time. I wish I'd had time to see others, but maybe on the next trip.

Even if it’s raining pretty hard and you’re only a few miles from home, always stop for beer. You might not feel like getting out again later.

More thoughts later, as my butt and other parts recover...

World's Fastest Homosexual

Forgive the light posting this week, but it's harder to hit a moving target. ;-)

With much apologies to Fritschie (knowing his loathing of Larry the Cable Guy), but I can't help it...

"I don't care who you are, that's funny right there! If you don't think that's funny you can get the hell outta here, 'cause that's funny right there..."


And you can find the funny here as well...

Free Internet Everywhere!

Jeff Jarvis has a lovely article about this, so I must give him props first.

I was thinking about this during the weekend as I updated (and reloaded) my Starbucks card, then registered on their site so that I can utilize the free wifi offered in their ubiquitous coffeehouses. This could come in handy if one's out and about and travelin'.

But the analogy of internet to interstate highways and/or water actually came up in Leo Laporte's TWITcast this weekend.

So I'm just sayin' I'm all for it. Not that I mind going into Starbucks and getting my chai with an espresso shot and a shot of sugar free vanilla (or caramel, depends on my mood) and groovin' on their net for no more than two hours (which is about as long as my laptop battery will last anyway), but I'd much rather have free internet all over the country, just like interstates and drinking fountains. Yes, there's always bottled water (sure, I'd like some faster internet! show me an ad or sign me up!) or toll roads (this internet brought to you by you, the one who's using it,'cause there's really not enough tax dollars in this area to support this infrastructure yet), but it would be totally cool to just wander anywhere in the US and still be able to find out what 1986 Tom Hanks movie marked the first English-speaking film role for Spanish star Christina Marsillach or what your new granddaughter looks like, right after she was born, live from the hospital.

Since the famous "series of tubes" speech by Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) a couple of years ago (which obviously shows precedent), we should start lobbying our congresscritters for government-sponsored, regulated, and neutral internet across the USA and her territories. After all, we have government-sponsored, regulated, and neutral (in the purest sense of the word) roads and water, why not the 'net? Because if we don't do it for the children, the terrorists will win. Spread the word, folks!

Only problem is, I don't see that the FCC is going away anytime soon. Sorry Mr. Cerf. You don't know how much I agree with your position (after all, if the FCC was gone, who would Donald Wildmon and the American Family Association write letters of protest to?), but you and I both know how impossible it would be to disassemble a federal agency. [In the spirit of full disclosure, neither the FCC nor the AFA represent anyone in my immediate family or my in-laws, 'cause we all know how to change the goddamn channel.]

I believe that the FCC is there simply to make life easier for everyone (except for those of us that want to communicate) and that they've been politicized as much (or more) than the Justice Department. So, here's my solution for fixing the FCC:

First, double the size of the commission, hire the right people and rotate them out every two and a half years. The right people would be anyone who doesn't work in Washington, anyone related to anyone who works in Washington, anyone who is good buddies with anyone who works in Washington, and they must have a deep abiding hatred of the bureaucratic slurdge that is Washington. The right people would be very tech-savvy, able to think for themselves, and consume a lot of media but do not work for the media or a media provider, nor are related to someone who works for the media or a media provider, nor are good buddies with anyone who works in the media or a media provider, and they have a deep abiding hatred of the starfrakkin' slurdge pit that is the media industry (as well as the media providers). Not only that, the commissioners' identities are hidden from everyone and they just go by a number, like in "The Prisoner."

Once selected, all the commissioners have to buy and set up their own wifi network, laptop, cellphone, smartphone, DVR, VCR, DVD, HDTV, satellite radio, satellite TV, DSL, VOIP, telephones, cable, and publicly-known IMs, blogs, e-mail, Facebook, MySpace, Bebo, and Twitter accounts (with no assistants or assistance other than what a normal consumer would have access to). They'd have to subscribe to four newspapers, four general interest magazines, and three special-interest magazines.

They would secretly meet once a month in a different coffeehouse (with free wifi) in each state, and they would have to empty their inboxes weekly (I wouldn't make 'em do daily, simply because I doubt Merlin Mann would ever get on the commission, but I could be wrong). They would have to travel at least 10 days each month to examine different areas of the country. They also should find out how Asia and Europe handle their information infrastructure (even if that means traveling there) and what lessons can be learned from their experiences.

They must share hotel rooms and keep to a very tight expense budget during all their travel, and their office expenses must also be on a strict budget. They would not be allowed to wear a tie on the job, or be able to accept gifts over $5, and they would have to account for all expenditures to a bipartisan congressional sub-committee made up of grouchy former IRS accountants. They would be held accountable for their decisions by their MySpace and Facebook friends, which are monitored by their mothers-in-law or one of their former high-school English teachers.

If this were to happen, I predict that we'd have net neutrality on the books within six months and national broadband internet access available to all within a year or two. Cable TV prices will drop and NPR will get their budget quadrupled. Newspaper ad pages would go down and readership (online and offline) would be up. The second season of the revival of Orson Welles' Mercury Theater on a small Kansas AM radio station would be the most-anticipated event of 2012. A bronze statue of Jeff Jarvis holding Janet Jackson's... hand would be erected in Chicago and bloggers would get free drinks and laid more than all the living rock stars, movie stars and reality TV stars combined.

OK, maybe not ALL the reality TV stars, but one can dream.

Too much to hear

I have about five CDs to listen to before the weekend. I have about 28 singles to screen for work. All that’s for work; for pleasure, there’s about three or four different groups I want to do some research on the Hype Machine for, to get more of a flavor of their sound.

I’m lucky that I have a neat job that demands I listen to music, but in order to do that I also have to get other stuff done. I’ve been multi-tasking since high school, when I used to study with my Kiss albums on, or the soundtrack to “South Pacific” or some Beethoven or Mozart. (I didn’t really get into jazz until after Sting’s 1985 debut, “Dream of the Blue Turtles,” and I credit Sting and Branford for introducing me to the greats.) I’m used to listening to music and doing something else, but there’s a few CDs where I really need (or want) to listen critically. I rarely get that kind of experience.

The other day, as my Sweetie and I were talking after supper, our thoughts turned to George Carlin (hey, if MSNBC can do seven days on the death of Tim Russert, I can talk about George for a few posts – suck it up, people) and I stood up, got a CD of his from the shelf, put it in the player and cranked up the stereo, and listened to “FM & AM,” and we started laughing. Later, I tried to remember the last time I put a CD on and cranked the stereo... it was Talking Heads “Fear of Music,” back in the spring, because it came with a 5.1 (or 7.1) mix on a DVD. Before that, maybe last year sometime with Pink Floyd’s “Dark Side of the Moon?”

Sitting down and listening to music is fading as an activity. It’s something we don’t even do at a concert or show – we’re texting or chatting or holding up the camera-phone to get a pic of the show or grab some video for YouTube. It’s only when I go to see jazz when I find an attentive, into-it crowd – mostly. And it’s everyone, not just folks younger than I am (although they do have more experience with the multi-tasking, since it’s their life). When did that go away, with the Walkman? The iPod? Or can we trace the erosion all the way back to the transistor radio?

So when’s the last time you sat down and just listened to an album? Which album was it? Let me know in the comments section, I’m interested in your response.

Parents CAN Be Funny…

When I was a teenager, I was only a little rebellious (until I got some hair on my chin).

That’s a story for another time, but I do credit George Carlin for helping fan that little spark of rebellion. I had a copy of “FM & AM” that I was playing when my mom came into my room, right about the time George was talking about a middle-class mom dropping a casserole and saying “shit,” and that the suburban euphemism, shoot, was really “shit with two O’s.”

My mom immediately cracked up. Once she regained control, she told me never to play that record again. Sorry, Mom – your laugh gave you away.

Years later, my father told me that they’d had a free preview of HBO one night and were just shocked, SHOCKED by the language that Robin Williams had on his “Night At the Met” program. Why, they could only watch ten minutes before they turned it off.

Ten minutes? Holy crap, that’s about nine and three-quarter minutes longer than I thought they’d last. I’d like to think they were laughing too hard to find the remote, but they may have just wondering what the frak Robin was going on about…

I had uncles (past tense, most of ‘em are gone now) who were funny as hell and could be kinda crude too, and Mom and Dad would laugh, sometimes a little nervously, but they laughed ‘cause it was funny. Of course, they never use that language (unless they drop a casserole). Did I ever mention that Dad was in the Navy during WW2? Yeah, I’m sure they’d never used that language.

That, to me, was hilarious, and led me to discover that sometimes what even parents say and what parents do are gonna be two different twains whose twacks will never cross (thus never the twains shall meet). I like the idea of those twains meeting in the dark of the night - and then jumping back in the shock of recognition.

I think Carlin’s language was always appropriate. I wish more people would listen to what he was saying instead of getting hung up on how he was saying it, but I also understand that how he was saying it was almost as important as what he was saying. Even though my parents (and a helluva lotta others as well) didn't appreciate it when he used "that language!"

2 Things

I’ve been inattentive to my blog for some time (Geez, really? Over a month is “inattentive?” How long does “abandoned” take?) and, while I’ve known this and thought about what I could say to crank it up again, two things happened recently that have kicked my ass into gear.

The first thing was the death of my friend George this weekend. Don’t get me wrong, George didn’t know me and I didn’t personally know George, but I’m sure I’m not alone when I say that I felt like I knew George, even if it was just a little. And now he’s gone, and I feel very much like I’ve lost a friend. Now look, I’m not gonna eulogize the guy, I just want to appreciate what he taught me and the laughs he gave me whilst making me think. I downloaded his last album on Amazon last night and listened to it this morning as I was dealing with e-mails and computer admin stuff. I can’t wait to play it for my Sweetie during our next driving trip. From what I know about George, I think he’d lambast anyone’s ass for leaving their blog alone this long. “Write, goddamnit! Get your shit out there!”

Here's one of his later bouts of philosophy that you might enjoy (and it's mostly worksafe).



The other thing was… I got called on it. Yep, my friend Brian (who is my window on NYC) noticed that I’ve been perpetually predisposed to procrastination (how’d’ya like that little bit of alliteration, George?) and then he called me on it in his blog. So naturally, I must rise to the challenge and bestir my semi-mobile buns to bring my blog up to date.

Now I feel guilty, ‘cause you’re all going to think that it takes a famous comic biting the dust and a friend calling my bluff to get me to blog. Now you’re thinking that you’ll have to wait until some other famous comic croaks and another one of my more observant compadres point out my proclivity for procrastination (really, I just like typing the word “procrastination,” it’s fun!) before I blog again. Au contraire, mon frère!

But it’s the doing, not the talking, that gets it done. So here I go…

Music I can't get enough of

I picked up Firewater's latest, "The Golden Hour," last week, and though I've had about 9 different discs to peruse since then, I still keep coming back to this record. It's really cool, very loose and worldly, yet so very accessible. This is my first exposure to Firewater, so I thought I'd share with you as well.

Kudos to the idea of traveling around and making music with whoever shows up, regardless of whether you speak the language or what your expectations are. Check out the video below to get a taste of why the album, then the two samples down below should help move you to hear more. I think this might be my obsession of the year.



“Borneo”

"Three Legged Dog"

Why I prefer not to fly

I hadn't intended to write about traveling, but this article made me chuckle and sigh at the same time.

My wife and I like to drive for trips. We drive from our home in northwest Arkansas to my parents' home in South Carolina, or our annual beach trip (which is mighty unlikely this year, given that my mom's in the hospital and so many of the older ones are gone), or my occasional pilgrimage to the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

When we drive, we see the country and get a feel for the landscape. We also use a lot of gas, which makes it more expensive a way of getting around nowadays. [And no, we don't have SUVs - seriously not my style.] Even though we're using the highways, we chat with others at rest stops and see various displays of kindness and cluelessness, probably in an equal enough measure. And you can't just stop the plane and get off when you see something interesting, like the Spam Museum or Crazy Debbie's Fireworks and Bait Shop.

Damn sure you can't find that last one in an airport terminal. (If you could, I'll bet it would be in Texas. Just sayin'...)

So is that the essence of why I do not prefer flying? No. The essence is all about control - I have the control of my time, not someone else. I don't mind the whole TSA experience (I usually wear loafers) except for the silly shit; yeah, my hair gel + contact lens solution is so dangerous it can only be contained by a Ziploc baggie, and god forbid I try to take a soda through, I must buy one at 250% above cost in the terminal.

And I have medical equipment in my bag and on my person, so I have to go thru the hand search every time (they can't wand me). That's OK, I can deal with that. I've yet to meet even a grumpy TSA agent that didn't react favorably to a smile and a friendly greeting.

But de plane, de plane... I always want to moo, loudly, when boarding and deplaning. I no longer check my luggage (I've been well taught by Delta and others, thank you), so I'm limited to what I can carry on (or gate-check). If I have to change my ticket, it costs me an extra $100 or more. My long legs do not enjoy confinement, yet there's no way I can afford a more comfortable seat in first class. They won't let me play my mp3 player (which has no wireless capability) because it could affect the navigation systems, yet the airlines are testing cell phone usage during flights, and you can imagine how much better THAT is going to make the whole in-flight experience.

And remember the nice TSA agents? They're sweethearts compared to airline employees. Ye gods, I've not seen a more depressed set of people since I worked in tech support. And they're also charm proof, which sucks for me.

Wonder why that industry is in trouble all the time?

Like they needed my endorsement, but…

.. go see “Iron Man” anyway.

I just caught it tonight (yes, it’s been a while since I’ve left the comfort of my Netflix queue/Redbox/couch for the cinema, much less paid for a night movie – oh, the pain!) and it was quite masterful. Robert Downey Jr. basically IS the movie, and he carries this one quite well, able to be serious while also displaying his quirky sense of humor. I really do wonder how many of his lines were improv. The SFX were gorgeous, and kudos to the digital systems at the theater, as I never felt it was too loud and never saw artifacts or any evidence that it wasn’t film on the screen.

The baggage that Downey carries with him from his wilder years wraps around his portrayal of Tony Stark quite well, adding nuance to his mannerisms and a knowing look in his eyes. For example, watch Downey’s eyes in the scene near the end when Pepper Potts (the lovely Gwyneth Paltrow) is prepping him for a press conference and he reminds her of that night, and she reminds him that the rest of that night didn’t go very well for her. The flash of charm quickly doused by sober reality, and then the walls come back down.

And don’t miss Stan the Man’s cameo – the man behind the creation of many of the Marvel heroes, surrounded by bunnies (and in a bit of a costume himself) at a benefit that Downey’s character attends on the spur of the moment.

I’m excited that Marvel has already released plans for “Iron Man 2.” There were quite a few little loose ends left dangling that fans of the comic will definitely pick up on, such as the Ten Rings reference and the government agency with the unwieldy title of Strategic Homeland Intervention, Enforcement, and Logistics Division. By the end of the movie, they just go by the acronym, giving one of the younger audience members several rows in front of me a bit of a thrill; “Cool!” was his somewhat un-whispered response.

Yeah, Marvel rules. Good times.

Real Women of Rock

A bit of sad news this weekend (yeah, like the post about Murphy was packed with laffs) as we learn of the passing of Danny Federici, organist and keyboardist for Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Something that I haven't seen mentioned in a lot of the stories was that Danny actually developed that keyboard-operated glockenspiel for use in concert (referred to as a glock in a box). He played with Bruce for over 40 years, and he was the exception to the rule that accordion players don't belong in rock 'n' roll. We'll miss you, Dan.


And now for something completely different.

I found a great article this weekend about the real women behind three famous rock songs and I thought they were made up. (Except Sharona - I actually had that 45 with her pic on it, and it fueled quite a few warm fantasies in my idiotic adolescence.) It's kinda cool to find out that these rock music muses/icons were real, but now I find myself wondering who else is real and who else is made up in the music I love? Is Nick Cave's "Lazarus" real? How real was the girl behind "867-5309?" Billy Joel's "Leyna?" Fountains of Wayne's "Revolving Dora" or "Yolanda Hayes?" How about Alice Cooper's "Cold Ethyl?"

OK, maybe I don't wanna know. Wish I could find that old 45, though... or a least the picture sleeve. ;-)