Monday, December 03, 2007

Mr. Peanut Gets A Bit Older


But, none the less feistier.

A Goober and a Tuber in an Exchange of Fisticuffs
Acrylic on Canvas, 24 " x 30", 1998
Todd Schorr

•••

'Little' brother 'Nut just celebrated a birthday. He is no longer the size of his childhood given nickname (he has children that have now taken over that status), but he still lives it (Whatever!? I don't even know what I think I mean by that.).

Anywho, ...

When I went away to school, Nut stayed in Jersey, 'colleged' (What? That's not a word?) there, and experienced the ever-rich Jersey music scene. When I came home for holidays, new music (on NEW! vinyl) always awaited. We still share it today, when we get a chance.

Thanks, Nut. And, Happy Birthday!

Love, Mushi

•••

Time Is Tight
(Buy: The Clash: Super Black Market Clash)

The Way I Walk
(Buy: Robert Gordon: Fresh Fish Special)

Brokedown Palace
(Buy: Grateful Dead: American Beauty)

Shadow Of A Man This song, 'Nut used to play in the minivan. His kids LOVED it! (This song, and some Disney song about a baby beluga whale, or something.)
(Buy: Oysterhead: The Grand Pecking Order)

It's Only Make Believe This might be the best karaoke song ever! Well, Peanut will just sing it any chance he gets.
(Buy: Conway Twitty: It's Only Make Believe)

Monday, November 12, 2007

Your Enduring Freedom, At What Cost? (Momento Mori)


Freedom, actually, is free — War, however, is not.

Veteran's Day
Korean War Veterans Memorial
Washington, D.C.
Dedicated 1995

•••

"I have of late — but wherefore I know not — lost all my mirth,
forgone all custom of exercises; and indeed it goes so heavily
with my disposition that this goodly frame, the earth,
seems to me a sterile promontory, this most
excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave
o'erhanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted
with golden fire, why, it appears no other thing to
me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapours.
What a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason!
how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how
express and admirable! in action how like an angel!
in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the
world! the paragon of animals! And yet, to me,
what is this quintessence of dust? man delights not
me: no, nor woman neither, though by your smiling
you seem to say so."
Hamlet Act 2, scene 2, 303–312, William Shakespeare

•••

Dedicated to all those veterans who fought in World War I, "The War To End All Wars" (And, every war, that wasn't called a war, after that).

WWII (Second World War)

The Korean Conflict (The Forgotten War)

Vietnam Conflict (The Vietnam War)

Operation Just Cause (Invasion of Panama)

Operation Desert Storm (Persian Gulf War)

Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan War)

Operation Iraqi Freedom (Iraq War)

•••

Stars & Stripes Forever
(Download the entire Pride of the '48 Band's: Sousa Marches over at Oddio Overplay!)

War
(Buy: Edwin Starr: War & Peace)

War
(Buy: Bob Marley & The Wailers: Songs Of Freedom)

Find The Cost Of Freedom
(Buy: Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young: So Far)

Sunday, November 04, 2007

Les & More



Figure & Stairs
Woodstock, England 2006
40 x 40 in. Carbon/Pigment Print
Photograph: Dirk McDonnell

•••

"When all is said and done, though, this is simply the way things looked as light fell, in certain places, at certain times, in that fugitive moment which is always now."

Excerpt of the Artists Statement from the upcoming solo exhibition, AS LIGHT FELL: Photographs by Dirk McDonnell, opening November 15, 2007, at Throckmorton Fine Art, NYC.

•••

Stops Out
What's Up?
You Don't Say?
From The Les The Better

Glass Eyed
The Long Way
Goodbye To All That
From More From Les

(Download more songs from Les Enfantsperdus Ensemble.)

Monday, October 29, 2007

Sweet Little Sunset®



Somewhere On The Rock.
Sometime in the Fall.
Somehow never boring.

•••

"Load the fan brush with Van Dyke Brown. Hold the brush vertically, start at the top of each tree and pull down to add the trunks. Thin the Brown with odorless thinner and use the liner brush to add the tree branches. Highlight the trunks and branches by adding White to the Brown.

Use the 1" brush and various mixtures of Brown, Blue, Green and Crimson to underpaint the tree foliage and small bushes at the, ...."


That's right, people — just like a painting by the Master — it's all Sweet Little Sunset®'s here.

•••

Evening : The Sun Set : Twilight Time
(Buy: The Moody Blues: Days Of Future Passed)

Monday, October 22, 2007

Happy Days



Sushi & Mushi
Children of the 60's.
Elizabeth, New Jersey

•••

You know, you didn't need much to keep my sister and I happy back in the day. Just give us our Colorola coloring box and the latest issue of TV Guide (What the hell?), and it looks like we were pretty damn happy.

Yes, we were sweet, little coloring vidiots.

•••

Get Happy
(Buy: Judy Garland: Summer Stock [Original Soundtrack])

Happy Days
(Buy: Ted Hawkins: Love You Most of All: More Songs from Venice Beach)

Shiny Happy People
(Buy: R.E.M.: Out of Time)

Thursday, October 18, 2007

Apparently, I've Been A Loser, Baby



Carvers Harbor
The Rock
October 18, 2007

•••

But, I think I'm finally back.

Time will tell.

•••

Loser
(Buy: Beck: Mellow Gold)

North American Scum
(Buy: LCD Soundsystem: Sound Of Silver)

Sunday, September 09, 2007

Crumbs


Ride, Jasper ride, upon your mystery ship.

Jasper Ridin'
1994, Oil on canvas
Mark Ryden

•••

Almost 20-something days away from here (due to severe computer malfunctions and various other 'bugs'), and all I have for you today is 'Crumbs' (and, this great, and one of my favorite Mark Ryden paintings).

Enjoy! (But, especially, enjoy Hal Sirowitz's reading of the same poem, below.)

Don't eat any more food in your room,
Mother said. You'll get more bugs.
They depend on people like you.
Otherwise, they would starve.
But who do you want to make happy,
your mother or a bunch of ants?
What have they done for you?
Nothing.
They have no feelings.
They'll eat your candy. Yet
you treat them better than you treat me.
You keep feeding them.
But you never offer me anything.

'Crumbs' ©2003 Hal Sirowitz

•••

(Okay, now this link really is 'Crumbs', sorry about that.)

Crumbs
(Buy: Hal Sirowitz: Mother Said (Poems))

(My crashed and burned computer should be replaced in a couple of days. Until then, I'll try to patch up and post whenever I can. – Mushi)

(Oh, yeah, still down! September 15,2007 — Mushi)

Saturday, August 11, 2007

Mawidge Is What Bwings Us Togewer Today


I now pronounce you rehearsal man and rehearsal wife.

Karen and Bruce
Wedding Rehearsal
The Rock
August 10, 2007

•••

On, what might possibly be, the most beautiful day (and, the day after the day shown in the picture above) this Summer, our friends Karen and Bruce are getting married. I just packed G off for a day full of pre-wedding primping, and will probably not see her again until the wedding (That is, of course, unless I have to do anymore taxiing of guests today).

It is truly a great day for, well, a White Wedding.

•••

Perfect Day
(Buy: Lou Reed: Trainspotting [Original Soundtrack])

White Wedding
(Buy: Whip: P:ear: Bridging the Distance)

The Great Intoxication
(Buy: David Byrne: Look Into The Eyeball)

•••

(You can, and should, read more about the p:ear organization, and their goal of building positive relationships with homeless and transitional youth, on their website.)

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

No, Not Harry! That Other, Amazing Potter (You Know, Sparky's Kid!)


The Bicentennial, baby! Let your giant freak flag fly!

The Verrazano-Narrows Bridge
Connecting Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn and Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island
Photograph via Forgotten NY
June 28, 1976

•••

Enough Harry Potter already!

I met Grace Potter when she was maybe 6 or 7 years old (some 16 years ago, or so), during a visit to her father, Sparky Potter's workshop (and home) nestled on a mountainside near Mad River Glen (where snowboarders, like myself, dare never tread), in a bucolic little town in Vermont.

A trip to Sparky's mountainside retreat was like taking a walk through the Shire, an experience only (much) later envisioned on the big screen in "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy (I kid you not, it had that same magical feeling!). A walk amongst the buildings and out-buildings of the Potter compound afforded you glimpses of signs in various stages of completion, Sparky's wife Peggy's hand-painted wooden bowls, in a rainbow of colors and stages of finish, drying on outdoor shelves, and the sense that you were in a place of complete creativity. Sparky was, and still is, one of the finest craftsman (and signmaker) I have ever had the opportunity to work with. He is damn funny to boot (and, has a personality and openness that is immediately infectious).

I had the chance to stop by Sparky's shop again while traveling through that little town a few years ago. Having changed very little (other then now having his shop away from the house, and a little (16 years, in fact) older, as I had become) over the years. He remembered me immediately (apparently, neither of us had changed that much), and gladly took me on a tour through his new workspace, once again, filled with colorful and creative projects in various stages of completion. At the end of the tour, he excitingly handed me a CD. "This is my daughter Grace's band," he exclaimed with a proud exuberance, "Enjoy," he said.

We shook hands, and said our goodbyes. With a warm feeling in my heart, and a copy of "Original Soul" in my hands, I walked to my car, and left.

Every time I hear a Grace Potter song now, I think of Sparky, too. And smile.

•••

Well, on the day after her third release, This Is Somewhere, I took the opportunity to visit her website, where I read this explanation about the cover images of the CD, from her recollections of the photographic archives of her father.

The front and back cover images are taken from a photographic document of the mounting of the largest American flag ever made up to that time; it was hung on New York’s Verrazano Bridge to commemorate America’s Bicentennial in 1976. The photos were shot by Dream On Productions, an art collective founded by Grace’s father, Sparky Potter, and commissioned by New York advertising executive turned flag-obsessed Vermonter Len Silverfine, who came up with the idea and secured the involvement of the city and state of New York. Silverfine had the flag assembled by a sailmaking company in Marblehead, Mass., and, two days before the Bicentennial, it was unfurled from the side of the bridge in a dress rehearsal. Hanging from the arching steel structure, the huge flag looked “magnificent—a real show-stopper,” Sparky recalls. But then the wind unexpectedly picked up, causing the flag to billow dramatically. Realizing that the heavy, wind-whipped flag could very possibly tax the structure of the bridge, the engineers on hand called for it to be taken down, and Sparky was one of the five crew members who held onto a halyard in an attempt to pull back one of its corners.

“The wind was so strong that it lifted me several feet in the air,” he says. “Because of the force of it, we were dangling like little rag dolls until the wind eased up. From that point on, the flag just kept continually ripping, but it must’ve been a six-hour process before it got to a manageable point, where people could actually cut the sections and take it apart.” As the effort continued, shutters snapped, resulting in some truly memorable images. “For those of us who were on the bridge, it was the most dramatic sculpture you could imagine,” says Sparky. “From looking at the flag through my lens, it became more and more of a piece of art as it fell apart.” And now, 31 years later, those images have become a metaphor for the state of the nation as observed so insightfully by Grace in the songs of This Is Somewhere.

“It’s an amazing piece of Americana,” says Sparky, “and it probably would’ve stayed stashed away in the closet if Gracie hadn’t had a momentary flash about some slides of an American flag that she remembered from her childhood.”


Then, I came across this:

"On June 28, 1976 the largest American flag in the world was placed on the Verrazano. It lasted a few minutes before winds tore it apart. (Technology wasn't quite as advanced then). Since then a bigger flag was produced in Thailand, but we're told an even larger flag was produced in the USA. Help me out, Forgotten fans!"
From a recollection of that same event, 31 years ago, via Forgotten NY

(Ah, synchronicity! Don't you just love when those things happen.)

And now, for your enjoyment, as well as mine, some music by the amazing Grace Potter.

•••

No Good, Mean Old, Lowdown Lover Man
(Buy: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals: Original Soul)

Nothing But The Water (II)
(Buy: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals: Nothing But The Water)

Here's a live version of that same song, and, I believe, the reason for the band's popularity. (Their live performances, I meant, if you didn't know what I meant. Or, maybe it's that bitchin' Hammond. Or, Grace's voice. Or, maybe it's just because that the damn band rocks it live!)

Nothing But The Water (LIVE)
(June s, 2006 at World Cafe Live!, Philadelphia (NPR))

Here's To The Meantime
(Buy: Grace Potter and the Nocturnals: This Is Somewhere)

•••

And, here's one for those bicentennial flag "supporters" on that windy little day in June.

Don't Pull It Down
(Buy: Various Artists from Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical: Hair: The American Tribal Love-Rock Musical [Original Broadway Cast])

Saturday, August 04, 2007

Did I Ever Tell You, You're A Zero (Or, I See Dead Drunk People)


A rogues gallery of, well, rogues.

One (Too Many) Bourbon + One (Too Many) Scotch + One (Too Many) Beer
American (and an Aussie) Idols
Making Us Proud

•••

"Hey! See that guy over there? Follow him when he gets in his truck," G says, as I watch the tall, lanky kid step into his ride. As he drives away, another truck pulls up behind him and follows him out of the parking lot. We follow them.

"That guy totally just bought alcohol for the kid in the truck behind him," G explains, "I want to see the hand-off." G is excited that she spotted this little interaction.

We are tailing the two trucks, hanging back with discreet, spy-like skill (No doubt honed from some lame "Murder She Wrote" episode, where Angela Lansbury (G) and Tom Bosley (me) pursue, at 15 miles an hour, a geriatric lawbreaker.)

The trucks pull into a dirt parking lot, only about a quarter mile from where they started (and still, mind you, in pretty public view). The "legal" (if you can call buying liquor for minors legal) buyer pulls in first, the younger "illegal" (yes, minor) pulls his truck around so that they are window to window (Because, we are transacting illegal business here, so why try to look any more indiscreet?). The elder (by only 5 years or so) hands off the package, and pulls away fast, in a flurry of gravel and dust (because, were still not drawing attention to ourselves yet). The minor, sauce in hand, pulls out slower.

"That was so cool," exclaims G.

"Yeah," I respond.

Fortunately, the night goes by without any incidents or accidents on The Rock.

But, two days later, the someone driving a truck, hits a telephone poll (Not the minor above, but a legal drinker, and, not an uncommon occurrence out here on the island), and is airlifted (by plane) off The Rock.

Two days later — while drinking in the local (only) bar on the island — we overhear somebody telling of that accident (his girlfriend, who is sitting right next to him, drinking). He is drunk.

They get home safe that night.

Three days later, a drunk somebody runs his truck into an abandoned trailer home. Plane, hospital, broken bones, and he returns to the island.

It will happen again (and, again) out here. Until somebody dies.

And then, it will happen again.

(Please, drink wisely. And don't, for phuck sake, drive! Really, I don't care if you hurt yourself, but, there are 1,200 others out here who prefer not to go down with you.)

•••

It Was A Very Good Beer
(Buy: The Simpsons: The Simpsons: Songs In The Key Of Springfield [Original Music From The Television Series])

Ballantine Beer
(Ballantine Beer Orchestra))

Beer Beer Bottla Beer
(Download: A. C. Ducey: Thurl Festival! (At WFMU: Beware the Blog)

Beer Run
(Buy: Todd Snider: Near Truths and Hotel Rooms Live [LIVE])

All for Me Grog
(Buy: Dan Zanes: Sea Music)

Alcohol
(Buy: Gogol Bordello: Super Taranta!)

I'm feeling a bit thirsty. Let's head out.

Nite Club
Friday Night, Saturday Morning
(Buy: The Specials (Featuring Rico): The Singles Collection)

Seeing double yet? Well, how about now?

Beer Barrel Polka
(Buy: The Andrews Sisters: 60th Anniversary Collection)
Beer Barrel Polka
(Buy: Roy Clark and Buck Trent: Banjo Bandits)

What's The Use Of Getting Sober (When You Gonna Get Drunk Again?)
(Buy: Louis Jordan & His Tympany Five: Louis Jordan & His Tympani Five [Original Recording Remastered])
What's The Use Of Getting Sober (When You're Gotta Get... )
(Buy: Joe Jackson: Jumpin' Jive)

Too Drunk To Fuck
(Buy: Dead Kennedys: Give Me Convenience Or Give Me Death)
Too Drunk To Fuck
(Buy: Nouvelle Vague: Nouvelle Vague)

In Heaven There Is No Beer
(Buy: Frankie Yankovic: The Best of Frankie Yankovic)
In Heaven There Is No Beer
(Buy: Brave Combo: Polkas for a Gloomy World)

Well, you don't have to go home, but, you can't stay here.

I Wish You Were A Beer
(Buy: Cycle Sluts from Hell: Cycle Sluts from Hell)

Closing Time
(Buy: Semisonic: Feeling Strangely Fine)

Thursday, August 02, 2007

I'm From Jersey! Are You From Jersey?


A face only a mother (And, the entire State of New Jersey) could love.

Tillie
Palace Amusements Building
Kingsley Street (between Lake and Cookman Avenues)
Asbury Park, New Jersey
1994

•••

For over 100 years, Tillie, the bug-eyed, high-collared, grinning beacon of Palace Amusements, reminded all (Well, me at least) of the glory and wonder that what was — once, the greatest place on Earth — the Jersey Shore.

Unfortunately, in 2004, amongst protests from the State of New Jersey's senior historic preservation officer, who reminded the Palace owners that the complex was listed on the New Jersey and National Registers of Historic Places, and expressed her office's official position that "if saved, this complex could serve as a major tourist attraction as it did historically and be a cornerstone to the redevelopment plan of Asbury Park," the developers tore the building down. But, not before a little rescue mission.

Over four days in mid-June of 2004, Save Tillie members and a crew of sawing experts, steel fabricators and welders under the direction of Save Tillie member Gary Loveland of Universal Fabricators in Jackson, New Jersey, separated the Tillie mural from the Palace at the corner of Cookman Avenue and Kingsley Street. They sawed through foot-thick high density cinder blocks, and surrounded the mural with steel frames until the entire 16-foot high, 14-foot wide and 16 tons of Tillie were fully supported by the frame.

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection issued a waterfront redevelopment permit to the City of Asbury Park and Asbury Partners, directing Asbury Partners to preserve artifacts from the Palace Amusements complex, a National Register of Historic Places building in Asbury Park, and to reuse the artifacts in a new building that will be constructed on the Palace lots. The permit stated:

"Prior to demolition of the Palace, the developer will work with the City and its technical review committee to identify certain parts of the existing Tilly [sic] mural and Palace Amusement building that will be relocated and preserved. The preserved sections will be incorporated into a new hotel development or retail development at this location as a part of the lobby wall. The images of the existing Palace Amusement Building shall be incorporated into the design and flavor of the new structure of [sic] the site."

I'm sure that in some future display, in some gentrified hotel lobby or public park, we will be able to once again enjoy the smiling face of Tillie, and think fondly, and sadly, of Palace Amusements.

•••

I started this post trying to figure out how to post a few songs from a great new recording by yet another Asbury Park icon. A friend of mine just finished touring with his new 'Boss' (playing sousaphone, trombone, mandolin, penny whistle, and euphonium), and came by the house bearing gifts of a CD and DVD of concerts recorded live in Ireland.

They sounded pretty good. Here's a few tunes.

•••

Old Dan Tucker
Further On (Up The Road)
Love Of The Common People
Pay Me My Money Down
Growin' Up
(Buy: Bruce Springsteen With The Sessions Band: Live In Dublin)

Tuesday, July 31, 2007

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Fuzzy Fruit Salad Daze


I don't know about the rest of 'em, but the grapes look pretty comfy.

Fruit Salad
A few days past its prime.
The Rock

•••

Yes, I know, there are children starving somewhere. I promise, I will compost this with a guilty conscience.

(And, eat the fruit faster next time.)

•••

Here Come The Fuzz
(Buy: Jon Spencer And The Elegant Too: Hot Fuzz [Original Soundtack])

Here Comes The Fuzz (With Jack White, Freeway & Nikka Costa)
(Buy: Mark Ronson: Here Comes The Fuzz)

I Love You For All Seasons
(Buy: The Fuzz: Art Laboe's Dedicated to You, Vol. 2)

Fuzzy Freaky (Mark Walk And Ruby Mix)
(Buy: The Visible Man: Luaka Bop 10th Anniversary: Zero Accidents on the Job)

Wednesday, July 11, 2007

Chocolate Covered Demons Atomiques!


Assalto alla Terra! (Italy), Atomische Duivels! (Belgium/Flemish), Des Monstres Attaquent la Ville! (France), Formicula! (West Germany), La Humanidad en Peligro! (Spain), O Mundo em Perigo! (Portugal), El Mundo en Peligro! (Mexico), One! (Poland), Politiet og Uhyret! (Denmark), Són Elles! (Spain/Catalan), Spindlarna! (Sweden)*, Yön Pedot! (Finland) No matter how you say it, it's killer atomic ants — in my backyard!

THEM!
The Rock
July 2007

•••

I've got 'em! Right in my backyard! The dreaded European Fire Ants (Myrmica rubra)!

How they got out to The Rock in the first place, I can only speculate. (Most likely, with the influx, and in the roots of, the also dreaded, Japanese knotweed (Fallopia japonica) that some idiot decided would be great to grow out here.) But, G and I have been gardening around them ever since we bought our house, three years ago. I had never had any contact with them before moving here. G knew what they were right away — and what they were capable of. You see, these little (about 3/16 inch long) red fuckers defend their territory pretty agressively and sting, at first burning like hell, and then (for me at least, being apparently allergic to whatever the little red devils are stinging me with), leaving behind a pretty good size welt.

Not being one for panic and pesticides, I've not had much luck in finding a solution for our predicament (other then walking around the yard with a tea kettle pouring hot water on them), but, I am not beaten yet and, with (according to research, so far,) no redeeming natural qualities, and a potential threat to the environment (especially, mine!), they will not win.

Now, it's time to bring it on! (Or, start eating them!)

* Actually, in Sweden, Spindlarna! translates to "The Spiders!",which might might have been a bit misleading to the viewing public. Or, maybe they just chalked it up to us 'Demons Atomiques Americans'. Who knows?

•••

Ants v. The Universe
(Buy: Richard Laviolette: A Little Less Like a Rock, a Little More Like Home)

Army Ants
(Buy: Tom Waits: Orphans: Brawlers, Bawlers and Bastards)

Ants In The Kitchen
(Buy: Masters of Reality: Sunrise On The Sufferbus)

Antmusic
Beat My Guest
(Buy: Adam and the Ants: Very Best of Adam and the Ants)

Baby's On Fire
(Buy: Brian Eno: Here Come The Warm Jets)

Water Your Garden
(Buy: Lucious Jackson: Fever In Fever Out)

Saturday, June 30, 2007

· · · — — — · · · Same Old Shite (Or, iPick-A-Little, iTalk-A-Little Less)


"Yes, I'm just rowing up to the dock (in my floppy 'I'm on vacation, and I don't care how stupid I look on a cell phone rowing a boat' hat on) now. Where are you? Oh, yeah, I can see you from here."

Nauti-call Lymie
Rockland Harbor
June 29, 2007

•••

I'm not sure if you've heard anything about this yet but, apparently, Apple has come out with some type of new 'phone' thingie, and people (which so far includes, the media, anybody owning stocks in Apple, and maybe that tool in the picture above, although my guess would be that he is PC all the way) are pretty darn giddy.

So, here's the deals, as I think I understand them. The iPhone itself, is only about $500. to $600. depending on how much money you have, and how much memory you require. (But, orders are limited to two per customer, so please, don't get greedy!)

You'll also be required to sign up for a two-year AT&T service agreement and an activation fee (and are subject to AT&T credit approval). The minimum plan prices out at $59.99 per month (or, $1,439.76 over the two-year required contract), not including any service charges (and, being AT&T, you know there will be plenty), which will only 450 minutes (which is only 7.5 hours. But who talks more than that on the phone in a month?) of talk time a month.

Intrigued yet?

Well, if you're coming out to The Rock, don't be — because your iPhone (or, cellphone for that matter) won't work here. (That would be another one of those great things about living out on The Rock.)

•••

Connection
(Buy: Elastica: Elastica)

Telephone Line
(Buy: Electric Light Orchestra: A New World Record)

Call Me
(Buy: Nancy Wilson: Cocktail Mix, Vol. 2: Martini Madness)

The Call Up
(Buy: The Clash: Clash On Broadway [Disc 3])

Pick-A-Little, Talk-A-Little
(Buy: Hermione Gingold & The Biddys: The Music Man [Original Soundtrack])

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Downtown (If You Know What I Think I Mean)


Before the Great Disneyfication (But, I'll save THEM for another day.)

Times Square, New York City
1997
Photograph © Spencer Tunick

•••

"You can always go downtown."

•••

Downtown
(What? Do I have it in Deutsch, you say? Sure! Petuland Uber Alles!)
Downtown (Deutsch)
(Buy: Petula Clark: Downtown)

Downtown
(Buy: The San Remo Golden Strings: Hungry For Love)

Downtown
(Buy: Booker T. And The M.G.'s: Soul Men)

Downtown
((I don't know why you'd want to) Buy: Anything by: Mrs. Miller)

(Well, that song just about put me off 'Downtown' forever, until Peaches. But, I think she's singing about a different town.)

Downtown
(Buy: Peaches: Impeach My Bush)

And finally, this from Emma Bunton (aka Baby Spice). Oh, yes, it sucks as bad as you think it might — and you probably won't make it through the whole video (and I strongly suggest you don't!) — but the hand gestures in the first 25 seconds make it worth it. (I think I know what she's talking about. Or, not.)



(Sorry. I intended this post to go in a totally different direction from yesterday's — that is, until the end, when it took on a life of its own — then, it was all 'Downtown' from there.)

Sunday, June 24, 2007

Shine On Your DailyLove® Light (To A Power Rawk Ballad)


Flame On!

George Blaisdell
Inventor of the Zippo® lighter

•••

Ahhh, the power ballad. Was there no quicker way for your favorite 'rawkers' to totally become your least favorite? (Rhetorical question. The answer is a definite, "NO!")

But, hey, I thought all of these bands sucked before their big hair got all wrapped up around their hearts.

'I gotta take a little time,
A little time to think things over.
I better read between the lines,
In case I need it when I'm older.'


Oh, wait, I love this one! Lighters up!

•••

Without You
(Buy: Mötley Crüe: Dr. Feelgood (Remastered))

November Rain
(Buy: Guns N' Roses: Use Your Illusion: 1)

Every Rose Has Its Thorn
(Buy: Poison: Open Up and Say...Ahh!)

I Remember You
(Buy: Skid Row: Skid Row)

Love Hurts
(Buy: Nazareth: Hair of the Dog)

And, finally ...


Can you just imagine the sing-a-long with this one, no doubt, the final encore of every one of their concerts after this song came out.

Argghh!

Saturday, June 23, 2007

I DailyLove® You — You Damn, Dirty Ape!


Taylor and Zira sitting in a tree ... (Beware of the dinosaurs!)

Man + Monkey = True Love (4VR)

•••

Evolution vs. Magic. Is there a more divisive topic? I think not.

"Theres a sign on the wall
But she wants to be sure
cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
In a tree by the brook
Theres a songbird who sings,
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it makes me wonder."


No matter what the folks over at the new — state-of-the-art 60,000 square foot 'bringing the pages (you remember those passages about dinosaurs, right?) of the Bible to life' (and , quite honestly, amazingly well funded for such a hair-brained endeavor)Creation Museum might say, they're wrong.

But, as always, I welcome your opinions. Pass the bananas, please.

•••

Banana Ghost
(Buy: Man Man: Six Demon Bag)

Monkey Spanner
(Buy: Dave and Ansil Collins: Double Barrel 7")

Monkey Gone to Heaven
(Buy: Pixies: Doolittle)

To be fair, here's one for the other team. (Listen at your own risk!)

Stairway to Heaven
(Buy: Pat Boone: In a Metal Mood: No More Mr. Nice Guy)

(Beware: Linking to Mr. Boone's website — also, at your own risk. No, really! Sitting through Boonie's Barry White-wannabee release 'Hopeless Romantic' may cause an aversion to any romantic feelings. You've been warned. Now, you have to go listen to it, don't you?)

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Druids With Third Eyes and Pagans With Rings — These Are A Few Of My Favorite Things



Druids, drummers, pagans and partygoers welcomed the sun Thursday as it rose above the prehistoric monument on the longest day of the year. (Hey! Are those regulation Summer Solstice mylar balloons?)

Summer Solstice
Stonehenge, England
Carl de Souza/AFP — Getty Images

•••

Druids and pagans! Don't even get me started.

But — starting today - the summertime rolls.

•••

Summertime Rolls
(Buy: Janes Addiction: Nothing's Shocking)

Thursday, June 14, 2007

A, To The B, To The C You Later!


So long, Crabby!

Miss Crabtree with the children.
Last day of school.

•••

All of you that live with, or know, a teacher, will appreciate — as much as they do — that today (on The Rock, at least) is the last day of school.

On that note, here's some sugary-sweet loveliness to guide you into the Summer!

•••

Sky Blue
Ice Cold Lemonade
A B & C
Who Needs Wings To Fly?
If You Want To Sing Out Sing Out (From Harold & Maude)
(Buy: Death By Chocolate: Death By Chocolate)

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

The G8's Got Nothing On The Four


The Oxfam G8 'Big Heads' dress up as Pinocchio, to push home the point that the leaders' noses grow longer by the day, as they break the promises they made in 2005.

G8 Summit 2007 Heiligendamm
To Hell With Poverty — Next Time.
© 2007 Craig Owen/Oxfam

•••

To hell with poverty.
The check will arrive.
It's in the post again.


•••

Not Great Men
Damaged Goods
To Hell With Poverty
(Buy: Gang Of Four: Return The Gift)

Tuesday, June 12, 2007

Orchestrated Chaos



Tesla Urn, 2004
Marina Abramović
'Tesla Urn' is dedicated to the Serbian-American scientist Nikola Tesla, who made some ground-breaking inventions that are still of importance for us today, especially in the area of electric engineering. In the video, Marina Abramovic holds her hands over the urn that stores the ashes of Tesla (normally kept at the Nikola Tesla Museum in Belgrade, Serbia) in an attempt to absorb their energy.

•••

Welcome to the Balkanization of America.

I only hope that you can wrap your hands around this selection of music, in an attempt to absorb all of its energy.

(You can read more about Marina Abramović here, and see more of her work, here.)
•••

When the Trickster Starts A-Poking (Bordello Kind of Guy)
(Buy: Gogol Bordello/: Multi Kontra Culti Vs. Irony)

Jupanese Ju Ju
(Buy: Hungry March Band : Critical Brass)

Šiki, šiki baba
(Buy: Kočani Orkestar: Alone At My Wedding)

Warsaw
(Buy: Luminescent Orchestrii: Too Hot To Sleep)

El Zopilote Mojado
(Buy: DeVotchKa: Curse Your Little Heart)

Adir Adrimi (Featuring Victoria Hanna)
Bulgarian Chicks (Featuring V. Tomova. M. Alexiava)
(Buy: Balkan Beat Box: Balkan Beat Box)

Monday, June 11, 2007

Isle au, Hey, Haut


Life like an Eric Hopkins painting.

Isle au Haut
On top of some rocky hill.
June 10, 2007

•••

About ten of us took a glorious trip out to the beautiful island of Isle au Haut (Pronounced AISLE-a-hoe — not EEL-a-hoe, not EEL-a-who, just AISLE-a-hoe — and if you say it any other way, you're saying it wrong!) yesterday. You could not have asked for nicer weather, which made for an even nicer day. Hiking, picnic, and, in the end (of a I don't know how far a hike), everyone was laden with plastic bottles, bouys, and miscellaneous flotsam and jetsam which we dumped into the back of a (fortunately parked) park ranger truck at the end of our trip.

Two of the Best Quotes of the Day:
When one of the two 5th graders who came on the hike with us, picked up a L-shaped piece of driftwood, held it under his arm like a machine gun, and said,

"Say 'Hello' to my little friend!"

(It is unclear, if he has actually ever seen 'Scarface', or just picked up on which is now, a classic line. Either way, his father was thoroughly teased about it.)


The same child, a mile or two later, was walking with myself, another adult, and a classmate of his, when they were noticing some of the bigger tree roots crossing the path. His friend made a comment, which I missed, when 'Lil' Scarface' said,

"If you don't keep moving, you'll root like those trees."

True enough, brother. Keep it moving.

(Eric Hopkins beautiful island paintings can be seen in just about every house on The Rock. For many, who have known him for years, they got his work quite inexpensively when he was just starting out. For others (summer folk), they paid for it well, as his work became a symbol of their connectedness to the islands. For the late-comers, who still love his work, but can't afford it any more, there are posters and prints, or the wonderful selection of packages of organic soils and fertilizers from Coast of Maine Organic Products, Inc.)


•••

In The Garden Of Earthly Delights
(Buy: Combustible Edison: The Impossible World)

Mr E's Beautiful Blues
(Buy: Eels (pronounced EELS, not AISLES): Road Trip Soundtrack)

Mr. Blue Sky
(Buy: Electric Light Orchestra: Out Of The Blue)

Rock The Boat
(Buy: Hues Corporation: Soul Hits of the 70s: Didn't It Blow Your Mind)

Saturday, June 09, 2007

Ru Paul 2008: Hope For America


Ladies and gentlemen, your new President of the United States.

Ru Paul
'Reworking It' for a new America.
2007

•••

When I first noticed the recent searches on line for 'Ron Paul', I just assumed that she had come out with a new album, or just another celebrity checking into rehab. But, boy, was I wrong. Imagine my surprise, when I found out that this 'Paul' was not only a Republican, but one of the first supporters of Ronald Reagan in 1976 (A sure fire way for other Rebs to start loving you.), and running for president in 2008.

Anyway, to say the least, I don't care for him. (Although I do find some strange attraction to him due to his uncanny resemblance to the narrating postman from the Rankin & Bass television holiday special 'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town.' But, not enough to vote for him.)

My votes for Ru, every time.

•••

Black Barbie
(Buy: Jahcoozi: Pure Breed Mongrel)

Barbie Girl
(Buy: Aqua: Aquarium)

And, just because Ru has finally decided on her campaign song for 2008:


Hillary could learn a thing or two from this.

Work it, Ms. President!

Thursday, June 07, 2007

I Don't Give A Damn About Her (Or, Her Husband's) Reputation!


My American Idol — Saint Joan of Art

The Honorary Ms. Joan Jett
Warped Tour 2006
July 14, 2006
Nampa, Idaho
Photograph ©Otto Kitsinger|Performance Photography

•••

Just don't ask me to vote — for this!

"Your votes narrowed down the list of choices, and we added your top suggestions. Vote in the final round of our campaign song contest — and don't miss the latest video."

What is this from? The latest call to the best use of cellphones for placing your votes with Dancing With the Stars or American Idol? Well, sort of. You see — in the great tradition of taking mediocre songs and hoping to personify them into a national call to action (i.e. The hellacious pairings of Bill Clinton & Fleetwood Mac: 'Don't Stop', Arnold Schwarzenegger and that pitiful Twisted Sister, Dee Snider: 'We're Not Gonna Take It', Ronald Reagan using 'Born in the USA', or George W. Bush and Van Halen's 'Right Now'!? Holy Shite! These might easiest be the worst songs ever done by any of those bands! You can read more about this here.) — Ms. Clinton would like you to select her 'song'.

You know, just when you thought that a woman could step up and turn the White House — and the whole 'white man government' thing — around, we find out that she is just another politician 'utilizing' (Showing with absolute blazing colors of un-hipness, her lack of 'connectedness' with anybody remotely associated with the American voting public), while using that 'World Wide' thing-a-ma-jiggy to its fullest capacity. (Please, give us a little more credit, and a major effing break!)

Anywho, if you need to go vote, you can do it at Hillary Clinton's 'Pick A Song (and, Maybe Find Out What I Stand For') website. But, even if you don't vote, you should go and see what songs the collective voting 'WE' think are 'IT'. Guaranteed: You will only be disappointed. How disappointed? Would you believe that your 'Final Choices' are between KT Tunstall (Who the effin', friggin' hell is KT Tunstall?) [G informs me that she knows KT. She, apparently, has a song on the Grey's Anatomy Soundtrack. What are the chances that somebody in the Clinton 'Camp' may have plugged into that popular program by accident? And, hell, for that matter, what about something from Ursula 1000?], Shania Twain (Nuf' sayd!), U2 (Hey! We're not an American band!), The Temptations (Because Hillary's down with all music, homes. And the 'kids' LOVE their new stuff — if they even know who they are!), and, that effin' band Smashmouth (You know, from the 'Shrek' movie!)

Below, are songs that I think could stand up against any of them. Enjoy, and, okay, vote when it's time. (For somebody with a cool song!)

•••

Who Can You Trust
Coney Island Whitefish
(Buy: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: Album)

Roadrunner
(Buy: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: Good Music)

A.C.D.C.
(Buy: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: Sinner)

Do You Want To Touch Me (Oh Yeah)
(Buy: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: Bad Reputation)

And, my personal favorite (and what politician couldn't be telling the truth with this one?),

Bad Reputation
(Buy: Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: Bad Reputation)