I’ve been out straight with all sorts of things lately but I saw this video and had to post it.
As a musician, I am in awe of this guy.
Not sure if he came before ‘August Rush’ or if he was the actual inspiration for it.
Judging from the movie clips I’ve seen, the August Rush kid smiles way too much for my comfort.
Kinda freaky and ala the Shining, so very unlike Mongrain.
Check it out.
Crazy.
This is some tres cool shit.
Off to bed, folks.
~m
I’m laughing right now which is odd for me . . . somewhat.
The reason is quite simple — it’s been 30+ years since the release of this album and this is the first time I’ve listened to it in its entirety; my bad.
I’d love to tell you what the album is but that wouldn’t have you guessing, now would it?
I’ll give you 8 hints though.
Let’s see who can guess the album and the artist . . .
*The band’s name was derived from two blues artists
*I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore
*Piggy
*Analog synth up the ass
*Alan Parsons definitely listened
*Slight existential motif
*A song in 7/4 meter put this band on the charts
*Time
There ya go.
One guess per visitor.
Winner gets a burned copy of the album signed by yours truly. {exciting, eh?}
Name the band and the album. First correct answer wins!!!!
And begin . .
~m
Last week I visited the WordPress forums because I was having some difficulty with uploading my blog’s header.
My problem was resolved promptly but for reasons unknown I hung around and responded to several posts regarding the machinations of the WP software.
I’m no BlogGod by any means but I feel I know WordPress fairly well enough to offer help.
While surfing the forum I came across a post titled, “If there’s a God, remove I CAN HAS CHEEZBURGER” (ICHC)
Fascinated with the uber-long thread of comments, I left one of my own.
In a nutshell, some bloggers are a bit “cheezed off” because this bad burger has been the #1 rated Top WordPress Blog ad nauseum and people wanted to know why.
And with good reason, I should add.
It’s a somewhat lame blog.
Different strokes, different folks, I guess.
The Cheezfest was set straight by several bloggers, Raincoaster being one of the WP forum angels to weigh in on the {oh no!} controversy.
RC is a frequent poster on the forum so if you’ve been there looking for advice, chances are you’ve seen the name.
I decided to check out the blog and have to say it’s very impressive.
I blogrolled and was pleasantly surprised to find my blog linked as well.
Raincoaster mentioned a site to me in light of the ICHC brew ha-ha called LOLNIN.
Turns out LOLNIN is a parody of sorts of ICHC using Trent Reznor of Nine Inch Nails as the blog’s main focus versus the sickeningly adorable cats on ICHC.
And believe me, I love cats but this site . . .
In order to completely appreciate the sheer brilliance of LOLNIN
you must first sadly visit ICHC .
That’s tonight’s assignment, folks.
And please at some point visit Raincoaster.
No crap, just a really cool blog with an even more awesome name.
Tell them ‘sneaker‘ sent ya
~m
I got this from my good friend Annie.
This will meme me out for a while but this one was damn good . . . and fun too.
These are the rules:
1. Go to the Billboard #1 Hits listings (scroll down and you’ll seen them separated by decades on the left in the sidebar)
2. Pick a year you were in high school
3. Get yourself nostalgic over the songs of that year
4. Pick 5 songs and write something about how these songs affected you
5. Pass it on to 5 more people
Fame – David Bowie
What I remember most about this song is its infectious beat.
It had all the elements of a cool funk tune blended seamlessly into a rock anthem. Girls liked to dance to it and us guys used to like to watch.
I also loved the weird vocal stuff Bowie did with his vocals in the studio.
A classic tune for me. I love Bowie.
You’re having my baby – Paul Anka
I’m going to cut to the chase here.
This song buuuhlows and Anka should have had his junk blown off just for recording it. This is a total lameass piece of musical shit.
And that’s giving it something.
This ‘baby’ should have had a clinic visit long before it ever gave birth on the AM airwaves.
This song makes Rosemary’s Baby seem like a Walt Disney character.
Really crass . . . sorry.
The Joker – Steve Miller
“Some people call me the space cowboy yeah
Some call me the gangster of love
Some people call me Maurice [insert your woo-woo HERE]
Cause’ I speak of the pompetous of love”
When they talk about songwriting it’s all about “the hook”, the line that grabs the listener.
This song had more hooks than my Uncle Bill’s tackle box.
IMHO, when you can combine space cowboy, gangster of love and pompetus ( a word that doesn’t even exist) in one song and make it sound like pure poetry, you’re a frickin’ genius and Steve Miller is damn close.
To this day, Miller remains prolific and ultimately solid as a songwriter.
His melodies will hopefully be around for generations to come.
Aren’t they lucky?
You bet your bippie.
Free Ride – Edgar Winter Group
This song brings me way back.
Remember Tango, Blackberry Brandy and Sloe Gin Fizz?
I used to go to concerts played by popular area bands on Saturday nights at the Middle School in my hometown.
Ah, the memories.
There was usually one stall in the boy’s room coated with Tango splash monkeys by the end of the night.
This song made you feel better even though you were already feeling pretty damn good.
How can you not love that?
You Light Up My Life – Debbie Boone
Another song from the gurgling bowels of some netherworld I’m obviously unaware of.
It even has one of the smarmiest lines of lyrics anyone ever had the sack to write:
“It can’t be wrong, when it feels so right . . .”
It makes me feel better when I make believe the songwriter was talking about sticking his head straight up his ass, an observation this song truly deserves.
If you must know, yes, I’ve played this song for many weddings (and spit anything coming up into an empty Heineken bottle)
(and yes, I’m kidding…I usually vomit after the set, I’m a pro).
The only thing that would have made this song even remotely salvageable is if it were totally re-worked (and I mean totally) by the Talking Heads or Devo.
A few songs that didn’t make the list—
We gotta get you a woman – Todd Rundgren (I love Rundgren)
Tears of a Clown – Smokey Robinson (how can you not like this tune?)
How can you mend a broken heart? – Bee Gees (I know. Gay.)
Uncle Albert – McCartney (weird tune. that’s me.)
Frankenstein – Edgar Winter Group (albinos just can’t be this funky, he must be an alien)
There’s my list of 5 (+) tunes.
I could go on for days but . . .
I’m not tagging anyone but I’d love to see Hannah, Evyl, Miriam, Yvonne and Zoe do a post.
How’s about it guys?
~m
Brecker Brothers.
Some Skunk Funk.
Don’t like Hardcore Fusion?
Then you’re shaking for a reason.
Better click on another link. . . quick.
“The Year Zero” is a new album by Nine Inch Nails.
It was inspired by a daydream Trent Reznor had about the end of the world (which takes place in 2022)
What the hell does this guy eat for lunch anyway?
YZ is a concept album that is far too complicated to even attempt to explain here.
It seems like a game of ‘Clue on Glue’ set to a seething and throbbing Techno/Alternative musical background.
I found a very strange website that contains, among other things, several MP3’s from the new album.
I’ve yet to give them a listen so it’s at your own risk.
This appears to be an intentional internet leak, I presume.
But be warned, Reznor’s apocalyptic vision is disturbing on many levels.
It’s also intensely creative.
If this sounds interesting, click the pic above.
While you’re there check out a few of the links and download a tune.
~m
addendum~
I downloaded these songs:
*My Violent Heart
*Survivalism
*Me, I’m not
*In This Twilight
I should add that they sounded incredible.
Pure NIN.
~m
Found a nice site that has some very slick downloadable material for
your Ipod. From Poe and Kafka to Dostoyevsky and Dickens there’s something for everyone that has an MP3 player in their lives (and likes audiobooks).
Best of all, it’s free.
Click on the stack of books above (the contents of all would easily fit on one 4G Nano).
Any guess as to what kind of cat is sitting on the stack?
~m
Found a nice site that has some very slick downloadable material for
your Ipod. From Poe and Kafka to Dostoyevsky and Dickens there’s something for everyone that has an MP3 player in their lives (and likes audiobooks).
Best of all, it’s free.
Click on the stack of books above (the contents of all would easily fit on one 4G Nano).
Any guess as to what kind of cat is sitting on the stack?
~m
For Christmas, my wife got me a pair of Bose Triport IE headphones (In-Ear) knowing how much music I listen to on my daily journey back and forth from Boston.
I have a Nano Ipod that’s always loaded with all kinds of funky stuff.
From Mojo Nixon (Elvis is everywhere) to Anita Baker and Nine Inch Nails, I have some pretty cool stuff.
I’ve been using this pair of Sony earbuds for a few years now and my wife thought it would be nice if I had something just a bit better if only to improve the quality of sound.
She thought a Bose product would be a vast improvement to my current earbuds.
And at 99$ a pop, you would think these buds would sing, right?
I immediately put them in and gave them a trial listen.
It was early Christmas morning so I chalked up my blasé first impression to the fact that I’d only had one cup of coffee.
Maybe more Joe was needed to awaken my ‘rock and roll’ battered auditory senses.
I gave the Triport IE headphones a good listening to on the way to Boston on the following day.
Halfway to Beantown, I pulled them out and thought, God, these suck.
They weren’t any better than the crappy Sony buds I’d been using.
I was gobsmacked.
In short, the IE buds sounded boxy (blatant and annoying midrange), bottom heavy (bass up the ass), and lacking in anything resembling vocal sibilance (1.5Hz +).
I’m thinking, this is a Bose product, it should blow me away.
It really didn’t.
The icing on the proverbial cake comes when you put the damn things in your ears.
They feel like you’re inserting a cold and jelly-like cadaver finger into your auditory canal. Eeegaaads….
Must be me.
I called Bose the next day and said I wanted to return the buds, the rep asked me why.
Because they sound like shit, I said.
Ahhh, customer dissatisfaction, he said.
The buds were a distant memory the next day and I was back with my crappy Sony plugs and feeling a bit downtrodden.
Fast forward to a few days ago;
I’m at Target with my wife and go to see what they have for headphones.
The first thing I see is a row of neatly displayed Bose Triport IE earbuds.
Noooo, Thanks.
Next to the earbuds is a Bose display of two new headphones; one that covers the ear ($139.95) and one that ‘sits’ on the ear (OE @ $179.95).
I fell in love with the OE’s because they were foldable and sounded incredible in the store.
Obviously, they were the more expensive of the two sets of headphones but hey, I’m just being honest.
Don’t waste your time looking for a better price. It doesn’t exist.
My Christmas/ Birthday present turned out to be a pair of the OE’s.
These headphones make NIN a religious experience.
If you can believe anyone, believe me.
If you passionately listen to music on headphones, throw me a bone and click on the picture above.
My French Riviera chateau awaits…
~m
It all began back in 1986 when I was living the life of a ‘musical’ Riley.
That, however, is a post for another day.
I used to write songs for my wife as unique Christmas presents.
After sending a few of them on to a dear friend, she suggested (ever so gently) that I make an attempt to sell my wares.
Clearance from my wife and a link to PayPal has opened up a channel of commerce, so to speak.
The CD is a compilation of ten songs written and recorded exclusively by me.
Accompanying each CD will be liner notes for each song, with my personal thoughts and wishes for each.
CD’s will be ready to ship in approximately one week from the date of this post.
Though I’m still sketchy on the whole PayPal experience, I thought I’d give this the old college try.
10 tunes, pure Christmas, pure me.
I guess you could do worse and order a Britney Spears Christmas CD.
Click on the street musician below. . .
(which is what I may be doing very soon if I don’t sell some of these CD’s)
Please pass the link on to someone you know that likes sappy original compositions.
Actually, the songs are quite nice.
If you’re interested but want to hear something, let me know.
I have a tune ready to be sent via email.
~m
