25 January 2010
My 80s knowledge is truly indestructible
It's amazing what you can do when you put your mind to it!
Two nights ago (late - in the black of the night) I heard this bumper music on either Lars Larson or another A.M. host.
I only had one chord stuck in my head and a memory that the singer's voice had a modicum of nasality and came from the back of the larynx. I went through Joe Jackson's greatest hits, ABC, and finally ended up with sweet serendipity on my third try, Spandau Ballet. Incidentally, they've reunited and are on tour!
Hail, New Romantics!
24 January 2010
The end of the late-night war
Nice to see Conan keep his cool while exiting the Tonight Show. Good for him.
by Hank Steuver
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/22/AR2010012200715.html
So when it comes time to tell our children of the great late-night war of 2010, what will we tell them? Is there a takeaway lesson?
Maybe it's this: Stay positive. In a longer and more heartfelt speech at the end of his show (before he joined Will Ferrell and others in a cheesy, jammin' rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird") O'Brien cautioned against viewing his strange predicament as a story of resentment and cynicism:
"All I ask of you, especially young people . . . is one thing. Please don't be cynical," O'Brien said. "I hate cynicism -- it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen. I'm telling you, amazing things will happen."
by Hank Steuver
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/01/22/AR2010012200715.html
So when it comes time to tell our children of the great late-night war of 2010, what will we tell them? Is there a takeaway lesson?
Maybe it's this: Stay positive. In a longer and more heartfelt speech at the end of his show (before he joined Will Ferrell and others in a cheesy, jammin' rendition of Lynyrd Skynyrd's "Free Bird") O'Brien cautioned against viewing his strange predicament as a story of resentment and cynicism:
"All I ask of you, especially young people . . . is one thing. Please don't be cynical," O'Brien said. "I hate cynicism -- it's my least favorite quality and it doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But if you work really hard and you're kind, amazing things will happen. I'm telling you, amazing things will happen."
23 January 2010
Anatomy of a British man o' war
I used to love looking at cross-sections of buildings, ships, etc. and imagine running through them. Cool!From: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1245180/HMS-Invincible-Inside-battle-ship-famous-Turner-fighting-Temeraire.html
18 January 2010
Don't end up in "the welfare line of the mind"
The headline quote comes from my mentor. Sage advice on the new year from nationally renowned radio host Michael Savage, America's philosopher.
January 1, 2010-Transcribed from a radio broadcast by the blog author
Memories Dreams and Reflections was written by Jung of course… And good radio is good radio, provided that the personality… the variety of the personality, it depends on the personality. You could do politics until you were blue in the face, and people would not listen to you or they would listen to you depending on who you are and the delivery. If I were only to do politics, I would’ve left this job a long time ago. I am a communicator and I’ve been brought up to taught to admit what’s going on inside of me. And certainly not everything. If I told you everything, that would be the mark of insanity. But I admit doubt, I admit pain, I admit grief, I admit failure. I don’t think failure is dirty, like a disease. I admit failure in my life.
But I remember being taught as a young boy…
How many times have I told you this story about this guy, the bartender… the guy all the boys loved the most… He was a good man, everyone in the constellation of my father’s friends were decent men. No one “touched anyone” inappropriately.
This guy was a standout because he was unlike the rest of them, a tough guy, very unusual… A street-fighter wound up owning a bar, unusual. Quiet, soft-spoken, the nicest man on earth – the boys gravitated to him.
And I remember what he told us about what to expect in life. You can only wear one suit at a time; he used to tell us things like that… you don’t have to struggle to be rich. And then he would tell us things like, “Do you know how many times my rich friend has been down and had nothing? Three or four times and come back. He used to say things like, “He knew how to bounce back.” As a kid, you don’t know what bounce back means, but when you get older and you’ve been kicked a few times and you’re in the gutter of your soul, you have to learn to rise again like a phoenix. That’s a very tricky thing to do.
Most people get knocked down once and they never come back from it, do you know that? But what I’m saying to you – is a lot of things – and I don’t want to summarize with a quick jab at the end.
12 January 2010
Pompous Mosques and Tall Minarets Challenge Other Religions?
Why do I have to go all the way to Russia to get my news? Pravda delivers again.Excerpt:
"Residents of Switzerland who voted for banning the construction of minarets, made a stand against aggressive cultural expansion of the Muslims, said Roman Silantyev, a Russian sociologist Islamic expert. He also stressed that Muslim countries often get rid of the most religiously unreliable people who then move to developed countries where they are welcomed. Yet, these people do not appreciate welcoming atmosphere and do not understand that they are visitors and should respect the traditions of the countries they are visiting."
For the last great article, which turned so many Americans on to Pravda:
Excerpt:
"First, the population was dumbed down through a politicized and substandard education system based on pop culture, rather then the classics. Americans know more about their favorite TV dramas then the drama in DC that directly affects their lives. They care more for their "right" to choke down a McDonalds burger or a BurgerKing burger than for their constitutional rights. Then they turn around and lecture us about our rights and about our "democracy". Pride blind the foolish."
"Prime Minister Putin, less then two months ago, warned Obama and UK's Blair, not to follow the path to Marxism, it only leads to disaster. Apparently, even though we suffered 70 years of this Western sponsored horror show, we know nothing, as foolish, drunken Russians, so let our "wise" Anglo-Saxon fools find out the folly of their own pride.
Again, the American public has taken this with barely a whimper...but a "freeman" whimper.
So, should it be any surprise to discover that the Democratically controlled Congress of America is working on passing a new regulation that would give the American Treasury department the power to set "fair" maximum salaries, evaluate performance and control how private companies give out pay raises and bonuses? Senator Barney Franks, a social pervert basking in his homosexuality (of course, amongst the modern, enlightened American societal norm, as well as that of the general West, homosexuality is not only not a looked down upon life choice, but is often praised as a virtue) and his Marxist enlightenment, has led this effort."09 January 2010
Article: "Your right not to be offended"
by Charles Stone
URL: http://ezinearticles.com/?Your-Right-Not-to-be-Offended&id=75198
Every time you turn around today you are almost sure to offend someone. In our land of victimhood it has become difficult to avoid saying or doing something which will cause someone else to feel bad or put upon or irritated.
The events of September 11, 2001 have created a whole new group of people to be offended. It is nearly impossible to criticize the terrorists, (all Muslims), without evoking an outcry from secular and religious organizations ready and waiting to impart their own brand of political correctness. The question is; how are the terrorists supposed to be identified? They are of different nationalities so that won't work. They come from different cultures, so, ditto. Their family histories vary widely. In fact, the only common threads are religion and a hatred of America and Americans.
Well funded organizations have sprung up, like mushrooms around a cow flop, that have no function other than to pander to the offended. It has become a cottage industry for the disaffected. Search the newspapers, electronic news media and the Internet for a person, preferably famous or at least wealthy who has made a statement that can be construed as anti-anything and find some person or group who doesn't like it and WHAM!, instant lawsuit.
It wasn't always that way, of course. In the past, if somebody said something about you that you didn't like you would reply in kind, punch the rascal in the nose or swallow hard and take it. That was before the recent proliferation of parasites, (Oops! beg pardon; lawyers) that now infest the land.
Attorneys aren't solely to blame,of course, they're just the primary financial beneficiaries. There are also a couple of generations of government school graduates who have no clue about what the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution means or how it should be applied.
The point is; you don't have a right not to be offended. You can shun the offender, rebut him, make fun of him or even risk prosecution by responding physically, but you shouldn't be allowed to use the police powers of the state to keep him from being offensive.
URL: http://ezinearticles.com/?Your-Right-Not-to-be-Offended&id=75198
Every time you turn around today you are almost sure to offend someone. In our land of victimhood it has become difficult to avoid saying or doing something which will cause someone else to feel bad or put upon or irritated.
The events of September 11, 2001 have created a whole new group of people to be offended. It is nearly impossible to criticize the terrorists, (all Muslims), without evoking an outcry from secular and religious organizations ready and waiting to impart their own brand of political correctness. The question is; how are the terrorists supposed to be identified? They are of different nationalities so that won't work. They come from different cultures, so, ditto. Their family histories vary widely. In fact, the only common threads are religion and a hatred of America and Americans.
Well funded organizations have sprung up, like mushrooms around a cow flop, that have no function other than to pander to the offended. It has become a cottage industry for the disaffected. Search the newspapers, electronic news media and the Internet for a person, preferably famous or at least wealthy who has made a statement that can be construed as anti-anything and find some person or group who doesn't like it and WHAM!, instant lawsuit.
It wasn't always that way, of course. In the past, if somebody said something about you that you didn't like you would reply in kind, punch the rascal in the nose or swallow hard and take it. That was before the recent proliferation of parasites, (Oops! beg pardon; lawyers) that now infest the land.
Attorneys aren't solely to blame,of course, they're just the primary financial beneficiaries. There are also a couple of generations of government school graduates who have no clue about what the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution means or how it should be applied.
The point is; you don't have a right not to be offended. You can shun the offender, rebut him, make fun of him or even risk prosecution by responding physically, but you shouldn't be allowed to use the police powers of the state to keep him from being offensive.
02 January 2010
80s video of the month
1st Place
Peter Schilling - Major Tom
"While numerous new wave artists in the early '80s tried to imitate David Bowie, Peter Schilling went a step further. In 1983, Schilling released "Major Tom (Coming Home)," a synth pop retelling of Bowie's 1969 classic "Space Oddity." It became Schilling's first and only entry in the U.S. charts, a song that eventually stigmatized him as a one-hit wonder in America. Schilling was born in Stuttgart, Germany, on January 28, 1956. As a teen, Schilling couldn't decide on whether to be a soccer player or a singer. He chose music and his debut album, Error in the System, appeared in 1983. The single "Major Tom (Coming Home)" wasn't just popular in the U.S., it was a worldwide smash. The video was played often on MTV, as well, but Schilling was not able to equal its success. In 1989, Schilling collaborated with Enigma's Michael Crétu on the track "Different Story (World of Lust and Crime)," an admirable attempt at updating his sound and trying to return to the American charts. "Major Tom" was given a techno sheen in 1994, and the reworked song was welcomed in the clubs. A year later, Schilling formed the Space Pilots with Catyana Schilling, J. Feifel, and P. Magnet, recording Trip to Orion."
Source: Michael Sutton, All Music Guide
Runner up
"Anne Dudley, Gary Langan, and Paul Morley were members of producer Trevor Horn's in-house studio band in the early '80s before they formed the Art of Noise, a techno-pop group whose music was an amalgam of studio gimmickry, tape splicing, and synthesized beats. The Art of Noise took material from a variety of sources: hip-hop, rock, jazz, R&B, traditional pop, found sounds, and noise all worked their way into the group's distinctly postmodern soundscapes."
"Below the Waste (1990) captured the band experimenting with world music; it received a lukewarm critical and commercial reception. The following year, a low-key remix album directed by Killing Joke's Youth called The Ambient Collection appeared. Later in the year, the Art of Noise broke up. Dudley eventually worked with Killing Joke's Jaz Coleman and Phil Collins. Horn, Dudley, and Morley reunited in 1999 for a new album, The Seduction of Claude Debussy. Kevin Godley and Lol Creme were added to the lineup."
Source: -Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Whoa - talkin' ' bout some degrees of separation he-ah, what a find! They also collaborated with Prince and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, per the article. Godley and Creme produced "Cry" for Definitely Miami episode of Miami Vice, the iconic t.v. show that in part defined the greatest decade of human civilization, the 1980s.
Bonus
Cry - Godley & Creme
Peter Schilling - Major Tom
Peter Schilling - Major Tom ( English)- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.
"While numerous new wave artists in the early '80s tried to imitate David Bowie, Peter Schilling went a step further. In 1983, Schilling released "Major Tom (Coming Home)," a synth pop retelling of Bowie's 1969 classic "Space Oddity." It became Schilling's first and only entry in the U.S. charts, a song that eventually stigmatized him as a one-hit wonder in America. Schilling was born in Stuttgart, Germany, on January 28, 1956. As a teen, Schilling couldn't decide on whether to be a soccer player or a singer. He chose music and his debut album, Error in the System, appeared in 1983. The single "Major Tom (Coming Home)" wasn't just popular in the U.S., it was a worldwide smash. The video was played often on MTV, as well, but Schilling was not able to equal its success. In 1989, Schilling collaborated with Enigma's Michael Crétu on the track "Different Story (World of Lust and Crime)," an admirable attempt at updating his sound and trying to return to the American charts. "Major Tom" was given a techno sheen in 1994, and the reworked song was welcomed in the clubs. A year later, Schilling formed the Space Pilots with Catyana Schilling, J. Feifel, and P. Magnet, recording Trip to Orion."
Source: Michael Sutton, All Music Guide
Runner up
"Anne Dudley, Gary Langan, and Paul Morley were members of producer Trevor Horn's in-house studio band in the early '80s before they formed the Art of Noise, a techno-pop group whose music was an amalgam of studio gimmickry, tape splicing, and synthesized beats. The Art of Noise took material from a variety of sources: hip-hop, rock, jazz, R&B, traditional pop, found sounds, and noise all worked their way into the group's distinctly postmodern soundscapes."
"Below the Waste (1990) captured the band experimenting with world music; it received a lukewarm critical and commercial reception. The following year, a low-key remix album directed by Killing Joke's Youth called The Ambient Collection appeared. Later in the year, the Art of Noise broke up. Dudley eventually worked with Killing Joke's Jaz Coleman and Phil Collins. Horn, Dudley, and Morley reunited in 1999 for a new album, The Seduction of Claude Debussy. Kevin Godley and Lol Creme were added to the lineup."
Source: -Stephen Thomas Erlewine, All Music Guide
Whoa - talkin' ' bout some degrees of separation he-ah, what a find! They also collaborated with Prince and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, per the article. Godley and Creme produced "Cry" for Definitely Miami episode of Miami Vice, the iconic t.v. show that in part defined the greatest decade of human civilization, the 1980s.
Bonus
Cry - Godley & Creme
The great ski movies of the late 80s and early 90s
High comedy and pointed drama.
Ski School (1991)
Everybody likes the charm of '90s fluffy eyebrows guy.
Ski Patrol (1989)
Trypticon skier & lotsa snowbunnage.
Watch the outstanding 2002 "Asspen" South Park parody/homage to the 80s ski genre (I was dying when they started playing a-ha and Cartman jumped in some wretched scatological practical jokes):
http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/103955
Finally, take a look at this commentary on the awesome script formula:
http://www.yidio.com/asspen-commentary/id/283807390
And don't forget to see 2009's "Hot Tub Time Machine" with 80s LEGEND William Zabka (a.k.a. "Johhny" from Karate Kid). Oh, and with John Cusack (famous '80s boombox guy).
HOT TUB TIME MACHINE: Movie Trailer - Watch more top selected videos about: Movie_Trailers
Ski School (1991)
Everybody likes the charm of '90s fluffy eyebrows guy.
Ski Patrol (1989)
Trypticon skier & lotsa snowbunnage.
Watch the outstanding 2002 "Asspen" South Park parody/homage to the 80s ski genre (I was dying when they started playing a-ha and Cartman jumped in some wretched scatological practical jokes):
http://www.southparkstudios.com/episodes/103955
Finally, take a look at this commentary on the awesome script formula:
http://www.yidio.com/asspen-commentary/id/283807390
And don't forget to see 2009's "Hot Tub Time Machine" with 80s LEGEND William Zabka (a.k.a. "Johhny" from Karate Kid). Oh, and with John Cusack (famous '80s boombox guy).
HOT TUB TIME MACHINE: Movie Trailer - Watch more top selected videos about: Movie_Trailers
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