Sweet Home Chicago

besides "sweet home chicago", "long tall woman blues" There is no other blues!

Mark,

Bet he can still still barrelhouse, baby, on the riverside.

We owe these old guys so much. Hats off to them.

Whenever the blues/rock greats (Stones, Clapton) from the UK came to Chicago, they would go to the South Side and visit Willy Dixon, others, with a little under the counter royalty payment. They knew what they owed them.

It's sad that the Blues and Jazz lack a substantial following in America, in part because they are the only uniquely American artforms, but also because they are among the supreme achievements of human culture.

Thank you for sharing this, Mark.

...and if Chicago can be proud of anything, it is it's role in the the development of the Blues.

I love it -- it is so very in the Spirit of America -- that a couple of Jewish guys running Chess Records in a northern rustbelt city, were significant players in the evolution of music that originated among Blacks in the Mississippi delta.

Now this I like after the bears game set back with some blues ya baby now your talking.

Thanks Mark.

Willie Dixon, also from Mississippi, was born the same year as Honeyboy.

These great artists have/had been ripped off for years, by the British blues invaders (or more likely their lawyers and accountants) , not to mention the likes of Elvis Presley, whose first hit, "That's Alright Mama" was written by Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup. "Hound Dog" was written by Big Mama Thornton. But none of these people died rich.

After his own legal actions, Dixon started the Blues Heaven Foundation in 1984 (www.bluesheaven.com), with its HQ in the former Chess Records building at 2120 Michigan Avenue, in order to help blues musicians enforce copyrights and collect royalties.

Dixon recognized other forms of music as the fruits and the blues as the roots. Keep the roots strong, and the fruit will be sweeter.

The Blues had a baby,and they named it Rock n Roll.

Without the blues there would be no Stones.

Information on the 2002 documentary, "Honeyboy", can be found at the following link:

http://www.honeyboyfilm.com/film.htm

John E,

You got it Bro. Blues/Rock has power and emotion and beauty.
It can move the world.

The world needs moved.

About the White British and American Blues/Rockers,

"White boys now, they don't hardly make no blues. Mostly they copy after us. I don't know of any blues they made. They just can't do it. They can play it pretty good, but they can't sing it at all. They just ain't got the voice for that."

-- Frank Edwards

http://www.ibiblio.org/musicmakers/mm4000b/mm4002.html

There's something perverse about being grateful to these old Blues artists for giving us the Rolling Stones.

We should be instead be grateful to the Stones (plus The Yardbirds, Jimi Hendrix and others) for introducing us to the artform, so that we could go back to the source and hear the real thing.

As much as I like the Rolling Stones when they were good -- and they often weren't -- I have to say that the greatest thing about them is that if not for them I would have never heard Muddy Waters.

I like em all, Juanito.
They all have given us a lot of great music.

You are right; as a wet behind the ears teenager I never heard of any of them until Clapton, the Stones, Hendrix talked about them.
Eric Burdon, too.

Eric Burden, yes!

C.Morris,
I'm with you.

I'm a huge music fan,and I try to appreciate all different forms of music,my kids have done the same thing.

The Stones have never shied away from giving the Blues all the credit in the world for their success.

Isn't is sad that Hendrix, a black guitar slinger from Seattle, USA, had to travel to England, break in there, then travel back to the States as an import UK band. I remember being somewhat surprised at that one.

"I'm a huge music fan,and I try to appreciate all different forms of music,my kids have done the same thing."

John E,

When we put our son down to nap we would play loud music; everything from Jethro Tull to Mozart. Named him after Eric Clapton.

You won't believe the name of his first girl friend.

I swear with a hand on my Grandmother's grave, her name was Layla, a willowy skinny blonde girl. And yes, she destroyed his tender young heart.

Truth is stranger than fiction.

"You won't believe the name of his first girl friend." Layla??

Got me on my knees!

C. M.

Buy him a guitar to sing his blues away.

Start him out with "have you ever loved a woman"

So much it's a shame and a sin!

C.Morris,

Sad indeed about Hendrix. All the Blues greats (and Jazz too) fare better in Europe than the US. It's embarrassing.

A piece o' Rock trivia; I heard that "Layla" was about Patty Boyd, Geo Harrison's Ex who who left Harrison to marry Clapton.

Juanito, Yeah, it was.

One of my top ten all time favorite songs is Badge, by Clapton and Harrison, though for legal reasons Harrison is not credited.
After hearing it for 40 years now, it is still compelling and exciting to hear. The first half builds slowly to an urgent guitar bridge by Harrison, then the rest of the song is essentially one long sweet Clapton solo that what can only be described as humming at the end of each phrase. The song itself is a warning to young girl, dealing with the Swans, a London heroin gang that worked the parks. It was named 'Badge' because Harrison sribbled 'Bridge' on the middle solo and the copywriter misread it.

JD,
He's now 30, and married. Well, life goes on.
Clapton's/Allman's version of 'Have You Ever Loved a Woman' is indescribably delicious.

(by Billy Myles)

Have you ever loved a woman so much you tremble in pain?
Have you ever loved a woman so much you tremble in pain?
And all the time you know she bears another mans name.

But you just love that woman so much its a shame and a sin.
You just love that woman so much its a shame and a sin.
But all the time you know she belongs to your very best friend.

Have you ever loved a woman and you know you cant leave her alone?
Have you ever loved a woman and you know you cant leave her alone?
Something deep inside of you wont let you wreck your best friends home.

C.Morris,

That's a funny story about your son.

My youngest son,and I used to dance to Zepplin tunes together.

He turned out OK anyway.

One of my biggest regrets is never having learned how to play the guitar,I played the trumpet in high school band,and I loved it,we had an excellent band.

I got alot of harrassment about band because I was a jock also,but I liked it anyway.

JE,
Yeah, I played trumpet too.
Man did I suc.
You shoulda seen me in my stupid, too large marching uniform. The crap we have to go through.

* * *

Perhaps my favorite duel guitar masterpiece is the Allman/Clapton duet in a long, slow, powerful, gorgeous version of 'Little Wing', a beautiful homage' and salute to then recently departed Hendrix.

Death just follows Clapton around.
Duane was dead shortly after this also, maybe even before the album was completed.

Jaunito,

George Harrison, the underrated and forgotten Beatle. (RIP)

Lennon and McCartny only allowed him one or two compositions per album. This was too bad. He added tremendously to their sound, particularly their late period sound. His guitar talents were very good. I'd put him in my top twenty for sure. His 12 string talents added a lush, full, darkness to their sound.

Also, he mastered the sitar very quickly. The eeriness of the thing added interest to many late period songs. I think the first time I heard him play the sitar was on Revolver, Tomorrow Never Knows. Anyone know better?

I never rate,place or talk (well, rarely I do) about John Lennon, as I regard him as the Jesus Christ of modern rock and roll and a great artist period. One of the saddest days I can remember is the day he was murdered. I did a parody of 'Imagine' a while back, an I still feel wrong about it. Shouldn't have used it for base political purposes.

C.Morris,

You nailed it.

C. M.

If you like the Derek and the Dominoe jams, you should get the 25th anniversary CD box Set.

One CD dedicated to all the jams done. One is all the Allman's including Greg and Dickey B. w/Clapton. Good stuff.

Each one is about 20 minutes or so.

Not sure I agree with you about Lennon. My cynical side says he was just a depressed idealist (and not a very good one at that) I thought McCartney was a better all around musician.

Although, now that I'm older, I'm convinced that Jim Morrison was just a drunk Irishman no more special than guys you can find in just about every Irish bar in the city (or in Ireland)

So maybe I'm just too cynical these days.

C Morris,

Norwegian Wood, on Rubber Soul, came out a year earlier than Revolver and featured sitar.

Kudos to George Martin's talents in the studio.

If Harrison's roots were blues inspired rather than rockabilly, that would have been interesting.

Kenny B,
Right you are! I forgot. Of course, N.Wood.

JD,
Thanks for the recommend on the D and D 25th.

Thanks to Mark for opening up this subject for discussion.
It's obviously something Swamp Rats, of all political persuasions love, and generally speaking, agree on!!

Well, Juanito, JE, JD, BillR, everyone, we will now have to go back to the political blogs and start to scream at each other again.

JD,

Yes, McCartney has better feeling for melody, but Lennon was edgier and more willing to experiment, plus he was definitely a better wordsmith. Much (certainly not all) of McCartney's output is so syrupy I want to brush my teeth after listening -- plus it's often just too formulaic. All that aside, he managed to pen some great tunes.

I always thought McCartney was best when he was doing simple, old fashioned R&B -- covering little Richard songs and such. In that vein, a must listen is his 80's quick n' dirty album "Back in the USSR"

Also, I was pleasantly surprised with the rerelease of "Get Back". McCartney reworked it, got rid of Phil Spectre's overproduction, and the result is great in my opinion. Hats off to Sir Paul on that one!

Kenny Bunkport,

Correct, "Norwegian Wood" was the first sitar piece. And yes many, MANY kudos to George Martin, the one who should rightly be called the 5th Beatle. The Beatles could never have been the Beatles without him.

Correction:
"Let it Be" (not "Get Back") was rereleased as "Let it Be...Naked". It was originally intended as a back-to-basics album, but that idea just got screwed up in 1969. The rerelease is faithful to the original intention.

JD,

Yep, when I was young I thought Morrison was a brilliant poet. Now that I'm... um, not so young I have my doubts. But he had a great voice!

And I second that, C.Morris: Thank you Mark!

The Doors, however, were one of the few US bands that could stand up to the great UK bands, in my opinion. And 'The End' was a monumental achievement.

Here are some other favorite US bands of that era;

CCR
BB&HC with Janis Joplin
Jefferson Airplane
Velvet Underground
Mothers of Invention
Moby Grape
Guess Who (Can)
S & G
Canned Heat
Crosby Stills Nash
Buffalo Springfield
Neil Young (Can)

You may ask, where is the beach sand in the room?!?!
Although the Beach Boys were talented, and I enjoyed some of their songs, it was just hard to take them seriously. They always seemed to be just behind the curve.

The Doors were indeed great. One of my very favorite Jazz ballads is "Riders on the Storm" (even tho it was ALMOST ruined by the dopey rain sound effects).

And Morrison had one of the best Blues voices ever -- the result of overindulging in whisky and cigarettes -- on the LA Woman album.

Manzarek and Morrison were the magic of The Doors. Manzarek was a classically trained musician and it shows. His keybord riffs were elegant and assured. His playing in the long version of "Light My Fire", for example, turned what would have been a standard "I Love You" Pop fluff piece into a classic. Even though the song is overplayed I don't get tired of it.

C.Morris, you probably already know that their name was inspired by Huxley's "The Doors of Perception".

Oh, and I think Bob Dylan belongs on any short list.

Huge overlook!

BB KING!

Juanito,

Yeah, a weird wonderful little book.

Why did I leave off Dylan!!

Agree with your Doors synopsis.

Kreiger was a very good Guitar player too, by the way. Subtle and accomplished.

But you got Manzarek right; The Dave Clark Five on acid. He gave them that 'Hell's anteroom' atmosphere.

Juanito, JD, all,

Re the Lennon or McCartney debate:
It could be argued that by being strong counterbalances to eachother, they made eachother better.

Sometimes a big talent will be even better if a good, strong editor is present to criticize. I think Paul, on his own, did sometimes get too,,, syrupy was it, J.?

Regardless, I don't take away from him designation of HUGE talent.

At risk of harshing all this agreement, I want to apply the same critique to E. Clapton, my personal all time favorite.

Look at his best work;

With Cream he had two powerful talents and egos to reign him in. They being Ginger Baker (best rock drummer ever) and Jack Bruce, bass and song writer supreme, and leader of Cream, arguably in the top 3 all time best rock bands ever. I really credit Jack Bruce with channeling or focusing Clapton's play.

Then, the same can be said of Blind Faith, a short lived super group.

But without a doubt Mr. Duane Allman (D & t D) may have been the best, greatest influence on Clapton.

Factoid that you probably knew; BB King gave Clapton his Slowhand nickname, which is a huge complement on his seemingly effortless technique.

C.M.

I'm glad this thread is still going,it's nice to get away from the slime of the pre-election stuff a bit,it's all a part of the deal tho.

Hey,you should pick up Nirvana's "Nevermind" and "In Utero" albums.

Kurt Cobain was a tragically flawed man,but he was also an unbelievably gifted guitar player.

Nirvana saved Rock from the depths of extinction in the early 90's.

C.M.,

I have a Stones tongue tattoo that I got while I was stationed at Ft.Gordon,Ga.

My wife hates it,she's a Zepplin girl.

John E,

Nirvana is one of those, dare I say it, 'newer' bands that I liked.
Ditto, Radio Head, Super Grass, Green day, Beck. My son kept me up on these bands.

Not all is lost.

OK Gang,

This blog is OFF the front page.
Let's have some fun.

JD, John E, Billy, Bill R, Juan, Old Dale (if interested), anybody else;

Let's post our top ten in the following catagories:

Top Ten:
1. Favorite Blues/Rock/Jazz groups or solo acts
2. Favorite albums
3. Favorite songs

Let's keep it alive. Look for mine in the not too distant future.
Feel free to explain your entries!

Hey! Why was this thread pulled?!

Hey all,

I propose we interested parties continue to have some fun here;

In the next few days everyone that cares post here your;

Ten Favorite Blues/Rock/ jazz groups or solo act
Ten Favorite albums
Ten Favorite songs.

C. Morris,

That's going to take me awhile,but I'll try to in the coming days.

Maybe the Swamp can put this back on the front page for us political music nuts???

Welcome to the Ultimate Top Ten;

Groups;

10. CCR (John Fogerty one of THE best rockers, period)
9. The Doors (of perception, The End justifies all their means)
8. The Yardbirds (Relf Bros. and CLapton, then J. Beck hard to
beat)
7. Steely Dan (Particularly like their first half efforts)
6. Pink Floyd
5. Bob Dylan
4. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
3. The Rolling Stones
2. Cream (Almost no.1, but for smaller body of work)
1. The Beatles

Albums;

10. Yellow Brick Road, Elton John (To me the 60's ended in 1973 with this album.)
9. Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd
8. Blood on the Tracks, Bob Dylan
7. Sticky Fingers, Rolling Stones (Every track is fine fine fine)
6. Eat a Peach, Allman Bros (Duane's swan song)
5. Wheels of Fire, Cream (Everything was ecstacy, what, were they on drugs?)
4. Layla and Other Love Songs, Derek and the Dominos
3. Revolver, The Beatles (Third stage has ignition!)
2. Let it Bleed, The Rolling Stones
1. Beatles White Album, The Beatles (Monumental nexus of
talent)

Single songs:

10. The Thrill is Gone, BB King
9. Smokestack Lightning, Yardbirds version (J.Beck KILLS on
this)
8. Badge, Cream
7. Dear Prudence, The Beatles (Beautiful tribute to the beauty of
childhood)
6. White Room, Cream (J. Bruce's dark contemplation of loss and
death)
5. Little Wing , Derek and the Dominos version (Farewell Jimi,RIP)
4. All Along the Watchtower, Jimi Hendrix version
3. Like a Rolling Stone, Bob Dylan
2. Heartbreaker (Doo Doo Doo), The Rolling Stones (Just,,well,
wonderfully heartbreaking)
1. Welcome to the Machine, Pink FLoyd (Every boy needs to pay
attention here)

Ya know, top ten lists aren't really fair. How do you place the choices, and how can you leave so and so off the list entirely?

Here's some talents that were actually on one of the 3 lists at one time or another;

RL Burnside, It's Bad You Know
Grace Slick
Janis Joplin
Emerson Lake Palmer
CSN & Young
The Kinks
Bluesbreakers (John Mayall)
Areatha F.
Ray Charles
Billie Holiday
Buddy Guy

C. Morris,

My youngest son is always giving me CD's of current bands to listen to,and this is what I have discovered.

Audioslave,Queens of the Stone Age,and Green Day are carrying the rocking tourch these days.

These are all fine current day bands,have you ever listened to any of them???

CCR's - "Fortunate Son" - the greatest protest song ever written - and it is relavent in these current times again thanks to our draftdodgers in the Whitehouse.

Alright, I'm back. Management training seminars for the past week. Mostly redundant but, since I work for a green company, I garnered some wonderful, indisputable factual statistics on global warming and c02 emmissions. It would probably make poor little Paulobert's tiny little brain smoke.
So anyway, last I crawled from the Swamp, I believe we were discussing some upcoming elections or something. John Kerry pulls a Merkel boner and gets 300+ responses?? WTF??
Anyhoot CM, I happen to play guitar but am yet to get the stones to play an open mic at the Knotty or elsewhere. Maybe much practice and a bottle o' Jack. If I do, you will definately hear some Lennon. I haven't compiled a list but a few names have come to mind as I am also into good music of many genres. Pixies, Bruce Cockburn, Billy Bragg, Wilco, Van Morrison....
Howard and the White Boys? Have you heard Margot Valiante? Jackson girl, voice from heaven and easy on the eyes.http://www.margovaliante.com/ You can play a couple of her songs on her myspace page but she doesn't have a cd out yet.
More music as I think of it.

Johnny Cash-old and new
Steve Goodman-left us way too early
John Prine-check out "Souvenirs"
Willie, Waylon, Hank-please keep pop country crap off this post

And since I grew up in western MI, a cultural punk rock mecca in the early 80's......
Ramones, Dead Kennedy's, Fear, Circle Jerks, TSOL, Butthole Surfers, Black Flag, DOA, MIA, Sex Pistols.....

And, Lou Reed, Velvet Underground, White Stripes, Jane's Addiction, REM, Sonic Youth, Jonathon Richman, Ryan Adams, did I mention Margot Valiante?

John E,
I like Green Day a lot, and I like Beck.

Bubba, Van Morrison is it. Ya see, 'top ten' just doesn't get it! As soon as you commit to a list, somebody reminds you of another huge huge talent.
Billy Bragg, definite A team.

But, come on boys! (and gals), I want to see committed lists of ten!
It's hard. Forces you to drop people or songs you love! ha ha.

I gotta say, I want to put Van Morrison on my list. He is ultra terrific and talented. Is there an instrument he can't play?

You guys are knockin em out!

Roy Orbison anyone??

Rock-a-billy is good too.

C. M.

Have you checked out Robert Randolph?

OK, Here's my new list;

Addendum;

11. Van Morrison

CM,
A few oldies and goodies.
Etta
Ella
Elvis
Frank
Coltrane

Elvis C
Pearl Jam
Greatful Dead (can't believe I forgot this one)

And you want only 10???? Tall order. I'll work on it.

Saw Van Morrison at the Chicago Theater 3 years ago and he is definately in my top 10.
Yo Yo Ma?

Did I mention Margot Valiante? Her songs on her myspace page don't do her justice. Saw her live this past summer and was inspired to stay young forever.

Bubba,

Howard and the White Boys are from my home town of DeKalb.......excellent band,I'm glad they are still doing well.

I also see that you mentioned The Pixies,one of the most underrated,influential bands of all time in my humble opinion.

C.M.,

I don't think I can do just a top ten list.

Maybe a top 50 - 75 hahahaha!!!

Bubba,

Howard and the White Boys are from my home town of DeKalb.
I'm glad they are still doing well.

The Pixies were one of the most underrated,influential bands ever.

I'm a Punker too,I still remember when the Police where considered cutting edge Punk,now Sting runs around wearing skirts,and singing love ballads,oh well.

The whole Seattle grunge movement,one of my favorites by the way,arose from the Punk seen in the Pacific Northwest.

Have you ever heard of a band from the late 70's called Split Enz??
They were excellent,I listened to them alot in high school.

John E.
Yep, I remember Split Enz. Also, the Buzzcocks were one of my favs back then. There is a great documentary out on the Pixies but I can't recall the name. It contains interviews from Bono, David Bowie and many others about how influential and cutting edge they were. Saw them in Chicago and Milwaukee late 80's.
Soul Asylum, Foo fighters.....
And, of course, Margo Valiante.

JD,

Haven't heard of Robert Randolph.
I need to print your lists, then go sample this stuff.

Bubba,
Coltrane,
I am not real conversant with him, but have heard him work with Miles Davis on some of his albums.
I do like Etta James and Etta Jones
Nina Simone is just terrific, and I think just passed away. Ditto Etta James.
Never heard Split Enz.
I envy you seeing Van Morrison.

I saw Jeff Beck playing live with the Yardbirds a long time ago. Think I mentioned this before. As we all know, a great guitar player is not just great to hear, but great to watch as well.
He could only have been about 22 in 1966?? Whatever, he was just a kid, but COMPLETELY accomplished and confident.
Dark and brooding, he would glare at his amplifier and threaten it as though he could hear some offense that we mere mortals were unaware of.
Saw Leon Russell live at the Uptown Theater in 1975(I think). One of the best live shows I have ever seen.
Saw the Beatles at old Comiskey Park in, get ready, August 1965.
Couldn't hear a thing, and nearly got trampled in a crush.

John E,
I tell you, the ten list is HARD. I keep thinking of more;

DAVID BOWIE!
The Who
U2
THE CLASH FOR GOD SAKE!!!

CM,
Seeing the Beatles takes the cake. Glad you survived it. The Pixies documentary is called "Gouge" and can be found on KISU usually well past most sane folks bedtime.
I also happened to attend a concert recently where I saw Lyle Lovett. I would put him on my list, but not top 10. The following day Greg Brown played and I would have to say I have a great appreciation for anyone who can stun a crowd with nothing but his voice and an acoustic guitar.
Not sure about you, but I get tired of the endless monotany of bluegrass that is prevalent in our neck of the woods.

PS;
Re the Jeff Beck worship above;

Go rent the movie Blow Up (Michealangelo Antonioni,1965).
Not only is it a great film, but in one scene when the protagonist is out in the city at night following some lovely, he goes to a underground club and guess who is playing? The Yardbirds with Jeff Beck! He beats heck out of his amp.

I think The Who stole the whole aggression thing from Beck.

Anybody know better, or more?

Bub,
I can only listen to NPR jazz and classical here. No great blues rock stations like Chicago. Most local intermountain stations are 'clear channel' or something horrible like that. I liked WXRT, Chicago for a long time. Don't know if they exist anymore. Liked Braymer and the crowd.

Also, NPR in Minneapolis is now a blues/rock station. They get way down into the LP's of the era. Sweet.

Lovett is great. I would call him country/blues, or something. Kinda like Bonnie Rait??

I'm gonna post 'Top Ten Worst'. Get ready!

C.M.

This is hard but I'll give it a go.

My favorite bands by the decades:

60's - Rolling Stones

70's - Van Halen - w/Diamond Dave

80's - Guns N Roses

90's - Nirvana

00's - Queens of the Stone Age

I bought a used electric guitar over the weekend,but I think I'm to old for the rock star thing...oh well....

C.Morris and all,

Just haven't gotten around to compiling lists. A few brief thoughts:

The Jeff Beck Group -- with Rod Stewart fronting, Ron Wood on bass, Nicky Hopkins keyboards. They blew the Yardbirds out of the water! (this was before Rod "Do Ya Think I'm Sexy" Stewart sucked.)

The Faces -- Also with R. Stewart and R. Wood (now on lead guitar) also before Rod sucked.

Roy Buchanan -- The best guitarist you probably never heard of. He died in the late 80s (hung himself in jail) He was almost the Stones' guitarist but was so strungout on smack that he missed the audition and they gave the job to Mick Taylor. A very sad life but a very great musician. A MUST HAVE for any music collection.
http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:m9m8b5t4tsqe~T1

"96 Tears", by ? and the Mysterians

Juanito,

Yeah, now rod stewart dresses up like Tony Bennett!

Nothin' against Tony, but, come on.

John E,

tuff list, but;

60s - Beatles (this is really hard, but gotta go this way)
70s- Pink Floyd
80s - Clash (just London Calling does it)
90s- Smashing Pumpkins
00s- Green Day

Ten WORST ACTS EVER;
10. Captain and Tennille
9. Cowsills
8. Monkees (I feel bad, they were likable and some stuff sounded ok, but too contrived, and not talented musicians)
7. Disco Tex and the Sexolets
6. Sergio Mendez and Brazil 66!
5. Whoever sang 'I'm Not in Love'
4. The Partridge Family
3. Chad and Jeremy
2. Sonny and Cher
1. The Carpenters!!

CM,
Just a few to consider:
David Hasselhoff
Celine Dion
William Shatner
Vanilla Ice
Meat Loaf
Yoko Ono
Any boy band ever created
Didn't Larry Holmes try a music career on Letterman years ago?

CM and Bubba

I think "I'm Not In Love" was done by 10CC.

How about "Afternoon Delight" by the Starland Vocal Band???.....also don't forget that David Soul of Starsky and Hutch fame,had a "somewhat" successful singing "career" in the late 70's before he droped off the face of the earth.

How can anyone forget those always happy,"fabulous" guys from the Village People in the 70's.

Bubba,

Shame on you! You are making me want to throw up!! ha ha!

I will say the the Bill Shatner stuff was absolutely hi hi hilarious!
His rendition (torture?) of Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds is perhaps the greatest knee slapper of all time.

Thanks for a great, funny post!

John E,

Afternoon Delight! The record jacket was literally the same color of dog vomit. Good one.

My list of the ten worst pale. I need to remove the Monkee's at least and mayby Disco Tex.

How about Mini Ripperton's 'Midnight at the Oasis'? Crikey, mate!

You know, efforts like the Village People and Bill Shatner are so funny and bad, ya almost gotta like it.

I have to say, you and Bubba's posts gave me a big laugh.

'You want Bad?? You can't take Bad!!"

I think the thing that did it for me on the 10CC non-effort was the softly whispered; 'big boys don't cry, big boys don't cry' with the awful syrupy backup music wafting through the arrangement like some awful cloud of sick green flatulence.

I submitted this flow chart once for JD's approval, but will risk it again;

If Elvis was Moses then;
Dylan was John the Baptist,
And Lennon was Jesus,
so Jagger was Lucifer (Who Else!)

C M

Have you ever heard the song
"Saint Of Me" by the Stones???

One of the better Stones tunes that they wrote in the mid 90's from the Bridges To Babylon cd.

I have to go,some wingnut is busting my chops about my poor spelling...like I don't know that.

I tried this yesterday, but my computer crashed and the post was lost.

I would not include the Monkees on a ten worst list. They were OK for what they were -- ACTORS playing a Pop band -- and their music was pleasant fluffy Pop... and just OK.

Others to consider:
The Archies
Barry Manilow
Englebert Humperdink
The 1910 Fruitgum Company
Capt and Tenielle
Leo Sayer
Sean Cassidy
The Turtles

How about a list of One Hit Wonders? Not necessarily bad ones though

Ya know, I learned about it the hard way; Surf Girl posted it a while back, and I didn't recognize it! Any way she and a couple others straightened me out.

It's beautiful poetry.
Jagger/Richard, as good as Lennon McCartney with the writing.

1.Little Bit O'Soul-Music Explosion
2.Louie Louie-Kingsmen
3.Nobody But Me-The Human Beinz
4.Hey Baby-Bruce Channel
5.Hang on Sloopy-McCoys
6.Let's Dance-Chris Montez
7.Duke Of Earl-Gene Chandler
8.Time Has Come Today-Chambers Brothers
9.Sugar Shack-Jimmy Gilmour
10.My Sharona-The Knack

Loon,

Back in the day,there was an FBI investigation into the actual lyrics of Louie,Louie from what I've heard...I guess Mulder and Scully didn't find anything....

Raver,

Nice alternative list! These are great little tunes, and a real important part of the whole picture. Not all the great music had to be a major technical or virtuoso achievement. Thanks for checking this out.

There was, also, a huge Chigago invasion in the 60s. The Buckinhams, New Colony Six, Ides of March. More.

Juanito,

Thanks for the word up. I agree, I may have been cruel on the Monkees, but when we compare to the greats,,,,it's hard, you know.
Ok, off my worst list, but never on my top 20.

Like I say, they were likable.

Juanito,

One hit wonders; Not a bad idea;(Some of these had two, maybe)

1. Whiter Shade of Pale; Procol Harum (Just beautiful)
2. Match Stick Men; Status Quo (The lead guitar KILLED on this, like repeated jabs in the gut)
3. Talk Talk; The Music Machine(Like-ee the fuz box)
4. I Confess; New Colony Six
5. Love that Dirty Water; The Standells
6. Sea of Joy; BLind Faith (This is a stretch for 'One Hit' I guess)
7. For What It's Worth; Buffalo Sringfield (Another stretch,lots of super stars involved)
8. Wooly Bully; Sam the Sham
9. Blue Bird; Buffalo Springfield (What did I say? ha ha)
10. Jackie Blue; Ozark Mtn. Daredevils

Significant groups we haven't mentioned much;
Fleetwood Mac
The Eagles
The Beach Boys
Traffic
Queen
Bruce Springsteen
Johnny Cougar Mellencamp
The Guess Who
Beastie Boys
Gotta be a lot more

Callin'n out around the world
Are you ready for a brand new beat?
Summer's here and the time is right
For dancin' in the streets
They're dancin' in Chicago
Down in New Orleans
Up in New York City

All we need is music, sweet music
Threr'll be music everywhere
There'll be swingin', swayin' and records playin'
And dancin' in the streets

Focus -- Hocus Pocus

Golden Earing -- Radar Love

Steam -- Na Na, Hey Hey (Kiss him Goodbye) (OK, I'm A White Sox Fan)

Vanilla Fudge -- You Keep Me Hangin' On (cover of the Supremes tune)

? and the Mysterians -- 96 Tears (mentioned earlier)

Bubba brings up Motown!

There's a whole world we haven't really touched on.....

Juanito,
In my attempt to make yesterday "Dance Party Tuesday", I came across the ultimate one hit wonder:

Party All The Time Eddie Murphy

1.Laugh Laugh-Beau Brummels
2.On The Road Again-Canned Heat
3.Tequila-Champs
4.Keep On Dancing-Gentrys
5.Peppermint Twist-Joey Dee
6.Bread & Butter-Newbeats
7.Gloria-Shadows Of Night
8.Born To Be Wild-Steppenwolf
9.The Lion Sleeps tonight-The Tokens
10.Soul Man-Sam & Dave

Also,Manfred Mann,Kinks,Herman's Hermits,Freddie & The Dreamers,Dave Clark Five,Donovan,ELO,And The Fat Man,Fat's Domino.

There are also alot of future "has been,never were's" in this day,and time:

Paris Hilton
Ashley Simpson
Linsay Lohan
Hillary Duff
K-Fed
All Boy Bands-(past and future)
That guy from Entertainment Tonight

And Don't Forget:

YANNI ROCKS ?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!

Hey,..what's everyones take on this whole Rap/Hip Hop thing that is currently dieing a slow death these days??

I just couldn't reach down in my pocket,and pull out 150$-200$ to see a Rapper/Hip Hopper.

If I'm paying money,I want to see someone singing,someone playing a kickbutt lead/rhythm guitar,someone playing a watery bass guitar,and someone beating the crap out of the drums.
Anotherwords....ACTUAL MUSICIANS

With Rap/Hip Hop you're are getting a guy who rhymes,and a guy scratching a record,while a pre-recorded beat is playing in the background.

I try to touch on all music forms,but this just sucks to bad for my taste.

Motown... Love the 4 Tops, the Temptations, Martha and the Vandellas. And Stevie Wonder, but more when he was mature and out on his own (Songs in the Key of Life)

But then there's Memphis Soul brought to us by Stax Records. The beauty of Motown is that it was polished, but the beauty of Memphis Soul is that it wasn't polished. It was always raw and edgy music... James Brown, Arteha Franklin, Otis Redding... and there Stax' great studio band, Booker T and the MGs...

John E,

Re. Rap, I have to agree that it is not great music, but I have enjoyed Watching some rap acts, on TV of course! They are visual and rhythmic spectaculars. And the choreography can be spectacular. Good dancin', fool! ha ha

But, you are right, the only 'music' you hear are 'samples' of other peoples great accomplishments. I even heard the playout to Layla once in a rap act!

At best it's poetry to great beats and dance.

Juanito,

You name some great talents. I like Stevie too, but he faded fast it seems to me. I could be wrong, but....

Need to remember a terrific lady, who now lives in Idaho!

I met her. Her name is Carol King. A nice white Jewish girl.

She wrote many of the greatest Motown hits of the 60's before going out on her own. She is one likable talented lady. She sang by herself for a group of us in a Boise park in 04. Talk about intimate surroundings!

So just to be sure everybody hears it:

CAROL KING!!!

You know, people our age are very lucky, in a way. We were probably around to appr. the greatest assemblage of raw talent in the world of music for a long long time. Our parents were lucky too; jazz, blues, the whole Sinatra show.

But we really had something special; pop music that actually meant something.

I pity the kids today. A few alternative rock groups carry the banner, but otherwise, a pop desert?

I may be wrong. Let me know if I am. I am speaking generally, remember.

Raving Loon,

Canned Heat was a terrifically talented blues rock band. One of my favorites.

I'm surprised and disappointed that no one on a Chicago-based blog mentioned the late, great Mike Bloomfield -- arguably the best blues guitarist of all time. Check him out with the Butterfield Blues Band, Electric Flag, and on classics like Super Session when he teams up with Al Kooper, or on Fathers and Sons where he backs Muddy Waters -- probably the best blues album of all time and a product of Chicago.

RIP, Mike Bloomfield.

Kenny b,

Nice heads up! That's what this blog is about; reminding all of the greats of the past, and present.

Add the Butterfield Blues Band to the roll!

C Mor

I was talking to a friend of mine recently who used to play guitar in a local band,and I asked him why he thought that Nirvana was not in the R n R Hall of Fame yet.

He said that he thinks they are avoiding having to deal with Courtney Love,who would probably try to steal the show.

I never thought about that,but he is probably right,they were burned by the Sex Pistols last year,(no big surprise if they had followed their career at all).

John E,

Well, Nirvana deserves it as a band, and Kurt C. as a huge talent. One of the best post 60's/70's era bands for sure. And then he wasted himself. It's still sad to think about. Lennon's murder made me angry, but Cobain's suicide; robbed, sad.

In the 80's I really enjoyed 'Tears for Fears'. 'Shout' almost made my top ten favorite single songs list. It's a masterpiece of passive aggression. And POWER up the yin-yang. Just adding them to the roll call.

Hey, let's keep this up and we can break 100 posts!

John E.,

John Tesh

I think you win.

aahhhhhh yes John Tesh,that's the name I was looking for Bubba!!

That guy looks like Lerch from the Addams family.

I ripped Mini Ripperton a few posts back, but she is a talented gal.
Just had the awful misfortune to release Midnight at the Oasis.

John Tesh 'stylings' = multicolored dog vomit

Ya know, looking back on my ten worst, well, maybe a complete revision is in order.

How about Gillbert O'Sullivan - Alone Again?
I kept hoping he WOULD throw himself off.

Here is a new catagory;
Big mistakes by the greats?

1. Pressed Rat and Warthog; Cream
2. Long and Winding Road; Beatles (too much syrup)

Continue, guys and gals

* * * *
Additional thought re. The Who;
I liked them much better when Keith Moon was still alive. Talk about the drummer that makes a difference.

Favorite Drummers;
(I'm not that conversant here, so please add to it:)
1. Ginger Baker
2. Keith Moon
3. John Paul Jones
(Outta gas)
.....
11. Charley Watts
12. Mick Fleetwood
13. Ringo

Oh hey,

one of the great underrated, unsung guitar greats is Becker, of Steely Dan. The guy is just great.

He really rips it on 'Don't Take Me Alive';

Agents of the law
Luckless pedestrian
I know you're out there
With rage in your eyes and your megaphones
Saying all is forgiven
Mad Dog surrender
How can I answer
A man of my mind can do anything

I'm a bookkeeper's son
I don't want to shoot no one
Well I crossed my old man back in Oregon
Don't take me alive
Got a case of dynamite
I could hold out here all night
Yes I crossed my old man back in Oregon
Don't take me alive

Can you hear the evil crowd
The lies and the laughter
I hear my inside
The mechanized hum of another world
Where no sun is shining
No red light flashing
Here in this darkness
I know what I've done
I know all at once who I am

Repeat Chorus

JohnE,

Re Courtney Love;

A potentially beautiful and talented actress and singer is/has destroyed herself with heroin and alcohol.

I can't imagine a day in the life of C.L.

C.Mo,

Courtney Love is so tragic that it's not even funny anymore,I feel bad for their daughter.

Did you see her appearance on Letterman a few years back??

I have to admit,I was laughing my butt off.

John E,

Yes, strung out. I don't think she knew where she was.

Time's list of top 100 albums (not my endorsement):

http://www.time.com/time/2006/100albums/index.html?cnn=yes

C Mo - wasn't it Maria Muldaur who sang Midnight at the Oasis? She used to sing back-up for Bette Midler. The late M Rippington was the mother of Maya Rudolph of the SNL cast. At the end of Loving You is Easy (case you're beautiful) you can hear her sing Maya, Maya....

Drummers? Billy Cobham, Tony Williams, Roy Haynes, Steve Gadd, Elvin Jones, Max Roach, Louie Bellson, Ed Blackwell. As for rock, Ginger excells, but I'd take Charlie Watts and maybe even Ringo (who knows who actually played drums on alot of Beatles tracks anyway?) off your list.

Gilbert O'Sullivan should jump, but behold, the worst song (that we were supposed to take seriously, otherwise some bubblegum tune would've made it) of all time, MacArthur Park, sung by Richard Harris. The lyrics are laughable. And don't forget they had a full orchestra to drive this monster. Writers and players must've been stoned.

http://www.geocities.com/bjaes.geo/lyrics/mcarthur.htm

I don't think that I can take it....

Kenny B,

MacArthur Park! BOOOM_SHAKALAKAAAA!
Maybe the worst. Thanks buddy.

Re; Midnight at the Oasis; Apologies to Mini Rip. It was Muldaur.

Nice factoid on Maya Rudolph.

Note I put Ringo and Charlie out of the top ten. They are/were adequate, that's all.

I might submit 'Wildfire' by M M Murphy as a real bady.

Kenny B.

Wow!!
You really know your drummers!!

I always thought that the Stones would have been a heavier rocking band if they had had a harder hitting drummer....Jon Bonham,..maybe Dave Grohl,Trey Kool.

Mya Rudolph's mom was famous during the disco era.

K C and the Sunshine Band....underated...

Apology to Led Zeppelin ;

I MEANT Jon Bonham in my drummer list; not the bass player.

Memory is a terrible thing to lose!

+++

Kenny Bunk;

All I can say about the MacPark link;

Oh, no!
Oh, no
No, no
Oh no!!

C Mor and others,got a book for Xmas last year you guys might be interested in.Put together by Ron Smith,called Chicago top 40 charts.The one I received was for period from 1960-69.

List all songs from that era by group and how they did on the charts.Brings back some great memories.Some great and bad songs.Book wasn't that expensive from Amazon.Also have period's from 70-79 and 80-90.As info.

http://www.oldiesmusic.com/links.htm

Raver,

I see 'Blue Cheer' on the list.
I saw them at the Kinetic Playground in '68!!

Didn't think anyone would remember.

You folks might recall that Bill Graham was, without a doubt, the most influential concert promoter of the 60s and early 70s -- mostly through his Fillmore East and Fillmore West. Those were meccas which produced some great music and albums - Hendrix to Allman Brothers to Miles Davis.

It turns out the late Graham (real first name Wolfgang) was a pack rat who kept EVERYTHING from those concerts -- tickets, posters (fabulous graphics), and most importanly, HE RECORDED ALMOST EVERYTHING. The promotional materials are available for sale, and the concerts are available FREE via streaming audio:

http://www.wolfgangsvault.com

Sit back and crank it up.

C.Morris, Kenny Bunkport,

I didn't know this thread was still going.

I think Ringo is unjustly maligned. Yes he was simply a competant drummer, but he was perfect for the Beatles. A Keith Moon or Mitch Mitchell (w/ Jimi Hendrix) would have ruined the paradigm. All of the Beatles were just so-so instrumentalists but the whole was far, far greater than the sum of the parts. So lay off of Ringo. Of course as a solist he's forgettable...

I think Ginger Baker is overrated, sorry. He's like Gene kruppa (40s Swing guy) He isn't so much good as he is just LOUD. But if you want dazzling pyrotechnics -- Carl Palmer of Emerson, Lake & Palmer and Asia.

My fave Rock drummers: Moon, Bonham, Mitchell, Watts and Starr in that order.

Juanito,

Paul McCartney is a terrific bassist -- one of the best. I don't dig the kewpie doll personality, but crank up the bass while listening to any Beatles work. Even the most simple tune will reveal incredibly inventive bass lines.

Don't know why you support Ringo but agree that he did an adequate job (if indeed he did the job -- they toured without him and worked in the studio without him and at one point he quit the group).

But I've got to stand my ground on Charlie Watts, No finesse. His best effort may have been on Get Off My Cloud in which he merely plays the same cloddish drum fill over and over. Watch him closely. Unlike every other drummer, he does not play a steady 1 2 3 4 with his right stick -- he lifts it whenever he slams down his left stick. So if he's hitting the left on the third beat, he's lifting his right. Odd. Actually, as you accused the Beatles, the Stones are a group with average instrumentalists whose combined work transcends their individual limitations. Mick Taylor was the exception but he didn't last long. The late Nicky Hopkins saved some of their best albums with his piano work. No one's done more with a few simple chords than Keith Richards -- but you've gotta love him.

KB:

Yeah, McC is a good bassist, much better than average. His is called a "lyrical" style of playing, that is a bass line is fluid and melodic instead of the standard lurching "OOMPA-OOMPA" style. He was the band's most accomplished instrumentalist from the git-go, when they were "The Quarrymen". (Harrison grew into a decent guitarist over time.)

My point about Ringo is that people trash him to much, too readily. I don't mean to overstate his talent.

Thinking about it, you're right about Watts

But the point about all of the Beatles is that they were merely competant instrumentalists -- or anyway not dazzling -- and that was PERFECT. They were about inventive writing and producing (kudos to G.Martin)and tight vocal harmonies, and fiery playing would have overwhelmed that.

It has been said that if Beatlemania hadn't happened they could have made a comfortable living as a studio band backing solo singers. As opposed to a band like Led Zeppelin or Cream, who were ALL about the playing.

Check out this four year old kid; he ain't no Charlie Watts:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ai61hBsJcLo

"I didn't know this thread was still going."

Juanito,

I usually make a little PS re this post when a couple new entries are made.

So! Be sure to read every one of my posts! ha ha

+++

Re Ringo;
He had what the group needed, a small ego, steady personality. Just what was needed, what with the Lennon/McCartney monster machine constantly gas-lighitng George's efforts. (And sometimes eachothers)

As we have all indicated, he was adequate. I like the guy for sure.

Just have to disagree on Ginger Baker. Terrific. HE NUMBA ONE!
Cream was about the power. More so than the Beatles or Stones. Keith Moon fantastic. I actually lost a bit of interest in the Who after his parting. RIP. You could tell it ripped the hearts out of the others.

+++
KB,

Love Richards I do. One of the few so called rhythm players that outshines the lead man.

A few years back I went to a Stones concert at Soldier Field,they had an old blues guy who was performing some songs with them.

His name was Taj Mahal,and he sounded great playing with the Stones,Mick on harmonica ect.

They sang "Corrine,Corrina",or somthing like that,as one of their songs,it was a nice change of pace,and salute to Chicago blues,that the Stones love so much.

All,

I have been trying to remember every 'name' performance I have attended and have complied a list.

As the biggest pusher of this blog, tho admittedly not the most knowledgeable, I hear by require all of you other half steppers to do the same.

Just do it!

The Beatles; Old Comisky, August 1965
The Yardbirds; Valpariso IN, Armory 1966
The New Colony Six; Chesteron Indiana 1966
Blue Cheer; Kinetic Playground, Chicago, 1968
Jefferson Airplane; Kinetic Playground, 1968
(Army for three years)
Rolling Stones; Chicago Sadium, 1975?
Elton John; Chicago, 1978??
Eric Clapton; Chicago, 1976
Santana; Chicago, 1976
Leon Russel, Chicago, The Uptown, 1978?
Kiss, Chicago, 1975 (My young bro loved these guys, so I did it for him. They were actually pretty damn good.
Paul McCartney and Wings; Chicago, 1978??
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra; Several times
Buddy Guy; Ledgends, 2001
Eddie King; Ditto
Brian Setser; House of Blues
Tom Petty and the HB; Tinnley Park
AC/DC and Scorpion; Tinnley Park
SuperGrass; Seattle; 2000 at the Music Box. This was much more than a homecoming for me.

C Mo,

I couldn't list all the concerts I've been to. But I can tell you it all began with a gig in upstate NY given by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Opening act: The Soft Machine. I paid the OUTRAGEOUS price of $4/ticket.

It's all downhill once you've been on the mountaintop.

C.Mor,

You saw the Beatles in 65??

Impressive!!! I was two yrs old.....

Sweet Homers,

Just a couple of thoughts: John Lennon was an outstanding lyricist but also a very credible guitarist. There is a cd of his out (not sure of title) that is exemplary of his talents. Has some great live recordings. Will post the title when I find it.
Had I been old enough, I would have loved the opportunity to see most of the pre-80's shows all of you have listed. However, I did rip a pretty mean Ace Freeley air guitar with my tennis racquet.
CM, You seemed to take a couple of decades off after the 70's. Hmmmmmmm.
My first live concert (sorry John E. this is embarrassing) Def Leppard. I still hold this over a friend of mine because my first was two-armed Leppard, his was only one-armed Leppard.
Other than early 80's punk, I'll list a couple of notables, some familiar to the Chicago area:

Greatful Dead 1990? World Music Theater
Joe Jackson 1988 Milwaukee
Bruce Cockburn mid 90's Ravinia
Lyle Lovett mid 90's Ravinia
Chucho Valdez mid 90's Ravinia
Neil Young/Sonic Youth 1991 Rosemont Horizon
Poi Dog Pondering 1986 Milwuakee, 4-5 times in the mid 90's Chicago area.
Wilco mid 90's Chicago area several times, most notably WTTW Soundstage with Sonic Youth (wifey's b-day present) We're in row 2, wifey in red.
Jeff Tweedy 2006 Denver
Jay Farrar 1997? Museum of Science and Industry
Uncle Tupelo several times around Chi-towm
Pixies late 80's-early 90's several times
Van Morrison Chicago Theater 2004
Buena Vista Social Club Chicago Theater 2003 & 2004
Margo Valiante Music in the Park 2006 Have I mentioned her???

C.Morris,

Judging from some of those venues (Valpo, Chesterton, Tinley Park) you seem to be a South Side boy. Am I right?

Jaunito,

Former NW Indiana. Hoosier-viller.

Current location National Secret, but poorly kept.

Wife took the South Shore to work downtown every day for years.

I drove to Homewood every day for years.
Here's a song about my former employer;

Riding on the city of new orleans
Illinios central, monday morning rail
15 cars and 15 restless riders
3 conductors and 25 sacks of mail
All along a southbound odyssey
The train pulls out of kankakee
Rolls along past houses, farms and fields
Passing trains that have no name
Freight yards full of old black men
The graveyards of the rusted automobiles

Singing good morning america, how are you?
Saying, dont you know me Im your native son?
Im the train they call the city of new orleans
Ill be gone 500 miles when the day is done

Dealing cards with the old men in the club car
Penny a point, aint no one keeping score
Pass the paper bag that holds the bottle
Feel the wheels a rumbling neath the floor

And the sons of pullman porters
And the sons of engineers
Ride their fathers magic carpet made of steel
And mothers with their babes asleep
Rockin to the gentle beat
And the rhythm of the rails is all they feel
Singing good morning america, how are you?
Saying dont you know me, Im your native son?
Im the train they call the city of new orleans
Ill be gone 500 miles when the day is done

Nighttime on the city of new orleans
Changing cars in memphis, tennessee
Halfway home and well be there by morning
Through the mississippi darkness rolling down to the sea
But all the towns and people seem
To fade into a bad dream
And the steel rails still aint heard the news
The conductor sings his song again
The passengers will please refrain
This train has got the disappearing railroad blues

Singing good morning america, how are you?
Saying dont you know me, Im your native son?
Im the train they call the city of new orleans
Ill be gone 500 miles when the day is done

Words and music by steve goodman

++
Bub, Nice list.

Yes, a while off for sure. Creeping old age, work work work, kids, all gang up on the time, effort, etc.

Hendrix was for sure the mountain top.

+++

John E,
Yeah I did. First rock concert I ever saw. Junior in HS.
Talk about flash bulbs. No way to enforce the ban.
I don't know how many attended, but no empty seats and they sold standing room. The noise was like a 747 powering out of O'Hare. I could not hear a thing.

John Lennon Acoustic 2004

Bubba,
Two armed Leppard,that's funny,my wife is a big Leppard fan.

Concerts I've attended in no particular order,or year:

Molly Hachett
Ted Nugent
Todd Rungren and Utopia - my first concert,and the best I've ever seen.
Reo Speedwagon
Cheap Trick
The Kinks
The Marshell Tucker Band
The Stones - Rockford,Il.
The Stones - Alpine Valley
The Stones - Soldier Field - twice
The Black Crowes

Since Paulo dosen't comment on this site,I'll list the one concert he's probably been to:

The Dead Democrats

John E,

Funny one re Dead Dems.

NOW, explain the Def Leppard joke to the old man.

CM,
Their drummer lost one of his arms in a car accident in the mid-80's. I guess not so funny now that I write it. Man, I'm sick.

Bub,

heh heh heh, sorry I pressed you on that one, but, I'm chuckling myself.

PS Bub,

We haven't talked much about the Kinks, but they are on your list, and one of my alt. lists.

They were, in my opinion the first punk/alternative band.

And they grew and matured musically, similarly to the Beatles.

I always enjoyed the Davies bros.

REM's 'Orange Crush'.
Nice, gut punching stuff.

My son, who has seen most of the newer alt. rock bands of the 90's thru now, says the best concert he EVER attended was a Neil Young show a few years back.

Said Young was the best guitar player he ever witnessed.

Had his calliope and did After the Gold Rush .

I knew that day I brought the boy up right.

CM,
I caught Ray Davies on Soundstage a few weeks back. Played a lot of new stuff. I gather you probably spend more time with a good book than the boob tube but if you can find it, it's worth it. I also just recorded Van Morrison on the same venue. Looking forward to that-Van doesn't mince words much on stage, just plays.
I always liked the Kinks. Reminds me of Dire Straights for some reason. Another guitarist to talk about. Hey, what about the age-old who is the best guitarist ever post?

CM,
I forgot about REM. Saw them in Grand Rapids, MI 1986, about 1000 people and was general admission-no seating. Front row. Saw them again 3-4 years later at a sold out Rosemont Horizon show upper deck-couldn't even see them.
Oh yeah, I made a couple of Vegas trips in the late 80's. I saw Tom Jones and Diana Ross at Ceasars Palace. How about the best/worst Vegas acts post?

"Hey, what about the age-old who is the best guitarist ever post?

Posted by: Bubba | Nov 20, 2006 5:17:58 PM"

Bubba,

OK,,,,but,,,,I ain't goin' first this time. This is hard. What are we doing? Top 10? Or no limit? 5 or 10 or 20??

I sometimes catch sound stage or austin city limits. Will watch for the good ones.

OK Bubba and C Mo, I'll bite. Here are my 20 top guitarists, nearly in order, but they move around every time I look at the list. 20 is a lot harder than 10 or 15, by the way.

Go ahead, pick it apart:

Jimi Hendrix
Eric Clapton
Mike Bloomfield
Ry Cooder
John McLaughlin
Jeff Beck
Stevie Ray Vaughan
Johnnie Winter
Duane Allman
Robert Johnson
Frank Zappa
Trey Anastasio (Phish)
Steve Vai
Elvin Bishop
Mick Taylor
Dicky Betts
Peter Green
Buddy Guy
Eddie Van Halen
George Harrison

Bub,

I'll leave the best/worst Vegas lists to you guys. But be careful. You may be forced to deal the elephant in that room; Elvis.

I posted a bunch last night but it didn't make it through big brother. Probably because my list included the name of our lead guitarist from my junior high top 40 rock band. The kid was 14 and could duplicate anything by any of the above names. Anyhoot, great list KB, the only name I had differently was Jerry Garcia. This is arguable but I put Jerry on my list not only for talent, but innovation. Plenty of jam bands have had great success duplicating his style. Trey Anastasio was great with Phish (another mid 90's concert) but I really dislike his solo stuff.
Al Dimeola?
Jimmy Page
B.B. King
Les Paul
Mark Knopfler
Randi Rhoades
David Gilmour
I'm not good with this list stuff, too much pressure. I would, however, put SRV at the top of my list. And Hendrix.

Bubba,

I would've added Al DiMeola, but I wasn't sure how much I should move into fusion/jazz past John McLaughlin. Going that route, I would've added Charlie Christian, Django Reinhardt, Wes Montgomery (a fellow Hoosier, C Mo), and possibly newer guys like John Scofield and Bill Frisell. So it's a can of very talented worms. Add them, then who gets dropped from the other list?

Gotta love Jerry Garcia ☠, but then you've got to think about whether they make the list for historical significance or for sheer playing skills, or some hybrid of both. Pete Townshend comes to mind as an example of the former.

Of course my favorite list winner was some years ago Rolling Stone (usually clueless) gave Guitarist of the Year to Joe Cocker with a full page photo of him going into one of his air guitar spasms. Really funny.

I just lost a huge post!

Anyway, I am doing this list, again, without looking at yours first, so as not to influence mine.

1. Clapton (look at the hands)
2. Hendrix (could have been #1 but for the smaller body of work RIP)
3. Duane Allman (exquisite)
4. Jeff Beck (complete accomplishment)
5. Muddy (one of the founders, RIP)
6. BB K (blessed Clapton)
7. Jimmy Page
8. Santana
9. Joe Walsh
10. SRV (almost took Clapton with him, RIP)
11. Becker (Steely Dan, underrated)
12. David Gilmour (inventive, power, dramatic, beauty)
14. that guy from Jethro Tull
15. Robin Trower (like a morphine drip in the mind,(not that I would know))
16. Harrison (talented, subtle, intricate)
17. Buddy Guy
18. Neil Young (Doctor Distortion lives)
19. Robert Johnson (Beyond a founder, Moses? Abraham?)
20. Dixon
21. Joe Perry
22. Lindsey Buckinham (the guy can finger-pic the electric)

I can't say the order is perfect, but close. I am already eyeing changes, so I will leave it be.

Both your lists are excellent. Wouldn't begin to argue.

Kenny B.,good list.

How about adding:

Jimmy Page
Kurt Cobain
Tom Morello

Trey Anastassio ???

I never liked Phish,I always thought they were just a bad knockoff of the Grateful Dead,who were bad themselves.

K B,
Was Ry Cooder with the Doobies? Or was that Baxter?
Brain is going.

I notice we have several of the same names in the upper quadrant of our lists.

Must be a new administration if we can focus on commonalities!

Ry Cooder backed bands like Captain Beefheart years ago, then became a "session" man, backing most notably the Stones on Let it Bleed and Sticky Fingers. There's a rock rumor that Cooder sued Keith Richards for stealing some technique (bottleneck licks, maybe?) but that's never been substantiated. Maybe you folks know otherwise. He's done some great albums under his own name, and some film soundtracks. He put together The Buena Vista Social Club -- a nice film which gives the Havana music scene overdue attention.

Huge miss on my list -- Jimmy Page. Apologies to all Yardbirds and Led Zep fans. Thanks for catching it. Now, who to shove off (unless I'm allowed 21)?

I really think Phish was pretty versatile. Everything from jams to jazz to C+W. Trey drove it.

I'm not familiar with Tom Morello but will certainly be on the lookout -- thanks for the tip, John E.

Hey, talk about a huge miss..

John E came up with Millie Vanillie for 'worst act' on another blog.
Good one!

I'm already regretting leaving Cobain off my list.

Cm,
Wasn't City of NO Arlo Guthrie? I know Goodman did his own version though.
Woody Guthrie? falls into KB's historical significance catagory
Bruce Cockburn especially his early stuff.
Morello was Rage Against the Machine/Audioslave, he was also on the last Bill Maher show. Well versed and tells it like it is. A Swampy sorta guy.
Nigel Tufnel
Carlos Santana-nice pick up CM

New listing coming.

This is one for the religious folk and us 'damned' liberals.

Now think for a moment;
Davinci's Last Supper. Twelve disciples and Jesus.

Who is who in the blues/rock/jazz world?

The list plot thickens.

Hardest question; Just who the heck would be Judas???

We already know Lennon = Jesus

Add one more to the all time BAD list;

B J Thomas!

Here is a sample;

Mamma

WHOS THE ONE WHO TIED YOU SHOE WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG
AND KNEW JUST WHEN TO COME AND SEE WHAT YOU HAD DONE
MAMA OH MAMA
AND WHOS THE ONE WHO PATCHED YOUR EYE AND TOLD YOU NOT TO CRY
CAUSE HE WAS TO BIG FOR YOU TO TRY
MAMA MAMA

AND WHOS THE ONE YOU DIDNT NEED TO PLEAD
TO GIVE HER TIME TO THE LITTLE LEAUGE
IT WAS MAMA OH MAMA
AND WHOS THE ONE WHO GAVE HER SHOULDER
WHEN YOU TOLD HER YOUR FIRST LOVE WAS OVER
SHE'D MET SOMEONE OLDER MAMA MAMA

IT WAS MAMA, MY MAMA, MAMA, OH MAMA

WHOS THE ONE WHO TAUGHT YOU OBLIGATION THEN DEDICATION
RESULTS GRADUATION MAMA MAMA
AND WHOS THE ONE WHOS SHOWN THE FRIENDS YOU'VE KNOWN
A HOME AWAY FROM HOME WHEM THEY WERE TIRED AND ALL ALONE
MAMA MAMA

AND WHOS THE ONE WHO HELD A TEAR INSIDE
WHEN YOU INTRODUCED YOU FUTURE BRIDE
AND WHOS THE ONE THAT DIDNT MEAN TO CRY
AS YOU WALKED DOWN THE ISLE THROUGH TEARS YOU SAW HER
SMILE
MAMA OH MAMA
MAMA MY MAMA
IT WAS MAMA MY MAMA
* * * * *

Now I feel like a ,,,,, bastard.... I'm verclempt.
I like the song....

I take it all back.

Ya know, sometimes even bad is good. Guess I have to file this one under 'guilty pleasure'.

OK, I'm keeping the top five, working down from there;

1. Clapton
2. Hendrix
3. Duane Allman
4. Jeff Beck
5. Muddy
6. BB K
7. Jimmy Page
8. SRV
9. David Gilmour
10. Robert Johnson

C M,
Wow,another slow posting day,I thought they were improving on that??
I had some posts from last night that didn't get printed also Bubba,they were masterpieces of course.....darn Swamp......

C M, you were talking about The Kinks earlier.
When I saw the Kinks at Evans Field House in Dekalb,I was sitting close to the front,and the old guys were still sounding pretty good.

I was able to slap hands with Ray Davies,and I can tell you that he was giving Keith Richards a run for his money for the "walking death" title.
He isn't aging well,but then check out Eddie Van Halen,not good,ditto for Diamond Dave.
1979 please come back!!!!

Has anyone noticed that the great guitar players have a distinct sound??
You can tell who's playing guitar without even knowing the name of the song,or recognizing the name of the band playing the song.

Bubba,

Arlo released it as a hit, for himself. Goodman wrote it. I was surprised to learn it myself, years ago.
It nearly made my 'fav. single' list. A beautiful, sad song.

John E,
Slow, very slow. And I lost a few masterpieces myself nite before.
Though I am sad to see my BJ Thomas was not lost!
I was really 'in my cups' or something.

Ditto Steve Tyler. It's a hard life, you know. And Ginger Baker is a walking skeleton. Nobody thought he would survive the Cream years, let alone be alive and jazzing it today. Glad they are still around.

I did turn in my final top ten guitarist list, however.

John E,

Oh yeah, you can tell CLapton from BB from Jimmy for sure.

I gotta say I really like Joe Walsh. Hated taking him off my final list.
He was for sure the best part of the Eagles.

C M Bub Kenny B.,

I think Morello is originally a Chicago guy who's Harvard educated.

A strange combo for a rocker.

Hey boys and girls,we forgot to put Slash on our "guitar gods" list!

C M - I'm a little iffy about Joe Walsh,the Eagles were another one of those collective groups.

John E,
As you can see, Joe not in my top ten.

You know, the Irish group, The Cranberries did some nice work in the 90. Zombie, for instance.

Speaking of cranberries;

I have a free range, naturally fed turkey in the fridge. Have a good family butcher shop source out here.

Can't wait.

Boycott ButterBall.
Whatever they put in those things, well, it ain't butter.

JE

I respect Slash and have heard him on albums. But I can't claim enough knowledge of G & Roses to rate hime.

PS to John E,

I think we could all agree that although the Eagles were a talented band, it would not make anyones top twenty list.

We haven't even mentioned 'The Cure', by the way.

And The Clash has been mentioned, but neglected. They blow the Eagles away. London Calling may be one of the best songs ever written and performed. Power power power, and palm sweat. I tell ya the Brits are just hard to beat.

Me old son taught me about them.

C M,and my fellow Swamp "Rockers",

I'm heading down to Southern Indiana,got to go visit my relatives in the bible belt,I'm the only Dem in the bunch.

Don't forget to pray for our guys in Iraq.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

C M,

I remember the Cranberries,I thought they were a good band.....they taste good too....

Hey John E!

Crank up the tunes and remember; Hoosierville is starting to lean blue.

Hey boys! (No girls here yet, too bad)

I just scored the greatest 'one hit wonder' ever, and a group yet to be mentioned.

This song is dear to the heart of anyone that grew up in or near Chicago, IL in the 60's/70/s period.

Submitted for your approval.

There is no greater American city than Chicago.

New York? Screw you. The Yankees suc.

LA? You are a joke, man. See the Doors LA Woman for your song.

(Aliotta, Haynes, and Jeremiah - Lake Shore Drive)

There’s a road I’d like to tell you about, lives in my home town
Lake Shore Drive the road is called and it’ll take you up or down
From rags on up to riches fifteen minutes you can fly
Pretty blue lights along the way, help you right on by
And the blue lights shining with a heavenly grace, help you right on by

And there ain’t no road just like it
Anywhere I found
Running south on Lake Shore Drive heading into town
Just slippin’ on by on LSD, Friday night trouble bound
And it starts up north from Hollywood, water on the driving side
Concrete mountains rearing up, throwing shadows just about five

Sometimes you can smell the green if your mind is feeling fine
There ain’t no finer place to be, than running Lake Shore Drive
And there’s no peace of mind, or place you see, than riding on Lake Shore Drive

And there ain’t no road just like it
Anywhere I found
Running south on Lake Shore drive heading into town
Just slicking on by on LSD, Friday night trouble bound

And it’s Friday night and you’re looking clean
To early to start the rounds
A ten minute ride from the Gold Coast back make sure you’re pleasure bound
And it’s four o’clock in the morning and all of the people have gone away
Just you and your mind and Lake Shore Drive, tomorrow is another day
And the sunshine’s fine in the morning time, tomorrow is another day

And there ain’t no road just like it
Anywhere I found
Running south on Lake Shore drive heading into town
Just snaking on by on LSD, Friday night trouble bound

PS on the Lake Shore Drive

until the early 70's all the exits off the Dan Ryan were marked as;

LSD NEXT RIGHT ,or whatever.

Finally Richard J. had them changed.

C Mo,

I remember the lake shore drive song,I always thought that Simon and Garfunkle did that tune??

Those lyrics are great,Chi-Town is the best city in America in my humble opinion.(Go Cubs..,maybe in 07??)

Have you ever heard the song "The Night Chicago Died" by Paper Lace??

I think it came out in the early to mid 70's.
When I was growing up all the kids listened to WLS on the radio,it was all that would come in.
That song was one of their staples.

John E,

Yes, I heard that turd! Needs to be on our bad, but 'likable in a funny way' list.

__________

Aliotta, Haynes, and Jeremiah were a group that comprised part of the 'Chicago Invasion' in the late 60's - early 70's.

Here's a list of the ones I can remember.

Ides of March
Buckinghams
Spanky and Our Gang
New Colony Six
Chicago (biggest of all) (Originally called themselves CTA, I think))

Can anybody think of more?
I know I am forgetting some.

Back from lala land. Funny you mentioned it CM, LA is a cest pool of Hummer driving, botox-injecting, caramel latte sippin vain fools all destined for extinction by their own hands. I thought these things as I sat in bumper to bumper traffic on the 405 on Thanksgiving day trying to figure out why all of these plastic peopleclones weren't home eating turkey like the rest of America. Lots of songs written about roads around LA though. Ventura Blvd. Santa Monica Blvd. etc. Wedding in wine country was nice though. So was Boise on turkey eve. Nice clean town. No time for music though. Ate at some Basque place. Good fish. Cold Beer.

C Mo--Has a nice ring to it like M. McDonald's "Ya Mo B There". A good friend of mine who died recently at the still young age of 54, had great concert conections. I was fortunate enough to attend dozens of name concerts over the years, usually in the premo seats. I'd blow a gasket trying to recall dates, so I'll list a few categories: Loudest--The Who at the Salt Palace. Roger Daltry swinging his mike like a rodeo cowboy, Townsend skimming across the stage like a botched slide into 2nd base. What a hoot. My ears were ringing for three days. Great concert. Most soulful--Eric Clapton, Salt Palace. Don't remember the year but he had just recorded "Time Pieces". "Cocaine" was a bit inane (but fun). I was particularly drawn to his older "bluesy" stuff though. The feeling, the clarity of his voice, not to mention his brilliant guitar playing and his versatility. Amazing talent...............to be continued.

Best Venue....Park West (Now The Canyons) in Park City. Saw CS&N there in late July. Beautiful threatening skies, majestic mountains, baby boomer croud. It was two and a half hours of pure bliss. First concert...Gordon Lightfoot at Cottonwood High School in SLC. Grew quite fond of this down to earth Canadian. My son and I recently went up to the North Shore of Lake Superior. We visited Split Rock Lighthouse and saw an exibit on the Edmund Fitzgerald. I asked my son if he recalled the verses of the Gordon Lightfoot song. He didn't even know who Gordon Lightfoot was, once again confirming that I failed as a father.

Concert categories con't........ Most unusual vantage point--Sneaked into a Steppenwolf concert at S.E.C. on the University of Utah campus. We crept through the ventilation ducts and viewed the concert through a grill overlooking the stage area. Unforgettable. Best Brass---Chicago, of course. After listening to them belt out "25 or 6 to four", I was ready to trade my guitar in for a coronet. Hottest babes!---I saw Heart before Anne Wilson resembled Elizabeth Taylor, and Nancy was running around in skin-tight Lycra. Not only were those girls easy on the eyes, but Ann has a great voice and Nancy isn't half bad on those guitar licks either. "Crazy on You" gals.

Concert categories con't...... Rowdiest Concert Experience---Led Zepplin at the Salt Palace. The band was in its prime, and so was I. I've never seen so much contraband pass before my eyes, so many shirtless, inebriated, air-guitar playing concert-goers before or since. Great fun, great band. Best Concert I never saw----Had hard to come by tickets for The Doors. Jim Morrison and the gang were taking the country by storm. The concert was canceled because of Jim's "obscene gestures" the previous night in Denver--something about his "Johnson" I think.

Yeah, nothing wrong with Gordon. Protocol was a great song.
I like KD Lang and Burton Cummings. The Canadians are a talented bunch of people. They are everywhere. Anyone know more Canadians? Of course, Neil Young is Canada boy.

Bub,

More coming on Boise and LA. Gotta eat and talk to the wife.

Bubba,

You must have eaten at in the little Basque section of Boise on Grove St. just off Capitol. Gurnika I think. We have eaten there ourselves. Also the Basque market is a great little place. Bardalay is fantastic. You can get a carry out lunch that is better eating than most full scale joints. We usually get a carry out, then drive north into the mountains to hike, and eat it down on the trail. We figure a big bad bear may get us some day. Hope she appr. the sandwich.

Another nice part of town is the North End. I call it Boise's old town. People always look at me funny when I say it. I just grin and say 'you should have been in Chicago in 1968'.

LA traffic.
There are lots of CA exiles up here and they brag about their LA freeway traffic. I just laugh and grin and wait for them to shut the eff up then hurt them with the big truth.

I tell them; 'OK, you have a few more cars than Chicago/Wisconsin/Indiana, but throw in a couple more factors. 1. The most heavily traveled truck corridor IN THE WORLD, and 2; On top of that try 12 inches of lake effect blizzard conditions with an inch of freezing rain on top of it'. Then maybe try some -18F temps.

Those a%%h*^# pus$%*S wouldn't survive, let alone get home for dinner. They don't have a clue, and wouldn't understand it if they bought one at K-Mart. Then I ask them what is it like to come from the punch line to a joke.

Having ranted all that; LA is a major city, and I am sure someone somewhere there finds something worthy and good. You mentioned a couple songs that were actually written about the place. I would add Steely Dan's, 'Babylon Sister'.

See below for lyrics. It's a beautiful, yet sad and regretful dirge. (Aja, 1977 ?) That's the problem with LA (or CA in general) vs Chicago or New York, or London, or Naples, or Pittsburg for God's sake.

In LA you find loneliness and self destruction; In Chicago you find something resembling life, beauty, a reason to fight, live, pay a mortgage.

Steely Dan (This is LA's song)

Drive west on Sunset
To the sea
Turn that jungle music down
Just until were out of town

This is no one night stand
Its a real occasion
Close your eyes and youll be there
Its everything they say
The end of a perfect day
Distant lights from across the bay

Babylon sisters shake it
Babylon sisters shake it
So fine so young
Tell me Im the only one

Here come those santa ana winds again

Well jog with show folk on the sand
Drink kirschwasser from a shell
San francisco show and tell
Well I should know by now
That its just a spasm
Like a sunday in t.j.
That its cheap but its not free
That Im not what I used to be
And that loves not a game for three

Babylon sisters shake it
Babylon sisters shake it
So fine so young
Tell me Im the only one

My friends say no don't go
For that cotton candy
Son youre playing with fire
The kid will live and learn
As he watches his bridges burn
From the point of no return

Babylon sisters shake it
Babylon sisters shake it
So fine so young
Tell me Im the only one

This is a song about a town that is killing you.

C. Mo.....I think you were right to consider retracting Buffalo Springfield from the "one hit wonder" list. Besides 'For What It's Worth' and 'Bluebird', I think Neil Young's 'Broken Arrow' and Still's & Young's 'Rock and Roll Woman' are decent enough, though hardly hits. My contribution to the list: Strawberry Alarm Clock, 'Incense and Peppermints' and Iron Butterfly, 'In-A-Godda-Da-Vida'. And one for dual category:"one hit wonder" and "worst song ever"; Nancy Sinatra, 'These Shoes Were Made For Walkin'. Oh, and another for worst song consideration:"Downtown", Petula Clark.

C MO,unlettered,

You guys living out there in Mormon Country and Potatoland are getting lots of snow from what I hear.
That area of the country sure is beautiful,but I would miss the Chi-Town area.

More Chicago/Illinois area bands/musicians:

Styx
Smashing Pumkins - one of C Mo's favorites
Cheap Trick - Rockford
Reo Speedwagon - Champaign/Urbana
Eddie Vedder - Pearl Jam lead singer/Chicago guy
Tom Morello - Audioslave lead guitarist/Chicago guy
Chicago(the band) always ticked me off,they were based in Chicago for about a year before moving to LA.
I call them LA carpetbaggers.

I know there's more,but my brain is hurting right now...time to reboot...

Bubba,

I couldn't agree more with you about LaLa Land.

I went out there during high school looking at a couple of schools,and I hated it.

Everyone is a fake/flake....I like real boobs myself...

I ended up playing at a local Jr.College for two yrs.,and then joining the Army.

Just noticed raving loon had Steppenwolf on "one hit wonder list". I usually give loon much cred but I've got to howl to the moon on that one. What about 'The Pusher'(By any standard, a great song), 'Snowblind Friend'(more obscure but a wonderful tune), 'It's Never Too Late', 'Rock Me', 'Hey Lawdy Mama', 'Ride With Me', 'Magic Carpet Ride','Sookie, Sookie', 'Monster'? They deserve better. Returning to concert categories: Zaniest concert---ZZ Top at the Salt Palace, SLC. Something about two old guys (Gibbons and Hill) swaying in matching cheap suits and dark sunglasses with their outrageously long and unkempt beards-- what fun that was. Most moving concert: this really falls under sub-category of Broadway-style musical. As a young teen my brother, who was attending Stanford at the time, took me to see 'Hair' at the Geary Theater in San Francisco. One number made me blush(you know the one). Others were playful, some were heart-breaking, all of them reflected the mood of many young Americans in a time of war, drugs, civil unrest, hope, peace, love. And what better place to experience it then S.F.?

Still awake doing work...oh well...

unlettered,
Wow,I would have liked to have seen Zepplin,that has to be up there with C.Mo's seeing the Beatles in 65.
Did you guys save ticket stubs??
I've still got one from every concert I've ever attended,and maybe they'll be cremated with me,who knows.

Best concert experiance:

Cheap Trick in Rockford,Il.

My friends,and I were sitting in the front row of the bleachers,and there was a guy about five or six rows up behind us with his head down rocking back and forth.
We all noticed him,and figured that he had just overdone the pre-concert partying a little to much.
After about an hour of Cheap Trick playing all of a sudden this guy just leaps over our heads all the way down to the ground floor,and starts air guitaring until the cops came and frogwalked him away......he did a mean air guitar thou.

Unlettered,
You have made some great posts here recently. The Zep concert sounds like it was a lot o fun.

The House of Blues used to be a movie theater when it opened in the mid-seventies. We went to see Ladies and Gentlemen, the Rolling Stones film there. Contraband was all over the place, right in the movie. Couldn't happen today.

Got to say the best venue for me was that mundane and utilitarian NG Armory where I stood 10 feet from Jeff Beck. That proximity was the only reason.

Most thrilling, though, was seeing Clapton at the Stadium. We spent enough to get close enough to see.

Most dreamlike was seeing the Beatles. Unreal experience.

John E. No, I never have saved a ticket stub. Not a packrat. Should have. I throw stuff away as fast as I can. Wife IS a packrat.

Bubba,

Oh yeah, I saw/heard Van Morrison on Austin City Limits last Friday. Terrific. So accomplished and polished. Great band, too. That slide steel guitar'ista , real good, too.

John E.--Don't know how the spuds fared, but I'm still digging out from our first major snow storm here in "Zion". Heard it was 30 degrees in Page, Az.(on Lake Powell), which is unheard of. Re: Zepplin. Yeah, that was pretty special. One of the benefits of growing up in a great era for Rock. The downside is facing the prospects of old age now--creaky knees, arthritis, fixed income, etc. C. Mo---Kudos for the post on Babylon. One of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands. Everything about that group is phenomenal. Great name, great lyrics, fine musicians, unique sound and music that resonates with the times. I wish I could have seen them live but I guess Fagen and Becker pretty much stayed in the studio, where they performed their magic with a varied cast of top musicians and vocalist.

unl,

Yeah, Becker made my long list for the best. Would surely be in the top 20. Their 'Royal Scam' album is one fine piece of work, by the way. See words to Don't Take Me Alive, above.

Snow in the Mountains. Cold here in the valley. We get some snow , but a lot of glare, or black ice down here. I-@* is a killer highway. We run studded snow tires all winter.

john e,

Funny story about the jumper. I can just picture the 'Andy Frain' "security' boys leading this guy off.

CM,
Yes, Bardalay is where we ate. Very good. We were with another couple, good friends of ours but from the other side of the aisle. He starts every morning reading the Bible and she starts it with coffee and Fox News. Dinner conversation revolved mostly around fishing. Insomnia sent me wandering the vacant streets of Boise around 5 am Turkey day. Would like to spend more time there when things are open.
Yet to see Van Morrison but have it saved on tivo.
John E., the drummer from Styx used to hang out at one of my and wifey's favorite old haunts-Bottoms Up on State St. Former wise guy hang out turned pizza joint. Kinda sad, he used to drink himself blind while his girlfriend would crank up their old hits on the jukebox. I believe he passed away a few years back.
Yes, snow is slowly arriving. Local ski resort just opened today. Can't wait to bust out my new K2 Apache Chief powder hounds.

unl,

PS: I saw Hair in Seattle, but was old enough (21?) to appr. the scene. The gals went natural back then.

C.Mo--Really envy your Beatles experience. The Fab Four wouldn't be caught dead in Zion, but I should have flown down to the Bay Area or something, and caught their act. I did see Jefferson Airplane and the Mama's and the Papa's down there though. Another group I missed on was the Stones at Rice Eccles Stadium at the U of U. I knew the ticket manager at the U, but he had just retired and the only tickets available were through scalpers at hundreds of dollars. No thanks. New category: first (and only) concert I attended with one of my kids------It was Whitney Houston at the S.E.C., U of U. She was young, beautiful, energetic, amazingly talented. This was before ego, drugs, and bad relationships dragged her down to the gutter. It was fun for my Daughter who was only 13 at the time. I credit my daughter with turning me on to Pearl Jam and Tori Amos.

C Mo--I think I was 15 when I saw Hair. I sat between my brother and his wife at the historic Geary Theater (I guess they were protecting me).The most embarrassing part wasn't the "ah natural" finale, but rather the piece that featured terms refering to oral sex. I think my brother enjoyed exposing his sheltered younger sibling to that one. While staying with my bro in Palo Alto, I nearly had the opportunity to see the Dave Brubeck Quartet, but I got sick. Those guys were great. My brother used to turn on the old Woolensac reel-to-reel tape recorder and play the Time Out album for hours on end.

Bubba,

Sad story about the Styx drummer.

In the history of Rock it always seems to be the drummers who fall off the deep end after their bands wave of success is over.

unlettered,didn't list Steppenwolf as one hit wonder.C Mo and me were just throwing around some old tunes and names.

I agree with you,always liked Steppenwolf,smoked many a j's listening to them.

R. Loon...Sorry to misrepresent your post. Now I feel like... Juanito! ( Juan, don't respond. I'm just "astonishingly naive" and don't know any better.) Have a good one buddy, and keep on rockin.

"and "worst song ever"; Nancy Sinatra, 'These Shoes Were Made For Walkin'. Oh, and another for worst song consideration:"Downtown", Petula Clark.

Posted by: unlettered | Nov 28, 2006 8:48:20 PM"

You bring up an interesting point with Nancy Sinatra:

There existed this sub genre of vanity bands. 'Dino Desi and Billy' also come to mind.

With the incredible popularity of the Beatles, the kids of older superstars like Frank and Deano said 'daddy, daddy, I want to be in a rock band!!' So daddy called his record company a ordered them to set the kids up with some good professional studio musicians, and there you have it.

Can you imagine the looks on the faces of those guys as they shepherded Nancy or Dino (Jr) through a song?

I guess the modern day iteration of this genre would be Bruce Willis or Russell Crowe setting themselves up with a group.

Anyone else have some good examples?

Kevin Bacon

Lisa Marie Presley.

I only wish her dad was around to lean on or shoot her.

C Mo,

They have pitch adjustment computers nowdays that can make even the worst singers sound good.

Ashlee Simpson
Paris Hilton
Hillary Duff

Rappers.........

This may be a stretch, but interesting all the same. A few years back the Salt Lake City music scene included a local band called Carlo. These kids were entertaining and plain "sick". The lead bass guitarist of the group was a petite blond named Lindsay Pulsipher. Lindsay and fellow band members fled this "wretched little town" (as Carlo portrayed SLC in song), and relocated in Seattle. You might remember Pulsipher as Tara, the "Fair-Haired Child" of the Masters of Horror series on T.V.

unl,

I agree Pet Clark's 'Downtown' was lame, but she was at least a real singer, unlike Nancy. Made it on her own, as far as we know.

One thing to remember about the 60's; In spite of the bad rap it gets from conservatives as a dark and awful time of sex, drugs and rock and roll, it also had a sweet, silly, innocent side.

A couple other English 'song birds' were;

Lu Lu
Dusty Springfield (By far the best) RIP

Hey all,

I would submit for everyones approval for one of the best performances of all time;

Jimi Hendrix version of 'Hey Joe'.

The first time I heard it I nearly cried like a baby.

A side note on Jimi:

Seattle is one of my favorite towns. Forget the yuppie label. It's been there a long time. It's beautiful, fun, and a great 'walking town'. And if they have a lot of good coffee, so what? That's good, fool.

Any way, from the hokey Space Needle you can look down upon the 'Experience Museum', which is a tribute to Hendrix and Rock and guitars in general.

I told my old dad in law about it once, and he had a real blank look on his face. Bless the old guy, he helped win WWII. But he doesn't know Hendrix or any one else for that matter. Too bad.

We just have to thank him for helping making Hedrix possible, I guess.

My dad was there too, WWII, but he at least knows that Hendrix existed.

C.Mo---I couldn't bring myself to submit Spirit to the curse of "one hit wonders". It's true, they only had about one big hit per album. But, I've got to confess I used to cruise State St. on my Honda 750 with "The Best of Spirit" blaring out of my cheap tape deck. Yes, It's all coming back now 'Fresh Garbage', 'I've Got a Line on you', and my favorite '1984' ( they were off by 20 years, but Bush fulfilled the prophecy ). Sad story line behind the group. Randy (Wolf} California, who played with Hendrix, drowned in a surfing accident while saving his son off the coast of Hawaii.

C Mo--I've got to confess. I was really taken to Petula Clark music as a pre-pubescent. I was just trying to make amends with the nomination. One underappreciated Brit--Joan Armatrading. She's not for everyone, but no denying her talent. A girl I met in England turned me on to her. She also took me to see the musical JC Superstar at the West End Palace Theatre in London.

still awake..still working..it sucks..oh well,

Hey guys,

You know talking about the 60's rock made me think of something.

Has anyone ever noticed that some of the best rock or punk music comes from times of great upheavel,or times of war??

Since 2000 the Punkers have been letting loose bigtime.

For a good example of this check out Greenday's American Idiot cd.

C Mo,I know you've heard Greenday,but have you seen a copy of the whole album lyrics,they're ripping W. and Cheney bigtime.

The lyrics are great,the punks are pissed,and the guitar licks are incredible,and other bands have been following suit;war is great for music if nothing else.

Just thought of an important category: Best Music for the Road---For those of you who occasionally indulge in long road trips, as I do, I highly recommend you bring along the Stephen Stills Manassas cd. It has a little country flavor to it, but it just rocks (in a mellow sort of way), and is quite sustaining. C Mo----I haven't settled on best performance yet, but I really enjoyed Fleetwood Mac who I saw twice here (and Stevie Nicks once). Stevie Nicks has Salt Lake roots. She attended Wasatch Jr. High (a couple of blocks from my brother's house) for two years. Then she went to Judge Memorial H.S. for a short time. It's a private catholic school half a block from my current residence. I thought she was hot going all the way back to her 'Buckingham and Nicks' days(you might recall the tune 'Long Distance Winner'). That was a prelude to the poetic, raspy-voiced Nicks & high-energy Buckingham-influenced Mac sound. Incidently,I think Buckingham is underrated on guitar, and the bug-eyed Fleetwood is priceless. The group had great chemistry in concert, despite their personal issues.
Did you catch Mac's reunion tour on the tele? I loved it when they played 'Tusk' and the USC marching band, in full splender, joins them for the finale. Fun stuff.

C Mo b there---seeking clarification on the best performances of all time. Are you referring to ones we've witnessed in person, on t.v.,at the movies... or any performance seen or heard? And speaking of clarification-re: creationist. I don't respect them per say (I think they're fools and idiots). I just respect their RIGHT to be creationist (and fools & idiots). We have a predominant one here, Rep Butters, who thought the political climate was ripe to test the monkey law in Utah schools. He got laughed right off Capitol Hill. Sorry to keep rambling, but I need your opinion and that of any other lib who stumbles across this post. Is it just me, or are all the cons and pretend independents who blog on this sight sour, often shrill, up-tight, humourless, condescending, nuance-challenged, literalistic chumps who conduct their blogs like they conduct their wars? Man, it seems like it's always this cowboy-up, scorched-earth, shock-and-awe crap with them. Not fond of satire or playful ribbing, that bunch. Every time I read a comment directed towards libs, we enlightened ones, I feel like I've been the victim of blunt-force trauma. You too? O.K., I'm done whining. Good night and good luck.

unl,

I have one Joan Armatrading album!

THIS JUST IN----My Dec. issue of Rolling Stone just arrived featuring a free online site to 300 Classic Concerts including Hendrix, Zeppelin, Dylan. Maybe I can find that Doors concert I got screwed out of. The free audio streams are on wolfgangsvault.com The article mentions six "prime shows from the vault". The Who, 1968 Fillmore East, New York. David Bowie,1976 Nassau Coliseum Uniondale, New York. The Clash, 1979 Agora Ballroom, Cleveland. Led Zeppelin, 1969 Fillmore West, San Francisco. Bruce Springsteen, 1978 Winterland, San Francisco. Neil Young and Bob Dylan, 1975 Kezar Stadium, San Francisco. Hope you have good bandwidth.

Looking at a list of top 100 songs from 1969.
These gems are in the top 100.

1.Sugar Sugar Archies
2.Build me up buttercup Foundations
3.I'll never fall in love again Tom Jones
4.Hair Cowsills
5.Jean Oliver
6.My cherie amour Stevie Wonder
7.Little woman Bobby Sherman
8.Gitarzan Ray Stevens
9.It's getting better Big Mama Cass
10.Indian giver 1910 Fruitgum Company

But,we also got these.

1.Honkey tonk woman Stones
2.One Three Dog Night
3.Get Back Beatles
4.Proud Mary CCR
5.Time of the season Zombies
6.Touch me Doors
7.Lay lady lay Bob Dylan
8.Atlantis Donavon
9.Ramblin Gamblin Man Bob Seger
10.Everybody's talking Nilsson

Unl,

See my Nov 17 post above.

Loon,

Indian giver 1910 Fruitgum Company??

Is that guy a rapper???hahahaha

UNL,

Speaking of the Creationists on here.

I take great pleasure in exposing them.

I try to make it funny so that people will look at what they're talking about and laugh,as in no one could really be that stupid..could they???

Just think UNL,you could have hooked up with Stevie Nicks back when she was hot!

We need to do a discussion on hot rocker chicks.
Ann and Nancy Wilson were mentioned earlier,and when they hit the seen in the mid seventies they were stunners.
I recently saw a band called Evanecense..sp on the Fuse channel,the woman who is the leadsinger is very hot,and a very good singer..a wicked combo that works for me everytime.

Raver,

You dug up a few new awful ones. (1910 FGC- Geezzz)

I liked Nilsson. His song blended perfectly with Midnight Cowboy.

One of only two X rated (when released) films to be nominated for Oscars.

Clockwork Orange was the other.
('Singin in the rain, I'm singin in the rain!! WHACK!!!)

The lead singer of The Wiggles is quiting.

GOD HELP US,the world is ending!!

John E,We have some posters on the swamp(Little Johnny)who definately belong in the "Fruitgum"Band!!!!!!!

John E,

I have tried, through advertising on other threads, to get some of the Swamp Rat'esses to get on here a give their opinions,etc.

But no takers yest.

I'll try it again, and call them rat'gals, see what the do. hee hee.

Cheryl Crow, hot now, hotter when young.
Good writer I think. Have a couple of her CD's

Christine McVie - She wrote a couple of the Big Mac Grammy winners. And she SMOKED on the little squeeze box she would break out now and again.

Carol King; I mentioned her earlier. Nice Jewish girl, wrote most of the big Motown hits.

We mentioned some of the jazz and blues greats;
Billie Holiday
Etta Jones
Etta James
Nina Simone (She was great!. THe Animals did some of her stuff)

John E,
Check photos. Couple of songs on her myspace link also. Ok, I'll give it a rest.

http://www.margovaliante.com/

What opinion do you want? My musical taste is eclectic to say the least. I stopped going to concerts long ago, but in my ancient history I was always going to concerts. The first concert I ever went to with my friends was The Rascals in 1967. They appeared at the Coliseum at 14th and Wabash. We parked under the El tracks and sat on folding chairs. It was great. Other concerts circa late sixties-Beach Boys, The Miracles, The Temptations, Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder and others I can't remember. (You can see how old I am.) Seventies concerts, Richie Havens, Led Zeppelin, Jethro Tull, Rolling Stones, John Mayall, Leo Kottke, Doc Watson, Grand Funk and more.
When I became a parent, I didn't get out to concerts-no money. When my daughter was little, her favorite artists were Talking Heads, Ian Dury and the Blockheads and Prince. Despite her parents or maybe because of them, she's an educated, well read woman.

I have already posted but I went back to read some past posts. C. Morris, in 1975, the Rolling Stones played at the place by the Stockyards-I'm drawing a blank on the name. I saw several concerts there.
I also was tear-gassed at Grant Park when trying to see Sly and the Family Stone. I had brought my younger brother and sister along and they were really scared.

Kenny B.---Sorry, I missed your post. I was a late commer to Sweet Home and only jumped in after some gentle nudging from C. Mo B There. Reason I was so reticent? I didn't want to make an ass of myself. But now that I have, why stop? Hey, did anybody ever see Lynyrd Skynyrd in concert. Their performance of Free Bird at the Salt Palace rates right up there. I never thought the song would end (nor did I want it to). Like so many rockers, a sad story there.

Raver, C. Mo.....One of the first albums I was able to afford as a kid was Nillson's Ten Little Indians. I really liked the guy, and he had great range to his voice. Probably inspired me to be a first tenor and join all the choir groups in High School. I wonder how many people that watch that stupid soft-drink ad, recognize Nillson as the author of "Put de Lime in de Coconut".

Fergie from the Black Eyed Peas

This is wonderful....I have been a musician for 35 years, most of which was "playing out". To me the music comes alive with an audience but truely one is not needed. I tend to dig the jazz for myself but have played just about any venue there is. Music is my religion.

Best experience playing out was:
1. Opening for Blood,sweat,& tears at Roosevelt
Mall in Philadelphia like in the mid 60's?
2. Playing the stone pony Asbury Park and having cotton kent and several members of the E street band sitting in.

bill r,

Where the heck have you been, buddy? I have been trying to get a new voice in here!

I know you posted earlier once or twice, but then left.

As you can see, we have stated some opinions and talked some great music.

Catherine;

have already posted but I went back to read some past posts. C. Morris, in 1975, the Rolling Stones played at the place by the Stockyards-I'm drawing a blank on the name.

The Chicago Amphitheater.

I saw a circus there! Saw the Stones at the CHicago Stadium.

"What opinion do you want?"

Catherine,

Exactly what you posted. More old and new names and experiences.

+++

unlettered,

I think my first LP was Meet the Beatles in 63? Before that, it was all 45's.

The sixties started in '63, ended in '73. Just my theory.

Anybody remember when WLS, 890 Chicago was a 100 wt blow torch of rock and roll? In the 60-70's at night it reached all the way to Fla and Nebraska. I can remember driving home in 71 after ETS, picking up the great AM tunes in Western Nebraska from Chicago.

I am trying to remember all the famous WLS - DJj's of the era. Here is my list;

Dick Biondi (world famous, of course)
Ron Taylor? Gene Taylor?
Bob Sirott ?
Art Roberts
(Late night man. I used to listen half the night. No wonder I couldn't get above a C in anything. 'The devils' beat destroyed my mind.)

There's more names.

"seeking clarification on the best performances of all time. Are you referring to ones we've witnessed in person, on t.v.,at the movies... or any performance seen or heard?"

And

"Road song category"

Unlettered.

Let's go with any performance in any medium. TV, Film, live, back yard!

Road songs is a terrific new cat. Here is my first cut.
1. Running Down a Dream, Tom Petty and HB
2. Radar love, GOlden Erring
3. Carefree Highway, Gordon Lightfoot
4. Hot Rod Lincoln (??) Commander Cody (ha ha)
5. Ventura Highway, America
6. Born to Be Wild, Steppenwolf
7. Two of Us, The Beatles
8. Maybelline, chuck berry (Ah, and I had a fast Ford once)
9. Take it Easy, Eagles
10. Dead Mans Curve!, Jan and Dean, (getting funny now!)
11. Every early Beach Boys song
12. Roadhouse Blues, The Doors

Take it way, everybody. Good category, Unl.

In my senior year at college...this will show my age...I saw headline act Chick Corea and the back-up band Bruce Springsteen for 2 bucks. It was killer!

Bubba,

I just checked out the Margo Valiante site.

She's very talented,and easy on the eyes.

How did you find out about her??

Fergie....excellent choice,that girl can DANCE!

How about Pat Benatar in the 80's??
"Hit Me With Your Best Shot"

C Mo,
I remember when Cheryl Crow first became a hit,those videos of hers were the best.

She performed with the Stones a few years back in NYC.
She wore a t-shirt that said "This Bush Isn't Going To War"....that's my kind of girl...

C Mo,

I remember Christine McVie in her prime,very good pick,she is also very talented.

UNL,

The guitar solo at the end of Freebird is one of the best ever done.
You have seen some historic classic bands my friend.

Catherine,

My kids think I don't know anything about music also.
Little do they know,they are listening to some of the old man's favorites right now.

They try to pretend that I have no taste in music,but they listen to The Stones,Zepplin,Nirvana etc.,I just play along.

Road music?

Hang on St. Christopher Tom Waits
Silver Wheels Bruce Cockburn
L.A. Woman The Doors

John E,
Margot plays out in my hood. Saw her this past summer. Spoke with her after the show and felt like I was in junior high. Wifey has put her on my acceptable wifey replacement list pending some tragedy. Hey, there's a list idea.......

Road music...
Riders on the storm
Love shack
Magic carpet ride
Walk this way
When love comes to town (bbKing}
I heard it through the grapevine
Life is a hiway
Drive south
Southbound
Blister in the sun
Tainted love
My wife and I usually spend Jan. and Feb. on our boat in the islands. Pretty much a buffet time but we also drink alittle rum and dance around to some of the old rock like
Bernadette
walk away renee
Rock lobster
Truckin
Respect

C. Morris, my brain is mush. I saw the Stones at the Amphitheater in '72 not '75.

I remember when WLS had the Silver Dollar Survey. It came out on Fridays and and had the top 30? (correct me someone.) songs that week in Chicagoland. We would pick it up at the record store at Evergreen Plaza. My older brother would then number our 45's in the survey's order. And that is how we would play them all week.

A good road CD-Robert Randolph and the Family Band. The Ramones are good too. "I want to be Sedated"

Road Songs;

Went Down Swingin', Tom Petty

Vehicle, Ides of March

Key to the Highway, Derek and the Dominos version

Crossroads, any version

Shout, Tears for Fears (You end up doing 85 and don't know it)

+++

PS to Catherine,
I also saw the Ice Capades at the Amphlitheater.

'Home at Last', Steely Dan

"Did you catch Mac's reunion tour on the tele? I loved it when they played 'Tusk' and the USC marching band, in full splender, joins them for the finale. Fun stuff."

unl,

I like almost everything re; Fleetwood Mac.

And I also listed Lindsey Buckingham in my underrated list, too.
He can really play good!

Bill R.,

I'm surprised that you and the wife aren't listening to any "Parrothead" music out on the boat??

C.Mo...Steely Dan?
Royal Scam
Kid Charlemagne

C. Mo--superb list! Some more for the Sweet Homers consideration (Sorry Mark). Neil Young&Crazy Horse:Cowgirl in the Sand, Down by the River, basically the whole Everyone Knows This is Nowhere Album. Water Boys:Red Army Blue's Doors:When the Music's Over Dire Straits: Espresso Love, Tunnel of Love Mark Knoppler: Don't You Get It Steely Dan: Aja, FM, Babylon Sisters, Hey Nineteen Fagen and Becker: Jack of Speed U2: Bullit the Blue Sky Linda Ronstadt:Look Out For My Love, Easy For You To Say, Radio Carly Simon: Better Not Tell Ya P.S.---The reason my post compress with no breaks is apparently do to my Firefox browser. Need to figure something out.

Great Performances: One that was incredibly moving and surreal. It was in the David Lynch movie, Mulholland Drive. Rebekah Del Rio performs this old Ray Orbison song,'Crying'(Llorando). If you haven't seen this movie and this performance, its a must!

bill r...nice to have a true musician on board. I could always sing pretty good but never amounted to much on the guitar. They say that every actor wants to be a musician, and every musician wants to be an actor. Does that apply to you? What instrument do you play?

Most Tivo'd performance----Santanico Pandemonium (Salma Hayek) as the stunning female vampire dancing, draped by an albino python, to the tune of 'After Dark' performed by "fellow vampires", Tito and Tarantula. If this doesn't get your blood up, nothing will.

C. Mo ---As a little puke I used to tune in late night to KSL radio, Salt Lake City. They played all the "hits" on something called Lucky Lager Dance Time.

Unl....I play the keyboard. I lived in the Outer Banks of NC for 24 years. The one good thing about the keyboard was that so few played it which always put me in demand. My father played also and did gigs with Benny Goodman and Doc. I wish my sons had picked up some kind of instrument, but it didn't happen that way. They are into music alot but never picked up playing. They did scratch a lot when they were younger. I tried it to....it was fun. Two years ago an investment we made payed off big time....we retired and I haven't played since. I miss it. Playing not working. I always wished I could sing....I can cover Waits...guess that says it all.

John E.....Was never per se a "parrothead"
but it is truely in the rotation.

Set the cruise control; this is from an actual playlist on my iPod named "Road Tunes":

On the Road Again - W Nelson

Magical Mystery Tour - Beatles

Mama Hated Diesels - Commander Cody and his Lost Planet Airmen

This Wheel's on Fire - The Band

Drive My Car - Beatles

Pink Cadillac - Bruce Springsteen

Traffic Jam - Dan Hicks and his Hot Licks

Spanish Castle Magic - The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Truckin' - The Grateful Dead

Running on Empty - Jackson Browne

Flight 505 - The Rolling Stones

Crosstown Traffic - The Jimi Hendrix Experience

She Runs Hot - Little Village

America - Simon and Garfinkel

One Headlight - The Wallflowers

Little Deuce Coupe - The Beach Boys

When I Paint My Masterpiece - The Band

Back in the USSR - The Beatles

Four Days Gone - Buffalo Springfield

On the Road Again - Canned Heat

Vacation - John Mayall

No Expectations - The Rollling Stones

Since the "old heaters" (meant most lovingly) aren't exactly rushing over to Sweet Home, I ask my wife to contribute (and also help fix my browser). She reminds me of one of her favorite female singers (and mine), Chicago born, Rickie Lee Jones.
You don't hear much of her these days but we think she's very hip. Also, she's of the political ilk that she would fit right in with the "enlightened ones" on this blog.

bill r.---Glad to hear your ship has come in. Cool about your dad and his musical experience. The father of one of my very good friends played with Goodman and with other big name swing bands. My buddy was only 12 when his dad died, but his mom still pines for the days when they traveled the country, mingled with the big jazz idols, and so on.

My Fantasy Band Linup:

Kurt Cobain - lead singer/guitar
Jimi Hendrix - lead guitar
Flea - bass guitar
John Bonham - drums

Fergie - lead dancer/backing vocals/tamborine

These guys would have never gotten along,and that would have make it even better.

KB,

Good one on America, Simon and G.

Great great song.

Sorry about my last allstar band post.

I keep having minor strokes from hitting my head against my desk top,and then I have to reboot my brain.

It's affecting my spelling.........

John E....Had the pleasure to hear the basement tapes of Hendrix. What he played off stage was quite different than what the record recorders made him play...although what he did on record
was the best....but in the basement he was like Jeff Beck..Weather Report..brian Auger...Corea
Just incredible!!!

Did anybody see Jack Black/Tenacious D?/his dad on SNL?
This has to be the absolute worst S%#@ I've ever seen.
There should be a law against this. Picture Meat Loaf and Queen in the worst opera rock train wreck you could imagine.

New Category: Best story teller, favorite story
My first nomination--Harry Chapin

Harry Chapin lyrics- "Taxi"

It was raining hard in 'Frisco
I needed one more fare to make my night
A lady up ahead waved to flag me down
She got in at the light

Oh, where you going to, my lady blue
It's a shame you ruined your gown in the rain
She just looked out the window
She said, Sixteen Parkside Lane

Something about her was familiar
I could swear I'd seen here face before
But she said, I'm sure your mistaken
And she didn't say anything more

It took a while but she looked in the mirror
And she glanced at the license for my name
A smile seemed to come to her slowly
It was a sad smile, just the same

And she said, How are you Harry
I said, How are you Sue
Through the too many miles
And the too little smiles
I still remember you

It was somewhere in a fairy tale
I used to take yer home in my car
We learned about love in the back of a Dodge
The lesson hadn't gone too far

You see, she was gonna be an actress
And I was gonna learn to fly
She took off to find the footlights
And I took off to find the sky

Oh, I've got something inside me
To drive a princess blind
There's a wild man, wizard
He's hiding in me, illuminating my mind
Oh, I've got something inside me
Not what my life's about
'Cause I've been letting my outside tide me
Over 'til my time, runs out

(Yes, she's flying, afraid to fall)
(I'll tell you why baby's crying)
('Cause she's dying, aren't we all)

There was not much more for us to talk about
Whatever we had once was gone
So I turned my cab into the driveway
Past the gate and the fine trimmed lawns

And she said, we must get together
But I knew it'd never be arranged
And she handed me twenty dollars
For a two fifty fare
She said, Harry, keep the change

Well another man might have been angry
And another man might have been hurt
But another man never would've let her go
I stashed the bill in my shirt

And she walked away in silence
It's strange how you never know
But we'd both gotten what we'd asked for
Such a long, long time ago

You see she was gonna be an actress
And I was gonna learn to fly
She took off to find the footlights
And I took off for the sky

And here she's acting happy
Inside her handsome home
And me, I'm flying in my taxi
Taking tips, and getting stoned
I go flying so high, when I'm stoned

Kenny B.....Fine list. I've got to get me one of those IPOD do-dads The old eight-track just doesn't cut it anymore..ha, ha.

I'm po'd that no one has that righteous band from Ogden, Utah on their top 10 list. Come on folks, The Osmond Brothers, and Donny and Marie. Now before you rush to scratch them into your 10 WORST list, consider this; A whole nation, one that gave us the Beatles and Stones and countless other Brit Acts, worships the Osmonds, and esp. Donnie and Marie, as if they were Gods. I know, I was there.

C Mo,

Yep, great.

If I had Paul Simon's ear, I'd encourage him to re-release Bookends without the heavy orchestration and overproduction (as was done with The Beatles Let it Be). I guess that would apply to Bridge Over Troubled Water too. Would sound better and would sell well too, I imagine.

unl...Chapin by far!

"John E....Had the pleasure to hear the basement tapes of Hendrix.
Just incredible!!!"

bill r,
Yeah, you know, my top 5 could change around. He made it look effortless, too. RIP Jimi.
Nice road list. Bernadette by the 4Tops is a great pick. My favorite Motown combo.
also loved, Standing in the Shadows of Love, and
Expressway, to Your Heart.

Unlettered,
re Brits love Donny. That's funny. Hey, did you ever see the film 'SLC Punk'? I think that was it. A little indy film. Absolutely hilarious. A Brit band comes to SLC and is terrified by SLC's punk scene.
My favorite story song would have to be The End, by The Doors.

John e,
You are workin' too hard, bro! Wazzup with that!
Here's my worst nightmare band.
Micky Dolenz, drums
Monty Rock III, vocals
Barry Manilow, keyboars
Not channeling a terrible guitar player, Help??

Kenny B,
Agree on the orchestration, with the possible exception of The Boxer. I thought it added power and drama that the smaller folk/rock sound they produced would have lacked.

I do generally dislike orchestration, too. Note my comment on Long and Winding Road. Ruined by sappy sweet strings.
On the other hand, the solo cello in Eleanor Rigby is terrific. I think E.R. is my favorite McCartney effort.

Bubba,
I turned it off (SNL) before it happened. I guess that is one bad film, too. Jack Black is a funny guy, but maybe he shouldn't be making his own career decisions.

"I remember when WLS had the Silver Dollar Survey. It came out on Fridays and and had the top 30? (correct me someone.) songs that week in Chicagoland. We would pick it up at the record store at Evergreen Plaza. My older brother would then number our 45's in the survey's order. And that is how we would play them all week."

Catherine,
You know, I remember the top 50. Unreal for today, huh? But you could be right. It was The Silver Dollar Survey. That name tied into a contest of some kind.
Anyone remember the other WLS J's names? I only came up with 3 or 4.

**************

Here's a new category. Don't know how good.
What about crossover acts that broke through in the pop rock charts in the 60-70s?

Examples given;

Sinatra, Strangers in the Night
Louis Armstrong, Hello Dolly
Streisand, People

Bill R.,

Hendrix was so talented,I think most of the guys we call "guitar gods" will tell you that they idolized Hendrix.

Hendrix was the master of the distorted guitar,and being from Seattle also,Cobain picked up on that.

A few weeks back I picked up a used Lotus guitar,I'm working on restringing it right now.

I wish I would have learned to play years ago,I was to busy partying,and chasing women,but somehow I didn't become the President from that like W. did.

unlettered,

Isn't Harry Chapin the same guy who gave us
"Cats in the Cradle"??

Bubba,

Tenacius D. sucks.
Jack Black should stick to acting,and his fat buddie should start acting fulltime.

C Mo,
Worst lead guitar player - that guy from Kiss maybe,I can't think of his name.

Some former WLS jocks:

John "Records" Landecker
Bob Suradt..sp. now at channel 5 news
Fred Winston
Tommy Edwards
Larry Lujack - ol'Uncle Lar
Brant Miller - now at channel 5 weather

John E.---Yeah, 'Cats' was a signature Chapin number, I just related more to Taxi (stoned loser).

C. Mo---The hauntingly surreal 'The End' set the mood perfectly for Apocalypse Now. (I think Kurtz could have been referring to Bush when he utters: "The Horror...The Horror").
I also like Mark Knoppler renditions, 'Ride Across the River' and 'Your Latest Trick'.

'Hey Joe'... very moving, one of my favorite protest songs. Another heart-breaker though different genre, Sheryl Crow's, 'Home'.

crossover...Jimmy Durante (don't laugh), "Make Someone Happy". They played this song following the Empire State Building scene in "Sleepless in Seattle".

John e,

It hit me for the worst nightmare band guitar players, and all;

Micky Dolenz, drums
Monty Rock III, vocals
Barry Manilow, keyboars
Pat Boone, Lead guitar
Elvis, Rhythm guitar

No knock on Elvis, except, he was not much of guitar player. Would now and then hit a chord, that's all. After Elvis went totaly Vegas, I quit him.

And Pat Boone would wear one as a prop sometimes.
Anyway, I can't imagine the awful sound that this combo would produce.

Catherine,

Just google 'silver dollar survey wls'

It was Gene Taylor's show and it was the top 40.

Two more names of WLS dj's

Joel Sebasian
Clark Weber

and I think Larry Lujack came along in the very early seventies as well as Bob Sirott.

add in;
Art Roberts
Gene Taylor
Dick Biondi

By the way, I actually heard him tell the joke live on the air that got him (Biondi) banished from Chicago radio for a decade or so.

Had to do with short skirts and barber shops.

It was very weird. I was laughing like the dirty minded kid I was and suddenly WLS was playing funny musak for like an hour, until they could get somebody to come in early, I guess.

Also, believe it or not, Biondi would dj dances at our Indiana high school. He would actually bring a live 'b' act with him. Any body remember Little Oscar and the Majestics? Nick Noble?
Believe me, they were very forgettable.

Best story teller category - "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman.

No one has mentioned John Prine. He's great. Some of his old stuff really resonates today. "Sam Stone", "Paradise" and "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You into Heaven Anymore". Just substitute yellow ribbon magnet for flag decal.

Catherine,

You got me with the Tracy Chapman reference!
I couldn't come up with her name and have been trying to.
Terrific talent, great song.
Road song, too.
Good score!

Story teller cont:

Don McLean
American Pie
Vincent
did somebody mention this guy yet?

Stairway to Heaven, Led Zep
Where were you on this one, John e??!!

And, as pointed out by the cruel Kenny Bunkport, in an attempt to make us all puke,
MaCarther Park, the worst story song ever?

Thanks for this post Mr. Silva,I love discussing music.

Catherine,C Mo.

Great storytellers:
Lou Reed
Bob Dylan - of course

A good protest song that I just heard today,but had forgotten about:

"American Woman" - by The Guess Who (Burton Cummings)

C Mo,

Your choice of Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Alone Again, Naturally" ranks right up there (or down there). I recall years ago my wife and I were in a first rate restaurant with that playing in the background. I almost couldn't swallow my food!

Just to shake things up, I'd like to nominate another worst song, but this time from a very unlikely source. It gives new meaning to "phoned in":

This is my right, a right given by god
To live a free life, to live in freedom

We talkin about freedom
Talkin bout freedom
I will fight, for the right
To live in freedom

Anyone, who wants to take it away
Will have to answer, cause this is my right

We talkin about freedom
Talkin bout freedom
I will fight, for the right
To live in freedom, ah yeah, comon now...

(lead solo)

You talkin about freedom
Were talkin bout freedom
I will fight, for the right
To live in freedom

Everybody talkin bout freedom
Talkin bout freedom
I will fight, for the right
To live in free----------dom

Right -- Paul McCartney's 9/11 anthem. Word is that even George Harrison complained to him about it from his death bed. Drivel.

By the way the checkmark ☑ is among the oodles of special characters available on Mac. (You asked on a more serious thread).

John E - word is that American Woman was completely improvised, which made it even funnier when Lenny Kravitz (all hat, no cattle) covered it.

Storytellers? Joni Mitchell -- a goddess.

Don't know if y'all agree with this but good story tellers....Simon and garfunkle.

Also used to like Cat Stevens untill he called for the killing of Rushti (sp?) after he turned muslim and changed his name to Mohamed al-salami
or what ever the hell it was.

Don't know if this will go through, I think I'm on someone's hit list. Last two post vaporized, but here goes:

Cath...Tracy, nice pick! I might follow-up 'Fast Car' with a little of Crow's 'Steve McQueen', then shift into overdrive with Billy Idol's 'White Wedding'. To come back down, I might throw in some Peter Gabriel, perhaps 'Mercy Street'. Or, you could go all country like them thar truckers and play a little Eddie Rabbit, 'Driving My Life Away' (those windshield wipers slappin out the tempo---keepin perfect rhythm with the song on the radio---gotta keep a rolling...) Or maybe Chris Isaac would suffice, 'King of the Highway'.

Bill R.

A couple of years ago the Dept. of Homeland Security pulled Cat Stevens,(or whatever his name is now),off of a jet in Maine.

They can't find Osama,but they caught Cat Stevens.

Chalk up another one for W.

C.Morris,

I saw Dick Biondi interviewed on Channel 11 last year, and he said the on-air joke story is an urban legend -- never happened. He left because of a salary dispute or something mundane like that.

bill r,

Absolutely agree about S&G. Simon is a great lyricist AND a absolutely superb guitarist. I guess he doesn't spring to everyone's mind as a great guitarist because he usually plays accoustic.

Also two of very the best voices in the biz.

Get their three disk anthology (released a few years ago) if you haven't already. All the familiar great stuff, plus some excellent previously unheard demos and live material.

C Mo...I posted this earlier but it didn't happen (no dirty words, or anything).

Hey, I never heard about the "punk" satire you mentioned but I have seen "Orgasmo", and "R. M.", and "Missionary Position" are on my to-see list.

Zep's "Stairway To Heaven",a classic, goes without saying.

Don McClean--odd note. Before he hit it big, I saw him in concert at this ridiculously tiny venue on State St. (where the Grand America Hotel now stands.) The place only held a couple hundred people, can't recall the name. McClean played solo, pure acoustic. He could be "one-hit-wonder" material, but what a hit. I read somewhere that McClean debunks the theories of "American Pie" having all these hidden symbolic meanings.

Bill R....Cat was an early favorite. I knew he went all Muslim, swore off commercialism and the like. But I wasn't aware he joined those calling for Rushdie's Head.

Kenny B....Right on with Joni Mitchell ("pave paradise, put up a parking lot"). My mom (now 92) was a community activist. She heard me play that song once, and thought she could use it at a hearing re: a proposed strip mall. Hip Mom huh?

bill r,

S and G are top notch, top drawer act.
Agree with you. The Boxer almost made my fav. single list.

Also, Paul Simon can really pic an acoustic guitar. Only left him off because he never really flashed a Strat.

By the way, as far as great performs:
I saw Paul Simon and George Harrison on SNL once years ago do a short set of Harrison tunes.
They are both very very good. ( RIP George. )
Intricate and subtle is the only way to describe him.

Kenny B,

Comin' in high and hard on McCartney, but necessary. He swings to sweet and sappy sometimes, though he is a giant.

I always ranked the Beatles;

Lennon
Harrison
McCartney
Ringo, though a heck of a guy. Who couldn't like him?

I don't know what day was sadder; the day Lennon was murdered or the day George died from his cancer.

John e,

Ive said it before, will say it again;

B. Cummings and G. Who are a great rock band. Agree.
She's Come Undone is one of the saddest, truest tunes ever penned.
Also, These Eyes say what every boy,man, has felt when their own personal Layla has stomped on their hearts with 'hob nailed boots'. It's happened to all of us, I think.

*********
Great Dylan stories;

Jack of Hearts
Like a Rolling Stone (On my best song list)
Your a Big Girl Now, Blood on the Tracks
Tangled up In Blue

KB,
That McCartney mistake you just channeled should be on the 'badies we were supposed to take seriously' list.

We haven't exploited that yet, really.

*********
Man, it is HOT over on the polit-blogs today. It's like a whole new batch of 'Replacement Killers' are posting.

Once again, Kenny B cut through the BS.

Just a note/suggestion/idea;

I love great films, and I suspect most of the posters here do also.

Next time Frank or Mark or 'Dave' makes a low volume movie post that falls off the front page with no interest, lets pump it up in the background like this one.

Several of us posted a couple dozen entries just on Stanley Kubrick a while back.

I don't want to do it here; keep it pure, but, who knows when the opportunity could present itself.

Just think of the lists we could concoct!

More Crossover/pop suggestions:

Sammy Davis;
The Candy Man (Can)
(eeeeRRRRRRPPPPPP!! Hock Hock Hock!! Bluuuwaaaaaahhhh, RALLLLLLPPPPPPHHHHHHH!!)
I, however, liked the guy.

Now here is a real obscure one;
Aker Bilk;
Stranger on the Shore (Played solo on a clarinet)

Kenny Ball;
Midnight in Moscow

Sinatra;
That's Life
It Was a Very Good Year
Strangers in the Night

bill r,

Nominated for worst song:
Forget Cat Stevens;
Moon Shadow

Worst Group;
Serindipity Singers

Nearly Unknown great groups;
Big Head Todd
Turner Joy (I knew the lead guitar, best friend of my son); at 16 he paid $7k for a 1967 Strat like Jimi's. He killed. Still does)
Grant Lee Buffalo
Liz Phair

Juanito,
re; Biondi,
Urban legend it may be, but he told the joke and musak played and he left the air. I'm sure I am not the only one that heard it.

CM,
I've been avoiding the hate crawling on the main posts today since I need to stay a bit more poitive throughout the day at work. Gets my temp up a bit. I'm guessing that the front page posts get the nuts out in full swing. That or the brief moratorium we experienced post Nov. 7th has expired. Can't wait until January.

I enjoy coming back to Sweet Home because I can actually learn something. Plus it reminds me to chase after some great movies and music that I tend to forget about.

Hey fellow musicians (unlettered, bill r. et al)
any experience with loop stations? Trying to talk wifey into my xmas present and like the idea of throwing down my own tracks and seeing where it goes.

One More WLS dj;
Ron Riley

Jaunito,
Just saw your previous opinion of P.Simon.
Couldn't agree more.

Juanito...I'll have to get the three box set...don't have much s&g in the rotation..I miss it.
C.morris....Man I haven't thought about the song boxer in years...great tune. Used to give me goose bumps.
Have to say one of my alltime favorite groups...
Pink floyd
But I still have the hots for Progresive jazz
Groover Washington,Weather Report,Pat Metheny..
etc.

Couldn't sleep...again. Could be due to the fallout from a particularly nasty day on the polits. Things had been pretty calm post 11/7, then kaboom! It's as if all those goons that Delay hired to disrupt the Florida elections, crawled out from whatever rock they were under and jumped, in unison, onto The Swamp political blog, heaving and spewing all the bile and vitriol imaginable. But enough of that.

I was pondering a new twist on the music lists. How about autobiographical songs? In my semi-conscious state I shouldn't tackle this, but here goes:

"Creek Alley"---Momma's and the Papa's

"You Oughta Know"---Alanis Morrisette

"Me and a Gun"----Tori Amos

"Sweet Judy Blue Eyes"----Stephen Stills

"You're So Vain"-----Carly Simon

bubba....no personel experience with loop stations (I'm really a musician wannabe). I asked a musician friend and former fellow UPSer, He said to get the Boss RC-50 if you can afford it. ("I totally don't know what that means, but I want it").

bill r...man, you really bloodied some people over there on the polits yesterday. Sorry I didn't have your back. I submitted a masterpiece (in my mind), but it never posted. Say, what kind of boat do you have? My wife's Uncle keeps trying to get us to ply the seven seas in his tug, but I'm worried about sea-sickness.

Juan....Where ya been? Have you joined the only enlightened party yet? Judging by your music savvy, the following examples should help: Liberal=Jimi Hendricks; Conservative=Pat Boone; Independent=Jay Z? (Just Kidding).

C. Mo...Best group you never heard of--how about my example from an earlier post, Tito and Tarantula. Other candidates: The Roaches; Five Blind Boys of Alabama (not as obscure as your examples, for sure).

bill r,
The anthology is called "Old Friends" it's a must have. A little afterward they also released a shorter anthology of just their singles, but "Old Friends" has all of the best album cuts plus previously unreleased stuff.

Jazz Fusion:
Miles Davis -- "Bitches Brew"
Mahavishnu Orchestra -- "Birds of Fire"

To All:
Yes, the politcal threads are getting to be a drag. It's as if the Trib folks are intentionally stirring up the rabble. (No offense, Mark.)

C.Morris,

Here is the version of Biondi's joke that I heard (some years afterward, in the early 70s):

"If skirts get much shorter, then girls will have some more hair to comb and two more cheeks to powder."

Is that how you heard it?

bill r,

Floyd made a couple top ten lists earlier here, for sure.

Had some Washington and Metheny a long time ago, but the cassettes wore out!

Good category, by the way.
Goose bump Songs:
The Boxer
Welcome to the Machine
White Room
All Along the Watchtower (Hendrix ver.)
Badge (REAL loud)
Dogs (P FLoyd)
Little Wing (D and the Ds)
MacAurther Park (HA HA, goosebumps accompanied with disorientation, dizziness, dry heaves, vomit)
Locomotive Breath, Tull
Do it Again, Steely Dan

More Dylan story songs:

Positively Fourth Street

Rainy Day Women
(Sorry Catherine,
can't live with ya, can't live without ya)

Well, theyll stone ya when youre trying to be so good,
Theyll stone ya just a-like they said they would.
Theyll stone ya when youre tryin to go home.
Then theyll stone ya when youre there all alone.
But I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.

Well, theyll stone ya when youre walkin long the street.
Theyll stone ya when youre tryin to keep your seat.
Theyll stone ya when youre walkin on the floor.
Theyll stone ya when youre walkin to the door.
But I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.

Theyll stone ya when youre at the breakfast table.
Theyll stone ya when you are young and able.
Theyll stone ya when youre tryin to make a buck.
Theyll stone ya and then theyll say, good luck.
Tell ya what, I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.

Well, theyll stone you and say that its the end.
Then theyll stone you and then theyll come back again.
Theyll stone you when youre riding in your car.
Theyll stone you when youre playing your guitar.
Yes, but I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.

Well, theyll stone you when you walk all alone.
Theyll stone you when you are walking home.
Theyll stone you and then say you are brave.
Theyll stone you when you are set down in your grave.
But I would not feel so all alone,
Everybody must get stoned.

"C.Morris,

Here is the version of Biondi's joke that I heard (some years afterward, in the early 70s):

"If skirts get much shorter, then girls will have some more hair to comb and two more cheeks to powder."

Is that how you heard it?

Posted by: Juanito | Dec 5, 2006 7:48:36 AM"

I remember it starting out that way, but I thought there was line in there about barber shops without windows...??, but what you post is certainly the subject of the joke.

Juanito...Made up my mind to get the set for Christmas....Don't usually get things for ourselves at christmas but lately, with the kids grown and on their own, they get money so it takes alittle fun out of christmas not buying "gifts".
unl....Yeah, I'm afraid I let my temper get the better of me sometime. Just hate being called an America hater. Had to chill with a few mango tini's.
C.morris...additions to goosebump songs:
I don't want to miss a thing - aerosmith
can't find my way home-Blind Faith
take a look at me now-Phil Collins
The world I know-Vertical Horizon
unl.....We have a carver 410 diesel. Two staterooms nice size galley and 2 bars, 1 below decks and one topside. Would be more than glad to take a party trip with any of you.

bill r

Nice catch on Blind Faith tune.
Like 'Sea of Joy' also.

Two songs that blew me away when I first heard them were "Respect" By Aretha Franklin and "Somebody to Love" by Jefferson Airplane. J. A. were uneven but some of their songs were dynamite.

bill r...I have a "boat" too. It's a 1970 Cadillac Coupe De Ville. It's nearly 20 ft. long. She looks and runs great, but I've pretty much retired her. Not green and not cheap (about 9mpg with a tail-wind).

I like that "goose-bump" category. Here's a few in no particular order:

Steely Dan--'Deacon Blues'

CSN&Y--'Ohio'

CS&N--'Wooden Ships', 'Long Time Gone', Requiem/'To the Last Whale'.

Fleetwcod Mac--'Storms', 'Beautiful Child'

Linda Ronstadt--'Easy For You To Say'

Heart--'Love Alive', 'Dog and Butterfly'

Sheryl Crow--'Home'

Led Zeppelin--'Stairway to Heaven'

Catherine,

One of my favorite ever melt downs on stage was done by Grace Slick.

While performing in Germany with J Airplane or J Starship(I can't remember which one),a drunk and high Ms. Slick started flipping off the crowd,and calling them Nazi's,all the while having trouble standing up straight,and then eventually falling into the crowd.

I think Courtney Love must have been watching.

A "classic" rock star moment if there ever was one.

Cat...J. A./ J. S., agree with your assessment, saw them in S.F. back in the day. They played with and were influenced by several great musicians over the years; David Crosby, Graham Nash, Jerry Garcia. Seems like every movie depicting the times features 'White Rabbit' too.

P.S. Cat, my wife's name is also Catherine. She likes to be called Cath. Her friend goes by Cat, her aunt by Kathleen. Reminds me of the bar patron on the Jackie Gleason Show,(to paraphrase),You can call me Catherine, or you can call me Cathy, or you can call me Kate, or you can call me Katie, or you can call me Kit, or you can call me cat (Aaaah..ll Right!, interrupts the exasperated Gleason), but ya doesn't need to call me Catherine, adds the patron.(I substituted Catherine for, I believe it was, Richard, in the Gleason skit). CIAO

I've been living in Savannah now for about 10 mths. Very cool town. They had a free concert
4 wks ago and Spin Doctors played. they are not a top ten with me but it was good anyway. In the historic district you can walk around with drinks if they are in a plastic cup. A place called wet willie is there and they serve about 30 different kinds of frozen drinks...slushie's
of love!

Unl....I had many boats like that over my lifetime.Nice lists.CSNY are surely a winner for one of the all times.

John E...I think Courtney love and yoko ono
have a lot in common.

bill r.,

Pops had a 25 Carver with a flybridge(a bit top heavy) when I was a kid. We spent our summer vacations cruising the west coast of MI all the way up to Mackinaw. Great memories as a kid, one included 10-12 ft. swells just south of Muskegon, almost had to beach her. Fun times. Ugly divorce took the boat away. Such is life.
I miss boating now that I'm in the mountains, keep trying to convince wifey that I'm worthy of a drift boat since we have world class fly fishing 30 min. from our house. She says waders work fine. Still want the boat though.

bill r,

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil?
Enjoyable book and film.

Also a sweet little tune by Godon Lightfoot:

Spanish Moss;

Let go darlin
I can feel the night wind call
Guess I'd better go
I like you more than half as much
As I love your spanish moss

Spanish moss hangin down
Lofty as the southern love weve found
Spanish moss
Keeps on followin my thoughts around

Georgia pine and ripple wine
Memories of savannah summertime
Spanish moss
Wish you knew what I was sayin

So Im rollin north thinkin
Of the way things might have been
If she and I could have changed it all somehow

Spanish moss hangin down
Lofty as the sycamore youve found
Spanish moss
Keeps on followin my thoughts around

Georgia pine and ripple wine
Kisses mixed with moonshine and red clay
Spanish moss
Wish you knew what I was sayin

So Im rollin north thinkin
Of the way things might have been
If she and I could have changed it all somehow

Let go darlin
I can feel the night wind call
The devil take the cost
I like the way your kisses flow
and I love your spanish moss

Buffalo Springfield's;

Bluebird
For What it's Worth (This is also one of the all time great songs)

both pretty goose bumpy.

Bubba...Keep trying. Sometimes wives will surprise you. Get her out on one. who knows. I like the mountains, they are beautiful,never seemed to get to any of them much....was always near the beach.

C.morris....Good film..filmed just a couple of blocks from our house here. We have a couple that we rent out to students. Savannah college of Art and design. Another reason Savannah is cool....college town! But the spanish moss reminded me of a song also...Spanish moon..
neville bros. Also made me think of another good group Little Feat.

bill r...I've had a yearning to visit that area of the country, particularly Charleston and Savanna, ever since I read Pat Conroy's 'Prince of Tides', and 'Beach Music'. About the only foray I've had into the South, outside of Virginia, is when my brother & I were stranded in Atlanta while en route overseas. We were on stand-by, and Delta had canceled a couple of flights leaving us at the mercy of southern cooking for 4 days. I must have gained 5 pounds! But it was soooo tasty.
It's really beautiful in that region of the country, a nice juxtaposition from the western desert, and I love the history and architecture.

Damn, now I've got Georgia on My Mind. Where's Ray Charles when you need him? Guess I'll have to settle for the Eastwood flick, what was it?, 'Midnight In the Garden of Good and Evil". 'Honey, throw in the Popcorn!'

unl...Funny...I have always had a yearning to visit the western deserts. I keep promising my sons we'll rent an RV and go but it just hasn't happened...yet. Southern cooking will put a few pounds on ya fer sure. But there's nothing like hush puppies.

When I was still hanging out, WLS had competition from WCFL (1000). I think some of the DJ's mentioned may have worked there, too. Wasn't Ron Brittan a DJ for one of those stations?
In about 1968, there was a black station in between 890 and 1000am called WJPC. It went off the air at sundown but it was a great alternative to the other two. We always listened to it when driving around.

Catherine,
Thanks for reminding me that it wasn't WLS that I remember as a young lad but WCFL. I'm a bit younger than some here, but I remember their 5 watts of power actually carried across Lake Michigan and that was one of my first intros to music via radio.
Maybe someone can help me out here since I can't remember the band, but does anyone remember a band from the 70's that recorded a song where you can actually here a woman being stabbed? in the background. Apparently it happened during the recording unknown to those involved at the time. All the buzz when I was a kid.

Cat.

Yes, CFL was the other button on the dash board. They had the most annoying, frantic jingle I have ever heard; repeating 'W-C-F-L' over and over, starting out softly, getting louder and faster at each iteration..!!!

Worst jingle list? Na.

**************

bill r,
You have to visit the red rock country on the Colorado Plateau.
Read Ed Abbey's, Desert Solitaire first. Put Arches on the list for sure.
Advice, don't get lost in the desert at night, carry plenty of water.

We haven't mentioned Elton John much here. He is easy to dismiss now that he has become a caricature of himself in, but he was HUGE in the 70's.

factoid; he was the only artist in the history of the charts to have five (5) LP's in the charts AT THE SAME TIME except for one other.
The Beatles also accomplished that.

Any way, here is a short list of Elton favorites;

Madman Across the Water
I've Seen that Movie Too
Funeral for a Friend
Yellow Brick Road
Benny and the Jetts
Saturday Night
Candle in the Wind
Daniel

Lot a good story songs there, huh! Guess I better credit Bernie Taupin here, also.

Bernie factoid;
He actually appeared on the album covers of a couple of EJ efforts. Unusual for a non-permorming member of a band. Just shows how important he was to the whole effort.

"http://www.snopes.com/music/hidden/roller.htm"

the Ohio Players,

However, this site claims 'urban legend' status.
Who knows? The Biondi joke I actually heard is an urban legend.

Just wanted to say I'll be gone a couple of days.....My son just called and said his wife went into labor...so I am going to go see my first (omg) GRANDCHILD!

They say it's your Birthday!

have a great party, celebration, etc!
Congrats to the kids!

Have fun, GRAMPS!!

Here's a song for the young one. What's neat about these lyrics, is, you can sub any name.

Lennon/McCartney The Beatles

Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play
Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day
The sun is up, the sky is blue
It's beautiful and so are you
Dear Prudence won't you come out to play

Dear Prudence open up your eyes
Dear Prudence see the sunny skies
The wind is low the birds will sing
that you are part of everything
Dear Prudence won't you open up your eyes?

Look around round
Look around round round
Look around

Dear Prudence let me see you smile
Dear Prudence like a little child
The clouds will be a daisy chain
So let me see you smile again
Dear Prudence won't you let me see you smile?

Dear Prudence, won't you come out to play
Dear Prudence, greet the brand new day
The sun is up, the sky is blue
It's beautiful and so are you
Dear Prudence won't you come out to play

Congrats Bill R.!!

Has anyone on here been up late at night,and watched the infomercials by "guitar virtuoso" Esteban??

I'm still trying to figure out who this guy is in the first place.

Letterman had him on one time to play with Paul,and the gang.
I think it was more for the joke than anything else.

Super C F L !!

They had Larry Lujack at one time,they also were the rival of W L S.

Bill R.,

My dad has a boat.

The wife and I use it to go skiing on Lake Geneva,and the Rock River every summer with our friends.

Good times,lots of drinking etc.

C Mo,

I was listening to some Cream on my i-pod this morning.

I love that bluesy,gritty,rock sound they had.

If only they would have stayed together,think of all the great stuff they would have put out.

john e,

I think they put out a big enough body to qualify for my top three, but not number one. (See way above). But they did release at least 5 major LPs. I actually considered them for my #1 band over the Beatles. It hurt to put them above the Stones. I am tempted to say my top 3 are in no particular order.

Fresh Cream
Disraeli Gears
Wheels of Fire
Goodbye (Look at the tombstones in their eyes on the album cover. Horse taking it's sad toll. All lucky to survive, thank god)
At least two session or live LPs.

A great compilation CD is The very very Best of Cream, or something like that. Perfectly mastered, it doesn't have that lifeless sound some re-masters do. I approve it, and heard lot's of the original stuff. It includes lots of their great stuff that isn't played to death over the years.

Any time is Cream time.

bill r....First time gramp?, thought you'd have a gaggle by now. Congrats buddy. Just don't let the kids name jr... Donald or Condaleezza. You've got to draw the line somewhere.
P.S. If you have the op. to come out here look me up. We can throw the family in my wife's Jeep and hit Bryce's, Arches, Zions, the Grand Canyon...and all the good stuff (and bring your tunes).If just you and your wife can make it, we can hit the road in my RX-8 (unless you want to hit the back country).

C. Mo, John E...
I positively love Cream, but it seems many of the old recordings are of substandard studio quality. Maybe, just a product of 60's technology. I'd still take them over any of the overproduced, and often under-talented groups that exist today. Unfortunately, the only way I can currently get my Cream fix is off the Clapton Backtrackin' anthology.

unl,

I also noticed that. There are actually uneven results on the same discs.
Turn it up loud. You'll never notice! ha ha.

Deserted Cities of the Heart,(Wheels of Fire,1968),
is one of the most poorly mastered studio recordings I have ever heard. Yet it is a great story song, and a favorite of mine;

By Jack bruce and Pete Brown
(pete brown was the 'fourth' Cream member, kinda like Berni Taupin to EJ)

Upon this street where time has died.
The golden treat you never tried.
In times of old, in days gone by.
If I could catch your dancing eye.

It was on the way,
On the road to dreams, yeah.
Now my hearts drowned in no love streams, yeah.

The street is cold, its trees are gone.
The storys told the dark has won.
Once we set sail to catch a star.
We had to fail, it was too far.

Chorus

I felt the wind shout like a drum.
You said, my friend, loves end has come.
It couldnt last, had to stop.
You drained it all to the last drop.

Chorus

Now my hearts drowned in no love streams, yeah.

On this dark street the sun is black.
The winter life is coming back.
On this dark street its cold inside.
Theres no retreat from time thats died.

It was on the way,
On the road to dreams, yeah.
Now my hearts drowned in no love streams, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
Now my hearts drowned in no love streams, yeah.
Now my hearts drowned in no love.

If you want to see something really funny,

check out
Top Dem: 'Ball in Bush's court' posting.

My sides are still hurting.

enjoy

Check it out C Mo.

http://www.947trueoldies.com/Article.asp?id=306006

tanx, RL.

The weekend's coming; new category:

10 Albums to be marooned on a desert island with, and not just because Ginger or Mary Ann are in the mood (in no particular order really, and subject to change as soon as I re-read the list.

1. Beatles- White album*
2. Miles Davis - Bitches Brew*
3. Mahavishnu Orchestra - Inner Mounting Flame
4. Bob Dylan - Blonde on Blonde*
5. Ry Cooder - Jazz
6. Rolling Stones - Let it Bleed
7. Muddy Waters, Mike Bloomfield et al - Fathers and Sons*
8. Jimi Hendrix - Axis: Bold as Love
9. Frank Zappa - Uncle Meat*
10. Keith jarrett - Expectations*

*double albums count as one, so I got quantity and quality ☺

Kenny
Thanks for that one K.B. It would be easier to decide which digits I could live without. Why don't you just add the top ten models you'd care to be stranded with as well, then you could compound the agony of trying to cull the list.

Unl,

I could have added A Salty Dog by Procol Harum (which really is great) but Gilligan keeps borrowing it. ☺

And note that I still call 'em albums and always will. Old habits...

Kenny B.,

Great category.

I'll be back with my list before the weekend is over.
P.S. I've always been a MaryAnn guy.

C Mo, are you getting in on this???

If I'm stranded on an island here's the "albums" I want to have with me:
p.s. I also want to have Ann Margret,in her heyday,to be with me on the island..

10)Van Halen - Van Halen
9)Aerosmith - Toys in the Attic
8)Split Enz- True Colours
7)Cheap Trick - Heaven Tonight
6)Journey - Infinity
5)Pink Floyd - Darkside of the Moon
4)Lynyrd Skynyrd - One More from the Road
3)Led Zeppelin - Four
2)Rolling Stones - Let it Bleed
1)Nirvana - Nevermind

John E,

I see you built up some drama by listing #1 last, a la Late Night's top ten. Nice,

I also detect a keen interest in Nirvana. I didn't follow them and became curious after reading some of the glorious eulogies given for Cobain. Too young, too soon. What might have been...A shame his legacy is so wrapped up with Courtney Love who battles her own demons. And yes, I've heard the rumors about her tie to his death.

We cross on the Stones album -- a great one, but still a tough choice for me. Many would opt for Exile on Main St as an alternate, but I actually would go for the earlier Beggar's Banquet. Street Fightin' Man, Sympathy for the Devil, etc. Besides, they hadn't fallen into their full-scale addictions by then.

As for early Ann Margret, sounds like you'll need to bring a DVD player with Carnal Knowledge, Kitten with a Whip (what a title!), and even Tommy. The current Ann-Margret is 65! Hard to believe....

John e.

Yeah, I'm in it! Gonna be close to my top ten favorite list above, but a couple of minnor changes. ha ha

10. Mozart Symphony # 40. (Sublime, mind clearing dreams)
9. Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd
8. Blood on the Tracks, Bob Dylan
7. Sticky Fingers, Rolling Stones (Every track is fine fine fine)
6. Eat a Peach, Allman Bros (Duane's swan song)
5. Wheels of Fire, Cream (Everything was ecstacy, what, were they on drugs?)
4. Layla and Other Love Songs, Derek and the Dominos
3. Revolver, the Beatles
2. Miles Davis, Kind of Blue
1. Beatles White Album, The Beatles (Monumental nexus of
talent)

BOO YAH!!!

Taken all together, we would have one fine record collection!

Gramps is at the beach with his grandSON. Wondered if anybody caught an album for many years ago...Oh wait...2

Super Session-cooper bloomfield and stills
Aliens ate my Buick-Thomas Dolby

Grandsons name.....Noah William Reynolds

K.B.,

I'm still working on my list. I got a little distracted over on the Foley post,( a great deal of collateral damage over there, real carnage).

I had no problem with the first five albums, but after that...much pulling of hair!

Kenny B.,

You're right,the best Stones album is a tough call,there are many of them.

I always feel bad when I do music lists because there's about 20 - 30 I could insert in that top ten list that I didn't.

Tough calls,but it's interesting to see what other people on here like in music.
I've been very impressed with peoples music knowledge,and I have learned of many acts that I didn't know about before hand.

P.S. Those rumors about Courtney Love being involved in Cobains death are false.

In the end Cobain was so addicted to heroin that even tho he was worth millions he didn't bother to pay his electric bill at his mansion,he lived with no heat or lights the last few months.

Nirvana was finished as a band because Cobain would not speak to the other members of the band prior to his death,and he claimed that they were trying to steal the limelight for themselves,which was also false.

Courtney Love left for LA telling Cobain that she was seeking a divorce,anotherwords it was almost inevitable what happened to him considering that he fought deppression his whole life along with drug addiction.

I hope we can continue this thread.

I saw Ann Margret on a news piece recently,she's not bad for 65.
I've always had a thing for hot redheads,I married one.

C Mo,

Great list (including the Mozart, but bringing in classical will keep this thread going for years. Or maybe that's the point. We'll see what the Trib's new owners will have to say...) I love them all too. As a drummer for a garage band when Wheels of Fire came out, my heart nearly stopped when Traintime makes the transition to Toad. Then Ginger makes those double bass drums sound like a sopwith camel about to take off... And with little argument, the combo on Kind of Blue is the best jazz combo ever.

Bill R,

Spoil him rotten.

Super Session is a spectacular album, thanks to Chicago's own Mike Bloomfield. Would make any guitarist weep. I saw Al Kooper last year and he tells a funny story of how he got started. Swept floors in a studio and brought a guitar when Dylan showed up for Highway 61 Revisited. He gave up that idea quickly when he saw Bloomfield showed up to play lead. No way to compete. So he sat down at the organ, assuring everybody he could play, and by the time the producers figured out he couldn't on Like a Rolling Stone, Dylan liked what he was doing after How doe it Feeeeel and told them to turn it up. The rest is rock history.

John E,

I never took the Cobain death rumors seriously. Never added up.

unlettered,
Top Ten lists are hard...makes you choose, buddy. Ask John e.
I nearly caused him to flip out earlier in this thread!

John e,
We are killin' them over on the polit-threads.
also:
"I saw Ann Margret on a news piece recently,she's not bad for 65.
I've always had a thing for hot redheads,I married one.
Posted by: John E. | Dec 9, 2006 4:42:27 PM"

Have you seen 65 year old Sophia Loren? Man, she has to be the most beautiful lady in history.

Bill R,
Congratulations. What terrific news. You 'nummba one' grampa!

Kenny B,
Rock and classical are closely related in my mind, maybe more so than jazz.
Just my take on it, but both rock and classical share common attributes; Power, emotion, drama.
I just threw classical in for a curve ball, if you will!! ha ha!

And I heard that Kooper story too, about the organ work. Must be true.

PS per the classical;

For a Christmas gift one year I produced a 5 cassette set of tapes called 'The Twentieth Century Rox!' I made a tape of my favorites, one each of the Beatles, then the 60s-70-s80 and 90s. On the 2 or 3 minute run out I put classical as a break from the rock. Everybody went nuts over it. Imagine going from Welcome to the Machine to Beethoven.

unlettered,

Speaking of the carnage on the politico pages in the front.
The guys who call themselves Independents,and then proceed to bash the Democrats and Bill Clinton 100% of the time,make my blood boil....sorry,it makes me come unglued.

Bill R.,
Congratulations big guy!

C Mo.,
BOO YAH!!! back at ya...

C Mo,

My bad. You did indeed produce your top 10 album list over a month ago. EZ to get bogged down in the Swamp (especially this marathon thread).

But it reminds me of something I've been meaning to relay. You mentioned you saw The Beatles. Did you know there's a bona fide Capitol release The Beatles Live at the Hollywood Bowl? The songs are mostly from 1965, but a couple are from the 1964 tour.

Here's the catch: it's only available on vinyl and was never released on CD.

Considering the recordings predate monitors so the band could hear itself, it's nearly miraculous they were able to coordinate at all -- the screams are deafening. And they weren't completely surrounded in the Bowl, as they were in stadium settings. So the sound isn't perfect, but it's important historically.

There must be plenty of these gems gathering dust at Abbey Rd.

All,
I know what you mean about picking Stones album. I have no problem picking a Floyd or Beatle's favjorite, but man o man, those Rolling Stones guys put out soooooo much good stuff. Huge body of work.

One further note on my classical pick; I figure if you are gonna be stranded forever you will need the break from rock. Ditto the Miles Davis pick. It's so complex and beautiful you can't get weary of it.

Kenny Bunk gave me the inspire with his Miles pick.

KB,
I never heard of that one.. I need to get to the one good record store in the area and do some shopping.

I heard almost nothing at old Comiskey. Just the louded roar of my life.

I almost scored tickets to see them in Boston at the Garden in '64 but just could not get a ticket. You should have seen me in a Beatle jacket and boots. What a hoot. Fifteen and never been,,,,anything.

C Mo,Kenny,Bill R.,all

I saw a taped interview with John Lennon recently,he was asked about the Beatles Shea Stadium appearance.
He said it was so loud that he couldn't hear himself singing or playing,sometimes during the show he said he was just goofing around,playing and singing whatever he wanted to.
Sounded like a CRAZY time back then.

C Mo, 10-4 on the politico pages,I don't think I've ever been that mad on here before,usually I keep it in a fun way,I guess it's time to go back to that.

P.S I've seen the classic pics of Sophia Loren,you're right,she's an alltime first round draft pick,I think those are her real ones too,aren't they??

Thank god,

K.B's revelation that C. Mo already did his ten top album list some time back affords me an easy out. I can claim statute of limitations status, and bail from this endeavor completely. This is just too hard.

I found the most difficult part of compiling my list was deciding which album from the same group to choose. I assumed that 'best of' albums were prohibited (cheating), so when the choices are many, what to do?

You guys/gals know what I'm talking about. You've got to have the Beatles represented, do you take Sgt. Pepper's or do you take the White Album?
Your soul demands Dylan, so do you go with Highway 61 Revisited or Blond on Blond? I've got to have my CSN&Y fix, do I take Deja Vu, or do I select the Crosby, Stills, and Nash original album and pick up Young with Crazy Horse on the Everybody Knows.. album?
Can't live without Steely Dan, but which one, Aja, Can't Buy a Cheap Thrill?
Led Zeppelin, same problem, Zeppelin, the original, Zeppelin IV?

Others are a little easier. Hendrix, you take "Are You Experienced. The Doors, album of the same name. Fleetwood Mac, Rumours (but I like almost all there other stuff).

See?, I'm already near my limit and there's simply too much I can't live without. Some albums I just really like, such as Joan Osborne's Relish, Sheryl Crow's The Globe Sessions, and newer stuff like the Dixie Chicks, Taking the Long Way. So screw it, I'm a cuttin and a runnin on this one till someone defines a category I'm not overwhelmed with.

P.S. At the risk of contaminating this site once again, does anybody have suggestions for handling sleep disorders? notice time: 3:45 A.M. Also, I'm hitting the wall on the blogging experience. I thought I was a political junkie but I'm growing weary of fighting the same battles each day with the "usual suspects".
I used to find it challenging, stimulating, and at times amusing. Now, increasingly, I just find it aggravating. In addition, I'm having more trouble staying detached emotionally. I mean, it's good to display passion at times, but some of these folks are seriously pissing me off. I know, waaaaaa. I'll go away now, "good night, and good luck".

Oh yeah,
And I didn't even get to other must haves: Pink Floyd, 'Dark Side of the Moon", Cream, 'Fresh Cream', Dire Straits, 'Brothers in Arms', Stones...

It's a cruel game you swamp rats play!

And bill(gramps) r,

My daughter's youngest, Claire, says hi to Noah.

5 A.M.
Do you believe me now? Even my dogs gave up and went down to bed.

John E.,
re:that side category. Diane Lane. Old enough so I don't appear lecherous. Smart, so that intellectual intercourse can follow, you know, the other form. And, at 41, she's still hot.

About Bubba (the original), I thought his centrist views appealed to Independents, by and large. The bile spewing on the politico's over the boogieman Bill, must be from religious fundamentalist posing as Ind.

C. Mo.,

Seeing your list, I can't believe I missed Miles Davis. Layla..D and D, that would be nice too. Also, re: the polits, (sorry), I tried to be less confrontational with the cons, and just like Bush and 9/11, they see it as weakness and come back with the same old in-your-face b.s. So I'm with you, come January, no quarter from the left. Hey, 'No Quarter', that's a great Zeppelin song. I feel another category coming on...

Unl,

Here's the Mayo Clinic's webpage on insomnia. I'll leave it to you to narrow the search results:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/search/search

Don't let the bastards get you down. 2008 is coming.

unl,

Re. the blog burnout.

I try to be funny, re. 'who would you want to share a fox hole with',
or try baiting. Make a post you know will draw fire, but have a second rebuttal in the hip pocket.

I resist attacking any one blogger, but the politicians themselves and talking head pundits, free fire zone.

Try to get some sleep, buddy.

John e,
Oh yeah, Sophia is the real deal.

Unl,

Maybe that Mayo Clinic site put you to sleep. I see my search didn't link, but you've got the site and can do your own search.

Unl and John E,

Re the political blogs, there seem to be 3 modes of attack:

1. kill/wound the messenger if you're unable to kill he message. sometimes the reporter and his sources, but sometimes the blogger and the way he gives his message.

2. condescension/arrogance* - how could I possibly be wrong? Usually based on insecurity over a weak arguing position. Closely tied to #1, if you can't kill or wound, get him to back down. Easier to do when gravity works for you.

3. Contrarianism under the guise of independent thinking - let's face it, some of these folks just want to spit upwind. There's really not much independent thought to be found in politics these days. The "independents" certainly let their biases be known before the elections.

*BV recently looked down at John E for a simple spelling mistake (I wish spellcheck was possible!). He was merely positioning a lack of argument. BV did make his own grammatical error, which I just called him on. Got your back...

All,

You can spell check 'as you type' in Mac 10, Safari

Edit>Spelling>CHeck as you type

I use it and it really really helps.

*********

Hey guys and gals,

I am not the boss here at all, but lets try to keep this on the music or art or films. This is a nice retreat from the front pages. Just would like to keep it that way for a bit.

I am guilty too, CHeck out Ball in Bush's Court before it falls off the front page.

Rats,

Thanks for the feedback all. I took the dogs for a mini road trip today in hopes of getting my mojo back. Can't say I succeeded but it was a nice break all the same.

Checked out KB's Mayo link, very helpful. I think when I came to the part listing possible causes of sleep disorders, I ended up checking, 'all of the above'.

Have any of you been to the Mayo Clinic? The place is amazing. Virtually the whole town is one big complex revolving around the clinic. Dozens of buildings, old and new, offer delicious glimpses of wonderful architecture, art, and top flight medical facilities. Most of the buildings are linked by underground tunnels, it's surreal. My wife is a corporate and medical librarian, she would kill to work here.

The odd thing is, this place is out in the middle of nowhere. Tucked into the Minnesota countryside amidst farms and lakes, there's no real development for miles in any direction outside the small town of Rochester, itself. Worth a side trip if your in the Twin Cities Area.

I had an idea for new category should anyone want to play: Favorite songs in the context of a movie (songs with lyrics, not musical scores). My preliminary list, until I can recall more of the obscure films I've seen, (in no particular order);

The End, The Doors---Apocalypse Now

Born to be Wild, Steppenwolf---Easy Rider

Mrs. Robinson, Simon & Garfinkle----The Graduate

Everybody's Talking, Nilsson-----Midnight Cowboy

After Dark, Tito and Tarantula----From Dusk 'Til Dawn

We Don't Need Another Hero, Tina Turner---Beyond the Thunderdome

All That Jazz, music: John Kander; Lyrics, Fred Ebb....Chicago

Once in a Lifetime, Talking Heads...Down and Out in Beverly Hills

Streets of Philadelphia, Bruce Springsteen....
Philadelphia

The Rose, Bette Midler....The Rose

PS: C. Mo, My wife asked me to inquire of you if you worked for American Stores in Chicago, and that's how you ended up in Boise. She used to work for them here until they moved their headquarters.

Thanks Kenny B.!!
I've always got all of you guys back...

I never used to be so militant about my political beliefs,but when the Repubs pulled that phoney Newt Gingrich "Contract with America." thing,and won Congress in 1994,and then followed that up with the phoney Bill Clinton impeachment,and then followed that up with W.'s 2000 Surpreme Court Presidential victory,by way of Katherine Harris,and then followed that up with the swiftboating of John Kerry.... I had seen,and heard enough.

Kerry was weak,I admit,he should have come out swinging,it's what he should have expected with slimeball Karl Rove pulling the strings,he should have known better,the idiot.

I decided right after the 2004 Kerry swiftboating that I was going to be a "new" kind of liberal,a guy that will punch the NeoCons in the face first,and then ask real questions later.
My thinking on this is it's all that the Neocons understand,and I love listening to them cry foul when the Democrats fight back,they've been so used to winning with their own bullying political crusades that they don't know what to do when it's done to them.

My next goal is to get a Democrat in the Whitehouse (Barack Obama maybe),the Republicans forget that their primary winner is going to have to run in the shadow of the overwhelmingly unpopular Prez W,while still fighting the Dem nominee.

I like our chances,I don't care what Bill says.

My 21 yr old son is still in Iraq,in Al Anbar province,a very bad place,and I don't want the NeoCons pulling the strings on our Military policys anymore.
The guys who have actually have been shot at in a military situation understand that the toughguy talk by the Neocons is a joke, I despised them when I was a regular Army guy,and I still do(whitecollar punks).

unlettered,
Maybe drinking heavily at night will put you to sleep..hahahaha...just kidding,goodluck..
Diane Lane is easy on the eyes...

C Mo,
BOO YAH!!

I hope everyone had a good weekend.

To bill r-Congratulations on your new grandson! I am also a new grandparent and it's a great feeling.

Unlettered, I'm sorry about your insomnia. I have used Benydryl to help fall asleep when I have things on my mind. It's not like taking a narcotic so I don't think it's addicting. I assume you have tried avoiding caffine late in the day, going to bed and getting up at the same time.

You guys and your lists. I could never make a list of my favorites because I really like too many things. Songs, movies, books and food-I enjoy a wide variety. I guess that's why I am a liberal.

To KennyB-don't forget ad hominem attacks on the character of anyone that holds an opposing view. Asking questions of the "When did you stop beating your wife?" nature. No way that one came be answered without defensiveness. My favorite is the outright lie. Lies told over and over again become truths to the weak-minded. Watch for the new BS from O"lielly and corpoate bottom boy, Stossell. Both have had columns filled with specious arguments about conservatives being more charitable than liberals. It's from some book. I think the comparison is really between religious and non-religious people, but the lying conventional wisdom is that liberals hate God. Sorry if I polluted this site with too much political stuff.

unl,
No, I worked for the old Illinois Central from 97-03. Befor that, Bethlem Steel, Chesterton, 25 years.
Semi-retired now.

Movie Songs;
Great new catagory! I'll be posting, so hike up your socks doods!

John e get ready for a followup double BOO YAH!!

and I agree with your hit back approach. Watch for a major, funny analogy re. that in the next appropriate blog. Note, I am trying to stay non-polit here.

Had to include The End in my list, otherwise no dupes.

The End; A-Now

Singin' in the Rain; Clockwork Orange (beating scene)

The Bird; Full Metal Jacket (dustoff scene)

Hello Vietnam; Full Metal Jacket (haircut scene)

Mickey Mouse; Full Metal Jacket (tragic victory scene, Hue)

Layla playout;D and the D; Goodfellas

Sounds of Silence; S and G; The Graduate

Also Spake Zarathustra; R. Strauss; 2001-
Space Odyssey

Beethoven Sonata; Five Easy Pieces

Tell Me; Stones; Mean Streets

I Looked Away; Clapton; Mean Streets

BOOM-SHAKA-LAKAAAA!!!! ✈ ✈ ✈

We can expand our lists as we will all think of tons of great ones.

unl,

Re; Blog burn out;

-Don't get a dog in every fight.
- Put major efforts into the top three blogs for maximum exposure.
- Don't fire back right away, give them time to cut a lot of rope for themselves.
-If somebody else made your point, let it go. Post if someone then smears it wrongly.

Just ideas.

No more polit from me here!

Movies; part two; more to come, kids!

Knockin on Heavens Door; Dylan; Pat Garett and Billy the Kid

Logical Song; Supertramp; Magnolia

Paint it Black; Stones; Full Metal Jacket

Hello, I Love You; The Doors; Platoon

Satisfaction; Stones
Sufrin' Safari; Beach Boys; Apoc. Now

Come Fly With Me; Sinatra; Raging Bull

Cat,
Thanks for the concern and the advice on sleep disorders. If I weren't retired already, I'd really be in trouble.

You have to forgive us rats for the list-mania obsession, I think it might be tied into the need for a nostalgia fix. That and the "decline and fall of civilization", where music is concerned (just an opinion).

About the 'argumentum ad hominem' suggestion, good advice, difficult to adhere to in the current political environment. I think we libs harbor much resentment from continually being blasted as God-hating, Christmas-loathing, terrorist-loving, tree-hugging, morally bankrupt, unpatriotic, commie-pinko loons, by this Administration and the Rovies. But I'll try to behave (if they will).
Happy Holidays, ya all.

Rats/(Ratesses)

Oh, and so I can at least pretend to be on topic (or whatever the original topic has morphed into), two more additions for favorite tunes in a movie context: 'Susie Q', CCR, from 'Apocalypse Now' (the playboy bunny scene); 'That Old Time Rock and Roll', Bob Seiger, from 'Risky Business' ( a prelude to Cruse's now infamous Oprah couch scene, I'm sure).

Merry War On Christmas y'all!!

The theme from Rocky is one I remember from my childhood,and to think Stallone is still doing them,we need Rambo in Iraq,not boxing.

YO ADRIAN!!!!

C Mo,

Thanks for the spellcheck tip -- now if I only remember it's there. I see you're taking advantage of the special characters feature. Go Mac.

Cath, others

Question the government and you're anti-government. Warped. Nuff said here.

Re the film category -- wow, the results thus far show what a good category this is. The End, Also Sprach Zarathustra, etc. Since you already have so much covered, I conversely thought of the movies themselves which led to:

Pulp Fiction:

Jungle Boogie - Kool & the Gang
Girl, You'll be a Woman Soon - Neil Diamond
Son of a Preacher Man - Dusty Springfield

Goodfellas:

Rags to Riches - Tony Bennett
Speedo (Mr. Earl) - The Cadillacs
And Then He Kissed Me - The Crystals
Gimme Shelter* - Stones
Monkey Man - Stones
Piano solo from Layla (good catch C Mo) - D&D

*Scorsese also used in Casino and The Departed. He recently announced he's working on a documentary about the Stones.

I think the greatest protest song ever written (in my opinion) CCR's "Fortunate Son" was used in a Nam flick wasn't it,anybody??

'All Along the Watchtower', Bob Dylan, from 'American Beauty', The scene in the garage where Lester is trying to "buff up", all the while reliving his youth with a joint and favorite old tunes). (Hendrix version is heard in the movie, 'Forest Gump').

C. Mo,

Wifey, (is that a derogatory reference) thinks I should be semi-retired too instead of fully employed in slothfulness. She's been particularly critical since I began spending more time blogging, because it cuts into the "honey-do's" (thank God). I tell her this blogging is important business, kind of like missionary work, I'm trying to save one lost Con at a time. ("Know the truth and the truth will set you free"), or something like that.

unl,

great catch on Watchtower! I knew it was there, but couldn't figure which movie!

John e, have to work on the CCR Son song. It was used.

I have another category, but I gonna spring it on yall.

Free Xmas tunes from NPR (some fine downloads for the season):

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6594501

Ho Ho Ho (in a Santa, not a hip-hop way).

unl,

Wifey is a not a pejorative, but a term of endearment, I think.
Better ask Catherine.

Kenny,

Re. Check as you Type.

Once you turn it on, it stays on, so good protection always.

You unfortunate IBM compatible users, try using a text editor connected to the Word spell check, then copy and paste into the Swamp interface.

C. Mo,
Thanks for the advice on the polits, I'm still fairly new to this blog business, really just stumbled on it while looking for Bear's content.

I'm not so grateful, however, for the reference to the hair-cutting scene in 'Full Metal Jacket'. My own experience in that regard, at Ft. Ord, remains as one of my most unpleasant and, until now, repressed memories. Funny thing is, most people don't really believe the basic training experience depicted in Kubrick's film is accurate. We know better! I didn't go to Marine 'basic', but I swear, Gny Sgt. Hartman, (Lee Ermey) could have been my Army Master-Sergeant at Ord, all the way down to the obscene-laced tirades and merciless taunts.(I also got my AIT training at Fort Ord, but later transferred into the Air National Guard).
I really wig out folks when I tell the them that Leonard, (pvt. Pyle), is portrayed by Vincent D'Onofrio from 'Law and Order', back when he was packing a few more pounds.

John R,

I hope we can get your boy the hell out of Al Anbar soon. Pray McCain doesn't get elected in '08, or my boys will be joining him (and maybe me too if they get any more desperate in their attempts to deploy former Guardsmen).

Rats: New movie tunes for your consideration:

Crying (Llorando), Roy Orbison and Joe Melson (sung a capella by Rebekah Del Rio), from Mulholland Dr. (In the surreal, dream carnival scene).

Gimme Shelter, Rolling Stones; from The Departed (also in the Stones own movie and probably a couple of others).

First Cut is the Deepest, Sheryl Crow; Must Love Dogs (with my lost on an island mate, Diane Lane).

P.S. I've deliberately not listed non-lyrical tunes to limit the scope of the category, but if people want to broaden the cat., I say go for it! And if you do, (does anyone know the name of that beautiful, and mournful piece of orchestral music played in Platoon, I think after the firefight and carnage at the end? I love that piece and I know I've heard it in a couple of other flicks too.

Scarborough Fair, Simon & Garfinkle---The Graduate

Flowers on the Wall, Statler Brothers--The Graduate (also in Pulp Fiction)

(Sittin On) Dock of the Bay, Otis Redding--Top Gun (probably in others too)

unl.

I don't know who said the first half of Full Metal Jacket was not accurate, but they are wrong. It was near perfect film making. They still hit in the Marine basic at that time. Not in the army. I was at Ft. Benning, Sand Hill, 69 and I could smell the place during the film. Near perfect. People did get beat up by DI's, however. But behind the barracks after hours. Some dumb ass kid from Alabama challenged a DI during training one day. They set up a 'meeting' for that night. When they met, three DI's put old 'green teeth' in the hospital.

Also; Re Platoon;

Odd, I considered this one too;
Adagio for Strings; Samuel Osborne Barber (RIP, 1981)

Do you remember what Pvt. Pyle named his M-14?

Do you remember what Pvt. Pyle named his M-14?

PS: I have flogged this book before, but if you haven't read it; the film was based on 'The Short Timers' (Hasford). Get it in any library. It is a fine fine short novel. A great read. And you can see what a great job Kubrick did with the film, too.

You guys are losing me. You all have more free time than I do.
Having said that, I found a website, www.stlyrics.com that lists the soundtracks of movies and television shows. It didn't have every movie but it listed Forrest Gump with Fortunate Son on the soundtrack. I also found a site www.destgulch.com that had info on films. I looked up Platoon and was able to hear a song "Adagio for Strings." Perhaps that's the song you're looking for.
I hesitate to offer films of my own for fear that they may be of the "chick flick" category, but a big favorite is The Last Picture Show with Hank Williams on the soundtrack. Ben Johnson played a fabulous role.
Wifey is not derogatory unless you mean it to be. I've been called worse.

I have been thinking about the what 'lady' would I want to be stranded with, to listen to said record collection, so to speak. (Hey, we need some Sinatra!!)

This is tuff. Hope Catherine is not offended. We are still little boys.

1. My wife. (Whew!)

2. A little explain; I have a weakness for skinny Brits. My all time favorite is Julie Christy. Did ya see her in Darling, Zchivago, and Fahrenheit 451? Yi Yi Yi.
I know, she seems cold compared to Sophia, but my theory is, once the passion (for old records) is released, it could be bottomless, as it were.

'Charlene'

Catherine,

I like chick flicks just fine. I like all kinds of movies. Bring em on.
We Want to hear the ladies perspective.

Cat.
Good catch on the Hank Williams.

We tend to ignore country on this blog because most modern popular country is so bad.

But at one time, it was credible, and pure.

(make that spelling Christie)

The Louie Louie song by The Kingsmen from Animal House is one of my alltime favs.

I'm a sucker for stupid comedys,it makes the wife go crazy.

Catherine,
I do most of my work from my laptop computer,during F ball season,I coach at the high school level,during the off season I recruit, analyze,and grade F ball athletes for the local University.
I still get a check each month from Uncle Sam for my service years.

Most people read about sports to get away from reality,I leave sports,and dabble in politics.

Came up to the banks to see my new grandson and met up with some of the old band members and are going to play out tonight at one of the bigger clubs on the island. Going to do a couple of these:
Ain't wasting time
Friend of the devil
Brick in the wall
moon dance
You can't always get what you want
pirate looks at forty
spanish moon
Low rider
just a few.....Hey man!!!!!We're getting the band back together!

I can only speak for myself not for all of chickdom.
Some favorites
Favorite western: The Outlaw Josie Wales
Favorite comedies: Clerks, Animal House,
Favorite old movies: Anything with the Marx Brothers or W.C. Fields If I had a Million -great movie, not on tape or DVD. The African Queen, Sergeant York.
More Contemporary; Goodfellas, Waiting for Guffman and others by Christopher Guest.
Good Documentary: Mad Hot Ballroom about the fifth grade dance program in NYC.
Who would I like to be stranded on a desert island with?-probably my husband. He's still makes me laugh harder than anyone else.

Catherine,Goodfellas is a good pick.
Great movie,great music.

Catherine; Chick flicks would be in any top ten list of fmy favorite movies.

Somewhere in my top ten would be the ultimate chick flick; 'Doctor Zchivago'. Of course it went beyond chick flickdom to greatness. It's also harsh and bloody. Also, perhaps one of only a dozen books I have read more than once.

Here's a list of movies. Not my top ten, but they all have something in common. What is it?
(It could be my fav. list!)

The Killing
Spartacus
Paths of Glory
Lolita
2001; Space Odyssey
Barry Lyndon
The Shining
Full Metal Jacket
Fear and Desire
Eyes Wide Shut

bill r,

Used to play Friend Of The Devil back in the college years. Congrats on getting back on the stage. And the grandtoddler.

Some day I'll practice enough to get back up there again. Too much of a perfectionist to just wing it. Plus I lost the sack for it years ago.

Unl,

Re: insomnia, I've had the same problem since we fell back. The only things that have worked for me were to cut back on the blogs and get more excercise. A touch of the brush prior to bed seems to help as well.

I've got this list in front of me, and it's not favorite movie tunes. Cath, (my dear wife), handed me a list with groceries, pet supplies, household items. And when you're through with that dear....

So, I'll make some brief notes and then I've got to get cracking.

C.Mo----Charlene is pvt. Pyle's wife's name right?

I wonder if people know what a problem "fragging" was/is? in military boot camps. At Fort Ord, our drill instructors would only give us 3 live rounds at a time at the firing range, should any of us go all "Leonard" on em.

re. Julie Christie. Yeah, she's beautiful. Loved her in 'Heaven Can Wait'. Another Brit I like is Kate Winslette. Perhaps not the classic beauty that Cristie is, but Kate has that "je ne sais quoi", if you will, that adds to her attraction (with me anyway).

John E.---I know a guy that used to do pretty much the same thing as you for University of Utah Athletics. I told him I'd rather be doing his job than being a UPS "monkey". His response, "Yeah, but you get paid better". I'll betcha "Smitty" can't say that now (he's currently director of scouting for the Utah Jazz).

Your mention of "Shout" in 'Animal House' brings to mind another oldie, though different genre. The song, George Thorogood and the Destroyer's, 'B-B-B-B-Bad to the Bone', featured in the opening scene of Carpenter's 'Christine', a deliciously twisted adaption of the Stephen King novel of the same name.

Cat---using your husband (regardless of how endearing he is), is cheating (safe). Of course, if you stick to the movie/music tack of all this, you're less likely to incriminate yourself, and we boys can certainly understand that.

re.'Clerks', very funny, classic 'Silent Bob' material. 'Josey Wales', best western, no question, though I also liked 'Silverado', esp. 'Pythoner', John Cleese. My favorite line from 'The Outlaw Josey Wales'; Josie: When I get to likin' someone they ain't around long; Lone Watie: When you get to DISlikin' someone, they ain't around so long neither.

bill r---You're never too old to 'jam', buddy. Look at CSN&Y and those dinosaurs on the Stones. They're both still going strong but I notice Mick, and his counterparts on CSN&Y, are having a bit more trouble hittin' those high notes (vocally, that is)

Hey, you guys are jammin' to Lowrider? You just hit on another favorite movie tune of mine, War's hit was played at the beginning of Cheech & Chongs 'Up in Smoke'. I think 'gone in 60 seconds' ripped it off too.
Man, I've got to get to the "Outer Banks" sometime. A cousin of mine, who resides in Chapel Hill, has been pestering me for years to join him there. Have fun with the fella's bro.

Kenny B--Once I downloaded the new version of Mozilla Firefox to fix my other posting problem (formatting sentences and paragraphs), I installed the optional tool bar with the auto spell-check and other cool features. It's slick, PC compatible, and free. And, thanks again on the mayo site link.

Rats/Ratesses

So much for "brief notes". I'm outta here before mamma gets home from work. Gotta walk the dogs too, they're restless. My one dog's kind of "special". When she saw me pull up the "Barney Cam", she went positively nuts. She acts the same way when critters or animated figures (like Wallace and Gromitt) come on the tele. Funny thing is, she's never been more crazed then when Carl Rove made his appearance on "Barney's Holiday Extravaganza". Maybe, she's smarter then I thought.
See ya gang.

Unl,

'gone in 60 seconds'

mmmmm,,,me like-ee the Shelby GT-350.

Charlene was Leonard's 'name' for his M-14. Sarge told em to give it a girls name, "cause that's only p%$$# you will be getting!"

You are killin' on the polits today, buddy.

Bubba! Where ya been, man?

Bubba,

"A touch of the brush", are you an artiste, or is that some arcane reference to those psychotropic drugs you've been indulging in again? (ha ha)

From 'American Beauty': Carolyn; Well, I see you're smoking pot now. I think taking psychotropic drugs is a very positive example to set for our daughter.

Lester; You're one to talk, you bloodless, money-grubbing freak.

C. Mo,

What, no Cohen brothers movies on your list?, Blood Simple?, Fargo?. Good 'quirky' flicks, those. Lots of good war movies out there (category in itself), Patton, Zulu, Private Ryan, The Thin Red Line, Apocalypse Now, Kelly's Heroes.

Wonder if any one's seen the movie 'Freeway', with Reese Witherspoon, Kiefer Southerland, Dan Hadeya (Blood Simple)? Reese's portrayal of a troubled, disadvantaged youth in this movie, is priceless!

And don't even get me started on the horror genre. I still have nightmare's from the old black and white classics like, The Body Snatchers (the original), now that was creepy!

Damn, wifey called..honey, how did that list go? Well dear, I worked on many list today, but.....man, "get me to the train on time".

See ya'll

unl,

That wasn't my top ten buddy!

I asked;
"what do all these films have in common?" When I post my top ten it will be accompanied by a huge boo yah.☺

Top Ten can't go with genre. All types must be included. Too easy otherwise. It's hard, you know.

Now, all, what do my list of movies all have in common?
I know you know.

More movies I like:
My Favorite Year, Radio Days, Mean Streets, Melvin and Howard, Local Hero, The Secret of Roan Innish, Hear My Song, The Waking of Ned Devine, Saved, Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle and more.
Years ago, I rented Zulu so many times for my husband (at his request), that the video store employees made me a bootleg as a present.

Cat.

Your taste in movies rules.
I am going to have a hard time making a tenner as good.

But back to music for a minute. I thought up a new category;

Favorite base solos and riffs.

1. Sun King; The Beatles; Paul McCartney
2. Badge; Cream; intro by Jack Bruce
3. The Chain; Big Mac; John McVie
4. Go Your Own Way; Big Mac; McVie KILLS on this

Sun King was really a Paul/George duet. It's just beautiful.

C. Mo,

Roger that on the Shelby GT350. That beauty was a little out of my price range, so I settled on my RX-8 (in velocity red) as a retirement gift to myself.(I see Cat rolling her eyes now... first island mates, now cars...those little boys).

Reminds me of Bullit. Different car, Shelby GT390?, but first good car-chase scene that I remember. What a great movie. Bullitt's squeeze was future Charlie's Angel, Jacquiline, Bissett. Here's a vingett from the movie:

Frank Bullitt; "Look Chalmers. Let's understand each other. I don't like you".

Sen. Chalmers: "Come on, Lieutenant. Don't be naive. We both know how careers are made. Integrity, is something you sell the public."

Frank Bullitt:"You can sell whatever you want. Just not here, tonight."

Best Car-chase scene, Live and Die in L.A. Good soundtrack too. The title song from Wang Chung, with the President's motorcade, framed by a fiery, smog-shrouded sun, is classic.

Ok, here it is;

Top Ten Favorite Movies; All Time (and why)

10. It's a Wonderful Life (1946)
It represents America the way we wish it actually was. This is US at it's most optimistic. It's also, well made, well acted, and J. Stewart is the icon of the first half of the 20th century.

9. Paths of Glory; (57)
Stanley Kubrick's first great film and Kirk Douglas's best role.

8. Hud (60)
One of the first 'modern' films showing the dark side of America. Made Newman a star.

7. Doctor Strangelove (64)
No explain needed. This film took GUTS to make. Kubrick had to leave America and go to London to make it. Too bad.

6. 2001; A Space Odyssey (68)
The greatest achievement on film of the 20th century. Beyond Si Fi.

5. Doctor Zchivago (64)
Power and beauty on film. Epic depiction of love, tragedy, war. Terrifying nightmare train rides. Walking dead. History destroying good people. It all happened.

4. Chinatown (74)
I love Jack, I love John Houston, I love Faye Dunaway

3. Fargo(86)
Hilarious, terrifying, beautiful, funny, funny, well acted, well written, funny

2. Ipcress File (65)
Micheal Caine's Harry Palmer was the first 'anti-James Bond'. A terrifying revelation, all shot in funky black and white in England. What, we aren't all 'good guys'??

1. Apocalypse Now;(78)
This is the defining film about the Vietnam war, based on J. Conrad's short novel 'Heart of Darkness'. This film is perfect in nearly every way. The horror is so overwhelming you forget it's beauty. I have seen it 3 times and still see something new. Note how every scene begins in beauty and even playfulness, then descends, inevitably, into a hell like decadence of violence and slaughter.

-1. Blow Up (65)
This was the first 'art film and maybe the first Indy film I ever saw. At one point in the film the main character is stalking a lady though the London underground night life, goes into a club, and there is Jeff Beck and the Relf Bros. killing on stage.

-2. Raging Bull (80)
Scorcesse and DeNiro, nuff said.

-3. Taxi Driver (76)
Ditto

-4. Medium Cool (68)
Haskell Wexler directed this incredible film shot in Chicago during the 68 Democratic Convention. He passed the cast and crew off as tv reporters and actually got them into the riots! What you see is the real deal. Also, first major film for Peter Boyle and Robert Forster. Also note, you get a great look at downtown Chicago before the building boom. The tallest building was The Prudential Building! The Hancock building was under construction. No other tall ones!
I saw this film at the old Paramount Theater in Seattle, 1969. It's gone.

unl.

Nice catch on the Bullitt chase. I would say the best, and last best chase scene. All the others that followed tried to best it, but never did.

A clue to film makers; They shot it in real time as it happened. Not computer generated cartoon style.

Live and Die was terrific.
Peterson was very good in it.

One of the best horror movies was;
Lost Highway

You mentioned Blood Simple.
Yeah, I need to see that again.

Fun SiFi;
Alien and Alien II
For twenty years after they made Alien, others tried unsuccessfully to make the same film.

Funny, weird;
Being John Malkovich
I like Catherine Keener. Terrific actress.

Lets not forget;
The Killing Fields
Born of the 4th of July
Deer Hunter
Coming Home
The Graduate (Mentioned for music)
Eastwood Spag westerns (Cat. alluded to them)
Unforgiven (Eastwoods first oscar)
The Wild Bunch
Straw Dogs
Mash
Midnight Cowboy
Clockwork Orange
Once Upon a Time in America
The Godfather I II III

Hey Swampers and Swampettes:

I know this is off the subject,but if you get a chance you really should check this out.

Go to the front Politico page story about Tom Delay's blog site.

Go down to Cheryl's post message,she has a place where you can click on to and read some of the comments that were left on his site yesterday.

I laughed so hard that I nearly fell out of my chair.

I can tell you that some of the nicer commentors call Delay an "a**clown."

Unl,

"Touch o' the brush", not sure of origin (if any), but a common reference in my family to the pouring of another imbibement. But, then again, excercise seems to work best.

CM,

I think I have ADD so I'll just continue with short shots here or there. That said...

The Princess Bride

"Stop rhyming, this time I mean it"

" Anyone like a peanut?"

C. Mo,

I'm going to give top ten a shot, but I've got to work through it methodically:

Top Five by Decade;

The 50's

All About Eve (1950) Betty Davis, Ann Baxter, and Marilyn Monroe. Need I say more.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) First saw this movie when I was about 7, thanks to older brother. I have nightmares about it to this day.

Bridge on the River Kwai (1957) Powerful war movie with a surprise twist. I still catch myself whistling the 'Colonel Bogey March' when I'm hiking alone.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951) A classic Robert Wise movie, the theme of which the neocons could heed today.

Sunset Blvd. (1950) A great Billy Wilder film. Norma Desmond is incredible as the washed-up silent film star. The narrative style was a nice change-up (borrowed in American Beauty four decades later).

The 60's

Dr. Srangelove (1962) Best satire ever. Top 10.

Lawrence of Arabia (1962) Big screen cinematic treat (Liked Dr. Zhivago almost as much)

2001: A space odyssey (1968) Hard to believe this classic goes back nearly 40 years. I don't know if any sci-fi is better, before or since.

In the Heat of the Night(1967) First movie that I can recall that addressed the race issue. Steiger was just amazing in this role. Sidney not bad either.

The Graduate (1967) Music's as good as the movie

The 70's (Best decade, I think)

The Godfather(1972) Got to be in my top 10, not sure where yet.

Chinatown(1974) Also a definite top 10, Polanski's best effort. Jack is at his best and Huston, more known for his directorial efforts then his acting, is perfect in this role. Another top ten.

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975) This movie was so powerful. Both light-hearted and tragic and compelling throughout. Another slam-dunk for my top ten.

Taxi Driver (1976) First great Scorcese movie, pre-dated Raging Bull. The decadence of the big city, the complex portrayal of an unstable vet by DeNiro. Brilliant movie, if not top ten then "on the bubble".

Apocalypse Now (1979) This movie absolutely blew me away. The photography alone is unforgettable. Add the surrealism, the insanity of it all, wow! Definite top ten.

The 80's(close runner-up to 70's)

Raging Bull (1980) Hard to believe that Scorcese and DiNiro could team up again and surpass the brilliance of Taxi Driver, but they did. This movie was very hard for me to watch though.

The Shining (1980) Another Kubrick masterpiece, and easily the best adaption of a Stephen King Novel. One of Jack's top three performances.

Platoon (1986) Oliver Stone's best effort. Charlie Sheen is not the actor his father is, but I guess he did O.K. Tom Beringer and William Defoe, average actors in my opinion, were pretty damn good in this movie. The mood, the intensity, the realism, were top notch. In the running, top ten.

Das Boot (1981) Best submarine movie of all time. Crimson Tide was entertaining but Das Boot was nothing short of terrifying. The viewer really feels like they're in this grungy, claustrophobic vessel.

Full Metal Jacket (1987) Another Kubrick masterpiece. The first half of this movie is nothing short of perfection. The second half I found a little uneven, but still very good.

The 90's (might has to re-think my evaluations of other decades, there's some good flicks here)

Schindler's List (1993) I took my son to see this movie and had to hide my tears. Incredibly moving, brilliantly directed. Top ten, for sure.

Shawshank Redemption (1994) I really liked this movie, but then I'm a huge Morgan Freeman fan. This definitely is on my "sleeper" list, or better.

Silence of the Lambs (1991)This movie really creeped me out. The content is as disturbing as it gets. Anthony Hopkins is terrific, his best role. On a related note, the prequel, Manhunter, with Will Peterson, is pretty good too (I liked it better than Red Dragon with Ed Norton).

American Beauty (1999)I don't know what to say about this movie except that it's special to me. From the narrative style that mimics Sunset Boulevard to the themes that resonate with many Americans; disgust for the obsession with "stuff", anxiety in an uncertain economic climate, the struggle to maintain loving relationships, generational disconnect, self-loathing, its all there.

Fargo(1996)I love this movie. It's fairly unique in execution. The casting is superb. And only the Coen brothers can deliver a dark and twisted tale like this one. Can't think of a reason to keep it out of my top ten.

Man, this sucks. How can you leave out for consideration, LA Confidential; Pulp Fiction; The Usual Suspects, and Goodfellows? Also liked The Sixth Sense; Twelve Monkeys, Heat and Lock, Stock, and two Smoking Barrels.

2000's,

Gladiator(2000) A spectacle that approaches the splendor of Ben-Hur. Russell Crow is very good in this and the battle scene where the Roman Armies attack the barbarians in Gaul, breath-taking.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind(2004) Perhaps it's my infatuation with Kate Winslet, but I found this to be a very satisfying movie. Different, clever, funny, bitter-sweet. A real treat.

Cinderella Man (2005) One of the better Ron Howard movies (Apollo 13 was pretty good too). Very inspiring, a good performance by Russell Crow, a surprisingly great performance by Paul Giamatti.

Crash (2005) Paul Haggis Movie that is similar, in style, to Robert Altman's Short Cuts. Great message movie for the cons with all the ironies and contradictions.

Traffic (2000) A really fine movie by Stephen Soderberg. It's complex, hard-hitting, and quite compelling. Another must-see fore the clue-less cons who only see things as black or white, right or wrong. Benicio Del Toro has a break-out performance in this movie.

Man, I've really hit the wall on this effort. Somewhere in here is my top 10 (or not). I'll have to revisit this later when I'm semi-coherent.
Good night, (I mean good morning). Peace.

unlettered,

You are 'The Mad Man Across the Water', dude.
Terrific list.

+++
Let's not forget; continued

Network

Crying Game

Shock Waves (1976) one of the best bad movies you will ever see.
Terrifyingly, agonizingly awful.

Crash (1997) James Spader, Holly Hunter (Cronenberg)

This is the weird Crash, not the recent one. You won't believe your eyes. Go rent this Crash.

Apartment Zero

The Others

High Noon

On the Waterfront

Northside 777 (1948)

Dog Day Afternoon

The Macintosh Man

The Third Man

Citizen Cane

Midnight Blue

Blue Velvet

Last Tango in Paris

Seven Beauties (Itl)

Swept Away (Itl)

Sophie's Choice (Should have been on my top 10)

The Fortune (Hilarious Nicholson)

The Last Detail

john e,

That DeLay site is Hi-larious.

You know he can't take the truth.
I went to his actual site and posted under Christian@aol.com
the lyrics to Like a Rolling Stone. Maybe some clueless minion will let it through, but I doubt it.

unlettered,

Try making the bedroom as cool as possible.
Hard to sleep in a hot room.
Also, I hang one foot out from under the covers. Keeps me from getting 'twitchy foot syndrome'.

Waynes World,"Boehemian Rhapsady" by Queen.

This is a very funny movie,with a great rock soundtrack.

A nostalgic moment for me-When watching Wayne's World on cable with my late mother, she laughed until she cried at the scene when Wayne and chums drove around to and sang Boehemian Rhapsody.

What about foreign movies?
Ikiru

Manon of the Spring

Jean de Florette

Peter Boyle-Rest in Peace
Remember his frightening role as Joe?

John E,

I remember they were trying to install a stereo in their Gremlin while driving someplace. I nearly gave myself a hernia.

Lot of sucky stuff on SNL, but that was a bright spot.

Cat.
See my Ital. movies above.

also,
Last Metro
All Quiet on the Western Front
Red, Blue and White
Vanished (The original French was terrifying for real)
Little Nikita (Orig)
Wings of Desire
One Day in the Life of Ivan Desinovich
Zentropa
IndoChine
Seven Samurai
Z

One of the great SiFi not mentioned here yet;

THX 1138
(1971)
The last great Lucas film!

Japan;
Kagamusha

Empire of the Sun
Bridge on River Quai
Breaker Morant
The Year of Living Dangerously
Mad Max
Galipoli

I've been officially banished from blogging today. Mamma says I look like hell (and I shaved too). Too bad, cause there's some stuff on the polits I want to weigh in on.

Cat,

Bummer bout Peter. I first noticed him in Taxi Driver. He was quite versatile. I laugh hysterically whenever I recall his portrayal as the monster in Young Frankenstein. His soul-mate in the movie, Madeline Kahn, preceded him in death. They will be missed.

C Mo,

I applaud your selection of Ipcress File. My bro first turned me on to this nifty thriller on one of my visits to the Bay area. A smart, understated role by Michael Caine.

The first time I stumbled on Faux News I was immediately reminded of this movie. I found myself fumbling for the suitable implement of distraction, pen, thumb tack, bent, rusty nail.

Interesting story here ( Oh crap, here I go!). This sort of ties in to your reference to 'A Bridge Too Far', on an earlier post, as well.

The Old Man was an officer in the OSS. He spoke fluent Dutch and was recruited by the military and dropped into occupied Holland to coordinate the operations of covert radio teams with the Dutch Underground.

I didn't know about my dad's secret past till I stumbled on a crude (by today's standards), miniature "spy camera". He also had a Luger, but kept it hidden.

My dad's study was filled with spy novels from the likes of John Le Carre and others, but I never made the association earlier. I mean, pops was a college professor, not James Bond.

I had little success in getting details on my Dad's exploits, he didn't like to talk about it. My bro said that was because of all the young kids he saw executed by the Nazi's, and the general suffering of the Dutch, many of whom starved to death.

Anyway, my Dad was supposed to be dropped into Arnhem, but didn't get security clearance in time for the operation. My memory is foggy here, but I read the Cornelius Ryan book in my dad's study, and I recall the casualty rate, esp. for officers, to be extraordinary. Army red tape saved the old man from "A Bridge Too Far".

Has anyone seen Borat yet??

I want to rent it when it's out on DVD.

Catherine,

Peter Boyle R I P.
What a great actor,he did a part in an X Files episode that is still one of my favorites.
I'm an X File fanatic,loved that Gillian Anderson as Scully,another one my Redhead alltime starting lineup,C. Mo.

unlettered,

The Utah,and MountainWest area in general used to be a vast wasteland for athletes.
However,the Utah Utes have built up a fine program in recent years.

Urban Meyer was their coach,and now he's at Florida coaching in the National Championship game.

Steve Smith,a great receiver,who killed the Bears last year with Carolina is a Utah grad.

Alex Smith the San Francisco staring QB is also a Utah grad.

If you hear of any speed guys in high school out there,who aren't afraid to take a hit,give me a heads up.
Maybe they would like to live in Illinois for awhile???

And a shout out to C Mo.,
Boise St. has built up a solid program,
Love That Blue Turf!!

Unl,

1. Couple belts of Jamesons
2. Head to pillow, close eyes
3. Dream of being on bill's boat.

CM,

Missed part of your earlier post. Stayed off the blogs for a while. Same problem as unl. Ridiculous when you wake up at 4 am trying to remember a speech by Kucinich back during the primaries. He and Reverend Al made the best cases against the war. Too bad people immediately discredit them for various reasons.

Oh yeah, bassists:

Victor Wooten-Bela Fleck days

Stanley Clarke-School Daze-first track, can't remember title.

CM,

Also spent a long weekend up in Big Sky. First time up there, very beautiful. But, like everywhere else near us, no snow and poor skiing.
Saw some wildlife though.

Film denizens,

A huge amount of celluloid has already been covered, so I merely touch on some hysterical omissions:

Sleeper
Annie Hall
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

The early Bond films were pretty riveting too.

Bub,
Yeah, you almost have to go to Canada to ski anymore! Even N.Idaho is thawing already according to old ma and pa.
Hey buddy!, Global Warming is part of the war on christmas.

All,
Hey, re Peter Boyle, see my top 10+-4 list for his first small but sig. role in 'Medium Cool', filmed in Chicago during the 68 convention. A great little film. You can rent it people! Blow Up too.

Unl.
Re. John Le Carre; The best Spy Guy. Here's some films, some BBC.
Tinker Taylor Soldier Spy (BBC)
Smiley's People (BBC)
The Spy Who Came in From the Cold
All good.
Books, too.

Ipcress File made Micheal Caine a star in the US. It was about the class war in Britain as much as the Cold War.
It's one of the first movies to raise my standards regarding what a good film consisted of.

heads up;

yyZed may be heading this way.

He or she let it be known; 'Rush' fan. I tipped him/her off about this blog. Hope he/she reads everything before posting.

John e,

Sorry to say, Idahoans care more about BS U than Iraq. Sad fact.
The big orange and blue get front page coverage, while Iraq and the rest get section two coverage. I am ashamed. Bubba probably knows.

Sometimes I miss liberal Indiana! ☺
Anyway, let's drop that here.

unl.

Interesting facts about your dad. Weird to discover something like that about a family member.

We had a somewhat strange family occurrence;
My maternal uncle was a Navy aviator. A1 Skyraider. His old spad exploded over the Med in 1961 and killed him. Routine mission. (Bon Homme Richard).

His mom, my Gma, didn't believe he was dead. Said he had told her he was talked to by intell. people to join the growing 'effort' in SE asia on secret missions. I thought it was BS.

Years latter we saw a picture of a prisoner that looked like him. The guy in the pic was missing fingers. Gma would hold it to her chest and bawl. Nobody should see that.

Topper; 'Dave' in 2001; Space Odyssey could have been his twin.
One reason it's on my top ten.

You guys/gals are burying me here. Time for some serious catch-up.

Kenny B,

Nice catch scoring those Woody Allen flicks. My buddies took me to see 'Everything You Want to Know About Sex But Were Afraid to Ask', as part of my bachelor's party celebration (34 years ago).

Re., 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels'.

My wife and I went to the Rothschild Mansion on Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France. This is the large estate and gardens featured in 'Dirty Rotten Scoundrels' that overlooks the Mediterranean. Across the bay (where you see the Cruise Ship anchor) is Villefranche-sur-Mer, home to Tina Turner.

Bubba, C, Mo

I tried a variation of your collective sleep formulas last night. Glass of Beringer Cabernet, head to pillow (have to use one of those Sweedish numbers cause I closed-lined myself at UPS once (laugh here), and my neck is all screwed up. Room was at 60 degrees. I tried leaving my foot outside the comforter, but Dolly (my loon dog), took to it like her personal chew toy, so I had to draw it back in. After an hour, I gave up trying to fall asleep, went up-stairs watched a 'b' movie, blogged and finally passed out.

Hey, "Scoundrels" reminds me of this solid DeNiro flick filmed in the South of France. It's good stuff. Not only do you get to see some of the best of the Cote de Azur, Villefranche, Nice, Cannes, Les Baux, and Arles, but this is a first rate retro-style spy flick.

The director is John Frankenheimer who did The Manchurian Candidate. Featured in the ancient city of Arles is an incredible car chase scene, real-time, like Bullitt. Only thing is, the streets are about half as wide as San Francisco (I know, I've been to Arles). So here's DiNiro, and he does all the actual driving, tearing down these insanely narrow streets at about 120 km/hr.

There's also a great scene in the Arene d' Arles, a Roman built coliseum that dates back to the first century A.D.

Also, Haven't forgotten the thread on bass guitarist. Don't know that I'm qualified to judge here but I've seen some good ones; McVie, Entwistle to name a couple. One of the liveliest and "funkiest" renditions I witnessed was when the "New Barbarians" came to the Salt Palace back in 1979. I don't recall the piece, but the bass guitarist was Stanley Clarke from the Stones, (Keith Richards was also in the band).

John E,

Yeah, Utes are moving up. I had the opportunity to travel to Tempe a couple years back for the Fiesta Bowl. Urban really came through. Utes were first mid-major to break the BCS barrier. Amazing, and I don't think there was a single top 100 blue-chiper in the bunch. What does he have at Florida?, something like 15 of em.?

This year's team had its moments, but was a disappointment for the most part. C Mo's "smurfs" killed us, and we lost to rival BYU on the last play of the game (first time in 5 years).

C. Mo,

Stanley Kubrick. Are you kidding me, how did I miss that? Either sleep deprivation or dead brain cells from all the Diesel fumes I inhaled through the years, I guess.

My brother talks about him like he's a God, and after reviewing the full body of his work, I can see why. I don't think I ever saw The Killing or Fear & Desire. Spartacus I saw as a young kid and somehow it never stuck that it was Kubrick's epic work.

I think I've seen bits and pieces of Paths of Glory on TV, but couldn't tolerate the ads. And, once again, I didn't know it was Kubrick's.

Lolita, I saw at a local art house, The Blue Mouse, with my eldest brother, Dave. I was like 14, boy was my mom pissed over that one. I remembered the scolding but not the director.

2001; A Space Odyssey, was the first movie that I remember as Kubrick's. David took me to see it in a theater in Palo Alto when I was just a sophomore in High School, and he a graduate teacher at Stanford. (This was the time we went over to the campus at Berkeley to join the war protest). Hey, Hey, LBJ. How many kids did you kill today! Yes, it's all coming back.

My bro is a sci-fi nut, used to shower me with books by Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, and others. We both flipped over this Kubrick masterpiece.

I didn't see Clockwork Orange on your list, but I remember quite vividly when it came out. One couldn't see the movie anywhere around here because it was rated X (for the fast-motion bedroom scene). I saw it years later in San Francisco. The movie inspired me to read the novel, and I instantly became a huge fan of Anthony Burgess, have all his novels (an unabridged dictionary is mandatory).

I forgot that Barry Linden was Kubrick's. I never saw it because I figured nothing starring Ryan O'Neal could be worth watching.

The Shining is only the second on your list that I recognized as Kubrick's, and it's one of my favorites and maybe Jack's best.

The others, Full Metal Jacket and Eyes Wide Shut I knew to be the master's. Hell, the last three alone should have been enough to tip me to the connection. What can I say? Dolly and me are beyond "special".

Foreign Films;

Amelie----fun, original, a sweet story.

Maria Full of Grace---Not what it sounds like. It's the story of a beautiful desperate women and her equally desperate choices.

Artsy Flicks;

Door in the Floor---sad, funny, clever. Jeff Bridges best role yet.

Garden State----ditto the emotions above. Natalie Portman is superb in this flick

The Matador----clever, a bit dark, but humorous. Pierce Brosnan as you've never seen him.

Hidden Gems;

State and Main--Campy, lots of fun, fine cast.

Freeway----Reese Witherspoon is positively brilliant in this twisted little tale.

Must Movie for Retiree's;

About Schmidt-----Jack is back and good as ever

You're losing me with the sports stuff.

Woody Allen movies were always my favorites-especially his earlier ones. I saw him in "concert" at a place at Milwaukee Ave and Golf Road in '71 or '72. Jim Croce(RIP) performed first and was really good. My stoned girlfriend caused an accident on the way home-but we escaped.

I just want to jump in quickly with a solid recommendation for those who haven't seen it (and almost no one has except festival goers, because it came out in limited release in 2003):

Osama

No, not OBL. This is the first film to be shot in its entirety in Afghanistan after the fall of the Taliban. It's practically a miracle it was made at all. A heart wrenching tale of that repressive state, which we now know all too well - is returning. Not a documentary, but an amazing story and film. Many awards at the film festivals that year....

Check out the DVD.

Hey, time for a little music break;

Great band and tune;

War;

Slippin into darkness
Take my mind beyond the dreams
I was slippin into darkness
Take my mind beyond the dreams

Where I talk to my brother, oh, oh, oh
Who never said their name

Slippin into darkness
When I heard my mother say
I was slippin into darkness
When I heard my mother say
(Hey, whatd she say, whatd she say)

You been slippin into darkness, oh, oh, oh
Pretty soon youre gonna pay

unl,

A little Kubrick followup.
The original Spartacus director died when the film was have done.
Tony Mann was in charge for the first half of shooting. Some say (ha ha) that is the reason for the odd contrasts; Mann's 'hollywood' epic, and Kubrick's dark inner hell.

But I have noticed that SK seems to have exploited that trick very well in his later films; Many were two, and even three separate, but related tales. (FMJ, 2001)

Doc. S. was shot in isolation. The whole B-52 segment had no cross pollination with Mandrake/Ripper, or Muffley in the War Room.

In fact, Kubrick kept Pickens (Kong) in the dark that the whole affair was a dark comedy. This way he extracted a completely un-ironic performance out of Pickens and the B-52's, thus making it even more ironic! ✈☢ ☠

Some say this is urban legend, but I believe it.

Kenny B,
I have heard of 'Osama'. I will check it out.

Another good one about that subject;
Kandahar,
About the plight of a young woman Afg. ex-pat that returns to Kandahar to find her family, but gets caught by the Taliban.

unl.

Reviewing your best list;

Good catches with;

Das Boot I enjoyed this film very very much)

American Beauty ( Loved the awful irony at the end of the film when the kid's happy ending is to run away to NYC (?) and live with drug dealers?? god, that was their plan for the future.)

ugly on the polits today

Hey everybody,

You got to to go to 'Holiday wreaths for the fallen' on the front page!

Neutral Lady posted a new huge, funny, sad, story.

Disgusting behavior on the polits today. Some of those folk's need to get some serious therapy.

Picked up my December Rolling Stone instead, read it cover to cover.

Rats, I can't emphasize this strong enough, you MUST read the special year-end double issue of Rolling Stone (no, I don't own stock). Check it out from the library if you must, but get it!

There's great political content, as usual, and summaries of the year's biggest political stories and what it means for the future.

The music coverage is equally compelling, so even Juanito might be interested. Included is a rundown of this years 50 best albums (hint: the original rolling stone is at the top), and 100 greatest songs. I don't think you can even get a fraction of the content on line, without paying, so I recommend
you get your hands on the mag. There's also a great cartoon of the "gang of three", which I need to frame.

See y'll. (man, where do I get those groovy symbols)?

unl.

Mac 10, Edit>Special Chars>drag and drop.

Be careful, it's addictive.

I am still high over Neutral Lady post on 'Holiday Wreaths'

My god, people have made whole mini-series with less content.

C Mo,

Yup. More polarized than ever. More vitriolic than ever. Not sure what's in the wind, but let's hope all's well at GWU ☯. I got accused of worshipping a picture of Stalin. Everyone knows I have a centerfold of the late Raisa Gorbachev☭.

I read Neutie's piece. Great. I didn't take you for a Carpenters fan. ☺

Unl,

I had a tussle with BV over a few days (see Dec 8, GOP Congress RIP) and I finally actually did provide him with the link to the American Psychological Association. Next time I'll try pepper spray! Groovy symbols courtesy of Mac's "special characters" in the dropdown menu of Safari. I'd be surprised if others don't have some variation. ☃
☮

KB,
You look addicted too! I study all of them looking for puzzles to post. Sheesh. The ✺ symbol is really cool.

I saw the Stalin ref. re. you. Totally clueless.
He/She (who knows?) needs to read Solshenitzen to find out about Uncle Joe.

KB,
PS, I don't know if MS users have a drag drop feature as cool as Mac 10. Maybe if they do 220k lines of code they could program it, but I think only Mac users have the easy way.

Dear Gents:
I am green with envy over the free time you all have. Since I was a screw up in a former life I have to continue working. Now it's time to hit the sack. 4:30 comes too soon.

CM,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_Jerks

Check out "Golden Shower Of Hits" Not quite as popular as I recall.

Forgot to add "Repo Man" to the movie list.

Also, an interesting story about Jonathon Richman (Pablo Picasso Was Never Called An A$$h0le) whom you may recall, was the guitarist in "There's Something About Mary"

Wifey and I went down to Tower Records on Clark St. in the mid 90's to see JR perform. As we walked up the outdoor staircase, JR was walking down with his guitar case. I recognized him and asked why he wasn't still playing. He said nobody showed up. He apologized that we fruitlessly came to see him and through introductions, decided to give my wife, Mary, an acapella version of "There's Something About Mary". We thought it was pretty cool (and a bit weird) until we saw the movie a couple of years later and realized he was working on it at the time.

He also gave us 2 free tix that night to see him at Park City. Good fun.

Rats/Ratesses,

Do you suppose that we can recruit neutral lady to contribute her splendid prose over here at Sweet Home? Her little novella was yesterday's only "saving grace" from we bloggers from hell.

Now I usually leave it up to "Mr. Morris" to provide the day's relevant lyrics, but Dylan calls, and I feel obliged;

Saving Grace; Bob Dylan

If you find it in your heart, can I be forgiven?
Guess I owe you some kind of apology.
I've escaped death so many times, I know I'm only living.
By the saving grace that's over me.

By this time I'd a thought I would be sleeping
In a pine box for all eternity.
My faith keeps me alive, but I still be weeping
For the saving grace that's over me.

Well, the death of life, then come the resurrection
Wherever I am welcome is where I'll be.
I put all my confidence in him, my sole protection
is the saving grace that's over me.

Well, the devils shining light, can be most blinding,
But to search for love, that ain't no more than vanity.
As I look around this world, all that I'm finding
Is the saving grace that's over me.

The wicked know no peace and you just can't fake it,
There's only one road and it leads to calvary.
It get's discouraging at times but I know I'll make it
By the saving grace that's over me.

Bub
I'll check that site soon. Have to work later today, though.

unl,
Nueutral L seems to keep a low profile. Not talkative in the past. I thought it was a terrific, funny little tale, but some ✺ flamed her I see this morning over on 'Wreaths'.

Thanks for the Dylan.

Bubba,

Saw the Circle Jerk site. Good.

It's hilarious that the original meaning of 'circle jerk' is defined at the bottom of the page.! ☄

Bad R. mentioned, one of son's favorites. I enjoyed them whenever son took over the CD player for a while.

It's one part per trillion... unacceptable,
One part per billion... unacceptable,
One part per million... unacceptable,

************

More funny covers;

Scissor Sisters did a disco version of Comfortably Numb! My god it's awful. I mean, you don't spit on the Pope, even if your not Catholic, ya know?

C Mo,

"Don't spit on the Pope", you hit on a possible movie category. Movies that never should have been remade. I mean the ones that attempts at homage, or for whatever reason, constitute pure sacrilege instead. Some candidates:

The Pink Panther; I like Steve Martin, but come on, there's only one Clouseau. I didn't see the new version, only the trailer. But Martin's pathetic attempt to mimic Seller's semi-intelligible French accent was enough.

Bubba,

I'd forgotten about 'Repo Man'. Cult movies are essential to a balanced perspective on life. One of my favorites, 'A Boy and his Dog' with Don Johnson. Perhaps we should all brush up on all the doomsday- scenario movies like this one, and Mad Max, Terminator, ect., since Cheney and the gang are determined to get us there while Bush is still in office.

Bub,
Sad story,Richman deserves better.

Ditto on the "Mary" theme,I married one too.

All,

Be sure to go to 'Holiday Wreaths' and vote in the little funny 'poll' I am running in NL's defense. Somebody flamed her story, and catching some $*@# over it. Pretty entertaining.

Now for my new category;

Best SiFi or Horror

10. Invasion of the Body Snatchers
(Both versions, the 50's and 80's remake are as good as campy SF gets)

9. Shock Waves (1976)
Brook Adams, Peter Cushing, John Caradine) Terrifying scene in which one of the Nazi Zombies stalks the lady in a dark room. She can't see, the zombi can and you see through it's eyes. check out the site;
http://www.allthingszombie.com/movies/shockwaves.php

8. They Live (1988)
Roddy Piper, This is so good, ya see the world is full of alien subliminal messages that are invisible to you and me, but f'rinstance, a 'stop' sign actually reads 'stop resisting'. Somebody finds some special glasses that allows him to see the messages, and the aliens among us. It is terrific.

7. THX 1138 (1971)
Robert Duvall
In my opinion Lucas's best, most interesting film.

6. Lost Highway (1997) David Lynch
Unsettling, frightening. How insanity may look from the inside.

5. The Others (2001)
Good ghost story, when the pieces fall into place it works

4. Alien and Aliens (1981 and 1989?)
As I said, other space monster movies tried for 20 years to top this, but no go.

3. Shadow of the Vampire (2001)
John Malkovich and WIlliem Defoe as the blood sucker. This is hilarious and nightmare producing stuff at it's best. You won't believe this one.

2. Contact

1. 2001; Space Odyssey
Best in all categories, in my opinion.

My brother sent me the winning submissions from the Washington Post yearly neologism contest in which readers are asked to submit alternate meaning for common words.
Some good ones-
Flabbergasted (adj),appalled over how much weight you have gained.

Esplanade (v.),to attempt an explanation while drunk.

Willy-nilly (adj.),impotent.

Pokemon N.),a Rastafarian proctologist.

Flatulence(n.)emergency vehicle that picks you up after you are run over by a steamroller.

The Washington Post's Style Invitational asked readers to take any word from the dictionary and alter it by adding, subtracting or changing one letter. These will remind you of some of our chums from the nutosphere.

Bozone(n.)The substance surrounding a stupid person that stops bright ideas from penetrating. The bozone layer shows little sign of breaking down in the future, unfortunately.

Sarchasm(n.)The gulf between the author of sarcastic wit and the person that doesn't get it.

Hipatitus(n.)Terminal coolness.

Dopelar Effect(n.)The tendency of stupid ideas to seem smarter when they come at you rapidly.

Glibido(v.)All talk and no action.

unl.

Just roll in the 'doomsday' scenario films with SiFi/Horror/doomsday. It fits well.

I would continue my list with;

Mullholland Drive (Some one mentioned it above)
What a freakout psychic crackup!

Threads

Hey UNL.
If you like NL's newest entry, you out to check out her last entry, sometimes in late September?? I don't think you were posting then.

It was in a blog about' Mushareff Book' ?? I think it was called 'On the Hunt with Psycho Man'. Something about being stuck in Vietnam combat with young Bush. He gets everybody deaded.

She did one on John e and John d being together in Iraq, too!
John E got 'pink misted'!! ( Right buddy!?) But I don't have any idea where in the archive or when. Last summer sometime.
JE, do you remember when and where that was??

It was a good one.

C Mo,

I don't remember where that story is at,but it was my favorite of the stories she's done.

Sci Fi? Mostly already mentioned, but worth reinforcing:

1. The Day the Earth Stood Still -great Sci-Fi done at the height of the Cold War. Even the Theremin-based soundtrack is first rate. If that's not enough, check out Aunt Bea in the guest house. Gort, Klaatu miranga, niktu (if only that could fit on a license plate),

2. Clockwork Orange - banned in the UK until recently (at Kubrick's instigation). Another great soundtrack via Walter, now Wendy, Carlos. And that was before synthesizers were multi-voice, so each voice had to be spliced/overlain in the studio. Hi hi hi me little droogies! Burgess wrote a very different ending.

3. 2001 - absolutely mind-blowing for sight and sound. I'll never be able to listen to Bicycle Built for Two the same.

4. Escape From New York - Is it the best film or the worst film? Definitely camp. Snake Pliskin, I heard you was dead ☠.

Speaking of Sci Fi Movies:

Bladerunner is one of my alltime favs.

I loved that drone chick who did all of the backflips.

John E, rats, et.al.,

Blade-runner. Great movie, great director.

"If you're not one of us, you're one of the little people."

Sean Young is beautiful. That "wild thing" Pris, is the young Daryl Hanna. The sci-fi you need to see her in is "The Big Empty". This movie is great. Funny and campy, a real gem!

Ridley Scott is also the director that did "Kingdom of Heaven", a movie that's on my; Cons, get a clue!, list.

"Matrix" was a surprisingly good sci-fi. I say surprisingly because Keaunu Reeves is a pretty lame actor, but works well in this one. Come to think of it, he's pretty decent in the fantasy/horror movie "Constantine" too. But then, I just love Rachael Weise, so my observations could be skewed.

Rachael so perfectly embodies the persona of Tessa in "The Constant Gardener", it's scary. She was exactly as I envisioned the character in John LaCarre's book.

Another somewhat recent sci-fi that I enjoyed, partly because it had that surreal feel of "Mulholland Drive", is "Donnie Darko". Jake Gyllenhaal is very convincing as the 'tortured misfit' Donnie. I like Donnie's reference to "Smurfettes". He must be referring to C. Mo's Boise State coeds. See this movie, it's terrific.

My "special" dog Dolly has put in her two wuf's on the horror genre. She like's Wallace and Gromitt's "Curse of the Were-Rabbit". (she goes crazy, try's to destroy my tele.)

I like Romaro's "Night of the Living Dead".
"Burn em, they go up fast!".

An American Were-wolf in London is pretty good stuff too. Love the part when they're out on the
moors with the soundtrack of CCR's "Bad Moon Rising" in the background.

Later Swamp Rats.

C. Mo,

Alien, another Ridley Scott gem. Also good call on "The Others", Nicole rules.

I rather enjoyed the Sixth Sense. Creepy yet heart-breaking.

Did anyone list "The Thing"? I liked both versions, but the Carpenter version is better.

As a side note, Wilford Brimley, a Salt Lake City native, was married to my cousin Lynne, who died a couple years back.

I mentioned this flick earlier, but "Twelve Monkey's" warrants special consideration because it's one of Bruce Willis's finest efforts. Brad Pitt is also choice is the role of a mental patient. Madeline Stowe is hot as the psychiatrist that befriends the Willis character. Terry Gilliam, one of the Monty Python bunch, directs. "History is the future" in this one, baby.

Correction, (as if anyone cares), re; 12 Monkeys.
Actually, "The Future is History". Which is why Bruce is sent back in time to stop those responsible. The only clue, something to do with the army of the 12 monkeys.

Don't think anyone mentioned Rosemary's Baby. The Polanski cult classic was creepy, creepy. Mia Farrow, in one of her first movie roles.

Also, we need to include Hitchcock's classic, "The Birds". The notion that scores of birds could suddenly go berserk and attack people is really a terrifying thought. I was 11 when I saw this movie, it scared the crap out of me.

Of course, Hitchcock also scores huge with Psycho. Anthony Perkins provides the creep factor in that one.

The 1998 remake of Psycho, with Vince Vaughn in the role of Norman Bates, would qualify under the category of, what the hell were they thinking? How can you improve on Hitchcock?

I thought that "The Ring" was worth watching. Naomi Watts does a nice job on a genuinely scary flick. I heard the Japanese Ringu, upon which this is based, is very good too.

The "Exorcist" can't go unmentioned. When this movie first came out it was rated X. Not sure what was deleted to get the R rating, but my buddy and I saw this movie in Denver while on an Air National Guard assignment. When we left the theater my friend was visibly shaken. Me?, I'm not sayin'.

unl,

good catch on THe Thing. The 80's remake was terrific.

Another Python effort;

Brazil

************
back to the future of awful records and singers;

Anthony Newly (!)
Anyone remember this Broadway show singer? He was a favorite on Carson, and actually a funny guy and good actor..but he fancied himself a dramatic singer and would belt out one erp producing number after another. Hilariously funny.

Who was the little Hobbit like singer/songwritter of that period? He actually wrote some good tunes, but was a horrible singer. Short, long blonde hair.

Factoid re. 'The Thing'

Never guess who was the Thing in the original '50s film.

James Arness (Matt Dillion, Gun smoke fame)

Factoid re. 'The Thing'

Never guess who was the Thing in the original '50s film.

James Arness (Matt Dillion, Gun smoke fame)

C Mo,

His name was Paul Something???,I know who you're talking about,I just can't remember his last name..

Unl & C Mo,

Did you know that the "Thing" in the original was played by James Arness, who rose to fame as Marshall Matt Dillon in "Gunsmoke?"

Newley - I threw up, then I laughed. Croaker. Another actor who couldn't seen, like another worst pick -- Richard Harris McArthur Park. To be fair, even Travolta tried to sing with the release of "Gonna Let Her In..." (I think that's what it was called -- even L Ron Hubbard couldn't help it).

Paul Williams - I threw up again, and laughed even harder. Did this guy ever wear a natural fabric? What schmaltz. At least he never ran for Congress, like Sonny Bono (who WON -- which makes it truly scary!)

Burt Bacharach was a good songwriter but a horrible singer of his own songs.

Cath,

Yup, he's made a comeback via Elvis Costello and Austin Powers. You're right, quite a frog, but what a tunesmith. Kudos to lyricist Hal David too: "...and every star, that never was, is parking cars and pumpin' gas."

Take us home Dionne....

John e,

Paul Williams!

BOO YAH!! But KB already scored! I had to work!

KB,
Hey, we are both channeling Matt Dillion!

Slow weekend. Everybody must be christmas shopping.

Thought of a good one.

Deliverance

Poor Ned.

All,

Ya know, over on Holiday Wreaths, NLady had me submitting some sick sweet Carpenters number to FJ, causing his insanity. I think it was a terrific story, and I am in general agreement with her regarding the Carpenters.

But ya know what? I do like to give credit where credit is due, like the 92 year old Atlanta lady? (boom boom boom?)

This is a terrific song; RIP Karen;

**

Carpenters - Superstar Lyrics

Long ago and oh so far away
I fell in love with you before the second show

Your guitar, it sounds so sweet and clear
But you're not really here
It's just the radio

Don't you remember you told me you loved me baby
You said you'd be coming back this way again baby
Baby, baby, baby, baby, oh, baby, I love you I really do

Loneliness is a such a sad affair
And I can hardly wait to be with you again

What to say to make you come again
Come back to me again
And play your sad guitar

***
Sometimes we are all suckers.

Well, I have actually thought of a movie category we haven't covered.

Cool one lines from movies.

A rule here;
Only one line per movie allowed in your list! You could use 20 just from Strangelove! ( just one per list per film.)

10. 'Open pod bay doors, Hal....Open pod bay doors Hal......Open the pod bay doors Hal!!.......OPEN THE POD BAY DOORS HAL!!.....HAL......'
(Dave pleading with the monster in 2001.) HAL=IBM + one letter

9. 'Never get out of the boat! Never get out of the boat!"
Cookie after nearly being eaten by a tiger. (Apocalypse Now)

8. 'Looks like the rest of you ran down the crack of your mothers #$$ and ended up a brown spot on the sheet!'
DI Hartman to Cowboy. (Full Metal Jacket)

7. 'Fluoride in the water is a communist plot to rid Americans of their vital bodily fluids.'
Ripper (Dr. Strangelove)

6. 'Hello you old movie house! Hello you old drug store! Hello you old building and loan!'
George Bailey (It's a Wonderful Life)

5. 'You talkin' to me?'
Travis Bickel (Taxi Driver)

4. 'I'm walkin' here!'
Ratso (Midnight Cowboy) This was impromptu

3. 'Plastics...'
Friend of the family (The Graduate)

2. 'Soylent Green, is people!'
Heston (Soylent Green)

1. 'Here's Johnny!'
Nicholson (The Shinning)

- 'We all go a little mad sometimes.'
Norman Bates (Psycho)

- 'I fart in your general direction. Your mother was a hamster and your father smelt of elderberries."
 John Cleese

Can't do 20 right now.
Clerks-
Dante: You hate people!
Randal: I know. I hate people but I love gatherings. Isn't that ironic.
Cool Hand Luke-
Captain:What we got here is...failure to communicate.
African Queen-
Charlie Allnut: Well, I ain't sorry for you no more ya crazy, psalm-singing, skinny old maid!

"What we have here...is failure to communicate"
Road Captain Prison 36

"What we have here.. is failure to"(gunfire!)
Luke (Luke's sarcastic, and final, reply upon his 3rd recapture in Cool Hand Luke).

Captain had said earlier that you run once you get a set of chains, twice two sets. You won't need a third set, cause you'll get your mind right.

Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry:

"Make My Day"......little Johnny/JD

I know this is off the subject,but has anyone seen Borat???

I've heard that it's hysterically funny....

CM,

A buddy of mine use to open his dj stint on college radio with Anthony Newley singing "Talk With The Animals" from Dr. Doolittle.

Movie quote:

"My name is Indigo Montoya, you killed my father. Prepare to die!"

-Princess Bride

Here's AFI's top 100 movie quotes:

http://www.afi.com/tvevents/100years/quotes.aspx

"Say, [hello], to my little friend"
Tony Montana (Scarface).

"I am big! It's the pictures that got small"
Norma Desmond (Sunset Blvd.)

"The heads. You're looking at the heads. Sometimes he goes to far. He'll be the first to admit it".
Photojournalist[Dennis Hopper], to Cpt. Willard.
(Apocalypse Now).

Maude Lebowski: "What do you do for recreation?"
Dude: "Oh, the usual. I Bowl. Drive around. The occasional acid flashback." (The Big Lebowski).

Marty: "I got a job for you"
P.I.: "Uh, well, if the pay's right, and it's legal, I'll do it."
Marty: "It's not strictly legal"
P.I.: (after pondering a moment) Well, if the pay's right, I'll do it". (Blood Simple).

John E,

Yet to see it. My small valley only has a drive-in theater open in the summer. Need to drive an hour away to an indoor theater. Wifey has no interest in this type of humor so I'm waiting for a day that I can get away and have my own little movie-thon. All day, lots of sugar and popcorn.

"Is there a Mr. Gump, Mrs. Gump?"

K.Bunk,

Let's make this more challenging. How about best lines from a movie not on afi's top 100. In fact, the more obscure the movie (and clever the line), the better.

Grimes: "Oh, yeah. My mama taught me to remove my hat and my cigar in the presence of a lady. Whatever else I take off depends on how lucky I get."
(Hombre).

OK, I'll take the obscurity challenge. Off the top of my head:

I'm gonna go medieval on your ass - Pulp Fiction

Excuse me, may I go to the bathroom? Thank you. - Dirty Rotten Scoundrels

We are cloning the nose - Sleeper

I wouldn't join a club that would have me as a member - Annie Hall

It wasn't the airplanes; it was beauty that killed the beast - King Kong

Friend good. Fire bad. - Frankenstein

Don't be frightened. - Dracula

That's a fact, Jack. - Stripes

You think I'm funny. Like how? You think I'm here to amuse you? - Goodfellas

They've done it. They've finally done it. Dammit all to hell - Planet of the Apes

Gort, Klaatu miranga niktu - The Day the Earth Stood Still

I heard you were dead - Escape from New York

Lord, whatever I done, don't strike me blind for a few more minutes.
C'mon safety pin - pop. - Cool Hand Luke

Daisy, daisy give me your answer do. Don't Dave. Dave. Don't. -
2001: A Space Odyssey

The horror. The horror. - Apocalypse Now

Perhaps they've not heard of Jack Sparrow - Pirates of the Carribbean

Wait. Dad, come back! - Capote

I'm a zit - Animal House

Psychiatrist: "What give you that special satisfaction?"

Harold: "I go to funerals"

-Harold and Maude

"Oh no......K K K K K Ken is gonna K K K K Kill me!"

A Fish Called Wanda

unl,

Great catch on 'Hombre'. One of Newman's better efforts.

Here's one;

"Hey Butch, think you used enough dynamite?'
(The whole landscape was covered with money and train fragments.

Also;

"Who are those guys?'

I also thought of a terrific little first film;

'Badlands' with Martin Sheen. One of the best movies I have ever seen.

JE,
I look forward to Borat. Haven't seen it yet.

M.A.S.H-
Maj. "Hot Lips" Houlihan: I wonder how a degenerated person like that could have reached a position of responsibility in the Army Medical Corps?
Father "Dago Red" Mulcahy: He was drafted.

Love and Death-
Boris Grushenko: Human beings are divided into mind and body. The mind embraces all the nobler apparitions, like poetry and philosophy. But, the body has all the fun.

Catch-22
General Dreedle: Get back in the car, you smirking slut.

The Man Who would be King-
Daniel Dravot: You are going to become soldiers. A soldier does not think. He only obeys. Do you really think that if a soldier thought twice he'd give his life for queen and country? Not bloody likely.

Trainspotting-
Mark "Rent-boy" Renton: The downside of coming off junk was I knew I would need to mix with my friends again in a state of full consciousness. It was awful. They reminded me so much of myself, I could hardly bear to look at them.

Sophie;
We are not Jews! We are good Catholics!"

SS Colonel;
We will decide who is a Jew and who isn't a Jew.

(Sophie's Choice)

"A buddy of mine use to open his dj stint on college radio with Anthony Newley singing "Talk With The Animals" from Dr. Doolittle."

Bubba,
I saw/heard him sing this on Johnny! Jeezus it was bad. He seemed to actually riff on the badness of what he did. Was he joking us??

Sammy's version was bad enough.

************

"Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry:

"Make My Day"."

John e,

We were driving across Wyoming in 78 and stopped in Sundance, Wyoming to eat dinner. Wanted a decent meal and found a sit down restaurant called 'Cleo's'. My wife, son and I are eating and I see a cowboy in a huge hat and $1000 dollar shirt walking up the sidwalk. I thought he looked like Clint Eastwood. He tuned into the restaurant and walked passed our table to the back of the place and started tending bar.

My wife froze with a fork half way into her mouth. SHE said, it's Clint Eastwood. I went to the mens room to check him out again. So did my wife. It was C.E. I asked the hostess; she confirmed.

He owned the joint as well as a vanity ranch near Sundance WY. He would tend bar to stay in touch with the little people.

Anybody else have any brushes with fame? I knew a guy that got shoved out of an elevator in NYC by Larry King.

Also, I almost ran over Siskel and Ebert on Michigan Ave. in the early 70's. 1973 maybe. They hopped out of a taxi right in front of me and dashed across the street. I was trying to make a yellow light and had punched it. I locked up all four and nearly pasted Ebert. I can remember the look of fear on his face. Weird. Siskel was faster, not too close, but close enough.

Dick Stenslund: "I got a hot date"
Bud White: "Yeah, who is she and what did you arrest her for?" (LA Confidential)

Vanessa:"Well look who got beaten with the ugly stick. Is that you Bob? My God, I never thought such an itty bitty gun could make such a big mess out of someone! You are so ugly Bob! Oh, and hey, I heard you've got one of those poop bags where the s--t comes out the side, you're just a big old s--tbag aren't ya Bob? I hope you think of me every time you s--t into that thing, motherf---er! (Freeway)

Bob makes a court appearance, grossly disfigured and in a wheelchair. The occasion, Vanessa's sentencing for shooting, robbing, and leaving him for dead. What the court refuses to believe; Bob tried to kill her, and Vanessa knows he is a much sought after pervert and serial killer. But Bob is a psychologist by profession, and she, white trash. Who ya gonna believe?

* * * *

Buck Russell addressing the school counselor at his young niece's school. The counselor, a nasty old cow with a huge hairy mole on her chin, says the child doesn't pay attention in class, that she day-dreams.

Buck Russell: I don't think I want to know a six-year-old who isn't a dreamer, or a silly-heart. And I sure don't want to know one who takes their student career seriously. I don't have a college degree. I don't even have a job. But I know a good kid when I see one. Because they're ALL good kids, until dried-out, brain-dead skags like you drag them down and convince them they're no good. You so much as scowl at my niece or any other kid in this school, and I hear about it..I'm coming looking for you!
Take this quarter, go downtown, and have a rat gnaw that thing off your face! (Uncle Buck)

Super CFL rules!

Cat.

Good catch on 'Trainspotting'. I don't think it's been mentioned yet.

Also;
Slingblade.

Terrific BBT.
And Dwight Yoakam did a fine job as the violent (one) that old Karl finally dispatches.

I wish Yoakam did more acting. Also, he has one of the few country acts I can stand.

"My wife froze with a fork half way into her mouth. SHE said, it's Clint Eastwood. I went to the mens room to check him out again. So did my wife. It was C.E. I asked the hostess; she confirmed."

I just realized this is a pretty funny way to describe the 'action' of that day, but I was half blitzed when I wrote it last night.

To get to the restrooms you had to walk past the bar, thus providing ample opportunity to look at Clint. Also, my went to the ladies loo, not the men's.

******
Hello John Celarek,

Got any good ones??
As you can see, we have a little fun over here.

My wife and I saw Clint at his little establishment in Carmel, Ca. I believe it was called the Hog's Breath. This was back in 89', I think. Carmel is a cool place, just down the road from Ft. Ord (or what used to be Ord), near Monterey.

I heard the whole area that housed the former hell-hole of an army base has been converted to golf courses and homes for the uber-wealthy.

Have seen, or briefly met several Hollywood celebs at the Park City Film Festival over the years. My wife works up there and sometimes scores tickets for special screenings.

Most memorable experiences with famous people. 1960, JFK came to the Hotel Utah in downtown SLC. I got to shake his hand, I was only 8.

Also attended a book signing with President Carter at the Barnes&Noble in Salt Lake City. I told the former Pres. I'd deliver my signed copy of his book to Orrin Hatch, and tell him to get a clue.

unl,

In a Boise park in summer 04 at a 'Democrat' party picnic Carol King attended and sang three songs; just her and a acoustic guitar.

She ate and gabbed with the crowd. We met her. She was terrific.
And at 60+ years she still has star power.

I mentioned it way way above, but she was responsible for many of the huge Motown hits of that era. Absolutely one of the best singer songwriters ever. Unlike the jokers we just talked about, she can belt out a great song.

Oh yeah, and a few years ago my son, wife and I were cramming down burgers and fries in Ed D'bevick's and in walks Billy Corgan! (Pumpkins!)

Son went right up to him and had a conversation. Son was a huge Pumpkin fan and I got to hear and loved all their stuff. Son saw them live several times including at the Metro.

Politicians?
We met Mondale. Nice interesting man. Listened to us closely and carried on a human type conversation. Ditto McGovern.
Saw Bobby Kennedy give a primary speech in Indianapolis, '68.
I was campaign driver to get old folks to the polls to vote. He was gone shortly thereafter. I had actually been a McCarthy supporter, but wanted to see Bobby anyway, of course.

Journalists:
Met and asked a question of David Broder.
Attended a forum with Seymour Hersh.
Saw Carol Marin somewhere, but can't remember where.

Ate in some Clark street Italian joint next to Mark Grace a few years ago. Get this, some channel 5 news crew came in and ambushed him! The management had to kick them out.

Saw Kup through the window of some exclusive joint 30 years ago! ha ha!! It was winter and we were like the poor rifraff looking through the steamed up windows at the rich folk enjoying their predestined pleasures. He looked like a gangster at the time.

CM,

I met Carol Marin at O'Hare when my wife and I were heading to the Dominican Republic on vaca. Talk about a pair of stilts!!!

One of my first job interviews out of college was with a well-known ad agency in Chi-town. I walked into the Creative Director's office and he was sitting on his couch smoking cigars with Dan Hampton. Didn't get the job.

John Cusack, Michael Jordan, Ron Santo, Rahm Emanuel, William Odom, Ken Mehlman (punk), Jonathon Richman, Jack Blades (Night Ranger)

Wifey met Da Coach and Mayor Daley in the same week. Also Charles Barkley, Sammy Sosa, Pat Hughes.

I met Tommy Lasorda years ago and wish I hadn't. Complete a$$hole.

Great movie lines:

Wayne and Garth in "Waynes World."

"Claudia Schiffer....SCCCCCHHHHHWWWing"

Bubba,

Always the observant one.
I heard she's a real hot number.

I also saw John Cusack in Midway Airport. He looked PO'd and didn't want to be recognized or bothered by anyone. So I stayed away.

I met Bob Bell as Bozo at some kids Christmas event at the Amphitheatre when I was about 6, I think. Uncle Ned was there, too. It was a weird event; charity for needy kids, but most of us were just attendees with tickets. The 'needy kids' were separated and presented on stage. Then we all got to walk across the stage and shake hands with Bozo. Can't remember if the other 'Bob' was there or not.

He smelled bad.

Hey, anybody remember the great freak show at Riverview?
I went through it at about age 8 and couldn't eat for a week. Went back for several years.

Great park, great freak show.
Made Disney World look like, well, Disneyland.

* * *
Somebody way up top mentioned DaDa.
Great little alt. group.

I just ran away from home
Now I'm going to dizz knee land
I just crashed my car again
Now I'm going to dizz knee land
I just robbed a grocery store
I'm going to dizz knee land
I just flipped off President George
I'm going to dizz knee land

I just tossed a fifth of gin
Now I'm going to dizz knee land
I just got cuffed again
Now I'm going to dizz knee land
Shot my gun into the night
I'm going to dizz knee land
I just saw a good man die
I'm going to dizz knee land

Kicked my ass out of school
Rolled me out into the street
Hitched a ride on a monkey's back
Headed west into the black

I'm going to dizz knee land

I remember Riverview very well. The freakshow was pretty creepy. I loved the roller coasters. On one visit to Riverview, I rode the Bobs and the Fireball ten times each. I also went on the Parachutes,Wild Mouse and the Rotor repeatedly. I got sick the following day just by playing on the swings at the park. I was inconsolable when Riverview was sold and disbanded. It happened after the season was over and no one knew that it wasn't going to reopen. It was very unDisney like and that made it cool.

C. Mo.,

Your close encounter with John Cusack reminds me of a good flick, "Grosse Point Blank". I don't know if that was the first flick he did with sister Joan, or the only one, but they were great together (could be a new category, family members together in a movie).

I liked the scene in this movie where Marty (John) and Mr. Grocer (Dan Ackroyd) are fully engaged in a gunfight (and a conversation).

Mr. Grocer: [while firing] Comrade! Comrade!
Marty: What!
Mr. Grocer: Why don't you just join the union? We'll go upstairs together and cap daddy!
Marty: This union, there's gonna be meetings?
Mr Grocer: Of Course!
Marty: No meetings. [they resume firing]

Cool, you were working campaigns as far back as 68'. Those were disturbing times. I would have liked to have met McGovern, Mondale and, of course, Robert Kennedy. I remember the day he died (been meaning to see Emelio's 'Bobby'), June 6 1968. I had just arrived at my High School for summer driver's ed at 7:15 A.M. The instructor was this huge guy who we called fat Max (not to his face). He walks in the room, barely able to keep his composure, tells us Bobby Kennedy had been shot in the head earlier in the morning. The whole room was deadly silent for at least a minute. Tears started rolling down my face, I got up, left the room and walked home without saying a word. Has the world gone insane?, I thought.

I guess you know David Crosby wrote this song about that tragic evening: "Long Time Gone", CS&N.

It's been a long time comin'
It's goin' to be a long time gone
And it appears to be long,
Appears to be a long,
Appears to be long time
Yes, a long, long, long, long, time before the dawn

Turn, turn any corner.
Hear, you must hear what the people say.
You know there's something that's goin' on around here.
That surely, surely, surely won't stand the light of day.
And it appears to be a long,
Appears to be a long time
Yes, a long, long, long, long time before the dawn.

Speak out, you got to speak out against the madness,
You got to speak your mind, If you dare.
But don't no don't now try to get yourself elected.
If you do you had better cut your hair.

'Cause it appears to be a long,
Appears to be a long,
Appears to be long time,
such a long long long long time before the dawn.

It's been a long time comin'
It's goin' to be a long time gone
But you know the darkest hour is always
Always just before the dawn.
And it appears to be a long,
Appears to be a long,
Appears to be a long time before the dawn.

unl.

Great tune. Yeah.

Clarification; I met Mondale and McGovern in Boise at a conference just prior to the '04 election, not in 72 or 84.
I heard Bobby speak but never got close to him.
Just wanna be clear.

+++
Cat.
Riverview;

Yes, I can still smell the heady sent of cotton candy, hot dogs and vomit. People were hurling everywhere, as I recall! The parachute drop was pretty awesome, too.

I remember their TV promo:
'All rides safety tested by Two Ton Baker!!'
He was a local Chicago TV host on some kids shows. (WGN, of course)

The best Dodgem ride in the universe. Great 'fun house'. Air blew the ladies skirts up. I was too young to notice at the time.

I have had very few encounters with the famous. In about 1970, I was working as a hostess in a restaurant downtown and the entire news team from Channel 7 came in for dinner- Fahy Flynn, John Coleman etc. I wasn't impressed because I was totally starring in my own movie. (Still am.)
Mayor Dailey came to my grandfather's wake in 1964. But whose wake didn't he go to? I've seen Dennis Farina, Carol Marin and Steve Dahl while on vacation in Indiana and Michigan. I think they all have summer homes up there.

I have to say,this "young gunslinger" has learned a lot by reading what you "old timer's" have been discussing on this thread.

Just kidding ya'll,I hope more people join in on this...

john e,
You wooda loved Riverview. It was real, baby!!
Puke, girls, fun, freaks!

I was on a WGN show pre-Bozo starring Bob Bell and Ned Lock. They were called Uncle Bob and Uncle Ned. It was called Lunchtime Little Theater. We sat in the seats and were prompted when to wave, smile and cheer. I was probably about six or so.
I also went to the Amphitheater and saw Haystacks Calhoun and others wrestle. My brother was into wrestling so my Dad took us on a school night. We went backstage and met Haystacks. I couldn't stop looking at his feet. It had to be winter and he was wearing flip-flops that were as flat as pancakes. I don't remember anything about the matches themselves. For weeks afterward, my brother kept putting me in the figure-four-grape-vine hold and the scissors.

Cat,
I think you jogged my memory!
It was Uncle Ned and Uncle Bob. But I thought there was a clown involved, to. Hmmmm the memory.

Hey, maybe it was 'Joe Devola'!! ☺

"You're dreaming about Gorgonzola when it's clearly Brie time baby. Step into my office, you're fired!"

-There's Something About Mary

Adrian Cronauer: Here's a news flash. Today president Lyndon B. Johnson passed a new highway beautification bill. The bill basically said that his daughters could not drive in a convertible on public highways. ("Good Morning, Vietnam")

All this talk about Riverview, sounds like a fun place. Our version was Lagoon which the Beach Boy's made famous (in our minds), in the [hit single], "Salt Lake City". Personally, I thought It was a nice place to check out girls, but I hated the rides. I got motion sickness just looking at some of them (the rides, not the girls).

Have any of you ever been on the roller coaster at NY, NY in Las Vegas? My boy and I were down there for a bowl game and decided to check it out. That thing's a lot higher than it appears from the ground, and way faster. When we reached the apex of the first climb it was, OMG, how did I let him talk me into this?

So this organ-blender of a coaster does all these upside-down, looping, toss-your-groceries, crazy eight, negative g, gut-ravaging maneuvers. Are you kidding me? A person's supposed to walk away from this thing?

Anyway, after the three minute ride (that seemed to me an eternity), my son jumps out of the coaster exhilarated beyond description. Me, I'm curled up on the coaster seat in the fetal position, my glasses wrapped around my head all cock-eyed, and my complexion three shades green.

I couldn't eat anything for two days. My kid really cut the old man some slack though. He kept asking me if I was O.K. Than after a brief interlude, his expression, (and the blood dripping from his bitten lip) betrayed his amusement at recalling the incident, and we both laughed ourselves unconscious.

Unl,

I have been on some of the new smooth, tubular hi tech coasters, and they are a thrill. THe 360 degree loops, and the 90mph dives are terrific.

But let me repeat; 'Safety tested by Two Ton Baker.
THink about that.

These old, wooden, mis-aligned monsters were more frightening that any of the new 'improved' models. Remember, sometimes things get improved until they are ruined.

You would not believe the dwarf , deformed lady with birthmark spots all over her face with no hair and smoking a cigar!!
PS. She had some 'dude' with her! Now thats freaky!

Top Ten Circus Acts....

CM, go, you're first.

And remember, I have never produced more than three of anything.

C, Mo.,

Was that 'dude' with the freak-show lady named Karl per chance? Can't imagine anyone else taking to that miscreant, Rove.

Speaking of those old wooden roller-coasters, the most frightening one I've ever been on is the "Colossus" coaster at Six Flags Magic Mountain. That monster is terrifying and was one of the world's largest at it's inception. The best part is that "Colossus" delivers the 'rush' without inducing the nausea that these tubular jobs with their simulated jet barrel-rolls do.

'Two Ton Baker'?, would that be the musician Dick?
How apropos you should mention the late jolly fellow at this time of year. Seems he would have made the perfect Santa.

John E.
Thanks for the backup the other day. You had your nemesis stuttering. Most Excellent.

unl,

Yes, that would be Dick Baker.

Merry Christmas to all! Happy New Year!

"Top Ten Circus Acts....

CM, go, you're first.

And remember, I have never produced more than three of anything.

Posted by: Bubba | Dec 21, 2006 10:24:17 PM"

Hey Bub, here's number one!

(J Hendrix)

Well shes walking through the clouds
With a circus mind thats running round
Butterflies and zebras
And moonbeams and fairy tales
Thats all she ever thinks about
Riding with the wind.

Fly on little wing,

When Im sad, she comes to me
With a thousand smiles, she gives to me free
Its alright she says its alright
Take anything you want from me, anything
Anything.

Fly on little wing,
Yeah yeah, yeah, little wing

OK CM,

Bad idea. Or do you want the lyrics to "Send In The Clowns"? he he

Happy Holidays to all of you Sweet Homer's!!!

Getting crazy on the waltzers but it's the life that I choose
sing about the sixblade sing about the switchback and a torture tattoo
And I been riding on a ghost train where the cars they scream and slam
And I don't know where I'll be tonight but I'd always tell you where I am

In a screaming ring of faces I seen her standing in the light
She had a ticket for the races just like me she was a victim of the night
I put my hand upon the lever said let it rock and let it roll
I had the one arm bandit fever there was an arrow through my heart and my soul

And the big wheel keep on turning neon burning up above
And I'm just high on the world
Come on and take a low ride with me girl
On the tunnel of love (chorus)

It's just the danger when you're riding at your own risk
She said you are the perfect stranger she said baby let's keep it like this
It's just a cakewalk twisting baby step right up and say
Hey mister give me two give me two cos two can play

repeat chorus

Well it's money for muscle another whirligig
Money for muscle another girl I dig
Another hustle just to make it big
And rockaway rockaway

And girl it looks so pretty to me just like it always did
Like the Spanish City to me when we were kids
Oh girl it looks so pretty to me just like it always did
Like the Spanish City to me when we were kids

She took off a silver locket she said remember me by by this
She put her hand in my pocket I got a keepsake and a kiss
And in the roar of dust and diesel I stood and watched her walk away
I could have caught up with her easy enough but something must made me stay

repeat chorus

And now I'm searching through these carousels and the carnival arcades
Searching everywhere from steeplechase to palisades
In any shooting gallery where promises are made
to rockaway rockaway from Cullercoats and Whitley Bay out to rockaway

And girl it looks so pretty.....

"Tunnel of Love"---Dire Straits

Bubba,
I'm drawing a blank on circus acts!

The guy that got ate by his tiger?
The family that all fell off the wire?
The elephant that killed some dudes?

You finally cornered me on one!!

But songs? Maybe!

We named two already.
How about;
'Goodbye Cruel World'
'For the Benefit of Mr. Kite'

unl
Nice catch re. Tunnel of Love

Worlds Strongest Man,
Happy Holiday!! Easy on the gin bottle!

James Brown, RIP

"I FEEL GOOD" !! you knew that I would.....

R. I. P. James Brown

rats/ratesses,

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas. My clan got together at my 92 year old mother's home Christmas eve, had a bountiful feast, watched the smile on my fading mother's face widen as the great-grand-kids performed. There were no gifts given except for a few puzzles and educational toys for the younger kids. It was all about family and it was nice.

For my part on the war on Christmas I purchased no tree, put up no decorations, hung no stockings with care, sung no carols, bought no gifts (nor did my wife). I pleaded with my kids not to get us anything but they didn't listen (some things never change). We did give our kids money, for themselves and to buy gifts from us for the little ones, with strings attached (children's books or educational toys only).

While my family's Christmas was pleasant, I couldn't help the melancholy from creeping in as I thought of our troops, some on their 2nd and 3rd tours, thousands of miles from home, away from family and friends, while I was embracing my own loved ones in peace and comfort.

Wars really suck! Even those ventured into by necessity offer little solace to those who sacrifice their sons and daughters, husbands and wives, sisters and brothers. But wars of choice, preemptive wars, waged under false premises, on the wrong country, where's the logic in that?

If Uncle Sam would take my crippled, sorry ass, I would gladly volunteer to be cannon fodder for the neocons "dirty little war", if it meant that some 19 year old could come home and live their life and dreams. What a tragedy that we allowed a bunch of delusional, warmongering, neoneurotics to cram their middle-east dream down our throats. I can only think of all the problems we could have addressed here and abroad with more visionary leaders and more intelligent choices.

In honor of Bush's soon to be announced "surge" in Iraq and the implications it will have on the US casualties there, I'd like to resurrect a song from the VietNam era musical "Hair", (with a few of my own improvisations) to remind folks what kind of monthly body counts the "escalation" in Vietnam produced at it's apex.

"Three-Five-Zero-Zero" (Adulterated and modified)

Ripped open by metal explosion
Caught in (Humvee), fireball, bullet shock (IED), shrapnel, throbbing meat
(No weapons of mass destruction)
(Kurds, Sunnis, Shiites, insurgents)
(AK-47) rifles shoot the muscle
256 (Al Qaeda captured)
256 (Al Qaeda captured)

Prisoners in (neocon town)
It's a dirty little war
Three-five-zero-zero
Take weapons up and begin to kill
Watch the long long armies drifting home

Oh, Prisoners in (neocon town)
It's a dirty little war
Three-five-zero-zero
Take weapons up and begin to kill
Watch the long long armies drifting home

A message for the new year,

BROTHERS IN ARMS: Dire Straits

These Mist covered mountains
Are home now for me
But my home is the lowland
And always will be
Some day you'll return to
Your valleys and your farms
And you'll no longer burn
To be brothers in arms

Through these fields of destruction
Baptisms of fire
I've watched all your suffering
As the battles raged higher
Though they did hurt me
In the fear and alarm
You did not desert me
My brothers in arms

There's so many different worlds
So many different suns
And we have just one world
But we live in different ones

Now the Sun's gone to Hell
And the Moon's riding high
Let me bid you farewell
Every man has to die
But it's written in the starlight
And every line on your palm
We're fools to make war
On our brothers in arms

unl,

Nice posts.

Figure the 'surge' to eat up a year, then 6 mos. for the next plan, then 6 mos. he's out.

Simple Christmas here.
We get more than we need throughout the year, so not many gifts. Books, usually. We eat well.

Don't want to start in on politics here, but I seem to recall someone saying it was unpatriotic NOT to spend yourself broke at Christmas.
Ditto GWB's first tax rebate check. Saving, not spending it was called unpatriotic. Early hints of insanity to come.

Enough of that.

john e,
Check out my post in
'Army recruits warm bodies'
Stan is jerking you around, bud.

My daughter and I were talking today about a possible draft and she reminded me of how it could effect my family and friends.

Feel Like I'm Fixing To Die Rag

Come on all of you big strong men
Uncle Sam needs your help again
he's got himself in a terrible jam
way down yonder in Viet Nam so
put down your books and pick up a gun we're
gonna have a whole lotta fun

(CHORUS)
And it's one, two, three, what are we fighting for
don't ask me I don't give a damn, next stop is Viet Nam
And it's five, six, seven, open up the pearly gates
ain't no time to wonder why, whoopee we're all gonna die

Come on wall street don't be slow
why man this war is a go-go
there's plenty good money to be made by
supplying the army with the tools of its trade
let's hope and pray that if they drop the bomb,
they drop it on the Viet Cong

Come on generals, let's move fast
your big chance has come at last
now you can go out and get those reds
cos the only good commie is the one that's dead and
you know that peace can only be won when we've
blown 'em all to kingdom come

Come on mothers throughout the land
pack your boys off to Viet Nam
come on fathers don't hesitate
send your sons off before it's too late
and you can be the first ones on your block
to have your boy come home in a box

My holiday was good. Several people couldn't make it this year so it was quiet. Went to my mother-in-law's house for dinner on Christmas Eve. As always, it was like a Fellinni film. I cooked on Christmas for friends and family. My usual New Years resolution is to lose some weight. Oh well.

PS on my above post:

I don't know if other people notice this,but when JohnD is away from this blog his alias's, (NoName,JD,Tammy,Leo T) are also missing in action...hhhhmmmmmmmmmmm......

Cat,
Thanks for the Country Joe. I suspect if Bush starts escalating the war, or even just "stays the course", the protest songs will be coming fast and furious.

C. Mo,

Yeah, this administration is full of wisdom. Now that that Americans have accomplished negative net savings, and face the prospect of no pensions and reduced Social Security, how long before the whole house of cards comes tumbling down? Remember, these are the same geniuses that said oil conservation was a nice personal virtue, but needn't be part of any national energy policy. Put two oilmen in the White House...

Saw "The Long Good Friday" on Direct TV last night. I'd forgotten what a good Brit flick that was. Right up there with "Blowup", perhaps. Also recently saw the remake of "Alfie". Not a bad effort and I like Maresa Tomei. Still gotta go with the Michael Caine original though.

John E.,

You're wasting your time and energy on John D. If the guy's not an escapee from the loony ward then he's locked in his Mom's basement (with all his aliases), formulating his next insane rants. The guy's amusing to a point, then just monotonous.

Getting psyched for the Bears game. I just hope they give no quarter to the cheese-heads. I'm with the school of thought that the playoffs start tomorrow for the Bears. I'd love to attend that game. I know a girl, native Chicagoan, who's parents had Bears season tickets. She said when her parent's died and the kids had to settle the estate, the issue of rights to Bears tickets was the most difficult to resolve and resulted in bad feelings all around. Funny but sad, I guess.

unl.
Your post is full of meat, but I am drunk. Will comment later. Please stand by.

I am still thinking about James Brown. They were dancing in the streets on NYC at the Apollo Theater. Is that terrific or what? What greater tribute than to have people dancing in love and happiness when you die??

I wish I could have known him personally. I am wasted. Talk later. Happy New year. You guys are great. Keep the faith.

Unl,
Yeah you're right I've had to take a step back from this blog the last day or so,whatever little Johnny D. does looks bad already without me playing along with him.

How about that Stan guy, C Mo???....WOW!,that guy is just unreal.
No matter what you say to him he claims to have "whipped" you.I agree C Mo,the best way to deal with that guy is to say your piece and then leave him hanging,I'm hardheaded about that stuff,I like to win,and I believe that the GOP has already cashed in it's chips as far as leading this country goes for now.

C Mo,Santa gave me an advanced model i pod for X Mas!

I'm loading songs from all of the greats.
To bad we didn't have these things back in the "oldin" days.

What did all of you "Sweet Homers" get from Santa??

Rats/Ratesses,

Want to call your attention to an article in Sunday's Washington Post by Richard A. Clarke. It's entitled "While You Were At War" and is a must read as Bush gets ready to ratchet up his "dirty little war". The article basically deals with the critical issues that have been ignored while Bush&Co have been preoccupied with Iraq.

C Mo.,

You've got the right idea, I'm tippin' back a fine cab. myself, right now. Not as far along as you apparently.

Fitting that people are celebrating James Brown's life and achievements in such a way. He will be missed. It's kind of been a tough year for music fans, many notable musicians have "passed beyond the veil".

We lost Lou Rawls to start off this year. Followed shortly thereafter by Wilson ("In the Midnight Hour") Pickett. Billy Preston, the only person to play with the Beatles and the Stones, died earlier this month. R&B pioneer, Ruth Brown, and "The Legend", Robert Lockwood Jr. also passed away this month. Oh, and Ruth Pointer, of the Pointer Sisters, died just a week ago, a few days before James Brown. A lot of the old blues notables died this year; Chicago's Willie Kent, St. Louis's Bennie Smith, North Carolina's Edda Baker, Kansas City's Jay "Hootie" Mcshann, Mississippi's Jessie May Hemphill, lefty guitarist Johnny Jenkins. Did I miss anybody?, I'm sure I did. I know I did.. that guy from early Pink Floyd, Syd Barrett died this past summer.

Seems most of these blue's legends lived to a ripe old age. A lot of the rockers haven't been so fortunate.

Well, Peace and Happy New Year All,
Richard.

More required reading: "The Bill of Wrongs" by Dalia Sithwick in Slate. When the Dems take over next week we'll begin to learn more on the abuses.

Quote for the New Year, one of my Dad's favorites:

"That land is a community is the basic concept of ecology, but that land is to be loved and respected is an extension of ethics." Aldo Leopold

I received a great little Italian esspresso maker for my caffeine habit and a stainless martini shaker, and books, and wilderness software for planing trips into the Utah red rock wilderness.

That's all I deserve!

Unl,
Re. your point about oil conservation; The whole RRR machine brands conservation and environmental protection of any kind 'anti-family'.

Never saw 'Long good friday'. Will look for it on video maybe. What's the scenario?

John E,
Stan = pizza logic man

"Want to call your attention to an article in Sunday's Washington Post by Richard A. Clarke. It's entitled "While You Were At War" "

Unl,

Hey, buddy, can you post the link? I'm having trouble finding the article.

Unl
I found the article, and I am posting in on the front page. Good one, gave you credit.

I got a fancy weather station. Wind speed, barometer, temp, humidity. 68 indoors, -1 outdoors.

Happy Hangover Day Swamprats.

I'm going back to bed.

C. Mo,

Do check out Long Good Friday, it's a first rate gangster flick. That great character actor, Bob Hoskins, plays a Brit gang-lord who's trying to close a lucrative deal with American mobsters. The deal is jeopardized when bombs start going off and his boys start getting whacked for no apparent reason.

A young Helen Mirren plays the gang-lord's mistress, and the 28 year old Pierce Brosnan has a bit role as a trigger for ?? (spoiler).
While your at it, check out Ronin. It's a smart spy flick with top notch acting and great scenery. It's your vintage DiNiro and also features that fine French actor, Jean Reno.

John E.,

Holy cow! Just watched the end of the Fiesta Bowl. That may be the best college football game I've ever seen. BSU had to pull every trick out of their bag to do it, but they did it, and in dramatic fashion. Now if only the Bears could tap into the magic and heart of C. Mo's Smurfs (sorry CM). Now that BSU found their little rainbow, maybe all those taters up North with pay attention to the more important matters in the Country and the world.

C. Mo,

Thanks for posting that link to the Post, I thought it was a really good article. I haven't read Clarke's book, "Against All Enemies", but I've heard that Clarke was a lot easier on 'W' in that book than he has been more recently.

Bubba,

-1 degrees, Brrrr. I delivered up in an area of NE Utah that was typically one of the coldest in the region. I had to carry around "heat" in a can for when my fuel line occasionally froze.

I took some meteorologist courses at the U of U. Thought I might be the next Mark "Snowbank" or something. Pretty cool stuff, esp. now that they have all these new tools like Doppler Radar. The remote sensing imagery just gets better and better too.

Well, we broke 500 posts!

'Mr. Hulot's Holiday'

This is an amusing little film. No plot, just a series of funny events in the life of Hulot while on holiday.

Unl,

Yeah I saw it,unbelieveable play calling and execution by the "Smurfs".

There must be joy in PoTaterLand today.

John E.
I posted a smart aleck remark to Stan and he compared me to you. I'll take it as a compliment.

Santa aways gets me what I want because I'm Santa. My husband always says to buy whatever I want for myself (As if I don't always.) This is my favorite time to buy clothes because the prices are slashed.
Since I am off work for two weeks, I am hanging out with my friends and family. I am going to babysit this week for my granddaughter, the miracle baby. So life is good.

Unl, John E,

Awesome game. Like that Northwetsern game a few years ago but better.

Do you think the smurfs would stand a chance against OSU or Florida?

Cath,

Thanks for the back up.

I agree with C Mo.
Stan is probably a guy who wish's he would have been an AF pilot,but in reality he's the local "pizza delivery guy."
From now on I will make my comments to Stan and then leave him hanging,that probably irritates him more than anything else.

Sounds like you had a great X-Mas,I hope you got all the clothes you wanted.

Bubba,

I don't know much about Florida,but OSU would kill the "Smurfs".

Looks like BSU has arrived.

Hey, somebody posted under 'c.morris' on the front page, and I think it was a legit other 'c.morris'.

I am going back to 'C.Morris' that I started with. (Note caps. on name.)

All,
Yeah, it's all about Br'ar Rabbit and the Tar Baby. He keeps drawing you in, killing by attrition. Pretty soon nobody knows what anybody thinks.

Rats... Think Kenny Rogers and read on at your own risk. If Elizabeth would jump over here I wouldn't have to humiliate myself like this.

(yeah, yeah, oh-yeah, what condition my condition was in)

Sleepless night, another reason to write not stoppin' till the son comes up
Fellow rats think I'm crazy, the wife thinks I'm lazy but I'm not givin' up

I worked thirty long years as the man in Brown
Now I see my life and it's upside down

I just stopped in to see what condition my condition was in

(yeah, yeah, oh yeah, what condition my condition was in)

In some other life I'm gonna get it right
find something worth believin' in leave all the religions and bad politicians
to fight the wars they begin

I've had it up to here with all the neocons
all the pundits, and preachers and Pat Robertson

I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was

(yeah, yeah, oh yeah what condition my condition was in)

I hear C. Morris is leadin' the chorus
from somewhere in taterland

John E's a scoutin' for blue chips a sproutin'
from the hinterland

bill r's out floatin' cause his ship's come in
Bubba's tippin' back another Tanqueray gin

I just stopped in to see what condition my condition was in
(yeah, yeah, oh-yeah what condition my condition was in)

Kenny B. knows a site helps with those sleepless nights
for me it's not happenin'
Maybe raving loon knows a soothin' tune
to get me sleeping again

If all else fails I'll give Juanito a call
he says I'm naive so he might know it all

I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in

I said I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in

(yeah, yeah, yeah, oh-yeah)

unl,

Good one!
And just for us Sweet Homies.

I

Dale Peters just informed us about the death of his wife on the front page!

Unl,

I'm honored to be mentioned and can't wait for the parodies of Incense and Peppermint and Pictures of Matchstick Men.

Judging from the hour of your post and its content, you may want to simply try Melatonin, the sleep hormone that is produced artificially and readily available in the vitamin supplement section of your local drug store. For jet lag, it works wonders. But of course you don't want to depend on it to mask what may be symptoms of something more serious.

Unl,

Good one!
You forgot to put Bubba and Catherine the "queen of the swamp" on there,but it was enjoyable.

KBunk,

Matchstick Men has one of the most simple, yet gut wrenching guitar riffs in rock.

A great little record! I think I named it a one hit wonder fav. though the group, Status Quo, may have had a couple. Not sure.

John E,

I'm up there under bill r's boat tippin gin.
More of a bourbon man but any port in a storm.

John E.

I sneaked a line in there for Bubba but didn't know whether to include Cat or not. I don't think she was too amused by my little Gleason Show skit where I played on her name. No one seems to remember the bar patron that drove the bar tender (Gleason) insane with his ramblings; you can call me Bill or you can call Will or....

Sometimes I get a bit too cute for my own good. I remember when I was in A.I.T. at Fort Ord. We were in the middle of some monotonous classroom instruction when some dip-sh*t interrupted the instructor to ask if we could take a smoke break.

I spouted off "private you got a break when you got drafted into the Army". Platoon Sargent wasn't amused, had me picking up cigarette butts on the parade grounds for a week.

Anyway, thanks for tolerating my little stab at creativity swamp varmints, we all go a little mad sometimes. Now here's a song break for all you guys past your prime (not forgetting Cat, she can be "Hey Nineteen"):

Way back when in sixty-seven
I was the dandy of Gamma Chi
Sweet things from Boston, so young and willing
Moved down to Scarsdale where the hell am I
Hey nineteen, no we can't dance together
No we can't talk at all
Please take me along when you slide on down

Hey nineteen that's 'Retha Franklin
She don't remember the queen of soul
It's hard times befallen the soul survivors
She thinks I'm crazy, but I'm just growing old

Hey nineteen, no we got nothing in common
No we can't talk at all
Please take me along when you slide on down

The Cuervo Gold, the fine Colombian
Make tonight a wonderful thing

No we can't dance together
No we can't talk at all

"Hey Nineteen"; Steely Dan

MMMMMMM fresh tonic and gin.

Raise a glass to Dale and his dearly departed lady.

Unlettered, your Gleason skit was fine. I don't respond a lot of the time because I am doing lots of things on the fly. Was there a character on Jackie Gleason called Frank Fontaine? There was a character that Jackie talked to and then the character would sing. His singing was good, it wasn't done for laughs. Who was Crazy Guggenheim? Was that the Jackie Gleason or Red Skelton show? Or was it some drunk that gave me quarters for the shuffle board bowling game when I was at the Blarney Tap with my Dad?

I feel bad for Dale. He seems like a sweet person.

Cat.
I always have the feeling you are monitoring.
Yeah, Frank Fontaine was the guy, and a trained classical singer, I believe.

Hey, UNL,
Steely Dan is one of my favorites.
Here is one of their's that channels the Odyssey by Homer.

Home at Last

I know this super highway
This bright familiar sun
I guess that Im the lucky one
Who wrote that tired sea song
Set on this peaceful shore
You think youve heard this one before

Well the danger on the rocks is surely past
Still I remain tied to the mast
Could it be that I have found my home at last
Home at last

She serves the smooth retsina
She keeps me safe and warm
Its just the calm before the storm
Call in my reservation
So long hey thanks my friend
I guess Ill try my luck again

Well the danger on the rocks is surely past
Still I remain tied to the mast
Could it be that I have found my home at last
Home at last

Hear,hear on brother Dale.

He's had a nightmare two weeks.
I hope he's doing ok.

Can't find Dale's comments, which topic was it under? I feel awful about this. He's such a passionate guy and already had more than his fair share of misfortune. Is there anything we can do?

Life isn't fair, here's a glass held high for Dale, my condolences.

C. mo,

Take it easy on that espresso machine. Man, you were kicking ass and taking names on the polits today. Talk about your Madman Across the Water, you were like the energizer bunny on steroids, buddy. Sorry I was M.I.A., managed to slip in a late comment on Mitt is all.

Cat,

I remember the Crazy Guggenheim character(Frank Fontain), but I haven't been able to find out the other guy's name in Joe's Bar who took a sip on his drink then launched into his silly routine. Can see his face like it was yesterday, but his name escapes me.

Kenny B,

"Pictures of Matchstick Men"?, nah, I was thinking something more like "Cow Girl" (Lil' Mama). You know, Yipee-ki-yo-yippe-yay Lil Momma.
I did a raunchy version years ago about BYU coeds, but I'd clean it up for you guys.
"Okay this is how it went down. Sunday afternoon with the fellas, at the play ground"...

Unl,
Thanks!
It was flowing out of the fingers, like Clapton on a long sweet solo! Saw your Mitt post. My problem with Mitt, besides too conservative; I can't take anyone serious that believes that stuff.

Dales post is still on the front page under;

'Lane Evans prepares....'

Here's the guy you want.

Bill Saluga

http://billsaluga.com/

"JOHNSON! Oh, you doesn't has to call me Johnson. You can call me Ray, or you can call me Jay, or you can call me Johnny, or you can call me Sonny, or you can call me RayJay, or you can call me RJ, or you can call me RJJ or you can call me RJJ Jr., but you doesn't have to call me Johnson!"

"Home at Last"---I love that song, actually was listening to it yesterday. Leave it to the ever insightful C. Mo to make the Homer connection.

Thanks C.M. for removing that burr under my skin over the Gleason character, I was beginning to wonder if it was all imagined. Bill Saluga, the Simpsons...go figure.

Heart-breaking, all the happenings to brother Dale. This piling on, is just too much. Like the tragic circumstances of the Reeves, Christopher and Dana. He dies after a valiant struggle to survive, while lobbying tirelessly for stem-cell research. His wife, who dedicates her life to caring for him and finding a cure, dies of cancer at 40. There's some kind of Karmic injustice to what's going on here.

Dale, who's been a beacon for VA benefits, and a strong voice to end this unfortunate war, deserves better.

The gut-wrenching circumstances of Dale's loss made me think of a song. I hope it's not inappropriate. It's a beautiful tragic song that makes me want to bawl as I think about Dale and his dearly departed wife;

Mercy Street; Peter Gabriel

looking down on empty streets, all she can see
are the dreams all made solid
are the dreams all made real

all of the buildings, all of the cars
were once just a dream
in somebody's head

she pictures the broken glass, she pictures the steam
she pictures a soul
with no leak at the seam

let's take the boat out
wait until darkness
let's take the boat out
wait until darkness comes

nowhere in the corridors of pale green and grey
nowhere in the suburbs
in the cold light of day

there in the midst of it so alive and alone
words support like bone

dreaming of mercy street
wear your inside out
dreaming of mercy
in your daddy's arms again
dreaming of mercy street
'swear they moved that sign
dreaming of mercy
in your daddy's arms

pulling out the papers from the drawers that slide smooth
tugging at the darkness, word upon word

confessing all the secret things in the warm velvet box
to the priest, he's the doctor
he can handle the shocks

dreaming of the tenderness, the tremble in the hips
of kissing Mary's lips

dreaming of mercy street
wear your insides out
dreaming of mercy
in your daddy's arms again
dreaming of mercy street
'swear they moved that sign
looking for mercy
in your daddy's arms

mercy, mercy, looking for mercy
mercy, mercy, looking for mercy

Anne, with her father is out in the boat
riding the water
riding the waves on the sea

Our love and sympathies go out to you Dale. May your dearly departed wife rest in peace.

unlettered,
Good catch on Peter Gabriel. We always loved his solo career, and he was in Genesis I think.

Oh, I think I smoothed over the Mormon dust-up over on the Romney page. Jeez, I hope so.

C. Mo,

Whew!, I guess I can stop looking over my shoulder now. I don't want to get on the bad side of the brethren, I think they might carry a bit of a chip. I was giving some BYU fan a good-natured ribbing about how their Zoobie coach reads scriptures out of the Book of Mormon to inspire his players before games. I thought he wanted to throttle me on the spot. I guess that's why they call the Utah-BYU game, the Holy War. In honor of the reddest city in the reddest state: (think Aaron Carter and Lil Momma)

Yipee-ki-yo-yippe-yay
Lil' Zoobie
Yipee-ki-yo-yippe-yay
Big Mamma
Yipee-ki-yo-yippe-yay
I met myself a Zoobie
A BYU Co-ed
Wha'cha want, put me on

She wanna have babies
Lots of baby zoobies
Wants to marry in the temple
time and all eternity
Wha'cha want, put me on

She wants the kids to go on missions
Spread the gospel near and far
Come back home and live in Provo
Happy Valley's where we are
Wha' cha want, put me on

She wants a house full of grand-kids
Another gaggle for the Zoo
Cannon fodder for the Holy War
Little zoobies through and though
Wha'cha want, put me on

Provo, wow wish I'd never been
Maybe I can find
A new hang out friend
Anyway, packin' up
My bags on my way
Leavin' town without my Zoobie girl
Leavin' Zoobie town today.

This is for Dale and his wife.

There are places I remember
All my life though some have changed
Some forever not for better
Some have gone and some remain
All these places have their moments
With lovers and friends I still can recall
Some are dead and some are living
In my life I've loved them all

But of all these friends and lovers
There is no one compares with you
And these memories lose their meaning
When I think of love as something new
Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

Though I know I'll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I'll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more

In my life I love you more

Damn,
I think the hard drive on my laptop just died. One minute I'm reading some cheap-shot reply from the good DOCTOR Prince, and the next minute my screen goes white. I rebooted and power led lights up, but screen is black. Anyone have that happen before? Had to jump over to my wife's desktop.

I remember Orrin Hatch saying he wanted to sponsor a law that allowed big brother to kill your computer if suspected of copyright infringement. God, did he really mean it?

Yeah, checked again, she's dead. Deader than Mitt Romney's presidential aspirations. Man, my whole life is on that hard drive and, of course, no back-up.

Hey, did anyone catch the Dr. no-love accused me of having diarrhea of the mouth. Where do you suppose he got that idea? What, is this a newspaper add? Are we being charged by the word now? You know, Dr. prince (of darkness) always has the option of ignoring my post. I do that myself sometimes when I'm not up to wading through one of RRD's novellas.

Oh, and speaking of RRD, what rock did he climb back under. First he brands me as without letter, then he falls off the face of the earth. And that evil Dr. Prince had the nerve to second that opinion. If I'm without letter, what does that say about their object of hero worship, George W.? My god! The guy can't even articulate a single coherent sentence.

Got to go suck down some Imodium now, but I'll be back..with a vengeance. C.I.A.O.

C Mo,Unl,Bubba,

You guys sure know how to tick off the Mormons,I was just sitting back and laughing.

That Mitt Romney for Prez guy (Jason ?) was about to blow a fuse.

I don't think he prepared to well for the "Swamp" people.

LDS's breaking hard over on the Romney page. I posted a little slap down. I thought my measured apology was sufficient, but I guess not.

catherine,
Beautiful John Lennon song. One of his best.

Hey Unlettered; Are you a 'Jack' Mormon? Just wondering. They're the best kind, buddy. I work with a couple and they can soak up the 'Jack' Daniels like no man alive.

Keep your eye on 'Romney' page today. I'm going back in.

JD was a big help on the Romney page.
Thanks, buddy, if you are monitoring our little lefty party here.

Gotta work today. It's been fun.
JE, Unl, Bub, KB, RL, CAT. thanks for the support on Romney page. BARELY made it out of that 'beehive'.

Dale Peters is back. See 'Webb' page.

Hey guys...Sorry haven't been on much this thread
...but sometimes the wife...even though we're together 24/7....well I won't go there. She's crazy for sticking with me. I have a friend coming in to town to stay with us for a couple of days and he is a real musician...studio. Played with a lot of he biggies. Muddy....ccr..
Sometime this weekend I'll show him the site and see if he could fill in some gaps. There are still a lot that has slipped through the cracks.

bill r.,

Glad you're back.
Ask your musician friend about CCR,they're one of my alltime fav bands.
Fortunate Son is a relevant tune again these days thanks to Iraq,I've heard it played on one of our local FM rock stations almost daily for the last year.
Very impressive for a song that's almost 40? yrs old.
John Fogerty sang that song like he was ticked off at the world,and I loved it.

Maybe we can turn Dale P. onto this page?
He might want someone to talk to.
Any thoughts,anyone?

John E...I think it would be a good thing if we could swing Dale to sweet home. I feel Dale has had his share of demons in his life. I can understand some of that. I wish I could have been as passionate about veterans affairs but when I got back from Nam...I couldn't get far enough away from it. I thought it very telling that only the loony left seemed to care enough to say something to Dale and I believe that you, like me, would have done the same for any of the truely wacky right regardless.

Anyway....If you ever get a chance to listen to
Aliens ate my buick by thomas dolby....do it.
it may be a little over-produced but very hot.
Maybe 10 songs on album (cd...I'm old)but at least 8 are great.

john e,

Careful,
the wrong group may respond. I have stopped advertising it.
Next thing you know, mud and crud is flying.

But it's your call, buddy. I'm not the boss of anybody, and can live with the result. Actually, he knows about it I think. His name appears near the top of this somewhere.

Just want to avoid dirtying up the page.

Hey, I think Fogerty actually went to Nam. Not sure, need to research. I include CCR in a small group of American bands that measure up the the great Brit/Ireland bands. THey are nummba one great talents.

Hey, a great film we neglected; Southern Comfort with one of the Caradine bros. It was white knuckle terrific; a Vietnam allegory in Looseanna. Who was the other guy??
Powers Booth!

Unlettered,
How's the system crash parsing out? Hope you get well soon.
Need to know if you are a jack Mormon.

cprince has been reduced to talking to himself. Jason seems decent enough. We might sucker him in to the dark side, who knows.

John e,

Do ya know how to tip off just him?

Lots 'o kung pow in my hood lately. Had to get a little reckless on the new skis today.

bill r,

Absolute jealousy. Have fun.

CM,

I'm being very guarded on the LDS thing. Might let loose on cprince soon. I'm sure Bill and Juanito would agree with us on this. wink

I have other thoughts on drawing them back in. Will post soon.

Hi gang,

It's official, laptop is dead. Don't know the extent of the damage yet. I knew I should have gotten a MAC! Now I have a handsome investment in Window's software, don't know if I could afford the switch.

I'm going to start posting under dick tracy from now on. I'm doing that because my first name is Richard and my middle name is Tracy. The Tracy is after my grandfather who was an educator and a college president at Weber State in Ogden, Utah. Gramps taught at Chicago St. during the Prohibition era. Ma has lots of Al Capone stories from when she lived with gramps in Chicago as a small girl.

C. Mo,

I was raised a Mormon and I like my Jack, so I guess that makes me a "Jack Mormon". My real name is Seldom Seen Smith, but I had to change it when Abby exposed me, the jerk.

Hey, thanks for being my wing-man with Dr. "Prince of Darkness" on the Romney thread. Those Mo's are no fun to play with, too uptight. I'm still laughing at your new bed-fellow, JD. I think John E is wrong about JD being an alias for John D. I doubt you and bad-boy John could find common ground on anything!

bill r,

Nice to hear from you again buddy. I've been dreamin' bout your boat and that warm Savannah breeze. Man, you need to get back in the game. C. Mo's pissed off the whole LDS nation and they're coming after us. C.M. tried to smooth things over but it only emboldened them. Now they've launched a full-blown "Crusade" against liberals, pacifist, environmentalist, democrats, agnostics, atheist, and all the Jacks (Jack Daniels, Jack Mormons, Jack Kennedy, you name it). We need ya bro, to help stem the tide. Tell momma you can't sleep and jump on the blogs in the early morning hours (works for me). But be wary of those Illinois Mo's. They're still sore over that unfortunate Nauvoo business back in 1848. Now that the rebuilt Nauvoo Temple is the new Mormon Mecca, well, they're pretty sensitive to any derisiveness sent their way. Does the "Mountain Meadow Massacre" mean anything to you?

John E,

Dale, yeah, I'd like to find a way to help him. If anyone comes up with an idea, count me in.

Had a nice-looking young quarterback from Snow College that I wanted to inform you about. I knew Utah wouldn't go after him cause they're set at the position for a couple years. His name is Cade Cooper. The kid ran a pro-set offense fashioned after Norm Chow's (offensive coordinator at BYU, USC, and now the Tennessee Titans). Broke every school record. I hear Cooper wants to walk-on at BYU, but if you offer him a scholarship?...

Cat,

Nice tribute to Dale, you're a sweet-heart.

Wifey bought a new CD, Corrine Bailey Rae, it's terrific, I think. This gal was on Letterman a fortnight ago. She's a beautiful young black women with the sweetest voice. Her style is a fusion of jazz, pop, blues, I guess. She kind of reminds me of Rickie Lee Jones.

I changed my mind about dick tracy. I forgot about that dick, Dick Cheney and that other tricky dick, the late Dick Nixon. Plus my friend's sister used to call me Dick, just to raise the hackle. Think I'll just make it dt, that's what we call the detention center up in Ogden (for those troubled youths).

Going to head out now to check on my ancient, and wonderful Mom, check in with ya'll later.

C. Mo, Bubba
Copied your morning "fix" for ya, compliments of Mark Morford

+++
Damn Liberals Cost Us The War!
At the dinner table in a very red state, little room for obvious truths. But can you try?
- By Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist
Friday, January 5, 2007

So I'm up in the Idaho hinterlands at the family getaway lake house over the holiday break and I'm sitting at a nice dinner party with some family friends, and the wine is flowing and the friends are lovely and the conversation seems relatively open and hence I forget what a deeply, aggressively red part of the country I'm in because, well, the wine was very good, and when you're from San Francisco you tend to carry the progressive bubble with you as some sort of happy delusion that much of the world must be at least relatively informed and open and somewhat willing to lick the divine candy of current truths.

It can be, you know, a problem.

This is when it happened. One of the dinner guests I've met before but don't know very well, he asks me about the media world and the general timbre of my column and, more specifically, what the atmosphere was like in San Francisco when the Dems swept back into power in November like a glorious gob of long overdue balm for our festering national BushCo rash (analogy, of course, mine).

I smiled, I sighed, the nubile S.F. bubble present over my head like a hum of cosmic lubricant as I mentioned the general feeling of a wary sense of renewed hope, a feeling among the attuned and the informed that maybe there can now be a slight return to balanced humanitarian progress in the nation, alongside a blessed reduction in all sorts of brutal, dehumanizing, embarrassing scandals and BushCo atrocities and environmental devastations, et cetera and so on and pass the wine.

This is when I should've noticed. This is when I should've been paying attention to the signs: the crossed arms, the utter lack of smile or nod, the narrow eyes looking at me like I was from some planet where pagan pervert yoga teachers grow Toyota Priuses on the backs of organic chickens.

But alas, I forget. Or rather, I don't really care to stop to ponder, and so I begin tell my tablemate what I think is the terribly amusing and illuminating tale about the recent spate of hate mail I've received, much of it in response to a column I wrote about how the United States has so obviously and painfully lost yet another war, this time in Iraq, and how we have so little idea what we're really doing on the world stage anymore, how we cannot seem to learn from our mistakes.

The hate mail, I tell him, goes something like this: Yes, we have probably lost the war, you freak hippie commie punk. But do you know why we lost? You know why the terrorists hate us even more? I'll tell you why: Because of the goddamn liberal media! Because of the liberal agenda, the one that wouldn't give Bush a chance to really unleash the dogs of war, to quash our evil Islamic enemies, to really make America into a strong and ruthless machine of brutal moral justice.

We lost the war (my hate mail sneers), in short, because of people like you (that is, me), who so obviously hate America and hate our president and won't allow our fine and manly military to take whatever actions necessary to bring terrorism down because of some stupid ethics rules and anti-torture laws and hippie-dippy Geneva Conventions and silly pagan notions about saving innocent lives and examining true causes. Goddamn you liberals!

Something was wrong. There was a decided lack of laughter and incredulity on the part of my tablemate. There was no knowing nod, no chuckle, no shake of the head at the absurdity and intellectual despair of it all. I had the distinct feeling, in fact, that nearly everything I had just said came out in Greek and I'd just hurled a whole pile of words at a large and uncomprehending sweater.

Perhaps, I think to myself, he did not understand the humor? The rich and sickening irony? I decide to reiterate: Isn't that hilarious? Isn't it amazing how, despite nearly six full years of unchecked Republican power, despite a brutal and scandal-ridden rule over both houses of Congress, despite a stunning gutting of the treasury and a war that is costing us $100,000 per second, despite a lapdog media that was terrified as a Chihuahua in a hurricane of Karl Rove's appalling disinformation machine -- a supposedly liberal media that, for more than five years, didn't dare question anything about Dubya's rush to war for fear of upsetting the wailing evangelical neocon "majority" that ruled the schoolyard with a bloody iron Bible, is it not amazing that the GOP's historic national disgrace is, of course, all the liberal's fault?

Nothing. No response. Just a narrowing of the eyes, a slight shift in the seat. And finally the words that sound like fingernails on the chalkboard of truth: "You know what bothers me?" he said. "The feeling I get that I'm never really told the truth about Iraq and all the good things that are happening there."

Wait wait wait. What?

"You know, that I never hear what's really going on from the liberal media. They just can't be trusted. I never feel like I'm getting the real story. And we're doing some damn good things over there. That's what I think."

My jaw hung open, a smile of disbelief drifted across my face as statistics and studies and staggering death tolls and harsh anti-war comments from American generals and tens of thousands of dead civilians and the shrill idiocy of Fox News swam into my head and prepared to launch out my mouth in a torrent of arguments and fact and proofs that would have done, well, absolutely nothing to penetrate the ideological fortress of what I had just heard. There was, I see now, simply no room. But I was about to try anyway.

Then something unexpected happened. Before I could unleash my disbelief, my other tablemate, herself a young and whip-smart New York liberal and history buff, jumped in. Deftly, calmly, with the ease of a seasoned rhetoric pro, she wiggled into our friend's seemingly impenetrable frame of reference and first offered some understanding, some consideration of his "position," then skillfully steered him to another relevant, though less volatile point that still made him think and reconsider, just a little. And she did it all sans combat, or angry debate, or wary rolling of the eyes.

There was, in other words, no jumping down of the throat. There was no hammering home of the obvious numbers, the headlines, the countless undeniable proofs of the Bush disaster that would have found no intellectual purchase anyway. There was only the deft maneuvering of simplified ideas, a calm allowing of another's observations -- no matter how foreign or uninformed -- so as to, at the very least, keep it all on a reasonable keel. It was a precious -- if frustrating -- lesson indeed.

After all, we all have our frames, our boundaries of perception, into which we only allow certain notions of truth that resonate with our levels of education, spiritual understanding, experience. And the true art lies in respecting the frames of others, plying those borders with words of polite wisdom, all while still able to enjoy the same wine.

Which is not to say it all doesn't make you want to scream and tear out your hair and whip out the picture of George Bush giving Satan a back rub and some smooches over at Ted Haggard's bathhouse. But, hey, you do what you can.

+++
Thoughts for the author? E-mail him.
Mark Morford's Notes & Errata column appears every Wednesday and Friday on SFGate and in the Datebook section of the SF Chronicle. To get on the e-mail list for this column, please click here and remove one article of clothing. Mark's column also has an RSS feed and an archive of past columns, which includes another tiny photo of Mark probably insufficient for you to recognize him in the street and give him gifts.

As if that weren't enough, Mark also contributes to the hot, spankin' SF Gate Culture Blog.

URL: http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2007/01/05/notes010507.DTL

+++
©2007 SF Gate

Hey C. Mo & Bubba,

Check out this article I've linked. Mark Morford paid a visit to taterland and had some interesting observations. You need to get your morning "fix".

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/gate/archive/2007/01/05/notes010507.DTL

unl, dt,

Thanks for the "fix". Being the only registered dem in a family of ultra-conservative sheep, I've suffered through many of those dinners.

Just one of the many reasons I moved to Idaho.

John E,

Just caught up with the debate you and Tony were having with Stan. Today he claims you ain't got game.

I say you get back in there full of vinegar and give him hell. Just like Bill used to.

Bub and Unl,
Just came in high and hard on Romney. Check it out.

Neat article. Boise area is more liberal, but,,,,who knows what evil lurks. Had a guy call me and leave a weird message after a letter hit the local rag.

John e,

I have really really studied John D and JD, and think they are two different guys. JD betrays a very dry, hard, cruel sense of humor at times. Something the other guy never does.

Just my opin.

CM,

cprince gave me the easy way out on the LDS deal. Lots of bullets left in the gun.

Goebbels as a loving parent....right up to the cyanide. he he

At least we no longer have Juanito standing safely on the sidelines of every issue, poking holes in every argument and never taking a stand on anything. If he were on the Titanic, he'd be trying to argue the size of the iceberg as water rose to his neck. And Bill would be blaming a liberal media and Bill Clinton.

C. Mo,

Funny (yet frightening) message on the Romney thread. Your mention of Mengele reminds me of that fine flick I don't think we've mentioned, Marathon Man.

Chrisian Szell: Oh, Don't worry, I'm not going into that cavity. That nerve's already dying. A live, freshly-cut nerve is infinitely more sensitive. So I'll just drill into a healthy tooth until I reach the pulp. That is, of course, unless you can tell me that it's safe.

Unlettered (dt): C. Mo, after Romney, is it safe?
Is it safe? Is it safe???

"I was raised a Mormon and I like my Jack, so I guess that makes me a "Jack Mormon". My real name is Seldom Seen Smith, but I had to change it when Abby exposed me, the jerk."

dt,

Utah = 'Bedrock and paradox'. (Ed Abbey)

Sleep well, blogger formerly known as unlettered.

C Mo,
I dislike both of them,but that's just me.

Bub,
Stan backed into a corner makes for great reading material.
He will still claim victory,you watch.
Stan is a legend in his own mind.

Unl,
Thanks for the tip on the Cooper kid,I'll take a look at his stats etc.,and find out what he's all about.

C.M.,

When you say some guy called and left a message, is that regarding a letter you wrote to the editor of the local paper. How did the guy get your ph.#? Sounds kinda creepy.

Sorry I polluted the page with the Morford piece. Wife was helping, misunderstood that I just wanted to post link, not copy whole article. I figured that I was o.k., that it hadn't gone through since it took so long to post. That's when I inserted link under my old name. Turns out Mark was just getting his head handed to him, unfairly I think, on the front page--reason my original post was delayed 3 hours.

I might need to start staying at my Mom's house at nights, she's quite frail, slipping fast. Hopefully I can get some sort of Internet service over there to bide my time after she goes to sleep. Good night buddy, say hi to your strange bedfellow, JD, for me. (ha, ha)

dt,

Yeah, local paper requires name and town printed in the letter to editor box. It was easy.

Also, it's never safe!

john e,
Stan and Terry! Now there is a match!

I'm going back in on Romney. Will see if anything juicy has turned up.

The latest from Molly Ivins. It was as if she was speaking directly to me.

.http://www.creators.com/opinion_show.cfm?columnsName=miv

C Mo,

Regarding your letter to the editor.
Isn't it unbelievable how George Jr. and the Karl Rove GOP has divided America?

When I was in college taking political science class's we studied Vietnam era politics.
It was always fully agreed upon that we had learned from those mistakes in the past and we would be a better country because of it.

What Nixon and his pals actually did during Watergate/Vietnam is small potato's when compared to what W. and his croonies are doing right now.

I've said it before and I'll say it again.
Just like the Watergate/Vietnam era Nixon days,in ten years you won't be able to find any of these NeoCon W. backers.

I hope this makes you feel better about your leeter to the paper,you're a good writer with a good political mind,and I'm sure it was a good letter.

P.S. I actually like Terry and Bill (RIP? - he'll be back I'm sure of it).
I can tell that they are old time Conservatives at heart,not NeoCon clowns like Paulo,JohnD,Stan etc.

Yo, Bubba--Didn't know you and Molly were so tight (hee, hee). I've always liked her. She and that gal on the Dixie Chicks convinced me there are a few sane voices in Texas.

Molly usually appears as a syndicated feature in our local paper on Monday's. She helps to provide a counterpoint to the Cal Thomas' of the world.

C.M.,

Checked into the I.S. to see what kind of hell your raising up there. Now you've managed to piss off all the jock lovers and the mo's. Soon you're going to need me and Webb in your foxhole, buddy. I may be rusty, but I was a marksman in the army. Now, where do I buy a gun?

John E.,

I wanted to thank you for the back-up on the cultural funding bout with Terry (Shedd thread). We posted at nearly the same time, and mine ended with the hope that we get someone in the WH that knew history in order to avoid repeating mistakes. Viet Nam of course is a prime example as you've laid out above.

I volunteered for McGovern in 72, not that I was for him as much as anti-Nixon and anti-war. Some of the arguments I had with Nixon supporters were blistering. Then, as you've noted, those same folks were in complete denial about their support once Watergate hit the fan. You couldn't find a Nixon voter, even though it was a landslide. Fortunately, revisionism on the micro level was met with reality on the macro level.

C. Mo,

You weren't supposed to figure out that BSU, UU, da Bears, all sports in general, are part of the greater conspiracy to distract the citizenry from affairs of state, and their own miserable existence. After all, it worked for the Romans in the Colosseum.

So get with the program and get your "support our troops" and "Smurf" bumper-stickers on your car. I don't want you to be blogging from Guantanamo.

Speaking of which, did you see the Paris protest over our illegal Guantanamo detentions? Why isn't anyone in this country doing that? Guess they're all too busy following their favorite team.

dt.
Re. Texas, don't forget Bill Moyers!

Also, re football and sports. I just think during war we shouldn't dedicate the entire FRONT PAGE to the Broncos. I'm not trying to spoil anybody's fun, but lets get real. We are in a crisis.

The actual letter that got me 'trolled' was regarding the similarity 'tween Nam and Iraq. I recommended some books, including Mai Li 4 by Hersh. Somebody took offense. I had even said in the letter I didn't blame the grunts, but the leadership. Said I may have done the same thing in that situation. I was trying to illustrate the responsibility that goes along with leadership. You gotta protect the little soldier. He's the one that pays!

Re. the French. Say what you will about them, when their gvmt. tries to screw them too badly they ALL rise up on their hind legs and protest. We, and the Brits could learn something from that. We (Wifey) protested in Chicago (with Studs Terkle), in Lafayette, IN, and in Boise. I don't know what will happen.

John e,
I agree that Nixon was less toxic than Bush. At least then we had politicians with the guts to apply the Constitution to Dick. Maybe not with GWB. We are in a very dangerous position. Thank God there are people like you who realize it. I just wish the 'good' cons would get with it too.

We need to sanitize the whole place.

____________

By the way, here is a funny letter I got printed in the I.S, the B.W. and the Swamp!

A Day in the Life of a Young Republican:

Tommy, age 16, awoke with great anticipation in his heart. Today he would join the Young Republicans! He quickly showered, put on his best charcoal gray suit, then hurried down stairs to have breakfast. But instead of finding Mom with the usual steak, egg, biscuit, gravy, bacon, sausage and pancake breakfast waiting for him he saw a complete stranger sitting at the table looking at him intently with a hint of sadness on his face.

“Who are you!”, Tommy demanded.

“I am the ghost of Tom Joad.” replied the man.

“Why do you haunt me!”, cried Tommy.

“I have come to show you the Great Hereafter.”, said Joad.

Joad snapped his fingers and the kitchen vanished and they stood
at a door labeled ‘The First Circle of Hell’. Upon entering Tommy noted two long tables, one on the left and another on the right, both filled to the breaking point with meats, poultry, salads, sweet cakes of every description and around each were many people all with three foot long forks attached to one hand with the other hand tied behind their backs.

With sudden horror Tommy realized that the diners on the right were emaciated and starving. They were frantically trying to feed themselves, but because the forks were so long they could not get the food into their mouths!

Then with even greater horror he began to recognize the people; He saw Tom DeLay trying to eat a pork roast, Helen Chenoweth trying desperately to eat canned salmon, Rush Limbaugh trying to eat everything, Ann Coulter looking....well, just like always, and George Will pretending to be ‘well mannered’.

Tommy then looked toward the table on the left and to his astonishment everyone looked healthy and well fed. Instead of trying to selfishly feed themselves they were feeding each other, thus defeating the handicap of the long forks.

But then with even greater horror Tommy recognized the people at the table on the left.
He saw Bill and Hillary Clinton, George McGovern, Frank and Bethanne Church, FDR and Eleanor, the Copes, and Jimmy Carter who was also using his fork to build a small hut!

At that moment Tommy began wailing and rubbing his face in anguish when suddenly he was back in his own kitchen! Mom was there with breakfast and everything was normal again.
It was just a bad dream all along.

Tommy wolfed his breakfast, stealing his little sister’s sausages, and ran out the door to join up, all the while repeating ‘Thank God Tom DeLay is alive!!”.

My apologies to Dickens, Dostoevsky, Steinbeck and anyone I missed.

Here's the letter that go me fingered.

****
I am leery of the ‘war criminal’ label, but history shows that modern war itself is a crime, regardless of whom is pursuing it. The current controversy over the abuse of Iraqi prisoners by Military Police is a case in point.

The generation that fought the Vietnam war and their surviving parents, Depression kids and WWII vets, have fixed opinions and won’t accept opposing views.
GenX and Y, however, still have a chance to think for themselves regarding war, and what’s happening in Iraq today.

Though the Vietnam war is not a perfect analogy to Iraq, it does reflect how soldiers react to the pressures of combat.

I suggest a short reading list for the younger generations:

‘Street Without Joy’ (Fall) details the French effort in Indo-China and eventual tragic defeat at Dien Bien Phu. You will see the French are not cowards. This event set up our involvement in Vietnam.

‘My Lai 4’ (Hersh) shows how war crimes can be committed even by good American kids. I could have done the same thing in the same situation.

‘Dispatches’ (Herr) is a revealing and sympathetic account of Marines in combat at Khe Sanh in 1968, and the Tet Offensive.

All are available free at the public library.
******

All,

"Romeny" lives! (Though c prince may be dead)

bill r,

You've been an animal on the blogs the past couple of days. What, did you leave Mamma stranded on the dock? C.M., Bub, and myself are laying low, malicious mo's are helping to fuel the paranoia. Just like the song:

Must be because I had the flu for Christmas
And I'm not feeling up to par
It, increases my paranoia
Like looking in the mirror and seeing a police car

But I'm not giving in an inch to fear
Cause I missed myself this year
And I fell like, I owe it
to someone

When I finally get myself together
I'm going to get down in that sunny southern weather
And I find inside a place to laugh
separate the wheat from the shaft
I feel like I owe it,
to someone

David Crosby, CSN, "Almost Cut MY Hair" (sans the first verse).

C. Morris and John E.
I don't know if JD/JohnD are the same person or not. JD doesn't come across as psycho as JohnD but except for the Romney post, Jd is is generally using the loony lefty epithet. Therefore, I will continue to think of him/them as an a--hole.

I can't figure the Stan, Paulo, JohnD bunch out. They are probably working stiffs like the rest of us and yet they defend the pocketbooks of people who think we should all be making $1.36/hour. (My first real job paid that.) Another problem I have is the animosity toward Clinton and his sex life. Don't get me wrong, he did disgrace his office with his behavior. But it had nothing to do with his ability to be president. My guess is that none of these guys ever received that particular sex act without paying for it and they're pretty damed jealous about it.

This song is a downer but still great.

Sam Stone came home,
To his wife and family
After serving in the conflict overseas.
And the time that he served,
Had shattered all his nerves,
And left a little shrapnel in his knee.
But the morphine eased the pain,
And the grass grew round his brain,
And gave him all the confidence he lacked,
With a Purple Heart and a monkey on his back.

Chorus:
There's a hole in daddy's arm where all the money goes,
Jesus Christ died for nothin' I suppose.
Little pitchers have big ears,
Don't stop to count the years,
Sweet songs never last too long on broken radios.
Mmm....

Sam Stone's welcome home
Didn't last too long.
He went to work when he'd spent his last dime
And Sammy took to stealing
When he got that empty feeling
For a hundred dollar habit without overtime.
And the gold rolled through his veins
Like a thousand railroad trains,
And eased his mind in the hours that he chose,
While the kids ran around wearin' other peoples' clothes...

Repeat Chorus:

Sam Stone was alone
When he popped his last balloon
Climbing walls while sitting in a chair
Well, he played his last request
While the room smelled just like death
With an overdose hovering in the air
But life had lost its fun
And there was nothing to be done
But trade his house that he bought on the G, I. Bill
For a flag draped casket on a local heroes' hill

Repeat Chorus

Hey dt,

That Ed Abbey is a favorite of mine.

Seldom Seen was in Monkey Wrench Gang?? (I think.) Been up to a little 'wilding' in the wilderness, buddy?

Desert Solitaire is my favorite modern non-fiction book. I have read it more times than you can imagine. At least 20 times, I $&#✟ you not.

Doug Peacock's book re. his relationship with Abbey is a terrific little read, also. He was Abbey's model for Hayduke, a ball and chain Doug has resented and repudiated for years.

Hayduke Lives is another terrific Abbey effort.

Abbey was actually in a film. He wrote the novel 'The Lonely Cowboy' (I think that's it??) and it was adapted to screen by him for the film 'Shane'. Abbey got a bit part as the guy that Alan Ladd beats up in a bar fight.

Just for fun I've been thinking of finding the worst possible GOP Congressman or Governor,and promoting him for Prez. with a day or two blitz.

The Cons heads would be spinning.

C Mo,

I don't get it. Your piece above seems pretty harmless to me. Straightforward and inoffensive. The truth hurts, I guess. Did you happen to read
Fiasco? Ricks provides great insight into what led to the abuses at Abeu Ghraib. His point, too, was that responsibility starts at the top.

Hope you can smoke a few more Mo's out on Romney, J.D., who wudda thunk? Jason seems O.K. I can't quite figure out cprince though. I write a neutral observation and he's all over me. Then I come out in Romney's defence (on the IOC scandal) and he lashes out again. Meanwhile, he's writing love letters to Bubba. Maybe Bub's a closet Mormon (ha, ha).

Re. the French, yeah, they don't screw around. When my brother and I were over there, the powers that be were threatening to cut the vacation days of transit workers (down from six weeks). Transit workers struck and brought the government to it's knee's (luckily, we reserved a car in advance).

I showed wifey your young 'pubs letter. She loved it. Being an English major, she understood the context, as well. You and neutral lady ought to start second careers as novelist. Speaking of which, did you know that Anthony Burgess (Clockwork Orange), started his writing career at the age of 50, after mistakenly being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. He wanted to insure that his wife had ample assets upon his imminent death, so started cranking out the novels.

My favorite work of his is the " The Long Day Wanes", a Malayan trilogy. His main character is a Brit history teacher stuck in hostile Indonesia during the twilight years of British colonialism. It's an amazingly prescient tale complete with all the themes that shape the region today; east vs. west, insurgency, radicalism, terrorism, supreme irony. You'd like it, I think...Later bro (this may be my last night at home for a while, though I'll still be around during the days. It's Mom).

C.M.,

The Burgess character is Victor Crabbe and I believe he's stationed in Burma. So, I guess, SE Asia is a more accurate description of the region.

Maybe you saw "Beyond Rangoon", with Patricia Arquette. That outta give you some idea of the region. Well, I'm turning in. Later "trouble".

"Just for fun I've been thinking of finding the worst possible GOP Congressman or Governor,and promoting him for Prez. with a day or two blitz."

John e,

Great idea. Go with a Congressman. They are the worst.

+++
"I showed wifey your young 'pubs letter. She loved it."

dt,

Yeah that old 'Long Forks" parable is golden. And it can be taylored to any area. Just change the names. Note I included the Copes (Local Lefty journalist) and Chenoweth (RIP).

Use it if you want, anybody. Just jigger the names a little. Improve it, anything you want.

Works every time. I first heard it on my old Grand Daddy's knee. I'm thinkin' it's an old Russian tale. Does your wife know it's origin?

Always looking for a good book. I have read CWO. Will check out the other Burgess stuff.

C.M.,

See if you can't track down "Tremor of Intent". It's a nice spy novel by Burgess, but hard to find. I'm pretty sure it's out of print.

dt,
Thanks,

Hey, that Long Forks story was in the B.W. and it created a real stir. An echo, if you will of either indignant and or other funny followup letters from others.

The response of others of course, opened up the opportunity for me to respond; 'I must respond to the personal attack from J. Buffington Foulfellow in response to my thoughtful and well written', you catch my drift.

It was huge fun. SLC must have one of those 'fun' weeklies. Tart the pig up and submit it! Let us know the result.

dt,

By the way;
Anything written by Graham Greene, excellent.

Mitt is back on the front page.

Threw a subtle little shout out to Dale on today's Sunrise.

I want some of that Mitt action but have to get things squared away at my Mom's. You guys/gals carry on the good fight, I'll catch up.

C.M.

Just lost a huge post with some replies to some of your queries, get back to ya.

CM,

You ain't got nothin' on "Plowhandle" on today's Romney post. Talk about stirrin' it up!

CM,

You ain't got nothin' on "Plowhandle" on today's Romney post. Talk about stirrin' it up!

Bubba,

Oh yeah! Just read it. I sound like the milk of human kindness!
Somebody no like-ee the MoMos!

Saw your shout out to Dale. Nice.

CM,

NPR this am was interviewing OSU fans that were giving away free gator meat in front of a grocery store. Thought you'd get a kick outta that.