My Beatle jacket

We finally watched "Living in the Material World," the Martin Scorsese documentary on George Harrison. First, it's really excellent, and not simply another entry in the huge pile of Beatle documentaries. This one has more in it, especially about the music itself. It's a 'duh." See it if you are a Beatle fan, music fan, or interested in the sixties at all.

The reason I'm posting is because it shows George Harrison wearing a jacket that made me hit the pause button and go to the closet.

It looks almost exactly like the matching jackets that my mother and I bought during the same time frame. They were wool (of the scratchy kind), stitched together with some kind of wool yarn, and lined with either silk or satin, I don't know which. They were from Greece, and we lived there at the time.

Ours were both turquoise in color, but I wish I knew what color George's was. I haven't found any color pictures of it. I am not sure what happened to my mother's jacket. I probably gave it to a cousin after she died. I was unable to transport her entire collection of things across the country.

Life is full of weird coincidences.

SXSW Day 1, Wednesday

We actually started out on Tuesday night at the jazz club, the Elephant Room, to see Chris Maresh play standup bass with a jazz quartet. On Wednesday we hit the bus stop early and ended up first in line for the Paste party, which is always good. Waiting in line, I took a few street shots. It was 11:30AM so not that many people were up and out yet.

Some Texas Rollergirls were signing people up for a raffle.

This is great, but how did he manage to enjoy free drinks and noms?

Like always, we don't necessarily know much about the bands we are going to see. I try to listen ahead of time but trying to cover all the options gets frenzied. At Paste, we saw Ponderosa, Futurebirds, The Civil Wars, and Trampled by Turtles. Enjoyed them all. Paste does a good job in their lineups.

The Civil Wars were a band that I'd heard on the radio just a few days previous, and had one of those moments where I HAVE to stop and make note of who that was... so I was glad that we got to see them. They are absolutely enchanting... their voices, songwriting, charisma. The novelty aspect of them (and I know that novelty should not be important, but in fact, it does help with the success of a band - that's just cold reality) is that JP White, the male singer, looks almost exactly like Johnny Depp. A dead ringer. We bought their CD and it is gorgeous.

Broom guitar, taken through the window. By this time, every place up and down the street is blaring with live music. I got a kick out of this guy standing outside Death Metal Pizza across the street.

Trampled by Turtles. This is what I would call a progressive high-energy band with a bluegrass vibe. There is probably not a turtle in the world that could keep up with them.

All those big heads on the mural painting look kind of freaky in the background IMHO.

We headed out after TBT, had a fantastic vegan lunch at Koriente, and walked 6th street to get to the bus stop. Austin's Quiet Company was giving out free hugs. Yes, I got mine!!

6th street busker

It really helps if you have a puppy with you

Went down to South Congress where Jo's was kicking off their daily parties* with an all-day Beatle song event. It's advertised as The Eggmen (a local Beatles cover band) plus ukulele. That part was true, except that they were bringing in multiple bands, one after the other, to play a couple of Beatle tunes each. This is Tornado Rider which features a wild-ass cello. Wow!!! I'd been wanting to see them anyway and this appearance was a complete surprise for me.

We watched a few bands playing Beatle songs, including The Kin from Australia, and walked down the road to Guero's Taco Bar courtyard* to see Monahans.

This is how they describe themselves (so much easier than me coming up with a description in this case):

Austin-based band Monahans (not "The Monahans"), named for the desolate West Texas sand hills, balances thundering rhythms and atmospheric "landscape rock" with urgent pop anthems and spiritual campfire balladry (think Explosions In the Sky + R.E.M + Neil Young)

Had been wanting to see them for awhile and finally got our chance. There was a good vibe at Guero's, and I won some 'house concert' tickets in a raffle.

I recommend every band I've mentioned here. If I don't really care for somebody, I tend to just not even mention them. I am not a music critic, and almost nothing gets ugly faster than repercussions over the "that band sucked" type of postings.

The weather was absolutely gorgeous. Temps in the high 70s and a bit overcast. There was a strong wind blowing, but sometimes that feels good too.

* The parties at Jo's Coffee are called "South by San Jose" or SXSJ. At Guero's they are "Comboplate, South by SoupFest" and benefit a homeless shelter.

Based on a true story, 1960s music edition

Nowhere Boy
In the extra features, the filmmakers discussed how they didn't put great importance on finding actors who resembled the people they were playing, because it was, more importantly, a story about a young man and his mother and less importantly a story about young John Lennon, mother Julia, and Aunt Mimi. I get that goal and approach, but if you strip away the known identities of the people being portrayed, which includes 3 of The Beatles, some of the most famous people any of us 20th century folks can think of, what you are left with is a somewhat interesting little family drama. The main character doesn't look much like John, and the person playing Paul looked a lot more like a young George. I think these things made a difference.

Putting that aside (the effort to make a movie that stands alone without The Beatles mattering), as a Beatle fan I did enjoy watching a dramatization of the Quarrymen forming, and the telling of the John Lennon/Julia/Mimi story.

I say see this movie if you are a Beatle fan. Otherwise... meh.

Pirate Radio
When I was checking this out, the librarian said "this has a great soundtrack," and it does. It looked like it couldn't miss, I mean, Philip Seymour Hoffman is in this!! Also Bill Nighy and Nick Frost... well, even with the soundtrack and PSH it did manage to miss the mark. I don't know how, bad timing, characters not quite genuine... but I think it ranks a shrug of the shoulders.


Well, I feel like this should have been done in threes, with the third choice hitting one out of the park. Anyone want to offer one? Or even one that ranks mediocre?

Doctor... who?

People I know have been telling me for many years that I would love Doctor Who, and that if only I watched a couple of episodes, I’d be hooked for life. I guessed they were probably right, based on other things I liked, but I just never gave it a chance until very recently. Now I am hopelessly hooked. Not the best timing, since there is now soooo much catching up to do. We’ve been checking out boxed sets from the library (aren’t libraries great?), but the downside is that their availability is not in sequential order so it’s been kind of upside-down and backwards.

Super-basic premise: The Doctor is human-looking alien (a Time Lord) who travels through time and space in the TARDIS, which looks like a blue police box. He travels with one or more companions, usually just one, usually female. He can regenerate a new body when he needs to, although a Time Lord can die in certain ways. He prefers wits to weapons.

Here’s a montage from the very first Doctor Who episodes from 1963! We’ve got this set right now, and have been having a good laugh at the cheesy stuff (imagine the budget for a 30 minute children’s science fiction serial TV show on the BBC 1963). This is great if you love old low-budget sci-fi. The cave men! The Daleks and their toilet plungers! (the Daleks look the same in the more recent episodes, just more scary but still with plungers. I’m glad they went for consistency.) This pre-dates Star Trek by 3 years.
The First Doctor:

Even The Beatles made an appearance on the show in 1965!

Everything featuring the Second to the Eighth Doctor is still missing for me, haven’t seen a one of them. The Tenth Doctor (played by David Tennant) is my Doctor. Companion Rose is pretty wonderful too. This David Tennant montage gives you a good feel for the current version of the series.


The way I ended up getting hooked on Doctor Who was because of Torchwood, a spin-off based on a recurring element in the show. It’s a bit more X-Files / Fringe – compared to Dr. Who it’s darker and more adult... and it has Captain Jack (gorgeous John Barrowman) as a centerpiece.

Clip from Torchwood's Season 2 opener:
...could be just your average bar fight scene mixed up good with James Bond and the spaghetti western, except these old "frenemies" are both time agents from the 51st century, one of whom can't be killed. And if it's a scene with Jack, it's likely to be hot... alright, more than just likely.

more Captain Jack Harkness

Got to run... there's an episode waiting.

Gross, Terry Gross

Earlier this week, on NPR’s Fresh Air [LISTEN HERE], there was an entomologist guest, an expert on the dung beetle (not to be confused with The Dung Beatles, at right, who are also not to be confused with that other band, the Fabulous Dung Beatles – and The Beatles themselves have created permanent confusion over the spelling of the word “beetles.”

Anyway… as interesting as the discussion of the dung beetle was, even more interesting was the discussion of coffee (which starts near the end of the interview - about 32 minutes in). The transition between dung beetles and coffee came via cockroaches. Terry Gross was curious about why so many people hate cockroaches – even many entomologists hate cockroaches and kill them on sight (it’s hard for me to understand that as well – so, Terry, good question!). His answer included a story about a fellow scientist who, while they were traveling together, had to make frequent detours (pre-Starbucks) in order to find coffee made from freshly-ground whole beans rather than the stuff made from pre-ground coffee. His explanation for making them go through that was because he was allergic to cockroaches. (I also have a mild allergy to them, and Jax (the cat) has a more severe allergy verified by skin testing.) Cockroaches must like the smell of coffee (well, who doesn’t?) and the small percentage of cockroach that gets included in ground coffee was enough to set off an allergic reaction in him.

Apparently they will do anything to get into your coffee, including smuggling themselves in via Nestle's Coffee Mate [reference]. It was unfortunate for all involved, the roach ended up dead at bottom of the container, where the consumers discovered his body after having used the rest of the jar in their coffee. Nestle was apparently apologetic only to the point of providing them with a replacement Coffee Mate.


If you'd rather avoid real contact of cockroaches and coffee, you could try this drink called "Cucaracha" (and many other things), made generally from equal parts coffee liqueur and tequila. Even if the buggers dusted themselves into the Kahlua, the tequila should kill the germs.

That has not been scientifically verified. ;-)

Gold roach porcelain here

5ifteen

I was tagged on Facebook with this one by konagod, but decided to do it here since I don't have that many Facebook friends yet.

Here's the setup:
"Think of 15 albums that had such a profound effect on you they changed your life or the way you looked at it. They sucked you in and took you over for days, weeks, months, years. These are the albums that you can use to identify time, places, people, emotions. They might not be what you listen to now, but these are the albums that no matter what they were thought of musically shaped your world." After that you are supposed to tag 15 people, which I am not going to do - but if you want to play, tag yourself and let me know in a comment. :-)

Not too long ago I did the "Seven Greatest Albums of All Time", but this list will be stuff I just went crazy for and wore it out - mostly all from the 60s and 70s, all on vinyl. These are arranged chronologically by release year.

1
Meet the Beatles (1964)

I Want To Hold Your Hand, I Saw Her Standing There, This Boy, It Won't Be Long, All I've Got To Do, All My Loving, Don't Bother Me, Little Child, Till There Was You, Hold Me Tight, I Wanna Be Your Man, Not A Second Time

I was just the right age when the Beatles came to America to have my world turned upside-down by a rock band. This album, and The Beatles' Second Album came out in 1964, I got them both, and was absolutely flipped. Crushing on John Lennon was only part of it. They were simply different from anything I'd ever heard before, and still can't be beat.

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2
The Rolling Stones Now! (1965)

Everybody Needs Somebody to Love, Down Home Girl, You Can't Catch Me, Heart of Stone, What a Shame, Mona (I Need You Baby), Down the Road Apiece, Off the Hook, Pain in My Heart, Oh Baby (We Got a Good Thing Goin'), Little Red Rooster, Surprise, Surprise

I never chose between The Beatles and Stones, I loved both of them. The Stones were fascinating, and their "bad" image was impossible to resist. The drew heavily on old American blues, soul and Chuck Berry, and had a sexy, seductive sound and look - that soulful harmonica and Mick's James Brown styled dance. I crushed heavily on Brian Jones at age 12, but Mick and Keith were also part of the obsession. The topics were more grown-up than me, but I was familiar with the rural dive bar, roadhouse, and barfly so it wasn't altogether alien.

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3
The Yardbirds - Having a Rave Up (1965)

Mister You're a Better Man Than I, Evil Hearted You, Still I'm Sad, Heart Full of Soul, I'm a Man, Train Kept A-Rollin', Smokestack Lightning, Respectable, I'm a Man, Here 'Tis

OK, can you tell that I am a British Invasion freak? Yes, I still love that music, and back then I still searched beyond the hit singles for those deep album cuts. As you probably know, the Yardbirds had 3 of the greatest ever rock guitarists as members: Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck. All of them have very distinctive styles, and of those 3 (and I love them all), Jeff Beck is my favorite. This album's covers of old American blues numbers are what I love most about it - they are very intense and fresh takes: I'm a Man, Smokestack Lightning - that stuff is just awesome. Heart Full of Soul is classic Yardbirds with a sound that foreshadowed the psychedelic guitar-oriented rock that wasn't really around yet, but was influenced by tracks like this (among other things) {grin}. If you added For Your Love to this album, it could stand as a Yardbirds album that didn't need anything else. I will never forget when we moved to Greece in 1965 - I was a 12 year old kid and know what to expect the place to be like - then on our first night there in the hotel someone was playing For Your Love at full volume on the nearby beach. It's hard to explain how it made me feel.

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4
Them (1965) UK name The Angry Young Them

Here Comes the Night, Mystic Eyes, Don't Look Back, Little Girl, One Two Brown Eyes, Gloria, If You and I Could Be As Two, I Like It Like That, I'm Gonna Dress in Black, (Get Your Kicks On) Route 66, Go On Home Baby

Continuing with the British Invasion, this is Van Morrison's early band, and contains 2 incredible timeless rocking tracks: Here Comes the Night and G-L-O-R-I-A. It's hard to top Gloria. I am an eccentric freak who prefers Van Morrison's THEM to Van Morrison solo. I know you don't agree, hardly anyone does, and I don't expect it. It's just personal preference.

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5
Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited (1965)

Like a Rolling Stone, Tombstone Blues, It Takes a Lot to Laugh, It Takes a Train to Cry, From a Buick 6, Ballad of a Thin Man, Queen Jane Approximately, Highway 61 Revisited, Just Like Tom Thumb's Blues, Desolation Row

I was a big fan of Dylan from early on, and love all his records up through and including Blonde on Blonde. This is the newly electrified Dylan. I love every minute of it.

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6
Help - The Beatles (1966, UK version)

Help!, The Night Before, You've Got To Hide Your Love Away, I Need You, Another Girl, You're Going To Lose That Girl, Ticket To Ride, Act Naturally, It's Only Love, You Like Me Too Much, Tell Me What You See, I've Just Seen A Face, Yesterday, Dizzy Miss Lizzy

The records I got in 1965-1966 were bought in Europe so they are the UK versions, and this one is really a lot different than the American one. Again, I don't have a Beatle album I didn't obsess over, but I will pick this one because of the movie. I saw it in Greece at an outdoor theatre, it was like a drive-in without cars, everyone was in rows of chairs with the big screen in front of us, and we were under the night sky. Watching the band playing these (new) songs in living color - and they were so beautiful (the band *and* the songs) that I was ecstatic.

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7
The Zodiac - Cosmic Sounds (1967)

OK, this is trippy, as trippy as it gets. This album has been listed as a major influence by Jimi Hendrix, The Moody Blues, Pink Floyd and others. The instructions on the back say that you must listen in the dark. Dramatic poetry and mood-inducing compositions using flutes, Moog synthesizer, harpsichord or whatever else was handy. You can listen to some of here on its MySpace page. Wonderfully dated.

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8
Moody Blues - Days of Future Passed (1967)

The Day Begins, Dawn: Dawn is a Feeling, The Morning: Another Morning, Lunch Break: Peak Hour, The Afternoon: Forever Afternoon (Tuesday?), (Evening) Time to Get Away, Evening: The Sunset, Twilight Time, The Night: Nights in White Satin, Late Lament

The record label wanted the Moody Blues to record Dvorak's New World Symphony and they were going to release it as a quadrophonic aural experiment. Instead, they balked in the studio and recorded their own compositions, but it was still what the label was looking for: a perfect blending of rock and the symphony. If you listened to The Zodiac, you can really hear the influence of it here, especially with the inclusion of dramatic poetry recitation.

Late Lament
Breathe deep the gathering gloom
Watch lights fade from every room
Bedsitter people look back and lament
Another days' useless energy's spent
Impassioned lovers wrestle as one
Lonely man cries for love and has none
New mother picks up and suckles her son
Senior citizens wish they were young
Cold-hearted orb that rules the night
Removes the colors from our sight
Red is gray and yellow, white
But we decide which is right
And which is an illusion.

I am quoting that from memory only, no cheating, no looking. (it might have errors.) This is simply a gorgeous album. I think that Twilight Time and Dawn is a Feeling are my favorites.

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9
Jeff Beck - Truth (1967)

Shapes of Things, Let Me Love You, Morning Dew, You Shook Me, Ol' Man River, Greensleeves, Rock My Plimsoul, Beck's Bolero, Blues De Luxe, I Ain't Superstitious

Rod Stewart, before his pop commercial day, just wailin' the bluesy soul!! He's incredible, and the guitar stylings make this album something unique, even to this day. And look at these credits (pasted from wikipedia):

* Jeff Beck - guitars, vocals, arranger; bass on "Ol' Man River"
* Rod Stewart - vocals (except on "Greensleeves" and "Beck's Bolero")
* Micky Waller - drums (except on "Greensleeves" and "Beck's Bolero")
* Ronnie Wood - bass (except on "Ol' Man River", "Greensleeves" and "Beck's Bolero")
* Nicky Hopkins - piano on "Morning Dew", "You Shook Me", "Beck's Bolero" and "Blues Deluxe"
* Keith Moon - drums on "Beck's Bolero", tympani on "Ol' Man River" (credited for the latter as "You Know Who")
* Jimmy Page - 12-string rhythm guitar on "Beck's Bolero"
* John Paul Jones - bass on "Beck's Bolero" and Hammond Organ on "Ol' Man River" and "You Shook Me"
* Mysterious Scottish Bloke - bagpipes on "Morning Dew"

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10
Jimi Hendrix - Electric Ladyland (1968)

...And the Gods Made Love, Have You Ever Been (To Electric Ladyland), Crosstown Traffic, Voodoo Chile, Little Miss Strange, Long Hot Summer Night, Come On (Part 1), Gypsy Eyes, Burning of the Midnight Lamp, Rainy Day Dream Away, 1983... (A Merman I Should Turn to Be), Moon, Turn the Tides... Gently Gently Away, Still Raining, Still Dreaming, House Burning Down, All Along the Watchtower, Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

Jimi Hendrix, at some point in the late 60s, exploded into space. He was no longer of this earth when it came to his music. You couldn't even tell where it came from because it was so unlike anything before it. You can't explain it away with drugs, because the same level of drug use does not turn most people into a Jimi Hendrix. This double record will blow you away. I was lucky enough to see him live in 1970 at the Atlanta Pop Festival.

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11
Led Zeppelin (1969)

Good Times Bad Times, Babe I'm Gonna Leave You, You Shook Me, Dazed and Confused, Your Time Is Gonna Come, Black Mountain Side, Communication Breakdown, I Can't Quit You Baby, How Many More Times

This is still my favorite LZ album, maybe because when I first saw the band it was only a few months after this was released, I'd never heard of them but was blown away, to say the least. This is still an intensely wonderful listen.

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12
Rolling Stones - Let it Bleed (1969)

Gimme Shelter, Love In Vain, Country Honk, Live With Me, Let It Bleed, Midnight Rambler, You Got The Silver, Monkey Man, You Can't Always Get What You Want

This one is not any better than Exile on Main Street or Sticky Fingers, the Stones were hitting full stride with those 3 records. I picked this one because I saw them (from the front rail) on the tour where this was released, but truthfully it's impossible to pick one over the others.

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13

Johnny Winter - Guitar, Vocals
Edgar Winter - Keyboards
Uncle John Turner - Percussion
Tommy Shannon - Bass
Guest: the great Willie Dixon

I'm Yours & I'm Hers, Be Careful With A Fool, Dallas, Mean Mistreater, Leland Mississippi Blues, Good Morning Little School Girl, When You Got A Good Friend, I'll Drown In My Tears, Back Door Friend

If Robert Plant had my favorite howl then Johnny Winter had my favorite growl. I saw him numerous times at festivals in the 60s, and he was my very favorite flat out blues rock guitar player. His whole band was Texan, and the sound was all-Texan too, although that didn't mean anything to me at the time. I just liked it... a whole lot. Since I moved to Austin, I've seen his rhythm section, Tommy Shannon and Uncle John Turner (now deceased) many times at club shows, but passed up the chance to see JW when he played at Antone's last year. I guess I was secretly afraid I'd spoil my memories, or what's left of them. There's always a danger of that when you revisit things/places/people from your childhood or teenage years.

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14
Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Will The Circle Be Unbroken (1972) (3 record set)

Grand Ole Opry Song, Keep on the Sunny Side, Nashville Blues, You Are My Flower, The Precious Jewel, Dark as a Dungeon, Tennessee Stud, Black Mountain Rag, Wreck on the Highway, The End of the World, I Saw the Light, Sunny Side of the Mountain, Nine Pound Hammer. Losin' You (Might Be the Best Thing Yet), Honky Tonkin', You Don't Know My Mind, My Walkin' Shoes, Lonesome Fiddle Blues, Cannonball Rag, Avalanche, Flint Hill Special, Togary Mountain, Earl's Breakdown, Orange Blossom Special, Wabash Cannonball, Lost Highway, Doc Watson & Merle Travis First Meeting (Dialogue), Way Downtown, Down Yonder, Pins and Needles (In My Heart), Honky Tonk Blues, Sailin' on to Hawaii, I'm Thinking Tonight of My Blue Eyes, I am a Pilgrim, Wildwood Flower, Soldier's Joy, Will the Circle Be Unbroken, Both Sides Now

This features a long list of legendary country/folk/bluegrass/traditional performers (like Mother Maybelle Carter, Roy Acuff, Vassar Clements, Merle Travis, Doc Watson, Earl Scruggs, and more) and material. Country music had always been an important part of rock'n'roll, but this album brought the old traditional stuff, its form left intact, to the rock crowd. I was brought up on that music, so I didn't need much convincing, but I know this collection was a life-changer for lots of people. It's titled appropriately because it brought me back to my roots music, full circle.

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15
Bruce Springsteen - The Wild the Innocent and the E-Street Shuffle (1973)

The E Street Shuffle, 4th of July, Asbury Park (Sandy), Kitty's Back, Wild Billy's Circus Story, Incident on 57th Street, Rosalita (Come Out Tonight), New York City Serenade

I moved out on my own right after high school, moved to the big city (St. Louis) all by myself. I rented a seedy, roachy apartment in a four-family brownstone, 3 rooms, no closets, no sink in the bathroom. I could hardly even afford that. I was very poor, and even working full-time for minimum wage I wasn't really able to afford basic things after the rent was paid -- but living on my own was so liberating, and the inner city presented an adventure, even though it was dangerous (and there's no way I would want to live in a place like that now, I'm too scared of things, but back then I was fearless). I guess that's why these songs really resonated. I got really hooked on them. Bruce Springsteen played St. Louis in 1974 in a fairly small theatre and I talked my live-in boyfriend into going. He had never heard of Bruce Springsteen (this was really early in his career) but we went and it was one of the best live shows I ever saw in my life. I hung around afterward and got his autograph (on a torn matchbook) as he was sitting in the car with a woman. A few years later, I gave the autograph away during a whacked-out religious phase where I was purging "earthly treasures." What an idiot I have been at times. All water under the bridge.

Not quite 48 questions

My friend MandoMama tagged me with the meme on Facebook, but I haven't really jumped into Facebook with both feet yet, so I'm putting it here. I'm not going to tag anyone (and left the ones blank that have to do with tagging), so if you want to play - tag yourself and let me know in the comments.

48 Questions, minus the four I left blank, so that's 44 - in honor of President #44.

1. WERE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE?
Named after 2 ants... no, wait... Aunts.

2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED?
when my kitties died in 2007. I hardly ever cry even if I feel like it. Some movies make me cry. Songs too.

3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING?
I’ve used my own handwriting twice as part of the graphic design of CD sleeve art, which is neither here nor there. Since I type more than I write by hand, it's getting difficult to maintain good penmanship so because I am a perfectionist Virgo, I have a lot of cross-outs and start-overs. I'd really rather type it than make such a mess.

4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT?
How about none? I haven't eaten meat for years. Ick.

5. DO YOU HAVE KIDS?
Nope, kidfree by choice, no offspring or adoptions except for the cats.

6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON, WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU?
Heck no. Two shy moody introverted loners? Who would start the conversation? The people I make friends with in face-to-face world are extraverts: honest, frank and sometimes brash.

7. DO YOU USE SARCASM?
Sarcasm has no place in a humorless society. Seriously, this blog has been sarcasm-free for one zero days.

8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS?
No. had them out as an adult simultaneously with sinus surgery. I don't recommend that – I mean the sinus surgery and having the two things done together although I don’t miss my tonsils. If you are young – have them gone!

9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP?
No way.

10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL?
The ones I like don’t like me.

11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF?
No.

13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM?
See question 10. All I ever have these days are nonfat no-sugar-added low-calorie fudge bars. {yawn}

14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE?
Accessories, and smiles, especially the eye-smiles.

15. RED OR PINK?
Pink

16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF?
So many to choose from, I just can’t decide. Maybe my lack of self-esteem?

17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST?
I guess it would be my dad, because I never got to be around him as an adult.

18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO COMPLETE THIS LIST?
-------

19. WHAT COLOR PANTS AND SHOES ARE YOU WEARING?
black flipflops, blue jeans

21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW?
The ringing in my ears.

22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON, WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE?
Silver. I always liked making the page shiny.

23. FAVORITE SMELLS?
Jasmine, honeysuckle, coffee

24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE?
It’s always the vet’s office.

25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON WHO SENT THIS TO YOU?
Absolutely.

26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH?
Probably baseball.

27. HAIR COLOR?
It’s brown, for real. I’ve got no more than a dozen gray hairs. It’s freaky.

28. EYE COLOR?
Dark blue.

29. DO YOU WEAR CONTACTS?
No, but people tend to think I do because of my unusual eye color. I need glasses for distances.

30. FAVORITE FOOD?
I love olives.

31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS?
Happy endings are annoying.

32. LAST MOVIE YOU WATCHED?
Color Me Kubrick (starring John Malkovich)

33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING?
deep red with a leafy theme

34. SUMMER OR WINTER?
In Texas and the sub-tropic/tropics? Winter!

35. HUGS OR KISSES?
hugs all around!

37. MOST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
----
38. LEAST LIKELY TO RESPOND?
----

39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING NOW?
Re-reading my 1925 edition of Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. Same one I had as a kid.

40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD?
“PETCO – I’m a cat person” with a big blue cat.

41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT?
The NatGeo documentaries Air Force One and Marine One, and a DVR’d Lie to Me.

42. FAVORITE SOUND(S).
guitar, mandolin, kitty meows, birds, waves on the beach, MrB talking, anything but this ringing in the ears. (make it stop!) (I have an ear infection right now and it's driving me crazy)

43. ROLLING STONES OR BEATLES?
I refuse to choose!!!

44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME?
“Home” needs defining when you are a military kid. I lived in Greece and Hawaii, but they were home to me at the time. That unlimited bus ticket I bought back in ’76 took me into some places that are far from where I’d want to be in many ways.

45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT?
silly puns, and spotting typos on billboards. Anybody hiring?

46 WHERE WERE YOU BORN?
I was born on a rainy night in Phoenix AZ.

47. WHOSE ANSWERS ARE YOU LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING BACK?
---

48. HOW DID YOU MEET YOUR SPOUSE/SIGNIFICANT OTHER?
In a bar where I’d gone to see my favorite local band.

RIP Delaney Bramlett

[OBIT] Of Delaney and Bonnie and Friends, one of my favorite bands in the 60s. They were one of the best live bands I ever saw, and I've yet to see justice done to them on film (or videotape) included these posted. You had to be there. The "Friends" part of it included Eric Clapton, Duane Allman, Gregg Allman, George Harrison, Leon Russell, Dave Mason, Rita Coolidge, King Curtis, Bobby Whitlock, Jim Keltner. This wiki entry clears up the timeline some, and I learned a few things out of it too.

Delaney and Leon Russell were in the the house band for the TV show Shindig!, called the Shindogs... good way to make connections. George Harrison liked D&B enough to try and get them on the Beatles' Apple label (which couldn't legally happen) and Delaney taught Harrison to play bottle slide guitar. Through Harrison they got hooked up with Clapton and toured with him as an opener for Blind Faith. D&B were Clapton's band on his first solo album, and later the band became Derek & the Dominos (sans the Bramletts), and there's a Mad Dogs and Englishmen Joe Cocker connection in there too. They burned very brightly.

The Magnificent Seven

THE RULES:

1. Post your list of the seven best albums, the seven bloggers you will tag, a copy of these rules, and a link back to this page.
2. Each person tagged will put a URL to their Blogger Album Project post along with a list of the seven best albums in the comment section HERE.
3. Feel free to post the “I Contributed to the Blogger Album Project” Award Graphic on your sidebar, along with a link back to this page.
4. Post a link back to the blogger who tagged you.

The Blogger Album Project (Left of Centrist) is collecting a list of what we think are the very best albums.

Border Explorer tagged me for this, and I do love to make these lists, but it is very difficult. I am not the most decisive person around, and my list is constantly changing, so here goes. About half of it goes back to what I think was the greatest time for popular music, the late 1960s (very early 1970s). There was something in the air, something in the water, and whatever it was, there was a great surge of music that came out that has stood the test of time as well as thousands of spins. I am only picking one album per artist, because several of these artists could each easily fill out my 7 best by themselves. I have linked to the albums' wiki entries.

Eric Johnson - Venus Isle (1996) ...as fine a guitar player as anyone on the planet. Most people pick his Ah Via Musicom, the one that went platinum and got a Grammy, and it's a fine one too, every bit as good, but Venus Isle is still my favorite. Eric Johnson was born in Austin, Texas, and still lives here.

Nickel Creek - self-titled (2000). This album simply turned me upside-down. Incredible playing, perfect harmonies, I fell in love with the mandolin, and it was probably the first time I found my musical idols to be over 30 years younger than I was. They have broken up, but we are going to see the Watkins' (Sean and Sara) with Glen Phillips this weekend.

Loreena McKennitt - The Mask and Mirror (1994). Loreena creates a perfect blend of Middle-Eastern and Celtic sounds, with a very ancient feel. The Book of Secrets is really every bit as good as this one, and I love The Visit just as much too. I was dying to see Loreena playing live for many years, and she finally did a tour a couple of years ago - but now I have no funds for pricey shows in Houston. Those days are gone.

Moody Blues - To Our Children’s Children’s Children (1969). It's nearly impossible to pick the best Moody Blues album, especially if you are picking from what they call the "Core 7." Seven albums released between 1967 and 1972, all flawlessly brilliant, not a skip-over track in the bunch. I could pick all of these as the "best," but since I’m trying to limit myself to 7...
Core 7: Days of Future Passed • In Search of the Lost Chord • On the Threshold of a Dream • To Our Children's Children's Children • A Question of Balance • Every Good Boy Deserves Favour • Seventh Sojourn

Yes - Close to the Edge (1972). This is a real masterpiece. Incredible instrumentals and vocals, and so tight! This album is like a journey rather than a song collection. Turn it up. Now LOUDER. Perfect. Jon Anderson has had some health problems lately that have kept him from singing, and sadly, the band has decided to tour without him. No… it’s not Yes. They are filling in with a singer from a Yes tribute band, but to me it's not Yes without Jon Anderson. This goes right along with the other bit of recent Classic Rock news that Led Zeppelin will tour without Robert Plant. That IS a Heartbreaker.

The Beatles – White Album (1968). Impossible to pick just one Beatles album. There isn't a bad track on most of these albums, and I could have as easily picked Rubber Soul or Sgt. Pepper or Abbey Road. They are all very special.
Please Please Me · With The Beatles · A Hard Day's Night · Beatles for Sale · Help! · Rubber Soul · Revolver · Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band · The Beatles · Yellow Submarine · Abbey Road · Let It Be (well, Let It Be may not be up to standard of the others)

Joni Mitchell – Clouds (1969). Again, with Joni Mitchell, it’s nearly impossible to just pick one because she has so many albums that are perfection. Clouds is Joni in her most raw, folk singer/songwriter form. There’s a lot of melancholy here, combined with joy, and so much beauty. You can say that about a lot of her music.

TAGGING:

...Oh boy, I think a lot of people I can think of have already been tagged, so I am not going to have seven tags.

I am tagging MandoMama, maria*maria, Ingrid. Of course, please participate voluntarily if you want, or feel free to untag yourself if you want.

The Dream is Over

Many, many years ago, the Beatles changed my life. I was about 10 when they first hit the States. They seemed like the embodiment of wholesome delight, so funny, so cute, they were ideal pop stars. Music, clothing, social trends... these things seemed to bend to the will and power of The Beatles.

As the years went past, they were found to have all the same types of frailties and shortcomings that all humans have. Well, of course they did. They were, and had been, humans all along. Just regular humans with marital problems, screwed-up personal lives and other issues, who just happened to be worshipped like gods and still are. I spent plenty of time in that denomination myself. I idolized The Beatles for many years, and have found that reading various bios, journals, and other kiss-and-tells more recently has turned them back into humans for me. They really were just a rock and roll band -- a brilliant and inspired bunch of people who turned out masterpieces of modern music.

My own journey through religion and embracing of humanism is similar in some ways. There was an awakening at some point, and I found I could think more clearly. Waking life may be harsher, but I still prefer having endless questions over false answers. I prefer the red pill. John Lennon was an inspired genius with a gift for expression, especially in matters such as these, he was not afraid to speak the unspeakable and clear the air. It was liberating for him, and for us too.


John Lennon was born Oct. 9, 1940.
Sharing a birthday: Sean Ono Lennon, born Oct. 9, 1975. Website (plays music), or Wiki.

Tags: Music - Lennon

HI Obamas

Huffington Post has a couple of pages featuring The Obamas' Hawaiian vacation photos. They include beaches, picnic, golf, and Obama body-surfing. One quick comment I'd like to make is that I've watched candidates age rapidly, get gray hair, bags under the eyes, lose their voices, and nearly wear out during a Presidential campaign, but Sen. Obama doesn't even look tired. He looks great. Look at the 2 sets of pics here and here.

Well, it may be fluff and irrelevant*, but the pictures really reminded me of the 1960s Kennedys. The reason is because, like the 1960s Kennedys, they are just such a beautiful family, the kind you might want to project yourself into, especially if you wanted to somehow switch your own family with a nicer one. I don't know how many surrogate families I "adopted" during my life just to bring myself a sense of normalcy and stability (and I would now add that normalcy is way overrated - I see that through adult eyes when I couldn't before). When I was about 9 I saved clipping scrapbooks of my personal heroes, which at the time were the Kennedy family and the Mercury astronauts. (This was before The Beatles came along gave me something new to collect.) I think that if I was 9 right now, I'd have an Obama family scrapbook, only it would be digital.

I lived in Hawaii a little while when I was little. I dug out some slides that were really a hoot - Hawaii in the 50s, and now I realize that this printer/scanner I got free with the new computer does not scan slides. grrr. I wanted to include those in this post, but will have to promise them for later.

*McCain's camp would say that a President's image with the public is not important, such as these images of vitality, but then tell you that the recession is all in your head. So is image and perception and confidence important... or not?

Another night at Momo's

Saturday we got to Momo's early to see The Steps [listen on MySpace], who I've been wanting to see. They are a really good (teenaged) rock band. Their playing is tight, all are good musicians, and they've got a sound that's a bit of a throwback to the early 60s British stuff that I love so much, and I am not talking about the sweet stuff, I mean the Kinks, Van Morrison's Them, the Yardbirds, and early Beatles and Rolling Stones -- they are often compared to the Strokes as well. They are so young, 2 of them are still in high school, but they've already played the Austin City Limits Festival, toured in London, and have a record coming out next month. [read more about them]

I picked up their set list (which was written on a restaurant order check) and got them to autograph it afterwards. They seemed surprised, but they did it happily with a grin and a WTF look... but they might as well get used to requests like that. I think they are going to go somewhere if they can stay together, especially when that CD comes out. The kids are alright!

The main band we went to see came on next. It was the Band of Heathens, one of our favorite bands. They were having their live DVD release (Live at Antone's), and we were there at Antone's for the taping of it last June. The mayor of Austin was at the show too (he's a fan) so I got him to autograph my DVD too. The Heathens put on a great show, as usual. Mark del Castillo and his wife were sitting behind us, and he tapped me on the shoulder to say hi. They are doing an early show (7pm) at Antone's later this month, and we both agreed that their Austin shows are kind of a family affair (babies, moms, uncles, aunts and grandparents in attendance) so early is good, and besides... lots of us (including some in the band) have to get up early. They are both really nice people, it's always a pleasure to run into them or anyone else from Del Castillo.

There was one more band on the ticket, La Tampiquena, which is Will Dupuy's band (ex-Jug Band), and Warren Hood (Waybacks) (also ex-Jug Band) was sitting in, and it was sounding really good but it was time for us old folks to go home to some lonely cats, unhappy to have been left for the evening without the regularly scheduled pettins.

Tags: Music - Austin - Texas - Texas Music

Spare change?

[LINK] "Sadly, you have to mix at a certain level of people to raise the level of funds you need to bring about the greater good, because people are very snobby. These people who have lots of money, they're either snobby or they're stingy. If you have lots of money, you have to be stingy — because why would you want that amount of money?" -- Heather Mills McCartney

Not catty remarks made at a cocktail party, this was part of a speech delivered at Trinity College Dublin.

Ms. MM said that rich people are misers and snobs, and that she was reluctantly obliged to befriend the world's wealthy because that was the only way to maximize her power as an agent for change.

Apparently quite a bit of "change" will be needed, as she is trying to get from Paul twice the amount he's offered her in the settlement. He has offered $50 million, according to the British press.

Tags: Heather Mills - McCartney - Beatles

Another Weekend in Austin

The Home Alone weekend went fine, although everyone's routine was messed up (especially cats, who are almost Monk-like about doing things the same way all the time). It is nice to have MrB home again. I still worked every day but for only a few hours a day so I got in some downtime.

Saturday I went to the BatFest, which occupies the entire Congress Avenue Bridge. The main sponsor was Cricket, so maybe they were responsible for our being swarmed by crickets. There's been a cricket invasion here this summer, and the bright stage lights drew them in by the hundreds (thousands, more like), along with moths, ladybugs, and you-name-it bugs who enjoy the lights that the bats don't. The bands I saw were Maneja Beto and Del Castillo, who were dealing with the bugs very professionally. Both guitarists in D.C. had to get through hellacious solos while large crickets sat on their knees, gazing up at them (the guitarists sit in chairs). For a while, Mark had one perched on top of his head... like a little hat... and he knew it was there (he told us so later). Alex performed for a while with a moth planted right on the front of his trousers while we thought of puns that might be used to describe that situation. All in fun!

There were some kids on the front row by us, some girls maybe 11-12 years old... BIG fans of both these bands, and you would have thought the Beatles were playing by all the squealing and screaming, but everybody got a kick out of it... very cute. It was a great show, and the band let all us hard-cores go backstage afterwards to chat and exchange sweaty hugs, even though the show finished at midnight and they had to hit the road fairly early in the AM for Corpus. And with 1.5 million little bats emerging from under the bridge where we were located, I did not even see ONE. Maybe they gorged themselves on bugs and went back to ... bed ... or whatever.

Sunday, my concert-buddy suggested going to see Warren Hood at Momo's, so not much arm-twisting needed for that gig. It would take too long to describe Warren here, but he is quite beloved in the town for several reasons summed up simply (in no particular order) as:

• lineage
• musical history, bands, gigs, session work
• loads of talent
• really nice person

He has been a member of The Waybacks for a couple of years or so, but when he's not gigging with them he has his own outfit called The Hoodlums which could, on any particular night, include just about anybody. Last time I saw him, Cindy Cashdollar was sitting in. This time there was saxaphone in the band and Seth Walker sat in a bit. Also, Sasha Ortiz (daughter of soul-rocker Natalie Zoe), who I think must be barely out of high school and in a band called Blues Mafia, got up and belted out some fantastic soulful singing. Warren's music? Well, impossible to pigeonhole... always a little jazz, a lotta swing, some classical flavors, a little blues, a little bluegrass, Walter Hyatt, South Carolina, Texas, Louisiana: put in a blender and serve.

Had no camera over the weekend, but if I had I would have taken a pic of Waterloo Records at night. Part of their neon sign is burned out, so that the only thing remaining lit is this:

LOO

Tags: Music - Austin - Texas - Texas Music

Wilburys (Traveling)

The Traveling Wilburys were brought together by George Harrison in 1988, and were a perfect blending of Harrison, Bob Dylan, Jeff Lynne, Tom Petty and Roy Orbison. It amazes me how good they sound together, and it's not just because they are all so good. Some of the worst-sounding things I've heard have been pairings of extremely talented people that I like -- just not together. Not sure I want to name names... maybe in the comments... (Worst duets ever? Good people, bad pairing? Anybody want to start?)

But this is very different. Very good stuff. I always meant to buy their 2 CDs, put it off, saw them in the used bins, figured I'd pick them up later -- eventually. Then they went out of print. Then they became valuable and I couldn't find them in the bins anymore or afford them on eBay. Bummer! But finally, just today, both discs have been reissued and packaged with a fun "making of" DVD (the video clip above is included). There apparently were lots of legal barriers toward getting this re-released, and check it out -- nowhere on the cover does it mention or picture any of the legends who play on it. If that's all it took to get these back in print I'm sorry it took so long.

Tags: Music - orbison - wilburys - dylan - beatles

1967 - Summer of Love, Beatles, and the Zodiac

There's been a bit of hoopla over the 40th anniversary of the release of The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album... and it is worthy of hoopla! It was an absolutely groundbreaking masterpiece that has had volumes written over it. There's not much commentary that I can add to that mountain of work. The 60s were an incredible time for music, and when I looked up the wiki entry on 1967 music, it was amazing to go over the list of musical events for the year. So many of these things were (in the long run) every bit as groundbreaking as Sgt. Pepper's.

These artists started their musical careers and/or released their first album:

Toots & the Maytals (released one of the first reggae songs. I understand that Toots was responsible for that music style being called "reggae")
Sly & the Family Stone (maybe the best live dance band ever)
Creedence Clearwater Revival
The Velvet Underground - The Velvet Underground and Nico* (with the peelable banana). I loved this record. And I loved Nico. I didn't know this before, but she rehabbed from being a heroin addict, got into a healthy lifestyle, but then died after a bicycle accident that was caused by a mild heart attack.
Procol Harum - Procol Harum
The Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?*
The Doors - The Doors*
Buffalo Springfield - Buffalo Springfield* (with Stephen Stills, Richie Furay and Neil Young as members)
The Grateful Dead - The Grateful Dead
Moby Grape - Moby Grape*
Arlo Guthrie - Alice's Restaurant*
Pink Floyd - The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Cream - Disraeli Gears*
David Bowie - David Bowie

Notable releases:

Jefferson Airplane - Surrealistic Pillow and After Bathing at Baxter's*
The Moody Blues (re-formed and late in the year released Days of Future Passed*, the first real melding of rock and symphony, also arguably the first prog record).
The Beatles - Magical Mystery Tour*
Love - Da Capo* and Forever Changes.
Cosmic Sounds - The Zodiac* (several artists, including members of The Moody Blues, Pink Floyd, and Jimi Hendrix have given a nod of influence toward this trippy concept album, which bears the instruction: "Must be played in the dark".)

*we wore these records completely out!!

More 1967 events and trivia:

The Beatles in 1967 -- admitted that they had dropped acid. Later in the year their manager, Brian Epstein, died while they were with the Maharishi.

Jimi Hendrix set fire to his guitar for the first time. He was on tour with The Walker Brothers, Cat Stevens and Engelbert Humperdinck. Hendrix, later in the year, was nixed from a support tour of The Monkees after complaints from the conservative Daughters of the American Revolution. Hendrix's manager Chas Chandler later admitted it was all for outrage publicity. Interesting term: "outrage publicity".

Rolling Stone Magazine came out in 1967. I had most of the first several years of issues (it's that old "packrat" gene -- always thinking that things are going to be valuable later -- then there's the "lack of good sense" gene that makes me get rid of stuff at rock-bottom rates when I should have held on to them. Those things WERE valuable).

The Monterey International Pop Festival happened -- the first rock festival, and the "birth" of all rock festivals of its kind. The Rolling Stone's Altamont show in 1969 is considered to be the final death-knell for rock festivals of the "outlaw" variety. Nowadays they work and are profitable but are a very corporate production. Not the same animals at all.

The Monkees were the best selling group of 1967, outselling the Beatles and the Rolling Stones combined.

Tags: Music - 1967 - Beatles - Monkees - Hendrix - Sgt. Pepper - Zodiac