Am I the only one who thinks the concerns about swine flu are a bit unfounded? The Toronto Star had today a screaming headline about four cases in the GTA today. And the deal is, they're only mild cases.
I don't want to sound like I'm trivializing something that's fairly serious, in certain cases. Yes, I know people have died from this disease. Yes, I know it's a threat mainly to babies and the elderly. But doesn't the media have something better to report than every mild case that comes across the border? Cripes. They're now talking about raising the status of this to pandemic levels. I think there's a bit too much paranoia and hype surrounding this. It's only the flu, for crying out loud. They have a vaccine to combat the thing. You'd think this is another SARS or something -- now that's truly scary. The return of SARS would be cause for a pause. But not the flu. Most of those who've got it will probably recover. This is not 1918 over again, which the media would have you believe.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Bea Arthur RIP
So Bea Arthur passed away on the weekend. Not really big news as in every interview I saw her in recently she looked old and frail. I wasn't a big fan of hers, not on Maude nor on The Golden Girls, but I can admit that she was talented at what she did. I think she even won a Tony.
But the strange thing is, in none of the obituaries that I've read on her passing do they mention her role in the notorious Star Wars Holiday Special. You know, that awful Star Wars thing they did for TV in 1978. Thanks to the wonders of YouTube though, you can see her performance in said special right here. She even sings! Gotta love her. At least, she was a good sport.
But the strange thing is, in none of the obituaries that I've read on her passing do they mention her role in the notorious Star Wars Holiday Special. You know, that awful Star Wars thing they did for TV in 1978. Thanks to the wonders of YouTube though, you can see her performance in said special right here. She even sings! Gotta love her. At least, she was a good sport.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
St. Lawrence Market Sundays II
So I just came back with a real vinyl haul from the St. Lawrence Antiques Market on King at Jarvis. I must have picked up something in the order of 18 records. Some of them real finds.
For instance, I'm listening to Cat Power's Moon Pix as you read this. I never expected to find an indie rock record littered in the flotsam and jetsam of the market, but there is it. Despite not having an inner album liner, it's in pretty good shape. Some dirt and some surface noise, but I expect that I can clean that off.
I also found, like, three Johnny Cash records, including his Greatest Hits and At San Quentin, one of his notorious live records from the late '60s. Not sure how playable they will be as the live album has a small crack in it, and some chalk-like dirt that wouldn't come off.
While I didn't find The Muppet Movie soundtrack, I did find the next best thing, a compilation of favourite tracks that's a double disc set. It does have "The Rainbow Connection" and "Movin' Right Along", though I could probably do without the theme song to Muppet Babies.
I also found some records by Bruce Springsteen, The Who, Van Halen and Elton John (Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, which is probably the only half-way decent thing he did, and where my collection of his stuff will begin and end). I also picked up Rush's Exit ... Stage Left, and also found Morrisey's Viva Hate. I also found another Gordon Lightfoot Greatest Hits-like album. So I guess I've got lots to listen to this week.
For instance, I'm listening to Cat Power's Moon Pix as you read this. I never expected to find an indie rock record littered in the flotsam and jetsam of the market, but there is it. Despite not having an inner album liner, it's in pretty good shape. Some dirt and some surface noise, but I expect that I can clean that off.
I also found, like, three Johnny Cash records, including his Greatest Hits and At San Quentin, one of his notorious live records from the late '60s. Not sure how playable they will be as the live album has a small crack in it, and some chalk-like dirt that wouldn't come off.
While I didn't find The Muppet Movie soundtrack, I did find the next best thing, a compilation of favourite tracks that's a double disc set. It does have "The Rainbow Connection" and "Movin' Right Along", though I could probably do without the theme song to Muppet Babies.
I also found some records by Bruce Springsteen, The Who, Van Halen and Elton John (Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, which is probably the only half-way decent thing he did, and where my collection of his stuff will begin and end). I also picked up Rush's Exit ... Stage Left, and also found Morrisey's Viva Hate. I also found another Gordon Lightfoot Greatest Hits-like album. So I guess I've got lots to listen to this week.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Favourite Songs of the '60s on YouTube
God bless YouTube. You can pretty much see anything you want, from old episodes of Read All About It! to videos by The Lonely Island. People are also posting videos of really cool songs from the '60s by videotaping their turntables going at it. It's a cool way to get to songs that have been nearly lost to the dustbin of history.
Take this video of The Innocence's "There's Got To Be A Word!" from 1966. I have the 45 rpm in question, thanks to my dad's record collection. It's pretty atypical of what my dad was listening to at the time (namely, anything having to do with The Byrds), but this was one is a gorgeous song nevertheless.
I also have the 45 of the Left Banke's "Walk Away Renee", which you can view a fanmade video of here. It's a lovely song, and, rightfully so, landed in Rolling Stone magazine's Top 500 Songs Of All Time. The follow-up, "Pretty Ballerina" is also posted as a video of a song playing on someone's turntable here.
Then, there's the Syndicate of Sound's "Little Girl" which, yep, someone has taped playing on their turntable here. I have that on 45, along with the Critters "Younger Girl" (on a related note) which you can view here.
Lots of stuff on that YouTube.
Take this video of The Innocence's "There's Got To Be A Word!" from 1966. I have the 45 rpm in question, thanks to my dad's record collection. It's pretty atypical of what my dad was listening to at the time (namely, anything having to do with The Byrds), but this was one is a gorgeous song nevertheless.
I also have the 45 of the Left Banke's "Walk Away Renee", which you can view a fanmade video of here. It's a lovely song, and, rightfully so, landed in Rolling Stone magazine's Top 500 Songs Of All Time. The follow-up, "Pretty Ballerina" is also posted as a video of a song playing on someone's turntable here.
Then, there's the Syndicate of Sound's "Little Girl" which, yep, someone has taped playing on their turntable here. I have that on 45, along with the Critters "Younger Girl" (on a related note) which you can view here.
Lots of stuff on that YouTube.
Grunge Is Dead: Popmatters Review
So my review of Grunge Is Dead went live today on Popmatters.com. You can read it by clicking here. It was a bit of a tough book to review, as it is an oral history, meaning that the book is made up of nothing but quotes from various hangers-on in the music scene. I'm pretty happy with the result, though, and think it is one of the better book reviews that I've turned in. I gave it a 7 out of 10. Overall, a pretty good read, though I've since given up the book for my parent's next yard sale when I did my spring cleaning.
Not much else is new here. Picked up two Robert Pollard albums on vinyl. Will let you know what I think of them, perhaps, in a future post.
Not much else is new here. Picked up two Robert Pollard albums on vinyl. Will let you know what I think of them, perhaps, in a future post.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
5 - 10 - 15 - 20 - 25 - 30
Pitchfork Media is running a reoccurring feature called 5 - 10 - 15 - 20, in which they ask their favourite indie artists to talk about their favourite records at the ages of 5, 10, 15, 20 and so on. I figured I'd get on top of the meme, and contribute my own formative soundtrack to my early years.
5 - "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini"
My aunt, whom I assume reads this blog, had a K-Tel record called Goofy Greats, in which this song figured prominently. I don't know who sung it, as I'm too lazy to go into my closet to look it up. (I now own the record.) But I assume I must have nearly worn out the grooves of this album playing it. I recall sitting out on the back porch of my grandparent's house in Barry's Bay when I was about 5, playing the song non-stop. I think my grandma asked me to quit playing it so often. Nothing like a song about a girl afraid to go into the water to stir the heart and imagination as a young child.
There are some notable runners-up. There's the aforementioned (on this blog, anyhow) Muppet Movie Soundtrack, which I wore out the grooves of. I was big into movie soundtracks at this time, as I had the soundtrack to the Jungle Book and somehow managed to punch a hole in the middle of the record. I forget how it happened, but I figured it happened when I was playing it at one of my birthday parties. Then, there was something called Mickey Mouse Disco, which I recall really liking because none of the songs sounded like kiddie songs -- instead, it had the "adult" feel of a disco record. (I haven't been able to find it in the stack of records my parents most recently gave me.) I was also into "Red Rubber Ball" by the Cyrkle. That was another favourite of mine from those years. I was pleasantly surprised to find the 45 rpm that my dad had, and it is remarkably scratch-free. "25 or 6 to 4" by Chicago figures in there somehow, as we had both the 45 and a concert band recording of the song on a long-player put out by my high school circa 1975.
10 - Hunting High and Low by a-ha
I was big into trashy Euro-pop when I was about 10 or so. I was really big into "Take On Me" and, particularly, the video when I was this age. I thought it was, like, the coolest thing I'd ever seen. I recall being into the follow-up album even more, that'd be Scoundrel Days, despite some silly songs being on there, like "We're Looking For The Whales". But that came a bit later, probably when I was about 12 or so.
Honourable mentions would have to go to the Ghostbusters soundtrack, which was the first thing I owned on cassette tape, along with Tears For Fears' Songs From The Big Chair (which I now own on vinyl).
15 - A Farewell To Kings by Rush
When I was in my mid-teens, I voraciously ate up everything by Canadian power trio Rush. I recall getting Chronicles on tape from the public library and just having my world blown open. A Farewell was the very first CD that I owned, which I purged myself when I was about 22 or so when I thought I was too cool for Rush, and I rabidly started to own every Rush album that I could get my hands on. For a time, there was nothing more that I owned but Rush CDs. Farewell still is my sentimental favourite, and to this day think that "Cygnus X-1" still rocks, and remember being profoundly being disappointed by the sequel, a side-long epic on Hemispheres, the follow-up. Strangely enough, I had been previously introduced to "Subdivisions" on a K-Tel cassette compilation called Rock '83, but thought nothing of it at the time. I guess I needed a few years for the high-school angst of Rush to grow on me.
I was pretty big into Wang Chung at this time too. I think I wore out my cassette copy of The Warmer Side of Cool, a lost classic I'm hoping to find on vinyl.
20 - Warehouse: Songs and Stories by Husker Du
When I was in my late teens, I got into hardcore punk in a pretty big way. I was all over the grunge scene in Seattle, and linked the linage back to this group from Minneapolis. Warehouse doesn't get much love these days, even though it got a five-star review in Rolling Stone at the time. But it is still among my very favourite albums of all time. It is one of my desert island discs, for sure. I recall listening to this in the tourist booth that I used to work in back in the day almost non-stop. I was blown away by the bombast and the tenderness of the album, and the fact that it didn't sound like anything I'd ever heard before. "No Reservations", "She Floated Away", "Turn It Around", "It's Not Peculiar", and on it goes. The whole record, a double, has a natural progression to it. It is one of the few records out there that actually has a climax.
I also call this record the Rosetta Stone of pop music, because it's all there: power-pop, punk, psychedelia, and on it goes. I once got rid of the CD when I was going through a tough time a few years ago, because it was just so emotionally raw. I wisely bought it back a year ago, and whenever I go on vacation somewhere, this is the disc I usually bring with me as a traveling companion.
I was disappointed when I saw ex-band leader Bob Mould last year live in that he never played any songs off this record, but otherwise touched on much of his back catalogue. I think I still have a CD-R somewhere of a 1987 Huskers show where they played the entire album start to finish live.
25 - Bee Thousand by Guided by Voices
I don't know what to say about Bee Thousand by GbV that hasn't been said before. This is simply a low-fi pop masterpiece that, sure, has its share of filler, but the filler is actually there to bolster the incredible songs (and make them better) that are "Smothered In Hugs", "Echos Myron", "Tracker Rape Chain", etc. etc. Band leader Robert Pollard had a profound effect on my writing at the time; I just marvelled at the way that the guy could knock off classic songs in the space of time that it takes most people to eat dinner. We all know what became of Pollard: a little bit too self-indulgent for his own good, he now releases records at a rate of nearly a bajillion a year. (Seriously.) But this album was the pure distillation of his talents. Alien Lanes is nearly as good, but I didn't get into that one until I was closer to 30.
As a side note, I think it was just after this time that I got into alt-country in a pretty big way. Wilco, Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo, and Sparklehorse (along with Golden Smog) were getting plays on my CD player just shortly after this time. Nothing much more to say about that except it's strange I didn't get into Gram Parsons until much more recently.
How could I also forget that I got into Steely Dan at this point in my life. I used to be a big fan of Aja, but these days I'm more of a Katy Lied kind of guy. I love the Dan, for their weird lyrics and smooth '70s rock stylings. I wish contemporary radio would play something other than "Do It Again" or "Reeling In The Years" because they have an impressive back catalogue that goes beyond those hits. Not too fond of their newer stuff, but it's good to see them working and touring again. I wish I'd still been in Ottawa to see them play BluesFest last year.
30 - Something/Anything? by Todd Rundgren
This one is another desert island disc for me. I got into Rundgren in a big way when I heard "It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference" from this record on the soundtrack to Almost Famous. (There's those soundtrack albums again.) Naturally, I have since hunted down nearly everything the guy has put on vinyl, even the self-indulgent messes that made up part of early Utopia. I just love this record. There is hardly a bad track to be found, and it's a double album. The guy played nearly every instrument and sang on it too, except for the band concept stuff that he did on Side 4. It really is a power-pop classic, and one that I find myself taking off the shelf often as I slide out of my Christ year. It has really stood the test of time. There's even a song about my mom on it: "Marlene". A true power-pop gem. What more can I say?
As a final side-note, I picked up the jewel of my vinyl collection around this time: Radio City by Big Star. It's a mint condition record from the original pressing that came out back in 1972. It set me back about $30. I play this one often too. A friend of mine dubbed it the premier example of a genre known as "cottage rock". I have to agree. It's just solid from start to finish. I guess you can say that between Big Star and Rundgren, I was big into power pop at this time of my life.
5 - "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini"
My aunt, whom I assume reads this blog, had a K-Tel record called Goofy Greats, in which this song figured prominently. I don't know who sung it, as I'm too lazy to go into my closet to look it up. (I now own the record.) But I assume I must have nearly worn out the grooves of this album playing it. I recall sitting out on the back porch of my grandparent's house in Barry's Bay when I was about 5, playing the song non-stop. I think my grandma asked me to quit playing it so often. Nothing like a song about a girl afraid to go into the water to stir the heart and imagination as a young child.
There are some notable runners-up. There's the aforementioned (on this blog, anyhow) Muppet Movie Soundtrack, which I wore out the grooves of. I was big into movie soundtracks at this time, as I had the soundtrack to the Jungle Book and somehow managed to punch a hole in the middle of the record. I forget how it happened, but I figured it happened when I was playing it at one of my birthday parties. Then, there was something called Mickey Mouse Disco, which I recall really liking because none of the songs sounded like kiddie songs -- instead, it had the "adult" feel of a disco record. (I haven't been able to find it in the stack of records my parents most recently gave me.) I was also into "Red Rubber Ball" by the Cyrkle. That was another favourite of mine from those years. I was pleasantly surprised to find the 45 rpm that my dad had, and it is remarkably scratch-free. "25 or 6 to 4" by Chicago figures in there somehow, as we had both the 45 and a concert band recording of the song on a long-player put out by my high school circa 1975.
10 - Hunting High and Low by a-ha
I was big into trashy Euro-pop when I was about 10 or so. I was really big into "Take On Me" and, particularly, the video when I was this age. I thought it was, like, the coolest thing I'd ever seen. I recall being into the follow-up album even more, that'd be Scoundrel Days, despite some silly songs being on there, like "We're Looking For The Whales". But that came a bit later, probably when I was about 12 or so.
Honourable mentions would have to go to the Ghostbusters soundtrack, which was the first thing I owned on cassette tape, along with Tears For Fears' Songs From The Big Chair (which I now own on vinyl).
15 - A Farewell To Kings by Rush
When I was in my mid-teens, I voraciously ate up everything by Canadian power trio Rush. I recall getting Chronicles on tape from the public library and just having my world blown open. A Farewell was the very first CD that I owned, which I purged myself when I was about 22 or so when I thought I was too cool for Rush, and I rabidly started to own every Rush album that I could get my hands on. For a time, there was nothing more that I owned but Rush CDs. Farewell still is my sentimental favourite, and to this day think that "Cygnus X-1" still rocks, and remember being profoundly being disappointed by the sequel, a side-long epic on Hemispheres, the follow-up. Strangely enough, I had been previously introduced to "Subdivisions" on a K-Tel cassette compilation called Rock '83, but thought nothing of it at the time. I guess I needed a few years for the high-school angst of Rush to grow on me.
I was pretty big into Wang Chung at this time too. I think I wore out my cassette copy of The Warmer Side of Cool, a lost classic I'm hoping to find on vinyl.
20 - Warehouse: Songs and Stories by Husker Du
When I was in my late teens, I got into hardcore punk in a pretty big way. I was all over the grunge scene in Seattle, and linked the linage back to this group from Minneapolis. Warehouse doesn't get much love these days, even though it got a five-star review in Rolling Stone at the time. But it is still among my very favourite albums of all time. It is one of my desert island discs, for sure. I recall listening to this in the tourist booth that I used to work in back in the day almost non-stop. I was blown away by the bombast and the tenderness of the album, and the fact that it didn't sound like anything I'd ever heard before. "No Reservations", "She Floated Away", "Turn It Around", "It's Not Peculiar", and on it goes. The whole record, a double, has a natural progression to it. It is one of the few records out there that actually has a climax.
I also call this record the Rosetta Stone of pop music, because it's all there: power-pop, punk, psychedelia, and on it goes. I once got rid of the CD when I was going through a tough time a few years ago, because it was just so emotionally raw. I wisely bought it back a year ago, and whenever I go on vacation somewhere, this is the disc I usually bring with me as a traveling companion.
I was disappointed when I saw ex-band leader Bob Mould last year live in that he never played any songs off this record, but otherwise touched on much of his back catalogue. I think I still have a CD-R somewhere of a 1987 Huskers show where they played the entire album start to finish live.
25 - Bee Thousand by Guided by Voices
I don't know what to say about Bee Thousand by GbV that hasn't been said before. This is simply a low-fi pop masterpiece that, sure, has its share of filler, but the filler is actually there to bolster the incredible songs (and make them better) that are "Smothered In Hugs", "Echos Myron", "Tracker Rape Chain", etc. etc. Band leader Robert Pollard had a profound effect on my writing at the time; I just marvelled at the way that the guy could knock off classic songs in the space of time that it takes most people to eat dinner. We all know what became of Pollard: a little bit too self-indulgent for his own good, he now releases records at a rate of nearly a bajillion a year. (Seriously.) But this album was the pure distillation of his talents. Alien Lanes is nearly as good, but I didn't get into that one until I was closer to 30.
As a side note, I think it was just after this time that I got into alt-country in a pretty big way. Wilco, Son Volt, Uncle Tupelo, and Sparklehorse (along with Golden Smog) were getting plays on my CD player just shortly after this time. Nothing much more to say about that except it's strange I didn't get into Gram Parsons until much more recently.
How could I also forget that I got into Steely Dan at this point in my life. I used to be a big fan of Aja, but these days I'm more of a Katy Lied kind of guy. I love the Dan, for their weird lyrics and smooth '70s rock stylings. I wish contemporary radio would play something other than "Do It Again" or "Reeling In The Years" because they have an impressive back catalogue that goes beyond those hits. Not too fond of their newer stuff, but it's good to see them working and touring again. I wish I'd still been in Ottawa to see them play BluesFest last year.
30 - Something/Anything? by Todd Rundgren
This one is another desert island disc for me. I got into Rundgren in a big way when I heard "It Wouldn't Have Made Any Difference" from this record on the soundtrack to Almost Famous. (There's those soundtrack albums again.) Naturally, I have since hunted down nearly everything the guy has put on vinyl, even the self-indulgent messes that made up part of early Utopia. I just love this record. There is hardly a bad track to be found, and it's a double album. The guy played nearly every instrument and sang on it too, except for the band concept stuff that he did on Side 4. It really is a power-pop classic, and one that I find myself taking off the shelf often as I slide out of my Christ year. It has really stood the test of time. There's even a song about my mom on it: "Marlene". A true power-pop gem. What more can I say?
As a final side-note, I picked up the jewel of my vinyl collection around this time: Radio City by Big Star. It's a mint condition record from the original pressing that came out back in 1972. It set me back about $30. I play this one often too. A friend of mine dubbed it the premier example of a genre known as "cottage rock". I have to agree. It's just solid from start to finish. I guess you can say that between Big Star and Rundgren, I was big into power pop at this time of my life.
St. Lawrence Market Sundays
A bit of a ritual for me is going to the St. Lawrence Antiques Market on Sunday mornings to get my vinyl fixings. This morning was no different, and I came back with three slabs of vinyl (well, four, because one of them was a double), that cost me a measly 14 bucks.
First up, and what I'm listening to right now, is Gordon Lightfoot's Gord's Gold. There were a few Lightfoot albums in the pile of vinyl that my parents brought up, and the album I got today is notable for having re-recordings of songs that Gord thought weren't up to snuff in the mid-'70s. I also picked up The Best of Blondie, which I had on vinyl once upon a time, but it had a skip in it, so I threw it out. I also picked up Chicago's 16, which is from their somewhat dismal '80s period when they were being produced by David "King of Sap" Foster, but I'm a bit of a completist, I guess. I love their older stuff. "25 or 6 to 4" was one of my favourite songs growing up, and I must have worn out the grooves on the 45 rpm record that my parents had (which has been bequeathed to me, but I have yet to listen to it.)
I'm going to watch the Jays game later this afternoon, and I'm happy to see them up 9-4 in the standings. Maybe they will have a good run this year at the championships if they can keep this up, and win the rubber match against the A's this afternoon. I should really buy a ticket to one of the games soon, as they're pretty cheap in the cheap seats. ($7 I think.) After that, I guess I will be hitting the gym for some running on the treadmill. Pretty quiet evening after that.
I'm a little aprehensive about tomorrow. I'm going to call up the MSN lady either tomorrow or Tuesday (to give her some bearings after being on vacation a week). Truth be told, I'm not sure if I made a good first impression, as I first of all indicated that I was interested in an editing job, as that kind of job is a full-time permenant gig, unlike the writing gigs, which seem to be all freelance. Hopefully, I'll be able to win her over.
First up, and what I'm listening to right now, is Gordon Lightfoot's Gord's Gold. There were a few Lightfoot albums in the pile of vinyl that my parents brought up, and the album I got today is notable for having re-recordings of songs that Gord thought weren't up to snuff in the mid-'70s. I also picked up The Best of Blondie, which I had on vinyl once upon a time, but it had a skip in it, so I threw it out. I also picked up Chicago's 16, which is from their somewhat dismal '80s period when they were being produced by David "King of Sap" Foster, but I'm a bit of a completist, I guess. I love their older stuff. "25 or 6 to 4" was one of my favourite songs growing up, and I must have worn out the grooves on the 45 rpm record that my parents had (which has been bequeathed to me, but I have yet to listen to it.)
I'm going to watch the Jays game later this afternoon, and I'm happy to see them up 9-4 in the standings. Maybe they will have a good run this year at the championships if they can keep this up, and win the rubber match against the A's this afternoon. I should really buy a ticket to one of the games soon, as they're pretty cheap in the cheap seats. ($7 I think.) After that, I guess I will be hitting the gym for some running on the treadmill. Pretty quiet evening after that.
I'm a little aprehensive about tomorrow. I'm going to call up the MSN lady either tomorrow or Tuesday (to give her some bearings after being on vacation a week). Truth be told, I'm not sure if I made a good first impression, as I first of all indicated that I was interested in an editing job, as that kind of job is a full-time permenant gig, unlike the writing gigs, which seem to be all freelance. Hopefully, I'll be able to win her over.
Friday, April 17, 2009
How I Spent My Friday Afternoon
So I finally gave in and bought myself a copy of the new Bob Barker memoir, Priceless Memories. It cost me a measly $12.04 after I cashed in all of my Shoppers Drug Mart Optimum points. Can say that it was one of my better purchases recently. I spent the whole afternoon reading it from cover to cover. It took me about three and a half hours to do so. It's kind of a short book.
I have to say that I have more respect for the guy since reading the book. The best bits of the book didn't even have to do with his hosting The Price Is Right, or Truth or Consequences. I didn't know this until I read the book, but he was involved with the Air Force during World War II, and he grew up on an Indian reservation. Of course, he also goes into great detail about his love for animals and his work in that regard. Fascinating read.
I've also rented The Spirit and the remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still. Probably won't get around to either of them until tomorrow, as I have Wheel of Jeopardy! (as I like to call them) tonight, and then there's the hockey game on. At least, it'll give me something to do on the weekend.
I have to say that I have more respect for the guy since reading the book. The best bits of the book didn't even have to do with his hosting The Price Is Right, or Truth or Consequences. I didn't know this until I read the book, but he was involved with the Air Force during World War II, and he grew up on an Indian reservation. Of course, he also goes into great detail about his love for animals and his work in that regard. Fascinating read.
I've also rented The Spirit and the remake of The Day The Earth Stood Still. Probably won't get around to either of them until tomorrow, as I have Wheel of Jeopardy! (as I like to call them) tonight, and then there's the hockey game on. At least, it'll give me something to do on the weekend.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
The Price Is Right
So Bob Barker showed up on national television to shill his new book, Priceless Memories, which is available for sale at my local Shoppers Drug Mart. (I might just pick it up. It's 25 % off.) Time has not been kind to the guy, that's for sure. His left lip wasn't moving, as though he just had a stroke of some sort. He was totally sucking up to Drew Carey on The Price Is Right today, too, during the Showcase section, which is where he was shilling the book. He kind of crept up behind Drew at one point, to offer up a prize that was offered in the Showcase. Time is sure catching up to the guy, who has to be somewhere around 85. It was probably a good thing that he retired when he did.
In other news, I might be tapped for a freelance IA project, courtesy of an old colleague of mine. Things are starting to look up. I applied for a Communications Coordinator job, and someone at Sears has contacted me about IA jobs that are available. I'm not sure about the IA work, as noted before, but it beats doing nothing.
Going to go to the gym to train today. Not sure if I'm looking forward to it, as I'm feeling a bit bushed today. Looking forward to tonight, though, as both the Jays baseball game and hockey game will be on. I've taken to watching sporting events lately, even though I can't play worth a hoot. I'm glad to see the Jays doing as well as they are. Let's hope they can keep the momentum going for the rest of the season.
In other news, I might be tapped for a freelance IA project, courtesy of an old colleague of mine. Things are starting to look up. I applied for a Communications Coordinator job, and someone at Sears has contacted me about IA jobs that are available. I'm not sure about the IA work, as noted before, but it beats doing nothing.
Going to go to the gym to train today. Not sure if I'm looking forward to it, as I'm feeling a bit bushed today. Looking forward to tonight, though, as both the Jays baseball game and hockey game will be on. I've taken to watching sporting events lately, even though I can't play worth a hoot. I'm glad to see the Jays doing as well as they are. Let's hope they can keep the momentum going for the rest of the season.
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Another Post
I was going to post a humourous article about who Lindsay Lohan could date now that she's single and making the rounds in an Internet video personal ad. (It's a joke, I think, backed by Comedy Central.) I decided not to, mainly because I was lazy and mainly because I didn't really want this blog to become a repository for cheap gags. So, sorry folks. Maybe next time.
I'm a bit excited over here as it turns out that Bob Barker will be making an appearance on tomorrow's The Price Is Right. Ostensibly to promote his new memoir of his years on the show. It should be a hoot. I'm looking forward to it.
In other news, I twisted my left foot today. It hurts a bit when I go to walk on it. It made working out at the gym today a little interesting.
I'm listening to Close Up the Honky Tonks by The Flying Burrito Bros on vinyl right now. It's an out-of-print album that contains a number of unreleased tracks that have since not seen the light of day. I'm surprised at how good condition it's in -- surprising since it is another album poached from my parents record collection -- so I guess I just wasn't into country as a kid, which meant that I wasn't around to scratch this record up, I guess.
Not much else is new. Pretty lazy day for me. That's the way it's been going lately.
I'm a bit excited over here as it turns out that Bob Barker will be making an appearance on tomorrow's The Price Is Right. Ostensibly to promote his new memoir of his years on the show. It should be a hoot. I'm looking forward to it.
In other news, I twisted my left foot today. It hurts a bit when I go to walk on it. It made working out at the gym today a little interesting.
I'm listening to Close Up the Honky Tonks by The Flying Burrito Bros on vinyl right now. It's an out-of-print album that contains a number of unreleased tracks that have since not seen the light of day. I'm surprised at how good condition it's in -- surprising since it is another album poached from my parents record collection -- so I guess I just wasn't into country as a kid, which meant that I wasn't around to scratch this record up, I guess.
Not much else is new. Pretty lazy day for me. That's the way it's been going lately.
Smurfing Sing Song and Other Stuff
One of the records in my recently acquired collection is an old Smurfs record dating back to at least 1979 or 1980 entitled Smurfing Sing Song. This was before the Smurfs found fame as a TV cartoon in the 1980s, and, boy, is my vinyl of the album ever scratched up. It's barely playable.
However, thanks to the wonder and the mysteries of the Internet, I was able to track down a digital download of the album here. Boy, I have to say that listening to it (I've been only able to tolerate about two songs off of it) sure makes my teeth hurt. I can only wonder about my taste in music as a kid, because, boy, was it sure crappy. There's even a reference in one of the songs to Smurf beer. That's right. Beer. Those Smurfs sure were drunken alcoholics before they went into rehab and came out as a cartoon for kids. I have to wonder if the creators were targeting adults with the reference. Who knows?
However, thanks to the wonder and the mysteries of the Internet, I was able to track down a digital download of the album here. Boy, I have to say that listening to it (I've been only able to tolerate about two songs off of it) sure makes my teeth hurt. I can only wonder about my taste in music as a kid, because, boy, was it sure crappy. There's even a reference in one of the songs to Smurf beer. That's right. Beer. Those Smurfs sure were drunken alcoholics before they went into rehab and came out as a cartoon for kids. I have to wonder if the creators were targeting adults with the reference. Who knows?
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
The Price Is Wrong
Since I'm unemployed these days, I get to spend a lot of time with my TV. I usually spend my mornings engaged with The Price Is Right, which is a little bit annoying considering all of the advertisments during the show for a career college that OMNI 2 shows that I'll never attend.
I have to say that I misss Bob Barker a little bit. No more sexual harrassment suits. No charm and charisma. New host Drew Carey is a bit of a wet towel compared to Barker. He certainly lacks emotion, and I don't really like it when he gets the constestants to go Alacazam and ask them to say hi to their friends and family on the Showcase Showdown part of the show. It's a little cheesy.
What irks me is this clip of Drew Carey not getting excited during the Showcase section when a contestant got a price right on the nose. C'mon. The guy bid the exact price. Show some enthusiasm. This was probably one of the greatest moments in game show history.
Still, I'll keep watching Price. I've got nothing better to do with my time, for one. It's become a bit of a ritual for me. God knows what will happen if I ever get a real job again and have to go to work at that time just like any regular Joe.
I have to say that I misss Bob Barker a little bit. No more sexual harrassment suits. No charm and charisma. New host Drew Carey is a bit of a wet towel compared to Barker. He certainly lacks emotion, and I don't really like it when he gets the constestants to go Alacazam and ask them to say hi to their friends and family on the Showcase Showdown part of the show. It's a little cheesy.
What irks me is this clip of Drew Carey not getting excited during the Showcase section when a contestant got a price right on the nose. C'mon. The guy bid the exact price. Show some enthusiasm. This was probably one of the greatest moments in game show history.
Still, I'll keep watching Price. I've got nothing better to do with my time, for one. It's become a bit of a ritual for me. God knows what will happen if I ever get a real job again and have to go to work at that time just like any regular Joe.
Sunday, April 12, 2009
Lazy Sunday
So, not much new to report here. Doing my laundry and listening to an old Linda Ronstadt record that my dad brought up. My mom left some treats for me in the top drawer of my dresser: a vanilla bunny (which made my teeth hurt), some Easter eggs, and some treats for my cat Dot, which she eagerly ate up. (It's good that she liked them, as Dot can be a bit of a fussy eater.)
I went out and bought the newly re-released Red Red Meat album from 1995, Bunny Gets Paid, along with a Red House Painters album that was used, Songs for a Blue Guitar. I like both, and have nothing of import to say about either of them than that, aside from maybe I had a hankering for the colour red yesterday.
I might head out to the gym later on today. My training sessions are going to be lopped in half starting tomorrow, so I'm kind of interested to see how that goes. I'm also hoping to call up a contact for Microsoft Canada and see if I can do some entertainment reporting work for them on a freelance basis. All in all, it might ship up to be a busy week.
I've got to take the record off now and go rescue my clothes. I think in celebration of Easter, I might just put on Patti Smith's Easter record.
I went out and bought the newly re-released Red Red Meat album from 1995, Bunny Gets Paid, along with a Red House Painters album that was used, Songs for a Blue Guitar. I like both, and have nothing of import to say about either of them than that, aside from maybe I had a hankering for the colour red yesterday.
I might head out to the gym later on today. My training sessions are going to be lopped in half starting tomorrow, so I'm kind of interested to see how that goes. I'm also hoping to call up a contact for Microsoft Canada and see if I can do some entertainment reporting work for them on a freelance basis. All in all, it might ship up to be a busy week.
I've got to take the record off now and go rescue my clothes. I think in celebration of Easter, I might just put on Patti Smith's Easter record.
Saturday, April 11, 2009
Old Records
So my parents came up to my place for the Easter weekend. We had a good time, and did some spring cleaning. Got rid of some old books (and new) that were festering on my bookshelf. But the really cool thing about the weekend is that my dad bequeathed his vinyl record to me, which included some of my old records that I had as a child. Two milk cartons worth of records.
Some of them were in pretty bad shape, like the Muppet Movie Soundtrack that I played the heck out of when I was a kid. (I've love to find a mint copy of that. eBay, maybe?) But some of them were in great condition. My copy of the Rescuers Soundtrack was in nearly mint condition. Strange, considering that I must have played the heck out of it as a child. That was the jewel of the collection, something I got with a Radio Shack gift certificate that I won for submitting a question to the local science teacher who had his own column in the local community newspaper. I treasure it quite strongly.
I just finished playing something called Yankee Doodle Mickey, which is about as patriotic and America a record for kids that you can get. Strangely, the back cover of the record lists one of the child back-up singers as being Molly Ringwald. (!) Could it be that Molly Ringwald, of Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink fame? Dunno, but if so, she sure sounds young. Now, that's a find. (Note: Wikipedia does confirm it's her on the recording.)
Also sprinkled in the collection was some old Byrds stuff, which was pretty scratched up and in beat-up condition, which is a given considering the records are about 40 years old now. But there was some cool Gram Parsons stuff in the mix, which was a great find. All sorts of stuff. My mom even had a record by Elvis Presley called Moody Blue, which is apparently rare because it was pressed on black vinyl, when most of the records that came out were on blue vinyl. Supposedly.
All in all, I'm happy to have my parents and my old records finally back in my grubby little hands. You'll have to excuse me now. I'm off to put on some Bruce Cockburn. Or maybe some Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
Some of them were in pretty bad shape, like the Muppet Movie Soundtrack that I played the heck out of when I was a kid. (I've love to find a mint copy of that. eBay, maybe?) But some of them were in great condition. My copy of the Rescuers Soundtrack was in nearly mint condition. Strange, considering that I must have played the heck out of it as a child. That was the jewel of the collection, something I got with a Radio Shack gift certificate that I won for submitting a question to the local science teacher who had his own column in the local community newspaper. I treasure it quite strongly.
I just finished playing something called Yankee Doodle Mickey, which is about as patriotic and America a record for kids that you can get. Strangely, the back cover of the record lists one of the child back-up singers as being Molly Ringwald. (!) Could it be that Molly Ringwald, of Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink fame? Dunno, but if so, she sure sounds young. Now, that's a find. (Note: Wikipedia does confirm it's her on the recording.)
Also sprinkled in the collection was some old Byrds stuff, which was pretty scratched up and in beat-up condition, which is a given considering the records are about 40 years old now. But there was some cool Gram Parsons stuff in the mix, which was a great find. All sorts of stuff. My mom even had a record by Elvis Presley called Moody Blue, which is apparently rare because it was pressed on black vinyl, when most of the records that came out were on blue vinyl. Supposedly.
All in all, I'm happy to have my parents and my old records finally back in my grubby little hands. You'll have to excuse me now. I'm off to put on some Bruce Cockburn. Or maybe some Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young.
Welcome to my first post
Hi all:
Here is my very first post of my new blog, where I will muse about things from music to TV to video games and just life in general. Hope you like it.
Here is my very first post of my new blog, where I will muse about things from music to TV to video games and just life in general. Hope you like it.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
