Category: entertainment

Sleepin’ with Keith

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This is why I love Keith Richards (other than his obvious good taste in jewelry). On being woken up after brain surgery:      “I was pissed off when they woke me up because I was in such a good sleep.” Keith. Dude. I understand. Some days, a coma sounds fuckin’ grand.

This is why I love Keith Richards (other than his obvious good taste in jewelry).

On being woken up after brain surgery:

     “I was pissed off when they woke me up because I was in such a good sleep.”

Keith. Dude. I understand. Some days, a coma sounds fuckin’ grand.

Rock Star: Supernova

elvis6 Comments

I can’t help it. I’m already hooked. Rock Star: Supernova I watched the first one – and cared – because it was INXS and they had a back-story. A tragic, sordid death, a band trying to come back from oblivion. But I kept watching it because it was just good. Better than it got credit […]

I can’t help it. I’m already hooked.

Rock Star: Supernova

I watched the first one – and cared – because it was INXS and they had a back-story. A tragic, sordid death, a band trying to come back from oblivion.

But I kept watching it because it was just good. Better than it got credit for. It was well done, the house band was amazing, the performances, most of them, were good. Some of them were amazing. And the guy who won, JD Fortune, was exactly the right guy for the job.

But I figured, they can’t do it again. Not without INXS, who made it work. Not the band, but the people. They gave it soul.

But now, I’m watching the new one. With a pre-fab heavy metal supergroup called ‘Supernova’; Tommy Lee of The Crüe, Jason Newsted from Metalica, and Gilby Clarke from GnR.

And I’m thinking, wow, there went the soul.

And yet, I’m already hooked, after one episode. Even though only three or four of the performers were worth a damn; even though very little was really even memorable. I’m still hooked.

I can’t help it. And you know, I admit it, I’ve got a weak spot for Tommy Lee. maybe it’s just cause he looks like my buddy Lex, but something just makes me like the guy.

Anyone wanna make some bets on who’s makin’ it down to the final? Right now my picks are Dilana, Storm and the simply adorable Jill. And yeah, I’m bettin’ they go with a girl. But only if she’ll do triple penetration.

No indifference – and now, the sixties

elvis2 Comments

I have to give ChelseaGirl some deep, wet kisses for pointing me to this site; the oddly named gentle indifference. “A compact disc-length compilation of relevant music from each calendar year dating back to 1960. Updated every Monday.” I just pulled down 1968: 1. All Along The Watchtower – Jimi Hendrix – 4:00 2. White […]

I have to give ChelseaGirl some deep, wet kisses for pointing me to this site; the oddly named gentle indifference.

“A compact disc-length compilation of relevant music from each calendar year dating back to 1960. Updated every Monday.”

I just pulled down 1968:

1. All Along The Watchtower – Jimi Hendrix – 4:00
2. White Room – Cream – 4:57
3. Piece Of My Heart – Big Brother & The Holding Co – 4:14
4. I Say A Little Prayer For You – Aretha Franklin – 3:36
5. The Way Young Lovers Do – Van Morrison – 3:18
6. I Heard it Thru Grapevine – Marvin Gaye – 3:10
7. I Wish It Would Rain – Temptations – 2:53
8. The Weight – The Band – 4:33
9. Mrs. Robinson – Simon and Garfunkel – 3:50
10. Stand By Your Man – Tammy Wynette – 2:41
11. Israelites – Desmond Dekker – 2:36
12. Say It Loud, I’m Black And I’m Proud – James Brown – 3:02
13. Everyday People – Sly and the Family Stone – 2:22
14. Days – The Kinks – 2:52
15. For Once in My Life – Stevie Wonder – 2:50
16. La La Means I Love You – Delfonics – 3:23
17. Crimson and Clover – Tommy James & The Shondells – 5:28
18. With A Little Help From My Friends – Joe Cocker – 4:55
19. Jumping Jack Flash – The Rolling Stones – 3:44
20. Hey Jude – The Beatles – 7:02
21. (Sittin’ On) The Dock Of The Bay – Otis Redding – 2:45

Which you can download here (Sorry, it’s sendspace – i don’t like sendspace but these mixes make it worth the trouble).

Even if you don’t download them, these are fantastic playlists. They’re pretty much all must-have songs from each year.

I’ve got bza’s mixes from 1970-1973, and just pulled down ’66-69. And I have to say, to a one they’re all brilliant. Alas, he doesn’t keep the others available for download so I can’t get the post-73 ones; I’d love to see what he’s got for the late ’70s and the 80s. But oh-my-god are the ones I have great. Keep on going, bza, these fuckin’ rule.

twennyfour

elvis4 Comments

One thing. I want to be Jack Bauer. He gets to kill people. He gets to steal cars and point guns atg people and when he says Do it! NOW! people do it. When he says he’ll kill you, he fuckin’ means it. When he says I’m not going to shoot you, he doesn’t mean […]

One thing.

I want to be Jack Bauer.

He gets to kill people. He gets to steal cars and point guns atg people and when he says Do it! NOW! people do it.

When he says he’ll kill you, he fuckin’ means it. When he says I’m not going to shoot you, he doesn’t mean he won’t, just that he’s not planning to, yet.

Jack is the fucking man.

I’m watching the first season of 24 on DVD. One of the very best things about netflix; these gems that I missed the first time, like season one of Amazing Race, or Veronica Mars, The Mole, Deadwood.

I didn’t catch on to the glory that is 24 until this past season; day 5. And oh, god, why didn’t I know about this before?

I’m halfway through; kidnappings, incredibly hot terrorist babes, Jack’s daughter tied up and duct taped. Jack in handcuffs, escaping. Double-crosses and betrayals and stolen identities. Airplanes exploding, hot airplane bathroom sex. Some really great villains. Threats of rape and murder.

And that’s only nine hours in.

Yeah. I wanna be Jack Bauer. And I’m glad I’ve got three more seasons to watch, even if they’re not this good.

Here We Are Now

elvis1 Comment

Oh my god. I’d be speechless if I wasn’t both laughing and deeply impressed. The lovely and talented Miss Syl posted a clip, from Jools Holland’s Hootenanny, of – well, you know, you just have to see it. Go there, then read the rest of this below the cut.

Oh my god. I’d be speechless if I wasn’t both laughing and deeply impressed.

The lovely and talented Miss Syl posted a clip, from Jools Holland’s Hootenanny, of – well, you know, you just have to see it. Go there, then read the rest of this below the cut.

Read more “Here We Are Now”

eight-oh-one

elvis9 Comments

The pure delight of finding something you never knew about. I love that feeling. This may be old news to you folks. Ray, DN, CG, i bet you guys all had this on vinyl. But somehow I missed it. 801. Phil Manzanera, Eno, Bill MacCormick, Simon Phillips, etc. Maybe I never payed attention to Manzanera […]

The pure delight of finding something you never knew about.

I love that feeling.

This may be old news to you folks. Ray, DN, CG, i bet you guys all had this on vinyl. But somehow I missed it.

801. Phil Manzanera, Eno, Bill MacCormick, Simon Phillips, etc.

Maybe I never payed attention to Manzanera ’cause Bryan Ferry touches in me in that Morrissey place; that I like the music but the singer drives me up a fuckin’ wall place. You know what I’m sayin’; it may be Neil Young that touches you there, or the Violent Femmes, or Rush. None of those people touch my Morrissey spot; Bryan Ferry does.

Maybe that’s why I missed out on Manzanera. Or maybe it’s cause I can’t stop mixing him up with Ray Manzarek. But whatever it is, for some reason I’ve never payed any attention to ol’ Phil and his axework.

So this week, while not blogging or writing, while trying to get work done and not side-track myself with social interaction or flirtation, I’ve been playing a lotta music. I’ve been playing with pandora a bit, and I’ve been in a heavy (extremely heavy, you know what I’m sayin) King Crimson phase where I had to go back and get Red and Larks’ Tongues in Aspic, and Starless and Bible Black, all of which I used to have on vinyl but never got on CD. I’ve been playing this shit in my office and, I imagine, annoying the peole around me with it. I’ve been pondering getting new speakers so I can crank this more, cause you know, I really don’t like head phones that much, despite owning a pair of $800 Grados.

So yesterday I was trying to get pandora.com to grok what prog rock is. It seems to do very well indeed at getting punk rock or funk or the jazz I like, even with no concept of genre, but prog confuses it; I tell it I like King Crimson and Yes and Genesis and Jethro Tull and Camel and Gentle Giant, and it says, sure, I gotcha, here’s some AC/DC and some Sepultura and Ron Wood’s solo album. So you know, what the fuck?

But one of the more spot-on picks it handed me was 801’s East of Asteroid, which grabbed me right off with some great, jazzy-proggy guitar and drumming, and then it launches off with this heavy, heavy bass line. And I’m thinking, who’s this band? They’re… cool.

So I wander over to iTunes where I have trouble finding them ’cause the album’s listed as Phil Manzanera, not as 801. I listen to a couple tunes, and decide, what the fuck, this is a serious line-up, and I know a lot of the songs here. I plunks down me money down.

This afternoon, I went through all the King Crimson I had, and all the King Crimson one of my co-workers had on his shared iTunes library, and then remembered this 801 stuff I’d gotten.

I’ve been playin’ it all afternoon. And I want to play it again. These guys are – brilliant. Manzanera’s an amazing guitar player, but we knew that. But Bill MacCormick – wow. Who the fuck is this dude? He’s awesome. And the odd counterpoint of Eno’s silly art-rock lyrics with this heavy prog aesthetic somehow works perfectly, leaving something that skates the surface of the usual prog pretentiousness, veering into spacey jams and sorta psychedelic bits. In places it’s vaguely like Pink Floyd, in other spots it’s like King Crimson, some of the guitar sounds like Bill Nelson of Be-Bop Deluxe (another of my all-time favorite bands). And of course here and there it sounds like Roxy Music.

I’m having one of those oh my god I love this band, and they only have one or two albums moments. How did this album – which came out in 1976 – escape my notice? I have no idea.

Maybe it was – you know – the drugs. But now I have to figure out what else I missed by not paying any attention to Manzanera.

Not a model man

elvis3 Comments

I’ve had this song goin’ through my head all weekend. look at the signs look at the symptoms look at the slight calm before the storm I feel the silence I feel the signals I feel the strain tension in my head well, what more can be said… not a model man not a saviour […]

I’ve had this song goin’ through my head all weekend.

look at the signs
look at the symptoms
look at the slight
calm before the storm
I feel the silence
I feel the signals
I feel the strain
tension in my head
well, what more can be said…

not a model man
not a saviour or a saint
imperfect in a word
make no mistake
but I
give you everything I have
take me as I am…

      – King Crimson – Model Man

Bay Area Essentials

elvis4 Comments

Evidently the iTunes Music Store has released a playlist of what they call Bay Area Essentials. But the people at SFGate (Joel Selvin and Aidin Vaziri) don’t agree with this list. What do you think?

Evidently the iTunes Music Store has released a playlist of what they call Bay Area Essentials.

But the people at SFGate (Joel Selvin and Aidin Vaziri) don’t agree with this list.

What do you think?

Read more “Bay Area Essentials”