There's lot of bands I could put here, from U2 to Wilco, but if I'm being truthful about MY Favorite Band I have to go with the old stand by of the Beatles. No matter how much I like other bands I can't forget they were my first love and I still think the bar others strive to meet.
This is from perhaps their final concert ever.
And one of their first hits.
This meme was developed by Marvalus View and Ms. Grapevine. The rules are simple:
1. Anyone can participate; any music genre 2. Old School is defined as music created before 1999 3. No offensive words allowed, please use edited radio version 4. Post a video of your favorite Old School song to take us back down memory lane 5. Add your name to the meme list so that others can check you out 6. Have fun & don't forget to leave comments for other participants
I've decided that my office needs a complete make over. The desk that this computer sits on is at least twenty years old. It's an old metal office desk, the type you don't see much anymore. On top of the desk I've added shelves that went with a wooden computer desk. I've got two big file cabinets full of papers that date back farther than I like to think about it. The room that I use as an office is cluttered and full.
I've decided that it really needs work. So I went out and bought a new computer desk. I've got plans to remake the whole room. Hopefully into something better organized and a little more open. I have a feeling this is not going to be a quick project, it's going to require a good big of work.
One of the first things I did was buy one of those hanging units for files. I just felt like the file cabinets were taking up too much space. I've been going through the file cabinets. They hold most of what I laughingly refer to as my writing life. I had one whole drawer full of files of artists that I've corresponded with. I took out all the artists that I've actually worked with and the others I threw away.
Going through these files has brought back a lot of memories. Lots of stories that never sold, lots of stories that were never finished. But than I'd come across one that was actually sold and published and it made me feel good. I've thrown away a lot of stuff that I just can't ever seeing the need for, but I have kept a lot of story ideas and old stories that I might be able to revisit or pull some ideas from.
Going through all these files and papers made me realize one thing. I once really wanted to be a writer and what's more, I really worked at it. I've come across letters from editors that had kind things to say about my work, people in the comic industry that liked what I was doing and others that remembered me from previous work. The last ten years I've pretty much blown most of those contacts, I never published enough that many people still in the industry would remember me now. But it's made me realize that this was a dream that I worked hard at and is still a dream worth working for.
Maybe all this cleaning and organizing will get me off my butt and writing again.
Today's topic is actors who sing. My first thought was Frank Sintra but than I realized that he was a singer who acted. There are a lot of actors who want to be singers, but that doesn't mean they are very good. It seems that actors want to sing, and singers want to act. I thought about this one and tried to figure out who to use and in the end went with Fred Astaire. He's not the best singer, but he's an all around entertainer. As well as seeing him sing you get to watch him dance. When I was younger I used to love to watch his old movies.
This meme was developed by Marvalus View and Ms. Grapevine. The rules are simple:
1. Anyone can participate; any music genre 2. Old School is defined as music created before 1999 3. No offensive words allowed, please use edited radio version 4. Post a video of your favorite Old School song to take us back down memory lane 5. Add your name to the meme list so that others can check you out 6. Have fun & don't forget to leave comments for other participants
Image by Larry He's So Fine via FlickrThis is the first T 13 I've done in about a month, but hopefully I'll be able to do them on a more regular basis. This one is 13 books from my library about Bob Dylan. I'm a pretty big fan of the singer, as you can no doubt guess from having enough books about him to list 13 and still have some left over.
1) Down the Highway by Howard Sounes: This is one of the newer bios about Dylan. As much as has been written about the man, you'd think there was nothing new to add, but the writer actually uncovered new facts about Dylan.
2) Bob Dylan-Performing Artit 1960-1973 and 1974-1986 by Paul Williams: This is actually two books, but they are companions pieces so I've included them as one. These books are reviews of his concerts from these time periods. Mr. Williams traveled to quite a few of Dylan's shows over the years and talks about what he's seen and heard.
3) Positively 4th Street by David Hajdu: This volume talks about Dylan's early years with Joan Baez, her sister Mimi Baez Farina and Richard Farina.
4) A Simple Twist of Fate by Andy Gill and Kevin Odegard: A history of the recording of Dylan's "Blood on the Track" album.
5) On the Road with Bob Dylan by Larry "Ratso" Sloman: This is a chronicle of Dylan's Rolling Thunder Review by someone who was there. A side note, Ratso is also a character in Kinky Freidman's mystery novels.
6) Dylan's Visions of Sin by Christopher Ricks: This book talks about Dylans songs as relating to the Seven Deadly Sins, the Four Cardinal Virtues and the Three Heavenly Graces. I have to admit this is one that I haven't been able to make it all the way through yet.
7) Like A Rolling Stone by Greil Marcus: Talking about the making of the classic song "Like A Rolling Stone."
8) Invisible Republic by Greil Marcus: This book is about the songs Dylan recorded with the Band known as The Basement Tapes and their historical roots in folk and blues music.
9) No Direction Home by Robert Shelton: I'm not sure if this is the first bio on Dylan, but if it's not, it's certainly one of the first and probably the first that treated its subject seriously.
10) Like The Night: Bob Dylan and the Road to Manchester Free Trade Hall by C.P. Lee: It's become part of his legend that after Dylan switched to electric that one of his fans called him Judas at a concert. For a long time it was rumored to be at the Royal Albert Hall, but it was actually at the Manchaster Free Trade Hall. Mr. Lee was at the concert and this book is about Dylan's move to electric and that show.
11) Bob Dylan: The Recording Sessions by Clinton Heylin 1960-1994: Pretty much what the title says, details about Dylan's recording sessions.
12) Bob Dylan Companion edited by Carl Benson: Articles about Dylan.
13) Lyrics by Bob Dylan: A book of his lyrics. To me this is a fascinating book, one that I pick up all the time.
It's been over a month since I've done any posting over at Voices to hear, but I'm back with a new Simply Six post with the singer/rocker Lennon. Lennon is a talented musician that is, yes, named after John Lennon. Her first album "5:30 Saturday Morning" was released on Sept 11, 2001. Her newest album is "Damaged Goods" and is a rock and roll record with lots of attitude.
Sometimes its hard to let go of certain beliefs. The South has always meant different things to different people. But to a lot of people when they imagine someone from the South they see a redneck racist. I'm serious, I have a friend from up North who really believes that most people in the South walk around barefoot and are not very intelligent. But it's a view I've long thought to be outdated. I always thought the South was a lot more tolerant than a lot of people thought.
The North has not exactly been a source of racial free incidents. Going back to school busing we all saw how Boston dealt with that issue. Just recently I listened to a segment on CNN about some high school boys from up North that went out looking for a "beaner" and when they found "one" they killed him.
I was born in the South and have lived pretty much all my life here. I'm proud to be a Southern. I've always felt that we might have our problems with racial issues but that we were in fact more up front about them than some areas. I see more black and whites working side by side. Interracial dating. Even blacks and whites living next door to each other. But I think I've had a pair of rose colored glasses on.
The recent election makes me realize how wrong I may have been. In Louisiana Obama received only 14% of the white vote, in Mississippi he received 11% and Alabama 10%. In other states that have always voted Republican he received a lot more of the white vote than those numbers. In fact he actually received more white votes in some states than Kerry, Gore or even Bill Clinton.
Now I don't see a problem with that if they were voting for McCain strictly because they felt his policies better, but I somehow doubt it. I believe the majority of them voted for McCain because he was white and didn't vote for Obama because he was black.
Since the election I've heard it in the half mutters from others. Anyone that knows me isn't about to say something racist about Obama in front of me, they know how I feel, but you get the thinly veiled objections that are just coded for being racist. And people that don't know me, customers I've overheard, it's terrible. The jokes going around, they play on the fact that Obama is black and are so racist it's not even funny. I heard one man telling one joke to a friend in a crowd that wasn't just not funny, but could have been considered a threat against the newly elected President.
Nationally Obama won 43% of the white vote, 46% of white women and 41% of white men, but in the Deep South the best he could manage was 14%. Why? Are we still so stuck in such old mentality in the South? Are we not as tolerant as I always thought?
I am a white man from the South and I have always been proud to call myself a Southern, but lately I don't find quite as much pride in that term.
I know I haven't been around much for the last couple weeks, but it's been crazy around here, plus added to the fact that I'm having computer problems and it's almost impossible for me to get online.
I work in retail so this past week has been one looooooong day getting ready for Black Friday. Things went off very well Friday, but it was still a long day, going in at 3:30 and leaving at midnight with a few hours off in the middle of the day to try and rest.
Than there's my computer problems, which I'm not sure what's going on. Sometimes I get a Microsoft Explorer not working message when I try to just start the computer. I have to reboot it sometimes two or three times to get far enough to even do anything. I'm sure I picked up some sort of virus but what do I do? It's got me window shopping for a new computer that I really can't afford, but I can't live without a computer.
I'm going to try to be back a little more, but the next few weeks will be very busy. Hope everyone else is having a good time and actually getting to enjoy the holidays.
Jazz is one of those musical genres that I'm not that familiar with. Two of the greats though was Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong and there's actually a video of them together and what's even greater, they're singing "Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans." What else could I go with?
This meme was developed by Marvalus View and Ms. Grapevine. The rules are simple:
1. Anyone can participate; any music genre 2. Old School is defined as music created before 1999 3. No offensive words allowed, please use edited radio version 4. Post a video of your favorite Old School song to take us back down memory lane 5. Add your name to the meme list so that others can check you out 6. Have fun & don't forget to leave comments for other participants
Ok, I know it's Saturday. I'm a day late. This has been a long week and somewhere I forgot what day it was. I missed posting last week so I'm not going to miss this week too.
I wasn't expecting to find a lot to chose from since my birth year wasn't a big year for rock and roll. But when I saw Ray Charles had released "What d'I Say" I didn't need to look any farther.
I decided to add more since I was really surprised that there were such good choices. I've included Ricky Nelson singing "It's Late." This video is actually from 1959. Ricky Nelson is one of those rockers that really doesn't get justice for his place in music. He was a lot more than just another pretty face.
And finally one of my favorite musicians of all time...Buddy Holly singing his sequel to Peggy Sue.
This meme was developed by Marvalus View and Ms. Grapevine. The rules are simple:
1. Anyone can participate; any music genre 2. Old School is defined as music created before 1999 3. No offensive words allowed, please use edited radio version 4. Post a video of your favorite Old School song to take us back down memory lane 5. Add your name to the meme list so that others can check you out 6. Have fun & don't forget to leave comments for other participants
Tonight I learned I can't outrun a twenty five year old woman.
It started when an associate called me to tell me that a woman had just entered the women's restroom with a pair of jeans and a big tote bag that was stuffed. So I waited for her and than followed her as she came out. She walked around the store and dumbed the jeans. As she started to leave the store the alarm went off and she turned to go back into the store. I was still behind her.
It was than I noticed the tag hanging down from the tote. It was our price tag. I went up to her and asked her what she had that was mine. She said the tote. I told her she needed to accompany me to the back and she refused. We played a brief game of her stepping to one side, me stepping in front, until she broke around me and took off running. I followed but she was faster than me.
I followed her out the store and ran next door to the store there. There was a Jeep parked in front of the store and it's passenger window was down. She dived head first through the window, where her boyfriend or husband was in the drivers' seat and they took off.
I was able to get the license number of their vehicle. And what was even better was that she dropped her purse when she jumped through the car window. I called the police and after they came we discovered her address and other information in her purse.
President Woodrow Wilson declared November 12, 1919 to be Armistice Day in celebration of the ending of the First World War. On June 4, 1926 the United States Congress asked the President to observe November 11. On May 13, 1938 November 11 was declared a National Holiday known as Armistice Day. The holiday was a celebration of the veterans that served in the War to End All Wars.
In 1953 Al King, a shoe store owner from Emporia Kansas wanted to expand Armistice Day to include all veterans, not just those from World War I. On May 26, 1954 Dwight Eisnehower signed the bill into law. On November 8 of that year Congress amended the law to change the name of the holiday from Armistice Day to Veterans Day.
Today is the day we honor those brave men and women that have fought for our country. To many people if you oppose war, especially the current one, it means you are against the men and women in uniform and nothing could be farther from the truth. I have nothing but the highest respect for the men and women in our armed forces. You can hate the war, but love the warriors.
I never served in the military, but my Dad did and today is a day I like to think of the years he spent in uniform. He was in the United States Navy for twenty two years and retired with the rank of Master Chief, an E-9. The military doesn't pay great, I remember years as a kid when my Dad had to have a second job to bring in more money. The job is 24/7, you are on call whenever they need you. Two weeks out of every year he had to spend aboard a Naval Carrier. He was an ordinance man, he was one of those men you see on the carrier that load and unload the missiles and bombs on the jets.
So this Veterans Day I'd like to think of my Dad and realize once again what a special man he was.
My copy of the oxford essential dictionary defines peace as: 1a. quiet, tranquillity. b. mental calm, serenity 2 freedom from or the sessation of war 3 freedom for civil disorder
My Dad served twenty five years in the United States Navy. It's fair to say that he spent most of his time there as fairly conservative. He voted for Ronald Regan and the first George Bush. But one thing I remember how much he despised the current Bush. He would get so worked up when his name came up. And the main reason....was the war that Bush brought us into. My Dad wasn't the crying type. I can count on one hand the times I've seen him cry and have fingers left over, but when he started talking about the kids that were being sent over to Iraq to fight in Bush's war he would get so upset he would cry. He felt so bad for those that were being sent into harm's way. I wish he had lived to see a new President elected, one that intended to get us out of Iraq.
I spent election night up at Tennessee with my Mom. Now my Mom has never been into politics. If the subject comes up she would normally just move past it. But we sat there Tuesday night, watching the results for the Presidency come in without once leaving our seats. We would flip between CNN and CBS, watching the slightly different results each station would get. We'd see one channel hadn't called certain states for McCain yet, giving Obama a larger lead and we'd say we liked that channel better. I was amazed at how involved my Mom was in the election and how much she was pulling for Barrack Obama. My Mom was born and raised in the country in the South. She's not racist but she isn't completely free of the attitudes and prejudices she was raised with. She's did her best not to raise her children with those attitudes and prejudices. So it was so wonderful to see her championing a black man on to be our next President. Even more so when pretty much all her family around her was pulling for McCain, all her sisters and brothers looked at Obama and saw someone that they did not want for President.
This country is so divided over so many issues. Blacks and Whites. Republicans and Democrats. Hawks and Doves. But I'm hopeful with this election maybe we've taken a step closer to uniting us despite our differences. There's nothing wrong with disagreeing, it helps us see both sides of an issue. But in today's world to disagree means you have to tear the other side down, make them into a monster, label them things that they're not. I think that was one of the reasons that lead to McCain's lose. He was so negative, he tried to paint Obama as a terrorist, a monster, a mad liberal; when it was hard to see that with the Obama that we watched on television and listened to in interviews. I think, I hope, that we are getting tired of that type of politics, maybe it's time to embrace a politics that isn't so mean spirited.
The world was watching our election and most of it rejoiced in our selection. They see our selection not as someone they think will be weak, but as someone that will respect other's viewpoint and be a true champion for peace throughout the world and not a bully that takes what it wants without regard for other nations.
To all the peoples of the world, I once more give expression to America's prayful and continuing aspiration: We Pray that peoples of all faiths, all races, all nations, may have their great human needs satisfied; that those now denied opportunity shall come to enjoy it to the full; that all who yearn for freedom will understand also its heavy responsibilities; that all who are insensitive to the needs of others will learn charity; that the scourges of poverty, disease, and ignorance will be made to disappear from the earth; and that, in the goodness of time, all peoples will come to live together in a peace guaranteed by the binding force of mutual respect and love. - Dwight D. Eisnehower
I've been up in Tennessee during the election and just got home, but I had to post something. BARRACK OBAMA WINS!!!!!!! I'll write more about this tomorrow.
This week's pick is a fight song for our candidate of choice. I support Barrack Obama for President. We have to keep our eyes on the prize and never forget what it took to get where we are now. I'm ashamed to think of how we as a country used to treat someone just because of the color of their skin. But I'm proud to think that as a country we are about to elect the first African-American as President.
1. Anyone can participate; any music genre 2. Old School is defined as music created before 1999 3. No offensive words allowed, please use edited radio version 4. Post a video of your favorite Old School song to take us back down memory lane 5. Add your name to the meme list so that others can check you out 6. Have fun & don't forget to leave comments for other participants
Tonight after work I'll be heading up to Tennessee to visit my Mom. Since I work in retail there is no way I can get off for Thanksgiving week, so we plan to have an early Turkey Day this week. I know this week I've been absent a lot, but I've been busy at work, but for the next week I will be gone since my Mom doesn't have internet connection. Everyone have a good week and when I get back I'll visit everyone again.
Sarah Palin continually talks about her she doesn't like the Washington Insiders and how much of an outsider she is to politics as usual. Read the article in the New Yorker and decide for yourself.
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