Sunday, December 31, 2006

"Come On Everybody" or "Long-Haired Music"

One of my favorite songs from the "King." Poor guy met his demise while in the bathroom. What a way to go, eh? It also reminds me of an ex Piccadilly manager who died while on the toilet. Once again, what a way to go.

Elvis was always criticized for the movies he made. They always had the same plot. Elvis meets girl. Girl likes Elvis. Elvis and girl fight. Girl and Elvis make up and get married.

He would make about 2 or 3 of them a year. My particular favorites were:

1) Viva Las Vegas- I always had a thing for redheads, and Ann Margaret was the bomb.

2) Kissin' Cousins- Elvis played 2 roles ( cousins ) in this one. And who can forget the memorable, "Barefoot Ballad."

3) Lovin' Ewe, er, You- Starred the saucy Lizabeth Scott with the deep voice, and Delores Hart, who, in real life, quit show biz and became a nun. Also see "Where the Boys Are."

4) Roustabout- Probably my favorite. Great story? and great songs! Starred the enigmatic Barbara Stanwyck.

Roustabout had a familiar theme just like the "Elvis meets Girl" one. Elvis is a struggling singer. Gets discovered. Makes it big. And lives happily ever after. His girl in tow, as they head off into the sunset.

5) Jailhouse Rock- Another pre-Army Elvis. And you're so square, baby I don't care.

Those be my favorites-apologies to Shelly Fabares. And here's the video from Viva...., v.c.


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Saturday, December 30, 2006

"That's What I Want"

Seeing how I'm still unemployed, I present this video from youtube, which was recently sold to google for a mere 1.5 billion. And who said the American Dream is dead.

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Monday, December 25, 2006

"Merry Christmas"

I'm sitting here at 5:00 a.m. waiting for 6:00 a.m. to arrive. That's when I can wake up Kitty and pass the baton. She pooped-out on me at 2:00 a.m. while I was busy in the kitchen cooking the holiday fare.

"You'll stay up all night with me and cook?" Kitty pleaded. She was gonna do some chores like vacuum and put out her Christmas figures, which would be perched on top of our fake fireplace. The gas one which eats up petrol faster than a politician's SUV.

"Sure, I will, Pumpkin. I will stay up all night with you."

Anyway, Kitty couldn't stay up-which was ok by me, cos she wasn't feeling well-and I'm a nite owl, so I began the rest of my cooking chores.

The spiral-sliced ham had been cooked before midnight. Next on the list was my mom's famous "hush yer mouth sweet potato souffle" with ye olde pecan topping. Then it was buttermilk pie, which turned out nicely-thank you very much. A beautiful whipped creation with a lovely shade of brown covering the entire top. Next were the lima beans; then the cream cheese dip, which had diced onions, olives, miracle whip, and dried beef; and, last but not least, chocolate chess pie. Borrowed from the AJC, our local fishwrapper.

It's 5:22 and only 38 minutes until Kitty's golden slumber will come to an abrupt halt. While writing, I'm watching "Holiday Affair" with a very young Janet Leigh and Robert Mitchum, circa 1949. Before yers truly was even born, and my sister, Olga, was only 4 years old.

It's 5:26 and y.t. is getting tired. And the jist of my story was to wish everyone a Merry Christmas anyway. So....

Merry Christmas, v.c.

P.S. If anyone's hungry for some holiday vittles, come on by-we got a'plenty.

Saturday, December 23, 2006

"Pumpin' Piano"

I loved this guy when I was just a small kid. His brand of r/r was unique. He recorded on "Sun Records" back in those days. Billed as Jerry Lee Lewis and his pumpin' piano.

This is a good rendition. v.c.

P.S. The same Sun Records who sold Elvis to RCA for $100,000.



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Tuesday, December 19, 2006

"Walking on Thin Ice"

I actually like this song. There was another Y.O. song on "Double Fantasy" that was awesome. Enjoy!!!!

"Walking On Thin Ice" is a New Wave/dance song by Yoko Ono, released in 1981. It was recorded on December 8, 1980 in collaboration with her husband John Lennon. Later that night when the couple returned to The Dakota (their home in New York City), Lennon was murdered by deranged fan Mark David Chapman. Lennon's guitarwork on the track was thus his final creative act. Less than a month later, "Walking on Thin Ice" was released as a single and became Ono's first chart success, peaking at No. 58 and gaining major underground airplay. The lyrics talk of the unpredictability of life and death -- of "throwing the dice in the air" -- and reach the conclusion, "when our hearts return to ashes, it will be just a story....". With the world in shock, a new poignancy was added to the already haunting yet highly danceable track.

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Saturday, December 16, 2006

"Under the Mistletoe"

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Funny Shtick!

"I Love This" Thanks Hootster!

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Btw, there is a slight addendum to "Bedtime Story." Shows I'm rusty. The Aunt Madelineism should have been "shave my head and go down the railroad backwards," instead of shoot myself... I guess it means the same thing as Homer Simpson saying "d'oh." Which now appears in the dictionary, which validates its authenticity.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

"Bedtime Story 2012"

"Tell us a bedtime story, Granddad! Please, you haven't told us one in a long time."

"Well, you little ragamuffins. I'll just have to tell you one."

"Thank you, granddad. What's it gonna be about? Farty Helium? Ms. Bessie? Hoots? Slippery?"

"Now, you little wiggleworms settle down now, ya hear. Cos your granddad is thinking!"

"Rockhead? Pictru? Bongobob? Azam? Briggs?"

"My little whiskernappers, puhleeze. Maybe all of them will be in this bedtime story. Let's see, now. It was December of 2006 and your granddad was out of a job....again. My boss, Shwim, gave me my pink slip!

"Wasn't he the vindictive son-of-a-bitch you always rant, er, talk about, granddad?"

"Now, kids. You're too young to be using such language. Don't let your Grandma Kitty hear you say any of those words! She'll tie a knot in your tail!"

[ each grandkid looks at their behinds to wonder how this could be possible ]

"How could she do that, granddad?"

"That's just an Aunt Madelineism your great great aunt used to say."

"What's an Aunt Madelineism?"

"She was full of them. When I was a young boy-'bout the same age as you kids-we would be riding down the street in her Bel-Air. If she saw a female wearing tight shorts she would inevitably utter, 'someone ought to shoot her in the ass with hot peas.' Back then, it seems that particular type of clothing was referred to as short-shorts. And no self-respecting woman or young girl would be caught dead wearing them. And/or she would also say, 'If she poots, she'll rip 'em right down the middle.'"

"Why hot peas, granddad?"

"I guess it was just her way of putting things. Like when things didn't go her way she would say, 'I'm a'gonna shave my head and go down the railroad backwards.'"

"Huh?"

"Exactly. But that was your Aunt Madeline. But getting back to the story, my dear and precious grandkids."

"Huh?" ( chorus )

"It was Christmas of 2006, and things were bleak on the Pond. Your granddad was in his well, er, uh, fifties and was approaching senior-citizenshipdom...."

"What's seniorshitizenshitdumb, granddad."

"That's when your hair starts falling out the top of your head, you have to clip the hair in your ears, you cringe when the tv ads tell you about all the diseases that are out there, and how if you take their product, you might end up with an oily discharge or two. And you start worrying about your cholesterol level, and you can't eat french fries, hamburgers, ice cream, bologna sandwiches, and soft drinks, etc. anymore. And your knees start creaking, cos the onslaught of arthritis is headin' your way. And you start saying crazy things like, 'I just wish I could have a good bowel movement.' Things you never thought about saying when you were younger."

"No french fries, ice cream, bologna sandwiches!" ( chorus of sad faces )

"But when you go to the pharmacy-cos you're taking so many pills-they give you a 15% discount. And when you go out to eat-same thing. Discount. But then some vindictive, lard-ass, manipulative son-of-a-bitch fires you, so you don't have any money to even get a discount. That's what senior-citizenshipdom is!"

"Remember, you shouldn't say son-of-a-bitch, granddad? But cos it's a sad story, we'll forgive you this time. But does it get any better? Huh?"

"Well, we thought we might have to sell the house and leave Golden Pond?"

"Did you move in with Uncle Hoots? Or Uncle Marty?"

"You're getting ahead of the story. I'll get to that later.

to be continued....????

"Havin' Fun With Youtube"

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"Oldie but goodie."

Tuesday, December 12, 2006

"Thanks Hoots" and/or "Besame Mucho"

"

Let's see if this works!


P.S. Perhaps bbq sings this to his wife, eh?

"New Look Pond"

The new look G.P. has more of a bite, eh? Because my life is in the "change" mode, why not? And how apropos! I'm viewing the Stones documentary where they play "Altamount," a free concert and have just finished rendering [ food service terminology, as well ] "I Can't Get No Satisfaction."

Me and the Catfish Family seem to be in for a rough ride, but here's hoping there will be a story book ending, allah Cinderfella, er, Cinderella. The former for which an apology is due: Mr. Jerry Lewis and his, er, kids.

It's climax time: The Stones are launching into "Sympathy for the Devil," and the Hell's Angels are pissed, cos people in the crowd keep messin' with their Harleys. And the black dude is about to meet his maker. Nothing like a "free" concert, eh?

And, of course, the final song is-what else-but "Gimme Shelter," which is as good a place as any to disembark the nite train, v.c.

P.S. Seems Melvin Belli was the Stones' lawyer or barrister back in those days.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

"It Ain't Summertime"

Something told me not to switch to Google Beta. Ever since I made
the move, my picture posting function has been kaput, fini.' I tried repairing
it tonite but as with my job search: nada!

There's not much to report as
of this writing. I am hooked-on to 2 Head Hunters; have posted on Monster.com
and careerbuilder.com; sent in a resume to-what else-a food service
establishment-and yadi yadi yadi.

When I was a kid working for McDonalds
in the late 60's, I made grievous mistakes. First of all, I applied for the job,
and, number two, I enjoyed my experience there. How loco was that?

30
years later and I'm back in the same boat. The oars are now thinning, and the
outboard is about to be turned into an inbored. The fish ain't biting, and it
won't soon be summertime. Aomewhat of an apology to Mungo Jerry.

There
was an article in the fishwrapper the other day about a jobless freelance author
who was on jury duty in the 80's. He was bored while listening to the incessant
legalese and began jotting down notes. Which later evolved into "Sharkey's
Machine." And the rest is history. See Burt Reynolds for more details.

With all this time on my hands, perhaps I should start jotting down
notes.

Gimme shelter, v.c.

P.S. Tonite's song is a ditty by M.J.

Tuesday, December 05, 2006

"It's Always Darkest Before the Dawn?" Eh?

It's cold here on the Pond. But once again it was good to hear from the guys. Michael Vick will always be known for the "finger." And how 'bout them Saints? They ain't the "Aints" anymore. Remove the paper bags, eh?

You couldn't have picked a better post, pictru. Cos nobody loves you when yer down and out. If I remember correctly, it was my second post for the bored, er, on the board. Circa 2001. Ah, those were the days. Apologies to Mary Hopkins, who recorded on the "new" Apple label, circa '68.

Well, I gotta get up early and start my job quest. v.c.

P.S. I really like this song and will include it here for your edification.

P.S.S. Let's get together, pictru. Me, you, hoots, bbq, slippery, rockhead, et al.

Thursday, November 30, 2006

"The Fish Returns"

Good to hear from everyone. Even a comment from "Slippery." Who is a real person by the way. He and I went to Rowdy High together. From whence time period? Back in the day! Circa the mystical 60's. Late 60's that is. As the world as we knew it was being demolished via Viet Nam, the feminist movement, and the civil rights struggles.

We made it, I guess. But we went through a lot of shit to get here. Which segues into my unemployment scenario. My boss evidently had it out for me. Seems we didn't see eye to eye on management styles. And because he outranked me, I was the one shown the door.

I've never worked with such a vindictive fuck. [ pardon my french, s'il vous plait ] And arrogant, pompous, belittling know-it-all. In 2006, it's hard to believe this guy, who violates most tenets of management, manages to hang on.

One of my stores at the airport was infested with rats. And my boss, the tightwad that he was, refused to seal the holes from whence they came. We had refrigeration issues out the ying-yang. We were supposed to serve beer at 38 degrees from the tap. But none of the stores in the airport in our company even came close. Maybe that's why the fucker didn't like me. Because I was always confused as to what standards we were to follow.

Anyway, thanks for the encouraging words. And it's always good to hear from pictru and rockhead. Roll Tide, er, Rock on, Luby's, eh?

Farewell and adieu, v.c.

P.S. Tonite's song=

P.S.S. I hate to tell Marty that my picture gizmo isn't working. Alas, no pictures until we can discover the root of the problem. Selah.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

Hello From Cyberspace"

The catfish's participation has been dormant as of late. It's a long story, and one I will share soon. Once again I am a free agent in the world of employment. Here we go again, eh?

Seems my boss didn't cotton to my way of thinking. And vice versa to be sure. At my new/old digs, the golden rule was in vogue. Whoever has the gold makes the rules, and yours truly has no gold to speak of, so I was doomed.

My lard-ass, er, pleasingly plump, boss was a son-of-a-gun. And I'm glad to leave the environment. Passive-aggressivism out the ying-yang is being polite to descibe the many shenanigans that took place while I was employed there.

Hell-Whole II. Is all I can say. However, I did like the freedom of managing my own schedule. But as in most food biz jobs, the hours are long, the staff is undependendable and don't give a shit, and the mental duress is not worth it.

Well, c'est la vie. The cat's out of the bag. [ pun intention left to the discretion of the reader ]

It's all good, v.c.

P.S. If you happen to be reading, hootster, I always remember your saying, "when I'm on my death bed, Shirley, I won't think I should have worked more hours on the job." Paraphrasing, but you get the jist. And my sentiments exactly.

P.S.S. Click on the link to fully appreciate what the food biz does to you!

Saturday, November 11, 2006

"You're Such A Lovely Audience; We'd Love To Take You Home With Us; We'd Love To Take You Home!"

When the Sgt. Pepper hit the stores and my pal, Steve Woodford, loaned me his copy, I noticed a different lyric permeating [ for lack of a better word ] the songs. It is well-chronicled how the Fab 4 were and still are my favorite artists.
P.S. And whatever happened to Billy Shears?

P.S.S. A Day in the Life

Wednesday, November 08, 2006

"Election Results 2006"

 
 

One couple disconsolate at the results; the other couple elated. Which is which? You decide. Posted by Picasa

Monday, November 06, 2006

"John Kerry As The Manchurian Candidate?"

 
 
 
 

The following article comes from "down under" via Belgium. Thanks to Shirley from sunny and blue Hawaii. Posted by Picasa

IN John Frankenheimer's electrifying 1962 thriller The Manchurian Candidate, an American soldier is captured by communists during the Korean War, brainwashed and programmed to return to the US and, years later, to assassinate a presidential candidate.
There is compelling evidence now that John Kerry is a kind of Manchurian Candidate of Democratic politics.

It seems entirely possible that at some point in his career he was seized by a youthful Karl Rove, brainwashed and programmed to kill off, at crucial moments in American history, the Democratic Party's political prospects.

The clues were there all along, if we'd only looked closely enough. His curious combination of self-satisfied superiority and baffled indecisiveness was obviously too contradictory a mental characteristic to be natural. His ponderous oratorical style and studied condescension suggested something artificial had interfered with the firing of the synapses.


To read the entire article click here!

Wednesday, November 01, 2006

Friday, October 27, 2006

"Picture Time Returns"

 
 
 
 

This one's a classic, and I must admit, that I was well into adulthood before viewing it for the first time. Sort of like declining from my buddy, Paulie, to see "Casablanca," at the late late show just off the campus of "Truck U., my old alma mater. Circa 19 and 72 or was it 73?

I never saw the attraction of Bogie until later in life. But the boy had charisma out the ying-yang. Because he wasn't particularly good-looking, and he wasn't tall. But the dames dug him. And he was a tough hombre.

So now when any of his movies are playing on the tv, yours truly will more than likely indulge.

They don't make 'em....v.c. ( click here for a funny clip from "Play It Again, Sam."


P.S. The democrats Shirley love this movie. The Nazis are wreaking havoc with civilization. ( circa World War I ) The new-wave dems like to bandy the term "Nazis" around, whenever anyone disagrees with them. Eh?  Posted by Picasa

Thursday, October 26, 2006

"Rowdy Deadline"

If I were a reporter and had been deemed worthy of the big story, I would be writing it now instead of hammerin' away on ye olde keyboard.

My new job entails meeting quite interesting people. As opposed to the old one where I was wuthering away. apologies to heathcliffe.

But then the other night I ran into one of my old guests from Hell Whole.

"Where's the Pic**** Cafeteria around here?" she said.

"There isn't one," I politely replied.

"You manage this Burger King?"

"No!" And I'm thinking, "Thank you, Jesus," cos a Burger King is a freaking nightmare.

"I, er, manage a coppola bars."

"Which one," she asked. Btw, she was fiftyish with beaucoup dreadlocks and had on sox but no shoes.

"Er, the one down the concourse there."

"If it wasn't bad enough paying $5.50 for a Heineken, the bartender never gave me a glass for my beer."

"Well, we should but we don't always do it, because most people don't want a glass."

"I sat there waiting, and she never offered me a glass. AND I wasn't going to ask for one."

"I apologize and if your headin' back that way, I'll make sure you get a glass this time."

Anyway, after my ordeal, I was thankful to be removed from this behavior. Because the guests at Hell Whole were anal like this former one that was encountered by yours truly.

And if I were writing the big story, instead of.... its headline would Shirley read:

"Encounter With Rowdy Guest Leaves Restaurant Manager Shaking His Head!"

World gone mad, v.c.


P.S. Sorry. No postscripts tonite, unless this one counts, of course.

Wednesday, October 25, 2006

"Fall Forward"

It is getting a bit nippy outside. Halloween is two shakes of a sheep's tail around the corner. Tricker treaters will soon be knockin' at the door dressed as Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, Ronald Reagen, Nancy Pelosi, or Mark Foley.

Thanksgiving is right around the bend. We'll be drowning ourselves in turkey, dressing, yams, blackeye peas, polk salad, and tater pie. And, me, who once thought of himself as Mr. November, will be enjoying T.G. with the rest of the family, sans belligerent guests who are/were either tired of waiting on their order; or had their order SCREWED-UP big time; or were just too damn anal no one could satisfy their cravings.

Then Christmas will arrive. And there'll be the same old bullshit about not saying "Merry Christmas" because it isn't politically correct. And we'll give lots of presents; and charge them on our credit cards; and the ads for bankruptcy will appear via the tv every other commercial.

And we will think back on Christmas' long ago. I'll remember the pecan log that Kitty's grandmother always gave me. And how she would gather up all the wrapping paper that was on the floor, after we ripped it to smithereens.

And then there's New Years. And Valentines Day. And Easter. And Mother's Day. And the 4th of July.

And before you know it, it's getting nippy, again. The leaves are turning colors, and a jug of apple cider is a prerequisite.

Time flies when you're havin' fun, v.c.


P.S. On a winter's day!

Monday, October 23, 2006

"More From Russ Myer"

 
 
 
 

This one is from '68.

Erica Gavin only made a handful of movies, and I have no idea why her film career didn't take off. Maybe prudish studio elements didn't want to cast her after a sex film. Maybe she quit the industry for a different life. It's a shame though, as she's an undoubted screen presence, those evil eyebrows sitting atop big, expressive eyes are something else! Gavin throws herself into the role, not just with the sex scenes - well, except the lesbian scene - but with the full gamut of Vixen's passion, hatred, joy and sadness. Vixen is as much Erica Gavin's film as Russ Meyer's, yet four films later she disappeared from the screen. It's our loss as well as Erica's, if she stopped making films involuntarily.

Highly recommended, and not just for the breasts!

Also from DVD Drive In


Armed with giant hair, outrageous eyebrows and a body that wouldn't quit, Erica Gavin IS Vixen, the sexually insatiable wife of Tom, an oblivious pilot in the wilderness of Canada. The couple run a mountain resort where they house guests in search of a secluded beautiful vacation spot, but every guest gets more than they bargained for when confronted with VIXEN...woman or animal? An accurate question: Vixen is an immoral harlot, setting her sights on man or woman to feed her unending desire for sexual satisfaction. Sex with Tom is great, but she also finds time to screw an off-duty Mountie, a handsome tourist and his unhappy redheaded wife, and even her own brother! But Vixen finds that sex can't save her when a violent Communist commandeers her husband's plane to fly to Cuba!

As chronicled in G.P.'s last foray, I saw "Vixen" in '68. It was showing at one of the new artsy-fartsy theatres that were coming into vogue at the time. The movies, as we all know, would never be the same. Posted by Picasa

Saturday, October 21, 2006

Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

 
 
 
 


I've never seen this classic from Russ Myers, but it's playing tonite on TCM. I do recall seeing "Vixen" back in the day.

Seems this one has the usual Myers formula. Big buxom babes and big buxom babes. I notice that he uses a lot of wide angle shots. What a film maker!

The dialogue is scintillating in this one, and one son of the old codger, who's confined to a wheelchair, has an aversion to the sounds of a train racing down the tracks.

It seems there's a lot of cleavage in this one. One buxom lass speaks with ze french accent. And now the old codger is lamenting that his son-the one who is locomotive-challenged-is an idiot. He also has a spaghetti noodle dangling from his mouth. Good thing this one's in black and white.

Lots of sex, cleavage, and philosophy via wide angle lenses. They don't make 'em like they used to. v.c.

P.S. Don't miss this one on ze rebound.
 Posted by Picasa

Thursday, October 19, 2006

"Cancelled"

If Golden Pond were a television show, it would have been cancelled a long time ago.

"What are G.P.'s ratings, J.B.?"

"Nielson says the Pond is on life support, B.R."

"We had high hopes for the concept but seems the public has never caught on to the repartee, eh?"

"Get me J.G. down in the creative department. Tell him we need a new reality show to replace the catfish!"

"Who's gonna tell the Cat he is kaput, fini.'"

"Not me. he's a passive-aggressive sort. Kitty, his wife, says he's a time bomb just waiting to explode."

"If you don't have the balls, J.B., I'll do it. I'll call him on his cell phone and deliver the bad news."

"Yeah, that's the ticket, J.B. No wonder you're in charge of the network, allah William Paley from back inna day."

"You know I'm a'gonna miss those youtube episodes from the cat."

"Seems he told me 'all the young dudes' from Mott the Hoople was next on the agenda."

"Zowie! J.B." ****

"Well, it's his own fault. He got away from writing those, er, brilliant stories that were the cat's meow."

"Righto. Old bean. He forgot what got him here in the first place. Those scintillating forays into the infantile."

"Yes, he began posting pictures allah Eastman Kodak. And with little commentary. Nobody seemed to care about the Fab 4, the one-eyed cyclops from Sinbad, the dames from Bogie's era, the Hell's Angels causing a melee at Altamount, or the death of Popeye via spinach."

"Wasn't that the one 'Slippery' allegedly sent to him?"

"'Slippery' was a figment of the cat's imagination. There is no real 'Slippery.' The fish invented him along with ibbq4you2 and hootsbuddy."

"Now wait a minute, J.G. I know for a fact that there is a real 'hoots.'"

"Yes, I read his column religiously. I like to keep in tune with the democratic ideals, because we all know the solutions to all of our problems is through dialogue."

"Sure there's a 'hoots.' But it's really the fish portraying himself as a liberal dem."

"Cat's really a Republican, isn't he?"

"He always said he was a, well, uh, er, an independent."

"Right you are. When the boy was dazzling us with his prose, he did mention the affiliation."

"Perhaps we can entice his liberal sister, Olga, to take his place."

"By jove, you've done it. Get in touch with her toute' suite."

"Au revoir, v.c. You're fired."


P.S. All the young dudes? Eh?

P.S.S. **** [ obscure reference-David Bowie, the creator of aforementioned song, named his son, Zowie, and changed the pronunciation of Bowie so's it would rhyme ]

Tuesday, October 17, 2006

"B Movies From Where Else"

 
 
 
 

The one with Joan Crawford aptly entitled "Strait Jacket" scared the beegeezus out of me as a young prebuscent tyke of eleven. Chronicled in earlier forays.

They don't make 'em like they used to....eh? v.c.

P.S. Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee allegedly turned down the role of Dr. Loomis in "Halloween." Which was ultimately played by Donald Pleasance.
 Posted by Picasa

"Hey Jude"or "The Movement You Need Is On Your Shoulders?"

 
 
 
 

Back in the glorious days of 1968, yours truly bought "Revolution" by the pre-Fab, er, Fab 4. It came packaged as a "45." Some of youse might not be familiar with the terminology. A long story so we will mosey onward.

Me being curiouser [ not sure if we are stealing from Dickens ] flipped the record over to notice a song entitled "Hey Jude." My first instinct was: "this tune will suck because it's the 'B' side. Well, not really suck, cos it's me boys but will probably not measure up to 'Revolution.'"

The joke was on me. [ apologies to the Bee Gees ] Number 1: "Hey Jude" was the "A" side; and secondly, the song blew me away. It had me at "hey."

I hate to admit this-you know how guys are-but I started dancing around the room. It was my first actual spiritual revelation, as I write now in hindsight. My first religious experience. It was 1968 and flower power was in vogue. I was just a mere lad of 17, but the tune transformed me into a different person. It was the most beautiful melody I had ever heard.

As chronicled earlier, "Revolution" was the song being played on the air waves, but when "Hey Jude" was broadcast on the old "Smothers Brothers" show, it immediately went through the roof in sales and popularity.

I have always said that "I Am the Walrus" is my favorite Beatles tune, but "Hey Jude" is interchangeable.

So this is tonite's foray. And thanks to youtube, who was bought by google last week.

Take a sad song and make it better, v.c.

P.S. B Side Smee Side!

P.S.S. As the story goes from Rolling Stone Magazine:

The Beatles' biggest U.S. single -- nine weeks at Number One -- was also their longest, at seven minutes and eleven seconds. During the recording sessions, the Beatles' producer, George Martin, objected to the length, claiming DJs would not play the song. "They will if it's us," John Lennon shot back. Paul McCartney wrote "Hey Jude" in June 1968, singing to himself on his way to visit Lennon's soon-to-be-ex-wife, Cynthia, and their son, Julian. The opening lines were, McCartney said in The Beatles Anthology, "a hopeful message for Julian: 'Come on, man, your parents got divorced. I know you're not happy, but you'll be OK.' " McCartney changed "Jules" to "Jude" -- a name inspired by Jud from the musical Oklahoma! -- and presented a demo tape to Lennon, who loved the song. He also thought McCartney was singing to him, about his relationship with Yoko Ono and the strains on the Lennon-McCartney partnership. But his self-centered reading underscored the universal comfort in McCartney's lyrics and the song's warm, rolling charm, fortified in the fade-out by a thirty-six-piece orchestra whose members (with one grumpy exception) also clapped and sang along -- for double their usual fee.

 Posted by Picasa

Saturday, October 14, 2006

"What Was Betsy Palmer Thinking?

 
 
 
 

Kevin Bacon starred in the first one, and for his efforts, received a knife through the throat. And why did Jason Voorhees choose poor 'ol Kevin to meet the grim reaper? Cos he was having promiscuous sex with a member of the opposite sex. The setting: Camp Crystal Lake. Far from civilization.

As chronicled in "Scream," via Wes Craven. If you be a young adult and take off your clothes and have sex and yer in the woods, then a serial killer will prey upon you and slice and dice you-up faster than a vegematic. Apologies to Ron Popiel.*

I have been hooked on these demented forays ever since my mom took me to see "I Was A Teenage Werewolf," which starred L'il Joe Cartwright. Circa 1956 or thereabouts, and me, a mere tyke of five.

Semper fi, er, sci-fi, v.c.


P.S. The inventor of "pocket fisherman" and spray shoe polish for those annoying bald spots on your head. Posted by Picasa