We've got a busy weekend ahead - Run Of The Mill 5k on Saturday and the Seattle Storm host the Chicago Sky on Sunday. That said, if I've got the energy left, I think I'm going to try and go see these guys at the Showbox Sunday Night... Here are the Mighty Mighty Bosstones with "The Impression That I Get"
Let's stay in the Nu-Ska genre with one of the first in that class, from their 1985 EP here is Fishbone with the classic "Party At Ground Zero"
...D Squared edition - Yep, the L&T and I are off to see Duran Duran this weekend at Marymoor Park (first time I've seen a concert at that venue, really looking forward to it). In honor of that, here are a couple of Double D songs. Unfortunately, because EMI is an old media company and doesn't understand how the interwebs work, I'm a little limited in what I can put up for videos. The good news is, that there were a couple of quality choices .
Most people go to "Hungry Like The Wolf" first, but for me the quintessential DD video is this one. From their breakthrough second album here is the title track -"Rio"
This is my favorite Duran Duran song, and their first UK #1. It was originally released as a stand alone single, but was eventually added to their 1st album "Duran Duran" when that was reissued in 1983. The video is kind of weak so instead here is a great live performance of "Is There Something I Should Know"
Obscure facts edition!! - Sirius satellite radio has a station called Iceberg 85 which features only Canadian artist. It's a great place to hear good music that hasn't (and may not) make it here in the States, Major Maker falls into that category. This song was originally created as a 30 second piece for a Maynards Candy commercial (which you can see here), but when Maynards was inundated with requests for the band's name, the group decided to expand the song and release it as a single. Here is "Rollercoaster";
Everyone who grow up in the MTV generation know's Kim Wilde "Kids In America", but I actually like this song better. What I didn't know was what happened to Ms. Wilde after she left music - She went to school to become a horticulturalist, was then spotted by a BBC TV crew and went on to host the BBC series "Garden Invaders". Here is her second biggest hit, "Keep Me Hanging On";
Getting back some of my Indie cred (can I even have "Indie cred"?) here is St. Vincent with a great video for "Actor Out Of Work";
Keeping that theme going here is one of the great Indie bands of the late 70's / 80's - The Talking Heads. This is one of my favorite T-Heads songs (including a kick-arse bass track from Tina Waymouth), from their 1984 classic movie "Stop Making Sense" here is "This Must Be The Place";
I generally believe that when someone has an affair, it's their issue. It's sad for the spouse and family affected, but it's basically personal. I understand that when it involves a public figure it's news (see Edwards, John), and I'm fine with that, but I wouldn't necessarily feel the need to comment on it.
That said, this story about Sen. John Ensign (R-NV) is a whole different animal. You see, it's not that Sen. Ensign had an affair (we all make mistakes), it's that his hypocrisy goes to 11!
Here is candidate Ensign in 1998 suggesting that Bill Clinton resign because of his affair, saying that he "had no credibility left" (how's the credibility thing working out for you?)
Here is Sen. Ensign explaining in 2004 that we need a Constitutional amendment protecting marriage from Teh Gay (I'm guessing that's why he had an affair, because LGBT people love each other).
Here is Sen. Ensign in 2007 explaining why Larry Craig should resign ""There's too many people that paint with a broad brush that we're all corrupt, we're all amoral. … And having these kinds of things happen, whether it's a Republican or Democratic senator — we certainly have had plenty of Democratic scandals in the past — we need people who are in office who will hold themselves to a little higher standard." (that one pretty much speaks for itself)
Listen Senator - You take care of your own house before you go telling everyone else how theirs ought to be built...
I've featured these guys before, but in addition to playing great music they also produce really interesting videos. Checkout Mutemath's "Spotlight";
In the annals of "S'cuse Me While I Kiss This Guy" misunderstood song lyrics, this song by Hipsway is a hidden gem (these are the real lyrics, what do YOU think they said);
Sleek big cat, bible black
Honeysuckle I would never deny
The light of deep regret
Let me see what I don't get
Here is "Honey Thief" -
After the Seattle SuperSonics ceased to exist (regardless of what Oklahoma City says, they're dead, they don't exist), I stopped watching the NBA for a while. I came back during this year's playoff run and have in general enjoyed watching the game again, but seeing Rashard Lewis light it up for the Orlando Magic has been a little tough.
Bill Simmons’ long time editor and Seattle native Kevin Jackson summed up my feelings on Lewis;
“It has been painful for me to even look at Rashard Lewis during the '09 playoffs. Not only is Rashard finally playing like the versatile swingman every Seattle fan envisioned when we mercifully plucked him out of the green room as a tearful teenager in 1998 (and not the unemotional second coming of Derrick McKey), he has turned into a walking symbol of Seattle's lack of a basketball existence. The decision to send Rashard to Orlando was the beginning of the deplorable fire sale that allowed Bennett and Co. to move the team in the first place. (Ray Allen played the same role for us in the '08 Finals, but we were at least happy to see Ray finally win a title.) With Rashard, it's a case of a guy finally doing for one team what he could never do for our team with the added wrinkle that our team no longer exists. And this without even mentioning Rashard's no-show in Seattle's spirited 2005 playoff run, including that mysterious sprained toe. I will now have Bill light me on fire.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself…
When the Lovely & Talented Mrs. Smith and I got married we had already decided that we didn’t want to have children, we wanted a dog. At the time, we were in an apartment so that was out of the question, but in the fall of 1994 we rented a house so that we could make that a reality.
We knew we wanted a “bigger” dog and did a ton of research on the various breeds; these were the days before the interwebs so we did it the old fashioned way – We read books, talked to owners, and went to dog shows. After much discussion of our requirements – A bigger breed (over 40 pounds), easy going, good with kids (we didn’t have them, but our friends would), easy to train (HA!), and relatively low maintenance, we decided on Golden Retrievers, and in late January 1995 we brought home an 8 week old bundle of energy. Beginning a tradition of naming our dogs after things related to Disney, we called him “Eli” (which is Walt Disney’s middle name).
Eli wasn’t much for obedience (he listened to us when he wanted to), retrieving (he had a tendency to go over to the object thrown and just look at it), or other dogs (dog parks were where there were people who might want to pet him), but he was one of the sweetest dogs I’ve ever known. I was still coming to grips with my IBD when we got Eli, and he would sit with me when I wasn’t feeling well, he saw the L&T and I through many highs and lows. In the early years he traveled with us frequently, from trips to California to Coupeville, bringing love wherever he went.
Unfortunately, for all the love and joy they bring, pets are only with us for a short time and on Friday our short time with Eli came to an end. Eli wasn’t always a good dog, but he was always a great dog, and he will be missed… Make It So’s Disney Magic “Eli” – 05 Dec 1994 to 05 Jan 2009. Rest well old friend…
What I like about this video (besides the song) is that they seem to be having a lot of fun making it. Here are Matt & Kim with "Daylight";
We're goin all the way back to 1979 for today's Classic video, from the album "Squezzing Out Sparks" here is Graham Parker and the Rumours with "Local Girls"
...Before folks start sending this to me, I thought I'd post it here. From the always funny "Pearls Before Swine" Click to embiggen, and before you ask yes, I think it's pretty funny (and a little accurate);
The first week of the 35th Annual Seattle International Film Festival is in the books and it’s by far the best opening weekend I’ve had in the 5-6 years we’ve been attending. SIFF asks attendees to rank the films on a 1 – 5 scale (5 is excellent, 1 is “Ishtar”) and using that measurement I had 3 solid “4’s” and a “5”. Here’s a quick recap of the week;
“The Adventures of Robin Hood” (1938, USA) – I grew up watching this movie on TV with my folks and have seen it several times, but never before on the big screen which was a real treat. The movie was presented by Turner Classic Movies and their host, Robert Osborne was on hand (the L&T got me an autograph) to introduce the film and tell some of the back story as well. Before the movie started they showed the classic Bugs Bunny cartoon “Rabbit Hood” which added to the old time feel. Because it’s an older film it wasn’t eligible for the Best Picture so there was no voting, but I’d give it a 5.
“I’m No Dummy” (2009, USA) – This documentary gives you a window into the world of ventriloquism (or “vent” as it’s apparently known). Exploring both the history of “venting” and its current state, the film uses interviews and stock footage to both inform and entertain. While it was good, it did drag a little in parts which is why it only got a 4 from me. After the movie the directors as well as three “vents” and their dummies (including Jay Johnson and Bob from “Soap”) answered questions and entertained for about 15 minutes.
“The Answer Man” (2009, USA) – 20 years Arlen Faber wrote a book that changed people’s lives. The problem is, he doesn’t like people. Equal parts rom-com, philosophy, and character study, the movie explores the life of three people all searching for something, even if they don’t know exactly what it is. “The Answer Man” is superbly acted, with wonderful moments making up most of the film. Unfortunately, it also has a few moments that seem a little out of place and unnecessarily slow the film down and for that reason I could only give it a 4 (I’m a tough critic). That said, I’d recommend seeing it to most everyone, and it’s my favorite film of the festival so far.
“The Garden” (2008, USA) – Just after the 1992 Rodney King riots in South Central LA a 14 acre plot of land was set aside for a community garden similar to Seattle’s Pea Patch. The garden thrived until 2004 when the original owner of the land asked the city to allow him to buy it back, which city agreed to in a secret deal. This documentary follows the 4 year legal battle that ensued, and while it was very good I think it missed some things in its story telling that could have given a clearer picture of what happened and what went wrong. It’s that lack of completeness that drops this down to a 4.
Like I said, a great week 1! I’ll be traveling for much of the 2nd week, but we’ll get a couple of movies in toward the end, and I’ll be back with reviews after that.
Back before Facebook made their big change, one of the common things was to make lists (or notes) containing various random facts. I was "tagged" by one of these quite some time ago and just never got around to finishing it on FB, so I thought I'd post it here. The "list" was concerts, feel free to play along in the comments or your own blog...
What was the first show/concert you went to?
Cars at Cal Expo. Tom Petty opened and was boo'd off stage
What was the last show/concert ?
Cake at The Paramount!
List your top five favorite shows/concerts.
Honorable Mentions:
B-52's at Chateau Ste. Michelle; Moby at the Paramount; Duran Duran at the Everett Event Center; Missy Higgens in Ballard; The Beat Farmers in San Diego; Gypsy Kings at Chateau Ste. Michelle; Devo at "Run Hit Wonder 5k" in Portland; The English Beat at the Ballard Fire House; INXS in Hollywood; Go-Go's in Manteca; Cake at The Paramount
What was the worst show/concert you ever saw?
Samantha Fox, Grad Night at Disneyland 1989. I was working and it was painful beyond description...
What show/concert was way better than you thought it might be?
Weird Al Yankovic - I figured it would be a fun show but I was unprepared for how good it was. The band was TIGHT, the music was fun, and it was incredibly well produced. Definitely surpassed my expectations
Who have you seen play live the most?
Oingo Boingo, I think the number is at 16 or 17...
What show/concert do you most regret missing the most?
Barenaked Ladies - We had tickets to their last tour and it snowed several inches on the afternoon/evening of the show. We decided to bail, which was definitely the safe play, but now that they've sort of broken up, I'll always regret never having seen them live.
What's the most embarrassing show/concert you've been to?
Honestly, I've either blocked this out or I can't come up with one. I can tell you the worst - REM at the San Diego County Fair. This was back in the early 80’s when their music really relied on harmony, and the sound was so bad that we left after a couple of songs.
If you could travel back in time, what bands would you want to see and when?
The Rat Pack (Frank, Sammy, Dean, Joey, and Peter) - The Sands, 60's
Frank Sinatra - Both the 1940's and 1960's versions
Talking Heads - 80's
Before you die, (or they die) who would you most like to see live?
Another "special edition" FMPMU, this time it's a band I've been listening to a lot lately, Zero 7. The group was started by two recording studio engineers (who do most of the instrumentals) and features an amazing array of vocal talent, including Sia Furler and Tina Dico. It's a little challenging to describe their music, but I personally put it in the "Chill" category.
Not to get overly sappy, but whenever I travel (as I will be tomorrow) I always think about this song and the L&T;
"When I'm weak I draw strength from you
"And when you're lost I know how to change your mood
"And when I'm down you breathe life over me
"Even though we're miles apart we are each other's destiny"
Here is "Destiny"
This next one is an active listening song, really pay attention to the lyrics while you're watching the video (and be sure to stay for the end), this is "Distractions"...
It's the unofficial start to summer this weekend so let's bust out the Pork pie hats again and get "Into Action" with Tim Armstrong;
And let's keep that Ska beat going with this classic from Bad Manners, here is "Samson & Delilah"
Double Classic today in honor of this year's Blue Lake Top 10 CD and my theme for this year is Top Ten 80's Soundtrack songs. My criteria was that the song had to be an important part of the movie, not necessarily the theme or title song, but definitely not something you only hear 10 seconds of. With that in mind here on the 8 I don't have videos for;
Now for the videos, first up is from the 1985 Val Kilmer classic "Real Genius",here is Chaz Jankel with "Number 1"
Finally is the title track to a fun but pretty obscure movie (it's the only one on the list not on DVD), from 1984's "Up The Creek" here is Cheap Trick and "Up The Creek"
You've no doubt heard part of this song during iPod commercials, but don't hold that against the band or the song, it's well worth a listen. Here are The Submarines with "You, Me and the Bourgeoisie"
Oh, I've been sitting on this one for a while now - The newest Star Trek movie opens today, so in honor of that how about a video featuring one of the original cast members? Here is "Going Down To Liverpool" by The Bangles featuring Leonard Nimoy! Apparently his daughter was friends with someone in the band and he agreed to appear in the video. Ahhhh,the 80's...
I haven't followed the NBA much since the Sonic went to Hijack City but I usually watch the playoffs, so I was surprised that I missed the news that one of my favorite players suffered a career ending injury on Tuesday. Dikembe Mutombo Mpolondo Mukamba Jean-Jacques Wamutombo (that's his full name) blew out his left knee in Portland that night bringing to an end to 17 years in the NBA.
In 1994 I had every reason to hate Mutombo, the picture of him laying on the floor of Key Arena clutching the ball as his Denver Nuggets came into Seattle and beat the team with the best record in the NBA (and probably killing the Sups best chance at a Championship - For a great [if painful] video review of the series click here) is still fresh in my mind. Still, Dikembe always makes me smile.
Maybe it's his accent, maybe it's his infectious smile when he's off the court, maybe it was his reactions at the NBA dunk contests, but probably it's because even though he was a pretty good basketball player, he is a very good person - He holds a degree in diplomacy and linguistics, and he speaks 9 languages. He's done extensive work with the United Nations and has given millions to his native Democratic Republic of Congo, including building a hospital in the capital (how many other NBA players have built a hospital?).
Here's wishing Deke a quick recovery!
BTW - The post title is a little inside joke amongst some of the Old Guys.
While it's a tenuous connection these two are slightly related in that they're both very good songs with slightly bizarre videos. First up is The Young Punx with, we'll I'll let them describe it - "Two hikers get drawn into a mysterious and surreal coastal world where the power of the Shipping Forecast summons the demon metal guitarist from the depths and possesses the locals with the spirit of ROCK! Will they survive the encounter?" here is "Rockall"
If you're old enough to remember MTV when this song first came out you remember the pot of beans, here is Wall of Voodoo with "Mexican Radio"
