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This, this is what my musical identity is rooted in. Los Endos (live) And studio Progressive 1970s rock. And yes, that is Bill Bruford in 1976 touring with the boys. And no, I was 9 years old so I did not get to see it. But MAN! -
My wife introduced me to Paul Weller in the early 90s. I knew The Jam (1976-1982) because of MTV, but never made the connection and at the time it was not my thing. Over the past 20 years I have really grown to love what this guy does. Most of it is at least good or interesting, some of is is great, and he has some serious gems in his catalog. I prefer his 90s to early aughts period the most. A favorite song of mine from his body of work is "As You Lean Into The Light." Sit back, feel the groove, the atmosphere and lean in to it. It's pretty great. "As You Lean Into The Light" (Live (much extended) version - amazing): "As You Lean Into The Light" (Studio): But don't get we wrong, he also does a lot of louder/faster/robust songs. And his voice is just great.
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I've now heard the word "hinky" multiple times, mostly when watching Jack Webb productions of "Dragnet" or "Adam-12," but in at least one other place also - I can't remember where, but I'm pretty sure it was in an old movie. I don't know if "hinky" was in common usage in the 1960s, but to the best of my memory, I've never heard it used in conversation. In the context where I've heard it used, it's a synonym for "antsy" or "edgy," due to criminals feeling the heat of an impending police presence. Does anyone else know about hinky, and its use and/or disuse? It's entirely possible that it was a Jack Webb quirk, but the movie referenced above wasn't a Webb production. Where is Bill Walsh when we need him? Bill remains the best I've ever encountered in the "Grammar Geekery" line, although I have to give some serious props to leleboo as well (an English degree from Harvard in three years? Hello ...)
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We all know that "Who did whom" is the correct Subject-Verb-Object form of a typical sentence. However, there are two cases for which I've never been quite certain what to use: (A nod to René Auberjonois, who passed away today.) As the subject of a descriptive clause (is this the correct term?): This sentence pays tribute to René Auberjonois, who played 'Odo" on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." As the object of a descriptive clause: This sentence pays tribute to René Auberjonois, whom we all know as 'Odo' on "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine." Are these sentences correct? Is the who/whom entirely based on what occurs to the right of the comma? Restated, can you treat these as their own sentences, substituting "he" or "him?" This seems correct, but I've never seen the rule(s) defined.
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I became a fan of this band after discovering them in the early 80s. I came close to seeing them play live in 1987, but then Fish left and there was drama. I think some of the lyrics are overwrought, and some of the music is not as great as 70s prog rock, but the sweet clean guitar is amazing. I have many favorites, but here is one sample - Jigsaw:
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I had a friend from college who used to say, "Geez Manetti." I've never heard anyone else say this before (or since), and I just looked it up - apparently it's "a thing," sort of like "Geez Louise." Jul 1, 2011 - "Twanglish Lesson: Southern Cussemisms" on real-southern.com (see the comment section) Maybe this is limited to South Cackalacky. Apr 15, 2010 - "A Word To Capture the Carolinas" by Elizabeth Jensen on carrborocommons.mj.unc.edu NB - The only term on this website that's forbidden is "pop" for soft drink, so all you folks from Cleveland, please keep it in your pants and/or get a room.
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"Why a Group of Hippos is Called 'A Bloat'" by Kerry Medina on bbc.com
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It's spelled honkie. Now you have to say white trash.
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Yikes! I have all kinds of problems with that recipe. Where the fuck did those oysters come from? Gag...
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I suspect most readers here have neither seen "The Fixer," nor are familiar with the grotesque (but true) accusation of "Blood Libel" (completely unrelated to the term "Blood Simple"). Sir Alan Bates was justifiably honored for his portrayal of an early-twentieth-century Russian Jew named Yakov Bok (based on the unbelievable-but-true story of Menahem Mendel Beilis) with a nomination for an Academy Award for Best Actor (which went to Cliff Robertson for "Charly" (which was a fine performance, but Bates deserved the award)) . The book (reportedly superior to the film) was written by Bernard Malamud (author of "The Natural"), and the screenplay by Dalton Trumbo (writer of "Roman Holiday" and director of "Johnny Got His Gun"). I won't summarize the film, but although slightly hamfisted (Trumbo was talented, but not subtle), this is an important movie, and a laudable performance by Bates, who looks freakishly like Anton Chigurh (enough so that I think that several aspects of Chigurh were based on Yakov Bok, even though one man is pure good, and the other is pure evil). For now, the film is available, in high quality, for free on YouTube, but I council people to watch it all in one day, and to be prepared for something more than lighthearted fare. -
I loved watching "The Saint" when I was in high school - I felt like I'd snuck into a movie theater, and was watching James Bond for free. Last night, I watched Season 1, Episode 1, "The Talented Husband" for the first time ever, and I can honestly say it was one of the single finest hours I have ever seen on television. If you're a Hulu subscriber, I *urge* you to watch this first episode - you will not regret it. I remember the series as being really good, but not *this* good. Sometimes, people have one, great idea, and that's what they use for the pilot in order to sell the show - I suspect that's what happened with "The Talented Husband." It's really extraordinary television, and it's on Hulu here (subscription required) - do *not* watch the version on YouTube: The background of that version is awful; the free version on Vimeo looks like it's of good quality, but I haven't watched it, so I'm not sure. More than Wikipedia, I highly recommend this website - The Saint - as your home base for each episode. Unfortunately, it's set up so that each episode doesn't have its own URL, so I can't link to them - if you want a real, dedicated, fan-based website, this is the one for you: I'd link to it if I could. "The Saint" car: a 1962 Volvo P1800 with license plate ST 1 - Season One (Oct 4, 1962 - Dec 20, 1962) 1.1 - "The Talented Husband" - Directed by Michael Truman (Director of "Girl in the Headlines"), Written by Jack Sanders Featuring Derek Farr as John Clarron (John Whitworth in "The Dam Busters"), Shirley Eaton as Adrienne Halberd (Jill Masterson in "Goldfinger"), Patricia Roc as Madge Clarron (Caroline Marsh in "Canyon Passage"), Norman Mitchell as Mr. Smith (Gunner 'Parky' Nigel Parkin on "It Ain't Half Hot Mum") 1.2 "The Latin Touch" - Directed by John Gilling (Director of "Shadow of the Cat"), Written by Gerald Kelsey (Writer of 43 episodes of "Dixon of Dock Green") and Dick Sharples (Writer of 35 episodes of "In Loving Memory") Featuring Suzan Farmer (Diana Kent in "Dracula: Prince of Darkness"), Warren Mitchell (BAFTA Television Award Winner for Best Actor on "Till Death Do Us Part") 1.3 - "The Careful Terrorist" -
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Hunter's Head is a fun little spot... -
After months of trying, and attempting to recommend "Cold Fever" to people, I finally found it for rent online. It's not the easiest thing in the world to do, but it seems safe enough - it will take a leap of faith, however. Believe me, I've tried *everything*, and finally found something that worked, with one caveat. Go to icelandiccinemaonline.com, sign up for an account, and then comes the leap of faith: You need to purchase credits to watch films, in increments of 5 Euros. Renting "Cold Fever" requires 3 Euros of credits, and as of this writing, I have 2 Euros in my account - they're just sitting there, and probably won't be used, so I'll be happy to give them to anyone wanting to watch the film. The catch is that 2 credits aren't enough; you need 3, and so you'll need to purchase 5 more regardless. However, if you do purchase 5 more, I'll give you my 2, and you'll have a total of 7, which will give you enough to watch two films (assuming the second one is no more than 4 credits). I'll also need to figure out a way to either transfer my credits to your account, or give you access to my account, so just write me, and we'll figure this out together. Okay, now for the caveat: This is mostly an English-language film - the Icelandic parts are almost non-existent, but the very beginning is in Japanese, and when I saw this in the movie theater, 20+ years ago, I'm pretty sure the Japanese part was sub-titled into English; this version has no subtitles at all, so I'll need to tell you what they're talking about in the first 10-15 minutes of the film. Once I do, it will be extremely easy to follow: *** SPOILERS FOLLOW *** Hirata is a wealthy young Japanese businessman, played by Masatoshi Nagase with *hilarious* subtlety. His parents traveled to Iceland for a vacation, where they perished, and if I recall correctly, the anniversary of their death is coming up (it might be the one-year anniversary, or 5 year, but he's a young man, so it couldn't have been too long ago). It is customary to honor your parents by traveling to the place where they died, and performing a ritual at that location, which is what sends Hirata to Iceland in the dead of winter. That is the point where, about 15 minutes into the film, you see him boarding an SAS flight to Iceland, and that's the point where you no longer need sub-titles. *** SPOILERS END HERE *** I really didn't spoil much in the previous section, so it won't kill you to read it, and in fact, you'll *need* to read it unless you understand Japanese, because I'm telling you what happens in the non-sub-titled portion of the film - it won't ruin anything, and you'll need to know the set-up to enjoy the film. The rest of the movie is the "road film" portion, and it alternates between laugh-out-loud funny and darkly, strangely funny. I really recommend this film, not as a masterpiece, but as a 90-minute little gem - a "small film - that will be 90 minutes very well-spent. And, as I said above, I'll be happy to give you my 2 credits - get in touch. If you don't want mine, I might take yours - either way, the extra credits shouldn't go to waste.
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Jack and the Beanstalk (1734)
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Anyone ever been? We will be going tomorrow night for a feast and show. http://medievalmadness.org/ -
Speaking of morbid sentimental songs, one of my very favorite morbid sentimental songs is "Danny Boy", and the late Irish tenor Frank Patterson sang it (below) as well as anyone ever could. I think a lot of people know the first chorus, with its pipes calling, but not so much the second, with the dying flowers and the singer anticipating his or her own death. ("And all my grave will warmer, sweeter be" plumbs the morbid depths, doesn't it?) This song always provokes a question as to the relationship between the singer and Danny. Many interpretations are possible, but I've always imagined the singer to be Danny's mother, saying good-bye as Danny emigrates to America during the Famine. Morbid, sentimental, and heart-breaking. Having just lost my own mother, this is even likelier to make me cry than otherwise. The up-beat big-band version of the tune used as the opening theme for the Danny Thomas sitcom "Make Room for Daddy" has always struck me as rather grotesque. -
Those of a certain age will remember live television broadcasts in the 60s from far away being introduced by the incantation "Live via Telstar!" Telstar wasn't a single communications satellite but a whole generation of them, if I understand correctly, although I thought it was a specific satellite at the time. The British group The Tornados had a big hit with this rather odd instrumental in 1962, which I have loved almost all of my life. Telstar: There are two and possibly three different recordings all purporting to the be original 1962 hit floating around out there. I think this is the real one, although I'm not entirely sure.
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Steve Cutts' home page is here - I'm not sure of his birth year. I generally don't condone political discussions here, but sometimes art, by its very nature, is political - all opinions are welcome.
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I have found, regularly use, and want to recommend a wonderfully simple English pronunciation website: howjsay.com. Pick a tough word, Andromeda, for example, go to howjsay.com, type it in, and push Enter. In about two or three seconds total, you have your pronunciation. Try it! I wrote Tim Boyer, complimenting him on this tool which I now use several times a week (hey, I'm reading Shakespeare!), he wrote me back as follows: So, while the website - probably the entire family of Fonetiks websites - is wonderful and successful, don't assume it will always be there. He could have one heck of a job facing him one day, so bookmark it, and enjoy it while you can. Highly recommended for writers, orators, and people who just want to educate themselves, even about a single word.
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