I'd never heard of this band--let alone the song--before GB had us play it in our first rehearsal. The Small Faces were only together for 4 years (1965-69), but that's still 3 years and 7 months longer than that band I was in. After the Small Faces broke up in 1969, some guy named Rod Stewart joined and they re-formed as The Faces. What have we got? Me, writing a blog. Wodger is somewhere in Virginia, probably still being a douchebag who doesn't return phone calls. GC and MC are still in town. I never even learned Navy Jim's last name. No idea where he is now.
We played the song pretty straight--GC and I doubled the guitar part, with me throwing in harmonics on the main arpeggio figure. It was slow enough that I could handle playing all-downstrokes on the chorus (I couldn't do that on our faster stuff--had to cheat with alternating strokes, and still have to on one song I can remember).
I've got us playing this thing on that video of our first gig...woof. Maybe one day I'll throw it up--or throw up--(ha ha ha) on YouTube.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Song of the Day: The Act We Act (Sugar)
This is the opening track on Sugar's "Copper Blue," their first album. The band was formed by former Husker Du singer Bob Mould in the early '90s.
This was also the second of two cover songs played by the band I was in, Soma Holiday. Note that I don't call it "my band"--I've never really felt that was mine, and it'd feel conceited to call it that. Funny thing: both Sugar and Soma Holiday broke up in 1995.
This is easily the best track on the CD, and when we were trying to come up with another song to cover, GC popped in the disc. I liked it immediately. Mould's guitars and his nasal punkish voice really work well (though the vocals are kind of buried in the mix). It's not hard to play--and that was a bonus for me, given that I had so much trouble keeping up with some of GC's ideas. I've got a quick ear for learning a song, but back in 1994 I simply didn't have the chops.
The down side was that MC didn't have the chops to sing it. We're not talking about a song with, say, Aerosmith's vocal pyrotechnics. Mould's not doing a great deal--but what he does has presence.
This was also the second of two cover songs played by the band I was in, Soma Holiday. Note that I don't call it "my band"--I've never really felt that was mine, and it'd feel conceited to call it that. Funny thing: both Sugar and Soma Holiday broke up in 1995.
This is easily the best track on the CD, and when we were trying to come up with another song to cover, GC popped in the disc. I liked it immediately. Mould's guitars and his nasal punkish voice really work well (though the vocals are kind of buried in the mix). It's not hard to play--and that was a bonus for me, given that I had so much trouble keeping up with some of GC's ideas. I've got a quick ear for learning a song, but back in 1994 I simply didn't have the chops.
The down side was that MC didn't have the chops to sing it. We're not talking about a song with, say, Aerosmith's vocal pyrotechnics. Mould's not doing a great deal--but what he does has presence.
At least I wasn't the singer.
The past few days have found me thinking about the band I inhabited back in 1994-95. It seems so surreal--nearly 15 years?!
It started earlier than that; sometime in mid-'94 I met Wodger, a bass player. We hung out, tried to jam a little. I played guitar. I knew even then that I wasn't very good. Then in November, after a few rounds of Classifieds, we hooked up with a guy--call him GC--who was forming a new band.
The lineup:
GC--lead guitar
MC--his wife--singer *cough*
Me--rhythm guitar *cough cough*
Wodger--bass
Navy Jim--drums
I'll call the drummer Navy Jim because his name's Jim, he was in the Navy. Turns out he was a better man than GC or Wodger, so I won't give him a snarkish nickname.
So we formed up, did some rehearsals, and I knew I sounded and played like crap, but I kept trying to improve. I couldn't keep up with GC's blurred fingers. He and Wodger were the creative forces, and before long we had close to a dozen songs, including a pair of covers ("All Or Nothing" by The Small Faces and "The Act We Act" by Sugar). Someone in one audience called our style "Punk, with guitar solos."
Navy Jim was a badass, and he looked like a gorilla behind those drums. Wodger and GC were excellent players, and I liked the songs they wrote (GC also penned the lyrics).
But MC...her singing was pretty bad. I've got a 15 minute video of our first gig, and I can't really say that she ever got better than that. She stayed on the note well enough, sometimes a little sharp or flat, but the problem was with her inflection and stage presence. Think of your typical singer--blues, R and B, jazz, rock, whatever--and how that person brings a song to life and defines the sound of a band in ways the instruments don't.
David Lee Roth made Van Halen. The band changed when Sammy Hagar took over.
Chris Cornell's powerful voice defined Soundgarden's sound.
Plenty of people hate Rush because they can't get past Geddy Lee's voice.
MC was our "frontman"--and she had no business being there, because her singing lacked conviction, soul, presence.
We played the Handlebar and Murphy's Lounge--a downtown dive and an outskirts country dive, respectively--as our only "regular" gigs. And all the while, I was aware of how sucky my playing was. When we started laying down tracks to cut a demo (sometime in March of '95?), I knew it was over.
Our last gig was April 1, 1995. Heh.
One week later, I got a letter from the girl I was in a long-distance relationship with. First relationship, and all that, and for the next few months I didn't think of the band or even notice that I hadn't gotten a call. It was sometime in June or July when I thought of them--and only because I had stuff of theirs and wanted to give it back.
Wodger wouldn't return my calls. For a couple of days he was "taking a nap" or "in the garage" or whatever. Guess he didn't want the hard-to-replace instruction manual I'd borrowed.
GC aswered the phone and we talked for a few minutes. He told me to keep the guitar cord I'd borrowed--but no mention of the band.
Navy Jim and I talked for a good bit longer. He's the one who told me we'd both been kicked out of the band, and he was mystified that I hadn't figured things out or given it any thought. I tried to get him to understand that I'd been preoccupied, what with the girl and getting ready to move to Tallahassee. He talked to Wodger, and while Wodger did want the manual back...he was too much of a chickenshit to man up and call me to make arrangements. Turns out he was also too much of a chickenshit to man up and call me to tell me I was out of the band, too. Griddance to him.
Threw out the manual. Still using the guitar cord.
It started earlier than that; sometime in mid-'94 I met Wodger, a bass player. We hung out, tried to jam a little. I played guitar. I knew even then that I wasn't very good. Then in November, after a few rounds of Classifieds, we hooked up with a guy--call him GC--who was forming a new band.
The lineup:
GC--lead guitar
MC--his wife--singer *cough*
Me--rhythm guitar *cough cough*
Wodger--bass
Navy Jim--drums
I'll call the drummer Navy Jim because his name's Jim, he was in the Navy. Turns out he was a better man than GC or Wodger, so I won't give him a snarkish nickname.
So we formed up, did some rehearsals, and I knew I sounded and played like crap, but I kept trying to improve. I couldn't keep up with GC's blurred fingers. He and Wodger were the creative forces, and before long we had close to a dozen songs, including a pair of covers ("All Or Nothing" by The Small Faces and "The Act We Act" by Sugar). Someone in one audience called our style "Punk, with guitar solos."
Navy Jim was a badass, and he looked like a gorilla behind those drums. Wodger and GC were excellent players, and I liked the songs they wrote (GC also penned the lyrics).
But MC...her singing was pretty bad. I've got a 15 minute video of our first gig, and I can't really say that she ever got better than that. She stayed on the note well enough, sometimes a little sharp or flat, but the problem was with her inflection and stage presence. Think of your typical singer--blues, R and B, jazz, rock, whatever--and how that person brings a song to life and defines the sound of a band in ways the instruments don't.
David Lee Roth made Van Halen. The band changed when Sammy Hagar took over.
Chris Cornell's powerful voice defined Soundgarden's sound.
Plenty of people hate Rush because they can't get past Geddy Lee's voice.
MC was our "frontman"--and she had no business being there, because her singing lacked conviction, soul, presence.
We played the Handlebar and Murphy's Lounge--a downtown dive and an outskirts country dive, respectively--as our only "regular" gigs. And all the while, I was aware of how sucky my playing was. When we started laying down tracks to cut a demo (sometime in March of '95?), I knew it was over.
Our last gig was April 1, 1995. Heh.
One week later, I got a letter from the girl I was in a long-distance relationship with. First relationship, and all that, and for the next few months I didn't think of the band or even notice that I hadn't gotten a call. It was sometime in June or July when I thought of them--and only because I had stuff of theirs and wanted to give it back.
Wodger wouldn't return my calls. For a couple of days he was "taking a nap" or "in the garage" or whatever. Guess he didn't want the hard-to-replace instruction manual I'd borrowed.
GC aswered the phone and we talked for a few minutes. He told me to keep the guitar cord I'd borrowed--but no mention of the band.
Navy Jim and I talked for a good bit longer. He's the one who told me we'd both been kicked out of the band, and he was mystified that I hadn't figured things out or given it any thought. I tried to get him to understand that I'd been preoccupied, what with the girl and getting ready to move to Tallahassee. He talked to Wodger, and while Wodger did want the manual back...he was too much of a chickenshit to man up and call me to make arrangements. Turns out he was also too much of a chickenshit to man up and call me to tell me I was out of the band, too. Griddance to him.
Threw out the manual. Still using the guitar cord.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
ROTD: Tom Sawyer (Rush)
Most of the bass line in "Sawyer" is straightforward, easy to figure out, but the one that gives me fits is the figure Geddy Lee plays under the guitar solo. I have trouble with it mostly because I don't practice like a proper musician should.
Tuning: Standard
G ----------------------------|
D -7---6----------7---6-------|
A ---9---7-5--------9---7-5---|
E ------------7-r-----------7-|
...e.e.e.e.e..e...q.e.e.e.e.e.|
................e.............|
The entire solo is in 7/8 time. The bass figure is articulated in descending thirds (A-F#, Ab-E, D-B). Most of the motion your fretting hand will do is lateral, with your index finger on the A, down a fret to Ab, then jumping down a string and over a fret to the D. Your middle and ring fingers are hitting the thirds in between.
You could do the riff in standard "walking" with your picking hand, or you can just use one finger or the other in a "drag" (pluck the [D] string, then continue that motion and pluck the [A] string). I end up doing it that way because I suck at "walking" on adjacent-string stuff.
The bass tone Geddy gets in this part of the song is by far my favorite--punchy bottom-end with a snarl.
Tuning: Standard
G ----------------------------|
D -7---6----------7---6-------|
A ---9---7-5--------9---7-5---|
E ------------7-r-----------7-|
...e.e.e.e.e..e...q.e.e.e.e.e.|
................e.............|
The entire solo is in 7/8 time. The bass figure is articulated in descending thirds (A-F#, Ab-E, D-B). Most of the motion your fretting hand will do is lateral, with your index finger on the A, down a fret to Ab, then jumping down a string and over a fret to the D. Your middle and ring fingers are hitting the thirds in between.
You could do the riff in standard "walking" with your picking hand, or you can just use one finger or the other in a "drag" (pluck the [D] string, then continue that motion and pluck the [A] string). I end up doing it that way because I suck at "walking" on adjacent-string stuff.
The bass tone Geddy gets in this part of the song is by far my favorite--punchy bottom-end with a snarl.
Beating Up the Snack Machine!
This happened a few years back. I was working as a delivery driver for one of the car parts places. I had a run to the local Mitsubishi dealer, who's also a Chevy dealer and Volkswagen dealer. For those of you in Pensacola, he's not the one in Car City.
For all his friendly "I'm-your-pal" crap in his commercials, he comes off as a prick if you're not buying: I hadn't been to this shop before, and as I was pulling alongside the building, looking for a parking spot, I saw him and a salesman talking. I stopped there, rolled down a window, and asked where a good place to park would be (we're not supposed to use customer parking or obstruct doors, gates, and all that). Owner-boy ignores me. The sales guy was an actual human being and pointed me to an open spot.
So I go in, drop off the parts, and as I'm getting close to the door out I hear *BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!* I get through the door, and there's owner-boy rocking the snack machine back against the wall: it cheated him of his M&M's.
Guy's worth millions. *snort*
For all his friendly "I'm-your-pal" crap in his commercials, he comes off as a prick if you're not buying: I hadn't been to this shop before, and as I was pulling alongside the building, looking for a parking spot, I saw him and a salesman talking. I stopped there, rolled down a window, and asked where a good place to park would be (we're not supposed to use customer parking or obstruct doors, gates, and all that). Owner-boy ignores me. The sales guy was an actual human being and pointed me to an open spot.
So I go in, drop off the parts, and as I'm getting close to the door out I hear *BAM! BAM! BAM! BAM!* I get through the door, and there's owner-boy rocking the snack machine back against the wall: it cheated him of his M&M's.
Guy's worth millions. *snort*
No Sense of Irony.
Every weekday morning at around 7:30, a sort-of local pastor of a Methodist church gets a 1-minute blurb called "Perceptions." I dug around a little to find that this is a national "outreach" thing intended to lure people to their local churches, yadda yadda.
www.perceptionsoutreach.com/Testimonials.htm
He tells a little (scripted) story, then gives the context that brings "meaning" to the "message." In one last week, he used some trick by Penn and Teller to make a religious point (pretty funny, given Penn's vocal atheism).
This sort-of local pastor had this offering this morning--first he told this well-worn joke:
"One day at a busy airport, the passengers on a commercial airliner are seated waiting for the pilot to show up so they can get under way.
The pilot and copilot finally appear in the rear of the plane and begin walking up to the cockpit through the center aisle. Both appear to be blind; the pilot is using a white cane, bumping into passengers right and left as he stumbles down the aisle. The copilot is using a guide dog. Both have their eyes covered with sunglasses.
At first, the passengers do not react thinking that it must be some sort of practical joke. After a few minutes though, the engines start revving, and the airplane begins moving down the runway.
The passengers look at each other with some uneasiness. They start whispering among themselves and look desperately to the stewardesses for reassurance.
Yet, the plane starts accelerating rapidly, and people begin panicking. Some passengers are praying, and as the plane gets closer and closer to the end of the runway, the voices are becoming more and more hysterical.
When the plane has less than twenty feet of runway left, there is a sudden change in the pitch of the shouts as everyone screams at once. At the very last moment, the plane lifts off and is airborne.
Up in the cockpit, the copilot breathes a sigh of relief and tells the pilot: "You know, one of these days the passengers aren't going to scream, and we're all going to die!"
*sort-of-local pastor adds his irritating fake chuckle here*
...then he adds the "perception" bit (paraphrased):
"Flying blind. When we fly blind, we run the risk of going the wrong way and making the wrong decisions."
I wish I could remember the rest of that paraphrased bit; it really added to the unintended irony of his position.
www.perceptionsoutreach.com/Testimonials.htm
He tells a little (scripted) story, then gives the context that brings "meaning" to the "message." In one last week, he used some trick by Penn and Teller to make a religious point (pretty funny, given Penn's vocal atheism).
This sort-of local pastor had this offering this morning--first he told this well-worn joke:
"One day at a busy airport, the passengers on a commercial airliner are seated waiting for the pilot to show up so they can get under way.
The pilot and copilot finally appear in the rear of the plane and begin walking up to the cockpit through the center aisle. Both appear to be blind; the pilot is using a white cane, bumping into passengers right and left as he stumbles down the aisle. The copilot is using a guide dog. Both have their eyes covered with sunglasses.
At first, the passengers do not react thinking that it must be some sort of practical joke. After a few minutes though, the engines start revving, and the airplane begins moving down the runway.
The passengers look at each other with some uneasiness. They start whispering among themselves and look desperately to the stewardesses for reassurance.
Yet, the plane starts accelerating rapidly, and people begin panicking. Some passengers are praying, and as the plane gets closer and closer to the end of the runway, the voices are becoming more and more hysterical.
When the plane has less than twenty feet of runway left, there is a sudden change in the pitch of the shouts as everyone screams at once. At the very last moment, the plane lifts off and is airborne.
Up in the cockpit, the copilot breathes a sigh of relief and tells the pilot: "You know, one of these days the passengers aren't going to scream, and we're all going to die!"
*sort-of-local pastor adds his irritating fake chuckle here*
...then he adds the "perception" bit (paraphrased):
"Flying blind. When we fly blind, we run the risk of going the wrong way and making the wrong decisions."
I wish I could remember the rest of that paraphrased bit; it really added to the unintended irony of his position.
Song of the Day: Tom Sawyer (Rush)
Yeah, a REAL Rush fan would have made this the FIRST SOTD entry, blah blah blah.
Until I have a Rickenbacker bass autographed by all three band members AND a drum kit signed by drummers John Rutsey and Neil Peart, I am not a true fan. Besides, Rutsey's dead.
This was the gateway song for me, the one that launched me into Rush fandom, one of the songs that made me want to learn to play guitar. It's the opening track on the Canadian power trio's 1981 "Moving Pictures."
"Sawyer" is arguably the Best Damn Rush Song, Period (depends on whom one asks), or at least it's tied for first against "Limelight," which is also on "Pictures." From the opening synthesizer sound to the utterly-solid drum, bass, and guitar grooves to Geddy Lee's trademark pre-pubes screech, "Sawyer" defines everything I love about the band's early-80's sound. Geddy's bass tone on the entire album is punchy with an overdrive snarl that I wish my cheapie Kramer bass could get. Alex Lifeson's guitars sound enormous and his solo confidently teeters on the edge with no fear of falling. Neil Peart's drums were mic'ed perfectly: every punishing blow stands out, from the lowest THUMP of the kick-drums to the CRASH!! of the cymbals.
I wish Rush had been able to recapture this chemistry more often in their more-recent works.
Until I have a Rickenbacker bass autographed by all three band members AND a drum kit signed by drummers John Rutsey and Neil Peart, I am not a true fan. Besides, Rutsey's dead.
This was the gateway song for me, the one that launched me into Rush fandom, one of the songs that made me want to learn to play guitar. It's the opening track on the Canadian power trio's 1981 "Moving Pictures."
"Sawyer" is arguably the Best Damn Rush Song, Period (depends on whom one asks), or at least it's tied for first against "Limelight," which is also on "Pictures." From the opening synthesizer sound to the utterly-solid drum, bass, and guitar grooves to Geddy Lee's trademark pre-pubes screech, "Sawyer" defines everything I love about the band's early-80's sound. Geddy's bass tone on the entire album is punchy with an overdrive snarl that I wish my cheapie Kramer bass could get. Alex Lifeson's guitars sound enormous and his solo confidently teeters on the edge with no fear of falling. Neil Peart's drums were mic'ed perfectly: every punishing blow stands out, from the lowest THUMP of the kick-drums to the CRASH!! of the cymbals.
I wish Rush had been able to recapture this chemistry more often in their more-recent works.
Green Jelly (follow-up)
Wow.
No sooner do I make a remark about Creed than I find out those suckers are BACK IN THE STUDIO.
Everybody panic.
Didja hear about Scott "Holy Man" Stapp getting punked severely a few years back? Link leads to a LiveJournal blog entry. Nutshell version: Creed goes to a Denny's in Gainesville, Florida hoping to score with a girl he met at an airport bar. He almost gets kicked out of Denny's. If I remember right, he slept on someone's floor.
Sad.
No sooner do I make a remark about Creed than I find out those suckers are BACK IN THE STUDIO.
Everybody panic.
Didja hear about Scott "Holy Man" Stapp getting punked severely a few years back? Link leads to a LiveJournal blog entry. Nutshell version: Creed goes to a Denny's in Gainesville, Florida hoping to score with a girl he met at an airport bar. He almost gets kicked out of Denny's. If I remember right, he slept on someone's floor.
Sad.
Monday, April 27, 2009
Song of the Day: Cereal Killer (Green Jelly)
This was a comedy-punk band that formed in 1981. Founders Bill Manspeaker and Joe Cannizzaro wanted GJ to be the world's worst band.
They failed at that, given Creed's existence (there's a joke: Creed is what Pearl Jam would sound like if they SUCKED). Granted, I've never heard their early stuff.
No, Green Jelly isn't nearly as bad as they'd like us to believe, and this title track from their 1992 "video-only" album is one of their best. Still, there's a song called "Misadventures of Shitman" on the same album. Things balance out.
The verses are rapid-fire and mockingly typical of metal bands of the '80s and '90s--growling and screaming, menacing-sounding stuff meant to piss off the fundies and parents.
Update: Now with VIDEO!!
That wild vibrato bit happens at about 1:40.
"Part of your delicious breakfast!"
Wikipedia page on Green Jelly.
They failed at that, given Creed's existence (there's a joke: Creed is what Pearl Jam would sound like if they SUCKED). Granted, I've never heard their early stuff.
No, Green Jelly isn't nearly as bad as they'd like us to believe, and this title track from their 1992 "video-only" album is one of their best. Still, there's a song called "Misadventures of Shitman" on the same album. Things balance out.
The verses are rapid-fire and mockingly typical of metal bands of the '80s and '90s--growling and screaming, menacing-sounding stuff meant to piss off the fundies and parents.
Follow your nose, it always knows the flavor of death where ever it goes....The over-the-top vocals are funny enough--but the beginning of the second verse always leaves me laughing helplessly: the singer growls "The flavor of death, wherever it goes--" and on "goes" he goes into the wildest rock vibrato I've ever heard...and drags it out for more than 10 seconds, turning that vibrato off and on. Cracks me up every time.
Terror in the supermarket, shoppers are in horror,
Shredded boxes in the aisles, corpses on the floor,
Those who ran, this joy is mine, now they're going to pay,
Super gory slaughter now the order of the day!
(chorus)
Toucan Son of Sam!! (3 times)
(growled)
Silly rabbit...Trix are for kids!
Update: Now with VIDEO!!
That wild vibrato bit happens at about 1:40.
"Part of your delicious breakfast!"
Wikipedia page on Green Jelly.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
The Old Man thinks he's John Wayne!
"The Old Man" is my stepfather, who's been in an Alzheimer's hospice since February of 2008. As his mind deteriorates, he's gotten more and more prone to violent outbursts (threatening my mother is what got him put in the Hospice).
This past Friday evening, he got into a brawl with one of the other patients, and I have to wonder if either of them even knew what the fighting was about. I wonder how much of "him" is even still in there. The last time I visited, on Thanksgiving, he was lucid enough to recognize me, my mother, and my sister, but he was convinced that we were all in some restaurant in Tallahassee, and that I'd driven in from somewhere.
We were all fabulously wealthy. Did you know my stepfather owns Florida State University? Talk to me--I'll hook you up.
--
I've thought of him as "The Old Man" for quite some time--more than a decade, maybe two. He adopted me when I was about 5. It only took him a few years and some pretty brutal beltings to alienate me.
He wasn't the sort of man who simply administers a few swats to let you know you've messed up. Nope. His approach was more like a frenzied lashing with that wide, black leather belt. He got so unhinged once that the buckle slipped out of his hand and cut me just above the waistband of my shorts. I was 6. I don't even remember what I did, but I can't imagine that I ever did anything to deserve whippings like those. I can still see the blood. There wasn't a lot, mind you, but does there need to be?
There were other things, like threatening to take an axe handle to me or hitting me for not wanting to eat dinner.
But thinking of things like these, it's no wonder I've got contempt for authority and some pretty deep-set anger issues.
Anyway, I've had that in the background for 35 years, and it's hard to set aside, but I hate seeing him dying by inches. The trigger for the "full-on Alzheimer's" was a "mini-stroke" in January of 2006 that also brought on Capgras Delusion (the belief that a close relative is an imposter). My mother was now her own twin sister, the guy in the mirror was an imposter, and there were people coming out of the photos on the walls.
He would freak out over the mirror and the photos. He couldn't tell time. He could barely find his way to the part-time rent-a-cop job he took in 2006. Couldn't fill out his timesheet. He accused his wife of infidelity. He kept hallucinating people--he saw people screwing in the family car. At one point he asked me the number for 9-1-1.
Given the choice, I'd rather die of a stroke, in my sleep, than go on for a few more years after that in a waking nightmare like his.
This past Friday evening, he got into a brawl with one of the other patients, and I have to wonder if either of them even knew what the fighting was about. I wonder how much of "him" is even still in there. The last time I visited, on Thanksgiving, he was lucid enough to recognize me, my mother, and my sister, but he was convinced that we were all in some restaurant in Tallahassee, and that I'd driven in from somewhere.
We were all fabulously wealthy. Did you know my stepfather owns Florida State University? Talk to me--I'll hook you up.
--
I've thought of him as "The Old Man" for quite some time--more than a decade, maybe two. He adopted me when I was about 5. It only took him a few years and some pretty brutal beltings to alienate me.
He wasn't the sort of man who simply administers a few swats to let you know you've messed up. Nope. His approach was more like a frenzied lashing with that wide, black leather belt. He got so unhinged once that the buckle slipped out of his hand and cut me just above the waistband of my shorts. I was 6. I don't even remember what I did, but I can't imagine that I ever did anything to deserve whippings like those. I can still see the blood. There wasn't a lot, mind you, but does there need to be?
There were other things, like threatening to take an axe handle to me or hitting me for not wanting to eat dinner.
But thinking of things like these, it's no wonder I've got contempt for authority and some pretty deep-set anger issues.
Anyway, I've had that in the background for 35 years, and it's hard to set aside, but I hate seeing him dying by inches. The trigger for the "full-on Alzheimer's" was a "mini-stroke" in January of 2006 that also brought on Capgras Delusion (the belief that a close relative is an imposter). My mother was now her own twin sister, the guy in the mirror was an imposter, and there were people coming out of the photos on the walls.
He would freak out over the mirror and the photos. He couldn't tell time. He could barely find his way to the part-time rent-a-cop job he took in 2006. Couldn't fill out his timesheet. He accused his wife of infidelity. He kept hallucinating people--he saw people screwing in the family car. At one point he asked me the number for 9-1-1.
Given the choice, I'd rather die of a stroke, in my sleep, than go on for a few more years after that in a waking nightmare like his.
Song of the Day: Inner Universe (Origa, Yoko Kanno)
This is the theme song for the anime series "Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex."
The vocals are incredible. Singer Origa's voice works beautifully with that of boy soprano Ben Del Maestro. The lyrics are in Russian (Origa's of Russian birth) and English, but until I started writing this post, I never really paid attention to the words. It's one of those songs where I just float along, not even wanting to breathe.
Kanno's music works well under the vocals, giving support while staying properly in the background.
Wikipedia entry for Yoko Kanno.
The full song is here, on YouTube.
The lyrics are at AnimeLyrics.com.
The vocals are incredible. Singer Origa's voice works beautifully with that of boy soprano Ben Del Maestro. The lyrics are in Russian (Origa's of Russian birth) and English, but until I started writing this post, I never really paid attention to the words. It's one of those songs where I just float along, not even wanting to breathe.
Kanno's music works well under the vocals, giving support while staying properly in the background.
Wikipedia entry for Yoko Kanno.
The full song is here, on YouTube.
The lyrics are at AnimeLyrics.com.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Media & Stooopit, II: I Say Yamato, They Say Yamamoto
I just thought of another shining moment of Media Ignorance.
Back on April 7th, I was waiting my turn at a local Subway. Place has three TV's, and all three were turned to *spit* Fox News. Yes, it caused me pain to type that.
So this moron moutpiece at Fox is yapping about "This Day in History" and he mentions that on April 7, 1945, the Japanese Battleship Yamamoto was sunk.
Er...Yamamoto?
Hey, dumbasses...Yamamoto was an Admiral. You got "Japanese" right, at least. Yamamoto died on April 18, 1943, of severe lead poisoning infused by a flight of P-38 Lightnings. Total badass caper timed to the anniversary of the Doolittle Raid of 1942 (you know, the one Alec Baldwin flew in "Pearl Harbor").
The IJN YAMATO was the ship that was sunk on April 7, 1945.
Even the goobers running the screen-crawl along the bottom spelled it "Yamamoto."
I know, I know...it's not Journalism--it's Fox! (tm)
Back on April 7th, I was waiting my turn at a local Subway. Place has three TV's, and all three were turned to *spit* Fox News. Yes, it caused me pain to type that.
So this moron moutpiece at Fox is yapping about "This Day in History" and he mentions that on April 7, 1945, the Japanese Battleship Yamamoto was sunk.
Er...Yamamoto?
Hey, dumbasses...Yamamoto was an Admiral. You got "Japanese" right, at least. Yamamoto died on April 18, 1943, of severe lead poisoning infused by a flight of P-38 Lightnings. Total badass caper timed to the anniversary of the Doolittle Raid of 1942 (you know, the one Alec Baldwin flew in "Pearl Harbor").
The IJN YAMATO was the ship that was sunk on April 7, 1945.
Even the goobers running the screen-crawl along the bottom spelled it "Yamamoto."
I know, I know...it's not Journalism--it's Fox! (tm)
NPR, media, and stooopit
I don't listen to NPR often enough anymore to get the semi-regular delving into stupidity that I used to. It's not the news itself, it's how some of those boneheads mangle things in their reporting.
A few years ago, a guy was beaten to death with a baseball bat. I don't even remember the details. The thing I do remember was the whitebread NPR mouthpiece who had to tell us ignorant listeners that "wassup, nigga?" is the equivalent of "hail fellow well-met!" (apparently it had some bearing upon the trial of the killers). Hearing this hopelessly white "reporter" trying to say "wassup, nigga?" had me laughing for hours afterward. Think of the silly liberal white guy neighbor on "The Jeffersons" (or was it "Good Times"?), so desperate to show how hip and involved he was, who couldn't even say "right on!" properly.
What reminded me of that was this post, Ten Things I Hate About NPR.
Until my own example above, though, my previous "dumbest thing I've heard on NPR" happened back in the late 90s. Some reporter woman went to a little village in South America, some place where people make their own clothes and such. She's looking over a rug or blanket woven by the old woman she's interviewing and suddenly pops out with something along the lines of, "What about this, it looks kind of primitive, did you make this?" Sheesh. Stay classy!
I think that's when I started thinking that there's not so much a liberal or conservative bias in certain areas of reporting, so much as a stupid or ignorant bias. Reporters go to reporting school or whatever, and seem to suddenly think that they know more about stuff than most people. If they know so much, why do they get so much WRONG in the stories they report on?
MSNBC used to run a late-night "investigative report" show--your basic "video clip" show where some voice-over type reads a script while all sorts of exciting things are going on. In their "Are air shows DANGEROUS?" offering, they showed clips of aircraft doing all sorts of cool stuff, including crashing in exciting fireballs that seem to engulf a terrified audience. Makes for good TV, I suppose, but the person who cut the video and the numbskull who narrated should have gotten together to make sure they had some details right.
The narrator tells us that every stunt you see is made up of one or more of the three basic maneuvers--the loop, the roll, and the spin. Sounds good--but what they SHOWED as he's talking is a loop, a roll, and a roll. The supposedly-spinning plane was performing the same maneuver as the previous one, but at a different angle and direction. It's not like they didn't have footage of it--they apparently just didn't know enough about airplanes to tell the difference.
So how are these people qualified to tell me about airplanes, let alone air show safety?
They're not--but they know that. The so-called "investigation" was never intended to be anything more than a clip-show, like the "most exciting police chases EVER!!! Volume 3" stuff. Its real purpose is to get you to watch so that maybe you'll sit through the commercials. They can bring in a few experts to shine it up, but it's not really supposed to be educational or informative.
Could it be that NPR--and most of what passes for "news"--is more of the same?
Viva MP3!
A few years ago, a guy was beaten to death with a baseball bat. I don't even remember the details. The thing I do remember was the whitebread NPR mouthpiece who had to tell us ignorant listeners that "wassup, nigga?" is the equivalent of "hail fellow well-met!" (apparently it had some bearing upon the trial of the killers). Hearing this hopelessly white "reporter" trying to say "wassup, nigga?" had me laughing for hours afterward. Think of the silly liberal white guy neighbor on "The Jeffersons" (or was it "Good Times"?), so desperate to show how hip and involved he was, who couldn't even say "right on!" properly.
What reminded me of that was this post, Ten Things I Hate About NPR.
Until my own example above, though, my previous "dumbest thing I've heard on NPR" happened back in the late 90s. Some reporter woman went to a little village in South America, some place where people make their own clothes and such. She's looking over a rug or blanket woven by the old woman she's interviewing and suddenly pops out with something along the lines of, "What about this, it looks kind of primitive, did you make this?" Sheesh. Stay classy!
I think that's when I started thinking that there's not so much a liberal or conservative bias in certain areas of reporting, so much as a stupid or ignorant bias. Reporters go to reporting school or whatever, and seem to suddenly think that they know more about stuff than most people. If they know so much, why do they get so much WRONG in the stories they report on?
MSNBC used to run a late-night "investigative report" show--your basic "video clip" show where some voice-over type reads a script while all sorts of exciting things are going on. In their "Are air shows DANGEROUS?" offering, they showed clips of aircraft doing all sorts of cool stuff, including crashing in exciting fireballs that seem to engulf a terrified audience. Makes for good TV, I suppose, but the person who cut the video and the numbskull who narrated should have gotten together to make sure they had some details right.
The narrator tells us that every stunt you see is made up of one or more of the three basic maneuvers--the loop, the roll, and the spin. Sounds good--but what they SHOWED as he's talking is a loop, a roll, and a roll. The supposedly-spinning plane was performing the same maneuver as the previous one, but at a different angle and direction. It's not like they didn't have footage of it--they apparently just didn't know enough about airplanes to tell the difference.
So how are these people qualified to tell me about airplanes, let alone air show safety?
They're not--but they know that. The so-called "investigation" was never intended to be anything more than a clip-show, like the "most exciting police chases EVER!!! Volume 3" stuff. Its real purpose is to get you to watch so that maybe you'll sit through the commercials. They can bring in a few experts to shine it up, but it's not really supposed to be educational or informative.
Could it be that NPR--and most of what passes for "news"--is more of the same?
Viva MP3!
Riff of the Day: Territories (Rush)
Another bass riff; this one's from track 5 of "Power Windows" (1985). It's one of my favorites, because it took a while to figure out how Geddy Lee was getting the percussive "double" notes in the first part of the pre-chorus riff--and if I remember correctly, I figured it out from watching some disco or funk video or other.
It's easy once you get the basics, and he's used it before in songs like 'YYZ' ("Moving Pictures"). All you do is hit the first note with your middle finger, then quickly follow with the index finger--not in the typical "walking" style of finger-picking, but more like you're dragging your fingers, going for a percussive "pop," then muting the string with the fleshy part of your left-hand ring finger (which is already sitting on the A-string 7th fret, ready for the next note). Continue your right-hand motion by having your index finger pluck the A-string 7th fret. The next "double" is fingered with your left pinkie, but the right hand just does the same percussive "drag." It's not quite the same sound as simply playing a pair of clean 16th notes.
The entire basic riff is 2 bars, and there are two variations--the "A" and the "F" (for which note the riff ends on). The 14-bar pre-chorus just alternates between them--A, F, A, F, A, F, A.
I really like the sound Geddy's getting from his bass on this entire album; as I remember it, this was his first time recording with a Wal bass. It doesn't have the solid growling tone that his Rickenbacker has in the "Moving Pictures" album (which is by far my favorite bass sound of his), but it works for the song--and that's the important thing.
Tuning: Standard
Bass TAB
.......E...G.G.E.A.A.E.C.D.G.A...(A)
G--------|---------------------|------------|
D--------|-5-5---7-7-----------|------------|
A-----/7-|-----7-----7-3-5-----|------------|
E--------|-----------------3-5-|-(5)--------|
...........*.*...*.*..........~|~~
.......e.|.s.s.e.s.s.e.e.e.e.q.|.w
.......E...G.G.E.A.A.E.C.D.G.F...(F)
G--------|---------------------|------------|
D--------|-5-5---7-7-----------|------------|
A-----/7-|-----7-----7-3-5-----|------------|
E--------|-----------------3-1-|-(1)--------|
...........*.*...*.*..........~|~~
.......e.|.s.s.e.s.s.e.e.e.e.q.|.w
key:
/ slide up
~ tie
* accented/percussive note
s sixteenth note
e eighth note
q quarter
w whole
It's easy once you get the basics, and he's used it before in songs like 'YYZ' ("Moving Pictures"). All you do is hit the first note with your middle finger, then quickly follow with the index finger--not in the typical "walking" style of finger-picking, but more like you're dragging your fingers, going for a percussive "pop," then muting the string with the fleshy part of your left-hand ring finger (which is already sitting on the A-string 7th fret, ready for the next note). Continue your right-hand motion by having your index finger pluck the A-string 7th fret. The next "double" is fingered with your left pinkie, but the right hand just does the same percussive "drag." It's not quite the same sound as simply playing a pair of clean 16th notes.
The entire basic riff is 2 bars, and there are two variations--the "A" and the "F" (for which note the riff ends on). The 14-bar pre-chorus just alternates between them--A, F, A, F, A, F, A.
I really like the sound Geddy's getting from his bass on this entire album; as I remember it, this was his first time recording with a Wal bass. It doesn't have the solid growling tone that his Rickenbacker has in the "Moving Pictures" album (which is by far my favorite bass sound of his), but it works for the song--and that's the important thing.
Tuning: Standard
Bass TAB
.......E...G.G.E.A.A.E.C.D.G.A...(A)
G--------|---------------------|------------|
D--------|-5-5---7-7-----------|------------|
A-----/7-|-----7-----7-3-5-----|------------|
E--------|-----------------3-5-|-(5)--------|
...........*.*...*.*..........~|~~
.......e.|.s.s.e.s.s.e.e.e.e.q.|.w
.......E...G.G.E.A.A.E.C.D.G.F...(F)
G--------|---------------------|------------|
D--------|-5-5---7-7-----------|------------|
A-----/7-|-----7-----7-3-5-----|------------|
E--------|-----------------3-1-|-(1)--------|
...........*.*...*.*..........~|~~
.......e.|.s.s.e.s.s.e.e.e.e.q.|.w
key:
/ slide up
~ tie
* accented/percussive note
s sixteenth note
e eighth note
q quarter
w whole
Song of the Day: Buggy Ride (Wynton Marsalis Septet)
This is the 1st track on the 3rd of 7 CD's in Marsalis' "Live at the Village Vanguard." It's the only track I've really listened to so far, since I'm not the jazz-hound that some of my friends are. I tend to go more for heavy, hard rock these days--but this is one song that I keep coming back to because Marsalis' trumpet gymnastics are so very smooth and entertaining. Sweet tone--not a screaming, brassy clarion, but a breathy and intimate sound that blends well with the rest of the septet.
The piano sound isn't as appealing--maybe it's just the way it was mic'ed, but it sounds muffled and flat, like a video game MIDI piano.
An overall review of the Vanguard gigs is here at All About Jazz.
The piano sound isn't as appealing--maybe it's just the way it was mic'ed, but it sounds muffled and flat, like a video game MIDI piano.
An overall review of the Vanguard gigs is here at All About Jazz.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Crappy Playlist radio
There's no better reason to have an MP3 player than the fact that commercial radio sucks.
Back in 2005, I got bored and decided to scan the FM band to see what sort of crap was out there:
Radio--FM:
88.1 NPR
88.5 religious
88.9 religious
89.5 religious
90.1 religious
90.5 religious
91.1 religious
91.3 classical
91.7 religious
94.1 goody-goody whitebread rock
94.9 country crap
95.7 religious (fake rock)
96.1 classic rock
96.5 light rock, r&b, homogenous ugliness ("light mix"?)
97.5 wabb, pop crap
98.1 sports crap
98.7 country crap
99.5 classic rock (fort walton)
99.9 country crap
100.7 adult contemptible
101.5 playlist rock (tk-101)
102.7 country crap
105.1 moldies
105.7 sunny 105.7--nostalgic pop
106.5 moldies
107.3 adult contemptible
I need to run it again to see what's changed--I'm pretty sure there are another 15 country stations now, since that crap's all over the dial.
The only 3 stations I listened to were NPR, 99.5, and 101.5. I despise country with every last cell of my heart. I'm an atheist, so the religious stuff doesn't appeal. Sports? Nope.
I got tired of NPR and their beg-a-thons and their smug stupidity (and their utterly whitebread attempts to bring humor into the boring business of reading the news).
I got REALLY tired of 99.5 and 101.5, the only two reasonably hard-rock stations in the area, because they play the same set of songs every single day. Different order, same damn songs. Did you know that Van Halen only had three songs? They are "Eruption/Running with the Devil"; "Unchained"; and "Dreams." Wanna hear "Ice Cream Man"? Maybe you can get a request in, assuming someone is near a phone, has the ringer on, and bothers to answer it. Or you can do what I did.
Then there are the ads. Do we REALLY need three "Geico" ads in a single 5-minute break? Who thinks that freaking lizard with the bad accent is actually FUNNY? Yeah, no one's making you listen. Turn it off, change the station, or do what I did.
I shelled out for an iPod Mini (just before Apple discontinued them) and eliminated all that racket in favor of my own. I found several dozen missing Van Halen songs, nearly 200 missing Rush songs ("Tom Sawyer," "Limelight," and "The Spirit of Radio" are all TK-101 will play, apparently). I get to listen to what I want to (lately it's the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast), and to hell with idiot marketers and their talking lizards.
Over the years, I've come up with my own killer playlist idea, in case I ever own a radio station and want it to actually kick ass.
First, ditch the corporate pricks and their notions of what to play. Approach the project with the idea that ANYTHING on an album could get played. If it needs to be beeped, fine. If it's unlistenable crap, fine--take it off the list. Pare each album down to the good stuff if you have to--but put as much on the playlist as possible.
Second: Once a track is played, it is off the list for days or weeks, unless it's newer stuff that needs more airplay. Once you've played "Tom Sawyer," there are still 6 more songs on "Moving Pictures." But don't play those right away! Spread them out. There are 24 studio albums and more live albums than you can stuff into a 4-gig iPod. Pick stuff that's from different albums!
Third: Don't play the same sort of stuff back to back, or the same style of rock. If my iPod can throw out "Sugar" by System of a Down, then follow that with "Superunknown" (Soundgarden), "Bad Moon Rising" (Creedence), "Superman Song" (Crash Test Dummies) then some disc-spinner at a desk can do it.
Fourth: TAKE REQUESTS! Answer the damn phone. Let your audience have some say in what gets played--then they might be more willing to put up with a few minutes of ads.
Back in 2005, I got bored and decided to scan the FM band to see what sort of crap was out there:
Radio--FM:
88.1 NPR
88.5 religious
88.9 religious
89.5 religious
90.1 religious
90.5 religious
91.1 religious
91.3 classical
91.7 religious
94.1 goody-goody whitebread rock
94.9 country crap
95.7 religious (fake rock)
96.1 classic rock
96.5 light rock, r&b, homogenous ugliness ("light mix"?)
97.5 wabb, pop crap
98.1 sports crap
98.7 country crap
99.5 classic rock (fort walton)
99.9 country crap
100.7 adult contemptible
101.5 playlist rock (tk-101)
102.7 country crap
105.1 moldies
105.7 sunny 105.7--nostalgic pop
106.5 moldies
107.3 adult contemptible
I need to run it again to see what's changed--I'm pretty sure there are another 15 country stations now, since that crap's all over the dial.
The only 3 stations I listened to were NPR, 99.5, and 101.5. I despise country with every last cell of my heart. I'm an atheist, so the religious stuff doesn't appeal. Sports? Nope.
I got tired of NPR and their beg-a-thons and their smug stupidity (and their utterly whitebread attempts to bring humor into the boring business of reading the news).
I got REALLY tired of 99.5 and 101.5, the only two reasonably hard-rock stations in the area, because they play the same set of songs every single day. Different order, same damn songs. Did you know that Van Halen only had three songs? They are "Eruption/Running with the Devil"; "Unchained"; and "Dreams." Wanna hear "Ice Cream Man"? Maybe you can get a request in, assuming someone is near a phone, has the ringer on, and bothers to answer it. Or you can do what I did.
Then there are the ads. Do we REALLY need three "Geico" ads in a single 5-minute break? Who thinks that freaking lizard with the bad accent is actually FUNNY? Yeah, no one's making you listen. Turn it off, change the station, or do what I did.
I shelled out for an iPod Mini (just before Apple discontinued them) and eliminated all that racket in favor of my own. I found several dozen missing Van Halen songs, nearly 200 missing Rush songs ("Tom Sawyer," "Limelight," and "The Spirit of Radio" are all TK-101 will play, apparently). I get to listen to what I want to (lately it's the Skeptics' Guide to the Universe podcast), and to hell with idiot marketers and their talking lizards.
Over the years, I've come up with my own killer playlist idea, in case I ever own a radio station and want it to actually kick ass.
First, ditch the corporate pricks and their notions of what to play. Approach the project with the idea that ANYTHING on an album could get played. If it needs to be beeped, fine. If it's unlistenable crap, fine--take it off the list. Pare each album down to the good stuff if you have to--but put as much on the playlist as possible.
Second: Once a track is played, it is off the list for days or weeks, unless it's newer stuff that needs more airplay. Once you've played "Tom Sawyer," there are still 6 more songs on "Moving Pictures." But don't play those right away! Spread them out. There are 24 studio albums and more live albums than you can stuff into a 4-gig iPod. Pick stuff that's from different albums!
Third: Don't play the same sort of stuff back to back, or the same style of rock. If my iPod can throw out "Sugar" by System of a Down, then follow that with "Superunknown" (Soundgarden), "Bad Moon Rising" (Creedence), "Superman Song" (Crash Test Dummies) then some disc-spinner at a desk can do it.
Fourth: TAKE REQUESTS! Answer the damn phone. Let your audience have some say in what gets played--then they might be more willing to put up with a few minutes of ads.
Riff of the Day: Wicked Garden (STP)
Since "Wicked Garden" is stuck in my head now, I'll pick a bass riff from it for Riff of the Day and try mapping it out in TAB (tablature) format. Can't do music notation on this POS computer.
Today's riff is the main verse line--the one that hooked me the day I HAD to learn the song.
Tuning: Standard
G -------------------|---------------|
D -------------------|---------------|
A ---5-4-------------|---------------|
B -------5-3-r-0-3-5-|-r-5-5-0-3-3-5-|
.....e.e.e.e...e.e.e.|...e.e.e.e.e.q
.............e.........e
G -------------------|---------------|
D -------------------|---------------|
A ---5-4-------------|-----3-3-------|
B -------5-3-r-0-3-5-|-r-5-----5-5-3-|
.....e.e.e.e...e.e.e.....e.e.e.e.e.q
.............e.........e
Notation:
r rest (any)
e eighth note/rest
q quarter note/rest
periods are there to make the note length lines line up properly.
Notes:
This is a four-bar riff played twice in a verse. It's a straightforward, simple riff, but that's really all you need if it kicks the song along the way this one does.
Today's riff is the main verse line--the one that hooked me the day I HAD to learn the song.
Tuning: Standard
G -------------------|---------------|
D -------------------|---------------|
A ---5-4-------------|---------------|
B -------5-3-r-0-3-5-|-r-5-5-0-3-3-5-|
.....e.e.e.e...e.e.e.|...e.e.e.e.e.q
.............e.........e
G -------------------|---------------|
D -------------------|---------------|
A ---5-4-------------|-----3-3-------|
B -------5-3-r-0-3-5-|-r-5-----5-5-3-|
.....e.e.e.e...e.e.e.....e.e.e.e.e.q
.............e.........e
Notation:
r rest (any)
e eighth note/rest
q quarter note/rest
periods are there to make the note length lines line up properly.
Notes:
This is a four-bar riff played twice in a verse. It's a straightforward, simple riff, but that's really all you need if it kicks the song along the way this one does.
Song of the Day: Wicked Garden (STP)
This is the third track from Stone Temple Pilots' "Core" album (1992). I've had this CD for several years, but hardly ever listened to it--until one day when "Wicked Garden" came on the local token rock station (I'll gripe about crappy playlist stations later). The bass line grabbed me and held on, and I pretty much HAD to learn it right there and then.
Unfortunately, I was at work, and it's hard to play bass and drive. I scribbled a note and actually remembered my note once I got home. It's not a particularly demanding line--but like so much of Robert DeLeo's bass playing with STP, it sounds tougher than it really is--and it's just fun as hell to play.
Unfortunately, I was at work, and it's hard to play bass and drive. I scribbled a note and actually remembered my note once I got home. It's not a particularly demanding line--but like so much of Robert DeLeo's bass playing with STP, it sounds tougher than it really is--and it's just fun as hell to play.
Pareidolia Goes Global!
...because some goofball already had pareidolia.blogspot.com. Hasn't done anything with it since January of 2004, but there it is.
This isn't a replacement for my Pareidolia BookBlog; it's more of a hub blog for other stuff like music and other non-book topics. The BookBlog is fun to do, but since I'm only reading a book at a time, and that one generally takes a week (because of work, sleep, and all the other stuff people do when they're not reading), that blog's not getting updated quickly or regularly enough to stay on anyone's radar.
I also want to move some of the clutter out of the BookBlog, move them over here where the topics are more appropriate. Considering how much room the tags list takes up (I'll be cleaning that up, too), there's just too much clutter.
This isn't a replacement for my Pareidolia BookBlog; it's more of a hub blog for other stuff like music and other non-book topics. The BookBlog is fun to do, but since I'm only reading a book at a time, and that one generally takes a week (because of work, sleep, and all the other stuff people do when they're not reading), that blog's not getting updated quickly or regularly enough to stay on anyone's radar.
I also want to move some of the clutter out of the BookBlog, move them over here where the topics are more appropriate. Considering how much room the tags list takes up (I'll be cleaning that up, too), there's just too much clutter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
