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Moe_Syzlak

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Posts posted by Moe_Syzlak

    Rush Limbaugh

    in Tongue-Tied Lightning

    Posted

    Surprise hit? Surprise flop, is more like it. Over The Top reached #4 at the box office in its opening weekend. It was 68th biggest movie of the year (1987). Total domestic gross was just over $16 million. Compare that to Stallone's previous feature, Cobra, which was not considered a 'hit' for Stallone, yet grossed $49 million. If anything, Over The Top, a misguided, poorly received feature with a soundtrack by Sammy Hagar, marked the beginning of the decline of Stallone's bankablility as an action star.

    Post of the thread! medal.gif

    Wedding songs

    in Someone Else's Song

    Posted

    Hey all, thought I'd bump this for more advice. We have a string band that will be playing the ceremony and the cocktail hour, but we're going to move to a "DJ" (actually it will be a laptop with iTunes that wedding guests will take turns DJing) for the reception. I've got a great selection of tunes already (the stuff we like and listen to on a regular basis), but we feel we need more "fun" tunes. We have things like Michael Jackson, Run DMC, the Bee Gees and Journey in there, but wanted more suggestions. The group will be mostly in their 30's and 40's, so tunes from the '70s & '80s is what I'm thinking, but I really don't want a ton of disco. Nothing like the Macarena or the Electric Slide either, please. I know that's a lot of conditions, but any suggestions are much appreciated. Thanks!

    Appointment Windows

    in Tongue-Tied Lightning

    Posted

    So, starting ten minutes ago, I am in an appointment window. From 8:00AM-noon, I am supposed to sit around and wait for a guy to come replace my windshield. Am I not the customer? Is there no one willing to break this mold? I know I would pay a bit more if someone would, at the very least, narrow this window. Why is that so hard? I understand that when I made the appointment a few days ago that they might not be able to give me a more precise timeframe then. But one would think that by last night, they would have their schedule pretty well solidified. Would an email and/or phone call to give the customer a more accurate idea of when the worker will show up be that hard to do? I know we have all been there, whether it be for the phone company, cable guy or windshield replacement. When did we just accept that this is best customer service we should be entitled to?

     

    /rant

    Top 3 most underwhelming bands/artists you've ever seen

    in Someone Else's Song

    Posted

    Ok, i am going to come clean and say that the Flaming Lips were not that bad, I was just really pissed off because I saw them with Ween, and I was having such a good time when ween got cut short...it was such a freakin buzz kill, by the time Flaming Lips came on i wasnt even looking forward to them anymore. Nobody can stand up to ween in my opinion. So that is the case for that one...

     

    For Phish, i respect them a lot, and i really like a lot of their live shit, it was an ambient 'birds of a feather' jam that really killed me. Hopefully that doesn't bother you too much as a big phish fan. Sorry if it does. I know most of their catalog. It is more of the ambient shit that kills me...I really like Harry Hood and Divided SKy..... I love the studio version of YEM, but sometimes even that song gets too much for me live...I have a certain time threshold where I cannot tolerate anymore of the same song. Music ADD. I will give them another chance and at some point, i will see them again.

    No, I can totally relate.. on both points.

     

    You're talking about the Red Rocks Ween/Flips show right? I was there and I concur. Not the best show for the FLips. On the other hand, it was a rockin' Ween show and the flipped bill the week prior was exactly the opposite: great Flaming Lips show and somewhat weak Ween show. So there you go...

    Live or Studio Album: Which do you like more?

    in Just A Fan

    Posted

    This is SUCH a loaded question. IATTBYH, Poor Places, Radio Cure... a bunch of others are all MUCH better in the studio to me. But most of the other album (Summerteeth and BT most notably) suffer from what I like call horrible production and are pretty much unlistenable to me. In the end, I'd have to say: draw.

    Obama on Fiscal Responsibility

    in Tongue-Tied Lightning

    Posted

    :lol I guess I'll take this as a compliment.

    You should. As I have said, I am pretty fiscally conservative, but I feel that is not license to be completely dogmatic about it. We should strive for what works. Right now, the jury is out and I am having a really hard time being honest with myself about how I feel on "Obama and Fiscal Responsibility." But, I feel this thread is often masturbatory and when i see you have posted it is generally going to provide a break in that. I don't always (often?) agree with you, but I appreciate your perspective.

    Obama on Fiscal Responsibility

    in Tongue-Tied Lightning

    Posted

    I rarely look at this thread much, but seeing Jules as the last posted often causes me to check in on it. that said, I read Speed Racer's (Lauren's?) post. I have worked closely with many CEO of billion dollar companies over the past 15 years. Not been in the same building close, but in meetings with these guys. Some companies in which I have had multiple meetings with the CEOs: Sprint, Dana, Arvin (now Arvin-Meritor) amongst other, smaller companies. I will say this. It is not easy and one of the biggest misconceptions is that the little guys do all the work and the higher up you get, the more money you make for doing less. There is some truth to this in that you do DIFFERENT work and you are paid for different things. Let me tell you, you are never NOT working when it that position. I have run two small businesses and I was never NOT working (not sleeping? Sure often, but never not working. The problem as I see it with a lot of executive compensation is they are paid these huge sums before they ever actually do anything and despite screwing up royally. I personally witnessed these screw-ups from highly-compensated CEOs at multi-billion dollar companies (without naming names). But the market bears the cost of these execs. I heard on ESPN radio this AM that 50% of people say the biggest problem with the MLB is the player salaries. That SHOCKED me. The market bears these costs and it is not the player's fault. However, I think these companies need to be smarter about the way contracts are structured and NOT give these CEOs golden parachutes despite fucking things up royally. Conversely, how do we expect these companies to right the ship without the best of the best leadership?

    Top 3 most underwhelming bands/artists you've ever seen

    in Someone Else's Song

    Posted

    Flaming Lips....I know a lot of you will disagree, but it was more of a show than a concert. I am there for the music, i could do without all the other bullshit that comes with a flaming lips concert, i was not digging it.

     

    Phish...Phish is okay, but I just can't sit through 30 minute long jams, and the concert I went to had a couple of really dragged out jams...I was bored as hell while all these dirty hippies were noodle dancing.

     

    I also went to Big SUmmer Classic one year and almost killed myself.

    I disagree more with the first than the second. I am huge fan of both bands and I never felt like the FLips "show" detracted from the music. Maybe you saw an off show; maybe it's just not your thing.

     

    But really the main reason i replied to your post is Phish. I think most here know I am a big fan, but I can totally relate. I thought they were a much better band when they were playing tight jams that didn't mess around. I thought the later years jams were often lazy with quantity (time) making up for lack of quality. (NOTE: others will argue you need to give these jams time in order to GET to the quality, but I disagree). Anyway, I know you're relatively young (you said so in the other thread), so you probably never saw them when they were practicing. I would give them another chance if you can, because they are SUPPOSED to be practicing a lot again.

    Phish Is Destroying Hampton, VA

    in Someone Else's Song

    Posted

    Okay because no one really cares, I'll share my thoughts on The Return™. I have now listened to all three nights and I have to say by the third night, I was kind of forcing myself to listen. The music was good, solid if not totally inspired. It did have some really nice moments, mostly in unexpected spots. But I have been seeing this band live for 20 years and it will never be the same as it was for me '94 and earlier. My musical tastes are fluid and dynamic and it is amazing when ANY band holds my attention for that long. Very few have. The GD and FZ come to mind (probably no coincidence), but even with them I very rarely listen to it anymore. I can't really say whether my waning interest in the later years was due to my own shifting tastes or whether it was due to the obvious abandonment of what I felt had made them great - an almost unparalleled work-ethic that allowed them to be incredibly tight playing very complicated material that informed amazing improv. I will say I am happy they are back and I am VERY happy that they SEEM to be focused on being that well-rehearsed band of old, not the slop through the song to get to the jam so they can all play varying vamps over each other. That always seemed too easy to me for a band like Phish and, while I know many liked that style, I did not. I'll go see them when they come to Red Rocks and I'll have a good time. But I probably won't pay much attention to their tours other than when they come to Colorado. Listening to the Friday show and the first notes of Fluffhead gave me chills, but I'm forced to admit that they didn't last. That is on me, however, not Phish and I'm glad they are seemingly BACK not just reunited.

    Gene Ween Band

    in Someone Else's Song

    Posted

    where the fuck is Deaner?
    hi guys, just thought i'd post a quick update. we are starting to rehearse again finally, much like the "new look" ween.com soon the world will have a "new look" ween (the band). we are procrastinators though, so just keep waiting for us if you could, thanks. a good friend of mine from way back in the day is writing a book on the history of City Gardens, the legendary (and now defunct) Trenton shithole nightclub where Ween got it's start and played about 100 times. our first ever club gig was on may 3, 1987 opening up for the butthole surfers and the show has become something legendary. there is an excerpt from the book now online here. it is a really funny read, as you will see. also, we are being interviewed for a documentary on spongebob squarepants which will be aired on nickelodeon sometime in the near future. for me personally being a part of that show is something that i'm very proud, we did music for the show before it ever aired without having ever seen an episode and as luck would have it it turned out to be the best cartoon since bugs bunny. later on they ended up usin "ocean man" as the end theme for the spongebob movie. the little kids in my neighborhood are very impressed. lastly, i will be DJing at John and Peter's place in New Hope, PA on Wed. March 18. the evening is billed as "funky dance party with dj mickey", which is me. please come out and throw down, sexy ladies, this means you.

     

    - Mickey

    Phish Is Destroying Hampton, VA

    in Someone Else's Song

    Posted

    I certainly don't know one way or the other if it is a lot or a little (or if it's even an accurate number), but $1.2 million in value confiscated seems like an awful lot to me. I am going to rely on Lammy and Moe that this isn't that bad and will not allow myself to be bummed. Plus there was plenty of good music to celebrate, and I'm gonna focus on that.

     

    ETA: I missed Moe's ETA, and I certainly agree that 194 arrested is pretty impressive. When you get that many people in one spot, the law of averages says that probably more than that will be arrested, and that some will even die ferchrissakes. I always thought Phish got a bad rap for stuff like that... 50 people would die at the world chess championships if 75,000 people showed up for it.

    Let's not forget that law enforcement LOVE to inflate street volume numbers on these things. For example, they will take the value of a hit of acid (already inflated by them) and then confiscate a sugar cube with liquid (am I dating myself) and instead of calling that one hit, they will weigh the cube and, based on the totally bogus measurement of weight, assign a MUCH higher street value to it. IMO $1.2M is bullshit. Even if every one of the 194 busts was for drugs that equates to over $6K per bust. When was the last time you saw some lot rat with $6K. Doesn't add up. Even lot rats are smarter than to carry that much on them at one time.

    Lost

    in Tongue-Tied Lightning

    Posted

    Apologies I got that backwards!

     

    I'm sure this will be addressed in the following episodes. The Lost writing team doesn't make mistakes!

    Does Nels Cline ever hit a wrong note? No! Do the writers of Lost ever contradict themselves? Heck no!

    I agree. As I said, I was not saying I don't think the writers have this worked out, I was merely responding when it was said that if they DIDN'T address that it would be still believable/plausible that they could all live in the compound with YOung Ben for three years and not realize it. I don't buy that, but it's far FAR from a big deal.

    Phish Is Destroying Hampton, VA

    in Someone Else's Song

    Posted

    Actually, I think things went better than anyone could have predicted. Drug busts were inevitable, but as far as I know, there were no major incidents such as disruption of the peace. Red Rocks is used to big throngs of hippies as they host Widespread Panic every year for one of the biggest concert events at the Amphitheater every year. The big issue is whether a bunch of ticketless fans will show up and cause a scene. I don't have numbers on how many ticketless fans were at Hampton, but I'll bet there were a bunch. Red Rocks will, of course, draw a lot as well. But I believe Phish ponied up a lot of cash to allow Hampton to have a LOT of extra law enforcement on the scene. I'm sure this was a condition of them being allowed to play. And I'm sure they will have to do something similar at Red Rocks. I'd be shocked if the Red Rocks gigs didn't happen. After all that's a lot of $$$ in a down economy.

     

    ETA: 194 out off more than 75,000 fans. That is around the number of fans that would attend a football game. I wonder how many arrests are made every Saturday and Sunday at football stadiums around the country during the fall. Obviously those are going to be more drunk and disorderly than drug arrests, but I almost feel that's worse as far as maintaining the peace goes.

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