jff

We watched Hunt for the Wilderpeople this weekend.  It was terrific.  Not new, but highly recommended.  

On 3/10/2021 at 10:39 PM, kidsmoke said:

 

We'd have to nail it on the first take.  I don't think it'd go over well if I said "Drag the trash can back to the curb and do it again.  This time with feeling!"

12 hours ago, kidsmoke said:

 

😂😂😂 I hope Glenn reads this because I know he's always looking for new percussive sounds!

It might be a bit distracting though, if in the middle of the noisy part of Via Chicago, Glenn strode offstage and then returned dragging a trash can.

I should go out there with a hand held recorder and get my wife to pull in the trash cans.  Maybe I can beat Glenn to it.

Yesterday I found my old copy of the Wilcovered/Ode to Joy Uncut magazine, so I reread the article.  It talks a bit about how percussion is sort of the lead instrument on Ode to Joy.  I remember a lot of reviews emphasizing that, so I decided to listen to the record earlier today and pay specific attention to the percussion.  I hadn't listened to this record since before Covid, so it was all pretty fresh to my ears and I was hearing some details I hadn't picked up on previously.   Sure enough, there was percussion rumbling away in the background.  It was getting gradually louder, almost thunderous, and I wondered why I had never noticed it before.  Glenn was making quite a ruckus. 

But then I realized it was just my wife dragging the trash can up the driveway from the curb.

My weekend was very productive.  On Friday, we had an all day fire in the fire pit I built a few weeks ago and burned a bunch of old branches the previous owner left in a big junky pile by our fence.  Then on Saturday we finished landscaping around the fire pit area with a zillion wheelbarrow loads of mini slate chips and old bricks.  Yesterday, I removed and closed up the doggie door on the door to our porch (It's actually a door for a large cat, but our dog figured out how to wiggle through it and would let herself out,  but NEVER back in, at all hours of the night).  Our dog is getting too old to squeeze through there anymore without it bothering her hips, so we decided to close it up for the benefit of all of us.

We also found time to finish watching Schitt's Creek, which was wonderful, and a mostly quite terrible episode of SNL.  

Oh man, I love Klark Kent.  Now there's an act that deserves to be in the Hall of Fame.  Well, maybe not.  But I do genuinely love that album.  Maybe my favorite album ever where all the instruments are played by one person.

14 hours ago, calvino said:

With Chick Corea's passing - I wonder people's thought on jazz fusion bands and the R&R hall.  As far as musicians in the hall that played jazz - Miles Davis is in, but I think that's it.  Herbie Hancock had some crossover appeal. 

 

That being said, does Miles even belong?  Rock and roll definitely influenced Miles, but I think he influenced rock and roll, too. I think he should be in the hall.

 

 

That's a good question, and in order for them to be in they'd have to be able to tell a story that connects fusion to rock in a direct way.  Like, did fusion really impact rock in a substantive way?  I'm not convinced it did, but I could be talked into it.  I think it'd make more sense for Jimi Hendrix or Cream to be in a Jazz Hall of Fame than for fusion musicians to be in the Rock Hall of Fame. 

By and large, the jazz artists that influenced rock, and continue to influence rock, predated fusion.  I don't really see  post-fusion rock being different if fusion never happened.  A lot of rock players who were jazz oriented (particularly a lot of the '60s British rock guys) got their jazz influence from pre-fusion.  Where jazz is most evident in American rock is bands like Chicago, Blood Sweat and Tears, and that kind of thing, which are mostly informed by the horn arrangements of big band jazz era.

Fusion certainly influenced bands like The Dixie Dregs, Sea Level, Jeff Beck, one or two songs from career slump-era Allman Brothers, maybe mid-'70s Dead, and Phish, and some metal (I can hear it in Voivod),  but I don't know if that adds up to enough to get the fusion guys into the hall.  It depends, is fusion really the source for what these rock bands did, or are all these fusion and rock bands going to the same jazz well to find their inspiration, and as a result coming up with similar results?  If it's the latter, then fusion is not really a strong influence. It's more like a coincidence, or a clique from another school who just happens to be doing similar things as the clique from your school.

The strongest argument may be fusion's use of synths, but one could argue that Stevie Wonder, Funkadelic, prog bands, and others were doing that at the same time, or earlier, are that's where rock picked that up from.

1 hour ago, ih8music said:

 

I think Devo was much more influential to other 80's New Wave bands than the Go-Go's, especially given that they only lasted what - 4 or 5 years?  Yes, the Go-Go's had bigger hits than Devo but I don't believe that's the most important criteria.

That's probably true.  The Go-Gos accomplished something that had never been done (first all female band to write and perform their own music and have a #1 hit).  Devo wasn't the first to do anything that I know of.  Firsts are a huge deal in music and the music business (and the Hall has proven itself to be primarily a business focused entity.) That's why I feel the Go-Go's should have been in already and if it had to be one or the other, it should be the Go-Go's first, even though I'd rather listen to Devo and bands influenced by Devo than The Go-Go's or bands they influenced.

But I hope they both get in this year.  Both deserve it.

12 hours ago, ih8music said:

I personally think Devo deserves to be in the RRHOF much more than The Go-Go's

I love Devo.  More than the Go-Gos.  Both deserve to get in.  But I am curious why you think Devo deserves it more.

There is no plausible argument for why the Go-Go's should not get in, or aren't already in.  That's probably true for Iron Maiden, too.  The rest could be argued for and against.  Pretty decent list, all in all, FF notwithstanding, ignoring of course that there are some MASSIVE oversites that are still not up for consideration. 

Worth noting is that Carole King has already been inducted as a writer.  This nomination is for performance.  I love her, but I don't think she (or anyone else) deserves to be in twice when there are so many who should be in but aren't in and have never even been nominated.

I really enjoy the Gateway album with John Abercrombie, Jack DeJohnette, and Dave Holland.  Especially the opening tune.  I remember the first time I heard it, maybe ten years ago, I thought "Nels definitely lifted some of Abercrombie's shit."  Haha.

Bill Frisell was a major player in the ECM universe for a while, but I generally prefer his post-ECM releases. 

On 11/10/2020 at 11:15 PM, Boss_Tweedy said:

 

I don't have a lot of funds to spare at the moment, but I made small donations to the campaigns of Warnock and Ossoff. This Mississippi native (who grew up with Stacey Abrams and her sister Leslie, who's a federal judge) is very proud of Georgia.  

Thank you for that!

If any of you know any 17 year olds (or, more likely, their parents...who am I kidding, we're all pushing 50 here) in Georgia who are turning 18 very soon, please ask them to register to vote.  You can register to vote for this election until December 7, as long as you are 17.5 years old.  And you can vote on January 5 if you have turned 18 by then.  Anyone in Georgia can vote  in this runoff.  Unlike some runoffs, you do not have to have voted in the general election to be eligible to vote.

https://thecivicscenter.org/blog/2020/11/6/young-people-could-decide-the-georgia-runoff-races-for-us-senate

I tend to agree that Warnock has a better shot than Ossoff.  Being the pastor at MLK's church goes a long way in this city.  And, unlike Ossoff, he's running against a rookie who has never been elected (Loeffler was handed her seat by the governor after Johnny Isakson stepped down for health reasons mid-term).  

3 hours ago, kidsmoke said:

And I would agree!
When my son Brennan was 13, we had gone to see 3 Wilco shows on the east coast together. The last was in D.C. so we were flying home from "Ronald Reagan National Airport". This was 2004 and Reagan had just died, so many dignitaries were flying in for the memorial ceremonies. We had decided to visit the World War Two Memorial in order to take some photos for my dad, a WWII vet. As we walked around under an intense summer sun, there was a commotion, and there was Rudy Guiliani with his entourage. A woman nearby had a young son in a wheelchair, and she asked Rudy if he'd take a photo with her boy. Well, MY boy wasn't paying attention and had wandered off, but I saw my opportunity, and as Rudy wrapped up with the handicapped child, I asked meekly if we could get a photo as well. He was all giant teeth and smiles, and I grabbed Brennan and hissed in his ear that we were going to take a picture, JUST DO IT. So with Rudy instructing me on the use of my own camera ("You need to open the lens more") (No Rudy this is as far as it opens), we captured our historically bizarre photograph. Here you go.

EW!!! Ew, ew, ew, I let him touch my boy! He didn't seem quite as dodgey and strange back then!

Brennan doesn't seem too scarred by the incident. After the photo, after Rudy's group had wandered away, Brennan turned to me, squinting in the sun, and said, "Who WAS that?!?"  Just a twisted little piece of history, son.

 

 

I can't help it...all I can think about right now is your son making a fist with his left hand and giving Rudy a quick punch to the nuts.

8 hours ago, kidsmoke said:

So Biden has just pulled ahead in GA and is steadily expanding his lead. Also Jon Ossoff's GA senatorial race will now go to a runoff on January 5th, along with Raphael Warnock's. Those 2 senate runoff races could determine control of the Senate!

Thought y'all could use some happy news. It's not over yet but I can't stop smiling. 

GA still has provisional and military ballots to count, which probably outnumber Biden's lead.  That could tip it back to Trump, but with PA all but locked down GA won't matter.  But as a Georgia citizen, I really hope the lead holds for Biden here.  The farther over 270 we can get the better. 

1 hour ago, Boss_Tweedy said:

 

If Biden wins Georgia it would pretty much make up for my Braves collapsing again in the playoffs. 

I mean, I'm not really a sports guy, but our whole city is still bruised and embarrassed from the Falcons totally collapsing during the Super Bowl a few years ago, so we need this real bad.

Plus, the uncounted ballots have a very good chance of putting Senator Purdue under 50%, giving us a runoff (against Jon Ossoff).  Generally runoffs are bad news for Dems, but with two runoffs in one state (Warnock vs Loeffler is the other), and the senate in the balance, there might be enough enthusiasm here to flip one or both of those seats.    

C'mon GEORGIA!   It could happen.  The numbers are there.

10 hours ago, Neuroglue said:

I'm following the reddit live thread and hoping for some good news. Intentionally avoiding news sites and FiveThirtyEight because I'm terrified of what the updated projections might show. Trying to brace for the worst but I have to admit, I'm not ready for it. Not again.

I was following that, too.  Terrible decision.  Total cesspool of conflicting information (from anonymous randos who never reveal the source of their info, even when directly asked), ultimately all of it boiling down to doom. 

The 538 live scroll was reporting real info in real time, and was less anxiety inducing, though not particularly  comforting.   It's still live and is giving me some degree of hopefulness.   It's here if anyone is interested.  https://fivethirtyeight.com/live-blog/2020-election-results-coverage/

EDIT:  Of course, as is to be expected, today much of their live scroll is "SHUT UP...WE WEREN'T WRONG, YOU JUST DON'T KNOW HOW POLLS WORK!"

I don't really buy that.  Our form of government is designed and intended to be adjusted when necessary.  It's baked in by the founders for the express purpose of maintaining as fair a representation as possible.   We don't have that now (we haven't in a long time, but it has gone to an extreme under Trump and McConnell), therefore adjustments are necessary.

I don't like the idea of expanding the court, either.  I doubt anybody does.  But the only options are to do it, or to suffer tyranny by a court (y then entire federal judiciary, really) that does not resemble the values of the country for the next few decades, or perhaps forever depending on how strategically the GOP games the system.

I do agree that the refusal to vote for HRC was an inexcusable bit or ideological purist arrogance, and also sexism, but I'd take it back to Al Gore, or farther.  Similar ignorance was going on back then, too.   "He's SO boring."  "Lockbox, har-de-har."  "Replace my lightbulbs over my dead body."  Bending over backwards to find a reason to deny support to the better candidate.

On 9/29/2020 at 10:29 AM, TCP said:

 

What's to stop a future Republican president from adding more when they inevitably take office at some point in the future?? 

Maybe nothing, but a watertight argument is worth preparing, and the talking points on this subject seem pretty obvious to me and would be easy to convey to the public in an effective way.

A representative form of government, by definition, is supposed to be similar in its makeup to the viewpoints of the citizenry. 

There are not twice as many conservatives as liberals in this country.  Therefore, the court, with its (soon to be) 6/3 conservative majority is not even close to representative of the citizenry and should be adjusted in number to make it representative.    

That's the argument IN DEFENSE OF expanding the court.

The argument AGAINST a future republican president expanding it further is that, having now achieved a more accurate representation by expanding the court, the only point of expanding it further would be to create an unrepresentative advantage.   

Force republicans to argue in favor of a less representative court and you have the winning argument.

On 10/7/2020 at 12:51 PM, chuckrh said:

I have a good Eddie Van Halen story that I was too upset & ill to share yesterday.  I had chemo yesterday morning & got home to hear the news of Eddie's passing. Not a good day. So let's hop in the time machine & head back to 1978. I was 17 & a junior in high school. At this point I am seriously getting into music which affected my life (good & bad) for decades to come. The first record came out in February of 1978. I was hanging out at my favorite record store & they said listen to this & put the record on as there was no radio play yet. Eruption comes on & it was like a bolt of lightning. My friends & I freaked out because there wasn't anything else out there that sounded like that. Bought the album immediately. A few months later they came to town as an opener for Black Sabbath on the Never Say Die tour. Van Halen absolutely destroyed them. Sabbath were not at their best & it turned out they fired Ozzy after the tour. They were so bad that we left the show early. Went to a party at a friend's place & I came up with the bright idea of heading down to the Edgewater to try & meet the band. The hotel was the stay of choice for bands. You could fish from the rooms & it was made famous by Frank Zappa song about mudsharks. So, we got there & bluffed our way into the cocktail lounge being underage & all. Turns out both bands were there & it was party time in the bar. We noticed Eddie was sitting at a table by himself in the corner so we wandered over to say hi. I think Eddie figured out we were there on the sly & told us to have seat saying he'd rather hang with fans than anyone else. We ended up getting quite a buzz on with him & he was very cool & nice to us. We met Ozzy, too. He was nice to us, too. On the other hand, David Lee already was really arrogant & aloof. 1 friend ended up spilling a really sloppy drink like a tequila sunrise on him by accident. He was not pleased! To cap it off, on the way back to the car I see a flash of green & dove on it. Turned out it was $40 which was a healthy amount of money in those days. What a night! I saw VH a bunch in the early days. I think they would've been an even bigger deal if Sammy Hagar was the singer from the beginning. DLR was entertaining but irritating & finally he was just insufferable. I saw them with Sammy a few times including a memorable show with Alice in Chains opening. Didn't catch any of the reunion shows. Now I kind of wish I had but I don't think it would've topped the early shows. RIP Eddie, you were 1 of a kind for sure!

That's an amazing story.  What a great experience!  It serves DLR right to have a drink spilled on him if he's gonna be an arrogant bastard.

Best of luck with your chemo and recovery.  I'm pulling for you, as is everyone here.

3 hours ago, Winston Legthigh said:

 

My picks are not too far from that. I would also say Duran Duran, David Bowie, Hot for Teacher, and I'm Just a Gigolo - which is probably my #1 video of all time. 

 

I remember watching USA network's "Night Flight" on Friday night sleepovers - waiting for the "unedited" Girls on Film, or another one by Berlin (forget the song) that were too risque to show during daylight hours...

On further thought,  Ratt's Round and Round and The Cars Magic were probably bigger players in my limited MTV experience than Duran Duran.  Quite possibly also true for some Phil Collins songs.  I remember seeing You Can't Hurry Love many, many times.  I can remember more specific details about all of those videos than any Duran Duran video, which is just  remember as them poncing around on a yacht.

3 hours ago, Winston Legthigh said:

 

Who else would be on your MTV Mount Rushmore?

 

We didn't have cable in my house, so I only got to see MTV when I'd visit my grandparents each summer, so my MTV experience might be different than others, but:

Michael Jackson, obviously.  The David Bowie China Girl video is a pretty massive one in my memory.  Maybe Duran Duran.

But Van Halen Hot for Teacher was a huge smash.  Probably a bigger deal than Thriller for me, which I only saw after it had been out a while. 

I grew up in the '80s, and I think Van Halen probably makes up more of my musical DNA than any other music.  I haven't listened to them all that much in the last 20 years or more but it is undeniable that they are a massive presence in my life and in so many vivid memories of my past. I cant separate them from memories I have of so many childhood friends (and enemies). I know exactly where I was and what I was doing when I heard as a 12 year old that they were becoming Van Hagar.  They were my first music purchase I made with my own money.  They are on the MTV Mount Rushmore.  They are my grade school graduation swim party. They are my high school cover band.   They are what the boys AND girls I knew thought was fun and awesome...which is a fucking revelation when you're 11 years old.

EVH is maybe the most influential person who ever lived.  At least when it comes to what matters.

What if a few Republican senators dying or going into comas from Covid is how RBG's seat goes unfilled?

That'd sure be a twist.

I can envision Mitch McConnell right now getting the every Republican in the senate to write notes saying their dying wish is to vote for Amy Coney Barrett, and then if enough of them die, McConnell arguing that those are valid votes.