The latest Floor Models meisterwork is 95 percent complete.
The song's composer -- power pop legend Marc Jonson (who claims he wrote it for us) will be adding background vocals soon, but even in this form it sounds amazing, IMHO. Kudos for the stellar work by my long time bandmates -- Gerry Devine (long-distance vocals), J.D. Goldberg on guitars, and Glen "Bob" Allen on drums. (That's me on the bass and fake strings, BTW).
I should also add that seeing the aforementioned Marc Jonson live at Kenny's Castaways in the late 70s was a literally life-changing event; the aforementioned Floor Models would never have gotten together if we hadn't seen Marc tearing it up on that cramped Kenny's stage back in the day. But that's another story (also involving The Smithereens) and I'll save that for next week.
Thursday, July 26, 2018
Wednesday, July 25, 2018
Eyesight to the Blind
Went to my oculist yesterday, and had my pupils dilated in preparation for a new prescription.
Which brought this fabulous song to mind.
Priceless.
I should add that said song derives from the fabulous 1972 The Night is Still Young, which is pretty much the only Sha Na Na album worth owning. Most of the songs are very sharp originals, plus there's a drop dead gorgeous cover of "In the Still of the Night" that beats the original, and the whole thing is produced to a fare-thee-well by the great Jeff Barry. You can -- and very definitely should -- order the reissue CD over at Amazon HERE.
Which brought this fabulous song to mind.
How did people see
In the 14th century
When no one had invented glasses?
Walking all around
Were they more tuned into sound?
Did everything they set their eyes on
Seem to merge with the horizon?
In a wild orgasmic frenzy
Blending into All is Oneness
Or did they just squint
To read the finer print?
Scores on scores of squinting people
Kneeling at the groping steeple
Please, oh God -- give me glasses.
Priceless.
I should add that said song derives from the fabulous 1972 The Night is Still Young, which is pretty much the only Sha Na Na album worth owning. Most of the songs are very sharp originals, plus there's a drop dead gorgeous cover of "In the Still of the Night" that beats the original, and the whole thing is produced to a fare-thee-well by the great Jeff Barry. You can -- and very definitely should -- order the reissue CD over at Amazon HERE.
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
Closed for Monkey Business
It's Tuesday. I don't like Tuesdays.
Regular, less dyspeptic, posting resumes mañana.
Monday, July 23, 2018
Time Flies Like an Arrow. Fruit Flies Like Bananas.
From McSweeney's -- WHAT YOUR FAVORITE '80s BAND SAYS ABOUT YOU.
You can read the rest of it -- some of which is so hilarious that it made me expel an adult beverage onto my computer monitor -- over at the McSweeney's website HERE. Incidentally, it's a two-parter, so don't miss the link to the second half.
Depeche Mode: You have drawn Tintin or the Little Prince in the margin of a math test.
Erasure: You have been caught kissing a copy of The Little Prince.
Thompson Twins: You have been spanked with a copy of The Little Prince.
Human League: You have been spanked with a VHS copy of The Neverending Story.
The Clash: Your safety word is “Nicaragua.”
Grace Jones: Your safety word is forty-seven syllables long.
Brian Eno: Your safety word is “10011101.”
Duran Duran: Your safety word is “Kim Wilde.”
Kim Wilde: You have forgotten your safety word.
You can read the rest of it -- some of which is so hilarious that it made me expel an adult beverage onto my computer monitor -- over at the McSweeney's website HERE. Incidentally, it's a two-parter, so don't miss the link to the second half.
Friday, July 20, 2018
(A Tale of) Four Cities Confidential: A Photo Essay
So as you may have heard, a certain Shady Dame and I recently spent some time across the pond. Herewith, selected highlights of our whirlwind sojourn in the British Isles and France.
To paraphrase Paul Simon, it's all a blur to me now, so it's a good thing I had the foresight to take a bunch of pictures. Incidentally, the following photos are best viewed by clicking on them to increase their size. Thank you.
Anyway, after a long, unconscionably delayed flight, we arrived, somewhat exhausted, in the ancestral home of the Fab Four and had this as our introduction to Liverpool -- as seen in the lobby of our hotel. He seemed like a nice young man, but the high heels struck us as a tad odd.
Turns out there was a good reason for the shoes, and kudos to receptionist Chris!
On the Liverpool docks, and yes -- that cat sculpture is made from discarded styrofoam coffee cups.
Incidentally, as you can see from these two street signs....
...although Liverpudlians nominally speak English, it's obviously not the same version that we Yanks do.
In any case, we found Liverpool utterly charming, but after two days of soaking up the atmosphere it was off to Oxford and the Pitt-Rivers Museum (of art and archaeology), where we encountered a stuffed stork that seems to have been art-directed by Chuck Jones and Friz Freling.
This sign, which made me laugh out loud, was glimpsed outside a seafood store at Oxford's famed Covered Market.
Later, we went in search of the Inspector Morse tv series, and found a charming pub that had been used as a location in the show. Imagine our surprise, then...
...when the bartender turned out to be Manuel, from Fawlty Towers.
Meanwhile, over at another museum -- the charmingly monikered Ashmolean -- we discovered this outfit. Which is NOT a costume from a movie...
...but is, in fact, something once worn by the actual Lawrence of Arabia.
AND THEN LONDON!!!
While walking down the street nearby our hotel, we chanced across this darling little hat store...
...where BG tried on this remarkable hat.
Which, although tempted, we did not buy.
Then we took in a James Bond exhibit at the London Film Museum.
Jet packs! We were promised jet packs!
Hmm...this car looks strangely familiar.
And we found this in the museum gift shop.
Obviously, we had to buy one, and it now graces the entrance to BG's apartment in the Q-Boro.
Q-Boro. Seems appropriate, now that I think of it.
Later, after a splendid meal in the West End, we attended a performance of the hilarious farce The Play That Goes Wrong.
It was screamingly funny, but this really pissed us off.
I mean -- do you know how much those tickets cost???!!!!
The next day, still annoyed but at least well-rested, we spent several hours at the National Portrait Gallery, which has many treasures well worth the trip. For example, The Dream of Saint Helena, by Paolo Veronese (1570).
Or as it's better known -- Stop Sufferin, Take Bufferin.
Another stop you in your tracks moment was provided by this masterpiece from 1620. Say what you will about the unknown Flemish artist who painted it, but he was really showing off.
I was also much taken with Philosophy, by Salvator Rosa, circa 1645.
The Latin inscription held by the figure in the painting (widely assumed to be the artist himself) translates as "If you don't have anything interesting to say, then keep your freaking mouth shut." Seriously.
And what can I say about this amazing self-portrait by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, from 1742...
...except -- wotta dish.
But my favorite, hands down, is this fabulous family portrait by William Hogarth.
I must admit, I did not know that Hogarth had done anything but black-and-white caricatures. But I was even more surprised when I looked carefully at the top right portion of the painting...
...and discovered that somehow it featured The Incomparable Eddie©!
The next day, it was off to Paris -- where we've been so many times now that it seems like a second home -- by the Chunnel Train...
...where we decamped at our beloved Duquesne Eiffel hotel.
With this view out of our room window. (It's less impressive than it looks -- as they say in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, it's only a model.)
BTW, for some reason, the Frenchies seem to like this sparkling lemon beverage...
...but I thought it tasted like Pschitt.
Okay, posting all these photos has been exhausting.
Have a great weekend, everybody! See you on Monday with more traditional power pop related stuff!!!
To paraphrase Paul Simon, it's all a blur to me now, so it's a good thing I had the foresight to take a bunch of pictures. Incidentally, the following photos are best viewed by clicking on them to increase their size. Thank you.
Anyway, after a long, unconscionably delayed flight, we arrived, somewhat exhausted, in the ancestral home of the Fab Four and had this as our introduction to Liverpool -- as seen in the lobby of our hotel. He seemed like a nice young man, but the high heels struck us as a tad odd.
Turns out there was a good reason for the shoes, and kudos to receptionist Chris!
On the Liverpool docks, and yes -- that cat sculpture is made from discarded styrofoam coffee cups.
Incidentally, as you can see from these two street signs....
...although Liverpudlians nominally speak English, it's obviously not the same version that we Yanks do.
In any case, we found Liverpool utterly charming, but after two days of soaking up the atmosphere it was off to Oxford and the Pitt-Rivers Museum (of art and archaeology), where we encountered a stuffed stork that seems to have been art-directed by Chuck Jones and Friz Freling.
This sign, which made me laugh out loud, was glimpsed outside a seafood store at Oxford's famed Covered Market.
Later, we went in search of the Inspector Morse tv series, and found a charming pub that had been used as a location in the show. Imagine our surprise, then...
...when the bartender turned out to be Manuel, from Fawlty Towers.
Meanwhile, over at another museum -- the charmingly monikered Ashmolean -- we discovered this outfit. Which is NOT a costume from a movie...
...but is, in fact, something once worn by the actual Lawrence of Arabia.
AND THEN LONDON!!!
While walking down the street nearby our hotel, we chanced across this darling little hat store...
...where BG tried on this remarkable hat.
Which, although tempted, we did not buy.
Then we took in a James Bond exhibit at the London Film Museum.
Jet packs! We were promised jet packs!
Hmm...this car looks strangely familiar.
And we found this in the museum gift shop.
Obviously, we had to buy one, and it now graces the entrance to BG's apartment in the Q-Boro.
Q-Boro. Seems appropriate, now that I think of it.
Later, after a splendid meal in the West End, we attended a performance of the hilarious farce The Play That Goes Wrong.
It was screamingly funny, but this really pissed us off.
I mean -- do you know how much those tickets cost???!!!!
The next day, still annoyed but at least well-rested, we spent several hours at the National Portrait Gallery, which has many treasures well worth the trip. For example, The Dream of Saint Helena, by Paolo Veronese (1570).
Or as it's better known -- Stop Sufferin, Take Bufferin.
Another stop you in your tracks moment was provided by this masterpiece from 1620. Say what you will about the unknown Flemish artist who painted it, but he was really showing off.
I was also much taken with Philosophy, by Salvator Rosa, circa 1645.
The Latin inscription held by the figure in the painting (widely assumed to be the artist himself) translates as "If you don't have anything interesting to say, then keep your freaking mouth shut." Seriously.
And what can I say about this amazing self-portrait by Élisabeth Vigée Le Brun, from 1742...
...except -- wotta dish.
But my favorite, hands down, is this fabulous family portrait by William Hogarth.
I must admit, I did not know that Hogarth had done anything but black-and-white caricatures. But I was even more surprised when I looked carefully at the top right portion of the painting...
...and discovered that somehow it featured The Incomparable Eddie©!
The next day, it was off to Paris -- where we've been so many times now that it seems like a second home -- by the Chunnel Train...
...where we decamped at our beloved Duquesne Eiffel hotel.
With this view out of our room window. (It's less impressive than it looks -- as they say in Monty Python and the Holy Grail, it's only a model.)
BTW, for some reason, the Frenchies seem to like this sparkling lemon beverage...
...but I thought it tasted like Pschitt.
Okay, posting all these photos has been exhausting.
Have a great weekend, everybody! See you on Monday with more traditional power pop related stuff!!!
Thursday, July 19, 2018
Closed for Monkey Business
The weather is kicking my ass.
Regular, hopefully cooler, posting resumes on the morrow.
Wednesday, July 18, 2018
What Year is This Anyway?
Went to see the Foo Fighters at Madison Square Garden last night. I found it...a confusing experience.
For starters, opening act The Struts...
...seemed to be channeling the first Queen tour from 1974. (Later in the evening, BTW, the Struts' singer joined the Foos onstage for a spirited rendition of "Under Pressure.")
All well and good, but I drew the line at the usually estimable Taylor Hawkins' lengthy drum solo, which reminded of nothing so much as this.
Dave Grohl's truncated version of Billy Joel's "You May Be Right" also left me scratching my head.
I dunno -- I've been referring to Grohl and company as the Keepers of the Flame for a while now, but last night's show was a little too retro even for me.
For starters, opening act The Struts...
...seemed to be channeling the first Queen tour from 1974. (Later in the evening, BTW, the Struts' singer joined the Foos onstage for a spirited rendition of "Under Pressure.")
All well and good, but I drew the line at the usually estimable Taylor Hawkins' lengthy drum solo, which reminded of nothing so much as this.
Dave Grohl's truncated version of Billy Joel's "You May Be Right" also left me scratching my head.
I dunno -- I've been referring to Grohl and company as the Keepers of the Flame for a while now, but last night's show was a little too retro even for me.
Tuesday, July 17, 2018
A Rolling Stone Gathers No Whatever: An Occasional Series (Special Ladies Day Edition)
And from that same week (on the Jimmy Fallon show) in 2012 that those Keith Urban and Green Day clips were from, please enjoy the lovely and talented Sheryl Crow and an interestingly sung version of The Rolling Stones' classic "All Down the Line."
Further research has uncovered the fact that Phish also performed on the show that week, but don't worry -- I'm not gonna inflict THAT on you,
Further research has uncovered the fact that Phish also performed on the show that week, but don't worry -- I'm not gonna inflict THAT on you,
Monday, July 16, 2018
A Rolling Stone Gathers No Whatever: An Occasional Series
When I posted that Keith Urban clip -- him covering "Tumblin' Dice" -- the other day, I didn't know that it was part of a week-long Jimmy Fallon tribute to The Rolling Stones' Exile on Main Street.
So from 2012, please behold in breathless wonder Green Day as they blowtorch their way through one of the greatest rock 'n' roll songs ever written.
Okay, it doesn't swing like the Stones' version -- absent Charlie Watts on drums, how could it? -- but it's fricking amazing anyway.
[h/t Jonathan F. King]
So from 2012, please behold in breathless wonder Green Day as they blowtorch their way through one of the greatest rock 'n' roll songs ever written.
Okay, it doesn't swing like the Stones' version -- absent Charlie Watts on drums, how could it? -- but it's fricking amazing anyway.
[h/t Jonathan F. King]
Friday, July 13, 2018
It's Slacker Friday
Courtesy of the great Albert Brooks, please enjoy the usually censored version of Ravel's Bolero.
That's from the greatest comedy album of all time, BTW.
And one of these weeks, I'm gonna post five other things from it, just to prove my point.
Meanwhile, regular postings, beginning with a hilarious photo essay on my recent sojourn across the pond, resume on Monday.
Have a terrific weekend, everybody!!!
That's from the greatest comedy album of all time, BTW.
And one of these weeks, I'm gonna post five other things from it, just to prove my point.
Meanwhile, regular postings, beginning with a hilarious photo essay on my recent sojourn across the pond, resume on Monday.
Have a terrific weekend, everybody!!!
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