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Showing posts from May, 2007

Classic Pick:-->Tracy Chapman - Where You Live (2005)

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"Good girls walk fast In groups of three. Fast girls walk slow On side streets. Sometimes the girls who walk alone Aren´t found for days or weeks." Tracy Chapman When I saw the wonderfully humble and sensitive Tracy Chapman perform "Change" from her then new release, "Where You Live" on one of the late night talk shows a couple of years ago...I was blown away. And so was the audience. She was that good. And I went and bought her CD the next day. I thought it would be huge for her. Unfortunately, that didn't exactly happen. Tracy Chapman had finally released some new material and I thought...how nice it would be to hear her distinctive voice on the airwaves again. But thanks to the commercial radio stations spoon-feeding us cookie cutter musical drivel... Tracy Chapman and this excellent release was simply pushed aside. Too bad...because this CD is loaded with good stuff. “Where You Live” (Electra/2005) is Chapman’s

Book Buzz:-->"The Ice Harvest" by Scott Phillips (2000)

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"We lived in a time and a world of our own. Making up the rules as we went along. Just one coat between us and we never felt cold. We were never gonna get old. It's been a long time since we laughed together. It's been a long time since we cried. Raise your glass for the comrades we've lost... My friend it's been a long, long time." Southside Johnny NO SPOILERS: "The Ice Harvest" is a short 217 page novel written by Scott Phillips that takes you on a journey from the last hours of a lonely, violent Christmas Eve...on into the early morning holiday through the eyes of anti-hero Charlie Arglist. In the style of a slimy classic noir, it is 1979... Wichita, KS ...with a freezing snowstorm growing increasingly worse as the night rolls on. It is here we meet our main character, Charlie, a lawyer who has been helping the mob skim a little extra into their kitty from titty-bars owned through out the city. Ol

DVD Pick:-->What Ever Happened To Baby Jane? (1962)

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"Can I have your autograph? he said to the fat blond actress You know, I know everything you've done Anyway, I hate divorces To the left is a marble shower It was fun even for an hour, but You're over the hill right now, and you're looking for love." Velvet Underground NO SPOILERS: Dir. Robert Aldrich's deliciously dark "What Ever Happened To Baby Jane?" (1962) is a sleazy exercise in sibling jealousy, (and we're not talking Jan and Marcia). Baby Jane (Bette Davis) and Blanche (Joan Crawford) are show business sisters. (The former being a vaudeville child star, and the latter being a box office success in adulthood.) There have rarely been two bigger female divas in the same movie, as you'll find here...but let there be no mistake...this is Bette's tour de force and she is unequivocally taking no prisoners. In fact, when she is on the screen, we hardly pay attention to anyone else. Bette Davis creates

Ramblings:-->ShamRock Lounge Shuffleboard & Low Red Land

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" I don't remember how I got this way. I don't recall what happened yesterday. I don't remember what I did last night. But I know I was feelin' all right." Edgar Winter Group Last summer I was introduced to an entertaining game provided by the The ShamRock Lounge at 1724 W. Douglas in Wichita, KS and it has since become a ritual of mine for loosening up the stress belt of college life. Along with sharing a pitcher or two of some good-ol’-what-ever-it-is, this centuries-old game, Shuffleboard , has proven to be deceivingly simple to play and beautifully designed. But unfortunately, time has not been kind to this game and it has been mostly relegated to a barroom footnote. Vintage Shuffleboard at Shamrock Shuffleboard , (for those not initiated), is played on a long narrow polished wooden table and originated in England during the 16th century. It soon became very, very popular. So much so, necessary chores became dreadfully abandoned, causing town leaders to

Classic Pick:-->XTC - Apple Venus Vol. 1 (1999)

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"Let's reveal our childlike nature. And leave our stocks and invoices to rot. Let's go to pot." XTC Sometimes I wrongly ignore a band simply because of their name. That’s ridiculous, I know. However, when the name of a band gets under my skin, I just can’t work with them. XTC isn’t the only band I’ve skipped for the longest time. The band, Jesus and Mary Chain, took awhile for me to get on-board. System Of A Down comes to mind quickly. Whatever. Eventually, I do get around to giving the irksome named band a listen and occasionally, I’ve been pleasantly surprised. With this in mind, allow me to introduce you to a very underrated album. A 1999 release of “Apple Venus Vol. 1” by the unfortunate named band from Swindon, England… XTC . The regrettable title may give the consumer the impression that this album is an accumulation of leftover tracks and B-sides that perhaps were not strong enough to make it on one of the earlier albums. This c

Book Buzz:-->"The Killer Angels" by Michael Shaara (1974)

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"Time will pass away, Time will guard our secret. I'll return again To fight another day." Wishbone Ash NO SPOILERS: " The Killer Angels " ...by Michael Shaara is just one of thousands of books dealing with the Civil War...but many consider this offering one of the best. Revolving around the four horrific days of the Gettysburg Battle ... Shaara gives the reader an unbiased view of the motivations and decisions made by several major characters when confronting one problem after another during this bloody time. For those who enjoy the chess game of tactical maneuvering during a battle will not be disappointed. As for me, it was the young soldiers involved having to deal with the weather and the scarcity of food that I found most wrenching. The courage many of them showed and the fear most of them felt.. And above all...not forgetting the continuous butchery of human lives because of orders given during the Civil War . Shaara handles the battle s

DVD Pick:-->"Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948)

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"You know I'll never sleep no more. It seem to me that it just ain't wise Didja ever wake up in the mornin' With a ZOMBY WOOF behind your eyes?" Frank Zappa NO SPOILERS: If you're one of those who are quick to dismiss this flick as being just one of several Abbott and Costello throwaways...then you would be missing out on some classic, primo monster movie magic. Filled with chills and thrills, "Abbott and Costello Meet Frankenstein" (1948) holds up better than most monster films from that era. Director Charles T. Barton 's "A and C Meet Frankenstein" was marketed as a comedy exercise starring 40's "rage of the age" duo... Abbott & Costello , and surprisingly, became one of the biggest money making movies of the decade. But if you rent this expecting slap your leg...laugh-a-minute entertainment...you might be disappointed. Don't get me wrong...there are a few good chuc

Book Buzz:-->Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (1985)

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"Well I made my first kill with the old town girl She was the apple of her daddy's eye. Well that woman looked up at me And I said honey we'll be Together 'til the day I die...But I lied." Nazareth NO SPOILERS: Sci-fi is not a genre I visit too often on my lifetime journey for the next book buzz...so I am hardly qualified to give a rating of this novel to any sci-fi feeders out there. However, I am qualified to recommend any book that satisfies my passion for interesting reads. And this story certainly fills the bill. "Ender's Game" , by Orson Scott Card , started out as a magazine short story in 1977. Positive feedback led to Card fleshing his story out a bit and finally, in 1985, releasing "Ender's Game" as a legitimate novel. The story takes place in a time on future Earth when 2 babies are the limit for parents. The government also has dibs on any young ones showing exceptional talents and are quickly taken and forced into dif

Classic Pick: -->T Rex - The Slider (1972)

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"You talk about day... I'm talking 'bout night time. When the monsters call out The names of men." T Rex Because of a Coke commercial I saw running recently, I noticed it was sampling a song made famous by T. Rex entitled “The Slider” from the album of the same name. Digging around through my household community jukebox, I found the album and gave the entire T. Rex offering a fresh listen And because of his unique songwriting style, (a cross between Syd Barret and Dr. Seuss), along with the way he sells every word he sings, “The Slider” proves a wickedly pleasant surprise; more enjoyable with each new listen. Released in 1972, T. Rex (aka Marc Bolan) was sharing his hippie-visions and horn-dog habits over a steady diet of churning guitar rhythms and simple acoustic arrangements providing listeners with arguably his finest album. Starting with the opening track, “Metal Guru” , we know we are in for a fun ride. “ Has it been just li

Ramblings:-->Mieka - Leopold - Ill Lillies & the Newmie Award

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"After all this time... I tell myself that I'm Not just wasting time. Oh you know I'm not that way inclined." Thin Lizzy Outstanding Work in Overall Acting 2007 Newman U. Today, I'm taking the moment to hopefully draw some warranted attention to three new artists I've had some time to lend an ear. I encourage everyone to give a listen. Leopold and his Fiction This duo out of San Francisco has an awesome sound that rocks Oz! If you can imagine the Drive-By Truckers smothered in White Stripes moxie with a dash of Robert Plant ...Now that's an interesting rock-and roll recipe. LAHF offer samples of their songs with info and reviews. Good stuff! Leopold and His Fiction: --> "Go On Have My Way" off LAHF . Mieka Pauley ...born in Massachusetts and raised

Book Buzz:-->Comanche Moon by Larry McMurtry (1997)

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"If happy little bluebirds fly Beyond the rainbow... Why, oh why can't I?" The Geezinslaws NO SPOILERS: Western fiction, perhaps more than any other genre, suffers the most when characters are offered to the reader with nothing more than cardboard descriptions. But occasionally, I stumble upon a western story that immediately pulls me in and leaves me wondering...measuring how I would have done...had I lived in those days. The kind of novels that make wading through the chaff worthwhile. Comanche Moon by author ( Larry McMurtry ) is a 720 page wild west adventure. Serving as a prequel to the greatest western novel of all times... "Lonesome Dove" , McMurtry re-introduces us to the great tag team...Texas Rangers, Gus and Call. With a small band of rebel Comanche Indians raiding small towns and terrorizing travelers crossing Texas, Gus and Call, (who have become almost mythical heroes in the region), along with a few other Rangers, must quell this problem by or

DVD Pick:-->"The Night Of The Hunter" (1955)

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"Once I was a ruler About twelve inches long. Three times me made a yardstick 36 inches high. 36 inches high was I. 36 inches high. l never got over 36 inches high. Nick Lowe NO SPOILERS: For those who have only watched " The Night Of The Hunter " (1955) on TV along with the frustrating slew of commercial interruptions owe it to themselves to give this movie another go. This initially panned classic, directed by Charles Laughton , is a black and white thriller filled with beautiful camera shots and angles that give the viewer an almost surreal feeling throughout the entire film. In much the same way a really intense dream we may have had about...nothing important...can sometimes imprint its memory into your mind...simply because of its ordinariness...Is exactly the effect Laughton's " The Night Of The Hunter " has on viewers. And the film is not soon forgotten.. This goodie revolves around a couple of young children who are lef