Our newest National Memorial

    Another step forward for Racial Equality, and another slap in the face to Bigotry and Hatred.  I like it that MLK has a "don't give me any sh*t" expression on his face. 

Book Excerpt for the Day

    As he stood shaving at the open window of his room, a crossbow quarrel had passed beneath his elbow, demolishing a set of Venetian-case bottles before burying itself in the far wall.  Henry, infuriated by the attack on his person but even more by the loss of so much fine and irreplaceable glass, had ordered an immediate search for the marksman.  His soldiers unearthed a handful of malcontents, all of which had resisted arrest in a more or less desultory way...

(from Pavane, by Keith Roberts)

The complete review is here.

it really is simple

    Of course, it never has been a matter of stupidity.  It's always been a matter of religious bigotry.

psychic deaf illiterate

    A triple blessing, if you ask me.

Compromise

Book Excerpt for the Day

    The gunslinger thought this man, prisoner or not, was probably better at the fine art of survival than any of the other men he had seen in the air-carriage.  The others were fat things, for the most part, and even those who looked reasonably fit also looked open, unguarded, their faces those of spoiled and cosseted children, the faces of men who would fight - eventually - but who would whine almost endlessly before they did; you could let their guts out onto their shoes and their last expression would not be rage or agony but stupid surprise.

(from The Drawing of the Three, by Stephen King)


The complete review is here.

Frazz

     A great Sunday comic strip that contains three pun(ch) lines in it.  How kewl is that?!

RockZome Saturday

I made another foray to RockZone on Saturday.  Sold 45 albums; got $19 of in-store credit, which I thought was quite fair.

   More importantly, I managed to walk out of there with only 15 new albums - nine "normal ones", plus 6 freebies.  RockZone has no use for classical LP's, so they all get dumped into the "buy one, get one free (out of this "nobody-would-want-these" pile).  I even walked out of there with $5 in-store credit remaining.

    I picked up the three albums shown here, plus three Kingston Trio records, two Leo Kottke LP's and one Michael Quatro (Suzy's brother) album.  The freebies were six classical ones, including two by the fabulous pianist Artur Rubinstein. 

   Overall, I reduced the LP glut in the computer room by about 30 discs.  Plus there are another 16 waiting for a friend to drop by and take them off my hands.  This leaves about 250 still in the computer room, but only about 100 on the floor.  Which are the source of Liz's criticism of my hoarding habits.  Progress is being made.

I'll take the moon

Book Excerpt for the Day

    I hadn't been off-planet in eleven years, and the press of six gravities was like an old lover holding me in her arms again.  And the curve of the planet below - well, if I had been a sentimental man, I would have cried.  But sentiment is for middle age; just as romance is for youth.  Old age, like war, has colder feelings; it is, after all, a struggle to the death.

(from Bears Discover Fire by Terry Bisson)


The complete review is here.

Nachofication

    I am a follower of this.  With the added stipulation of catsup.  If you can melt cheese over it, and put catsup on it, it gets my seal of approval.

Book Excerpt for the Day

    "Look.  There's no reinforcements coming for us.  We can give in.  Or we can wait - and we won't have to wait long!  Make them come in and fight us through the streets, today or tomorrow.  We'll maul them.  But we'll lose.  Either way, they execute Florian."  Ash spoke in a pragmatic tone.  "Look at the situation.  There's fifteen thousand men out there.  We're two and a half thousand.  That's us outnumbered over five to one!"

    She grinned at Florian.

    "You're right.  There's only one thing we can do.  We attack."

(from Lost Burgundy, Book #4 of Ash - A Secret History by Mary Gentle)


The full review is here.

A Public Service Announcement

     And we are very public service oriented at this blog.

Weekend Chrono-Hopping

    I took Friday off and spent an extended weekend 3000 years in the past.  Yes, that's Atlantis you see in the picture, although it wasn't the huge mega-continent you read about in myths.  It was actually a rather small island with a rather large metropolis, just off the Atlantic coast of Spain.

     I worshipped in an oak grove with the local druids.  Gave them some "prophecies" that they naturally didn't believe.  It doesn't really matter; all the records of my predictions are going to get lost in the deluge.

    Ate some local cuisine - hearty but spiceless.  Chit-chatted with the Beaker people.  Enjoyed a good night's sleep without air-conditioning.  Then came back to the heat and humidity this afternoon.

    All in all a lovely bit of time-jumping.  I might do it again next weekend.

Vinyl Giveaway #2

    Same deal as last time.  The LP's are free, you just have to come pick them up.  A majority of them are from the $1/$2 piles at the used record stores; with some-to-lots of scratches.  There are some in mint condition though.  One or two have a forward skip in them; any that had back-skips were thrown out.  As before, these are LP's that I've converted to MP3 files and cleaned up the scratches.  If you want them in electronic form as well, let me know.  They are listed in no particular order below.  Unclaimed ones will go to RockZone next Saturday.

01. Lindisfarne - Happy Daze

    Meh.  Past their prime.

02. Long John Baldry - Long John Baldry

    Excellent, as is anything he does.

03. Steve Earle - Copperhead Road

    Excellent Outlaw Country!

04. Golden Earring - Something Heavy Going Down

    Live album.  Has both their hits.

05. Canned Heat - Living The Blues

    Double LP.  Hippie blues.  Their defining album.

06. John Stewart - Willard

    Americana folk music.

07. Josh White - In Memoriam

    An old-time black blues/folk singer with a golden voice.

08. Loudon Wainwright III - Album II

    Uneven stuff from the guy who sang "Dead Skunk in the middle of the Road".

09.  Barclay James Harvest - Baby James Harvest

    BJH can do no wrong in my book.

10. Ten Years After - Ssssh

   A studio album from a band better known for their live performances.

11. Tom Paxton - New Songs for Old Friends

    Meh.  For Paxton fanatics only.

12. Camper van Beethoven - Key Lime Pie

    The LP with "Pictures of Matchstick Men" on it.

13. Renassance - Azure D'Or

    Not their best; but still pretty good.

14. Lettermen - The Best of...

    Uncool group; but I liked them as a kid.

15. Steeleye Span - Original Masters

    Double LP.  Greatest Hits.  Very good.

16. Alan Parsons Project - The Turn of a Friendly Card

    Good stuff.

17. Kim Carnes - Lighthouse

    No hits, but still a nice LP.

18. Grand Funk Railroad - Mark, Don & Mel

    Double LP anthology.  Decent, but I still find GFRR to be meh.

19. Nitty Gritty Dirt Band - Dirt, Silver & Gold

    Triple LP.  Anthology 1966-1976.

20.  John Stewart - JS in Concert

    From a 1974 concert in Phoenix.  Okay.

21. The Brothers Four - Sing of Our Times

    Think Kingston Trio.

22. Clear light - Clear Light

    Their best album.  Their only album.

23. Blues Project - Projections

    Honky R&B from Al Kooper and friends.

22. Santa Esmeralda - Beauty

   A 2-hit wonder, neither of which is on this LP.

23. Renaissance - A Song for all Seasons

    Has "Northern Lights" on it.  Kewlness.

24. Don Nix - Gone Too Long

    You don't know who Don Nix is?  Shame on you.

25. Alan Parsons Project - Pyramid

    Nice Stuff

26. The Brothers Four - Greatest Hits

   Including their biggie : "Greenfields".

27. Leo Kottke - Greenhouse

   Nice guitar work from someone who never really made it big.

28. Pure Prairie League - Two Lane Highway

    With a kewl tongue-in-cheek tribute to Merle Haggard

29. The Kingston Trio - Something Else

    From their Decca years.  This is when they were pretty much done for.

30. Kim Carnes - Barking at Airplanes

   Excellent!  Has "Crazy in the Night" on it.

31. Blues Project - Lazarus

    One of their later albums, but very nice.

32. Doug Kershaw - Devile's Elbow

    Cajun fiddling at its finest.

33. Eric Burdon & The Animals - Winds of Change

    From their peak period.

34. Brothers Four - Rally 'Round

    Happy folk.

35. The Brothers Four - Cross-Country Concert

    Live.  They stopped at Tempe - at Arizona State College.

36. Bette Midler - Thighs & Whispers

    No hits, but good stuff.

37. Blues Project - Pop History Volume 20

    Double LP.  I think this is a German release.  GH.

38. John Hartford - Slumberin' on the Cumberland

    Excellent bluegrass.  Autographed album.

39. Melanie - Garden in the City

    Melanie can do no wrong.

40. Melanie - Ballroom Streets

    Double LP.  Live and non-acoustic.  Very strange and very good.

41. Justin Hayward & John Lodge - Blue Jays

    Moody Blues alumni.  If you like MB, you'll like this.

42. Flatt & Scruggs - The World Of

    Classic bluegrass.  Double LP

43. Vassar Clements - Vassar Clements

    Bodacious fiddler.  He shooda been more famous.

44. Steve Goodman - Someone Else's Troubles

    Nice Stuff.  Think 'Arlo Guthrie'.

45. The Ventures - ...Play Telstar & The Lonely Bull

    Yeah, you remember roller-skating to Telstar.

46. Leonard Bernstein - Beethoven Fifth Symphony

   The whole enchilada.  Awesome.

47. Kingston Trio - Nick - Bob - John

    Another LP from the Decca years.  No hits, but nice.

48. New Riders of the Purple Sage - Brujo

    Hippie country.  Nice.

49. Tim Weisberg - Nights in White Satin, etc.

    Hippie flute music.  In wrong album cover.

50. Josh White - Sings Great Folk Songs

    Great artists.  Lousy LP production.

51. Jim Kewskin Jug Band - See Reverse Side for Title

    Hippie jugband music.  Funny and nice.

52. Leon Russell - Best of Leon

   All his hits.

53. Soundtrack - Doctor Zhivago

    Back off.  I like Dr. Zhivago

54. John Mayall - Empty Rooms

    Think early-Clapton blues.

55. Soundtrack - Honeysuckle Rose

    Willy Nelson sings his hits.  Giood thing, cuz he can't act.

56. Leon Renbone - Double Time

    If you like Muddy Waters and Leadbelly, check this guy out.

57. David Bromberg Band - Midnight on the Water

    Excellent stuff.

58. Jimmy Dean - Big Bad John

    I'm embarrassed to say I know most of the tracks.

59. Linda Ronstadt - Hand Sown

    Her first solo album.  Good covers.

60. Brothers Four - Roamin'

    Includes the "Green Stamps" ballad.  Say what?

61. Brothers Four - The Big Folk hits

    Tie Me Kangaroo Down, etc.

62. Arlo Guthrie - Last of the Brooklyn Cowboys

    Good stuff, even if the album didn't sell well.

63. Joe Cocker - Mad Dogs & Englishmen

    Double LP.  Live.  With Leon Russell figuring prominently.

64. David Bromberg - Best of...

    With Mr. Bojangles, etc.

Make up your own story

    The Decemberists concert is this evening, so blogging/FB time is short.  Fortunately, I am taking a day's vacation tomorrow, so keeping late hours tonite is NBD.

    In the meantime, here's a photo to amuse you.  Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to try and figure out what the story behind it is.  Yeah, I know they're spelling O-H-I-O, but why?  They look like stodgy old folks; and the guy in the coffin looks ...well... quite dead.  Are they fulfilling one of his dying requests?  Were they all Village People fanatics, and this is their salute to Y-M-C-A?

    There has to be a great story here.  I just have no idea what it is.

Book Excerpt for the Day

    Will's father reached across the breakfasting area and placed a mighty hand upon the forearm of his son.  "You are a good lad, Will," he said.  "You make your mother and me proud of you.  We care about you, you know that, don't you?"

    "I've never had cause to doubt it," Will eased his arm from beneath the pressure of his pater's portly palm, "except upon one or two occasions, such as the time that you tried to sell me to Count Otto Black's Circus Fantastique because you needed money to buy Mum a new wig."

    "A God-feeling woman can never have too many wigs," said Will's mum, downing another fried eggette.


(from The Witches of Chiswick by Robert Rankin)


The complete review is here.

this pretty much sums it up

   
    Okay, peeps.  You've had your bigoted fun, electing Tea Bagger idiots to office.  Now wise up, realize you've been duped, and kick their a$$es out before the economy is irretrievably f*cked up. 

timing is everything

    Oh Bizarro.  Given that you have to send your cartoons to newspapers several weeks in advance, how is it that you timed this one to appear the day after Warren Jeffs got his polygamist pedophilic a$$ handed to him on a platter?

Imagine my surprise

    The big news over at Faux News today was that two of their "reporters" admit they go "easy" when doing stories about Sarah Palin.  They say it's cuz she's a co-worker.

     Can you imagine that??  Faux News slanting their coverage???   My gast is absolutely flabbered.

Demotivational Wednesday

    The farther I get away from the original Star Trek series, the more I think that Captain James T. Kirk was one royal a$$hole.

Book Excerpt for the Day

   "Don't waste your effort on smoke and sacrifice, Ainvar," he said harshly. "We're winning through our own strength, not because of some dubious druid magic."

    Winners, my head observed, believe they succeed on their own merit. It is only losers who require gods to blame.

(from Druids by Morgan Llywelyn)


The complete review is here.)

and her movie's a flop too

    Did you see those box office numbers for her self-glorifying film?  Absolutely abysmal.