Farewell to Jekyl... I mean Hyde

During my lunch time today I had NPR on and was able to catch the top of the hour news. They reported that Henry Hyde had died (that rhymes). My first thought was, "oh, that asshole", but it took me a second to figure out why I had thought that, it had been a while since I had heard the name. The next line in the report reminded me, he led the impeachment proceedings on President Clinton. Since I know certain of you refuse to speak ill of the dead I will keep this short. Clinton's accusers ended up with nothing. Hyde is dead. Who wins? I guess my question is, where are the Henry Hydes of today to persecute the true criminal in office?

Rael, Imperial Aerosol kid

This took some time to realize but it is worth committing to print. You can see by the new Poll to the right that I would like some opinions on double-albums. Those closest to me know that I am a Pink Floyd afficionado and feel that all other music pales in comparison. Having said that I have chosen a side. While I am no fan of the Genesis of the 80s (paperlate, sussudio, and those other shitty pop songs) I have become quite a fan of the Progressive Power-House that Genesis was in the 1970s up until the departure of Peter Gabriel. In my opinion the greatest double album ever pressed to vinyl was The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, released in the year of my birth, 1974, and marked Gabriel's last collaboration with Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford, Steve Hackett and of course, Phil Collins. It relays the story of a young male by the name of Rael emerging from the subway in New York City and hiding a can of spray paint he recently used to leave his mark on the city. A mysterious cloud engulfs Manhattan and Rael finds himself in a nightmarish alternate reality in which he must confront and conquer his short-comings if he is to return to "the freedom I (he) had in the rat-race".

Like Pink in the Wall, Rael does find himself in the end and the consequences are far less tragic. There is no question that it is Genesis' finest production and I would argue that no other double-album compares in story telling, musicianship, and raw emotion. Having said that, the poll is actually a list of my own favorites. If I have left any better albums out, I would love to know and discuss them.

Rathbone / Brett

I have been reading the Sherlock Holmes canon since my first year of college and consider myself quite a fan. Since that time the Granada television series has been the perfect companion to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's mystery stories. Jeremy Brett who played Sherlock Holmes brought the character to life, a living embodiment of the Great Detective. While all the interpretations were done with great respect to detail of the writing and of Victorian London, my favorite shows tend to be my favorite stories: The Musgrave Ritual (for which my cats Brunton and Musgrave are named), The Greek Interpreter (where we meet Sherlock's older brother, Mycroft), the Resident Patient, and the Sign of Four.

It is only within the last few years that I have broadened my horizons and delved into other screen portrayals of Sherlock Holmes. Dressed to Kill was the first one I had seen. I didn't make it through the movie. It took place in the 1940s and had absolutely nothing to do with anything Doyle had written. Basil Rathbone played the detective who looked like, but really did not sound nor act like Sherlock Holmes. He had that very direct, short tone of voice that was common to the actors of the 40s and his sidekick, Nigel Bruce, was a pompous, bumbling idiot and in no way like Holmes' beloved chronicler and friend Dr. Watson. I couldn't believe that these two were the legendary Hollywood Holmes and Watson. I was offended and avoided them for several years.

Since then I have found various DVD compilations of the old movies and even a television show from the 50s. While I still hold the opinion that Brett is the ultimate Holmes, I have softened my stance on those other guys. This is partly due to the radio shows that Rathbone/Bruce did in between shooting the films. While the movies were set in modern day, the radio shows go back to 221B Baker Street in London at the end of the 1800s. While the sound effects and organ playing are often campy, they do highlight the action that stays much truer to the original accounts of Dr. Watson than do the WWII era films.

So, if you are a fan of the writings seek out the Jeremy Brett collection. There is no question that he becomes Sherlock Holmes in each performance; the mannerisms, the habits, the speech patterns. If you are more into black and white 1940s Hollywood then Basil Rathbone will serve you well.

An admitted weakness in graphite and Prisma Color Pencil

Hand-Me-Down World

I don't know why it took me so long to relay this story, but I think you will enjoy it. I was just speaking to my sister about possible x-mas gifts and had mentioned that if she had any hand-me-downs they would be much appreciated. Does that sound strange? As it turns out, my brother-in-law and I am similar in size. Being ever fashion conscious, my sister passes on to me things that he no longer wears. As I have no interest in clothes shopping it works out to my advantage. This brings me to my favorite pair of pants of all time.

Size 34 waist 30 length Khaki, Corduroy, Old Navy Carpenter pants with a side strap for a hammer ("good evening, your excellency. How hangs the hammer?" -George Carlin). These are the most comfortable pants I ever remember wearing. They feel better than worn in jeans, yet look professional enough to wear to work. Having said that, they have fallen into disrepair. Probably 2 years ago the back right pocket got caught on something and was nearly ripped off. Luckily the hole was not large enough to take away from the overall presence. I just stopped using that pocket. The front, right-hand pocket where I keep my keys had become another story, however. First the corduroy became worn away. It started to look like a bald spot (yeah, I know. Keep your smart-ass comments to yourself!). Then, about 2 weeks ago I noticed a hole started to be worn into the thinning fabric. At this point I should have retired the pants. They have served me well. I just couldn't let them go.

This brings us to 2 Thursdays ago (or thereabouts). I was on the job and it was about 1:45 pm. I was having a disagreement with a co-worker pertaining to Jolt Cola. I insisted that that was in fact the name of this highly caffeinated beverage and that the label was red with white lettering and a yellow lightning bolt going through the "O". He countered that it was actually Jolt Energy drink and had a different colored label, let's say blue. I had yet another co-worker go to the computer to download an image and prove myself right and the other party wrong ("what an asshole! "-the horse and buggy man). I was squeezing my way between a table and the back of a chair with a loose bolt sticking out when I looked up at the computer screen and saw the exact Jolt label that I had described minutes before. I called everyone's attention to the screen pointing out that I was right and the other person was wrong (man, that really is an asshole thing to do!)

"And they tried to tell me otherwise!" I announced, just as I heard a RRRRIIIIIPPPPPPPPPP! I then felt a cool breeze where there should not have been one. I looked down to see that the frayed pocket of those treasured pants had caught the loose bolt and had torn a hole revealing a pale, hairy thigh.

Needless to say, there were 15 people pointing and laughing at me ("as I lay in a pool of my own blood..." no, it wasn't quite that bad). What could I do? I joined the laughter. It was hilarious. I grabbed some masking tape and did this...

Later, as we were walking out of the building, people were asking me about my new fashion trend. A witness relayed the tale as he saw it, "Yeah, you were acting all cocky because you were right about that label, and then RIP!"

I stopped and thought about it and said, "I guess you're right. What a jerk. That's what I get."

Here's to Harry

"...so come on down to Harry's Sex Shop. That's me, Harry, the guy with a snake on his face"

So claims the late great John Candy in the guise of this lovable, if sleazy, adult novelty store owner on SCTV. How's that for an attention getter? I open with this because today is election day 7 November 2007, one year to the day that we elect a new president in 2008. I was not going to go to the polls today. The girls had a vet appointment and I had gotten home from that, put on my fleece pajama pants, made a pot of decaf and sat down at the computer to look for blog updates and otherwise waste time. That's when the phone rang. It was the chief on his way from work to the election polls. I mentioned that I did not know enough about the local game to get involved, but he argued that I, of all people, know that I need to vote and not leave the choices to everyone else. Fair enough. There were 7 issues on the ballot. Three dealt with unopposed politicians, three dealt with tax levies, and one dealt with the aforementioned "Harry".

The religious extremers would like to impose a curfew on strip clubs and "adult bookstores", imposing a fine on these businesses that should stay open after midnight. They also want to limit the touching of semi-nude dancers to a few designated areas. Unfortunately there was no diagram as to what would be legal and what would be a no-no. It is unfortunate because that would have made the ballot a lot more fun.

It struck me as odd that these people curse and damn the evil "LIBERALS" who want to force the business owner to answer to the big bad government. "Keep government off our backs", wasn't that Reagan's motto? Yet, that goes out the window when they don't agree with the business. This seems absurd to me. If it is that big a goddamn deal, why don't they stop playing for chicken-shit and go for the prize. Legislate to CLOSE THE FUCKERS DOWN! The problem there is that they couldn't get the backing because of the money that these legitimate legal businesses bring in. That is not to say that they are right or wrong, but they are legal. This micromanaging bullshit is just wrong.

Any guesses how I voted?