The more Obama does the prouder I get. He keeps proving that I was right and the democratic party was wrong. They picked the wrong horse. Has this clown nothing better to do than to leave the country and make a personal appeal at the International Olympic Committee for his "hometown" of Chicago? What did Michelle say? It's no holds barred? It was something inane like that. He likes to think he is making all these historic "firsts". No other sitting president has done this. Now we know why. Because when you don't come through it looks very pathetic. Is he trying to divert attention from his failing health care, war in Iraq-Afghanistan-Iran, and government-run automotive strategies? Yes. He cannot seem to run the country so he goes out and does what he is good at: campaigning.
How sad. Millions flocked to the polls to vote for their hopes and dreams. He has squandered them.
I said before and will reiterate here that the "First African-American President" thing was nothing but a gimmick. What are the history books going to say? "Barack Obama may have been the first African-American elected to the presidency, but he clearly wasn't ready for Prime-Time."
What a legacy. That's how I want to be remembered.
Saturday, October 3, 2009
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
"YOU LIE!"
You know what the worst thing about Joe Wilson's outburst was? The disrespect he showed for the office of the president? No. The contempt he showed for his colleagues? No. The result is simply this: the Do-Nothing Congress will continue to do nothing and now they have a mandate for it. Now they are debating whether there should be a resolution to reprimand Joe Wilson. Next will come the drafting of said resolution, the voting on said resolution and finally the passing of the same. What does this accomplish? Joe Wilson did a BAD thing. Don't you try to do a Bad thing like Joe Wilson in the future. We, the democrats, are in power, we put up with 8 years of Bush stomping on our rights and so now we are going to pass this resolution because we can.
That is all very true and I don't begrudge them that. But is this all they've got? A target that is this obvious? What happened to pursuing war-crimes charges of the previous administration? What happened to passing health-care reform so all Americans can afford a plan?
I've got a better idea. Let's waste more time reprimanding a guy who has already apologized for his rude conduct. This is why I now think of myself as an Independent. I was raised with the understanding that the Republicans look out for the rich. They are the bad guys. So, by default the Democrats must be the good guys looking out for the rest of us. Lately the party has fallen short of the mark. I don't have any new-found faith in the conservative movement but, for Chrissakes can't these Democrats get anything right?!
That is all very true and I don't begrudge them that. But is this all they've got? A target that is this obvious? What happened to pursuing war-crimes charges of the previous administration? What happened to passing health-care reform so all Americans can afford a plan?
I've got a better idea. Let's waste more time reprimanding a guy who has already apologized for his rude conduct. This is why I now think of myself as an Independent. I was raised with the understanding that the Republicans look out for the rich. They are the bad guys. So, by default the Democrats must be the good guys looking out for the rest of us. Lately the party has fallen short of the mark. I don't have any new-found faith in the conservative movement but, for Chrissakes can't these Democrats get anything right?!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Nutrient / Waste
As many of you know, since the election I have little to say on here. I heard something today, however, that was screaming at me to post so here it is:
Driving home from work I had on NPR's Talk of the Nation. While I have given up on All Things Considered I still like that Neil Conen and it usually makes for an interesting drive home, but that's not what the post is about. There was a promo for this weekend's "Living On Earth" which airs sometime Saturday afternoon here. The announcer led into the piece using the term, "Cow Patty." Sure enough it did its job and got my attention. Next thing you know some hippie chick is saying, "...we don't like to call it waste. We call it 'nutrient' because it is used to fuel our lamps and generate electricity."
Listen, honey. What you are doing is not noble. If you want to literally burn shit to fuel your eco-friendly "Green" lifestyle go ahead. It will help offset the gasoline I burn and the coal I waste when I don't turn off a light. And thank you for doing that for me, by the way. But you are still burning SHIT. You can give it any mother earth lovin' term you want but the fact remains that it is waste. If it is so full of nutrients and life why does the cow need to shit it out? Shouldn't they use those nutrients in their bodies? Maybe you should stop shitting as well.
Maybe you already have.
Driving home from work I had on NPR's Talk of the Nation. While I have given up on All Things Considered I still like that Neil Conen and it usually makes for an interesting drive home, but that's not what the post is about. There was a promo for this weekend's "Living On Earth" which airs sometime Saturday afternoon here. The announcer led into the piece using the term, "Cow Patty." Sure enough it did its job and got my attention. Next thing you know some hippie chick is saying, "...we don't like to call it waste. We call it 'nutrient' because it is used to fuel our lamps and generate electricity."
Listen, honey. What you are doing is not noble. If you want to literally burn shit to fuel your eco-friendly "Green" lifestyle go ahead. It will help offset the gasoline I burn and the coal I waste when I don't turn off a light. And thank you for doing that for me, by the way. But you are still burning SHIT. You can give it any mother earth lovin' term you want but the fact remains that it is waste. If it is so full of nutrients and life why does the cow need to shit it out? Shouldn't they use those nutrients in their bodies? Maybe you should stop shitting as well.
Maybe you already have.
Monday, May 11, 2009
"everybody's gonna want a dose..."
I am 35 and pretend to know a thing or two about music. Since I was a kid I have loved Quinn the Eskimo, not in a homo-erotic way, mind you. I'm referring to The Mighty Quinn, that Bob Dylan song about an eskimo or a drug dealer or whatever the hell he was supposed to be. I remember finding the track on Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits Volume 2 in my uncle's record collection when I was probably 10 or 12. As I played that much anticipated band I was very disappointed to hear what sounded like a group of drunk individuals wailing to that beloved tune. Where were the whistles? Where was the emphasis on the "t" on "Come on withouttttttttttt"?
I have since added a number of Bob Dylan records to my own collection. Haven't found Quinn. I admitted defeat and put it out of my mind.
Well, I must have heard the song recently because it has been on my mind again. I went to iTunes looking for it. No luck. Then I did a Wikipedia search...
Manfred Mann! After Dylan wrote the song but before he released his own version of it Manfred Mann recorded the single in 1968. This is the one I have been looking for all these years. I know, I could have done a search sooner but it was just one of those things. I got distracted, forgot about it. At any rate I bought the song from iTunes and it is now on the iPod. I am looking forward to getting into Manfred Mann and finding other treasures. I thought they were just "Doo-Wah-Diddy" and "Blinded by the Light," both of which are good songs but they are no Quinn!
Monday, March 16, 2009
Ponzie Scheme
Now I understand that Bernie Madoff was a bad guy and that he cheated a lot of people out of billions of dollars taking their investments and spending them. What I don't understand is what this has to do with "Ponzie."
Wasn't he that "square" on Happy Days that used to wear the cardigan and ride around on the motorcycle saying "Eyyyyy"? What was the name of the guy that played him? Anson Winkler I think it was. Yeah, he had that slicked back 50s style hair and was always kissing Marion Ross's ass, "It's very nice to see you Mrs. Cunningham" he would say and then he would hit the juke box with his elbow and get a free song out of it. Come to think of it, he was kind of a Jekyl and Hyde because it seems to me he would be wearing that brown leather jacket when he would hit the jukebox in Arnold's. Damn it! I saw that leather jacket at the Smithsonian! I never knew what Ron Howard saw in that loser but, Christ he idolized him! Well, at least he wasn't Ralph Malph, that red-headed rat-bastard.
But I digress, what the hell does Madoff have to do with this guy?
Wasn't he that "square" on Happy Days that used to wear the cardigan and ride around on the motorcycle saying "Eyyyyy"? What was the name of the guy that played him? Anson Winkler I think it was. Yeah, he had that slicked back 50s style hair and was always kissing Marion Ross's ass, "It's very nice to see you Mrs. Cunningham" he would say and then he would hit the juke box with his elbow and get a free song out of it. Come to think of it, he was kind of a Jekyl and Hyde because it seems to me he would be wearing that brown leather jacket when he would hit the jukebox in Arnold's. Damn it! I saw that leather jacket at the Smithsonian! I never knew what Ron Howard saw in that loser but, Christ he idolized him! Well, at least he wasn't Ralph Malph, that red-headed rat-bastard.
But I digress, what the hell does Madoff have to do with this guy?
Friday, February 27, 2009
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Where's the CHANGE?
As most of you know I did not vote for Barack Obama. If I had I would be very disappointed in him.
First let me say that I am very happy that the Bush mistake is over. This failed oilman should never been anywhere near a seat of authority, much less the highest office in the land/world. Nobody hated the man more than me. He certainly did everything in his power to destroy the United States as well as his own republican party.
Having said that, President Obama spent the endless campaign talking about change. Things will be done differently in Washington and corruption will be sent packing, unless of course you take into account the newly appointed Treasury Secretary who had a problem paying his taxes. Oh, yeah, and his nominee for Health and Human Services, Tom Daschle received $250,000 in car services from a friend. In all fairness, Daschle did report this. It just happened to be several years after the fact.
What do these tax cheats have in common with the low to middle income people who flocked to the polls in record numbers to crown Obama king? Nothing. You know, I have been going through the numbers in my head with the last 3 automobiles I have had and no matter what service was done to them I don't get $250,000. Now, clearly I am not a former Senator and Democratic leader but could someone tell me why this is OK?
This brings up another point I would like to make. Does anyone remember John Ashcroft? He was the sitting senator from Missouri running for re-election in 2000 against the popular Governor Mel Carnahan. Sadly, Governor Carnahan was killed in a plane crash shortly before the election. This didn't prevent him from unseating John Ashcroft. Shortly thereafter George Bush was appointed by the "supreme" court and he brought Ashcroft out of public political humiliation and appointed him Attorney General. We can thank him for the "Patriot Act" and that wonderful song "Let the Eagle Soar" that he penned and performed on Capitol Hill shortly after 9/11. Where was I going with this?
Oh, that's right. Daschle was a piss-poor leader in the senate that offered up no resistance to the republicans. He failed at his attempt for the presidency in 2004, thank god, and then was voted out of his senate seat in South Dakota. Hey, I've got a GREAT idea! Let's resurrect him like we did with Ashcroft!
So, instead of bringing new hope and new blood and change to a country that so badly needs it the president is coming across like a junior senator from Illinois. He is making poor choices, going back on campaign promises and has only been in office for 2 weeks. I can't wait to see what is to come!
Friday, January 30, 2009
Guitar Legend
It all started in July. On a day off from my summer job I was invited to my cousin's place to play video games. She asked if I had ever played Guitar Hero. I hadn't. I didn't really actively avoid it (like I do with so many things) I just thought it was the newest craze that all the kids were into and that it wasn't really geared toward me. I couldn't have been more wrong.We spent the afternoon playing GH III Legends of Rock. I picked up the easy level (the first three fingers playing Green, Red and Yellow) rather quickly and loved playing along with such favorites as The Seeker by the Who, Sunshine of Your Love by Cream and many others. I knew that I needed to jump on this bandwagon and quickly! The next day I bought the bundled pack of Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero 2 along with a guitar controller. I quickly moved up to the medium level (the fourth finger playing the Blue button) and fell in love with the blue-haired Pandora who took the stage each time I played.
It is six months later. I now have all the games available for the PS2: Guitar Hero, Guitar Hero 2, Encore: Guitar Hero Rocks the 80s, Guitar Hero III Legends of Rock, Guitar Hero Aerosmith, and finally Guitar Hero World Tour. I Have since graduated to the "Hard" level which requires the use of four fingers on five keys and, here's the reason for this post, just tonight I beat the first game on this level and achieved the rank of Guitar Legend! Don't get me wrong, I am fully aware of my inability to work the frets and strings of a "real" guitar, but this is still pretty fuckin' cool! Not only that but this particular game has opened up music to me that I never would have considered before: Killer Queen by Queen, Take Me Out by Franz Ferdinand, and Ace of Spades by Motorhead. These as well as many others from the other games (Muse, Danzig, Rage Against the Machine, Iron Maiden) are now in circulation on my iPod. I am anxiously awaiting the next installment in this very impressive series.
Friday, January 23, 2009
A Brush with Greatness
The telephone rings.
The following ensues.
Answerer: “Hello.”
Caller: “Hello?”
Answerer: “Hello.”
Caller: “I’m callin’ about that ad you got in the paper about, uh garden and lawn equipment?”
Answerer: “Yes.”
Caller: “What kind ya got and where are... where can they be seen?”
Answerer: “Wh’I have lawn chairs.”
Caller: “That’s all?”
Answerer: “No! I have udda lawn chairs.”
So begins the "Lawn Equipment Debate" from the Jerky Boys 3 album released in 1996. Sol Rosenberg did indeed place the ad but the poor bastard making the call never does get the information he is looking for.
My first exposure to the Jerky Boys came in the fall of 1993 when my then roommate made passing references to them saying that he would see on Monday with his toolbox, f... face. Shortly thereafter the Chief, of the Chief's Forum brought volumes one and two into my world. Johnny B. and Kamal would make prank calls, record them and distribute them for our amusement. But these were no ordinary prank calls. Some were fictitious answers to real-life advertisements. Others were fictitious advertisements set up to elicit real-life responses. Whatever they were they were NEVER (except of course for "Pablo Honey") an annoying idiot giving you a hard time for no reason. They were clever, fresh, and unbeknownst to me at the time eternal. For better or worse they are now a daily occurrence. In everyday life I can hear the characters answering questions that are posed to me and have to restrain myself from laughing out loud.
"Why does he go on about this so?" you may be asking. Because today I received this through the mail:
To clarify, the cd reads: 'To Elgarf, JB "Sol" ' and the insert reads, "No! I have udda lawn chairs. Best wishes, JB aka "Sol Rosenberg" "
Now,I will not turn into an info-mercial here but I feel this needs repeating. I ordered the Jerky Boys (1) cd. I got an email saying they were out but that Johnny could sign Jerky Boys 2. They would include some cards and stickers as well. I replied that that was fine. So, for the original asking price I got no less than 4 personalized autographed messages from Sol Rosenberg himself!
Hey, Chief, I think you know what you have to do.
The following ensues.
Answerer: “Hello.”
Caller: “Hello?”
Answerer: “Hello.”
Caller: “I’m callin’ about that ad you got in the paper about, uh garden and lawn equipment?”
Answerer: “Yes.”
Caller: “What kind ya got and where are... where can they be seen?”
Answerer: “Wh’I have lawn chairs.”
Caller: “That’s all?”
Answerer: “No! I have udda lawn chairs.”
So begins the "Lawn Equipment Debate" from the Jerky Boys 3 album released in 1996. Sol Rosenberg did indeed place the ad but the poor bastard making the call never does get the information he is looking for.
My first exposure to the Jerky Boys came in the fall of 1993 when my then roommate made passing references to them saying that he would see on Monday with his toolbox, f... face. Shortly thereafter the Chief, of the Chief's Forum brought volumes one and two into my world. Johnny B. and Kamal would make prank calls, record them and distribute them for our amusement. But these were no ordinary prank calls. Some were fictitious answers to real-life advertisements. Others were fictitious advertisements set up to elicit real-life responses. Whatever they were they were NEVER (except of course for "Pablo Honey") an annoying idiot giving you a hard time for no reason. They were clever, fresh, and unbeknownst to me at the time eternal. For better or worse they are now a daily occurrence. In everyday life I can hear the characters answering questions that are posed to me and have to restrain myself from laughing out loud.
"Why does he go on about this so?" you may be asking. Because today I received this through the mail:
To clarify, the cd reads: 'To Elgarf, JB "Sol" ' and the insert reads, "No! I have udda lawn chairs. Best wishes, JB aka "Sol Rosenberg" "
Now,I will not turn into an info-mercial here but I feel this needs repeating. I ordered the Jerky Boys (1) cd. I got an email saying they were out but that Johnny could sign Jerky Boys 2. They would include some cards and stickers as well. I replied that that was fine. So, for the original asking price I got no less than 4 personalized autographed messages from Sol Rosenberg himself!
Hey, Chief, I think you know what you have to do.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
God Bless You, Hitler Boy!
My sister brought this story to my attention and it is simply delightful. It's the little things like this that renew my faith in America.
In recent weeks one Heath Campbell was celebrating the third birthday of his son, Adolf Hitler Campbell. Adolf is the oldest of three children. His younger sisters are JoyceLynn Aryan Nation Campbell and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie Campbell. Anyway, the proud father ordered a birthday cake from the local Shop Rite with one simple request: write "Happy Birthday Adolf Hitler" on the cake. Apparently Shop Rite refused. They offered to bake the cake, decorate it and write "Happy Birthday" on it leaving enough room for the Campbells to write whatever message they wanted. This was not enough for the first-ammendment-quoting Herr Campbell who claimed discrimination. He decided the only thing he could do to set the situation right was to go to the media. When the papers published the story many subscribers were angry that such an incident would be reported shining such a negative light on their community that they cancelled subscriptions.
When asked if he was a racist, Herr Campbell explained that he wasn't. To prove this fact he pointed out that he had gotten rid of all the swastikas he had laying around the house.
OK. These are the facts as I know them. You can google "Hitler Boy" and get more details than I care to go into.
But let's stop and reflect on this for a moment.
I don't think I can even make a smart-ass comment. There really isn't anything to add.
At any rate the following was pasted directly from FOXNEWS.com
"A 3-year-old boy named Adolf Hitler and his two Nazi-named younger sisters were removed from their New Jersey home last week and placed in state custody, police said."
I would like to personally thank Herr Campbell for his contribution to the news cycle. I cannot think of another story in recent history that moved me as much as this one. From start to finish this IS InfoTainment at its best! You just can't make shit like this up!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Whatever happened to the epidemic?
Does anybody know the answer to this? I can't remember the last time we had a really good epidemic, can you? I would say it has probably been a generation. We can't seem to wipe out cancer, but the epidemic is gone. Who did it? How did it happen? Can't we bring it back?
To back up just a little growing up in the 1980s there was a serious AIDS epidemic. I think we can all remember the Drugs epidemic that Nancy Reagan so boldly fought with her "Just Say NO!" campaign. On a lesser scale there used to be a flu epidemic that would go around during the winter months that people would go and get innoculated for only to get an early case of the flu and then avoid the upcoming epidemic. I still don't really understand that one.
Now wait just a minute, Mr. Smarty Pants Elgarf, you must be thinking. We still have the problems with AIDS, drugs, the flu, cholera in Zimbabwe...
Stop right there, asshole! These problems are so massive these days that we can no longer settle for the EPIDEMIC! These are goddamn PANDEMIC occurrences!
AIDS PANDEMIC! CHOLERA PANDEMIC! JOBLESS PANDEMIC! Everything is a goddamn pandemic. Why? Why did we never have pandemics before? Were AIDS and drugs less serious in the 80s? Certainly not. How could we possibly live through those epidemic times only to be faced with the pandemics of today? It scares the living shit out of me! My chances of falling victim to a pandemic are far greater than my chances of falling victim to an epidemic. I don't like that. It makes me want to stay inside and not come into contact with ANYONE! I felt much safer in the days of the epidemic. An epidemic is small scale (many individuals within a population, community or region at the same time, excessively prevalent-according to Webster's 9th New Collegiate Dictionary). A pandemic is large scale (occuring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high number of the population-according to the same source). We can no longer afford to piss around with epidemics. These are pandemic times!
Wait a minute, when we look at ZIMBABWE and their Cholera PANDEMIC it would seem to fit more into the EPIDEMIC category: many individuals within a population? check. excessively prevalent? check. Covering a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high number of individuals within a population? Not so much. Not yet. In fact I think if the situation over there gets any worse it could have the potential of becoming a Pandemic, but it isn't yet.
We are living in seriously X-TREME! times, sensational times, super-sized times, 24-hour news cycle times!
Everything is BIG, BIGGER, BIGGEST, or at least made out to be that way. I am sick of everything that comes across the news desk being reported in this way. Call it what it fucking is. Don't use "grand" words to make your story seem grander. Doing so reduces your gravitas, in Lord Elgarf's opinion.
To back up just a little growing up in the 1980s there was a serious AIDS epidemic. I think we can all remember the Drugs epidemic that Nancy Reagan so boldly fought with her "Just Say NO!" campaign. On a lesser scale there used to be a flu epidemic that would go around during the winter months that people would go and get innoculated for only to get an early case of the flu and then avoid the upcoming epidemic. I still don't really understand that one.
Now wait just a minute, Mr. Smarty Pants Elgarf, you must be thinking. We still have the problems with AIDS, drugs, the flu, cholera in Zimbabwe...
Stop right there, asshole! These problems are so massive these days that we can no longer settle for the EPIDEMIC! These are goddamn PANDEMIC occurrences!
AIDS PANDEMIC! CHOLERA PANDEMIC! JOBLESS PANDEMIC! Everything is a goddamn pandemic. Why? Why did we never have pandemics before? Were AIDS and drugs less serious in the 80s? Certainly not. How could we possibly live through those epidemic times only to be faced with the pandemics of today? It scares the living shit out of me! My chances of falling victim to a pandemic are far greater than my chances of falling victim to an epidemic. I don't like that. It makes me want to stay inside and not come into contact with ANYONE! I felt much safer in the days of the epidemic. An epidemic is small scale (many individuals within a population, community or region at the same time, excessively prevalent-according to Webster's 9th New Collegiate Dictionary). A pandemic is large scale (occuring over a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high number of the population-according to the same source). We can no longer afford to piss around with epidemics. These are pandemic times!
Wait a minute, when we look at ZIMBABWE and their Cholera PANDEMIC it would seem to fit more into the EPIDEMIC category: many individuals within a population? check. excessively prevalent? check. Covering a wide geographic area and affecting an exceptionally high number of individuals within a population? Not so much. Not yet. In fact I think if the situation over there gets any worse it could have the potential of becoming a Pandemic, but it isn't yet.
We are living in seriously X-TREME! times, sensational times, super-sized times, 24-hour news cycle times!
Everything is BIG, BIGGER, BIGGEST, or at least made out to be that way. I am sick of everything that comes across the news desk being reported in this way. Call it what it fucking is. Don't use "grand" words to make your story seem grander. Doing so reduces your gravitas, in Lord Elgarf's opinion.
Monday, December 1, 2008
The Worst Song of All Time
A couple weeks ago I was on a road trip and flipping through the radio stations, giving my iPod a break. A local DJ was running a call-in show asking listeners for their choices for best and worst songs of all time. I was pleasantly surprised with some of the "best" answers. These included the entire Dark Side of the Moon and the title track from Yes' Close to the Edge album. The DJ was a big Motown/Doo Wop fan so there were a lot of entries from these categories too. But I have to say that the list of worst songs was kind of thin and, while I could see the point of the listeners and their disdain for certain songs, I don't feel that anyone actually captured the "Worst Song of All Time". One girl said, "anything by the Beatles. They are the most overrated band ever." Now I don't want her to like the Beatles and, it is true that they were hailed as the second coming of Christ (and more popular than him too!) but even their worst song, (Number 9! Number 9!) cannot be listed as the worst of all time. That is a very special honor that, to be honest, I really do not know who to bestow upon. I do, however have some suggestions:
Pink Floyd - The Dogs of War, 1986 Being a Pink Floyd fan this one is easy. It is clearly the worst thing to be released under the name of this legendary band, but since it was part of the aptly named A Momentary Lapse of Reason which is little more than David Gilmour's worst solo album it could hardly receive the historical title we are going for in this post. Besides, if you're not a fan you've probably never heard this piece of shit anyway.
ANYTHING by Billy Corgan and the Smashing Pumpkins - 1990s Do you remember this self-indulgent whining bitch? He fancies himself an artist, and believe me those people are the worst assholes of all. They believe that they are on a higher level of existence and deem it necessary to stoop down and explain it to the rest of us, the ignorant masses. Having been an art major I knew and worked with people like this. They live in their middle-class perfect worlds and want to interpret pain and angst they have never known so they whine into a microphone or onto a canvas. Everything that came out of that guy's mouth was shit. Then, as he was getting ready to release his 1990s "Concept" album, Mellon Collie blah, blah, blah, he proudly proclaimed to the world that it would be this generation's "The Wall." Well, gee, Billy that's an awfully large task. Thank you for taking it upon yourself to do that for your generation you arrogant FUCK! By the way, where the fuck is that lousy master piece of shit these days? Does anyone remember it?
What's Going On - by Four Non-Blondes from the 90s Now this is a serious candidate. Remember that out of tune screeching voice screaming into the microphone? I understand that Linda Perry went on to write music for other artists such as P!nk and Christina Aguilera but, clearly they have better voices than she does. No offense, Ms. Perry.
But I guess the song that I am submitting for this great honor of Worst Song of All Time is one that I had to turn off over the weekend. While I was helping my father at his place of business the satellite radio was tuned in to the 90s (you may notice that most of these candidates are from that horrid decade). The upstairs had cleared out and for the first time all evening I could actually hear the music. Sinead O'Connor was warbling "Nothing Compares to You." I had really forgotten how much I hate that song. I RAN over to the switch board and cut her off as fast as I could.
Putting aside her silly behavior on SNL ripping a picture of the Pope in front of the camera and all of that Irish political angst her music really sucks. She was one of those idiots who somehow managed a record deal but had no discernible talent so to get attention she did really outrageous things. Her stint on Roger Waters' 1990 Wall production was just dreadful but, I will say this; she did somewhat redeem herself in 1996 singing back-up vocals on the late, great Richard Wright's solo album, Broken China.
Anyway, that is my list. I would love a good discussion arguing a "better" Worst Song. It really isn't as easy as one would think.
Pink Floyd - The Dogs of War, 1986 Being a Pink Floyd fan this one is easy. It is clearly the worst thing to be released under the name of this legendary band, but since it was part of the aptly named A Momentary Lapse of Reason which is little more than David Gilmour's worst solo album it could hardly receive the historical title we are going for in this post. Besides, if you're not a fan you've probably never heard this piece of shit anyway.
ANYTHING by Billy Corgan and the Smashing Pumpkins - 1990s Do you remember this self-indulgent whining bitch? He fancies himself an artist, and believe me those people are the worst assholes of all. They believe that they are on a higher level of existence and deem it necessary to stoop down and explain it to the rest of us, the ignorant masses. Having been an art major I knew and worked with people like this. They live in their middle-class perfect worlds and want to interpret pain and angst they have never known so they whine into a microphone or onto a canvas. Everything that came out of that guy's mouth was shit. Then, as he was getting ready to release his 1990s "Concept" album, Mellon Collie blah, blah, blah, he proudly proclaimed to the world that it would be this generation's "The Wall." Well, gee, Billy that's an awfully large task. Thank you for taking it upon yourself to do that for your generation you arrogant FUCK! By the way, where the fuck is that lousy master piece of shit these days? Does anyone remember it?
What's Going On - by Four Non-Blondes from the 90s Now this is a serious candidate. Remember that out of tune screeching voice screaming into the microphone? I understand that Linda Perry went on to write music for other artists such as P!nk and Christina Aguilera but, clearly they have better voices than she does. No offense, Ms. Perry.
But I guess the song that I am submitting for this great honor of Worst Song of All Time is one that I had to turn off over the weekend. While I was helping my father at his place of business the satellite radio was tuned in to the 90s (you may notice that most of these candidates are from that horrid decade). The upstairs had cleared out and for the first time all evening I could actually hear the music. Sinead O'Connor was warbling "Nothing Compares to You." I had really forgotten how much I hate that song. I RAN over to the switch board and cut her off as fast as I could.
Putting aside her silly behavior on SNL ripping a picture of the Pope in front of the camera and all of that Irish political angst her music really sucks. She was one of those idiots who somehow managed a record deal but had no discernible talent so to get attention she did really outrageous things. Her stint on Roger Waters' 1990 Wall production was just dreadful but, I will say this; she did somewhat redeem herself in 1996 singing back-up vocals on the late, great Richard Wright's solo album, Broken China. Anyway, that is my list. I would love a good discussion arguing a "better" Worst Song. It really isn't as easy as one would think.
Sunday, October 26, 2008
John Kramer and SAW
For those of you unfamiliar with this series John Kramer is (was) an engineer, a loving husband and a cancer patient. Coming to terms with his own mortality made Mr. Kramer aware of time, how little of it we have and how some people just squander theirs. To correct this he puts his subjects through a series of tests. If the player follows the rules they come out a better person who appreciates the life that was given to them. If they fail it ends up in a sloppy mess that is really fun for the rest of us to watch.
I just watched Saw V and was impressed. It is strange that in a series of 5 movies the best is NOT the first one. Here is why. The original Saw featured Cary Elwes as the indifferent Doctor who diagnosed John Kramer, that irritating Monica Potter as his clueless wife and Danny Glover as the well-meaning but down-the-wrong-path detective who persecutes Elwes to the point of obsession. The central theme was good and the traps were fantastic but there was just something missing. That turned out to be Tobin Bell, the actor who plays John Kramer aka Jigsaw. We didn't get to know and love him until Saw II, which I think is the best in the series.
Saw II pits Jigsaw against dirty police detective Eric Matthews (played by New Kid Donnie Walberg) who plants evidence and beats confessions out of his "criminals". All the cop has to do is listen to Mr. Kramer and play by the rules and the officer's son will be found "in a safe place". Detective Matthews, however, is too hot-headed for this and spends his time mocking and abusing the ailing, oxygen-taking Mr. Kramer. After enduring an especially brutal beating Kramer declares "game over" and follows Matthews' directions but somehow things don't work out the way the detective planned.
My least favorite was Saw III. I thought it was overly cruel to the people involved in "the game", but it did give us the first behind-the-scenes look at how Jigsaw enacted his games and who helped him to do it. I must admit that I thought the series would end here, seeing that we watched John Kramer die in his make-shift hospital bed shortly after being forgiven by his test subject, Jeff, which I thought was a beautiful touch.
Saw IV took us behind the scenes and showed us how and why Jigsaw set out on his new line of "work", the people he trusted to continue his legacy, and what exactly happened to the characters from Saw II. It was most satisfying to see how Eric Matthews' storyline played out and those fantastic bastards made us wait until the fourth movie to tell us. I was a little skeptical about the continuation of the series upon my first viewing of this one, but after several more run-throughs it really does seem to fit like a glove. They got a really cool guy to pick up where Jigsaw left off.
This brings us to Saw V. Aw, hell, this post is too long-winded as it is. Suffice it to say that Saw V is every bit as good as Saw IV. The thing with these movies is that the good-guys and bad-guys are really hard to sort out. For all the horrific scenarios that Jigsaw creates, he never actually kills anybody. They ultimately make the decision to "live or die" (of course he does drug them, kidnap them and perform surgery to lock them into the traps, but that is beside the point). There are a lot of assholes in this series who get exactly what they deserve. Too often in life we don't get to see the asshole get what's coming to them. With SAW we always do. God bless you creators, writers, directors, producers and all the other crew responsible for giving us this satisfying series!
I would like to leave this post with a question: What is your favorite SAW trap? Which is your least favorite? I would love to chime in on the comments but would prefer others to get the ball rolling.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Contemplating Felicide
It has been nearly 8 months since Musgrave took her leave. The last 5 have been somewhat of a transition.
It wasn't until my mid-twenties that I discovered I was a cat person. We took in a stray, then about a year and a half later I was chosen by Esmerelda (who I dubbed Musgrave), so on and so forth. As far as personality goes, I can be social but in my own time. I am loyal to a fault, but please don't piss with me. I found that cats seem to share these traits, at least ADULT CATS do.
You see above Miss Hudson K Elgarf. She tries me on a daily basis. She is my first AND LAST kitten. While I DO advocate the adoption of stray animals I strongly urge the would be "parent" to go for the older model. These young things can be a bitch!
Monday, October 13, 2008
"I see your hair is burnin'," "Give me my time," "Spork and Omtay"...An Anniversary of sorts
Tonight, during a 4 hour drive back to the homestead the iPod shuffled its way to Jane's Addiction Live on Triple X Records.
"Well the rain came, I said hey, buddy now buddy the street is a snakeskin. I belong out there walking and nobody's stopping to bother me they hide, outside. The ceiling is crying. Listen to the sound of the gutters running, wash this dirty town all fronts and no backs give me my time let me be outside..."
It has been ten years since I first heard these lines. In October of 1998 the world, as I knew it, changed. Many things that I had known (and loved) crumbled around me forcing me to reevaluate everything. I don't really care to relive any of that unpleasantness, it just hit me as I heard those familiar notes that a decade has passed and I wanted or needed to address it.
Thanks for your indulgence.
"Well the rain came, I said hey, buddy now buddy the street is a snakeskin. I belong out there walking and nobody's stopping to bother me they hide, outside. The ceiling is crying. Listen to the sound of the gutters running, wash this dirty town all fronts and no backs give me my time let me be outside..."
It has been ten years since I first heard these lines. In October of 1998 the world, as I knew it, changed. Many things that I had known (and loved) crumbled around me forcing me to reevaluate everything. I don't really care to relive any of that unpleasantness, it just hit me as I heard those familiar notes that a decade has passed and I wanted or needed to address it.
Thanks for your indulgence.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Sad times...Winning by default
I wish I could subscribe to this wave of "hope" that is sweeping over America. To me it seems like we are in desperate times and need some clear leadership to steer us through it. I DO NOT believe that Barack Obama is capable of turning the tide. I have not heard any proposals that should convince me otherwise. America, once again, appears to be on another page in a different book than the one I have been reading. Remind me of what exactly he has done to garner this great approval and blind faith. I could really use a pick-me-up right now because it seems to me that he will win this election simply because he is the democrat.
Once again I MUST reach out to you, the millions of NEW, ENERGIZED, DISENFRANCHISED voters who are coming to the process for the first time. Remind me, again, of why you have never been politically active in the past. What about this candidate has made you give a damn about this process, and WHY DID YOU NEVER CARE BEFORE??!!! We really could have used your help in 2000 when Al Gore SHOULD HAVE won by default, coming off of 8 years of job growth, prosperity and wars waged only to prevent genocide. We really could have used your help in 2004 when George Bush proved to be the evil, ignorant manipulator we always said he was and John Kerry SHOULD HAVE won by default. Now that the damage is done, you want this inexperienced, smooth-talking snake-oil salesman to take the reins of this nation?!
Alright, the republicans are BAD. They have led us POORLY. There is no question about it. But, just like your messiah likes to keep pointing out that we shouldn't have gone into Iraq, there are many things that the republicans should not have been allowed to do. What has the democratic congress done for the last 2 years but acquiesce to the president? Why is the Bush administration not forced from office and put on trial for war crimes?
On election day I will cast a symbolic vote for president. I do not have any illusion that John McCain will win but I do believe that he is the far superior candidate. You may cast your vote to elect the first African-American president, and I do not snicker at that, these truly are historic times. I, however, do not feel it is his time. He may earn my support after actually accomplishing something, not just bad-mouthing people who voted for the war. What the senator from Illinois doesn't seem to understand is that we are there in Iraq. It no longer matters that we were put there by an out and out lie in order to seek revenge on the enemies of the president's family. I don't care how Hillary voted and I don't care how senator McCain voted. The fact that Obama opposed it does not qualify him to be president. I opposed it. Should I be president? As a community organizer in Chicago Illinois he worked with troubled youth. In my own way I, too, work with troubled youth. Should I be president?
This whole election is preposterous. My only hope is that when things don't fit so neatly into the Obama puzzle that the media is every bit as "fair and balanced" as they have been throughout this decision making process. OF COURSE it is time to elect an African-American president but is this guy the best that community has to offer?
Once again I MUST reach out to you, the millions of NEW, ENERGIZED, DISENFRANCHISED voters who are coming to the process for the first time. Remind me, again, of why you have never been politically active in the past. What about this candidate has made you give a damn about this process, and WHY DID YOU NEVER CARE BEFORE??!!! We really could have used your help in 2000 when Al Gore SHOULD HAVE won by default, coming off of 8 years of job growth, prosperity and wars waged only to prevent genocide. We really could have used your help in 2004 when George Bush proved to be the evil, ignorant manipulator we always said he was and John Kerry SHOULD HAVE won by default. Now that the damage is done, you want this inexperienced, smooth-talking snake-oil salesman to take the reins of this nation?!
Alright, the republicans are BAD. They have led us POORLY. There is no question about it. But, just like your messiah likes to keep pointing out that we shouldn't have gone into Iraq, there are many things that the republicans should not have been allowed to do. What has the democratic congress done for the last 2 years but acquiesce to the president? Why is the Bush administration not forced from office and put on trial for war crimes?
On election day I will cast a symbolic vote for president. I do not have any illusion that John McCain will win but I do believe that he is the far superior candidate. You may cast your vote to elect the first African-American president, and I do not snicker at that, these truly are historic times. I, however, do not feel it is his time. He may earn my support after actually accomplishing something, not just bad-mouthing people who voted for the war. What the senator from Illinois doesn't seem to understand is that we are there in Iraq. It no longer matters that we were put there by an out and out lie in order to seek revenge on the enemies of the president's family. I don't care how Hillary voted and I don't care how senator McCain voted. The fact that Obama opposed it does not qualify him to be president. I opposed it. Should I be president? As a community organizer in Chicago Illinois he worked with troubled youth. In my own way I, too, work with troubled youth. Should I be president?
This whole election is preposterous. My only hope is that when things don't fit so neatly into the Obama puzzle that the media is every bit as "fair and balanced" as they have been throughout this decision making process. OF COURSE it is time to elect an African-American president but is this guy the best that community has to offer?
Sunday, October 5, 2008
WTF?!?!
Last night the Chief and I met up to see the movie, "Lakeshore Terrace," but that is not what this post is about. We had dinner and then went to a coffee shop to kill some time before the 7:05 show. While the Chief was deciding what fruity little coffee drink he wanted from the menu my eye wandered to the cooler down below. There I saw a bottle of the beverage you see above. I started laughing out loud.
How would you pronounce it?!
Anyway as I was looking up a picture for this post I came across this ad that ran in France. I thought it was just me being juvenile and selective with my pronunciation but now I think otherwise. What do you think they are trying to say?
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Sunday, September 21, 2008
that shapely chick with the light brown curls
I posted this story in a series of comments on another blog. Since it has nothing to do whatsoever with the author's original topic I decided to copy and paste it into a post on the Miscellany. The story, after all, is my own.
I was moonlighting in a second job over the summer, let's say in the service industry. It was a slow afternoon and this shapely young lady (late 20s-early30s) came up to me. She had shoulder-length pale brown hair and was wearing sunglasses that she soon placed on top of her head. I specifically remember the gray tank top she was wearing quite well and remember thinking that she was kinda' hot, although nowhere near as hot as she thought she was. Anyway, I waited on her for some time and she seemed to be getting restless, fumbling with her cell phone. She had a sandwich and was drinking Miller Lite. Soon she was joined by an older guy (mid-60s) wearing a grey hairpiece that was none too convincing. I don't recall what beer he ordered but I think it came in a green bottle, probably Yuengling. They started getting all cozy in their conversation and decided to order some shots of, let's say Jack Daniels. Being outside on the patio the "glasses" that I had available to me were made of plastic, this included the shot glasses. I set them down and started to pour. They looked at each other and started to mumble something. I said, "Excuse me?" They both proceeded to tell me that the glass I placed in front of them was only such and such milliliters and was not a full shot. I looked at them with a blank stare and said, "thank you?" Apparently they thought I needed to be educated by the likes of them. I then reached for the $7.00 that the sugar daddy owed me, he said, "oh, yeah, go ahead and take your money." Did he think I might do otherwise? Maybe give him a shot on the house? I don't know, but my relationship with these people went downhill from there.
You know what? Now that I think of it, the post really didn't remind me of this story. I just wanted to tell it and I guess that was as good an excuse as any.
September 15, 2008 12:49 PM
Elgarf said...
So, where was I? Oh, yeah. He didn't want another beer after I had screwed him on the shot (after they left I checked the bottom of the cup, it is clearly marked 1fl. oz-the same amount that a shot should be). By this time I began to wait on other customers. I came back to the two love birds at one point to find them gone, 2 empty beer bottles sitting on one dollar each. Let me correct that. The Miller Lite bottle was not empty. It had about one finger width of warm liquid sitting in the bottom that she had not drunk in the course of an hour. Obviously,
aw, shit. something came up.
i'll finish this later.
September 15, 2008 1:25 PM
Elgarf said...
Obviously, they had finished, left a dollar tip, and then went on their merry way to fornicate in some cheap motel.
Wrong.
As I went about serving the other customers "she" comes back to the bar. "Where's my beer?" she asked. I told her I threw it away when she left. "I didn't leave! I just went to the restroom!" she shouted. I forget how she put it but she let me know that this was the incorrect way for me to do my job. She began bitching to some female friends who had joined her at the bar. "Where's my dollar?" she bellowed. One of the friends commented that I must have assumed it was a tip and had already taken it, so I reached into the tip jar, pulled out a dollar and put it in front of her. "Well, can I have another beer?" she demanded.
I really didn't understand what was going through "her" head. It seemed to me that she was having a bad day and wanted to take it out on someone so she kept setting me up with these little tests which I repeatedly failed. WHO CARES?!
I put the new beer in front of her took her money and went to ring it up and wait on the other customers. The bar was pretty crowded at this point. As I walked past her sometime later she was bitching to her friend (who was actually very pretty, but, like my adversary she too was in the wrong). "I'm a bartender," she said "and you have got a lot to learn. You don't do that to customers."
September 21, 2008 5:03 PM
Elgarf said...
So I leaned forward, extended my hand and said, "you're a bartender? Congratulations, I'm very proud of you."
You should have seen the look on "her" face! It was priceless! It was like nobody had ever spoken to her like this before. The friend was equally shocked and horrified. Right about this time the owner came around the corner. The two of them spoke up saying, "Are you the owner? We need to talk to you about your bartender."
September 21, 2008 5:07 PM
Elgarf said...
What "they" didn't know was that my father was the owner. I explained to him what happened but he didn't seem to care. He was counting money or something. He then went around the bar and listened to their story. When he came back I asked what they said. He told me to relax, I had done nothing wrong just keep working. This pissed her off even more. She turned to the friend and said,"He's got his head shoved all the way up his dad's fat ass." That is a quote. I leaned forward and got really close to her before I said, "you know, you're really charming." I didn't shout just said it "matter-of-factly".
She was enraged. "Do you think I care what you think of me?!" she shouted.
"But I'm supposed to care what you think of me?" I returned. "She" was out of her league. "Why are you so hostile to me?" she demanded. At that point she and the friend stood up to leave. As she was leaving the bar I picked up her second empty Miller Lite bottle. I held it up and asked her if I could throw this one away. "Are you coming back? Maybe I better not throw this out." I looked over at two other women who had been sitting with but NOT commisserating with her. I told them, "I think she might be coming back." They started to laugh. She shot me one last dirty look before she walked out of my life.
September 21, 2008 5:31 PM
Elgarf said...
Shortly thereafter the two remaining friends spoke up. "We're bartenders too," one of them said, "and she had no right to treat you that way." I thanked her and told her that I wasn't really a bartender by trade, but just helping my dad. She said it didn't matter and I didn't deserve the hard time she was giving me but that I handled the situation quite well. They stayed late into the night and left a rather decent tip.
What is the moral of this story? Mind your own goddamn business. Don't go looking for trouble, and leave me the fuck alone!
September 21, 2008 5:36 PM
I was moonlighting in a second job over the summer, let's say in the service industry. It was a slow afternoon and this shapely young lady (late 20s-early30s) came up to me. She had shoulder-length pale brown hair and was wearing sunglasses that she soon placed on top of her head. I specifically remember the gray tank top she was wearing quite well and remember thinking that she was kinda' hot, although nowhere near as hot as she thought she was. Anyway, I waited on her for some time and she seemed to be getting restless, fumbling with her cell phone. She had a sandwich and was drinking Miller Lite. Soon she was joined by an older guy (mid-60s) wearing a grey hairpiece that was none too convincing. I don't recall what beer he ordered but I think it came in a green bottle, probably Yuengling. They started getting all cozy in their conversation and decided to order some shots of, let's say Jack Daniels. Being outside on the patio the "glasses" that I had available to me were made of plastic, this included the shot glasses. I set them down and started to pour. They looked at each other and started to mumble something. I said, "Excuse me?" They both proceeded to tell me that the glass I placed in front of them was only such and such milliliters and was not a full shot. I looked at them with a blank stare and said, "thank you?" Apparently they thought I needed to be educated by the likes of them. I then reached for the $7.00 that the sugar daddy owed me, he said, "oh, yeah, go ahead and take your money." Did he think I might do otherwise? Maybe give him a shot on the house? I don't know, but my relationship with these people went downhill from there.
You know what? Now that I think of it, the post really didn't remind me of this story. I just wanted to tell it and I guess that was as good an excuse as any.
September 15, 2008 12:49 PM
Elgarf said...
So, where was I? Oh, yeah. He didn't want another beer after I had screwed him on the shot (after they left I checked the bottom of the cup, it is clearly marked 1fl. oz-the same amount that a shot should be). By this time I began to wait on other customers. I came back to the two love birds at one point to find them gone, 2 empty beer bottles sitting on one dollar each. Let me correct that. The Miller Lite bottle was not empty. It had about one finger width of warm liquid sitting in the bottom that she had not drunk in the course of an hour. Obviously,
aw, shit. something came up.
i'll finish this later.
September 15, 2008 1:25 PM
Elgarf said...
Obviously, they had finished, left a dollar tip, and then went on their merry way to fornicate in some cheap motel.
Wrong.
As I went about serving the other customers "she" comes back to the bar. "Where's my beer?" she asked. I told her I threw it away when she left. "I didn't leave! I just went to the restroom!" she shouted. I forget how she put it but she let me know that this was the incorrect way for me to do my job. She began bitching to some female friends who had joined her at the bar. "Where's my dollar?" she bellowed. One of the friends commented that I must have assumed it was a tip and had already taken it, so I reached into the tip jar, pulled out a dollar and put it in front of her. "Well, can I have another beer?" she demanded.
I really didn't understand what was going through "her" head. It seemed to me that she was having a bad day and wanted to take it out on someone so she kept setting me up with these little tests which I repeatedly failed. WHO CARES?!
I put the new beer in front of her took her money and went to ring it up and wait on the other customers. The bar was pretty crowded at this point. As I walked past her sometime later she was bitching to her friend (who was actually very pretty, but, like my adversary she too was in the wrong). "I'm a bartender," she said "and you have got a lot to learn. You don't do that to customers."
September 21, 2008 5:03 PM
Elgarf said...
So I leaned forward, extended my hand and said, "you're a bartender? Congratulations, I'm very proud of you."
You should have seen the look on "her" face! It was priceless! It was like nobody had ever spoken to her like this before. The friend was equally shocked and horrified. Right about this time the owner came around the corner. The two of them spoke up saying, "Are you the owner? We need to talk to you about your bartender."
September 21, 2008 5:07 PM
Elgarf said...
What "they" didn't know was that my father was the owner. I explained to him what happened but he didn't seem to care. He was counting money or something. He then went around the bar and listened to their story. When he came back I asked what they said. He told me to relax, I had done nothing wrong just keep working. This pissed her off even more. She turned to the friend and said,"He's got his head shoved all the way up his dad's fat ass." That is a quote. I leaned forward and got really close to her before I said, "you know, you're really charming." I didn't shout just said it "matter-of-factly".
She was enraged. "Do you think I care what you think of me?!" she shouted.
"But I'm supposed to care what you think of me?" I returned. "She" was out of her league. "Why are you so hostile to me?" she demanded. At that point she and the friend stood up to leave. As she was leaving the bar I picked up her second empty Miller Lite bottle. I held it up and asked her if I could throw this one away. "Are you coming back? Maybe I better not throw this out." I looked over at two other women who had been sitting with but NOT commisserating with her. I told them, "I think she might be coming back." They started to laugh. She shot me one last dirty look before she walked out of my life.
September 21, 2008 5:31 PM
Elgarf said...
Shortly thereafter the two remaining friends spoke up. "We're bartenders too," one of them said, "and she had no right to treat you that way." I thanked her and told her that I wasn't really a bartender by trade, but just helping my dad. She said it didn't matter and I didn't deserve the hard time she was giving me but that I handled the situation quite well. They stayed late into the night and left a rather decent tip.
What is the moral of this story? Mind your own goddamn business. Don't go looking for trouble, and leave me the fuck alone!
September 21, 2008 5:36 PM
Saturday, September 20, 2008
Echoes
Call me Mr. Ganz.
Let me explain, Mr. Ganz of Ganz, Laytom & Ganz LLC is a music collector. His library of recordings is unmatched by anyone I know, or know of. It is so large in fact that he just doesn't get around to listening to everything he has purchased. I used to think that was strange, that is until I fell victim to the same phenomenon.
I discovered something today which I did not know I had. On a recent visit to Amazon.com I saw that David Gilmour is to release a new live album later this month which will feature a live performance of Echoes from his 2006-07 "On an Island" tour. This was very exciting to me. I have always said that the guys did in 23 and a half minutes on Echoes what took them 43 minutes on Dark Side of the Moon. Echoes is simply a beautiful piece with lead vocals shared by David Gilmour and the late, great Richard Wright. It occurs in movements from the echoing opening notes to the classic Floyd sound in the first segment to the jazz transition piece to the whale sounds to the closing vocals and the gentle fade out finale.
On a whim I decided to take a look at 2007's "Remember that Night: David Gilmour Live at the Royal Albert Hall." I bought it as soon as it was released and watched and listened to the entire On an Island set. I, however, did not listen to the classic Floyd set. When I looked at the box tonight I saw that Echoes was a part of the second set. Why had I not seen this before? The best that I can come up with is that I did not spend much time reading the box in the store. I knew I wanted it and that was that. Now I know I viewed disc 2 and the above-mentioned parts of disc 1. I guess I just didn't care to hear Wish You Were Here and the like. At any rate I was completely blown away by Echoes.
As some of you may know on the 2001 release Echoes:The Best of Pink Floyd the fifth track is a shortened version of the title track. Echoes is pared down from 23 to 14 minutes (give or take). It was a staple of the Floyd shows throughout the 70s but very little has been heard of it since. So, you can imagine my surprise and great delight to watch and hear this favorite track being sung by Messrs. Gilmour and Wright in a 22 minute live performance. I only regret that I will not be able to see this done in a future show.
So I would like to thank Dave and Rick for recording what would turn out to be some of Mr. Wright's final performances. It gives us a glimpse of what it must have been like to see the Pink Floyd at their best.
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