Meme againe

This one from Geek Gab again (can't believe he's quitting the CF!) (and I think I need to add some explanatory notes):

I say … and you think … ?

1. Groovy :: Feelin' (the song)
2. Jealousy :: Tango (again, the song)
3. Watching :: Bird
4. Kenny :: South Park
5. Games :: War (no, NOT the movie)
6. Bread :: Cheese
7. City :: Lights
8. Stems :: Cells
9. Birds :: Twittering Machine (think Paul Klee)
10. Listener :: Watcher

High temperatures and Knuckle-draggers

It's been very warm for a couple of days. Yesterday set an all-time local high for the date (beat the old record by almost 4 degrees!). And of course the warm weather brings out all the vermin from under their winter rocks.
They are easy to spot:
If they own a car, it will have the windows rolled down, the music (?) will be very loud, and the bass frequencies will be extremely emphasized. I assume they are attempting to communicate via African elephants' mating calls.
If they do not own a car, they will be walking (I believe that's what you call it) in the middle of the sidewalk, wearing an undersized t-shirt which shows their tattoos to good advantage. One assumes the tattoos are demonstrating ritual passage to adulthood. (Their preferred destination seems to be the local beer store.)
Or perhaps, they have been enterprising, and have recently purloined a bicycle. In this case, they will be pedalling - also on the sidewalk - to an unspecified destination (not the beer store) at moderately high speed and with suitably obvious abandon.
Either way, the non-car-borne will be stopping at all appropriate locations to inquire whether anyone has a smoke.
Not the females, though. Also festooned with multiple tattoos, they will be busily pushing their baby-walkers - conspicuously adorned with their personal emblems of consumption. In multiples of two, they also occupy the middle of the sidewalk.
At least they don't ask for smokes.

Boards of Directors, Management, & Musicians?

In any business enterprise, it is assumed that the Management should be composed of individuals with experience in the business at hand. It goes without saying that this should also be also true of a Board of Directors.
Not so in the Music Business!
With Symphonies, Operas Companies, Casino Entertainment Departments, in Management and on the Boards, there are NO people with on-stage experience. In fact the opposite is true - professional status in the music business actually DISQUALIFIES you for Management or Board status. Examples abound.
For example:
In town here we have a Symphony with a substantial budget (well into 7 figures). No-one with entertainment experience in management or on the Board. If anything, there is the unique situation of the management looking down on the orchestra players as inferior beings. (aka 'They' know better than the musicians.)
We have a Casino (what town doesn't, anymore!) with an 'entertainment department' - 5 people - none of whom have spent a minute on stage in their lives. Wouldn't know a C-sharp from a sea-bass. Or a backline from a basketball.
And we have just had an auditorium/theatre go belly-up bankrupt. No actual entertainment experience to be seen anywhere in the management. Ever. (And they blamed it on decreased bingo revenue!)
And then they all wonder why, in return, they get little/no respect from entertainers themselves!

Many thoughts - Few words.

For the last few days, lots of mental activity, but I seem unable to coherently present any of it in written form. So, instead, I took a Nerd Test! http://www.nerdtests.com/ I got a 90%. Hmph.
Ah well.
PS - it also seems that I'm 67% misanthropic. http://www.blogthings.com/howmisanthropicareyouquiz/ That's all? (Stoopid test!)
PPS - and I'm mostly Taoist. http://www.quizgalaxy.com/quiz.php?id=47 Hah. Now I'm sure they're all WACKED! On a truly serious test several years ago, I came out closest to Orthodox Judaism. (Either that or Unitarian - is there a difference?)
PPPS - that last test came from Geek Gab (see link-list). Thanks for the laugh.

War & Freedom

This, from Cogito Ergo Geek (love that handle - pun intended) http://jerrythegeek.blogspot.com/
sums it up nicely:

"War is an immoral way to preserve freedom. It's also the only way to preserve freedom."

On another note, the Shadow Wolves are going to Afghanistan! (Look it up!) Hmmm.

Eyal Golan - woot!

Such joyous music! No other culture on the earth has such joy in their music. (OK, sadness too, but...) I don't dance, and I don't sing, but this makes me want to do both. Such a gift!

WPL Board.

So - it seems that I have been asked to serve on the Windsor Public Library Board. Hmm. Should I behave myself, or be the usual disturbing influence I am famous for? We shall see.
In the meantime, I feel somewhat flattered.

1920's Transcriptions - For Sale.

We now have transcriptions of recordings of the 1920's for sale. All are transcriptions from the original recordings, in a few cases, slightly augmented to accommodate a ten-piece band.
Available for $20.00 per title, plus shipping.
All transcriptions have been "play-tested" for accuracy and readability, and are of excellent quality. True to the originals from which they are transcribed. All are for 3 sax (some dbles on clar, or bari), 2 tpt, tbne, pno, tba, dms, banjo/guit. Printed on heavy-weight beige paper, 8 1/2" x 11". Complete with reference score. Transcriptions are from recordings of the bands as noted.

Coon-Sanders Nighthawk Orchestra:
Yes, Sir, That's My Baby
After You've Gone
Who Wouldn't Love You
Sluefoot
Joe "King" Oliver:
Freakish Light Blues
Someday Sweetheart
Sugarfoot Stomp
Bennie Moten:
White Lightning Blues
Thick Lip Stomp
Kansas City Shuffle
Jelly Roll Morton:
SmokeHouse Blues
Johnny Hamp:
Black Bottom
Fess Williams:
Alligator Crawl
Number Ten
Missourians:
Market Street Stomp
Tiny Parham:
Lucky 3-6-9
Herman Waldmann:
Marbles

Orders, inquiries to sympops@hotmail.com
Note: The originals are, to the best of our knowledge, public domain according to copyright law in Canada. Your situation may differ.

ASpies and OCD - the differences.

I have often pointed out the differences between Asperger's Syndrome and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. I have a friend who is convinced he is OCD, when in fact, I am certain he is ASpie. Totally unaccepting, he is. (Like that - a mini Yoda-ism) Here's a succinct statement ( or those who haven't seen it) from Aspie's Inc. http://aspiesinc.blogspot.com/index.html who says it better than I can (this is excerpted to save space, so forgive me):
"An Obsessive behavior is an avoidance behavior. The behavior does not bring pleasure or satisfaction to the individual. It is not done to get or achieve. Instead Obsessive behaviors are done to avoid some typically unrelated thing or feeling."
[Now as to ASpie behaviors]
"Firstly, the individual in the Autism Spectrum is experiencing symptoms based on physical malformations in the brain. Most if not all Aspies are dealing with Sensory Integration Dysfunction (see the link). So repetitive movements such as spinning, rocking, jumping, touching or sniffing certain things are compensating for a deficit in the typical function of the brain. The movement can help the Aspie achieve a sense of calm and balance. ... Secondly, the person in the Autism Spectrum may have certain behaviors that help them cope with the world around them. Certain rituals that help them deal with a confusing world instead of having a melt down."

YUP.

Intellectuals and Military support - NOT.

This interesting observation, via Kim du Toit http://www.theothersideofkim.com/

>>A common quote among intellectuals is that of Beatrice Hall (speaking of Voltaire’s philosophy): “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” The plain fact of the matter is that they wouldn’t, or couldn’t.>>

Right in the X-ring on that one. In theory, the Left always supports the military. But do they ever truly support the military? Sure, until budget time, when the dollars must be spent. Or until the going gets tough. And then - Too Many Casualties! Well, what do they think happens in combat anyway? This is not a walk to the faculty lounge, kids. Good people get hurt too.

And do leftists ever actually join the military? Do their children ever actually serve in the military? Yeah sure. Right again.

And then there's this little quote, found in Madogre: http://www.madogre.com/News.html

"Congressmen who willfully take actions during wartime that damage morale and undermine the military are saboteurs and should be arrested, exiled, or hanged."

I'm don't totally agree, because silencing dissent is not always in the best interest of the people. But can you guess the source of the quote? OK, it's obviously the USA, but I was surprised: Abraham Lincoln. (Score a big one for Honest Abe.)

Tiny Tim & the Non-Rehearsal

Tiny Tim was one of the most unusual acts I ever played. never mind the visual aspect - I'm not referring to that part. Most successful entertainers have an "image" that they use/are. One quickly becomes accustomed to that part of the biz. (There's an old expression - You're always on stage. Pros recognize the truth of that and act accordingly. It's only the Jung and Fuelish who haven't figured it out, or choose to disregard it, usually with negative career consequences.)
But back to Tim...Rehearsal was scheduled for 4:00 PM and the 4 of us are there, ready for goodness-knows-what. So up to the stage ambles Tim, somewhat beat-up ukelele case in hand. Says, hi to everybody - in a voice noticeably deeper than the counter-tenor that was his recognizable singing voice. And out comes the uke. OK.
"So where's your music?"
"Don't have music. Don't use any." - oboy, this is going to be fun. - "We'll just play some tunes, and you follow me." - oboy, this is going to be BAD; a train-wreck in the making for sure - "Let's see - do you know Baby Face? In D." - Geez, what kind of show is this? - (After about 30 seconds of Baby Face) "OK that's fine. That's enough. Tonight, just follow me." - OBOY; this is no train-wreck, this is going to be a disaster - "See you guys later."
And that was the rehearsal. For the world-famous Tiny Tim.
And the show? Well, we followed him; sort-of. He would name some really obscure tune from, say, 1908, give a little history of it, and launch into the verse. No key, no form, no nothing. Nada. And we would attempt to follow him. Of course, none of us actually knew the tune. And repeat the same procedure with a different tune, from 1912. Etc. etc. etc.
A train-wreck? You bet. Multiple train-wrecks. But guess what - when the audience doesn't know the tunes either - nobody knew they were train-wrecks. And in the famous words of the late Tom Borshuk (long gone now) "Nobody Died!"

Mimi Hines

Mimi is one of those (relatively) undiscovered gems. One of the few "girl singers" that I really enjoyed working with. She spent many moons working with Phil Ford, where she did a fair chunk of comedy - she was known especially for the "rubber chicken" bit.
And that's a shame. Such a good singer. When she came to the TH for her show, I was there a little early for rehearsal - I found it helps to see the charts before you actually have to play them! And there on the top of the pile, for the show Opener was an Earth Wind and Fire tune: Fantasy. Yeah, Right. Like a girl singer and a four-piece band are gonna make that one work. Sure. This girl is nuts. This is a train-wreck in the making.
Well, I had forgotten: I had played Phil and Mimi way back at the old Elmwood Casino, and she could sing. Boy had I ever forgotten! What a voice. And style. And later when we did the Superman theme (Can you read my mind) it was wonderful. And she sang that like it truly meant something personal to her. (Maybe it did - she never said.)
And after the show, on the break, she ups and comes over to sit with the band! Outside on the smokey "patio", and yakking show-biz with the four of us. Ha. Gotta love that girl - just one of the boys!
One of the very few truly "musical" singers I have ever worked with. And if you know me, that's the highest compliment I can ever give to any singer.

Islam and Fun.

I walk a great deal - it's one of the virtues/vices of not owning a car. And I often traverse (?interesting choice of word, eh?) a heavily immigrant Islamic area of town.
Something always struck me as vaguely familiar about the area. Yesterday it suddenly hit me! It was like East Berlin. You know, in the days with the Berlin Wall and Vopos and everything.
Quite a few years back, I was on tour with an orchestra, and we were scheduled to give a concert in West Berlin. As a courtesy, we were given (allowed?) a tour of East Berlin. While on the tour bus, I spent several hours puzzling over what seemed odd. Aside from the still-existing devastation of WWII, and the general economic malaise, there was an indefinable something. I could not put my finger on it exactly. The after several hours it suddenly dawned on me. No-one was smiling!
In any city, people walking on the street are a general mix of emotional states - some happy, some sad, some angry - the usual mix of personal states. But East Berlin was definitely missing the happy/glad part. No smiling pedestrians, no happy faces anywhere.
And the Islamic area that I walk through here is like that old East Berlin. No smiles, no sense of happiness from anyone. I would expect a great deal of it - after all, aren't they glad to be here rather than wherever they emigrated from? Evidently not.
And I believe I know the answer. Allow me a quote: "There are no jokes in Islam. There is no humour in Islam. There is no fun in Islam." - Ayatollah Khomeini.