A few points:
1.) Elf = good.
2.) Ditto Bob Newhart.
Also: Beavis and Butt-Head. What's the appeal? I watched a few minutes of it last night, and couldn't stop laughing at it. For all intensive purposes, nothing happens on that show. Hell, there's barely ever any actual dialogue. Just that very strange laughing. So there's no real plot, no particularly witty dialogue, no zany cast of characters, and yet the show is sometimes quite funny. I don't get it. I remember thinking it was funny "back in the day," but I can chalk some of that up to being a teenager. Now that I'm (supposedly) older and wiser, I can't, for the life of me, figure out what makes that show funny. granted, I can't watch for more than five minutes or so before the premise gets old, but I do laugh during that time. I'd like to think there's some deep meaning behind it all, but the odds of that are in the slim to none category. So I sure don't know. I know the MST3K-style video commentaries are a hoot. The movie was funnt. Shoot, I even liked the semi-RPG game for the Genesis. PC Gamer rated the B&B computer game one of their all-time favorites. So the show's got something going for it. And, lest we forget, if it wasn't for that show, we wouldn't have Daria. And Mike Judge made Office Space, too, so there you go.
In conclusion: That was cool.
Dave
Tuesday, November 29
Tuesday, November 22
Maverick!
So.
I'm listening to the 'Top Gun Anthem,' which, for an '80s insturmental-type piece of music, isn't too bad. Steve Stevens, he of the lazy parents and Billy Idol guitarist, played the piece. And, being '80s metal, it has copious amounts of tapping and speed for speed's sake. But it's still a pretty good tune.
But what about the movie? Back in the day, before I knew who Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer were, it was one of my favorites. Probably some kind of 'guy thing.' Planes, fast cars, explosions, and what not. And when Dr. Green died because of a faulty ejector, I was just as sad as Maverick. Poor Dr. Goose. And James Tolkan is still cool in my book.
And then I got to thinking: if I sat down tomorrow and watched the movie, would I still like it? Or would the sheer '80s nonsense and its Jerry "ka-boom" Bruckheimer inanity overwhelm it? It seems to happen a lot with things I liked as a kid: Voltron, Transformers, and the like. Watching them now, it's amazing how goofy they were. Then again, they were, essentially, 30-minute commercials. And, since I still buy the occasional Transformer, they were pretty good ads.
And what if the inverse is true: since things I liked when I was a kid turned out to be a bit goofier and maybe not quite as good as I remember, what if things from the last ten years or so that I hated turned out to be good. What if it turns out that, shudder, Wing Commaber is actually.......good?
I'm not sure I could take that.
No. No. Wing Commander has, and always will, suck. Lots.
Dave
I'm listening to the 'Top Gun Anthem,' which, for an '80s insturmental-type piece of music, isn't too bad. Steve Stevens, he of the lazy parents and Billy Idol guitarist, played the piece. And, being '80s metal, it has copious amounts of tapping and speed for speed's sake. But it's still a pretty good tune.
But what about the movie? Back in the day, before I knew who Tom Cruise and Val Kilmer were, it was one of my favorites. Probably some kind of 'guy thing.' Planes, fast cars, explosions, and what not. And when Dr. Green died because of a faulty ejector, I was just as sad as Maverick. Poor Dr. Goose. And James Tolkan is still cool in my book.
And then I got to thinking: if I sat down tomorrow and watched the movie, would I still like it? Or would the sheer '80s nonsense and its Jerry "ka-boom" Bruckheimer inanity overwhelm it? It seems to happen a lot with things I liked as a kid: Voltron, Transformers, and the like. Watching them now, it's amazing how goofy they were. Then again, they were, essentially, 30-minute commercials. And, since I still buy the occasional Transformer, they were pretty good ads.
And what if the inverse is true: since things I liked when I was a kid turned out to be a bit goofier and maybe not quite as good as I remember, what if things from the last ten years or so that I hated turned out to be good. What if it turns out that, shudder, Wing Commaber is actually.......good?
I'm not sure I could take that.
No. No. Wing Commander has, and always will, suck. Lots.
Dave
Sunday, November 20
There's bugger all down here on the earth
So.
No one bothered telling me this, but it seems that Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, and Eric Idle have united in a weird sort of acousticy, bluegrassy trio of epic proportions.
Why didn't anyone tell me they had one of those...things?
As if I needed another reason to like those guys. Jerks.
Note: I researched a bit, and the "Too Warm Trio" was formed for this event. So maybe it's not something coming to a City Near You.
But still.
Note 2: If I ever meet the person what stapled, yes stapled my carpet padding down, I will give them one heck of a smack on the head.
Dave
No one bothered telling me this, but it seems that Tom Hanks, Steve Martin, and Eric Idle have united in a weird sort of acousticy, bluegrassy trio of epic proportions.
Why didn't anyone tell me they had one of those...things?
As if I needed another reason to like those guys. Jerks.
Note: I researched a bit, and the "Too Warm Trio" was formed for this event. So maybe it's not something coming to a City Near You.
But still.
Note 2: If I ever meet the person what stapled, yes stapled my carpet padding down, I will give them one heck of a smack on the head.
Dave
Thursday, November 17
But ol'man river, He just keeps rollin' along
Is it Christmas already? I suppose it's pretty close, although some stores/TV shopping channels seem to think the 'season' started somewhere in mid-July (I'd like to think I'm exaggerating a bit, but I'm probably not, sadly).
That said, it sure felt like Christmas today. Coldcoldcold. Nice, but cold. Good night for using the electric blanket. But then it's hard to get up in the morning. Too warm and toasty. That and the fact I just wanted to stay in bed today. Work didn't seem too important or exciting. In the end, it was only slightly boring, as opposed to a total drag. Maybe it's the ho-humness of the slow period our department hits this time of year. Or maybe it was grandma's funeral. You know how that can be on one's psyche. If I had something more eloquent to say, believe you me, I'd say it here, but I can't seem to come up with anything, so it may be best to leave it alone for now. But Fr. Marco's homily yesterday? Pure genius. He was a little here, a little there, but it didn't really matter. The random St. Louis history was odd, but a nice bonus.
I don't necessarily think I took it for granted that she'd always be around. I tried to keep in touch, and she was usually my first call when cooking issues came up. Maybe it's just human nature to think that you didn't do enough when someone dies. And it's probably not wise to dwell on things like that, since I know we all do as much as we can with the time we have. But everyone gets so busy sometimes, it can be hard to step back and keep in touch. But that's some social commentary that will have to wait. For...when I feel like it.
So, in the end, I guess the best thing to do is to sit back, crack open a Miller Lite, and tell the stories. Or share the pictures.
And figure out how the hell to read a barometer.
Anyways.
I'd like to think that I'm a fairly level-headed person most of the time. When it comes to U2 though, I think I may be, well, a little off. The concert is in less than a month, and, to ensure as much surprise as possible, I've instituted a "U2 Exile," effective today. That means no obsessive checking of the previous night's setlist, no reading the various websites in case a rare song gets played, and listening to as much U2 as possible. Ideally, the band will change a few things in the next 3+ weeks, and I'll have as fresh an experience as possible. I've got way too many shows from this tour downloaded, so I have a good idea as to the sound of the show. The look, though, is still mostly a mystery. I've got some idea of the basics from a few pictures, but for the most part, no clue. I'm doing my best to keep it that way, but I broke down and bought the DVD of the tour filmed earlier this summer in Chicago. I broke down evern further, and watched a little bit of it (three songs, I think). I made sure, though, to watch what I figured would have as little give away as possible. I think I did okay, and probably got enough of a fix to hold me over until show time.
Back to the start: maybe it's the QVC/HSN I've been watching, or maybe there's just more of it this year, but the rampant commercialization of Christmas seems to be getting at me more than usual this year. I wouldn't call it disgusting, but it is a bit unsettling. It's a shame, really, because I enjoy the whole gift thing, but it's hard to get into it after the constant bombardment. Yeah, I know, I'm probably setting myself up for a lot of it. "Just turn off the stupid TV," you say. And yet, it's hard to look away. I like to shake my head in disgust and complain, but I just keep watching. So there you go.
I'm making up for my lack of posting with the longest post in the world, for anyone keeping score at home.
Speaking of: the Blues won last night! And Pujols got the MVP! Carp the Cy Young! The Rams..um...are still playing football!
And...that's all I got. Time to go play N.
I'll be marching around in gold pants in no time!
Dave
That said, it sure felt like Christmas today. Coldcoldcold. Nice, but cold. Good night for using the electric blanket. But then it's hard to get up in the morning. Too warm and toasty. That and the fact I just wanted to stay in bed today. Work didn't seem too important or exciting. In the end, it was only slightly boring, as opposed to a total drag. Maybe it's the ho-humness of the slow period our department hits this time of year. Or maybe it was grandma's funeral. You know how that can be on one's psyche. If I had something more eloquent to say, believe you me, I'd say it here, but I can't seem to come up with anything, so it may be best to leave it alone for now. But Fr. Marco's homily yesterday? Pure genius. He was a little here, a little there, but it didn't really matter. The random St. Louis history was odd, but a nice bonus.
I don't necessarily think I took it for granted that she'd always be around. I tried to keep in touch, and she was usually my first call when cooking issues came up. Maybe it's just human nature to think that you didn't do enough when someone dies. And it's probably not wise to dwell on things like that, since I know we all do as much as we can with the time we have. But everyone gets so busy sometimes, it can be hard to step back and keep in touch. But that's some social commentary that will have to wait. For...when I feel like it.
So, in the end, I guess the best thing to do is to sit back, crack open a Miller Lite, and tell the stories. Or share the pictures.
And figure out how the hell to read a barometer.
Anyways.
I'd like to think that I'm a fairly level-headed person most of the time. When it comes to U2 though, I think I may be, well, a little off. The concert is in less than a month, and, to ensure as much surprise as possible, I've instituted a "U2 Exile," effective today. That means no obsessive checking of the previous night's setlist, no reading the various websites in case a rare song gets played, and listening to as much U2 as possible. Ideally, the band will change a few things in the next 3+ weeks, and I'll have as fresh an experience as possible. I've got way too many shows from this tour downloaded, so I have a good idea as to the sound of the show. The look, though, is still mostly a mystery. I've got some idea of the basics from a few pictures, but for the most part, no clue. I'm doing my best to keep it that way, but I broke down and bought the DVD of the tour filmed earlier this summer in Chicago. I broke down evern further, and watched a little bit of it (three songs, I think). I made sure, though, to watch what I figured would have as little give away as possible. I think I did okay, and probably got enough of a fix to hold me over until show time.
Back to the start: maybe it's the QVC/HSN I've been watching, or maybe there's just more of it this year, but the rampant commercialization of Christmas seems to be getting at me more than usual this year. I wouldn't call it disgusting, but it is a bit unsettling. It's a shame, really, because I enjoy the whole gift thing, but it's hard to get into it after the constant bombardment. Yeah, I know, I'm probably setting myself up for a lot of it. "Just turn off the stupid TV," you say. And yet, it's hard to look away. I like to shake my head in disgust and complain, but I just keep watching. So there you go.
I'm making up for my lack of posting with the longest post in the world, for anyone keeping score at home.
Speaking of: the Blues won last night! And Pujols got the MVP! Carp the Cy Young! The Rams..um...are still playing football!
And...that's all I got. Time to go play N.
I'll be marching around in gold pants in no time!
Dave
Thursday, November 10
"You must have me confused with Tom Jones"
No, not likely.
It's not everyday that the King stops by work. Lots of fun, actually. Although, if I make it 25 years here at work, I want a U2 tribute band for my party.
My favorite bit: "If there's anything you've been wanting ot ask me in the 28 years since my death, now's a good time."
Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.
Just a hunka hunka burning love.
Dave
Monday, November 7
New York, London, Paris, Munich...
Everybody talk about Pop Muzik.
If memory serves, today marks the eighth anniversary of seeing U2 for the first time back on the PopMart tour. Not only that, I do believe it was my first 'real' concert, unless you count seeing the Spin Doctors on the parking lot of Union Station. Mmm, the good 'ol days when the Spin Doctors were huge.
Wait. I don't think they were ever huge. But they are still around, mostly. But I digress.
Back in '97, I wasn't quite as U2 obsessed as I am now, so there was little time spent surfing the 'net trying to find pictures of the stage or setlists or anything like that. I knew they were coming and I had tickets (thanks to dad's bottomless cups of change. Really. Who has $143 worth of coins in their house?) waaaaaaaaay back, as they were playing the then TWA Dome. Tickets were bought in March of that year, I think, on a chilly Saturday morning from Schnucks near mom's work. I remember doing the whole line ticket business and hoping hoping hoping they didn't sell out.
Turns out the tour was being as well received stateside as originally thought, so there was no danger of a sell out. Even better, we actually got to move down a couple sections since there were maybe 30,000 of around 70,000 seats sold. Worked for me.
I'd never been to the Dome before, but I knew it was a pretty spacious building. So to walk into the seating area and see this filling every inch of the floor was unbelievable. Our seats were pretty dead center in the back, so I had an excellent view of that monstrosity.
Third Eye Blind, back when people sort of cared about them, opened the show, thus beginning the trend of me not caring one iota about 75% of the opening acts I see. It had to be 45 of the dullest minutes I've experienced at a concert. The only highlight was the fact they used sound and music from Godzilla as they came on stage. Finally, they wrapped up, and the interminable wait for U2 began. Finally the intor music started, and there was the band, coming onstage through the crowd: Edge in his 'disco cowboy' gear, Bono shadowboxing the whole way, Adam in the haz-mat suit, and Larry as, um, Larry. The intro to 'Mofo' gets going, and once Edge hits the whammy pedal for the 'airplane noise,' the stage just lights up and proceeds to blow me back in my seat for the entire song. I couldn't find any pictures that did justice to that moment, suffice to say, it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. Once the opening notes to 'I Will Follow' started, the initial shock and awe wore off, and I was able to enjoy every moment of the concert: the classics like 'Streets,' 'New Year's Day,' and 'Desire.' New stuff like 'Discotheque,' 'Gone,' and the song that really turned me onto the band, 'Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me.'
There was the 40 ft. lemon, which turned into a giant disco ball for the first encore, taking the band to the b-stage. And each moment was bigger than the next. Wonderful stuff.
I imagine this would be a more fitting tribute with some more time, or maybe not 8 years later. Better pictures, maybe. Oh well.
Just about a month from now will be U2 show #4 for me. It's all a bit smaller now, but I imagine the emotion will be just as big.
In other news, the 'Tones new album is due out January 31. It's called 'Hidden Land.' Here's to hoping for a couple dates in the area.
Try some buy some fee-fi-fo-fum, Talk about, pop muzik
Dave
If memory serves, today marks the eighth anniversary of seeing U2 for the first time back on the PopMart tour. Not only that, I do believe it was my first 'real' concert, unless you count seeing the Spin Doctors on the parking lot of Union Station. Mmm, the good 'ol days when the Spin Doctors were huge.
Wait. I don't think they were ever huge. But they are still around, mostly. But I digress.
Back in '97, I wasn't quite as U2 obsessed as I am now, so there was little time spent surfing the 'net trying to find pictures of the stage or setlists or anything like that. I knew they were coming and I had tickets (thanks to dad's bottomless cups of change. Really. Who has $143 worth of coins in their house?) waaaaaaaaay back, as they were playing the then TWA Dome. Tickets were bought in March of that year, I think, on a chilly Saturday morning from Schnucks near mom's work. I remember doing the whole line ticket business and hoping hoping hoping they didn't sell out.
Turns out the tour was being as well received stateside as originally thought, so there was no danger of a sell out. Even better, we actually got to move down a couple sections since there were maybe 30,000 of around 70,000 seats sold. Worked for me.
I'd never been to the Dome before, but I knew it was a pretty spacious building. So to walk into the seating area and see this filling every inch of the floor was unbelievable. Our seats were pretty dead center in the back, so I had an excellent view of that monstrosity.
Third Eye Blind, back when people sort of cared about them, opened the show, thus beginning the trend of me not caring one iota about 75% of the opening acts I see. It had to be 45 of the dullest minutes I've experienced at a concert. The only highlight was the fact they used sound and music from Godzilla as they came on stage. Finally, they wrapped up, and the interminable wait for U2 began. Finally the intor music started, and there was the band, coming onstage through the crowd: Edge in his 'disco cowboy' gear, Bono shadowboxing the whole way, Adam in the haz-mat suit, and Larry as, um, Larry. The intro to 'Mofo' gets going, and once Edge hits the whammy pedal for the 'airplane noise,' the stage just lights up and proceeds to blow me back in my seat for the entire song. I couldn't find any pictures that did justice to that moment, suffice to say, it was the coolest thing I'd ever seen. Once the opening notes to 'I Will Follow' started, the initial shock and awe wore off, and I was able to enjoy every moment of the concert: the classics like 'Streets,' 'New Year's Day,' and 'Desire.' New stuff like 'Discotheque,' 'Gone,' and the song that really turned me onto the band, 'Hold Me, Thrill Me, Kiss Me, Kill Me.'
There was the 40 ft. lemon, which turned into a giant disco ball for the first encore, taking the band to the b-stage. And each moment was bigger than the next. Wonderful stuff.
I imagine this would be a more fitting tribute with some more time, or maybe not 8 years later. Better pictures, maybe. Oh well.
Just about a month from now will be U2 show #4 for me. It's all a bit smaller now, but I imagine the emotion will be just as big.
In other news, the 'Tones new album is due out January 31. It's called 'Hidden Land.' Here's to hoping for a couple dates in the area.
Try some buy some fee-fi-fo-fum, Talk about, pop muzik
Dave
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