2019, JULY 15th: BOTB RESULTS (Or, RUSH VERSUS RUSH)

.

Sign on the door of the Maintenance Department where I work. Can you see the irony in this?!

.
STMcC’s Vote On '2019, July 15th: Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB) - Or, Rush Versus Rush - And The Final Tally:
.
So, first of all, and as always... my thanks to All Y'all for taking the time to visit my Blog Battle, listen, and vote. Without you all, I'd look pretty stoopid posting these BOTB contests.
.
Secondly, I'm very, Very, VERY late with this BOTB Results post because of... job, Job, JOB! I know I'm a sharp-dressed man, but I'm really way too old for this work, and now in the Dog Days of Summer, I'm feelin' beat like a beet left in the street in the Noonday Sun!
.
Well, the Battle Of The Bands contest took place HERE and it was really intended mostly as an inside joke between my friends Sixgun McItchyfinger and Dr. G. DogG, and myself. It was the first time in my BOTB history that I used two songs I dislike by a band I dislike (Rush: 'The Spit Of Radio' versus 'Tom Finn').
.
Although I would agree with anyone who said, "The music sucked!", I was really hoping for some spirited comments in the Comment Section. And I got that in spades! I really enjoyed the back-'n'-forth comments, which I feel is very often the most entertaining part of my BOTB posts. And this one did not disappoint! And as I'd hoped, my buddies 'Sixgun' and 'DogG' gave me plenty to work with. (Thanks, guys!!)
.
As I type these words, I'm listening to music that is much more in my personal wheelhouse: Spanky and Our Gang: 'The Singles And More!'. Hoot Gibson! Now *THIS* is "music"!
.
Anyway, I don't wanna beat a dead horse, so I will simply say that I'd never really paid any attention to the lyrics in Rush songs until I posted this Battle. But because both of the music videos I used in the contest included the lyrics as they were being sung squealed, I actually learned what Biddy Lee was squealing... and that only made me dislike them even MORE than I did before!
.
Hokey-Smoke! Talk about pretentiousness, bad meter, and bad grammar. Not that I can afford to be a "Grammar Nazi" but... WTP was that?!
.
Music is very personal and the responses to it cannot be adequately explained by ANYONE. And that's why I have always said that music is the most spiritual of all art forms. For the most part, people can explain what they like about a painting or a theatrical performance. But music is un-explainable. You can't tell me why your toes start tapping at certain points in a song; you can't explain why your body gets a chill or sorta shudders when that one clarinet or B-3 organ note is played, or when that one guitar note gets bent. It just happens. You don't know why. But your Spirit responds because it's a Spiritual response, not an intellectual response.
.
And therefore, I have nothing truly negative to say about anyone who likes Rush. As Bob Dylan brilliantly sang: "It's life, and life only". To each his/her own.
.
But frankly, I can't stand the squealing that Rush's Geddy Lee thinks is "singing"; and although he's a technically good drummer, I think Neil Peart displays very little soul or life in his drumming. It's like "drumming-by-the-numbers". There's no "there" there; it's just... I don't know... there's just no "Swing" in what he plays.  And you know, "It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing".
.
Now, in my opinion, this Total Nobody on Some Street could totally eat Neil Peart's lunch and steal his nickel for milk when it comes to drumming. This cat "Swings!!", and he's just drumming on plastic tubs:
.

.
Regardless, to each his/her own. I love the music I love, and for the most part, I can't explain to you why I do. And the same goes for you.
.
The Spirit Of Radio = 3 votes
.
Tom Sawyer = 12 votes
.

.
Sikike Phteven (3-2) got his third straight straight prognostication. If he keeps this up for the next 13 years, I may begin to believe that he really IS "sikike".
.
My next Battle will appear here on August 1st, and I hope All Y'all are here to help me celebrate my 60th birthday BOTB bash!
.
~ Stephen T. McCarthy
.

2019, JULY 15: BATTLE OF THE BANDS (Or, GEDDY LEE VERSUS DONALD DUCK VERSUS NED BEATTY)

..
Geddy Lee Vs. Donald Duck, Geddy Lee Vs. Ned Beatty, Geddy Lee Vs. Some Other Female, War Vs. Peace, Light Vs. Dark, Good Vs. Evil, Man Vs. Machine, Love Vs. Hate, Dog Vs. Cat, Sun Vs. Moon, Brain Vs. Brawn, Oscar Vs. Grammy, Angel Vs. Demon, Laurel Vs. Hardy, Beer Vs. Wine, TV Vs. Radio, Pitcher Vs. Batter, Paper Vs. Plastic, Reality Vs. Fantasy, Yeshua Vs. Beelzebub, Conservative Vs. Liberal, You Vs. Me, House Vs. Senate, Offense Vs. Defense, Kramer Vs. Kramer, Spy Vs. Spy, Fischer Vs. Spassky, W.C. Fields Vs. Sobriety, Harold Gimpy, Jr. Vs. Sheldon J. Pismire, Rock Vs. Paper Vs. Scissors, Islam Vs. Everything, Singer Vs. Singer, Band Vs. Band...
.
BATTLE OF THE BANDS (BOTB)
.

.
Shoop-Shooby -
Shooby-Duh-Dooby-Doop-Dooby-Dooby-Doo-Wah -
Buh-Doo-Wah!
.
Yes, it's time once again for 'Battle Of The Bands' ('BOTB').
.
Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!...
.

.
In my most recent BOTB Results post [link> HERE, G DogG, Sixgun McItchyfinger, and I were exchanging some ideas about some concerts we had attended and about our different opinions on heterosexuality, homosexuality, and Geddy Lee - the singer for the Prog-Rock band RUSH.
.
On Fri, July 12, 2019, BOTBer Mary Burris wrote the following to me in an Email:
.

After watching the back and forths in your comments, I think your next battle should be... RUSH!

Tom Sawyer 

vs

Spirit of Radio

.
Although I dislike the band Rush as much as I dislike the political commentator Rush Limbaugh, I thought Mary's idea was so timely and humorous, that I decided to run with it (like running with scissors!)
.
I will confess, though, that I did briefly toy with the idea of posting a BOTB contest between Geddy Lee, Donald Duck, and Ned Beatty "squealing like a pig".
.

Geddy Lee (impersonating Donald Duck)

.

VERSUS

.

Donald Duck

.

VERSUS

.

Ned Beatty squealing like a pig.

.
But I finally decided to stick with Mary's less controversial idea of doing Rush versus Rush, or 'The Spirit Of Radio' versus 'Tom Sawyer'. And so without further ado, I give you the following (ear plugs not included)...
.

.
THE SPIRIT OF RADIO (1980) -- Rush
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQUDiCiNlqQ

.

.
TOM SAWYER (1981) -- Rush
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PmmMG-6mwo


.

.

.
QUESTION: Which song will be the winner?
.
SIKIKE PHTEVEN (2-2): Neither. Both songs are losers.
.
QUESTION: C'mon, man! You know what I mean!
.
SIKIKE PHTEVEN: 'Tom Sawyer' will get more votes... 
if that's what you mean.
.
Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome you (whether I know "you" or not) to vote for your favorite of these songs in the comment section below. And feel free to tell us WHY you chose one song over the other.
.
After voting here, I suggest - actually I insist - you pop over to the blogs of the other 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' participants to see which songs they have chosen and vote there also. Vote your vice...   Vice your voice... 
.
Voice Your Vote...
@ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ by clicking HERE
@ 'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS' by clicking HERE
@ 'THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING' by clicking HERE
@ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE
@ 'THE DOGLADY'S DEN' by clicking HERE
@ 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE
@ 'AI LOVE MUSIC' by clicking HERE
@ 'ANGELS BARK' by clicking HERE
.
As I've done in the past, I will continue to return to my 'BOTB' blog bits on the 7th and 21st of each month to post my own votes and announce the winners in the comment sections. 
.
~ Stephen T. McCarthy
.

BOTB RESULTS: 2019, JULY 1 (Or, WAYLON JENNINGS VERSUS HANK "BOCEPHUS" WILLIAMS JR.)

.

.
STMcC’s Vote On '2019, July 1st: Battle Of The Bands' (BOTB) - Or, Waylon Jennings Versus Hank "Bocephus" Williams Jr. - And The Final Tally:
.
First and foremost, I want to thank All Y'all who took the time to visit, listen and vote. I enjoyed the Battle and the banter, even though it wasn't much of a "battle" at all.
.
The contest took place HERE, and it featured an "America / American" theme in honor of the 4th Of July. Our two contestants were the 'Outlaw Country' stars Waylon Jennings (song: 'America') and his buddy Hank "Bocephus" Williams Jr. (song: 'The American Way').
.
I mentioned in the blog bit that my all-time #1 favorite Country artist is Waylon, and my all-time #2 favorite Country artist is Bocephus. I'll bet that led many of you to think that I'd be casting my own vote for the former, but, nope! Wrong again, Fishface! This is one of those rare times when I'd actually side with my #2 favorite over Mr. #1.
.
Frankly, I find Waylon's song 'America' to be a bit too preachy and almost self-righteous sounding. (Not nearly as self-righteous as 'Give A Damn' by Spanky & Our Gang, but still a bit much for my tastes.) I don't hate the song, but I don't love it, either.
.
'The American Way' by Bocephus, however, I find amusing. I dig the funny "in your face" lyrics... I dig the mention of "Nudie boots", and that line about Hank's "horse" - Hoo-Wee & Hoot Gibson!
.
But, as is often the case, my audience didn't agree with my opinion, and the voting tally ended up like this:
.
Waylon Jennings = 10 votes
.
Hank "Bocephus" Williams Jr. = 5 votes
.

.
I almost hesitate to say this but... it looks like Sikike Phteven has sobered up and is starting to get the hang of this BOTB bote predictin' game. He was right for a second consecutive time and has evened up his record at 2-2.
.
I wanna leave you with two videos you may find fun / interesting. This first one is of Waylon & Bocephus (who were actually good friends) collaborating on a song about Hank's pa, Hank Williams Sr. It's titled 'THE CONVERSATION', and Waylon's wife, Jessi Colter, makes a cameo appearance at the end, pretending to be a waitress:
.
The Conversation - Waylon & Bocephus
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csONW-zWFqs


.
This next video is about... well, the title says it all. And below the embedded video is a copy of some remarks I left in that video's comment section over at YouTube. I hope you enjoy the video; I hope you read my remarks about the Waylon Jennings concert I attended; and I hope to see you all here again for my July 15th Battle Of The Bands installment. Happy Trails to you until we meet again!
.
British Rock Guitarist Analyzes 
Waylon Jennings' Live Ad Lib In 1975!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HOq9cjXO208

.
STMcC (aka D-FensDogG) said:
I've seen A LOT of concerts in my life - Bruce Springsteen a few times, Blue Oyster Cult and Thin Lizzy a couple of times, Bob Seger, and just too many to mention. All of them in their primes.
.
Waylon Jennings I saw 4 times at 3 different venues, and I loved every show. But that first one is still my #1 favorite concert of all time. It was probably 1989 or maybe '90, and Waylon was playing in some really small Country nightclub in the L.A. area. It was literally "standing room only" and my girlfriend and I had to stand for the whole show. But the place was so small that we were only about 10-20 feet from the stage. Waylon was Ha-Ha-Halarious! He was telling these really funny stories between songs and I was thinking: "Wow! This is two shows in one: The ultimate classic Outlaw Country artist AND a first-rate comedian for the price of one!"
.
Standing near me was some drunken idiot who kept yelling out stupid stuff and was saying how he "did time with Merle Haggard". And when Waylon got tired of it, he pointed at the guy from the stage, looked him dead in the eyes and said, "YOU!! Shut up!" And, yeah, the guy didn't make a peep for the rest of the show! (I guess "doing time" with Merle Haggard only affords you just so much courage.)
.
To this day, that was the most memorable concert I ever attended. The stories Waylon told about when he and Johnny Cash were doing drugs together made me GOL! (Guffaw-Out-Loud!) Waylon always told different stories at the 4 concerts I saw. But the one thing he DID tell each and every audience was that he personally hated the song 'Luckenbach, Texas' and the ONLY reason he was going to play it was because he knew we (the audience) wanted to hear it.
.

2019, JULY 1: BATTLE OF THE BANDS (Or, WAYLON JENNINGS VS. HANK "BOCEPHUS" WILLIAMS JR.)

..
Democracy Vs. Republic, Tyranny Vs. Liberty, Male Vs. Female, War Vs. Peace, Light Vs. Dark, Good Vs. Evil, Man Vs. Machine, Love Vs. Hate, Dog Vs. Cat, Sun Vs. Moon, Brain Vs. Brawn, Oscar Vs. Grammy, Angel Vs. Demon, Laurel Vs. Hardy, Beer Vs. Wine, TV Vs. Radio, Pitcher Vs. Batter, Paper Vs. Plastic, Reality Vs. Fantasy, Yeshua Vs. Beelzebub, Conservative Vs. Liberal, You Vs. Me, House Vs. Senate, Offense Vs. Defense, Kramer Vs. Kramer, Spy Vs. Spy, Fischer Vs. Spassky, W.C. Fields Vs. Sobriety, Harold Gimpy, Jr. Vs. Sheldon J. Pismire, Rock Vs. Paper Vs. Scissors, Islam Vs. Everything, Singer Vs. Singer, Band Vs. Band...
.
BATTLE OF THE BANDS (BOTB)
.

.
Yes, it's time once again for 'Battle Of The Bands' ('BOTB').
.
Alright, let's get on it. Let's get ON this thing!...
.

.
We being just a few days away from The 4th of July - the birthdate of the creation of The United States of America - I decided to do a Patriotic-themed BOTB installment (well, kinda-sorta Patriotic). 
.
Let it be known that I have traveled to Philadelphia to personally visit Independence Hall, the official birthplace of the USA:
.

Independence Hall -- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

.
While there, I also saw, touched, and scratched my initials into The Liberty Bell:
.

The Liberty Bell -- my initials are on the other side of it.

.
In fact, I am SO patriotic that many times I have also visited Independence Hall at Knotts Berry Farm in Buena Park, California:
.

Independence Hall (the nicer, cleaner version) - Buena Park, CA.

.
Incidentally, I have read America's 'Declaration Of Independence' many times, and here is my very favorite part of it:
.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government...
.
Personally, I think it is WAY PAST TIME that we abolish the current governmental system (which has become shockingly "un-American"!) and institute "new government". But that's a viewpoint for a different blog o' mine.
.
I have a pretty small but dearly loved collection of Country music compact discs. I have a total of 27 compact discs in my Country collection - 8 of those discs are by Waylon Jennings, and 6 of the discs are by Hank "Bocephus" Williams Jr. (For comparison, I have 0 compact discs in my RAP collection, and an equal number of compact discs in my Death Metal collection.)
.

.
For today's Battle, I decided to use songs with an "America" theme, and put my #1 all-time favorite Country artist (Waylon Jennings) up against my #2 all-time favorite Country artist (Hank "Bocephus" Williams Jr.) Please vote for which "America" / "American" song you like best.
.
AMERICA -- Waylon Jennings
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YYzIWTE1L4


.
This next one has a bit o' lyric that might need a bit o' explanation:
.
'Bocephus' sings: "If you don't like my Nudie boots, I'm sorry about that."
.
What are "Nudie boots"? Nudie boots are boots that were made by the legendary Nudie's Rodeo Tailors -- a place in the Los Angeles area that made and sold Western wear. They also specialized in custom made Western wear for big stars like Roy Rogers, John Wayne, and many, many more.
.

.
Click HERE for a photo gallery showing stars wearing Nudie boots and lots of other wild Western wear from Nudie's. As a matter of fact, I have purchased things from Nudie's, such as some fancy collar tips, and I believe I may have bought this belt from Nudie's circa 1990:
.

.
OK, Bocephus, take us away to Nudie's...
.
THE AMERICAN WAY -- Hank Williams Jr.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=seRJARhRUd8


.

.
QUESTION: Which song will win this Battle?
.
SIKIKE PHTEVEN(1-2): 'In America' by The Charlie Daniels Band.
.
QUESTION: That song isn't a part of this competition!!
.
SIKIKE PHTEVEN: Oh... Why isn't it? Hmmm?... Well, in that case, then 'America' by Waylon Jennings will win. ...But why isn't 'In America' by The Charlie Daniels Band included? Are you a communist or sumpin' like that?!
.

Alright now, “you know the gig”... I welcome you (whether I know "you" or not) to vote for your favorite of these songs in the comment section below. And feel free to tell us WHY you chose one song over the other.
.
After voting here, I suggest - actually I insist - you pop over to the blogs of the other 'BATTLE OF THE BANDS' participants to see which songs they have chosen and vote there also. (If their ‘BOTB’ blog bits aren’t posted yet, pour yourself two shots of ‘Grand Marnier’ over ice – do it twice – and then return to their blogs to vice your voice ...vote your vice ...voice your vote.)
.
Voice Your Vote...
@ ‘TOSSING IT OUT’ by clicking HERE
@ 'MIKE'S RAMBLINGS' by clicking HERE
@ 'THE SOUND OF ONE HAND TYPING' by clicking HERE
@ 'JINGLE JANGLE JUNGLE' by clicking HERE
@ 'THE DOGLADY'S DEN' by clicking HERE
@ 'CHERDO ON THE FLIPSIDE' by clicking HERE
@ 'AI LOVE MUSIC' by clicking HERE
@ 'ANGELS BARK' by clicking HERE
.
As I've done in the past, I will continue to return to my 'BOTB' blog bits on the 7th and 21st of each month to post my own votes and announce the winners in the comment sections.
.
~ Stephen T. McCarthy
.