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| 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:
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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.
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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!
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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').
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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!!)
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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"!
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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
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Hokey-Smoke! Talk about pretentiousness, bad meter, and bad grammar. Not that I can afford to be a "Grammar Nazi" but... WTP was that?!
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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.
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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.
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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".
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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:
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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.
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The Spirit Of Radio = 3 votes
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Tom Sawyer = 12 votes
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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".
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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!
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~ Stephen T. McCarthy
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Hello Stephen T. - I missed another BOTB, but I'm here to leave a comment cuz you're such a good buddy of mine :)
ReplyDeleteHope you're doing well. Sounds like you're working
a lot...and at a job you're "way too old for." What kind of job you got? I think of you often!
BECKY-O! ~
Delete>>... I missed another BOTB
Ha!-Ha! Well, there's a second time for everything! ;^D
What a surprise to see ya here. I thought you'd left the Blogosphere way behind in your rear-view mirror.
Oh, the job... the job... at most, I will only be there another 2 or 3 weeks. Or I may have already quit, after just 2 weeks. Not sure yet until I meet with the department manager tomorrow morning.
But, in a nutshell, I'm working in a "Cuckoo's Nest" where I babysit two-year-olds. Well, that's not an accurate description, but that's how it feels. (It's a facility for people with dementia / Alzheimer's disease, and it's not an easy job... for anyone.)
So, whaddaya think? Could that Maintenance Department sign do with a bit of maintenance?
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS
Gosh your job does sound awful. I'd never be able to handle anything close to that! Yes, the maintenance sign certainly needs some help...and Yes, I am back in the blogosphere. Stop on by. I've actually wrote FIVE posts in a very few days! :D
DeleteBECKY-O! ~
DeleteWere you deliberately waiting until it was collectively decided that blogging had just been a passing fad and was now essentially dead before jumping back into the Blogosphere?
Ha!-Ha! ;^D
Well, it's true. Blogging *WAS* a fad and blogging is now, for all intents and purposes, just the final squirmings of a detached lizard's tail that doesn't yet know that its life has expired. Nevertheless, I shall try to get over to your site today and witness the resurrection for myself.
~ D-FensDogG
STMcC Presents BATTLE OF THE BANDS
McBruhMan,
ReplyDeleteI pity the fool that thinks Rush is better than Rush. Paper puppets. The video of the guy with buckets? Neil Peart used to have that - he had the eye of the tiger. Fame made him soft. Apollo Creed needs to take him to the streets*, "You see that look in their eyes - eye of the tiger, eye of the tiger.." Fun fact: Once there was MR T breakfast cereal. Neil Peart ain't been hungry since he got his first gold record. These street drummers will knock him into tomorrow. Peart needs to get back to his roots, a small home garage and practice! Eye Of The Tiger. Not actually play the paper puppet song which is quite pedestrian.. Burgess Merideth with a cigar in his mouth, "That's it kid, away from the bright lights and big city, and no name on the front of the bass drum, with those drumsticks you gotta eat lightning and crap thunder."
Regarding your bro-bro in your previous post, I would not want to step in the ring or an alley with an Irishman. Especially after a few beers, Irishmen can get angry. From my 1/4 or so Irish blood, I only get 25% angry thus likely would be knocked out toward the end of the 3rd round. Especially if he didn't fight for a while and was itchin' for a target.
* You mentioned the Whiskey A Go Go earlier. I'm thinking that's the same thing as The Whisky on Sunset. I went there to essentially cross it off the list of places that must be seen... I think because Morrison, I think, played there. There were two nondescript hair metal bands... I don't even remember their "hits" or power ballads - every hair metal band must have a fast metal hit then a hit power ballad! They didn't have the eye of the tiger or coin realm or hands to play or voice. At least I didn't have to see Motley Crue with their more calculated stage presence/outfits.
I've long heard from people who know instruments that Stewart Copeland is a good drummer. Subtle to catch because he plays with the band instead of over the band. "Peart we're going to tie a two foot string on your hands because you got no balance kid!"
Cheers,
G Dogg
McG DogG ~
DeleteYou sho nuff had yer 'Rocky' on for that comment! Good job. Loved it, and caught every one of them winks and nods, too!
"Knock him into tomorrow" -- I couldn't even read that without hearing Burgess Meredith say it in my mind. :^D
>>... "That's it kid, away from the bright lights and big city, and no name on the front of the bass drum, with those drumsticks you gotta eat lightning and crap thunder."
"Women weaken beats, Neil! Women weaken beats!!"
My brother, Nappy, is a bit of a freak in more ways than one (not just his natural aptitude in 'Fisticuffs'). All the while we were growing up, everyone in the family thought that *I* was the weird one. And I had bought into that idea myself. But when we got into our late 40s or 50s, I came to realize that Nappy was always the weirdest one. He just kept it under wraps better'n I did, so no one really saw it until he got older and couldn't quite pull the covers up over it as fast as he used to do.
Yip! The Whisky and the Whisky-A-Go-Go are the same joint. The name was shortened over the decades, but in it's 1960s heyday, when the "Go-Go Dancer" craze was all the rage (which actually got its start at this club), it was not just "The Whisky" but also "-A-Go-Go"). And, yip, The Doors were practically the house band until their debut breakthrough album caused them to "break on through to the other side".
All that and a whole lot more can be found in [Link> THIS BOOK. If you can find a cheap, used copy online, I thing you'd really enjoy perusing the stuffs stuffed in those pages.
>>... I've long heard from people who know instruments that Stewart Copeland is a good drummer.
FUN FACT: It was at The Whisky-A-Go-Go that I saw The Police (with Stewart Copeland behind the drum kit) in 1978 when their first album was first released and 'Roxanne' was first starting to get some airplay on KROQ (before it was all over the airwaves, being broadcasted from mainstream Rock radio stations). {*That was a lot of "firsts" in that sentence.*} I was only a matter of several feet from the stage, because almost no one even knew who The Police were then, so tickets were easy to come by. I remember Sting wearing these huge tennis shoes and bouncing up and down in one spot all night while playing his bass. That's the lasting memory from that particular show.
For my money, when it comes to drumming, I'm completely in the Joe Morello camp. You'd probably not like it because... Jazz. But I've yet to hear a drummer I think is better'n Morello. In fact, it was Joe Morello's drumming in the classic hit 'TAKE FIVE' by The Dave Brubeck Quartet that I attribute to being responsible for turning me into a full-fledged fan o' Jazz. That was the clincher, right there. The instrumental 'BUMPIN' ON SUNSET' by Brian Auger & The Oblivion Express, from the album 'Live Oblivion', "Recorded Live At [...you guessed it!!...] The Whisky, Hollywood" is what primed the Jazz pump for me. And then about 3 years later I heard 'TAKE FIVE' and with that, my allegiance to Rock shifted to Jazz. And the rest, as they say, is "Bourbon Under The Bridge".
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
Yo McBruthuhMan,
DeleteMy personal experience is that in the short term leaving a job can be as stressful as having one. And you're tougher than I. Only one person called me to say, "Are you okay..." as if I made the wrong decision and that can seem patronizing. Everyone else said, "Congratulations" and/or "I'm happy for you" and/or "Best of luck on your next chapter." And that's what I say to you: "Congratulations," "I'm happy for you," "Best of luck on your next chapter." The LA book looks interesting, in particular "the band X and the documentary The Decline Of Western Civilization." -- And Excellent review! X bookends the fist and last paragraphs of Less Than Zero so I'm almost as fond of that as X's music. And Decline is an excellent movie. Those guys are more messed up than we are ahahaha. Back in the day two friends were walking on the sidewalk of SFO and Johnny Rotten gave them the finger. I know because they said, were fans, and were proud of it!
That you saw/heard The Police like that is fantastic. I listened to Joe Morello and you're right - the more free form jazz is the less I like it. Heck, I even like drum machines.
For you and Nappy, as the saying goes, let your freak flag fly!
Perhaps the best battle since Wepner vs Ali or Rocky - get your glove up Balboa - vs Clubber Lang:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47gahDuOff8
Cheers,
G Dogg
Bruhthuh McDogG ~
DeleteI thanks ya for the "Congratulations," "I'm happy for you," and the "Best of luck on your next chapter."
I've given up on looking for a great job, but (in those immortal words of Warren Zevon) I'm still "looking for the next best thing".
It bruises one's ego when even The Salvation Army turns you down. But as it's recorded in 'The Good Book': Not by might, nor by power, ...nor by My army... but by My Spirit, sayeth The Lord.
Glad you enjoyed the review. I just now re-read it and see that I neglected to mention that (not only did I see The Police at The Whiskey...) but I also saw X play live at Club 88. I remember staring at Billy Zoom's silver leather motorcycle jacket and wondering how many cans of silver spray paint it took to cover up all that black leather.
Ha! I'd never seen that movie (or that scene before), and all I can say is: Dancin' Rick and David Starsky are both lucky that Tony Baretta didn't show up at that dancing contest and bust some moves on them. Such as "The Fred". I'm sure you remember that dance move Baretta invented which won first place in 'The Tony Manero Boogie-Down Bust-A-Move Competition' in Brooklyn on January Eleventieth, Nineteen Hundred and Seventy-Eight.
That clip actually made me think of the movie 'The Spirit Of '76' (1990) with David Cassidy. One of my all-time favorite guilty pleasures.
~ D-FensDogG
'Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends'
McBruthuMan,
DeleteReading your job description in your post to Becky I was kind of hoping you would leave the job. 'Round these parts, folks get or would get guard jobs (high turnover) at the California Medical Facility (CMF) which is a prison for insane criminals. You couldn't pay me enough to work there. A friend's dad was a psychiatrist there and said he drank a jug of wine each night and was despondent - a psychiatrist. On a side note, my four degrees from fame, Manson was at CMF... my sister's friend stayed at our place often because her dad was Manson's guard and "counselor" and their house was getting phone call death threats from groupies. Also there were groupies in front of the prison yard gates, "Don't pick up any hitchikers!" The dad wrote this https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781466830455
Anyhoo, I'm glad you left your job and am sure you'll get a new and better one. You da man.
That's cool you saw X live. There's almost no footage from their early years - or perhaps no footage in the era you saw them. Billy Zoom is great at Rockabilly guitar. It's a bonus/rare when punk rockers can play their instruments.
Yes! Baretta invented moonwalk and breakdance spinning on his back while holding a beer and with Fred leaning from side to side on his shoulder. Music stars would follow Baretta to clubs to see his moves then try to emulate. There isn't a Baretta movie because Hollywood can't find anyone who can play him correctly. Perhaps if Brando was still alive and in his prime and could learn the impression.. and the impression Baretta made on America, by golly.
A funny sidenote you may like. I saw Streetcar Named Desire at a playhouse and the lead was a bit soft. A reviewer wrote that when he smashed the dinner plate on the floor he thought that "Stanley" was going to walk over and clean it up.
Cheers,
G Dogg
McBRUHTHUH DOGG ~
DeleteThanks for the shot of confidence. Wish we could sit down together for a shot of... Hmmm.... well, my recent binge buddy has been Revel Stoke roasted pecan whiskey, but I'd let YOU choose what we do shots of.
The job has left me somewhat sad and demoralized because I thought it was going to be the perfect fit for me, and because I WANTED to do well at it. But there were just so many things wrong there, starting with management and upkeep. That's before you even get to the nature of the job itself. And yeah, the high turnover...
Here's a listing of the department personnel and their time on the job prior to my getting hired:
Employee = 10 months
Dept. Manager = 6 months
Employee = 7 months (and he quit one day before I did).
Employee = 6 weeks
Employee = 4 weeks
Employee = 2 weeks
I lasted 10 shifts.
That alone is all anyone needs to know in order to recognize that there are major problems at that place. And it's not just a department problem; it's a facility problem.
That book looks interesting. Ordinarily, I would be buying it but... after a couple books I read last year, that were so depressing (regarding serial killers and pedophiles), for 8 months, I actually stopped my lifelong reading habit. And I'm just now starting to feel inclined to finish 5 books I started and stopped, and then just start re-reading my older books that are more positive in tone.
You're right about a young Brando being the guy to play Tony Baretta in the biopic. But until he reincarnates, it looks like that's a project that'll always be in the works and never on the screen.
Brando sed: "Quitting acting, that's the sign of maturity."
He was absolutely right! It was because I'd become more mature, and no longer felt a desire to pretend I was "other" people, that I lost my Hollywood acting desires and... got a job, damn-it!!
>>... I saw Streetcar Named Desire at a playhouse and the lead was a bit soft. A reviewer wrote that when he smashed the dinner plate on the floor he thought that "Stanley" was going to walk over and clean it up.
Ha-Ha-Halarious!!!
Thanks again for the kind and comforting words, McBruhthuh.
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'
McBroMan,
DeleteI've only taken a few shots in my life. I kid you not, my favorite hard alcohol is Bacardi and Diet Coke.* Yeah yeah yeah DIET Coke. (Long ago stopped liking sugary.. or corn syrupy sodas... don't remember if I ever drank Tab).
Not to beat a dead horse as you've likely gotten over your former job or will soon. Yep, and if you stayed at the job, every time another employee left your workload would've increased. And if the institution is typical or less, you wouldn't get overtime but be expected to give 110% (a general sports phrase, misnomer and John Wooden said that "You only have 100 percent") during your work hours and/or show up early and work late with no extra pay.
In the 50's parlance of Spanky And Our Gang:
- Ain't that the truth
- You said it!
- Believe you me (actually dating back at least as far as 1930's "It Happened One Night").
*
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ra70O9nps6E
Cheers,
G Dogg
McBRUHTHUH G DOGG ~
DeletePhunny, I was just telling a good buddy of mine that the only time I drink cola (preferably RC) is when I'm mixing it with Rum. (However, my choice is Cruzan Black Strap Rum.)
Lest anyone get the idea that I have a drinking problem, I want to point out that I have never consumed a straight shot of rubbing alcohol!...
I always mix my rubbing alcohol with my morning coffee - just to kick-start the day in the right direction. You've heard of Irish Coffee? You've heard of Mexican Coffee? I call my invention Sanitized Coffee. It's especially great when you use the Walgreen's brand 91% isopropyl alcohol.
>>... expected to give 110% (a general sports phrase, misnomer and John Wooden said that "You only have 100 percent")
Gee, if the great John Wooden said that, then I guess I should stop telling people that I always give 128.67%.
I've seen 'It Happened One Night' once and should see it again. I also need to see that 'Starsky & Hutch' movie.
Stupid movies I dig:
'Idiocracy'
'The Spirit Of '76'
'Zoolander'
Yes, 'Zoolander'. Everyone said it was the dumbest movie ever made. Except for one old blogging pal who said it was her favorite movie of all time. So, I saw it. Not anywhere close to my favorite movie of all time, but pretty funny in that stupidly wild and zany Ben Stiller way.
In other words (again), I think I should see 'Starsky & Hutch'. If only Ben could pull off a good Tony Baretta, the world would be so much richer for it, McBruhthuh!
~ D-FensDogG
'Ferret-Faced Fascist Friends'
I love the music I love depending on my mood or whatever. I also can usually find something to like about most music where I can see that some effort and soul has been put into it. What you say about the spiritual connection is something with which I would agree, but I think musical appreciation is also deeply connected to memories and other feelings evoked by music that taps into our psyche.
ReplyDeleteAs one who has attempted to play music most of my life and still trying to create songs and play music even though my ineptitude frustrates me, I can appreciate what those others playing music are struggling with and often actually accomplishing better than I. There are so many factors regarding a performance band especially when they have a solid history like Rush as well as a decent body of work. I think they are an outstanding band and I have admiration for what they've done.
Both songs are winners to my sense of musical appreciation, but I can understand why "Tom Sawyer" would have been the choice of most of us including me.
Now I wish I had some of my Rush CDs with me to listen to on my way back home. Guess I'll settle for Fleetwood Mac, Heart, and some other albums from my late brother's collection. I guess he never got into Rush.
Hope your employment situation holds on or turns into something better. Be well.
Lee
Part 1 Of 2:
DeleteSorry for the late response, LEE. The last few days have not been ones I'll cherish.
>>... I love the music I love depending on my mood or whatever.
Hmmm.... Well, I love the music I love, period. Yes, my mood at any given time may make the music sound especially good to me, but I always love what I love, regardless of any other circumstances.
>>... I also can usually find something to like about most music where I can see that some effort and soul has been put into it.
Hmmm.... I suppose that could be called "broad-minded" or "open-minded" and very admirable. But I'm not sure (in my snarky manner) that I wouldn't call that "music's version of Stockholm Syndrome".
I mean, first, I'm not exactly sure how one can confidently determine whether or not a person has invested "soul" into their work; and doesn't every single piece of music require "some effort"?
There is so much out there that strikes me as artificial, synthetic, highly derivative, cloyingly commercial (does it include the "Millennial Whoop"?), etc. And, sure, I could probably examine any piece of music and find something to like about it (e.g., "I hate this music overall, but I do like the bass line in that one part" or "This is a syrupy song, but the drummer adds some interesting fills between the verses"). But if I have to actually work at it to find something to like - if I have to consciously seek little elements I separately enjoy, then the musician hasn't done his job. It's his / her job to make me like the music without requiring any work or careful examination on my part. And that's basically what I mean about Music's Stockholm Syndrome.
I either like a piece of music overall, or else I don't particularly overall like it. Some music I love, some I like, some I'm ambivalent about, and some I dislike. But I don't actively attempt to find something to like about a song I generally dislike.
Continued...
Part 2 Of 2:
Delete>>... What you say about the spiritual connection is something with which I would agree, but I think musical appreciation is also deeply connected to memories and other feelings evoked by music that taps into our psyche.
Well, sure, there are plenty of things that go into our appreciation of music - memories connected to a tune, lyrics that seem to express how we feel about a certain something, etc. But, for one example, how about when you hear an instrumental for the very first time - with no personal history involved - and you immediately react positively to it, it resonates with you in some way that is so deep and inexplicable that you can't even begin to find words for it. THAT is a Spiritual reaction! When there is no logical way to describe something with words, THAT is something that originates from a Spiritual plane that goes well beyond the ability of language to express its meaning. And music does that on a regular basis. However, I've never found that to be true of other art forms. Other art forms are more based in reason.
Example: A painting may express a particular mood which resonates with me, but I'll be able to put into words why it does, and what I am able to personally equate it to. In the Beach Boys' instrumental 'Let's Go Away For Awhile' there's one particular instrument (an oboe?) that comes in right at the 1:29 mark. That ONE NOTE right there is just utterly overflowing with innocence and bliss, and I couldn't begin to tell you why. Because it elicits a Spiritual response in me that completely transcends words altogether. I've never seen a painting, a sculpture, or a theatrical performance that can take me beyond the ability of words to convey my response to them.
>>... Hope your employment situation holds on or turns into something better. Be well.
Thanks, Lee. I'm afraid I wound up leaving the job after just two weeks, and that has left me kind of depressed, as I thought this was going to be the job I'd do until my age of retirement arrives. I feel a bit like a failure, and that gets me down.
~ D-FensDogG
'Stephen T. McCarthy Reviews...'