More Random Observations & Opinions
I think it's time for a sequel to my wildly popular "Peppering The Goalie (Random Thoughts)" post of several months ago. Rarely have I gotten so many comments. So, here goes:
There's not a more talented or versatile musician on the planet than Phil Collins. He's a great songwriter, a charismatic front man, a powerful singer, and an absolutely SICK drummer (even though he's left-handed, so his kit is set up bass-ackwards). He's on my short list of people that I would pay any amount of money to see in concert, with or without Genesis. I've heard, though, that he's given up touring forever, in part because he's gone deaf in one ear from wearing an earpiece monitor. A lot of artists swear they'll never tour again and then eventually do. I hope Phil is one of them.
A new album came out a couple of weeks ago from another one of my favorite artists, David Pack (formerly of Ambrosia). The 11-song disc, entitled, "The Secret Of Movin' On" is a real gem. It features guest performances from some other fantastic artists, such as Ann Wilson of Heart, Timothy B. Schmit of The Eagles, Steve Perry (yes, THAT Steve Perry), Russ Freeman of The Rippingtons, Dewey Bunnell of America, and David Benoit. Pack's voice has never sounded better, and the arrangements of the songs are top-notch. Check it out. It's well worth your time and money. My only complaint is that he recorded a new, inferior version of "Biggest Part Of Me", my favorite song ever. In my mind, you don't mess with perfection. I guess if anybody has the right to do a remake, though, it's the guy who wrote it. Incidentally, the "secret" of movin' on, according to Mr. Pack, is travelin' light. I couldn't agree more.
I'm not planning on watching one second of the new season of "Alias", formerly one of my favorite shows. I've heard that the producers have decided to kill off the character of Michael Vaughn, played by Michael Vartan. I wonder if Benny got all insecure about Jenny working with her former lover and told her to force the producers to get rid of him. I wouldn't blame him if he did - Vartan is actually a real man. I've lost a lot of respect for Jennifer Garner due to her marrying Affleck (which is bad enough) and then actually reproducing with him. I'm just not interested in her as a performer or as a person anymore, and I wouldn't miss her a bit if she just....went away. Speaking of Affleck, what must it be like to wake up every morning and know that your wife could kick your ass? That's gotta hurt.
With all the talk about the "box office slump" and what might be causing it, it's worth noting that I have not seen a movie in a theater for many months. I used to see a lot of movies, but there just hasn't been anything out there worth getting me to spend two hours inside during the summer, even if the cast features performers I normally like. "War of the Worlds"? Took a pass (and besides, Tom Cruise is a lot more entertaining lately just being Tom Cruise). "The Island"? Stayed away, like EVERYBODY else. "Dukes of Hazzard"? Puh-leeze! "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"? Too dark and Deppish. "The Wedding Crashers"? Not dark and Deppish enough. You get the point. Maybe there will be something this fall to capture my interest. I may see Kate Hudson in "Skeleton Key", which is out now. That looks scary, and I'd pay to watch Kate Hudson doing laundry. We'll see...
I'm happy, of course, to see the NHL work stoppage finally come to an end. It sounds like they're planning to implement a lot of new rules and modifications in an effort to open the game up and increase scoring. I look forward to seeing how they work (or don't work). I'll have much more to write about hockey later, obviously, after the chips stop falling.
Some historians and scientists have recently re-examined the Battle of Agincourt, fought in 1415, and have decisively concluded that the French lost that day NOT because of the devastating effect of the English longbowmen (as has been the generally accepted theory for the last 500 years), but because the muddy field bogged down their horses and caused their heavily armored knights to sink into the soil, hindering effective movement. How do you like that? All this time, I've been believing a lie.
Manson "family" member and convicted murderer Susan Atkins was denied parole for the 11th time in June. That's as it should be. All of these people - Atkins, Manson, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houten, Tex Watson - were rightly sentenced to death in 1972 for these gruesome 1969 slayings. None of these people should even still be breathing. It's only because an activist California judiciary deemed capital punishment "inhumane" and commuted their sentences to life imprisonment that they still foul the earth with their continued existence. And what's this "parole" shit, anyway? How did "execution" become "life imprisonment" become "life imprisonment with the possibility for parole"? If we can't execute them as they truly deserve, we should at least never be faced with the possibility that some retarded parole board might one day allow these monsters to go free.
Well, I guess that's more than enough babble from me for now. More later....
Cheers!
There's not a more talented or versatile musician on the planet than Phil Collins. He's a great songwriter, a charismatic front man, a powerful singer, and an absolutely SICK drummer (even though he's left-handed, so his kit is set up bass-ackwards). He's on my short list of people that I would pay any amount of money to see in concert, with or without Genesis. I've heard, though, that he's given up touring forever, in part because he's gone deaf in one ear from wearing an earpiece monitor. A lot of artists swear they'll never tour again and then eventually do. I hope Phil is one of them.
A new album came out a couple of weeks ago from another one of my favorite artists, David Pack (formerly of Ambrosia). The 11-song disc, entitled, "The Secret Of Movin' On" is a real gem. It features guest performances from some other fantastic artists, such as Ann Wilson of Heart, Timothy B. Schmit of The Eagles, Steve Perry (yes, THAT Steve Perry), Russ Freeman of The Rippingtons, Dewey Bunnell of America, and David Benoit. Pack's voice has never sounded better, and the arrangements of the songs are top-notch. Check it out. It's well worth your time and money. My only complaint is that he recorded a new, inferior version of "Biggest Part Of Me", my favorite song ever. In my mind, you don't mess with perfection. I guess if anybody has the right to do a remake, though, it's the guy who wrote it. Incidentally, the "secret" of movin' on, according to Mr. Pack, is travelin' light. I couldn't agree more.
I'm not planning on watching one second of the new season of "Alias", formerly one of my favorite shows. I've heard that the producers have decided to kill off the character of Michael Vaughn, played by Michael Vartan. I wonder if Benny got all insecure about Jenny working with her former lover and told her to force the producers to get rid of him. I wouldn't blame him if he did - Vartan is actually a real man. I've lost a lot of respect for Jennifer Garner due to her marrying Affleck (which is bad enough) and then actually reproducing with him. I'm just not interested in her as a performer or as a person anymore, and I wouldn't miss her a bit if she just....went away. Speaking of Affleck, what must it be like to wake up every morning and know that your wife could kick your ass? That's gotta hurt.
With all the talk about the "box office slump" and what might be causing it, it's worth noting that I have not seen a movie in a theater for many months. I used to see a lot of movies, but there just hasn't been anything out there worth getting me to spend two hours inside during the summer, even if the cast features performers I normally like. "War of the Worlds"? Took a pass (and besides, Tom Cruise is a lot more entertaining lately just being Tom Cruise). "The Island"? Stayed away, like EVERYBODY else. "Dukes of Hazzard"? Puh-leeze! "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"? Too dark and Deppish. "The Wedding Crashers"? Not dark and Deppish enough. You get the point. Maybe there will be something this fall to capture my interest. I may see Kate Hudson in "Skeleton Key", which is out now. That looks scary, and I'd pay to watch Kate Hudson doing laundry. We'll see...
I'm happy, of course, to see the NHL work stoppage finally come to an end. It sounds like they're planning to implement a lot of new rules and modifications in an effort to open the game up and increase scoring. I look forward to seeing how they work (or don't work). I'll have much more to write about hockey later, obviously, after the chips stop falling.
Some historians and scientists have recently re-examined the Battle of Agincourt, fought in 1415, and have decisively concluded that the French lost that day NOT because of the devastating effect of the English longbowmen (as has been the generally accepted theory for the last 500 years), but because the muddy field bogged down their horses and caused their heavily armored knights to sink into the soil, hindering effective movement. How do you like that? All this time, I've been believing a lie.
Manson "family" member and convicted murderer Susan Atkins was denied parole for the 11th time in June. That's as it should be. All of these people - Atkins, Manson, Patricia Krenwinkel, Leslie Van Houten, Tex Watson - were rightly sentenced to death in 1972 for these gruesome 1969 slayings. None of these people should even still be breathing. It's only because an activist California judiciary deemed capital punishment "inhumane" and commuted their sentences to life imprisonment that they still foul the earth with their continued existence. And what's this "parole" shit, anyway? How did "execution" become "life imprisonment" become "life imprisonment with the possibility for parole"? If we can't execute them as they truly deserve, we should at least never be faced with the possibility that some retarded parole board might one day allow these monsters to go free.
Well, I guess that's more than enough babble from me for now. More later....
Cheers!
posted by Dave at 10:13 AM
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