Team Coco Hits The Road

Last Thursday night I went to see Conan O’Brien’s Legally Prevented From Being Funny on Television show. I’ve been a Conan fan for a long time, so I was really excited when he announced this tour.

This show sold out crazy-quick. It was kind of weird how the tickets went on sale – they started selling them in the morning and announced the tour right before lunch. I was lucky to see the announcement in a blog posting before the show sold out. 15 minutes after I got my ticket, there were no more to be had. So I felt pretty lucky.

I wanted to be surprised by the show, so I didn’t read much about the prior stops on the tour. I figured that there would be a lot of stuff that carried over from show to show.

It was kind of like an old-fashioned variety show, but with cussing. There was music, standup, and some taped bits. I guess you could describe it as a live version of Conan’s television shows without the interviews. I really enjoyed it, and the rest of the crowd seemed to as well. I wish they had been able to do some kind of live action taped bit that was filmed around town, but I understand that they probably don’t have time for that kind of thing with their schedule. Overall, a big thumbs up!

Andy Richter does a fake commercial for a local liquor barn.

Conan claimed that this was the actual bat from Meatloaf's Bat Out of Hell tour.

Conan in his Eddie Murphy "Raw" suit.

Conan demonstrating how flat his butt is. "You could iron a shirt on that thing!"

Don't ask.

Andy Richter performed a number on horseback.

One of Conan's writers did a brief standup bit.

Conan broke out his guitar for a few songs.

Return of the bat.

The masturbating bear made a cameo.

The big finale.

The Conrad Bain cutout was not for sale, alas.

Here are a couple of videos that I shot. The Triumph one probably isn't as funny if you aren't from Dallas. The Walker Texas Ranger stuff owns, though.

Top 5/Bottom 5 Christmas Songs

One of the things that many of us are subjected to during the holiday season is Christmas songs. I've noticed that there are some Christmas songs that really set my teeth on edge, and others that I love. I thought it might be fun to put together a list of my 5 most hated and 5 favorite Christmas songs.

I was actually surprised to find that I had a tough time narrowing down each list. I can actually think of more than 5 for each, but I wanted to keep things somewhat brief. So, without further ado...

My Bottom 5 Christmas Songs

5. The Little Drummer Boy - I don't have a particular version in mind here. The rum-pa-pa-pum part just beats me down. Although I can almost hang with the David Bowie/Bing Crosby version just for the sheer weirdness of it.
4. All I Want For Christmas Is You (Mariah Carey) - I'm just not into the over-singing of Mariah Carey.
3. Santa Baby (any version) - This song is way too fixated on material excess for my liking. Also, songs that sexualize Santa kinda give me the creeps.
2. Carol Of The Bells (Trans Siberian Orchestra) - extremely cheeseball "metal" version of this song, with some of the worst guitar wankery you'll ever hear.
1. The Christmas Shoes - This is song is about some kid buying shoes for his terminally ill mother, or something like that. Too depressing for Christmas, and this song is trying way too hard to tug on the heartstrings. Which makes it suck.

My Top 5 Christmas Songs

5. Frosty The Snowman (The Ronettes) - A Christmas song with that vintage Phil Spector sound. Also reminds me of Goodfellas.
4. Father Christmas (The Kinks) - This is a really well done Christmas-related rock song. I love the guitar and drums on this one, and the lyrics are great.
3. Christmas Time Is Here (Vince Guaraldi Trio) - This is the song from the Charlie Brown Christmas special. It has that kind of melancholy vibe that can sometimes be a part of Christmas, but in a good way, unlike number 1 on the worst list.
2. Blue Christmas (Elvis version) - I just love Elvis' voice on this one. The Porky Pig version makes a nice companion piece.
1. The Christmas Song (Nat King Cole) - There have been so many versions of this song, and a lot of them are pretty good. Like Mel Torme, for example. But I think Nat King Cole is the definitive version. That voice is like an intravenous injection of Christmas spirit.

I'm Not There

This weekend I watched one of the best movies I've seen in a long time. It's called "I'm Not There". You may have heard of it - it's the movie that's "about" Bob Dylan and has six different actors playing various incarnations of him. I know, some of you are rolling your eyes already. I was too before I saw it. The movie received a lot of critical acclaim, but I was kind of skeptical. It just sounded like it had the possibility of being too precious, or too clever for its own good. And I'm a Dylan fan. After seeing it I thought the movie lived up to the hype.

Over the years Dylan has inhabited a number of different personae. And while that in itself is not unique in the biopic genre, this movie takes it to a higher level (as some would say Dylan himself has done in real life). The movie presents completely fictional personifications alongside the more realistic ones. Such as an 11 year old African American boy who idolizes Woody Guthrie and rides around the country in boxcars playing his guitar and singing. This character represents the early Dylan who professed a love of Woody Guthrie and liked to tell tall tales about his origins. Another aspect of Dylan is that he is a highly mysterious figure, and this movie does a great job of presenting that aspect too. The movie suggests that all of these shifting personalities were a way for Dylan to maintain his freedom, rather than being stuck inside people's preconceived notions of what he should be, which seems to be key to his creative process.

There are some very interesting themes presented in the film about the nature of identity and reality, and I even think that it says some interesting things about American culture. The movie is really well-made too. The acting is superb, and the way that the different personalities are presented in thematically appropriate film styles is very interesting. There's some amazing imagery, especially in the Billy the Kid segment towards the end of the film. The way that Dylan's music is woven throughout the film is great too. It's used both as straightforward musical accompaniment and dialogue spoken by various characters. This all sounds like a bit much I'm sure, which is why I think my expectations may have been lowered. But it all comes together in a really compelling way in my opinion.

Having said all that, I'm not sure that I would recommend it to everyone. If you need a strong narrative in your movies then you probably want to look elsewhere. This also isn't a movie that you can just kind of watch while you're folding laundry or making dinner - it requires you to pay attention. I do recommend it for people who enjoy bold and unusual films.

No Beck For You (By You I Mean Me)

The new Beck album, Modern Guilt, came out today. I love Beck’s music, and I really want to get the album, but I have decided not to for now. I was really cheesed when they came out with a deluxe 3 disc version of his last album less than 6 months after the release of the basic version. The deluxe version was 3 discs, two of which were the original version of the album. The other disc was not available separately. And I like a lot of the Beck remixes. So they wanted us to buy the album, then come back and buy the deluxe version, with a duplicate disc, less than 6 months later. F that.

It’s one thing if they decide to do this kind of thing 12 years later, like with Odelay. But 6 months? Look, I may be dumb, and I may be an ass, but I’m not a dumbass. Release them both at the same time, and I’ll gladly pony up for the spiffy version (they did this with Guero, both versions were available on release day). Or allow us to buy the extra material separately. Or at the very least say “hey, we’re coming out with a deluxe version in a few months if you’d rather wait for that”. But don’t try to trick me into buying the same thing twice. That’s taking advantage of your fans, and that sucks.

I think this can mostly be explained as a sleazy tactic of the record companies to grab a few more bucks before they go the way of the dinosaur. And I’m really not happy that that is going to happen, because despite the convenience there are a lot of disadvantages to digital-only music (unless it’s done right, like this [multiple high-quality formats, artwork, yada, yada, whatever]). But if you treat people like crap, don’t expect everyone to just sit there and take it. I'm going to sit back for now and wait to see if a deluxe version is forthcoming. I know some of you may be thinking "Jebus, dude, it's only ten bucks you freakin' tightwad, just buy it already!" It's the principle of the thing. I feel jerked around after last time, and I don't want to be jerked around again.

Music Pants Gone Crazy

My music pants have gone crazy today. In fact, they've gone so crazy that they just pretty much flew across the room.

Reason 1. I found out this morning that there is a new Nine Inch Nails album, and you can download it free on the Infernets. I would rate myself as just a moderate fan of NIN, but I just really love the concept behind this. I mean, who doesn't love free stuff? And while I like Radiohead's music better, this download blows the doors off the In Rainbows download in an important way (to me anyway). This download is available in high-quality audio. You can download it as FLAC files or in WAVE format. WAVE is actually higher-than-CD quality. I don't even have the equipment to take advantage of it. And you get artwork too. And did I mention it's free? What makes this even more amazing is that NIN just offered a substantial free download in March of their previous album. I don't understand how Trent makes money off of this (maybe by generating buzz for the tour), but then again I guess he doesn't really need any more money anyway.

Reason 2. Yesterday I received an email from a friend telling me that Tom Waits was holding a press conference today at 9AM. Honestly I had kind of forgotten about it until this afternoon when I saw an item on a music blog that I read that Tom announced a tour and that Dallas is one of the stops! As you'll recall from my posts about my trip to Memphis in 2006, Tom Waits was a long-time holy grail of concerts for me. To get the chance to see him again would be awesome. And he'll be here only a little bit more than a month from now! If he's coming to your town and you can get tickets - just go! Don't think about it, just do it!

Reason 3. Radiohead-A-Palooza 2008 is fast approaching. During RAP 2008 I will attempt to see Radiohead 3 times in 3 different cities all in one week! First stop: Washington, D.C. next Sunday. And not only will there be Radiohead, there will be Holli and Faith!

Man, I'm all worked up now and I've stayed up too late again!

Junkies With Monkey Disease

I've been pretty busy trying to wrap up this school semester. I have a group project that is due next Thursday. Our group has to create a website for a museum with art objects of our choice. "Our" choice (definitely not mine but I was outvoted) was "cemetery art". Sure, let's pick the most depressing thing we can think of! I'm a little nervous, it seems like some parts of the project aren't coming together all that well. We shall see.

The Cat Power show has been rescheduled, but not until October. That seems like a long time to wait. My heart could explode by then or something.

I recently watched the DVDs of "Flight of the Conchords", and thought they were really funny. Their first official CD came out last week, and I bought it. It's all songs from the show, but a few of my favorites aren't on there. If you're into 2-man New Zealand novelty bands, you could do a lot worse. I was quite disappointed to learn that they are playing in Washington D.C. while I will be there, but the shows are already sold out. Dammit!

Here's a video from the show. Bret writes a song for his girlfriend Coco, and Jemaine helps out:



Leave these poor sick monkeys alone
They've got problems enough as it is.

Jukebox

The new Cat Power album, Jukebox, is out. It’s an album of cover songs, including one of her own songs. There is a deluxe version with a second CD with 5 songs. This is the album that she was in Dallas to record part of last August, and now I recognize some of the songs that I heard in concert. Recognizing a Cat Power cover is not always an automatic proposition. She definitely puts her own stamp on others’ songs. Her version of New York is amazing. My only complaint is that at 2 minutes it’s way too short.

Let’s see, there are also covers of Hank Williams, James Brown, Joni Mitchell, Billie Holliday, The Highwaymen, Janis Joplin, Patsy Cline, Nick Cave, and Bob Dylan. After having a month to listen to this album I’m really, really digging it. That voice just slays me, and the way that she makes these songs her own is amazing. The guitar sound is great too – it’s textbook Telecaster. Some of my favorite songs on here are New York, Metal Heart, Silver Stallion, I Believe In You, and Breathless. You can hear samples on the Amazon page, and her MySpace page has one complete song from this album – Song For Bobby (about Dylan). I just found out a couple of days ago that CP is coming to Dallas in April. I am so there. Concert bills are steadily adding up, but that’s a post for another day.

Speaking of Bob Dylan and concerts, I’m actually going to see him in concert Saturday night. I know I wasn’t all that impressed with the first time I saw him, but this is Bob Dylan! That guy who wrote all those amazing songs has got to be in there somewhere. He’s playing three nights in Dallas at the House of Blues. I wanted to see him in a smaller venue than last time. Interesting review of night one here.



Here's a video of Cat Power's performance of New York on Jools Holland's show:

Woo and Hoo

Welp, Radiohead tickets went on sale yesterday morning...and I got one! This was the presale, and these things sold out fast. In fact, I never even saw reserved seats showing as available. I'm very excited - Radiohead is pretty much at the top of my "have to see before I die" list. So, I'm really hoping I don't get turned into roadkill by a Smart Car before May 18th.


I've got a full day at the library tomorrow. I like it and all, but c'mon - it's Saturday! I know, it's for a good cause.


I've gotten a bit of a giggle out of this visage of our new (only 6 months old!) courthouse:

Our ax Dollars At Work

Radiohead and Jambalaya. Huh?

OK, my Radiohead pants are going crazy today. Why? Because they're coming to Dallas on their tour this year! They haven't been here in 10 years. Now the trick will be getting tickets. I'd cut off one of my pinky fingers with a rusty butter knife to get just one. Wait, did I say "my"? I meant "yours". :)

I had to quit listening to the download version of the new album because the sound quality was bugging me so much. But the CD version came out last week and I've started listening again. It's a great album. My favorite song to this point is "Nude", but I also love "15 Step" and "All I Need". The whole album is good though. It's a bit of a pullback from the electronic stuff on Kid A and Amnesiac. Like any Radiohead record there are lots of layers to absorb over time; I hear something new every time I listen to it. And I loves me some Nigel Godrich production. It's good stuff.

Last night for dinner I cooked one of my Trader Joe's purchases from my last trip to Arizona. As you can see in the photo, it's the vegetable jambalaya. I love jambalaya and just about any Cajun food for that matter. I was a bit skeptical of this stuff though because as you can also see it's made in India. India may be famous for many things (amazing cuisine being one of them), but jambalaya is most assuredly not one of those things. And I would not classify this dish as jambalaya. It was OK, but overall I wasn't that impressed (a picture of the actual product would not have been very appetizing). Sorry TJ's, this was a miss. But I still love ya!

The picture from yesterday's post that some of you asked about is this thing:

It's a drill that they're using at this construction site near my house to create the holes for the pilings for a new building. I thought it was kind of interesting when I saw it just sitting there stuck in the ground.

Benny Lava

You all know that I'm all about teh multiculturalism on here, so I thought you might enjoy watching this Indian video.

La Cucaracha

I received my grade on the research paper that I worked so hard on, and the hard work paid off! So I got that going for me, which is nice. This weekend was a little bit of a break from my studies because as of Friday I caught up with everything that was due. It seems like this semester is pretty light on the workload. I'm not sure if that's because it's the first set of classes that I'm taking since the two in five weeks that nearly killed me (therefore making anything else seem easy) or if the classes are just easy ones. Either way, I'll take it.

My favorite band, Ween, released a new album last week. It's called La Cucaracha. I'm really digging it, although there are a few songs that have taken longer to catch on with me than others. I think there are two that may not catch on at all, but that's not a bad batting average. You can hear some of the songs on their MySpace page. I think it's funny that Dean has said in an interview that he wants Taco Bell to use "Fiesta" in a commercial. He claims to be dead serious too. "Blue Balloon" is classic old-school Ween. "Object" is really creepy, but I really like it. It's creepy because it's written from the point of view of a serial killer. Yeah. But it sounds like Al Green. "My Own Bare Hands" is some classic Deaner-rock. I first heard "Your Party" at the show I went to in Austin back in August. I remember thinking that it was OK but maybe a bit too mellow. It's really starting to grow on me though. I think the lyrics are hilarious. My favorite part is when he's dreaming about throwing his own party. Gener does kind of sound like David Bowie in this song, but there's some other singer from an 80s band that I think he sounds like even more, but I can't quite put my finger on it yet.

I'm disappointed that they included another version of "Friends" on this record, since they just put out an EP in June that had that song on it, and it's a pretty annoying song. Although I do like the lyric "a friend's a friend who knows what being a friend is". I thought it was going to be a completely different version on this album, but it's not very different at all. Not sure why they picked that one to release twice. "Learnin' To Love" is a great ridiculous "hoedown" type of song that would have been right at home on 12 Golden Country Greats. Overall it's a nice solid record. It'll make you laugh, it'll make you cry - what more could you want?

Odds and Ends

I downloaded the new Radiohead album today. I've only listened to it about 1 and half times (OK 2 since I wrote this post) so far, so I haven't had time to really absorb it yet. I have to listen to something 5 or 6 times before I really start to bond with certain songs. I really like the songs on it, but I am disappointed in the sound quality. The mp3 tracks are only 160Kbps, which is on the low end of mp3 quality. And I can tell. I really wish that they would have noted this bit rate somewhere on the page that gave the details of the download. At best this download serves as a good teaser for the CD release. In my opinion you shouldn't pay a lot of money for the download, because buying the CD is pretty much a necessity if you are at all concerned about sound quality. If you only listen to music using the earbuds on your ipod while you are doing other things you may be OK with this, but if you ever listen to music at home on your computer or stereo (especially with headphones) you will want the CD (or vinyl for you analog folks).



Did you see that Esquire named Charlize Theron the sexiest woman alive? It's hard to argue with this:



Speaking of gross stuff, I have a pretty gnarly photo. I don't want people who aren't into gross stuff to be subjected to this, so you'll have to click on a link to view it. Don't say I didn't warn you. It's a picture of one of my chigger bites. Click here if you dare. Imagine my shock yesterday when I pulled my sock down to see this monstrosity. I've never had a bug bite that produced this kind of reaction. I noticed it at about 1PM yesterday while I was at work. I didn't know what would happen if I popped it so I had to live with this thing for 4 hours until I was at home. I put a band-aid on it after I lanced it. It looks better today but there's still a lump in there. I hope it gets better soon.

Drive? Me Crazy

I love rain. I think that's because it's a fairly infrequent occurrence around here. If I lived in Portland I might get tired of it after a while, but since it doesn't happen every day it can be a welcome change of pace. I don't even mind driving in rain. EXCEPT...when it rains during my commute to or from work. Like this morning. Even when there is isn't a wreck - you can pretty much instantly double the time it takes to make the commute. I don't get it. I mean, I know that you are supposed to drive more slowly in the rain since it takes longer to stop yada, yada, yada. OK, but why does everyone all of a sudden become these model drivers when it rains, but on every other day they drive like brainless morons? It doesn't make sense. Watching the weather report last night did me no good either. They said it would all be north of here. So imagine my surprise and dread when I heard it raining shortly after I got up this morning. When I get my "real" job I've gotta live closer to work. Sheesh.

In other news, I don't know if any of you are Radiohead fans, but if you are did you hear about their new album? You can get it via download next Wednesday from this site (you can preorder now). The interesting part? You can pay whatever you want for it! I don't know if they are performing an experiment on human nature or what. I guess if you feel that artists deserve to make a living from their product you can pony up. What if it's all a trick and it's just Thom Yorke reading the phonebook? I guess that's the chance you take...

TV Time

I haven’t talked about TV for awhile. Of course, summer is the time when I try to forget that I have a TV, except for DVDs. The one exception this summer has been Top Chef. Could they possibly drag this season out any more? It seems like this show has been on forever since they keep showing so many reruns. I’m definitely ready to be done with it. The only thing that keeps me going at this point is the fact that Anthony Bourdain has his own Top Chef blog this season. It’s great, I was afraid that he would be censored somehow since it’s on the Bravo website, but it sure doesn’t seem to be. He’s ripped quite a few of the contestants as well as guest judge Rocco DiSpirito. It’s definitely good for some giggles.

Speaking of shows on Bravo, I watched the new Tim Gunn show last week. Yuck, I thought it was terrible. I love TG on Project Runway. He comes across as such a nice guy, who provides support to the contestants as well as the occasionally needed kick-in the-pants (but without being a butt about it). I just found his new show very dull. Maybe TG is better as a side dish instead of a main course? I don’t know, but at least I can save an hour a week of my life for something more worthwhile.

On a totally unrelated note, anyone who’s interested in some choice live Zeppelin tracks, clicketh here to download. These tracks are amazing. And if you’re into Beatles mashups, check this out.

Jury Doody

This is a real bummer – they’ve started blocking Blogger at my workplace. I was hoping that yesterday was just a fluke, but it was still blocked today. It seems like this happened once before and it was unblocked later, so there may be a shred of hope. I’m actually surprised that it wasn’t already blocked since they block flickr, Yahoo mail, and Gmail. Crap, I can’t even read comments left on my blog anymore from work. It’s like they actually expect us to work or something. Sheesh!

My favorite download site has a really nice Hendrix set for download here. While the set is quite short, the sound is great. I’ve heard tons of live Hendrix, and as far as quality these tracks can stand alongside any of the other ones I’ve heard.

Now the most boring tale of jury duty ever! Monday morning I returned to court to potentially serve as a juror. We were supposed to be there at 8:30, and I got there right about that time. After passing through the metal detector I made my way up to the 5th floor where we were supposed to report. It looked like a bus station up there, there were people sitting and standing all over the place. Luckily I brought a book, but all of the benches were taken so I had to sit on the floor. I had to dodge a steady stream of people going to and from one of the courtrooms since I was pretty close to the door (hey, don’t like me sitting on the floor getting in your way? Then don’t make me wait in the hall!). It turned out to be a pretty long wait. It was 10 before they started calling out names for us to line up and go into the courtroom. Actually, it really didn’t bother me since I would rather sit somewhere reading a book than go to work.

There were 50 of us total in the room (actually 49 since one person didn’t show). Since they only needed 12 jurors and 6 alternates, the chances were pretty good that I wouldn’t get picked. The case involved a man who was charged with selling a controlled substance, in this case cocaine. The state lawyer went through a Power Point spiel where he explained why it was a felony (there was between 4 and 200 grams of cocaine involved), how they had to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt, and how any potential non-cocaine additives in what this guy sold would be considered to be cocaine. So if he sold 1 gram of cocaine mixed with 199 grams of baby powder it would be considered 200 grams of cocaine.

I know it’s a cliche, but as soon as I see a lawyer my BS detector goes on high alert. Some cliches are cliches because they are true. I have very little patience for the smarmy brand of BS peddled by many lawyers. They use their chicanery to get you to say things that you may not fully understand and try to make you feel stupid. This guy kept asking in each row in turn if we agreed with everything he said, and he implied that “quiet people were more likely to be picked” so that everyone would give him a loud “yes” when he asked if we agreed with what he was saying. Gag.

The defense attorney then got his chance to ask us questions. This guy seemed a bit seedier than the state attorney. He seemed like one of those guys that would have a splashy ad in the Yellow Pages or a TV commercial that runs during the Gilligan’s Island reruns. He latched onto his approach like a pit bull, and asked everyone in the first 2 rows the exact same questions: “Are you afraid of the government?” “Do you think the government could be wrong?” and “Would you be afraid to tell the government that they were wrong?” Not hard to see where that defense is going.

When both of the lawyers were done they sent us out into the hall again. Luckily since I was close to the door I got to grab some bench this time, and I sat down and continued reading my book. We were out there for about 25 minutes when they called us back in. The judge then called the names of the people who would be on the jury, and I was not one of them. Oh well. I wouldn’t have minded serving, but I’m sure I’ll get another chance someday. It was probably for the best, I might would have fried the bastard after that long wait they put us through. One odd note, there was a guy there that I went to junior high with. I recognized his name when they called it. I never would have recognized him from seeing his face, he’s about doubled in weight since I last saw him. I guess 20 years can do that to a person.

Music Notes

Have you ever wanted to hear vintage Bob Dylan (or a reasonable facsimile) sing Dr. Suess lyrics? I'm willing to bet close to $100 that none of you ever have. That said, now you can hear it right here. I think I know at least one reader who may dig this. So far I've only listened to "Oh, The Thinks You Can Think", "Green Eggs and Ham", and "Gertrude McFuzz". Pretty funny, but I don't know if I would listen to it a lot. One note: The site doesn't seem to like Internet Explorer, but it works OK with Firefox.

The new Air album came out yesterday for those so inclined. I've only heard the samples on Amazon so far, but I'm sure I will get it. There is also a website here where you can listen to the album.

Not much else going on today.

If you see any of these people today wish them a happy birthday:

• Michael Eisner
• Bret Easton Ellis
• Harumi Kurihara (I just like her Executive Summary)
• Ivan Lendl
• Laura Prepon
• Peter Sarsgaard
• Willard Scott
• Wanda Sykes
• Rachel Weisz
• Tammy Faye Messner
• Peter Wolf
• Bryan Cranston
• Jenna Fischer

RSK

Forgive me if this post is a bit discombobulated, I’m so tired that my effective IQ is currently about 50. I’m walking around very zombie-like today.

OK, so here’s what went down last night. The lovely Criss is quite the karaoke aficionado, and she was planning to go to something called Rock Star Karaoke. Rock Star Karaoke differs from regular karaoke in that you sing with a live band which plays the tune you have selected rather than performing to a recording. RSK doesn’t start until around 10:30, so I knew it would be a late night. I got there around 11 and the place was pretty packed.

Criss’s sisters Marcy and Jen were there, as they are all planning to travel to Austin today for Christmas. I have to say, you all are a great-looking family! Criss rocked things ‘80s style by singing “She Bop” and “Hit Me With Your Best Shot”. Oh, and her outfit? Very nice. Criss, I think you wuz robbed. Too bad I wasn’t a judge. Criss also had quite the posse of friends too, who all seemed very nice. I loved the songs Free did. “I Wanna Be Sedated” was great with you all doing your best to distract.

Overall I would say that the level of talent in this contest was pretty impressive. There were only about 3 or 4 people who were not very good. This includes the one that I called the “female Iggy Pop”, who took to lifting her shirt and smacking herself upside the head. She attempted “Just What I Needed”, but she didn’t seem to know the song very well. The Dennis Hopper doppelganger did a pretty damn good version of “Suspicious Minds”. I was surprised that someone did the song I would have tried if I could sing worth a damn – Spinal Tap’s “Big Bottom”. The guy did a pretty good job with it. He actually won second place for the night. Since audience participation is a part of the judging, I’m convinced that Criss and Marcy’s rump shaking helped put this guy over the top. He didn’t even say “Thanks”! Pfft. The final performance of the evening was “Purple Rain”, and all I have to say about that is Da-yum! Really good. And the night was topped off very nicely I must say.

I’m tired enough that I may actually sleep on the plane tonight, which I generally don’t do. I hope everyone has a merry Christmas or happy Hanukkah!

A Little Music for Your Sunday

The paper is proceeding OK, although I wasted way too much time yesterday. I'm telling you, if the Internet was around when I was an undergrad(well, it was, but how much fun was it to surf around using Gopher), I would probably still be trying to get my degree! Got to buckle down today!

For your amusement I give you this. Allow me to suggest "Stayin' Alive", "Eye of the Tiger", "In The Still of the Night", and "In the Ghetto". Be sure to check out his stereo site so you can see his picture (for some reason I can't get the audio to work on the stereo site).

And if you're in the holiday mood, this can only help that feeling get stronger! Maybe next time I should get a voice coach first.