Image via WikipediaMost days, I don't particularly care to go to the mailbox. Usually all we get in the mail is junk mail and bills. However, yesterday, my wife brought the mail in after she ran a couple of errands. She had something that brought a mile to my face and made me feel good. A short note from our son.
1/27/11
Dear Mom and dad,
This week at school I had a good time.
I have been looking up and talking a lot about Maya and Miguel. The song we are family.
I am looking forward to the next break when I can come and spend some time with you. I love you.
Love,
It was a very pleasant surprise. It was the first mail that we had received from him. For those that do not know, Maya and Miguel is a cartoon on PBS Kids. They have released a couple of CDs of kids singing pop tunes. My son has all three of their CDs, and one of his favorite songs on it is the old Sister Sledge song "We Are Family."
It is no surprise to me that when my son would have some free internet time during the classroom that he would do searches for Maya & Miguel. He loves that show and the theme song. He also really enjoys listening to the music.
I am also looking forward to the next break so we can spend some time together. I miss having his smiling face around.
I have to say, that I have not been a big fan of Nugent's music. "Cat Scratch Fever" was OK, but it wasn't something I ever wanted to purchase. I did enjoy his time with Damn Yankees, but that was mainly because I was a fan of Tommy Shaw and Jack Blades.
The first time I became aware of Nugent's political views, was when I saw him on The Glenn Beck Show. I immediately thought, "I may not be a big fan of his music, but I like the way he thinks." Nugent is a staunch conservative and makes no bones about it. In "Ted, White, and Blue" he articulates his views in the way that only he can. That is to say, he isn't exactly politically correct and he offers no apologies. Instead his response is "deal with it."
It is Nugent's way of telling it the way he sees it that made this enjoyable for me to read. He tackles a wide range of subjects and I find myself in agreement on almost everything, though some of his views might sound a little extreme, but Nugent proudly wears the right wing extremist label.
Take Ted's view on war. Ted's view on war is that if we are going to send our troups into battle, then they should be allowed to commit to total war, complete and total destruction of the enemy, much like Harry Truman dropping the bomb on Japan. According to Ted, "Lasting peace can only be achieved through the application of relentless and superior fire power."
Ted takes the same view as another famous Ted, Teddy Roosevelt. Roosevelt insisted that an immigrant should assimilate himself to the US and in every facet become an American, including learning English. Nugent, like most conservatives, have no quarrel with folks who come to this country legally to become citizens. His issue is with the illegal immigrants, or as he calls them criminal aliens, because they have committed criminal acts. His answer is to "shoot to kill" any armed alien who attempts to enter this country illegally.
As a member of the Board of Directors for the National Rifle Association it should come as no surprise that Nugent is a strong advocate for 2nd Ammendment rights. Nugent believes that all law abiding citizens should have the right to carry a concealed weapon. As he puts it, the police can't be everywhere and in most cases arrive after the fact. So called "gun free zones" are only opportunities for evil to reign without fear of reprisal.
If you are looking for a politically correct disertation of conservative views, "Ted, White, and Blue" is probably not for you. If you want to get through all the PC bull shit and hear somebody tell it like it is, then pick up the Nuge. If nothing else, he makes things interesting. I may have to go back and take a second listen to some of his music. In the meantime, for your listenting enjoyment, how about a little "Cat Scratch Fever."
It is a rather sad day for me today. Two entertainment icons from my youth passed away today, Farrah Fawcett and Michael Jackson.
Farrah lost her battle with cancer, passing away today at the age of 62. She came to prominence with her starring role in the television series "Charlie's Angels." She left the show after only one season to try her hand at movies.
I think every guy my age had the poster pictured here hanging on their bedroom wall. I know I did. Over 12 million copies of the poster were sold. Legend has it that her curls in the poster spelled out the word sex. Those curls also led women everywhere to try to emulate her hair style.
Before I came to know her in her Charlie's Angel role, she caught my attention in a Noxema commercial with NY Jets quarterback Joe Namath. Broadway Joe is giddy when he exclaims "I'm so excited, I'm gonna get creamed!" Watch the commercial below to see why.
As I left the parking garage at work this evening at 6pm, I turned the radio on to listen the Mark Levin Show. Levin started the show, not with his usual rant, but with the announcement that TMZ was reporting that Michael Jackson had just passed away from an apparant massive heart attack at the age of 50.
Michael started his career as the youngest member of the Jackson 5 at the age of 11. He would go on to an immensely successful solo career being dubbed "The King of Pop." As the MTV world exploded on the scene, Michael took full advantage of the medium with several elaborate music videos. His "Thriller" video was a masterpiece and remains the most popular music video of all time. The "Thriller" album remains one of the best selling disc of all time.
I was a big fan of the Jackson 5 and Michael's solo work. Late in his career, his life became shrouded in controversy and allegations. I confess, I lost interest in continuing to follow his career. I prefer not to think about that Michael Jackson, but instead will remember Michael as seen below performing "Billie Jean."
I guess part of the reason it is particularly sad for me is that I guess it sort of reminds me of my own mortality. Especially the death of Jackson. He was only two years older than I am. Farrah & Michael, may you both RIP.
During the 1970's when soft rock was dominating the pop charts, Dan Seals was England Dan of England Dan & John Ford Coley. The duo had several hit songs including "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight", "Nights Are Forever", and "Love Is The Answer."
After the duo disbanded in 1980, Dan Seals launched a solo career on the country charts. He had several country hits, including a duet with Marie Osmond "Meet Me In Montana" which earned the pair a Best Vocal Duo of the Year Award from the Country Music Association in 1986.
Here is England Dan & John Ford Coley with "I'd Really Love to See You Tonight." RIP Dan.
About a year ago, I was watching the Glenn Beck show before he moved over to the Fox News Channel. One Friday night, his guest for the whole hour was country music star Trace Adkins. Being a fan of both Glenn and Trace, I stayed tuned for the whole hour.
It was not your garden variety, celebrity interview. Sure they touched on Trace's musical career, but for the most part they discussed Trace's views on news and politics. Trace was a straight talking, no nonsense man. I found myself in agreement with a lot of his views.
Fast forward to last night, when I was browsing around the local Barnes & Noble. I was looking in the current affairs section of the store when I spotted "A Personal Stand" by Trace. I was not aware that he had written a book, so I flipped through the chapters and quotes on the back of the book. Since the book was in paperback, I decided to go ahead and make the purchase.
When I read the introduction to the book, I knew I was going to enjoy reading it. In the second paragraph Trace writes the following: "I stand for personal responsibility and against anything undermines it. So much of what I see in our country today represents a hell-bent flight from responsibility to victimhood. From acting on one's convictions to going along just to get along. From making decisions based on moral principals to taking the easy way out. That's not what the United States is about, and that's not the legacy our children should inherit." I could not agree more.
Throughout the book, Trace uses stories from his life to share his views on 9/11, energy, illegal immigration and more. Like his appearance on the Glenn Beck Show that night, he writes in a straight forward, no nonsense style, interjected with a wry sense of humor. As a writer, he isn't going to make anyone forget the great writers of the world. Hell, he may not even make you forget the ordinary ones. However, if you are a fan of Trace Adkins, and your political views tend to lean towards the right, I think you will enjoy the book. I know I did.
February 3, 1959. It has been 50 years since the day the music died. Buddy Holly, The Big Bopper and Ritchie Vallens, three of rock-n-rolls biggest stars at that time died in an airplane crash. It was a little more than two years before I was born. As a kid, I remember being home while my parents listened to these oldies. At the time, there was no way you could admit you liked this stuff. The folks listened to these guys as well as Fats Domino, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and others. Over the years, I have come to appreciate more and the music that was made before I was born. Not only the old rock, but also the old bluesmen like Robert Johnson and Muddy Waters, and old country stars like Hank Williams, Sr.
Here are Buddy Holly with "Peggy Sue," the Big Bopper with "Chantilly Lace," and Ritchie Valens with "Oh Donna."
Meet the Beatles was one of, if not the first, album I ever owned was released 45 years ago today. In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine released the top 500 rock albums of all time, and rated Meet the Beatles as #59 all time. Here are The Beatles with "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and a live version of "I Saw Her Standing There."
I haven't done one of these in a while. I first heard this song when George Thorogood recorded it in 1977. John Lee Hooker recorded it before that, and I like his version a better because he uses a lot less distortion in his guitar playing.
Kevin Costner is celebrating his 53rd birthday today. Since earlier this week, I posted a couple videos of Telly Savalas and William Shatner performing songs (I can't really call it singing) here is Kevin Costner with his band Modern West performing "Long Hot Night" on Opry Live. All I can say is that I prefer his performance in "Bull Durham," "Field of Dreams," and "Tin Cup" to his performance here. Though, he does do a better job than Savalas and Shatner, but that isn't saying much.
My old high school friend, the Under Cover Blackman, had a thread on his blog about (as he put it) "Non-singin' ass actors." It was his third such post. This time he featured the musical stylings of Terrence Howard, Robert Downey, Jr., and Jeff Bridges.
It got me thinking about some of the actors from my youth who had released really bad songs. Sure enough, YouTube had videos of them available. So here is Telly Savalas with "If" and then William Shatner with "Rocketman."
Chuck Berry is a rock-n-roll icon. The Beatles covered two of his early hits, "Roll Over Beethoven" and "Rock and Roll Music." With other big hits like "Maybelline", "Sweet Little Sixteen", and "Johnny B. Goode," it is hard to believe that "My Ding-a-Ling" was his only #1 hit. I remember this song from when I was an 11 year old kid in the summer of 1972. I vaguely remember thinking that it was "dirty" but funny. Years later, this song still makes me smile.
Sometimes I am pleasantly surprised by what I have found on the net. This evening I was searching YouTube for some John Prine videos. I came across this song by Steve Goodman, and the title just caught my eye. In my younger days, there were a few occasions when I simply had too much tequila. I had heard of Steve Goodman, but I had not heard him sing. Goodman was a folk singer and songwriter who died of leukemia at the age of 36. His big break came when he sang the song "City of New Orleans" for Arlo Guthrie, and Guthrie made it a hit. Tomorrow, I am going to have to look for some more Steve Goodman.
I like beer. Always have. Ever since my grandfather gave me a Rolling Rock pony (I was way under age, but it was only 7 ounces) I have enjoyed having a cold brew. So Saturday night after working my part time job, I stopped at my favorite liquor store to pick up some beer. I decided that I wanted to treat myself to something a little more special than usual. In the past, that would mean picking up some Molson Golden Ale or maybe some Samuel Adams. As I looked around at the wide variety of brews available in this particular store, I kept going to some of the variety packs of seasonal ales like Sam Adams winter collection. I guess it is a true indication of the times and how tight money is these days when I walk out with a 12-pack of Bud Light and consider that a splurge over the usual 12-pack of Busch Light that I usually purchase. As a tribute to my love of beer, here is Tom T. Hall with his song "I Like Beer."
Well, not yet, but after watching her latest video "Womanizer" embedded below, I can't help but think it is just a matter of time. It wouldn't be the first time that a teen singing star made the jump to Playboy. First we had 1980's teen queen Tiffany of "I Think We're Alone Now" fame appear in Playboy in 2002. Then Tiffany's contemporary, Debbie Gibson appeared in Playboy in 2005. If not for some strategically folded arms and legs, this could have qualified as her Playboy celebrity video centerfold.
28 years ago today, John Lennon was shot four times by Mark David Chapman. Just three weeks earlier, John had released his first album in over five years, Double Fantasy. Lennon had always been my favorite member of the Beatles. I remember how excited I was that he had released new material and had started a musical comeback. I also remember how devastated I was at hearing the news of his death. In memory and honor of John Lennon, here is (Just Like) Starting Over.
I first heard this song listening to an Internet radio station. I thought it was hilarious with lines like "Man, I remember when her eye were so blue and shiny. But, God, you aught to see what's happened to her heinie." Then I got to see the music video below and found out that the Notorious Cherry Bombs featured country stars Vince Gill and Rodney Crowell as the lead vocalists. This song is dedicated to married men everywhere.
It is a timeless theme in music. Trying to get over a lost love. Doing everything you can to escape the memory and the pain. Just get in the car and drive to escape. Combine it all and you get Montgomery Gentry and "Speed." The other reason that I am posting this video is because I believe the woman in the video is former Playboy Playmate Maria Checa, and I always thought that she was kinda cute and looked real.
Image via WikipediaMost days, I don't particularly care to go to the mailbox. Usually all we get in the mail is junk mail and bills. However, yesterday, my wife brought the mail in after she ran a couple of errands. She had something that brought a mile to my face and made me feel good. A short note from our son.
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