Fri 3 Aug 2012
Wow.
Posted by PJ under music, video
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music
Archived Posts from this Category
Tue 17 Jul 2012
RIP Lady Day
Posted by PJ under music, rest in peace, video
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July 17, 1959.
Mon 14 May 2012
O sole mio!
Posted by PJ under conversations, music, quote of the day
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Random quote of the day:
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“I think to talk well a rare gift—quite as rare as singing; and yet you expect every one to be able to talk, and very few to be able to sing.”
—Benjamin Disraeli, Lothair
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Disclaimer:Â The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Siegfried and Roy, Leonard Maltin, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.
Mon 7 May 2012
Perfection
Posted by PJ under art, music, perfection, quote of the day
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Random quote of the day:
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“My life is music. And in some vague, mysterious, and subconscious way, I have always been driven by a taut inner spring which has propelled me to almost compulsively reach for perfection in music, often—in fact, mostly—at the expense of everything else in my life.”
—Stan Getz, quoted in Stan Getz: A Life in Jazz by Donald L. Maggin
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Disclaimer:Â The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Siegfried and Roy, Leonard Maltin, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.
Mon 13 Feb 2012
Tears for Whitney
Posted by PJ under addiction, celebrity, death, music, recovery
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I won’t pretend that I was a big fan of Whitney Houston. I didn’t dislike her. I admired her incredible voice and that spark she had in her youth. It’s been tragic watching such a gifted woman take a long, painful slide to the bottom. She died way too young and I can’t help wishing that somebody, somewhere had been able to help her help herself. Because other people do not make you sober. That’s something that has to come from within.
Still, I shed tears for her this morning. It wasn’t the rehash of the Grammy tribute, her powerful version of I Will Always Love You, or any of her other hits. It was, of all things, hearing her sing the Star-Spangled Banner. That moment was such a triumph for her, coming at a time right after 911 when America was on the ground, desperately looking for a way to get back up and move forward. Whitney Houston’s simple but amazing rendition of the national anthem somehow encapsulated America’s yearning for a reason to keep going. She was truly and utterly ours in that moment, and she gave us the gift of hope and pride that helped us find our own way towards recovery.
But there was, apparently, no one who could give her the same gift. Maybe they tried, and she just couldn’t translate that help into something that worked for her. Even if it turns out that drugs and alcohol played no part in her death, they still had a hold on her, making her a mockery of her former glorious self. She hit the ground hard and never really got up, though she struggled on and off to get her feet back under her. For whatever reason, her inner demons were stronger than her wonderful gifts.
Thu 1 Sep 2011
Funky, freaky flashback
Posted by PJ under history, music, video
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A busy day, so I’ll just leave you with this blast from the past.
Tue 30 Aug 2011
Which ancient rock bands/performers have you heard of?
Posted by PJ under music, poll, the sixties
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In order to actually vote in this poll, please go here.
I’m going mostly for performers who started out in the 1960s, although some of these had careers that lasted (and have lasted) much longer. Some of these are pretty obscure, others were huge in their day. It is by no means a comprehensive list.
You don’t have to answer the age question, below (or any of them, really), but I am trying to get a sense of the demographics. It’s an over 30/under 30 question, no specific ages required. And I’m sorry for lumping the geography into such large areas, but this poll was getting freakishly long.
Which ancient rock bands/performers have you heard of?
- The Beatles
- The Rolling Stones
- The Doors
- Jefferson Starship
- The Lovin’ Spoonful
- The Young Rascals
- Jefferson Airplane
- Country Joe and the Fish
- Jimi Hendrix
- The Stone Ponies
- Janice Joplin
- The Byrds
- The Yardbirds
- Led Zeppelin
- Gerry and the Pacemakers
- The Dave Clark Five
- Pink Floyd
- Arlo Guthrie
- Herman’s Hermits
- Freddy and the Dreamers
- Manfred Mann
- The Moody Blues
- Creedence Clearwater Revival
- Cream
- Procol Harum
- The Walker Brothers
- Buffalo Springfield
- Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young
- The Hollies
- The Electric Prunes
- Hey! You forgot my favorite which I’ll mention in the comments.
- You mean, like, these people were real living human beings?
How old are you?
- I am over 30.
- I am under 30.
Where are you from?
- United States
- Canada
- Central America
- South America
- Europe
- Asia
- South Asia
- Middle East
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Africa
- The Caribbean
- The Pacific Islands
- Other
Mon 25 Apr 2011
These guys have been at the bird feeder all week.
They have one of the strangest calls I’ve ever heard: like a baby dragon. Or a hawk on acid.
It’s quite unnerved the wild finches, sparrows, et al. All the little birds have kept away from the feeders since they’ve been around. I have to think it’s that call that’s frightening them—too much like the hawk, I suspect. But no worries because these blackbirds are seed eaters.
They come up from the marshland less than a half-mile from our house, but I’ve never seen them here before. Quite a wonderful surprise to look out the window and see those yellow heads.
The beautiful singer from last year has returned, too.
The peach tree is absolutely laden with fruit, fecund branches hanging so heavy I’ve had to prop them up with a ladder. We’ll be having peach cobbler very soon now. The entire neighborhood is tingling with anticipation.
Tue 21 Dec 2010
Beyond words
Posted by PJ under music, quote of the day
No Comments
Random quote of the day:
“For me, music is always the language which permits one to converse with the Beyond.”
—Robert A. Schumann
Disclaimer:Â The views expressed in this random quote of the day do not necessarily reflect the views of the poster, her immediate family, Siegfried and Roy, Leonard Maltin, or the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. They do, however, sometimes reflect the views of the Cottingley Fairies.
