Kate couldn’t stay awake for the eclipse the other night, so I taped it for her, lens flare and all. The Pink Floyd she just has to endure:
(It was about 10 degrees. I went inside between 30-second takes, and kept the battery charged with extra boob power.)
As for Friday night in the Fort, the plan is to meet in the bar at Catablu on Broadway around 6:30ish. Come if you’d like and don’t worry about the time; I expect we’ll be there for a couple-three hours at least. E-mail an RSVP if you get a chance and include a phone number, just so if the venue changes for any reason, we can alert you. Or call seven three four, five four eight, zero zero three three and get the update. Don’t abuse this information, although I’m sure somebody will. If disaster strikes, check this space.
Now I have to go write a big check for some Girl Scout cookies. Ah, parenthood. Have a good weekend.
Jeff said on February 22, 2008 at 9:40 am
Great, now i feel lewd for watching an eclipse video made with . . . anyhow, love the music, which is besmirched enough with cannabis fumes. I should offer to buy a pitcher and complete my slide into semi-depravity, but y’all will have to get closer to Columbus for that to happen (i would, though!).
Looking forward to the Monday summary . . .
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Kirk said on February 22, 2008 at 10:00 am
Very nice. Celestial events go well with Pink Floyd, and “One of These Days” has long been one of my favorites.
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nancy said on February 22, 2008 at 10:13 am
Such a preacher, Jeff.
Boob power is not necessary when you have a nice warm house. Maybe I should offer them the next time someone needs a jump. Which side is the positive?
I grappled with the music for this longer than anything. Searched my library for “moon,” “lunar,” “space,” etc. Finally turned to the iTunes Music Store and entered “eclipse.” Of course “Dark Side of the Moon”* came up, but it put the idea in my head.
*(This is a record I can no longer appreciate, it having been ruined forever by overplaying on classic-rock radio. “Murmur,” however, still has some legs.)
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Kirk said on February 22, 2008 at 10:18 am
Thankfully, I don’t listen to classic-rock radio.
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Jeff said on February 22, 2008 at 10:18 am
And yet i’m still not tired of “The Wall.” (Yep, the whole dang album.) Which usually leads to “New World Record” by ELO, which i’m sure would infuriate Roger Waters no end, but they fit together in my mind, which is admittedly an off-kilter, oddly designed space.
But i love it when my son today, like my mom in 1980, says “Turn it down!”
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derwood said on February 22, 2008 at 10:47 am
If I was going to be in the Fort tonight I would love to stop by and meet everyone. I’ll be up on Saturday as it is that time of year to haul our 6 cats to East State Vet for their yearly. Yep, 2 hour drive(we live in Indy) with 6 cats to see a vet.
Nice job with the video and music choice. At 42, I still listen to Floyd. My wife tells me to turn it down instead of my mom.
To Jeff: I usually follow The Wall with something from the Rush catalog…Hemispheres or Grace Under Pressure.
Happy weekend!
daron “derwood” aldrich
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Sue said on February 22, 2008 at 11:25 am
My 22 year old daughter called us a couple of nights ago looking for some “good music” to listen to on her computer, proving that we raised her right. Among the suggestions: “Burning Down the House”, Talking Heads; “Riders on the Storm”, Doors; “Rhiannon”, “Gold Dust Woman”, “Tusk”, Fleetwood Mac; “Take a Walk on the Wild Side”, Lou Reed; “Africa”, “99”, Toto; “Long Long Time”, “Desperado”, “Silver Threads and Golden Needles”, Linda Ronstadt; “Your Mama Don’t Dance”, “House at Pooh Corner”, “Danny’s Song”, Loggins & Messina. Ok, some guilty pleasures there, but I love the generational aspect of it all. Of course, we didn’t have to recommend Floyd, or Jethro Tull, or Stones, or any of the basics because as noted before, we raised her right.
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alex said on February 22, 2008 at 12:17 pm
I had teens in my household a few years back and they really warmed to exactly the sort of playlist Sue just presented. In fact, it confirms my belief that there’s relatively little being produced today that has the originality or artistic merit of the music of yesteryear.
Of course, we were all exposed to a much broader spectrum of music than today’s audiences are in the age of Clear Channel. The Soviets probably had more choices then than we do now.
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Peter said on February 22, 2008 at 1:05 pm
Sue: Riders on the Storm? I am a big Doors fan, but I just think that song’s been played out. Every time I hear it on the radio, I keep thinking that Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger are playing it right now in some hotel lounge in Wisconsin. BTW, I like Janis Joplin, but a lot of her songs would work in a lounge with no problem.
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LAMary said on February 22, 2008 at 1:09 pm
Older son has discovered Talking Heads now. He’s been through his Hendrix, Pink Floyd, Led Zepp, Allman Brother and George Clinton phases.
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Danny said on February 22, 2008 at 1:14 pm
Jeff and derwood, if you have not gotten the live version, “Is There Anybody Out There, ” you must.
Great, great stuff. Two of my favorite parts:
1. At the beginning, they have an MC giving announcements and as soon as he goes into his authoritarian speil about no recording, no smoking, no photographing, etc., the band loudly and abruptly interrupts with the first blaring, percussive note of “In the Flesh?” And like a reflex reaction, the audience roars in rebellious approval. Awesome. (BTW, I think this was planned, but it still rocks)
2. Before “Run Like Hell,” Roger asks if there are any paranoids or weak people in the audience and as they cheer in response, he calls them pathetic and goes off on them, yelling and screaming and ordering them to clap and have a good time.
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Sue said on February 22, 2008 at 1:33 pm
Peter: Maybe I like Riders so much because I like rain, and can tune out that “squirming like a toad” part. And you want overplayed/cliched? Stairway to Heaven. Danny: My husband went to several Floyd concerts in his prime, and still talks about floating pigs, 360 degree clock tolling sounds, etc. Very affecting.
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Kirk said on February 22, 2008 at 1:39 pm
Yes, you want to talk about your classic rock, we had a station here that played Stairway to Heaven, Starship Trooper and Sweet Home Alabama three or four times each every day. Probably still plays ’em.
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Jeff said on February 22, 2008 at 2:07 pm
This is just making me want to see U2-3D all the more . . .
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Danny said on February 22, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Sue, in addition to owning (almost) their complete commercial catalogue, I also have about a dozen digitized bootlegs of concerts and BBC broadcasts dating back to 1969. Most are audience recordings, but some are recordings straight from the soundboard (Floyd soundboards are rare, very rare). I love it when the BBC’s John Peel introduces them as “The Pink Floyd.” He tries to come across as very straight-laced and buttoned-down, but you can tell by his introductions of the various songs that he is quite familiar with the music and a real fan.
Of the concert bootlegs, the 1977 Animals tour is a real standout. The setlist was Animals and Wish You Were Here. But I really love their early stuff too. “Fat Old Sun”, “Grantchester Meadows,” “Careful with that Axe (Eugene),” “Astronomy Domine,” “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun.”
Maybe when/if Roger returns, we’ll all get a chance to see them again.
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john c said on February 22, 2008 at 2:33 pm
How’s this for coincidence, Nancy? We are down here in Orlando for a little sun and kid-friendly fun, and our hosts threw a little dinner party at our hotel – this is a quasi-business function. They had face painters and balloon animal guys for the young ‘ums. And they brought in a telescope so we could watch the eclipse. It was great. And it prompted me to chat up my music-loving, rock-discovering 9-year-old with memories of …. Dark Side of the Moon! (Which I own on white vinyl, by the way.) I think it does hold up. But maybe that’s because I haven’t listened to it much in a while. I did appreciate the Murmur reference – the only album I know where the music cries out to be sung along with, even as the vocals are indecipherable and lyrics sheet is non-existent.
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Sue said on February 22, 2008 at 2:48 pm
Ok, everybody, get those lighters up in the air and… wave, wave, wave…
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Dexter said on February 22, 2008 at 5:02 pm
I love this, but Floyd purists hate Bowie for some reason. This is a great version, at any rate.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5ppxerxC3g
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Dexter said on February 22, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Danny, your devotion to Floyd is akin to my obsession with Waits.
I have everything he ever released on vinyl, cassette, and cd.
I have a few bootleg vinyls from Europe I got from a clerk at Schoolkid’s in A-Squared about 20 years ago, too. If you are a Tom Waits nut case too, go to YouTube and watch those vids by a poster named “Sarah”. Out-f’in-STANDING!
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Danny said on February 22, 2008 at 5:18 pm
Dex, I think Dorothy is a huge Waits fan.
Me , I am a freak for several bands. “Yes” is probably my most freakish obsession with Steve Howe (genuflection, sign of the cross) being my guitar hero. But Zeppelin too.
And my lunch break just took me past a good Borders so I popped in and bought two Moody Blues (Days of Future Past and Question of Balance), AC/DC Highway to Hell, and an Allman Brothers compilation.
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Jeff said on February 22, 2008 at 5:38 pm
Danny, do you have Jon Anderson’s “Animation”? The only cut from that album still knocking about the culture is his “I Saw Three Ships” which shows up in the playlist for the 24-7 Christmas stations.
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Dexter said on February 22, 2008 at 5:56 pm
Danny, I just played both those Moodys last week…I still have my cassettes from the old days.
XM Radio has the LED station, 59…all Zep all the time.
Also, this is strange…the second time in 2 hours I see Steve Howe mentioned. At http://www.nytimes.com on page one, they are running a “best guitarist” contest. I picked Tommy Emmanuel over all the rock, pop, jazz , and folk and country people. I was surprised at how these fans of guitar nearly trashed Clapton….check it out at The Times….
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Danny said on February 22, 2008 at 6:01 pm
Jeff, unfortunately no. For Jon, I have Olias of Sunhillow, Song of Seven, and The Friends of Mr. Cairo.
And “3 Ships” was an album in it’s own right (not part of Animation). A Christmas album that I believe is currently out of print.
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Danny said on February 22, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Dexter, Tommy is awesome. A true CGP (you Chet fans will know what that means). Him and Phil Keaggy definitely trump the pop/rock scene guitarists.
It’s kinda weird though. When I listen to Steve Howe, I wanna pick up my guitar and play, but when I listen to Tommy Emmanuel or Phil Keaggy, I just wanna give up, smash my guitar to pieces and weep.
And with the Moodys, I used to own their complete anthology in vinyl. I’m just getting around to replacing them.
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Jen said on February 22, 2008 at 6:33 pm
Alex, you’re right about there being “relatively little [music] being produced today that has the originality or artistic merit of the music of yesteryear.” I admittedly do listen to a little bit of pop music, but when I need something good, with substance, I flip on the classic rock station or the Oldies station. And, so do most of my friends. If you look at music-based video games – Guitar Hero and Rock Band – few songs are from later than 1993, and most are from the 70s and 80s. Plus, there’s a trend now where teens and twenty-somethings are pilfering their parents’ record collections for good music. There’s still good music being produced, I think, but not as much and it’s not getting enough play.
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Jeff said on February 22, 2008 at 6:46 pm
Ah, Chet — the first man in Nashville to build himself a pool shaped like a guitar amp.
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basset said on February 22, 2008 at 8:33 pm
ah yes, “Olias”… could say that was one of the great college makeout albums, but that would give away my age.
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Dorothy said on February 22, 2008 at 8:41 pm
I’m not the Waits fan, it’s my 25 year old daughter. She’s seen him in concert and it was a religious experience for her, I swear!
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Dexter said on February 22, 2008 at 10:08 pm
Dorothy, tell your kid she’s not alone. I always hopped a train or fired up my 1969 VW Microbus every time Tom Waits came within 200 miles.I saw him at Chicago Steppenwolf and Chicago Theater.
The only other events I used to skip work for were Bruce Springsteen and CSN. I believe David Crosby is God. They used to come to Pine Knob in Clarkston , MI . I’ve been all over the map to go see Bruce.
Anybody here ever see The Dead when , obviously, Jerry was still with us? Damndest caravan I ever was a part of…but I was not a Dead Head…could not afford plane tix to The Pyramids and I always felt funny wearing a dress like those Dead Head dudes wore.
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derwood said on February 22, 2008 at 10:59 pm
I think I have found all of my musical brothers and sisters.
I’ve seen Roger Waters on all of his tours from 1984 forward. Must see shows. Big Yes fan as well. My siblings are 10 years older than I am so I grew up listening to their music. Nothing today compares. I do have an unhealthy obsession with all things Stevie Nicks. Again, my wife rolls her eyes.
Hope you guys are having fun in the Fort.
Daron
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michaelj said on February 24, 2008 at 3:45 am
So Nancy is Franka Potente and Tom Tykwer at the same time. Nice, nice very nice. And the moon is racing through some impossibly German city to save some boneheaded nordic lover from his idiotic romantic self.
Bokonon knows. It’s not for everyone to know. As my own movie critic, I know, matt Damon makes a great spy, but most especially with Franka. There are Bond Girls and there are exceptionally intelligent women caught up in spy plots.
And who’s responsible for the music on Darkside of the Moon? Roger Waters would have the world believe he made it all up. He should be happy Sting and Bono came along so he’s maybe not the biggest unfounded egoist.
The synth parts are stolen in large part from Hawkwind. But the guitars are entirely originally Gilmour, Sid’s true friend and companion. And therein lies the rub that chaos Roger Waters’ arse.
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brian stouder said on February 24, 2008 at 8:58 pm
MichaelJ – gotta agree about Sting and the big ego; aside from that, Pearl Jam, baby!
Eddie Vedder and Jeff Ament and Stone Gossard are the real deal
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michaelj said on February 24, 2008 at 10:17 pm
My kid grew up listening to her parents’ music, which is all over the map. The Boss and the Detroit Boss, but also Tom Waits an REM. When she picked me up at the airport recently, Making Plans for Nigel came on the CD player when she started the car. Good taste for 27. She did go through a Backstreet Boys phase when she was about eight, but she met them backstage and decided they were obnoxious.
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michaelj said on February 24, 2008 at 10:22 pm
Brian, Sting is a Francis of Assisi model of humility compared with Bono. I expect young Paul Hewson will become a Yank soon so he’ll be available to take on the solipsistic Savior role when Ralph f**ing Nader gives up his Holy Ghost. I mean, the guy named himself Vox Bono, which, but for the grace of God would probably have been Vox Populi.
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michaelj said on February 25, 2008 at 12:07 am
Damn Nancy, I guess those Thin Mints are going in the freezer until after Lent. Can they survive the trip from the front door? Caveat emptor. You could damn a pagan baby to eternal hellfire.
They seem to have changed the names and the results are about as pleasing as that old consultant-generated NBC logo. When everything’s Wonder Bread, everything’s white bread. Caramel DeLites?
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