Song of the Day: Pharoah Sanders - The Creator Has a Master Plan

Photo: Bruce Polonsky

Pharoah Sanders - The Creator Has a Master Plan

One album its on that I love is Red Hot On Impulse! a fabulous compilation album featuring Pharoah, Coltrane, Roach, Shepp, and others...
Other great versions are on Pharoah Sanders: The Impulse Story and the original album from 1969, Karma.

Star Jones Out Because She Lost Weight?

I am not one to watch The View - I never have been. I couldn't tell you what time it's on or what channel. I could give a rat's ass, to tell you the truth. I think I've tuned in while sick and channel flipping, catching some kind of rant about something.

I also don't know anything about Star Jones and her views or what her relationship was with the other women. I had assumed that it was as close as it could be when a bunch of powerful women sit at a table together on broadcast network television and talk trash about everything in the world: you call someone your friend but you sleep with one eye open. I know that much from having worked at local cable TV station in St. Louis, MO; I got backstabbed more times than I care to mention - the irony is that it was really only by management, not my fellow co-workers. Well, except for the men, who all but one, couldn't find their own ass with two hands and a road map and didn't like having to share the spotlight with chicks.

But I digress...

I do find it disturbing that it is mentioned in this article that Star Jones' major weight loss (which turned her from a fat chick into a hot babe) and her marriage (publicized because everyone thinks he's gay) seemed to "turn off" audience members, according to research.



So what, people wanted her to stay fat so that they could feel better? Did Barbara Walters find that people might start making fun of her excessive face lifts if they didn't have a fat chick sitting next to her?

I am overweight. I have been struggling with my weight ever since I was 7 years old. But I am not going to sit here and say "oh, it's okay if you're fat, fat chicks are healthy and sexy and there's nothing wrong with us!"
I think that is such a crock of shit. It's an excuse because we have a food addiction and an inablity to cart our asses to the gym. Or we have chemical imbalances that need to be looked into. Regardless, nobody in their right mind can sit here and tell me that Star Jones looked better FAT. Perhaps we were used to seeing her that way, and it made us feel comfy because she was matronly.

Matronly sucks. I had a lady give up a seat for me on a train once several years ago (before I lost a lot of weight) because she thought I was pregnant.

I was not pregnant. The worst thing in the world is to be "matronly" before your fucking time. If these catty women got pissed off that perhaps Star Jones was coming into her own and feeling better about herself, well, tough shit.

Let's get down to the real reasons why...and quit this bullshit about statistics say that the public prefers her fat. Fuck the public. Who's the public, anyway? A bunch of fat chicks watching the show while they tend to their kids. Of course they want someone up there that they can identify with. And that is the sad part - they'd rather someone be unhappy with their self esteem and personal image, have poor physical health, and stroke their own problems with being overweight (or if they're not overweight, whatever "pro-woman must also equal pro-fat" agenda they have) just so the ratings can keep up.

It sounds like this could be true, though, because they got another fat chick - Rosie O'Donnell - to take her place. Now, I am happy they picked Rosie, because they are at least not afraid of hiring a gay woman. Hooray. They substituted one discrimination action with one lack therof. Only thing is, I'm not all that fond of Rosie. I hear from people who have met her that she really is a bitch - that it's not a joke. But, oh well...I bet they all are.

Funny, though. They hired someone who once again, looks almost as bad as the rest of them. You've got Walters, who looks like she's one step ahead of the chick whose body fell apart in Brazil from too much plastic surgery; you have the other chick who looks like Bette Midler after a night of binging and a car accident; and some other chick, who nobody cares about but she's young and can string a few words together in between the other two babbling about bullshit.
Oh yeah, this is gonna be great.

Now, like I said, I'm talking out of my ass here, because I don't know what really went on behind closed doors, or why Ms. Jones was fired/is leaving. All I know is that Barbara "I can't close my eyes because my facelift won't let me" Walters is quoted as saying that audience surveys didn't like the fact that Star Jones lost weight.

I call INFINITE BULLSHIT on that. Totally.

It reminds me when Suzanne Somers and Joyce DeWitt got their panties all in a bunch when my Mom started getting lots of fan mail and ganged up on her. I was nine at the time, but I remember Mom being upset about it.

It's all the same thing. Catty bitches ganging up. Schoolyard bullshit in a grownup world. And it's downright pitiful.

If people ARE outing Star Jones because she was thinner - they should really, really be ashamed of themselves. Really.

Song of the Day: Cal Tjader - Soul Sauce

Photo: www.GalleryM.com

Cal Tjader - Soul Sauce
from the album Soul Sauce
there's also a great remix of it on The Complete Verve Remixed

Asteroids Cuttin' It Close

photo: www.space-graphics.com

Looks like yet another lil' chunk of rock (oh, only about a half-mile in diameter) will be making an appearance late Sunday night/early Monday morning of July 2nd/3rd...and it will be coming "uncomfortably close" to our little planet.

According to Joe Rao at Space.com, there are 1,989 asteroids classified as Apollos, which have have earth-crossing orbits. Of those, there are 783 that are considered to be "Potentially Hazardous Asteroids" due to their size and close-proximity to Earth.

I find it funny, in a very Hollywood kind of way, that this large asteroid, which scientists had apparently at one point feared might actually collide with our planet later on in the century, is passing through our planetary zip code around the 4th of July. Because you know, if this was a movie (doesn't life often imitate art?) the whole world would have to bad together to try to come up with a solution to avoid the mass destruction that would probably send us the way of the dinosaurs - and the fact that it would be around Independence Day would mean that Will Smith, Tom Cruise, and (substitute another action actor here) would have to save us in time for the fireworks at night.

I also find it interesting that they really don't let us know about any of this shit until right before it happens. I appreciate that, considering that I'm anxious enough about old-fashioned terestrial things right now without having to sweat out how big the crater in my back yard might be for several months beforehand.

Song of the Day: Dr. John - Right Place, Wrong Time

Dr. John - Right Place, Wrong Time
from the album In The Right Place

Dig the trippy artwork on the album cover. I got to see him live at the Helena Blues Festival in Helena, AR in the early-mid 90's. He was incredible.

Technology Slowin' Me Down...

I was eternally stoked that several people had been checking my site today - but that joy was replaced by horror when I realized that the little outbound link tracker thingie, MyBlogLog, that I had thought was so cool was actually preventing people from getting onto my site today (as of, say, I dunno, four hours ago?).

I found it on another cool blog, and it is a neat little blogging tool: it highlights the most clicked links on your page and ranks them in order of popularity. It's just another set of bells and whistles, but hey, since I'm a kid anyway, bells and whistles really do it for me, ya know?

However, I didn't realize that someone has to go through their server before they can actually hit Blogger's server - and therein lies the Apocolypse Now horror of finding out that what you thought was groovy is actually detrimental to your site. If you decide to sign up with something fun and technologically groovy, be sure those bastards have plenty of bandwidth.

Once I realized what was up, I removed that code faster than you can say "Mimosas During Sunday Brunch".

It's not to say that I won't use it again, because it is visually cool, but the whole point is that people can get onto my site, not have it look like a fucking carnival when they get there.

My end point? Back to business as usual, sorry the site was MIA for a few hours. I'm learning, I swear.

Age of Birth Mother Effects How Long the Child Lives? WTF?

I find this very disturbing.

According to two researchers from the University of Chicago's Center on Aging, if a woman has a child before the age of 25, the odds that her child will live to 100 - or at least, longer - double. In other words, the age that a mother has her child can have a dramatic impact on how long that child will live.

What about all the old farts like myself somewhere in their 30's who want a child but haven't found the right guy yet? Or who really aren't economically stable enough to have one on her own?

What kind of implications does this have?

I am in that weird ether space between thinking that all the health statistics that say that women who don't have kids by 33 are screwed health-wise are more feeding into the patriarchal, Stepford Wives wannabe society that we live in...and really being worried about it. My gyno says that I do have something to be worried about...

And now this. So, because I didn't bite the bullet and have a child with either one of two very EX ex-husbands, or some random boinkable guy, I will be the cause of my child kicking the bucket/having downs syndrome/being a sociopath early if I end up having him/her later in life? And I'll probably get breast/cervical/uterine cancer?

Thanks. I feel so much better now that I know the full scoop.

Gay Male Porn, Baseball, and My Mom

I was checking out some gay male porn tonight on a blogsite - by chance. It was actually very entertaining...

Before you laugh - you might laugh even harder if you find out how I came across this interesting porn/erotica/political site...I was doing a search for my Mom, Ann Wedgeworth, and this chap had written a post in April about films chosen by the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a series focusing on Baseball being a "metaphor for American Culture" - and the subsequent article on it in the New York Times.

He mentioned a list of excellent films that didn't get mentioned in said article, one of them being Bang the Drum Slowly starring Robert DeNiro, Michael Moriarity, and my Mom. Mother played Bobby DeNiro's girlfriend Katie in that film.

I'm always thrilled to see when someone mentions my mother (I was even thrilled to see her mentioned as a Hot Slut on the site D-Listed, and she giggled, of course) in either a favorable way or at least gives her credit for projects she's worked on.



So, anyway, I stayed on the site a little longer and found some rather interesting pictures to say the least, for the main focus of this site is gay male erotic/porn pics, info and commentary. Wow. It was well worth the trip - I really hadn't seen anything like that in a while (I'm a little out of the loop). Funny how either gay male porn or lesbian porn are the only pics/vids where the people are actually hot?

Straight porn pics usually have a hot chick, but the guy looks like he just survived a trip down Junky Lane, just to get hit by a bus and run over by a cement truck afterwards, followed by a case of herpes. Ick. And they're never into it. They're mugging for the camera and trying to not look at each other because they're as grossed out as we are.

Check out Naked Came I for a trip on the interesting, opinionated, gay adult wild side, if you are so inclined.
IT DOES HAVE LOTS OF ADULT PHOTOS - SO DON'T GIVE ME ANY SHIT, BECAUSE YOU WERE INFORMED OF SUCH, AND IT JUST MEANS YOU'RE AS INTERESTED AS I AM IF YOU CLICK THE ABOVE LINK.

Song of the Day: Southern Culture on the Skids - Camel Walk

Southern Culture on the Skids - Camel Walk
from the album Dirt Track Date

Song of the Day: The Police - Hole in My Life

The Police - Hole in My Life
from the album Outlandos d'Amour

What kept me going through all my teenage angst...and what keeps me going through some adult angst as well.

If You Dig Poetry...

...And are willing to take a chance, please look over yonder on the right under "Shameless Self-Promotion" and there you will see a link for "The Billychic Files: Poetry n' Such".

If you'd be interested in reading some of my poetry, I'll buy you a stick of bubblegum.

I promise.

As a whole it's a pretty decent collection. It's only been written over the past three or four years. I have a bunch of other stuff that I used to do about 12 years ago at poetry readings in St. Louis and other places, and I suppose I need to add that as well...Some of the stuff is posted in the archives over at my MySpace blog.

Anyhoo, get a gander, and I'll buy you a stick of gum. Or a beer. Or your very own piñata party complete with adult party favors and naked twister.

Dammit, just get in there.

Separation Anxiety

In about one week, it will be two years that I have been separated from my husband.

Our divorce papers are in the works, but it's such an odd thing; it really doesn't seem like it's been that long at all. I'm very much used to him not being here (and relieved - no offense to him, the apartment is small) and I've gotten used to him really not being in my life. It's not by choice really - or is it?

He has a serious girlfriend now, with whom he has been with since last summer. But I suppose I was putting a wedge there even earlier; not that I didn't want to be friends with him - I very much wanted to try to remain friends. But I was afraid that if we were too close after his moving out, that we would fall back into the familiarity - and into the marriage again, and I knew that that wasn't going to work. We couldn't live together anymore and there was no doubt in my mind that although I loved him dearly, I couldn't remain married to him.

I think we were really good friends. It's really kind of sad that we have grown so far apart. I still maintain his website, but I suppose that will come to a halt at some point soon. Many of my friends think I should stop doing it now, but it would be such a hassle, since I have it set up under my name, etc. We see each other about once a month - but it's really only when we need to discuss financial issues. We never hang out anymore.

Well, considering that when we do and we start taking a trip down memory lane I start to cry, no wonder. Poor guy, he can't hang out without my turning on the waterworks.

It's not so much that I miss being with him - I can honestly say that I don't. I no longer have to apologize for my pets nor my taste in horror flicks; I can lounge in my home without having to listen to Bob Dylan (no offense to BD fans, I love the guy but after 4 1/2 years of being forced to listen to almost nothing but Bob, I can say that I don't miss him much more than the ex-hubby) and I can watch all "non-artiste" movies I want (i.e. any sci-fi/horror/suspense/anime) without being made fun of for my bourgeois tastes.

Hey, if I want to sit around chugging PBR in my underwear watching Matrix or LOTR - all three movies of each - followed by reading a yummy vampire novel, I'm gonna do it, capiche?

I found an interesting website, WomansDivorce.com that had an interesting section on moving on after the divorce. I recommend that you check it out if you find that you're feeling bummed, rather out of sorts, lost in sentimental melancholy as you stumble across pictures, or generally feel a bit freaked out -- er, like me as of late.

I think perhaps I started feeling a bit weird once the papers were in order, signed, and the lawyer sent them off - but then again, I knew that we were never going to turn back anyway, so I don't know why it's effecting me like this. My first marriage was such an "get in, get out, nobody gets hurt" kind of thing (well, except my Dad - he was the one who paid 30 grand on a reception), that I didn't realize that this marriage had been the real deal - and that's why it hurts so much.

But c'mon: my first husband was a small, furry little man whose dreams never exceeded how to repair his Mazda RX7. Considering that I was married to a hobbit (although he was an excellent pool shark and kayaker) it's not hard to see that that marriage lasted only 10 months.

Yeah, I'm a fuckup.

Song of the Day: Johnny Pisano - Sam's Song

Johnny Pisano - Sam's Song
from the album Johnny Pie

Check out his website at MySpace: www.myspace.com/johnnypisano

Sam's song was written for his 16-year-old niece on her birthday.

I went to see the The Niagaras the other night with Rosie, and this cat was just going nuts on the bass. Nuts. And he was also incredibly hot. Absolutely adorable. It was awesome.

And it gets better...

He was having so much fun! The whole band was having a blast, and were incredible (I think I hear the strains of another Song of the Day on the horizon) but Johnny was like this imp on the bass, his hands grooving out all over the place, a big grin on his face like a kid at christmas.

Later, talking to him he mentioned his site...and upon inspection, I found the Mssr. Pisano has played/sang with everyone from Ryan Adams and Bruce Springsteen to Marky Ramone and Jesse Malin.

Check him out. It's worth it.



Check out some pictures that I took on Rosie's camera from the show at Aspie Goddess.

I Did It! I Finally Got An Ipod.

A sweet, sexy black 30 gig Ipod, suitable for grooving and taking to the gym - which is my new thing; I've gained...uh...let's just say "quite a few" pounds and need some kind of motivation to cart my rotundness into the local YMCA for a few rounds on the treadmill.

I figured what better way to force myself to go, than to motivate...with a new sound system. It sounded like a good idea at the time. Basically, I'm $350 bucks in the hole and have one more thing that will cause me to flip out if it gets scratched, dropped or lost.

It is super sweet, though, and since I'm both a music nut and a tech geek, the fact that I didn't have one yet is almost embarassing. However, when you work for a bookseller company as your Clark Kent gig, it's not like you're rolling in the bucks. I made do with a cd player for a while...but ya know what? I'm done. I decided to join the rest of you in the 21st century.

The only problem I had was with the cat who sold it to me.

I made a special trip up to the store on 5th avenue, my first trip there since Megan and I went to the opening. I was almost grinning like a kid at Christmas as I entered the store and made my way down the spiral staircase, eager to hold the wee yet powerful piece of sexy machinery in my hand.

The store was packed, and it took me several minutes to find a free sales associate (even though there are more in that store than stormtroopers in all three original Star Wars movies, it seems) after I played with a display unit and made my decision. I wanted to get help instead of just going to the counter, because this was a rather important and large purchase for me, and I wanted to talk to someone who could help me get the right accesories and answer questions.

Well, I found someone, but he really was not the person I should have talked to. I swear, this guy could have cared less if I bought it or not, if I was happy or not, if I purchased accessories or simply flipped him the bird on the way out the door. He was smiling and talking to this other guy over my shoulder the whole time I was trying to get information, and he didn't offer any explanations for anything or suggest any products or accessories that could make the first-time-Ipod-buyer a happy person. I tell you, if I was a total PC person I would have thrown up my hands in disgust and agreed that the "Mac Snob" theory was completely justifiable.

Hey, I've worked in retail - for several years. Some days you are tired and just don't give a rat's ass. But I was being a nice person, I was going to buy, and I just needed a little help. Also, what I found to be almost funny (it would be funny, except it was happening to me) is that the night this store opened, you had to nearly shove the salespeople off of you - they were almost too polite and helpful. I had just wanted a t-shirt, really. Now, a month later, and they shuffle around like a bunch of bitter old tired drag queens at an all-night review.

Christ, how anti-climactic. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love this little over-blown flash drive, and I think we shall have a loving cyber/musical relationship. I just wish that as I parted with $350 I could have gotten kissed before I got fucked.

Song of the Day: Robert Palmer - You Really Got Me

Robert Palmer - You Really Got Me
from the album Double Fun

This is a great, slow, sexy version of the fabulous song originally written by Ray Davies and released by The Kinks in 1964. I love the way the Kinks do it, but I actually dig Palmer's version better.

Happy Father's Day, Dad.

From the book The New Generation of Acting Teachers

With yours truly

With Robert Duvall

I just can't stay out of the pictures, can I?

Hamming it up during acting class

Teaching acting class in the 70's w/ student Natassja Kinski

My pop is handsome.

With Mom in Woodstock

With Harvey Keitel

I love you so, so much.

Please check out my father's website: The Ernie Martin Studio Theatre

Song of the Day: Lenny Kravitz - What Goes Around Comes Around

Lenny Kravitz - What Comes Around Goes Around
from the album Mama Said

Calvin Levels As James Baldwin - James Baldwin: Down From the Mountaintop

Today I had the opportunity to see Calvin Levels again after at least 15 years. Calvin studied acting with my father in the 70's and 80's - and perhaps the 90's? I'm not sure. He also starred in Open Admissions on broadway and was nominated for a Tony Award, among many other acting credits on both coasts.

I remember him as a wee spud - and today I was able to see him do a portion of his one-man show about James Baldwin - James Baldwin: Down From the Mountaintop that he wrote and stars in, and tours throughout the country.

Of course, I showed up at acting class 15 minutes late, thinking that they would start off with relaxation and sensory, and I would just be a little late. I was wrong; they had started with a section of Calvin's piece, and I had to listen through the door and wait until he was finished before I could enter, lest I interrupt.

Calvin flew in today to be interviewed for the documentary/pilot that we are filming about Dad and his acting class (I say "we" although I am simply helping and Associate Producing at best). After the interview Calvin sat in on class and worked - doing his piece. There was a pause in the perfomance (because that's what it was, regardless of whether or not Daddy was critiquing it) and I went in and got to see a section of it.

Calvin was brilliant. It is a fascinating fictional piece based on fact, narrated by Baldwin's spirit as he discusses his life, having embodied a playwright/actor (Calvin) - and in doing so "...sets the record straight." (website)
Calvin tours this throughout the country, at universities, and has been praised by the Advocate, the L.A. Times, L.A. Weekly, and a myriad of professors of Black History and authorities on the life of Baldwin.

I think what made me thrilled as well was that Calvin got to see me do a scene today - and he seemed to enjoy it; and I'm sure it was interesting to see me work, since the last time he saw me I was but a wee lassie. I was so happy to be able to share my work with him...someone who I had always remembered as a great, working actor.

I look forward to when Calvin brings his show back to New York - I'll be there. Check out the website, it's fascinating.

Song of the Day: Beck - Sissyneck

Beck - Sissyneck
from the album Odelay!

I've always dug this song so much...it's just got balls, ya know?

Song of the Day: Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Shamas-Ud-Doha, Badar-Ud-Doja

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan - Shamas-Ud-Doha, Badar-Ud-Doja
from the album Shahen-Shah

Shakespeare in the Park - Macbeth Does Central Park

They're doing MACBETH this summer in Central Park for the Shakespeare in the Park run that they have every year. How exciting! I'm a nut for the Bard, having taken more Shakespeare classes than I should have in college (hey, I WAS an English major after all, although my bastardization of the English language, grammar, and spelling would never let on that I had been) and having studied acting and directing for a summer in London.

Here is the info:

MACBETH
Written by William Shakespeare
Directed by Moisés Kaufman

June 14 - July 9, 2006
Tuesday through Sunday
All shows at 8:30pm!
No performance July 4, added performance July 3.
Click here for a performance schedule.

All I know is that Liev Schreiber is in it, and he's on my "I would sincerely like to pound you into next week" list. That combined with the fact that it's one of my favorite Shakespeare plays (the other being Hamlet), will most likely insure that MY ass will be in a seat for a performance. I suggest you do the same.

And now for an amusing story:

When I was in college and spent a month in London over the summer to study acting and directing through the Globe theatre (they were in the process of reconstructing it and had a whole program), we were doing scenes from Macbeth.
Now one superstition that is known amongst theatre actor lore is that when working on Macbeth, you never say the name "Macbeth"; you say "The Scottish Play". Where that came from, I'm not sure, I have to do a little more research and will add it later to this; if you know, please comment and enlighten my ass. All I know is that it supposed bad luck to mention the real name of the play on the set if you're working on it; it may be if you're working on any play and happen to be on the stage.

Well, my friend Josh and I were on set going over some things and he said THE WORD. He laughed it off, as we all did (although the rest of us were reluctant to say the "M" word") and he said it again, jokingly.

The next day, while on set I believe, he broke his arm, and was in a sling for the rest of our stay at Butler's Wharf. Needless to say, he NEVER said that word again.


Thanks to Ken for the update! :)

Song of the Day: Curtis Mayfield - Mighty Mighty (Spade and Whitey)

Curtis Mayfield - Mighty Mighty (Spade and Whitey)
from the album Curtis Live!

Song of the Day: Joe Cocker - Feelin' Alright

Joe Cocker - Feelin' Alright
from Mad Dogs and Englishmen

Newstex Showcases Regional Blogs in Press Release

Newstex, which has added Blogs on Demand to its very popular News on Demand, recently sent out a press release showcasing regional blogs that they are now licensing for feed. One thing that makes Newstex so different from other companies is that they include the entire text of the postings as well as a hyperlink to the site; they package the feed of blogs to clients after they have added name and keyword tickers to make it searchable; and they offer the bloggers 30% of whatever is made plus insane amounts of exposure to closed environments throughout the world, such as Wall Street companies, educational institutions, entertainment venues, and government organizations.

Pretty sweet.

A few bloggers listed in the Newstex press release, which was focusing on regional-based blogs, included some of my favorite bloggers, such as YAL and Coyote Gulch. Though not mentioned in the press release, probably because his blog is not focused so much on regional matters but on secular ones, Non-Prophet is also licensed by Newstex. You can find him highlighted on their site. Other great sites that are licensed but not on this particular PR groove are Defamer (and we all know I love Mark Lisanti), Gawker, Wonkette,Gizmodo (well, pretty much all of the Gawker Media blogs) and the Corante web hub which includes the blogging/web 2.0 rockstar Emily Chang.

Again, pretty sweet.

More versions of this press release about Newstex and licensed regional blogs can be seen below.

Yahoo Biz & Finance

Shore.com serving up Businesswire's link

Morningstar

Hartford dBusiness News

Blogger Acting Up?

Is it just me, or is anyone else having problems with Blogger lately - like, say, the last three days?

I'm also having a lot of pictures that are uploading weird. I think although it's easy to use their pic upload, I may have to go back to uploading from my website server or from Flickr, because I really don't need pics to go blank on here...

A Lil' Apology for Mistakes As of Late

I've been trying a new schedule in an attempt to fit in more blogging with my two jobs, theatre company, pseudo acting life, and the insanity that is my existence. In doing so, I've started getting up earlier and making writing/blogging my first thing in the day, in the hopes that I will be sure to get a post in on here as well as Ornery Woman, and maybe even over at MySpace.

Before I've even had my coffee. Or walked the dog.

In doing so, some of my latest posts have been written or html-coded while I've still been clearing the sleep out of my eyes, and as a result, there have been some misspellings (um, three s's in that?), shitty html code that leads to bad links (because of COURSE I try to do my own code so that I can feel like the supreme Billychic), and some basic incoherent babbling bullshit when I think I'm actually going off on an intelligent diatribe.

So, I apologize. I promise to have coffee BEFORE I get online, to avoid embarassing myself any further.

Ahem.

Song of the Day: Funkadelic - Red Hot Mama

Funkadelic - Red Hot Mama
from the album Standing on the Verge of Getting It On

Don't know if I have made it clear, but these Song of the Days are mp3s. Download and enjoy.

Alien Water? Isn't That the Name of a Stiff Drink?

While reading Non-Prophet today, I saw he posted an article from Popular Science that was intriguing, to say the least.

Apparently, a physicist working in India may have found the closest thing to aliens that we've had proof of (well, if you ignore zillions of sightings, all the info about Area 51, and well...you get the idea): reddish rainwater that seems to contain microbes from outer space. These microbes seem to be able to replicate themselves - but they don't have DNA, which is what is required to do that in life as WE know it here on lil' ol' planet earth.

Yeah, sightings and Area 51 aren't proof, but I think we all know that something outside our planet has knocked on our door, you know? There are just too many people, even folks inside the government, who have experienced something. Even when you eliminate the nutjobs, attention whores, wanna-be filmmakers and practical jokers, you still have a whole lotta folks who are like "Um, I saw the damn thing."

Back to our stiff alien cocktail. It's interesting, scary, and groovy, all at the same time. They're going to conduct more tests to prove it really does/doesn't have DNA...and once they do, if it IS found to be something we can't explain that isn't from our planetary zip code, you can be sure that the government or whomever powers that be will no doubt step in and hush the whole damn thing up.

Dammit.

Song of the Day - Taj Mahal: Leaving Trunk

Taj Mahal - Leaving Trunk

One album you can find it on is : In Progress & In Motion (1965-1998)

Beer for Bags: Crumpler Bags New York

Sangrante just shared this freaky, hilarious site with me a few moments ago: Crumpler Bags - Beer for Bags!, which is a promotion that Crumpler Bags is doing...

You spin a wheel, find out what kind of beer you have to buy a case of and what you'll get for free, lug it to their store, and drink with the staff! June 3rd - 11th. You can get all kinds of cool stuff. I just spun the wheel and if I bring a case of Sapporo and a bottle of soy sauce, I'll get a free SEXY laptop bag. And I'll get to drink.

Fucking genius!

You also have to dig the bizarre banjo psychotic mumbling music they have in the background - in a way it's also fucking genius...in a hillbilly lunatic kind of way.


UPDATE:
You have to check out their regular website: Crumpler Bags - the flash is great, the site is so cool, the merchandise is sexy and the music is amazing. Freaky, man.

Song of the Day: Frank Zappa - Willie the Pimp

Willie the Pimp by Frank Zappa

From the album Hot Rats



This is something that I used to do (and would still do if I had the time) at MySpace - list a Song of the Day, with either a link or a little player. I used to be a DJ for four years in St. Louis, MO, in college. My show was reasonably good, and they asked me to stay on after I graduated. The show was called Voodoo Jive: Music to Funk To (hence, the name of my blog) and it was a mixture of my favorite music - blues, jazz, soul, funk.
I honestly love all kinds of music, and would often pick tunes that one person might say, "Well wait a minute, Cowgirl, that's really classic rock - not one of those other genres," whereupon I would reply "Hold on there, fartknocker - if that guitar rift in Zeppelin's You Shook Me isn't bluesy, I don't know what is." Hell, rock was influenced and based on Blues. Especially cats like Zeppelin and the Stones. Not that one would know that listening to 70% of the music out there today - but that is for another rant, one when I like listening to myself sound like a patronizing bastard.

Anyhow, if I find the time, I will try to post a Song of the Day, on here and on Ornery Woman, and switch them up.

I decided to go with a link instead of a little player; that way the page doesn't take forever to load. Enjoy! If there are some bands or tunes you'd like to hear, let me know. Otherwise I will simply play DJ and you are at my mercy...but I have to admit, folks seem to dig my taste.

Let me know what you think.