Month: September 2009

From the Rock Hall 25 website

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Special Guests Added!

There are a few special guests we have just released who will be joining the artists already announced. James Taylor, Jerry Lee Lewis, Jackson Browne, Bonnie Raitt, Little Richard, Jeff Beck and Sting are few of the amazing artists who will be joining us these nights. More will be announced in the future.
Who would you like to see them play with?

Ummmm, James Taylor and Paul Simon, y/n?? Not only because he always comes up on my Paul Simon playlist, but also because of this (Myspace was literally the only place I could find this video). Haha Paul Simon looks like a little kid! It’s weird to hear him doing the upper harmonies. Too bad it cuts out at the last(?) song.

I am also excited for Jackson Browne because I absolutely love The Pretender, excited for Bonnie Raitt because I know my parents like her, and excited for Little Richard because it’s LITTLE RICHARD. Hahaha I mean, I dunno if they’ll be at the Thursday or Friday show, but either way, they’re all awesome. 30 DAYS!!

edit: Oh nevermind, the website lists who’ll be playing with who. James Taylor, Bonnie Raitt, and Jackson Browne are performing with CS&N. AMAZING! Also on the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame website, there are individual pages for each of the performing artists. On the S&G page, it describes them as a “meticulous, bookish duo” and then goes on to say that after their breakup in 1970, “both men entered the new decade as solo artists. Garfunkel tended toward adult-oriented pop, while Simon wrote and recorded wry, angst-filled songs spiced with ethnic accents.” I think that is a hilarious description, but a true one, haha.

Old LA pics

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Been looking at this website…lots of great old pics from campus! This one is dated May 19, 1970:


LISTENING TO THE MUSIC OF PEACE–Throng of UCLA students in Royce Hall Quad as Los Angeles Philharmonic director Zubin Mehta, on podium at the lower right, conducts university’s music department in performance of peace music from Handel’s “Messiah.” About 5,000 students, faculty members were on hand.

Why doesn’t this kind of stuff happen anymore?? Here are some more:


AT WESTWOOD — President Robert Gordon Sproul of the University of California is shown addressing U.C.L.A. students yesterday at which time he warned that Communist propaganda is invading local college campuses. 1947.


WOE IS ME!-The parking problem at UCLA is illustrated by Mary Ann Harmon’s frustration, above. The Pasadena girl, a business major, is looking for her car in one of UCLA’s packed parking lots. 1961. [psh, they thought it was bad THEN…]


NEW LOCATION–Youthful salesmen who wave frantically at passing motorists to spur sales of maps showing the homes of movie stars have been forced to get out of Los Angeles. But they have located just outside city limits on Sunset Blvd. 1973. [Star maps are still abundant in the outskirts of Hollywood along Sunset Blvd, though now it’s sketchy looking men who are selling them – maybe it’s just the same kids grown up, hahah.]


Cityscape of pedestrians, car traffic and buildings on fifth street, downtown Los Angeles, Calif. circa 1920.

You can disregard whatever I said a year ago about living in the midwest. I like it out there and all, but I LOVE THE CITY. There’s just so much to do…so much excitement. I think a lot of this has to do with finally being able to fully explore LA this summer. I had so much fun going to places like the Hollywood Bowl, Venice Beach, the mountains in Malibu, cruising down Sunset and Wilshire and stopping at random places ranging from cemeteries to art galleries. There are endless possibilities here in LA, and though it’s going to be a bit more of a challenge without a car, I’m going to continue my city adventures while I still can!

you are forgiiiiiiiiven

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I watched Amazing Journey tonight, and it was exactly that: AMAAAAZING. It covers the entire career of The Who, from their childhood to 2007 (1973-1974 era Who is my favorite). I also went on The Who website and read that Pete’s writing a new rock opera…Floss?? Not so sure about the title, Pete, but I trust that you will make it cool.

The following video – much like my experience with AHDN and The Beatles – is what made me first fall in love with The Who. Not sure what did it…John’s falsetto at the end? Pete’s sequined vest? Keith’s crazy antics or Roger’s fringe?…or maybe just the whole late-60s vibe that made all of those things ok. Previously, it was rare for a pop song to exceed 3 or 4 minutes. But Pete decided that he didn’t care and wrote a 7-minute rock opera and THAT is why I love him. YAY for bands that are innovative!

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xhwie_the-who-a-quick-one_music

check, check, sibilance, sibilance

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The Internet holds so many great and hilarious things that I can’t possibly make a coherent entry right now. Best discoveries of the day:

Hot ‘N Cold – played by a Ukranian Polka Band. EVEN BETTER than it sounds; do yourself a favor and click it.

Aerosmith on Wayne’s World – also featuring Tom Hanks as their roadie. So much greatness in one video!

The Ballad Of Buster Baxter – If you ever wanted to see Art Garfunkel as an animated, guitar-playing moose, now’s your chance. Lauren and I watched the whole episode and I honestly laughed so hard I cried. SAD, SAD BUNNY.

fool’s gold

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My most recent Netflix movie was The Gold Rush (Disc 2, to be exact). It’s the only Charlie Chaplin film I hadn’t seen and I’m not sure why; a lot of people say it’s their favorite.


.

Awwwwww. I loved it! There are two versions of the film, one is the original 1925 silent movie, and the other is the re-released 1942 version, with Charlie’s own score and narration. Even though his music is a hundred times better than the original, everyone seems to hate the narration. I’ve only watched part of it and I have to agree. Nothing against Charlie’s cute, often-melodramatic English accent, but it’s not a silent movie when there’s talking!! Besides, the “capslock rage” title cards were one of my favorite parts of the original, haha.

Another interesting tidbit: the ending was altered in the 1942 version. Below is the original, where Charlie kisses the leading lady Georgia Hale. Apparently there was a lot of drama between the two of them in real life, and he later omitted the scene out of spite and/or embarrassment.

Anyway, point of this post: if you ever watch The Gold Rush, watch the SILENT version. It’s way better. The end.

Liverpool/Hamburg picspam!

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WOOOOOOOO let’s just call this Beatles Week and now I have the perfect excuse to post countless entries about the Fab Four. Today’s tribute: Pre-Fab-Beatles! Nothing against Brian Epstein (major Brian-post coming up sometime in the near future), but I loved the Beatles’ look before he found them and “cleaned them up.” MMMMMMM LEATHER:




This was all pre-Ringo, although Ringo was in a band of his own called Rory Storm and the Hurricanes…

…who were a little more clean-cut:

…Meanwhile:



Haha, John is totally deploying star power in that pic. I can’t believe they’re only like 18 in these photos. By the time they were my age the Beatles had taken over the world AHHHHHHH.

09.09.09

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As some of you may be aware, today I went to go see Conan and it was awwwwesome. Katie, Olivia, Brett, and I were in the audience on tonight’s show, which is on RIGHT. NOW. I got the tickets way in advance, so we had no idea who’d be there…turned out to be Tom Arnold, Tim Meadows, and Reba McEntire, haha. That was cool and all, but if only we’d ended up on yesterday’s show, featuring DHANI HARRISON. He came on the show to promote the new Beatles Rock Band and the remastered albums collection. He and Conan even played a song on the game.

Haha Dhani is having too much fun. :) Every time I see/hear him, I can’t help but imagine it’s George. Katie and I were talking about how amazingly awesome it’d be if the Beatles’ sons got together to form The Beatles, Jr….it’s totally possible:

The Lennon sons, Sean and Julian:


James McCartney:

Zak Starkey:

And of course, Dhani:

It would blow my mind. In a good way, of course. WHY HASN’T THIS HAPPENED YET?!?

pic of the day

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Fwoah. I just died a little bit:


John, why are you in long sleeves and a vest when CLEARLY the point of this picture is for all the fangirls to swoon over the shirtless Beatles?! And who is that random person sunbathing in the background?

Tomorrow is 9.9.09, quite possibly the most epic date of the year. At least for a Beatles fan. I was going to make an equally epic post, but got sidetracked and a little stressed from other matters. :\ No worries though, be on the lookout for some awesome Beatleness within the next few days!