BASEBALL
Why is baseball my favorite sport? What makes it not boring to me while it seems to be so boring to so many others? Baseball is like chess.....all the action happens between the moves. The move is the result of all the thinking and all the strategizing. I find it fascinating when in attendance at a major league game, college game...even a little league game to watch all the nuisances that take place on the field.....every fielder having to think of what might happen next, every catcher and pitcher holding a silent conversation in order to decide the type and location of the next pitch.....every batter thinking through his options now that the count has changed. Baseball is boring if you're only going to pay attention when the ball is put into play. Baseball is interesting if you're staring at the second basemen in between pitches to see if he is signaling the shortstop, pitcher, or catcher that there is a pick off attempt coming at second base. It's a quiet sport in that sense. This game is played primarily with silent communication and I think for those who like silence there is a lot there to enjoy.
THE ELEPHANT MAN
Absolutely no relation or transition this time. It's free flow people...deal with it. OK...I know, I know..it's a depressing movie but man oh man...Anthony Hopkins in his younger days, plus the film being shot in black and white and the remarkable John Hurt as the Elephant Man. For some reason, every time I find this film on TV I have to stop and watch it. It puts me in a trance. It places you in a time and location and sets rather uncomfortable, often somber but and at times hopeful tone. The film received 8 Academy Award nominations in the year it was released.....why Hopkins didn't receive a supporting actor nomination I don't know. So, perhaps on a rainy, depressing day, when you're not feeling so good about your own life I would recommend looking at what John Merrick had to go through in his own life.
HERE IS MY RAP
My rap is that I like rap and always have. I think there are two reasons for this. The first reason is that the music itself uses rhythm as the number one musical element as part of the compositional structure (sounds serious huh?). This is in contradiction to most western arts music that relies heavily upon melodic and harmonic material in order to form the important basis of the work. The other reason is that the lyrics play a much more significant role in rap than they do in most other popular music. You can disagree with me all you want but if the lyrics mean nothing, the piece of rap music is not going to make it. That is quite different from other popular music. In many pieces of pop music, a riff, a guitar sound, an overall sonic appeal is what catches the listeners attention. Very often we can't even hear the lyrics or tell what the hell the singer is saying. I will say that there is plenty of pop music I like as well, but I am one that does respond to a good rhythmic groove and words that have meaning.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
My gripe is against anyone who ever utters the statement "well....rap isn't music". These people are often unable to give an adequate definition of the word "music". I admit, it's a tough one but if you're going to rule it out as music based on lack of melody or harmony you'll have to also rule out most tribal drumming that comes out of Africa and also that wonderful cadence that the local marching band drum line is playing while marching down the street. Enough said.
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Saturday, March 14, 2009
Thursday, March 12, 2009
ME BEING ENTIRELY NON-INTERSTING
DYING ON THE JOB
I guess maybe I'm the only person that finds beyond amazing that only one person in the entire history of major league baseball has died during the course of a game of from injuries resulting from something that happens in a game. Consider that helmets were not even worn until the middle 20th century. Now take into account that multiple batters get hit in the head with 90-100 mile per hour pitches and are protected by helmets right now. Probably just me, but I'm thinking that getting hit in the head by a 90 mile an hour pitch hurts or knocks you silly for a while. Geez....I mean, I was knocked out cold in grade school by a ball thrown about 40 miles per hour. I feel bad and a bit confused that Ray Chapman was the only man every hit by a pitch in the head and later died due to that injury. I think someone should do a dissertation on the history of head injuries in major league baseball. That's my idea of excitement.
DYING ON THE MOVIE SET
Bruce Lee......Brandon Lee........and the 1983 Twilight Zone movie....all a bit bizarre and tragic and if people had been even a little more careful such tragedies could be avoided. I know.....not that interesting, but you really don't expect to go work on the movie set and not come home.
DYING ON THE CONDUCTING PODIUM
Just as poor Ray Chapman was able to walk off the field in the baseball game which would ultimately be his last, Jean Baptiste Lully was able to leave the orchestra hall the night that he stabbed himself in the foot with a conducting mace while beating time as the conductor or leader in a undoubtedly fabulous musical performance. The result of stabbing himself in the foot was gangrene which Lully refused to have looked at. This would eventually lead to his death. There have been others, like Guiseppe Sinopoli who died in the middle of conducting a performance of Aida. They say if you gotta go, go doing something that you love. I love sleeping. That would work for me.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
My gripe of the day is this - I'm as big a baseball fan as anyone...and son loves baseball too. I live 15 minutes from Dodger Stadium. The minimum price for a ticket for the World Baseball Classic is 150 bucks. We can't go. So....I don't really know what I'm griping about....either it's that I'm not rich or they should have written test of baseball knowledge and baseball enthusiasm to determine who should really be allowed in the stadium for such huge events. Sorry for boring you all with my baseball banter but it's one of my passions and that's why this very very boring blog got started.
I guess maybe I'm the only person that finds beyond amazing that only one person in the entire history of major league baseball has died during the course of a game of from injuries resulting from something that happens in a game. Consider that helmets were not even worn until the middle 20th century. Now take into account that multiple batters get hit in the head with 90-100 mile per hour pitches and are protected by helmets right now. Probably just me, but I'm thinking that getting hit in the head by a 90 mile an hour pitch hurts or knocks you silly for a while. Geez....I mean, I was knocked out cold in grade school by a ball thrown about 40 miles per hour. I feel bad and a bit confused that Ray Chapman was the only man every hit by a pitch in the head and later died due to that injury. I think someone should do a dissertation on the history of head injuries in major league baseball. That's my idea of excitement.
DYING ON THE MOVIE SET
Bruce Lee......Brandon Lee........and the 1983 Twilight Zone movie....all a bit bizarre and tragic and if people had been even a little more careful such tragedies could be avoided. I know.....not that interesting, but you really don't expect to go work on the movie set and not come home.
DYING ON THE CONDUCTING PODIUM
Just as poor Ray Chapman was able to walk off the field in the baseball game which would ultimately be his last, Jean Baptiste Lully was able to leave the orchestra hall the night that he stabbed himself in the foot with a conducting mace while beating time as the conductor or leader in a undoubtedly fabulous musical performance. The result of stabbing himself in the foot was gangrene which Lully refused to have looked at. This would eventually lead to his death. There have been others, like Guiseppe Sinopoli who died in the middle of conducting a performance of Aida. They say if you gotta go, go doing something that you love. I love sleeping. That would work for me.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
My gripe of the day is this - I'm as big a baseball fan as anyone...and son loves baseball too. I live 15 minutes from Dodger Stadium. The minimum price for a ticket for the World Baseball Classic is 150 bucks. We can't go. So....I don't really know what I'm griping about....either it's that I'm not rich or they should have written test of baseball knowledge and baseball enthusiasm to determine who should really be allowed in the stadium for such huge events. Sorry for boring you all with my baseball banter but it's one of my passions and that's why this very very boring blog got started.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
Sports/Movie/Music: FOOTBALL/FOOTBALL/FOOTBALL
IT MUST SUCK TO BE AN AUBURN TIGER
I write this with first hand knowledge of what it's like to be an Auburn Tiger. You see, I worked at beautiful Auburn University for 3 years. I was an integral part of the athletic program, working with the marching band and basketball pep bands for both men and women's games. But please people....can we ever get to a point where football is not the only thing that matters in life? I want to make this short - it's not really about football - it's about human relations. Take a minute and look up the name "Tommy Tuberville" on wikipedia and look at his career record and accolades as a major college football coach. But wait, I'm sorry....Tommy, was "paid to resign".....I guess that's different than being fired. Please write to me and explain how a person with this kind of record....a person that seems to run a clean and winning program can be fired. All I'm asking for is one or two sentence. Tell me why he got fired. Then go look up Eric Ramsey. He was a defensive player who brought down Auburn's football program in the early 90's because he secretly recorded coaches agreeing to pay players under the table. Eric's football coach Pat Dye was not fired. He was allowed to quietly step down. What the hell? This is a very confusing topic to me and one thing I will say....I'm looking forward to how much Auburn and Tennessee will both suck in football next year because they dismissed coaches who are at the top of their profession. Oh - by the way, the Auburn University football field is called "Pat Dye" field. WAAAAAAAAAAAAR EAGLE!!!!!
INVINCIBLE
If ya never get enough of Mark Wahlberg give him one more shot. Ok - it's a sports movie but it is a pretty cool story. It's about a regular guy - Vince Papale - good high school athlete but really didn't amount to much after that. Then suddenly walked on in a tryout with the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles and actually made the team. This movie is a great movie for adults and kids and shows what hard work and dedication can get you. Markey Mark really does a great job in the role and so if you want to just lay around a chill out with a non-stressful feel good story, this is a good one.
MUSIC and FOOTBALL
The Yale Princeton Football Game. Yup - that's it - American Composer Charles Ives. I be you guys out there are always thinking that I can't possibly make sports, movies and music connect in my blog. Well, if not for the Yale Princeton Football game, a musical composition by Charles Ives....this one may have gone down the toilet. Now, I'm not saying that this is the Ives piece to listen to. It's hard to find - probably been recorded about one time, and all in all is not his gift to the world of composition. But here is what I will tell you to listen to: The Songs of Charles Ives. My God people...this guy wrote some of the most advance arts songs of the early 20th century. They are full of advanced harmony....beautiful pianistic color and some extremely tuneful writing. He wrote many, many songs and ounce you've heard one of them YOU HAVE NOT HEARD THEM ALL. They are so amazingly different from one another I often wonder how it all came from one person. Charles Ives is the man....check out his songs, chamber music or symphonies. More on him in a future blog.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
Welcome to my new segment called "Gripe of the Day". Today I would like to gripe about the AT&T store down the street. Not only did you not have my new phone at 9 a.m. the other day like you said you would.....you're doors were not even opened until 9:15 even though your hours start at 9 a.m!!! CAN YOU PLEASE DO YOUR JOB PEOPLE? Please? Oh...maybe doing your job really doesn't matter. I guess we should ask Mr. Tuberville about that.
I write this with first hand knowledge of what it's like to be an Auburn Tiger. You see, I worked at beautiful Auburn University for 3 years. I was an integral part of the athletic program, working with the marching band and basketball pep bands for both men and women's games. But please people....can we ever get to a point where football is not the only thing that matters in life? I want to make this short - it's not really about football - it's about human relations. Take a minute and look up the name "Tommy Tuberville" on wikipedia and look at his career record and accolades as a major college football coach. But wait, I'm sorry....Tommy, was "paid to resign".....I guess that's different than being fired. Please write to me and explain how a person with this kind of record....a person that seems to run a clean and winning program can be fired. All I'm asking for is one or two sentence. Tell me why he got fired. Then go look up Eric Ramsey. He was a defensive player who brought down Auburn's football program in the early 90's because he secretly recorded coaches agreeing to pay players under the table. Eric's football coach Pat Dye was not fired. He was allowed to quietly step down. What the hell? This is a very confusing topic to me and one thing I will say....I'm looking forward to how much Auburn and Tennessee will both suck in football next year because they dismissed coaches who are at the top of their profession. Oh - by the way, the Auburn University football field is called "Pat Dye" field. WAAAAAAAAAAAAR EAGLE!!!!!
INVINCIBLE
If ya never get enough of Mark Wahlberg give him one more shot. Ok - it's a sports movie but it is a pretty cool story. It's about a regular guy - Vince Papale - good high school athlete but really didn't amount to much after that. Then suddenly walked on in a tryout with the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles and actually made the team. This movie is a great movie for adults and kids and shows what hard work and dedication can get you. Markey Mark really does a great job in the role and so if you want to just lay around a chill out with a non-stressful feel good story, this is a good one.
MUSIC and FOOTBALL
The Yale Princeton Football Game. Yup - that's it - American Composer Charles Ives. I be you guys out there are always thinking that I can't possibly make sports, movies and music connect in my blog. Well, if not for the Yale Princeton Football game, a musical composition by Charles Ives....this one may have gone down the toilet. Now, I'm not saying that this is the Ives piece to listen to. It's hard to find - probably been recorded about one time, and all in all is not his gift to the world of composition. But here is what I will tell you to listen to: The Songs of Charles Ives. My God people...this guy wrote some of the most advance arts songs of the early 20th century. They are full of advanced harmony....beautiful pianistic color and some extremely tuneful writing. He wrote many, many songs and ounce you've heard one of them YOU HAVE NOT HEARD THEM ALL. They are so amazingly different from one another I often wonder how it all came from one person. Charles Ives is the man....check out his songs, chamber music or symphonies. More on him in a future blog.
GRIPE OF THE DAY
Welcome to my new segment called "Gripe of the Day". Today I would like to gripe about the AT&T store down the street. Not only did you not have my new phone at 9 a.m. the other day like you said you would.....you're doors were not even opened until 9:15 even though your hours start at 9 a.m!!! CAN YOU PLEASE DO YOUR JOB PEOPLE? Please? Oh...maybe doing your job really doesn't matter. I guess we should ask Mr. Tuberville about that.
Monday, March 9, 2009
MARCH MADNESS, MARS BLACKMAN, BLACK MARCHES
MARCH MADNESS
I'm not ready to give you all my picks yet so that you can win thousands in the local office pool. You'll just have to wait until selection Sunday this week. And I will say one more time....please hold your breath for the University of Arizona. If they don't get in, there goes the longest streak of consecutive years in the tournament down the toilet and the start of basketball misery will suddenly consume all of us Wildcat fans - for the first time EVER. And since I'm not giving out men's NCAA tournament picks yet, how about some props to the UCONN Huskies ladies team. Are you kidding me...undefeated? What have they lost about 3 games in the past 10 years. Where is the University of Connecticut anyway? Someone told me that since the men's and women's basketball teams are so good, that they found out that the university might be in Connecticut. I'm still not sure. Do they offer any courses there?
MOVIE OF THE DAY SELECTION
HE GOT GAME.....yeah I said it and I'll say it again ....HE GOT GAME......by one of my all time favorite directors Spike Lee......that's right.....I'll say it again......Spike freakin Lee. If this blog does nothing else for you in the arena of movie viewing, please allow me to let you in on a little secret.....Spike has written and directed a number of great movies. Now I know some may be alarmed that there is a limited number of white actors and actresses in these movies and therefore the potential emotional depth and beauty of these movies is somehow compromised due to this fact. Are you f^&*ing insane????? Really? Can you not see the greatness of someone at the top of their profession? Can you not see an artist in their prime? Oh...was I suppose to review "He Got Game"? Long story short (as you know I like to give little info about the movie).....yes, a basketball story...more of a life story about boy's relationship with his dad and starring Denzel Washington and current NBA superstar Ray Allen who Spike Lee picked because he wanted a good basketball player that was pretty much unknown. Allen was not known at all at the time and had not acted a day in his life. It takes a great director to make this work and it's a great film.....oh, did I mention genius?......entire soundtrack is music by Aaron Copland...funny, Basketball = American Invention...Aaron Copland = perhaps America's greatest composer.
BLACK MARCHES
That's what I would call all those cute little sarcastic yet bitterly intense marches that can easily be found prancing their way through any one of Shostakovich's major works. But just for kicks...if you're sitting around someday and want to enjoy and fun march....and one that should have gotten the composer shot on the spot...listen to Shostakovich's 9th symphony. Listen as Stalin listened....all sittin' proud surrounded by his possy looking forward to hearing a great heroic work that would yet again solidify the Soviet state as the great power and provider of excellence and nobility in the arts. Be proud when you prepare to listen...prepare for boldness...prepare for intensity and drama.....now .....go ahead...go ahead...hit the play button and sit back. I would do anything to go back in time and have Stalin's pulse and blood pressure monitored as he hears the opening cartoonish circus march. What a great moment in the history of music.
I'm not ready to give you all my picks yet so that you can win thousands in the local office pool. You'll just have to wait until selection Sunday this week. And I will say one more time....please hold your breath for the University of Arizona. If they don't get in, there goes the longest streak of consecutive years in the tournament down the toilet and the start of basketball misery will suddenly consume all of us Wildcat fans - for the first time EVER. And since I'm not giving out men's NCAA tournament picks yet, how about some props to the UCONN Huskies ladies team. Are you kidding me...undefeated? What have they lost about 3 games in the past 10 years. Where is the University of Connecticut anyway? Someone told me that since the men's and women's basketball teams are so good, that they found out that the university might be in Connecticut. I'm still not sure. Do they offer any courses there?
MOVIE OF THE DAY SELECTION
HE GOT GAME.....yeah I said it and I'll say it again ....HE GOT GAME......by one of my all time favorite directors Spike Lee......that's right.....I'll say it again......Spike freakin Lee. If this blog does nothing else for you in the arena of movie viewing, please allow me to let you in on a little secret.....Spike has written and directed a number of great movies. Now I know some may be alarmed that there is a limited number of white actors and actresses in these movies and therefore the potential emotional depth and beauty of these movies is somehow compromised due to this fact. Are you f^&*ing insane????? Really? Can you not see the greatness of someone at the top of their profession? Can you not see an artist in their prime? Oh...was I suppose to review "He Got Game"? Long story short (as you know I like to give little info about the movie).....yes, a basketball story...more of a life story about boy's relationship with his dad and starring Denzel Washington and current NBA superstar Ray Allen who Spike Lee picked because he wanted a good basketball player that was pretty much unknown. Allen was not known at all at the time and had not acted a day in his life. It takes a great director to make this work and it's a great film.....oh, did I mention genius?......entire soundtrack is music by Aaron Copland...funny, Basketball = American Invention...Aaron Copland = perhaps America's greatest composer.
BLACK MARCHES
That's what I would call all those cute little sarcastic yet bitterly intense marches that can easily be found prancing their way through any one of Shostakovich's major works. But just for kicks...if you're sitting around someday and want to enjoy and fun march....and one that should have gotten the composer shot on the spot...listen to Shostakovich's 9th symphony. Listen as Stalin listened....all sittin' proud surrounded by his possy looking forward to hearing a great heroic work that would yet again solidify the Soviet state as the great power and provider of excellence and nobility in the arts. Be proud when you prepare to listen...prepare for boldness...prepare for intensity and drama.....now .....go ahead...go ahead...hit the play button and sit back. I would do anything to go back in time and have Stalin's pulse and blood pressure monitored as he hears the opening cartoonish circus march. What a great moment in the history of music.
Sunday, March 8, 2009
CARS, STARS and CZARS
CARS
I know you've been all sitting and waiting for John's big early season Nascar review. Well here it is. It's all about Jeff Gordon. This guy just won't go away. Year after year after year goes by and Jeff is always hanging around. He has been amongst the leaders during nearly every lap of every race this year. Sooner or later (and I think it's sooner), all Nascar fans....even Gordon haters, are going to realize that this is the Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty of our time. I think the problem is that the 37 year old Gordon still looks like he's about 25. I'll say this.....I'm not sure how much race car drivers should be considered athletes, and I'm not sure it's important that they be labeled such. But I will say this about them. There is no other sports that requires a person has to hold so incredibly high a level of concentration over a sustained period of time. Other than a 4-5 hour tennis match I can't imagine anything quite as mentally grueling as driving for 4-5 hours at high speeds with your life potentially on the line at every moment. Yeah...ok golfers......yes, you have to concentrate for 4 hours....and there is the potential of a lightning strike I guess........
STARS
Hollywood star Sean Penn should have never won an Academy Award for Mystic River. How dare the academy award him such a high honor for that role. I believe the award should be immediately revoked and given to someone else. Yes, I believe the award from that year should be given to an actor named Sean Penn for his role in 21 Grams. You see, in Mystic River, Sean Penn was basically Sean Penn. I don't believe his role in that film was a stretch at all for him. I believe 21 Grahms was a much more intense and dramatic film and Penn was surrounded by fantastic performance by Naomi Watts and Benico del Toro. The addition of these actors brought Penn's own acting up to another level. 21 Grams flew under the radar as another one of those "sort of" independent films. The movie is absolutely gripping. I don't write these reviews to give you info on specifics of the story but this was my favority movie in the year that Penn won for Mystic River. Rent 21 Grams!!!!!
Czars
Gonna go Russian on you once more as I'm winding down my Stravinsky kick. If you want some fascinating listening try the Prokofiev Piano Concerti. One on three are quite thrilling and if you're a big fan of virtuosic piano writing and fantastic and colorful orchestration you've got to listen to these works....better yet, go see and listen live. For those non-musicians....and I know you're out there...Prokofiev wrote "Peter and the Wolf". So while you may think of him as a classical one hit wonder, we in the "industry" (I always wanted to use that in terms of the classical music world)......know that he has actually written far more significant pieces. Oh, and for those of you that don't live in Los Angeles, be sure that you utter the words "I'm in the Industry" any time you go out or get a drink at a bar out here. It is a completely arbitrary bullshit statement that will allow you to shine brightly in the eyes of money hungry and fame questing hallucinogenic freaks. Oh, and by the way...I forgot to mention that I do intend to use vulgar profanity when I feel the need to get my point across. Have a nice day :)
I know you've been all sitting and waiting for John's big early season Nascar review. Well here it is. It's all about Jeff Gordon. This guy just won't go away. Year after year after year goes by and Jeff is always hanging around. He has been amongst the leaders during nearly every lap of every race this year. Sooner or later (and I think it's sooner), all Nascar fans....even Gordon haters, are going to realize that this is the Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty of our time. I think the problem is that the 37 year old Gordon still looks like he's about 25. I'll say this.....I'm not sure how much race car drivers should be considered athletes, and I'm not sure it's important that they be labeled such. But I will say this about them. There is no other sports that requires a person has to hold so incredibly high a level of concentration over a sustained period of time. Other than a 4-5 hour tennis match I can't imagine anything quite as mentally grueling as driving for 4-5 hours at high speeds with your life potentially on the line at every moment. Yeah...ok golfers......yes, you have to concentrate for 4 hours....and there is the potential of a lightning strike I guess........
STARS
Hollywood star Sean Penn should have never won an Academy Award for Mystic River. How dare the academy award him such a high honor for that role. I believe the award should be immediately revoked and given to someone else. Yes, I believe the award from that year should be given to an actor named Sean Penn for his role in 21 Grams. You see, in Mystic River, Sean Penn was basically Sean Penn. I don't believe his role in that film was a stretch at all for him. I believe 21 Grahms was a much more intense and dramatic film and Penn was surrounded by fantastic performance by Naomi Watts and Benico del Toro. The addition of these actors brought Penn's own acting up to another level. 21 Grams flew under the radar as another one of those "sort of" independent films. The movie is absolutely gripping. I don't write these reviews to give you info on specifics of the story but this was my favority movie in the year that Penn won for Mystic River. Rent 21 Grams!!!!!
Czars
Gonna go Russian on you once more as I'm winding down my Stravinsky kick. If you want some fascinating listening try the Prokofiev Piano Concerti. One on three are quite thrilling and if you're a big fan of virtuosic piano writing and fantastic and colorful orchestration you've got to listen to these works....better yet, go see and listen live. For those non-musicians....and I know you're out there...Prokofiev wrote "Peter and the Wolf". So while you may think of him as a classical one hit wonder, we in the "industry" (I always wanted to use that in terms of the classical music world)......know that he has actually written far more significant pieces. Oh, and for those of you that don't live in Los Angeles, be sure that you utter the words "I'm in the Industry" any time you go out or get a drink at a bar out here. It is a completely arbitrary bullshit statement that will allow you to shine brightly in the eyes of money hungry and fame questing hallucinogenic freaks. Oh, and by the way...I forgot to mention that I do intend to use vulgar profanity when I feel the need to get my point across. Have a nice day :)
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