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In our house we have a deal.... for dinner, my wife Doris cooks and I clean up afterward. It works well since I can't cook (she's fantastic) and I enjoy the time alone in the kitchen as I'm doing the dishes. I usually have the TV on and watch/listen to the news or Baseball Tonight, depending on the time.
Last night I couldn't stand to watch the news anymore (lipstick on a pig??? this whole election is making my vomit - I can't wait for it to end) so I started flipping around the dial (does anyone else think that DirecTV stinks?). I somehow hit on one of the VH1 channels and they were just starting the film, The Last Waltz.
I hadn't watched the film in a long time and couldn't believe how well it stands up. It's a real testament to the late '70s but the music is timeless. In particular, I got a kick out of:
- Dr. John and his beret, sparkly jacket and pink bowtie
- Neil Young, so coked up and spastic that he looked like Joe Cocker
- Van Morrison kicking his little feet as he sings "Caravan"
- What a great musician and singer Rick Danko was
The interview scenes with Scorsese and the group were fun, even though a little bit of Robbie Robertson goes a long way.
I was living in SF at the time of the concert in 1976 and all of us were itching to go but were scared off by the ticket prices (how dare they charge $25 for dinner and all that music). The film was a great consolidation prize.
It seems that it's the 100th anniversary of "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." ESPN has been doing a contest with some name entertainers performing the song and viewers can vote for the best one. Here are the entrants so far:
http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/notebook?page=bbtn/takemeout
So far, Gretchen Wilson is winning big in my book but I'm looking forward to Barnford's rendition.
It's tough song to do and in recent years, some singers (obviously ruined by watching too much American Idol) stretch the song out with vocal gymnastics that make it unlistenable. By the time they're finished, so is my beer. Even though I hate the Yankees, I've got to hand it to them when it comes to the anthem. At a recent visit to the Stadium (thanks again kids), they played a older recording by Robert Merrill...quick, direct, to-the-point....90 seconds flat. Huey Lewis used to hit the local Bay Area parks and performed a nice a capella version.
Maybe after 100 years we can get some more interesting versions?
Haven't posted in a while but wanted to let folks know about a regular video podcast that I've been tuning in to, "show de Ruben Blades" at rubenblades.com or available at iTunes.
I've loved Ruben's music for ages, even though my knowledge of Spanish is less than limited. His podcast is done in Spanish with English subtitles (sometimes he moves effortlessly into English). He talks, answers questions, sings, and most importantly, introduces musics by new artists from around the world.
For anyone with an interest in salsa and world music, I recommend it highly. Ruben is currently serving as Panama's Minister of Tourism so this is the closest we get to seeing him perform. Check it out. Here he is performing an acoustic version of "Pablo Pueblo."
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Pizzarelli's is pretty snappy, I think.
The anthem is just plain unsingable. I'd vote to change it to America the Beautiful-- or let Albert Brooks find a new one.
Speaking of "The Star-Spangled Banner" sung in public places, one of the best I saw recently was a straight-no-chaser version done by Mike Rowe on one of this "Dirty Jobs" segments. (He is/was an aspiring opera singer, so he sure has the pipes for this anthem.) As for "Take Me Out To The Ball Game," it's better done by the audience and players at any minor league baseball venue.