Archives For Music, Man

Not the fun loving musical starring Robert Preston, this is about MUSIC man!

Kid Rock Embarrassed and Embarrassing

April 11, 2013 — Leave a comment

This is a family blog, so this is a hard story to tell.  To keep things clean, all f-bombs that would otherwise end up in this story will be replaced by flipping.

Robert Ritchie aka Kid Rock supported Mitt Romney in the last election, but in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, he blames Republicans for passing laws that make it hard to sell concert tickets cheaply.  This would be, of course, because Republicans are in league with Big Ticket.

Kid Rock Embarrassed

Kid says that this is “one of the times I’m flipping embarrassed to be a Republican…it’s flipping Republican lawmakers passing those laws…”

Also, his righteous rage extends to Ticketmaster, who has the gall to charge $5 per ticket for the service they provide. Kid explains, “They’re taking a flipping five-dollar service charge…It’s 25 percent of the flipping ticket! That’s flipped up!”

Mitt Romney, once appreciative of Kid’s support, lashed out in response, “Kid Rock is flipping crazy!  Who does he flipping think he is? Why is he flipping blaming Republicans for high concert ticket prices? I can’t believe this guy flipping supported me!  Hey, Kid Rock, you’re flipping 42 years old!  Stop calling yourself Kid.  And learn how to properly wear a flipping fedora properly!”

OK, Mitt didn’t really say that.  We know this for several reasons, not the least of which is that Mitt knows more than one adjective, and most of them don’t begin with “f.”

Chill out Kid.  I’m pretty sure we have bigger fish to fry in this country than a $5 service charge on concert tickets, but it’s nice to see that you are helping to contribute to the elevation of political discourse.… Satisfy your yearning to read more

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In amuse or bemused, Music, Man, Totally Bemused, Towards Ridiculous
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In America, We Can Market ANYTHING, though not always the good things

March 7, 2013 — 2 Comments

There are a lot of unanswered questions in America.  Most pressing amongst these questions are the ones that decry the fickleness of popularity.  It’s as if the marketing landscape is high school all over again:  There is no justice in the hierarchy of who gets to be popular and who is not.  For instance:

- Firefly only got like 13 episodes, but American Idol is in its 38th season

- Serenity (the Firefly movie) never got a sequel.  There are, to date, 18 Twilght movies.

- People complain if you talk a lot about Firefly.

- I can find a McDonalds in even the most remove stretches of Kansas, but I can’t find a knish within 100 miles of my house.

- Snookie is a household name.  I am not.

And since I’m not a beer aficionado, can someone please explain how this ever made it to my local grocery:

Edmund Fitzgerald Beer

Seriously, a beer that is named after a ship that sank on Lake Superior in 1975, killing its entire crew of 29 people.  Perhaps its intended to be a beer for those grieving loss.  Or those who dread dying by drowning.  Or those who dread the song The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald. Continue Reading…

In amuse or bemused, Music, Man, Towards Ridiculous, WUT?
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Earl Scruggs, Steve Martin, and the forbidden banjo

April 1, 2012 — Leave a comment

Banjo pickin’ pioneer Earl Scruggs passed away this week at the age of 88. Kickin-Banjo-player-in-his-own-right Steve Martin called him “The most important banjo player who ever lived.”

Back in the 70s, when Steve Martin was best known for stand up comedy, he inspired me to take up the banjo. I learned to strum things like The Grandmother’s Song, and other things playable with a I, IV, V chord pattern, but that was it. This makes me one of “the least important banjo players who ever lived.”

I went to a music store this week, and this is what I saw. I think they made the sign just for me.please keep off the banjo

R.I.P., Earl…you were amazing.

I may have to work my way up to Foggy Mountain Breakdown after all.

In amuse or bemused, Music, Man, Towards Ridiculous
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The Ultimate Christmas Album of All Time

December 20, 2011 — 4 Comments

Could it be that God makes people for the purpose of participating in one event, in order to pull off One Big Accomplishment?  I don’t think so, with one possible exception:  It might be that Michael W. Smith’s entire purpose for living on this earth was to create the 1989 album, Christmas.

Am I overstating?

To be clear, this is Smith’s 1989 Christmas album, not his later Christmastime or It’s a Wonderful Christmas.  Those are nice, but Christmas was an unexpected surprise.

In the 1980s, Michael W. Smith was firmly entrenched in his Pop Music period.  He made his Alan Parsons beard / argyle sweater & socks combo actually cool.  He had a genuine message, but he was definitely Mr. Christian Pop.

So in 1989, when I saw that His Pop-ness had released a Christmas CD, I ran (not walked) to my local Christian bookstore to buy it. (Yes kids, I bought music in a store on a thing called a CD.  I nearly broke my arm hand cranking my Model T to get there)  Having acquired my musical prize, I hurried home and put the disc in my stereo, prepared to ROCK OUT for Christmas.… Satisfy your yearning to read more

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In amuse or bemused, Music, Man, Seriously Folks
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The Giant Christmas Bagpipe Strikes Fear

December 9, 2011 — 2 Comments

I went to a Christmas concert last night that featured a performance on a set of Giant Bagpipes.  In principle, it’s similar to its cousin, the Highland bagpipe.

The Highland pipes make sound from 4 noise ports:  3 drones which always play the same note and 1 chanter on which the tune is played.  The 4 noise ports are powered by air that is blown into a bag, thus, bagpipes.  The Highland pipes have 2 volume settings:  silent and loud.  That’s it.

The Giant Bagpipe is another story entirely.  Instead of 4 noise outlets, it has 130, requiring air from a massive bag that frequently runs empty.  This leads to pauses in the music where pauses don’t belong.  As a result, when a familiar tune, like Jingle Bells, is played on the Giant Bagpipe, it sounds like this (the “g” is silent):

Hugnt,    hugnt,    huuugnt

Hugnt,    hugnt,    huuugnt

Hugnt,    hugnt,    hugnt,    hugnt,    huuuuuuugnt

You may know the Giant Christmas Bagpipe by another name…The Sixth Grade Band Christmas Concert.  Everything I told you is true; 130 instruments are played in unison, they often run out of air, they are either silent or loud, and they play Jingle Bells exactly the way I described.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m not mocking these kids.  12 weeks ago most of them had never played an instrument, and in the midst of their busy lives they are now reading music and playing tunes.  The tone may not be beautiful yet, but their concert is the sound of hard work and represents the framework on which they can build artistic expression one day. … Satisfy your yearning to read more

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In amuse or bemused, Music, Man
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