'Best of TBH Politoons'
Baron Dave Romm
By Baron Dave Romm
Hell
and High Water: Global Warming--the Solution and the Politics--and
What We Should Do by Joseph Romm.
A clear, concise and
convincing book on climate change and why we need to hurry to fix the
problem.
Shockwave Radio Theater
Podcasts
for iTunes and iPods, with pictures
Shockwave Radio
broadcasts on archive.org
Bookmark my bookmark page.
Nascent Wikipedia entry for Shockwave Radio Theater
Blackmore's Night was founded in the mid-1990s when Ritchie Blackmore, the founding guitarist with the 60s-90s rock group Deep Purple, discovered a mutual interest in Renaissance Music with Candice Night. As of this writing, they have eight CDs and a DVD. I'll try to cover them all over the next few weeks.
Like many of my favorite Celtic Folk/Rock groups such as Steeleye Span, they manage to stay under the radar of Top-40 radio, but produce terrific and distinctive music. They tour heavily, mostly in Europe, which you can hear in the professionalism of their craft. Candice is both lead singer and object of most of the photography on the CDs and videos, reflecting her beauty and an eye toward marketing.
Normally I would link to their merchandise page, but it is down for the moment, so I'll link to other vendors.
Shadow of the Moon is the first Blackmore's Night CD, from 1997. As befitting the experience of an old rocker, the CD is gorgeously packaged with balanced back and front cover art/photograph and lyric sheet. Several cuts get played a lot on Shockwave. Clock Ticks On is about growing older... or at least the passage of time. And they will return to the time! They seem to playing not so much for fans of renaissance music, but visitors to one of the many Renaissance Festivals. The Minnesota Renaissance Festival, one of the if not the largest RenFest in the country, is held nearby, so I yearly trot out Renaissance Faire:
Many of Blackmore's Night songs are about lovers, failed and successful. Mostly failed romances, in a country music sort of way but with more emphasis on dreams and magic. Night's voice (and overdub harmonies) are gorgeous and ethereal. Blackmore's connections and musical background are evident in a guest appearace of Ian Anderson (of Jethro Tull fame, on flute), a lush cover of Renaissance's Ocean Gypsy and an idiosyncratic rock version of the traditional Greensleeves.
Shadow of the Moon also contains a bonus track version of Minstrel Hall, for solo guitar. Ritchie shows his chops! A great first album; a great album. Highly recommended whether you're a Festie or not.
Under A Violet Moon picks up from Shadow of the Moon and gets stronger. The title song, Under A Violet Moon, is for Festies, or anyone who wants to dance: Durch Den Wald Zum Bach Haus is an instrumental, the kind of stately dance one might perform in court, Stay awake for the Morning Star like the Gypsies; two lovers are "locked in the arms of a dancer" to Spanish Nights (I Remember It Well); "magic rules as king" back in the days of Avalon:
There are songs of lost love and dreams, which are all good. In their second album, from 1999, a dash of politics. Whether in the Renaissance or now, the wish is to March The Heroes Home:
Under A Violet Moon continues the tradition of good artwork and lyric sheet and expands it's audience a bit farther than Festies. Highly recommended.
Fires At Midnight leaps into the 21st Century with a bonus song AND a video extra track. Blackmore's Night continues to build on a Renaissance tradition, but stretch their music legs yet wear their pop sensibilities sensibilities with pride: Even the "magical" songs are about unrequited love, and she sings of him leaving her.
Bob Dylan gets the celtic folk/rock Blackmore's Night treatment with a layered version of The Times They Are A Changin'. The lyrics were too expensive to print (I'm guessing), so the lyric booklet simply says, "A special THANK YOU to Bob Dylan for being Bob Dylan." The "CD Extra Video Track" is the music video of this song, mostly shots of Candice Night on a craggy seashore. The images don't have much to do with the lyrics, but Candice is pretty and the photography excellent.
Lots of celtic and country songs deal with hanging, but few are from the POV of the Hanging Tree. Renaissance Festivals get to march to the Crowning of the King. She gets to go with a pirate in the Tull-influenced Village On The Sand. Mid Winter's Night is a French carol (with some French lyrics) about bells and trying to sleep as the moon sets all alone. Benzai-Ten is the only female among the Seven Gods of Good Fortune from Japanese Folklore:
Several good instrumentals and unusual instrumentation give the band members a chance to show off. And we find out that love is great All Because of You:
The track listing on the CD doesn't mention the hidden track (a continuation of track 16), but the web site has the lyrics to Sake of Song, another good moon & bells & dancing tune.
Fires At Midnight is more rock than the previous two CDs, and I'm going to give it a few more listenings before rendering a final judgment. Still, if you liked the previous two CDs you'll like this one; possibly more. I'm a couple of centuries behind in keeping up with the celtic/folk rock offshoots, and I'm very glad I caught up with Blackmore's Night.
Baron Dave Romm is a conceptual artist and a noble of Ladonia who produces Shockwave Radio Theater, writes in a Live Journal demi-blog, plays with a very weird CD collection and an ever growing list of political links. Dave Romm reviews things at random for obscure web sites. You can read all his music recommendations from Bartcop-E. Podcasts of Shockwave Radio Theater. Permanent archive. More radio programs, interviews and science fiction humor plays can be accessed on the Shockwave Radio audio page.
Thanks to everyone who has sent me music to play on the air.
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Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Rabbi Shlomo Einhorn: Was Bob Dylan among the most successful popularizers of Jewish philosophy? (jewishworldreview.com)
The world of Bob Dylan's songs bring to life a dynamic array of characters, themes, and melodies. But the one constant throughout Bob Dylan's career, is G-d.
Dr. Yusuf Islam (Cat Stevens), in conversation with Arthur J. Magid: Floating on a Cloud of Mercy
The singer reflects on what drew him to Islam--and how it allows his creative side to flow.
Brian Juergens: Who Are These Friends of God? (afterelton.com)
In Alexandra Pelosi's new documentary, Friends of God: A Road Trip With Alexandra Pelosi, the evangelical church is presented as a tightly knit group of Americans who view the world in absolutes. Homosexuality is not an option. Evolution is not a reality. And the word of God is absolutely unchallengeable. But this community of believers is not just passionate - they are also intensely focused, impressively organized and highly mobilized. And they're out to change America.
Alonso Duralde: No, no, no, no way! (advocate.com)
Oscar turns its golden back on Dreamgirls' and Volver's gay fans-but it's an interesting year for the lesbians.
MATTHEW HAYS: Size Counts (montrealmirror.com)
"What's most shocking to me is the way the Chinese are taking in Western cultural images. There are huge billboards there, advertisements for things that the new market is offering them. But 90 per cent of the models are not Asian-they're white and associated with the West. And since the Chinese on average are shorter than their Western counterparts, height has become associated with success, power and economic well-being."
Sarah Warn: BEWITCHED (afterellen.com)
Check out this sneak preview of Willow in the new Buffy season 8 comic coming out March 7th: ... everyone knows it's easier to fight evil in a backless dress.
Dark Horse Comics
Hubert's Poetry Corner
FUTURISTIC ALTERNATIVE TRADE
THE ULTIMATE 21ST CENTURY ADDICTION?
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Overcast, but no rain.
Jo, the (lucky) lizard molted.
Here's the Complete List Of Winners - SAG Awards - 2007.
Not Playing Fair
FCC
The nation's chief telecommunications regulator stands accused of misrepresenting the facts while pushing through rules that will make it easier for big phone companies to get into cable television.
The policy change won approval by the Federal Communications Commission on a 3-2 vote Dec. 20. That angered local government officials who claim the agency overstepped its authority and now promise a legal challenge. The vote also drew the threat of a "legislative fix" from a powerful congressman.
Opponents of the FCC's action say the new rules amount to a "federalization" of the cable franchising process. They contend the change will mean a loss of local oversight, fewer dollars for public and government access channels and the possibility of "cherry picking" by companies that choose to serve only the richest neighborhoods.
FCC
Spain's Oscars
Goya Awards
Pedro Almodovar's "Volver" won best picture and earned Penelope Cruz the best actress award on Sunday at the Goya Awards, Spain's equivalent of the Oscar's.
Almodovar won best director for the story of a family of Spanish women living in pain, chaos and trauma that dominated the nominations.
But the gothic fairy tale "Pan's Labyrinth," by Mexican director Guillermo del Toro, earned seven awards, the largest windfall of honours.
Goya Awards
Songwriters Hall of Fame
Joni Mitchell
Singer-songwriter James Taylor, funk legend Chaka Khan and jazz innovator Herbie Hancock are among the stars gathered at a black-tie gala to pay tribute to Canadian songstress Joni Mitchell.
The reclusive folk icon drew a crowd the moment she entered a cocktail reception before the show, smiling and shaking hands with journalists and invited guests.
Upon being presented with a handcrafted acoustic guitar as a gift, Mitchell immediately sat down to strum a few bars as cameras flashed around her.
Mitchell is one of several homegrown artists to be inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame at a glitzy ceremony in Toronto on Sunday.
Joni Mitchell
Uses '6 Degrees' Fame For Charity
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Bacon says he used to think the "six degrees of Kevin Bacon" game was a joke that would die out, but since it hasn't, he is using the notoriety for charity.
"I thought it was definitely going to go the way of eight-track cassettes and pet rocks. But it's a concept that has sort of hung around in the Zeitgeist," Bacon told George Stephanopolous on ABC's "This Week" in a show that aired Sunday.
Bacon said he was "kind of horrified at the idea" that he could be connected to any actor in the universe in six steps, but then he started asking people what could be done with the notion.
Bacon and the nonprofit Network for Good started a Web site, Sixdegrees.org. The site includes a feature to search more than 1 million charities.
Kevin Bacon
Honored In Santa Barbara
Will Smith
Will Smith was honored with the Modern Master Award - an honor that says he is a master of his craft - at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.
Tom Cruise presented the festival's Modern Master Award to Smith.
Will Smith
Historic Japanese Cafe Closes
Chigusa
Once a haven for Japan's earliest jazz fans, cafe Chigusa is packing up its thousands of vinyl records and ending the final chapter of its 73-year history as music lovers switch on their iPods for a taste of Miles Davis.
Chigusa is among the oldest and the most cherished of Japan's jazz coffee shops that enjoyed a glorious epoch in the 1960s and early 70s, when students and musicians gathered to listen to imported albums that were otherwise beyond their means.
For its patrons, mostly male and alone, Chigusa was a place of learning and of comfort. The unspoken rules, which they followed faithfully, included listening to the music in silence and waiting in turn to make a request, jotting it down on a scrap of paper. And no alcohol or snapping fingers.
Chigusa
Church Hosted Event
'Porn & Pancakes'
It's not your typical church breakfast. An event billed as "Porn and Pancakes" is being hosted by a church in rural upstate New York.
The breakfast discussion on the pornography industry in America is planned next month at the Living Word Assembly of God Church in the town of Ontario, about ten miles east of Rochester.
Organizers told a Rochester TV station that the event on February 10th will be an honest discussion about pornography and its impact on society. The discussion will be led by Triple-X Church, a group of youth ministers who travel the country talking about porn and the porn industry.
'Porn & Pancakes'
Setting Off Alarms
'Hot' Patients
When 75,000 football fans pack into Dolphin Stadium in Miami for the Super Bowl on February 4, at least a few may want to carry notes from their doctors explaining why they're radioactive enough to set off "dirty bomb" alarms.
With the rising use of radioisotopes in medicine and the growing use of radiation detectors in a security-conscious nation, patients are triggering alarms in places where they may not even realise they're being scanned, doctors and security officials say.
Since the September 11 attacks, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has distributed more than 12,000 hand-held radiation detectors, mainly to Customs and Border Protection agents at airports, seaports and border crossings. Sensors are also used at government buildings and at large public events like the Super Bowl that are considered potential terrorist targets.
At the annual Christmas tree-lighting party in New York City's Rockefeller Centre in November, police pulled six people aside in the crowd and asked them why they had tripped sensors.
'Hot' Patients
Derides 7 Wonders Contest
Egypt
Egypt is scoffing at a global contest to name the new seven wonders of the world, saying it is a disgrace that the ancient Pyramids of Giza - the only surviving structure from the traditional list of architectural marvels - must compete for a spot.
Top Egyptian officials have criticized the popular contest that urges people around the world to vote for their top sites from a list of 21 finalists that lumps the pyramids with upstart wonders like the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower and Peru's Machu Picchu.
Egyptian officials refused to meet with the organizer of the "New 7 Wonders of the World" contest, the Swiss adventurer Bernard Weber, when he visited Egypt earlier this month, said the contest's spokeswoman Tia B. Viering. When Weber tried to hold a press conference near the pyramids, she said, police shut it down.
Organizers say the hostility is unwarranted, claiming the competition is supposed to renew international interest in culture and history, not strip the pyramids of their ancient status.
Egypt
In Memory
Marcheline Bertrand
Marcheline Bertrand, actress and mother of Angelina Jolie, has died of cancer, her daughter said Sunday.
Jolie, her older brother, James Haven, and her boyfriend, Brad Pitt, were at the hospital Saturday, according to the news release.
Bertrand, who had small roles in the movies "Lookin' to Get Out" in 1982 and "The Man Who Loved Women" in 1983, raised Jolie and her brother after divorcing their father, Oscar-winning actor Jon Voight, when Jolie was a toddler.
In lieu of flowers, the family asked that donations be made to the Women's Cancer Research Institute at Cedars-Sinai.
Marcheline Bertrand
In Memory
Danny Finegood
Danny Finegood, a prankster famous for his creative alterations of the Hollywood sign, has died, according to his wife, Bonnie. He was 52.
In his first prank, performed as a college art project on New Year's Day 1976, he hung curtains to make the sign read "Hollyweed" the day less restrictive California marijuana laws took effect.
In 1987, to mock the popularity of Marine Lt. Col. Oliver North during the Iran-Contra hearings, he covered the sign's 'H' to make it read "Ollywood."
And in a bit of creative vandalism that turned out to be his finale, he draped plastic over several letters to make it say "Oil War," a statement against the Gulf War in 1990.
Along with his wife, Finegood is survived by children Matthew and Natalie.
Danny Finegood
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