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Baron Dave Romm
Marscon 2007
By Baron Dave Romm
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The Marscon 2007 Dementia Track Fundraiser CD
From the great Luke Ski's web site:
To the future attendees of MarsCon 2007 and all funny music fans,
Since 2003, the folks at MarsCon have graciously allowed us to create a wonderful piece of convention programming, the series of main stage comedy music concerts which is now known as the MarsCon Dementia Track, co-chaired by Earl 'ÄúWyngarde'Äù Luckes and myself, Luke Ski. To the best of my knowledge, MarsCon is the only convention in the world with a dedicated dementia track, to which we all owe the powers that be at MarsCon a great amount of appreciation. While the con does provide for the Music Guest of Honor each year, it'Äôs not in the convention'Äôs budget to cover the costs of all of our other comedy music acts, who cover their own travel & lodging expenses just to come out and perform for all the fans at MarsCon. Many of them end up carpooling and staying at off-site hotels as a way to conserve their costs, which I personally feel is an inconvenience to them and takes some of the fun out of their MarsCon experience. This year, I want to change that, by organizing a way to cover the costs of the lodging for our other comedy music acts, while also getting them lodging in the MarsCon hotel itself. I have asked several of the dementia artists from this year'Äôs and last year'Äôs MarsCons to donate tracks to a dementia compilation CD to sell to you fans, with all of the funds going to cover the lodging costs of our other dementia artists, making it easier for them to come out and perform for all of you. So here it is, the track listing for'Ķ
The MarsCon 2007 Dementia Track Fund Raiser CD!
1. The A-Team is POed - Possible Oscar
2. Antihistamine Zombie (radio edit) - DJ Particle
3. Reelin' In The Grease (radio edit) - Carrie Dahlby
4. If I Did It - Carla Ulbrich
5. Cheney's Got Your Back - Carla Ulbrich
6. Nice Guys - Eric Coleman
7. Only Coffee House In Town - Eric Coleman
8. My Cat Is Afraid of the Vacuum Cleaner (unused original version) - Power Salad
9. Our Menu Has Recently Changed - Power Salad
10. Don't Shoot - Rob Balder featuring Worm Quartet
11. I'm Gonna Procreate (live) - Worm Quartet
12. I Can't Get A Job (live - radio edit) - Worm Quartet
13. Inner Voice (live at MarsCon 2005) - Sudden Death featuring Worm Quartet
14. Spam (live at MarsCon 2005) - Sudden Death
15. The Yolk's On You (live from Marscon 2006) - Hot Waffles
16. You Might Be A Trekkie (live at MarsCon 2006) - the great Luke Ski
17. Love Theme From Mystery Spatula Theatre 11 - the great Luke Ski
18. Theme From The Dork Of The Rings - the great Luke Ski
[19. A super secret unlisted new parody song track - the great Luke Ski]
Album length: 64 minutesTo order this album, just PayPal $15.00 to Sara Trice (our faithful Dementia Track assistant) at her email address, sara@saratrice.com, and your CD will be dropped in the mail, sent via First Class USPS, within a day.
We have initially only printed 50 copies of the CD, and it would help us out the most if you could purchase the albums ASAP, so we can collect the total raised money on Monday, February 26th in preparation to pay the hotel that weekend. There is no guarantee that copies of will be available at MarsCon itself, so if you'Äôre interested in getting it, it'Äôs better for you and us if you could order it now.
So there you have it. I hope you'Äôll be willing to purchase this new comedy music compilation CD to aid the dementia artists in their quest to entertain you at MarsCon this year. Thanks, and as the good Doctor always says, stay demented!
-- Luke C. Sienkowski, a.k.a. 'Äúthe great Luke Ski'Äù
Marscon is a science fiction convention in Bloomington, MN (a suburb of Mpls) which will be held March 2-4, 2007CE. Preregistration is over, so At-The-Door rates apply. I don't have any association with the con except as an attendee and panelist, and am proud to have been Fan Guest of Honor in 2003 when this whole Dementia Track business started. Most of the people on the CD are friends of mine, so I know they (as a group) could use the boost. And I have the CD, so can recommend the compilation as much as the charity.
Two of my favorite cuts on the CD are from an artist I don't know and don't have any CDs from: Carla Ulbrich. She contributes two cuts that Bartcop-E readers will enjoy: If I Did It about OJ Simpson and Cheney's Got Your Back about the VP everyone hates to hate. Carla is admired by many sick people, and I'm glad to have a chance to meet her at the con.
I was at the performances of many of the live cuts. If you listen very carefully, you can hear me in the audience, being quiet. The engineers do a good job picking out the performers from the ambient sound, and an okay job bleeping ShoEboX of Worm Quartet. The background harmonies for I'm Gonna Procreate are not on the studio version, and make the live performance stand out. I Can't Get A Job (live - radio edit) is technically airable, and it might be worth the attempt just to find out. But maybe not.
The great Luke Ski's tracks are fun, as to be expected. He continues to squeeze humor out of You Might Be A Trekkie, and the audience is appreciative. Theme From The Dork Of The Rings is LotR rap from tgLS, not on any of his commercial CDs as yet. I won't give away the hidden track information, but it's good.
Most Dementia collections are hit and miss, depending on your sense of humor and tolerance for language and impertinence. The Marscon 2007 Dementia Track Fundraiser CD has a cut I don't like and a couple that are only okay... which is remarkably high quality! You may very well like/dislike different tracks, but if you've enjoyed any of the artists on the CD you'll probably find this one is well worth it, joining the Laughter Is A Powerful Weapon CDs as donations that don't feel like charity.
This just in: Brittany Spears does something!
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.
--////
Recommended Reading
from Bruce
Schwarzenegger still opposed to marriage equality (advocate.com)
California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he would veto a bill that would legalize same-sex marriage if California lawmakers passed it again this year.
Brent Budowsky: After Steve Colbert, Try My New Ice Cream (huffingtonpost.com)
You might have heard that Ben and Jerry's has begun a new Steve Colbert ice cream flavor. Which gave me the idea for the new ice cream company I am announcing today. So many others have profiteered from this war, why not me? Our landmark flavor will be Dixie Chicks Vanilla. Pure and tasty, the perfect flavor for the discerning man or woman who likes truth with a bite.
Interview: Beverley Mitchell: '7th Heaven' Songstress (beliefnet.com)
The actress who plays Lucy Camden opens up about a best friend's death, her new country CD, and what it means to be a "good girl."
The Top 9 Rules of Seduction in Lesbian Cinema (afterellen.com)
The best tips from lesbian films on how to seduce your girl.
GREG HERNANDEZ: Sexual Revolution (frontierspublishing.com)
Men? Women? Both? With Puccini for Beginners writer-director Maria Maggenti, it's all fair game.
Interview with Annabelle Gurwitch (curvemag.com)
When TV actor Annabelle Gurwitch was fired by iconic funnyman Woody Allen, she took the opportunity and ran with it. Gurwitch turned her sorry experience into a hysterical, touching and inspiring documentary, where we learn that happiness is the ultimately the best revenge. A must-see for anyone who's been canned, dismissed, "let go" - or just hates their boss.
Interview with Kathy Griffin (afterelton.com)
I really saw things change during this administration. And what I loved was during the Clinton years, you could make all the Clinton jokes you wanted. Then after 9/11, I'm telling you, you couldn't even make the most mild anti-Bush joke. People would literally freak out and leave the club and storm out. I'm like, "I'm allowed to make fun of the president." Luckily those things are turning back. Some of us are coming to our senses.
Heather Aimee O...: Across the Page (afterellen.com)
Everyone loves a good love story, and given the immense amount of lesbian romance fiction sold every year, lesbians are no exception. This month we bring you three books that go beyond the hearts-and-flowers approach to romance: one speaks to us across the centuries; one speaks to us in mysteries; and one, well, is perfect for anyone who wants an escape from all the red hearts and candy that mark this Hallmark holiday. So curl up with your sweetheart (or not) and dive in: Sappho would.
Borrow Bruce's Books: Search for "Funniest People"
Denver Public Library
Douglas County Libraries (Colorado)
Jefferson County Library Cooperative (Alabama)
Ohio Libraries: OhioLINK
Rapid City Public Library (South Dakota)
San Francisco Public Library
Upper Arlington (Ohio) Public Library
Weld Library District (Colorado)
Westerville (Ohio) Public Library
Purple Gene Reviews
'The ½ Hour News Show'
Selected Readings
from that Mad Cat, JD
In The Chaos Household
Last Night
Overcast and nearly 30° cooler than yesterday.
Taking Franken's Slot
Thom Hartmann
The restaurant that radio talk show host Thom Hartmann - comedian Al Franken's heir apparent on Air America - has chosen for lunch speaks volumes.
On the one hand, it's an old-fashioned Midwestern fish fry joint, where the perch comes battered and the fries are thickly cut, perfectly in keeping with the Michigan-born Hartmann's well-honed message of economic populism, of the sort that's been popping up with increasing frequency as both major parties try to lay claim to the country's middle-class voters.
On the other hand, the menu takes care to note that their cooks use 100 percent rice bran oil - par for the course for a man whose broadcasting booth is virtually wallpapered with anti-right wing paraphernalia, including a poster of Dick Cheney dressed as a member of Hitler's feared SS military corps.
Both sides of Hartmann's personality are about to go on much wider display beginning Feb. 19, when he takes over the departing Franken's plum noon-3 p.m. EST. slot on Air America, the liberal-leaning radio network that aims to be the left's answer to conservative juggernauts such as Rush Limbaugh and Bill O'Reilly.
Thom Hartmann
Technology Fan
Michael Douglas
Michael Douglas says technology is helping children from across the world gain a better understanding of humanity's cultures and religions.
The 62-year-old actor is working with Global Nomads Group, which uses technology such as videoconferencing to link children across the world to foster greater understanding.
Douglas said the group in 2003 conducted a program with Iraqi and American students.
"It gave American students the chance to be able to look eye-to-eye and begin to understand more clearly Iraqis as human beings," he said.
Michael Douglas
French Legion of Honor
Clint Eastwood
French President Jacques Chirac inducted American actor-director Clint Eastwood into the Legion of Honor on Saturday, saying he represents "the best of Hollywood." The Oscar-winning director was named a knight in France's elite Legion of Honor.
Chirac called the 76-year-old director, who is nominated for an Academy Award for directing for his latest film, "Letters from Iwo Jima," an "exceptional ambassador" for American culture around the world.
"I've just finished being a Japanese director on a film and my great ambition one day is to do a French film, become a French director," said Eastwood, whose "Letters from Iwo Jima" is almost entirely in Japanese.
Clint Eastwood
Starts Label
Adam Duritz
Counting Crows singer Adam Duritz has started his own record label.
Duritz said he had no plans to start a label but came across a pair of acts on MySpace that he found irresistible: Chicago-based punk-pop band Blacktop Mourning and a New York rapper known as Notar.
He is calling the "intimate boutique label" Tyrannosaurus Records.
Adam Duritz
Regrets Fame
Renee Richards
As Renee Richards, the world's most famous transsexual athlete, looks back on her life, she has one regret -- the fame she attained.
Richards, who was born Richard Raskind, had managed to create a new life for herself as a woman after a sex change operation in 1975 but a year later made a decision that was to have an even greater impact.
She decided to take the United States Tennis Association to court for banning her from playing in women's events at the U.S. Open as she was a transsexual -- and she won, winning headlines globally as a pioneer for transsexual rights.
Richards, now 72 and without a partner, said she does not regret the sex change operation at the age of 40 -- although she might have liked to have gone through the process a bit earlier -- but she does have misgivings about her notoriety.
Renee Richards
Extreme Makeover
Britney Spears
Britney Spears appeared in a tattoo parlor in the San Fernando Valley with her head shaved completely bald.
Video on KABC-TV showed the newly shorn Spears with tiny tattoos on the back of her neck as she sits Friday night for a new tattoo - a pair of red and pink lips.
Derrik Snell, who works at the tattoo parlor, said Spears showed up without notice and stayed for about 90 minutes as about 60 fans, photographers and gawkers gathered outside.
Britney Spears
Celebrity Stylist Sues
Jamie Foxx
A celebrity stylist has sued Jamie Foxx, claiming the actor failed to pay for work she did in dressing him for an awards show and press junkets for his film "Miami Vice."
In a lawsuit filed in Superior Court, stylist Stacy Young accuses Foxx, Foxxhole Records and 25 unnamed defendants of breaking two oral agreements with her.
Foxx and others hired Young to work as his stylist in June 2006 for the Black Entertainment Television Awards, agreeing to pay her $2,850 a day, according to the lawsuit.
Again, in July 2006, Foxx and other defendants hired Young to dress him for press junkets to promote his role in the undercover-cop film "Miami Vice," according to court papers.
Jamie Foxx
Sues Fox 'News'
Chicago Tribune
Chicago Tribune Co. has filed a federal trademark infringement lawsuit to block Fox News Channel from using the name "Red Eye" for its late-night talk show.
Tribune, which publishes the Chicago Tribune and RedEye, a free weekday tabloid aimed mostly at readers in their 20s and 30s, wants Fox News to stop advertisements and other promotions that contain the Red Eye name.
News Corp.-owned Fox News launched Red Eye with host Greg Gutfeld, blogger and former editor of Stuff magazine, on Feb. 6.
Chicago Tribune
Wins Damages
Cameron Diaz
Cameron Diaz accepted "substantial" damages from American Media Inc., publisher of the National Enquirer, on Friday for alleging that she had an affair with a married man, her lawyer said.
Simon Smith, a partner with the London law firm Schillings, told London's High Court that the article alleged that Diaz had a "smooching session" with a married producer who worked on her MTV show, "Trippin.'" The article was posted to the magazine's Web site in May 2005.
The lawsuit was settled out of court, Smith said, and the terms of the agreement were confidential. In court, he said the damages paid were "substantial."
Cameron Diaz
YouTube Hit
'Writer's Block'
By the time Swedish band Peter Bjorn and John's "Writer's Block" saw U.S. release on February 6, lead single "Young Folks" was on track to outsell the group's previous album by itself.
The song, a '60s-influenced slice of wistful pop, spins a tale of two hesitant lovers, a pair of "30-year-olds who have been burned by previous encounters with love," guitarist/vocalist Peter Moran says. With its bongo-like drumming and whistled melody, the playful tune has attracted the attention of TV music supervisors: "Grey's Anatomy" and "How I Met Your Mother" both have featured the cut.
It also has become a YouTube hit, thanks to a retro-styled cartoon clip generating well more than 1 million views. To date, the song has sold 3,000 copies on digital outlets, according to Nielsen SoundScan, matching sales of the group's 2005 album, "Falling Out," which was released on small indie Hidden Agenda.
'Writer's Block'
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