Casey Kasem, the creator and voice of the long-running radio show "American Top 40" has died... another mentor of a generation of radio jocks who changed the way we listened to music. 

People ask me why I wanted to go into radio way back when. Perhaps it was the idea of living like Dr. Johnny Fever or any one of the other crazy folks from WKRP in Cinncinatti.

But most likely it was deeper than that. Guys like Casey Kasem reached into our everyday lives and taught us so much.

The man who taught American kids to count to 40... Backwards. 

Every Sunday morning at 10:00 my local station would play the four hour countdown of the most popular hits on American charts that week. "Counting down the hits from coast to coast". Beyond playing the music, he always weaved a bit of a story between the songs. Never was it some tidbit about which musician was sleeping with whom - he was more gentle and classy than that - but more of an informational feeling. 

I'll never forget the day he taught me (ahem, and of course anyone else listening... but it felt like he was talking to me) about some Police lyrics. In the song "Wrapped Around Your Finger", there is a phrase which was always confusing; 'You consider me the young apprentice, caught between the Scylla and Charybdis'. That sunny Sunday morning Casey explained that was a "fancy-schmancy" way of saying "between a rock and a hard place". Of course he gave me more of the story; something to do with Greeky mythology and a narrow passage of sea if I remember correctly.

I also enjoyed the “long-distance dedications,”, even if it was just to put a smile on my face while hearing this soppy stuff. In this schmaltzy segment Casey would read a tearjerker letter from a sad, lovelorn soul hoping to reconnect with another person far away by dedicating a favorite song. Lovesick stuff generally, but as a former boss of mine would say, "It is certainly shit, but it is good radio shit".

Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/living/star-magazine/article571470.html#storylink=cpy

His distinctive voice, the feeling that he was taking just to us, the smile that came through the microphone... years before I knew what he looked like, in my mind's eye, he was beautiful. He had me at number 40.

Now that I look back I realize that it wasn't so much the music which kept me listening; it was Casey. It was the comforting velvet warmth in his voice, and genuine interest in the charts and pop music he played which made me a life-long fan.

Radio was better for having known you, Casey. Keep reaching for those stars.
 

 

What is with all the Fight?

Ahem, let's take a ride on the Random Wheel

Poor little Mimi choked and sputtered yesterday while I tried to start her up after a week of ignoring her in cold weather... but last night and again this morning she woke right up with a roar. Love that scooter and the freedom she gives me even if these fall days have me arriving at my destination considerably more stiff and cold than when I started.

In the past couple of months I've been to both Lübeck and Lüneburg, small cities in the north of Germany. Personally I prefer Lüneburg between the two of them, but as for northern towns (not including Hamburg and of course Berlin which some consider flatly east), I still prefer Schwerin.

My gosh I've been becoming a bit obsessive about Urbexing. Germany has SOOO many abandoned sites, hospitals, military bases, tunnels and the like... and they're waiting for me to explore them. Of course it is not a hobby I can pursue on my own. Unfortunately it isn't strictly "safe" to walk around alone in 100+ year old buildings which are rotting away slowly, but they are so beautiful. It is interesting to watch as nature takes its course, slowly breaking down and covering up the things man has made. Yes, I've been filling up SD cards with pictures as well. Check out some of them here. If anyone would like to come with me, just let me know. I've got a list as long as my arm of places to go... Sweet No is simply getting tired of all this exploration.  

Rachael Maddow's show last night was dedicated to the showing of a documentary about the murder of Wichita, Kansas' own most famous abortion doctor. I lived in Wichita during most of this mess. The 1986 attempted murder of Dr. Tiller was horrifying and silly, the 1991 "Summer of Mercy" was a huge drain on the resources of the city. Driving down the highway adjacent to the clinic was like running the gamut of dead baby pictures. The protesters would do everything they could to draw attention to their cause, but the people of the city could have cared less and the great majority simply wanted them to leave. Even the Catholic Church nearby stayed out of the entire melee.

The man was performing a legal procedure. If they wanted to change policy, they should have worked within the legal system. Chaining themselves to cars and causing the waste of critical resources (police and fire) was not only wrong but unnecessary.

Unfortunately, in my humble opinion, the story didn't go far enough into those cheering on the murderer. The O'Reilly's of this world incited this type of behavior and are now running away from their culpability.

These people who make it their business to judge others should remember their Savior's ideas about "Judge not, lest ye be judged".
(OK, I'm jumping off of my soapbox. I just wanted to say that no matter your politics about an admittedly touchy subject, murdering the guy was an incredibly extreme way to deal with a situation which should have been covered by the courts. Check out the video here)

OK, um... breathe deeply ... and release.

It's clementine season again. No, it isn't time for the song to rattle around in my head endlessly (although it is certainly doing that NOW... thanks a lot!); it's time for the stores to fill the fruit section with citrus and more specifically, clementines! Man I love 'em!! The net of orange goodness sitting on my desk right now came from Spain. Hmmm. If that place has these things growing on trees, maybe I should just move there! I can polish off a kilo of these beauties in an afternoon, no problem.

Every night on my way home from work I pass by a Sparda Bank. Why are you telling me this Snooker, you might ask. Well, because after seeing the huge sign I immediately think of Sparta, the cat protagonist in the "Mean Kitty Song". Once I think of the song, then I start humming it in my head, sometimes even signing the words as I tool down the street on Mimi the scooter. Do you have or love cats or maybe just like guys in baseball caps? Check out the cute video. Maybe you too will find yourself humming this lovely little ear worm at strangely inappropriate times.  

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has proclaimed Germany's attempts to build a multicultural society have failed. I'm beginning to feel that being an immigrant in this country could get a bit harder, at least for the Muslims. Heck, even my sweet FIL read Thilo Sarrazin's anti-Islam book, "Deutschland schafft sich ab " (often translated as "Germany Does Away with Itself").  There has been talk (finally) of issuing identity cards to the country's foreigners as a better way to track who comes and goes.

I've often been involved in conversations where Germans are complaining about the immigrant problem in their country. After a moment or two they come to the realization that they are speaking with an immigrant at which time they often will assure me that I'm one of the "good" immigrants. Hmm... Any expats have a thought on this?


Been reading:
What Happened to Change We Can Believe In?

Musical Monday - I Need You Now

Being transplanted into Deutschland has changed me musically. I'm a rocker by nature who is saddened by no "classic" rock station. Alongside rock I enjoy both pop and country... of the two only pop is available to me in Germany. No longer can I simply dabble in a little bit of country by spinning my radio dial. Nope, here in Berlin there is only one "country music" radio show, and that plays on Thursday night. If I want country, I have to go to Internet Radio or to my own CD collection.

No more. In the past weeks I've been hearing a lovely country power ballad on Berlin's pop stations!! Imagine my surprise when I hear these lyrics coming out of my radio, "It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk and I need you now. Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now". OH YEAH! The Drunken Booty Call! ONLY country music would pay tribute to drunk dialing your ex.



Today I did a lyrics search and found out that it is performed by Lady Antebellum, a trio of two men and one lady with what I'm guessing is an as of yet untapped voice. As far as soft-pop-leaning country ballads go, this one is right up there. It has all of the elements. No, this isn't your mommy's crossover country hit. Shania Twain never stepped into this territory. It feels like late Dixie Chicks, trying to walk the fine line between country and pop... keeping both markets open for the selling.

As for the group, I like it. The sound is a mite bit overproduced, but I think they need that to get the feel of the country and the pop in there. In fact I bet there are several different versions laid down to track, one is VERY country, the other is VERY pop. This one is a hybrid of the two.

The singing... yeah, I like her voice. When Hillary Scott sings "and I NEEEEED you now" you believe it, you FEEL that NEED. Not like you would feel it from Billie Holiday or K.D. Lang, but her voice makes you feel it in a way which has been lost for some time in country. Reba McEntire has it, maybe this little lady can make a career for herself along those lines.

I find the song writing stellar. The point of writing a song is to get people to relate to it. Who hasn't been there? Maybe not all of us have gone so far as to do the drunk dialing, but after a few drinks, feeling all alone... um, yeah. All I can say is that I've been there. I've been on the receiving end of some horrific drunk dialing sessions.

Come on... I'm not alone here am I?
Drunken booty calls? Getting that drunk ex on the phone in the middle of the night? Is that only me?



Lady Antebellum lyrics "Need You Now"

Picture perfect memories scattered all around the floor
Reachin' for the phone 'cause I can't fight it anymore
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind
For me it happens all the time

It's a quarter after one, I'm all alone and I need you now
Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now
And I don't know how I can do without
I just need you now

Another shot of whiskey can't stop looking at the door
Wishing you'd come sweeping in the way you did before
And I wonder if I ever cross your mind
For me it happens all the time

It's a quarter after one, I'm a little drunk and I need you now
Said I wouldn't call but I lost all control and I need you now
And I don't know how I can do without
I just need you now

Guess I'd rather hurt than feel nothin' at all
It's a quarter after one I'm all alone and I need you now
And I said I wouldn't call but I'm a little drunk and I need you now
And I don't know how I can do without
I just need you now
I just need you now (wait)
Ooo, baby, I need you now

Music Monday - Eurovision 2010 - Germany

Prepare for an "Ohrwurm".
I've warned you.

We've been hearing a catchy little tune on the radio these past weeks. Driving with Sweet No yesterday this cute little ditty came on and suddenly it got cranked up a bit to better hearing level. No said that she liked the tune and wanted to hear the words. I told her it was about unconditional love, then the next phrase out of the singer's mouth, "...I even painted my toenails for you..." Yup, unconditional love.

Today I heard it again on morning radio and decided to research it a bit. Turns out it is the German entry in the Eurovision Song Contest! LOVE IT!
Goofball... I think Germany has a winner here.

Cutesy and a mite bit goofy. The singer is Lena Meyer-Landrut, better known as just "Lena". 19 years old and her singles are going platinum in Germany. Not bad.


The song is "Satellite" by Lena Meyer Landrut
See it bigger.
29 May, 2010 She's a winner. OK OK, so maybe she doesn't have a snowball's chance in hell seeing as how she's competing for Germany and we just don't have the political backing to win. But it is fun to think about it!

Satellite by Lena
I went everywhere for you
I even did my hair for you
I bought new underwear, they’re blue
And I wore ‘em just the other day

Love, you know I’ll fight for you
I left on the porch light for you
Whether you are sweet or cruel
I’m gonna love you either way

Love, oh, love, I gotta tell you how I feel about you
‘Cause I, oh, I can’t go a minute without your love
Like a satellite, I’m in an orbit all the way around you
And I would fall out into the night
Can’t go a minute without your love

Love, I got it bad for you
I saved the best I have for you
You sometimes make me sad and blue
Wouldn’t have it any other way

Love, my aim is straight and true
Cupid’s arrow is just for you
I even painted my toe nails for you
I did it just the other day

Love, oh, love, I gotta tell you how I feel about you
‘Cause I, oh, I can’t go a minute without your love
Like a satellite I’m in an orbit all the way around you
And I would fall out into the night
Can’t go a minute without your love
Oh, love, I gotta tell you how I feel about you
‘Cause I, oh, I can’t go a minute without your love

Where you go, I’ll follow
You set the pace, we’ll take it fast and slow
I’ll follow in your way,
You got me, you got me
A force more powerful than gravity
It’s physics, there’s no escape

Love, my aim is straight and true
Cupid’s arrow is just for you
I even painted my toe nails for you
I did it just the other day

Love, oh, love, I gotta tell you how I feel about you
‘Cause I, oh, I can’t go a minute without your love
Like a satellite I’m in orbit all the way around you
And I would fall out into the night
Can’t go a minute without your
Love, oh, love, I gotta tell you how I feel about you
‘Cause I, oh, I can’t go a minute without your love
Love, love, love, love, love

What I miss from America... the music

One thing I miss the most about America is the fabulous music. I understand completely that it is a cultural thing. The Germans simply aren't into blues/jazz/rock/country music the same way the Americans are... this music came up and out of the "bottom" of America, thus it is deeply steeped into our souls.

The radio stations here play the popular music for Europe. We won't go into it, but let's just say that there are some songs which really grate on my nerves, yet they are much-loved anthems here in Germany. You guessed it, they get almost constant radio play here... dammit.

Today I got a hankerin' (yeah, how many people can pull that off) for classic rock and roll. I'm not thinking Chuck Berry here... but the stuff that was popular on rock stations in the 70's, 80's and 90's.

?Have I ever said how much I LOVE the Internet? Yes ladies and gentlemen, INTERNET RADIO SAVED MY SANITY TODAY. Take a look at a partial list of music I've heard in the last few hours.

Rush, “Tom Sawyer”
Van Halen, “Ain’t Talkin’ ‘Bout Love”
The Police, “Every Breath You Take”
The Rolling Stones, “Honky Tonk Woman”
Pink Floyd, “Wish You Were Here”
Blind Faith, “Can’t Find My Way Back Home”
Lynyrd Skynyrd, “Don’t Ask Me No Questions”
Doobie Brothers, “China Grove”
ZZ Top, “Pearl Necklace”
Gary Wright, “Dream Weaver”
The Eagles, “Already Gone”
Supertramp, “Goodbye Stranger”

Speaking of sucky radio. Several of my Clear Channel Radio buddies lost their jobs today. It's all about money, honey. Their radio shows will be filled in by someone who is not local, who pipes this to about 200 stations, and who is certainly not paid enough. More info about the nationwide firings here.

I leave you with a link which explains why the music industry in America sucks right now. Unfortunately it doesn't tell us how to fix it.
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-856606244008931882

Do Re Mi!!!!!!!

I absolutely LOVE IT!!!
Shamelessly stolen from Christina at AmiExpat.
More than 200 dancers were performing their version of "Do Re Mi", in the Central Station of Antwerp." All they needed was Julie!
Maybe you should go see it larger, visit YouTube.

A bit of Chinese culture... Chinese Rap...

I have shamelessly stolen this from Betsy, who in turn shamelessly stole parts of information from Language Log. Sometimes it is good to steal... OK, so maybe it isn't. But if you're going to steal anyway, you should at least linky to those you steal from, don't you think?

The video below is being described as Chinese rap music. Going to Language Log you will get to see the text (in Chinese and English) of the song. This, I find incredibly cool.
I doubt we would see lyrics like this in an English rap song:
"Squat when you're tired of standing,
sit when you're tired from squatting
Lie down when you're tired of sitting,
lie prone when you're tired from lying down
Sleep when you're tired of lying prone,
nap when you're unable to sleep"

Please, at least listen to the first thirty seconds.


OK, now please forgive me...
But am I the only one that had a bit of a flashback to the Swedish Chef?

Memories of Motown

To celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the founding of Motown Records, the Estrel Berlin has opened a delightful show which offers a walk down Motown memory lane. My Sweet No and I were lucky enough to be invited to the premiere of this entertaining stage show celebrating the best Motown hits from the 60's and 70's.

It really was a lovely event bringing out much of Berlin's entertainment "royalty". Before the show there was a mixer with buffet. Our little group kept pointing out famous folks and politicians... hmmm, I have to admit that I recognized only one of them, Roberto Blanco, who seems to be on every musical show produced by German TV. I found a video report by tVB (in German only, sorry) which shows some of the mixer. It was a bit hard to get around to the food with all of the cameras stuck in people's faces. Don't you worry, that didn't stop ME!

Normally the Estrel has a "Stars in Concert" approach with lookalikes recreating the look and sound of big stars such as Tina Turner, (oh my gosh, that reminds me that we'll be seeing the ORIGINAL in just a few weeks... I can barely breathe!) Sting, Louis Armstrong, Rod Stewart, Boy George, Elvis, Cher, Whitney, Joe Cocker, and many more. We get free tickets once in a while, so we take in the show occasionally for a little cheezy Las Vegas feel.

But for this special event, producer Bernhard Kurz brought to Berlin some REAL Motown stars such as The Contours ("Do You Love Me - Now That I Can Dance") and The Miracles, who originally recorded with Smokey Robinson ("You Really Got a Hold On Me" / "Shop Around" / "The Tracks of My Tears"). For the premiere night only the special guest was Martha Reeves of Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, ("Heat Wave" / "Jimmy Mack" / "Dancin' in the Streets").

Martha is still shaking it on the stage, let me tell ya. She's aged (hell, haven't we all), but our table decided that she must be around 70 by now... and if I think of my mother at 70 in comparison to this pro getting up there and doing her thing... well, there is no competition.

It was interesting to see the German audience's lack of response to music which quite simply makes me want to dance. There I am clapping and tapping and shaking in my chair as those around me (including No) are simply staring at the stage... HOW CAN THIS HAPPEN? When the artists invite the audience to clap or sing along, the people just sit there calmly as though making any noise would be disrespectful. This is one thing which I find completely different between the American and German audiences.

Martha even made mention of this in her performance. She was giving the intro to "Jimmy Mack" and was asking the audience to "do something unusual for German audiences" and help her get him to come back by clapping and making lots of noise as well as singing out for Jimmy. Um... no. I would assume that many in the audience simply didn't know the song. Also it is quite possible they didn't understand her... but then it is quite hard to not understand someone standing on stage frantically making the motions of clapping.

Right up alongside those famous performers were a talented group of lookalikes which rounded out the night by bringing many other famous songs from Berry Gordy's Motown; Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson.

On the night of the premiere we were treated to Motown's PR man, Al Abrams, who gave on stage insights into the beginnings of the important recording company. Also onhand was William "Mickey" Stevenson who headed the A&R Department (artists and repertoire). They had some really funny stories to tell about the formative years of a company that opened previously locked doors for black performers.

All in all it was a fun night. Sweet No even recognized some of the songs, although there were many in our group who felt a bit left out because they really didn't know most of the music being played. There is simply an age difference... anyone under 40 is at a disadvantage. Of course there is also the geographical problem. Europe just didn't get to hear a lot of the music we Americans are much more exposed to. But it was universally agreed that even without the recognition, the music was quite enjoyable.

The Estrel put on a good show and did a nice job on the buffet. The white wine was a good quality and the mixed drinks weren't watered down. It was interesting to see them trying to do American food. May I say that it was funny to see two different items made with sweet potatoes (not a normal occurance on a German buffet), and their rendition of roast beef was quite lovely.

If you are a fan of Motown and happen to be in Berlin before the 1st of February, I highly recommend this show!

On a side note: I have a strange affliction with writing the word "Motown". For some strange reason when I type the word itself, I always want to write it "Mowtown".... what is that about? Do other people have this problem? What part of the brain is this? Why this disconnect? What other words cause such troubles for people?

A different take on Take On Me

I'm showing my age here... Yes, I am a child of the 80's. But most of us in this special "age bracket" called Generation X remember fondly when MTV showed MUSIC VIDEOS... yes, believe it or not!

Gen Ex'ers who cultivated their musical taste during the video age probably also look back with a gleam in their eyes when considering videos which seemed absolutely avant garde during "our" time.

Some of these videos were so innovative that the first time we saw them, there was a collective "WOW" by gape-mouthed kids all across North America sitting transfixed in front of their non-remote TV's.

There were many, but "Money for Nothing" by Dire Straits, "Sledgehammer" by Peter Gabriel, and "Rock It" by Herbie Hancock were just a few of mine. (Ahem... we should not have to mention Thriller by the Gloved One. And hey, did anyone else really get the subtext when Michael tells the girl, "I'm not like other guys... no, I mean I'm different". heh heh heh)

Of course "Take On Me" by a-Ha was shot in a new technique which really fascinated not only me, but many others as well.

BUT someone has Karaoke'd this video/song with the literal translation of what is happening in the video! Toooooooo Cuuuuuute! I love it!
"I'm gonna kick some ass with my own pipe wrench"
I giggled for two minutes!

Did you watch it? No?
OK then... you're gonna miss out!

I remember seeing the original video and thinking that one part reminded me very much of William Hurt's freaky scene in "Altered States" (the familiar section starts at 1:02 in this clip - in the a-Ha video it starts at 3:48).

This changing of the lyrics is the kind of crap I would think of while watching these videos. I had a LOT of fun with Janet Jackson's "What Have You Done For Me Lately".

I wonder if other people have as much fun as I do with song lyrics?
There are whole songs that I can't remember the original lyrics. They've been replaced in my memory by improvised verse.

Let's do the Time Warp AGAIN... LIVE!

OK, OK! So I heartily admit that through my senior year in high school and years afterward I was one of the screaming minions in the weekly habit of standing in front of a movie screen chanting "Lips, lips, we want lips".

Rocky Horror Picture Show was an eye-opening experience for this young dyke... and I loved it! All around were people very much like me who didn't really fit into society's idea of normal... and they didn't care, just like me! We had a great band of players and costumers who dedicated hours to "getting it right" and just having fun doing it.

There were pre-movie toasts to the uninitiated "VIRGINS", and in our theatre we had a guy who would do "Spiderman on Acid" before the show. (Basically he would run from one side of the theatre to the other as fast as he could and try to jump on the opposite wall... always landing with a splat and then falling to the floor while scraping his fingernails.) Oh well, we were a diverse group.

The "Rocky Horror Picture show," starring Tim Curry, Susan Sarandon, Barry Bostwick and Meatloaf, has grossed $140 million in domestic box office over the years, mostly from the pockets of youthful audience members who have shown up for midnight screenings over the past three decades.

When I first started attending the audience "par-tis-i-pation" experience, the theatre allowed us to throw toast, rice, toilet paper and newspapers at will as long as we cleaned it up before leaving. Unfortunately a management change caused some problems in my senior year. They didn't like the idea of the show and almost canceled it. After much negotiation they continued to play it but with the proviso that we wouldn't do things like throw stuff or use water guns. Dammit.

On the weekend of my senior prom I had rented a tux complete with purple cummerbund and bow tie of course... so why not use it the second night to go to Rocky! After my graduation a group of my "outside of school" friends gave me a party to celebrate, complete with cap and gown, right before the showing of Rocky. One of my favorite things to do after the show was to fill the back end of my truck with friends and go skinny-dipping at a lake in Towanda, Kansas of all places. My gosh, I wonder why we never got caught.

When I made a new friend, I took them to Rocky to try to figure out if they were "cool" or not. One co-worker actually freaked out and never really talked with me again... ok, she was uncool. I didn't care if they preferred not to memorize long lists of script and sub-text script... I just wanted to see if they were open-minded enough to not freak when seeing a man in heels, corset, and torn up fishnets singing about giving yourself over to absolute pleasure.

Not long after moving to Berlin in 2005 I began to see posters advertising the LIVE Rocky Horror Show. OMG! I HAD to be there! I told N. and her parents that I would like to see it and soon it was a family affair. M&FIL bought us tickets (thanks folks) and the day approached when we would get to see Frank n Furter and crew.

When we arrived at the venue I was a bit disappointed, no one had dressed up. Oh well. I had brought some toilet paper and a water gun just in case my fellow audience members decided to par-tis-i-pate as others have done around the world for decades. Much to my delight, as each person walked into the seating area they received a special "packet"! It had TP, a water gun (whoops, no water... what?) a few pages of Bild, and a firecracker "popper" thing which would explode with bits of paper at the appropriate party moment. All of this came with an information sheet which explained when to use the items... COOL!

I was completely blown away when I discovered that our seats were in the BACK ROW! Um... OK, so being far away from the action is one thing, but in Rocky Horror Picture Show there is a call-back shout during the song "Science Fiction Double Feature". ("Where's the best place to fuck?" "In the back row..." "FUCK THE BACK ROW!!") In over 200 viewings of RH, I NEVER sat in the back row... it just wasn't done!

Although my Parents in Law are pretty cool, I'm afraid they might not have passed my high school coolness qualification. They remained quiet and reserved throughout the show, something I've since learned is very much a German trait. They only joined in the clapping with the music when the rest of the crowd was in hysterics. When I handed him the toilet paper to throw, FIL threw the entire roll instead of holding onto the trailing end... and of course it hit an unsuspecting guy in the back of the head. Well, at least there was no trail leading back to FIL.

But then it was within months of their only daughter not only coming out as gay, but also marrying that crazy American. Long story, they didn't know ANYTHING until about five days before our wedding date. This was after six years of "friendship". They were treating me very nicely by buying us tickets to this wild show, and they even managed to have large smiles on their face at the pause. Maybe they had already passed the "cool test" eh?

My Sweet N. has let me know that she is simply not excited about seeing Rocky live on stage again... but of course I'm ready to go buy tickets today. Would anyone else like to go with me?

Don't dream it, be it.

The Neo-maxie-zoom-dweebies at MTV have decided to remake the Rocky Horror Picture Show. It simply seems like an act of stupidity. The first one sucked as far as the movie experience goes... why on earth would you try to remake it?... Money I suppose.

Music Monday - I Kissed a Girl

Gosh, I can't get away from this "I Kissed a Girl" song. (video below) It seems as though every time I am within earshot of a radio, I am inundated with the lyrics,
"It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight".
Besides the incorrect English, I have a bit of trouble with the song... but more of that later.

I congratulate the producers for coming up with a completely catchy, throbbing beat to go with the slightly scandalous chick-on-chick lyrics. Unfortunately the singer's voice has been over-dubbed so much that it is hard to get a feel for the true sound of her voice. In the end it all mixes together, just becoming one driving noise. I really don't like producers who are raising the levels of the current songs artificially high so the music will still sound good on MP3 players and of course you can't forget the horrid brats who walk the streets playing what passes for music through their tinny mobile phones.

The music video producers (see it below as long as the record company doesn't realize that it is on You Tube with a misspelled name) also should have a little luv... they managed to create some kind of Moulin Rouge thing which really worked for the song. Slightly sexual, without being too much... and they also managed to have the entire thing WITHOUT a girl on girl kiss, ensuring that VH1 would still play it. Of course they also end the video showing her waking up in bed beside her presumed boyfriend, as though waking up from a dream... so it wasn't real after all... oh well.

The singer Katy Perry had been previously trying to break into the Contemporary Christian music scene, towing the family line I suppose. It seems that Mom is some kind of preacher. Hmm... Something tells me that Mom isn't too happy these days, eh?

Personally I'm rather torn. The fact that such a song can get so much airplay is interesting to me. Twenty years ago George Michael was getting shit for "I Want Your Sex"... if his lyrics had been explicitly to men, it would never have gotten radio play, let alone the constant MTV attention. But Miss Perry has a song that shows a willingness for bisexual experimentation, and it is on the HOT 100 and Top 40 in the States, and is on the charts in many countries around the world. Wow.

At the same time the lyrics (found below too... hey, everything is down there, eh?) work my last gay nerve with the "I'm gonna act all sexy with my girlfriend to get attention from the boys" mentality which drives me up a wall. Of course we haven't even begun to discuss how she would probably still be trying to sell songs about Jesus if she hadn't come up with a little diddy about a supposed walk on the wild side. To add insult to injury she has another song coming out named "Ur So Gay" which panders to the stereotype that a straight man with qualities like a gay man is decidedly not cool, but girls kissing girls is soooo hot. spare me.

An interesting happenstance is that this goofy song has spawned even goofier parodies, "I Kissed A Pig", "I Kissed A Boy", and a slightly disturbing, butt-smelling "I Kissed a Dog". "You bark, I obey..."

Alrighty then... here is the video for the song followed by the lyrics, followed by a genuinely cute song/video by Jill Sobule of the same name. Now THAT's cute!!

Katy Perry - "I Kissed a Girl" lyrics

This was never the way I planned
Not my intention
I got so brave, drink in hand
Lost my discretion
It's not what, I'm used to
Just wanna try you on
I'm curious for you
Caught my attention

I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chapstick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it

No, I don't even know your name
It doesn't matter
Your my experimental game
Just human nature
It's not what, good girls do
Not how they should behave
My head gets so confused
Hard to obey

I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chapstick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it

Us girls we are so magical
Soft skin, red lips, so kissable
Hard to resist so touchable
Too good to deny it
Ain't no big deal, it's innocent

I kissed a girl and I liked it
The taste of her cherry chapstick
I kissed a girl just to try it
I hope my boyfriend don't mind it
It felt so wrong
It felt so right
Don't mean I'm in love tonight
I kissed a girl and I liked it
I liked it

My Boomerang Won't Come Back

When I was a young pup my mother would bring me music. It was always out of the blue and never after a request from me. Her choices were interesting and varied. After she went to see the play, I got the soundtrack for "Fiddler on the Roof", and once for Halloween I got K-Tel's "Monster Mash". But the LP that probably got the most play in my 5-10 years was K-Tel's "Looney Tunes".

Yes, the ubiquitous "As Seen on TV" K-Tel (Wiki), the company famous for putting together LP's with the best music they could license... well, after cutting the songs down that is. Any song longer than 3 minutes suddenly fell under the "To ensure the best quality reproduction, the running times of some of the tracks, as originally released, have been changed" situation.

But that didn't matter to me! Just like every other kid who can listen to or watch some sort of media about 100 times in rapid succession without tiring of it, I had that thing on automatic replay. It had songs like "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah" (Wiki / You Tube) and "They're Coming to Take Me Away" (Wiki / YouTube) which made me laugh like a crazy person. To me "The Streak" (Wiki / You Tube) was scandalous, and "Tiptoe Thu the Tulips" (Wiki / You Tube) was probably my first exposure to a man doing something inherently gay.

In many ways I'm sure these songs defined my life, "Transfusion" (You Tube) gave me life lessons about driving too fast although it hasn't stopped me, "Rubber Duckie" (Wiki / You Tube) taught me how to take a bath, and "Shaving Cream" (You Tube) taught me how to avoid saying a bad word in mixed company and come up with a new one that makes no sense.

But the one that is on an endless loop in my head is "My Boomerang Won't Come Back" (You Tube). All of this started just a few months ago when we were visiting a HUGE American-styled sports store in France named Decathlon. OMG! They had a selection of boomerangs... and I took the opportunity to buy one... AN X-Fly!

Periodically throughout our drive back home I would be reminded of the boomerang lying in wait in the back of the car and be inspired to break out in song, "My Boomerang Won't Come Back!".

After about the fifth outbreak, N. cocked her head to the side and fell right into my trap, "Your boomerang won't come back"?

In answer, I burst into song:
My boomerang won't come back,
My boomerang won't come back,
I've waved the thing all over the place,
Practiced till I was black in the face,
I'm a big disgrace to the Aborigine race,
My boomerang won't come back.

Wow... I am such a kid!
Although N. looked at me like like I was crazy I think she's become accustomed to my occasional outbursts.

This is a video made by an Aussie in honor of the song.
Lyrics below the rest of the text.


Finally this last Sunday the timing was right.
I'd done my research on the web (because that's the way I roll), it looks easy. I should be able to do this, right? um... no.

We were at the Britzer Garten, in the early morning, giving me the first of the requirements - a large outdoor location without people around - which I assume is as much for their safety as it is my ego. The second requirement in the instructions was for there to be no wind, and the last was for me to have all of these elements come together when I actually had the time to be outside!

The sun was just peeking over the trees, the dew was heavy on the grass, the air clean cool and fresh... ah, what else could one want? Hmm... maybe for the boomerang to come BACK! Yup, I threw it all over the place, I tried every possible configuration, just to watch it sail up into the air, do a flip flop and eventually land 30 yards away from me. Oh I would stand in wait for it... expectedly looking for it to sail right back into my hands like it does in the videos... but NO. Sometimes it would get a good spin on it and start back towards me, but it would lose momentum before making it the whole way back. I have decided to believe that the loss of momentum is because the thing was simply wet! Yes, the dew was having an effect on my cute little boomerang! It wasn't an execution flaw, it was a Mother Nature flaw. NO WONDER IT WOULDN'T COME BACK!

After a few attempts I pulled out the instructions to see if I was doing it right. (yup, I'm that kid... I actually read the instructions... well, at least AFTER my first attempts aren't working) After reading and working through five sentences I was supposed to be able to throw it and have it come back at me. Then I got down to the last sentence which states, "If the attempt is unsuccessful, go back and read the instructions". Lovely. Oh well. As we walked back to the car N. asked me if I was going to keep it to try it again or if I was going to throw it away completely... No hesitation here, I said that I would keep it and try again. I mean, how else can I connect with my inner kid and have a reason for endlessly singing the chorus of the silly song?

Performer: Charlie Drake - 1961
Title: My boomerang won't come back
Lyrics

(Oom-yacka-wurka, oom-yacka-wurka, oom-yacka-wurka)

In the bad backlands of Australia
Many years ago,
The aborigine tribes were meeting,
Having a big pow-wow.

(Oom-yacka-wurka, oom-yacka-wurka)

'We got a lot of trouble, Chief,
On account of your son Mack.'
'My boy Mack? Why, what's wrong with him?'
DRAKE: My boomerang won't come back.
'Your boomerang won't come back?'

DRAKE: My boomerang won't come back,
My boomerang won't come back,
I've waved the thing all over the place,
Practised till I was black in the face,
I'm a big disgrace to the Aborigine race,
My boomerang won't come back.

DRAKE: I can ride a kangaroo (yeah yeah)
Make kinkajou stew (yeah yeah)
But I'm a big disgrace to the Aborigine race,
My boomerang won't come back.

They banished him from the tribe then
And sent him on his way,
He had a backless boomerang
So here he could not stay.

(Animal noises)

DRAKE: [Spoken] This is nice, innit? Getting banished at my time of
life. What a way to spend an evening: sitting on a rock in the middle
of the desert with me boomerang in me hand. I shall very likely get
bushwhacked.

(An animal roars; Drake shrieks back.)

DRAKE: Get out of it! You nasty bushwhacking animal. Think I'll make
a nice cup of tea. (Doi-ng, doi-ng, doi-ng...) Good gracious! There goes
a kangaroo. I must have a practice with me boomerang: hit him right
behind the left earhole. Now then, slowly back.

Gruff voice: If you throw that thing at me, I'll jump right on your
head. (It chuckles like Popeye and bounces away.)

DRAKE: Innit marvellous? Got a land full of kangaroos and I had to
pick that one.

For three long months he sat there
Or maybe it was four,
Then an old old man in a kangaroo skin
Came a-knocking at his door.

'Well, I'm the local witch doctor, son,
They call me George Alfred Black.
Now tell me, what's your trouble, boy?'
DRAKE: My boomerang won't come back.
'Your boomerang won't come back?'

DRAKE: My boomerang won't come back,
My boomerang won't come back,
I've waved the thing all over the place,
Practiced till I was black in the face,
I'm a big disgrace to the Aborigine race,
My boomerang won't come back.

'Don't worry, boy, I know the trick,
And to you I'm gonna show it.
If you want your boomerang to come back,
Well first you've got to... throw it.'

DRAKE: Ooh, yes! Never thought of that. Daddy will be pleased. Must
have a go, nyuh-huh! Excuse me. Now then, slowly back... and throw.

(Boomerang whizzes away; Sounds of a plane approaching and then
falling from the sky.)

DRAKE: Ooh my God! I've hit the flying doctor. Eee-hee-hee! Can you
do first aid?
Witch Doctor: Don't talk to me about first aid, boy, you owe me
fourteen chickens, you know, when I learned you to throw the
boomerang, you know, first things first.
DRAKE: Yes, I know that, but I mean, I think on this occasion, you
know, you could be a bit more perspective...........

Musical Monday - P!nk "So What"

Dear P!nk,
Darling it has been a long time since your last CD. As you may know, I have a bit of a thing for you. I've been to the 2007 Berlin concert, as a VIP even, and hey, I love the way ya give baby Bush hell.

I know you've been working on something. Of course I expect it to be littered with text reflecting your troubled relationship (Oh geeze, I can't even remember who... some race car driver I think).

I seems the first single was actually "leaked" before it was planned to come out. Perhaps it makes sense for your music company to "leak" these things themselves thus creating more buzz and maybe causing more people to get excited about the impending CD release.

Supposedly the single wasn't going to come out until 18 August with the CD coming out sometime in late October. Seriously... do they WANT people to head to the torrent websites to illegally download songs? I mean, there is no way that I will buy a "maxi CD" with only one or two songs on it. And if I really want a song, I will probably not wait two months for the CD. Yup, the single will be mine by illegal means long before the CD even comes out. Something tells me that I'm not alone in this.

The song.
Hey girl, I like your attitude.
It is an after-breakup song where the main theme is "So What, I'm still a rock star!". This shows that the best way to lick ones wounds is to thumb your nose at the offending person.

Prepare for the hooky chorus. You might be chanting it all day long, beware.
So so what?
I'm still a rock star
I got my rock moves
And i don't need you
And guess what
I'm having more fun
And now that we're done
I'm gonna show you tonight

Musically it is what we've come to expect from Pink; driving beat reminiscent of some kind of stomping fit, hard-edge electric guitars with scream effects, and multi-layer track recording where Pink does her own back up vocals.

Enjoy the video, it seems to be the precursor to the real thing with pictures of the making of the official video. Don't miss the lyrics down below.



I wonder what the deal is with riding a lawn mower down the Sunset Strip?
Does it have something to do with her ex being a race car driver?

P!nk "So What" Lyrics

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na
Na Na Na Na Na Na
Na Na Na Na Na Na Na
Na Na Na Na Na Na

I guess i just lost my husband
I don't know where he went
So i'm gonna drink my money
I'm not gonna pay his rent (Nope)
I got a brand new attitude
And i'm gonna wear it tonight
I wanna get in trouble
I wanna start a fight

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na
I wanna start a fight
Na Na Na Na Na Na Na
I wanna start a fight

So so what?
I'm still a rock star
I got my rock moves
And i don't need you
And guess what
I'm having more fun
And now that we're done
I'm gonna show you tonight
I'm alright, I'm just fine
And you're a tool
So so what?
I am a rockstar
I got my rock moves
And i don't want you tonight

Uh, check my flow, uh

The waiter just checked my table
And gave to Jessica Simp- Shit!
I guess i'll go sit with Tom boy
At least he'll know how to hit
What if this song's on the radio
Then somebody's gonna die
I'm gonna get in trouble
My ex will start a fight

Na Na Na Na Na Na Na
He's gonna start a fight
Na Na Na Na Na Na Na
We're all gonna get in a fight!

So so what?
I'm still a rock star
I got my rock moves
And i don't need you
And guess what
I'm having more fun
And now that we're done
I'm gonna show you tonight
I'm alright, I'm just fine
And you're a tool
So so what?
I am a rock star
I got my rock moves
And i don't want you tonight

You weren't fair
You never were
You weren't all
But thats not fair
I gave you life
I gave my all
You weren't there
You let me fall

So so what?
I'm still a rock star
I got my rock moves
And i don't need you
And guess what
I'm having more fun
And now that we're done (we're done)
I'm gonna show you tonight
I'm alright(I'm alright),I'm just fine (I'm just fine)
And you're a tool
So so what?
I am a rock star
I got my rock moves
And i don't want you tonight

No No, No No
I Don't want you tonight
You weren't fair
I'm gonna show you tonight
I'm alright, I'm just fine
And you're a tool
So so what?
I am a rock star
I got my rock moves
And i don't want you tonight

Ba da da da da da

Everybody is Welcome to My Advice

Hello.
My name is Frank.

The humans are gone.
And now I get to play!
So what is this blog thing all about?

Here is something I found on the Interweb thingy.
I think it is good advice for the humans that take themselves WAY too seriously.
Life is simple... eat, poop, sleep... eat, poop, sleep.

Great video! Read the words, live the words, BE the words.

Advice, like youth, probably just wasted on the young
A newspaper column by Mary Schmich, published by the Chicago Tribune on 01 June 1997.

Inside every adult lurks a graduation speaker dying to get out, some world-weary pundit eager to pontificate on life to young people who’d rather be Rollerblading. Most of us, alas, will never be invited to sow our words of wisdom among an audience of caps and gowns, but there’s no reason we can’t entertain ourselves by composing a Guide to Life for Graduates.

I encourage anyone over 26 to try this and thank you for indulging my attempt.

Ladies and gentlemen of the class of ‘97:

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they’ve faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you’ll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can’t grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don’t worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum. The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blindside you at 4 p.m. on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don’t be reckless with other people’s hearts. Don’t put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don’t waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you’re ahead, sometimes you’re behind. The race is long and, in the end, it’s only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don’t feel guilty if you don’t know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn’t know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40-year-olds I know still don’t.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You’ll miss them when they’re gone.

Maybe you’ll marry, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll have children, maybe you won’t. Maybe you’ll divorce at 40, maybe you’ll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary. Whatever you do, don’t congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else’s.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don’t be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It’s the greatest instrument you’ll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don’t follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they’ll be gone for good. Be nice to your siblings. They’re your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft. Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you’ll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don’t expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you’ll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don’t mess too much with your hair or by the time you’re 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it’s worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

Don't Rain on My Parade

I've been crazy busy lately. Work, play, work, play... and hey... maybe some sleep in there once in a while.
Last weekend (yes... I'm WAY behind) was filled with so much cool stuff, I really wanted to write about it. Unfortunately I didn't have ANY time throughout the week.

Friday night we went to an event celebrating the 65th anniversary of John F. Kennedy's "Ich bin ein Berliner" speech at Rathaus Schöneberg .

It was pretty much a video show of JFK's most important speeches culminating in the famous speech he gave telling West Berliners that the American government would protect them.

I was born five years after the death of JFK, but just listening to his speeches I can easily understand how the American people could look toward him with hope.

Part of me really hopes that Obama can be the man that the American people are wanting, just the same way they WANTED and NEEDED JFK. What I hope doesn't happen is that he is cut down in the same way JFK was... I'm not sure America could handle that.

The picture is the front facing of the Rathaus itself. Yup, those are gay pride flags flying in front. I took the pic in the middle of Gay Pride Week, when most government buildings in Berlin display the rainbow flag. Here is another picture from the inside.

This building also holds a separate significance for me... this is where N. and I "tied the knot". To this day every time I pass this building (um, twice a day - on my way to and from work) I look up at it and smile just thinking about that day.

The next day, Saturday, was the Christopher Street Day Parade (CSD - Gay Pride Parade). N. wasn't feeling very well, so I just took a few hours and headed down by myself. I took Mimi and may I say there is a certain advantage to driving a scooter to these things. Since the parade itself was so long, I thought I would just drive to different locations and get a nice overview. Mimi and I were often allowed to sidle right up alongside the parade itself, so I ended up hitting the parade in six different spots along the way.

May I say that the people seemed to be having a great time even though Mother Nature wasn't really very cooperative, spitting rain for a few minutes an hour doesn't really help a parade, but it is much better than a constant downpour I suppose. More Pride pics here.

Sunday we went to the Bergmanstrassenfest, a jazz festival, and had a nice walk among the vendors looking for music at one of the three stages. It was a shame that we managed to come in one of those hour sections that no music was planned at ANY of the stages. As an event planner it bugs the SHIT out of me when I see incompetence like this. This is a music event which closes off about six streets for two days. There were three stages which sat empty almost the entire time we were there (over an hour). They didn't even play recorded music in the intervals through the sound systems which were already set up... nope, silent. While we walked through the fair, the only music we heard was coming from one of the open bars... and it was Salsa music.

As we were walking toward the exit we came across two dancers who were an advertisement for a local dance lesson studio. They looked like they were having a great time, so we hung around there and enjoyed a few dances.

The main stage is directly by the main entrance/exit. As we got closer to it we heard the familiar wheeze of Scottish bagpipes as they are "warming up". What? Bagpipes at a "Jazz Event"? umm... well.. Yes.

Upon getting to the stage we saw a heavily tattooed young man at the microphone with one half of his head shaved bald... the other half had long dyed red hair draped partly over his face. Behind him was the guy with the bagpipes, and there were several other "normal" guys wearing kilts, rounding out what was to be a band... finally.

We decided to stand there for a few moments and let them start up to see if we would opt for staying around a little while longer. The sign behind them said Numbskull Puppets as well as a few shirts of people standing around in front of the stage. They began to play a wild conglomeration of what they called Scotch-rock which was surprisingly interesting. The first song was "Here We Go", and wasn't bad at all. They aren't superior musicians, but they all mix together just fine. The second song started and N. and I looked at each other and simultaneously started for the exit. The music was ok... but not what we expected from a jazz festival.

After a nice nap we took off to the Fan Mile to watch a sadly disappointing German team get outplayed by the Spanish team at the European Football Championship. Awwww... Oh well. I've always believed that the best team should win, and even get frustrated and annoyed when "my" team plays what I believe is sub-standard and still manages to win. This reminds me of the Germany/Turkey game in which the Germans came out on top. I wish the Turks could have played the Spanish... this would have been an interesting game.

Yes, N. went with me to the Fan Mile even though she had told me earlier that she wouldn't attend another such game in public. A friend of ours had more influence than me and we made a deal to leave the game in the final moments so we could get away before the crowds which was a good move. But of course, since Germany didn't win the celebrations were held to a minimum, which really helped ease her tension on the way out of the congested area. We got stuck in traffic, but it was just normal traffic, and not a big problem at all.

Been Reading:

• Iraq = 25 million new cars, and counting- the cost of the war in terms of CO2
  
• Congressman Murtha On Iraq War, Barack Obama - He's a strong advocate of defense, and the first Congressman to come out openly against Bush's war agenda. He's always been a contentious figure in PA, and it is interesting to keep up with a politician that is OK with speaking his mind.
  
• Does Germany Have a Problem With Gay Hate Crime? - This is an interesting topic which I've wondered about several times. What influence do the Turkish immigrants coming to Germany with their country's homophobia have.
  
• Hitler returns to Berlin, worried, downtrodden, under guard - and made of wax - Showing once again that Berlin is gaining in status as a world-class city, Madame Tussauds is opening an 8th location here. (((OMG UPDATE))) Man rips off wax Hitler's head - What happened to the guards that were supposed to be on hand? This guy was the second in the door, he must have planned it all along.
  
• Obama Must Carefully Weigh Possible Public Appearance At Brandenburg Gate - Hey, it looks like Bama may make a speech in Berlin...
  

What's Been Happening

Last night TQE Adam and I met up for dinner and a show during his short stay here in Berlin. The dinner was the famous Mr. Wok which didn't seem to please Adam very much. The show was the lively Gayle Tufts, (website) American Expat extraordinare. Something tells me that Adam would have enjoyed both a bit more if the poor man had been able to get some real sleep, but of course traveling across the pond does tend to wear one out.

Afterward we opted for a walk through the Tiergarten and a ceremonial stroll through the Brandenburg Gate. The revelry of the German fans celebrating the recent victory over Portugal in the EURO2008 was fun to experience. Much honking, flag waving, screaming, noise-making and general merriment was happening all around us. After we went our separate ways, I skipped off to the subway to make my way home. This is where things got interesting. A few hundred fans making their way on to the next point of celebration in various stages of inebriation... well, let's say that it was loud!

This morning I experienced a little adrenaline rush and acted on it in a way in which I am not so proud. I was on Mimi and almost to the office, riding in the outside lane of a four-lane street. There was a car double-parked in the outside lane ahead of me and I was trying to get my little scooter into the inside lane to get around him. The cars in that lane were bumper to bumper so I decided to use my small size to go between the inside lane and the space left in the outside lane after this idiot decided to park his car partially in a driving lane.

I slowed down and tried to see through the back window of the offending car to get the status of the possible driver to get a clue of their intentions, or just see if there was anyone IN the car. Unfortunately the combination of a dark back window and sunlight reflecting back at me was not allowing clear vision. As I got to within one car length behind and alongside the rear of the car, the driver's side door popped open, directly into my path. He had one foot out immediately and even though I honked, he did not close the door, just looked at me uncomprehendingly. Mimi and I managed to squeeze between his open door and the moving traffic in the inside lane... just barely.

Immediately I pulled Mimi in and parked several car lengths in front of the idiot. Before I could even get my helmet off I was screaming obscenities in English. I proceeded to tell him what an bonehead he was for parking illegally and then not even looking into his mirror before opening the door. At this time I realized that I was screaming at what appeared to be a Turkish man in English and I KNOW he has no idea WHAT I am saying... so I switch to my shitty German - maybe there is a chance he will understand that language. Yes, that language in which I can barely function... BUT when put under pressure I came up with some very interesting and colorful ways of letting him know that I thought he was an absolute Dummkopf. He just stood behind his still open car door with his mouth wide open, never uttering a word. When I'd said my peace I hopped on Mimi and took off. YEAH!

Several things I'm thankful for:
* He didn't start exiting the car a second earlier which would have resulted in his door being open the entire way and his body the whole way out of the car... this would have taken up too much room and Mimi and I would have lost that battle.
* He didn't fight back at all. Male Turks here in Berlin are famous for their masculine bravado, and it could have easily escalated into a shouting match on the street, neither of us understanding what the other said.
* No one reading this thinks I'm racist for pointing out the guy's probable ancestry without questioning how I could know this... (he was proudly displaying two Turkish flags on his car, ostensibly to support the Turkish football team in their run for EURO2008).
* That no one reading this is going to tell N. She's already nervous enough that I'm even riding Mimi... We don't need to add to her fears, do we?

Finally I was able to speak my Pop after almost really messing up Father's Day. It was a great conversation. We talked about our lives, other family members, and current events. Recently he was given a special honor by the Kansas Baseball Hall of Fame, and we finally had a chance to talk about it. He was all alone during our call whereas normally I catch him on his way to do something or driving, or with a bunch of people around him.

As he answered the phone he was on his way from the house to his workshop which for him is the most comfortable place in the world. We talked until his mobile phone ran out of battery... 2.25 hours. I just love the guy, and miss him horribly. In my rather F'd up teenage years, my old man took me in and gave me stability, love, and trust. It was invaluable and probably kept me sane.

Music from Tim Russert's IPod was used at his funeral service to send him into the great beyond. Now I'm a little scared. Does this mean that participants at my funeral will be hearing Haddaway's "What is Love"?

Been reading:

• Maureen Dowd - W. Regrets Almost Nothing
• Four Reasons Not to Get Married in California
• Return of the Rule of Law?
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Musical Monday - Amy Winehouse

The name Amy Winehouse Official / Wiki conjures up a sadness in me. The same sadness I feel when I think about ladies like Janis Joplin, Billie Holiday, Karen Carpenter, and how they burned themselves out. Unfortunately this is the same fate I see for people like Ms Winehouse and the likes of Alicia Keys and who can forget Whitney Houston. It is like a train wreck, you just have to sit and watch for fear of missing something. Not only is her husband in jail, she showed up for a $2 million private gig in Russia "in no condition to perform", and just this afternoon she fainted at her London apartment, needing to be taken to the hospital for tests.

Amy is quite possibly the most talented soul singer to come down the pike of late. Don't let her British passport or appearance of an anorexic 17-year-old white girl fool you, she can belt out the R&B like nobody's business. Her voice is part Eartha Kitt, slinking around Etta James and sung with a slur that would make Macy Gray jealous.

This music is an updated version of that stuff Etta was singing 30 years ago, but she was never allowed to have lyrics like these:

When you smoke all my weed man
You gotta call the green man
So I can get mine and you get yours

I'm my own man so when will you learn
That you got a man but I got to burn
Don't make no difference if I end up alone
I'd rather have myself a smoke my homegrown
It's got me addicted, does more than any dick did
-- Song "Addicted" from Back To Black

I dare you to hit play on the video below and close your eyes...
Welcome back to Motown baby!
"Me & Mr. Jones"


Been reading:

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• Germany Marks 55 Years of GDR Uprising

K.D. Eric and Tina... Oh My!

WoW! It is going to be quite a year!
My dear, sweet N. has outdone herself. We had been talking (read, Snooker had been jumping up and down) about the news of Tina Turner coming back for another round of concerts.

When we finished the conversation I didn't think that there was much chance of further movement on the topic. We talked about how expensive tickets were, and how our future holidays would cost so much money... I didn't think that Tina stood a chance.

Early the next morning N. called saying that tickets would go on sale in an hour but she had found some way to reserve them in advance. "What price class would you like?", she asked sweetly. OMG! You're kidding! She was getting ready to buy them, and my heart was palpitating.

But she was ordering tickets! The next thing out of her mouth almost put me on the floor. "So while I'm here I should probably just go ahead and get the Eric Clapton tickets too." OK, my knees got weak... I didn't really fall on the floor although I certainly felt like it was going to happen. Then I tried in my very best -I'm not really blown away- voice to say something like, "um, sure... it would be reasonable".
Of course all this time I'm remembering K.D. Lang in Amsterdam (previous post), and the fact that Tina won't be in Berlin until January 2009 (a few days after our - yes, we share one - birthday). This is going to be quite a year!

I've seen both of them before. Tina was the reason the Ex and I took a Vegas jaunt in April of 2000 for the Twenty-Four-Seven tour, and she was absolutely FANTASTIC! I mean come on, she's sold more concert tickets than any other solo performer ever. There is just something about her!

My experience with Clapton on the other hand was a 2005 show that I didn't have to drag N. to, she actually really likes him. He of course has many decades of music to cover and always does a fabulous job of getting the crowd behind him. I love that he's moved toward the blues edge of his play list with the concerts. What impressed me the most was the people that he brought with him. Robert Cray was the opening act, and was asked back to the stage several times during Eric's set which was great! Eric also had some fantastically talented new artists with him that made the show all the more interesting.

May I just say that I'm VERY EXCITED!!!