Video of the Day: Classic Stephen Wright

One of the most brilliant comics of the last thirty years: Stephen Wright. Here's a stand-up performance from 1990:

Round Two Northwest Bracket Matchups

Creedence Clearwater Revival

Here are the songs that will be played in the second round of the Battle of the Bands competition on Dr. John's Record Shelf from the Northwest Bracket (original seedings are in parentheses):

Creedence Clearwater Revival (1), "Bad Moon Rising" vs.
Big Brother & the Holding Company (9), "Down On Me"

Electric Prunes (12), "Get Me To the World On Time" vs.
Country Joe & the Fish (13), "Flying High"

Steppenwolf (6), "Born to Be Wild" vs.
Jefferson Airplane (3), "White Rabbit"

Kingsmen (7). "Jolly Green Giant" vs.
Standells (15), "Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White"

Cool Old TV Show

I wonder how many of you remember a show that aired back when I was a kid called Room 222. As I recall it was on either right before or after The Odd Couple on Friday nights. Anyway, the first season came out on DVD recently and it popped up on my recommended list at Amazon, so I bought it and have been watching episodes the past couple of days. It's set in a big city high school, and mixes comedy and drama in a pretty effective way. It turns out it was created by one of the guys, Gene Reynolds, who would help bring M*A*S*H to TV a couple years later, striking a similar balance on that program. The main characters were Pete Dixon, the dedicated history teacher (maybe an early influence on my eventual career path); Liz McIntyre, the dedicated guidance counselor and Pete's girlfriend; Mr. Kaufman, the jaded principal; and Alice Johnson, the bubbly student teacher (played by the very cute Karen Valentine). This is one of those shows that I watched regularly way back when, but haven't really thought about in what must be thirty-five years (I don't remember it ever popping up in syndication or on Nick at Night). So it's gratifying to find it's still pretty entertaining, and not just as an exercise in nostalgia. Here's a little taste in the form of the DVD promo:

Thursday's Thought for the Day

Here's a portion of the Great Society speech made by Lyndon Johnson back in 1964. I, for one, think these principles are still worthy of pursuit, even if we didn't accomplish all this implies on the first go-around:

"Your imagination, your initiative, and your indignation
will determine whether we build a society where
progress is the servant of our needs, or a society
where old values and new visions are buried under
unbridled growth. For in your time we have the
opportunity to move not only toward the rich
society and the powerful society, but upward to
the Great Society. The Great Society rests on
abundance and liberty for all. It demands an end
to poverty and racial injustice, to which we are
totally committed in out time. But that is just the
beginning. The Great Society is a place where every
child can find knowledge to enrich his mind and to
enlarge his talents. It is a place where leisure is a
welcome chance to build and reflect, not a feared
cause of boredom and restlessness. It is a place
where the city of man serves not only the needs of
the body and the demands of commerce but the
desire for beauty and the hunger for community.
It is a place where man can renew contact with
nature. It is a place which honors creation for its
own sake and for what is adds to the understanding
of the race. It is a place where men are more concerned
with the quality of their goals than the quantity of their
goods. But most of all, the Great Society is not a safe
harbor, a resting place, a final objective, a finished work.
It is a challenge constantly renewed, beckoning us
toward a destiny where the meaning of our lives
matches the marvelous products of our labor."

Townes Van Zandt Classic

One of the best story songs ever, performed by its composer, the great Townes Van Zandt:

Pictures from Fort Nisqually

When I was in Washington a couple weeks back, Lizzie and I went over to Point Defiance Park and ended up visiting Fort Nisqually. The Fort was originally a Hudson Bay Company trading post, located a bit further south, but has been restored in the park Above is a view of one side of the compound taken from the blockhouse at what I think is the northwest corner of the fort.

This is a corner of the trading post itself, where pelts were swapped for a variety of goods like those on display here.

Above is a workbench in another of the buildings (might've been the cooper's shop).

Above is a bedroom in one of the small houses where the Company's employees lived. Pretty austere living conditions, wouldn't you say?

Last, a shot of a suspension bridge across the channel taken from the bluff just outside the fort. Touring the fort was a very nice way to spend an hour, and I'm glad we took the time to go through the place.

Round Two Midwest Bracket Matchups

The Crickets

Here's a list of the songs that will be played by the bands who have advanced to the second round of the Battle of the Bands on Dr. John's Record Shelf. By the rules of the competition, all songs must be different from those played in round one. This will make things particularly interesting in this bracket, as there were a number of upsets in round one where several one-hit wonders managed to advance behind their best known tunes. Remember, you can still volunteer
to be a judge in round two by leaving a comment to that effect.

Original seedings appear in parentheses:

Chicago (1), "Saturday in the Park" vs.
The Outsiders (9), "Respectable"

The Crickets (5), "That'll Be the Day" vs.
Shadows of Knight (13), "I'm Gonna Make You Mine"

The Rock'n'Roll Trio (11), "Rock Billie Boogie" vs.
Knickerbockers (14), "One Track Mind"

Rare Earth (10), "Get Ready" vs.
The Gants (15), "Road Runner"

Quote of the Day

Shankara was a 9th century Hindu philosopher. Here's one of his well-known lines:

"Knowledge alone effects emancipation.
As fire is indispensable to cooking,
So knowledge is essential to deliverance."

Consolation Video

I'm surprised no one's called me on this as I've been posting info on the Battle of the American Bands, 1954-1974. Somehow (and believe me, I know this was a grievous mistake), Buffalo Springfield did not make it onto the field of competition. I wish I could explain how that happened-- my best guess is they somehow got lost in the transcription process between our original master list and the actual brackets with opponents. My plan is to throw them into next year's competition involving non-American bands from the same period (rationalized by Neil Young and Bruce Palmer's Canadian heritage). In the meantime, here they are performing one of their better songs:

Round Two Southwest Bracket Matchups

Sir Douglas Quintet

I've started putting together the songs that will represent each of the groups that have advanced to Round 2 of the Battle of the Bands (limited to American groups, 1954-1974) on Dr. John's Record Shelf. Remember that each band must be represented by a different number than used in Round 1, which may put some so-called one-hit wonders who scored early upsets in a precarious position as they move up (e.g. see the Bobby Fuller Four selection below). I'll try to post a different bracket each day or so over the next week, and as they appear, please let me know (in comments) if you are interested in being a judge. I'll make up cds with all the matchups for those who will be voting on which groups will advance to Round 3. The actual competition will resume in January, and should be finished by about mid-May. So, here are the songs to be played in the Southwest Bracket (original seedings appear in parentheses):

The Byrds (1), "Mr. Tambourine Man" vs.
The Doobie Brothers (9), "Listen to the Music"

Bobby Fuller Four (12), "Never to Be Forgotten" vs.
Love (13), "7 And 7 Is"

Spirit (11), "Mr. Skin" vs.
The Doors (3), "Love Her Madly"

Sir Douglas Quintet (10), "At the Crossroads" vs.
Beach Boys (2), "California Girls"

This Week's Top Five List

It was nostalgia time on Dr. John's Record Shelf when we got around to the Top Five List. Maybe some of you will have fond memories of the items ranked this week by our crack staff:

A Literary Quotation

The following more or less explains the title of Joseph Heller's great novel Catch-22, and establishes a principle of circular logic that applies in many more situations than the plight of reluctant bombardier Yossarian. Check it out:

"There was only one catch and that was
Catch-22, which specified that a concern
for one's safety in the face of dangers that
were real and immediate was the process
of a rational mind. Orr was crazy and could
be grounded. All he had to do was ask; and
as soon as he did, he would no longer be crazy
and would have to fly more missions. Orr
would be crazy to fly more missions and
sane if he didn't, but if he was sane he had
to fly them. If he flew them he was crazy
and didn't have to; but if he didn't want to
he was sane and had to. Yossarian was
moved very deeply by the absolute
simplicity of this clause of Catch-22
and let out a respectful whistle."

Knickerbockers Classic

In what may be the greatest Beatles knock-off of all time, here are the Knickerbockers performing the song that got them into Round Two of Dr. John's Battle of the Bands (see previous post):



Is it me, or do these guys also resemble the Wonders from Tom Hanks fine rock film That Thing You Do?

Battle of the Bands Update

Rare Earth

So Round One of the Battle of the Bands unfolding on Dr. John's Record Shelf has come to an end. We polished off the Midwest Bracket last night with a couple of upsets. The Knickerbockers (seeded 14) took down no. 3 Lynyrd Skynyrd, and no. 10 Rare Earth knocked off the Box Tops (7), both by two to one scores with Don Fisher and Natalie Rosiek serving as this week's guest judges.

The Knickerbockers

"Lies" was the Knickerbockers song that toppled "Sweet Home Alabama: by Skynyrd, while Rare Earth played "I Just Want to Celebrate" against the Box Tops "Cry Like a Baby." The Midwest Bracket ended up with six of the eight matches producing upsets, leading to some interesting secod round pairings. Chicago will take on the outsiders; the Crickets go up against the Shadows of Knight; the Rock'n Roll Trio squares off against the Knickerbockers; and Rare Earth will meet the Gants.

Over the next few days I'll try to post the songs that will be played in Round Two, which will take place after Christmas through the first couple months of the new year. In the meantime, if any readers would like to volunteer to be a judge, let me know in comments, and we'll figure out how to make that work.

Interesting Article

I really like Matt Taibbi's take on the current political environment, and he has a good post up today on the labels politicians like Sarah Palin employ to define their opponents (regardless of whether the labels actually apply). This reminds me of students who assume that since the United States once counted both fascists and communists as enemies, then they must be the same thing. It's such a lazy way to think and express oneself that it can't help but corrode political discourse, but how often does anyone get called on it? If it were only Palin, I'd say so what; but sadly, it seems much more widespread and that bugs me.

Soup Diary 091207

Last time I was in a Fred Meyer (which has a large selection of packaged organic food) I picked up several boxes of soup to try. I finally got around to cracking one open, namely the Potato Leek. Pouring some out into a pan for heating, I was a bit discouraged, as it seemed rather thin and runny (not at all what I think of as characteristic of a "creamy" soup). But already with the first spoonful, I realized my first impressions was misleading. While not as hearty as I expected, the stuff was nonetheless quite tasty. I sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese on top to add a bit of flavor, but it wasn't necessary as it had a robust potato flavor nicely enhanced by the mild onion effect of the leeks. Actually, it probably would've been nice with a dollop of sour cream, but I didn't have any on hand. Next up: I think I'll try the Sweet Potato; stay tuned.

Monday's Quote

John Morley (1838-1923) was a British statesman, the first Viscount of Blackburn. Here, he offers a small pearl of wisdom:

"The law of things is that they who tamper
with veracity, from whatever motive, are
tampering with the vital force of
human progress."

Miss Rhythm

Here's a great song by Ruth Brown-- what a voice!

Sunday Funnies

Above is my all-time favorite Far Side cartoon by Gary Larson. There was a time when Larson's panel was probably the most popular of daily comics, and people (at least many that I hung out with) endlessly debated which ones were best.

Larson's bent view of the world really captured one's attention, especially since his work often appeared adjacent to the likes of more innocuous single panel cartoons like Marmaduke or Ziggy.

Much like Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes), Larson quit when he was still at the top of his game. I imagine the book-size collections continue to generate healthy sales, and you can still find calendars, mugs, etc. as well.


One of Larson's pet themes (no pun intended) was to imagine a much more complex life for animals than we mere humans typically noticed. Cows seemed a particular favorite for Larson (I wonder if he grew up on a farm?).

Larson inspired a lot of imitators over the years, but I can't think of anyone who tapped into that twisted vein of humor with the same visual wit that he demonstrated throughout his peak. That kind of originality is the hallmark of great art, even popular art.

Sunday Morning Philosophy

Max Horkheimer (1895-1973) was one of the founders of the Frankfurt School of Social Research, and a key thinker of the mid-twentieth century. He was perhaps especially insightful on the rise of fascism, which forced him, like so many others, into exile. Here's a long, but interesting quote that remains, unfortunately, relevant:

"Although most people never overcome the habit of
berating the world for their difficulties, those who
are too weak to make a stand against reality have
no choice but to obliterate themselves by identifying
with it. They are never rationally reconciled to
civilization. Instead, they bow to it, secretly
accepting the identity of reason and domination,
of civilization and the ideal, however much they
may shrug their shoulders. Well-informed cynicism
is only another mode of conformity. These people
willingly embrace or force themselves to accept
the rule of the stronger as the eternal norm.
Their whole life is a continuous effort to suppress
and abase nature, inwardly or outwardly, and to
identify themselves with its more powerful
surrogates—the race, fatherland, leader, cliques,
and tradition. For them, all these words mean
the same thing— the irresistible reality that must
be honored and obeyed. However, their own
natural impulses, those antagonistic to the
various demands of civilization, lead a devious
undercover life within them."

Cool Zippy Strip

I know that Zippy by Bill Griffith is something of an acquired taste, one which many never acquire. Today's edition made me laugh and laugh, so I thought I'd share it in the hopes some readers may be won over (that is, if you're not already a fan). "Two Bozos." Heh, heh.

Photoshop Fun

Here are three more pictures I've been playing around with on Photoshop Elements. Above is a Big Sky shot on which I enhanced the contrast and color a bit to (I hope) bring out the more dramatic elements of the image.

This shot was originally so blurry that I was tempted just to delete it. But then I thought I'd see if I couldn't play up the blurriness to good effect. So I worked on the texture and lighting to emphasize its dream-like qualities.

This is a shot of Main Hall on the UM Western campus where I teach. On this one, I tried to bring out the stateliness of the building by again playing around with the lighting and contrast especially. My next goal is to learn how to use the layering function of the software, which I've been reading about but so far haven't utilized. Results will be posted soon.

Saturday Morning Cartoon

To my mind, Yogi Bear was the best of the Hanna-Barbera cartoons I grew up on-- better than Huckleberry Hound, Snagglepuss, Ruff and Reddy, the Jetsons, you name'em. Here's what I believe is the first Yogi cartoon from 1958:

Today's Quotation

Fyodor Dostoyevski (1821-1881) was one of the giants of literature. Here's something he wrote in Notes From the Underground:

"But there are other things which a man
is afraid to tell even to himself, and every
decent man has a number of such things
stored away in his mind... A man's true
autobiography is almost an impossibility...
Man is bound to lie about himself."

Classic Joe Ely

I've been to the museum that Joe Ely talks about in the intro to this song, and my impression was pretty much the same as his. I wish I could say that I wrote a song as cool as this one in response to the experience, but then Joe already has, so I guess I'm off the hook on that count:

Friday Family Blogging Quiz

Here's a slightly altered photo I (or was it Ben?) took of Natalie last summer. The question is, where was this picture taken? Be as specific as possible and put your guesses in the comments section.

Last week, I asked you to identify who, among the photo's subjects, was celebrating a birthday, which birthday it was, and what the main present was for the birthday celebrant. That turned out to be easier than I expected, as the correct answers were almost immediately forthcoming: it was in fact my ninth birthday and the big present that year was a guitar (which, despite a number of lessons over a couple of years, I never got the hang of). Unfortunately, none of the correct answers came from signed responses, so I don't know who to credit with stellar memories (though I suspect Mom and maybe Sally). If you want to take credit, go ahead and make your case in the comments this week.

More Friday Family Blogging

Okay, this picture wasn't taken last week, but I scanned it from Liz's collection during my visit over Thanksgiving. Doesn't Marenka look like some kind of South American rock star? And no, I don't really know what that means.

Friday Family Blogging

Here's a picture of Maria, Sara, and Joseph taken last week while I was visiting the Bannings out in Washington. I'll leave it to your interpretation whether that's a hug or a chokehold Sara has
applied to Joseph's neck.

Friday Philosophy

Chuang Tzu was a Chinese mystic from the 3rd Century BC. Here's a comment he supposedly made that you might want to turn over a couple times in your own mind:

"Human life is limited, but knowledge is
limitless. To drive the limited in pursuit
of the limitless is fatal; and to presume
that one really knows is fatal indeed."

New Blog Feature

You may notice that I've added a search function to the blog. It appears just below my profile at left, and is set to find anything that's been mentioned at any time on this blog. I know Lil Sis likes to check up on me (to see if I'm recycling material), and this should make her (or anyone else's) efforts much easier ;-)

Video of the Day

I don't know what Bruce Springsteen has to do with Paris, but I was mesmerized watching these shots of Paris with the Boss providing the soundtrack (especially the first song: I love "Rockaway the Days").

Pop Quiz

Anyone care to guess where the picture that now adorns the heading of this blog was taken? Put your guesses in the comments, and try to be as specific as possible.

Photoshop Fun

Here are a few pictures that I've attempted to enhance with Photoshop software. Above is the pier in Santa Monica.

Here's a barrel I shot in a field by Grasshopper Creek in Bannack.

And a party boat casting off near the Erie Canal terminus in Buffalo. I played around with the lighting and color on each of these (also added some arty filters with the barrel). In the mail today I received my first issue of Digital Photography magazine (recently subscribed to) and so I'm looking forward to learning how to do more with the software.

Thursday's Thought of the Day

Heywood Broun (1888-1936) was a New York journalist, and respected member of the Algonquin Round Table. Here's a quip of his from 1922:

"The most prolific period of pessimism
comes at twenty-one, or thereabouts,
when the first attempt is made to
translate dreams into reality."