There are lots of singers whom I admire for their talent, versatility, or just sheer willpower. For instance, I’d credit Louis Armstrong as being one of my favorite singers simply for the willpower to harness his emotion in that gravel pit of a voice and for the incredible balance it provided to the beauty of Ella Fitzgerald in their recordings together. But there’s damn few singers who I’ll listen to with a smile on my face through an entire song, and then as the last few notes are fading I’ll slowly think to myself… someone please brain me with a rock because there’s no way I could do it that well. Ladies and gentlemen, two such singers… Stevie Wonder and Tony Bennett…
UPDATE: Just in case anyone out there has a problem with me lauding brother Stevie for his efforts as a vocalist, let us not forget that the man isn’t restricted to singing, harp, and keyboards… The man has also been known to pop the skins a bit as well.
Let’s face it folks, when it comes to America at this point in history, the fat is in the fire. Companies are closing left and right, the stock market has essentially devolved into a Greek tragedy, jobs are scarce, and we’re about a week away from collection agencies ringing up the White House. I think it’s safe to say that President Obama has gone through a couple nights when he’s questioning whether or not this whole thing was a good idea. So I’m thinking the last thing he needs right now is Dubya’s former Chief of Staff Andrew H. Card Jr telling him it’s time to suit up in between shouts for the local neighborhood kids to stay off his lawn.
“The Oval Office symbolizes…the Constitution, the hopes and dreams, and I’m going to say democracy. And when you have a dress code in the Supreme Court and a dress code on the floor of the Senate, floor of the House, I think it’s appropriate to have an expectation that there will be a dress code that respects the office of the President.”
Mr. Card then went on to tell the President that he needs to get a hair cut because he’s begun to resemble a hippy. And what ever happened to hats?! By jove, it’s been too long that our country’s executive office has been disgraced by the lack of a sharp, well-boxed top hat or at the very least a bowler. Kids these days…
Any questions why our country is up the creek with a leaky canoe after leadership like that over the last eight years?
Damn, when did Val Kilmer decide to become late-career Jim Morrison without the beard? Oh, and he may run for governor of New Mexico, so we can all thank The Governator for that one - or perhaps Jesse “The Body” Ventura, I haven’t decided who’ll get the blame on this one.
Just to complete the post of randomness, I was watching 30 Rock last night and would pose this question: who’ll hit the 3 bill mark first, Alec Baldwin or Val Kilmer? Discuss.
Back a few years ago, Kim and I were doing an event up in North Conway, NH. After work one night, we headed out to this little Irish cottage kinda place for dinner, and we wound up meeting one of the guys from the dealership. Now, I’ll leave out the part of the story where the dude essentially went off on us for a solid 10 minutes before I had to set him back in his place and get to the one nugget of wisdom he did manage to squeeze out that night…
In discussing wine, he related a story to us where he was at some vineyard doing the “This whole seeing the vines and learning about making barrels is cool and all, but when do we get to the free hooch?” tours, and the guide sprung a question on them. How many kinds of wine are there? Several people tried to offer some educated answers, going with the standard types of grape and such. The guide said they were all wrong and that, in fact, there were only TWO different kinds of wine: those that you liked and those that you don’t.
Applies to lots of things in life when you really bring it home, doesn’t it? The only division that really rings true is what you like and what you don’t - anything further than that, and it gets complicated fast. For instance… I’m a beer snob by trade, a person who wouldn’t touch Natural Light unless it was at gun point - but I also enjoy Budweiser’s American Ale. It’s a matter of a decent taste at a somewhat reasonable price. Same for all the sixers of Rolling Rock that I purchased after a long night working at Don Pablo’s in Virginia - it’s cheap swill, but when you get it ice cold, there’s not much better after a long night working in a sweat box. I’ll forever say that I enjoy beer for the varieties and tastes available, but don’t be surprised if you catch me with a 20 oz. Pabst Blue Ribbon either.
Applies to poetry as well. Applies to music. Applies to everything. What’s your two kinds?
Hello, my name is Todd and if you haven't already guessed by the title, this is my website. I am a writer and designer living in Old Orchard Beach, Maine with my wife and daughter. If you'd like to learn a little more about me, then you can click here to read the rest of the story.
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Poetry as biographical sketch. Or was it biographical sketch as poetry? What happens when your life dissolves like a pile of sugar in a tidal wave - do you stand strong, run, collapse, or grin into the shadows? The poems here reflect a period in the author's life when he did all of the above in different orders with varying results and redemption waiting around the corner. Practically, this is poetry as survival. Partially, it's an ode to getting lost in order to be found. Ultimately, it's a love letter to poetry. Click here for preview and purchase.
Hello, my name is Todd and if you haven't already guessed by the title, this is my website. I am a writer and designer living in Old Orchard Beach, Maine with my wife and daughter. If you'd like to learn a little more about me, then you can click here to read the rest of the story.
