Outtakes: MOST VISITED WEBSITES?
1. iTunes Store. “Great music selection.”
2. Facebook. “This social and business networking site is a great tool to let your friends know when and where you’re playing at public venues.”
3. MSN.com. “I like to keep current with what’s going on around me.”
MAC OR PC?
“PC. Mainly because I can’t afford a Mac! Actually, it’s what I’ve always used. I learned on a PC, and my employers always used PCs. I would love to own a Mac someday, though.”
SOMETHING THAT CAN TOTALLY RUIN YOUR DAY?
“Several years ago, my house had a can of paint thrown all over our garage doors and driveway, by a contractor who scammed us out of money and never finished a job.”
ANY TOPICS TO AVOID AT YOUR FUNERAL?
“Good question. I would hope that people would be considerate and avoid anything that may be offensive or inappropriate to my family. It’s not like I’d really have any control over what people would say once I’m gone. I try to be a good person, although I’m not perfect by any stretch, so I hope people will have kind things to say. I really would rather that they have a party and remember the good times.”
WORST MOVIE?
“I can’t remember the title, but it was a foreign film I rented once, I think filmed in Cuba. It was so bad, I didn’t even finish it. What I can remember is that it was about a woman in need of shelter, and a waiter in this club who was infatuated and took her in. The part I watched was just this chick taking advantage of the guy, and she was doing all kinds of things to sabotage him. It was really slow, and the acting left a lot to be desired.”
— September 8, 2010 8:02 p.m.
Pink Floyd: the Wall
The Wall debuted February 7, 1980, at the LA Sports Arena, tho the show ran for several additional nights at that venue - I was lucky enough to be there, thanks to answering a full page ad in the Reader announcing the lottery for tix. The money order I sent earned my four excellent opening night seats -- that was the beginning of a long and happy relationship I've had with this paper! I even still have that original Reader ad, as well as an unused ticket for that first show... Nan probably recalls a show from the previous tour, which I think also had an airplane riding a wire across the arena --- the band recycled a lot of their more expensive props, and ol' Rog still raids the Floyd warehouse for concerts. I've been looking at photos of the opening shows of this year's Wall tour, and can recognize a lot of props from the 1980 "tour," tho much has been updated, including/especially a panoramic projection screen behind the band that throws single widescreen images instead of requiring multiple projectors and images --- To bring this discussion back to movies, I also noted some scenes from the Wall movie among the new projections. Roger Waters originally sat in on the film work with director Alan Parker, but then withdrew and eventually all but disowned the final result. Now that he's adopting images from the movie for his own retro stage show, I guess ol' Rog has finally embraced his inner Parker...— September 26, 2010 1:18 p.m.
Imperial Beach City Staffers Look into Adult Arcade Booths
So called "Peep Show" booths have a long regulatory history around San Diego, most of them having been installed in the 1970s by two of the nation's biggest pornographers (according to the Meese Commission report), Harry Mohney and Reuben Sturmann. For awhile, local peep booths were required to screen 50 percent non-X rated fare. Since this was when the booths ran on 8mm film loops, that left only cartoons and old movie and boxing clips to fill half the projectors. Imagine walking into a porn shop and hearing, along with the moans and groans coming from the peep booths, the sound of Donald Duck and Mary Poppins songs. Weird dayz! The Reader has a detailed history of our local Battle of the Peeps at http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2008/…— September 22, 2010 1:58 a.m.
Pink Floyd: the Wall
With Floyd mastermind Roger Waters about to take the Wall show on the road for the first time in 30 years, his opus of alienation seems poised for a timely revival. The movie was originally planned as a live concert film, but footage shot at the handful of 1980 Wall performances proved unsuitable. So Alan Parker and Waters took a different approach, tho few could have guessed that the answer to the time-worn query "Which one's Pink?" would turn out to be Boomtown Rats singer (and future Live Aid/Live-8 architect) Bob Geldof. The irony of course is that Geldof used to tell anyone who'd listen how much he HATED Pink Floyd. The Rats were all about punk deconstructing bloated stadium rockers like Floyd - of course, over two decades after the Wall movie came and went, Geldof talked the four surviving members of Pink Floyd into reuniting to perform their last-ever set as a foursome before the death of keyboardist Richard Wright. Clearly, Geldof has embraced his inner Pink ----— September 21, 2010 11:14 p.m.
San Diego's Record Release Roundup
Sprague's choir will include Kevyn Lettau, Leonard Patton, Lisa Hightower, Kate Fuller, and Allison Adams Tucker.— September 15, 2010 8:43 p.m.
No Way — the Villain's a Lawyer in this Comic Book Story
Superman artist Stuart Immonen drew a comic story about the original New Kids VS Revolutionary lawsuit, which became famous as the first court case to establish First Amendment rights for comic book biographies -- http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2007/…— September 15, 2010 8:35 p.m.
Death Wish 3
AMC is showing one Death Wish movie per night this week - I'd never seen any after the first two, so it's kind of interesting to catch up on ol' Paul Kersey, the one-time architect who took the law into his own hammy hands for some 20 odd years, from DW1 in 1974 thru DW5 in 1994 (I wonder why Mr. Shepherd reviewed all but the final entry?). DW3 kicks off with Kersey (aka stoneface Charles Bronson) arriving in NYC, which seems to be populated by gangs whose wardrobes seem more designed for Dancing With the Stars than for wreaking mayhem --- think West Side Stories minus the music. Oh, and speaking of music, don't make the same mistake I made during the opening credits by getting excited to see Jimmy Page did the film score. The soundtrack not only does NOT rock, but it sounds more like Page's cat walked across an '80s Casio keyboard.... Kersey is on his way to visit an old fried, with said friend being attacked and dealt a killing blow by gangsters just moments before his arrival, immediately stretching the bounds of credibility. Things grow more implausible and comic book-y from there --- suffice to say the bad guys do a lot of bad things, but all is (eventually) avenged by good ol' Kersey (who now manufactures his own bullets, presumably to avoid detection - until/unless cops find his apartment full of bullet-making paraphernalia in DW 4?). More funny than ominous, by virtue of the ridiculous costumed "villains," I didn't find DW3 a complete waste of time. Tho, with a week of these movies airing on a network dubbed Arts and Entertainment Network, one has to wonder just how far afield their definition of "art" is being stretched.....— September 15, 2010 6:26 p.m.
The Midwinters: “The Hold Death Cab for Steady”
MAC OR PC? Paul: “Mac, because ‘You already know how to use it.’” Josh: “I’ve had a Mac for three years, with no viruses or crashes.” Matt: “I work on PCs, and we have a Mac at home.” Erik: “Mac, because I’m classy like that.” Chris: “Mac, because they work more often.” FIRST BOOK YOU REMEMBER READING? Paul: “Danny and the Dinosaur.” Josh: “Where the Wild Things Are.” Matt: “The Cat in the Hat Beginner Book Dictionary. Oobooglunk, anyone?” Erik: "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.” Chris: “Something by Roald Dahl or L. Frank Baum.” BIGGEST REGRET? Josh: “Putting out a record that I thought should have been an EP.” Matt: “Maybe not learning how to read music for real.” Erik: “Breaking up with Jennifer.” Chris: “Buying a condo a few years ago.” IF YOU COULD PICK YOUR OWN NICKNAME? Matt: “The Petite Sophisticate.” Erik: “E-rock.” BEST WAY TO DIE? Paul: “Sanctified.” Josh: “In your sleep.” Matt: “Looking up, I’d say.” Erik: “With the assurance of heaven.” Chris: “Suddenly, with no pain, while engaging in a group hug with all my favorite people.”— September 15, 2010 6:04 p.m.
The Midwinters: “The Hold Death Cab for Steady”
Outtakes: PHRASE YOU NEVER WANT TO HEAR AGAIN? Paul: “Just sayin’.” Josh: “I’m sorry you feel that way.” Matt: “You guys are playing last, okay?” Erik: “You’re such a nice guy, let’s be friends.” Chris: “Whoop, there it is.” VIDEOGAME JONES? Josh: “Nascar ‘09. Not the most advanced game for the PS2, but it affords me the opportunity to relive each and every race of the greatest sport on Earth.” Matt: “I did like MechWarrior.” Erik: “Hitman: Blood Money, because it’s totally badass.” Chris: “I used to love Metroid and Mario Brothers 3.” MAGAZINE YOU’D LIKE A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO? Paul: “No Depression, until it went belly up.” Matt: “A journal called Touchstone.” Erik: “Probably Digital Camera or Cigar Aficionado.” Chris: “I’d love a subscription to Tape Op.” WE COULD USE SOME GOOD ADVICE Josh: “‘Live every day as if it were your last.’ A family member told me that the day my mother passed away.” Matt: “My whole life is held together by good advice. But a good one for me is ‘A gentle answer turns away wrath.’” Erik: “‘History teaches us that men behave wisely, once they’ve exhausted all other alternatives,’ a quote from the movie Still Crazy.” Chris: “‘Have as many kids as possible, and be around to see them grow up,’ according Steve Churchyard.” MOST VISITED WEBSITES? Paul: 1. Bloomerg.com. “Determines what kind of mood I’m going to be in that day.” 2. Wikipedia.org. “I just found out Ronnie James Dio died. I didn’t believe it until Wikipedia confirmed it.” 3. Pandora.com. “It does the thinking for you. You have to muster the energy to put one random song in, and then it builds a playlist around that.” Josh: 1. Buzzgrinder.com. “A music news website for people with refined tastes, like myself.” 2. Minnesotatwins.com. “News about the greatest, most storied baseball franchise in history.” Matt: 1. Grooveshark.com. “Because you can hear anything by anyone.” 2. Buffalobrosguitars.com. “They have the whole shop online, and I love that place.” 3. Mint.com. “Gotta keep the finances straight.” Erik: 1. Yahoo.com. “For email.” 2. Facebook.com. “More women to reject you.” 4. Blackboard.com. “For school info.” 5. Southparkstudios.com. “Hilariousness.”— September 15, 2010 6:03 p.m.
Debora Galan Mixes Jazz and Lounge
Outtakes: MOST VISITED WEBSITES? 1. iTunes Store. “Great music selection.” 2. Facebook. “This social and business networking site is a great tool to let your friends know when and where you’re playing at public venues.” 3. MSN.com. “I like to keep current with what’s going on around me.” MAC OR PC? “PC. Mainly because I can’t afford a Mac! Actually, it’s what I’ve always used. I learned on a PC, and my employers always used PCs. I would love to own a Mac someday, though.” SOMETHING THAT CAN TOTALLY RUIN YOUR DAY? “Several years ago, my house had a can of paint thrown all over our garage doors and driveway, by a contractor who scammed us out of money and never finished a job.” ANY TOPICS TO AVOID AT YOUR FUNERAL? “Good question. I would hope that people would be considerate and avoid anything that may be offensive or inappropriate to my family. It’s not like I’d really have any control over what people would say once I’m gone. I try to be a good person, although I’m not perfect by any stretch, so I hope people will have kind things to say. I really would rather that they have a party and remember the good times.” WORST MOVIE? “I can’t remember the title, but it was a foreign film I rented once, I think filmed in Cuba. It was so bad, I didn’t even finish it. What I can remember is that it was about a woman in need of shelter, and a waiter in this club who was infatuated and took her in. The part I watched was just this chick taking advantage of the guy, and she was doing all kinds of things to sabotage him. It was really slow, and the acting left a lot to be desired.”— September 8, 2010 8:02 p.m.
None
Mr. Shepherd says of Hoffman's performance "All he is seeking, really, is the audience's adoration." I disagree. I think Hoffman was mainly trying to get the film's target audience (which, make no mistake, was teens ONLY - "adults" were only welcome as objects to mock) to relate to him. In all his homely, small, shleppiness, he wasn't so much an everyman as he was an everykid. I understand Robert Redford was the original choice for Hoffman's role - thank whatever gawd watched over Hollywood that director Nichols went against studio pressure to cast thusly.— September 7, 2010 8:02 p.m.