Spitball Army

The Trip (2010):

• I will never hear ABBA’s “The Winner Takes It All” the same way again.

Czech Dream (2004):

• How 1000s of spend-crazy Czechs were duped (via marketing) into rushing a mall grand opening that didn’t exist.

Die Welle (The Wave) (2008):

• High school teacher focuses immersion-style on concept of autocracy during project week. Predict the results.

Eighth of 20 watercolor picture/postcards from the postcard book titled: “Official View Book, A CENTURY OF PROGRESS EXHIBITION, Chicago, 1933.”

This card pictures “The Hall of Religion, from the Lagoon,” at the 1933 World’s Fair held in Chicago, Illinois.

The accordion-style postcard book’s cover:

Who knows where we’d be without the back-up singer? Well, I do, for one. We’d be stranded in a world without harmony. Chew on that for a moment.

The first seven tracks on today’s playlist are by six very famous artists (and Valerie Carter), who all got their start in the music biz as backing vocalists for other folks. The most famous instance of this is, of course, Sheryl Crow’s early stint supporting Michael Jackson. Valerie Carter, incidentally, has had quite a lucrative career as a supporting vocalist for James Taylor.

The remaining tracks (8 through 17) feature some well-known singers supplying vocals behind their colleagues. There are tons of examples of these – I could go for weeks renewing such a playlist. I, however, will not.

Approximate playing time: 70 minutes.

1. Elton John  “Let Me Be Your Car”  (1973)
2. Whitney Houston  “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”  (1987)
3. Sheryl Crow  “Members Only”  (1998)
4. Phil Collins  “Another Day in Paradise”  (1989)
5. Valerie Carter  “Cowboy Angel”  (1977)
6. Cher  “Lay Baby Lay”  (1969)
7. Mariah Carey  “Vision of Love”  (1990)
8. Carly Simon [with Mick Jagger]  “You’re So Vain”  (1972)
9. Peter Gabriel [with Kate Bush]  “Games Without Frontiers”  (1980)
10. Rockwell [with Michael Jackson]  “Somebody’s Watching Me”  (1984)
11. Eric Clapton [with Dolly Parton]  “Lay Down Sally”  (1977)
12. Hootie & the Blowfish [with David Crosby]  “Hold My Hand”  (1994)
13. Indigo Girls [with Jackson Browne]  “Galileo”  (1992)
14. Neil Young [with Linda Ronstadt]  “Heart of Gold”  (1972)
15. John Denver [with Olivia Newton-John]  “Fly Away”  (1975)
16. Sam Cooke [with Lou Rawls]  “Bring It On Home to Me”  (1962)
17. David Bowie [with John Lennon]  “Fame”  (1975)

Some notes on the songs:

• Not too many people could get away with altering the lyrics to a Bob Dylan song like Cher has done with “Lay Baby Lay.” Do you think she should get a pass?
• I can’t hear David Crosby in the Hootie track, but I’m told by a reliable source that he’s definitely in there, buried beneath fifteen layers of Darius Rucker vocals.
• John Lennon is unrecognizable in “Fame,” but that’s him singing “fame, fame, fame, fame,…” at the end, his voice manipulated to sound like an electronic Chipmunk.
• This has nothing to do with backing vocals, but I still contend – as I have for years – that Carly Simon’s rhyming of ‘yacht’ with ‘apricot’ is utter brilliance.

[audio:Robyn_Hitchcock___Fifty_Two_Stations.mp3]
“Fifty Two Stations” (1982) from Groovy Decay by Robyn Hitchcock

Le Quattro Volte (2010):

• Posits that our lives cycle through all phases of nature. Just finished viewing it and want to immediately see it again.

21 Jump Street (2012):

• At the 21 Jump Street sneak tonight: full house; almost constant laughs; possibly the sickest dick joke on film.

The Artist (2011):

• Saw The Artist tonight. Enjoyable and entertaining but not Best Picture -> The Tree of Life or The Descendants, maybe, even Midnight in Paris.
• The Artist pays homage to Citizen Kane: the breakfast table sequence; the screening room shadows; Valentin’s wife as Susan Alexander.
• Favorite moment in The Artist: Valentin’s wife yelling at him, “Why won’t you talk?!”
• Second-favorite moment from The Artist: A feather falls out of the sky and lands on the pavement with a deafening crash.
• Third-favorite moment from The Artist: That dance sequence at the end.

Pina (2011):

• Who knew modern dance could be so funny, moving, provocative, & energizing to watch? Not me, apparently. Fantastic even in 2D.

In Time (2011):

• Borrowed premise (Logan’s Run; Gattaca); clunky dialogue; wonderfully creative use of downtown Los Angeles locations.
• I kept thinking, while watching, how it might work as stage play…characters ruminating on the nature & desirability of time, etc.

Mozart’s Sister (2010):

• Languorous imagining of teenage years of Nannerl, Wolfgang’s older sibling, who subverts her talents to 1700’s sexual mores.
• An ultimately moving drama, but so drearily paced that it took me two days to slog through to its conclusion.

[Letter addressed to Mrs. Harry V. C., c/o Mrs. J. W., 20 Block Street, Dundee, Scotland.  Return addressed to Cpl. Harry V. C., 33428766, 1409^th A.A.F. Base Unit, E.D.A.T.C. A.P.O. 741 c/o P.M., U.S. Army.]

England
Jan.5.1945

Dearest Mary:

I haven’t much to write tonight Darling but I am going to try any way.

I did not receive any letters from you yet Dearest but I am looking for some tomorrow.  I sure have been busy the last few days but it helps make the time go a lot quicker till I can see you again, for Darling I miss you so awful much.  I hope Darling that we can be together before long to stay.  When we are together for good Darling it will be the best times of our lives.

How is every body getting along up there in good old Dundee?  That seems more like home up there to me than it did when I was at home back in the States, but you know the reason for that don’t you Dearest.  It is because there is a certain person up there that is very dear to me called Mrs. Harry V. Cole.  Do you know any body by that name up around there, Darling?  If you don’t Dearest I will show her to you when I see you again.  Are you getting along allright since I was up there with you?  I get to wondering but you know how it is when you don’t get to hear from the one person in this world that means every thing to you.

Have you received any more letters from your Father since I was up there Darling?  I wish that I was up there with you when he comes home.  Did he say when he thought he would get home?  Let me know when you hear, for I sure want to meet him.  Please let me know Darling if you got the money that I sent you Dearest and let me know how much you need will you Darling?  I will send you what you have to have.  If I don’t have it right away, I will send it to you as soon as I get it, for Darling I will do any thing for you for I love you so much and you mean every thing to me.

Did you receive any letters from home yet?  It has been three weeks since I received a letter from home and I haven’t received a letter from Kenny since I saw you last.  The only things that I have been getting is news papers, about two months old.

What is the weather like up around there now?  Is it still like it was when I was up there?

Darling you should of seen me taking a bike ride this morning.  I was going to work on Werth’s bike and all at once it flew out from under me and you should of seen me going up the road sliding on my back with the bike on top.  I had to laugh my self.  I hope you don’t go sliding like that.

Darling I am going to say Good Night now and finish this.  I will send you a few words tomorrow.

All my love Darling now and forever
Your Loving Husband
Lonely till I am with you Darling
Harry.

I guess if the South can have cheesy grits, then Boston can have bakedy beans and Olive Garden can have a bottomless salady bowl.

Seventh of 20 watercolor picture/postcards from the postcard book titled: “Official View Book, A CENTURY OF PROGRESS EXHIBITION, Chicago, 1933.”

This card pictures the “Federal Building and States Group, an architectural dramatization of national unity” at the 1933 World’s Fair held in Chicago, Illinois.

The accordion-style postcard book’s cover:

Where do the days go? Work, work, work, work and work, and soon two to three months have passed and you realize that you haven’t posted a thing on your blog…but change that “you” to “I” and here we are.

I found myself stuck behind the desk at home paying bills on my first day off in a long while, and let the iTunes take a musical holiday, jumping all over the map on a random spree – not that different from what I usually listen to, but enjoyably unpredictable, nonetheless. Here is a bit of what I heard.

Approximate playing time: 80 minutes.

1. Hank Mobley  “Soul Station”  (1960)
2. Ry Cooder  “Poor Man’s Shangri-La”  (2005)
3. Johnny Cash  “I’m Going to Memphis”  (2003)
4. The Stone Roses  “Elephant Stone”  (1989)
5. IV Thieves  “Mother’s Dilemma”  (2006)
6. Guy Van Duser & Billy Novick  “Sondra’s Blues”  (1994)
7. Arthur Russell  “Make 1, 2”
8. Television  “Friction”  (1977)
9. John Prine  “The Sins of Memphisto”  (1991)
10. Diana Ross & the Supremes  “I Guess I’ll Always Love You”  (1967)
11. The Electric Prunes  “I Had Too Much to Dream Last Night”  (1966)
12. Cowboy Junkies  “One”  (2005)
13. David Gray  “Wisdom”  (1993)
14. David Mead  “The Only Living Boy in New York”  (2004)
15. Laura Nyro  “Mercy on Broadway”  (1969)
16. Werly Fairburn  “Good Deal Lucille”  (1954)
17. The Temptations  “Psychedelic Shack”  (1969)
18. Howlin’ Wolf  “How Many More Years”  (1951)
19. Beck  “E-Pro”  (2005)
20. Steve Wynn  “Resolution”  (2010)