John Gushue . . . Dot Dot Dot

What teenagers are up to online

I'm sure I'm not the only parent to find this infographic interesting. As seen here. 

Oh, how cynical is that

'"[The] power of accurate observation [is] commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it."
- George Bernard Shaw

[A fuller version of the quote can be read here.]

Brass In Pocket

How cool Chrissie Hynde was when The Pretenders first appeared on the scene: all sharp edges and raised eyebrows. I assumed she was British till I learned she was an American expat in London. I bought Brass In Pocket as a 45, which I guess was a bit of a waste, as I soon enough coughed up the money to buy the full debut album. It still pops ... and I still can't help but sing along the chorus of "special" when the tune plays in the car. 

You Wear It Well

I grew up on a diet of corn flakes, peanut butter and Rod Stewart. Well, it seems that way sometimes. Albums like Never A Dull Moment were played often when I was a kid, which is interesting, because my dad bore no resemblance to the footie-loving, pub-going type. 

Anyway, I still love playing songs like this. 

Doubling back

"Sometimes it's necessary to go a long distance out of the way in order to come back a short distance correctly." 
- Edward Albee 

Who's who in Love Actually

Largely because it's set at Christmas, and mostly because it's fun, we watch Richard Curtis's Love Actually every year in December. This year, Nick sat with us on the couch and saw it on the first time; as expected, Rowan Atkinson's super-fussy sales clerk was a favourite. 

Here's a diagram that maps out how the characters in the overlapping storylines are connected to each other. As seen here, on I Love Charts. 

Reward

It's The Teardrop Explodes, as seen on the Old Grey Whistle Stop, and it's the Dot Dot Dot song of the day. 

Parallels

"In love there are things - bodies and words."
- Joyce Carol Oates 

 

His name is Rusty

So, yes, we all know that Beyonce faked her emotional performance of the Star-Spangled Banner during the inauguration of Barack Obama last week ... but now we can laugh heartily after our tsk-tsk moment. The folks behind Bad Lip Reading stripped the audio of the lip-synched rendition, and came up with something hilarious. 

Wrap It Up

Sam and Dave have the song of the day.

I'll take it. 

Not quite chicken and egg

"What came first, the music or the misery? Did I listen to music because I was miserable? Or was I miserable because I listened to music?"
- Nick Hornby  

Bring It On Home To Me

One thing about Sam Cooke: he sounds amazing any day of the week. He sounds especially fine, though, on a relaxed morning. 

Another thing: had he not been shot to death in 1964, he would have turned 82 this past week. 

A final mistake

"Of all the tricks played by storytellers on their willing victims, the cheapest is the deception known in English as The End." 
- Michael Chabon  

[Chabon wrote this in an afterword to an edition of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, in which he acknowledges that, among other things, he'd like to write a sequel one day.] 

Brand new from Lonely Island

It's not technically a Digital Short, but Andy Samberg and his Lonely Island cohorts have produced a new video that extols, among other things, excessive use of Purel, avoiding the stairs and staying away from children and the "mad lice" in their hair. YOLO stands for You Only Live Once. It's a teaser from an upcoming album, their first post-SNL. 

Hanging there

"The best thing about a picture is that it never changes, even when the people in it do."
- Andy Warhol

[I took this photo of the chrome Andy Warhol statue in Union Square in New York City in 2011.] 

The chemical Avengers

A little humour for the science folks and the comic book folks, and especially those who identify with both camps. (Remember: don't mess with thorium!) As seen here. 

Bossman

One of Nancy Sinatra's more recent songs; in a special bit of a wink, the Sopranos had Sinatra perform the song in an episode. 

For future speedy-bow-tie reference

I do not currently have a bow tie. (I did wear one in the early years of school, but it was very much a clip-on thingie.) However, should circumstances change (birthday - cough - is coming up), I shall have this ready. 

As seen here. 

A racing mind

"A mind too active is no mind at all." 
- Theodore Roethke 

 

Travel plans

If all goes to plan, my passport will get some activity before the year is out. Our plan is to arrange a family trip to London in the months to come; if you have suggestions, get in touch. Thinking about the trip has already become a great pastime around the house. 

Take a Walk

Passion Pit had one of the bounciest songs of 2012 ... it's fitting, I guess, that the video featured a bouncing ball. For some reason, the notorious Happy Fun Ball of a long-ago SNL sketch came to mind. ("Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball" ... )

On the menu

"It's no longer a question of staying healthy. It's a question of finding a sickness you like."
- Jackie Mason  

Split

"In Hollywood, an equitable divorce settlement means each party getting 50 per cent of the publicity." 
- Lauren Bacall  

 

Sack O' Woe

A nasty headache today, and I've also been in a jazz-friendly frame of mind lately. Here's Cannonball Adderly's quintet, from 50ish years ago, with something that fits both bills.

 

If Spider-Man had a mustache

... or other super-heroes, for that matter. 

Have a look, and a chuckle, at this portfolio by Wes Montgomery, who is an illustrator and not (obviously) the late jazz guitarist.