John Gushue . . . Dot Dot Dot

The Swedish Chef gets assimilated

Borg! Borg! Borg! 

This Muppets-by-way-of-Star-Wars parody was seen here. 

Leaving Town

I heard this Pat Metheny track on the Sirius XM channel Real Jazz, and would not have guessed it was Metheny, because it so heavily features sax. The Unity Band, Metheny's latest project, is the first time he's featured sax in more than three decades. No wonder! 

Ho hey, in chicken

From Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, the latest bit of musical comedy featuring celebrity guests. This time, from Thursday night's episode, a redo of the Lumineers' Ho Hey, featuring Fallon, guest Nick Offerman, musical guest Blake Shelton and staff writer Chris Tartaro. 

Do you like your chocolate with a caffeinated twist?

Martha is baking me a cake that has two of my favourite ingredients: chocolate and coffee (espresso, to be exact). I came across this ad, produced a few years ago for the Italian manufacturer Zaini and its Kofli products. 

Less violent tendencies

"As I've gotten older, I've had more of a tendency to look for people who live by kindness, tolerance, compassion, a gentler way of looking at things."
- Martin Scorsese  

Have a good weekend

Enjoy your Easter weekend. 

I saw the vintage postcard above via Tumblr, originating here. 

Paint It Black

This is the Rolling Stones' appearance on the U.K. pop show, Ready Steady Go! The performance was lip-synched, but notable for its presentation. The director, Michael Lindsay-Hogg, decided to play with things by doing rapid jump cuts and, in particular, gradually killing the studio lighting until only a single light stayed on Mick Jagger. 

Record Store Day

... is coming. 

The annual chance to celebrate your friendly neighbourhood record store, and perhaps pick up a collectible, is this April 20. Here's the site. The local participating store is (surprise!!) the venerable Fred's on Duckworth Street in downtown St. John's.

 

 

Middle Cove waves

It was a beautiful and sunny day today in St. John's, although the ocean was on a full roll. This is one of the pictures I took as we putter along the Marine Drive, showing the waves pounding Middle Cove and Motion right behind it. 

Click on the image above if you'd like to see a larger version. 

If Not For You

Even while Roxy Music was still a young band, Bryan Ferry had already established himself as an interpreter of other people's songs. That sideline/solo thing has evolved over the years; in 2007, he released Dylanesque, consisting entirely of Ferryized versions of Bob Dylan songs. (The lyrics? All now understandable!) If Not For You is one of my favourites from the record. 

 

Related articles

Tomorrow's Girls

You Can't Get What You Want (Till You Know What You Want)

The Bryan Ferry Orchestra On World Cafe

Bryan Ferry Interview: 'Jazz Age,' Working on 'Great Gatsby' and the Future of Roxy Music

Electric Avenue

I've been able to sing along to Eddy Grant's biggest hit since it came out, but didn't know for many years that Electric Avenue is an actual place. It's the main street in Brixton, in London, and got its name because it had the novelty of being electrified before most other streets. 

 

Math can be wise

An infographic with math and philosophy at its heart. As seen here. 

 

Mexican Radio

"I hear the talking of the DJ/ Can't understand, just what does he say?" 

Wall of Voodoo, with the one and only voice of Stan Ridgway, have the tune of the day. 

Mega cube

 Many of my good friends know I have a thing about ice cubes ... although cubes are actually not involved at all. I have ice sphere makers (perfect for keeping certain drinks very cold without diluting them at all), and a wide range of novelty items that pop ice out in shapes ranging from hearts, Han Solo (a la carbonite) and skulls-and-crossbones. Arrrr...

I saw this product this week, and I'm tempted. Williams Sonoma sells these ice cube trays, with the annotation that the cubes are two inches on each side. Each set, thus, makes two. These are pretty big cubes, and as with the spheres, the idea is to keep something very, very cold without it getting watery. It's why those stones also sell. 

More Today Than Yesterday

This is one of the earworms I've had over the last few days ... so I'm passing it along to you. 

The Spiral Starecase - the name was spelled wrong deliberately, this being the era of The Cyrkle, the Monkees and, yes, Led Zeppelin - had a hit in 1969 with this song, which seemed to presage the horn-driven arrangements that would be popular in the Seventies. 

School of False

This performance by Big Wheel Stunt Show looks a little bit like a vintage Creedence clip, but it's much more recent, recorded a few months ago in studio for KEXP. 

 

If Avatar had been made in the Sixties

It was the age of 3D ... the first time around. 

This parody is just one of a hilarious set that movie buffs should check out when they have a second. Mick Jagger as James Bond, anyone? 

Sage against the machine

"After all, it is we who adapt to the machine. The machine does not adapt to us."
- Friedrich Kittler

Sweather Weather

It's Sweather Weather. No, not just the cool temperatures - it's the name of this song by The Neighbourhood. 

The fact-checked Newfoundland and Labrador tourism commercial

The spots produced by Target Marketing for the Newfoundland and Labrador tourism campaign have garnered a lot of attention and awards over the years ... and, now, a parody. 

This was posted a couple of days ago by the folks who chronicle the exploits of Donnie Dumphy. 

Neckbelly

It's St. Patrick's Day; you won't be catching me wearing any tacky plastic things, but I am marking the day in my own way. Here's Sharon Shannon, one of the finest musicians to come out of Ireland, in full performance.  

For our viewing pleasure

I somehow missed Hot Fuzz when it came out, and thereafter ... until now. Nick and I watched it this evening, and laughed ourselves silly. 

You're So Cool, I'm So Freaky

Here's Kate Nash from the U.K., performing for CBC Radio's Q a few days ago. 

 

A T-shirt for the aspiring scientist

The report card came home today: good news (whew), followed by a healthy discussion of career choices. By chance, I saw this shirt on ThinkGeek.com. It would do well. 

I'm not actually sure whether a science career is in the cards, but would be delighted all the same. Nick's interests continue to swirl as much as they evolve. 

Reports are greatly exaggerated

"I wish I was having as much fun as the press reports said I had."
- Sheryl Crow