What happened on September 29th?

By the way I wore RED today. I don't support the war and want the troops to come home safe, but I will support them because its only right.

---

I don't know about you but as a kid I could barely read, I was in occupational English classes, I couldn't spell, that kind of thing. The school had marked me as slow. In grade seven I was lucky enough to have a teacher who loved Tolkien .. he read us the Hobbit that year. This made me want to discover those worlds for myself, but Tolkien was way over my head. I found Heinlein's "Have Space Suit Will Travel" and I began to read. Insatiably. This opened new doors for me, teachers would phone my parents asking them if I really had read that book. They gave me tests to see if I cheated. I wasn't assigned the designation of slow anymore. (I just couldn't spell)
Heinlein led to Marion Zimmer Bradley, who led to Anne McCaffrey and so on. I love Sci-Fi, because it gave me the world. I assure you I will be at the bookstore to buy this novel

---

The following is borrowed from Spider Robinson's website

ExpandedBooks.com has released a video interview with Spider and David Crosby talking about their collaboration on VARIABLE STAR.



Variable Star by Spider Robinson and Robert A. Heinlein
Product Details
ISBN:076531312X
Author:Spider Robinson and Robert A. Heinlein
Publisher:Tor Books
Author:Robinson, Spider
Author:Heinlein, Robert A.
Subject:Science / General
Subject:Science Fiction - General
Copyright:2006
Publication Date:September 2006
Binding:HC
Language:English
Pages:320

---

Presently listening to

Parliament Funkadelic "Mothership Connection (Starchild)"
Well, all right!
Starchild, Citizens of the Universe, Recording Angels.
We have returned to claim the Pyramids.
Partying on the Mothership.
I am the Mothership Connection.
Gettin' down in 3-D
Light year groovin'
Well all right, if you hear any noise, it ain't nobody but me and the boys
Gettin' down. Hit it fellas!

If you hear any noise
It's just me and the boys
Hit me (groovin')
You gotta hit the band

All right, all right, Starchild here
Put a glide in your stride and a dip in your hip
And come on up to the Mothership.
Loose Booty, doin' the bump. Hustle on over here.

If you hear any noise,
It's just me and the boys hittin' it.
You gotta hit the band.
Ain't nothing but a party, y'all.
Face it, even your memory banks have forgotten this funk.
Mothership Connection, home of the P.Funk, the Bomb.
If you hear any noise,
It's just me and the boys, hit me
You gotta hit the band.
Doin' it in 3-D.
Let me put on my sunglasses here so I can see what I'm doing.
When you hear seats rumble you will hear your conscience grumble
Hit me
You gotta hit the band
You have overcome, for I am here.

Swing down, sweet chariot
Stop, and let me ride
(x6)

Doin' it up on the Chocolate Milky Way
What's up CC? Have you forgot me?
Are you hip to Easter Island? The Bermuda Triangle?
Heh heh! Well, all right. Ain't nothing but a party!
Starchild here, Citizens of the Universe
I bring forth to you the Good Time
On the Mothership.
Are you hip?
Sing, fellas!

If you hear any noise
It's just me and the boys
Hit me
You gotta hit the band
(x2)

Starchild here, doin' it in 3-D.
So good, it's good to me.
Hit the band!

If you hear any noise
It's just me and the boys
Hit me
You gotta hit the band

Swing low, sweet chariot, coming for to carry you home!

If you hear any noise
It's just me and the boys
Hit me
You gotta hit the band
(x2)

I don't think they hear you!
If you hear any noise
It's just me and the boys
Hit me
You gotta hit the band


Starchild here, citizens of the universe
Gettin' it on, partying on the Mothership.
When Gabriel's horn blows, you'd better be ready to go.

Swing low
Time to move on
Light years in time
Ahead of our time
Free your mind, and come fly
With me
It's hip
On the Mothership
Groovin'

Swing down, sweet chariot
Stop, and let me ride
(x 7)

What happened on September 26th?

Borrowed from SmartCanuks, who borrowed it from Brem's Blog, they both mention that Weird Al's new CD comes out soon, both posted the video below .. awesome.. thank god some yanks recognize what it means to be Canadain .. Wish some Canadians did.

Weird Al Yankovic: Canadian Idiot Lyrics

Don’t want to be a Canadian idiot

Dont want to be some beer swillin’ hockey nut
and do I look like some frost bitten hosehead
I never learned my alphabet from A to zed

They all live on donuts and moose meat
and they leave the house without packin’ heat
never even bring their guns to the mall
and you know what else is too funny
their stupid monopoly money
can’t take ‘em seriously at all

Well maple syrup and snow’s what they export
they treat curling just like it’s a real sport
they think their silly accent is so cute
can’t understand a thing they’re talking aboot

sure they got their national health care
cheaper meds for prime rates and clean air
then again well they got celine dion
eat their weight in kraft macaroni
and dream of driving a zamboni
all over saskatchewan

Don’t want to be a Canadian idiot

We’ll figure out their temperature in Celcius
see the map they’re hovering right over us
tell you the truth it makes me kinda nervous

always hear the same kind of story
break your nose and they’ll just say sorry
tell me what kind of freaks are that polite
It’s gotta mean they’re all up to something
so quick before they see it coming
time for a pre-emptive strike

What happened on September 25th?

Created by: National Film Board of Canada
Released: 1979
Language: English
Country of Origin: Canada
Style: 2D animation
Executive Producers: Derek Lamb
Songs by: Wade Hemsworth
Animated by: John Weldon
Based on: the traditional folk song, "The Log Driver's Waltz"

Found by Matt Watts, by the way Matt, I think the CBC used to run it at least twice a day.

The Log Drivers' Waltz
If you should ask any girl from the parish around
What pleases her most from her head to her toes
She'll say, "I'm not sure that it's business of yours
But I do like to waltz with a log driver".
Chorus
For he goes birling down a-down the white water
That's where the log driver learns to step lightly
It's birling down, a-down white water
A log driver's waltz pleases girls completely.

When the drive's nearly over, I like to go down
To see all the lads while they work on the river
I know that come evening they'll be in the town
And we all want to waltz with a log driver.

To please both my parents I've had to give way
And dance with the doctors and merchants and lawyers
Their manners are fine but their feet are of clay
For there's none with the style of a log driver.

I've had my chances with all sorts of men
But none is so fine as my lad on the river
So when the drive's over, if he asks me again
I think I will marry my log driver.

Music Meme and What happened on September 22nd?

Guano Point, Grand Caynon West Rim, Feb. 2006

17 Question Music Meme

Rules - Copy the questions, answer them, if you can make some links, pass them around, add at least one question when you use this meme. Let me know if you post this meme by linking to me. I want to see what other people like.

1) What was the first Album that you purchased? Do you still have them?
London Calling: The Clash and ArgyBargy: Squeeze. I still have both of them. I was sixteen, and had just gotten my first pay cheque from a after school job.

2) What was the first Album that you got as a gift?
Bat Out of Hell: Meat Loaf (I got the 8 Track Cassette for Xmas '77)

3) What was the first Concert you went to?
Queen, at the CNE, a bunch of us came down by Greyhound bus for a day at the EX and the concert.

4) Who was the first bar band you saw? and where?
Teenage Head, the American Hotel (the Yank) Barrie Ontario

5) What was your most memorable concert?
CSNY, at the ACC with my wife.

6) What band have you seen again and again?
Neil Young

7) What was/is your favourite concert/bar venue?
Massey Hall Toronto - accoustics are awesome. Last concert wife and I saw there was Alice Cooper.

8) What song have you never been able to forget? What part of the lyrics do you always find yourself singing?
Be Bop A Lula - Gene Vincent
{Be Bop A Lula she's my baby, Be Bop A Lula I don't mean maybe, Be Bop A Lula she's my baby doll, my baby doll, my baby doll.}

9) Can you remember the first time you really listened to a song on the radio, who was the artist?
Bay City Rollers - Saturday Night. Summer 1976 (I was 13), we were coming back from the cottage, I was trapped in the back of a Town & Country station wagon with all the luggage while my older sisters and their friends constantly sang S A T U R D A Y night! I hate Top 40 Radio Format.

10) Did you make mix cassettes for yourself and your friends?
Yes I was always a audio geek, I always looked after the party tapes for the bush parties.

11) What was the first song you downloaded?
Minnie the Mutcher, Cab Calloway

12) Did you purchase a MP3/IPod player yet?
The company has given me a PDA, I use windows media player and a 1 Gig Flash memory card, it holds about 200 plus songs. I then listen to music via headphones or a cassette adapter in my car.

13) Do you listen to music at work?
Yes .. otherwise I would go crazy .. I've hooked the PDA into a spare set of speakers in my office.

14) Do you sing along to the radio/cd player in the car?
Yes, loud and strong. One time I was driving my neice and nephew home from a week at the cottage, I had Great Big Sea's Road Rage in the CD player and sang my heart out the whole trip. A few weeks later my neice told my wife that I was a very bad singer. (their dad is a professional singer)

15) Have you taken your kid/kids to a concert? Who?
We took middle and Eldest to the Concert Fpr Toronto, Eldest wants to go to see the Who, but tickets for the two of us would be almost $300. I offered to take him to Rancid and Dropkick Murphys but he had arranged to go skateboarding with his friends (who would you rather be with your Dad or your friends).

16) Do you like your wife/husbands,son or daughters taste in music?
Eldest seems to like what I like, though he really is getting into AD/DC and I've never been a huge fan. Middle is into Black Eyed Peas, Cheetah Girls and Kelly Clarkson, so no I don't realy like her music, but I put up with it. Youngest likes anything so she is easy to get along with. Wife is a child of the 60's R&B music scene, Marvin Gaye, Supremes and James Brown.

17)What type of music do you like?
I don't think there is any music genre that I don't like at least something from. I love to listen to all forms of Rock & Roll / Rock - Garage, Alternative, Punk, New Wave, Classic Rock, and Blues, R&B, Jazz, Classical, Celtic also Bluegrass. I even like some Rap, Folk and Country songs.

---

Shapes of Things - Yardbirds

Shapes of things before my eyes,
Just teach me to despise.
Will time make men more wise?
Here within my lonely frame,
My eyes just hurt my brain.
But will it seem the same?

Come tomorrow, will I be older?
Come tomorrow, may be a soldier.
Come tomorrow, may I be bolder than today?

Now the trees are almost green.
But will they still be seen?
When time and tide have been.
Fall into your passing hands.
Please don't destroy these lands.
Don't make them desert sands.

Chorus, Lead.

Soon I hope that I will find,
Thoughts deep within my mind.
That won't disgrace my kind.

What happened on September 18th?

Bent Tickseed,
taken by "Me"

TV show meme

Here's a television meme for you to play along with. I found it at Aurora Walking Vacation, who found it at Where Life Takes You, who found it at Patrick's Place, who found it at Here, There, and Everywhere. Where it started I don't know.

The instructions are simple: change the color and/or boldface the shows you've watched at least three complete episodes of, and Bold and Italicize a show if you're certain you've seen every episode of it.
You can add up to three shows to the list, but keep them in alphabetical order.

24
3rd Rock from the Sun
7th Heaven
Adam-12
Aeon Flux
A.L.F
Alfred Hitchcock Presents
Alias
Alice
Alien Nation
Allo Allo
American Idol/Pop Idol/Canadian Idol/Australian Idol
America's Next Top Model/Germany's Next Top Model
Angel
Arrested Development
Babylon 5
Babylon 5: CrusadeBattlestar
Battlestar Galactica (the old one)
Battlestar Galactica (the new one)
Baywatch
Batman
Beauty & the Beast
Beavis & Butthead
The Ben Stiller Show
Beverly Hills 90210
Bewitched
Bonanza
Bones
Bosom Buddies
Boston Legal
Boy Meets World
Brady Bunch
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Bug Juice
Chappelle's Show
Charlie's Angels
Charmed
Cheers
China Beach
Columbo
Commander in Chief
Coupling
Cowboy Bebop
Crossing Jordan
CSI
CSI: Miami
CSI: NY
Curb Your Enthusiasm
Dallas
Dancing with the Stars
Danny Phantom
Dark Angel
Dark Skies
Davinci's Inquest
Dawson's Creek
Dead Like Me
Deadliest Catch
Deadwood
Degrassi: The Next Generation
Designing Women
Desperate Housewives
Dharma & Greg
Diff'rent Strokes
Doctor Who (new Who)
Doctor Who (series 1-26)
Dragnet
Due South
Dungeons and Dragons
Dynasty
Earth 2
Earth - Final Conflict
Emergency!
Enterprise
Entourage
ER
Escape From Planet Earth
Everwood
Everybody Loves Raymond
Facts of Life
Falcon Crest
Family Guy
Family Ties
Fantasy Island
Farscape
Fawlty Towers
Felicity
Firefly
Flamingo Road
Frasier
Friends
Full House
Futurama
Get Smart
Gilligan's Island
Gilmore Girls
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Green Wing
Grey's Anatomy
Growing Pains
Gunsmoke
Happy Days
Head of the Class
Hercules
Highlander
Hill Street Blues
Hockey Night in Canada
Hogan's Heroes
Home Improvement
Homicide: Life on the Street
House
H.R. Pufnstuf
I Dream of Jeannie
I Love Lucy
Invader Zim
Invasion
Iron Chef (Japan)
Iron Chef (USA)
Ironside
JAG
Jackass
Jeopardy
Joey
John Doe
Kath and Kim
Knight Rider
Knots Landing
La Femme Nikita
LA Law
Laugh-In
Laverne and Shirley
Law & Order
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: SVU
Little House on the Prairie
Lizzie McGuire
Logan's Run
Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman
Lost
Lost in Space
Love, American Style
M*A*S*H
MacGyver
Magnum P.I.
Malcolm in the Middle
Married...With Children
Melrose Place
Miami Vice
Millenium
Mission Impossible
Monk
Moonlighting
Mork & Mindy
Murphy Brown
My Family
My Favorite Martian
My Life as a Dog
My Mother the Car
My So-Called Life
My Three Sons
My Two Dads
Mysterious Cities of Gold
NCIS
Night Court
Nip/Tuck
Northern Exposure
Numbers
One Tree Hill
Oz
Parker Lewis Can't Lose
Perfect Strangers
Perry Mason
Picket Fences
Pirates of Darkwater
Pokemon
Power Rangers
Prison Break
Profiler
Project Blue Book ("Project UFO" in UK)
Project Runway
Psyche
Quantum Leap
Queer As Folk (US)
Queer asFolk (British)
Queer Eye For The Straight Guy
ReGenesis
Remington Steele
Rescue Me
Road Rules
RockStar:INXA
RockStar:SuperNova
ROME
Roseanne
Roswell
Samurai Jack
Sanford & Son
Saved by the Bell
Scarecrow and Mrs. King
Scooby-Doo Where Are You?
Scrubs
Seinfeld
Sex and the City
Six Feet Under
Sliders
Slings and Arrows
Smallville
Small Wonder
So Weird
South Park
Space 1999
Spaced
Spongebob Squarepants
Sports Night
Square Pegs
St. Elsewhere
Star Trek
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Enterprise
Stargate Atlantis
Stargate SG-1
Superman
Supernatural
Surface
Survivor
Taxi
Teen Titans
Teletubbies
That Girl
That 70's Show
That's So Raven
The 4400
The Addams Family
The Andy Griffith Show
The A-Team
The Avengers
The Beachcombers
The Beverly Hillbillies
The Bionic Woman
The Book of Daniel
The Colbert Report
The Cosby Show
The Daily Show
The Dead Zone
The Dick Van Dyke Show
The Dukes of Hazard
The Flintstones
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
The Golden Girls
The Greatest American Hero
The Jetsons
The L Word
The Love Boat
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
The Mighty Boosh
The Monkees
The Munsters
The Mythbusters
The O.C.
The Office (UK)
The Office (US)
The Outer Limits
The Pretender
The Prisoner
The Real World
The Shield
The Simpsons
The Six Million Dollar Man
The Sopranos
The Suite Life of Zack and Cody
The Twilight Zone
The Waltons
The West Wing
The Wild Wild West
The Wonder Years
The X-Files
Third Watch
Thirtysomething
Three's Company
Top Gear
Twin Peaks
Twitch City
Upstairs, Downstairs
"V"
Veronica Mars
Wings
What Not To Wear (US)
What Not To Wear (UK)
Whose Line is it Anyway? (US)
Whose Line is it Anyway? (UK)
Witchblade
Will & Grace
Wonderfalls
Wonder Woman
Xena: Warrior Princess
Young Hercules

The only thing this says about me was or is that I am addicted to TV

Lyrics to The Banana Splits Song
Written by Ritchie Adams & Mark Barkan

One banana, two banana, three banana, four
Four bananas make a bunch and so do many more.
Over hill and highway the banana buggies go
Comin' to bring you the Banana Split show
Makin' up a mess of fun, makin' up a mess of fun
Lots of fun for everyone

(CHORUS)
Tra la la, la la la la
Tra la la, la la la la

Four banana, three banana, two banana, one
All bananas playin' in the bright warm sun.
Flippin' like a pancake, popping like a cork
Fleegle, Bingo, Drooper an' Snork

(REPEAT CHORUS)

Two banana, four banana, one banana, three
Swingin' like a bunch on monkeys, hangin' from a tree.
Hey there, ev'rybody, won't you come along and see
How much like Banana Splits ev'ryone can be

(REPEAT CHORUS)

Makin up a mess of fun
Makin up a mess of fun
Happiness for ev'ryone
Tra la la, la la la la
Tra la la, la la la la
Tra la la, la la la la

What happened on September 15th?

Toronto Skyline from the Islands, Taken by "Me" on 08/24/05


I want to post comments to others blogs, but I can't because I switched to blogger beta. Not that I regret (to much) switching, as its so much easier to handle the posts and the blog code, but I can't talk to anyone else who is using blogger. (I also can't talk to Paul, he uses AOL, and it won't let non Aol users comment)

So to comment on Emma's post of Sept 14/06
Damn not Lukas, I wanted Toby to win. Lukas reminds me of Paul Williams both his look and voice .. if you have a chance rent Phantom of the Paradise and you will understand

To Paul's post of Sept 12/06
Your right the Leafs had better produce this year. I'm getting tired of defending them to my sons generation, non of his friends like the Leafs, what happened to loyalty.

To Running 42K, on his posts on internet dating and his up coming holiday.
I met my wife at college, she said something to me and I picked her up and hung her over a mud puddle trying to get her to apologize, she never did.
Have a great trip

To Talk Talk Talk
I can't get into Canadian Idol, niether of them are really that good .. but I need your help with Canadian Gardens .. how can I grow the group? No one is using the tags, no one comments, why would people want to join, we have over 50 members in Toronto Gardens, but only 29 in Canadian Gardens, need your help .. I'm making you a admin if you don't mind. Should I make everyone a admin?

I can comment on non blogger blogs so to those of you I read, I'm still here.

Lyrics for: Low Rider by War

All my friends know the low rider
The low rider get a little higher
The low rider drives a little slower
Low rider is a real goer
Hey low rider knows ev'ry street, yea
Low rider is the one to meet, yea
Low rider don't use no gas now
The low rider don't drive too fast.

Take a little trip, take a little trip
Take a little trip and see.
Take a little trip, take a little trip
Take a little trip with me.

What happened on September 13th?

Taken by "Me" at 30,000 feet, somewhere over Utah

Reading the Rolling Stone Rock of Ages History of Rock & Roll, has been fascinating. I had always thought that the great bluesmen/folk singers were song writers in their own right. Not that they weren't, but if you take a song like "House of the Rising Sun" made famous by the Animals in the 60's. You suddenly see the history behind a simple song. I always knew the animals hadn't written it, I've got a copy of Leadbelly performing it (Great double album compilation called Blues Anthology UK) awesome song, but nothing like the animals version (Leadbelly's version if from the view point of a man attending a brothel, not a gambler). But the Animals don't seem to have taken it from Leadbelly. Dylan did a cover just a year or two before. Before him, Nina Simone (haven't heard this version, but I am trying to find it), and then recording history seems to take "House of the Rising Sun". into hazy realm of recording and playing by numerous artists to the point where music historians can't figure out who wrote the song. In fact the melody seems to have come from a traditional English ballad, refined by the American folk and blues musicians. Music history is so cool.

I know this is kind of lame, but I've been caught up in RockStar SuperNova all summer, so here is my prediction for tonight's season finally. .......
TOBY
Sad isn't it when you give two and half hours a week for ten weeks to a TV show about a bunch of rich rock performers (in a put together band, aka Backstreet Boys do rock) looking for a lead singer. Some people have booze, or drugs, I have staring at a square screen watching people sing. Anyway, I figure Toby is going to win, Lukas is killing me (he reminds me of Paul Williams in the Phantom of the Paradise), I just can't handle Dilana (to much theatrics), Magni just won't be allowed to win Tommy, Gilby and Jason just don't seem to like him(he did a great cover of Hush last night, but I almost always forget his performance afterwards, though last night was an exception) and that will be the end of RockStar until next summer.

Lyrics for: The House Of The Rising Sun

There is a house in New Orleans
They call the Risng Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God I know I'm one

My mother was a tailor
She sewed my new bluejeans
My father was a gamblin' man
Down in New Orleans

Now the only thing a gambler needs
Is a suitcase and trunk
And the only time he's satisfied
Is when he's on a drunk

------ organ solo ------

Oh mothers tell your children
Not to do what I have done
Spend your lives in sin and misery
In the House of the Rising Sun

Well, I got one foot on the platform
The other foot on the train
I'm goin' back to New Orleans
To wear that ball and chain

Well, there is a house in New Orleans
They call the Rising Sun
And it's been the ruin of many a poor boy
And God I know I'm one

What happened on September 12th?

Forest by the Elora Gorge
Taken by Me on June 12/05

Paul, over at Aurora Walking Vacation grabbed this from An Analysis of Life, she has posted her top ten favourite songs, and asked others to list theirs.

This was really hard for me, do I list songs that I love or do I list songs that I can't get out of my head and find myself singing at odd points in time. I decide to give a combination of both, but this left songs like Lennons' Instant Karma, McCartneys' Mull of Kintyre, Lightfoots Sundown, Johnny Cash's version of Hurt and Rancids Time Bomb off my top ten list

Boom Boom Boom - John Lee Hooker
Hey Bo Diddley - Bo Diddley
Jimmy Jazz - The Clash
Behind Blue Eyes - the Who
Ohio - Crosby Stills Nash & Young
Blitzkreg Bop - Ramones
Jump Around - House of Pain
Wish You Were Here - Pink Floyd
Be Bop A Lula - Gene Vincent
Hey Hey My My - Neil Young

Kate also asked how strongly influenced our choices were by the music of our youth. As you can see from above, big time, for the most part I've never gotten past music played with as few cord changes as possible or that lasts for more the two minutes. I guess I haven't grown up and have a short attention span.

What are your favourite songs?

Gordon Lightfoot - Sundown Lyrics
I can see her lyin' back in her satin dress
In a room where you do what you don't confess
Sundown, you better take care
If I find you bin creepin' round my back stairs
Sundown, you better take care
If I find you bin creepin' round my back stairs

She's bin lookin' like a queen in a sailor's dream
And she don't always say what she really means
Sometimes I think it's a shame
When I get feelin' better when I'm feelin' no pain
Sometimes I think it's a shame
When I get feelin' better when I'm feelin' no pain

I can picture ev'ry move that a man could make
Gettin' lost in her lovin' is your first mistake
Sundown, you better take care
If I find you bin creepin' round my back stairs
Sometimes I think it's a sin
When I feel like I'm winnin' when I'm losin' again

I can see her lookin' fast in her faded jeans
She's a hard lovin' woman, got me feelin' mean
Sometimes I think it's a shame
When I get feelin' better when I'm feelin' no pain
Sundown, you better take care
If I find you bin creepin' round my back stairs

Sundown you better take care
If I find you bin creepin' round my back stairs
Sometimes I think it's a sin
When I feel like I'm winnin' when I'm losin' again

PS - if you notice .. Johnny Cash passed away three years ago today.

What happened on September 11th?

Five Mile Bay Sunset, taken by Eldest August 17/06


Five years ago our world changed, we in north america were brought into the reality that the rest of the world has know since who knows when. Look, terrorism has existed in the past in north america, spanish mexico, the french indian wars, war of 1812 (this was a guerrilla war), native raids on settlers, US Calvary raids on native villages, Pox blankets being given to native canadians, assassinations, the FLQ crisis and more. It just seems that these things only truely affected a small groups of us.

The media, word of mouth, file transfer, visual images brought 9/11 into our lives the moment it happened.

I was on the phone to a prospect in New York, he said that he had just heard that a small plane had flown into a building, he joked that it was the empire state building again. Then the phone lines went dead. My sales partner called from LaGuardia (where he had just landed) on his cell, it was chaos, no one knew what was happening. All morning long I was getting calls from him, as he watched the towers fall from his rental car trapped on the bridge into the city. We were in shock. This was my 9/11. I never want to live through this again.

Lyrics for: Gimme Gimme Shock Treatment: Ramones

I was feeling sick
I was losing my mind
I heard about these treatments
From a good friend of mine
He was always happy
Smile on his face
He said he had a great time at the place.
Gimme gimme shock treatment.
Peace and love is here to stay
And now I can wake up and face the day
Happy happy happy all the time
Shock treatment, I'm doing fine.

What happened on September 1st?

Ray at Discovery Cove


Well this is post is not going to be the normal "my world" post that I've been doing lately. I wanted to share something from a book that I'm reading. It's called "Rock of Ages, the Rolling Stone History of Rock & Roll, by Ed Ward, Geoffrey Stokes and Ken Tucker. Published 1986. The line below is copied directly out of the book, I did not change anything.

Rock of Ages the Rolling Stone History of Rock & Roll
Chapter 1 (All American Music) Page 26

"Of course, record companies felt threatened by the radio boom, fearing that air play would compete with sales. Initially they opposed the new jukeboxes as well: Instead of spending seventy-five cents or dollar on a record, a customer could hear it for a nickel. But eventually companies realized that jukebox play stimulated rather than diminished record sales – and besides, old 78-rpm records wore out fast in jukeboxes.
But they held the line when it cam to radio, and soon records began to carry notices that they were not for broadcast – a hard-to-enforce prohibition that was at least partially ignored."

The advent of Broadcast Radio was in the 1920's, doesn't this argument sound the same as what we just went through with the recording industry and file sharing. I realize there are some major differences, the ease of making a digital copy as opposed to a analog copy (seconds instead of real-time and the quality does not degrade) but what would have happened if the record industry had killed radio? or had gone after the small unaffiliated radio stations that were the back bone of the growth of modern music or what if they had gone for a share of the radio license that crystal set owners had to pay in those days (no one would have been able to buy a radio and instead of being a mass market medium it would have become a exclusive medium for only those who could have afforded it).

{11:58 pm Sept 1/06 .. amendment: I was talking to wife about this post tonight and she brought up a very important point. When music was put on the radio the listner had to actively go out to hear it again because there was not set time for replaying the song, with downloadind the public has access to the song any time they want and do not have to purchase the product.}

Look I'm not for stealing, and that is what file sharing really was. But if I go out and buy a CD, I want to be able to transfer it to my iPod if I want to (when I get one), I want to be make mixed tapes for my friends, like I did when I was a teenager, I have purchased something therefore its my property, isn't it. The way the industry is going with its protected CD's and proprietary file formats, you can't change songs format, you can't transfer files between different players, you have to buy the same song maybe 3 to 4 times for a family, I don't think so. (To give you an example, my wife has a iPod Shuffle, my kids have mp3's made by Creative, and I use my window handheld with a 1 Gig flash card of music and window media player.) I'm not sure about other people but there is no way I am going to buy a song more than once. With that Sony fiasco last year, I went from my Sterio system to my computer, Digital to Analog to Digital again, yes I lost quality but I knew my computer was safe. Hey I want to see the artist paid their royalties when I buy a CD, but once I've paid I don't want to have to pay again, I only have a limited amount to spend, would you rather I didn't spend anything.

All this has pointed out to me is that the record industry makes money (Here are the RIAA stats for 2005), I know that they say that have lost on profit over the last 10 years but they are still taking a incredible portion of the general publics entertainment dollar. (they just have to share with video games, DVD movie sales, movies, concerts, sporting events and everything else out there to entertain the public)

All I originally wanted to point out is that the recording industry has been saying the same thing for over 90 years, and each time they and the artists survive. A canadian group of artists (Canadian Music Creators Coalition) have formed to support the music buying public, they have some very interesting ideas.

My last statment in this rambling post ... Treat the people who buy your product fairly and they will continue to buy your product. Treat us like thieves and will be become thieves. I'm in a competitive sales market, I live by this rule.

Lyrics for: Police and Thieves by the Clash

they're going through a tight wind

police and thieves in the street
scaring the nation with their guns and ammunition
police and thieves in the street
fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition

from Genesis to Revelation
the next generation will be... hear me
from Genesis to Revelation
the next generation will be... hear me

and all the crowd come in day by day
no one stops them anyway
all the peacemakers, third world officers
hear what I say

police and thieves in the street
scaring the nation with their guns and ammunition
police and thieves in the street
fighting the nation with their guns and ammunition

from Genesis to Revelation
the next generation will be... hear me

and all the crowd come in day by day
no one stops them anyway
all the peacemakers, third world officers
hear what I say

police, police, police and thieves
police, police, police and thieves
Geneseh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh-eh
police, police, police and thieves
scaring and fighting the nation
shooting and shooting their guns and... guns and ammunition