(Knievel)

Evel Knievel, one of my childhood heroes, has passed away.

I idolized this man. Although I didn't figure it out until much later in life, jumping a motorcycle over obstacles is a potent symbolic act, one that transcends all language (no wonder Evels fame was globe-spanning!) It is a visual metaphor for triumphing over whatever adversity is in front of you - by literally taking flight, and soaring over it.

I found an old review that I wrote in February of 2001 about his film Viva Knievel!

"Like a moth drawn to a flame, I find myself rewatching this movie time and again, and let me tell you- it's a hoot, and a unique little gem. Evel positively IS the '70s. It amazes me that the writers of this film actually were able to concoct a plot where, at a key moment, the criminals can only be foiled by a guy with the specific ability to jump a motorcycle onto a moving semi trailer. Not a biopic, Viva Knievel! is a fictional crime drama, featuring the kind of villians who mug & cackle so broadly that you'd think they were in a silent film. .......Leslie Nielsen heads up the bad guys in such a hammy, telegraphed fashion that you half expect him to hand out black wool caps and masks and 'loot sacks' with dollars painted on the side. You'd swear it was one of his post 'naked gun' performances. Evel Knievel plays himself, and delivers his lines with a surprising charm and machismo as he gamely shares scenes with Red Buttons, Danny Kaye, Lauren Hutton and Frank Gifford. Everyone seems to be gunning for Oscar gold, playing their ridiculous little roles as if they're dropping the bomb on Hiroshima.... MORE"

I loved you, Evel, and I will always think about you. I hope that if you're in heaven, you get to fucking JUMP OVER GOD.

(Miss Cellania)

Sexist Ads Check out these hilarious sexist ads from a very unPC past.

via Miss Cellania and Neatorama

(Zack Parsons)

The 14 Most Awful Moguls.

found at Something Awful

(DoubleEdgeFilms)

Spin is an awesome short by Double Edge Films about a D.J. who can manipulate time and events.

(Parallels)

Parallels: The Music Of YES played their third gig on November 16th. I was bound and determined to get to this show, even though it was in Mount Vernon, WA which is 60 miles north of me. They were performing in the historic Lincoln Theater. It would be a bona fide concert, just them, with stage lighting, fog and rear projection artwork.

I got up there just in time for the start of the show. Their fan from Minneapolis showed up at the last minute (he has flown out for all three of their shows!) Like last time, there were a lot of YES T-shirts in the audience and I could hear people engaged in conversations about YES shows they had seen. We were primed to hear some awesome music.

The opening, Parallels, sounded great, but the band had some hiccups with their stage monitors and could not hear themselves properly. It took several songs to straighten out the problems, which could not have been good for the bands nerves. Their confidence a bit rattled, soon the band relaxed and began to feel the YES love from the enthusiastic audience.

The show sounded great and the enhanced visuals and lighting added a lot to the experience. They were playing a lot more songs this time around, so I got to hear them represent a broad swath of YES music, even as recent as their magnification album. They played Close To The Edge, the song, in its entirety. They played a lot of songs from Fragile.

Their version of The Fish includes an awesome medley - it veers into chunks of other YES songs and even Chris Squire solo material. You can tell that, while being extremely faithful to the original arrangements, Parallels also adds their own stamp in the form of signature variations during certain passages.

This band can pull off frighteningly complex songs. They nailed the song Awaken, which is so difficult I can't even imagine the audacity of adding it to a set list. Navigating its maze of chords and time signatures effortlessly, Parallels once again left me awed. I had to work early the next morning so I had to leave right after the show and didn't get to talk to the band. Thanks guys for another great evening!

(Buffalaxed)

"My loony bun is fine Benny Lava" is a hilarious Indian pop music video, "translated" by YouTube user Buffalax (buffalaxed, if you will). He has added subtitles to show what he felt the words were as if the characters were singing in English.

The video is already about fifty kinds of awesome, with its bizarre dance moves, fashions, slo-mo and Bollywood-style romance. The ridiculous 'translation' kicks it up a notch into outright hilarity...

(producten.hema.nl)

WOW. check out the HEMA online catalog. Trust me, you've got to check out this catalog.

found at YesButNoButYes

(Rolling Stone)

MY NAME IS IN





MAGAZINE!
The current one. Issue #1039, 40th anniversary issue, page 204.

I'm part of a tribute to Todd Rundgren that was organised by Bill Bricker at Toddata.com.

Bill raised enough money to get a half-page ad celebrating 40 years of the music of Todd Rundgren. He created a picture out of all the donors' names.

This issue is the first ever of Rolling Stone to be available as a free online digital edition.

(Parallels)

Parallels: The Music Of YES I had a magical experience last night. Alan Genatossio, a coworker of mine, has spent the last several years putting together a world class tribute to the music of YES. Parallels The Music Of YES is a band that dares to tread into the complex musical, philosophical and spiritual territory of YES music. Anyone who knows me knows about my passion for the music of YES, so it was with a very critical ear that I ventured to Everett to hear this, only the second gig by the nascent group.

After a great set by Blind Floyd (a tribute to Pink Floyd) I was primed to hear some YES music, because it was immediately apparent that Jimmy Z's had a great sound system. After a quick setup and cursory sound check, Parallels began (with the song Parallels) to leave the audience of Yes fans in awe.

From the first bar it was apparent that a massive amount of talent and experience was assembled onstage. The best compliment I can give to Parallels is that they took me to the exact same place that only YES had ever taken me before. Let me tell you that this band has the insane chops and sheer cojones needed to tackle this extremely complex material. On it's own, this show would have been extraordinary - but it was kicked up a huge notch when the band revealed that actual YES alumnus Patrick Moraz, the virtuosic swiss keyboard wizard, was in the audience. For me, this raised the event into something more: actual YES history.

Watching Parallels, and watching Patrick Moraz watch Parallels, went into the realm of being a magical experience. Remember, not many people have seen this band yet, so we all sort of collectively gasped in discovery as an audience. One guy had come all the way from Minnesota to see the show. There were quite a few Yes T-shirts in the audience - I mean, these were some big time fans of this music. And... well, there were ovations.

Afterwards, Patrick seemed thrilled to sign autographs and chat with audience members. He was a really cool guy.

Here's a video clip of Yours Is No Disgrace, their final song. Do not miss the part at 12:00 when Patrick takes the stage to commend the band!

Parallels The Music Of YES is going to be huge. YES fans are going to support this band as they continue their journey. I'm so glad I was there at this pivotal show. Alan, Jonathan, Randy, Dan, Robyn - THANK YOU!