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Category: Uncategorized

Fredric Wertham and the Comic Code Authority Making Comic Books Safe for Kids!!

One of the books that I am reading is Harold Schecter’s The Mad Sculptor: the maniac, the model and the murder that shook the nation. The Mad Sculptor is Robert Irwin, prior to committing the murder (I haven’t gotten that far yet) Irwin is committed to Bellevue hospital, after an attempt at a little self-emasculation (he stopped because of the pain). While he was there one of the psychiatrists who saw him was Fredric Wertham. Read More

Listen Up -What's Your Favorite Song with Onomatopoeia in the title?? (Video)

Ok, so last night I thought would be clever and ask what was your favorite song, that uses the word Onomatopoeia in the title figuring that John Prine, ever the original, was the only one who used the word in the title of a song! Wrong!! I went to Spotify and there I found several songs using the word in the title. Now, I will ask in all seriousness; "What is your favorite song with "Onomatopoeia" in the title!!

Listen Up -What’s Your Favorite Song with Onomatopoeia in the title?? (Video)

Ok, so last night I thought would be clever and ask what was your favorite song, that uses the word Onomatopoeia in the title figuring that John Prine, ever the original, was the only one who used the word in the title of a song! Wrong!! I went to Spotify and there I found several songs using the word in the title. Now, I will ask in all seriousness; "What is your favorite song with "Onomatopoeia" in the title!!

The Iraq Crisis – Can Iraq save Itself? Ramblings of an Old Political Science Major!

So from the moment that the US began the invasion of Iraq, I thought that it was wrong! To me, it was obvious from everything that I read that the country was deeply divided between the Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds and that the lynch pin holding everything together was brutal regime of Saddam Hussein, so that once the pin was removed the country would explore just like a grenade!....

2014 Reads – How to Write Short has an impact on reading Daniel Woodrell’s Winter’s Bone!

Last night with music from the Hank Mobley Quintet playing in the background, I finished Daniel Woodrell's great novel Winter's Bone. While the book is not classified as a mystery, the plot of the novel centers around a big one. Where's Jessup? Jessup is the meth cooking father of the book's central character, 16 year-old, Ree Dolly. Ree has a big problem, if her Pa doesn't appear for a court date, Ree and her two brother's, and Ma could lose their family home, which Jessup posted as collateral to make his bail. So Ree sets out, braving the bitter Ozark winter, searching the hills for her father. But many of the tight-lipped inter-related folks, who live in the hills, live on the wrong side of the law, and would rather fight than give up their secrets. But Ree needs to push on, for her home and the ones who are in her care, but will she be able to live with the answer??....

This Day in History -Trooping the Colour Day, Flag Day, Have some Bourbon….music by John Lee Hooker!!

Today is Trooping the Colour Day in the United Kingdom, as well as, the Official Birthday of the Queen from Wikipedia....

Trooping the Colour is a ceremony performed by regiments of the British and Commonwealth armies. It has been a tradition of British infantry regiments since the 17th century, although the roots go back much earlier. On battlefields, a regiment's colours, or flags, were used as rallying points. Consequently, regiments would have their ensigns slowly march with their colours between the soldiers' ranks to enable soldiers to recognise their regiments' colours.

It's also the day that the Continental Congress founded the First Continental Army. Coincidence?

Life's Soundtrack – A Good run made Special by John Mayall's latest – A Special Life

Art Work by John Mayall

Art Work by John Mayall


This week has been a topsy-turvy week, Monday it was in the 80s and then was  cloudy all day yesterday (Tuesday) it looked like it was going to rain and the temperatures were in the 60s!  Today (Thursday) it was supposed to be back into the 80s. so last night (Wednesday) I decide that I better run then or face another hot day running! So of course today turned out a lot like yesterday, but I’m still glad that I ran last night!!  I decided to run on of my oldest routes, a slightly up and down run going up and down the highest point in Riverside on Pancoast Avenue. On my last run I ran with on of the younger blues musicians, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, who by the way is celebrating his birthday today. Happy Birthday Kenny Wayne, so last night I decided to run with someone older than me, by almost two decades!! That would be “the godfather of the British Blues” John Mayall, who turned 80 last November, and his latest release A Special Life. Anyway the run was a good one, while I didn’t set any land speed records I did feel fairly strong throughout the run, well except when I was going up the steepest parts of Pancoast!! The only good thing is that I do get to go down hill for a good part of the last mile!! The splits weren’t too bad. First mile 10:20 – Second 10:28, Third 11:04 – the uphill battle, 4 – 10:42  Total Time – 42:34 and when compared to Monday’s 44:54 it even looks better!!
Now back to the music A Special Life is like Mayall’s gazillionth release since he formed the Bluesbeakers in 1965. I started to listen to Mayall during my freshman year in college with the first album that  I bought being The Turning Point and it has through the years been on of my favorites.This time period in Mayall’s music is my favorite. The Turning Point along with Jazz  Blues Fusion and Movin’ On are three of my favorite albums. I loved Johnny Almond’s sax and flute work and every body on the later two albums, Jazz Blues Fusion introduced me to the trumpet of Blue Mitchell. For most of the world John may be best know for the musicians who have been a part of the Bluesbreakers…..from Wikipedia here are of some ex-members of John’s band….. Read More

This Day in Music – June 11, 1946 – John Lawton formerly of Uriah Heep’s birthday, leads to belated “happy birthdays” for Others!!

I will admit that I was never a big Uriah Heep fan. I knew of them, and I have probably heard some of their music along the way, but none of it has made it into my music library. But I did notice yesterday, as I was looking through the new prog rock releases, that the Heep's new album Outsider, was released. So I wasted time, unless you count the time between 1969 and now as wasted because I have not sought out Uriah Heep, going to Spotify to listen to it. Anyway, I really liked the album and maybe I'll consider a portion of the aforementioned time wasted!

Listmania – My Top 10 All-Time Favorite Folk Artists…….

I have tried to stay away from lists on this blog. The main reason is that I find it very hard to rank artists. I think that's because my favorite is always the one that I'm listening to at the moment and also that I know I'm going to forget someone. This list actually is a list of the "Roots" of my folk music listening. These are the artists that have been with me for the whole ride, from vinyl to 8 track, cassettes, CD and the iPod. Should there be a woman or two on the list probably maybe Joni Mitchell, Judy Collins Emmylou Harris, probably but these guys are the core!! This is the first hopefully of several posts that will become pages on my site. Let's see there's the top branches, artist that I love from the 80s and 90s and then the leaves from the 2000s! How about songs?? I don't know if I can go there!! Anyway let me know who I forgot and then maybe I need to expand the list!!