I continue to nurse the last unopened pack of my first box of junk wax … but today I broke down and bought more. A similar box from another card set from the same period of time. No doubt I will say more when it arrives and I dig into it.
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My current hard drive is starting to approach full — loaded down with music. Some of it I’ve even listened to.
Today I downloaded two mixes of Grateful Dead improvisation (not much of the singing, just the jams) from late 1972 from the marvelous Save Your Face website. That happens to be my favorite period of the band’s evolution so I fed my ears some of that earlier.
Also realized I have a cache of John Peel BBC shows I’ve never listened to, so have cued up the October 16, 1979 edition. It promises to be an interesting ride; I don’t know why I haven’t spent more time with Mr. Peel.
It starts with the Jam’s “Eton Rifles,” which I think I have to be British to fully unpack, but it works anyway.
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I keep checking the city of Boston’s radio station, and just when I think they’ve washed their hands of the stuff my friend Mark and I sent them, it pops up again.
Just realized “Presidentials” scans to the tune of “Eton Rifles.” The two songs don’t have too much else in common.
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For those who like to know what I’m up to when I’m not here, the SABR Games Project has posted two more of my stories:
-June 8, 1964: The Baltimore Orioles go to Aberdeen, South Dakota, for an exhibition game.
-September 3, 1960: The last affiliated minor-league baseball game in Allentown, Pa., gets played before a 47-year absence.
More to come.
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When last I stopped by this space, I was convulsing with laughter while watching an accordion orchestra, at half-speed, with poorly executed automatic closed captioning.
Because no great idea ever dies without a sequel, I went on to watch, or at least skim, several other films from this summer concert series.
There was a three-woman singing group called the Glamor Girls, who weren’t as funny because the closed captioning didn’t pick up most of what they said. There was also a Jimmy Buffett tribute band, who weren’t as funny because I’m not as familiar with Buffett’s music, and lines like “POLE. We will marry both live” and “Do it on small scale. Very.” might occur naturally in his lyrics for all I know.
Then I watched an Elvis impersonator – er, tribute artist – and laughed until I wept. The closed captioning seemed to have an especially tough time with the King; it almost seemed at times as if the captions were being written by someone who quite actively disliked Elvis’s music.
And then something unexpected happened. With about 10 minutes left in the show, “Elvis” called for a medic down in front of the stage. After film of somebody getting wheeled off on a gurney, “Elvis” put his arm around one of the few people left in the crowd and sang a heartfelt version of “American Trilogy.” It was almost as if the guy in the spangled suit inherited a little bit of Elvis’s power to touch people.
Anyway, here’s the full concert, plus many of the better screengrabs in recognition that most people won’t actually watch.
For those who do: Play it half-speed, turn on the CC, and have a Kingly good time.
Neck Pickup 