dimland radio 6-8-19 show notes

A Dimland Radio ARGH!

Neighbors. Most are just fine. Quiet. They take care of their properties. They wave. Maybe stop to say hello.

 

Then there are the assholes who don't give a shit about any of that. We have such a neighbor. He's the loud car guy I mentioned on the show a couple weeks back. In fact, we heard the loud car on one of the shows. Also in fact, he and the several other people who reside in his house own several cars. We think there are 10 or 11 cars connected to that house. No, he doesn't have an 11 car garage.

 

The cars are parked all over the place. And that's what led to an interesting encounter between loud car guy and his next door neighbor: An actual round of fisticuffs.

 

And I was at work when it all happened. ARGH!

Cool Thing #1: Air conditioner!

For the last five or six summers, the AC unit at the office had been slowly dying. Last summer it had stopped working altogether. It was just a loud fan.

 

I had attempted last summer to convince my boss to buy a new one. I researched, I complied a list of possibles at affordable prices, I sent it to the boss's wife (she controls the spending), but that just wasn't enough. I sat sweating all summer.

 

This year I started the process again. Again the feet of the boss's wife seemed to be dragging.

 

Enter my younger brother. He had a spare AC. The rest is pretty cool! Literally.

Left Lane Slowpokes Need To Move Over

The state of Minnesota has passed a law requiring slower traffic to keep right on the freeways. I learned long ago that if I'm driving in the left hand lane and a driver behind me wants to go faster than me, even if I'm speeding, I get out f the way.

 

On my Facebook page, my posting of this story and my comment mirroring what I said above, drew some cantankerous response. There was a bit of a back and forth debate, but I realized we weren't really in disagreement... 

Cool Thing #2: Keith Moon Article

 

Written by a musician, this article in The New Yorker from 2010 gives an intriguing take on the crazy awesomeness of the manic drumming of the best Keith Moon-style drummer in the world - Keith Moon.

 

It's cool!

 

Don't Declaw 'Em, Don't Keep 'Em Outside

 

A BBC article on the barbarity of declawing cats (and New York state's recent banning of the practice), a practice that is unthinkable in the UK, had a decided "aren't Americans awful" tone. But, as much as I dislike the practice of declawing, I really dislike the barbaric practice of allowing your cat to roam free outdoors. That's something the UKians really enjoy.

 

They'll say it's good for the cats to be free to practice their natural behavior. They'll say cooping cats up indoors will harm their psychological well-being.

 

Well, cats that part time pet owners allow outdoors face: Predators, cars, and feline (I mistakenly said female, whoops) viruses. Those were covered in the article with it making sure to note the predation was a bigger problem in the US.

However, the article neglected to mention: Fights with other cats or with dogs, parasites, infections, being stolen, tortured, or poisoned, and pregnancy. They didn't mention the damage cats can do to neighbors' property. The screen on my porch door got shredded by an outdoor cat trying to get at my indoor cat.

And the article also neglects to mention the damage outdoor cats do to biodiversity. Cats kill approximately 2.4 BILLION birds each years in the US alone.

So, you tell me. Both practices are barbaric, but which seems worse for the cat, the neighbors, and the birds?

 

Cool Thing #3: This Photograph

More pink than I expected.

The internet provided this cool thing. It was shared on Facebook: A color photograph (above) showing the living room set of the 60s TV comedy The Addams Family. I believe it is an actual color photo and not a colorized image. I hope I'm right because it is damn cool.

 

The 75th Anniversary Of D-Day And A Crazy Thing A Conspiracy Theorist Said

I had done a drawing (above) in honor of D-Day and posted it on Facebook. It was greeted by an interesting thought about what was really going on on D-Day. Oh, boy.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'Me And Sarah Jane' by Genesis & 'Red Rain' by Peter Gabriel

Second ad break bumpers: 'If Hollywood Don't Need You' by Don Williams & 'Generals And Majors' by XTC

Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

That's it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com

Please subscribe on iTunes! Just search for Dimland Radio in the podcast section. And if you could leave a good rating and a positive review it would be awesome.

You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.

Images used under Fair Use.

dimland radio 1-21-17 show notes

Who Named Led Zeppelin?

It is difficult to say. There are a few differing versions of the story. I went over the version I was familiar with and the variations of it. It seems clear that this history is difficult to know for certain and that, as far as naming the band, Keith Moon and John Entwistle of The Who were at least involved. 

Behind The Name has this version. And starting at the 15 minute mark of a Led Zeppelin documentary we get another version. I also mentioned Beck's Bolero with Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page, featuring Keith Moon on drums. Moon blasts and screams his way on at about 1:38. I believe I said John Entwistle also plays on this song. He does not. John Paul Jones is on bass.

Planetary Retrograde Just Looks That Way From Earth

Astrology is still popular. Hard to believe, but it is. And I have friends who still buy into that silliness. In the early days of my hanging out in the Z Talk chat room, I kept hearing show hosts and guests attributing various odd occurrences to some planet in our solar system being in retrograde. I didn't quite understood what they were talking about, but I have since learned that a planet in retrograde means that its orbit appears to have gone weird.

Before smart people of the past figured out (and accepted the fact) that the earth isn't the center of the universe, and that our sun is the center of the system of planets and other bodies, including earth; people believed the planets changed direction in their orbits around our planet. In reality, all those bodies, including earth, orbit the sun. When that was figured out the apparent retrograde movement of the planets made sense. 

Retrograde is just the way the planets appear to move when viewed from earth. Besides, the planets have no effect on us anyway. Astrology is just silly.

A Complaint About The Inauguration

Being a staunch supporter of science and scientific skepticism, I was not a supporter of Donald Trump. I was not happy when he was elected. Still, because it is a moment in history and I support the American tradition of the (mostly) peaceful transfer of power, I watched the Inauguration Day coverage.

I didn't complain about the coverage. I didn't complain about our new President's speech. Nope. I complained about the fact that Pres. Trump doesn't button his suit coat when standing.

Last winter, I became a suit owner for the first time in my life. In preparation, I studied suit etiquette or whatever you call it. I learned that when standing while wearing a suit, it is to be buttoned. Below are the rules of how men are to button their suits.

Now, I don't know who makes the rules, but there they are. And Pres. Trump doesn't seem to be aware of the rules. Perhaps he's trying to set a new trend. To my eye, though, a suit looks better buttoned.

Now why the second or third button is even included on a two or three button suit coat is a mystery to me. According to the rules, it is to never be buttoned. I speculated as to why the button is even there.

That led me to an old rant about how men's suit have become too small. At least, the hip, young fellows are wearing them that way. I don't like the look of the coat appearing to strain at the button and I don't care for the skinny pants and low waist lines.

Go ahead, call me a curmudgeon.

A Family Of Blobsqatches At Yellowstone

Oh, yeah. A family of bigfoots. Can't get any clearly than that.

So, yet another fuzzy video of a bigfoot has surfaced. A whole family of them, in fact. One of the cameras placed in Yellowstone National Park has captured half a dozen or so dark blobs milling about in the snow. I just can't see how anyone would get excited about this one. It's pretty clear to me upon watching the video that it's just a group of people, human beings, hanging out in Yellowstone. Simple as that.

But, I do have a shame on me to point out related to this story. The preview image on Facebook included in the link to the story (see photo above) looked as though the dark blobs might be American bison. They are known to hang out in Yellowstone. I suggested just that in the comment thread. However, I made that suggestion before watching the video. The video clearly negates my bison hypothesis.

"When you hear hoofbeats, think horses not zebras." ~ Dr. Theodore Woodward

"When you see dark blobs in a video that look like people moving about, think people not bigfoots." ~ Jim 'Dr Dim' Fitzsimons  

Movie Recommendation: None

I ran out of time this week, so you are on your own.

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'Throw Your Arms Around Me' by Hunters & Collectors & 'Under Cover Of The Night' by The Rolling Stones

Second ad break bumpers: 'Never Follow' by Naked Raygun & 'Entre Nous' by Rush

Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

That's it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com

Please subscribe on iTunes! Just search for Dimland Radio in the podcast section. And if you could leave a good rating and a positive review it would be awesome.

You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.

dimland radio 4-28-12 show notes

And Now A Little James Randi

My friend, Chris Brown, got to hobnob with several skeptics in high standing at the recent NECSS event.  He dropped my name and how I do a skeptic-themed show on a paranormal network.  James Randi was impressed and signed a photo just for me.  Amazing!

The Amazing Randi signed just for me!

I also did a little compare and contrast of Randi and self-proclaimed psychic Chip Coffey.  Pretty much the way fans of Chip Coffey feel about James Randi is the way I feel about Chip.  We, skeptics, don't think highly of Chip mainly do to one thing - the child exploitation program Psychic Kids.  Here is an article voicing the skeptical concerns raised by the paranormally admired Chip Coffey.

Another Facebook Meme

This one just doesn't smell right.  Can it be true that the woman in the photo (above) will really be paying her student loan for 55 years?  Something just doesn't add up.

It's Not True: The Baby Boom 9 Months After The NYC Blackout In 1965

Pulled off the pages of Snopes.com is this nugget of the NYC blackout in 1965 did not lead to a spike in the birth rate nine months later.  You can read about it here.
 

I'm Sure He'd Be There, If He Hadn't Been Dead For 34 Years

Organizers of the London 2012 Olympics requested the management of rock legends The Who if Keith Moon could play during the ceremonies.  There's one problem...Keith Moon has been dead since 1978.  Read more about this oversight here.

I also mentioned Moon's dangerous drug and alcohol-filled lifestyle which lead to his death.  It also lead to him passing out during a concert that prompted Pete Townshend to ask if anyone in the audience knew how to play the drums.  Someone did and he got to be a rock star with the greatest band ever, if just for one night.  Learn more about it and watch the footage of Keith passing out here.

Movie Recommendation: A Hard Day's Night (1964)

Miramax Films

This was The Beatles' first feature film and it's a blast.  The Fab Four do a great job playing themselves in a day in the life of the world's most popular and influential band.  Great fun!

Tau 2000 Library Fundraiser

Chris Brown's son Ethan is putting on an event to benefit his local library. The event is tied in with the number Tau (6.28) which is 2 x Pi (3.14). Ethan will be attempting to recite from memory Tau out to 2000 places and people can pledge a certain amount per digit to help his library. The event is to take place May 6, 2012.

You can learn more and pledge to this fine cause here.

Music heard on the show (Whenever Possible, I Will Link To The Song)...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus
First ad break bumpers: 'Under Pressure' by Queen & 'The Queen And The Soldier' by Suzanne Vega
Second ad break bumpers: 'I Don't Know' by Naked Raygun & 'Erica's Word' by Game Theory
Closing song: 'Angler's Treble Hook' by $5 Fiddle

That's it! See you next Saturday night for Dimland Radio 11 Central, midnight Eastern on www.ztalkradio.com you can also download my show from the z talk show archives page. You can email your questions and comments to drdim@dimland.com

You can also go to my CafePress store and buy stuff with my artwork on it and have me do a portrait for you if you like. Find out more here and here.

concert memoirs pt. 38 - the who

The Who w/Counting Crows
9/24/02 Xcel Energy Center w/Amy Ticket Price: $150.00

The image for this installment isn't a ticket stub. I know I saved it, but I can't find it. What you see is the cover of the CD of the show. It's part of a two disk set, recorded live that night, that could be purchased from The Who's website. A CD set was available for each show of the tour. It's a recent option in the music industry to try to make money from music.

These days with buying songs online and with pirating songs as well, there just isn't as much money to be made on album sales. So the real money is made from the concert tour, that is if the musical act is a big enough name. Hence the astronomical ticket prices. (Did you see what we paid for one ticket?) I think it's a very cool idea to offer the show you just saw on CD, making a great keepsake.

So, that's what the image is all about.

This also is the last blog of this concert series in which I know the date of the show. I will continue the series highlighting shows that I just remember seeing, but have nothing else to show for it.

Amy and I spent $300 on a pair of tickets!! By far the most either of us had ever paid for concert tickets. It was The Who! Amy had never seen them and I wanted to see them with her, so $300 be damned! We only live once.

But, before we could even get the credit card out to go $300 in debt, we got the bad news. It was a Saturday morning when our friend, Dave (the Dave with whom I attended the previous Who concert - Target Center, 7/22/97) called to ask if we'd heard the news.

"What news?" I asked.

"John Entwistle is dead."

"What?!"

It was true. Entwistle was in Las Vegas just prior to the tour beginning. He was having a coke party with some strippers in his hotel room, when his heart gave out. I guess that's rock 'n' roll!

But, what about the tour?

Our worries of whether The Who would tour or not were short lived. Rog and Pete decided the tour would go on (goon?). A tour that included a stop in St. Paul.

Counting Crows opened. You may have heard of them. They're a future rock 'n' roll footnote that Amy and I don't particularly care for, so while they played we wandered around the Xcel concourse. Amy had never been to the Xcel Energy Center so it was as good a time as any to have a look around. It's a very nice building which is located on the spot where the St. Paul Civic Center had been. Readers of this blog series will remember that it was at the St. Paul Civic Center where I had seen The Who for the first time (10/2/82). Twenty years and I'd come full circle.

The warm up act finished their whining and wailing, so Amy and I went in to take our seats. We were looking forward to the show, but we had a minor concern. There was a group of two forty-something couples seated directly behind us. That in itself isn't a concern, but they were doing quite a lot of yakking. Loudly. One of the fellows fancied himself an expert on whatever it was they were talking about. So, he was particularly annoying. Our concern was that the group would continue yakking through the show.

"They had better shut up for the show or you'll have to beat them up, Honey Bunny!" my sweet, loving wife said to me.

We needed have worried though. When The Who came out to perform, the couples turned their attention toward the stage. Phew!

The Who (or maybe they should have changed their name to The Two?) were in great form, despite the absence of John Entwistle. Pino Palladino filled his spot. Pino was good if not the same, but who could be?

Zak Starkey, Simon Townshend and John "Rabbit" Bundrick made up the remainder of the band, as they did when Dave and I saw them on the Quadrophenia tour in 1997. A great band, but not on the same level as when they were the original four. If only I could borrow Mr. Peabody's way-back machine and witness The Who at their height. I have seen John play (twice), but I never saw the mad brilliance of Keith Moon in person.

Roger's voice had become a little rougher over the years. Roger made note of his voice being especially croaky that night, because the night before they had played Chicago's House of Blues. They played in front of about 1200 people, "All smoking!" Roger declared. He promised to give us he all that he had and he kept his promise.

Pete mentioned that that night we had, along with them; rock 'n' roll, Oprah and masturbation, with a bit of political satire. He told us that he thought we were so spoiled living in the Twin Cities. An area he considered "one of the cultural capitols of the world, if not THE cultural capitol of the world." The crowd roared its approval, but I thought Pete was laying it on a bit thick. I wondered how many other cities he said that about on that tour. Just call me cynical.

They played most of their big hits. They played them with all the power and energy you would expect from a band as great as The Who. There was a review in one of the local papers the next day that rated the show very highly. The writer made a comparison of the opening act, Counting Crows, and The Who. He stated that the show demonstrated the difference between a good band (his opinion) and a legendary one.

One last thing, as the lights went up and the audience began to file out, Amy turned to me and said, "He's so sexy!"

"Who? Roger?" I asked, though I should have known better.

"No! Pete!"

Yes, he is.