dimland radio 7-8-17 show notes

A Correction

Yes, again. I said that artist Chuck Close, after a paralyzing event, painted with his mouth. That is not the case. He has some use of his arms, so he straps a brush to his hand and paints that way. His paintings are now on the "pixelated" side when viewed up close, but from a distance...Wow!

 

Click here to check out his Wikipedia page.

James On Coke Bottles Got Me Thinking Of Presidents

I usually buy a couple/few 20 oz bottles of Coca-Cola a week and recently the brand has been putting names on the bottles. First names. And I found a bottle with James on it. Well, of course, I bought it. My name is James after all.

 

That somehow got me to note to the cashier that James is the most common first name of the American Presidents. There were six named James (one is more commonly called Jimmy, but he's still a James).

 

That got me talking about Grover Cleveland and other aspects of the American Presidency. My mind goes in interesting directions.

 

Then I mentioned finding a couple names that matched part of the name of the alternative rock band Pixies' lead singer's real name: Charles Thompson. I thought that was cool and I asked the twenty-something fellow behind the counter if he had heard of the Pixies. He hadn't. Damn kids.

 

 

It's Not True: Buzz Aldrin And Pres. Trump 

 

Recently, a story has been making it's way through social's media stating that the second man to walk on the moon, Buzz Aldrin, praised himself for not punching the President. Aldrin made a few humorous looks, but he didn't punch the Commander in Chief, at a press conference, as our first child President gave his book report on a book he hadn't read. The book this time was about space, something about which Aldrin knows a good deal more than the President.

After listening to the most powerful man in the world's meandering and clueless statements, Aldrin claimed his greatest life achievement was refraining from an act of physical assault. And it's not true. Aldrin said nothing of the sort. A satirical website, wishing it was The Onion, made the whole story up. That didn't stop the internets from believing it and spreading it like wildfire.

Snopes.com sussed this one out by simply looking at the fake news site's "about" page.

A Rant

 

I had started into doing a skeptical examination of a recent big claim, but I sidetracked myself by going on an unplanned rant. The rant was about a couple annoying cheers, I guess that's what you'd call them, at sporting events that get under my skin.

 

One has been around for some time now. It's the asinine "get in the hole" cry every time a golfer attempts a shot that has even the remotest chance of getting in the cup. Every time I watch golf on the TV some dipshit is there to yell it out. Thank you so very much, Caddyshack. (Doing some research, I thought I might have to blame Happy Glimore, but Adam Sandler never says the phrase in that movie.)

The other cheer is a newer phenomenon. It's the Ric Flair woo. Flair was some pro wrestler who made that woo sound as part of his gimmick, but it has gained traction among all sorts of sports fans. It's been creeping into sporting events and the dipshits who do it at football or baseball games just do it to hear themselves do it. I mean, there isn't a reason to woo many of the times I hear it. Most of the time there hasn't been a big, cheer-worthy play, they just like to shout, "Wooooo!". Thank you so very much, Ric Flair.

 

Finally! The Amelia Earhart Mystery Has Been Solved! Uh, Well, Not So Fast...

Motivated reasoning can make for people accepting really poor evidence as proof that they are right. And seeing as how the 80th anniversary of the disappearance of aviation pioneer, Amelia Earhart, has been reached, it just couldn't go by without someone making a claim that a solution has been found. A claim bolstered by, in my opinion, motivated reasoning.

A two-hour TV documentary special has arrived to tell us what really happened to Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, all those years ago. Once again the notion that they were captured by the Japanese and imprisoned as spies is promoted. This time there's a newly discovered photograph, in which, the investigators claim, Earhart and Noonan can be seen.

 

Photo: US National Archives

 

Well, maybe. Maybe it's them. I think it's far more likely the two in question in the photo are just two of a group of eight Japanese people, standing on a dock.

I dig deeper into my reasons for my skepticism on the show. One big reason for my skepticism is the fact that the special is airing on...

The History Channel

 

 

Oh, it's on the History Channel? Well, then the mystery must be solved. Obviously, Earhart was captured by space aliens!

 

It doesn't help the special's credibility at all by being on that sad and pathetic channel. It only very vaguely has anything to do with history as it is and what it has is sensationalist bullshit.

 

How bad is it that skeptics are longing for the days when the History Channel was the Hitler Channel? At least then there was some history involved.

Movie Recommendation: None

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

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus 
First ad break bumpers: 'Bikini Red' by The Screaming Blue Messiahs & 'Rock The Casbah' by The Clash

Second ad break bumpers: 'Is It A Crime?' by Berlin & 'Night Time' by Killing Joke

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 10-18-14 show notes

Why There Was No Show Last Saturday. 

Monday October 13th was my 13th wedding anniversary and the Saturday just prior became a date night for Amy (my wife) and me. We took in a concert by one of our favorite bands Pixies. I talked about how good the show was and how impressed I was with the opening act Royal Blood.

Royal Blood is a two piece band. There's a drummer and a bass player. This bass player was not only able to use the bass to hold the bottom of the song, but also use it to cover the rhythm guitar parts and lead guitar parts all at the same time. AND he was doing all that playing while handling the singing. Impressive!

Saturday night was also the annual Zombie Pub Crawl night, so downtown Minneapolis was crawling with zombies. In fact, there were so many zombies that the Guinness Book of World Records certified the event as the largest gathering of people dressed as zombies ever at over 15,000 participants.

So, the Pixies put on an excellent show and I gushed about various aspects of their show. It was also one of the loudest shows I'd ever seen. I talked about each member of the played and their highlight moments.

The show was over by 10:30, and since our son was spending the night at my folks' house, Amy and I figured there was no hurry to get home.

We hung out downtown for a while. At first we thought we'd go to First Avenue. Amy hadn't been there in over eleven years and it had been more than two years for me. However, The Afghan Whigs were playing and the doors had just opened for that show. Also, the ticket price at the door was $35 each!

We figured a beer at the pub across the street was a more economical option.

We had our beer and watched the zombies and started to head home when we thought we'd give First Avenue one more chance. We did find a way in and for much less than $70. I wrote a blog about that way in last week.

Movie Recommendation: Searching For Sugar Man (2012)

Sony Pictures

This Oscar-winning documentary chronicles the search for a singer/songwriter who could have been the next Bob Dylan. He went be the name Rodriguez and he released two highly acclaimed albums that just didn't sell. He disappeared. Many thought he had killed myself.

In the intervening years, his music many very popular in South Africa. He was a legend there, but nobody knew who he was or how he had died. A search began and this documentary covers that search and its result.

It's terrific.

  

Music heard on the show...

Dimland Radio opening theme song: 'Ram' by The Yoleus

First ad break bumpers: 'Broken Face' & 'Here Comes Your Man' by Pixies
Second ad break bumpers: 'Something Against You' & 'Debaser' by Pixies

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.

an early anniversary night out

Last night, as an early anniversary celebration (we'll be married 13 years this Monday), my wife and I went to see the Pixies play the State Theatre in Minneapolis. It was an excellent show. Very loud! Paz Lenchantin, who replaced Kim Deal on bass and backing vocals, was great. Joey Santiago played masterfully, his solo on 'Vamos' was incredibly cool. David Lovering was solid on drums and had a funny moment when trying to get the band to end the song 'La La Love You', for which he sings lead. And Mr. Black Francis' vocals were amazing. That man sure can scream.

After the show, which ended with us satisfied, but wanting more, Amy and I popped into O'Donovan's Irish Pub, which is located right across the street from the legendary Minneapolis nightclub First Avenue & 7th St Entry. We enjoyed a traditional black & tan and watched the zombies taking part in the annual Zombie Pub Crawl.

Minneapolis' legendary nightclub

We then decided to check out First Avenue. I hadn't been in our old hang out in a couple of years and Amy hadn't been there in over 11 years. We didn't realize that the club no longer has dance nights with a DJ in the main room, which in the old days was what they did on Saturday nights. Last night the Afghan Whigs were playing. If we wanted to go in (and we did want to go in) the ticket price at the door was $35 a piece!

We asked the nice young bouncer who was checking IDs outside the entrance about what happened to the dance nights in the main room. He explained that they stopped doing DJ nights in there a while back, but they did open up a room in what used to be the VIP lounge for DJ music and the cover was only five bucks. 

Being that the cover was so reasonable, Amy and I decided to check it out . But when we got in there the DJ was spinning soulless, empty House Music and I was beginning to think we had wasted 10 bucks, when, fortunately, we both needed to go to the restroom. We noticed that this dance lounge had no facilities. At least, not that we could find.

However, there was another nice young bouncer at the door that headed into the main room. He sat at a cash register at the door and we assumed he was taking the five dollars from folks coming into the dance lounge and, probably, getting the rest of the $35 dollars from those wishing to head into the main room to see the Afghan Whigs.

We approached him and Amy asked about restrooms. He told us that to use the restrooms we would have to go into the main room and use the two in there. He told us where they were situated right outside the dance lounge. We knew where they were, being old veterans of First Avenue ourselves. In fact, I later thought to myself, in classic old man fashion, that that bouncer, who was in his 20s, hadn't even been born when I first started hanging out at the legendary nightclub 30 years ago.

Amy asked him, "So, what's to stop us from just staying in the main room?"

He replied, in a rather sheepish fashion, "Well, you're not supposed to."

His reaction was such that we got the distinct impression that we could do just that. Just go ahead and stay in the main room if we wanted. He didn't seem too bothered at the notion. What was he going to do? Wait for us to leave the restrooms and escort us back to the dance lounge?

So, we took our bathroom breaks and stayed in the main room and watched the Afghan Whigs play. (For some reason, both Amy and I, not knowing the band's material, had thought they were more folksy or alt country like Wilco, but they were a pretty rockin' band.) We saved $60 because of the indifference of one bouncer to an apparent loophole in the entry policy. Lucky us.

We noted the changes to First Avenue's interior. They had done some structural refitting of a couple of the bar areas and they had moved an entire stairwell. But most striking of all, was the change Amy noticed. They had cleaned the ceiling! That ceiling had been caked in a thick coating of dust for years, but now it was entirely cleaned.

One thing that hadn't changed was Pete. Pete is one of the long time employees of First Avenue. He tends the main bar on the upper level of the main room and he's done so since I had been going to First Avenue. And we're pretty sure he still remembered us.

What a great night. Happy anniversary, Honey Bunny.

Now it's time for me to pick up our son from my parents' house.

concert memoirs pt. 26 - the jayhawks, frank black & cheap trick

The Jayhawks

7/9/95 First Avenue w/Paytee Ticket Price: Comp. Tickets

It should be well noted here that this was not a date. Paytee and I were just friends. Paytee was a woman I had worked with in 1993-94. We were both laid off from that job and went our separate ways.

It would have stayed that way had we not met up again at a mutual friend’s party. We realized that we enjoyed each other’s company and we started hanging out together. This concert was one of our hanging outs. Again, it wasn’t a date.

There’s not much to tell. I had a couple comp. tickets for the show so we went. Paytee didn’t think much of the band, so we left.

Frank Black w/Jonny Polonsky
4/13/96 First Avenue Alone Ticket Price: $8.00

I went to this one alone. Frank Black had some pretty good solo material and I wanted to check him out. Besides, I had never seen Pixies and this might be as close as I would get. Incidentally, he didn’t play any Pixies tunes.

He was really having a good time playing up the “rock god” thing. He’d stand at the front of the stage, fists on hips ala Superman, while nodding his approval as the adoring crowd cheered. I’m sure it was all an act. At least, I hope it was.

This wasn’t an all-age show. You had to be 21+ to attend. So, I couldn’t figure out how an obviously underage kid could be there jumping around on the dance floor.

When the show ended, I asked the child how he got in. He told me it was his mother who brought him. His mother! Apparently, a parent can bring their kid to a show at the First Avenue. I’m not sure I like it, but it’s legal.

Updated 9/22/08

I just learned that my future wife had also been to this show. We didn't know each other yet, but we were there together. Awwwww.

Cheap Trick w/Flipp
7/11/97 First Avenue Alone (?) Ticket Price: Unknown

Finally! After more than 13 years since John and I weren’t able to see the band because of a snowstorm, I finally got to see Cheap Trick play live. They had been a favorite band of mine for years and they were worth the wait. I’m sure they had come through town many times in those 13 years, but this was the time I saw them.

They were very good. It was easy to tell these guys were old pros at the rock’n’roll. Very professional and very fun.

Rick Nelson was funny and still quite the showman. He must have brought ten guitars including the four (or was it five) guitars in one and the double guitar made to look like a cartoon of himself. He threw out an album jacket when they played Surrender, a custom at Cheap Trick shows. He also threw out a couple dozen guitar picks. Each emblazoned with his mug. I snagged one.

The rest of the band were right on. Robin Zander’s voice might have lost a little of its range, but he was still great. He still had the rock star thing going, even if he tried to hide it a little. I say that because during an instrumental section of a song, he snuck over to the side of the stage, out of sight of most of the audience, and took a great big swig from a bottle of Jack Daniels. Rock’n’roll!

The opening band, Flipp, was impressive as well. A local band with a sort of a Kiss meets The Sex Pistols thing except they are better musicians. Flipp generates a love/hate reaction. I thought they played really well and had some good songs and were fun, as did most of the audience. But some audience members disagreed.

When Rick Nelson thanked Flipp for warming up someone shouted, “Flipp sucks!”

That surprised Nelson. “Really? They did?” was his reaction.

Anyway, I was most impressed when at the end of their set Flipp’s lead singer got behind the drum kit and played Back In Black. Big deal, right? I should mention that he played guitar and drums at the same time. Sure it’s a gimmick, but it was still impressive.