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Miranda



Last Updated: 9/28/2009

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Gender: Female
Status: Single
Age: 25
Sign: Aries

City: Murray
State: KENTUCKY
Country: US
Signup Date: 11/7/2005

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10 Jun 09 Wednesday 
So, who wants to go with me?  I really really really really want to go to Beatle Fest (technically, it's the Fest for Beatles Fans) this year.  The timing has never worked out for the Chicago fest in the past.  This year it's August 14th-16th in Chicago. 

And Ronnie Spector is going to be one of the special guests......I REALLY REALLY REALLY want a picture with her.  She's only going to be there on Saturday and Sunday....so I would definitely going either or both of those days.  Right now, I don't think I would want to do all three days, but I'm not sure. 

I would really like to go with someone that's a fan enough to shell out money for a Beatles convention, 'cause I'm too broke to really do anything else in Chicago.

Currently watching:
The Mighty Boosh: Season 3
Release date: 2009-07-21
7:28 PM 
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05 Jun 09 Friday 

Current mood:  knighted
  



  


   


    

 

   




I was originally planning on writing something about Wonderwall's 25 most ridiculous celebrity album covers.  They put Bruno in at number 2.  But due to a horrible horribly inebriated copy and paste experience....I originally ended up with empty black boxes, which I was going to publish and claim as my own new intro into the art world.  That didn't work either. so my last ditch effort was to throw in a whole bunch of random pictures I had saved on my computer.  I like this idea better anyway, the original idea can suck it. 

Currently watching:
Home Movies - Season One
Release date: 2004-11-16
5:28 AM 
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13 Mar 09 Friday 



Pick a band and then answer each question using the titles of their songs.

Les Beatles

1. Are you a male or female: "She's A Woman"

2. Describe yourself: "Don't Bother Me"

3. How do you feel about yourself: "I Feel Fine"

4. Describe your ex boyfriend/girlfriend: "Not A Second Time"

5. Describe your current boy/girl situation: "Got To Get You Into My Life"

6. Describe your current location: "Blue Jay Way"

7. Describe where you want to be: "Penny Lane"

8. Your best friend? "Maxwell's Silver Hammer"

9. Your favorite color is: "Old Brown Shoe"

10. You know that: "We Can Work It Out"

11. What’s the weather like: "Rain" ---which just happens to be Ringo's favorite Beatles tune, but he may tell you that just so you'll leave him alone.

12. If your life was a television show what would it be called: "She Came In Through The Bathroom Window"

13. What is life to you: "It's All Too Much"

14. What is the best advice you have to give: "All You Need Is Love"

15. If you could change your name what would you change it to: "Polythene Pam"








 





Currently listening:
Abbey Road
By The Beatles
Release date: 1990-10-25
7:34 AM 
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05 Mar 09 Thursday 
..

More details on THE BEATLES: ROCK BAND are being announced today. Here
is the lowdown from today's press release:

* We have a worldwide release date: 09/09/09.

* The game takes players through an "unprecendented experiential
progression" of the musical career of the band.

* The game will be available as standalone software and hardware, as
well as a limited edition bundle. The game will be compatible with all
Rock Band instrument controllers and other current music-based video
game peripherals.

* There will be limited edition hardware modelled on instruments used by
John, Paul, George and Ringo.

* The numbers:
- The Beatles: Rock Band Software - Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $59.99
MSRP
- The Beatles: Rock Band Standalone Guitars - Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION 3,
Wii: $99.99 MSRP
- The Beatles: Rock Band Limited Edition Premium Bundle: Xbox 360,
PLAYSTATION 3, Wii: $249.99 MSRP
- International pricing to be announced at a later date

* Giles Martin, co-producer of The Beatles innovative LOVE album
project, is providing his expertise and serving as Music Producer

* Fans who pre-order the game will get access to exclusive content
created by Apple Corps, MTV Games and Harmonix over the next few months.

To register for updates about the game, visit
thebeatlesrockband.com

For the full press release click HERE :
thebeatles.com/core/news

Many thanks

thebeatles.com

~~~~~

Honestly, this hurts my heart.  I really really really dislike the idea of Rock Band/Guitar Hero.  Why don't you put down the controller and learn to play REAL instruments?  Why don't you learn to read music instead of hitting buttons?  I really really really dislike these games. 

Oh, to all those chodes that hear a song on the radio and say,"Hey dude, this reminds me of Rock Band."  Just know that I want to kill you...with a hammer...while you sleep. 

The Beatles should not be part of this.  Neil Aspinall would not have let this happen.  In fact, I probably have him to thank for at least delaying this horrible thing.  Neil was a good man and he realized that the Beatles shouldn't be treated like any other band.  Now there is no one in his seat to prevent things like this from happening. 

The problem with this whole scenario is my unabashed LOVE for the Beatles.  This kind of gets in the way.  For example, I've already stated my feelings on Rock Band, but I'm going to buy it anyway BECAUSE it's the Beatles.  They now have Beatles fabric at Wal*Mart.  While I'm excited about this kind of thing, it pains me a little. 

I don't know how I feel about this whole thing.  I just don't want to see the Beatles turn into Elvis. 

By the way, did anyone notice the release date?  I like to think that's a small tribute to John.  If it's not, then it's a crazy fucking coincidence.
8:37 PM 
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24 Feb 09 Tuesday 
So I'm getting back in the groove of things with this post. I think I probably should have posted it last Tuesday, but who's counting (or reading for that matter)?

15. Pump It Up - Elvis Costello (-)

14. Streets of Bakersfield - Dwight Yoakam & Buck Owens (7)

13. I Believe In A Thing Called Love - The Darkness (-)

12. The Ark - Dr. Dog (13)

11. Fox On The Run - Sweet (-)

10. Come On Get Higher - Matt Nathanson (-)

9. Love Don't Live Here - Lady Antebellum (3)

8. New York Groove - Kiss (-)

7. Daisy Jane - America (-)

6. Wagon Wheel - Old Crow Medicine Show (15)

5. Run For Your Life - The Beatles (-)

4. Land Of Confusion - Genesis (14)

3. Thunder Road - Bruce Springsteen (-)

2. Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! - The Beatles (11)

1. Old Enough - The Raconteurs (-)

The plus side to giving myself a month between postings is that I generally get a drastically different list each month. Only six of the fifteen songs that appeared on the last post are in the top fifteen this time.

I would just like to start by saying that everyone should listen to "Run For Your Life". This song may just be the creepiest fucking song in the vast and varied cannon of the Beatles. The song that closes Rubber Soul includes such Lifetime Movie lines as "I'd rather see you dead little girl/Than to be with another man" and "Let this be a sermon/I mean everything I've said/Baby I'm determined/And I'd rather see you dead". By all accounts, I should probably loathe the very existence of this song. For some reason, I love it.

Once again, I have to thank the local radio stations. Without listening to them at work, I probably wouldn't have discovered songs 3, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 15 until later in my life.

I take that back, I used to listen to the Dazed and Confused soundtrack a lot when I worked in Owensboro. "Fox On The Run" is on there, it's just been a few years since I've heard it.

I've never been a huge Springsteen fan, but I caught "Thunder Road" on the radio a couple of weeks ago and have adored it ever since. It's not the beautiful music box piano that makes that song fabulous, but the inclusion of the lyric "You ain't a beauty but hey you're alright". I think that is such an asshole thing to say, but I love it.

"Daisy Jane" is probably my favorite America song now. This song is absolutely gorgeous.

The first time I heard "New York Groove" I thought it was a T-Rex song that I've somehow missed out on. I was extremely surprised to learn it was a Kiss tune. I'm really beginning to become a big Kiss fan. I'm still not sure whether I type their name as Kiss or KISS though. That's not really important to me at all though. It's not like I'm going to make t-shirts or something.

Now my normal radio stations can't be blamed for "Come On Get Higher". I heard this upon arriving at work one day. I was waiting to change the radio station to one of my favorites when I heard this song. I think it's beautiful and it reminds me a lot of Howie Day's gorgeous "Collide". Sugarland includes a live cover of this song on their most recent album. And I hate to admit that I enjoy it because I have a massive love/hate relationship with Jennifer Nettles's voice.

Okay, I take it back about "Pump It Up" too. I heard it on my parent's Sirius radio on Little Steven's Underground Garage. Man, I LOVE my parent's Sirius. I'd get it myself but I'm broke....and I'm afraid that my constant scribbling of titles and artists would make me have a nasty car crash. Solution? When I go to their house and they're not home, I flip between all the music channels and make pages of notes. I crank the volume up and enjoy discovering some new music.

Umm...hate on the Darkness all you want, but "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" rocks. End of story.

It's worth noting that the version of "Old Enough" that tops my personal chart is the album version, not the Bluegrass one. Although seeing the video of the Bluegrass one is what prompted me to discover this song, the album version is more up my alley. The video just reminded me of how fucking CREEPY Jack White is. Man, I love that dude, but seriously...Creepers McGee.

And that's it for this edition of the Tuesday Top 15. Join me next time, on whatever day I feel like writing this thing.












 
6:57 AM 
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20 Jan 09 Tuesday 
How to describe meeting Sir Paul McCartney? Well for one, he is obscenely nice. Like, smile-and-shake-hands-and-be-gracious-to-every-dingbat-who-tells-him-the-Beatles-are-a-really-good-band nice (Elizabeth Hasselback, who let you off the ranch?). In the course of an hour and a half, he never refused a single autograph request (except when a briefly-needed police escort prevented it), and happily acknowledged every person he met, treating parking lot attendants and the page who showed him to his dressing room at The View with the same easy, open friendliness with which he greeted Barbara Walters. (Also very friendly, by the way, and pretty great-looking for her age. She had me at "hewwo"!).
FYI, he sings everywhere. Little ditties in the elevator, funny bits of melody in a car zipping through midtown traffic while crazy-eyed autograph hounds weave and dodge in hot pursuit — and to hear that beyond-famous Paul Voice, the voice woven into the fabric of hundreds of millions of people's lives for the past 45 years, except three feet away, for your ears only? NO BIG DEAL. What? I died.

~~~
Man, oh man.  Some chick from Entertainment Weekly wrote that little blurb.  Apparently there is a full interview coming out soon.  Why can't I get the job of interviewing Paul? 
9:41 AM 
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20 Jan 09 Tuesday 
For the three people that cared, I had a bunch of problems with my iPod last year and stopped posting my Top 15. Well, I seemed to have fixed said problems and am going to try to bring this thing back to life. Are you ready?


15. Wagon Wheel - Old Crow Medicine Show

14. Land of Confusion - Genesis

13. The Ark - Dr. Dog

12. I Don't Want to Spoil the Party - The Beatles

11. Kansas City/Hey-Hey-Hey-Hey! - The Beatles

10. Dear Prudence - The Beatles

9. Can't You Hear Me Knockin' - The Rolling Stones

8. Cinnamon Girl - Neil Young

7. Streets of Bakersfield - Dwight Yoakam & Buck Owens

6. Baby Bitch - Ween

5. Green Onions - Booker T. & The MGs

4. And She Was - The Talking Heads

3. Love Don't Live Here - Lady Antebellum

2. Theme From Shaft - Issac Hayes

1. Soul Man - Sam & Dave


My after Christmas trip to Memphis (Stax in particular) has a lot to do with numbers 1,2, and 5.

Whereas Paul McCartney's appearance on The View last Wednesday had a lot to do with numbers 10-12, and had a lot to do with me running late to my first class. :)

And I don't care what anyone says, I dig some Lady Antebellum. I LOVE the song on this list by them. I think their second single doesn't quite live up to how awesome this first single was.

Number 4 is probably one of my favorite Talking Heads songs. It's fantastic, and it's in Look Who's Talking. So, bonus points, for being included in an awesome movie.

I pretty much love anything by Ween.

Favorite lyric in "Streets of Bakersfield" .... "Spent some time in San Francisco/ I spent a night there in the can/they threw this drunk man in my jail cell/I took fifteen dollars from that man/left him my watch and my old house key/don't want folks thinkin' that I'd steal/then I thanked him as I was leaving/and headed out to Bakersfield."

"Cinnamon Girl" might be one of my favorite Neil Young songs. What is a Cinnamon girl? Does anyone really even know?

This RS song is one of my favorites. It's so dirty, not necessarily sexual dirty, but like a mechanic's fingernails kind of dirty.

"The Ark" is probably my favorite Dr. Dog tune. This song just kicks ten kinds of ass. I love it.

"Land of Confusion" - one of my favorite songs by Genesis, who is slowly becoming one of my favorite bands. And that video just slays me! God, that thing scared the shit out of me when I was a kid. This is a GREAT song that I feel is very appropriate to the times we are living in.

I thoroghly enjoy me some OCMS and this song just keeps popping up on my iPod. This is a fantastic song with an awesome video that like to play every once in a while on Wide Open Country on CMT pure. Against Me! also covers the song and makes it just as good as the OCMS version.

And I'm done.....I still don't know if I'm going to do this every two weeks or every month yet. Just stay tuned. Same Bat time, Same Bat channel.....



9:01 AM 
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31 Dec 08 Wednesday 

1. how are you? The Beatles

2. who was the last person you hugged?  The Beatles

3. look to your left, what do you see?  The Beatles

4. where do you like to be the most?  The Beatles

5. whats your fave film?  The Beatles

6. what does the last person you commented on myspace mean to you?  The Beatles

7. what did you last laugh about?  The Beatles

8. where was your default took?  The Beatles

9. whats the first thing you look for in a girl/guy?  The Beatles

10. if your still in school, whats your fave lesson?  The Beatles

11. what do you work as / want to work as?  The Beatles

12. do you play video games? if so, which is your fave game?  The Beatles

13. who never fails to make you laugh?  The Beatles

14. what are you listening to right now?  The Beatles

15. who did you last have a sleepover with?  The Beatles

16. i bet you miss someone, who?!  The Beatles

17. are you happy with your life right now?  The Beatles

18. why did you last get upset?  The Beatles

19. who was the last person you texted?  The Beatles

20. who do you live with?  The Beatles

21. do you like living with them?  The Beatles

22. whats your mood right now on myspace?  The Beatles

24. did you realise that there was no 23?  The Beatles

25. what does your profile song mean to you?  The Beatles

26. who did you last shout at and why?  The Beatles

27. are you normally a happy person?  The Beatles

28. what was the last thing you went to see in the movies and with who?  The Beatles

29. whats your fave food?  The Beatles

30. are you in love?  The Beatles

31. do you remember how you was 3 years ago?  The Beatles

32. if so, does it make you cringe?  The Beatles

33. if you could be with someone right now, who would it be?  The Beatles

34. do you have any blogs on your myspace?  The Beatles

35. whats your fave thing in your room?  The Beatles

36. is this quiz boring you?  Jeff Tweedy

37. if you had one wish, what would you wish for?  The Beatles

38. when was the last time you lied?  The Beatles

39. are your lips chapped?  The Beatles

40. any last words?  The Beatles

 

 

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18 Dec 08 Thursday 
Former Beatles drummer reveals Liverpool band's digusting companion
by Daniel Masters

Original Beatles drummer Pete Best has revealed the band once owned a very strange 'pet' in their early days - a pool of George Harrison's sick, known as 'The Thing.'

The vomit spent two weeks on the floor of a Hamburg hotel and the group became fond of it during this time.

The 'honourary Beatle' was born when a stubborn and hungover George refused to clean it up while arguing with cleaners, unwilling to deal with such a disgusting mess.

Ex-band member Best said he was the only one who stuck to alcohol during their drug-fueled period in Germany, and when George tried to match him he came a cropper.

Pete, who was replaced by Ringo Starr, said: "In the middle of the night, George leaned out of his bed, spews his guts out, rolled over again and went back to sleep."

Fans and fellow musicians added to the pile with everything from cigarettes and beer cans to plasters during its time as the bands companion.

"Eventually we gave it a name - 'The Thing.'

"It had got that big and stinky it was like a massive big porcupine."

The vomit was eventually scraped up in a bin lid by the hotel owner, who was followed with a funeral-like procession by the band and other musicians, to the rubbish tip.

Pete added: "The funny thing is that nowadays you could probably flog it for thousands on eBay, that's how obsessive people are about The Beatles."

~~~
The funny part about this article is that my mind immediately started going into some gross places. I just started thinking about some type of three-dimensional vomit puppet, something akin to Dave Chappelle's STD puppets. I was imagining something that looked kind of like an oatmeal raisin cookie with a beer can on it's head and some cigarette butts sticking out of it's back. And of course it would either have googly eyes or some Henson-esque halved ping-pong balls as eyes. I could envision this thing making noises like Cousin Itt from The Addams Family and leaving a trail of slime as it scooted across the floor.

My mind is a scary place to be.

 
11:21 AM 
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15 Dec 08 Monday 
LONDON (AP) -- Paul McCartney claims that he was the real politicized figure in The Beatles, not John Lennon, according to an interview published Sunday.

McCartney was quoted as saying it was he who first raised concerns over the Vietnam war within the group and advocated their anti-war stance.

Fans have long regarded Lennon, who wrote songs such as "Revolution" and — in later years — "Give Peace a Chance," as the group's authentic political voice.

But McCartney claimed that his meeting with philosopher Bertrand Russell in the mid-1960s sparked his own — and eventually Lennon's — curiosity about world affairs.

Following his talk with Russell, McCartney said he told "the guys, particularly John (Lennon), about this meeting and saying what a bad war this was," The Sunday Times quoted McCartney as saying in the interview.

The newspaper said McCartney was interviewed in Britain's Prospect magazine, which is published on Wednesday. McCartney's publicist Stuart Bell was not immediately available to confirm the comments.

According to the newspaper, McCartney said he believes his stance has inspired the work against African poverty carried out in recent years by Bob Geldof and U2's Bono.
~~
Really, Paul? I totally wrote a note about how you always get the shaft and stuck up for you. Then you go an release an interview like this. Geez.

Okay, I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE The Beatles. That's pretty much common knowledge. I see this AP article as another attempt by Paul to compete with John in death. Now I haven't actually read the entire interview, so there is a slight chance that some of this stuff could have been taken out of context. A slight chance.

However, I think that everything this article reports is true. Paul has been known to suffer from bouts of megalomania. He's ALWAYS claimed to be the avant-garde Beatle. Of course, this "always" was years after John had died. And I've always thought of Paul as the avant-garde Beatle, 'cause he was the one that married the Japanese performance artist and made experimental music with her. Oh wait, you mean that was John? You get my point.

I think that it's very possible Paul's political feelings may have motivated John, but Paul wasn't the one that seemed to live for politics. Honestly, "Give Ireland Back to the Irish" is the only political song I can think of that is Paul's. When I think of John, I think of "Revolution", "Give Peace A Chance", "Imagine", "Power to the People", and the whole of the album Some Time in New York City. John was so involved in politics that our government viewed him and his voice as a threat to our country. He didn't agree with some of the decisions that were being made in Washinton and he made it known. And for that, our government tapped his phones and followed him. John had to deal with so much red tape to get a green card so that he could become a citizen of a country that he loved.

I really think Paul McCartney has some major insecurites about his place in music history. His place in history is cemented, if only for being a Beatle and half of the most famous songwriting duo in music history. However, Paul keeps trying to tell the world that he was so much more than "the cute one". And he's doing this by claiming things that he really has no right to claim.

And he's daft enough to think his political work inspired Bob Geldof and Bono? Yeah, I know Bono gets all starstruck when he's around Paul McCartney, but he's told reporters that U2 wouldn't exist had it not been for John Lennon. And there is no doubt in my mind that it was John's activism that inspired Bono. Take this excerpt from a 2005 LA Times article as an example...

"The Irishman said his own consciousness wasn't raised by any religious or political discovery, but through the music of one of his rock 'n' roll heroes, John Lennon. "I was 13, I suppose, and I became enthralled with his dream," Bono said, referring to songs such as "Imagine."

By the time Bono got into a band, however, he was all too aware of how easy it was to become a cliche as a rock activist. "There was this whole school of 'rock against bad things,' " he said, ignoring the repeated stares of fellow diners. "Everyone has his pet cause, and I have lots of things I'd like to see changed. But I realized what's happening in Africa isn't a cause, it's an emergency."

In the '70s, Lennon argued repeatedly that the issues of world peace and brotherhood weren't just hippie dreams, but genuine possibilities if only people committed themselves to change. In "Happy Christmas (War Is Over)," he stressed, "War is over / Over if you want it."

Still, Lennon surely would have been amazed and thrilled by how far Bono has taken that inspiration."
~~
In the spirit of the season how could I have forgotten "Happy Christmas (War is Over)"?!

Mark my words, Yoko will TOTALLY have something to say about this.

Geez, that Paul McCartney WAS "the political Beatle", wasn't he? I wonder who is "the delusional one"?
 

 

 


 
3:51 PM 
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29 Nov 08 Saturday 
I found this on MSN tonight and it absolutely breaks my heart.

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Some of the kids crawling onto Santa Joe's lap this year have more than stuffed animals and video games on their most-wanted lists. Several times already this season, Joe Jackson has been asked to get Daddy a job or Mommy money to buy the house back.

"You see things behind the beard that nobody else will ever see or hear. I've had children just literally tear my heart out," said Jackson, who is pulling on his red suit for a 19th season of playing Santa at private parties and festivals in the northern part of the state.

The slumping economy has families across the nation facing one of their toughest Christmases in years. That means Santa Claus, the jolly confidante for so many under 10, is hearing more than simple requests for a new Nintendo Wii or Elmo Live.

"Children are very trusting of Santa. They are very open with him. They tell him things they normally wouldn't discuss with other people. And they usually ask Santa to fix things. They know he is someone who can grant wishes," said Timothy Connaghan, of Riverside, Calif., who has played Santa for 40 years and trained more than 1,500 other Santas across the country through his "School 4 Santas."

He coaches aspiring Kris Kringles to remember that a good Santa can't promise a new job or money to make everyone's Christmas dreams come true, "but he can tell them things are always going to get better," Connaghan said.

It's not just children who can use some of Santa's optimism. A Gallup poll earlier this month found consumers are going to spend $150 less this Christmas than last year. The $616 per person was the lowest amount since the research company began asking the question a decade ago.

At Columbia Place Mall in South Carolina, retailers already are trying to fight the trend by handing out thousands of coupon books. And while the traditionally harried shopping season had yet to arrive last week, even that mall's Santa, sitting in his plush chair waiting for the occasional child, had noticed fewer people making purchases.

Dear Santa letters address crisis, too
Lakicha Mansfield strolled past the Old Navy, Zales and video game store without buying anything. As 4-year-old daughter Mahoganie Whitaker told Santa her wishes for a Cinderella doll, Hannah Montana bubbles and balloons, Mansfield said Christmas will be tough because she's been looking for work for nine months.

"I'm going to try to get her what she wants, some way, somehow," the 30-year-old said. "I just hope some money comes in soon. I haven't got her anything yet. I hope someone calls soon."

Meanwhile, Mahoganie chatted with Santa, nodding as she explained that, yes, she ate all her vegetables, cleaned up after herself and was always nice to her mother.

"It's nice to see her up there with him," Mansfield said. "She has no idea what I'm going through."

Santa is getting some heart-wrenching letters at the North Pole, too. Denise Griffitts of Lafayette, La., volunteers for Operation Santa Claus, answering about 250 letters a year from children in her area.

"They're not asking for a Wii or an Xbox. They're asking for personal care items, they're asking for school supplies, they're asking for warm clothing," Griffitts said.

Connaghan, the Santa trainer, said Santas always want kids to leave their laps happier than when they came.

"Children tend to take on a lot of their parents' worries. They don't always understand what those worries are and sometimes they will embellish them," he said. "All Santas can hope is to say a few words that are going to be optimistic and give children a feeling everything is going to get better."

Jackson said his years around children have given him a sense of when children have something depressing on their minds. He said a bellowed "Ho, ho, ho!" a compliment and patter of questions helps get their minds off darker thoughts.

"Every time a child goes away with a smile, I know I've done something good," he said.

Raymond Jemison beamed when his mom brought him to the mall from kindergarten. Laroya Missouri, 25, of Camden, said she's not going to be able to buy the 5-year-old as much as last year, but she is glad she still has a job and can get him some presents.

"He's the most important thing. I want to make sure he has a good Christmas," she said.

~~
I know there is a lot of turmoil and pain in this world. I know there are children in other countries who are suffering. But what about our kids? Why are so many people focused on the children in other countries? We have children here that don't have a hot meal or a place to lay their head at night. What's wrong with this picture?

12:15 PM 
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27 Nov 08 Thursday 
So, it's almost five in the morning. It will probably be closer to six by the time I finish typing this note. I got in from Owensboro a little over an hour ago. I love to visit my friends up there, even if visiting constitutes hanging out with them while they are at work. I love visiting, but I hate the drive. However, that two-hour drive gives me a lot of time to think. And since I'm usually driving back in the wee hours of the morning, I don't have to contend with a lot of traffic. This gives me a chance to chill out, listen to music, and ruminate on things out loud. I'm very fond of the act of soliloquy. This is how I work out the things that are bothering me on long drives. It's very comforting.

Anyway, I told you that to tell you something else later...

As I'm typing this, I'm watching some infomercial on A&E. I enjoy infomercials. This particular one is for this amazing set of Ronco knives. You know those knives, they can cut through leather, cans, hammers, human skulls...you know the things you really NEED a knife for. I like to restrict the use of my knives to preparing food, and preparing food only. I don't know why someone would feel compelled to actually cut through a hammer with a knife. Does anyone actually order these knives, just so they can test them out on shoes and coffee tables and such?

I've seen this particular infomercial before. And the first time I watched it, I had to keep myself from calling the number and ordering my own set of Ronco knives. I'm very easily influenced by infomercials. I own a handful of products that I've purchased in the wee hours of the morning from infomercials. Do I use these products? No. Will I ever use these products? I hope so; I did pay for them.

Anyway.... I'm done with the topic of infomercials. On to Macca getting the shaft...

Anyone that reads my notes or has talked to me in the past week knows that I've been EXTREMELY IRKED about this Rolling Stone Top 100 Singers of All Time. A friend of mine brought up the issue tonight. When I asked him if he had been living under a rock for the past week, he told me that he hadn't checked his facebook account or his MySpace in awhile. I proceeded to let loose on everything that I've been ranting about for the past seven days.

Rolling Stone's list ranked John Lennon at number five on the list and Paul McCartney as number eleven. Honestly, I feel that this is just another slap in the face to Macca. And anyone that knows me knows that I'm normally all for Team Lennon. However, there are times when I feel that Paul is slighted. You can say anything that you want about Paul McCartney.... He wrote cheesy songs, had some crappy tunes in his solo canon, married a one-legged gold digger, etc. But that doesn't justify the man being ranked five people lower than John in this list. I almost wish that people would treat them as conjoined twins. For such a long time, they were so famous as Lennon & McCartney. Countless magazines have ranked them as the best songwriters of the twentieth century.

Personally, I think that the two should have been listed as a tie for one number or one number apart from each other. If you visit Rolling Stone's website, you can view 25 of the ballots that were submitted. Sooooo many of the people have both John and Paul in their Top 20, usually with John being one number ahead of Paul.

If you look at the two as vocalists alone and exclude any songwriting talent or instrumental abilities, they are pretty much the same. When it comes to an issue of range, I feel that Paul had a slight, slight edge on John. The only reason that Paul sang the bridge on the Lennon penned "A Hard Day's Night" is because it was too high for John. When it comes to raw emotion, I think John wins. If you look at anything the Beatles did together, you can find both John and Paul featured on pure rockers and ballads. John tore up "Twist and Shout" while Paul rips up "I'm Down". Paul's voice is so beautiful on "I Will" and John's is so beautifully tender on "Julia". I think they're on the same playing field. John's voice is definitely more distinctive than Paul's in an almost nasally way. You can always pick out John on the harmonies, but if you know what you're listening for it's painfully easy to hear Paul as well. From everything that I've heard, Paul's part always seems to be a bit more intricate. Listen to "Something" and wait for Paul to join George on the bridge. Paul is a careful, calculated perfectionist. And it shows in his singing, every note is carefully crafted. Maybe calculated is the wrong word, that might imply some sinister habits, but it's almost six and I'm not feeling very intelligent at the moment. Impassioned? Yes. Intelligent? No.

It's well known that Paul and John had an intense rivalry when it came to songwriting. They pushed one another to do better, to produce a song that was better than the other one had written. Thanks to this friendly competition, we have songs like "Strawberry Fields Forever" and "Penny Lane". The subject matter is the same, but the songs are drastically different. And they are both great songs. If you read anything about how they would write together, it's really quite sweet. I think they brought out the best in each other. Even after the Beatles broke up, John and Paul would offer their input about the other's solo offerings. They may not have offered it to one another, most of the time their input was given to a member of the press. And once John died, Paul lost that creative partner even though he hadn't worked with him in a decade. He lost that input. I'm not saying that Paul hasn't released anything good since 1980, far from it. He did release some crappy stuff during the eighties though.

I've said before that if John Lennon had died of a drug overdose or committed suicide that he wouldn't have become the saint that people seem to think he is. I know it's terribly callous to say that, but I think it's the truth. John's murder was a tragedy, and I think a lot of people struggled to make sense of it. Reporters look back on John's life and see songs like "Imagine". John's life wasn't all peace, love, and happy chocolates. Not terribly long after John's death, Paul had gone on record saying that John was a pig and that he wasn't this saint that people were making him out to be. He was a hypocrite and a jackass, but most of all he was human. But what can you do? People tend to forget the bad things and remember the good. This is why Liverpool's airport has been christened the John Lennon International Airport, with the lyrics from "Imagine" decorating the walls of the terminals. How can Paul compete with this? He can't, it's impossible. Shafted.

People make such a big deal about John that I get the feeling Paul seems insecure about his place in rock history. I think this is why he always has to squeeze his tidbit about being the avant-garde one into nearly every interview. I think this is why he's FINALLY releasing "Carnival of Light" after all these years. Paul's competing with John in death, and he can't win. You're never as good when you are alive as you are when you're dead.

I think the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame committed the biggest faux pas though. Everyone knows how much of a joke the Rock Hall is...it's pretty much all politics. Before you are eligible to be inducted, you have to have had a single out for twenty-five years. John's first single was technically released in 1969 ("Give Peace A Chance"), while Paul didn't release anything until 1970. John was inducted the first year he was eligible, 1994. The Rock Hall waited five years to induct Paul McCartney when he was eligible in 1995. I think that is a slap in the face. Paul has an incredibly successful solo career. John's career had fewer successful albums and singles. I honestly think that they should have inducted them the first year they became eligible or waited a year and inducted John the same year that Paul was eligible. There was no reason for a five-year lapse. Sounds like the shaft to me.

I hope this makes sense. I think I'm done rambling. I could talk about the Beatles for hours. I love them. If I could make a living as a Beatles scholar, I would definitely pursue it. It's now 6:30 according to the clock in the lower right hand corner of my screen. I'm going to bed.

8:29 PM 
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22 Nov 08 Saturday 
So, for those of your who don't frequent your local newsstands, Rolling Stone's new issue has a countdown of the "100 Greatest Singers of All Time". Well, this issue has four collectible covers, one of which just happens to feature John Lennon's mug. Needless to say, I bought the issue for that alone.

Well, I was perusing the pages while waiting to checkout and I began noticing some interesting choices in some interesting top spots on the countdown. Keep in mind that this countdown is focusing on the 100 greatest SINGERS of all time. This isn't a countdown for the 100 greatest SONGWRITERS of all time, nor is it a countdown for the 100 greatest ICONS of all time. This countdown is for singers only, or so they say.

Because I feel like taking up the space, I'm going to list their choices...

1. Aretha Franklin
2. Ray Charles
3. Elvis
4. Sam Cooke
5. John Lennon
6. Marvin Gaye
7. Bob Dylan
8. Otis Redding
9. Stevie Wonder
10. James Brown
11. Paul McCartney
12. Little Richard
13. Roy Orbison
14. Al Green
15. Robert Plant
16. Mick Jagger
17. Tina Turner
18. Freddie Mercury
19. Bob Marley
20. Smokey Robinson
21. Johnny Cash
22. Etta James
23. David Bowie
24. Van Morrison
25. Michael Jackson
26. Jackie Wilson
27. Hank Williams Sr.
28. Janis Joplin
29. Nina Simone
30. Prince
31. Howlin' Wolf
32. Bono
33. Steve Winwood
34. Whitney Houston
35. Dusty Springfield
36. Bruce Springsteen
37. Neil Young
38. Elton John
39. Jeff Buckley
40. Curtis Mayfield
41. Chuck Berry
42. Joni Mitchell
43. George Jones
44. Bobby "Blue" Bland
45. Kurt Cobain
46. Patsy Cline
47. Jim Morrison
48. Buddy Holly
49. Donny Hathaway
50. Bonnie Raitt
51. Gladys Knight
52. Brian Wilson
53. Muddy Waters
54. Luther Vandross
55. Paul Rodgers
56. Mavis Staples
57. Eric Burdon
58. Christina Aguilera
59. Rod Stewart
60. Bjork
61. Roger Daltrey
62. Lou Reed
63. Dion
64. Axl Rose
65. David Ruffin
66. Thom Yorke
67. Jerry Lee Lewis
68. Wilson Pickett
69. Ronnie Spector
70. Gregg Allman
71. Toots Hibbert
72. John Fogerty
73. Dolly Parton
74. James Taylor
75. Iggy Pop
76. Steve Perry
77. Merle Haggard
78. Sly Stone
79. Mariah Carey
80. Frankie Valli
81. John Lee Hooker
82. Tom Waits
83. Patti Smith
84. Darlene Love
85. Sam Moore
86. Art Garfunkel
87. Don Henley
88. Willie Nelson
89. Solomon Burke
90. The Everly Brothers
91. Levon Helm
92. Morrissey
93. Annie Lennox
94. Karen Carpenter
95. Patti Labelle
96. B.B. King
97. Joe Cocker
98. Stevie Nicks
99. Steven Tyler
100. Mary J. Blige


Okay, if you bothered to read that list you will see that they were obviously drunk while they were choosing names out of a hat. Even though Rolling Stone enlisted the help of a page full of people in the voting process, including Alice Cooper, Ringo Starr, and the Wilson sisters from Heart, they don't tell you why they placed artists in their respective spots. I think I might feel a tad better about this countdown if they said they were ranking them according to number of hit songs, vocal range, or anything. However, they don't tell you what they were looking for when they ranked these people.

If you go on VOICE alone, then they have committed pure atrocities. Johnny Cash at number 21, while Patsy Cline is at number 46? I know Walk The Line was a pretty recent movie, but are the bandwagoners still at it? I mean, I enjoy Johnny Cash but you can't say he was known for his voice. Come on, a SINGER countdown with Johnny Cash at number 21 should have June Carter at number 12 and Yoko Ono at number 1. Come on, get serious. I really feel that the unique timbre of Johnny Cash's voice is the only redeeming quality. Otherwise, all the credit goes to his songwriting.

And I'm sorry, as much as I love the Beatles and as much as I love John Lennon, I wouldn't see any reason for him to be at number 5. If he were alive today, he would have a fit, not only because of his insecurities about his voice, but because this countdown places him above Roy Orbison, Marvin Gaye, Smokey Robinson, and Nina Simone. Personally, I think if he were alive today that he wouldn't be at number 5 anyway.

Once again, Paul McCartney got the shaft. He's at number 11 when John's at number 5? That just doesn't seem fair. I think that if John Lennon had died from a drug overdose or cancer, that he wouldn't have been turned into a martyr. But because he was murdered, Paul inevitably gets the shaft. As a huge Beatles fan, I find it very difficult to say that John has a better voice than Paul. I think that Paul has more range than John did, but I think that John wins out on raw emotion. Overall though, it's like apples and oranges. They are very similar yet completely different from one another. I honestly think a five person gap between the two of them is uncalled for.

I don't know if it's terribly obvious at this point that I think this countdown is ridiculous and utterly infuriating.

I honestly disagree with Aretha Franklin at number 1. I think she's great but I don't think she's the best. And all sexism aside, I would probably put a male singer in the top spot.

Honestly, I disagree with Bob Dylan at number 7 and James Brown at number 10. These aren't performers known for their voices. Unless you want to talk about how nasal and frequently mocked Bob Dylan's voice is, he is better known as a songwriter. And without James Brown's vocal exclamations and energetic live performances, also frequently mocked, you would have a singer that is just okay.

And the inclusion of newer singers like Thom Yorke, Bjork, and Kurt Cobain? While they may be influential now among younger generations, should that give them the right to be up there with the best singers of ALL TIME? Thom Yorke? Seriously?

Karen Carpenter at 94 is an atrocity. She is up there on the list of my all time favorite female voices. She had such a beautiful alto that was so smooth and luxurious. I don't care if some of the Carpenters' songs were cheesy, give me something like "Hurting Each Other" or "Rainy Days and Mondays". She blows it out of the water. She is certainly more deserving of number 66 than Thom Yorke, but no, she's scraping the bottom of the barrel with Stevie Nicks.

Steve Perry at number 76? They put Iggy Pop ahead of Steve Perry. Iggy Pop. Everybody and their fucking mother knows "Don't Stop Believin'" thanks to some inane MTV show. Listen to his voice. He has such a strong tenor that is often attempted by drunk frat boys, but never duplicated. Listen to any other Journey song, especially stuff like "Open Arms" and "Feeling That Way/Anytime". He's amazing and should definitely be higher than 76.

The bottom line is that this magazine is pandering to some audience. I can't figure out their intended audience though. This countdown blew my mind. Wow. I think Star magazine or the sadly-defunct Weekly World News had more credibility than this atrocity did.

Here are the choices that would appear on mine, that didn't appear on Rolling Stone's list....
Brad Delp (Boston)
Ann Wilson (Heart)
Peggy Lee
Waylon Jennings
Phil Collins (yea, I said it)

I think anyone who has taken the time to read this whole rant, fully understands how annoyed I am at this countdown. Rolling Stone lost all credibility years ago, and this issue serves to remind me why I canceled my subscription years ago. Once again, screw you, Jann Wenner.

5:45 AM 
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15 Nov 08 Saturday 
This is probably the most random note that I've written in a long time. Well, it's the only note I've written in a long time....

Wanna see some funny guys doing stupid thing? I know you do, don't lie. Go to www.youtube.com/OctoberRoad. Try these on for size: "Jesus, Death," "Lost October," "Five Fax," or any of the Basement episodes. These guys are hilarious, they make me laugh so hard that my stomach and my cheeks sore for a couple of days.

So last Saturday night at work I got to listen to Goddard's Gold, which makes me happy. There is a special place in my heart for syndicated oldies shows, they remind me of Owensboro. Anyway, he played something by Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, and it occurred to me that they are probably the creepiest band known to man. Total pervs, even though that doesn't stop me from having a greatest hits of theirs somewhere around here. It seems like every song they released is skeezy, but "Young Girl" completely takes the cake.

Young girl/ get outta my mind/ my love for you is way out of line/ you'd better run, girl/ you're much too young, girl

And then Chris Hansen walks into your kitchen.

And then after my syndicated oldies show, I got a syndicated Beatles show. I really heart the radio stations down here, hands down the best part of moving here. Anyway, syndicated Beatles show. They were talking about the genesis of the Love show, it was quite nice. One of the bits discussed the inclusion of chatter on the soundtrack. The Love "Lady Madonna" is an example. There are few things I love more than Beatle chatter. I find it sweeter than a baby gurgling and cooing. Take that, maternal instinct! I think that's why I have such an unabashed love for the Anthology. I love to hear them flub stuff in the studio and burst into laughter. I love to hear the conversations they have with each other while the tape is rolling. God forbid I end up having male quadruplets. Would I name my babies John, Paul, George, and Ringo? Totally. I can see it now, registering little Ringo Jones for the first grade. lol

Oh, by the way, I am completely enamored with Rolling Stone's new issue size. Just thought I would share. Now if Spin would follow suit.....

"Jailbreak" by Thin Lizzy makes me want to learn to play guitar. I am majorly in love with that song.

The other night I went to Walgreen's and I discovered that they carry Paste, which is a pretty good music/pop culture magazine. I was stoked to see it, because I can usually only find Spin, Blender, and Rolling Stone around here. Paste also comes with a free cd every month and free cds never fail to make me happy.

The downside of buying a bunch of new music magazines? Well, Spin and Paste both featured little tidbits on a guy from Louisville who's releasing a cd and has been interviewed on NPR. Yeah, he was in my theory classes at UofL. He and I are the same age. I know him. Well I kinda know him, I wasn't really close to him or anything. It TOTALLY makes me feel like a loser, especially since I've been so capricious with my major since I started college......six years ago. UGH.

I received my new catalog from The Fest for Beatles Fans (formerly Beatlefest but we can't call it that or we'll get sued) today. It does nothing but remind me of how much I love the Beatles and that I would buy everything on the pages of that catalog. I have loads and loads and loads of Beatles stuff, but right now I can't display any of it and I can't even get to it if I wanted to. The next time I move, I'll have to go straight to house. An apartment is out of the question for all of the junk I've collected.

Yeah, I think that was all I was going to say.



7:20 PM 
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14 Oct 08 Tuesday 
LONDON (AP) -- Ringo Starr doesn't want to hear from you. If you do write, your letter will end up in the trash. That's the message from Richard Starkey, aka Ringo Starr. After 45 years of stardom, he doesn't want to spend any more time answering mail or sending signed photos back to fans.

The fan fatigue led the former Beatles drummer to post a sometimes angry sounding short video clip on his Web site telling fans that any mail sent to him after Oct. 20 will not be read or answered. British television stations broadcast the video on Tuesday.

"It's going to be tossed," he says on the video. "I'm warning you with peace and love, I have too much to do. So no more fan mail. Thank you, thank you. And no objects to be signed. Nothing. Anyway, peace and love, peace and love."

The drummer and singer did not elaborate on the reason behind his decision to cut off a major point of contact with his many fans.

Starr, 68, has maintained a very active touring and recording schedule in recent years, drawing large crowds for performances with his All-Starr band.

The band plays a mix of old Beatles hits, Starr's many solo offerings, and other classics from the 1960s and 1970s. Starr usually serves as front man, though he sometimes plays the drums.

But he has angered longtime fans in Liverpool by telling interviewers that he does not miss his native city. Vandals there beheaded a topiary sculpture of Starr earlier this year — he was the only one of the four Beatles whose likeness was desecrated.

The good-natured drummer, who also enjoyed a brief acting career after star turns in Beatles' films "A Hard Day's Night" and "Help!," guest starred on a 1991 episode of "The Simpsons" in which he is shown scrupulously answering every piece of fan mail that comes his way.

"They took the time to write to me, and I don't care if it takes 20 years, I'm going to answer every one of them," Starr says on the show.

In his mail, he finds a package from Marge Simpson that contains a portrait she painted of him back in the Beatles heyday. He puts it on his wall and writes back to tell her — a few decades late — how much he likes her painting.

~~~

"When I feel my head start to swell I look at Ringo- then I know we're not superhuman." - John Lennon

You know, when I saw Ringo this summer in Nashville, he seemed annoyed that people were holding things up to be signed. There was this kid that Shane dubbed "Jackets" due to his replica Shea Stadium jacket. He had somehow traded someone tickets, and secured a spot in the front row. That kid was so pumped. Anyway, during the show he held up an album, presumably with a Sharpie in the same hand. When he held up his album and waved it around, he was met with an interesting comment from Ringo. Ringo looked at the kid and said, "I'm not signing your damn albums. Can't you see that I'm working?" It was kind of funny, but at the same time surprisingly mean.
Some other lady had given Jackets' mom a scrap of paper from me to Ringo, asking if he'd sign my leg. Well, the scrap of paper didn't get delivered. After his reaction to Jackets though, I'm not sure I would have wanted Ringo to read that and then cut me down in front of the audience. I mean Ringo pointed to my shirt and winked at me anyway. Would I have wanted to mess that up and have him cut me down after reading my request?
You know, it says any mail after October 20th will be tossed, does anyone even have an address for him? I looked for one earlier this summer and couldn't find anything. My initial requests to have my leg signed went through his MySpace (twice) and were unanswered.
Ringo, don't be a douche.
 
12:56 PM 
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