Here is U2 launching into the song they believed might actually spark violence if it were misunderstood: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jYnnmQ9x5tQ And here is a John Wayne movie's anachronistic but stirring delivery of an actual rebel song: http://youtu.be/MGiDiMXLbWI Back in the heyday of MTV, when I was a budding little pre-teen U2 fan, I heard Bono say something... Continue Reading →
Howl at the moon, shoot out the light
Had another wonderful evening at Gruene Hall last night. Stepped out on the street just to get the view my crazy talented friend Bill Harrison captured here. (Well I was a bit more vertical maybe.) The hall was built in 1878 and has a rich history. The original sign over the bar read "Den feinsten... Continue Reading →
Traveling through a few Turnpike Troubadours songs
Disclaimer: I'm no music critic; we've got brilliant people like Joe Gross for that (hi Joe). But sometimes I just blab a lot about stuff that strikes me (this guy's neon artwork, my old car dying, a photo of Mark Twain when he was 13). Thank you for hanging with me. And thank you Jim... Continue Reading →
Bono and Ali are the sweetest thing
Somehow, though I've loved U2 for decades, I've only just learned that U2's song "The Sweetest Thing" (lyrics here) was written by Bono as an apology to his wife, Ali, for missing her birthday back when the band was in recording sessions for "The Joshua Tree" (first album I ever bought on CD). Originally the... Continue Reading →
Why ‘Norwegian Wood’ would today be ‘IKEA Shelves’
I was puzzled as a youngster (and indeed, up until last week) by the title of "Norwegian Wood." The song is moody, and I always pictured a dark forest of young skinny trees, probably related to the photomural in my dentist's office. But no, I read now that it was a dig at the girl's... Continue Reading →
Live every day like a Beatle!
The calendars for 2010 and for 1965 use the same days, and in honor of my coworkers' upcoming Beatle trivia night, I thought it would be fun to design a printable calendar page saying where the Beatles were and what they were doing in February 1965. Here it is: If my evil plan has worked,... Continue Reading →
Make your own polymer clay cutters
For my buddies on the City-O-Clay polymer clay listing: Here's how I made my DIY "cookie" cutters. (These are intended for cutting shapes in polymer clay; no representation of their food safety is made 🙂 ) Materials: Piece of tin roof flashing, about 49 cents at hardware store Tools: Tin snips, file, pliers (little jewelry... Continue Reading →
