A few days ago I received an email from a newspaper in England, asking if I was the person who originally published Ads vs. Reality. They wanted to feature the photos on their website, with proper attribution.
I provided the information requested, and the guy mentioned that the photos are all over the internet, without credit. He had a hard time figuring out their original source, he said.
This isn’t exactly a revelation, but it irritates me (all over again) that someone has to work to figure out who came up with the idea. I tried to fight the theft of those photos in the early days, and had some success, but it eventually got away from me. Now they’re practically public domain.
Oh well. I guess it’s a compliment, right? People don’t steal shit unless it has value. Yeah, that’s what I’ll keep telling myself…
In any case, I appreciate the Guardian going the extra mile, and linking back to the Surf Report. I’d gladly hoist a frosty Timothy Taylor in their honor, if I could get my booger-hooks on one.
And speaking of boogers, I was at Subway last night, buying a $7 lettuce sandwich. The girl on the other side of the fixins was wearing plastic gloves, as is the custom, but while building my lunch she also answered a phone, and made change to a man with a lightning bolt tattooed to the side of his neck.
What’s the point of wearing gloves, if you’re just going to go around doing normal stuff in them? I’m no scientist, but I suspect poop particles and lung spores can attach to plastic, as easily as skin. Right?
The sub was really good, though. I got cucumbers on it, and that’s my new favorite topping. I used to order green peppers, but I’ve recently switched to cukes. Mmmm… it was almost enough to make me forget that the bun was probably smeared with a trace amount of lightning bolt ball residue.
I’m heavily into the old time radio show, Yours Truly, Johnny Dollar. It was a fifteen-minute program, broadcast five days per week. A new case would start on Monday, and wrap-up on Friday. So, each investigation was five fifteen-minute shows.
Last night at work I listened to two full cases, ten episodes. Great stuff. Johnny Dollar, badass, insinuating that a thug wasn’t long for this world: “If I were you, pal, I wouldn’t be buying any long-play records.” Heh.
The writing on that show was terrific, and the guy who portrayed Johnny Dollar during the late ’50s (someone named Bob Bailey) was perfect. I’m going to be sad when I’ve listened to all 800 or so episodes I own.
And on the subject of records…. Can you remember the first 45 you ever bought? You know, if you’re an old fart like me and remember singles, as they were called.
My first was “American Pie,” by Don McLean, if you can believe it. The song was so long it was on both sides of the record. It faded-down at the end of side one, and faded-up at the beginning of side two.
I bought it at Miller’s Drug Store, in Dunbar, for something like 69 cents. And I’m sure I still have it somewhere. I had a lot of great stuff: “Hot Rod Lincoln,” “The Cover of the Rolling Stone,” “Life Is A Rock (But The Radio Rolled Me),” etc.
What was your first 45? If applicable.
Another life-changing event, involving the late, great Miller’s, was my first issue of Mad magazine. It was this one, from April 1971, when I was eight years old. I remember buying it, and repeatedly devouring every freaking word. I thought it was, without a doubt, the greatest thing I’d ever seen. And 38 years later, I still haven’t fully recovered.
I’m going to call it a day now, and go pick up my order at T-Shirt Lady Labs. Later, I’ll post a picture of the “miscommunication shirt,” and see what you guys think. It sounds fairly hideous to me (maroon with orange and white??), but maybe not.
No update tomorrow, I’m afraid; I have to write at least 2700 words of my “book.” But I’ll try to make up for yesterday over the weekend. That’ll be the goal, so stay tuned.
Oh, one more thing, before I go… Metten posted an especially-good mock today, at Mockable. So please be sure to check it out.
Have a great day, boys and girls.
Update: $10 Miscommunication Shirts are available now! Click here.
Bill in WV –
Sorry….. Gene is not a pretty man… Those chicks in Poison are HOT, though….
I wonder why Poison & Vixen never toured together. Could it be, they’re the same people?
no singles for me I bought Alice Cooper’s “Billion Dollar babies “and ELO “On the third day” first then it was Doobie Bros “Toulous St,” My dad got a bunch of 8 tracks from a neighbor kid we cherished! One was Black Sabbath self titled, Canned Heat, “Boogie with canned heat” Cream, can’t remember the title. I loved an 8 track of Irish drinking songs, it was so awesome it was the Clancy Bros. I bought my LP’s from a little drug store in Rossford Ohio. Later I bought David Bowie “Diamond Dogs” which was really bizarre for a 12 yr. old. I was into Bowie when others were into David Cassidy and Donnie Osmond My dad took me to special record store so I could buy Sparks “Kimono My House” And “Ghosts by the Strawbs. Saw both bands on Don Kirshner’s rock concert show.
Tyrosine — I have Boney M’s Rasputin in my iTunes library. What are you trying to say?
Remember the song “Timothy” about cannibalism? How about “The night they drove old dixie down”? My aunt had some cool old singles one was “Telstar” an instrumental and “Tie me kangaroo down sport” She was English of course!
I still buy vinyl all the time don’t own an MP3 player….yet.I love all kinds of music, it is my life!
Bill….I understood the”My Ding ALing” and “The Streak”. It also confirmed to me who you are, LOL….But seriously, did you just admit to “I Thik I love you”? Seriously? Oh boy, I can get some use out of this!! LOLOLOL
“In the year 2525″…..must’ve been about 4 when I went with my older bro and sis to get it…..remember playing it for the first time at my Great Aunt’s house……one of my earlieest re-member-ies…..Bizarre.
1969?
Brynhildr,
I have Rasputin in my mp3 library as well. My wife loaded it. Must have something to do with that extra X chromosome…..
All this AM radio gold from the 70’s reminded me of this little ditty featuring the soothing talents of Jello Biafra and Al Jourgensen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_0ZipyHVcA
tiff – I’m on that Hokies thang. GO VT!!!!
what a approiate question as today was National One Hit Wonder day……my pick? funkytown by lippsics. anyone have a favorite?
thats Lipps inc……………………damn nails
“Downtown” by Petula Clark, circa 1963 or so? I believe it set me back $.89 but I’m sure I listened to it 890 times or so, making it .001 per listen. (Someone should check my math)
Best of Jeff quote nomination:
“What’s the point of wearing gloves, if you’re just going to go around doing normal stuff in them? I’m no scientist, but I suspect poop particles and lung spores can attach to plastic, as easily as skin. Right?”
Damnit Jeff, I am a scientifical laborer and while poop may stick to a hydrophobic surface like plastic, you are probably going to get less poop per bite, than were she not wearing them. I am outspoken. I might have requested she get her a new pair.
I hated when people in the lab answer the phone, use the computer, or try to sign UPS while wearing gloves.
I got me a shirt! They are truly ugly, but I may find use for it, and the price was right. I want the scribbled fish on a cowboy style hat. I suspect you this fish in Dunbar as a boy. Did you ever share the story of how you invented the fish. I do not recall it, and think I have read 90% of the Report.
Lastly, congratulations on getting proper attribution from the Brits.
Greg
Shiny and Tadpolegal – Happy Belated Birthday!
NDfaninAZ & WB in OH – I thought the pillow named lumpy was either Bikerchick’s or Brynhildr’s.
Speaking of Bikerchick – Where has she been lately?
1st 45? I don’t think I have ever purchased a 45. My parents had a lot of music when I was a kid, and I guess it never occurred to me to buy any for myself.
When they got divorced, my parents’ musical taste became horrible. My dad went through this big Ann Murray phase. TF? (Sorry my invisible Canadian friends.)
My mom got pretty into Kenny Rogers, but she was telling me recently that during that time, when she would take my brother to daycare, he would insist that she play Helen Reddy’s “I am Woman Hear me Roar” over and over again. I know it isn’t a family revelation on par with Mackenzie Phillips, but I found it to be both hilarious and disturbing.
Sex Pistols- Pretty Thing
( B side- Who Killed Bambi?)
Still sounds good, even though John Lydon is doing adverts for butter. The twat.
Oh, for cripin’ out loud. I have to be the grouchy grandpa again and try to add some perspective and come across as a pontificating pissant, which, I swear on the future crypt of Bob Dylan, I am not.
@Debra – You seem like a nice young lady; if you are communicating from some kind of mobile device which doesn’t support the period or other punctuation, it would be good to say so at the top of your post — something like “connecting via dick tracy keyboardless watch”.
If you have a qwerty keyboard, the period is right ring low, the comma is right middle low, the semicolon is right pinkie strike, the colon is right pinkie cap, the question mark (which you seem to have located already) is right pinkie down/cap.
Perhaps this information will be of use. Damn, I sure do miss wordnerd.
As for “Seasons in the Sun”…”Seasons in the Sun” is a very loose English language translation of the song “Le Moribond” by Belgian singer Jacques Brel. It was first popularly translated into English by Rod McKuen (In fact, Mr. McKuen is givin 1/2 writers’ credit on Terry Jacks 1973/74 recording. Mr. McKuen recorded the song on a couple of albums between 1965 and 1968. You can hear Mr. McKuen’s entire catalog from this period on this fine record from Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/If-You-Go-Away-Years/dp/B000L43NBI/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1254013681&sr=1-9
Only $221.49, and nearly every song is listenable. This boxed set contains everything that’s wonderful and awful about the ’60s if you listen with the right ears.
And finally, with regard to 1970s music: here are a few albums recorded in the ’70s:
The Who: Live At Leeds (1970)
Deep Purple: Deep Purple In Rock (1970)
The Rolling Stones: Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out! (1970)
Black Sabbath: Paranoid (1970)
George Harrison: All Things Must Pass (1970)
The Grateful Dead: American Beauty (1970)
Carole King: Tapestry (1971)
Led Zeppelin: Untitled (IV) (1971)
Jethro Tull: Thick As A Brick (1972)
Pink Floyd: Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)
Bob Marley & The Wailers: Catch A Fire (1973)
Elton John: Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (1973)
The Who: Quadrophenia (1973)
King Crimson: Red (1974)
Queen: A Night At The Opera (1975)
Bruce Springsteen: Born To Run (1975)
Stevie Wonder: Songs In The Key Of Life (1976)
Patti Smith: Radio Ethiopia (1976)
The Ramones: Ramones (1976)
OK, I’m getting tired of pasting the titles of these obviously brilliant ablums into this little box. Perhaps it is enough to say that despite what a, perhaps, underinformed dipshit or two has to say about ’70s music in this forum, the ’70s were second only to the ’60s in musical creativity in the 20th century. And in another place and at another time we’ll discuss why the 1920s are third. God help us in the ’80s and ’90s.
Debra, sorry to sound so mean. I’m just an old guy, so throw my comments to the wind.
DAMN, writing and flirting about sex is great: on a site for the Nickelodeon crowd. What matters: family, music, and swimming through the river of shit they call American business must be discussed somewhere. If not here, where? If not today, when? If not us, then who?
Live and be well…jtb
This is going to sound rediculous, but are there still any of those sweet maroon shirts? I want one pretty bad.
@WTB – Good lord, if they ended up with Anne Murray and Kenny Rogers, where, in heaven’s name, did they start?
Also, your brother selected a fine Helen Reddy song, but he could have chosen “You and Me Against the World”. It’s more appropriate, more to the point, and a better example of the range of this nice lady from Oz.
I’m, as they say on the Web, juxtaposin’.
Live and be well…jtb
Yea! I love the question. My first 45 was Blondie’s “Heart of Glass” b/w “11:59”, when I was 9. I bought it at Gipson’s (Gibson’s?) in Plano, TX. I had to explain to my mom, a devout Church of Christ woman, that I was not going to be permanently damaged by her saying ‘ass’ in the lyrics. Still have it. Still listen to it.
Damn, j the b, did you miss a dose of your medication?
@ johnthebasket,
Nice list but please don’t be so dismissive of the 90’s.
Pearl Jam – Ten
Nine Inch Nails – The Downward Spiral
Smashing Pumpkins – Siamese Dream
Pantera – Vulgar Display of Power
Tool – Ænima
@ Kevindust:,
I don’t have a problem with any of your selections. However, with the possible exception of the Pearl Jam album, none of these works actually leads anywhere else; for that matter, they aren’t really “works” at all–just arbitrary collections of tunes, one or two of which per album can be made into a music video.
Having said that, I want my choices in music to be respected by others, so I am happy to respect yours or anybody’s. If you think your 90s list is comparable in musical weight, texture, resonance, and listenability to my 70s list, then live and be well.
@ WVKay — Yes.
jtb
jtb…Sweet Baby James…just sayin’
@ jtb
I heartedly do think that my 90’s list is comparable in musical weight, texture, and resonance to your list. Listenability, not so much…NIN and Pantera take time.
I assure you that each of these works is far more than a collection of tunes or singles, these are complete masterpieces from beginning to end.
Proof that amazing music is still being created? Here you go a fun cover:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CwPY32ux1P8
Sorry, I was pretty wasted when I wrote my post. So sorry to annoy you. I guess I should stick to lurking here. Gosh.
I once frequented the record shop on the second floor of the old Rust Bldg. in Tacoma in 1961-62, while stationed at Ft. Lewis. A lovely young girl who worked there recommended any number of LP’s to me, many of which I still have. We were able to go into booths to play records before purchasing, as I recall. Those were the days of Century 21 in Seattle – lots of folk music. I often hung out at a place called “The End,” on South Tacoma Way, across from Steve’s Gay 90’s. Fond memories.