Songs For Saturday Classic with the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Breeders and Hayley Westenra PLUS: Muppets?!? AND Katy Perry?!?!?

So sorry but still behind the 8-Ball when it comes to new posting so today we go back to Saturday, January 11, 2020 for the 2nd ever Songs For Saturday post featuring the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Breeders and Hayley Westenra PLUS: Muppets?!? AND Katy Perry?!?!?

Hi there! 

Welcome to Songs For Saturday. 

The guiding principle for these posts is there are songs that I (Dave-El) like. It is a collection of music that may give insight to the inner workings of my mind. 

Or not.

They're just cool songs I like. 

Today we have a theme of cover songs.  

So grab your handy-dandy Bat Head Phones. 

Put'em on your head. 

And crank up the volume!  


Let's kick this off with the Red Hot Chili Peppers covering the Ohio Players classic, Love Rollercoaster from the Beavis & Butthead Do America soundtrack.   

Sometimes there are contentious arguments over which is better, the original or the remake. Most musical purists will more than likely default to the original. 

In the case of Love Rollercoaster, I must commit heresy and cite my preference for the Peppers' remake.  The original is a fine song as is and I have no objection to listening to it. But this version by the the Red Hot Chili Peppers has a ragged, rough rock 'n' roll edge that appeals to me more.  

By the way, I have actually seen the movie, Beavis & Butthead Do America. No, not in the theater. I think Andrea and I rented it from Blockbuster.  

Oh God, I'm old!  

Next up is a little ditty called Shocker In Gloomtown by the Breeders. 

When I say "little", it's less than a minute and a half.

.

This is a cover of a song by a group called Guided By Voices. The members of GBV are the dudes lurking about outside in the video. 

I've never heard the GBV version but I really like this take by the Breeders. They rip through this song like they're mad at it, flailing away at their stripped down guitars and that drummer is going to work himself into a stroke if the boy ain't careful. 

In future editions of Songs For Saturday, I hope to present more songs from the Breeders. I am a big fan of their music.

For those who like rock 'n' roll, here's something different.

It's a cover of a classic by Kate Bush. This is Hayley Westenra with "Wuthering Heights".  

In 1978, Kate Bush at age 19 topped the UK Singles Chart for four weeks "Wuthering Heights". It was her first single and this accomplishment made her the first female artist to achieve a UK number one with a self-written song. 

I discovered the music of Kate Bush in the early 1980s while working for my college's radio station. 

A few years ago while randomly surfing through You Tube, I stumbled across the music of Hayley Westenra and specifically this cover of "Wuthering Heights". 

I am a big fan of Hayley Westenra and she will likely be making more appearances here in Songs For Saturday.

To wrap up today's post, here is a cover of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody....

...by the Muppets?


Yeah sure. Why not?  

And while we're being silly, here's another cover involving a puppet. Katy Perry covers her own "Hot N Cold" with....

Elmo from Sesame Street?


OK, fine. Here's Katy Perry and Elmo! 

The segment was shot but never actually broadcast due to complaints about Ms. Perry's attire. 

Ms. Perry looks fine to me.

But we're supposed to be OK with Elmo being naked? 

What would you say if I told you I prefer this version of "Hot N Cold" to the original? 

That's it for today's Songs For Saturday. 

Until next time, remember to be good to one another.

And keep the music alive!  

FLASHBACK FRIDAY: The Movie Buff Who Is Also A Bad Speller

For apparently no good reason I can think of, Flashback Friday ventures back in time to Wednesday, February 19, 2014 for...

The Movie Buff Who Is Also A Bad Speller

And now the Movie Buff Who Is Also A Bad Speller looks at movies with the word "brain" in the title. 

The Steve Martin comedy The Man With Two Brians

The 1962 horror classic, The Brian That Wouldn't Die

From 1953: Donovan's Brian

Who could forget this classic film: They Saved Hitler's Brian

Sadly, Natalie Wood's last film appearance was in the 1983 movie, Brianstorm

The Movie Buff Who Is Also A Bad Speller has discovered this 1965 Japanese sci-fi film, The Evil Brian From Outer Space.

Join the Movie Buff Who Is Also A Bad Speller next time as he looks at Brain's Song and Monty Python's The Life of Brain.

_________________________

This is one of those "you had to be there" things to...well, I WAS there and yeah, it's not getting any funnier.

Maybe if I had also tossed in bits about Pinky and the Brian or how zombies in horror films are out to consume human Brians or...

No, wouldn't help.

_________________________


Take care, y'all! And be good to one another. 

Nope, still not funny.

No Blog Post Today?

 Wait! 

No blog post today?!?

That can't be right! 

Surely I have something witty or insightful to write about.

I'm smart!

I'm clever!!

There will be a blog post today!!!

...

...

Any moment now.

...

...

C'mon, Dave-El!

...

...

Blog post...

...

...

NOW! 

....

....

We can...

...

...

not do this.

Fuck it!

No blog post today. 

You Don't Gotta Have Faith, Faith, Faith

"Yes, I gotta have faith

Mm, I gotta have faith

Because I've gotta have faith, faith, faith

I gotta have faith, faith, faith!"

The chorus of song by George Michael 

called (let me check my notes) "Faith"

 

Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson’s Supreme Court confirmation hearings are underway in the US Senate and as potentially the first black woman to be seated on the Supreme Court, she should expect to catch shit from a bunch of white men. 

"And that's my cue!" went Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) as he decided to question Judge Jackson's faith. 

Here are some questions Graham felt a Supreme Court justice needs to be asked. 

• “What faith are you, by the way?” 
• “Could you fairly judge a Catholic?”
• "How important is your faith to you?”
• “On a scale from 1 to 10, how faithful would you say you are, in terms of religion?” 

Jackson reminded Graham “as you know, there’s no religious test in the Constitution under Article 6, and it’s very important to set aside one’s personal views about things in the role of a judge.”

A balanced and well reasoned response that set Graham off as went off on questions regarding the faith of Amy Coney Barrett at her confirmation hearings as Graham complained that Barrett was treated “very, very poorly."

Of course, questions about Barrett's religious beliefs and faith were relevant because she referred to them in her past legal writing.  It's OK to ask her about religion because she brought it up. 

And let's be blunt: no one on the right really gives a single damn about Amy Coney Barrett's legal background when it's her religious beliefs that put her on the list to be nominated in the first damn place.

Graham incessant needling of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson regarding her religious background was designed to play to the base back home, the poorly educated redneck mouth breathers who are apt to think that Democrats are all godless heathens turning the country over to gay abortionists on a fast track to hell. 

As long as there are those with a Bible in their hands who think this country only belongs to them, Graham sadly has a leg to stand on.   

Tuesday TV Touchbase: Star Trek Discovery and Star Trek Picard

 

Today's Tuesday TV Touchbase checks in on the world of Star Trek as one series reaches a season finale and another debuts a new season. 

I still can't believe just how much better Star Trek Discovery has gotten since its woebegone launch in 2017. Getting dropped kicked 930 years into the future in season 3 did the show a world of good. 

The story arc for season 4 dealt with a space anomaly of enormous size and power that destroys whole planets in it's wake including the home world of Cleveland "Book" Booker.  Eventually it is determined that the anomaly (dubbed "DMA") is not a natural one but something created by what the Federation calls "Species 10-C" who exists outside the known galaxy and is probably way more powerful than anybody in the Federation.  Species 10-C may be deliberately malevolent or benevolently ignorant or just don't give a damn about their anomaly.  

Which brings us to the main conflict for the Discovery crew.  Book and super smart scientist with no social skills Tarka are hell bent on blowing up the DMA while Capt. Michael Burnham and other Federation persons think it might be better to learn how to talk to Species 10-C first. 

Long story made short, Book and Tarka's efforts to answer the threat of the DMA with force only makes things worse. Now the damn DMA is heading for Earth! 

Meanwhile Burnham and the crew do finally figure out how to talk to the Species 10-C and they answer. 

Through dialogue and understanding, Species 10-C realize their anomaly (which they were using to harvest energy) is dangerous to sentient life and agree to stop using it.

There has been some criticism that Star Trek Discovery is not true Star Trek. But certainly the story line for season 4 undermines that criticism. Force and vengeance yield bad results.  Learning, knowledge, exploring, talking, understanding and peace yield better results. And this is the epitome of Star Trek's best ideals. 

Discovery has evolved past the Michael Burnham centric first season with a fully developed supporting cast like Detmer, Stamets, Culber, Adira and Saru. 

Oh and Saru has a girlfriend, the Vulcan president of Ni'Var. 

And Burnham is a more well rounded individual, emotionally expressive when she needs to be but also adept at putting on her captain hat when she needs to be in charge. 

The season ends with a Federation made stronger for their united efforts to save worlds from the devastation of the DMA and to peacefully negotiate with Specie 10-C.

And Earth (with it's president played by real life political leader Stacey Abrams) rejoins the Federation.  Season 4 of Star Trek Discovery ends on a note of hope as any good Star Trek should.

Hope is in short supply over on Star Trek Picard.

Season 2 picks up 18 months after the events of Season 1. Picard is back in the good graces of Starfleet as an admiral, Raffi is back in Starfleet along with Chris Rios who is the captain of the Stargazer. Seven is using Rios' old ship La Sirena in her work with the Fenris Rangers.  

There's a lot of convolutions to bring the gang from season 1 back together considering that gang was only together for one specific mission. 

Then shit happens! 

The Borg appear! 

Crap! 

The Stargazer blows up real good!

Double crap!!

Jean Luc wakes up at Chateau Picard in France. 

What the hell?!?

And Q shows up!?!

Triple crap!!!!

How do they handle immortal Q being played by a much older John DeLancie? Pretty well, actually.  Q appears to look as he did back in the Next Generation days, sees how much older Picard looks, says "Let me catch up!" and BAM! Goodbye CGI, hello to current John DeLancie. 

In episode 2, we get to hear Picard say something we've been wanting to hear him says for over 30 years: "Q, I've had enough of your bullshit!"  

Picard (and we'll find out later, the rest of his gang) survived the destruction of the Stargazer but he's not back home, not in the truest sense of the world. 

Time has been changed and Earth sits at the center of a fascist Confederation built on the idea that "A safe galaxy is a human galaxy".   

And General Picard made it happen.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...........??????

So we spend a 2nd episode getting the gang together as they make a desparate bid to go back in time to the year 2024 where Q tells Picard things first went all to shit.  

Even it means getting help from the Borg Queen.

Whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa...........??????

The year 2024 is significant in Star Trek lore as it's the year of the Bell Riots occurred as told in the Deep Space Nine two-part "Past Tense". 

There's some concern that the Picard producers will not remember this bit of Star Trek history but I find that a bit surprising since they do remember Deep Space Nine. Some of the skulls in "General Picard's" trophy room belonged to Gul Dukat and General Martok.  

Season 2 of Picard is less introspective and more adventure oriented with each the first three episodes ending on a cliff hanger.  

Structurally, season 2 of Picard is a bit of a mess but there's no denying there is a intriguing mystery to be resolved here and I'm invested enough in Jean Luc Picard as his misfit crew to see how this plays out.

That's it for this week's Tuesday TV Touchbase. I think by next week I will have caught up on Marvelous Mrs. Maisel a full 2 to 3 weeks after everyone else.

Until next time, remember to be good to one another and try to keep it down in there, would ya? I'm trying to watch TV over here. 

Hide Your Rainbow?

This is really a great time for the LGBTQ+  community, isn't it? 

On CNN, their leading and most respected news anchor is Anderson Cooper, a gay man. 

We don't dislike Ellen DeGeneres because she's a lesbian. No, we dislike Ellen because she's a jerk.  

Jeopardy viewers spent several weeks in the company of super champion Amy Schneider, a trans gender woman, who received wide ranging and enthusiastic support during her epic run. 

Speaking of transgender women,  Dr. Rachel Levine serves as assistant secretary for health at the Department of Health and Human Services and leads a group of 6,000 uniformed public health officers. A trained pediatrician, Dr. Levine  was sworn in as a four-star admiral of the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps in October, becoming just the sixth person to receive the honor in the corps’ history and also is the first female and openly transgender four-star admiral to hold that position. 

There are thousands of examples of people in the LGBTQ+  community receiving support, acceptance, acclaim and respect in positions of authority and notoriety.

There's never been a better time to show off those rainbow colors, right?

Or maybe not? 

Republican Texas attorney general Ken Paxton greeted the news of Dr. Rachel Levine's accomplishment by purposely misgendering her, falling in line behind Rep. Jim Banks (R-Ind.) and Fox News host Tucker Carlson who also misgendered Dr. Levine.   

Paxton's misgendering of Dr. Levine is the least of his transgressions against the trans gender community.  Paxton's been working double time to  classify gender-affirming care for transgender youth as abuse. Paxton made the pitch and Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) swung at it, ordering the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services to start investigating families of transgender youth to root out stop this "abuse". 

If you think it's too extreme to compare this sort of thing to the Gestapo rounding up Jews in Nazi Germany, well, tell to that to the parents of trans-gender youth who live in fear of the knock on the door. 

Those family had a moment of relief when a judge intervened to put a stop to Abbott's order but Paxton immediately fired back on Twitter with "Nyah! Nyah! Nyah!" and declare that he was appealing the judge's decision which means the investigations would continue.   

Paxton's doing all this for the same reason any conservative politician does anything: it makes the evangelical Christian base happy, happy enough to not notice that Ken Paxton is damaged goods.  

Paxton is under open FBI investigations for securities fraud and a complaint alleging Paxton accepted bribes and tampered with government documents. 

Well, who cares? He's doing the Lord's work! 

Meanwhile in Florida....

When Greg Abbott does crazy shit, Florida governor Ron DeSantis says "Hold my beer" and does crazier shit.

"Hey, Greg! So you going after the 'T' in LGBTQ+? Fuck that! I'm going after the whole alphabet!"

H.B. 1557 is the infamous “don’t say gay” bill. It's Republican sponsors claims they're just thinking of the children  to prevent “groomers”—specifically, gay and trans teachers—from attempting to corrupt and indoctrinate children with explicit classroom materials. 

You just can't make kids 8 years old or younger learn about gay sex and gender transition.  

Except....

The language in H.B. 1557 is very vague, allowing for a mass prohibition ANY speech about LGBTQ+ people, families, and issues—not just sex—in every grade. 

To borrow from the old guy who was a substitute teacher in the episode of The Simpsons when the teachers were on strike:  

"Mention  Anderson Cooper is gay? That's a paddlin'."

"Mention  Amy Schneider is trans gender? That's a paddlin'."

In short, the alleged limited goal ("Let's protect the youngin's from gay sex") is hiding under a broadly worded piece of shit legislation that accomplishes the true broader mission of the conservative right to marginalize and silence the LGBTQ+  community.

And don't think this is limited to Florida and Texas. Virtually every state with a Republican led legislature and/or a Republican governor is at some stage of development of similar laws and regulations. 

So is it really a great time for the LGBTQ+  community? Well, it should be. For those with eyes to see and the wisdom to try to understand, people who are LGBTQ+  are our sons and daughters, our co-workers, our fellow citizens. 

Those who are blind from ignorance and fear are more than willing to use whatever power and authority that is at their disposal to make our sons and daughters, our co-workers, our fellow citizens less than who they are. 

By all means, show off those rainbow colors. But for all the gains in understanding and acceptance made since the days of the the Stonewall uprising in June 1969, it is not safe. 

Be careful. Be vigilant.

But do not surrender to fear. 

Let the truth be seen.  

Truth is the best weapon against the darkness of fear and ignorance.  

Let the rainbow shine.

Art by AMY REEDER

Cinema Sunday: Chitty Chitty Bang Bang

As much as my wife Andrea is a fan of movie musicals, I recently discovered there was one that not only she had never seen but in fact had never heard of.

Today Cinema Sunday goes back in time to 1968 for a movie musical  with a most unusual pedigree. Based on a book written by Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond, here is Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

The film features songs by Robert Sherman and Richard Sherman, the song writing brothers who contributed music to many a Disney film including Mary Poppins. 

And speaking of Mary Poppins, the movie stars Dick Van Dyke. The producers were keen on also casting Julie Andrews but politely declined. 

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is not a Disney film. It looks and sounds like it almost could be a Disney film but not quite. It's a bit off from the Disney style.

A lot of that off kilter not quite Disney vibe can be attributed to Roald Dahl who co-wrote the screen play. While director Ken Hughes claimed to have re-written the whole thing, there are clear and distinct Roald Dahl touches to anyone familar with Matilda, James & the Giant Peach and Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory.  Odd self absorbed adults with no patience for children and even the good grown ups are not exactly recognizable as mature, responsible adults.   

Which brings us to Dick Van Dyke as inventor Caractacus Potts, the single father of two children, Jeremy and Jemima, who run around the countryside unattended and are fed by their father's Rube Goldberg devices because otherwise, he stays distracted by whatever invention has absorbed his attention for the last five minutes. 

Caractacus is a very clever man but perhaps too clever for his time in the early 20th century, inventing various things that the science and technology of the era has not quite caught up to. 

Caractacus does love his children and when  Jeremy and Jemima plead with him to restore a wrecked car they found in a junkyard, a Grand Prix racing car that crashed and burned in 1909, well, Caractacus feels he owes the kids some attention. And turning a nothing wreck into a something car is a challenge that is hard to refuse.

And turn it into something he does as Caractacus transforms the broken, burned twisted metal wreck into a sleek and functioning car.

It's not without it's quirks as the engine makes peculiar noises like "chitty-chitty" and "bang-bang". 

Hence the refurbished automobile is dubbed Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. 

The kids are more than impressed with this vehicle and it goes a long way to impress the young heiress, Truly Scrumptious.

Yes, you know this was something written by Ian Flemming when the adult female lead is named "Truly Scrumptious".

Earlier in the film, Truly has been a bit  contemptuous of Caractacus Potts,the lack of safety and practicality of his inventions, his lack of focus and his apparent lack of attention to his children.  

Seeing Caractacus actually succeed in building something that really works in the form of a sleek and shiny Grand Prix roadster and spending time with his kids does something for Truly Scrumptious that makes her heart go all "chitty-chitty" and "bang-bang". 

So Caractacus, Jeremy, Jemima and Truly take a drive in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang to spend a perfectly glorious day at the beach. It is ever so delightful. 

Seeing a boat on the horizon, the kids ask their dad to tell them a story which Caractacus obligingly does. 

And this movie we've been in so far becomes a different movie.

On that boat is mean, nasty Baron Bomburst, the tyrant of fictional Vulgaria and he wants to steal Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Oh no! The fiend! 

Well, this mean, nasty baron will not get his paws on this beloved car today as our heroic quartet escapes the baron's boat when Chitty Chitty Bang Bang expands a pontoon boat underneath the car and sails away over the ocean out of the evil car grabber's grasp! 

But  nasty Baron Bomburst will not be denied as he sends pirates onto shore the steal the car on land. 

The pirates succeed only in spiriting away the children's Grandpa, Bungie Potts who the pirates mistake as the inventor of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. But our heroes are in pursuit!

But WAIT! Tragedy! That pursuit takes Chitty Chitty Bang Bang over a cliff! 

And we pause for intermission.

Yes, this movie has an intermission.

Let's all go to the lobby!

Let's all go to the lobby!

Let's all go to the lobby!

And get ourselves a treat!

And we're back! 

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang goes over a cliff....

And flies!

This fantastic magical car flies Caractacus, Jeremy, Jemima and Truly to Vulgaria where children have been outlawed! 

What a terrible, joyless place! 

So it's up to our heroes to stop mean, nasty Baron Bomburst to save Grandpa Bungie Potts, rescue the exiled children of Vulgaria and protect Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. 

With the children of Vulgaria free once more and Granda rescued, our intrepid heroes fly off in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang...

Back to the beach where Caractacus finishes his story.

Caractacus dismisses any possibility a future together with Truly because he's poor and she's rich which she takes offense at. 

Don't worry about these crazy kids. It all works out in the end as Truly agrees to marry Caractacus as the film ends with the two love birds driving off in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Which takes to the air once more. 

And we've reached... the end.

The "It's That Person Who Was In That Thing" Dept.

Benny Hill whose burlesque British comedy show was syndicated to America back in the 1970's appears here as the Toymaker, forced to make toys for the baron since kids are outlawed.  

Desmond Llewelyn who appeared as "Q" in dozens of James Bond films appears as here as Mr. Coggins, the junkyard owner where the rusted burned out wreck of the Grand Prix racer is first seen.  

Also from the Bond films is Gert" Fröbe  as Baron Bomburst. Fröbe was Auric Goldfinger in the James Bond film Goldfinger. 

The story behind the story of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is that it was a bedtime story that Ian Fleming made up for his kids. While recovering from a heart attack, Fleming turned that story into a book.  He wrote the book in long hand; as he was recovering from a heart attack, he was supposed to be resting and not working so his family took away his typewriter. 

Overall, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang is a delightful confection of a movie, perfect for children but adults can enjoy it too for Fleming's Bondian influences and Roald Dahl's patented subversions of the tropes of entertainment for children. 

And how can you go wrong with a fantasy musical with Dick Van Dyke in the lead?  

I recall seeing Chitty Chitty Bang Bang when I was child and my mom had a record album of music from kid films that included this movie's theme song. We enjoyed listening to that record a lot.

And it was a pleasure to introduce Andrea to this film. It was just the perfect sort of movie for her.