tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39556912024-03-17T03:54:05.485-05:00Scouring MonkVarious and sundry things.Tony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.comBlogger909125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-43611934495896219802024-03-17T03:19:00.001-05:002024-03-17T03:19:19.286-05:00#909. Lineage of Song: “House of the Rising Sun”The Animals Woody Guthrie Bob Dylan“House of the Rising Sun” is another song you can read about on Wikipedia, its incredible origins. Like a lot of people I first heard it as a song recorded by the Animals, and I thought it was a song by the Animals for the longest time, until very recently, when I learned not only Bob Dylan had recorded it on his debut album a mere three years earlier Tony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-84124287225605700342024-03-10T05:38:00.000-05:002024-03-10T05:38:11.830-05:00#908. Lineage of Song “Wagon Wheel” Darius Rucker, 2012Bob Dylan sketch, 1973Old Crow Medicine Show, 2003The story of “Wagon Wheel” is pretty well detailed (have a look at Wikipedia), but I want to write about it as an authentic version of how a song enters the popular consciousness, not just as a pop song that does well on the charts but permeates in folk fashion, so that it feels like it was always there, and always will Tony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-88006773083184133222024-03-03T12:45:00.000-05:002024-03-03T12:45:19.921-05:00#907. Ghosts’ Thor CBS’s version of the BBC’s Ghosts has been one of my favorite shows in recent years, with the third season recently debuting.The thing I love about the show so much is its rich cast of characters, which draws on American eras the way its predecessor did with British, which among others has a caveman in its collection, whereas we’ve got Thor, a Viking.And gosh I love that crazy bastard.Thor Tony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-85534801350061453012024-02-24T11:25:00.001-05:002024-02-24T11:26:12.501-05:00#906. Disturbed, “Sound of Silence” In 2015, Disturbed released its sixth album, Immortalized. If you look at the summary of critical reception over at Wikipedia, you'd think there wasn't much to talk about. Based on the flood of praise for the band's cover of "The Sound of Silence" I discovered years after the fact, I would certainly question such conclusions.Once the video for the cover was released later that Tony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-34731842827884220712024-02-17T15:09:00.001-05:002024-02-17T15:09:19.201-05:00#905. Tracy Chatman’s “Fast Car” On February 4th Tracy Chapman reminded the world that she exists, taking the Grammys stage with Luke Combs in support of his recent cover of her 1988 song “Fast Car.”It caused something of a sensation.With the exception of another hit somewhat belatedly in 1995 (“Give Me One Reason”), it seemed all too easy for the pop world to leave Chapman behind. Until the Grammys viral moment I didn’t Tony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-89277420053082481942024-02-11T05:34:00.002-05:002024-02-24T11:26:34.909-05:00#904. Perfect Darius Rucker vocalsA collection of videos (and some songs I couldn’t find videos for) of perfect Darius Rucker vocals, not to be confused with a greatest hits or singles or in other words comprehensive listing…“Let Her Cry,” Hootie & the Blowfish, Cracked Rear View (1994) One of the iconic hits from Hootie’s debut album, a ballad of heartbreak.“Earth Stopped Cold at Dawn,” Hootie & the Blowfish, FairweatherTony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-49648510662888238772024-02-03T19:34:00.002-05:002024-02-03T19:34:40.273-05:00#903. Now and then, I miss you... You’ve probably heard the Beatles released a new sing. Argylle kind of builds itself around it, even.It’s pretty great."Now and Then" John Lennon December 2023 tribute performance. It was kind of immediately embraced by at least a visible part of the fanbase."Free as a Bird"That was the first “new song,” from Anthology 1."Real Love"That was the second “new song,” from Anthology 3.“Now and Tony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-50193244973284553782024-01-27T15:05:00.002-05:002024-01-27T15:08:34.804-05:00#902. Come and I Will Sing You "Come and I Will Sing You (The Twelve Apostles)" has been an obsession of mine since I first heard it on the Great Big Album The Hard and the Easy, released all the way back in 2005 (if I can possibly believe it...!), one of the rare songs sung by Bob Hallett (sort of the band's own Ringo Starr in that regard)....The problem is that Bob Hallett sings it...Bob's great! Don't get me Tony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-37708310727506585802024-01-21T11:35:00.001-05:002024-01-21T11:35:03.677-05:00#901. Gasparilla 2024Gasparilla is a festival that’s kind of a big deal in Tampa, and has been for more than a century, celebrating a fictional pirate named Jose Gaspar. It’s a fine excuse to have a little fun, a parade (two!) filled with floats of folk called krewes who toss bead necklaces at the gathered crowds, and celebrate local lore (real and imagined).When I moved to Tampa back in the fall of 2017, I had no Tony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-48561917731941518982024-01-13T12:08:00.001-05:002024-01-13T12:08:30.531-05:00#900. Sandman, Titans, FrasierWell, here we are again, this time talking about some other TV shows I've watched recently, just before those other ones from last week...Let's start with Sandman. I didn't get into the comics until about a decade ago. I know, I know, that's like twenty years later than all the cool kids, but whenever it happened I finally got there. The efforts to adapt Sandman to movie Tony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-20054150676004748672024-01-06T21:48:00.011-05:002024-01-13T11:46:29.964-05:00#899. The Mandalorian, “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow”Hmm. Let’s maybe get back a little more into blogging (last year is the first one I missed on this particular one since I started it back in 2002!). If I manage to keep this up, this’ll be a brief look at the highlights of what I’ve watched recently, hopefully on a weekly basis.So this past week I finally saw the first two seasons of The Mandalorian. I’m really behind. I know this. This is a showTony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-50908145488628416172022-12-10T14:31:00.001-05:002024-01-06T22:01:07.915-05:00Rogue One/Andor: Crimes Against Star WarsWhen Rogue One set the new bar of fan interest in Star Wars (the only recent phenomenon would be Baby Yoda, which ironically actually plays into everything fans hated about the prequels, but let's just continue to pretend otherwise), it was really like a slap in the face to everything that had come before.But let's explain that, shall we?George Lucas didn't exactly go out of his way to Tony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-23292633336469697712022-05-14T16:13:00.000-05:002022-05-14T16:13:22.518-05:00A Cheatsheet to Creating Star WarsSurprisingly, Star Wars in fact did not simply invent itself into existence. George Lucas worked on a number of drafts (eventually adapted into an excellent comic book entitled The Star Wars by Jonathan Rinzler and Mike Mayhew) before settling on the story and elements as they first appeared in theaters in 1977. For the purposes of this article, I am confining myself to Tony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-16742316865562236912021-08-07T15:36:00.001-05:002021-08-07T18:09:11.430-05:00The Magnar of Thenn I abandoned George R.R. Martin's A Dance with Dragons this morning. I read nearly eight hundred pages, only a few hundred left before I would've been done. Dragons is the fifth and to date most recent entry in Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, the basis for Game of Thrones, which concluded its television run amid ridicule after spending the vast majority of it Tony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-4588209207862888732021-06-26T14:51:00.000-05:002021-06-26T14:51:21.690-05:00Jack Nicholson’s Final RoleHow Do You Know was released in theaters December 2010.My mother had just begun her battle with cancer. I was still working at Borders. My niece wasn’t born yet, but she was developing in uterus. And this was Jack Nicholson’s final film. It was also James L. Brooks’s final film.I’m watching it for the first time as I write this. I lost track of Nicholson’s career, how long ago it ended. He’sTony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-199388575879079522020-04-01T15:29:00.001-05:002020-04-01T15:31:44.242-05:00The Rise of Skywalker’s Emperor ExplainedLet’s just get out of the way the fact that a lot of fans think The Rise of Skywalker was stupid. Star Wars fans generally have thought the latest Star Wars movie was stupid since Return of the Jedi. It really doesn’t matter what Star Wars fans say. Three trilogies are now complete, the saga is finished, and now fans can go enjoy their adorable Baby Yoda and not bother worrying about their Tony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-47225607844385149892020-02-22T16:25:00.001-05:002020-02-22T16:25:43.324-05:00US PresidentsI'm not going to attempt to rank them much less come up with some definitive top ten of the very best. A lot of it is completely relative as it is, although there were some who were mere officeholders and some who attempted great things, some who were caught up in hard times and some who rode good times. So I'm going to give some thoughts to all the US Presidents, including a +, -, orTony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-25648623496185271232020-01-25T17:12:00.002-05:002020-01-25T17:12:26.607-05:00The End of the World Comes DailyThere he is.
You know he's there,
you've been watching him all day,
and so you know where he is.
Sometimes it comes as a surprise,
but most of the time
you know where he is.
He's still learning.
He's literally learning everything,
because that's what's happening;
everything's new to him.
And most of the time
he loves it.
He loves exploring,
and o god it fills you with joy
knowing how he Tony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-51974943805769184522019-09-07T15:51:00.000-05:002019-09-07T15:53:13.800-05:00Cults of Personality
I admit that I first heard Living Colour's song "Cult of Personality" as wrestler CM Punk's entrance music. The song is about charismatic people who trick other people into following them, their charisma often masking their true identities as ruthless dictators. The 20th century was awash in the cult of personality. Here in the 21st century, a lot of people have decided that Tony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-90956846497009671262019-06-08T11:22:00.001-05:002019-06-08T11:28:12.672-05:00We Bare Bears, Cupcake ATMs
Discovered We Bare Bears a little while back. For anyone who's seen it, We Bare Bears becomes a cult-like obsession. Grizz. Pan Pan. Ice Bear. Mostly Ice Bear.
Anyway, so in one episode the bears temporarily (very temporarily) work at a cupcake ATM. A cupcake ATM is something you find in the yuppy quarter of your average city. (More on this in a Tony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-80923124530988204902019-02-02T14:03:00.003-05:002019-02-02T14:03:56.586-05:00Replacing the last post that was last available as an update.Gosh, the last time I actually posted here was a pretty depressing thought. I started a new job soon after that and, rest assured, things have generally improved for me.
As for whether or not I begin blogging here again, I honestly don't know. Even though it's my original blog, I began to associate it with negative thoughts and decided to sort of abandon it. But my blogging Tony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-14925008519735665102018-06-08T19:56:00.000-05:002018-06-08T19:56:07.281-05:00Anthony Bourdain's suicideSo, celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain committed suicide. It's hard not to include him in the ranks of famous deaths more closely associated with rock stars. That is to say, people maniacally driven by their chosen passion. Talent seems to eat itself, sometimes. It becomes inescapable, until one chooses the most impossible escape possible.
Talent can be consuming. For Tony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-56384406541649061142018-06-07T15:21:00.002-05:002022-05-15T12:49:38.382-05:00The case for the adjusted box office.Recently I really got into the concept of adjusted box office totals. It put things into perspective. But I still like the unadjusted box office receiving primary attention.
Its main strength is keeping the focus on the here-and-now. It helps new things seem relevant. If we really were guiding ourselves by the adjusted box office, we'd realize how much times reallyTony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-69958798519312490012018-06-04T20:08:00.001-05:002018-06-04T20:08:54.214-05:00Adjusted Box Office 6/4/18The idea of the adjusted all-time box office never appealed to me. It always seemed like a way to hang onto the idea that movies that were once popular technically still counted as popular. Another way might be that movies today maybe really aren't as popular as they used to be, which is unsettling to think. Today we have outrageous box office totals compared to just a handful Tony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3955691.post-75616997662066086502018-04-25T14:00:00.001-05:002018-04-25T14:00:44.110-05:00The Yellow Kingtheir long hair
tied up to the crest of their heads
like manes
Poseidon: always Earth-Shaker
I had been taught
it was the mark of a king
to receive homage with grace.
There is always
some small hitch
at Troizen;
we do not do these things
with the smoothness of Athens.
My grandfather felt the cleaver's edge;
he reared up like a tower,
feeling his death,
dragging the men
like children;
theTony Laplumehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07854455859399339169noreply@blogger.com0