Curiously, I didn't become aware of him until his son Jeff became popular. I
don't know why I missed him - the trouble is there was just too much good music
around during that period and you were spoilt for choice.
Re "The Romans were horrified by the practice of human sacrifice which they
found during their conquests.":
Including the Romans' arch-enemy Carthage. Carthaginians were notorious for
child sacrifice. They may have roasted babies to death on a heated bronze
statue.
It would be simpler if Barry and Richard listed the bands they *haven't* seen.
And you caught the acts when they were fresh and surprising - lucky you. And
before bands had moved on to giving performances in vast stadiums - something
else I loathe.
The Ozark Mountain Daredevils were popular among my set in the north east of
England in the late 70s. A real fun band. "You Made It Right" is simple but
perfect laid-back country rock.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8NPdyVw5XE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8NPdyVw5XE
Re "The URLs are in the correct order; the videos are not. ":
One time a group of us went to see the French film "Lacombe Lucien" (director
Louis Malle, 1974). Based on Malle's own experiences it tells the story of a
teenage boy during the German occupation of France in World War II. He wante
Something similar in the UK: well-meaning old dears who have prepared food for
the needy have been unable to deliver their home-baked cakes and what-have-you
as the local councils can't guarantee they're up to the food standards demanded
by health and safety legislation and won't risk being pros
Re "Count Nikolaus von Zinzendorf (1700-1760)":
He founded the Moravian school (and utopian community) I attended in England.
I only learned years later that Zinzendorf's theology was sometimes
controversial to his contemporaries. And why would that be? Well he encouraged
followers to visual
I'm responding to emptybill's: "The Romans were horrified by the practice of
human sacrifice which they found during their conquests. They not only banned
it but also persecuted anyone found practicing it."
Read the thread from the top down.
That's one of the main reason I'm still in Central Texas - Austin is the "live
music capital of the world."
I'll have to visit. Here in the UK I was a big fan of the "pub-rock" scene in
the 70s/80s which despised big-ego stadium bands and concentrated on rockers
like Dr Feelgood and Steve
Re "It was dark and disturbing, although the tune wasn't bad. I was channeling
S3raphita's seeming interest with the deviant psyche (sorry S3raphita).
However, I'm too sensitive; I don't see horror movies either.":
Horror is one of my favourite genres. However
Re "Off the top of your head (without looking at the Internet) please define
communism":
You keep posting this challenge. We all know what Communist states were like -
and we all know we sure as hell wouldn't want to live there. If you mean cuddly
communism with a small "c" it boils down to
When I say "Wayne County was disturbing" I should have added he was also
hilarious. It's the darkest of black humour but his performances in the punk
venues in London were always packed out.
When I was in Watkins booksellers today (which specialises in new age, occult
and eastern religions) an old geezer walked in, took one look around, and
announced loudly to we customers: "Too many words! Far too many words!" and
then took his leave.
Paying my respects to this awakened one I g
“Mediation in Meditation” It worked before with the Soviets to drop the Iron
Curtain and bring down the Wall.
What worked was that the USSR became bankrupt trying to compete with US
military muscle. Their ballistic submarines were the biggest drain on the
public purse.
"If you want pe
I followed the link.
Re "It is that everybody feels that if the society succeeds, I succeed, I
don’t get left behind.":
I second that. But in itself that wouldn't be communism - small-c. I'm in
favour of small-c communism in small communities like artists' colonies where
people have come t
He's not one of the chaps who actually recorded the song. He was just paid to
be the one to go on the show. Funny way to make a living: pretend to whistle
for two minutes. A least you can't forget the words.
In the UK, it's against the law to buy or import an imitation firearm. You can
get away with a toy gun if it is obviously a toy - eg, coloured bright red or
blue, or is transparent.
The law was brought in as too many criminals were using imitation guns to
commit real crimes. I can't see the
Re "It's not likely this will replace the Big Bang Theory any time soon.":
There are a fair few theories contending with the BB. The BB idea was
originally suggested because of the red-shift in light from distant stars.
Longer wavelengths = stars travelling away from us. What if the geometry
According to Big Bang Theory all the matter in the Universe once fitted into a
space less than the size of a pin head.
Get hold of a pin. Take a good look at it. Now ask yourself: "Do I really and
truly believe that the mass of between 1 sextillion and 1 septillion stars
(that's between 1,00
Re "If time is an illusion, then would you consider space and illusion too? If
these are so, what is REAL?":
Consciousness? Brahman? The Absolute? The One?
Re "S3, I haven't heard of this theory.":
That's not surprising. Peter J Carroll is a chaos magician! Albeit one who
studied phy
Re "Obviously a very bright pin-head came up with the theory.":
Cute!
But someone who attempts to evoke and then send a "servitor probe" back to the
big-bang era would probably make an amusing dinner guest. And I still claim
that believing the mass of 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 st
If chaos magicians trouble you consider astronomer Fred Hoyle. He it was who
coined the term "Big Bang" (as a put-down). Although accepting that the
Universe was expanding he came up with his steady-state theory, ie, matter is
continuously being created in "empty" space and so forcing the univer
Fort Knox was last fully audited in 1953. The US government claims there is
5,000 metric tons of gold stored there. Conspiracy theorists at the more wacky
end of the spectrum claim that the vaults are empty.
What amuses me about this is that even if there is no gold there, as long as
everyone
Re "Today, I wore a leather jacket, black; and a sweater underneath, blue; and
boots, brown; and a wooly cap, navy, pulled down over my ears. And, that's when
I was inside my home office.":
Why not turn up the heating? Then you could wear a silk shirt and linen slacks
and feel unrestricted.
A basic rule around here is to NEVER tell anyone that are carrying a concealed
weapon. Another basic rule of self defense around here is to NEVER show your
weapon until you are forced to use it. And, you should NEVER take a knife to a
gun fight at the OK corral. LoL!
But is it OK to carry a
Re "Foil an attacker with your car key using it to slit their throat.":
Crikey! Look, the point of the convincing replica handgun is that no one gets
hurt. You point the toy at the attacker, say "Feeling lucky punk?", and then
casually walk away with a sneer. What's not to like? It's cheap,
Re "And get a big heating bill next month . . . As it is the house is set for
65 degrees.":
Mine is set for 20 degrees celsius (68 in your measure). You Yanks have
dirt-cheap fuel bills thanks to fracking. Make the most of it.
One of the biggest causes of disputes in shared households is
Nah, our heat pump decides that.
"Heat pumps" - what the hell are they? Don't you have central heating? Don't
let the machines boss you around; they should be our servants.
Re "The present is "now" and should be the only thing that's important for
human beings.":
Amen to that. The non-stop onslaught of advertising saying we really should
have the products they're pushing if we're to find fulfilment has to be the
single most important factor in the spiritual ma
Re "I have heard of ways people managed to stay out of the Dome using
subterfuge.":
What's the story here? In Fairfield it's not compulsory to go to the Dome is
it? Aren't people keen to get in turned away? The way self-important bouncers
decide who is hip enough to get into a popular night
I have a Vaillant combination boiler which feeds the central heating and
supplies the hot water. A few days ago it came up with error message "F.22" and
stopped working. I did a Google and came across a short YouTube tutorial
showing me what to do. All I needed was a screwdriver. A few minutes a
Re "I used to sweat creating perfect Boolean search strings, but it almost
doesn't matter any more.":
Absolutely. What leaves me astonished (and humbled) is the sheer scale of the
free info and advice that's now available. We're talking about countless
numbers of people who freely give of th
An amusing post I saw on a newspaper site recently was from some guy
complaining about the hypocrisy of the paper running an article about the
negative effects of modern porn when at the same time there were adverts for
sex-related services appearing alongside the piece.
Some helpful respon
Uruguay has become the first country in the world to make it legal to grow,
sell and consume marijuana.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-25328656
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-25328656
Re I stayed out of the latest tempest-in-a-pisspot discussions of the Big Bang,
and how REEEAAALLY STOOOPID some people here think those who don't believe in
it are,:
I think it was the other way around. Ie, me saying how credulous people are in
*believing* in the Big Bang ie, in believing
Re "The current scientific discoveries in cosmology do not support your
position [Big Bang dissing].":
That's true. But modern physics has only been around for a century or so.
We're still at the baby-crawling stage. You no longer think your siblings stop
existing when they walk out the ro
South Africa's deaf federation has claimed that an interpreter using sign
language during the Mandela memorial was a "fake". Concerns over the male
interpreter had been raised by deaf people watching the service at
Johannesburg's FNB Stadium on Tuesday. Bruno Druchen, national director of the
And another thing . . . Judy said: If Curtis were here, he would almost
certainly note that what may seem to us laypeople to be common sense is not a
reliable basis for evaluating scientific theories. After all, if it were, we
would be fully justified in immediately tossing quantum mechanics ont
Re "I'm kinda thinking "the universe" is more like an endless piece of swiss
cheese.":
You were anticipated by Menocchio, an Italian miller. He was burned at the
stake in 1599, at the age of 67, on orders of Pope Clement VIII.
Wiki quotes him: "I have said that, in my opinion, all was ch
Re this fake sign-language joker: did your US secret service suits not check
him out before the event? He was standing right next to Obama and could have
been a loony.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG57ncLTCNc
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gG57ncLTCNc
"A monk asked Joshu to teach him zen.
Joshu asked, "Have you eaten your rice?"
I wonder what Joshu's comeback would have been if the monk had replied: "No.
I've not had a chance to eat yet. Is there any stir-fry left?"
Is it just me or do these Zen koans always sound like jokes? The ones where you
don't really *get* the punchline but giggle nervously to cover your
embarrassment.
I'm really asking if satori is related to our sense of humour. Perhaps having
an awakening experience is suddenly seeing that li
Re "LOL , a pair of loonies!":
A wit on a comments section re this story said that Obama never has to worry
about being assassinated since he chose Joe Biden as vice-president.
I'm guessing that's an old joke that is recycled every new incumbent. It's a
good one though.
On this sign-lan
"A Cup of Tea" is a good one! Thanks.
I've heard Zen koans that I can immediately see show us our situation
*precisely* - I mean you can see exactly how we experience the world
subjectively, ie, without preconceptions. I then feel very pleased with myself;
until I encounter my next koan whic
George Armstrong Custer wore a Stetson hat at The Battle of Little Big Horn.
He would have been better off stocking up on Winchester 73 repeaters. It seems
the Indians at his Last Stand had those but his troops had old-fashioned
carbines. Better at long range but no match for rapid fire.
ht
. . . has just happened. Every time I sign off and one of those damned
messages appears saying "Do not turn off your computer" and "Now downloading
new updates" I think "Ye gods. The next time I try and sign on I'll be locked
out."
Tonight I was suddenly signed off automatically in mid-flow a
Re "the gnostics, that our awareness is imprisoned, and there are seven levels
to this prison and we have to escape each one before we are free.":
The ancient Gnostics had a wonderful myth that awakened souls after death
found themselves raised to the Moon (which gave the Moon its light and
You can set Windows to notify you when updates are available:
Thanks. How do I do that?
Re "And for most, resolution of the experience, the way it settles in, the way
the implications take over one's life, takes some time, usually years,
regardless of whether one understood clearly what happened or was nonplussed by
the experience.":
Yes. I suspect that the difference between
This is an old story I've only just come across - but a fun prank, pulled by
GameStation, a UK online gaming store.
It resulted in the voluntary surrender of 7,500 souls. The soul-snatching was
made possible through an "immortal soul clause" buried in the site's terms and
conditions. The cla
Re " I have the heat turned down to save $$.":
If you're so smart why aren't you rich?
Sorry, just being cute. But aren't "awakening experiences with their
rock-solid sort of effect that cannot be doubted" more amenable to explanations
that prioritise idealism (mind is more fundamental th
Although I cited the Gnostics with approval a few posts above I have to confess
than when I read their literature there is definitely something slightly
sinister about their texts. Too much distaste for the body and sex; too much
yearning for escape. That could simply be a literary trope of cour
stating that he "could whip any bunch of Indians"
Pride before a fall. It seems to be a common failing in the military.
Another "western" gun that has a certain aesthetic appeal are those old
Confederate revolvers. As the South lacked the industrial capacity of the North
they made the n
Aha! Thanks.
Re "I first saw [Airplane] at the first "Human Be-In" held in Golden Gate Park
in 1967 and later at Chet Helm's Family Dog venue in San Francisco and at the
Avalon Ballroom." :
You lucky sod. I'd have loved that. There's a great clip of a pre-Slick
Airplane at the Fillmore Auditorium in 1966
Re "The average lifespan in the Middle Ages was 30, meaning that fewer than
half the humans born reached that age." :
Average lifespans are a dodgy statistic as in older societies with their very
high infant-mortality rates that can badly skew the figures.
Japanese novelist Yukio Mishima
Re "In those days it was commonly thought that if you are in a battle with
Indians you always saved your last bullet for yourself because you dare not be
taken alive.":
Abso-bloody-lutely! The Indians weren't the cuddly ethnics the PC crowd would
have you believe.
From Wiki:
"The tort
Almost as interesting as playing the same bill with the Airplane at a couple of
concerts and hanging out with them. ;-)
What was your band called?
Thamsanqa Jantjie, 34, who was found to have signed "nonsense" during the
four-hour ceremony as he stood next to a number of heads of state including US
President Barack Obama, has been treated for schizophrenia, was reportedly
charged with murder in 2003, as well as rape in 1994, theft in 1995,
Grace Slick and Marty Balin - both powerful singers.
You get 18 thumbs up and 0 thumbs down on YouTube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGQ0HiypYf4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mGQ0HiypYf4
So are you aged and grey?
Magic Fern
Seattle, Washington 1966 - 1967
MembersMike Allan ~ Bass
Brian Conrad ~ Drums
Tim Cooley ~ Bass
Tom Sparks ~ Guitar
Mike Waters ~ Guitar
This worrying about the amount of posts an individual sends in a week bemuses
me. There are many conversations on FFL when you just want to give a thumbs up
to show you appreciated a particular comment. It's like saying "Absolutely!" or
"Well said!" in a real-life conversation. With post limits
Why quote such a psuchophantic bullshitter.
Because he was a great novelist.
My favourite is The Temple of the Golden Pavilion in which a novice burns down
the temple that has obsessed him. It's based on a true-life event but is
essentially about someone desperately trying to escape from
Re Bhairitu : I forgot to add that I also liked the Maggie song. This is not
flattery as I *never* flatter anyone - even to the point of rudeness. I don't
suppose there is any film footage of your band playing?
Re the Grateful Dead discussion: I've always liked their music (though well
this
Re "The grandson of JFK is apparently being groomed to take over legacy of his
grandfather.":
I hate shit like this. You have the Kennedy clan; the Bush family; the
Clintons . . . this keeping power in the family line is like North Korea.
(Yes, we have the Royal Family - but they are symbo
Thanks again.
Re "I don't remember Quick Joey Small":
That was an American hit but we're talking serious bubblegum here so are
moving beyond your comfort zone I suspect. I liked the way the fun side of
bubblegum laid the groundwork for glam rock which was a precursor to some
aspects of pun
Re "I like them much better as the glam rock band you posted. ":
Yes - what really appeals is that the band are so obviously enjoying
themselves (and definitely *not* taking themselves seriously) and that vibe
gets transmitted to the audience. And what is also funny watching that clip is
th
Loved it!
That I like. And kudos to the composer. But the Patsy Cline version is one of
my favourite songs.
Talking country: here in the UK and Ireland Jim Reeves was mega-huge. Probably
a bigger star than in the States. I especially liked the "dub" song Distant
Drums.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
My favourite scene in which the star makes a *first* entrance in a movie. Rita
Hayworth in Gilda
http://tinyurl.com/p9kpcst http://tinyurl.com/p9kpcst
Peggy Cummins in Gun Crazy comes in at second place.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neASYyLBE9U
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=neASYyLBE9
Joan Fontaine has died. I liked her best as the second Mrs de Winter in
Rebecca.
(It's extraordinary how long-lived her family is. Her sister Olivia de
Havilland, star of Gone with the Wind is still with us.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaMYJO-aWpU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FaMYJ
"Try as they might, Big Pharma cannot find an effective pharmaceutical
equivalent to Cannabis":
Nine years ago a UK company marketed a smoking blend called "Spice". This
stuff took off big time so, although I don't smoke dope any more, my curiosity
got the better of me and I decided to samp
There are stories that film-colour trickery was used to enhance the blue of
Peter's eyes in the close-ups for Lawrence of Arabia. After seeing O'Toole in
flowing robes, Noël Coward quipped: "If you'd been any prettier, it would have
been Florence of Arabia."
In the UK there's been a big push to have DAB radio coverage. The BBC want the
Government to announce a timetable for turning off all analogue coverage so
that all those old AM/FM radios will become worthless. As DAB reception can be
hopeless in some areas it's not proving a popular move. But th
Re "On my walks I listen to streams on my smart phone rather than AM or even FM
radio.":
I'm illiterate as far as new technology goes. Is it that you can access the
internet on a smart phone without having to rely on a local wi-fi connexion? So
you use the phone company's regular signal? If so,
Re "There was a plan for hand-held digital TVs with a lower resolution sub
carrier but it seems to have gone away.":
So we're moving backwards! We now have less freedom of choice.
My hand-held TV screen (Casio) was great for when I was watching a programme
at home on my "stationary" TV and ne
Richard started this thread "100 Great Rock Artists" to celebrate his favourite
musical acts. It's striking that his choices only include one band - Jefferson
Airplane - that has a woman. Now Airplane were one of my favourites; and one
vital draw was Grace Slick. She wrote those wonderfully quir
Only Connect is a BBC quiz show presented by dominatrix Victoria Coren
(Mitchell) in which teams compete in a tournament of finding connections
between seemingly unrelated clues. What distinguishes it from other quiz shows
is that it's essentially only winnable for those for whom *lateral thinki
Re "I don't think the US has ever had a female quiz show MC;"
You imported our Anne Robinson for The Weakest Link. Curiously, she also honed
that bossy female act.
Re "S3, I remember this album really well":
First time I heard this was a Christmas Eve when a group of us dropped acid
and put the album on the turntable. A perfect combination.
I've always wondered about "acid rock": did those who never partook of LSD
really *get* the music they were li
Re "did not think it was made in USA":
There are UK (the original) and USA versions. Here's the bitch in action on
unsuspecting Yanks.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oOd0TxEneI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oOd0TxEneI
Actually, I like cruel humour. My favourite US comedy show - I mean the one
that literally had me rolling on the floor clutching my sides - was "Married
with Children". It was merciless. Breathtakingly merciless.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asMVAYLxfrI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=asMVAYLx
If this doesn't get your feet tapping you're already dead.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CHjYHwNzx0&list=FLJad8vN225Nr5hDIzlEOYMA&index=22
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CHjYHwNzx0&list=FLJad8vN225Nr5hDIzlEOYMA&index=22
"Duck Dynasty" star Phil Robertson has been suspended indefinitely by the A&E
Network following his recent comments calling homosexuality sinful. I've not
seen or heard of this program and his remarks as reported strike me as
knee-jerk and simplistic. But what annoys me more is the statement rel
Maharishi advised us to go to bed early and rise with the sun. Didn't he say
something about angels waiting to escort us to dream land? If you missed their
deadline you were in for a disturbed night spent tossing and turning.
But, out there in the real world, whether you prefer to rise early o
Re "I'm a lark and my partners have been owls." :
Sounds like a recipe for disaster. Other nightmare scenarios include
disagreeing about how hot or warm the room should be (I like high temperatures
combined with minimum, loose-fitting clothing); what music tastes partners have
(I couldn't live
Re "Which is more important: following PC or being free?":
Who wants to conform? Let freedom reign.
Richard: how come I started this thread but your post ("So, lets review what
we know") now appears *first* in the list? That's a neat trick!
Re "I vary between larkish and owlish as far as bedtime is concerned.":
I'm hardcore owlish and always have been. Maybe I should have been a night
worker.
It's true that when, on occasion, I've had to get up very early there is
something refreshing and enlivening about the experience (an
When I started this thread I mentioned that what annoyed me most was the
statement released by the Network saying: "His personal views in no way reflect
those of A&E Networks." I've noticed that reaction elsewhere: an individual
says something controversial and the employer rushes in to give tha
Re "If they don't put that caveat in":
Once you start down this road you can't get off. What happens when someone
gives an edgy opinion about a topic and the network *doesn't* issue that
caveat? The obvious implication is that in this case the views expressed *are*
endorsed by the network.
Re ducks: Camille Paglia wades in . . .
“I speak with authority here, because I was openly gay before the 'Stonewall
rebellion' when it cost you something to be so. And I personally feel as a
libertarian that people have the right to free thought and free speech. In a
democratic country, peopl
Re "homosexuals are all products of freewill choices made in this and/or past
lives":
So what choices did they make exactly? And is having homosexual tendencies a
reward or a punishment?
The Quran is a dispiriting book. It's chock-full of passages in which Mohammed
scoffs at those who didn't pay heed to Allah's past warnings, like the
destruction of Sodom. When well-meaning people suggest to him that those
stories might just be, well, stories - legends, myths - they are roundly
Yes, it's grim.
The worst case cited in the study is Austria where . . .
. . . 73% of Muslims interviewed say Sharia law is more important than the
secular laws of the state; 79% say there is only one correct interpretation of
the Koran that should apply to all, and 65% believe Muslims shou
"Where's Enoch Powell when you need him":
Warwick Cemetery turning in his grave.
Enoch Powell was opposed to mass immigration on *racial* grounds. He didn't
want the mass influx of non-whites: Indians, Pakistanis and blacks. It's an
interesting topic to debate but one that invariably generates more heat than
light.
What always amused me is that in the 1970s there were t
Re "we all alternate male and female lives. The first year when we're in a new
gender we may still have tendencies, etc. from the previous life in the other
gender. I like this theory because it's not punitive. What do you think?":
Yes, I've always liked that speculation. Although I don't be
Re "The Baby Boomers turned into The Man.":
Not me!
And why not me?
Did my parents instill into me the importance of free speech? Nope.
Did my teachers instill into me the importance of free speech? Nope.
Did my friends instill into me the importance of free speech? Nope.
Did polit
Re "most gays are perfectly happy with who they are.":
All the homosexuals and lesbians I've known and worked with over the past
decades have been perfectly happy with their "orientation" (not sure if I like
that word). Not a single exception to that rule.
It only seems to be a worry f
Re "The British . . . went all over the globe plundering everyone's natural
resources and offering only civilization in return.":
I do think that if the ideology of multiculturalism and multi-ethnicity can
overcome its many problems and finally have a happy ending then the most likely
place
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