Know Your Zosos from Your Ziljians

Everyone from Bob Lefsetz to your brother has lamented how bad the new music is today.  It doesn't take a rock star to come to this realization.

Ah, spin class, the trusty go-to for exposure to new music.  Spinning today to LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem," which hit #1 on charts last year throughout Europe, the UK, the US, New Zealand and Australia, got me wondering:

What the heck is up this dreck?

The lyrics:  empty, offensive and below fraternity house antics.
The electronic beat:   catchy but gets annoying.
And the chutzpah to make a Zeppelin reference.
Where, exactly, is the skilled musicianship?
Nary a drum kit to be heard.
Oh, right, that is the definition of electronica.
And, shouldn't everyone in this tune be doing the Hollywood Shuffle instead?  Now, that is quality shufflin'.
The part that bothers me is the thought of the millions of kids listening to this as their early exposure to music.
Oy.


I don't even want to watch this video.
But for pure illustration purposes, here it is.




Ok, I do like to focus on the positive.  I appreciate the club kid influence as evident in some of the outfits in the video and the dude with the big fro's huge white glasses, reminiscent of Laura Biogottis from the 80s.  I like the acting in the beginning.  And, nice fancy steps at the end of the video.   That's about it.

Still, I continue to lobby for real music like Kashmir in spin class.
Robert Plant.  Now there's a rock star.




Then I can envision myself as Jennifer Jason Leigh in "Fast Times at Ridgemont High" and rock it out on the spin bike like it's 1982.

(they cut out at 2:00 when Kashmir comes on the scene.)
This scene is the reason why I bought Led Zeppelin IV on tape, one of my earliest music purchases.

And we all know that Kashmir ain't to be found on that album!
Oh, Cameron Crowe, the film's screenwriter, is a genius culture maker of my generation.




Good thing the Allmans let him tag along as a teenager.

It sounds so cliche to think it was all better when you were a teenager, but I do think that when it comes to music and popular culture, I was better off without the acronym and certainly the band LMFAO.

Davy Jones, Goodbye, Let's Meet the Walrus

Listening to Soundcheck with John Schaefer on NPR right now, and I can't believe that I missed the news from last week that Davy Jones passed away at age 66.  I must have been raging the Purim festivities too much which kept me out of the loop.  As a great contributor to 60s popular music, he will be missed.  Not that I watched the Monkees when it first came out.  I was too young.

I also can't believe that Stango doesn't recall this episode of the Brady Bunch with Davy Jones.  It was always one of my favorites.

Here is where Marcia tries to bust into the recording studio to confirm that Davy will perform at her prom, only to be turned away.




Here is where Davy comes to the Brady house and meets her, finally, and satisfying every rock star's dream.




All thanks to the Beatles, the Monkees were a cultivated, made-for-TV band inspired by the Beatles that actually turned into something.

Speaking of which, I played one of my favorites, "I am the Walrus," for the kinderlach today.  When I asked their feedback, Concealed Light replied, "He said I am the egg man."  We all agreed it is weird and different.

When I asked about the line "sitting on a cornflake," I lost them.




Finally,  you should watch this pretty awesome animated interview with John Lennon called "I Met the Walrus" which is actually the reel-to-reel interview done by Jerry Levitan as a 14 year old when he snuck into Lennon's Toronto hotel room in 1969.

A Rangers and Flyers Fan All at the Same Time

Growing up, we were Rangers fans. My dad had season tickets in the yellow section of Madison Square Garden.  My grandparents lived on the same street as one of the Rangers and had a neighborly friendship with him.  My dad also had a college friend from Canada, a country where hockey is practically a birthright and is called Hockey Night in Canada.  Let's say it was ingrained from early on.

My brother, the Rangers fan and hockey player himself , with my sister Reba.  Early 1980s.

I went to two games during my childhood since my dad only had two seats and the "real" hockey fan (i.e. my brother) in the family had priority on the extra.  Those were good games.  Thanks for bringing me, dad!

Thank you to my brother who saved this stub my from dad's yellow seats.  It was a tie, Rangers Islanders 2-2 in overtime

Early on I learned the French-Canadian hockey phrase "slap de puck" and the Rangers' cheer "Potvin Sucks."  This not-so-nice taunt originated when Islander Denis Potvin collided with Ranger Ulf Nilsson in a 1979 game, causing a broken ankle and shortening of Nilsson's hockey career.  This incident occurred around the same time Potvin's wife came forward with allegations of abuse, so the rowdy, obnoxious Rangers fans really ate it up whether or not it was proven in court.  It is interesting that the previously-referenced NY Times article alludes to "Potvin Sucks" as an "uglier version" without getting into the discussion if it was true.  I do not know the truth and have no access to court documents.  Yet, the cheer is  a part of Rangers history and is worth knowing about, even if it is considered to be very rude to chant it at the Garden, or really anywhere for that matter.







Keep in mind I don't watch hockey anymore.  It was more of an osmosis experience:  it was on tv as a young girl, so I watched it.  No turning the channel the shows I wanted.

Now I live in Philadephia, and I want to be a Flyers fan without giving up my Rangers connection.
There is no way we will start rooting for the Phillies or Eagles, so at least we can go with hockey and develop some local loyalty.

Here are the things I know about hockey:

I have heard of Bobby Orr and Mario Lemieux and Brian Leetch and of course Wayne Gretzky.
For a while, I had a Bobby Orr hockey card in my dresser (that's what ya get for having an older brother who played and loved hockey).
I know about power plays.
I know about the penalty box.
I know about slap shots.
I know that Rangers fans love the fights.  Isn't that part of the game?
I know that 1 and 30 are traditional goalie numbers.
I know about the Bauer hockey gear company.
I know that NHL players prior to 1980something didn't have to wear helmets.

But I don't really know about hockey.

Here are the things I now know about the Flyers:


I learned that there is Rangers-Flyers rivalry.  (And all these years I thought it was just with the Islanders!)
I learned about the Winter Classic.
In the mid-90s I saw a Phish concert in the Philly Spectrum, where the Flyers played.
That's about all the Flyers knowledge I have.

And yet,

I have long been attracted to the Flyers logo.
How could this be if we were Rangers fans?
Maybe because black and orange were my high school colors.
Maybe because it is aesthetically pleasing, and good design speaks to me.
Maybe because, compared with the newer hockey teams, it is old school and I remember seeing it as a young girl and liking it.

My friend Adam at a Flyers game this season

Can't I be fans of both?

A couple of years ago I noticed people at Phish concerts at Madison Square Garden wearing Flyers gear, more so than Islanders or Rangers, which would be more appropriate for being in a New York venue.  I thought, "Wow, these music fans not only have the same great taste in current rock-n-roll as me but they like the same great NHL logo, too!  What are the chances!"  Oh, Rachel how innocent and uneducated you were!

My sister Reba told me that Trey, the lead guitarist, is a Flyers fan, and there has been a lot of talk in the past about his connection to the team. A lot of those folks were wearing it in allegiance to Trey's preference.  Poseurs!






Stanley Cup playoffs begin in about a month.
It's time to slap de puck.

That's What I Said...Booby Traps

How can I resist!


 
Phish Summer Tour 2012 Announcement from Phish on Vimeo.


Jonathan Fishman, you are the one and only.


And in case you had a jonesing due to the blog title post...

Music in Preschool

If you haven't yet caught Portlandia, here is your chance, you music lovers with young children!




Fine, it's a lot of punk references (and as you might know I am into classic rock and jam bands), but it is too funny to hide from you.

Did you catch the recent profile of Carrie Brownstein in The New Yorker a few weeks ago?

Jan Berenstain, 88, Co-Creator of Berenstain Bears, Passes Away

The wife of the husband-wife duo that created the beloved childrens book series The Berenstain Bears, which teach about ethics and morals, has passed away at the age of 88.

Further to my discussion of the Berenstains a few weeks ago, research revealed that the Berenstains were secular and the books they wrote for most of their career were based on their secular ethical values.  Jan was a Christian and Stan was a secular Jew.  Their son Mike became closer to his Christianity and, in 2008, signed a deal with a publisher of Christian books for spiritual and faith-based books.  So, that explains what I saw in the supermarket that day.  I was pleased to know there was no hidden message (since, well, I am Jewish) in the books my sister had as a little girl.

Why was I even registering the Berenstains a few weeks ago, and why did I blog about them?

May Jan and Stan Berenstain now enjoy life together in Gan Eden (garden of eden).  Baruch dayan emet (blessed is the truthful ruler).

From the LA Times obituary:  Jan Berenstain displays a copy of the first book, left, that she and her husband, Stan Berenstain, created and their second book, which was the first to actually call the characters Berenstain Bears. (Mel Evans/Associated Press/January 25, 2011)

Paradise Isn't That Home Across the Road

Always being thankful looking for the good I have in my own life is something I am constantly striving towards.  And worrying about my own daled amot (life's sphere).  I heard this idea reflected in a tune this morning at the gym.

"Well, the moral of the story
The moral of the song
Is simply that one should never be
Where one does not belong
So when you see your neighbor carryin' somethin'
Help him with his load
And don't go mistaking Paradise
For that home across the road."

-Bob Dylan, "The Ballad of Frankie Lee and Judas Priest."



Thanks for the reminder, Bob, Jerry and Dave.

Vitamin H...Kind of Like an Amp Goes to 11, But It Works!

You've heard about Vitamin C, Vitamin B, Vitamin E...

but Vitamin H???

I bought this duty free in Tegel Airport duty free a few years ago

My nails are feeling a little brittle.  Cuticles are peeling.  I broke out my shmancy Bio-H-Tin Nail Cream (nagelcreme) that I bought in Germany a few years ago, and my cuticles have relief.  What exactly is Vitamin H, anyway?

It is actually called Biotin, and is a complex B vitamin.  According to this online medical dictionary, it no longer goes by the name Vitamin H.  It is a "colorless, crystalline, water-soluble B complex vitamin that acts as a coenzyme in fatty acid production and in the oxidation of fatty acids and carbohydrates...Rich sources are egg yolk, beef liver, kidney, unpolished rice, brewer's yeast, peanuts, cauliflower, and mushrooms." 

The University of Maryland states  "very weak evidence suggests that biotin supplements may improve thin, splitting, or brittle toe and fingernails," but I applied the cream directly to the cuticle, and I feel a difference already.  So, if you want to just chalk it up to psychological effects, so be it.  Anyway, there are a whole host of things that exist in nature, help people get better, and yet have no scientific evidence to back up the proof.  If it works, I use it. Sorry, Terps, you guys can't convince me.  Or German skin care professionals, evidently.

When I heard about Vitamin H, of course I thought, wait, this is going like to the next level, but in a good way.  Sure, I have heard of Vitamin K, but only for its controversial use in newborns.

And going to the next level is classic Spinal Tap.

Obviously Rob Reiner and Christopher Guest don't want folks to embed this clip, since every single clip of the Amp scene that goes to 11 on YouTube of this scene is disabled, so I ask you, dear reader, to click any of these links and you will see the awesome scene.  C'mon, Rob, why are you being such a meathead?

Vitamin H not only goes to 11 but if you take out the little horizontal line in the letter, it actually IS ELEVEN!!!  You do know that I love the 11:11 phenomenon, right?

Since I referenced the Maryland Terps, which is an abbreviation for their mascot the Terrapins, at least I can leave you with a classic Terrapin Station by The Grateful Dead.  Jerry and his friends haven't disabled any embedding, and that plays to the spirit of the band, which always was about sharing.





And, Rob Reiner, I apologize for relying too obviously on your past by calling you a meathead for not allowing video embedding by the little folk like me who take time out of their busy schedules to write their blogs.  I am sure you are a great guy.  Maybe you will enjoy this Meatstick from last year as a peace offering.  And for any of you who kept reading to the end of this lengthy blog (make yourself known with a comment below!), I reiterate that I am not writing a Phish blog

Winter is Almost Gone, But Not Snowglobes

With winter almost gone, and all this talk about Austria, Christopher Plummer and The Sound of Music, there is no time like the present to talk about a beloved object of many that never goes out of style:

The Snow Globe.

The New Yorker had a funny article a couple of months ago about school cancellations in the winter.  It was accompanied by this illustration, which got me thinking it is about time I talked about snow globes and what I learned about them on a trip to Vienna a few years ago.

 They are called schneekugeln in Austrian.

That might look foreign to you, dear English speaker, but think about it:

Schnee:  snow
Kugeln:  mixed up

Like, a kugel you might eat be it noodle, potato, apple, is a mixture of a lot of ingredients.  When the snow gets shaken inside a snow globe, it gets all mixed up.  See, German isn't so hard!

According to its Wiki entry, snow globes were founded in France around the turn of the last century.  I find that hard to believe, after having visited what is purported to be the original snow globe factory, owned by Edwin Perzy III, in Vienna.

Mr. Perzy showed me around his factory and showroom, and told me that it is because of Vienna's high quality water that the snow globes produced there work so well.  This is a family business, and they have special-made snow globes for big events like President Clinton's inauguration.  The little figurines inside get outsourced to small home-based artisans.  Mostly everything used in the snow globe's production is Austrian-produced (I forget to be sure, but I believe is either the glass globe or the black base that is produced in Belgium)

I bought one for my daughter based on an Austrian fairy tale.  A poor girl goes out to the mountains and everything she touches turns to gold.  So, in this snow globe, the snow is gold flakes.  I have yet to find out the name of the fairy tale.  Mr. Perzy told me but I didn't write it down.  Austria is a small place so it's not like this story is a Barnes & Noble best seller.

This is the one I brought back for my daughter.  Unfortunately, the other two I brought back were used as baseballs by my then-2 year old, and he smashed them to the floor.

I wonder why the Wikipedia entry doesn't mention the Austrian connection.  I imagine that the Perzy family is hard-working and they don't have the time or interest to correct the Wiki entry.  I do know that if you look at any well-made snow globe these days and flip it over and see it is Made in Austria, you will know you are getting an original.

The Snow Globe selection was immense!

Why does any of this matter, you ask?

 Because I seek out truth and knowledge, and I feel good knowing that I was where it all started!  And now you know one more piece of trivia.  Who knows, if you meet Bill Clinton one day, you can ask him all about his schneekugel.

I took a subway and a street trolley to get to this off-the-beaten track location in Vienna, and boy am I glad that I went!  Next time you are planning to visit Vienna, give them a visit!

Original Vienna Snowglobes
Schummanngasse 87
A-1170 Vienna
Austria
0043(1) 486 43 41-9
snowglobe@aon.at

And remember, folks, I received no payment for this review.  I just wrote it because I wanted to!  But if the Perzy family wants to send me a thank-you with a schneekugel as a token of their appreciation, I won't say no.

Edelweiss Pays Off

Congratulations to Christopher Plummer on his first Academy Award!

I still haven't seen the film The Beginners, but I did blog about a book I received over New Year's based on the film and I am forever grateful for this limited edition art book which I was told was given to me because I knew a thing or two about culture and stuff like that.  I was pretty flattered.

Did you know that Austrians get a real kick out the fact that many Americans think that Edelweiss, which Plummer sang in "The Sound of Music," is a national Austrian folk anthem?   As a child, my friend Rachel's dad Larry used to sing that one at their shabbat dinner table and on long drives up to their family's farm house.  Good times, good times.

One day I will share here some of the other things I learned on a trip to Vienna a few years ago.

Until then...







 And from the Golden Globes about a month or so ago