25 Songs Revisited

Previously(maybe 2 years ago), I have posted my top 25 songs, books, and my top 100 films (which most people can't believe I did that one with commentary on each film... what can I say, I like lists :) However, tastes change (even mine sometimes), whether it be movies, books, or songs... a lot is still the same, but a few have changed since I introduced that list a couple of years back (which is a variation of an older list... ok, now I sound a bit... creepy). Anyway, I now offer another list, revised and expanded with commentary throughout... but you sort of figured on that score already.

25 Songs
1) 'Piano Man' by Billy Joel- For many reasons, this one will always stay number 1, though I am fond of the live Elton John/Billy Joel version.
2) 'Blue Eyes' by Elton John- A little hard to listen to these days, but it has been my favorite song by Elton John for a long, long time... baby's got blue eyes... and she's gone... again. c'est la vie
3) 'The Wanderer' by U2 (starring Johnny Cash)- This song just fits me, and anyone who has heard it would probably agree.
4) 'Music of the Night' by Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber- Always my favorite 'Phantom' song, and probably will remain so.
5) 'Tiny Dancer' by Elton John- One of the seminal moments in 'Almost Famous/Untitled' involves this song... a classic
6) 'Running on Faith' by Eric Clapton- A highly underrated song... really, really liked it when I was younger... now, I like it again.
7) 'One' by U2- There are three versions of this song I really love: 1. The original, which is a classic (regardless of what Jessie says about it :) 2. The Johnny Cash version... so mournful and 3. The live Sting/U2 w/ the LSO, so melodious and haunting, almost perfect.
8) 'Leningrad' by Billy Joel- In honor of our new old nemesis, the Russians, this song moves up the charts :) but a fine, fine song about the Cold War regardless
9) 'The Saga Begins' by Weird Al Yankovic- Satire and Star Wars at its best... doesn't get too much better, really.
10) 'I Can Feel It Coming Back Again' by Pearl Jam (live)- The live/acoustic version is so much better, and that much more haunting.
11) 'The Rainbow Connection' by Paul Williams (performed by Kermit the Frog)- Someday we'll find it, the rainbow connection, the lovers, the dreamers and me :)
12) 'Achilles, Agony and Ecstasy in Eight Parts' by ManOWar- ManOWar puts the heavy in Heavy Metal... and this song coming in at 30 minutes or so, is why Heavy Metal was created... and certainly appropriate if you know the types of songs ManOWar does.
13) 'The Last Song' by Elton John- Written about the death of Freddie Mercury, but became a song indicative of the early struggle against AIDS
14) 'Flash' by Queen- Speaking of Freddie Mercury...
15) 'Under the Bridge' by the Red Hot Chili Peppers- I have enjoyed the Chili Peppers from time to time and have always enjoyed this song
16) 'While My Guitar Gently Weeps' by The Beatles- I admit, there is a tribute version by Eric Clapton that is amazing, but any version of this song is awesome.
17) 'Sunday, Bloody Sunday' by U2- Hard to tell whose side Bono is on in this song... regardless, fantastic song.
18) 'Turn the Page' by Bob Seger- The original is still the best and may Metallica's shit version burn in hell...
19) 'Vincent' by Don McClean- A lovely, stirring tribute to a brilliant, though ultimately troubled artist (Van Gogh, for those that do not know the song).
20) 'Forever Young' by Alphaville- Who doesn't want to be forever young?
21) 'The Russians' by Sting- I suppose the Russians did love their children... but is a new generation listening? (actually its the same guys... Putin was ex-KGB after all... something about leopards and spots).
22) 'Highwayman' sung by Nelson, Cash, Kristofferson and Jennings- ah, quasi-country and reincarnation, how can you go wrong?
23) 'Hurt' by Trent Reznor (Johnny Cash version)- This version is so haunting and moving and, though Nine Inch Nails fans might disagree, blows the doors off the original version.
24) 'Baby Grand' by Billy Joel (with Ray Charles)- some classic piano playing blues... fantastic.
25) 'America' by Paul Simon- As a friend or two might agree, a great traveling song :)

Honorable mention: I sort of hesitate mentioning this, mostly for modesty's sake, but the guitar in it is amazing, even if the vocals... well, aren't good: 'Midnight Sea' by Chris Powell and Ilya Fedoravich (I am thinking I might get my brother Hunter to re-do this song, who is a far better singer and an amazing guitar player as well).

Well, that should cover it until I have nothing to do on a Tuesday afternoon, but considering the next couple of weeks of shows and leaving the country, I might not have too much time on my hands (go ahead, breathe that sigh of relief :)

C.

Coming To A Planet, er... City Near You

As the convention season is starting to spin up again, I thought I would add my list of shows where we will be recruiting... um, I mean selling fine anime products. We might be adding one in St. Louis, but I think it is too close to the date, and I might not be at the one in Boston, but should be at the others, and will most definitely be at Sakura-Con, Anime Matsuri, AnimeCentral, and A-kon. We are also doing a small show this weekend in Columbus, (Anime Punch), but the boss is handling that.

Anyway, if I disappear for a few days (aside from family concerns), these are the reasons why... nothing to do with the Rebel Alliance, nothing at all :)

C.

Nerdiness Survey/Interview

Perhaps inspired by the anime conventions starting up again, or just nerdiness in general, I have decided to dig out an old nerd survey I created awhile back. It is certainly a less intimidating read than the prior post, and you can all see what a total nerd I really am :) Read on and I leave posterity to you, my fellow nerds and geeks.

btw, for fairness' sake, I shall complete the survey as well... and while it seems like a lot of questions, most of the answers are pretty easy, and of course, subjective, but that is the fun of this :)

1.First Name?

2.Age you would prefer to be?

3.Immortality?

4.What is your quest?

5.Nerd or Geek?

6.Single, Pre-Owned, or Attached?

7.History or Geography?

8.Favorite Sport?

9.Favorite Pro Sports Team?

10.Do you understand the infield fly rule?

11.Do you understand Cricket?(the default answer should be 'no', even if you are from the UK or former British colonial holding)

12.Fusion or Fission?

13.Do you own a lightsaber (real or otherwise)?

14.What is your favorite color?

15.What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?

16.Star Trek, Babylon 5, or Battlestar Galactica?

17.Phaser or Blaster?

18.Superman or Batman?

19.Spiderman or Wolverine?

20. Harry Potter or JRR Tolkien (or alternatively, CS Lewis)?

21.Robert Frost or Edgar Allen Poe?

22.Weather aside, do you feel more day baseball games should be played?

23.Who fought each other in the Hundred Years War?

24.How many digital media devices do you own? (ie, ipods, computers, cellphones, video game systems)

25.360, PS3, or the worst name for a video game system ever(Wii)?

26.What is the longest amount of time you waited in line for a movie?

27. And finally, if you had a teleportation device that would send you into any of the alternate universe described above, where would you go?

C.

Top 5 Satire Songs

I haven't done a Tell It To Me Tuesday from over at Janet's blog, so I figured I would add these satirical parody songs, mostly by Weid Al Yankovic... still I enjoy them :)

1) The Saga Begins by 'Weird Al' Yankovic: Just a classic and it parodies another favorite song, 'American Pie'. My favorite bit is the end 'And the Jedi I admire most, met up with Darth Maul and now he's toast, Well I'm still here and he's a ghost... I guess I'll train this boy.'

2) The Contra Rap by Rich Little: From the 'Dr. Demento' days.. this parody is a little dated, but so darn funny, and if you suffered through the Iran-Contra hearings, this helped.

3) Star Trekkin' by The Firm: Such a strange, almost dead on parody of the Original Series. Always loved 'We come in peace. Shoot to Kill! Shoot to Kill!'

4) Jerry Springer by 'Weird Al' Yankovic: Another great parody of a good song, this one is just terribly funny and makes fun of ourselves and Springer at the same time. And lyrically, it's too good to miss.

5) This Land by JibJab: A flash parody, but again so darn funny, especially how it makes fun of Kerry and his 'but I won three purple hearts'... actually it makes fun of everyone involved in the process, which is good. Political satire is healthy even if we don't agree with it :)

Honorable Mention: Star Wars Gangsta Rap: A late entry, but if you are a Star Wars fan you should check this out...' We got Death Star!'.

C.

Thursday Thirteen

At one point I had promised to do a comparison a la Thursday Thirteen with Star Trek. Instead of Star Trek's merits versus another series. In the spirit of community accord to list reasons why Star Trek and Star Wars are great(and why) as opposed to the 'why one is better than another'. This way I can reasonably mollify the Star Wars and Star Trek fans without injuring the other's ego... unless you happen to be fans of both. So, without much fanfare I present 13 reasons Star Wars and Star Trek are awesome:

1) The Force: 'May the Force be with you' became a pop culture phrase of good feelings in the late 70's and early 80's but now it is more philosophical as The Force has become more universal (though I disagree with midicholirans... before The Force could be present in any of us. This made Force-users more specialized).

2) Phasers: Such a cool name for a weapon, plus generally far more destructive than the common 'laser' and 'plasma' weapons.

3) Lightsabers: No explanation necessary. If you were a kid in the late 70's and early 80's you wanted a lightsaber... admit it. I still want one, but I am, as I always admit, a super-nerd.

4) 'No, Luke. I... am your father.' The greatest line in movie history, one that even shocked the ones saying it. (In rehearsal, the line had to do with Obi-Wan killing Anakin).

5) Transporters: This is an easy one. Who wouldn't want to be teleported instantly anywhere on the planet, or a planet.

6) Warp Drive/Hyperspace: Again with the technology, but trans-light speed is a necessary component (if it is possible) to colonizing the galaxy.

7) Yoda and his abuse of the English Language: Awesome this is, I tell you.

8) Droids, or Androids if you will: I prefer R2 and C3PO over Data, but pick your poison, I suppose, though Data is more of a Deus Ex Machina than the droids.

9) The Fett-Man: 'nuff said :)

10) The Boys in White (Stormtroopers): Makes any ground battle easier. Of course, their training must have gotten worse later (or the genetic material got worse). One day, killing Jedi with ease. Next day, losing to Ewoks... go figure.

11) Khaaaan!!!: One of the great Shatnerisms ever. A bit over acted, Wrath of Khan is still my favorite Trek film.

12) Borg: An enemy to fear and sometimes respect. Added a sense of woe and terror to an otherwise placid Trek universe :)

13) Massed Starship Battles and Dogfights: Especially as a kid, this was amazingly cool, even if you can't hear the sounds in space.

Well, I could probably add 13 more, but in the interest of civility, I will forgo such a thing :)

C.

Two Journeys

I had thought about being a little depressing, perhaps complaining some about the Cowboy's dreadful loss against the Saints (and I like the Saints too, so not too mortified... it could have been the Eagles or Redskins). It often happens and I had a little bit of malaise concerning some family issues, but I am determined to let it roll and instead post something that is somewhat dear to me,while still appealling to my inner nerd and those who are inner nerds, especially Star Wars fans. What follows might appeal to sci fi fans in general, but this is mostly a misty memoir about watching the Saga with my brother and other family over a span of nearly 30 years. It also chronicles my journey in relation to the movies, in a sense what I was doing and where I was going.

In the end, it is a bit sentimental and perhaps overblown and a little personal; however, Star Wars was and is a major influence in my life and explains a few things :) I wrote this piece around the time of the last film, and as the 30th anniversary approaches, I thought I would post this.

And looking back on how things have gone, I am not sure I would change things... much.

'Two Journeys'

Not so long ago,
Dreaming of galaxies far away...

So young and naive, barely a child
Reaching toward something so amazing,
Real and imagined, borne of heroes
And hope...
The triumph of good, knowing it would
Always prosper... always vanquish
Evil.

Brothers and friends rebelled against
An empire of bedtimes, watching one last time,
Winning another fantastic battle, bred from
Endless summers...
We waited for another triumph, fearless
As youth can be... not understanding
What was to come.

Fathers and Sons tried to understand
How to redeem each other from their own
Fall from grace, tempered by unenviable
Pain...
I held fast through the suffering, believing
As an innocent would... triumphant in survival.
Evil would not wait.

Facing adulthood, still a tad naive,
Traveling from a continent to another,
Real beyond words, torn by images
Of death...
What was good did not prosper, not in that
Cruel, terrible place... understanding
What fear really was.

So young and naive, just a child
Reaching back to a mother's love,
Warm and real, but lost hidden in a realm
Of fear...
Good had its triumphs, hoping it could still
Prosper... Evil, though,
Could wait.

Love and lovers reveled as they often do,
Spurning empires of reality, dreaming another Time,
Ecstatic in fantastic moments of desire, born
From Love's ideals...
We embraced what could not end, confident in our
Goodness... not realizing how quick
It fades.

Triumph and tragedy become such a blur,
Defined by moments, some real... others imagined,
Though still yearning for something so amazing
Yet always beyond our grasp...
Heroes and villains, darkness and light...
A choice... not understanding
The source of one's fear.

It all comes to a close...
I remember being so young and hopeful
Not so long ago,
Still dreaming of a galaxy far, far away...

C.

Always In Motion, The Future...er, I Am

Ah, the wisdom of Muppets, at least 900 year old Muppets as it applies to real life. As I am constantly on the road, I seem to be constantly in motion, which is consistent with an earlier post on the subject. Anyway, I am finally back from Destin, and I will say it was a great convention experience amplified by the fact our totals were triple last years (and last year's wasn't horrible). So, it was a well timed boost as we need to reorder for Wizard World, which is Friday (or Thursday to set up). Thankfully, this one is mere minutes down the freeway (about 6), so I should not be too weary. In any event, just a little update as I am now going to attempt to sleep since I did the lion's share of the driving on the way home.

C.