Incomparable is a good word for Wing. Indescribable works too. So does Indecipherable. I've been a fan of this woman since about 2003, but I lost track of her. It's good to know she's still around. Wing is a charming older Asian woman who took up singing as a hobby when she moved to New Zealand. She sings standards and pop songs, all with...ummm... great gusto, and entertains audiences in nursing homes and elsewhere. You have to admire this woman for doing what she does, despite the fact that she doesn't really do it all that well. But listening to her is still quite entertaining. She has a whole bunch of self-produced CDs for sale on her website and via iTunes. She may not be the greatest singer (by a long shot) but she doesn't have to be... she's Wing!
This video explains it all. Kind of the Dancing With The Stars Zapruder film. I don't know what's funnier--the video itself (which is okay but not hilarious), or the comments on the page whose level of intelligence make me fear for the future.
For example...
AirForce11 says: FAKE: starfighters arent real, if they where i dought they would b able to fly inside and her face would have holes in it if the laser hit her there!
and
willforbes0 says: FAKE: this was so obviously fake. the star wars fighter was superimposed into the video.
Lance Bass, proving that once is never enough when it can boost a sagging career, tells of how horrible it was to live in terror of being found out as a gay man when he was a member of 'NSYNC. Bass, who came out last year, gave us that insight in an interview promoting his new book, Out of Sync: A Memoir, released today. Now, I really couldn't care less if Bass was straight, gay, or Martian, and if he's happy, I'm happy. But I found it funny that the article ended with this quote: "People have said for so long that you can't be successful in this industry and be out and gay," Bass said. I guess he's never watched Bravo. It sounds like something Daffyd Thomas would say. As fans of Little Britain know, Daffyd is "the only gay in the village"--or at least he thinks he is. Here's a clip of Matt Lucas (Daffyd) and David Walliams talking about Daffyd, "the homosexualist." Lance should take a look.
My friend Lisa alerted me to this great clip of KISS making their first television appearance on the Mike Douglas Show in 1974. For those of you who have no idea who Mike Douglas is, he had a hugely influential afternoon talk show that regularly featured great musical guests, including John Lennon and Yoko Ono, the Rolling Stones, Hermits Hermits, The Turtles, and Barbara Streisand. Many acts--like KISS--credit his show with bringing them their first national exposure. This performance was recorded on April 29, just weeks into the group's first concert tour, having signed with Casablanca records just six months earlier.
I saw this item mentioned TV Food Fan, a great blog for foodies (like me). It seems that Alton Brown, FoodNetwork host of one of my favorite shows, Good Eats, has a past. In this case it was as a cinematographer and video director whose work included R.E.M's "The One I Love" video. So here is some of AB's work before he became the Mr. Wizard of the kitchen:
What the...I...how...hmmm. Have you seen this clip of Jim Carrey (yes Jim Carrey) singing "I Am The Walrus" as George Martin produces and conducts a studio orchestra? The song is from Martin's 1998 album In My Life. It's...ummm... different to say the least. I don't recall ever hearing about this album, but a quick stop by Amazon reveals that, in addition to Carrey, it was loaded with guest performers such as: • Bobby McFerrin ("Come Together") • Goldie Hawn ("A Hard Day's Night") • Jeff Beck ("A Day In The Life") • Celine Dion ("Here, There & Everywhere") • Vanessa-Mae ("Because") • John Williams ("Here Comes The Sun") • Billy Connolly ("Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite") • George Martin ("The Pepperland Suite") • Phil Collins ("Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight, The End") • George Martin ("Friends And Lovers") • Sean Connery ("In My Life")
Normally these things leave me cold (if you remember the BeeGees Sargent Pepper fiasco you know what I mean), but I have to say this really isn't bad. It might be better if you listened to it rather than watch the video, unless you're a Carrey fan and don't mind his incessant mugging. But he does some interesting interpretations of the lyrics that I liked. And, knowing full well what he was up against, during the fade out he says, "There, I did it! I've defiled a timeless piece of art! For my next trick I'll paint a clown face on the Mona Lisa, while using the Shroud of Turin as a drop cloth!"
YouTube is the internet version of the American Idol auditions where you see some very good singers and many more who.... well, let's just say their ambition is greater than their talent. But, because YouTube makes video sharing so easy, everybody gets their 3:30 of fame. Regina Spektor's "Samson" (from Songs, later redone for Begin to Hope) has to be one of the most covered songs on YouTube, with dozens of different versions. It's easy to see why: the piano part isn't that hard (even I can play it) and the vocal melody is in the ballpark for most voices. The YouTubers perform on piano, guitar, and even a capella. Some of the vocals are quite good, and some not so much, but they win points for even trying (because I don't think I'd have the nerve to do it myself). What surprised me was how many males took on the song. Here are some of the better versions.
Here's the original by Regina Spektor:
This version by maia4246 ids pretty good.
Here's another version by PussySugar, who may or may not be a Bond Girl:
Here's one of several versions by males. This is Thornton on guitar:
Blacklilly1704 performed the song in an adult vocal competition. She doesn't say whether she won, but it's a nice rendition.
PianoBea does a pretty good job with this version:
Another male version, this time by Matthew Luke Sandoval:
Elenaaaxx has a nice voice in this version:
This is a surprisingly good version by a guy named Prince Estaris:
Another good acoustic version by a guy named Jest who says it's "slightly weird a guy singing about a guy. Girls do covers that end up about girls singing abotu girls all the time though."
The almost original lineup of Van Halen is ready to hit the road for a tour after warming up last week in Los Angeles. This rehearsal video shows that Edward appears to be fit and healthy after his stint in rehab, and David Lee Roth is... well ... David Lee Roth as the band runs through "Everybody Wants Some." Wolfgang Van Halen is clearly capable of handling the bass lines formerly played by Michael Anthony, but as VH fans know, Anthony's real strength was as a backup vocalist hitting those high notes. It will be interesting to see how the group handles that. Also, will the set lists be limited to Roth-era songs or will they include later material (because I'm thinkin' Mr. Roth's vocals aren't remotely in the same league as Sammy Hagar's)? We'll know soon. Watch the video:
It would be too easy to say that Britney Spears' car crash is a metaphor for her flailing career, but what the heck, I'll say it anyway. Prosecutors charged her with misdemeanor counts of hit and run and driving without a valid license last Friday after her car hit another in a parking lot in August. If convicted, she could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine for each count, according to a county spokesman. That seems to be a rather steep penalty for what really happened that day. Her car merely bumped the other, and little if any damage appears to have been done to either car. I can understand that it might be difficult to focus on the car ahead of you when you are surrounded by photographers snapping away and yelling your name. Still, driving without a valid license and leaving the scene are violations just about everywhere. Here's the accident:
There's a new hit song in Japan called "Oshiri Kajiri Mushi" (or in English, "Bottom Biting Bug"). It's a kids' song with silly lyrics about a bug that bites peoples bottoms... and something about how city bottoms are bitter. This weekend the song climbed number 8 on the Japanese charts. The vocal performance sounds like a Japanese version of Alvin & the Chipmunks, or maybe Barnes & Barnes, whose legendary "Fish heads" song still sounds as weird today as it did when it was recorded. "Biting is important business" indeed. See for yourself:
And for those of you that feel the need to sing aling, here are the lyrics:
Oshiri Kajiri Mushi (Bottom Biting Bug) Oshiri Kajiri Mushi (Bottom Biting Bug) Kajitte, kajitte (Biting, biting) kajitte nanbo (biting is important) kajitte nanbo no shoubai da (biting is important business) Oshiri Kajiri Mushi (Bottom Biting Bug) Oshiri Kajiri Mushi (Bottom Biting Bug) Oshiri to Oshiri de (Bottom to bottom is) oshiriai (getting to know someone) Kaba to kaba to de (a hippo and a hippo are) kabaiai (watching out for each other) Oshiri Kajiri Mushi (Bottom Biting Bug) Oshiri Kajiri Mushi (Bottom Biting Bug) Chijinda oshiri wo kajiri mushi (Bugs that bite shrunken bottoms) "Kajirarrechatte cho li kanji ("I got bitten and it felt awesome") Oshiri Kajiri Mushi (Bottom Biting Bug) Oshiri Kajiri Mushi (Bottom Biting Bug) Tsumetai oshiri to (cold bottoms and) katai oshiri to (hard bottoms and) hekona oshiri to (caved in bottoms and) shinabita oshiri (shriveled bottoms) kyodai na oshiri wo kajiri mushi (Giant bottom biting bugs) "Tokai no oshiri wa nigakatta..." ("Those city bottoms were bitter) oshiri kajittarara (If you bite a bottom) oshiri kajitterno (Even if you bite a bottom...) Oshiri Kajiri Mushi ra ra ra ra (Bottom bitiing bugs la la la la.) Kajitteru (Biting on...) Oshiri kajiru toki (When you bite bottoms...) Oshiri Kajiri Mushi (Bottom Biting Bugs) Oshiri Kajiritai (I want to bite bottoms) Oshiri Kajiri Mushi. Oshiri Kajiri Mushi (Bottom Biting Bugs)
It's Sept. 15, 1967 and The Who are the musical guests on the Smothers Brothers Comedy Hour on CBS television. The lineup this evening includes actors Bette Davis and Mickey Rooney, as well as comedian and perennial presidential candidate Pat Paulsen, but viewers are tuned in to see this crazy band from England that smashes their instruments. The Who, for better or worse, had become known for this onstage wreckage, precipitated by an episode in which guitarist Pete Townsend accidently snapped the neck of his guitar on a low club ceiling. The crowd at that gig went crazy, thinking it was part of the act, and Townsend, being no dummy, recognized a good gimmick when he saw one. The instrument-wrecking finale became an occasional part of the band's gigs, but not nearly as often as legend had it. On the Smothers' program, however, they decided to make a real spectacle of it. Guitar amps were rigged with flash pots and smoke, and one of Keith Moon's bass drums was packed with a small explosive charge. The story goes that sometime before they went on stage, Moon the Loon bribed a stage hand to increase the amount explosives in the drum. The results are obvious at the end of this video. The band is clearly stunned by the blast. No one expected the explosion to be as intense as it was, blowing the front of his bass drum clean off, and spraying Townsend with shrapnel. Townsend, in fact, has said he blames that explosion for contributing to his severe hearing loss over the years. It was a spectacular finish to an otherwise not terribly exciting lip-sync effort, but it cemented the Who's reputation forever after.
It was 23 years ago today that Marvin Gaye's classic ode to erotic lust, "Let's Get It On," hit number one on the charts where it stayed for two weeks. Legend has it that, played at the correct volume, the song could turn women to jello, and could make even white guys like me appear sexy. Or maybe I'm just making that up. Anyway, the song became a classic, and the album of the same name became Gaye's biggest seller during his lifetime. Here's a clip of Gaye performing "Let's Get It On" live in Montreux in 1980.
Incomparable is a good word for Wing. Indescribable works too. So does Indecipherable. I've been a fan of this woman since about 2003, but I lost track of her. It's good to know she's still around. Wing is a charming older Asian woman who took up singing as a hobby when she moved to New Zealand. She sings standards and pop songs, all with...ummm... great gusto, and entertains audiences in nursing homes and elsewhere. You have to admire this woman for doing what she does, despite the fact that she doesn't really do it all that well. But listening to her is still quite entertaining. She has a whole bunch of self-produced CDs for sale on her website and via iTunes. She may not be the greatest singer (by a long shot) but she doesn't have to be... she's Wing!
