This song was the genesis for The Traveling Wilburys. George Harrison's new album needed a single. He and his producer--Jeff Lynne--wanted to record this song for the single, somehow while recording it, they bumped into some of the other Wilburys--Bob Dylan, Roy Orbison, and Tom Petty. They had a great time recording. When George and Lynne submitted the tune to the record company, the record company realized this was too good for a single. In the end, they got together, wrote a bunch of tunes and recorded them in a very short time, racing against an upcoming Dylan tour. The Traveling Wilburys, Volume 1 is an album Rolling Stone immediately said was one of the 100 best albums of all time.
Handle Me With Care
by The Traveling Wilburys
Been beat up and battered round
Been sent up, and Ive been shot down
Youre the best thing that Ive ever found
Handle me with care
Reputations changeable
Situations tolerable
Baby, youre adorable
Handle me with care
(chorus)
Im so tired of being lonely
I still have some love to give
Wont you show me that you really care
(bridge)
Everybodys got somebody to lean on
Put your body next to mine, and dream on
Ive been fobbed off, and Ive been fooled
Ive been robbed and ridiculed
In day care centers and night schools
Handle me with care
Been stuck in airports, terrorized
Sent to meetings, hypnotized
Overexposed, commercialized
Hand me with care
(chorus)
(bridge)
Ive been uptight and made a mess
But Ill clean it up myself, I guess
Oh, the sweet smell of success
Handle me with care
---o0o---
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
The CIA Kubark Counterintelligence Interrogation Manual--The "24" Torture Manual
click the poster to enlarge
What follows is an excerpt from the infamous Kubark Counterintelligence Interrogation Manual, or, basically the Handbook of Torture. This is legit., and was freed up under the Freedom of Information Act. The creators of 24 keep copies of this manual around for inspiration...
"The routine use of torture lowers the moral caliber of the organization that uses it and corrupts those that rely on it…."
You can read the entire document here:
Part 1 (pp. 1-60) - Part II (pp. 61-112) - Part III (pp. 113-128)
It is fascinating reading. As as a student of psychology, those portions of the manual are particularly intriguing. . .and distressing. Happy Valentine's Day!
KUBARK
Counterintelligence Interrogation
July 1963
IX. Coercive Counterintelligence Interrogation of Resistant Sources
A. Restrictions
The purpose of this part of the handbook is to present basic information about coercive techniques available for use in the interrogation situation. It is vital that this discussion not be misconstrued as constituting authorization for the use of coercion at field discretion . As was noted earlier, there is no such blanket authorization.
[approx. 10 lines deleted by the U.S. Government]
For both ethical and pragmatic reasons no interrogator may take upon himself the unilateral responsibility for using coercive methods. Concealing from the interrogator's superiors an intent to resort to coercion, or its unapproved employment, does not protect them. It places them, and KUBARK, in unconsidered jeopardy.
B. The Theory of Coercion
Coercive procedures are designed not only to exploit the resistant source's internal conflicts and induce him to wrestle with himself but also to bring a superior outside force to bear upon the subject's resistance. Non-coercive methods are not likely to succeed if their selection and use is not predicated upon an accurate psychological assessment of the source. In contrast, the same coercive method may succeed against persons who are very unlike each other. The changes of success rise steeply, nevertheless, if the coercive technique is matched to the source's personality. Individuals react differently even to such seemingly non-discriminatory stimuli as drugs. Moreover, it is a waste of time and energy to apply strong pressures on a hit-or-miss basis if a tap on the psychological jugular will produce compliance.
All coercive techniques are designed to induce regression. As Hinkle notes in "The Physiological State of the Interrogation Subject as it Affects Brain Function"(7), the result of external pressures of sufficient intensity is the loss of those defenses most recently acquired by civilized man: "... the capacity to carry out the highest creative activities, to meet new, challenging, and complex situations, to deal with trying interpersonal relations, and to cope with repeated frustrations. Relatively small degrees of homeostatic derangement, fatigue, pain, sleep loss, or anxiety may impair these functions." As a result, "most people who are exposed to coercive procedures will talk and usually reveal some information that they might not have revealed otherwise."
One subjective reaction often evoked by coercion is a feeling of guilt. Meltzer observes, "In some lengthy interrogations, the interrogator may, by virtue of his role as the sole supplier of satisfaction and punishment, assume the stature and importance of a parental figure in the prisoner's feeling and thinking. Although there may be intense hatred for the interrogator, it is not unusual for warm feelings also to develop. This ambivalence is the basis for guilt reactions, and if the interrogator nourishes these feelings, the guilt may be strong enough to influence the prisoner's behavior.... Guilt makes compliance more likely...."(7).
Farber says that the response to coercion typically contains "... at least three important elements: debility, dependency, and dread." Prisoners "... have reduced viability, are helplessly dependent on their captors for the satisfaction of their many basic needs, and experience the emotional and motivational reactions of intense fear and anxiety.... Among the [American] POW's pressured by the Chinese Communists, the DDD syndrome in its full-blown form constituted a state of discomfort that was well-nigh intolerable." (11). If the debility-dependency-dread state is unduly prolonged, however, the arrestee may sink into a defensive apathy from which it is hard to arouse him.
Psychologists and others who write about physical or psychological duress frequently object that under sufficient pressure subjects usually yield but that their ability to recall and communicate information accurately is as impaired as the will to resist. This pragmatic objection has somewhat the same validity for a counterintelligence interrogation as for any other. But there is one significant difference. Confession is a necessary prelude to the CI interrogation of a hitherto unresponsive or concealing source. And the use of coercive techniques will rarely or never confuse an interrogatee so completely that he does not know whether his own confession is true or false. He does not need full mastery of all his powers of resistance and discrimination to know whether he is a spy or not. Only subjects who have reached a point where they are under delusions are likely to make false confessions that they believe. Once a true confession is obtained, the classic cautions apply. The pressures are lifted, at least enough so that the subject can provide counterintelligence information as accurately as possible. In fact, the relief granted the subject at this time fits neatly into the interrogation plan. He is told that the changed treatment is a reward for truthfulness and an evidence that friendly handling will continue as long as he cooperates.
The profound moral objection to applying duress past the point of irreversible psychological damage has been stated. Judging the validity of other ethical arguments about coercion exceeds the scope of this paper. What is fully clear, however, is that controlled coercive manipulation of an interrogatee may impair his ability to make fine distinctions but will not alter his ability to answer correctly such gross questions as "Are you a Soviet agent? What is your assignment now? Who is your present case officer?"
When an interrogator senses that the subject's resistance is wavering, that his desire to yield is growing stronger than his wish to continue his resistance, the time has come to provide him with the acceptable rationalization: a face-saving reason or excuse for compliance. Novice interrogators may be tempted to seize upon the initial yielding triumphantly and to personalize the victory. Such a temptation must be rejected immediately. An interrogation is not a game played by two people, one to become the winner and the other the loser. It is simply a method of obtaining correct and useful information. Therefore the interrogator should intensify the subject's desire to cease struggling by showing him how he can do so without seeming to abandon principle, self-protection, or other initial causes of resistance. If, instead of providing the right rationalization at the right time, the interrogator seizes gloatingly upon the subject's wavering, opposition will stiffen again.
The following are the principal coercive techniques of interrogation: arrest, detention, deprivation of sensory stimuli through solitary confinement or similar methods, threats and fear, debility, pain, heightened suggestibility and hypnosis, narcosis, and induced regression. This section also discusses the detection of malingering by interrogatees and the provision of appropriate rationalizations for capitulating and cooperating.
---o0o---
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Video (and lyrics): Frank Zappa's Greatest Band Performs One Of His Greatest Songs: Inca Roads
This video showcases what has to be Frank Zappa's greatest group performing one of Frank's greatest songs: Inca Roads, from One Size Fits All. Sure, I probably like the song because it contains a touch of Alien Lore. The stellar band on this outing includes (among others) George Duke (on piano, synthesizer and vocals), Ruth Underwood (marimbas), Napoleon Murphy Brock (Sax and flute), Tom Fowler (bass), and Chester Thompson (drums).
You may have to hit the play button twice (don't ask me why)
Inca Roads
By Frank Zappa
Did a vehicle
Come from somewhere out there
Just to land in the Andes?
Was it round
And did it have
A motor
Or was it
Something
Different
Did a vehicle
Did a vehicle
Did a vehicle
Fly along the mountains
And find a place to park itself
Or did someone
Build a place
To leave a space
For such a vehicle to land
Did a vehicle
Come from somewhere out there
Did a vehicle
Come from somewhere out there
Did the indians, first on the bill
Carve up the hill
Did a booger-bear
Come from somewhere out there
Just to land in the Andes?
Was she round
And did she have a motor
Or was she something different
Guacamole Queen
Guacamole Queen
Guacamole Queen
Guacamole Queen
At the Armadillo in Austin Texas, her aura,
Or did someone build a place
Or leave a space for Chester's Thing to land
*(Chester's Thing... on Ruth)*
Did a booger-beer
Come from somewhere out there
Did a booger-bear
Come from somewhere out there
Did the Indians, first on the bill
Carve up her hill
On Ruth
On Ruth
That's Ruth
---o0o---
You may have to hit the play button twice (don't ask me why)
Inca Roads
By Frank Zappa
Did a vehicle
Come from somewhere out there
Just to land in the Andes?
Was it round
And did it have
A motor
Or was it
Something
Different
Did a vehicle
Did a vehicle
Did a vehicle
Fly along the mountains
And find a place to park itself
Or did someone
Build a place
To leave a space
For such a vehicle to land
Did a vehicle
Come from somewhere out there
Did a vehicle
Come from somewhere out there
Did the indians, first on the bill
Carve up the hill
Did a booger-bear
Come from somewhere out there
Just to land in the Andes?
Was she round
And did she have a motor
Or was she something different
Guacamole Queen
Guacamole Queen
Guacamole Queen
Guacamole Queen
At the Armadillo in Austin Texas, her aura,
Or did someone build a place
Or leave a space for Chester's Thing to land
*(Chester's Thing... on Ruth)*
Did a booger-beer
Come from somewhere out there
Did a booger-bear
Come from somewhere out there
Did the Indians, first on the bill
Carve up her hill
On Ruth
On Ruth
That's Ruth
---o0o---
Dean Ericksen's review of the Grammys
My friend, and brother-in-law, Dean Ericksen weighed in with his take on Sunday's Grammy awards. As usual, it was an interesting take. . .
If you'd like to read other Dean emissions on All This Is That, I highly recommend you check here, or here.
I didn’t see all of the Grammys last night, but I feel like I saw enough to say: yeah! Right on!
The highlight for me (and music lovers everywhere) had to be Lionel Ritchie doing “Hello.” That one kicks my ass every time. Puddle. Of. Tears.
Rascal Flats are super. I’m a big fan. I saw them last night for the first time, sharing the stage with that little Jezebel Carrie Underwood – how could they even hold their instruments with her Farah-Fawcett-hair tossing around? Observation: if you’re going to play Hotel California, play the whole f***ing song. Jesus. It’s practically our national anthem and they chopped it up like scallions.
Poor Ornette Coleman. Why on earth do they put someone with that amount of dignity in the middle of this circus. He deserved better than a pat on the head.
I wanted to see the Police, but I missed ‘em … I bet that Clarke, a known-Police-o-phile will have a critique. I did see the promo photo of the three of them; Sting has arms like a pro wrestler. Big guns. What’s with that?
Christina Aguillera has pipes. I was impressed. Smokey Robinson appears carved from wax.
Reba looks good. Reeeeebah! Raunchy lioness!
How about those Dixie Chicks! Love that one song.
FYI: I’m sorry that I called Carrie Underwood a Jezebel. She probably isn’t.
Sorry for this email, it’s only function is to work-off a little coffee.
-Dean
Copyright © 2007 by Dean Ericksen
---o0o---
Monday, February 12, 2007
Wikipedia's list of counterculture films
You have to love the Wikipedia sometimes. This is a "list of counterculture films" made in the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Some of my favorite movies are on this list. The list might lead you to think the counterculture ended in 1984. That's probably about right. The titles and years are from the Wikipedia. The inane comments and actors and directors names are mine.
My favorites=****
Look Back in Anger (1958)
Pull My Daisy (1959) I know Kerouac wrote the text. I think he appears in the movie too.
Shadows (1959)
The Savage Eye (1960)
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960)
Dog Star Man (1961-1964)
The Misfits (1961)**** A great John Huston movie with Marilyn Monroe, Gable, and Clift. Marilyn falls for a burned-out cowboy.
Knife in the Water (1962)**** (actually titled Nóz w wodzie) A great Polanski film--better than Chinatown.
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962)
Flaming Creatures (1963)
Scorpio Rising (1963)
Bande à part (1964)
Guns of the Trees (1964)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)**** In my top ten for sure. Kubrick's best?
Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)**** Russ Meyers. Some people call this the Citizen Kane of B Movies. Three big-breasted strippers kill and go on a tear in the desert.
The War Game (1965)
Blowup (1966)**** Antonioni. . .an amazing film
Chappaqua (1966)
Chelsea Girls (1966) (Andy Warhol)****I wouldn't call it a good film, but it is Warhol, and worth seeing even if you don't get to see Edie Sedgwick or Viva naked. It is four hours long, and done in a split screen, with basically two different movies side by side. It's either the height or nadir of modernism...
Hallucination Generation (1966)
Masculin, féminin (1966)
Morgan! (1966)
The Endless Summer (1966) An interesting surfing movie by the king of surf movies
The Wild Angels (1966)
You're a Big Boy Now (1966)
The Graduate (1967)**** A great Mike Nichols movie. It cleaned up at the Oscars.
How I Won the War (1967) Richard Lester's movie with John Lennon in the cast.)****
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)**** The first movie I dug Warren Beatty in
I Am Curious (Yellow) (1967) One of the first mainstream porn movies
I Am Curious (Blue) (1967) A sequel
Magical Mystery Tour (1967) I thought this sucked. And the Beatles are deities to me.
The Trip (1967) Did Peter Fonda direct this, or just star in it? I'm too lazy to IMDB it...
Week End (1967)
Message for Posterity (1967)
Barbarella (1968) Jane Fonda's breakout movie. She doesn't wear a lot of clothes.
Faces (1968)
Flesh (1968)
Head (1968) - this was a surrealistic Monkees movie--written by Jack Nicholson!
I Love You, Alice B. Toklas (1968)****
If... (1968) (Malcom McDowell starred, I think)
Maryjane (1968) Do you wonder what this one is about?
Psych-Out (1968)
Revolution (1968)
Skidoo (1968)
Three in the Attic (1968)
Wild in the Streets (1968) **** This is one of the greatest B movies of all time. The voting age in lowered to 16 and a youth becomes president. I have always loved this film! Rent it!
Yellow Submarine (1968)****
Alice's Restaurant (1969)
Easy Rider (1969)**** Great soundtrack. Directed by Dennis Hopper.
The Magic Christian (1969)**** Not as good as the book.
Medium Cool (1969) This is a Haskell Wexler film. This great cinematographer's movies all have stunning camera work. But he was probably a better camera guy than director.
Midnight Cowboy (1969)**** This film still holds up, in a lot of ways.
More (1969)
Putney Swope (1969)**** I saw this at a drive-in in 1969. A fun movie by Robert Downey Sr.
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) Russ Meyer ****
Catch-22 (1970)**** Not as good as the book. A Mike Nichols movie with an all star cast.
El Topo (1970)
Five Easy Pieces (1970)****
Getting Straight (1970)****
M*A*S*H (1970)**** Another of my favorite Altman's (are they all on the counterculture list because Altman smoked a lot of pot?)
Performance (1970) A Rolling Stones movie I think.
Punishment Park (1970)
The Revolutionary (1970)
The Strawberry Statement (1970)****
THX 1138 (1970) George Lucas' tragically underrated and almost forgotten film.
Watermelon Man (1970)
Woodstock (1970)**** I love this movie, including much of the music.
Zabriskie Point (1970)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)**** Whew. Disturbing, a great use of music, and McDowell's best work I think (although he is pretty good in Entourage).
A Safe Place (1971)
Billy Jack (1971)
Gas-s-s-s (1971)
Harold and Maude (1971)**** A tearjerker by Hal Ashby with Bud Courte and Ruth Gordon.
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)**** Tied w/ Nashville as Altman's best in my booklet.
Shaft (1971)**** But I'm talkin' bout Shaft...
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)****
The Last Movie (1971) I saw this Dennis Hopper directed movie, but don't remember it. That's OK. Hopper probably doesn't remember making it.
Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) With Beach Boy Dennis Wilson and James Taylor****
Vanishing Point (1971)
W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism (1971)
Drive, He Said (1971)
Cisco Pike (1972)
F.T.A. (1972) F*** the army!
Pink Flamingos (1972)**** Jon Waters
The Final Comedown (1972)
Fritz the Cat (1972)
Last Tango in Paris (1972) Never understood this movie's appeal other than seeing Maria Schneider naked.
Silent Running (1972)
Electra Glide in Blue (1973)
American Graffiti (1973)*** Lucas' second movie.
Flesh for Frankenstein (1973)
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
The Final Programme (1973)
Godspell (1973)
The Harrad Experiment (1973)
The Holy Mountain (1973)
La Maman et la Putain (1973)
The Wicker Man (1973)
Serpico (1973)***
Themroc (1973)
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)
Steppenwolf (1974)
Dirty Duck (1974)
The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat (1974)
The Trial of Billy Jack (1974)
A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
Zardoz (1974)
Sweet Movie (1974)
Tommy (1975)**** A messy but interesting flick.
Dog Day Afternoon (1975) One of my all time favorite movies. Cazale and Pacino are heartbreakingly great here.****
Nashville (1975) **** A stunning, gorgeous, brilliantly casted masterpiece by Altman. This may be my favorite movie. Ever.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Lisztomania (1975)
That's the Way of the World (1975)
Helter Skelter (1976)
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma (1976)
The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) David Bowie stars.
Opening Night (1977)
Coming Home (1978)
The Deer Hunter (1978)****
The Last Waltz (1978) The Band. Controversial but wonderful.****
Up in Smoke (1978) Cheech and Chong ****
Apocalypse Now (1979) Coppola's third greatest movie****
The China Syndrome (1979)
Hair (1979)
More American Graffiti (1979)
Over the Edge (1979)
The Rose (1979) Bette Midler
Out of the Blue (1980)****
Repo Man (1984) I haven't seen it since it came out, but I loved it then...****
Suburbia (1984)
---o0o---
My favorites=****
Look Back in Anger (1958)
Pull My Daisy (1959) I know Kerouac wrote the text. I think he appears in the movie too.
Shadows (1959)
The Savage Eye (1960)
Saturday Night and Sunday Morning (1960)
Dog Star Man (1961-1964)
The Misfits (1961)**** A great John Huston movie with Marilyn Monroe, Gable, and Clift. Marilyn falls for a burned-out cowboy.
Knife in the Water (1962)**** (actually titled Nóz w wodzie) A great Polanski film--better than Chinatown.
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962)
Flaming Creatures (1963)
Scorpio Rising (1963)
Bande à part (1964)
Guns of the Trees (1964)
Dr. Strangelove (1964)**** In my top ten for sure. Kubrick's best?
Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1965)**** Russ Meyers. Some people call this the Citizen Kane of B Movies. Three big-breasted strippers kill and go on a tear in the desert.
The War Game (1965)
Blowup (1966)**** Antonioni. . .an amazing film
Chappaqua (1966)
Chelsea Girls (1966) (Andy Warhol)****I wouldn't call it a good film, but it is Warhol, and worth seeing even if you don't get to see Edie Sedgwick or Viva naked. It is four hours long, and done in a split screen, with basically two different movies side by side. It's either the height or nadir of modernism...
Hallucination Generation (1966)
Masculin, féminin (1966)
Morgan! (1966)
The Endless Summer (1966) An interesting surfing movie by the king of surf movies
The Wild Angels (1966)
You're a Big Boy Now (1966)
The Graduate (1967)**** A great Mike Nichols movie. It cleaned up at the Oscars.
How I Won the War (1967) Richard Lester's movie with John Lennon in the cast.)****
Bonnie and Clyde (1967)**** The first movie I dug Warren Beatty in
I Am Curious (Yellow) (1967) One of the first mainstream porn movies
I Am Curious (Blue) (1967) A sequel
Magical Mystery Tour (1967) I thought this sucked. And the Beatles are deities to me.
The Trip (1967) Did Peter Fonda direct this, or just star in it? I'm too lazy to IMDB it...
Week End (1967)
Message for Posterity (1967)
Barbarella (1968) Jane Fonda's breakout movie. She doesn't wear a lot of clothes.
Faces (1968)
Flesh (1968)
Head (1968) - this was a surrealistic Monkees movie--written by Jack Nicholson!
I Love You, Alice B. Toklas (1968)****
If... (1968) (Malcom McDowell starred, I think)
Maryjane (1968) Do you wonder what this one is about?
Psych-Out (1968)
Revolution (1968)
Skidoo (1968)
Three in the Attic (1968)
Wild in the Streets (1968) **** This is one of the greatest B movies of all time. The voting age in lowered to 16 and a youth becomes president. I have always loved this film! Rent it!
Yellow Submarine (1968)****
Alice's Restaurant (1969)
Easy Rider (1969)**** Great soundtrack. Directed by Dennis Hopper.
The Magic Christian (1969)**** Not as good as the book.
Medium Cool (1969) This is a Haskell Wexler film. This great cinematographer's movies all have stunning camera work. But he was probably a better camera guy than director.
Midnight Cowboy (1969)**** This film still holds up, in a lot of ways.
More (1969)
Putney Swope (1969)**** I saw this at a drive-in in 1969. A fun movie by Robert Downey Sr.
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970) Russ Meyer ****
Catch-22 (1970)**** Not as good as the book. A Mike Nichols movie with an all star cast.
El Topo (1970)
Five Easy Pieces (1970)****
Getting Straight (1970)****
M*A*S*H (1970)**** Another of my favorite Altman's (are they all on the counterculture list because Altman smoked a lot of pot?)
Performance (1970) A Rolling Stones movie I think.
Punishment Park (1970)
The Revolutionary (1970)
The Strawberry Statement (1970)****
THX 1138 (1970) George Lucas' tragically underrated and almost forgotten film.
Watermelon Man (1970)
Woodstock (1970)**** I love this movie, including much of the music.
Zabriskie Point (1970)
A Clockwork Orange (1971)**** Whew. Disturbing, a great use of music, and McDowell's best work I think (although he is pretty good in Entourage).
A Safe Place (1971)
Billy Jack (1971)
Gas-s-s-s (1971)
Harold and Maude (1971)**** A tearjerker by Hal Ashby with Bud Courte and Ruth Gordon.
McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)**** Tied w/ Nashville as Altman's best in my booklet.
Shaft (1971)**** But I'm talkin' bout Shaft...
Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971)****
The Last Movie (1971) I saw this Dennis Hopper directed movie, but don't remember it. That's OK. Hopper probably doesn't remember making it.
Two-Lane Blacktop (1971) With Beach Boy Dennis Wilson and James Taylor****
Vanishing Point (1971)
W.R.: Mysteries of the Organism (1971)
Drive, He Said (1971)
Cisco Pike (1972)
F.T.A. (1972) F*** the army!
Pink Flamingos (1972)**** Jon Waters
The Final Comedown (1972)
Fritz the Cat (1972)
Last Tango in Paris (1972) Never understood this movie's appeal other than seeing Maria Schneider naked.
Silent Running (1972)
Electra Glide in Blue (1973)
American Graffiti (1973)*** Lucas' second movie.
Flesh for Frankenstein (1973)
Jesus Christ Superstar (1973)
The Final Programme (1973)
Godspell (1973)
The Harrad Experiment (1973)
The Holy Mountain (1973)
La Maman et la Putain (1973)
The Wicker Man (1973)
Serpico (1973)***
Themroc (1973)
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore (1974)
Steppenwolf (1974)
Dirty Duck (1974)
The Nine Lives of Fritz the Cat (1974)
The Trial of Billy Jack (1974)
A Woman Under the Influence (1974)
Zardoz (1974)
Sweet Movie (1974)
Tommy (1975)**** A messy but interesting flick.
Dog Day Afternoon (1975) One of my all time favorite movies. Cazale and Pacino are heartbreakingly great here.****
Nashville (1975) **** A stunning, gorgeous, brilliantly casted masterpiece by Altman. This may be my favorite movie. Ever.
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
Lisztomania (1975)
That's the Way of the World (1975)
Helter Skelter (1976)
The Killing of a Chinese Bookie (1976)
Salò o le 120 giornate di Sodoma (1976)
The Man Who Fell to Earth (1976) David Bowie stars.
Opening Night (1977)
Coming Home (1978)
The Deer Hunter (1978)****
The Last Waltz (1978) The Band. Controversial but wonderful.****
Up in Smoke (1978) Cheech and Chong ****
Apocalypse Now (1979) Coppola's third greatest movie****
The China Syndrome (1979)
Hair (1979)
More American Graffiti (1979)
Over the Edge (1979)
The Rose (1979) Bette Midler
Out of the Blue (1980)****
Repo Man (1984) I haven't seen it since it came out, but I loved it then...****
Suburbia (1984)
---o0o---
Video and lyrics: Bob Dylan's Subterranean Homesick Blues
This is the famous opening of the Pennebaker movie Don't Look Back. In some ways, it was one of the earliest music videos. The movie/mockumentary Tim Robbins starred in and directed, Bob Roberts, has an excellent parody/tribute of this scene. Bob Dylan's lyrics appear below the video.
You may need to click twice to see the clip...
Subterranean Homesick Blues
by Bob Dylan
Johnny's in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
I'm on the pavement
Thinking about the government
The man in the trench coat
Badge out, laid off
Says he's got a bad cough
Wants to get it paid off
Look out kid
It's somethin' you did
God knows when
But you're doin' it again
You better duck down the alley way
Lookin' for a new friend
The man in the coon-skin cap
In the big pen
Wants eleven dollar bills
You only got ten
Maggie comes fleet foot
Face full of black soot
Talkin' that the heat put
Plants in the bed but
The phone's tapped anyway
Maggie says that many say
They must bust in early May
Orders from the D. A.
Look out kid
Don't matter what you did
Walk on your tip toes
Don't try "No Doz"
Better stay away from those
That carry around a fire hose
Keep a clean nose
Watch the plain clothes
You don't need a weather man
To know which way the wind blows
Get sick, get well
Hang around a ink well
Ring bell, hard to tell
If anything is goin' to sell
Try hard, get barred
Get back, write braille
Get jailed, jump bail
Join the army, if you fail
Look out kid
You're gonna get hit
But users, cheaters
Six-time losers
Hang around the theaters
Girl by the whirlpool
Lookin' for a new fool
Don't follow leaders
Watch the parkin' meters
Ah get born, keep warm
Short pants, romance, learn to dance
Get dressed, get blessed
Try to be a success
Please her, please him, buy gifts
Don't steal, don't lift
Twenty years of schoolin'
And they put you on the day shift
Look out kid
They keep it all hid
Better jump down a manhole
Light yourself a candle
Don't wear sandals
Try to avoid the scandals
Don't wanna be a bum
You better chew gum
The pump don't work
'Cause the vandals took the handles
---o0o---
You may need to click twice to see the clip...
Subterranean Homesick Blues
by Bob Dylan
Johnny's in the basement
Mixing up the medicine
I'm on the pavement
Thinking about the government
The man in the trench coat
Badge out, laid off
Says he's got a bad cough
Wants to get it paid off
Look out kid
It's somethin' you did
God knows when
But you're doin' it again
You better duck down the alley way
Lookin' for a new friend
The man in the coon-skin cap
In the big pen
Wants eleven dollar bills
You only got ten
Maggie comes fleet foot
Face full of black soot
Talkin' that the heat put
Plants in the bed but
The phone's tapped anyway
Maggie says that many say
They must bust in early May
Orders from the D. A.
Look out kid
Don't matter what you did
Walk on your tip toes
Don't try "No Doz"
Better stay away from those
That carry around a fire hose
Keep a clean nose
Watch the plain clothes
You don't need a weather man
To know which way the wind blows
Get sick, get well
Hang around a ink well
Ring bell, hard to tell
If anything is goin' to sell
Try hard, get barred
Get back, write braille
Get jailed, jump bail
Join the army, if you fail
Look out kid
You're gonna get hit
But users, cheaters
Six-time losers
Hang around the theaters
Girl by the whirlpool
Lookin' for a new fool
Don't follow leaders
Watch the parkin' meters
Ah get born, keep warm
Short pants, romance, learn to dance
Get dressed, get blessed
Try to be a success
Please her, please him, buy gifts
Don't steal, don't lift
Twenty years of schoolin'
And they put you on the day shift
Look out kid
They keep it all hid
Better jump down a manhole
Light yourself a candle
Don't wear sandals
Try to avoid the scandals
Don't wanna be a bum
You better chew gum
The pump don't work
'Cause the vandals took the handles
---o0o---
Sunday, February 11, 2007
Eight Years Ago Today. . .President Bill Clinton Was Acquitted!
Eight years ago today, President Bill Clinton was acquitted in the U.S. Senate. The House of Representatives impeached Clinton on Dec. 19, 1998, and charged him with perjury and obstruction of justice during Lewinsky scandal investigations. The public was fascinated by the machinations of Linda Tripp, the blue dress, and tales of Oval Office sexual encounters. However, they also considered the march toward impeachment a partisan witch-hunt, and not germane to national affairs, and not an impediment to running the United States.
The public in general, while disgusted, considered this investigation to be possibly even less important than the earlier one investigating "Whitewater." In January, 1999, two impeachment counts were tried in the Senate. On February 12, the Senate acquitted Clinton.
---o0o---
Lyrics to Johnny Cash's 25 Minutes To Go
These are the lyrics to a Johnny Cash tune from the At Folsom Prison album. When I was in Austin earlier this year, we heard Roger Wallace cover this song in a show at the Hole in the Wall. Wallace's rendition moved me. I later wrote him and asked if he had recorded the song, and could he send me the lyrics. He told me—without even hinting I was an imbecile—that it was a Johnny Cash tune Cash recorded at Folsom Prison (the same concert that made A Boy Named Sue famous)...
25 Minutes To Go
by Johnny Cash
Well they're building a gallows outside my cell I've got 25 minutes to go
And the whole town's waitin' just to hear me yell I've got 24 minutes to go
Well they gave me some beans for my last meal I've got 23 minutes to go
But nobody asked me how I feel I've got 22 minutes to go
Well I sent for the governor and the whole dern bunch with 21 minutes to go
And I sent for the mayor but he's out to lunch I've got 20 more minutes to go
Then the sheriff said boy I gonna watch you die got 19 minutes to go
So I laughed in his face and I spit in his eye got 18 minutes to go
Now hear comes the preacher for to save my soul with 13 minutes to go
And he's talking bout' burnin' but I'm so cold I've 12 more minutes to go
Now they're testin' the trap and it chills my spine 11 more minutes to go
And the trap and the rope aw they work just fine got 10 more minutes to go
Well I'm waitin' on the pardon that'll set me free with 9 more minutes to go
But this is for real so forget about me got 8 more minutes to go
With my feet on the trap and my head on the noose got 5 more minutes to go
Won't somebody come and cut me loose with 4 more minutes to go
I can see the mountains I can see the skies with 3 more minutes to go
And it's to dern pretty for a man that don't wanna die 2 more minutes to go
I can see the buzzards I can hear the crows 1 more minute to go
And now I'm swingin' and here I go-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o!
---o0o---
Photo: Jack conducting anatomical research with an assistant
Anatomía (del griego, anatomē, ‘disección’), rama de las ciencias naturales relativa a la organización estructural de los seres vivos. Es una ciencia muy antigua, cuyos orígenes se remontan a la Prehistoria. Durante siglos los conocimientos anatómicos se han basado en la observación de plantas y animales diseccionados. Sin embargo, la comprensión adecuada de la estructura implica un conocimiento de la función de los organismos vivos. Por consiguiente, la anatomía es casi inseparable de la fisiología, que a veces recibe el nombre de anatomía funcional. La anatomía, que es una de las ciencias básicas de la vida, está muy relacionada con la medicina y con otras ramas de la biología.
---o0o---
Saturday, February 10, 2007
The Real Big Bird a/k/a the Diatryma or Gastornis
Taken by David Fuchs; reconstruction of Diatryma
Ever since I learned of their existence in this story in The Seattle Times I have been fascinated by this seven foot, 350 pound Big Bird Diatryma, or, Gastornis, that used to walk in my old haunts along the Green River in Southeast King County. Also living there were 18 pound horses, and tiny hippopotamuses (or hippopotami). ---o0o---
Sha Na Na Video: At The Hop (Woodstock Festival 1969)
I was a little shocked when I first saw Sha Na Na perform in the movie Woodstock. I didn't really know the difference between Doo Wop and Perry Como. If you grew up when I did, it was all Beatles, and British Groups, all the time (and around '66, Dylan, and the emerging American bands and musicians like Love, The Doors, Chicago, Joni Mitchell , The Grateful Dead, The Zombies, and others). But Sha Na Na played 50's music, and we just couldn't hear it. It was only later I came to appreciate Buddy Holly, Chuck Berry, the Doo-wop bands, Elvis and the other 50s music. Sha Na Na's spirited performance at Woodstock helped change all that, and I think their performance, in some ways, helped ignite a revival of earlier music, and probably helped lead to that great movie The Buddy Holly Story starring Gary Busey. This is absolutely the best and most frantic performance of this song I've heard.
Poem: Changes 35/Progress
The sun rises over the earth.
We have another day.
That is progress.
---o0o---
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