Dannyalcatraz

You’re welcome! Does that video depict what you’re seeing in your workplace these days, or have things become more automated?

While I’m at it, here’s Godin’s appearance on the show from 14 years ago:

Here’s a H.I.M. surfboard segment from a decade or so ago, featuring Hobie:

No question. However, even those machine processes can be fascinating. There’s a show we used to watch a lot that my Mom has recently rediscovered called How it’s Made. i don’t know if it’s still in production, but it’s definitely airing in rerun-a-thons. And the name says it all- that’s all they show: how different things and products in the world are made. There’s no rhyme or reason, it’s just…short mini-documentaries on how something- candy, instruments, car parts, sports equipment, etc.- gets fashioned from its based elements to finished products. Some of what shows up is artisan/craftsman made. Some are recognizable global brand name products. It’s really a series with something for everyone. And as surfergirl points out, some of the manufacturing processes depicted do have steps that are done or supervised by human workers, not just machines.

The more people you meet from other walks of life, the more you realize there’s more out there than you realize. Once upon a time, I was amused and bewildered by VP Dan Quayle’s obvious unfamiliarity with Deep Purple (in an interview). But over time, I’ve found so many odd and interesting points of incongruous commonality and bewildering dissimilarity that I realize it’s just part of the human condition. I routinely amaze people with the depth and breadth of my musical knowledge. Even my Mom- a former music teacher- occasionally gives me cockeyed stares at some of the stuff I routinely dredge up. At my barber’s shop on a crowded day, I was pointing out that schools all across the USA used to have some kind of basic music education. I illustrated this by start8nf to hum “Cherry Blossoms”, a song taught on recorder in several schools I attended. Every last patron over 35 or so joined in; everyone younger was looking around in amazement because they had no clue.

I’m amused that they point out its compact and rugged. Like a MXR pedal would be anything but! Niiiiice pedal though. Adding it to the shopping list. FYI: to any of those who occasionally import gear from the UK, NOW IS THE TIME TO SHOP! Because of the blink and you missed it administration of England’s PM Liz Truss, the currency is at a historical low of approximately .9£ to $1. Might get me something new from ThorpyFX…

Speaking of new things…I heard this first song for the first time driving home yesterday evening. I checked out several of their videos- they have an updated punk/new wave vibe to me. And another:

Literally just a couple hours ago, I found out about a “supergroup” called Piroshka that released an album in July 2021. It’s now on my shopping list. Members: Miki Birenyi (ex-Lush: Vox & guitar) KJ “Moose” McKillop (ex-Moose: guitar & keyboards) Mick Conroy (ex-Modern English: bass) Justin Welch (ex-Elastica/Suede: drums)

Don’t remember if I’ve posted this before, but this band is back in my focus. They’ve been rocking since the late 80s, but I only discovered them a few years ago. Unfotunately, Japanese rock & metal bands rarely tour in Texas, so I’ll probably never see them or any of the others I’d love to see live.

Good song from a good band…but most 80s ever? I probably would have chosen their hit “Wang Chung Tonight” over that one. But honestly, there’s so many great options, from bands that were huge and others that were 1-hit wonders. I don’t know that I could choose “the best.”

I bet you’d find that album in the collections of the first generation of punk musicians.

Yeah…I’m still not letting Page off the hook, though. He was completely complicit. If he’d have said a peep, those guys would have fallen in line to appease The Legendary Jimmy.

I don’t mind him being off now and then so much when he’s singing Black Crowes’ original stuff, but that album of Led Zep songs they did with Jimmy Page hurt me. For most of that recording, he does a pretty good job, and the Crowes do a solid job of playing those songs. But on one song in particular, Chris simply can’t hit the high notes. I mean, he’s trying, but it’s clearly not within his range. And to me, that’s unforgivable. Its so much worse for me, not because of my love for the song, but rather because of the knowledge that it absolutely didn’t have to be that way. Jimmy Page is a great guitarist, and before his storied career in a couple of famous bands, he was a session guitarist. You can’t tell me he couldn’t have transcribed his own music to a pitch Chris Robinson could at least have a CHANCE of hitting the highs. And if that wasn’t in his current bag of tricks, why the hell didn’t they HIRE someone?

I thought the German design product was damn clever, mostly because of the pickups. It did make me think of those magnetic letters & numbers with the whiteboard we probably all know from childhood. Imagine pickups in those shapes, and altering your guitar’s output by spelling out rude words!* * or other messages, of course.

Well, lookie what I found! Some spoilers context: it is telling that, despite showing a Teuffel in the opening montage, they didn’t make the final cut for this video…

Many are the times in which I have asked whether someone could visually confirm something was in stock. Because I have experienced enough instances where inventory systems (and other databases) varied from reality in any number of ways. But such is the great paradox of the Information Age!

Personally, I’d love to own/play something like a higher-end Somogyi or Ryan, but that will never happen unless I win some kind of lottery*. Ditto a LOT of guitars & other gear on my G.A.S. list. But it makes for nice fantasies. And it dovetails nicely with the fantasy about being skilled enough to really play them like they should be played, paired with the gumption to do so in public. * a SERIOUS win. Enough to not only buy the stuff but also the space and infrastructure to properly CARE for such things.

it’s really hard to judge acoustic instruments by their appearances. When I was a cellist, I had a low-end but still pro-level instrument. It was about $2500 in 1978. It sounded great compared to most of the instruments it got played near. Its finish was almost red. My last instructor’s cello was over 400 years old, and looked it. But when I got to play it- ever so briefly- I found it to be shockingly lightweight and capable of rattling tchotchke in the room digging in on an open C note. I also got to see California Guitar Trio’s Somogyi guitars up close when they were touring and doing shows at Border’s. Those run over $30k each. But not only were they beautiful, the craftsmanship and skill involved in their construction yielded 3 guitars that sounded virtually identical to each other.* * Which they proved by playing a piece in which there were 3 different guitar parts being played, and they swapped parts in the fly. The only way to really tell was by watching their fingers.

That’s as I suspected, but that might not be as good for things like French onion soup. I suspect the ceramic crocks THOSE are served in tend to retain the heat better than metal ones would. I may need both…

I’ve checked out all of those, with mixed results. So much of what I’m finding is on the smaller side or too shallow. Still, I’ve definitely got some options at each of them. I think PB had some reasonably priced ones from a brand I’d never heard of that were a good size and depth, and they came in a variety of colors, including one that looks like it is close in coloration to our current set of everyday dishes. The hangup? They’re enameled carbon steel, and ideally, Mom wants something that’s also microwave safe.

I just recently found out my local cable provider has MTV University and MTV Classic hidden in its offerings. The former plays new videos. The latter plays older stuff, usually in decade-specific blocks- 80s, 90s, etc. Its a blast being able to turn on a channel and be awash in music videos again. But I’ve also been reminded of the dark side. On MTV U, I’ve seen them spamming the same videos over and over. In the couple of weeks since my discovery, there’s at least a half dozen I can recognize without looking. And one that premiered yesterday was played 3 times in 90 minutes. MTV Classic is better…and worse. While I haven’t seen many VIDEOS repeated, I have seen them binge broadcast certain BANDS. In the course of an 80s block, they played 3 Depeche Mode songs. All were among my DM favorites, but it’s not like they were the only band releasing anything in that era. Over the past year, I’ve also discovered the joys of using YouTube on my bedroom smartTV. While I will occasionally look up certain performers, like Douglas Blue Feather, Bill Laswell, and Brian Eno, my most common usage is as a white noise generator. IOW, I look up 3-10 hour nature/ASMR videos with crashing surf, rainfall, wind through bamboo stands, flowing streams, riding along in passenger trains, waterfalls and so forth, letting them run. I set my TV shutdown timer for 90+ minutes and drift off.

That kind of tomfoolery can happen with small retailers as well. I went shopping for my first Reverend at a small store in the ‘burbs, and was shocked to see what else they had in stock. Besides a decent supply of Revs, they carried G&L, Taylor, and even had a Gibson room. After trying a bunch of stuff out, I went home to mull things over. I was torn between two Reverends and a G&L. I decided on a limited edition Reverend Flatroc- a different model than the one I had initially been shopping for. There were only 50 made, with that number spread out over a half dozen colors or so. I fired up my tablet, found their website, and pulled the trigger. Got an email with a confirmation number for my order and everything. When I checked my email in the morning, though, I had another email from the store. It seems someone sold that guitar to a different customer before checking the computer orders, etc. I was given a full refund. In the end, I had to find the guitar in another state…in a different color. I never bought anything from that store. (And they closed a few years later.)

Sad to see, but…it’s entirely possible that brand-centric threads or subforums on major guitar sites will be almost as good as each brand trying to maintain their own bulletin boards. If nothing else, there will be less of an “echo chamber” effect, which could be good for maintaining competitive competence and quality of customer service.

Basically, yeah. The core idea was our traditional creole thanksgiving leftovers as a casserole/pot pie thing. Like I said, it was pretty good, but there was clearly room for improvement. Mom & I are definitely delving into finding the right size and shape individual portion oven-safe cookware for this. We’ve looked at dozens of crocks, au gratins, tarts, ramekins, coquettes and other cookware to find something we can work with. We’ve weeded out some with odd shapes, vague assurances of being oven safe (without listening temp ranges) and difficult care or storage requirements. We’ve found some strong contenders, but no clear winners, yet.

Currently digging on the studio & live versions of “Pin It Down” by Madison Cunningham: