Dennys People Watching: 5/16/10

Thursday, May 20, 2010

The Stones, Otis Redding, Ronnie James Dio - Arts and Music News 17 May 2010

Rockin' guitar by Jsome1 @ flickr

From Denny: The latest news is that the old news has resurfaced and become new news. :) What's classic and good gets a second hit at the bat. Artists The Stones, Otis Redding and Kris Kristofferson are re-releasing old hits and albums. Kristofferson features the famous Janis Joplin hit song, "Me and Bobby McGee." The Stones, well, are The Stones forever. Once a fan always a fan like The Deadheads. Sounds like the new album version did not mess too much with the core of who they are musically. Love 'em or hate 'em they are still rockin' on as old men.

Now artist Otis Redding has always been a fav with me because he never ruined his voice like rockers do. Early in his career he realized and utilized the human voice as an instrument. Can you imagine what was going on inside his head as he experimented musically with this revelation? Would have loved to see him write all those goings on down on paper.

And to the heavy metal fans there is the passing of Ronnie James Dio. Did you know his voice was never professionally trained? Yet his was a powerful voice and oh, so melodic. It was most unusual to develop to that level without training. He passed away after a bout with stomach cancer.

Included here is one of Otis Redding's songs, "Satisfaction," and a couple of clips to enjoy Ronnie James Dio one last time.

Old Music Gets A New Life: Reissues From The '60s And '70s (NPR)

...the re-release of albums from The Rolling Stones, Kris Kristofferson and Otis Redding. The first, long considered a masterpiece in the world of rock 'n' roll, is Exile on Main Street... The new version of Exile on Main Street pays homage to the original, but leaves the mixes and the essence of the album alone. There's still chaos, but at its core, it's the same..

Kris Kristofferson is also issuing a new release of his collection from the late '60s, Please Don't Tell Me How the Story Ends... The release includes his iconic song "Me and Bobby McGee," made famous by Janis Joplin...

Finally, Otis Redding's Live on the Sunset Strip compiles live performances from the legendary L.A. club the Whisky A Go-Go, originally released in 1966. At 24, Redding epitomized the idea of the human voice as instrument...

Ronnie James Dio: Remembering A Vocal Cannon (NPR)

Ronnie James Dio was a voice of triumph in the pits of heavy metal's bitterness and depravity. An untrained vocalist, Dio possessed a melodic and powerful voice; as much a siren as it was a clarion call of heavy-metal fantasy. After a six-month struggle with stomach cancer, Dio died Sunday morning. He was 67.

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Wednesday, May 19, 2010

Check Out 2 Funny Posts 2 Get U Thru the Work Week

British Petroleum giving "face" to President Obama about paying for their oil spill

From Denny: Check out some funnies and hike on over to one of my other blogs, The Social Poets, for some mid-work week fun!

Funny Volcano and Weather Quotes - Cheeky Quote Day 19 May 2010 - Funny volcano and weather quotes, jokes, political cartoons and funny video all designed to make you laugh til your boss fires you for "excessive merriment."

Roundup of Late Night Funnies - 17 May 2010 - Chock full of funny video clips from Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert and Betty White on SNL as well as the late night show jokes and quips.

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Sunday, May 16, 2010

Posts Roundup This Week at Dennys Blogs - 16 May 2010

Cup of coffee from Brazil by il Quoquo @ flickr

From Denny: This sure has been quite the week with the drama unfolding out in the Gulf of Mexico with the BP oil spill off my Louisiana coast. The cartoonists have had great fun lampooning the various lies and finger pointing from the CEOs involved. The better news is that BP is finally making a bit of headway on corralling some of the oil for clean up, siphoning it into a tanker.

Some headway is better than nothing and at least it has slowed down the rate of gushing oil and natural gas for the moment. Definitely better than using an atomic bomb to blow up the well like the crazy Russians suggested. There's a plan. Nuke the Gulf of Mexico and irradiate the ocean waters for the next thousand years. Fortunately, BP and the government are contemplating lesser crazy options.

As a result of the oil spill there are countless great political cartoons and funny videos by the likes of Colbert to enjoy. And Betty White was the toast of late night TV on SNL after turning in some hilarious performances. She then proceeded to go out all night carousing with the SNL cast after the show. She's almost 89 years old and there's no time to waste for having fun! :)