And Now For Something Completely Different...

I realized that the first two posts on this blog were music related, so in honor of that achievement, here's one non-music related...

The Tick cartoon holds a very near and dear place in my heart. Ever since I was a kid and The Tick would air right after a 'real' comic cartoon (X-Men, maybe the best comic animated series), thus giving me a nice comedic counterpoint against the 'seriousness' of the X-Men (that's for another day)...

However, this post is devoted to the character himself and the philosophies the Tick has given us. So, without further ado, I give you...

Life Lessons
(Courtesy of The Tick)

1. You don't have to be smart to do good...
2. Confidence can win you the day. But, if that fails, attempt befuddlement...
3. "Leap before you look."
4. Passionately fulfill your destiny...
5. Catchphrases and cliches are essentials, regardless of their relevance or comprehensibility...
6. Make an entrance, even if that results in property damage...
7. Any obstacle can be overcome with the proper application of force, drama, insanity, and force...

These aren't in any order, but this is what I've gleaned from years of watching that big blue lummox. Besides, there are way more lessons to be learned, but right now is all that I can think of. More might be later, but for now, READ A BOOK!!! Er, wait, that's what the villain Handy says. Go watch The Tick. Seriously...

Oh, Rick...

Anyone who knows me (and you know who you are) knows that once a song catches my fancy, I tend to play that song obsessively. Unfortunately, this tends to grate on the nerves of those in earshot (Tara has been a good sport). I could list you a whole mess of songs that I've done this to, but I'm not going to do that in the interest of getting to the point. Though if you ask me, or if I'm supremely bored, I may put something like that up...

So, this second post is dedicated to my new favorite song by a talented Rick. Not Rick Astley, the father of Rickrolling...Not Rick Carpenter, male half of the 60's band 'The Carpenters'...Nor is it Rick Wright, the pianist for Pink Floyd. No, it's the hard working Rick Springfield, who is known to the general public for one or two things. The first is his big hit in '81, 'Jessie's Girl'. He is also known (and this is something I found out recently) for playing Dr. Noah Drake on the daytime soap 'General Hospital'...

The new single is called 'What's Victoria's Secret' and it's very catchy, or at least catchy enough to grab my little obsessive quirk. Part of this catchiness can be attributed to its similarities to its predecessor, 'Jessie's Girl'. The guitar part has the same, 'Jun-a jun-a jun' progression as JG, and the vocals bear similar vocal progressions. I've also seen it compared, both favorably and unfavorably, to his old hit. I'm in the camp of favoring it. I'll even call it a tribute to JG and I admire him for taking his styles and reworking it to give it to us again. Further, and this was pointed out by my good friend Jesse, that the vocals also bear some similarities to Eddie Money's 'Take Me Home Tonight'. You decide that one, but my final verdict on the single is 'Really Good' and I'm looking forward to hearing more of the album, 'Venus on High'...



There is one thing left to say on this, though, and it's about the man himself. I happend across the song on internet radio and then Youtubed it, seeing 'ol Rick perform it and saying to myself, 'Man, he's aged really well. He's gotta be like in his 40's.' Wrong. Rick Springfield is a year shy of 60. Everyone I've 'unveiled' this to has had the same reaction as me: Woah. Literally, the man could pass for mid to upper 30's, and does from what I've seen. The fact that he is nearing 60, looks great, and still writes good music, as he has been doing his whole life, shows what doing what you love can do for you. If Rick Springfield reads this, and he won't, this is my thanks to him for the music and here's to more music from the man. Keep it up, Rick...

Since we last spoke...

Hey everybody...or at least everybody who's stumbled across this random blog. At the behest of a good friend of mine (I'm looking at you, TJ), I have started this blog for the purpose of writing what ever floats into my spectrum. So, that's what Ima gonna doa...

Starting off, last weekend I went to a free concert of Rjd2 (as a side note, I meant to set this thing up earlier in the week, but with job hunting and being lazy and everything, I'm only getting around to 'reviewing' it now). It was way, way groovy...



Now, I've only been a fan of Rjd2 for a small handful of years (also thanks to Tj) but ever since I heard a remix of Ghostwriter, I was hooked. Shortly after, I found a copy of Tippin' Dominoes by Vast Aire he remixed and loved it. But it was when I finally got my hands of a copy of 'Since We Last Spoke...' did I finally realize that this guy doesn't just mix good songs; this man can compose a seriously solid album...

When I saw the posters around the Commons up here in Ithaca, NY, I honestly couldn't believe someone of his notoriety was playing a free concert. But, not being one who looks a gift horse in the mouth, I vowed to go. My concert going has been severely limited, mainly due to cost, and since FREE is my favorite four letter word, there was NO WAY I was going to miss seeing him live. So I did and what a show I was in for...

The opening act (The Scott Harris Project for those who care), who I assume were local, was ok. The audience were all sitting around, relaxing and chillin', so I thought, 'Ok, so I guess this is how we're doing Rjd2. Just sitting around, experiencing the music.' Remember now, I have never been to one of these before, and boy was I wrong. After the TSHP got off the stage and Rjd2 was getting set up, the audience (which by now had swelled to between 500 and 1000 people) began rushing to front of the stage to get as close as possible. Yours truly did too, but I stayed back a smidge to try and get some pictures. Wrong idea...

Finally, Rj started the show and the crowd went nuts. Since I don't the body of the mans work, some of the reactions of the crowd I didn't quite follow. However, with his four turntables, wanky box (his words, not mine), and his projection 'screen', this skinny techno/electronica/hip-hop artist gave us his all. He played a good mix of old and new tracks, mixing and spinning the whole time, giving us heavy beats and throwing in new eccentricities to songs we knew and love. I got to see the entirety of the show and it was well worth the walk across Cornells HUGE campus...

The best parts...
1) free, Free, FREE!!!
2) Throughout the whole show, he was projecting mood scenes and old movie clips to semi-sync with the music. Favorites: Evil Dead 2(!), Aqua Teen Hunger Force, and Tron...
3) I got like 20 feet, if not closer, to the man himself. The bass cut through me and I felt super groovy.
4) This may be the very best part: He was having the time of his life on stage. Every time the crowd cheered, he got this big, dumb grin on. I envy that.

I'm not sure what else to say about it, really. I think I'd actually pay to see him, but not like ALOT. I really don't want to pay ALOT to see anyone cause, you know, I'm poor. Well, till next time, you readers few...

(Incidentally, the picture was found on www.Mtv.com, in case they want to get uppity with a blogger grabbing a picture from their site.)