John Williams - Fraud
First of all, John Williams is a thief. The man who has provided the musical back drop for so many of the most popular movies of my life time, is a fraud. The da-dum, da-dum from Jaws is exactly the opening notes of the finale of Dvorak's "New World" Symphony No. 9. And that would be bad if that was the only time that he did it. But there are huge chunks of the Star War movies and just about everything else he has ever done that are just not his work.
He has become rich and famous by re-introducing a new generation to classical music but has done a horrible disservice to those artists whose work he has stolen. Dvorak is a genius. He said in 1893 that the musical lineage of our country would come from negro melodies he heard while visiting America. Jazz and rock and roll have become the fulfillment of that musical prophesy.
If Williams had used Dvorak's music, but given him the credit for it, maybe more people would appreciate Dvorak. But chances are Spielberg would have then assigned an intern to find classical music that would add depth and resonance to his movies and Williams would not have become rich. At least Dvorak did the work that should have earned him the credit.
Johnny Cash and Hank Williams, Sr Lived
Go out and buy or download their greatest hits and sit down out on the patio with your favorite beverage and listen to them all the way through. Listen to the songs that you know from the first few notes that you are not going to like. Listen to the ones that have been used in movies so often that you think you know them by heart.
There is pain, joy, confidence, regret, anguish, indulgence, remorse, and defiance to be found there in voices that will hold your imagination within the confines of a song. Go watch the video of Cash covering the Nine Inch Nails song, "Hurt". I have said before on Facebook that it is a song you appreciate more than enjoy.
Should Have Gone with the Wookies
Apparently Return of the Jedi was supposed to be set on the home planet of the Wookies instead of the Ewoks in the original screenplay. Go back and look at the movie. Go on. I will wait.
Now imagine the tension if Leia had been found by a seven foot tall Sasquatch instead of a midget in a Teddy Ruxpin Halloween costume. What if the assault on the force field generators featured 50 or so Wookies all ticked off and gargling Listerine the way Chewbacca did through all three films. Would have been a whole lot better movie.
Harrison Ford - Bad Actor
The best thing about Harrison Ford is that he is such a dependable actor. You know what you are going to get. The trouble is, it is always the same thing. His angry Han Solo has the same facial expression as a scared Indiana Jones who has the same facial expression as the angry face of the guy from Working Girl who has the same facial expression of the brain damaged Henry from Regarding Henry.
He's made a lot of money and he has stared in some of my favorite movies, but he has the emotional range of a turnip.
Olives
I used to hate olives. Now I find myself craving them. I love them stuffed with jalapenos and I could eat a whole jar at one time and call it breakfast. I have heard that your body craves things based on some deficiency it is trying to remedy. What am I not getting enough of - salt or fat?
Priorities Change
There was a time in my life when a title and a big raise would make a career decision a foregone conclusion. But my view of things has slowly evolved. There are now things in life more important to me than money or status.
I like living close to a metropolitan area, so a big raise and a nice title in the boonies is not for me. I like having time and energy to read books and write a blog, so a big raise and a nice title that requires 16 hour days is not for me. I want to work for and with people I respect, so a big raise and a nice title while dealing with bullies and liars would not be for me.
Wanna Win the Argument or Solve the Problem?
The sarcastic comment that really puts someone in their place does exactly that - it locks them into whatever side of the argument they hold. I am an extremely talented verbalist. That is a fancy way of saying (with a made up word that sounds very plausible) that I think well on my feet and have an extensive vocabulary. I put the SMART in smart-ass.
But people who have been embarrassed or outclassed in an argument, will almost never be your ally, much less your friend. If there is something that you want someone to do, you better find a way that they leave the conversation feeling better about themselves. Most of the time that means you have to take the time to explain yourself instead of giving orders, ask questions instead of making accusations, and look for things to praise others for instead of waiting for someone to pat you on the back.
Talking Tough to a Clerk or a Waiter is Lame
A friend of mine and I went to dinner at a very busy Outback steakhouse in Baytown, TX. The staff was doing a great job of turning over a table very quickly when customers left. Busboys and waitresses were seating folks as well as the two hostesses in an attempt to get those of us waiting for a table, seated as quickly as possible.
Apparently, one of the waiters had seated some folks and not given them silverware. This table had what looked to be a married couple and a single male friend. The single friend went ballistic. He called the waiter over and asked him what kind of F'ing idiot brought people to a table and delivered food but no silverware. He proceeded to ask the kid (the waiter had to be in his teens by the looks of him) just how stupid was he? He went on and on while the kid apologized profusely and was trying to decide if he was supposed to stay there and take his beating or go get their silverware. If he walked off to get the silverware while the man was still cussing him, would that make the guy even angrier?
Our waitress helped out by bringing over silverware and helping to get the kid out of the line of fire.
Now here is the fun thing. I don't know if that kid would have taken that kind of tongue lashing if he was not at work. Maybe he would have or maybe he would have popped the guy right in the kisser. But how fair is it to abuse someone, when, if they spar back, they could lose their job? That is the height of bullying and in this case I could not let it pass for some reason.
We were sitting two tables over to the right and I was looking directly at the table in question. I said to my friend, "What a freaking coward," and I said it loud enough for everyone around us to hear. I could tell my friend was uncomfortable and to be honest, this was not the smartest thing I have ever done. If I were to get in a fistfight in the middle of a steakhouse, I could have lost my job too. But I figured the guy was actually a coward so I kept on.
I said that it takes a really big man to challenge a kid at his place of work. I said that the guy looks like a punk and I bet he can hear me but there is no way he will say a stinking word to me. I don't work here and I could knock him flat on his ass. No, he is going to sit there and pretend he can't hear me even though he and his friends aren't saying a stinking thing but just looking straight at each other.
I went on to say that I could not stand a gutless punk who picks on folks who can't fight back. I mean, if he wanted to confront me, I would be happy to go out to the parking lot and discuss it with him. Again, I said all of this as if I was talking to my friend and not confronting the guy directly, but the point got across to him. He did not say another angry word (or much of anything else) for the rest of the night.
Other folks there heard what I said as well. Our waitress brought me a beer that I had never ordered and never showed up on my bill.
Rich People are Right About Some Things
I have seen movies and television shows where folks of wealth are drinking expensive 18 year old Scotch. I have had whiskey in my life and most of it was truly awful and needed a Dr. Pepper to make it palatable.
I eventually got to try an affordable Scotch at a tasting at a gourmet wine and spirits store. That led me to try a thirty-five dollar glass of Scotch at an expensive steak house. Expensive Scotch is a whole new animal. You have to let it sit in the glass so the flavors can develop in the atmosphere. Depending on the brand, you can taste caramel, vanilla, smoke and a variety of other flavors. And there is truly very little burn at all.
I went to another restaurant and tried a seventy-five dollar glass of Scotch ( I know, but it was a special occasion). It was a twenty-five year old Scotch that retails for around $700.00. It was a truly amazing taste of smoked caramel / vanilla that made me warm and tingly all over. I found out later that the same distillery has a 30 year old Scotch that retails for over $1000.00. I have never found a place that sells it by the glass so I will never get to try it. But I am sure it is wonderful.
Truffles are a crazy stupid fungus that gourmets love. I have always assumed that it was a suped up mushroom. Absolutely wrong. Thanks to truffle oil, I have had a chance to taste truffles. We had truffle flavored deviled eggs and we loved them so much I asked if the waiter would bring me a small sample of the truffle oil. I wanted to be sure that the pungent yet subtle flavor that I was loving in the eggs, was coming from the truffle.
It was. I dipped my finger into the oil and tasted the surprisingly strong flavor. I loved the stuff. I am not a chef or even much of a cook but I started thinking of ways to bring this expensive food of the rich to the soul food of my humble heritage. I would love to cook up a mess of greens and then use truffle oil instead of pepper sauce as the primary condiment. Black-eyed peas cooked with a ham hock and then drizzled with truffle oil just before serving.
Now truffles can sell for hundreds of thousands of dollars for a few ounces. There are some bottles of Scotch that have a price on them that I find hard to believe. But having tried some kinda-sorta-but-not-really affordable examples of things that I had always thought of as wasteful or extravagant, the rich are RIGHT about some things boys and girls.
Late to the Garden Party
My wife fell in love with the idea of a garden after we visited her Dad a few months back. She came back and we potted cilantro, tomatoes, jalapenos, basil, rosemary, and mint on our patio. Of the herbs, the rosemary were the ones that I had the least amount of interest. I have had dried rosemary for years and it just does not tickle the taste buds for me.
But the fresh stuff? Oh, dear sweet Lord in heaven above! Cook a chicken breast with a few sprigs freshly harvested rosemary and you will know culinary bliss. And fresh basil! Put it in a food processor with olive and balsamic vinegar and then serve that on a salad or a pork loin or an old shoe. They will all taste delicious.
The cherry tomatoes are a revelation. They have taste! Such a strong taste that is 10 times more intense than ANY store bought tomato you have ever had. We go out to the patio and pluck them off the vine and eat them like they were berries or grapes. They don't even need salt - salt would actually be an insult to the intensity of the honest tomato flavor that explodes in your mouth when you bite into them.
Why did I not have a garden 15 years ago?
Time for Bed
I think I will do this again periodically. There are a lot of things that come to mind that are easier to resolve my thoughts and feelings about if I have to take the time and think of how I would say it if the whole world got a chance to read it. I enjoy reading comments here and on Facebook about your thoughts on these subjects. I like the idea that I might get you to laugh or make you think or even make you mad. But I am stupid sleeping and I have to work tonight so time to sign off.
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