It was fifty years ago....

 ... that the world was introduced to a dance craze where you were told to "Step to the left. Jump to the right. With your hands on your hips, you bring your knees in tight. But it's the pelvic thrust that drives you insane". 

Okay, a little weird of a start, but those lines are from the song "Time Warp" and was in the movie "The Rocky Horror Picture Show". The dance didn't catch on, if only for the Saturday midnight shows years later, but both the music and the film have had a cultural impact on all societies and all generations. 

Due to this year being the fiftieth anniversary of the 'show', there have been a lot of interviews over the last two months from the cast. This includes a convention at the end of September in Los Angeles and a handful of video clips from news shows. The various speaking engagement included Barry Bostwick, Nell Campbell, Patricia Quinn and Tim Curry. Although I haven't seen or heard anything where Susan Sarandon or Richard O'Brien are being interviewed, there have been photos posted online of Jim Sharman, who directed the movie. 

It's so weird to know this "cult classic" is fifty. Yes, it's before my time, and strange to watch, but it's one of those movies that has a place in the world - for good and for bad. I remember going with my youth group in the 1990s to see a shadow cast performance. I really want to say it was at the Brattle Theater in Cambridge. 

For some strange reason, that theater is sticking out in my mind. How else would I know of it? Last time I was in the area, I was in college and would randomly pop in to Harvard Square (which is the next block). I'd not be there at night, for a show and it feels like this would be the only place that would hold such an event. When I went to see Rocky Horror, I was in my early teens (like... 10?). I remember my youth group standing against a brick building, waiting to get let in to the theater. There were other adults outside, not part of our group - random strangers wanting to see the movie too. It wasn't freezing out, but it also wasn't warm, considering it was late at night. It was one of those early fall evenings where we had our jackets on (because it was after 10pm and we'd get out after 2am and bus back to the religious building to sleep in, so our parents would pick us up that Sunday morning). I didn't know much at that point about the film, but it was something to do with my youth group; an experience for the under 18 crowd (we ranged in age from 9 to 18). From that point on, over the years, I gained an appreciation for the movie and the cast. 

I also gained a better appreciation for Tim Curry. I had seen quite a few of his ventures, leading up to the night I went to RHPS, as well as looking into his life since. He's a stage performer, musician, actor, activist and now author. 

His memoir Vagabond was released "just last week" and it's available in the following formats: audiobook, audio CD, e-reader and paper copy. I want to say that the title is taken from a song off of one of his albums, but I could be wrong. 

According to a few articles, Curry has voiced the audiobook copy. Given that he's confined to a wheelchair due to a 2012 stroke, it's amazing that he not only had his memoir written, but he read it aloud for audiophiles. He's totally taking the right direction and not letting this disability ruin his life.

Per Amazon, the synopsis is:

"This memoir is a celebration of Tim Curry's life’s work, and a testament to his profound impact on the entertainment industry as we know it today.

There are few stars in Hollywood today that can boast the kind of resume Tony award-nominated actor Tim Curry has built over the past five decades. From his breakout role as Dr. Frank-N-Furter in The Rocky Horror Picture Show to his iconic depiction as the sadistic clown Pennywise in It to his critically acclaimed role as the original King Arthur in both the Broadway and West End versions of Spamalot, Curry redefined what it meant to be a “character actor,” portraying heroes and villains alike with complexity, nuance, and a genuine understanding of human darkness. 

Now, in his memoir, Curry takes readers behind-the-scenes of his rise to fame from his early beginnings as a military brat to his formative years in boarding school and university, to the moment when he hit the stage for the first time. He goes in-depth about what it was like to work on some of the most emblematic works of the 20th century, constantly switching between a camera and a live audience. He also explores the voicework that defined his later career and provided him with a chance to pivot after surviving a catastrophic stroke in 2012 that nearly took his life. 

With the upcoming 50th anniversary of The Rocky Horror Picture Show and the 40th anniversary of Clue, there’s never been a better time for Tim to share his story with the world."

 

I am interested in obtaining a copy of either the audiobook or audio CD but I know it'll be a large file and multiple discs. It's going to be worth it, but I may end up just buying the book instead as I totally want to read this memoir. He's an interesting person as it is, and I would love to support him by purchasing his writing. I've just got to decide which format I want to get. The holidays are coming up, so maybe my relatives will kick over a few bucks in my Amazon account and I'll be able to choose what version I want to obtain, but then again, if I can save enough, I'm also going to need an external hard drive. 

Oh, the priorities... support the arts and also a reading habit, or get a device to back up all my digital junk from my computer... First World problems! 

But I would suggest to anyone reading this, definitely support the arts. Let's unban books and get all humans reading again, even if they're buying the audio version...

Take care of yourselves and learn something new!

Cheers;

"Listen to the wind blow, watch the sun rise"

 [...] Listen to the wind blow, down comes the night

Running in the shadows, damn your love, damn your lies

Break the silence, damn the dark, damn the light

 © Christine McVie / John McVie / Lindsey Buckingham / Mick Fleetwood / Stephanie Nicks. 

Fleetwood Mac. 1977. 

"The Chain". 

Rumours.

Some one in my community still doesn't know when dawn or dusk are, so the sign to go Nightswimming is still valid. I guess REM has been playing too much in that person's head? 

I don't know what the person who made the sign was thinking, but here it is, Christmas Eve, and people probably want to take their family to the pool. Proving no one pays attention, the hours of operation aren't going to affect them because "we all know better" than being allowed to swim from night to day. Especially since our community security system yells at anyone who is on the pool deck as soon as the sun stops shining (trust me, I experienced this myself). 

So people escaping the cold, will be splashing away in 75° Florida weather. And then go back to whatever frigid climate they came from, next week. 

I caught a gecko on my lanai.

He's been rehomed to the front of the house. 

He's not too big, as I've gotten bigger ones in this cup. 

But he's also the second one I've caught this week. They're coming in to warm up, but we attempt to get them before they run around our house and hide forever. We take them to another part of the yard and see what happens. 

I'm not mean, I'm just rehoming him. Might do them good to meet the neighbors better. 

I couldn't stand the Bath & Body Works "Eddie's Leather Jacket" soap, so my mother is using it in the kitchen. In its place, I opened the "Demogorgon" soap. 

Which, like all the Stranger Things x Bath & Body Works products, is no longer selling on any website. 

Unless you're looking to buy from third party vendors (on all sites). 

Amazon only has the candle from other vendors, so I can't speak of the quality of the products being sold. I can only speak of the soap I bought at a physical B&BW store. 

The soap smells so much better than the other one. I'm not biased because of the patchouli aspect, but this soap smells cleaner, 100%. 

It makes me excited to try the candle when I have opportunity. 

It's the first night of Chanuka and it's also Christmas Eve. 

I went to the gym this morning while my mother went to the pool. We had lunch and then went to CVS and Publix because both were open and we needed some things (we have company, and they are leaving tomorrow, to go back north). Tonight for supper, it'll be a mix of things but not any type of take away. Nor will we do that tomorrow, because we will be busy making sure the company has everything they need and packed to go home. 

I really don't know what's planned. Maybe catch up on some streaming that we missed this week. If not, I started the next chapters in the Conjuring universe, so I know I have the Annabelle and Nun series to finish up. I've been slow on the uptake with a lot of the movies, but at least I have them on DVD. 

I did watch The First Omen recently. As a stand alone movie, it was okay. But to be hovering around the Omen universe, it was all right. Not the best. I mean, I could see where the directors and writers tried to make it jive to the 1970s movies, but it wasn't completely gelling. Much like the remake Julia Stiles was in, 18 years ago. It wasn't a complete reboot but it wasn't a stand alone either. 

Beggars can't be choosers. It's interesting to see these old movies get remade or continued, but at what point do we say "stop; create something new and inspiring"? 

That is a future question meant solely to be answered when we find it, I suppose. 

At any rate, whatever your holiday flavor is, enjoy it and don't try anything stupid. You're still being watched by those who believe in outer worldly magic and if you haven't gotten your wrapped gifts yet, they're on the way.

Be as happy as Buddy the Elf.

Cheers;

Rocked out covers album

Who knew one of the most talked about "I don't do covers" covers album, actually sounds halfway decent?

I picked up a copy of Dolly Parton's Rockstar album the other day and was amazed with the list of musicians singing along with the Queen of Country. 

I mean when you put A-List musicians like Richie Sambora, Sting, Stevie Nicks and Waddy Wachtel, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Debbie Harry (and the list goes on) with someone who is creating an album out of their realm, what's the worst that can happen?

Nothing catastrophic considering each individual person on record has enough talent that they could have done their own compilation karaoke mix tape and sell it right next to this one. 

Okay, it's country gone mainstream rock, but at least it's better than William Shatner talking through some of his albums. There's another musician that I am blanking out on at the moment, but he too, is one of those people who did a couple cover albums and people talk about it even today, because it was totally not within this guy's project wheelhouse. I wish I could remember the guy's name. He's mainstream enough that you'd know him if I said his name, but I'll be damned if I can think of it now. 

It's the... second (?) day of Chanuka, so I'm sure I'll get some pretty interesting things put in my hands. Much like the aforementioned country-does-rock CD. Time will tell what the next six nights bring us... even it it's also a 2016 live album of Culture Club performing at Wembley (speaking of "Time"). 

Enjoy all the oil.... 

Cheers

Must be a new season!

 As I sit at my desk, looking out the window, the Grinch is staring at me from across the street while Buddy the Elf is taking a pee. 

I don't know how Buddy got shifted around, but the group is missing Bumble, as in years past, he's made his presence known. He might have thought it's too hot here this year to make an appearance, as it's currently 76 degrees out. 

Tay messaged me last night with pictures of "the first snow of the season". It as still too light of a dusting to really call it a lot, even for it being close to 9pm. 

So Florida weather scares away the better decorations. 

Except the penguins.

 

The penguins belong next door, so I had gone out to get better pictures of the stuff across the street and figured I'd get Ed's stuff too. 

All of the above pictures are taken on the Canon EOS Rebel T7i camera and edited in Photoshop CS5 (for name, sharpen and some auto tones), while the picture below was taken the other night on my iPhone 11 in the Skype app. No edits but putting on my name. 

You can see the scope of some of the lights and how bright they are down the road. It's massively crazy to drive home after 6pm and see half the block all light up, as the neighbors seem to want to compete with each other. 

With all the decorations and reminders to give gifts, I know people are starting to get their party on. So much talk of White Elephant events, it's like "what do I do?" / "What do I choose?". I started to put a board together on Pinterest to help my friends out.. just random stuff. Things I would buy to submit for the soiree(s). I tried to stay under $25, as most hosts ask for under twenty. The lucky few are $30 or less. Gag gifts or not, I'm sure someone's going to have a laugh... 

Until I get get my camera charged and take more holiday pictures..

Stay warm, stay dry, stay cool. Just don't leave the lights on all night.

Cheers

See Also (aka the decorations list - links via Amazon)

• Buddy the Elf (I forgot which one it is)
  
• The Grinch
  
• Presents
  
• Rudolph

Groovy; dig it, birds!

 Well... Thanksgiving is over. Birds were pardoned and bellies were filled. Shopping has been had and Christmas lights are officially up. 

I was with family over the weekend, and we ventured out to a place called "St. Armand's Circle". Allegedly, it is part of the place John Ringling took a liking to, when he decided to grow roots in Sarasota. 

Lots of not super high end shops in this block of land, but the stores aren't cheap either. I mean, there are branded places like Huk, Chico's and the mall kiosk turned full store.. one of those "enter your favorite design here" shirt places. What was also available were mom and pop stores - boutiques, tea spots, hot sauce / pepper sauce place... list is on. There were also one off ethnic restaurants - Greek, Italian, themed bars (looked at a 1920s speak easy joint for a minute). There was even a life sized chess set to play with. Too bad no one wanted to try a round with me.

We didn't add a lot to boost the economy, but we decreased our waist size half a notch in our belts as we walked around. As no one could decide where they wanted lunch, we ended up back in the car and drove a couple miles down the road to Longboat Key. A little dive of a fishing pier shanty that is allegedly known for it's hamburger, not it's seafood. So a burger with onions rings, 2 orders of fish n chips and an order of clam strips was had by the group I was with. 

I was more interested in taking pictures of the webbed foot life on the water, so I have plenty to add to this post. The pictures were taken with a Canon EOS Rebel T7i DSLR Camera, where most snaps were using the Canon EF 75-300mm f/4-5.6 III Telephoto Zoom Lens. I'm linking broad links so that anyone interested in the camera / lens can choose the bundle they'd like to pick up, if they choose. I know there's an updated Rebel, but I'm not interested in it right now. I'm still getting to know my current iteration.

And I do have to say the Bluetooth / Wi-Fi connectivity from the camera to my phone (download the Canon app) has been a godsend these days when everyone demands they see the pictures immediately. They want "professional" shots and those pictures to be texted to the phones the second the timer goes off. 

The string lights pictures were taken with the kitted lens. 

All photos not edited. WYSIWYG. I just added my name to them. 

I've got far too many more pictures, but I think this is probably over kill. The pelicans were being fed scraps from a fishing boat that had just pulled in and were cleaning the haul. Red snapper is what was caught and pieces thrown to the pack of waiting pelicans, ibis, seagulls, and blue heron. 

It was an interesting adventure, to say the least. We went the longish way back to the house I was staying at, so we passed through a bit of a beach area. Coquina, Anna Maria, Siesta Key... places I've not heard of nor visited, and I've been in Florida a decade already (well... shit...). Everyone asks if I know of such and such or have been to X and Y. Sadly, no, as it's not my scene to really go adventuring and looking at places I've never heard of, since the first time I ever stepped foot in Fort Myers was when we moved here.. in 2011. Sure, I've been to Orlando for the theme parks, but that was twice when I was younger. Otherwise, Florida ain't my bag. Why go looking for things when the things really aren't calling you? 

Gotta make the best of it as it comes, it looks like. So when I get asked for a party, I go, and if we go driving somewhere, I'll have a camera. But otherwise, I stay more local than a lot of people would probably prefer. I'm waiting on a big lottery win from a dollar scratch off. Then I'll go places (like ship back to Boston). Unless I find a better employment opportunity, then I'm all in. Trust me, I'm looking for work and it seems like it's been in all the wrong places lately. But it's not stopping me. I'm willing to network if you know anyone! 

Until something major happens, I'll just post again here with other updates...

Cheers.