The Neighborhood Threat

Movies that should be made...

2008-07-02T15:26:27Z

My pal coffeefortwo's latest Happy New Month blog inspired me to do some Photoshoppin'....

Yeah, I know, that barely explains it... I think I need a new hobby.

Listening Party #2

2008-06-26T20:12:45Z

So the AV lab in the Foreign Language department of the University I work at is being gutted. All kinds of things are being tossed, furniture, shelving, old empty reels, broken headphones, slides, and a large pile of records and tapes. Being unable to resist the temptation of free crap... I perused the vinyl... I think I made out.

I got the madness... the bongo madness!!

That looks like my kind of party...

I'm not sure what's going here with Elk Man... but I'm sure it's great...

You bet.

Never thought I'd need to hear Sophia Loren read me Italian poetry until I saw this...

The more I look at this one, the more creeped out I get. I think she needs to cut these two off.

Isn't it always Christmas in Sweden?

This cover needs no comment...

Great Camp

2008-06-23T23:12:54Z

Went camping this weekend at the in-laws, it was great as usual. The weather despite looking dramatic at times was perfect.

Went on a hay ride,

did a little fishin',

watched my father in-law construct a vertical bon-fire,

watched my son play with that...

it was all right.

Man, I need one of these...

2008-06-20T17:02:53Z

Yep, it does burn a Cylon's face into yer bread.... greatest thing ever...

I found it here...

B-S-Frakkin'-G....

2008-06-12T21:21:16Z

I just read a mostly-spoiler free review of tomorrow night's mid-season finale of Battlestar Galactica over at Ain't it Cool News.... aka Nerdlingerville....

Here's a few spoiler free lines:

Are you sure this is the biggest “Galactica” ever?
Yes.
Bigger than the episode that ended with Boomer putting two bullets in Bill Adama's chest?
Yes.
Bigger than the episode that leapt ahead a year?
Yes.
Bigger than the episode that revealed the Watchtower Four?
Yes.

Oh man... is it Friday yet?

Put on the glasses.

2008-06-12T13:32:43Z

I'd buy Hot Rod a beer...

Lisa, you're going down!!

2008-06-12T01:58:10Z

Just a few minutes before the big Top Chef Chicago Finale.... and Lisa, yer going down!!

Your food must be amazing 'cuz that TeeVee persona you got workin' is only missin' a big mean handle bar mustache. And I bet you are a decent person in real life, and I'm sure they edit you up all villainously and all... but seriously... you don't do yourself any favors.

"It's a paint rag now, boy!!"

2008-06-10T03:42:51Z

Two days after my trip down south, the family and I got in the Solid-Mobile and headed Up North to attend the wedding of one of my cousins in Chippewa Falls. It was a nice little trip. The ceremony was nice and brisk... clocking in it at a respectable 12 minutes. After the ceremony we had a little time to kill before the reception, about 45 minutes, so naturally me and the wife dragged our kids to Leinenkugel's Brewery to check out the Leinie's Lodge. Seconds, after we walked in we were offered free beer for us and pop for the kids, and this is the gift shop!!

Enjoying the sunshine, the breeze and the beer we decided to head all the way home after the reception. What better way to digest midwestern wedding food than a four and a half hour drive to Milwaukee in the dark? Maybe it was the Leinie's the talking... but it seemed reasonable. After all, I had spent a week on the road, and we wanted to spend Sunday together, at home.

We left the reception about 8:30 and started home. About an hour later the skies were amazing, all pinks, and reds, blues and... blacks. Then the lightning started. Soon, it was just black. Driving that stretch of 94, there was nothing on the radio except Brewers, country music, Jesus talk and static, no weather reports. We called a friend 2 hours south in Madison, and she told us things looked grim. So we decided to head straight east for cover at my in-laws house... about half-way home.

It's a good thing we did. Several tornadoes touched down that night along what would've been our route. Luckily no one was injured (that I know of). Sunday morning we drove the rest of the way back, and it was raining pretty good the whole way. In fact, Milwaukee was getting rain steadily since Saturday night. When pulled off the freeway and drove through 'Tosa we noticed some roads we blocked off. There was flooding everywhere. And our initial thoughts were about the basement of our old home.

We did get lots of water, but that's nothing new for us. Most rains like that we do get "seepage" from all corners of the house, and this is merely some small steady streams. We did a quick clean and purge of our basement... basically getting everything up a few inches off the ground and throwing out a lot of worthless crap. We were pretty bummed about the whole thing. But after turning on the news and reading the paper in a quick game of catch up, my wife and I realized that we got off real lucky for owners of an 88 year old house with no sump pump.

Houses are flooded big time, rivers are flooding all over the state, roads are washing away, the governor has declared a state of emergency in 30 counties, hell, Lake Delton is gone! (so long Tommy Bartlett) so yeah, a constant trickle of water is nothing compared to what a lot of folks are dealing with.

The only thing I lost in this was some old t-shirts.

When we first got home, my wife tried mopping up some of the mess with some old t-shirts of mine that were destined to "paint rag" status anyway. This didn't do too much. So, we moved onto our Worthless Brand Shop Vac which made a lot of noise, sucked up about two drops and then SPIT THEM OUT!!! The Vac isn't plugged up it's just plain broke... Off to the large home improvement store I went to buy a new mop and bucket. I don't know why, but I'm really exciting to have a new mop. I kinda feel like Michael Richards in UHF.

Tonight, mopping the puddles, I looked down at the "casualties" in our mess. Old friends that I'd worn for years, way too long... Friends with names like Fuddruckers, Slopes, and the Mullet. Good T-shirts that covered me well for years and years, but were just plain worn out.

I remember where I was when I got all of these guys... "Packer Wilco Shirt" was bought at a show at Shank Hall with slomack, cuz... well... the colors were green and gold... And good ole "Two Dollar Wilco Shirt" was bought from a homeless guy after a Wilco Show in Atlanta... I only bought the thing (that was 3 sizes too small for me) because the guy was so convincing. "WILL-CO SHIRT!! TWO DOLLAR!! WILL-CO SHIRT!!" That shirt spent its whole life in my dresser.

Anyway, as I threw shirt after shirt into the muck I felt bad for their unseemly end. This was no way to treat an old friend. And when I got to this one...

I couldn't go on. This is my gym shirt from my freshmen year of high school. It has survived a half dozen moves over the years, and even though I will never fit in this thing again, I just had to keep it.

Go Panthers!!

Beer, BBQ and Baseball

2008-06-06T14:08:05Z

So I just got back Wednesday from a trip down south to see some pals in North Carolina and Georgia. It was a great time. As the title indicates, it was all about Beer, BBQ, and Baseball. It ended up being a little light on BBQ, but we made up for it with prodigious amounts of beer and plenty of baseball. We saw a Durham Bulls game on Saturday, a Charlotte Knights game Sunday, got stomped by the trivia gods at the Jack of the Mill in Asheville Monday, and saw the Braves Tuesday.

For a more comprehensive recap, check out coffeefortwo's blog.

Oh yeah, and we saw Mountains. It was wonderful.
Here's some random images:

Falconer!!

2008-05-21T23:07:15Z

Ah, Cubs Fans....

2008-05-13T19:54:33Z

For those of you who have been to Wrigley Field, you know about the "trough". Not sure if that is an official nickname or not, but that's what I call the men's pisser at Wrigley. Granted, this was probably the state of the art in Urinal/Latrine Technology, back in 1914, but after nearly 100 years of service, it might be time for an update. Although, it looks like Cub fans are enjoying it anyway.

Uhhh.... What's up Stooges?

2008-05-09T13:30:45Z

This is not what I was hoping for when you guys re-united a few years back...

Thanks to cannonball_drum for showing me this... I will take all of your quarters later for this....

Guy Movie Update....

2008-05-08T21:40:54Z

Awhile back, hundreds of my dear readers were shocked to hear that I had never seen the movie Slap Shot. I am happy to say that I have finally seen it.

So, how was it?

To quote my old man, "You Bet!" This is a really good movie.

In fact, I was surprised at how good it was. It's brutal, tough and hilarious, totally a "guy movie." And it was written by a lady, Nancy Dowd. It's a great script that doesn't pull any punches, and lets guys be their nasty unflattering selves. This is 2 hours of dudes pissing with the seat down, farting in bed and belching after a beer.

George Roy Hill cast this movie with real Hockey players, mostly because the Hollywood types that wanted in it couldn't skate or play hockey. It was a brilliant move. This movie just feels right, from the gritty shots of the dying steel town the Chiefs call home, to weathered beaten down fans in the in the stands, to the gloriously depressing "victory" parade at the end.

What makes this a great guy movie is the fact that it's really an anti-guy movie. For all the juvenile fun these guys are having, I found myself increasingly repulsed by everything. These guys are mean bastards. Although I found myself yelling "Aw, Yeah!!!" a lot, inside I was saying "oh boy, that's kinda mean, he's gonna get in trouble for that."

Paul Newman has never been so sleazy. Throughout the movie he lies and manipulates his players, his fans, the media and the other team. All the while trying to reconcile things with his ex-wife. I kept rooting for her to stay away from him.

The Hanson Brothers are great. They play idiot-savant goons, Hell-bent on violence and toy race cars. They are oddly innocent as they attack fans, the other team and Coke machines. They are violent but not mean about it, they're simply playing the game the way they think it should be... dirty. Just look at this bizarre locker room scene. (Warning it's full of f-bombs.)

Yes, it's the worst time of the year....

2008-05-06T18:58:14Z

Man, with the Brewers looking the like the Brewers of old (circa 2005), and the Bucks...being the Bucks, and Packers training camp like a million years away... this is indeed the worst time of the year for a WI sports fan.

I just found myself taking this poll:

Amazingly, it didn't make me feel any better. I just kind of of feel hollow and numb. Man, I need a beer or something...

Hello Monkey...

2008-05-05T20:18:53Z

Here's a promo to a British TeeVee show I found starring Cookie McBride. It features many "British" celebrities that I don't know and also one of my favorite singers, Mr. QC Rockitt.

I love the Brits...

Even da Yoopers like ole Brett

2008-04-25T19:07:42Z

Dig d'at Yooper accent, hey!!

Oh Hell Yeah!!!

2008-04-19T00:31:47Z

Recently, robertaroberts blogged about a cool looking movie. I commented about how I wanted to send my daughter off to the Rock N Roll Camp for Girls someday. robertaroberts heard my pledge and took a step to make that happen. Thank you so much. The shirt rules. I can't wait to see the movie. And Nora is an awesome bass player.

Great Moments in Takin' It in the Nutz

2008-04-08T13:23:15Z

Thanks Lisa for showing me this. That's about the greatest thing ever.

Great Moments in Storyboards #1

2008-04-04T14:34:53Z

Great Moments in Photography #2

2008-04-03T14:17:01Z

Well, let me just say that taking a picture of a piece of pizza is a lot easier than scurrying low lit animals. I had none of the issues of slow shutter speed or the wrong ISO or any of that. It was great, perhaps I've turned a corner...

Not sure why I took these pictures, but these two big slices of pizza said something to me. Almost as if they were alive... I decided to call the one on the left "Slicey" and the one on the right "Piecey," before my daughter and I ate them.

Nora, who is almost 2, loved eating my new friends. She kept saying, "mo pissa...mo pissa... hot!!!"

Great Moments in Photography #1

2008-03-30T22:21:05Z

Today was all about humility and frustration. We went to the zoo, and for those who know me and keep track of my lovely wife and her adventures, that's twice in 3 days for her and the kids. We went to the annual Milwaukee Zoo Pancake Feed or fundraiser or some such thing. Long line, good pancakes, Usinger's Breakfast Sausage, it was good.

Anyway, I said, "Since we're right here, let's go see some animals," or more specifically, "let's go take a picture of a sloth!" I won't get into my insane reasons for needing to take a picture of sloth right now... but we all decided it would be fun. So off to the Small Mammal House we headed, armed with bellies full of flapjacks and our fairly new Rebel XT camera.

I'm not a professional photographer, but I am a pro video guy... so I fancy myself a pretty good shooter... of video. However, still photography is an amazing art and discipline all to itself. I also know that my camera is no great shakes as far as digital SLRs go, and the little lens that came with it isn't so hot. But for the photography we typically do it's the right camera for us.

So, the Mammal House is quite dark, and the animals in there are like 5 year olds high on pixie sticks. They don't stop moving. Low light and high motion mean bad pics. Here is a tayra. And here is an otter. That smear on the right side is his face. Oh and the sloth... here you go. Allegedly that ball of fur is a real live sloth... this one too. Man, they sure live up to their namesake. Either that, or the fine folks at the Milwaukee County Zoo are duping us into thinking they actually own two sloths. It could be some fake fur wrapped around a pillow and most people would still walk by the exhibit and say, "Ooh look, a sloth!" I know I did, I even took some pictures.

Our next stop was the Fish Towne... or AquaShack or whatever. This was just as dark and the fish were just as active as the small mammals. My pictures were just as bad. Here's a fish. And some more. My camera was working hard, but the conditions were just not right. Heck, I even tried a pic with a flash... with the expected lousy results.

Maybe, I'll stick to video....

I can't believe it...

2008-03-17T00:25:57Z

...some genius posted footage from the short-lived Black Herve reunion concert.... TURN IT UP!! God, I love these guys.

I heart video movies.

2008-03-12T15:47:08Z

Hey SLOMACK!!

2008-03-11T15:13:01Z

Pick up yer damn couch!

Just kidding of course. Your couch served us well for the last six or seven years...

(All of you anonymous types should now be able to Comment on this here blog.)

Listening Party #1

2008-03-08T05:04:31Z

Diggin’ through the quarter record box at the local St. Vinnie’s I found an old out of print album that I’ve been searching for. Set Me Frehley’s solo album, “Out of Bondage.” To call this a masterpiece wouldn’t be saying enough. It’s rough and raw, hits all the right notes, and of course, sets you free.

For those who aren’t sure who Set Me is let me give you some background. He is not related to Paul “Ace” Frehley of KISS. No, Set Me was one of a trio of singers in the post-modern, post-punk, hair metal group called Black Hervé. He, along with band mates Q.C. Rockitt and Black Solid, cut a swath through the DIY rock scene of the late 80s. Armed with only a couple of tape decks, a cheap dictation microphone and a Realistic mixer, this trio from suburban Richmond, VA quite simply re-invented music.

Their detractors have always accused them of being “lame cover artists” or “those drunk Karaoke guys,” but to call them that would be a crime. The listener would obviously not be looking past the surface of their recordings. Sure, most of the time they did just sing right over top of their favorite songs, often imitating the inflexions of the original singers. But this was more than wannabe rockstar musings. Indeed, Black Hervé brought it to a whole new level, transforming the original meaning of the songs into something new and amazing.

For example, their triumphant version of KISS’s “Black Diamond” changes the simple ballad about lost girls turned prostitutes into a song about performance and singing itself, as each member of the group tries to out-sing or out-shout the other. By the end, their voices are so loud that the mix is completely distorted, resulting in a cacophony of sounds so transcendentally joyful that the listener oft times need to cleanup after hearing it. At least this writer does…

The band’s breakup was sudden and mysterious, and the trio’s post Hervé careers were varied. Most of you recall QC Rockitt famously singing a cover of Jerry Reed’s “Rainbow Ride” on the Rosie O’Donnell show, as well as his long stint as the center square on Hollywood Squares. Black Solid started a more traditional band, one that played real instruments and occasionally wrote original material before he faked his own death. For the most part, Set Me Frehley stayed out of the spotlight, made one album and then quietly retired. It is believed he now works at a golf course as an assistant groundskeeper.

Out of Bondage was an instant classic, although a lack of record company support doomed it to a life in the bargain bin. Six months after it’s initial release, Casablanca officially listed Out of Bondage, “Out of Print”. I was one of the lucky ones that bought it when it came out in 1992. Tragically, in a fit of manic comedy, I mistakenly broke it over my head at a house party a year later. I was so mad, I thought it was my old Billy Katt album… I hate thinking about that day…

From there the search was on for a replacement. Fifteen years later, here it is. And it still rocks. Playing it again a few things struck me. I forgot how short it is, the whole record clocks in at just over 16 minutes. Also, it sounds just like a Black Hervé album.

Casablanca Records and Tapes had hired Ted Templeton to produce the album. I read in an interview with Templeton, that he had wanted to ditch the old Hervé covers and get Set Me to write original songs. Although hesitant at first, Set Me did pour his heart out on one original song, the album’s opener, “Janet.” This is a moving tribute to actor Joyce DeWitt, and with it Set Me reveals a warm gentle side that isn’t on his Hervé work.

“Janet, you little sprite/ I miss you on Tuesday night/ Seeing you at the Regal Beagle/givin’ me thoughts that are illegal…

Then after that one day in the studio, Set Me disappeared. He was eventually tracked down and told that if he didn’t return to the studio he would have to pay back his advance. He showed up the next day with a cassette tape. He told Templeton that this was the album. And that he was done. These songs were tacked on after "Janet" and that was that.

After “Janet,” the album is filled with covers of Bon Jovi, Poison and KISS. These ‘covers” were in the Hervé style of him singing over the original tracks. His voice is real low on “Livin’ on a Prayer.” When asked about it, he shrugged and said, “Bon Jovi sang it great, I couldn’t compete with it…”

KISS’s Strutter is remade into a 30 second ad for ABC’s fall lineup. “Also, watch Barney Miller also on ABC with ABE VIGODAAAAAAAA!!!” Apparently, Set Me thought he had a career as a commercial jingle artist. Unfortunately, this was not to be.

Side two starts with an awesome version of “Love on the Rocks” and then the rest of the album is oddly filled with outtakes from the Hervé days. In fact the last few tracks don’t even have Set Me on them. What can I say about this album that hasn’t already been said… it’s truly an amazing piece of work. And those out there that haven’t heard it, need to do what they can to rock it…

Sadly, this version of the album doesn’t have his rare cover of Tears for Fears’ Shout. A bootleg German re-issue of the album has that as a hidden track. It is truly stunning.