http://blogcritics.org/ A sinister cabal of superior bloggers on music, books, film, popular culture, politics, and technology - updated continuously. en Copyright 2005-2007 by the authors Wed, 8 Nov 2006 16:38:51 EST http://backend.userland.com/rss Blogcritics.org custom software http://blogcritics.org/ Phillip WinnSunday, August 26, 2007, marks the switch of all Blogcritics.org article feeds from full-content to short-content. This is the result of several converging factors, and is unfortunately a permanent decision (as permanent as any decision can be on the web, that is). We are aware of all of the reasons that this is a Bad Idea, and we are aware that some of you will be quite upset about having to click on something to read the free content, and we're sorry. Unfortunately, despite great effort, full-content feeds are not currently economically viable. Two other factors are involved: full-content feeds have resulted in an unprecedented level of content theft, with BC content appearing on many websites, usually spam sites, without attribution or permission. This duplicate content causes a cascading set of problems, not the least of which is that search engines generally aren't favorable to duplicate content, and don't always guess correctly. Finally, our RSS advertising partner is strongly in favor of short-content feeds. We hope that you'll continue to subscribe to BC via RSS, and when an article grabs your eye, it's only a click away, still free on the BC website. Thank you for your understanding. Administration0@blogcritics.org Sun, 26 Aug 2007 12:00:00 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/11/08/163851.php TaloranCongratulations on your 2006 electoral victory, and on seizing the House of Representatives, and perhaps the Senate, from your Republican opponents. We The People have given you the opportunity to govern, and this election should prove to you that We The People expect and demand that you govern with integrity.We The People have decided that we are tired of your opponents for a number of reasons, and have therefore given you the opportunity to serve as temporary caretakers of this great nation. Some of The People who elected you are tired of Republican corruption and influence peddling. Some have had enough of the lies about Iraq and are horrified by the number of lives of brave Americans lost there. Some have had enough of your opponents’ pandering to the religious right. Some are repulsed by the disgrace known as Mark Foley. Some are fed up with this President and his administration. For whatever combination of reasons, We The People have collectively had enough of the Republicans, and have voted them out of power, at all levels of government, and from coast to coast, for the time being. You have been given an opportunity to prove yourselves to The People. If you had ever had real jobs, you would understand that employers give new hires a grace period to prove that they can do the job effectively and efficiently. That is what We The People have decided to do with you – we have given you a trial period to show us that you can and will do what is best for The People of this country.Do not think of this election as a victory for liberal tax and spend policies – it’s not. Do not think that We The People have given you rein to suck up to lobbyists and enrich yourselves to our detriment – we haven’t. Do not think you have been given license to muzzle us or enact legislation to protect us from ourselves – you haven’t. Think of this only as an opportunity to serve The People of this great land and to prove to us that you deserve to be kept on beyond your brief trial period. If you screw up this trial period we will fire you as we fired your predecessors. We have had enough of politicians stealing from the till. We are tired of special interests buying legislation that is contrary to the best interests of Americans. We are fed up with our elected public servants telling us blatant untruths.Make the most of your opportunity, and realize that you are servants to The People and caretakers of these United States. If we are dissatisfied with your service during this review period, we will find others who are more reliable and more competent to serve in your place.You have been given both an opportunity and fair warning. We are watching. Politics55533@blogcritics.org Wed, 8 Nov 2006 16:38:51 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/09/20/135830.php TaloranIt infuriates me to think that every time I fill up my tank, I'm putting money in the pocket of Saudi oil sheiks who detest my country and consider the United States "the Great Satan." I'm sure there are some perfectly nice people in Saudi Arabia who are not blind with hate of everything American except greenbacks and the protection we offer them. But enough of them want to see me, my family, my friends and my neighbors riddled with bullets that I detest the thought of putting more cash in Saudi hands.I always figured it was an unavoidable fact of life that every time I filled my gas tank the money went to the Saudis. But I received an email yesterday that detailed which oil companies do and do not import their products from Saudi Arabia and other Persian Gulf countries, and thought I'd do some research to see whether it was accurate.I was previously unaware that petroleum importers have to disclose to the Department of Energy the source of their products. By searching around on the DOE's website, I found current information about oil import sources that generally corroborates the email I received. By doing a little background checking on the companies listed, I determined that by shopping for gas at certain stations and boycotting others I can do my part to keep the Persian Gulf oil sheiks from getting any richer.Following are lists of gas station brand names that do and do not import oil from the Persian Gulf. Gas station brands that import Persian Gulf oil Shell Chevron Texaco Exxon Mobil Marathon Speedway Diamond ShamrockGas station brands that DO NOT import Persian Gulf oil Sunoco Conoco Sinclair BP / Amoco Citgo ** - Note that while Citgo does not import oil from the Gulf, it is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Venezuelan state oil company. Depending on your political leanings, you may or may not want to support Hugo Chavez and his populist, pro-Cuban government. It wouldn't hurt my feelings one bit to see Saudi oil sales drop by, say, 100%. While I know that ain't gonna happen any time soon, I am going to do my part by filling my vehicles at stations in the second list above and encouraging my friends to do the same. I like BP stations anyway - they always seem to be clean and tidy, the gas is good, and they generally have clerks who aren't complete lunkheads. I'd even stop in to my local Diamond Shamrock and tell them why I'm not going to shop there anymore, but I'm sure Carl (the dimwit behind the counter who can barely make change) wouldn't comprehend a word I said.Pass the word to your friends and family! Boycott Saudi oil! chked:NB Politics36527@blogcritics.org Tue, 20 Sep 2005 13:58:30 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/08/23/135221.php TaloranI once watched an interview with the Grateful Dead's Jerry Garcia, in which he said something along the lines of "The Dead are like black licorice - you either love it or hate it - there's not much middle ground." The same can be said for progressive rock. Many people perceive it to be bombastic, pretentious, and overwrought, and detest it for its symphonic ambitions. Others love the complex compositions, poetic lyrical complexity, and operatic story lines. I am firmly in the second camp, though I can understand the point of view of the first. One of the first albums I ever owned was Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. I received it at age eleven in 1973 from my English grandmother for Christmas - it was all the rage in England at the time. I was enthralled by Floyd's use of unconventional instrumentation - helicopters and clock chimes were things I had not previously heard in music - and what I perceived as their visionary lyrics (though I probably didn't think of it in those terms) held me in sway. At about the same time, Yes' Roundabout was on the radio, and I saved enough allowance and chore money to purchase the Fragile album, and I was hooked on this new kind of music. More Floyd and Yes followed, along with Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Curved Air, early Genesis, Rush, King Crimson and eventually Frank Zappa and Captain Beefheart. As I grew and matured, I left prog rock behind for a while, delving into the blues and blues-rock, becoming entranced with Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac, the Allman Brothers, Cream, Muddy Waters and especially Michael Bloomfield. I would return occasionally to the flights of fancy and sci-fi/fantasy illusions of Tales from Topographic Oceans or Air Cut, but the thrust of my musical interest was trying to emulate Clapton, Bloomfield and Peter Green on the guitar (never very successfully, I must admit.) When I found the Grateful Dead and their peculiar, distinctly American blend of psychedelia and folk music, I was again hooked, and returned to the music of my younger days. Pink Floyd, Yes, ELP and the trippier, more experimental albums of the Dead dominated the time on my turntable, though I never again renewed my earlier love for Rush, as Geddy Lee's screeching, whining voice drowned out the excellent guitar of Alex Lifeson and the stunning drumming of Neil Peart. Like most adolescent boys, I became a teeny bopper for a while, liking whatever was currently on the radio, but thankfully that phase passed fairly rapidly as my knowledge of music theory and history grew. In college I enrolled in the music school for a time, and positively devoured my classes in jazz history and classical appreciation, while alternating my personal listening between the blues and prog/art rock. Unfortunately, I was a much better student of music than performer thereof, and switched out of the music school after two years. But the musical melting pot that was Boulder at the time opened my eyes to a wider variety of styles and genres than I had previously experienced, and I briefly took a great interest in what could then be very loosely classified as "very modern jazz," from Pat Metheny to Return to Forever to George Benson to Jeff Beck to the Mahavishnu Orchestra, some of which remain among my favorites to this day. I listened to the gentle musings of the Windham Hill artists George Winston and Liz Story, the latin passion of Tito Puente and Al DiMeola, the impeccably precise guitar of Wes Montgomery and the passionate piano of George Shearing. I had the great fortune to have roommates, girlfriends and acquaintances who loved such diverse artists as Allan Holdsworth, John Coltrane, David Bowie, the Dixie Dregs, Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen, The Fixx, Hot Tuna, Jackson Browne, Mannheim Steamroller and NRBQ, and was exposed to a tremendously broad spectrum of musical styles. Not all the styles or artists were to my taste, but I tried to develop an appreciation even for music that I disliked. Still, from time to time I would return for a week, or a month, or a quarter to the fantastic delusions of Pink Floyd, Yes, and King Crimson. It gave me a comfort like going home again. Several months ago, I was in one of my prog rock periods, and took Wish You Were Here to work one day. A workmate, who knows me best as a jazz and blues aficionado, was very surprised to hear me listening to it, and commented that he didn't think I liked that style of music. I explained that prog rock had always been one of my favorites, and the next day an unlabelled CD-ROM was laying on my desk with a sticky note attached that said "Listen to this." I called him on the phone and asked what it was, and he said "Just listen to it without looking it up on IMDB."I listened, and was captivated. The music was brilliant, crisp and orchestral, the vocals clear and precise, the musicianship powerful and precise, the lyrics dreamlike and full of fancy. It had a muscle like Rush, guitar playing to rival David Gilmour or Steve Howe but with a harder edge, a vocalist with pipes to push Freddie Mercury, powerful drumming reminiscent of Carl Palmer or Neil Peart, and a steady, creative bass player. The keyboards, though more understated than those of Yes, Curved Air or ELP, weaved a hypnotic progression throughout the length of the disk. And to top it all off, it had a much heavier, more menacing air than any of the prog rock I had previously experienced, bordering at times on heavy metal. The speakers on my work computer are tinny, "out of the box" little pieces of shit from Creative, and didn't do the music justice, but I could tell I liked it.I took the CD home at the end of the day, put it in my home computer with Klipsch 5.1 surround system, cranked it up, and was floored. I hit the "Get Info" button to look the CD up on IMDB, and it was Images and Words by Dream Theater. Listening to the music at maximum volume, the joy of discovery swept through me, like the first time listening to Dark Side or Works, Volume One many years before. How I'd missed this brilliant music for the 13 years since its release I couldn't begin to fathom. The initial thoughts I'd had about the musicianship were magnified by the great sound quality from the Klipsch speakers - the bass lines pounded out of the subwoofer, the guitar lines were more startlingly accentuated, and the keyboards became more evident and took center stage from time to time.I looked Dream Theater up on Allmusic.com, and was far from surprised to learn that they had all been students at the famed Berklee School of Music, with the exception of the vocalist. The rugged, virtuoso guitar playing of John Petrucci seeped into me as I listened. It made a perfect marriage with James LaBrie's exceptional vocals and the excellent, tough-guy drumming of Mike Portnoy. Neither the bass nor the keyboards take center stage often, but are indelibly stamped on the music. The compositional character was fairly typical for prog rock - long, drawn out melodies with spacy, dreamy lyrics, mostly approaching ten minutes in length. The compositions themselves reminded me more of the best of Yes than any of the other bands in the genre, with constant interweaving by the main players, unusual bridges and changes in tempo when the listener least expects it. But Dream Theater had uniqueness to them - this band was building upon the art form, not simply copying from their forebears. As with many new and unique artists, it took me several listens to decide whether I liked the music and the compositions, or just the musicianship. After deciding that the former was the case, I purchased another of their recordings, 2005's Octavarium. Though the songs on Octavarium are not as catchy, they have progressed light years as composers in the interim, and if anything, the music is even more powerful and muscular, and leans even further in the direction of heavy metal than their earlier Images and Words. Since then, I've also picked up 1994's Awake and 2004's Live at Budokan. Being an aficionado of the form and a student of music, I naturally compare and contrast similar bands. Dream Theater stands out in its genre for several reasons. James LaBrie's vocals are, in my opinion, superior to those of Yes' Jon Anderson, with a less grating falsetto. He has both pipes and range to rival Freddie Mercury, whom I consider to be the greatest male vocalist in the history of rock, though I'm not a big Queen fan. The other great prog rock bands had serviceable vocalists, but the vocals never stood out as exceptional to my ear. John Petrucci's guitar wizardry is the equal of that of Steve Howe, with the blazing finger speed of a Satriani or Vai, but superior compositional skills to either. The only thing lacking is the truly memorable, instantly recognizable guitar lines of David Gilmour. While it's hard to say that any other rock drummer matches either Neil Peart or Carl Palmer, Mike Portnoy is brilliant - flashy, fast, and creative, his percussion is more obvious and muscular than that of Palmer - whether that is because of Dream Theater's heavy metal leanings is anyone's guess. Kevin Moore's keyboards lack the finesse of Rick Wakeman and perhaps the technical virtuosity of Keith Emerson, but are much more flamboyant than most of Wakeman's work. John Myung's bass playing is steady, strong and powerful, perhaps lacking Geddy Lee's creativity or Greg Lake's subtlety. The band's lyrics are not as memorable as those of Pink Floyd, or the best of Yes or Rush, but are creative nonetheless. But progressive rock is all about virtuosity and the interplay between highly skilled, technically proficient musicians, and Dream Theater puts the whole package together better than any of the other bands. Add to that the incredible vocals, and in my humble opinion, Dream Theater is the best progressive rock band of all time. Music34662@blogcritics.org Tue, 23 Aug 2005 13:52:21 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/08/10/153705.php TaloranLONDON (AFP) - A puppeteer in Britain has been rapped for portraying Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein as villains, a report said. American-born Brent de Witt, 41, has been scolded for using the pair's characters in the traditional children's puppet play, Punch and Judy.The show had crowds in fits of laughter -- but a few dissenters at the seafront in Broadstairs, southeast England, failed to see the joke."I put them in the show as villains who would go and steal Punch's sausages," De Witt told the Daily Express. "It was very topical and just a bit of fun."But then we had a few people who did not care for it and instead of telling me they went straight to the council."They sent word down for me to take the characters out of the show."Osama bin Laden heads the Al-Qaeda global terror network, while ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein is in US custody near Baghdad awaiting trial on charges of crimes against humanity.Bin Laden, cast as the devil, is defeated by Mr Punch in traditional fashion: clobbered with a stick.Something is definitely wrong in the world when Bin Laden, who has threatened to destroy Britain, can be defended by anyone in Britain as "not a villain." The council (presumably town council) of Broadstairs should have told the complainers to shove it. Would the complainers have been incensed by a silly portrayal of Bush or Blair in the Punch and Judy puppet show? Likely not. Britain went to war to oust Saddam's barbaric regime - agree with the war or not, Saddam is a barbaric thug, a "villain" in just about anyone's book. Portraying him in a Punch and Judy show may show a lack of discretion, but portraying him as a villain anywhere is completely justifiable.Not to mention, it's a PUPPET SHOW, people! Get a freaking clue. Culture33968@blogcritics.org Wed, 10 Aug 2005 15:37:05 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2005/08/10/110414.php TaloranI was unaware until yesterday that a Jazz Hall of Fame existed, and was astounded to learn that it just opened last year. I am thrilled to see that the giants of the art form are being recognized with their own Hall of Fame, even if belatedly.NEW YORK (AP) - Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and Benny Goodman head this year's class of 12 inductees to the Nesuhi Ertegun Jazz Hall of Fame, which opened last fall at Jazz at Lincoln Center's new home in the Time Warner Center. The other 2005 inductees, announced Monday, include trumpeter Roy Eldridge, pianist Earl "Fatha" Hines, alto saxophonist Johnny Hodges of the Duke Ellington Orchestra, Basie band drummer Jo "Papa Jo" Jones, bassist-bandleader-composer Charles Mingus, cornetist Joe "King" Oliver, who brought Louis Armstrong north to Chicago from New Orleans in 1922, and Thomas "Fats" Waller, the stride pianist and singer who wrote hit tunes such as "Ain't Misbehavin" and "Honeysuckle Rose." Pioneering bebop drummer Max Roach and tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins became the first living inductees. The Jazz Hall of Fame is named after the Turkish-born Ertegun, who played a key role in developing the catalog of jazz, R&B and rock albums at Atlantic Records, the label founded by his brother Ahmet. The inductees were chosen by a 58-member panel of jazz musicians, educators and scholars from 17 countries. An induction ceremony will be held Sept. 8 at Frederick P. Rose Hall, home of Jazz at Lincoln Center. "These great jazz musicians set new standards for instrumental and vocal performance in the 20th century," said trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, JALC's artistic director, in a statement. "Their work stands as a testament to the creative power of jazz."Last year's inaugural inductees: Louis Armstrong Sidney Bechet Bix Beiderbecke John Coltrane Miles Davis Duke Ellington Dizzy Gillespie Coleman Hawkins Billie Holiday Thelonious Monk Jelly Roll Morton Charlie Parker Art Tatum Lester Young With only 26 brilliant artists in the Jazz Hall of Fame, there are obviously a great many glaring omissions. And at 12-14 inductees annually, it will take decades for the artists to be properly represented. However, I find the list of first-year inductees to be nearly flawless - if I had the chance, there is not an individual I would remove to replace with someone else. For this year's inductees, I might have chosen some more famous artists (it is the hall of FAME, after all) such as Charlie Christian, Sarah Vaughan, Wes Montgomery, or Glenn Miller instead of some that went in, but since they were chosen by "a 58-member panel of jazz musicians, educators and scholars" who I presume know much more about the art of Jazz than I do, I can't quibble too much.One would think that George and Ira Gershwin would qualify for induction, if the Hall is not limited to performers only.I very much look forward to seeing future inductees, and would find it fascinating to visit the Hall once a larger group of musicians has been inducted. Music33954@blogcritics.org Wed, 10 Aug 2005 11:04:14 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/04/22/203903.php TaloranThis site currently features lots of highly engaging discussion about the recently released list of the top 50 worst pop songs of all time. I must like lists, or at least discussions thereof, as I was first attracted to this site by the discussion surrounding the Rolling Stone Top 100 Guitarists list.How about a list of the "they-were-great-once-but-I'll-puke-if-I-hear-them-again" songs? Only songs that were once great, classic pillars of the rock lexicon, should be considered. Mickey by Tony Basil and We Built This City by Starship don't qualify, IMHO. Off the top of my head, in no particular order after the first two:1. Stairway to Heaven - Led Zeppelin 2. Free Bird - Lynyrd Skynyrd • Won't Get Fooled Again - The Who • Bohemian Rhapsody - Queen • We Will Rock You / We Are The Champions - Queen • Layla (acoustic version) - Eric Clapton (I don't really want to hear Derek and the Dominoes original any more, either) • Hey Jude - The Beatles • Dreams - Fleetwood Mac • Another Brick in the Wall - Pink Floyd • Somebody To Love - Jefferson Airplane • Born To Be Wild - Steppenwolf • LA Woman - The Doors • Hotel California - The Eagles • Goodbye Yellow Brick Road - Elton JohnThe above are just my opinions - you may think that Fleetwood Mac just plain sucks and Dreams was never a great song. You may truly believe that Mickey by Toni Basil is up there with the great works of Beethoven, Ellington and Mozart (in which case I really feel sorry for you). Speak up! Music15008@blogcritics.org Thu, 22 Apr 2004 20:39:03 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2004/04/21/090506.php TaloranPremiere Magazine has released a list of what its editors think are the hundred greatest movie characters of all time. I hope this will stimulate conversation akin to that generated by Rolling Stone's top 100 guitarist list. I may chime in with comments later, but for now, here's the list:The 100 Greatest Movie Characters of All TimeThe Complete List1. Vito Corleone of The Godfather 2. Fred C. Dobbs of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre 3. Scarlett O'Hara of Gone With the Wind 4. Norman Bates of Psycho 5. James Bond of Dr. No 6. Annie Hall of Annie Hall 7. Indiana Jones of Raiders of the Lost Ark 8. Ellen Ripley of Alien 9. Jeff Spicoli of Fast Times at Ridgemont High 10. Gollum of Lord of the Rings 11. Margo Channing of All About Eve 12. Charles Foster Kane of Citizen Kane 13. Atticus Finch of To Kill a Mockingbird 14. Randle McMurphy of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest 15. Hannibal Lecter of The Silence of the Lambs 16. Robin Hood of The Adventures of Robin Hood 17. Dorothy Gale of The Wizard of Oz 18. Carl Spackler of Caddyshack 19. Rick Blaine of Casablanca 20. Virgil Tibbs of In the Heat of the Night 21. Susan Vance of Bringing up Baby 22. Travis Bickle of Taxi Driver 23. Eathan Edwards of The Searchers 24. The Little Tramp of Mabel's Strange Predicament 25. Gordon Gekko of Wall Street 26. E.T. of E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial 27. Marge Gunderson of Fargo 28. Captain Quint of Jaws 29. Daphne/Jerry of Some Like it Hot 30. King Kong of King Kong 31. Norma Desmond of Sunset Boulevard 32. Holly Golightly of Breakfast at Tiffany's 33. Ratso Rizzo of Midnight Cowboy 34. Bonnie Parker of Bonnie and Clyde 35. Dr. Evil of Austin Powers 36. Alex Forrest of Fatal Attraction 37. Jake Gittes of Chinatown 38. Willy Wonka of Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory 39. Michael Dorsey/Dorthy Michaels of Tootsie 40. The Terminator of The Terminator 41. Jane Craig of Broadcast News 42. "Dirty" Harry Callahan of Dirty Harry 43. Forrest Gump of Forrest Gump 44. Jules Winnfield of Pulp Fiction 45. Mary Poppins of Mary Poppins 46. John McClane of Die Hard 47. Mrs. Robinson of The Graduate 48. John "Bluto" Blutarsky of Animal House 49. Chance the Gardener of Being There 50. Blondie of The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly 51. Freddy Krueger of A Nightmare on Elm Street 52. Howard Beale of Network 53. Ninotchka of Ninotchka 54. Frank Booth of Blue Velvet 55. The Dude of The Big Lebowski 56. Alan Swann of My Favorite Year 57. Tom Powers of The Public Enemy 58. Phyliss Dietrichson of Double Indemnity 59. Lt. Kilgore of Apocalypse Now 60. George Bailey of It's a Wonderful Life 61. J.J. Hunsecker of Sweet Smell of Success 62. John Shaft of Shaft 63. Carrie White of Carrie 64. Rocky Balboa of Rocky 65. Edward Scissorhands of Edward Scissorhands 66. Navin Johnson of The Jerk 67. Inspector Clouseau of The Pink Panther 68. Alex DeLarge of A Clockwork Orange 69. Terry Malloy of On the Waterfront 70. Judy Benjamin of Private Benjamin 71. Rev. Harry Powell of The Night of the Hunter 72. Lloyd Dobler of Say Anything 73. Norma Rae of Norma Rae 74. Tony Montana of Scarface 75. Dr. Strangelove of Dr. Strangelove 76. Tony Manero of Saturday Night Fever 77. Annie Wilkes of Misery 78. "Mad" Max Rockatansky of Mad Max 79. Hans Beckert of M 80. Sam Spade of The Maltese Falcon 81. Aurora Greenway of Terms of Endearment 82. Jack Torrance of The Shining 83. William Cutting of Gangs of New York 84. Darth Vader of Star Wars 85. Stanley Kowalski of A Streetcar Named Desire 86. Melanie Daniels of The Birds 87. Captain Jack Sparrow of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl 88. Raymond Babbitt of Rain Man 89. Sandy Olsson of Grease 90. John Malkovich of Being John Malkovich 91. Mrs. Iselin of The Manchurian Candidate 92. Dil of The Crying Game 93. Harry Lime of The Third Man 94. Rose Sayer of The African Queen 95. Oda Mae Brown of Ghost 96. Tommy DeVito of GoodFellas 97. Ace Ventura of Ace Ventura: Pet Detective 98. Antoine Doinel of The 400 Blows 99. Kevin McCallister of Home Alone 100. Roger "Verbal" Kint of The Usual Suspects Video14944@blogcritics.org Wed, 21 Apr 2004 09:05:06 EDT http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/12/16/160556.php TaloranI went to my first concert in years last night. That's not to say I haven't seen any live music recently, but it's the first time in quite a while that I've purchased a ticket to see a live musical performance.Guitar legend Robben Ford rocked the house down at the Soiled Dove in downtown Denver. Although comparatively unknown to the music-buying, concert going mainstream, Ford enjoys a stellar reputation among jazz and blues professionals, and after seeing him last night I can state with conviction that his reputation is well deserved.Ford has been around for a long time - he played briefly with Charlie Musselwhite, Miles Davis Group, Tom Scott's LA Express, and was a founding member of the highly respected jazz ensemble The Yellowjackets. His solo work over the years has been excellent, though largely unnoticed by radio and the general public. Since leaving the Yellowjackets, he has largely turned his attention to the blues, and he plays them mightily.I've seen any number of stellar and legendary guitarists in concert over the years - SRV, DiMeola/De Lucia/McLaughlin, Jeff Beck, Charlie Byrd, Pat Metheny, George Benson, Steve Morse, Joe Pass, BB King, Jorma Kaukonen, Richard Thompson, Stanley Jordan, Roy Buchanan, and the list goes on. I think Robben Ford could hold his own on stage with anyone I've ever seen live. What a player! Fantastic synergy with his three backup musicians, a great big smile on his face all night, and very unusual stylings. He plays blistering rock guitar leads while his band is noodling away on some jazzy, freeform composition, then plays with Metheny-like introspection while the band is throwing down some heavy blues. And when he decides to let it rip, his flash, speed and technique are up there with the best of them.If you hear of this stellar player coming to a venue in your city, I strongly recommend purchasing a ticket. It was a real treat to see a master in a homey, comfortable and intimate setting. Music11029@blogcritics.org Tue, 16 Dec 2003 16:05:56 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/11/17/105553.php TaloranWe've now had 100 entries in the poll of great guitarists. Since the results were last posted after 63 people had entered their choices, much remains the same, but there have been a few significant changes.Jimi maintains an insurmountable lead in first place, with Clapton easily in second. Hendrix and Slowhand received the same number of votes (28) since the last results were posted, narrowing Hendrix's lead in percentage but increasing it in total points. There were two changes in the top ten - Eddie moved past SRV into 4th, and Duane Allman moved up from 11th to 8th, knocking Steve Vai out of the top 10. George Harrison has vaulted from 18th to 12th. The biggest gainer among the frontrunners is Mark Knopfler, moving up from 23rd to 14th. Malmsteen, Rhoads, and May have also passed Zappa, moving FZ from 15th to 20th. Kirk Hammett passed Chuck Berry to take over 21st. Jazzmen Django Reinhardt and Al Di Meola each moved up a few notches, but apparently we haven't had many fans of classical music or the Grateful Dead enter their choices lately. Andres Segovia has received only 2 votes in the last 37 entries, dropping from 19th to 32nd. Jerry Garcia dropped from 26th to 31st.Here are the current results. To see results at 63 and 100 entries side-by-side, click here.PLACE GUITARIST NAME (Points/Total Votes/ First Place Votes) 1 jimi hendrix (954 / 79 / 34) 2 Eric Clapton (1428 / 70 / 1) 3 Jimmy Page (1634 / 69 / 7) 4 Eddie Van Halen (1800 / 56 / 3) 5 Stevie Ray Vaughan (1816 / 53 / 3) 6 Jeff Beck (2024 / 50 / 2) 7 Carlos Santana (2249 / 42 / 1) 8 Duane Allman (2255 / 40 / 1) 9 joe satriani (2321 / 33 / 3) 10 B. B. King (2335 / 39 / 0) 11 Steve Vai (2447 / 30 / 1) 12 george harrison (2535 / 32 / 0) 13 Keith Richards (2546 / 28 / 0) 14 Mark Knopfler (2569 / 28 / 0) 15 David Gilmour (2579 / 28 / 0) 16 PETE TOWNSHEND (2588 / 27 / 0) 17 Yngwie Malmsteen (2605 / 20 / 3) 18 Brian May (2620 / 28 / 0) 19 Randy Rhoads (2653 / 22 / 2) 20 Frank Zappa (2661 / 23 / 0) 21 Kirk Hammett (2669 / 22 / 1) 22 Chuck Berry (2674 / 21 / 0) 23 Angus Young (2709 / 23 / 0) 24 Slash (2730 / 18 / 1) 25 Chet Atkins (2755 / 16 / 1) 26 Django Reinhardt (2771 / 15 / 2) 27 ry cooder (2781 / 15 / 1) 28 Al Di Meola (2804 / 14 / 0) 29T Robert Johnson (2806 / 17 / 0) 29T tom morello (2806 / 16 / 1) 31 Jerry Garcia (2808 / 16 / 1) 32 Andres Segovia (2812 / 12 / 3) 33 Richard Thompson (2816 / 13 / 3) 34 Robert Fripp (2818 / 16 / 0) 35 Eric Johnson (2834 / 13 / 1) 36 Wes Montgomery (2843 / 12 / 1) 37 Les Paul (2846 / 14 / 1) 38 Joe Perry (2857 / 15 / 0) 39 steve morse (2863 / 11 / 0) 40 The Edge (2870 / 14 / 0) 41 Ritchie Blackmore (2872 / 14 / 0) 42 Tony Iommi (2876 / 14 / 0) 43 Alex Lifeson (2885 / 9 / 4) 44 Buddy Guy (2889 / 11 / 0) 45 John Petrucci (2891 / 9 / 0) 46 Steve Howe (2908 / 10 / 0) 47 John McLaughlin (2913 / 10 / 0) 48 Neil Young (2928 / 12 / 1) 49 John Frusciante (2931 / 10 / 0) 50 Leo Kottke (2934 / 9 / 0) 51 Pat Metheny (2936 / 8 / 0) 52 Charlie Christian (2938 / 7 / 0) 53 Steve Cropper (2952 / 9 / 0) 54 Kurt Cobain (2958 / 9 / 0) 55 Neil Schon (2959 / 8 / 0) 56 James Hetfield (2960 / 6 / 0) 57 Lindsey Buckingham (2971 / 7 / 0) 58 Jorma Kaukonen (2975 / 8 / 2) 59T James Burton (2976 / 7 / 0) 59T Robin Trower (2976 / 6 / 0) 61 Dave Mustaine (2977 / 7 / 1) 62 Dickey Betts (2981 / 7 / 0) 63 Peter Green (2984 / 7 / 0) 64 Gary Moore (2986 / 6 / 0) 65T Marty Friedman (2987 / 5 / 0) 65T Zakk Wylde (2987 / 6 / 0) 67 Albert King (2990 / 6 / 0) 68 Trey Anastasio (2994 / 6 / 0) 69T Gary Rossington (2996 / 5 / 0) 69T Ted Nugent (2996 / 4 / 0) 71 Danny Gatton (2999 / 6 / 0) 72 Stephen Stills (3000 / 6 / 0) 73 adrian smith (3002 / 5 / 0) 74 Joe Walsh (3003 / 7 / 0) 75 Phil Keaggy (3004 / 5 / 2) 76 dimebag darrell (3005 / 5 / 0) 77 Johnny Winter (3006 / 6 / 0) 78 Larry Carlton (3007 / 4 / 1) 79 Roy Clark (3012 / 5 / 0) 80 Peter Frampton (3013 / 5 / 0) 81T Bo Diddley (3014 / 6 / 0) 81T john fogerty (3014 / 8 / 0) 81T Roy Buchanan (3014 / 5 / 0) 84T Billy Gibbons (3015 / 4 / 0) 84T Lightnin' Hopkins (3015 / 5 / 0) 86 tom scholz (3017 / 4 / 0) 87 Dick Dale (3019 / 5 / 0) 88T Adam Jones (3022 / 4 / 0) 88T George Benson (3022 / 5 / 0) 90 Bill Frisell (3024 / 5 / 1) 91 Lee Ritenour (3026 / 4 / 0) 92 Michael Angelo (3027 / 3 / 0) 93T John Martyn (3028 / 3 / 1) 93T Robbie Robertson (3028 / 5 / 0) 95T Doc Watson (3029 / 4 / 0) 95T Mike Bloomfield (3029 / 5 / 0) 97 Mike McCready (3031 / 4 / 0) 98T John Scofield (3032 / 4 / 0) 98T Kirk Hammet (3032 / 3 / 0) 100 Rory Gallagher (3036 / 3 / 1) 101T Bonnie Raitt (3037 / 6 / 0) 101T Frank Marino (3037 / 4 / 0) 101T Prince (3037 / 3 / 0) 104T Harvey Mandel (3038 / 3 / 0) 104T John Fahey (3038 / 4 / 0) 104T Robert Cray (3038 / 4 / 0) 107 Kerry King (3039 / 5 / 0) 108 Joe Pass (3040 / 3 / 0) 109 John Lennon (3041 / 5 / 0) 110T Julian Bream (3043 / 2 / 0) 110T Nils Lofgren (3043 / 3 / 0) 110T Tommy Bolin (3043 / 3 / 0) 113 JOHN CIPOLLINA (3044 / 3 / 0) 114T Alvin Lee (3045 / 3 / 0) 114T Robbie Krieger (3045 / 4 / 0) 114T Stanley Jordan (3045 / 4 / 0) 117 Scotty Moore (3046 / 4 / 0) 118T Bruce Springsteen (3048 / 2 / 1) 118T Gary Richrath (3048 / 2 / 1) 118T Johnny Marr (3048 / 4 / 0) 121 Dave Navarro (3049 / 3 / 0) 122T Martin Barre (3050 / 3 / 0) 122T Micheal Romeo (3050 / 2 / 0) 122T sonny landreth (3050 / 2 / 0) 125T Buck Dharma (3051 / 2 / 0) 125T Johnny Ramone (3051 / 3 / 0) 127T Adrian Legg (3052 / 2 / 0) 127T Andy Summers (3052 / 4 / 0) 127T David Lindley (3052 / 2 / 0) 127T Tony Rice (3052 / 3 / 0) 131T Jerry Cantrell (3053 / 4 / 0) 131T Michael Hedges (3053 / 3 / 0) 131T Tim Reynolds (3053 / 2 / 0) 134 Steve Lukather (3054 / 2 / 0) 135T Joni Mitchell (3055 / 2 / 0) 135T Mother Maybelle Carter (3055 / 2 / 0) 135T Paco de Lucia (3055 / 4 / 0) 138T Jeff Healey (3056 / 3 / 0) 138T Michael Schenker (3056 / 3 / 0) 140T Albert Lee (3057 / 2 / 0) 140T K. K. Downing (3057 / 2 / 0) 140T Kevin Shields (3057 / 2 / 0) 140T Stone Gossard (3057 / 2 / 0) 144 Al Pitrelli (3058 / 2 / 0) 145T Kim Thayil (3059 / 3 / 0) 145T Lou Reed (3059 / 3 / 0) 145T Steve Miller (3059 / 2 / 0) 145T Walter Becker (3059 / 2 / 0) 149T Glen Tipton (3060 / 2 / 0) 149T James Dean Bradfield (3060 / 2 / 0) 149T Merle Travis (3060 / 2 / 0) 149T Paul McCartney (3060 / 3 / 0) 153 Bert Jansch (3061 / 3 / 0) 154T Bob Mould (3062 / 2 / 1) 154T Robert Randolph (3062 / 3 / 0) 154T Tommy Shaw (3062 / 2 / 0) 157T Chris Spedding (3063 / 2 / 0) 157T Eric Stewart (3063 / 2 / 0) 157T Henry Kaiser (3063 / 2 / 0) 157T Larry Coryell (3063 / 2 / 0) 157T Matthias Jabs (3063 / 2 / 0) 157T Mississippi John Hurt (3063 / 2 / 0) 163T Brian Robertson (3064 / 2 / 0) 163T Johnny Greenwood (3064 / 3 / 0) 165T Ace Frehley (3065 / 2 / 0) 165T Dave Murray (3065 / 2 / 0) 165T Paul Chapman (3065 / 2 / 1) 165T Paul Gilbert (3065 / 2 / 0) 165T Willie Nelson (3065 / 3 / 0) 170T John Mayer (3066 / 2 / 0) 170T Malcolm Young (3066 / 3 / 0) 170T Paul Simon (3066 / 3 / 0) 170T Rudolf Shenker (3066 / 2 / 0) 170T Tommy Emmanuel (3066 / 2 / 0) 175T Jack White (3067 / 2 / 0) 175T Michael Bruce (3067 / 2 / 0) 177T Dave Matthews (3068 / 2 / 0) 177T Jim Hall (3068 / 2 / 0) 179T chuck garvey (3069 / 2 / 0) 179T Steven Stills (3069 / 2 / 0) 179T Warren Haynes (3069 / 2 / 0) 182T Alan Holdsworth (3070 / 1 / 1) 182T David Gilmor (3070 / 1 / 1) 182T Joao Gilberto (3070 / 1 / 1) 182T tommy johnson (3070 / 1 / 1) 186T Brian Milko (3071 / 1 / 0) 186T Carlos Montoya (3071 / 1 / 0) 186T Chris Smither (3071 / 1 / 0) 186T Jonny Marr (3071 / 1 / 0) 186T Rev. Gary Davis (3071 / 1 / 0) 186T Scott Ian (3071 / 2 / 0) 186T Steve Hackett (3071 / 1 / 0) 186T taj mahal (3071 / 1 / 0) 186T Tony Iomi (3071 / 1 / 0) 195T Davey Johnstone (3072 / 2 / 0) 195T Doyle Dykes (3072 / 1 / 0) 195T Ernie Isley (3072 / 1 / 0) 195T Hubert Sumlin (3072 / 3 / 0) 195T muddy waters (3072 / 2 / 0) 195T Reeves Gabrels (3072 / 1 / 0) 195T Richie Blackmore (3072 / 1 / 0) 195T Steve Rothery (3072 / 1 / 0) 195T Steven Van Zandt (3072 / 1 / 0) 204T Camile Baudoin (3073 / 1 / 0) 204T Dave Gilmour (3073 / 1 / 0) 204T Jerry Reed (3073 / 1 / 0) 204T Kerry Livgren (3073 / 1 / 0) 204T paul stanley (3073 / 2 / 0) 204T Ron Wood (3073 / 2 / 0) 204T Son House (3073 / 2 / 0) 204T Tal Farlow (3073 / 1 / 0) 204T Thurston Moore / Lee Renaldo (3073 / 1 / 0) 213T Andre Segovia (3074 / 1 / 0) 213T Ian Moss (3074 / 1 / 0) 213T Jeremy Post (3074 / 1 / 0) 213T Joey Santiago (3074 / 1 / 0) 213T Junior Brown (3074 / 1 / 0) 213T Kurt Kirkwood (3074 / 1 / 0) 213T Michaelangelo (3074 / 1 / 0) 213T Peter Ostroushko (3074 / 1 / 0) 213T Petri Walli (3074 / 1 / 0) 213T Phil Cambell (3074 / 1 / 0) 213T william ackerman (3074 / 1 / 0) 224T Allen Collins (3075 / 1 / 0) 224T Brian Tatler (3075 / 1 / 0) 224T Dave Schramm (3075 / 1 / 0) 224T Elliott Smith (3075 / 1 / 0) 224T elmore james (3075 / 1 / 0) 224T Gary Louris (3075 / 1 / 0) 224T Hiram Bullock (3075 / 1 / 0) 224T Johnny Greenwood / Ed O'Brien (3075 / 1 / 0) 224T keller williams (3075 / 1 / 0) 224T Nick Harper (3075 / 1 / 0) 234T Adrian Belew (3076 / 2 / 0) 234T Ali Farka Toure (3076 / 1 / 0) 234T Barry Goudreau (3076 / 1 / 0) 234T Billy Duffy (3076 / 1 / 0) 234T Bob Weir (3076 / 1 / 0) 234T Carlos Alomar (3076 / 2 / 0) 234T Charlie Sexton (3076 / 1 / 0) 234T Dave Davies / Ray Davies (3076 / 1 / 0) 234T Freddy King (3076 / 1 / 0) 234T Grady Martin (3076 / 1 / 0) 234T john hammond (3076 / 1 / 0) 234T John Williams (3076 / 1 / 0) 234T Johnny Cash (3076 / 2 / 0) 234T Kenny Wayne Shepherd (3076 / 1 / 0) 234T Leadbelly (3076 / 1 / 0) 234T Norman Blake (3076 / 1 / 0) 234T PAUL KANTNER (3076 / 1 / 0) 234T paul kossoff (3076 / 1 / 0) 234T steven wonders (3076 / 1 / 0) 234T Zack Wilde (3076 / 1 / 0) 254T Billy Bird (3077 / 1 / 0) 254T Derek Trucks (3077 / 1 / 0) 254T Eric Weaver (3077 / 1 / 0) 254T Greg Lake (3077 / 1 / 0) 254T Hide (3077 / 1 / 0) 254T Jon Lord (3077 / 1 / 0) 254T Josh Homme (3077 / 1 / 0) 254T june yamagishi (3077 / 1 / 0) 254T leon russell (3077 / 1 / 0) 254T Steve Gaines (3077 / 2 / 0) 254T Steve Hillage (3077 / 1 / 0) 254T walter trout (3077 / 1 / 0) 266T Bela Fleck (3078 / 1 / 0) 266T Caleb Quale (3078 / 1 / 0) 266T daron malakian (3078 / 1 / 0) 266T Doug Marsh (3078 / 1 / 0) 266T Eric Bell (3078 / 1 / 0) 266T Howard Alden (3078 / 1 / 0) 266T Randy Bachman (3078 / 1 / 0) 266T Sleepy LaBeef (3078 / 1 / 0) 274T Bill Nelson (3079 / 1 / 0) 274T Billy Thorpe (3079 / 1 / 0) 274T Bruce Hall (3079 / 1 / 0) 274T chris thomas king (3079 / 1 / 0) 274T David Torn (3079 / 1 / 0) 274T Eddie Hazel (3079 / 2 / 0) 274T Glenn Tipton (3079 / 2 / 0) 274T Ira Kaplan (3079 / 1 / 0) 274T Iron Maiden guitarists (3079 / 1 / 0) 274T Joan Jett (3079 / 1 / 0) 274T John Pizzarelli (3079 / 1 / 0) 274T Jon Bon Jovi (3079 / 1 / 0) 274T Nancy Wilson (3079 / 2 / 0) 274T PATRICK SWEANEY (3079 / 1 / 0) 274T Pop Everly (3079 / 1 / 0) 274T zach wylde (3079 / 1 / 0) 290T Al Anderson (3080 / 1 / 0) 290T Bannana (3080 / 1 / 0) 290T Brian Sutton (3080 / 1 / 0) 290T Dave Mason (3080 / 1 / 0) 290T Eliot Easton (3080 / 1 / 0) 290T john jorgenson (3080 / 1 / 0) 290T Mark Ribot (3080 / 1 / 0) 290T Nuno Bettencourt (3080 / 1 / 0) 290T Peter Buck (3080 / 1 / 0) 290T Roland Grapow (3080 / 1 / 0) 290T rory block (3080 / 1 / 0) 290T ROY BOOKBINDER (3080 / 1 / 0) 290T Rudolf Schenker (3080 / 1 / 0) 303T Andy Powell (3081 / 1 / 0) 303T Bernard Butler (3081 / 1 / 0) 303T Curtis Lowe (3081 / 1 / 0) 303T David Byrne (3081 / 1 / 0) 303T JACK CASADY (3081 / 1 / 0) 303T James Taylor (3081 / 1 / 0) 303T Jimmie Vaughan (3081 / 1 / 0) 303T John Cafferty (3081 / 1 / 0) 303T Johnny Spampinato (3081 / 1 / 0) 303T Link Wray (3081 / 1 / 0) 303T Roger McGuinn (3081 / 1 / 0) 303T steve stevens (3081 / 1 / 0) 303T Timo Tollki (3081 / 1 / 0) 316T Bob Dylan (3082 / 1 / 0) 316T Chris Poland (3082 / 1 / 0) 316T Dan Crary (3082 / 1 / 0) 316T Greg Lisher (3082 / 1 / 0) 316T James Young (3082 / 1 / 0) 316T Jose Feliciano (3082 / 1 / 0) 316T Lowell George (3082 / 1 / 0) 316T Luca Turilli (3082 / 1 / 0) 316T Neil Carter (3082 / 1 / 0) 316T Nick Drake (3082 / 1 / 0) 316T Nick Zinner (3082 / 1 / 0) 316T pat travers (3082 / 1 / 0) 316T Robbie Macintosh (3082 / 1 / 0) 316T scotty anderson (3082 / 1 / 0) 316T Tampa Red (3082 / 1 / 0) 331T Andy Fairweather Lowe (3083 / 1 / 0) 331T Brad Delson (3083 / 1 / 0) 331T Brian Molko (3083 / 1 / 0) 331T Clarence White (3083 / 1 / 0) 331T Dave Davies (3083 / 1 / 0) 331T Dave Edmunds (3083 / 1 / 0) 331T henry townsend (3083 / 1 / 0) 331T ike turner (3083 / 1 / 0) 331T jAMES burton (3083 / 1 / 0) 331T Janick Gers (3083 / 1 / 0) 331T jeff hannerman (3083 / 1 / 0) 331T John Lee Hooker (3083 / 1 / 0) 331T Kip Winger (3083 / 1 / 0) 331T Michael Kang (3083 / 1 / 0) 331T Phil Collen (3083 / 1 / 0) 331T Tom Bresh (3083 / 1 / 0) 347T Billy Corgan (3084 / 1 / 0) 347T catfish keith (3084 / 1 / 0) 347T Cletus Clark (3084 / 1 / 0) 347T Elvis Presley (3084 / 1 / 0) 347T Joe Stump (3084 / 1 / 0) 347T John Prine (3084 / 1 / 0) 347T Jonny Lang (3084 / 1 / 0) 347T Nick Webb (3084 / 1 / 0) 347T Ricky Skaggs (3084 / 1 / 0) 347T Roy Wood (3084 / 1 / 0) 347T Skunk Baxter (3084 / 1 / 0) 347T Tiny Tim (3084 / 1 / 0) 347T Tony Hicks (3084 / 1 / 0) 347T Will Sergeant (3084 / 1 / 0) 361T André Olbrich (3085 / 1 / 0) 361T Glenn Mercer (3085 / 1 / 0) 361T Johnny Hiland (3085 / 1 / 0) 361T Josh Clark (3085 / 1 / 0) 361T Vinnie Moore (3085 / 2 / 0) 361T Warner Hodges (3085 / 1 / 0) 367T Glen Campbell (3086 / 1 / 0) 367T Keith Rath (3086 / 1 / 0) 367T Pat Kirtley (3086 / 1 / 0) 367T Tom Verlaine (3086 / 2 / 0) 371T Avril Lavigne (3087 / 1 / 0) 371T Jeff (3087 / 1 / 0) 371T Lenny Kravitz (3087 / 1 / 0) 371T Tom Petty (3087 / 1 / 0) 371T Ulrich Roth (3087 / 1 / 0) 376T Gregg Ginn (3088 / 1 / 0) 376T Jeff Watson (3088 / 1 / 0) 376T Jimmy Nolen (3088 / 1 / 0) 376T John MacLaughlin (3088 / 1 / 0) 376T Jon Butcher (3088 / 1 / 0) 376T Mike Campbell (3088 / 2 / 0) 376T Mike Stern (3088 / 1 / 0) 376T Ottmar Liebert (3088 / 1 / 0) 376T Vernon Reid (3088 / 1 / 0) 385T Bradley Nowell (3089 / 1 / 0) 385T Coco Montoya (3089 / 1 / 0) 385T freddie king (3089 / 1 / 0) 385T Mike Scott (3089 / 1 / 0) 385T Monte Montgomery (3089 / 1 / 0) 385T Rick Nielsen (3089 / 1 / 0) 385T Slava Grigoryan (3089 / 1 / 0) 385T Zoot Horn Rollo (3089 / 1 / 0) 393T Dave Van Ronk (3090 / 1 / 0) 393T Elvis Costello (3090 / 1 / 0) 393T Flavia Canel (3090 / 1 / 0) 393T Henry Vestine (3090 / 1 / 0) 393T Michael Houser (3090 / 1 / 0) 393T Mike Bloomberg (3090 / 1 / 0) 399T George McConnell (3091 / 1 / 0) 399T Jennifer Batten (3091 / 1 / 0) 399T Mick Taylor (3091 / 1 / 0) 402T Django Reinhart (3092 / 1 / 0) 402T Joey Ramone (3092 / 1 / 0) 402T Robben Ford (3092 / 1 / 0) 402T Skip James (3092 / 1 / 0) 406T george thorogood (3093 / 1 / 0) 406T Greg Hetson (3093 / 1 / 0) 406T Hank Garland (3093 / 1 / 0) 406T Larry LaLonde (3093 / 1 / 0) 406T Leslie West (3093 / 1 / 0) 406T Nigel St. Hubbins (3093 / 1 / 0) 406T Randy California (3093 / 1 / 0) 406T Ronnie Montrose (3093 / 1 / 0) 406T Steve Cook (3093 / 1 / 0) 415T Chris Stills (3094 / 1 / 0) 415T Del Vezeau (3094 / 1 / 0) 415T J. Mascis (3094 / 1 / 0) 415T Lee Ranaldo (3094 / 1 / 0) 415T Luther Dickenson (3094 / 1 / 0) 415T Mick Jones (3094 / 1 / 0) 421T Al Schnier (3095 / 1 / 0) 421T Bobby Wonack (3095 / 1 / 0) 421T Dean Deleo (3095 / 1 / 0) 421T Israel Kamakawiwo'ole (3095 / 1 / 0) 421T Kenny Neal (3095 / 1 / 0) 421T Les Dudek (3095 / 1 / 0) 421T Thurston Moore (3095 / 1 / 0) 421T Tony Mahon (3095 / 1 / 0) 429T Eagles Guitarists (3096 / 1 / 0) 429T Greg Carmichael (3096 / 1 / 0) 429T Huey Morgan (3096 / 1 / 0) 429T Pete Cosey (3096 / 1 / 0) 433T Gary Hoey (3097 / 1 / 0) 433T Mick Ronson (3097 / 1 / 0) 433T Miles Gilderdale (3097 / 1 / 0) 433T Nile Rogers (3097 / 1 / 0) 433T T-Bone Walker (3097 / 1 / 0) 433T todd rundgren (3097 / 1 / 0) 439T Brad Gillis (3098 / 1 / 0) 439T Chris Cornell (3098 / 1 / 0) 439T D. Boon (3098 / 1 / 0) 439T David J. Perez (3098 / 1 / 0) 439T Ed O'Brien (3098 / 1 / 0) 439T Jon Squire (3098 / 1 / 0) 439T Robert Quine (3098 / 1 / 0) 446T Al Stewart (3099 / 1 / 0) 446T Criss Oliva (3099 / 1 / 0) 446T Freddy Everett (3099 / 1 / 0) 446T Jake E. Lee (3099 / 1 / 0) 446T John5 (3099 / 1 / 0) 446T Kevin Sheilds (3099 / 1 / 0) 446T Larry Campbell (3099 / 1 / 0) 446T Michael Weikath (3099 / 1 / 0) Music10195@blogcritics.org Mon, 17 Nov 2003 10:55:53 EST http://blogcritics.org/archives/2003/11/16/120547.php TaloranLOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The world's most famous boy wizard is about to be irreverently and thoroughly spoofed with bathroom humor and innuendo. MGM studios said on Friday it had bought the script of "Henry Bates and the Sorcerer's Balls" -- a comic parody of both the hugely popular "Harry Potter" and "Lord of the Rings" series. Out go the Hobbits and Gandalf the good wizard and in come the Bobbits, who are under an evil sexual spell, and the good wizard Gandolfini who battles the bad wizard Enron. Henry Bates attends a school called the St Buggerers Academy for Boys and One Girl, and sets out on a quest to regain his kingdom -- the Land of Middlefinger. The script was written by the anarchic U.S. team of Tim Stack, James R. Stein and David Morgasen who were responsible for the television series "Son of the Beach" -- a parody of the hit sex and swimsuit series "Baywatch." "It is irreverent but we are fans of the books and the movies. We think people will get a kick out of this," Morgasen told Reuters. The writers are hoping to keep the script clean enough to earn a PG-13 rating. There have been no decisions yet on casting but MGM is expected to move quickly given the short shelf-life of the idea. "The Return of the King" -- the third and final part of the "The Lord of the Rings" series -- is due to reach movie theaters next month. The third of seven potential "Harry Potter" installments -- "The Prisoner of Azkaban" -- is scheduled to be released in June next year. It's a shame, but I suppose it was inevitable. I suppose they'll do porno versions of LOTR and Harry next. Video10166@blogcritics.org Sun, 16 Nov 2003 12:05:47 EST