May 22nd, 2013 by Magdalena Tabor
If, as many say, there would have been no Doors without Jim Morrison, the same can be said of Ray Manzarek. He co-founded the band along with Jim and brought in the two remaining members. With Jim as the exceedingly intriguing and controversial frontman, it was Ray’s keyboards that would weave like pipesmoke through Jim’s unusual lyrics giving the music its unmistakable sound. A sound that would transcend time.
I can’t seem to remember a time when there were no Doors, a staple throughout my adolescent foibles, and later what would become the hallmark of what it was to identify with “cool” and undoubtably thoroughly American, right alongside Mom’s spiked apple pie and our irreverant Bible of verses.
When Jim died, the Doors didn’t. Ray saw to that but he didn’t have to. They commanded the airwaves for years to come, time receding and yet remaining as though (almost) nothing ever happened. We refused to bury our Mojo. After all, rumor had it, he could well be alive in Paris. If this is true, then poor Ray plays alone and somehow I just can’t fathom that.
Ray Manzarek had a tale or two to tell. But the real story is in the music. I hear the opening strains of a familiar tune. You know the one. The keyboards are like the Alpha and Omega, beginning and ending with time eternal. They say when a door closes, another one opens. Ray closed the door and Jim just opened one for him. You know they couldn’t get much higher. Ya hear that Mr. Sullivan?
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March 8th, 2013 by Magdalena Tabor
By now I’m sure you’ve heard, another rock legend has joined the band of angels. The great blues/rock guitarist, Alvin Lee, died yesterday (March 6th) at the age of 68 in Spain while undergoing some routine surgery.
What I knew about Alvin Lee is probably what most people knew him for; his American debut at the Woodstock festival with an 11 minute performance of I’m Going Home and some of the most incredible guitar playing anyone had ever heard, earning him the title The Fastest Guitar in the West. And of course, his contribution to the band Ten Years After. But what I didn’t know before today are some noteworthy facts such as, he was just 13 years old when he picked up the guitar and a short 2 years later founded the crux of what would become Ten Years After. His love of music came from his parents who collected blues and jazz records and although he went on to become a rock hero, it wasn’t what he wanted. Alvin Lee simply wanted to be a “working musician” who preferred small venues with that of large stadiums which is ultimately where he had to perform once fame took possession. And he thought of his other most recognized big hit “I’d Love To Change The World” as pop, refusing to ever play it live. Through it all, he tried to stay true to his roots. In doing so, he gave us, the baby boomer generation of rock, our roots. We, never realizing what we believed to be a new British sound, is something he borrowed from American blues artists, and he said so. You might say Alvin showed us where we came from, no small gift in exchange for wanting to change the world. I think he succeeded in changing ours, encapsulating it in a very intimate way….
It’s 1971. I’m in my room back home listening to WNEW. Alison Steele, The Nightbird, spins a new record. Its melancholy bluesiness rides the airwaves and puts me in another world beyond the boundaries of my postered walls, with no inkling of what lay ahead, the twists and turns of my life’s travels obscured by teenage bliss. The power of a rock superhero is as limitless as the imagination. If I heard that song this minute, that’s where that sound would place me. Right back there in my old room with a grin on my face, because all my old friends, the ones that are gone now, are still there. So, you did it Alvin. You changed my world while I still get to keep it the way I remember it.
Sadly, his April 7th Paris gig with rock legend Johnny Winter will never be. It seems he had a prior engagement with a certain Beatle. If there’s a Ten Years Afterlife, there are two guitars gently weeping with joy. Well, maybe not so gently.
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February 28th, 2013 by Michael Tabor
I don’t think there is a day that goes by in which I don’t hear some thing or some incident concerning Lindsay Lohan – and my question is what is all the commotion and excitement about. I still don’t know a whole lot about Ms. Lohan, other than the fact that she was a child star- continues to act, model and sing and parties; she likes to drink and has had a couple of DUIs (what young person doesn’t party a little ?) Early in her career (she got into show business when she was 3), the press loved her and she got a lot of praise, now she’s the red – headed step child of show business and now everything is all negative. I’m sure she is a spoiled, insolent 20 – something but the media are all over her – give her a break !!!
The Germans have a wonderful word for all this tabloid media frenzy, it’s called schadenfreude – the malicious delight and satisfaction in seeing another human being suffer. Another truism is that people in general don’t like other folks who are too successful, especially if one seems ungrateful for their incredible good fortune. I started reading Wikipedia before writing this and I got bored after the first two paragraphs – there’s nothing special or outrageous about this Lindsay Lohan. So, again why do the media pick out a certain celebrity and then just incessantly grind away at him or her ?
So, WhadaYaThink ? What do you think ? Oprah, Lady GaGa, Alec Baldwin & Madonna (were).. the list is endless; but what is it about Lindsay Lohan ?
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January 10th, 2013 by Michael Tabor
Was Brent Musburger guilty of being over the top and perhaps being a little silly during the BCS Championship game? Okay – yes, but certainly his behavior on the air did not warrant an apology from ESPN. Give me a break! Why would anyone be offended by the comments made about A.J. McCarron’s (Alabama’s quarterback) girlfriend, Katherine Webb? If anyone doesn’t know already, Brent Musbeurger in a nutshell stated that Ms. Webb was a beautiful woman and jokingly went on to say that QB’s get all the gorgeous ladies. Not only did he publicly compliment her for her physical beauty, but in my opinion, he probably is going to make her a star. Unbelievably enough, after Musburger’s comment, her Twitter followers went from 1000 followers to a whopping 228,000 – why can’t that happen to me? lol. Furthermore, just to clarify, Mr. Musburger said nothing lecherous about her nor did he even remotely allude to anything suggestively lustful. To Katherine Webb’s credit she went on the ‘Today Show’ with Matt Lauer this morning and said that she wasn’t offended by anything Mr. Musburger said and acknowledged that the comments were innocuous. What made me laugh, was that Ms. Webb asserted that although an apology from the cable network was not necessary, and further elaborated that she even felt sorry for Musburger, she did still appreciate the apology. What ??? So much for beauty and brains.
I’m not going to spill a lot of ink over this non-story, but I am somewhat at a loss as to why a person can’t say anything positive about a woman’s physical beauty but yet one can talk at length about her intelligence, musical talents, business acumen, etc. My thoughts are that an asset is an asset so why not talk about it; like it or not being physically beautiful is a prodigious asset especially in this cosmetically superficial Madison Ave society we live in.
So WHADAYATHINK ? What do you think? Do you think Brent Musburger and ESPN owed the gorgeous Katherine Webb an apology ?
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December 27th, 2012 by Michael Tabor
If I am being truthful, then the fact that I’m telling you “this sentence is a lie” must mean that it’s a lie, so it’s not a lie after all – but how can that be ? Well maybe I’m not being truthful, so the sentence is indeed a lie, which makes the sentence true – an endless loop.
Instead of buying a nook (I am a lover of books and absolutely refuse to give in and buy one of those e-readers – another blog), this Christmas Madelene and I decided to buy each other bookcases in an effort to organize our increasingly unmanageable personal library. Well I couldn’t be happier with our decision, because now I can access every one of my favorite books. About five Christmases ago, my wife bought me a tiny little gem of a book entitled ‘Oxymoronica’ by Dr.Mardy Grothe – a collection of paradoxes or as the title suggests oxymora. Although the book is just over 200 pages, it is packed with 2,548 of the most interesting and thought – provoking witticisms that ought to invariably give you a headache if it were not so much fun.
Some of the paradoxes are impossible to solve, like the title of this blog, and presumably much thought had been put into them as well, however there is plenty of inadvertent off the cuff oxymora such as Yogi Berra’s “Nobody goes there anymore. It’s too crowded.” Here are some more Yogism’s for you: “Some of the things I said, I never said.” Or how about “90% of the game is half – mental” and finally “it’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.
Mickey Rooney once quipped,” There’s no one more depressed than a happily married man.” Even if Mickey didn’t insert “happily” which is what makes this an oxymoron, statistically Mr. Rooney would be quite wrong – couples live longer than single folks but it’s still funny. Most of the statements in here, however ring of truth – “Nothing fixes a thing so intensely in the memory as the wish to forget it.” In addition, one of my favorites is “less is more.” I have been a student of Eastern philosophy for more than 3 decades, so I see truth in, “Happiness is the absence of the striving for happiness” written by the Chinese sage, Chuang – Tzu. Confucius said, “Real knowledge is to know the extent of one’s own ignorance” and finally, Lao – Tzu stated, “Failure is the foundation of success, success the lurking place of failure.”
What makes a paradox/adage/oxymoron stand out from the rest is if it is clever, funny, true, and ironic. How’s this for those of you out there who are always forced to attend meetings – “Meetings are indispensable when you don’t want to do anything.” Here’s one for all you alcoholics, “I don’t drink. I don’t like it. It makes me feel good.” I fairly recently blogged about Woody Allen, so here’s one taken right from one of his movies (I think ‘Annie Hall’) “Life is full of misery, loneliness, and suffering – and it’s all over much too soon. ”
Madelene’s father’s words of wisdom to his precious daughter were always, “Life is short, so just be happy.” Though this is not an oxymoron I’ll end this blog with one from Oscar Wilde which always leads to the same thing, “Life is too important to be taken seriously.”
So WHADAYATHINK ? What do you Think ? Do you have any of your own oxymorons ?
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December 13th, 2012 by Magdalena Tabor
Having just left work via Madison Square Garden, I arrived at my Long Island home just in time to hear the introduction “The Rolling Stones” and ran to the TV. How do they do it? How, after 50 years, count ‘em, do they manage to still stimulate the crowd with the same old songs? They never tire of them and neither do we. Mick Jagger, thin as ever, bouncing all over the stage, while I after a long days work and younger by far, can’t imagine doing that at his age. He must have a special chemical make up. After Jumpin Jack Flash, they were gone in a flash. Guess we’ll just have to buy the new album, Grrrrrr.
The Who. My, goodness. They stunned with a long set of about 7 songs which included Teenage Wasteland, (goose bumps and tingling of scalp), Pinball Wizard, See Me Feel Me, to name just a few. The touching film backdrop of Keith Moon singing Bell Boy, with Roger Daltry motioning to him in real life was bittersweet. The climax of their entire performance ended with a song sung by Roger to Pete Townsend asking him to join him in a cup of tea, no doubt an old English custom of good will between two old friends. At the end they clasped their arms about one another beaming into the audience, at which point, in typical Who fashion, Pete blurts out “Have a Fu@&*ing Bee-ahh!” No censorship on live TV made it all the funnier.
That’s all I got to see. Will watch the taped version of the rest of the big acts,
Hope you got to catch some of the show held for the victims of Hurricane Sandy and made your donation in some small way.
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November 19th, 2012 by Michael Tabor
Written by guest blogger Le Duke de fromage
I recently sent a letter of complaint to Comcast, my Internet provider protesting the constant blurbs relating to non-news items about Kim Kardashian.They refused to accept it because I called her a porno queen, when I changed it to sleaze queen they happily published it. What was their logic in that? Their answer to my complaint was if I didn’t like it , change my web page. I felt this was an arrogant response so I wrote to Comcast corporate office. I accused them of accepting money to run phony news stories concerning Kim.They didn’t bother to answer my inquiry; however, I did get an ad for their On Demand service, which I threw away with great disdain.I figured they must be busy buying N.B.C. so I switched to Yahoo. Sadly, it wasn’t much better.
Well its time to admit it I cannot keep up with the Kardashians. They have beaten me; in spite of my rather feeble efforts, I am ready to accept defeat. Yes, Kim, and her two rather sad sisters Klump and Klepto, the evil mother, and the pathetic, wimp-ass step-father has won.Speaking of which, what happened to this guy? Bruce Jenner won an Olympic medal for the decathlon, a very physical demanding sport. He even had his picture on a Wheaties box ,a very high honor? But why the plastic surgery? He looks like an effeminate waiter at a California sushi bar.Evidently he had a bet with Kim over who would look better after body altering surgery.Kim went to the finest Hollywood surgeon money could buy and allegedly has had nose job. breast implants, face botox, and butt implants and she was not even 30 years old. Bruce went to a kiosk at Walmart and opted for day surgery. The results are obvious. During the operation he also completely lost his manhood, how else to appear on national T.V. as a complete boob.
Typical Episode example— Bruce, reclining in lounge chair on patio wearing designer sweat suit {label prominently displayed} showing athletic look, Kim enters picture wearing revealing bikini,{sexual desire look} cameras linger on shot of Kim’s implanted bust while bending over.Kim glances at Bruce, asks inane question, Bruce, with glazed, distant look unsure of response, pauses, and mumbles inaudible answer. Kim gives admiring stare, thanks Bruce for advice, tells him what a wise and wonderful stepfather he is and exits while camera lingers on jiggling in-planted buttocks. This is definitely reality T.V. at its best. And what drama, why you could cut the tension with a machete.Would you believe Kim has never had an acting lesson in her life?
Somewhere in America, there is a secret enclave where people gather in darkness and guilty watch taped shows of the K’s while greedily devouring snack foods. I personally think it’s in New Hampshire. It has to be because no-one will admit to actually watching openly. Yet, “E” the network for people who have absolutely no life pays big bucks for the “K.s” to really act out their lives. Their show comprises about a third of “E,s” prime time output. They repeat it several times a day and night, in case you didn’t understand the plot the first 3 times.The show is as real as a completely phony setting with microphones,cameras, and a crew of about 8 people watching every move.This show is as real as Kim’s bust and Jenner’s face. It is staged, scripted, cut, edited, and woodenly acted by some very untalented people.Kim’s claim to fame is a “leaked”, sex tape which was so staged I swear “E” filmed and produced it. The fact that she was paid several million dollars for a leaked tape {which was meant for their own use and she was very very angry at her then current boyfriend wink, wink, nod, nod reveals volumes about how they operate}
Kim has followed this up with almost daily appearances on-line of exposing her body in various stages of semi-nudity under the guise of important “celebrity” news. Sadly, because she has no talent whatsoever this is all she has to offer. Her latest affair with minor celebs and her totally faked marriage are supposed to keep the public enthralled and breathlessly waiting for her next p.r. release. It shows how gullible and dumb some of her fans are.Of course no-0ne admits to watching so its actually hard to find a fan.
Obviously the woman displays classic narcissistic personality traits, but the whole family.They should create a new show the “K,s” go to therapy but Kim and Jenner would probably show up in bikinis.They would no doubt use Dr. Phil , another grabit while you can quack.
So on it goes, and I am a beaten man and can only guess what hi-jinks the “K,s” have in store for a hidden public. However I can make one promise I may be beaten but I ain’t gonna watch.
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November 13th, 2012 by Michael Tabor
I absolutely could not believe what I saw on the front page of yesterday’s New York Times – Headline: 15 Inmates Fled in Hurricane, Raising Questions on Security. In a nutshell, when the power went off, the locks on a privately run prison/halfway house in NJ clicked open and 15 maniacs got out. The first thing I thought was OMG – then I said to myself, wait a minute, George Carlin did a bit on this EXACT same scenario: electric goes out, prisoners escape and then rape and kill everyone (this is classic Carlin – I was looking for it on YouTube but couldn’t find it. If anyone gets a hold of this, kindly post it here, thanks).
I’ve blogged about George Carlin several times here so I’ll just keep this short and sweet. George Carlin was so smart that he could actually predict the future – LOL. Many Carlin fans were shocked and amazed after 9/11 because George beforehand said the terrorists would not do it with a bomb, but rather with a table knife (box cutter/table knife – pretty damn close) This clip I do have, check it out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3G6URhJTvVg
So WhaDaYaThink? What do you think ? Yes, he was crude and in your face but man, there was nobody funnier and more observant of popular culture than George Carlin was.
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October 2nd, 2012 by Michael Tabor
Okay, Arnold has a problem with staying away from the ladies – he’s human, he’s not perfect (and he openly admits this unlike some creepy politician). Arnold is flawed and if you saw this week’s 60 minutes, he talks all about his infidelities in an incredibly candid and straightforward manner. Arnold, despite his prodigious philandering, is a VERY likable guy. I should say lovable – everybody loves Arnold – he is almost “cute” but he’s anything but stupid. Arnold is a Master Marketing Guru, a moneymaking machine, and there’s nothing, I mean nothing that Arnold can’t do, once he puts his mind to it; his story is nothing short of miraculous.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, 65, was born and raised in a small town in Austria with no running water and no electricity. His father used to hit him with a belt almost on a daily basis, but in typical Arnold fashion, Schwarzenegger explains that he loved his father, holds no resentment, and believes his dad taught him discipline and went so far as to say, that he would not be the man he is today without the corporal punishment he endured. To fast-forward (this is not a biography) Arnold had a plan: Arnold Schwarzenegger was going to be the greatest bodybuilder in the world – mission accomplished. Next – A.S. was going to be a famous actor – mission accomplished; not only did he become famous (beginning with a fascinating documentary on the then very fringe “sport” of Bodybuilding) he was the top grossing action hero, averaging 30 MILLION DOLLARS a film. Next – Arnold went on to marry into money and crème de la crème society, by leading to the altar a KENNEDY – Maria Shriver (is this a dream?). The final goal, which is the most spectacular accomplishment in my mind, is he became Governor of the state of California. All of this (and more – I left out successful businessman, entrepreneur, real estate sage, etc.) from a man from a little unknown town with no connections, a thick Austrian accent, and a long unpronounceable last name.
So what is next for Arnold? Had he been born in this country, I wouldn’t be surprised if he had become the president of the United States. And, Oh, I forgot successful author, Arnold has a new book out called ‘Total Recall’ and you know dollars to donuts, this will be a #1 best-seller. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s life is the stuff dreams are made of and all I can say is you just gotta love the guy! So WhaDaYaThink? What do you think?
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August 30th, 2012 by Michael Tabor
Written by Le Duke de Fromage
With the summer season winding down to days of humid torpor, comes a spectacle that only fanatical sports fans can understand. Pro football starts its annual frenzied extravaganza. For millions of fans the next 5 months is the only meaningful time of year. All the hype and buildup of training camps is over and now the real deal begins. Television has been showing a numbing array of preseason games that are mostly ignored except by the most die-hard fanatics, and an even more puzzling lineup of announcers unknown to most people. If you watch these games notice how empty the seats are. Ex jocks,station sports guys and dubious sports celebs revel in calling these games. This obviously is their time to shine.But woe to the poor fan who has to endure their inane, repetitive chatter. In most cases, their home team favoritism is embarrassing even to the most die-hard fan, and please learn how to pronounce players names.
In addition, this does not include the obligatory sports chick reporter. Above all this is an insult to every true fan. They appear to be chosen for their their looks, at times debatable, their ability to engage in inane chatter, and give the impression to the fan they really care about the game. They usually conduct interviews from the sidelines with players who seem to take it with complete lack of interest or slightly disguised humor. Or at times give the impression they just wonder what the reporter looks like with no clothes on. Reporting breathlessly on the latest injury or seizing a coach running into the locker room just before halftime, they barely justify the fact they are on the field.
[ watch Bill Belichek, Patriots Coach react to a pre halftime interview]
The idea that they can take themselves serious, never mind the poor suffering fan watching is hilarious. Not that their male counterparts are any better. Some of the biggest idiots in sports broadcasting are thrown at the public week after week under the guise of of pro expert. Retired from pro football, no matter, you are now a football expert, even if you cant speak intelligently. Have you ever seriously watched E.S.P.N.with a critic’s eye? where do they get these people? I dare you to tell me that such personalities as Suzy Kolber, Tray Wingo, or Skip Bayless knows more about the game than you do. In addition, the constant commercials, every 5-6 minutes bombard your senses to a point of dull acceptance, enough to go back watching Skip Bayless analyze anything of no real importance. Yet they do it with the sense that would suggest they are omnipotence. Stating the obvious fills about 20 minutes of a half hour show the rest are commercials. Admittedly they are clever at their presentation;some would say they are good at what they do. But what do they do? Does it justify your watching? Evidently the networks think so.
It is a mind numbing. hypnotic, gambit designed to keep you glued to your easy chair waiting for the games. And who knows some may find Suzy Kolber’s smarmy, yet coy demeanor appealing. Her condescending attitude is designed to make you feel she is all knowing, or at least more than the poor dummy watching. The fact that she is just a ploy or even more unsettling, eye candy for some is disturbing and an insult to intelligence. Her appearance is supposed to make you keep watching. Picture thousands of fans in front of their TV’s screaming,”WE want Suzy”. Honestly, I have never ever met a fan who said they watched a game because Suzy Kolber or Pam Oliver was on the show.
At this point I am stating I am not anti-feminist. It is just that if you accept the job you are open to the criticism that goes with it. Especially if you are there for the wrong reason. However, the networks insist that is what the public wants.I am inclined to believe that is what they think that’s what we want.
Sports announcing can be a very well paid job, the industry averages run from $28 to $210 thousand per year.Of course the big boys get a lot more. Some examples are Chris Berman $3 mil per yr., Terry Bradshaw $2.2 mil per yr. and Al Michaels $5.0 mil per. yr. E.S.P.N. does not publish salaries so you can only guess what your favorite sportscaster is making vs. what he or she is worth.The great thing about American sports is that everyone understands the average fan knows more about the game than the clown broadcasting. So why the hell don’t I have that job? Finally, this comment from Mike Ditka, ex player, coach turned broadcaster, “What’s the difference between a 3 week old puppy and a sportscaster? after 6 weeks the puppy stops whining”. Well the football season lasts a lot longer and these guys just ain’t gonna stop.
Whadayathink? turn down the sound or watch Turner Classic Movies
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If, as many say, there would have been no Doors without Jim Morrison, the same can be said of Ray Manzarek. He co-founded the band along with Jim and brought in the two remaining members. With Jim as the exceedingly intriguing and controversial frontman, it was Ray’s keyboards that would weave like pipesmoke through Jim’s unusual lyrics giving the music its unmistakable sound. A sound that would transcend time.