I'm a guy who enjoys finding connections, inter-relatedness, and surprising twists. It's something I just like to play around with.
This post was originally intended to give the results of my last Battle of the Bands (BOTB) post and perhaps offer a couple of creative tidbits to the few readers who venture by this blog, but I wanted to do more than just share these things in a bland list, so I decided to see if I could create some interesting segues of connectedness for today's post.
Let's see...
This post was originally intended to give the results of my last Battle of the Bands (BOTB) post and perhaps offer a couple of creative tidbits to the few readers who venture by this blog, but I wanted to do more than just share these things in a bland list, so I decided to see if I could create some interesting segues of connectedness for today's post.
Let's see...
1. Well, today is October 22, 2014, one week since my last BOTB post. It's also the 62nd birthday of actor Jeff Goldblum, who was born on this day in 1952.
2. Jeff has been the subject of persistent, recurring internet and media rumors and hoaxes regarding his alleged death, including ones from 2012 and 2009. He is actually NOT dead.
3. The Michael Jackson song "Billie Jean" is also about rumors and allegations. This song has had many covers made of it, including the ones by Robert Randolph and The Civil Wars I featured last week. I was expecting Robert Randolph to win this battle, but that was okay since my main goal was to feature him as an artist, and I think that worked out pretty well. Plus, The Civil Wars even got a couple of votes, which is also great and entirely understandable -- they do have amazing singing ability. But I also have to vote for the wonderful music of Robert, and in the end, he wins this going away, 8 to 2 with my vote.
4. Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean" video was also parodied by Steve Martin in the opening of the January 6th, 1984 debut of the short-lived comedy TV show, "The New Show":
5. Guess who also appeared in that January 6th The New Show premier? Yep -- Jeff Goldblum.
6. He's appeared in a ton of things. Among the many movies Goldblum has appeared in is The Big Chill, the 1983 movie about a group of University of Michigan friends reuniting after the suicide of one of them. HERE'S the scene of them in the procession of cars driving to the cemetery.
7. Michigan is also the site of a real funeral home that offers a way for mourners to stay in their cars for more than just the drive to the cemetery. Here's a recent news item about it: "Michigan Funeral Home Provides Drive-thru Option". Using that 6-word headline as the basis for a rhyming 6-word Newsday piece, I came up with this little rhyme:
8. Speaking of a drive-thru -- there are many claims as to which restaurant had the first one, but In-n-Out Burger and Jack in the Box were two places where they were adopted early. Millions of cheeseburgers have been handed out from drive-through windows ever since.
9. And did you ever see the 1986 movie, The Fly with Jeff Goldblum? Cheeseburgers are also a recurring motif in that film, and THIS CLIP gives one short snippet of them being used.
10. But for short film snippets featuring Jeff Goldblum, most people would have to say this 3-second clip from Woody Allen's 1977 movie Annie Hall is probably one of the most memorable. It's his only appearance in the film:
11. A mantra is a repeated word or syllables used to focus and quiet the mind during meditation. Supposedly, it is during this time of inner quiet that one's thoughts can become enlightened.
12. "Quiet Thoughts" is also the name of a jazzy jam I added a lead-guitar track to over at wikiloops. I haven't shared any of my music in quite a while here, so I wanted to include one as part of this BOTB-update post. I do have some new music I've been working on for a long time, and I hope to have it finished soon, but in the meantime, I hope THIS TUNE, with my attempt at a jazz lead I did back in March of this year is enjoyable. I really liked the bass, drums, and rhythm guitar tracks created by the other wikiloops jammers and 1 wanted to add a lead. I don't have what I'd call great jazz chops -- I just like to play:
13. Do you know who else likes to play jazz music? Jeff Goldblum. Read about it HERE. As Jeff also says in the article, "I just like to play."
Yeah, Jeff -- me too.
P.S.: Glad you're not dead.
6. He's appeared in a ton of things. Among the many movies Goldblum has appeared in is The Big Chill, the 1983 movie about a group of University of Michigan friends reuniting after the suicide of one of them. HERE'S the scene of them in the procession of cars driving to the cemetery.
7. Michigan is also the site of a real funeral home that offers a way for mourners to stay in their cars for more than just the drive to the cemetery. Here's a recent news item about it: "Michigan Funeral Home Provides Drive-thru Option". Using that 6-word headline as the basis for a rhyming 6-word Newsday piece, I came up with this little rhyme:
Michigan helps advance the mortuary arts,
with funeral choices for mourning hearts,
after one home made this adoption:
A policy that provides the chance
to grieve during a drive-thru glance;
A busy, "mourners on the go," option.
with funeral choices for mourning hearts,
after one home made this adoption:
A policy that provides the chance
to grieve during a drive-thru glance;
A busy, "mourners on the go," option.
8. Speaking of a drive-thru -- there are many claims as to which restaurant had the first one, but In-n-Out Burger and Jack in the Box were two places where they were adopted early. Millions of cheeseburgers have been handed out from drive-through windows ever since.
9. And did you ever see the 1986 movie, The Fly with Jeff Goldblum? Cheeseburgers are also a recurring motif in that film, and THIS CLIP gives one short snippet of them being used.
10. But for short film snippets featuring Jeff Goldblum, most people would have to say this 3-second clip from Woody Allen's 1977 movie Annie Hall is probably one of the most memorable. It's his only appearance in the film:
11. A mantra is a repeated word or syllables used to focus and quiet the mind during meditation. Supposedly, it is during this time of inner quiet that one's thoughts can become enlightened.
12. "Quiet Thoughts" is also the name of a jazzy jam I added a lead-guitar track to over at wikiloops. I haven't shared any of my music in quite a while here, so I wanted to include one as part of this BOTB-update post. I do have some new music I've been working on for a long time, and I hope to have it finished soon, but in the meantime, I hope THIS TUNE, with my attempt at a jazz lead I did back in March of this year is enjoyable. I really liked the bass, drums, and rhythm guitar tracks created by the other wikiloops jammers and 1 wanted to add a lead. I don't have what I'd call great jazz chops -- I just like to play:
 |
| "Quiet Thoughts" |
13. Do you know who else likes to play jazz music? Jeff Goldblum. Read about it HERE. As Jeff also says in the article, "I just like to play."
Yeah, Jeff -- me too.
P.S.: Glad you're not dead.
Steve Martin is a riot.
ReplyDeleteAnd glad the rumors about Goldblum aren't true. As stated in Monty Python, 'I'm not quite dead yet.'
Yeah, Steve was funny in that video. And it's been a couple of years since the rumors, but Jeff's still alive. I just used the rumors as a seque connection to get to "Billy Jean." ;)
DeleteFIRST, a great big apology due to the fact that I didn't vote in your last BOTB. I could blame it on the fact that I've been sick and on a lot of pain meds, but the truth is I'm an airheaded dumb blonde. I generally read and listen to the BOTB posts early in the AM, while still in bed on my phone. the phone doesn't let me comment, so I have to go back and do that. Unfortunately, for some reason I missed coming back to your post. I am truly sorry. Like I said 'dumb blonde'.
ReplyDeleteThe results post was as informative as your music (BOTB) are. I always learn something I didn't know before. Now, it's not always information that I will need or use every day, but none the less. I always learn something.
I too am glad Jeff Goldblum is not dead. I enjoy his dry sense of comedy and I forgive him for 'The Fly' and cheeseburgers.
No worries, FAE. Although I'm truthfully not quite sure which one you would have voted for -- I think you might have liked both renditions. :)
DeleteYou really are a font of knowledge. Are you one of those rare people who never forgets anything. Give them a day and they can tell you, in detail, everything that happened on that day. Is that you???? It sure seems like you.
ReplyDeleteWhile Jeff Goldblum is not one of my favorites, I am also glad he is not dead.
ME? No I forget a lot, lol! And it's not like I KNEW all this stuff about Jeff Goldblum and the other things I mentioned -- it all came from Google and the Internet. I just think it's fun to try and find links of connections and weird coincidences. I started this post wanting to touch on three things -- BOTB results, a new Newsday piece I put together about the drive-though funeral home, and to include a song since I hadn't put any music on my blog on a while. While looking for a way to connect them, I stumbled on the fact that Oct 22nd was Jeff Goldblum's birthday. It was alos the anniversary of JFK addressing the nation about the Cuban Missile Crisis, but that seemed less likely as a topic of connection, lol. Once I googled Jeff Goldblum and Billie Jean, I found "The New Show" thing, and so that was too cool of a coincidence to ignore. The rest kind of fell into place...
DeleteI remember being totally freaked out in high school by the story that Paul McCartney was dead and that it had been covered up -- even though the hoax occurred way before I was in high school. It was old news and oh-so-creepy, along with playing records backward to hear the clues.
ReplyDeleteI totally missed out on the Dead Jeff hoax. Rats. I like creepy mystery/hoaxes!
I actually considered using the "Paul is Dead" thing as a rumor to work from, but ended up going with Goldblum once I found that Steve Martin clip. :)
DeleteJeff Goldblum has made a fine career out of knowing what his face, voice and diction are about --he is always the "galumphy guy". I admire his work immeasurably, because I am, despite all attempts at sophistication during tenure in 2 centuries, still a galumphy guy and am reconciled to remain one. Thank you for bringing him up in a positive way!
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! And us galumphy guys gotta stick together, lol!
DeleteI always like quirky old Jeff; he is one of a kind. Deep Cover is a favorite of mine that usually goes under the radar.
ReplyDeleteI like quirky. :) And not familiar with "Deep Cover" -- I'll have to check it out. :)
DeleteNice liquid playing on 'Quiet Thoughts', CHRIS.
ReplyDeleteAnd interesting connections to Jeff Goldblum.
Now if only you could connect us to a huge pile of unmarked bills.
~ D-FensDogg
'Loyal American Underground'
And once again, Mr. McCarthy is able to get past the surface and see the real point:
DeleteThis wasn't a post about Jeff Goldblum -- it was a post about the BOTB results, my latest Newsday poem thingy, and the tune I posted, all of which I tried to connect in a fun and weird way that just happened to use Jeff Goldblum.
Thanks for catching the "interesting connections"," and also for being the only to even mention my wikiloops jam. I really appreciate that!
Jeff Goldblum is an excellent actor. I hadn't heard the rumors of his death and certainly glad they aren't true. How is these things start anyhow? Oh well...I love all the tidbits you threw out for us to nibble on in this post. I did check out your BOTB edition and if I had had the opportunity to vote (I am on a blog break) then it would have been The Civil Wars. I love their jazzy harmonizing cover. The instrumental rendition was fabulous, but it didn't quite do it for me. See you on the 1st!
ReplyDeleteI do like a lot of Goldblum's work -- I like the quirky actors who can play a wide range of roles. And thanks for your slightly-belated vote for Civil Wars, but I'm afraid it wouldn't hve been enough to turn the tide against Robert Randolph. See you on the 1st, too!
Delete