Time is an illusion. Yes, it takes about 24 hours (these things aren’t precise) for the Earth to rotate, exposing us to a complete cycle of sunlight, but it depends on where on the globe you are and what time of year it is. And it’s about 365 days to move around the sun. But [...]
Thoughts on James Brown #3
From Nelson George’s The Death of Rhythm & Blues: During the 1960s James Brown singlehandedly demonstrated the possibilities for artistic and economic freedom that black music could provide if one constantly struggled against its limitations. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968. Brown was booked for that night at [...]
Thoughts on James Brown #2
From Miles: The Autobiography, by Miles Davis with Quincy Troupe: As soon as I got back to New York, I took the group back into the studio in December 1967, along with Gil Evans — who arranged some things — and added a young guitarist named Joe Beck. I was already moving toward a guitar [...]
Thoughts on James Brown #1
From Jeff Chang’s Can’t Stop Won’t Stop: In gay and Black clubs at the time [of the early Seventies], DJs were pushing the emerging four-on-the-floor disco beat. But the Plaza Tunnel DJs had a rawer sound. [DJ] John Brown “was the first to play records like ‘Give It Up or Turn it Loose’ by James [...]
Doing it to death
I was talking to my friend Chris this morning. She pointed out that James Brown’s body lay in state at the Apollo Theater in Harlem, in a gold coffin, while President Gerald Ford’s body will lie in the Capitol. She said, “Ford wishes he had it so good.” What is there to say about James [...]
Corny, Copious for Christmas
The Hot Show on Christmas Day: And Now There Are Two ‘Yule Log’ TV Loops, One in Hi-Def Great article in WaPo about competing versions of the Yule Log, which is basically a camera pointed at a burning fire for hours while music plays. The original Yule log has been on TV in New York [...]
Kevin & Bean Kristmas: New tunes for ’06
[This is part of The John M. Higgins Memorial Xmasganza.] We wrap things up for Christmas ’06 and the Xmasganza with a few tracks from this year’s CD from Kevin & Bean. I have a stack of nine CDs sitting next to me right now, and looking through them confirms that the quality is very [...]
Stranger Than Fiction
I was led to believe that the latest Will Ferrell movie, Stranger Than Fiction, was a sub-par version of Adaptation. (2002). In fact, while it explores some similar themes, it is quite different and is very good in its own way. At this stage, it’s probably on its way out of the theaters and onto [...]
Kevin & Bean Kristmas: Makin’ with the funny
[This is part of The John M. Higgins Memorial Xmasganza.] All of these different Kevin & Bean CDs have a mix of music and comedy, with some of the humor coming from celebrities and some from the show staff. It’s hit-and-miss. Like most “Morning Zoo” teams across this great land of ours (unless you live [...]
If you’re late to the party…
¡Bienvenidos! ¡Feliz Navidad! ¡Note the upside-down exclamation points! Come on in to the party… So, if you are just arriving, let me explain where we are. On November 21st, sometime early in the morning, John M. Higgins died suddenly — shockingly — of a heart attack at the age of 45. Either you knew him [...]