"Nay, I'll have a starling shall be taught to speak nothing but 'Mortimer' ...." -- Henry IV
The story goes that some guy released in Central Park all the birds mentioned by Shakespeare. The European starling , released in 1890, now occurs throughout much of North America. The English house sparrow, like the house fly, house mouse, and Norwegian rat, followed Europeans throughout the world, currently occupying a greater range of habitat than any other bird on earth. Some claim exotic species should be welcomed due to their ability to occupy habitat so disturbed that native species are struggling, but the most successfull invaders are known to outcompete and displace native species. One year i cleared out some starlings nesting in cavities in an old box elder tree in the front yard, and some northern flickers nested there instead, succesfully hatching out two chicks. I felt pretty proud watching over them with an air rifle. The monk parakeet though .....
The story goes that some guy released in Central Park all the birds mentioned by Shakespeare. The European starling , released in 1890, now occurs throughout much of North America. The English house sparrow, like the house fly, house mouse, and Norwegian rat, followed Europeans throughout the world, currently occupying a greater range of habitat than any other bird on earth. Some claim exotic species should be welcomed due to their ability to occupy habitat so disturbed that native species are struggling, but the most successfull invaders are known to outcompete and displace native species. One year i cleared out some starlings nesting in cavities in an old box elder tree in the front yard, and some northern flickers nested there instead, succesfully hatching out two chicks. I felt pretty proud watching over them with an air rifle. The monk parakeet though .....
The ballad of John Henry came up the other night. We dated it to the late 1800's since it involves railroads, but it seems to be more freighted than that (sorry). It's not a railroad song the way Casey Jones is, though it relates to the building of the railroads. It's not really a work song, either, though it bears some similarity to Take This Hammer (both songs sung by Lead Belly). TTH would have been sung while actually swinging a hammer, with an appropriate exclamation for each strike, even as the singer dreams of walking away from the job. John Henry is more of a story song, and a complex one at that. Man versus machine is the main theme, and man wins, but kills himself in the process. Seems like a theme that would appear earlier in the Industrial Revolution, but I'm not coming up with any examples off hand. Anybody know any tales of weavers outpacing the new mills, or suchlike? Beyond that, there are racial and sexual angles that have sometimes been bowdlerized. This page goes over some of the ground. Apparently there's some basis in fact, and the West Virginia tunnel in question is certainly real, but the truth gets harder to discern over time (oh wait, that's a work of fiction?). Although JH is almost always assumed to be a black man, the song seems to have had more resonance in the 30s than the 60s. Perhaps his noble victory in defeat was more appealing to the labor unionizers than to the civil rights movement?
another reason to hate IRWIN
Dud of the Month
THE LANGLEY SCHOOLS MUSIC PROJECT Innocence and Despair (Bar/None)
Hans Fenger was a gifted teacher on a mission. Cutting keepsake vinyl for his kiddie choir was a great way for him to reward past involvement while inspiring more. Irwin Chusid is a tedious ideologue with a hustle. Turning that vinyl into a collectible CD is the latest way for him to remind the converted that artistic intention is reserved for the beholder in these postmodern times—especially if the beholder has a hustle. A few of these songs were great, a few of them sucked, and every one was more innocent and/or desperate in its original version except Barry Manilow's (but not the Bay City Rollers'). A special annoyance is the reportedly tear-jerking "Desperado" by a 10-year-old who doesn't seem to have any idea what the song means, which is to her credit as a human being but not as a singer. The sole revelation is Brian Wilson, whose six songs still sound like themselves. C MINUS
-christgau
Dud of the Month
THE LANGLEY SCHOOLS MUSIC PROJECT Innocence and Despair (Bar/None)
Hans Fenger was a gifted teacher on a mission. Cutting keepsake vinyl for his kiddie choir was a great way for him to reward past involvement while inspiring more. Irwin Chusid is a tedious ideologue with a hustle. Turning that vinyl into a collectible CD is the latest way for him to remind the converted that artistic intention is reserved for the beholder in these postmodern times—especially if the beholder has a hustle. A few of these songs were great, a few of them sucked, and every one was more innocent and/or desperate in its original version except Barry Manilow's (but not the Bay City Rollers'). A special annoyance is the reportedly tear-jerking "Desperado" by a 10-year-old who doesn't seem to have any idea what the song means, which is to her credit as a human being but not as a singer. The sole revelation is Brian Wilson, whose six songs still sound like themselves. C MINUS
-christgau
Waitaminnit, is this what one has to look forward to in Montana?
Blizzards, hunger, scorching sun, forest fires, the neighbors, and more…
Per my pal with a Belgium wife, the hot new restaurant in Brussels is Belga Queen, i saw on a Brussels site its a 4 out of 5 star spot for food, my buddy said its delish w/ fab design....the bathrooms are uni-sex and all the stalls are clear glass, he was alone in there with two girls at the sink, he went into one and as he entered the glass darkened and he just saw silouettes(sp?) outside and inside others....
Quick but delish bite's at Picholine was better than ever....
Finally made it to the infamous Berta's Chateau in rural N.J., and Tommaso's in Brooklyn after at least a 5 year break...
"One was a species of falcon called the Eurasian kestrel (Falco tinnunculus), a long-tailed, swift-flying bird about a foot long or longer. The other was a shorebird called a Pacific golden plover (Pluvialis fulva), a plump creature about 10 inches long, with a black belly and golden highlights in its feathers."
seeing and believing
pre-vu lou
Jacques Yves Cousteau with some interesting views on population, envioronmental activism, dolphins, global warming and an optimistic statement about the world's fish populations.
We did a BYOB at Bid last night and while i may never eat again in that area of NYC, I have to say they did a very fine tasting menu to match the wines...1813 Sherry, 1983 Clos St Hune, 1976 DP, 1985 Meo Camuzet Clos Vougeot, 1960 Vega, 1982 Chave Hermitage, 1980 BV Delatour, 1982 Ausone, 1955 Ausone, 1978 Las Cases, 1990 Bonneau Cuvee Especial, etc....
I have a headache that 2 Tylenol has not cured.....
I have a headache that 2 Tylenol has not cured.....
i am amazed that it took me this long to get a backyard space....yes it involved moving out of NYC due to costs but now i have a 20 foot forsithia(sp?), lilac, roses, roderdendrums (sp?), herb garden, violets, etc besides cahirs, tables, bugs, and soon a grill....
There was recently a big write up in the local (New Orleans) paper about those parrots I had been seeing, they are Quaker Parakeets, aka, Monk Parakeets, and they are thriving here. So there is clearly more of them around than just the eleven I had counted.
"Note: The Quaker Parakeet is outlawed in many states, including : California, Wyoming, New Jersey, Hawaii, and Georgia. The reason they are outlawed in several states is because they are considered a potential agricultural pest. There are now established breeding colonies ( originally escaped pets) in several states, including New York, New Jersey, New Orleans-Louisiana, Dallas-Texas, Bridgeport/Fairfield CT, and Illinois."
"Note: The Quaker Parakeet is outlawed in many states, including : California, Wyoming, New Jersey, Hawaii, and Georgia. The reason they are outlawed in several states is because they are considered a potential agricultural pest. There are now established breeding colonies ( originally escaped pets) in several states, including New York, New Jersey, New Orleans-Louisiana, Dallas-Texas, Bridgeport/Fairfield CT, and Illinois."
the clone zone
thors hammer goes quiet
Alex, could you do somthing about the pollen coming off all these decorative fruit trees they've planted all over the area. It's thick enough to write your name on the hood of the cars parked under them. I dont even have alergies and my lungs feel tuburcular.
I can't find toms original post but Gary Wilson is playing Joe's Pub 5/15 @ 8:00 as per Brian.
I just saw the re-release of The Last Waltz. I recommend.
Preview/delete bug bit again. For those who missed it, this thread derived from Wheel's absinthe post.
For the first time in more than 50 years, Eastern screech owls have successfully bred in Central Park.
the Swiss and French have legalized Absinthe again, so the total is up to 6 or more EEC countries...Pernod is making Absinthe for the first time in what 100 years, some reports are that its not great, my fav is still Spanish, I hear Sagarra (from Spain) is a new winner, natural and lighter alcohol...i am still awaiting a strong blend with low alcohol, cant wait, maybe i am destined to open the first Absinthe bar in NYC around 2012...for now order here to taste the fab new Swiss (where it all began)...
A little coincidence to welcome back the Wheel: my mom is doing a report on Verona for her Italian class. She asked if I knew anything about a big wine fair there. I said I'd ask you. She must be thinking of VinItaly, and that must be where you just were? Any insider info I can pass along regarding Verona, wine or history wise?
