The first segment has Shatner talking about difficult acting jobs he had to perform on Star Trek. The second features him singing. Guess which one I watched all the way through?
Archive for the ‘video’ Category
William Shatner on the Mike Douglas Show
Thursday, February 2nd, 2012In Which The “No Disco” Rule is Temporarily Lifted
Friday, January 27th, 2012I doubt I’ll live this one down. Let’s just call this Guilty Pleasure Friday.
I read on Bill Crider’s Blog that ABBA was releasing their first new single in 18 years. Now keep in mind I’m firmly in the “anti-disco” faction. I lived through the 1970s, and disco was right up there with inflation and the Pittsburgh Steelers among things right-thinking suburban teenagers in Houston hated in the 1970s.
So ABBA was never going to be among my favorites. But despite all that, I still remember liking “Take a Chance on Me” when it came out, so I thought I’d give it a listen again.
Whoa.
The refrain is pure disco vapidness, the “sexy” winks are ridiculous, and the 1970s video production values are non-existent. But those first few seconds of high female acapella harmony still send shivers down my spine. Maybe it’s because such harmonies are so underutilized in pop music today, a point I’ve made before.
Say what you want about ABBA, but this was before the age of digital desuckification and autotune, and those girls could really sing.
A Very Old New Film
Tuesday, January 17th, 2012Shoegazer Sunday: Ringo Deathstarr’s “You Don’t Listen”
Sunday, January 15th, 2012Here’s the earcatchingly-named Ringo Deathstarr (note the double r at the end of Deathstar; there’s evidently a New Jersey rapper that goes by the single r version of the name) with “You Don’t Listen.” The band hails from Austin, which has not been a hotbed for Shoegaze (though The Swells have been here a while). My friend Andrew said he enjoyed seeing them at Psych Fest.
And here’ the live version, not because it’s particularly good, but because it provides proof of the maxim that just about any Shoegazer band is improved by including a hot redhead.
Croooooooow!
Friday, January 13th, 2012There’s a scene in Ian McDonald’s The Dervish House in which one of the characters notes that rooks and other birds have had their intelligence enhanced through stray environmental nanotechnology. As the videos below show, they might not have to wait that long. Here are some crows…
Using tools sequentially:
Making a tool:
Via Fark, using a makeshift sled:
And using a vending machine:
In other news, Alfred Hitchcock’s The Birds is available on Blu-Ray…
Shoegazer Sunday: The Jesus And Mary Chain’s “Just Like Honey”
Sunday, January 8th, 2012The first (and for a long time only) Jesus And Mary Chain song I’d heard was “Snakedriver” off The Crow soundtrack. It struck me as a sort of post-Beatles bit of psychedelic pop, and only later did I learn that they were considered a Shoegazer band. Here’s their song “Just Like Honey,” which has more echo and less distortion.
Happy Epiphany!
Friday, January 6th, 2012Since today is Epiphany, here’s “The Epiphany” from the movie version of Sweeney Todd (which I haven’t seen):
What do you mean I’m doing it wrong?
Shoegazer Sunday: Pale Saints’ “Sight of You”
Sunday, January 1st, 2012Pale Saints of Leeds were among the original UK Shoegaze wave of the late 1980s and early 1990s.
This is off their debut album The Comforts Of Madness. I could do without the noodly part at the very end…
As a Golden Retriver Owner, This Made Me Smile
Saturday, December 31st, 2011At over three and a half million hits since December 22, I’m obviously not the only one.
Happy New Year, everyone!
A Winter’s Day in a Deep and Dark December
Friday, December 30th, 2011Well, not so much. It’s 72° here in Austin right now. But this was running through my head, so I thought I would share.
Too bad it cuts off at the end. I prefer the guitar part on the studio version, but Art’s voice is quite lovely here.