Mr. Pettit and myself attended this 50’s party a few nights ago. Walking into it was like walking into the Twilight Zone: greasers, fancy suits with two toned shoes, poodle dresses, bowling shirts, big hair, …
It was awesome.
People “strolling“, “jiving“, “twisting” and ” shake, rattle, and rolling” everywhere.
200 odd people … but not odd really … just a subculture of 50’s Rock ‘N Roll officianados alive and well in the back of beyond Japan having a good time.
When I start to think about, it’s not really so strange: good music, good dancing, and fun.
As we were the only foreigners in attendance, I thought it was bizarre. After thinking about it, it seemed pretty normal.
I wasn’t dancing in the 50’s … and neither were most of these people. They just like the music and so do I.
Four bands played the classics and some songs that were great but just hadn’t made it through the filtered version of the 50’s that I grew up with.
I’ll be going to the next one … and I’m sure I won’t have to twist Mr. Pettit’s arm too hard to come with me.
.
note: my version of the 50’s comes mostly from “American Graffiti” and “Happy Days” sadly. I was born too late … but I’d probably be really old if I was.
double note: I ended up dancing with an 81 year old woman for most of the night. She is a former #1 dancer in Japan … so I was honored.
triple note: sorry all the photos are crap: I left my camera at home and took these images with the phone camera.
quadruple note: I thought there were going to be 5 bands … until I realized that “gest” meant “guests“.
.
notes to myself #41
You know those dance moves you do at 13 years old?
They will last you a lifetime.
It would almost be worth it to work at a movie theatre for the cardboard display stuff you could get for free.
note: the “cardboard cut out charity” needs your support.
double note: yes, I’ve seen “The Lonely Guy“.
triple note: planetross wants this cardboard display bad. I think after November 3rd it could be gracing my front entrance!
quadruple note: this is Nozomi Ohashi, the little girl who sings the theme song for “Ponyo“. I think everyone in Japan knows it. It’s quite catchy actually … like the flu!
notes to myself #38
Your brothers and sisters are going to call you “Walter” when you get the mumps. They will probably stop calling you that if you don’t get so mad about it.
… same goes for “Eggward“.
I listen to songs while driving from here to there and over there sometimes. I usually change them up semi-non-regularly and I realized today that … “Hey! I wonder if some of my now favorite songs actually havevideostothem“.
So here are the official videos/live performances/someone’s video with the song put together fora few songs that I think have clever lyrics … or just because I like them.
WARNING: one is sexually suggestive, one is faded, one has a showboating kid in it, one has a showboating guy in a red/green shirt (my guess is he’s the drummer), and one is someone’s version of what the video should be.
note: Bloodhound Gang, John Hiatt, Billy Bragg, Brendon Benson, and Jack Johnson are all welcome to play charity concerts on Planetross for … ever … or for charity … or some other good cause anytime.
double note: I’ve put on 2 entries tonight … the other one is more original, but less musical. Sometimes it goes like that: sometimes it doesn’t. Sometimes seems irregular sometimes … or always.
triple note: I would have included David Franj’s video for Oxygen, but there isn’t anything. Here is “God Only Knows” as a runner up:
notes to myself #35
All the songs you love between 1977 and 1984 … you will love forever.
Do you ever wake up in the morning and just know that it will be a great big enjoyable day?
No matter what happens, your mood can’t be budged, bullied, or bothered.
Today isn’t one of those days …
but I was kind of hoping.
note: At the beginning of “A Hard Day’s Night” when John Lennon laughs at Ringo and George falling down … that’s how I feel on really good days.
double note: I’ve updated a few of the experiments, added a page at the top, and started something different at the bottom of posts.
triple note: most days I feel like George and Ringo.
notes to myself #1
In Grade 4 when you make a deal with Peter to run over the “50 yard dash” finish line together so you can both get 1st place ribbons, don’t do it. It’s a double cross!
On an IMPORTANT MISSION to obtain important things at a shopping mall about an hour’s drive away, I armed myself with my camera and i-pod shuffle for the trip. I guess I really “eyed” and “eared” myself with that equipment … and the shuffle was only half full … so it was really an i-pod “shuhalfull” … but I digress.
On the way I realized a few new things that I hadn’t realized before.
I’ve already prealized old things … so I can’t realize them anymore nowadays for some reason that I’m sure I will realize someday.
1. I don’t honk at bad or slow drivers: I just “boo” them a lot.
2. My headphones slowly work themselves out of my ears when I eat food*, but not when I sing**.
*piggishly **badly
3. I’d be a pretty good “disfigure skater” … if that was a real thing. I know I can do a “disfigure 8″ amazingly well!
4. If U2’s “Where the Streets Have No Names” started with “I want to hide, I want to seek“, it probably wouldn’t have been such a big hit.
5. It is impossible to sit completely still while listening to “Istanbul” by They Might Be Giants.
All important things were obtained and even one thing I didn’t know was important, until I obtained it, was obtained with money … which is very similar to purchasing or buying … but really quite different if there is an IMPORTANT MISSION involved.
The icecube tray was the added bonus of the trip.
What was the IMPORTANT MISSION? you ask while eating fish products with baited breath.
I’ll put that entry on next.
I was going to call it “The Next Entry”, but then what would I do after that? … so it will be called something else.
note: if you haven’t read the first “Saturday At Stoplights“, no one is stopping you … with lights … or anything.
double note: it’s difficult to get people with funny hats riding bicycles and the police into one photo … naturally.
The first “Visor Man” is here… or just askTony …he probably knows.
I can’t remember too much stuff I studied in High School: it’s all fragments and things disappearing around corners now.
However, I probably remember every song lyric I heard between 13 and 18 years old.
If there had been cool songs explaining Biology, Chemistry, Physics, and Algebra; I bet I would have …
- cured my lack of facial hair
- distilled a potion that made me irresistible to the opposite sex
- invented a way to win at PacMan
and
- built a Death Star in the shape of AC/DC’s Angus Young’s guitar.
Sadly for me the education through song portion of my fountain of knowledge dried up soon after “The Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round”.
note: probably the most educational song I know is Monty Python’s Universe Song.
double note: I might have even invented “flubber” if I had had enough money to buy records!
triple note: How cool was Fred MacMurray? Pretty cool! I kid you not!
quadruple note: “I studied so hard for the test that I lost my voice.”
quintuple note: sometimes the wheels on the bus don’t go round and round.
sextuple note: In the fantasy realm of educational songs …
The Rolling Stones: physics The Beatles: entomology Led Zeppelin: alchemy and aeronautics The Animals: zoology The Cars: automotive ZZ Top: hair dressing school David Bowie:biology The Clash: art of war or fashion The Police: criminology Dr. Hook: medicine or possibly fishing Men At Work: business UB40: unemployment The Doors: doors AC/DC: the study of electricity Crowded House: demographics The Romantics: dead English poets you had to study in school U2: spyware and spies and stuff
septuple note: I was going to include “Oasis: proctology” … but they weren’t around in my musical absorption period.
While driving to the next city on Sunday and listening to Steve Miller’s “Fly Like An Eagle”, I saw a big eaglely looking hawk circling overhead.
It was cool having the song match what I was seeing.
Why doesn’t Steve Miller have an “All Greenlights and No Traffic” song?
Stupid Steve Miller!
note: I listened to U2’s “One Tree Hill” on One Tree Hill in Auckland once. The next time I visited Auckland it was None Tree Hill. (above photo)
I don’t think there’s a song for that one though; … or maybe a song for that none though.
double note: possibly while visiting famous places in South America I heard songs about those places, but they were in Portuguese or Spanish … so I don’t really know.
triple note:Steve Miller seriously rocks! … my scanned photo does not.
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