I post a weekly diary of historical notes, arts & science items, foreign news (often receiving little notice in the US) and whimsical pieces from the outside world that I often feature in "Cheers & Jeers".
OK, you've been warned - here is this week's tomfoolery material that I posted.
CHEERS to Bill and Michael in PWM and ...... well, each of you at Cheers and Jeers. Have a fabulous weekend .... and week ahead.
ART NOTES— an exhibition entitled Michelangelo: the Last Decades— with over one hundred of his later works and revealing his private meditations and preparatory drawings for works such as “Last Judgment” — is at the British Museum in London, England to July 28th.
YOUR WEEKEND READ #1 is this essay in Collier’s magazine from this week in 1924… with the title The Movies 100 Years from Now. The author is the pioneering film director D.W. Griffith — most famous of course for 1915’s violent Birth of a Nation (from the book with the telltale title of The Klansman). Some accurate predictions: color films, admission of at least $5.00, films will be shown on airliners, scripts by well-known writers. Among the wrong predictions: “It will never be possible to synchronize the voice with the pictures” and “eliminating from the face of the civilized world all armed conflict.”
THURSDAY's CHILD is named Callie the Cat - who was adopted from a shelter by a woman despite having been put on its euthanasia list (because the trauma of losing her kittens gave her behavioral issues). Then when the woman gave birth to her daughter: Callie adopted the baby … as if it were her own.
YOUR WEEKEND READ #2 is this essay in Slate by Dahlia Lithwick on the bad-faith arguments made by the so-called originalist right-wing judiciary … seeking an 18th Century determination of modern society.
CHEERS to our upcoming Cheers & Jeers luncheon the following weekend in Saco, Maine (an ode to Jolly John, of course). If you’ll be in the area then, are interested and have not already been sent an invite, Kosmail me for details.
FRIDAY's CHILD is named Schnitzel the Cat - who appears in the upcoming horror film, A Quiet Place: Day One— the prequel to 2018’s hit thriller A Quiet Place - now starring Lupita Nyong’o.
FOR THOSE WONDERING (when I issue my Who Lost the Week ?!?!? poll) about the source of the tips on underage predators (especially those in church or law enforcement posts, who often lecture others about their morals/ethics) — it is a woman named Beks… with a handle of @antifaoperative — (unsure if she is on other social media sites).
SUNDAY’S CHILD is Carla T. Nichols the Cat— memorialized in The Atlantic by Tom Nichols (retired professor at the U.S. Naval War College, and fervent never-Trumper) to his late departed cat Carla (named after Carla Tortelli of "Cheers" fame) ... explaining that she "saved" him at a low point of his life ... and then at a high point: saved him and his wife from a fiery death.
BRAIN TEASER— try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC ...… and the usually easier, less UK-centered New York Times quiz.
OLDER-YOUNGER BROTHERS— Stand-up comic/actor Jeff Altman and Hall of Fame baseball pitcher Greg Maddux.
...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… someone who was part of the British wing of the New Wave/punk era of the late 1970’s is Graham Parker— who has the angry (yet lyrical) aspect that Elvis Costello has, yet never caught-on in the U.S. as well as Costello did (despite also settling here). Nonetheless, he’s had a steady career ever since his 70’s-80’s heyday, and I’ll try to provide a limited profile (due once again to time constraints).
Born in 1950, he became a stalwart performer in London’s pub rock scene (with simple music and dress, a reaction to the glam rock of the era). He was seen by Dave Robinson, one of the founders of the indie label Stiff Records (a popular landing spot for pub rock bands that major labels disdained) who helped him recruit his band The Rumour, featuring his long-time guitarist Brinsley Schwarz. They were signed to Mercury Records in 1975, where he recorded three albums, the second of which (Heat Treatment) has both a popular title track as well as my favorite song of his, Pourin’ It All Out. He received some critical praise and some success on both sides of the Atlantic.
Graham was unhappy, though, at the lack of support he felt Mercury was providing (as will be seen in tonight’s song selection) and he left for Arista where his next album Squeezing Out Sparks became his most successful album (#40 in the US charts) in 1979. He seemed to have more trouble with his record labels (after Arista: Elektra, Atlantic, RCA and Capitol) with a few hits in the 1980’s: his highest-charting single in the US was in 1985 Wake Up (Next to You) cracking the Top 40, and 1988’s Get Started (Start a Fire) becoming a hit on college radio stations (that I also recall seeing on VH-1).
Since the 80’s, he’s had more of a cult audience following, along with a 2011 film appearance — longtime fan and director Judd Apatow encouraging him to reunite with The Rumour in his film This is Forty.
Since then, he’s appeared as a solo performer, with his most recent album being 2023’s Last Chance To Learn The Twist that a reviewer described as “an eclectic mix of songs with a variety of influences and styles”. On social media, he notes guest audience members such as Roger McGuinn (of the Byrds) and Maria Muldaur taking in shows of his. The last show on his current tour will be in California this weekend, but at age seventy-three: he seems like a road warrior that can’t stay away.
While I wish no one any debilitating illnesses (and accordingly, I will not include him in this weekend’s “Who Lost the Week ?!?!?” poll) — when the NY Times reported that your-friend-and-mine RFK Jr. suffered not only from A-fib and a brain worm: it was the third condition (that he attributed to eating tuna fish sandwiches relentlessly) that had this Graham Parker song (from Squeezing Out Sparks) immediately fire-off in my mind
Mercury Poisoning is (mercifully) not about such a sordid medical condition. Rather, it was Graham Parker’s diatribe about Mercury Records that he recorded at his new label, which a Mercury Records secretary named Valerie recognized as being aimed at the company’s executives.
No more pretending now The albatross is dying in its nest The company is crippling me The worst trying to ruin the best Their promotion's so lame They could never ever take it to the real ball game Maybe they think I'm a pet Well I've got all the diseases I'm breaking out in sweat, you betThe boys and me Are getting real well known around town But every time we try to spread the action Someone always brings it down I ate the orange and I don't feel well For them it's inconvenience - for me it's hell The geriatric staff think we're freaks They couldn't sell kebabs to the Greeks, the geeks Inaction speaks
Is this a Russian conspiracy? No it's just idiocy Is this a Chinese burn I got a dinosaur for a representative It's got a small brain and refuses to learn Their promotion's so lame They could never ever take it to the real ball game Listen I ain't a pet I ain't a token hipster, in your monopoly set You bet, because:
I got Mercury poisoning It's fatal and it don't get better I got Mercury poisoning The best kept secret in the west