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 Christina Ramberg: A Retrospective— showcasing nearly 100 paintings and quilts that span her career association with the Chicago Imagists group (and their complexities of gender and beauty) — is at the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Museum of Art through June 1st.
YOUR WEEKEND READ is this essay in The American Prospect by editor Robert Kuttner, suggesting several reasons why NY State governor Kathy Hochul settled for curbing some of NY mayor Eric Adams’ powers, but not removing him (as the state constitution would empower her to do so, and with many people urging her to do so). She emphasized “letting the people decide” as there is an election this November … but Prof. Kuttner believes the #1 reason: is to thwart the disgraced Andrew Cuomo’s desire to run for mayor.
THURSDAY's CHILD is named Tilly the Cat— an English kitteh who hopped on a commuter train and wound-up at London’s Waterloo Station (where her family went to collect her, noting the train stops on her Apple air-tag).
THE OTHER NIGHT yours truly hosted the Top Comments diary, with still more humorous videos (including from the very short-lived 1977 Richard Pryor Show).
AS OF THIS WRITING it is unclear whether the aged Pope Francis will recover from his bout with pneumonia … yet if it turns out that his final public pronouncement was to challenge the faulty assertions of J.D. Vance ... it will have been a worthy one.
FRIDAY's CHILD is the late great Benjamin Moore the Cat— a popular Baltimore hardware store greeter/mouser for fourteen years until his retirement last September (garnering a city council award) — who has died at the age of fifteen.
FOOD NOTES - yesterday, the world’s record for the largest cheese fondue (more than two tons) was set in the French ski resort of Les Rousses — though according to this article, citizens of Switzerland (its ancestral home) … are not amused.
BRAIN TEASER— try this Quiz of the Week's News from the BBC ...… and the usually easier, less UK-centered New York Times quiz.
FATHER-SON?— former Rep. Ron Paul (R-TX) and former TV host, now Trump nominee Mehmet Oz.
...... and finally, for a song of the week ...........................… hectic week, so just time for an old song .. and an a-capella version of intrigue.
From the classic 1967 album The Who Sell Out— with humorous takes on radio commercials as well as featured songs (including the hit single I Can See for Miles) — my favorite song is a softer rock song, I Can’t Reach You… with Pete Townshend not only singing lead, but also listed as the pianist (I would have guessed it was Nicky Hopkins). He also wrote the bulk of the album’s tunes.
Thirty-three years later: a then twenty-nine year-old indie rock singer/violinist decided to record the aforementioned a-capella version of the entire Sell Out album (think Bobby McFerrin). This was Petra Haden, one of four musician children of the late acclaimed jazz bassist Charlie Haden (with herself part of triplet girls).
Interestingly, she was not that versed with The Who’s work (and had never heard The Who Sell Out). Rather, it was suggested to her by her friend Mike Watt, and she recorded it intermittently over the next five years, releasing Petra Haden Sings: The Who Sell Out in 2005.
While many Who fans were distraught (either at anyone sampling The Who’s music, or the a capella rendition) such was not the case with its composer:
I was a little embarrassed to realize I was enjoying my own music so much, for in a way it was like hearing it for the first time. What Petra does with her voice, which is not so easy to do, is challenge the entire rock framework ... When she does depart from the original music she does it purely to bring a little piece of herself -- and when she appears she is so very welcome. I felt like I'd received something better than a Grammy.
Since then, Petra Haden (in addition to all of her other work) has performed this work as part of a ten-member all-female a capella ensemble (The Sell Outs).
The song begins at the 30-second mark (it opens with one of the gag commercials)