penpusher: (History Channel)
You must have heard about this already, but if you didn't, there is this Quincy Jones Interview by David Marchese

The top dishes in this incredibly juicy article:

1. Michael Jackson thieved a bunch of music and didn't properly pay or even credit the writers.
2. Hillary Clinton was disliked for the secrets that she kept.
3. John F. Kennedy was killed by Chicago Mobsters associated with Frank Sinatra.
4. The Beatles were the worst musicians in the world. "Paul was the worst bass player I ever heard. And Ringo? Don't even talk about it."
5. Paul Allen of Microsoft can play like Jimi Hendrix.
6. Donald Trump is " a crazy motherfucker. Limited mentally — a megalomaniac, narcissistic. I can’t stand him."
7. Ivanka Trump dated Quincy.
8. Oprah Winfrey doesn't have the chops to be president.
9. Current Music isn't as good because the mentality of those making it aren't as good.
10. Bruno Mars, Chance The Rapper, Kendrick Lamar, Ed Sheeran, Sam Smith and Mark Ronson are the best out there currently.
11. Marlon Brando had sex with James Baldwin, Richard Pryor and Marvin Gaye.

This leads to a whole lot of other questions that perhaps he's saving for a memoir. Questions like: Why didn't he stop MJ from stealing all that stuff? What secrets is Hillary keeping? How did the mob get Lee Harvey Oswald involved in the assassination of JFK and was Jack Ruby on their payroll? How did those dates with Ivanka go? Why didn't Q think of a single woman to name when it came to talented musicians? And then the Brando thing, which he probably couldn't answer in detail.

Finally, there was also this exchange:

Marchese: Are we in a better place as a country than we were when you started doing humanitarian work 50 years ago?

Jones: No. We’re the worst we’ve ever been, but that’s why we’re seeing people try and fix it. Feminism: Women are saying they’re not going to take it anymore. Racism: People are fighting it. God is pushing the bad in our face to make people fight back.

When I did my 30 Day Music Challenge and got to Day 27 on Grammy Day. I selected "We Are The World," the anthem for famine relief in Africa with that all star group of singers. And, of course, Quincy Jones was there as a producer (he's got a story about that in this interview, too).

But what I didn't share in my post at the time, was that I hadn't heard the song in several years, and I just started crying because it seemed like the atmosphere of the country is so different now than even then, and that we have to do so much more work just to get back to THAT place.

We have to keep fighting back.
penpusher: (iTunes)
We have come to the end of the 30 Day Music Challenge, and again, I'm altering this selection from the original... the challenge for today was supposed to be "Your Favorite Song This Time Last Year." I'm pretty sure that this time last year, songs were not on my mind in the least... except for Mussorgsky's "Night On Bald Mountain", which, I kid you not, really was playing in my head almost continually those first couple of months of 2017.

But now, in the wake of the Grammys and of the positive elements that seem to be on the rise in our society, plus the fact that we haven't, as yet, talked about what's happening now in music during this 30 day meme, all points to reasons why we should examine what's popular today and select a current song for this list!

Music is ever-changing, ever growing, constantly surprising and continually flowing. Even though the sounds of the songs on the current charts bear no resemblance to 1968 or 1988 or even 2008, there is still a thread that connects them together. If you can't find something you like during any era of music, that only means that you just aren't listening.

I have an easy job for this final pick. Or, really it's a difficult one in that there are a number of songs that I really love that are on the charts this week. But I'm making this selection for a few crucial reasons. First, it's a song focused on the concept of what is usually referred to as "Girl Power", taking back the strength in a relationship, rather than giving it all to the guy. That's a great and very timely message.

Second, the tune itself is so strong and unique, it really has an edge that makes it stand out; it is a tune that has that "earworm" quality that a lot of hits are all about. It has a great sound.

Third, the artist is breaking through, becoming a part of the mainstream from her native Great Britain for most of last year. You didn't hear her name during this week's Grammys, but I would be shocked if you wouldn't hear it at least a few times during next year's ceremony!

And finally, just to bring it back to NYC one final time during this Challenge, The performer is going to make her very first appearance as the musical guest on this Week's Saturday Night Live, hosted by Natalie Portman. You'll be able to see her for yourself when the show airs on NBC, Feburary Third, at 11:30 Eastern, 8:30 Pacific!

So, this massive list of songs, which started with something old, is ending with something new. I conclude the 30 Day Music Challenge with Dua Lipa - "New Rules"

penpusher: (Trump)
Steve Scalise Among 4 Shot at Baseball Field; Suspect Is Dead - The New York Times Wednesday June 14, 2017

Partisan politics commentary where people of a differing political stance have chosen to call each other “selfish,” “stupid,” “insane” or worse. Much worse. It's difficult not to see the above event as possibly a result of such responses. And it's something we have to address.

If we are to understand where the United States is, politically, we have to go back in time and examine where we were. Let’s turn back the clock and go for a trip to a previous USA, all the way back to the mid twentieth century!

The world of politics during the Eisenhower era... )

Profile

penpusher: (Default)
penpusher

January 2023

S M T W T F S
1234567
891011121314
15161718192021
2223 2425262728
293031    

Syndicate

RSS Atom

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jul. 11th, 2025 01:38 am
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios