tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post5893504538093592250..comments2024-03-15T16:47:21.346-07:00Comments on Graphic Firing Table: So EmotionalFDChiefhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-10998604514078483262012-02-18T22:10:52.532-07:002012-02-18T22:10:52.532-07:00Not at all ... dad took it on the chin; he underst...Not at all ... dad took it on the chin; he understands mom's superior British attitude!<br /><br />Onward and upward!Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08839236994990699117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-72492943865955820602012-02-18T15:56:42.939-07:002012-02-18T15:56:42.939-07:00And allow me to demonstrate that we're nice pe...And allow me to demonstrate that we're nice people by apologizing for no reason whatsoever.<br /><br />I'm terribly sorry.Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15715768191516712688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-88344547389734573142012-02-18T11:07:42.399-07:002012-02-18T11:07:42.399-07:00Sorry, Leon -- I don't know him! I have these...Sorry, Leon -- I don't know him! I have these great gaps in my knowledge of pop culture, and don't watch much t.v.<br /><br />But while my mom skewered Dad with South Park's "Blame Canada", I though it all rather cruel :) Canadians are very nice people.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08839236994990699117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-85257464863509203622012-02-18T08:03:16.764-07:002012-02-18T08:03:16.764-07:00You left out Alan Thicke!
That's how I know y...You left out Alan Thicke!<br /><br />That's how I know you're stewing in anti-Canadianess. <br /><br />We even have a holiday devoted to this paragon of acting.Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15715768191516712688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-29474994232930370332012-02-18T07:43:10.293-07:002012-02-18T07:43:10.293-07:00Shucks, Leon -- I don't wanna be frenemies!
T...Shucks, Leon -- I don't wanna be frenemies!<br /><br />True about the beaver dam, but I've slipped on ice in front of Hudson Bay Co, and love malt vinegar on chips, and dad was a semi-pro hockey player (a goalie, who had his nose broken thrice!)<br /><br />Aside fr. Ms. Dion, I really like Canada. I love the Guess Who and Gordon Lightfoot (quoting from both recently), and Dan Akroyd, too :)Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08839236994990699117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-91693162097527974572012-02-17T20:11:43.969-07:002012-02-17T20:11:43.969-07:00Don't you go parading your 'semi-Canadiane...Don't you go parading your 'semi-Canadianess' around. <br /><br />Why you've probably never played hockey on a frozen lake by a beaver dam while drinking Tim Horton's coffee and eating french toast with maple syrup.Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15715768191516712688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-87184216068117378712012-02-17T20:07:07.951-07:002012-02-17T20:07:07.951-07:00Understood, Leon. Spoken like a true man :)
[fri...Understood, Leon. Spoken like a true man :)<br /><br />[friends, now? My dad's Canadian, y'know? I was almost born there, too -- just 3 wks. shy :)]Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08839236994990699117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-21238320101299081782012-02-17T19:41:55.374-07:002012-02-17T19:41:55.374-07:00No, I like my memories of her as slightly trashy a...No, I like my memories of her as slightly trashy and totally accessible. In all her airbrushed glory.Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15715768191516712688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-78479067051553078752012-02-17T16:55:16.899-07:002012-02-17T16:55:16.899-07:00Leon,
No prob on the grammar; I type too fast and...Leon,<br /><br />No prob on the grammar; I type too fast and poorly, and make any # of errors :)<br /><br />I am solidly with Chief on this one. I am so glad he spoke out on it, as he emboldened me to recognize how cringe-worthy I found her, in the face of all the hype to the opposite.<br /><br />As Chief says, it was "sentimental glurge". When I sought to view Houston's signature song -- Parton's "I Will Always Love You" -- I was just aghast at her lack of comprehension for the lyrics. <br /><br />As she sputters her syllables toward the end, with that insipid smile, she gesticulates to the audience and breathily mouths, ala Monroe, "And you, and you, and you ..." Jaysus, puh-leeze! No, no, NO -- that is NOT what the song means! Absolutely a butchery, and YET, the commenters LOVE it!<br /><br />Leon, you may find her incredibly sexy, but that is largely the work of fine make-up artists and lovely sheaths. Take a look a the WaPo montage of Whitney -- pay attn. to her pre-made up self. You'd never look twice.<br /><br />Most women (in their heydays -- the 20's) properly made up can look just smashing. Most cannot afford such attention.<br /><br />The link:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/whitney-houston-dies-at-48/2012/02/11/gIQAWw3E7Q_gallery.html#photo=1" rel="nofollow">50 Whitney Photos</a>Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08839236994990699117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-37270667758231020962012-02-17T15:11:56.532-07:002012-02-17T15:11:56.532-07:00Just stumbled onto this graphic, I think this sums...Just stumbled onto this graphic, I think this sums up Whitney quite nicely: http://tinyurl.com/7wjwbz5Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15715768191516712688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-47359406442347801832012-02-17T14:45:55.334-07:002012-02-17T14:45:55.334-07:00DAMN YOU GRAMMAR!
Yes, that was supposed to be &...DAMN YOU GRAMMAR! <br /><br />Yes, that was supposed to be "nation".<br /><br />I concur somewhat that she was no Ella, but she did have some talent (more than me in the shower) so I appreciated that. Plus being incredibly sexy (before the cocaine phase started) didn't help.Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15715768191516712688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-83707595940065312682012-02-17T09:48:07.334-07:002012-02-17T09:48:07.334-07:00I think Leon meant to say "nation", yes?...I think Leon meant to say "nation", yes?<br /><br />Anyway, the thing is that overall I have to go with Lisa on the "waste" issue; I see Houston as the opposite - a woman who got WAY more wealth and fame out of a fairly modest talent because something in the way she sang struck a rich vein of sentimental glurge in the public. I know that most pop culture is crap, but the crap mine here is like one of those ginormous open pits they use to haul out copper in Arizona. Whitney didn't dig it, but she was pretty instrumental in the process, and I can't love her for that.<br /><br />And her larger place is as a type for the sort of person who manages to grab a huge chunk of public notice for some fairly modest achievements. My feeling is that both process and outcome are bad for everyone involved; the person, who is suddenly immersed in this tub of gooey adulation while being larded with stupid money and fawning praise - a nearly inescapable trap for anyone without a self-discipline and self-deprecation capability of steel - and the public, which is allowed to wallow in its worst instincts without questioning for a moment whether adulation of and fascination with these perfectly commonplace random actors, singers, athletes, or utter nobodies (Kardashians, stand up, please!) is of any value whatsoever.<br /><br />Not a pretty picture of our "society", however you spin it...FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-84475535229479558022012-02-17T08:19:11.101-07:002012-02-17T08:19:11.101-07:00Leon,
The two you mention are assuredly not good,...Leon,<br /><br />The two you mention are assuredly not good, but no worse than Houston, IMHO. (Bolton serves the added purpose of being a stand in for Fabio on gothic romance covers.)<br /><br />What is my "great national"?Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08839236994990699117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-36653203659556138792012-02-16T19:22:29.259-07:002012-02-16T19:22:29.259-07:00Lisa: Unfortunately you're still on the 'f...Lisa: Unfortunately you're still on the 'frenemies' list. Your "great" national also cursed us with the twin horrors of Michael Bolton and Kenny G.Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15715768191516712688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-49072926318783034442012-02-16T17:14:39.825-07:002012-02-16T17:14:39.825-07:00Leon,
Oops, sorry -- I just saw where the "w...Leon,<br /><br />Oops, sorry -- I just saw where the "waste of potential" comment was yours ... umm, we're all friends here, right ;)Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08839236994990699117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-916999860502470682012-02-16T17:12:45.169-07:002012-02-16T17:12:45.169-07:00Leon,
I had NOTHING to do with disco -- nada! Ot...Leon,<br /><br />I had NOTHING to do with disco -- nada! Other good things sprang from (or at least, followed) disco which were far more noteworthy than the bloodless belting of Houton and her cohort. I would argue rock stayed strong until the mid-80's ... maybe 1986 being the cutoff (?) Nuthin' wrong with Meatloaf, though :)<br /><br />Far as labrys' observation of the trite comment on Houston's death as a "waste of potential", again I must differ.<br /><br />Houston met her potential -- and far outstripped it -- with the help of excellent publicity. There was no growth to be had there -- just more of the standard pap. <br /><br />There were many better singers of her ilk which arose at the same time as Houston with better voices, like Anita Baker et. al, but Houston had the image. I don't get celebrity worship, either.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08839236994990699117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-8183928890822497952012-02-16T11:36:10.936-07:002012-02-16T11:36:10.936-07:00Houston had a nice voice, and tho' I don't...Houston had a nice voice, and tho' I don't care for most country music (force-fed too much in childhood), I do like Dolly Parton a lot. <br /><br />A song about loss....well, I have several versions of those to hear. Dido's "White Flag" is one of my personal favorites.<br /><br />And Houston? Well, "waste of potential" describes large parts of the human race. I don't get celebrity worship.Labryshttp://www.herlander-refugee.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-45758498659202397972012-02-16T10:19:40.567-07:002012-02-16T10:19:40.567-07:00That, dear Lisa is revenge for disco. You think yo...That, dear Lisa is revenge for disco. You think you can inflict bell-bottoms on the world and escape divine retribution?<br /><br />Bieber is (pre-emptive) payback for Rebecca Black.<br /><br />Now if you'll excuse me, I'm off to listen to some Meatloaf.Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15715768191516712688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-4988160945110289382012-02-16T09:16:03.456-07:002012-02-16T09:16:03.456-07:00p.s. --
Your description of Parton's version ...p.s. --<br /><br />Your description of Parton's version is extremely empathic and correct, IMO.<br /><br />This is fr. today's WaPo:<br /><br /><i>TV Column: Whitney’s ratings don’t carry over<br /><br />The networks got more bad news when they learned that the late pop singer’s funeral will be private.<br />(The Washington Post)</i><br /><br />Are we bloomin' nuts? Who CARES to view this woman's funeral?!?Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08839236994990699117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-39406284505347126052012-02-16T08:02:47.487-07:002012-02-16T08:02:47.487-07:00Leon,
As a person who plays and loves music, I ca...Leon,<br /><br />As a person who plays and loves music, I can say that one should (must) appreciate all genres in order to take in the pantheon.<br /><br />Parton has her place as an excellent songwriter and purveyor of the mountain sound. Maybe not my cup of tea, but her lyrics are heartfelt.<br /><br />As Chief mentioned, Houston has also helped lay in that awful template for the misshapen things that have followed. You may fill in the blanks as they are legion, but I'll leave it at "Celene Dion".<br /><br />Wanna talk about scream inducing glurge! Thank you, Canada!Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08839236994990699117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-64191611043550474992012-02-16T07:54:40.541-07:002012-02-16T07:54:40.541-07:00Chief,
I am so TOTALLY with you.
The "voi...Chief,<br /><br />I am so TOTALLY with you. <br /><br /><i>The "voice, without particular intellectual or emotional depth, lacking any hint of either greatness or depravity. Without her voice she would no doubt have been simply another nice semi-urban girl from New Jersey."</i><br /><br />This is so spot-on. The only reason she gained celebrity was her provenance from the singing family, and her presentation. I went back to listen to a You Tube of "I Will Always Love you", and could not find one that was not cringe-inducing.<br /><br />Jim (and many others) say, "She was beautiful", but I said, "That is makeup and wonderful packaging. When you watch her in the clip, you see the legacy of spiritual singing in the black churches, and it is wonderfully demonstrative. But as far as excellence of tone or timbre, no.<br /><br />We live in an area heavily black, and one great pleasure is being in a store and sometimes having a clerk or customer bust in song (yeah, even in these times.) EVERY single time this happens, the voice is that of an angel. They are all raised in that spiritual tradition, I'm sure.<br /><br />Houton RUINED Parton's song, and I am no country music fan. Honor is done the sentiments when it is sung simply and reverentially, which is not the grandiose stylized presentation we get from Houston. It is the same thing I'd expect from Cher, except with gags, pauses and hiccups and hand swoops.<br /><br />So, nothin' special her, just hype.Lisahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08839236994990699117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-31136375412263029182012-02-15T19:30:12.811-07:002012-02-15T19:30:12.811-07:00Yeah, that vocal warble she does at the end does a...Yeah, that vocal warble she does at the end does annoy me and is unnecessary. I put that down to (if I may use the crude phrase) vocal masturbation.<br /><br />Unfortunately I can't overcome my inner irrationality to truly enjoy Dolly as it just sounds too 'country' for me personally. I had to listen to some death-metal-emo-waltz-baroque-electronic-new-wave harpsicord rock afterwards to clean my affected palate.<br /><br />I just hope the next 'celebrity' that goes down the privy has less of a tragic nature so at least I can enjoy it. I'm looking at you, cast of Jersey Shore.Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15715768191516712688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-25352418165208410152012-02-15T18:07:52.917-07:002012-02-15T18:07:52.917-07:00Leon: I think the problem is that for a certain pe...Leon: I think the problem is that for a certain personality the wealth and fawning is nearly impossible to resist. Maybe a LOT of people. Whitney wasn't the first and won't be the last.<br /><br />I do think you should listen to the two renditions again. <br /><br />The Parton version isn't really "country" in the twangy-gitar-yee-haw-Toby-Keith sense any more than the Houston version is really "rock". <br /><br />I would say rather that they both fall squarely in the "American Songbook" tradition, the straightforward plainsong music that goes all the way back to the folk songs, hymns, drinking songs, and spirituals of the 19th Century and from there on back to Europe. The difference to me is that Houston uses a lot of facile vocal tricks to hang a lot of massively overblown show business; Parton uses her voice as an instrument to convey the emotion of the story.<br /><br />I mean, there's a place for massive overblown show business - I like "Bohemian Rhapsody", too! But Whitney was one of the big forces in the belter-zation of female singing that has overwhelmed the light-rock/power-pop genre. Because a LOT more people listen to that than, say, Norah Jones, I tend to hear people sing like that, and very, very few people have Houston's vocal chops to pull it off...FDChiefhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10607785969510234092noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31246093.post-87904834505732491372012-02-15T14:57:57.729-07:002012-02-15T14:57:57.729-07:00I admit my bias against country music prevents me ...I admit my bias against country music prevents me from enjoying Dolly's version as much as I prefer. Her more passive and sad version is more appropriate than Houston's belting out - but god help me I like Houston's better. Another secret musical shame.<br /><br />I was a bit surprised at her death but at the same time not surprised. Her struggles with addiction were well known and this was an expected finally. I think we can easily draw up a list of 'celebrities' that are going down the same path. <br /><br />In Houston's case, it is sad to me as it seems a waste of potential - compared to so many 'celebrities' she actually had talent. Fame was good for her career but like MJ, too much fame led to her death. I think these megastars need a sassy friend who occasionally slaps them and tells them to get their head out of their ass.Leonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15715768191516712688noreply@blogger.com