This plays first if you need order.....then yesterday's post should follow.....but you have to click something to get there.

Movie magic.....simple....clear......clean.

And the King gets more

King Creole

Easily the best Elvis movie ever made...with the best cast and the best script. In my illuminated mind, one of the top five musicals ever made.

This scene between Elvis and Walter Matthau is truly a classic moment in film history.

And then the song ,AS LONG AS I HAVE YOU, written by Fred Wise and Ben Wiseman, he sings to end the movie, with his father ( Dean Jagger) walking in to hear him sing for the first time, is one of the most beautiful ballads ever written.  Being a father who has suffured the ultimate loss.....I cry everytime I hear it. 

Okay....maybe not every time.......But.....





..............if you haven't seen this movie or if you haven't seen it recently....please do yourself a favor and watch what helped make someone be called
The
King
of
Rock and Roll

And by the way.......The opening number Crawfish is be one of the greatest openings of any movie ever produced and was also written by Wise and Wiseman....which is an entirely different blog explaining how a Wise and a Wiseman met and decided to write songs for Elvis.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Wake up call

This guy woke up an entire country. 

Head Rooster

And then he came back and did it again.

Forever

The King

Two of my favorites

Tommy Smothers always made me laugh and The Who always made me dance.  This is shortly after the Monterey Pop Festival in 1967. 

Keith Moon is absolutely a perfect speciment of someone with an overactive thyroid....and brother I should know.

Enjoy

Mom

The concept of mothering is a really really good idea.  Being a "mom" is another story. Of course not every women who becomes a mother has the ability to become a "mom."  But when it's done right it's probably the most important job on the planet. When it's not done right, it results in some fairly messed up human beings. 

A "mom" doesn't have to have financial stability to perform her duties, but of course it helps reduce negative personality traits if the mother doesn't have to worry about feeding and housing her off spring.....but that's another story that usually centers on the father's irresponsibility.

I really love the NFL draft stories where the 21 year old 300 lb. left guard from LSU thanks his single mom who worked three jobs and raised 7 children.  Now that's a "mom." That type of "mom" is a reality TV show that actually makes sense.  How in the world does she do it?  Come on Mark Burnett....let us see the "moms" that appear to be "supermoms."

To be honest when I read about situations in third world countries, where children are starving on a regular basis, I have no idea how a "mom" keeps her sanity. I would imagine that the woman who becomes a good "mom" in that type of environment.......is inching toward sainthood.

Throughout America we have millions of regular "moms."  "Regular moms" are the backbone of the middle class and their strength is what makes every country, with a viable middle class, function properly.

PROPERLY, in this context, is a word that I'm using to describe orderly behavior.  Orderly behavior is behavior that is naturally taught by a "mom."  Of course rebellious actions on the part of a hormonal driven teenager is not considered proper behavior but normally those actions are followed by apologies.....and knowing right from wrong, even when acting wrong, is the difference between being socially adaptable and socially irresponsible.

Socially irresponsible people most likely don't have a "regular mom."  Socially irresponsible people can end up in jail without very much effort.

I don't think there are very many mothers in jail.  There are tons of fathers behind bars.  I'm guessing that most of those fathers didn't have a "mom" in their life.

I had a "mom" and although she fell victim to the demon rum (mainly screwdrivers) she made numerous decisions that gave her three children a chance to partake in  a full range of experiences.  Two of the three grew up to be very socially responsible and the third has yet to grow up but keeps an eye on the "target" even though the eye is filled with wild dreams and odd fantasies of artistic success.

My "mom" taught me to draw doodles. She taught my brother how to "own things" and she taught my sister how to "love animals."

My stuff is much more colorful.  Their stuff is much more practical.  But "mom" made all three of us pretty confident in knowing that what we do is the right thing to do. I'm easily the least socially responsible of the three but that's because I'm an artist and often times an artist has no clue about anything practical.

My mom was a very good artist and her mom was a very good artist and for some reason she decided that I would carry the artist banner. I'm pretty sure she would love my body of work.....which in truth.....is her body of work.  My brother's full lifestyle would also make her very happy and my sister's business, Gigi's Flying Dog Ranch motel in Santa Ynez would cause her excessive joy.

One of the main jobs of socially responsible people is to make their mothers proud.

I think that goal has been achieved and therefore, without qualm, I can easily say..................

"HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY......MOM."

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Two amazing rock icons

This song was made for cleaning house and working in the yard with Ozzie and Harriet, and The Beav.

This song was made for getting closer and closer


Steve Marriott and Van Morrison are rock icons.  And the fact that Van can still be interviewed
is really nice.

There are days that could be devoted to Van.  Imagine being snowed in somewhere with the person you love and the cabin is toasty with a beautiful fire.  Van all day long....no problem.

In the meantime, back in realtyville, have a nice Saturday.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

The line is now offically drawn

Everyone who knows me realizes it took a long time to stop using the word "Fag" in reference to gay people.
It obviously took longer for the office of President of the United States to acknowledge same sex marriages.

Please don't think for one minute that I'm comfortable watching gays lip smack on prime time TV shows but I've always thought legal issues should be equal among anyone not in prison.  Laws, directed toward gay unions, that were created by homophobic opinions, should be eliminated from the books.

The election of 2012 will now have a distinct dividing line and that line will be the issue of gay marriage.

I think it's an issue that displays tolerance and compassion vs intolerance and judgemental behavior.

The dividing line isn't so much right or wrong but love and acceptance.

I'm fairly certain that there are homosexual Republicans who now might have an issue voting against a President who says they are entitled to the same legal benefits as a straight couple.

The issue will prove to be very interesting in Florida where the both parties will be fighting to win.

There's a wide assortment of human types in Florida and it always seems to be a very close race between the two parties.  This issue could be the tipping point and to be honest I'm not sure which way it will tip.

I've always thought Florida was a very strange place because they have little tiny bugs that you can't see that bite the crap out of you.

The gay marriage issue will bite the crap out of somebody but I'm not sure who.

I have no idea of the Mormons stand on gay issues but Mitt came out yesterday and said he personally was against legal gay unions...so therefore the line is drawn.  How many gay people work on the Romney campaign?  How many gay people are in Romney's family?  How many gay people has he ever talked to?

WILL THOSE PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR HIM, who absolutely love Glee, SUPPORT HIS POSITION?

By the way.......I'm one of those hetero anomalies who absolutely loves Glee.

I also love the show Smash....but every time the gay lovers start to inch up toward one another I feel a little queasy in my stomach and sometimes even close my eyes.  I can't help it.....I'm just not comfortable watching two men kiss. 

But that queasiness has nothing to do with how my brain works when regarding legal equality for every person in America.  I can't worry about the rest of the planet on this issue because we are the leaders of the free world and our behavior vibrates to all corners of the globe.  We are the beacon for freedom and equality and we basically haven't even gotten it correct yet.......so why fret about other places.

So much work to do here and now that another line has been drawn in the sand, for the 2012 Presidential election, it becomes an even more interesting and intriguing election.

Watch that line.......it's not so blurry anymore......except of course for gay Republicans.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Serious times coming so music fills the air

With the Presidential Election coming up there will be plenty of time to be serious so I thought I'd just add a bit more music to your life.  The first two selections are classic duets that I feel rank at the very top of the list.

The list is Rock and Roll romance.

No show tunes please.  That's an entirely different category.

It's pretty odd that two of my favorite Rock and Roll Romance songs have Don Henley involved.

I listened to the Patty Smyth song for about fours hours in the middle of the Arizona desert in 1994 but that indeed is another entire story.... I truly learned that sometimes love just ain't enough.  It takes more.....sometimes, much much more.

Mr. Aday is the king of the Rock and Roll Romance category.

His legendary status would be secure if he hadn't done Celebrity Apprentice.....but I understand the publicity side of the game.

I honestly never get tired of hearing these three songs.

Have a loving Sunday

Michael Timothy McAlevey

You don't know what it's like....To Love Somebody

I just watched Joshua Ledet do his version of the Robin Gibbs song.....To Love Somebody....and I still prefer the original version.

Check it out

A version for you to sing

And then this just for fun.

And one more just for proof on how great the Bee Gees

ARE!

THESE GUYS

WERE

  PERFECT

Period!

A good mix

Last week was Dance Week on Mind Jazz but I forgot to include a video I ran across on YouTube.  The mix between Angus Young and Keith Richards is perfect.  They all are having a good time and I'm pretty sure you will find this quite entertaining.  No dancing involved just great music.

It's only a debate if you are a rock and roll dancer

And to end Dance Week on Mind Jazz I've decided to engage in the never ending debate of who is the greatest rock and roll band of all time.  No challangers exsisted before 1955 and actually individual rock and roll stars dominated the 50's so from 1960 to 2012 is our arguable time period.

The ability of a rock and roll band to make fans dance is a major prequiste in this debate. 

Sometimes only the fans on the floor dance but sometimes even the fans sitting in the very top row of the very back part of the arena...are on their feet.

Back in the day when one was lucky enough to attend Fillmore West shows, everyone was on the floor....or so it seemed to me.  I presume there were seats but it always felt like we were all on the floor. In those days we had unspoken competition dancing and people would give us room to show our "stuff."  Of course having a slight coloralteringmindbendingexperience always added a certain element to the function.  That element is the element known as.......the element of SURPRISE.  We, those of us to could dance and did dip into reality alterations, were never quite sure how the evening would progress with some of the bands.

I've danced to the Grateful Dead once.....a story of its own......and I 've been to multiple Rolling Stone concerts, attended The Beatles at Dodger Stadium, partied with The Who a few times and of course have witnessed four AC/DC tour events.....and they are events not concerts.

Everybody dances at an AC/DC concert.  EVERYBODY!

And while I think that AC/DC puts on the best rock and roll show.....I think there's one band that is not only more important but also is able to make everybody dance from time to time.  Sometime's its time to sit and listen and sometimes it's time to sway but eventually you will be up and dancing because that's Bruce's way.

BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN AND "E" STREET BAND have always delivered the goods...and have been doing it for 30 years without failure.  I have never heard anyone say they saw a Bruce Springsteen show and he just wasn't that good.  The man is The Boss because he always comes to work and he never just mails it in.  I wasn't even at the two show he just did at the Sports Arena in LA, and I felt the love and the energy all the way to Santa Monica.

So I'm going  to close out Dance Week and give you a few reasons to turn up your speakers, kick off your shoes and start dancing.

The week started with Otis Redding and it ends with Bruce Springsteen....and in between we celebrated Sean's birthday.

Perfect.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Dance week continues

The following rock and roll dance master probably was responsible for 20 personal memorable nights on the dance floor.  As long as the DJ carried a few of John's records the entertainment was guaranteed.

And because John was such a good dancer that meant every concert was a dance fest.

And the truth is it's hard to pick my favorite dance number from John, because the list just goes on and on.

But I think my favorite song is not his best dance song but a song that might be my top choice to sing.  This video is the oddest thing John ever did....and as my friend Steve suggests...this might have been the demise of John Cougar.

And then just to get you back up on your feet......we close with a great dance tune.
By the way...what young people call dance music doesn't work unless you are extremely high.  Bouncing up and down with 10,000 people is not dancing.  It's exercise.  There's no bouncing in this last song.  There's sliding and moving and motion and rhythm....and besides everything else, there's a story.

Tomorrow ends Dance week on Mind Jazz and the greatest Rock and Roll band will light up your weekend.

Birthday music....Sean Style.

34 years and forever counting.  Obviously non-physical reality birthday parties are normally rather quiet times to reflect on the physical reality lost but since this is Dance Week on Mind Jazz, I thought it might be uplifting to share some music that Sean liked.

The first concert he ever attended was Aerosmith with Ryan Gruzen. Ron and I took our boys to the Forum and watched Steven Tyler do his thing. It was in March of 1990 and they were both 11 years old. It was a
magical memory and a really good rock and roll show.

During that time period I used to have to tell him to turn down his music many many many times and a group that was always just a little bit louder than the others was Guns and Roses. 

Then after that his taste started getting a rougher edge and his absolute favorite music for the next few years was delivered by Kurt Cobain and

Nirvana

Of course I fought for normal rock and roll but Sean tried to explain that this was the sound of the future and Grunge was here to stay.

I'm sure his friends have a much wider memory of Sean's music tastes, but these three groups set the tone for what he loved. He also loved Seamus's piano playing and Ryan's musical ability and I have a video of him break dancing to Michael Jackson when he was 9 that might be my favorite musical memory of all time but it's on VHS and I haven't converted it yet. Maybe next year.

And just to wrap this party up I thought I'd give you one more

soft dance tune.

Get it on

Happy Birthday

Sean Maximilian McAlevey

Jackie's Turn....turn it up.

So much texture to his movements.  Give it a little look and then try moving like him.  It's fun and it's free.

Welcome to Dance Week on Mind Jazz

Tomorrow is Sean's 34th birth year and I haven't decided what to play.

Probably something he likes....get ready to rock.

Michael Timothy McAlevey

Just too much talent to ignore

I'm really convinced that a weekly experience with Otis Redding can improve one's health and well being.

I think back to the unique dancing years ( UDY) of 1967 to 1971 when sounds where intermingled with colors and movement was interwoven with space/time transgressions and loopholes.  I had quite a few wonderful dance experiences after those years but when I stop and reflect I realize that those UDY really do stand by themselves.

We had a few floors we swarmed in Westwood, West LA, Marina Del Rey, Santa Monica and  Malibu (Trancas was the best).....and whenever an Otis song came through the system our systems were incredibly enhanced and our movements (those of us who could dance) became legendary.

Being extremely high never hurt the moment....and in fact it made the moment universally clear and clean.

Watching Bobby Eyer dance to Otis Redding was a lifetime memory.  Of course he could dance to anything but Otis, Jackie Wilson and Bobby seem to be one and the same on many of those litupnights.

Once I moved to Northern California in 1971 my personal club scene moments stopped and dancing was limited to concerts at such places as The Fillmore and the Oakland Coliseum.

My dance moments after moving back to LA in 1977 were to take place on floors closly situated next to buildings that housed The Furntire Industry in towns such as Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco, Atlanta and High Point, North Carolina.

Those moments always included my friend Mike and were moments that still make me laugh and smile.

But enough of the past.....the point I'm making is that I can put on Otis right this moment and I will start dancing.  I find it hard to believe that the same thing won't happen to you.

Dancing is a great workout and the beauty is that you can do it solo.  Of course showing off in front of others is important but when you get to a certain age it's important to wear a mask....which limits rock and roll dancers, like myself, to Halloween parties and masked balls, of which I just don't get enough invitations.

I'm going to take a few minutes and crank up Otis and dance with my dog. 

Instead of taking your Yoga class today I suggest you dial up Otis on YouTube and shake a leg...bust a move....get loose and have some fun. 

Otis Redding is the perfect dance partner....and I can't turn you loose.  Tomorrow I'll really get you up with some Jackie Wilson

Michael Timothy McAlevey

THERE'S A SOUL IN THE LIFE OF THE LAND WHERE WE LIVE

IT’S CLEAR

IT’S CLEAN


IT’S FRESH


AND IT’S OURS


IT DOESN’T CARE WHERE WE’VE COME FROM
IT DOESN’T ASK WHO WE ARE


JUST


DO WE LOVE


WHERE WE STAND


AT THIS TIME

WE CAN DRINK ALL ITS WATER


AND MINE ALL IT’S COAL


BUT WHEN WE MIX THE TWO TOGETHER


IT TROUBLES HER SOUL


WE CAN TEST ALL THE BOMBS


AND DESTROY EVERY LAST TREE


AND THE ONLY THING IT REALLY DOES


IS ELIMINATE YOU AND ME


THE HARM THAT WE BRING


DOESN’T BOTHER THE LAND


WE ONLY HURT OURSELVES


BY FAILING TO UNDERSTAND

THAT THERE’S A SOUL IN THE LIFE OF THE LAND WHERE WE LIVE


IT’S CLEAR


IT’S CLEAN


IT’S FRESH


AND IT’S OURS


IT DOESN’T CARE WHERE WE’VE COME FROM


IT DOESN’T ASK WHO WE ARE


JUST


DO WE LOVE


WHERE WE STAND


AT THIS TIME

WE ARE GIVEN ALL THE TREASURES


THAT ANYONE COULD USE


BUT IF WE DON’T HAVE VISION


THEN ALL WE DO IS LOSE


WE DUMP OUR PROBLEMS


IN EVERY OCEAN, RIVER AND STREAM


WE LIVE BY A CODE OF COMSUMPTION


THAT DARKENS EVERY DREAM


WE THINK THAT OIL IS OUR GOLD


BECAUSE IT MOVES MACHINES AND MAN


AND ALL IT REALLY DOES


IS REMOVE THE SPRINGS OF LAND


WE NEED THAT SPECIAL CRUDE


BECAUSE WE’VE IGNORED OTHER WAYS


AND ALL WE’VE ENDED UP WITH


IS COUGHING THROUGH A HAZE


OUR CHILDREN’S CHILDREN


WILL REALLY PAY THE PRICE


AND JUST THAT THOUGHT ALONE


DOESN’T MAKE US VERY NICE


AND WHEN THE DUST HAS FINALLY SETTLED


AND ALL THE BILLS HAVE BEEN PAID


IT IS ONLY THE SIMPLE FACT


THAT’S THERE’S ONE MISTAKE WE MADE


WE THOUGHT WE CONTROLLED THE EARTH


BY DOMINATING THE LAND


AND IT SIMPLY COMES DOWN TO ONE THING


THAT WE


JUST DIDN’T UNDERSTAND

THAT THERE’S A SOUL IN THE LIFE OF THE LAND WHERE WE LIVE


IT’S CLEAR


IT’S CLEAN


IT’S FRESH


AND IT’S OURS


IT DOESN’T CARE WHERE WE COME FROM


IT DOESN’T ASK WHO WE ARE


JUST


DO WE LOVE


WHERE WE STAND


AT THIS TIME
 
Have a nice Earth Day
 
Michael Timothy McAlevey

The most expensive election EVER by HUGE MARGIN

The Republicans who demand that Obama be defeated are going to raise so much money that the race to raise money will be bigger than the race to see who wins the election.

One group, Crossroads GPS, on the GOP side, raised $77 million in just 19 months. One group with two secret donors of $10 million each.

$300 Million seems to be the number that will be raised in their attempt to make sure Barry is a one term president.

American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS, both super PAC's, were co-founded by KARL ROVE.

And just when you thought Karl was done and gone and it turns out he was just warming up.

The total cost of the 2008 election was $2.4 Billion so $300 million is just a small portion....but that's just two groups on the GOP side.

The 2004 election cost $1.4 Billion so it looks like 2012 will run about $4.8 Billion.

I think we'll see donations from multi-millionaires and billionaires that will make the amount of prime time TV spots so abundant that mass vomiting will become a standard nighttime pastime for Americans.

This is going to be one hostile election. And because of the money being raised we will all have to endure it.

The Super Pac fiasco will be front and center and then combine that with last year's Supreme Court ruling regarding corporate campaign fund raising....we are about to experience true.....

...........ELECTION HELL.

And then on top of the ridiculous fund raising, name calling, back stabbing, fact changing and just general amazing bullshit for four months........the world ends on 12/21/2012.

How much will that cost?


Michael Timothy McAlevey

Look up or look out

It's really really BIG

and

it's

getting bigger

every

second

Yahoo, Google and why isn't there enough to go around

I obviously use Google for my blog home but I still use Yahoo for my browser. I realize that Google Chrome seems to be a preferred browser but after I changed computers and quit using Safari, I decided to give my original browser, Yahoo, a repeat visit and have used it for the last two years.

Yesterday Yahoo announced that they were cutting 2,000 jobs. Last year Yahoo had revenue of $4.98 BILLION and there share of online ad revenue was 9.5%



700 million people visit Yahoo websites every month.

Yahoo has 14,000 people working for them and produce around $353,000 per employee. Google and Facebook produce $1.2 million per employee.

Keep this in mind.....I have used Google, Facebook and Yahoo for multiple years and have never paid them one cent and have never purchased anything from any ad ever posted on their sites.

If advertising money runs the Internet media machines then one would think a company generating $5 Billion a year would have plenty of money floating around without having to make cuts to their workforce.

This simply sounds like an attempt to pump up the $15.00 stock price. Google shares are $600 plus. Facebook is gearing up for their IPO and I imagine it will be a healthy number.



I like Yahoo Mail and have used that service since they first started 15 years ago. I probably use Wikipedia more than Google when I seek information but Google Earth might be my favorite site on the Internet.

I don't text and I don't Twitter so I'm a bit short on the hand held phone tools which seem to dominate everybody's life. If I have a need to communicate I simply dial the number and say hello. I used to write letters that traveled over land and water. I now write e-mails or send a message on Facebook.

I actually answer the phone when it rings because I enjoy listening to the voices in my life. With caller ID I can avoid the voices that just want to waste my time.

I understand why texting is popular but so many times I'm with someone and they zone out while texting and I think it's flat out rude. Imagine talking to someone and without saying anything you take out a pad and start writing a letter to someone else while the person you are talking to just stands there. The proper etiquette would be to excuse oneself and step away while conducing the business of communicating with someone who is not in your physical presence.

And when I see someone thumbing their phone while driving a car I literally think my head might explode.

Also the idea of LANL at TSOTG JSLCB. The COLANL has it's upside if I'm traveling to an ID but I see NNVOTH so FI.

Go ahead and take a few minutes and decipher my texting abreviations. The winner gets a PVTH.

I just looked up the standard Text abbreviations and discovered that there is no standard.

IDTTIESTIT.

I've decided that texting is even sillier than I thought

S....TNSDFTETFOE!

Seriously, there's no standard dictionary for texting except the few obvious expressions!

WTFIWT?

What the fuck is Webster's thinking?

Maybe Yahoo could patent the STD (Standard TEXT Dictionary) and rehire the 2000 people to help organize it.

IJTTHMHPB

I'm just trying to help my home page browser.

GY!

MTM

Nothing like good news

During a special session of Congress yesterday all members announced that they would give up their health insurance program and start all over just like every American seeking an affordable plan. They also announced that their vacation time would be reduced to two weeks just like every other American worker, and that they would start paying for any personal traveling and their lunches.

The President, in response to their gestures, apologized for staying in Afghanistan after the death of Osama Bin Laden. He also announced that he would use half of his campaign money to help hungry children in America.

Chevron as gesture of good will, in response to the President and Congress, said they were going to spend half of their 2011 profits on building Solar plants outside of Los Angeles that would basically cover power for 14 million homes.

Edison and The DWP thanked them and then declared bankruptcy.

Magic Johnson was so elated that he put together a special group and bought Royal Dutch Shell, Disneyland, Six-Flags and the Safeway Corporation. He then said he wasn't finished and that he knew the personal cure for HIV but didn't want to share it until after he owned the Earth. He did say that the medication he was taking really worked, but it did make him a shopaholic.

Skateboarder Tom Schaar, 12, makes history with first-ever 1080 www.grindtv.com
Tom Schaar has shown remarkable promise as a skateboarder but few expected a 12-year-old to become the first in the sport to land a 1080. On Monday, however, the kid made history by soaring above a 27-foot quarterpipe wall, spinning three full rotations and landing with his board still underfoot. (F...

Seriously......I think that's a true story but I'm also aware of trick photography. The dude's from Malibu so check it out.

This used to be my favorite holiday until the Internet came along. Now it's really hard to play jokes on people unless they are really mean jokes and when someone gets hurt that isn't very funny.....unless it's really really funny......which is really really sick.

I think I'll make some early morning phone calls just to get the day started.

I wished I had thought of this idea about two hours ago.

Oh well.....is that your phone ringing?

Michael Timothy McAlevey