May 22, 2013
Greg's Top Ten Smiths/Morrissey Songs:
1. Everything sung by the great and powerful Morrissey
2-10. Everything else is utter rubbish
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Monday, May 20, 2013
May 20, 2013
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Vocalists (1-5 today, 6-10 tomorrow):
1. George Michael - Yeah, I know, but I'll tell you, than man has some serious pipes. I couldn't care less about his personal life, although it does provide some incredible comedy. I mean, only George Michael would get caught soliciting sex in a public bathroom, right? Anyways, the man can sing and I grew up listening to a ton of Wham! and George Michael solo. In fact, his 1988 release "Faith" was one of the first records I ever owned. Scott, you know all to well of my fondness for that record. How many times did I sing the hell out of "One More Try" when we used to go to karaoke together? Ah, those were the days. Anyways, here's a favorite track of his that I usually end up singing on my way to work...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izGwDsrQ1eQ
2. Freddie Mercury - Well, if George Michael is #1 then that means Freddie Mercury can't be all that far behind, right? If this were a top ten performers list, Mercury would be #1 with a bullet. The man is the single greatest front man ever and nobody can dispute his place in music history. He's the artist I most wish were still alive today who's time came too quickly. This is, IMO, the single greatest live performance I've ever seen. I know I've posted it on my page countless times before, but it's un-fucking-believable how Mercury has every single person in the crowd of over 100,000 clapping and singing in unison. It's insane. Watch to the end, when he starts playing with the crowd. It's like nothing I've ever seen before or since.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0omja1ivpx0
3. Ann Wilson - I'm the kind of person who really doesn't give a crap what people think of me. I've listed two openly gay singers and now a woman. Deal with it. If I were a girl this is, without question, the person who's voice I would want. Not Aretha Franklin. Not Mariah Carey. Not Norah Jones. I would want to sing like Ann Wilson from Heart. That girl can cut glass with her voice and has some of the most incredible range I've ever heard. Her sister, Nancy, has a pretty damn good voice, too. It's almost unfair how two sisters could sound so amazing and be so talented. I hate how the music industry in the 1980s turned its back on Heart because of Ann's weight problems. You can even see it in this video as evidenced by the number of facial close-ups Ann gets as opposed to full body shots. Meanwhile, the very svelte Nancy gets a bunch of full body shots. Fat, thin, old, young...Ann Wilson has the best voice in rock, IMO...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWzy5q_M5Ho
4. David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust had to make this list. It's unreal how Bowie has been able to re-invent himself countless times over the past five decades. Some would say he's a master at adapting to the current sound. I say he's a master at blazing trails. I think he has one of the most recognizable voices in music and there must be two or three dozen songs of his that I sing on a regular basis. I guess that's to be expected when an artist's body of work spans over 40 years. "Heroes" came out the year I was born, 1977, and might be my favorite of his "Berlin Years" tracks when he worked with producer Brian Eno. It's timeless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgcc5V9Hu3g
5. Daryl Hall - About fifteen years back a friend of mine pointed out to me that Hall & Oates are the most successful duo in music history. They have charted more Top 40 hits than any duo ever and that record still stands to this day. It's not a surprise, really. The two had 34 singles chart hits on the US Billboard Hot 100, seven RIAA platinum albums, and six RIAA gold albums. Only the Everly Brothers come close to the success that Hall & Oates have enjoyed. The phrase that most commonly gets associated with Daryl Hall is "Blue Eyed Soul" which seems fitting. He was blessed with an incredibly smooth sound. He's one of those singers who can sing with or without a band backing him up and sound outrageously good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccenFp_3kq8
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Vocalists (1-5 today, 6-10 tomorrow):
1. George Michael - Yeah, I know, but I'll tell you, than man has some serious pipes. I couldn't care less about his personal life, although it does provide some incredible comedy. I mean, only George Michael would get caught soliciting sex in a public bathroom, right? Anyways, the man can sing and I grew up listening to a ton of Wham! and George Michael solo. In fact, his 1988 release "Faith" was one of the first records I ever owned. Scott, you know all to well of my fondness for that record. How many times did I sing the hell out of "One More Try" when we used to go to karaoke together? Ah, those were the days. Anyways, here's a favorite track of his that I usually end up singing on my way to work...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=izGwDsrQ1eQ
2. Freddie Mercury - Well, if George Michael is #1 then that means Freddie Mercury can't be all that far behind, right? If this were a top ten performers list, Mercury would be #1 with a bullet. The man is the single greatest front man ever and nobody can dispute his place in music history. He's the artist I most wish were still alive today who's time came too quickly. This is, IMO, the single greatest live performance I've ever seen. I know I've posted it on my page countless times before, but it's un-fucking-believable how Mercury has every single person in the crowd of over 100,000 clapping and singing in unison. It's insane. Watch to the end, when he starts playing with the crowd. It's like nothing I've ever seen before or since.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0omja1ivpx0
3. Ann Wilson - I'm the kind of person who really doesn't give a crap what people think of me. I've listed two openly gay singers and now a woman. Deal with it. If I were a girl this is, without question, the person who's voice I would want. Not Aretha Franklin. Not Mariah Carey. Not Norah Jones. I would want to sing like Ann Wilson from Heart. That girl can cut glass with her voice and has some of the most incredible range I've ever heard. Her sister, Nancy, has a pretty damn good voice, too. It's almost unfair how two sisters could sound so amazing and be so talented. I hate how the music industry in the 1980s turned its back on Heart because of Ann's weight problems. You can even see it in this video as evidenced by the number of facial close-ups Ann gets as opposed to full body shots. Meanwhile, the very svelte Nancy gets a bunch of full body shots. Fat, thin, old, young...Ann Wilson has the best voice in rock, IMO...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWzy5q_M5Ho
4. David Bowie - Ziggy Stardust had to make this list. It's unreal how Bowie has been able to re-invent himself countless times over the past five decades. Some would say he's a master at adapting to the current sound. I say he's a master at blazing trails. I think he has one of the most recognizable voices in music and there must be two or three dozen songs of his that I sing on a regular basis. I guess that's to be expected when an artist's body of work spans over 40 years. "Heroes" came out the year I was born, 1977, and might be my favorite of his "Berlin Years" tracks when he worked with producer Brian Eno. It's timeless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tgcc5V9Hu3g
5. Daryl Hall - About fifteen years back a friend of mine pointed out to me that Hall & Oates are the most successful duo in music history. They have charted more Top 40 hits than any duo ever and that record still stands to this day. It's not a surprise, really. The two had 34 singles chart hits on the US Billboard Hot 100, seven RIAA platinum albums, and six RIAA gold albums. Only the Everly Brothers come close to the success that Hall & Oates have enjoyed. The phrase that most commonly gets associated with Daryl Hall is "Blue Eyed Soul" which seems fitting. He was blessed with an incredibly smooth sound. He's one of those singers who can sing with or without a band backing him up and sound outrageously good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ccenFp_3kq8
May 19, 2013
Greg's Top Ten Reasons Why Total Recall 2012 Sucked
1. Because after 15 minutes I realized it was a better sleep aid than Ambien
2. Because I should have realized the movie was going to suck when I learned that the production company that funded the movie is called "Original Film". It's a fucking re-make you idiots. You are the LAST production company that should be funding this piece of crap.
3. Because the writers decided to re-hash a line or sequence from the original movie every five minutes.
4. Because virtually every cityscape scene was a complete rip-off of Blade Runner. Everything from the cement buildings, the Asian influence, the damn blimp advertising the "Offworld", the crowded streets, EVERYTHING ripped off of Blade Runner.
5. Because it made the original Total Recall feel like a well acted classic which is really hard to do when the lead actors are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone.
6. A serious lack of humor. One of the aspects of the original that made it such a success was how it parodied itself and never took itself seriously.
7. Because the best thing about the film was Colin Farrell's stubble.
8. Lens Flares...seriously, they are extremely annoying and unnecessary. See: Star Trek (2009)
9. PG-13. Seriously, you cannot re-make an ultra-violent classic piece of sci-fi like Total Recall and bring it down to PG-13.
10. The movie successfully found a way to waste the extraordinary talent of Bryan Cranston and that's almost impossible to do.
Greg's Top Ten Reasons Why Total Recall 2012 Sucked
1. Because after 15 minutes I realized it was a better sleep aid than Ambien
2. Because I should have realized the movie was going to suck when I learned that the production company that funded the movie is called "Original Film". It's a fucking re-make you idiots. You are the LAST production company that should be funding this piece of crap.
3. Because the writers decided to re-hash a line or sequence from the original movie every five minutes.
4. Because virtually every cityscape scene was a complete rip-off of Blade Runner. Everything from the cement buildings, the Asian influence, the damn blimp advertising the "Offworld", the crowded streets, EVERYTHING ripped off of Blade Runner.
5. Because it made the original Total Recall feel like a well acted classic which is really hard to do when the lead actors are Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sharon Stone.
6. A serious lack of humor. One of the aspects of the original that made it such a success was how it parodied itself and never took itself seriously.
7. Because the best thing about the film was Colin Farrell's stubble.
8. Lens Flares...seriously, they are extremely annoying and unnecessary. See: Star Trek (2009)
9. PG-13. Seriously, you cannot re-make an ultra-violent classic piece of sci-fi like Total Recall and bring it down to PG-13.
10. The movie successfully found a way to waste the extraordinary talent of Bryan Cranston and that's almost impossible to do.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
May 15, 2013
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Clark Moments
1. Getting Clark to laugh on command by tickling under his armpits. Pure awesome.
2. Seeing Clark's face every time I come home from work. Nothing says joy quite like having a long rough day at work and seeing your son smiling at you because he's excited to see you.
3. Clark peeing all over both Myriah and I while we were changing his diaper. We should have known that was going to happen!
4. Watching the little bugger blow raspberries all over the place because he's figuring out how to use his lips.
5. Seeing his thunder thighs grow to epic proportions. Seriously, the man is going to either be a powerlifter or an offensive lineman.
6. Having him constantly mistake my nose for a nipple. That kid has a good latch!
7. Seeing him splash and play while taking a bath. Good to see he's over that whole "I hate the water" stage.
8. Feeding him "real food" for the first time. The man loves his avocado, just like his daddy.
9. Bringing him home from the hospital for the first time.
10. Everything else, because every moment is precious. =)
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Clark Moments
1. Getting Clark to laugh on command by tickling under his armpits. Pure awesome.
2. Seeing Clark's face every time I come home from work. Nothing says joy quite like having a long rough day at work and seeing your son smiling at you because he's excited to see you.
3. Clark peeing all over both Myriah and I while we were changing his diaper. We should have known that was going to happen!
4. Watching the little bugger blow raspberries all over the place because he's figuring out how to use his lips.
5. Seeing his thunder thighs grow to epic proportions. Seriously, the man is going to either be a powerlifter or an offensive lineman.
6. Having him constantly mistake my nose for a nipple. That kid has a good latch!
7. Seeing him splash and play while taking a bath. Good to see he's over that whole "I hate the water" stage.
8. Feeding him "real food" for the first time. The man loves his avocado, just like his daddy.
9. Bringing him home from the hospital for the first time.
10. Everything else, because every moment is precious. =)
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
May 14, 2013
Greg's Top Ten Favorite Talking Heads Songs:
1. Burning Down the House
http://www.youtube.com/
2. Wild Wild Life
http://www.youtube.com/
3. Girlfriend is Better
http://www.youtube.com/
4. Once in a Lifetime
http://www.youtube.com/
5. Psycho Killer
http://www.youtube.com/
6. Crosseyed & Painless
http://www.youtube.com/
7. This Must Be the Place (Naive Melody)
http://www.youtube.com/
8. Life During Wartime
http://www.youtube.com/
9. Take Me to the River
http://www.youtube.com/
10. No Compassion
http://www.youtube.com/
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