Kilgore Trout's Mission to Titan

Goodbye Prisoner

2009-01-14T18:27:00.000-08:00

When I was 12, I wanted to be one of four people. Two were fictional, one of which, number 6, was played by Patrick McGoohan. He not only was the star, but wrote some of the episodes of The Prisoner...

Thanks Patrick....the Prisoner is finally free...
__________________

Why do I like trance music?

2009-01-10T21:22:00.000-08:00

Ok, confession time. I like some trance music. No, I don't do drugs, I don't even dance well (actually, my feeble attempts at moving to music really should not be called dancing...I can't dance). My wife got me into the stuff. I can't recall where she first heard it, but we both found the music relaxing and stress reducing. Especially on the way home from work in the morning, some nice trance, particularly vocal trance, just seemed the perfect way to unwind. So I listed to ATB, Oceanlab, Robert Miles, Above and Beyond, etc. Not that I don't listen to other music, heavens no, but I admit it....I like trance music...so sue me.

I hear the stuff is immensely popular in Europe. Also popular with young people who like to do drugs and dance, which, again, I don't do drugs...never have, never will, and can't dance to save my behind. Maybe I should have been a European. I like British and German stuff.

and the "Yes" award for bizzarre lyrics goes to....

2009-01-01T18:21:00.001-08:00

Just when you think the old prog group Yes had weird ass lyrics that sound like they make sense but don't,....we give you The Killers and "Human"...

did my best to notice
When the call came down the line
Up to the platform of surrender
I was brought but I was kind
And sometimes I get nervous
When I see an open door
Close your eyes
Clear your heart
...Cut the cord

Are we human?
Or are we dancer?
My sign is vital
My hands are cold
And I'm on my knees
Looking for the answer
Are we human?
Or are we dancer?

Pay my respects to grace and virtue
Send my condolences to good
Give my regards to soul and romance,
They always did the best they could
And so long to devotion
You taught me everything I know
Wave goodbye
Wish me well
..You've got to let me go

Are we human?
Or are we dancer?
My sign is vital
My hands are cold
And I'm on my knees
Looking for the answer
Are we human?Or are we dancer?

Will your system be alright
When you dream of home tonight?
There is no message we're receiving
Let me know is your heart still beating

Are we human?
Or are we dancer?
My sign is vital
My hands are cold
And I'm on my knees
Looking for the answer
You've got to let me know

Are we human?
Or are we dancer?
My sign is vital
My hands are cold
And I'm on my kneesLooking for the answer
Are we human
Or are we dancer?Are we human?
Or are we dancer?Are we human
Or are we dancer?

I also just finished the Wii game "Super Mario Galaxy"....I think the game designers are smokin the same brand of crack as these guys....

2008-12-24T21:56:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays!

I would say that out of all the good and bad that Christianity has bestowed upon mankind, the holiday season was one of the better ideas...

...although I guess people who get depression around the holidays wouldn't think so...

oh well...thats the problem with ideas...there's always some people somewhere who think its not a good idea...

My current good idea is to go to bed....good night!

2008-12-15T18:02:00.001-08:00

Roethlisberger; RÔTH-lis-bûr-ger;(v). To Rothliesburger is towait until the last possible moment to pull success out of ones butt...for example "I was losing at the poker table really bad until I went all in and Rothliesburgered a royal flush"

2008-11-27T19:45:00.000-08:00

I was listening to the radio the other day. I swear that Peter Gabriel is singing about "Jacques the Monkey"....

Rock Groups that get No R-E-S-P-E-C-T

2008-11-14T15:08:00.000-08:00

Rock critics are a pretty much useless bunch. Tastes in music are so different, and to compare one act to another can be quite silly. While I certainly understand a really really bad act or musical group, any rock group that has any kind of decent popularity or fan following can't be all that bad; after all, some people must like that kind of music. Otherwise, they wouldn't be shelling out lots of money for it. I disklike Country music, but I recognize that alot of people like it and just because I don't, doesn't mean its "bad music".

What drives me a bit nutty is the Rock n Roll hall of fame. Otherwise known as "who Rolling Stone magazine thinks is important in rock". This is the hall of the music critic. Nevermind rock music being the "music of the people". No, the critics know whats good for you to hear. Nevermind acts that have had large number of loyal fans, lots of hits, and good popularity. No, to critics, that doesn't do it. They give the analogy of such music as being like fast food, and they, like food critics, just don't think its worth a damn. Sadly, the analogy doesn't fit. First, fast food is cheap. If filet mignon was the same price as the whopper, we'd all be eating filet mignon. Music is generally all the same price (with the occasional double album, box set or whatnot). Second, I bet there are some of us who would still crave the whopper, even if offered the filet mignon...

Rolling Stone and its Hall of Fame horde of critics are, by in large, former hippies and oddballs. They spent most of the 70's stoned and the 80's detoxing, in rehab, or raising their kids. Most never left the large cities or college campus areas. They largely missed, or didn't get, the progressive music of the late 70's and the metal/hair bands of the 80's. Such music wasn't cool to them anyways. It was too middle class, too mainstream.

The sad thing is that an entire generation of music is likely to be entirely missed. Lets take progressive rock. Who do you think of? Yes. YES! Of course. How can you not have Yes in the hall? You can't turn on any classic rock station for more than a few hours and not hear a Yes tune. Ok, the beef is "they have had more line up changes than the Pittsburgh Pirates". I have the yes box set and the "family tree" is over three pages long! But come on, just let them in. All of them. What the heck? Is there a limit on the number of people associated with a band who can get into the Hall? For what reason? Its not like the reception room at the Holiday Inn where the fire marshal puts the sign that states the occupancy limit. Gimme a break!

ELO has the same issue. Nevermind that they sold more records from '75 to '85 (the aforemention period where the rock critics were all in rehab) than practically anyone, and that Jeff Lynne is one of the most underappreciated rockstars around (he was in Travelling Wilburys...eveyone else in that supergroup is in the Hall...say no more!!!), plus he is the only Caucasian that looks good in an Afro. Listen to the music. All the sampling, the inclusion of orchestra instruments. They were pushing the envelope. Sure, they did the music for "Xanadu", but hey, we can forgive them, can't we???

Its also sad when the Rock hall doesn't have the greatest rock in roll drummer (hey, Jack Black said it himself!!!) and one of the greatest rock n roll bassists in its midst. Sure, RUSH is controversial, but how many other bands do you know that have been making music consistently (i.e., an album once every 3 years or so) and selling out arenas on tour for over 30 years? They will never get in because Rolling Stone hates them because they don't toe the liberal political line and dislike Neil Peart's Canadian Libertarian views. They also hate Rush because they are sucessful without having to kiss critic ass, making the music that they want to make and liking it. Come to think of it, the Rock Hall is not good enough for Rush. Its the "Temple of Syrinx" indeed, with the high priest clerics critics telling us what we should listen to, and whose music we should honor, rather than letting us decide for ourselves.

The issue with KISS is widely known. Im not even a KISS fan but would argue that they deserve to get in. They paved the way for so many other bands that would come along, including the 80' s metal/hair bands. I could write a whole separate piece about the metal/hair bands, although the hall can argue that most of those acts do not meet the criteria for inclusion in the hall yet. But clearly the writings on the way. They may surprise me, but I would be not more than two metal/hair acts will get in. Probably Motley Crue and Bon Jovi (the former because they would destroy the planet if not allowed in, and the latter because he is now an actor and into social causes, and Rolling Stone just eats politics and the movies up).

There are probably a few more. As many others were, I was outraged when Madonna got into the hall. Not so much that she got in, but that she got in before so many other, more worthy acts. What bothers me is that the Rock Hall of Fame is supposed to be a sort of museum, a tribute to a genre: "take the kids, here is the music that daddy listened to when he was your age...see, he isn't such a square!". Sadly, the music that myself, and the vast majority of people who grew up when I did, will not be included in that hall. Fortunately, I will probably be able to take my kid to a Rush concert, as they will likely still be selling out arenas as always. Besides, why would I want to take my kid to Rolling Stone's Temple of Syrinx???

Never thought I'd live to see the day...

2008-11-06T19:29:00.000-08:00

Kurt Vonnegut said:

"The most spiritually splendid phenomenon of my lifetime is how African-American citizens have maintained their dignity and self-respect, despite their having been treated by white Americans, both in and out of government, and simply because of their skin color, as though they were comtemptable and loathsome, and even diseased." (p 25, Armageddon in Retrospect)

I wish Kurt were around today. I think he would be pleased. I know I was in tears. I'd never thought I would live to see the day. Maybe now what our 3rd grade teachers always told us, that anyone can become president, may just be a little more true now than it was.

I'd like to see a woman next. How about a Native American Atheist Lesbian Woman? If they are otherwise qualified for the job, why the hell not? With all the problems that are around today, we need all the help we can get. I don't totally understand how anyone can say that they should be offered a liberty or a right because of who they are and someone else should not have that liberty or right because they are not the same. All the great religious philosophers promote the idea of putting oneself in the other person's shoes before you evaluate them. Its a shame for all the promotion of religion, so few of its followers grasp this simple idea.

However, let us be thankful for this moment. There is hope. Anything can happen...

Politicians

2008-10-27T18:54:00.000-07:00

With the election fast approaching, I feel I must vent a bit. I don't see how anyone with an ounce of sense can truly LIKE a politician. I mean, even the best of them would sell their granny to the organ farm to get votes. I hate it when I people say "I like Obama" or "I like McCain". The vast majority never met them, don't know them personally, but insist that they like them.

I also hate the whole thing about "where do they stand on the issues". First off, good leaders don't make decisions before they get all the facts, and until you actually hold that position (whether it be president or postmaster, or pig farmer) you don't really know squat. Its like when you are new to a job, low level position, you think all the boses are jerks and make dumb decisions. A few years later, when you have moved up the ladder, you realize that, hey, know I understand why they made that decision, they weren't being jerks, they just had all the facts that I didn't know. Im sure the office of president is chocked full of those...Secondly, nobody knows what decision, crisis or issue is going to pop up in the future. So who cares where they stand on issue X right now when issue Y is going to be the big issue next year, and issue Z the year after that?

I think the way to evaluate a candidate is to see how they think, their decision making process. Is it open and flexible? Are they willing to part with the party line (which is the other thing I hate about politics is both of the parties, who would rather fight and argue while Rome burns than try to put out the fire)?

Even in that case, though, politicians are so fake, who knows what the hell they really stand for. And all you McCain and Obama backers can yap all you want to about how your candidate is such hot crap, but I guarantee you that they would sell you for spare parts if it would give them more votes. They don't care about you, they just care about power and glory. Get over this whole cult of personality crap when it comes to politicians and get real and maybe, just maybe, they will actually stop the whole charade and realize that they have to produce or be in big trouble.

The other thing that burns me is the whole politics and religion crap. If the churches want to stick their nose in politics, fine - PAY TAXES!!! That is the price of admission for being part of the political hullaballoo. Im sick of religious groups and other non-profits screwing around with politics when they have not even paid the price of admission. Its like the teenages who used to sneak into the movies. Im sick of paying more taxes than these richer than hell evangelical pastors who own masions and have churches the size of civic arenas. Yeah, Jesus would certain like that shit...didn't he say something about fat men in the eyes of needles? Like the money changers at the temple, I think he would be a bit pissed off.

EELS and Quantum Mechanics

2008-10-22T15:09:00.001-07:00

If you like Eels/E or Quantum Physics, then I highly recommend one catch the latest NOVA episode on PBS. Eels is a rock band that is mainly the work of Mark Oliver Everett (AKA "E"). Mark's father was a very famous physicist who developed the "many worlds" theory of quantum physics. The show is an interesting juxtapose between the world of Mark's music and his father's physics, and Mark's search for his father, who he really never knew that much about (kind of distant intellectual figure).

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/manyworlds/

The show first aired last night, but usually re-runs throughout the week. There were some nice explainations and illustrations of some quantum physics that I thought were particularly well done.

If you want to know more about E's music, then I suggest:

http://www.eelstheband.com/main.php

Some videos...this first one is what got me interested in the band, a gig on Letterman:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSLC4NyWSNo

Heres some music videos. E's music goes all the way from an almost hard rock sound to folksy music...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8hyCWH1Ww0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OFYB_lkCC5M

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ftGUEH63TeI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-8drAsZyfk

And if you are interested in Hugh Everett III, Mark's father:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugh_Everett

Enjoy!

Weird AL Yankovic is my homeboy!

2008-10-18T12:13:00.000-07:00

I love Weird Al. Here's his latest:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRVi0paZlfI

"Its all about the Washingtons" Love it!

I have had the great pleasure of meeting AL twice after his shows in Houston, TX (about 8 years ago) and Pittsburgh, PA (about 4 years ago). He is very much appreciative of his fans and very nice. He puts on a great show as well, very entertaining and funny.

Airplane addiction...

2008-10-17T18:36:00.001-07:00

Hi, my name is KT, and I am addicted to airplanes...I love airplanes...ever since I was a kid and flew on them all the time shuttling back and forth between my parents places. We also used to live near a major airport, and I could always see the planes flying in and out.

This addition led to my first career choice, that of being a commercial pilot. I enjoyed flying immensely, but what I liked was the freedom I felt doing it, and when you do it for a living, you don't have freedom, you are flying where other people are telling you to go. I'm also not much of a morning person and getting up at 4am and trying to think straight (or die flying) at that time of the morning just was not for me.

But I still love planes. I still have my license, but my interest now is in remote control airplanes. The advantage there is that you can fly planes that you would never in a lifetime (unless your last name is Gates or Buffett) be able to fly because they are too expensive, too rare, or simply don't exist anymore. There is also the thrill of the build, which I enjoy just as much.

I think planes are addictive for several obvious reasons. First, they, well, fly, which is something not easy to do (recall Douglas Adams theory on flight was to "throw yourself at the ground and miss"). They also tend to be noisy in a thrilling loud kind of way. They are also somewhat dangerous, although in their R/C version the danger is more in getting ones finger sliced by a propellor, although I supposed a direct hit to the noggin with a plane would not be pleasant. The element of risk, though, is palpable in flying and there too probably lies some attraction.

Right now, I have way too many planes...but I still want more...I got a basement full of 'em. Oh well, I guess there are worse things to be addicted to...crack, dope, booze, McDonalds fries, Japanese game shows....blogging (gulp)...

Coldplay vs. U2

2008-10-17T11:01:00.000-07:00

Why do I love Coldplay and don't really like U2 (I like a few of their songs, but not many, and feel that they are way overrated)?

I mean, I freely admit that the two bands sound alike. Coldplay sounds much more depressing...I think Rolling Stone referred to one of their albums as "the Unforgettable Funeral" (a play on the U2 album "the Unforgettable Fire"). Am I a depressive? I think it may be a little known rule that I created about depressing or sad songs...they make you feel better. Happy songs are kind of hit or miss...but depressing songs always make you think "geez, it could be worse", and thus make you feel better...

I do think Coldplay has better lyrics. More Pink Floydesque...I would even argue better musicianship, although I will conceed Bono has the better voice...

How to increase your anxiety level in one easy step...

2008-10-17T10:47:00.000-07:00

...Have a kid...I guess its one easy step if you are a man, two if you are a woman...anyways, my main point is that I have never been more anxious in my entire life than after my kid was born. Yes, there was job, happiness, etc., but what I really didn't expect was the heapin helping of anxiety. Here you are with this totally helpless little creature that you love immensely that cant do anything for itself and if you don't do things than it will be in pain or worse, and even if you do everything right, it still may have problems and...ugh....

I though it would get better in the toddler years...hell no! Now the little muchkin can walk around and really get into trouble and is still basically as helpless as it was before.

I really can't see how any sane human can have more than one child. I must not have been given the drug that every other parent seems to have been given by which they want to go through it all again....the sleepless nights, the days of doing nothing but baby maintenance, the illnesses, the inability to do anything to relieve one's own stress and needs. I love my kid more than anything, but why in the hell would I go through that again...and Im the guy! The woman has to deal with looking like she swallowed a watermelon, swollen feet, swollen tits that shoot liquid, hemmoroids (yeah, I know, don't ask me to spell check...), and then you got to pop the baby out of a tube that is not large enough for the job...well, not at least, until painful contractions force it to not quite the right size, and then you have to push it through...I don't envy women at all in that department. I had enough trouble pushing through the remnants of that Red Robin Cheeseburger the other night. I will say that going to the Lamaze class did help in that department...

2008-10-17T10:32:00.001-07:00

Well, lets try this yet again.....still figuring out this blog thing....lets see if this one posts...