Beatles Inc. & Sex

As the days have gone by since September 9th, it looks like there isn’t anything on this damn planet that somebody hasn’t thought of stamping with “The Beatles” logo and trying to sell. I can’t escape the queasy feeling that somewhere in china they are stamping hamsters with the Beatles logo.

Someone called it the “Beatles Industrial complex” and it fits. But it was ever thus really – when the boys hit America back in 1964 they slapped the Beatles name on anything they could think of – and since it was back in the day before people thought about merchandising often without paying anybody to do so.

Still with all the magnets clocks, toys, sticker, journals, t-shirts and the like one thing I’ve never seen is someone with a Beatles tattoo, I’ve seen Tattoos for The Stones, Motorhead, Blue Oyster Cult, the Ramones and all sorts of other bands I’ve never heard of but no Beatles – not their kind of thing I suspect.

Meantime I’ve been listening to the re-mastered DVD’s and I swear I could hear Ringo sneeze during ‘Lucy in the Sky with diamonds” Well not really but the sound is much clearer than the old cd’s almost too clear – I’m almost tempted to get the vinyl versions of this and see if there is a difference – along with the Mono Mix. Ack. Enough.

Using the Flick HD-camcorder – yes videos soon – to do my own half assed commentary track/MST3K style riffing on King Kong Escapes – it’s harder than it looks – which explains a) why they had teams of writers and b) why MST3K often cut the films – there
Are long periods of exposition that shoot the action right in the head.

Meantime I read that the Roman Catholic Church has issued a small manual for married couples which includes a prayer they would like married couples to say before having sex.

Right – like that’ll get you in the mood – getting on your knees – that wouldn’t break the mood in as of itself but getting on you knees to pray – “oh dear lord forgive this great sin we are about to commit…understand that we are weak weak people and we need to do the nasty despite the horror it arouses in you. But we need the humpty humpy even though it is an agent of Satan” (I could get much worse - but well I’ll stop.)

Meantime meantime – some assistant to some right wing mucky muck (A senator I believe) said during a round table during the value voters summit (a gathering of people who well are upset that Obama is president) said that the thing to do is to tell 11 year olds that reading playboy makes you gay.

One more time – reading playboy makes you gay.

I’m not even going to bother running through his line of thinking. In short, He came upon this happy inspiration because he’s noticed that 11-12 year olds are anti-gay so he figures if you lie like a fucking rug to your kids they’ll stay away from zee porn.

One more time – he’s saying tell your boys looking at naked women makes you gay.

Sweet Mercy when did everybody get so crazy – and manipulative. Why does the right wing think they can get away with bullshiting their kids – and then they wonder why they end up screwed up as hell. Kids are not dumb – occasional appearances to the contrary notwithstanding – and they figure if you’re lying through your teeth about this – they will assume everything else you say about how something is bad for you is a whopper as well.

Just amazing.

Peace Love Naked Ladies

Health Care, Green Hornet, Halloween gig, Bob and Ray and The Beatles

Well the head of the Democratic what ever Senate committee finally offered up his bill for health care and other than the insurance companies who will love it, everybody thinks it stinks – even the Republicans which is sad since everything objectionable to the GOP was removed. Not unexpected but hell for all that effort the good senator might as well have been playing World of War craft instead – at least by now he’d up to level 80 for sure with his magic healer.

I’ve noted with some amusement the stops and starts of the project Green Hornet film – the original director and Kato (same person) left – then the movie’s relapse date was moved back to December (a dead zone for super hero films) and then Nicholas Cage – America’s answer to Michael Cane (I’ll be in any thing as long as I’m paid) left the film right after one of the Black Beauty Stunt cars crashed on the first day of shooting.

The project’s had a few problems and a few shifts in direction but one constant is Seth Rogen will be playing the Hornet (well he wrote the script) which to me (and others) seems like at the best a problem and more likely a hideous piece of miscasting.

Nothing against Seth but he looks like an unmade bed. He’s not right for the part – to be fair I’m not either. And it’s kind of telling we have not seen Seth in costume yet – maybe they want to surprise us or more likely Seth just looks absurd in the get up.

For those who appreciate bad movies this looks like a winner. I’m thinking Spirit maybe even Bloodraye badness.

Anyway speaking of artists who’s egos are too big the band has a gig on Halloween per the ever generous Astoria Arts and Music people – spooky songs and other treats galore and more.

Got a new electronic toy – one of those flip video cameras so easy even a lead singer can use it – so expect self absorbed videos to be part of the Bob Muir and the Enemy Below experience.

Meantime got two of the re-mastered Beatles – Abbey Road and Revolver – haven’t really had a chance to listen to them just yet so no word on the quality or what not.

Been listening a lot to some recordings done by Boy and Ray a rather low key comedy duo that were on the radio in various forms from the 1950’s to the 80’s. An obvious influence on folks like Bob Newhart and the Firesign Theater their work is hard for me to describe other than say it paints man as too hopelessly absurd to survive – ideas make no sense, interviews go completely array- a famous routine has Bob as the president of the Slow Talkers of America who talks so slowly that it drives Ray right over the edge – and things and people just never connect - add a element of absurdity – an interview with a promoter of Professional Hide and Seek and a spot on take down of soap opera clichés it’s conformist America view from the perspective of two people who were part of it but for some reason saw the utter craziness that lay just underneath.

You know there might be link in a weird way with the Beatles – bob and ray started in the 50s’ and their satire till the end was of Eisenhower’s America – The Beatles for an instant in time pointed out ‘you don’t have to live like that” which has spawned a whole industry that doesn’t like the 60’s and works very hard to say no you have to live like that (that was a real book from the 60's fyi). Even now even so many years after the band has gone.

Weird.

Peace, love, hang by your thumbs