This is the first I've seen the video for "Money For Nothing." Nicholas Meyer (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, dir.) said nothing ages a movie faster than its computer graphics. Then Toy Story came along and changed viewer expectations. After Toy Story even a high-profile movie like Hoodwinked looked "cheap."
Anyway, the video for "Money For Nothing" used to be known for its computer graphics. Not no more!
In 1987 I got cheap Season Tickets to see the Winnipeg Blue Bombers play CFL football at the Winnipeg Stadium. This was the Stadium's chance to fill the North End with students and the like. The guys got royaly soused.
I sat with Terry G., my buddy from the 'Bach.
This happened right in front of us. One week a very muscular guy insisted his girlfriend walk in front of this drunk guy. Her only crime was wearing a pair of bright pink shorts (actually, the real crime was going out with this muscular joker). The drunk guy mumbled something about the shorts — and then it was on! The muscular guy wanted to start a fight but somebody held him back. The air was filled with catcalls, jeers and popcorn, and we were utterly showered with beer. The muscular guy was hauled away, and we got back to what remained of the football game.
At a game some weeks later the muscular guy showed up sans girlfriend. My friend moved down to chat with him. They talked a bit and Terry came back to report. Turns out this guy was also from the 'Bach, but I remembered a scrawny kid from Paraguay. These days he was an electrician with papers, and muscular.
I returned to the University of Winnipeg. "Could this be?" I asked my prof buddy, also a former resident of the 'Bach.
"Oh yes," said he. "The Paraguayan Mennonites left because they thought the Canadian government was meddling with their curriculum. When many of them returned to the 'Bach some years later they were met with general contempt."
"General contempt" — I'll say! In the '70s in that particular geography there was no greater curse then being called "Paraguayan." If one of them became a little scrappy — and very muscular — I could hardly blame him.
I sure disliked being covered with beer though.
My wife reminds me that two years ago I suffered a hemorrhagic stroke in the Pons.
Initially doctors said I wouldn't live. Then they said I wouldn't talk. What I do ain't purty, but just try shutting me up!
I owe my wife an enormous debt of gratitude. Straight fellas my age often say that about their wives, but I would not just be poorer, I would be dead without her.
Nat "King" Cole was probably singing about the cherry blossoms in NYC but never mind.
The Concert Band and Concert Choir took a couple of tour buses from our Mennonite High School in downtown Winnipeg to Thompson up north. Thompson High was quite chichi and had a dance that night and we were all invited. The Mennonite teachers warned me away from attending, however. Apparently a large sum of money had gone missing from a student's locker and plans were afoot to beat up me specifically.
Instead I went to the town movie palace, where there was a double-billing: The Elephant Man and Airplane!
The place, quite large, was packed. The crowd had clearly come for the latter. Wow, did the air smell like booze! Hoots and hollering commenced. People threw popcorn at the screen and it landed on others. ZAZ could not have created better conditions for their crazy movie.
As for me, I had a comic book. Spider-man was fighting some guy who had boomerangs that cut a staircase in half (it was tricky). I expected to read, dammit!
And to think some people wanted to give me a thumping!
Another Charlie Watts story: Mick Jagger was pacing his NYC hotel room and singing. "Where's my drummer?"
Charlie Watts knocked on the door. When Mick answered Charlie promptly delivered several smart cuffs to that famous mouth and disappeared.
Lessons: A) Charlie Watts was nobody's "drummer"; B) Mick Jagger was a member of a band; and most importantly C) don't piss-off Charlie Watts.
I have a playlist that includes a number of acts I've seen perform in smaller venues. I also have the new(ish) AC/DC on CD, which I have ripped and added to the playlist. Now granted AC/DC probably threw a gazillion dollars at the entire album and is one of the last bands to do so. But I am talking about their throwaway tracks — album padding. If your very best cannot sound as good as AC/DC's worst, well, that's just a little sad.
Link: I'm with my aunt on this issue.