This is a continuation of “one-hit-wonder” month in
the Sunday Jukebox section for the month of September. And, in this
case, I thought I would do something quite unique.
What if I decided to do a special feature on not one,
but two songs that could easily be considered “one-hit-wonders”?
It'd be a little bit of a special feature presentation that I like to
call “When One-Hit-Wonders Collide”!
Confused yet? Don't be. I'm simply going to do a
little bit of a “Six Degrees of Separation” thing in that I'll
present two songs, and at the end, we'll explain how they are linked
together! I think it could be a fun look back at some
one-hit-wonders of the past (and it will make up for the fact that my
September 1 entry was NOT a one-hit-wonder at all).
So, on with the double shot of one-hit-wonders.
And to begin with this entry, I want to ask you a
question. Can you name every single member of a famous family? And
when I say famous family, I mean a family in which almost every
single member is in the world of show business.
Can you name every single sibling (including the
non-famous ones) within a Hollywood family if I gave you a last name?
It's not as easy as you might think it is.
For instance, when I say the name Baldwin, instantly you
think of Alec Baldwin – best known for his work in Knots Landing,
Beetlejuice, Married To The Mob, and most recently 30 Rock. But
Alec's three brothers, Daniel, William, and Stephen Baldwin have also
had jobs in the acting community as well. Maybe they aren't as well
known as Alec is, but still...there's acting blood in every Baldwin
brother.
(Even if one of them is now making the reality
television circuit.)
Or, let's see here. I realize the definition of fame is
kind of lopsided when it comes to anybody with the last name
Kardashian, but let's run with it here. You have Kim, Kourtney, and
Khloe (have I forgotten any other K names here). All three are most
famous for...well...nothing exactly. But all three have taken their
nothingness and turned it into gold and silver due to the
conglomerate they have built up which includes reality television
shows, cosmetics deals, and other various business ventures.
But how many of you know that the Kardashian sisters
have a brother named Robert? Nobody else knew either until he
appeared as a contestant on Dancing With The Stars. But, for the
most part, he remains the silent partner in the Kardashian empire. I
mean, his first name doesn't even have a K within it! That's strike
one right there!
Or, how about the Penn family?
Let's see...well, right off the bat, I'm sure that most
of you can name one or two of the three brothers in the Penn family.
Well, there's Sean Penn. A brilliant actor and director
best known for his work in Carlito's Way, Dead Man Walking, I Am Sam,
Mystic River, 21 Grams, and Milk. In the tabloids, he was known as
being Madonna's volatile ex-husband. But most importantly of all, he
has also been instrumental in founding a charity that would help the
citizens of Haiti rebuild after the devastating 2010 earthquake.
I've also heard of Sean's younger brother, Christopher
Penn. One of the first things that I remember seeing Christopher
appearing in was the 1984 film “Footloose”. But some of his
other projects included films such as Reservoir Dogs, At Close Range,
Beethoven's 2nd, and Short Cuts, as well as some
television appearances as well. Sadly, Christopher's life was cut
too short when he died of a heart attack in January 2006 at just
forty years old.
So, we've heard of Sean Penn. And, we've talked about
the late Christopher Penn. That's it, right?
Wrong.
Turns out that Sean and Christopher have an older
brother. And the first-born son of Leo Penn and Eileen Ryan decided
to take a different career path other than acting.
He opted to become a musician instead.
And the song below was musician Michael Penn's biggest
success.
ARTIST:
Michael Penn
SONG:
No Myth
ALBUM:
March
DATE
RELEASED: September 1, 1989
PEAK
POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS: #13
Yes,
Michael Penn, born the first of August in the year 1958, released
this toe-tapping rock hit in the last half of 1989, and by the
beginning of 1990 had hit its peak position of #13 on the Billboard
Charts. And it was a really awesome song too. I remember being in
the third grade and hearing that song playing a lot on the radio. In
fact, I remember many people at the time trying to request the song
under the wrong title. Apparently some people believed that the song
was actually called “Romeo in Black Jeans”.
Unfortunately
for Michael Penn, “No Myth” ended up being a one-hit-wonder.
Despite the fact that his songwriting skills were critically
acclaimed and that he has released eight albums, his success on the
charts was limited to just one hit.
And
it's kind of a shame, given that he really did have the talent. I
mean, at the peak of his popularity, he was actually competing
against his former sister-in-law on the charts! When he released “No
Myth”, it was rewarded with an MTV Video Music Award for Best New
Artist in 1990! Everything was well positioned for Michael Penn to
become a huge star in the music industry.
So,
what happened?
Well,
it all began with Penn's 1992 follow-up to March, “Free-For-All”.
Although Rolling Stone Magazine gave the album a glowing review, and
critics everywhere praised every single song on the album...I feel as
though there wasn't a whole lot of promotion involved with selling
the record. I know that I didn't even know that Michael Penn had
even released a second album, let alone a seventh or eighth because
aside from “No Myth”, Penn's work was virtually ignored by MTV
and radio stations. It didn't matter whether the songs were absolute
creative masterpieces. If you don't have the promotion to get your
album out there, the album won't sell.
I'm
certainly not accusing Michael Penn of not doing more to promote his
music. If anything, I think he did the best he could. But just
based on what I saw, I think that more promotion could have helped
his cause and his music career.
But
you know, even though Michael's success on the charts didn't amount
to anything beyond a one-hit-wonder, it's not to say that he didn't
quit music. He just decided to focus more of his attentions on
composing film scores and producing albums for other artists.
Seriously,
you may have been hearing his compositions and not have known it. If
you've ever seen the movies Hard Eight, Boogie Nights, The Last Kiss,
and Solitary Man, you'll hear his scores playing throughout the film!
And
as I mentioned before, he's also used his skills to produce records
for other artists, including Liz Phair, The Wallflowers...and a
certain frontwoman for a band that many people also consider a
one-hit-wonder.
ARTIST:
'Til Tuesday
SONG:
Voices Carry
ALBUM:
Voices Carry
DATE
RELEASED: March 30, 1985
PEAK
POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:
#8
I
gotta tell you, I still get chills at the end of that video when
Aimee Mann stands up in that crowded theatre and sings to her heart's
content, embarrassing her stuffy, stuck-up, potential abuser of a
boyfriend who I feel she should have left eons ago. I mean that too.
Her look was unconventional, but Aimee Mann was definitely one of
the most attractive women of the 1980s (and at the age of 52, she
still looks absolutely gorgeous today).
TRIVIA:
Initially, the song was always supposed to be sung by Aimee Mann,
but the difference was that the song was intended to be sung to a
woman by a woman. Unfortunately, 1985 was a different time, and
homosexuality was still very much taboo in the mid-1980s, so the
perspective of the song had to be changed with a little tweaking.
Now,
I should state that “Voices Carry” is technically not recognized
as a one-hit-wonder if you're looking at the Billboard Charts. The
band did have another lesser-known hit in 1986. But, given that
“Voices Carry” is really the only song by 'Til Tuesday still
played on radio stations, I suppose the definition fits.
Truth
be told, after 'Til Tuesday broke up in 1988, Aimee Mann decided to
embark on a solo career herself. And certainly some of her
compositions have appeared in a lot of places. She had a song
appearing on the soundtrack of “Melrose Place” (That's Just What
You Are”), and she been in movies like “The Big Lebowski” and
television shows like “Buffy the Vampire Slayer”.
And
in 1994 when she was working on the album “I'm With Stupid”, she
first crossed paths with Michael Penn, who contributed musically to
the album. The two developed a really close friendship, which soon
blossomed into romance. The couple tied the knot in 1997, and
sixteen years later they are still happily married.
Talk
about making beautiful music together!
And,
that's the story of how two one-hit-wonders collided. I hope you
enjoyed it!
I will readily admit that
when it comes to video gaming, my gaming knowledge is very much
skewered.
I'll admit that during my
entire history of playing video games (and by video games, I don't
mean the arcade and pinball machines that could be found in coin
arcades, shopping malls, and 7-Elevens all over the country), I've
been mostly loyal to one video game company, although I have dabbled
in other systems over the years. In case any of you are interested
in any way, here is a history of my video gaming life beginning with
my very first gaming console in 1989.
1989-1990:
Intellivision (yes, Intellivision. You can read the whole story of
how I got my Intellivision console HERE ten years after it was at its
peak in popularity.)
1990-1992:
Nintendo Entertainment System. It got fried in a lightning storm
during the summer of '92.
1992-2003: Super
Nintendo Entertainment System. Believe it or not, it still works in
2013, but I need new controllers.
2003-2006: Sony
PlayStation. Was actually a hand-me-down from a relative, but it got
me hooked on games like Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, and the Sony
exclusive Final Fantasy games.
2006-2011: Sony
PlayStation 2. The most recent console I own. In all honesty, I
haven't played it in two years due to lack of new games because of
the PS3 coming out and my having absolutely zero interest in the PS3
games out on the market.
2008-2011:
Nintendo DS. Prior to 2008, I never owned a handheld game console.
But the Nintendo DS was my re-introduction to Nintendo after a five
year absence, and I never really looked back. I would love to get a
Nintendo Wii one day...well...when I have enough space, that is.
2011-present:
Nintendo 3DS. The current gaming system I play.
So,
yes. You can see that Nintendo is more or less my video game company
of choice. I dabbled in Sony consoles though (and by extension,
Sega, as I owned the Sega Genesis Collection for the PlayStation 2
console). Surprisingly enough, I never did get into the XBOX or XBOX
360 at all. Maybe it was because I found the games to be somewhat on
the dull side, or maybe it was because I couldn't justify paying such
a huge price for a gaming console...or maybe I had heard too many
horror stories about the red ring of death which signifies that your
console has gone to video game heaven.
(My
SNES has lasted me 21 years and counting. Just saying.)
Now,
why am I telling you this? Well, it might explain why any video game
feature that I blog about here will more than likely cover a Nintendo
game. And, it might explain why you will never really see an entry
on any video game that has the words “Grand Theft Auto”,
“Resident Evil” or “Call of Duty” within their titles. I've
never played any of these games, and really don't have much desire to
either.
But,
you know what? I feel as though in order to expand my knowledge on
video games (and given that I sell an average of seven video games
per shift at work, I should really know everything there is to know
about video games), I should do my blog entry on a video game series
that is A) not Nintendo, and B) not rated E for Everyone.
I've
already pointed out that for the most part, M rated video games bore
me to tears because they seem to be the same game over and over. I
mean, granted, some use the same argument for why they don't like
games starring Super Mario or Sonic the Hedgehog, but the thing about
those games is that they are always constantly changing. Ever since
Mario's introduction in the 1981 video game Donkey Kong, he's evolved
from barrel thrower to three-dimensional superstar! But for some
reason, all of the Call of Duty games that I have seen my nephews
playing look EXACTLY THE SAME to me.
(My
apologies to all of those die-hard Call of Duty fans that I have
offended with that previous statement. Those games just aren't my
cup of tea.)
It's
not to say that I am completely against first person shooters at all.
I think that I would enjoy playing one if it put less emphasis on
gore and more emphasis on plot. I also think that when it comes to
first person shoot-em-up games, I would enjoy a game that is somewhat
on the linear side. Not that I'm against open ended games, but one
of the main reasons why I refuse to play the newest Final Fantasy
games is because the story suffered at the hands of open-ended game
play.
As a
result, Final Fantasy XII remains my biggest disappointment in all
the years I have played video games.
So,
given my little monologue up above, what game could I possibly want
to discuss? A game that is non-Nintendo, non E-rated, and has a rather
decent plot to accompany a first-person shooting mechanic?
Well,
it happens to be a game that I inherited along with the second-hand
PlayStation system ten years ago. Mind you, the games that I mostly
played were Spyro the Dragon and some car driving game. But there
was another game that I ended up getting so addicted to. A game that
I never believed I would have any interest in whatsoever, but was
completely hooked on due to the elaborate plot, the challenging
aspects of making it through an area alive, and the puzzle solving
aspects throughout the whole game.
Have
any of you heard of the “Medal of Honor” series of games? They
are a series of games that are sort of similar to the more recent
Call of Duty games, only the vast majority of them are set during
World War II. From what I am hearing, there are thirteen games in
the Medal of Honor series, and some of the more recent versions of
the game are almost exactly like carbon copies of Call of Duty.
But
the earliest games of the series? Now those were genius.
You
see, the game that I was addicted to playing was the original Medal
of Honor, which was released on Halloween 1999. In that game,
espionage and secrecy is the main plot component. You're a member of
the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), and your missions – should
you choose to accept them – is to infiltrate enemy fortresses,
dispatch anyone who might get in your way, and sabotage any plans
that they might have to destroy entire communities.
There
are a total of seven missions throughout the whole game. They are...
RESCUE
THE G3 OFFICER
DESTROY
THE MIGHTY RAIL-GUN GRETA
SCUTTLE
DAS BOOT U-4901
ATTACK
IMPENETRABLE FORT SCHMERZEN
SABOTAGE
THE RJUKAN HYDRO PLANT
CAPTURE
THE SECRET GERMAN TREASURE
ESCAPE
THE V2 ROCKET PLANT
And,
I will state that these missions are not easy. Oh, sure, you might
be able to get through the first two or three without getting shot at
too much. But anyone who has ever played mission number seven knows
just how insanely difficult it can be.
In
fact, here's a true confession for you. I've only ever beaten Medal
of Honor once. That's how hard it is.
You
play as the fictional Lieutenant Jimmy Patterson, a former C-47
Skytrain pilot in the Air Transport Command who was later recruited
to the OSS. As Patterson, you have to make your way through these
seven different mission to prevent the German forces and their allies
from causing all sorts of nastiness in the world.
What
makes the missions even more challenging is the fact that each
mission is split up into several different levels. And, in each
level, you have to meet an objective or criteria in order to proceed
any further in the mission. You'll have to sneak into forbidden
areas. You'll have to locate secret parcels and deliver them to the
right people. You'll have to obtain keys to unlock doors, and secret
passwords in order to move further in the game. Sometimes you'll
have to disarm people, or sabotage equipment in order to get through
the level.
And
needless to say, the swarms of enemy soldiers willing to shoot first,
ask questions later are endless. You really have to use your
environment and keep a quick wit in order to make it through the game
alive.
But
don't worry. You have an entire arsenal of weapons at your disposal,
just itching to be used against the enemy.
(And,
one of the main reasons why I loved the original Medal of Honor is
because in the earliest games, the game didn't actually show blood
and gore. Sure, you still knew that they were dead because their
bodies would fade away eventually...but as one who can't even stand
the sight of his own blood in real life, this was definitely an added
plus. It also explains why the original Medal of Honor was given a rating of T instead of M.)
Seriously,
you could use grenades, rifles, shotguns, and even a bazooka or two
to make your way through enemy terrain and fight the good fight.
All
in all, it's a great game series to play if you want a game that has
a great storyline, but you're turned off by blood and unnecessary
gore. And if I'm recommending a video game that has all that when I
normally don't play them, it's gotta be worth a shot, right?
And,
one final note...the game's story was inspired by filmmaker Steven
Spielberg!
I was having a bit of a
hard time coming up with a topic for today's blog. Today's Friday,
and I really wanted to do a topic that featured some aspect of
teaching. As we're in the month of September and schools are now
back in session, I struggled to come up with a suitable topic.
That, plus the fact that
I'm on a bit of a time crunch today and only have a total of three
and a half hours to type out this entire entry. So, I suppose in a
way, I'm challenging myself and teaching myself to become a better
writer by working under pressure.
Hmmm...working under
pressure. That sounds like an interesting idea to go on.
But which show features
everyday, ordinary people working under pressure to create
extraordinary things?
Oh, wait. I know of just
a show. In fact, the season finale of the fourth season of this
program aired just a couple of days ago on September 11, 2013.
Come to think of it, this
past season of MasterChef was quite entertaining to watch, and very
unpredictable. Well, at least it was to me anyway. You know how
some people believe that reality television is scripted.
But for some reason, I've
always loved watching MasterChef. The concept of the show is
absolute genius. The end goal of each season of the series is the
same. You have hundreds of amateur chefs coming on the show to
compete for a spot on the show by cooking a signature dish for three
judges in the food industry in hopes of impressing them.
You wouldn't think that a
cooking competition would get people watching, but from the very
first season of the American series (the show originated in the
United Kingdom as far back as 1990), I was hooked. As someone who
appreciates good food (but admittedly have zero skills in the
kitchen), I have to say that anybody who even makes it onto the show
at all has my absolute respect.
The three judges who taste
every single dish are also highly respected people in the culinary
world. I would say that Gordon Ramsay, Graham Elliot, and Joe
Bastianich have decades of experience between the three of them.
Heck, Joe Bastianich is the son of Lidia Bastianich, a real master
chef herself! If anyone knows good food, it's the BRE-Team
(Bastianich/Ramsay/Elliot).
So, anyway, the finale of
the show pitted Natasha Crnjac against Luca Manfe in an epic battle
to see who would become the true MasterChef. The competition was
fierce with Luca and Natasha having to battle against seventeen other
people for the title. They cooked a variety of dishes using
langoustine, king crab, pork, turkey, beef, pigeon (yes, pigeon), and
a plethora of vegetarian dishes and desserts in hopes of impressing
the judges. They made some mistakes along the way, and at some point
in the competition, both faced the chopping block at least twice.
But in the end, the victor
reigned supreme.
Congratulations, Luca! A
well earned victory indeed.
So, to celebrate Luca's
win, I thought that I would do a feature on MasterChef. (Well, the
American version at least. I have heard from many fans of the show
that the British version is much better than the American one, but
I've never seen the British version.)
Now, as mentioned before,
MasterChef originated in the United Kingdom in 1990, but over the
last twenty-three years, it has exploded in popularity and is now
broadcast in several different countries including Australia, China,
Croatia, Greece, India, Italy, Spain, and Vietnam. And beginning in
2014, Canada will join the list of countries that will have their
very own MasterChef competition. Very excited to hear of that news!
Now, most people know of
the version of the show that has aired on FOX since July 2010. Many
don't realize that MasterChef first aired in the United States on PBS
between 2000 and 2001! I know I certainly didn't!
Anyway, with the FOX
version of the show, we have now had four people that have been
granted the title of MasterChef. They are...
2010 – Whitney Miller
2011 – Jennifer Behm
2012 – Christine Ha
2013 – Luka Manfe
And what do the winners of
the competition win? Plenty. They win the title of MasterChef for
the year, which comes with a beautiful trophy. They get the
opportunity to publish their own cookbook, which for most amateur
chefs is a dream come true! Just have a look at last year's winner's
book below.
Nice, huh?
Oh, yeah. There's also a
quarter of a million dollar cash prize at the end of the journey.
Why, that's enough to keep your pantry, fridge and freezers stocked
up for several years!
Now, one thing that I find
interesting about MasterChef is that the show really puts contestants
through every possible challenge in order for the judges to determine
who has what it takes to become the next MasterChef. And the way
they do this is through team challenges, mystery box challenges, and
pressure tests.
Team challenges are always
fun to watch. They take the contestants and divide them up into
teams where they will be put into some rather unusual situations.
Sometimes they will have to be placed in a kitchen of a high-end
restaurant in an exercise in quality control. Sometimes they'll have
to plan a lunch menu for junior high school students. Sometimes,
they'll even have to open up a food truck in the middle of the beach
and cook fish tacos and hamburgers for a large group of people. The
teams that end up doing the best will win and be safe for the
pressure test.
Similarly, the show
features mystery box challenges, in which contestants won't know what
ingredients they have to work with until they remove the lid of the
box. Usually, each of the boxes will have some sort of theme to it.
Some boxes will have ingredients that seemingly don't blend well
together but they will have to find a way to make it work. Some
mystery box challenges will have ingredients that are a delicacy in
foreign countries, but are virtually unheard of in America. And, in
one memorable mystery box challenge, the children of the judges
actually chose the mystery box ingredients! And to add to the
pressure, the chefs would only have between 45 and 90 minutes to make
their dish stand out. On mystery box challenges, the judges will
choose their favourite three dishes, and the winner of the challenge
will have a hand in planning the pressure test, which if the player
is smart will use the opportunity to take out their biggest
competition.
Now, what is this pressure
test that I keep talking about?
Well, the pressure test
really puts contestants under pressure. If they fail the test, they
get eliminated from the competition! And believe me when I say that
the pressure tests are nowhere near easy. It's bad enough that the
chefs have to prepare such complicated dishes such as souffle,
meringue pie, and lobster bisque, but to do it in what seems like an
impossible time limit on top of that? No wonder they call it a
pressure test!
Some handle the pressure
really well. Others buckle under pressure. But the pressure tests
definitely do what they were meant to do. They weed out the
competition and they leave the strongest chefs standing.
So, now that you know how
the game is played, let's take a look at some of the more memorable
moments of the whole series, shall we?
On Season 2, there were
lots of people on the show who shall we say...had some rather
boastful attitudes. Suzy and Max in particular knew that both of
them were the best in the competition and they were not afraid to let
anyone know it either.
(Too bad neither one won
the competition to back up their claims.)
But then there was
Christian, a stay-at-home dad. And his ego was something special.
So special that he didn't hesitate to go head to head with the very
judges who had the power to keep him in the competition! Not the
smartest move. Have a look at some of Christian's “greatest hits”.
For what it's worth, I
thought that Christian was going to go far in the competition, and
for what it's worth, I initially went into MasterChef season two
rooting for Christian to win. Unfortunately, his attitude kind of
turned me off to him, and when he was eliminated, I was kind of
relieved. That said, I do hope Christian is doing well.
If anything, after seeing
the way that Krissi acted on the last season of MasterChef with her
bullying tactics and immaturity, next to her Christian was quite
tame!
On the flipside, on the
same season Christian was on, you had Ben Starr, who didn't quite
make it to the finals, but who had the depth, the passion, and most
of all the humility to become a true MasterChef. Just have a look at
the pumpkin carrot cake he prepared for a pressure test challenge.
Okay, I don't even like
pumpkin and I want to try that cake! It just looked phenomenal!
Another success story is
that of Season 3 winner Christine Ha. She dominated the competition
throughout her whole season, very rarely making it in the bottom two.
She lead her team to victory on a couple of occasions, and she
prepared some of the most brilliant dishes in the history of the
competition.
And she did it all with
very little sight.
Yes, Christine is legally
blind, which at the beginning of the competition had her other
competitors believing that because of this she was not a major
threat. But boy did Christine prove them wrong. But one of the most
beautiful things about Christine's story was the self-growth she did
herself. She entered the competition doubting her abilities and
thinking that she couldn't compete with the others.
That is, until she made
the apple pie that changed her entire outlook. Have a look.
I STILL get goosebumps
watching that moment. In that moment, I believe that a true
MasterChef was born, and it was in the moment that Christine really
began to show everyone that she did have what it took to become a
MasterChef. Good show, Christine!
One of my favourite parts
of the show is the audition process. The auditions are some of the
most entertaining parts of the whole show. Just have a look at this
montage of contestants who didn't quite make it onto the show.
But just because a person
doesn't make it onto the show the first time around, it doesn't mean
that they are out of the running down the road. After all, Luca was
turned down for season three, and he won season four! And, to conclude this entry off, let's watch some of the more successful auditions!
I have to admit that of
all things, a tabloid magazine inspired this Thursday Diary
entry...but not in the way that you all might think. Confused? Read
on.
September
12, 2013
Did
you know that while I don't consider myself to be one of those
“hoarders” that you see on television, I do consider myself to be
somewhat of a pack rat?
It's
absolutely true.
As
of right now, my living space is such that it looks presentable, but
it also looks lived in. And, I'm okay with that. I always felt
really uncomfortable in places that were obscenely clean. You know
what I mean, right? The ones where the floor is so shiny you could
eat off of it, and the ones where you didn't dare eat on the
furniture because you would get scolded for even leaving behind one
crumb.
At
my place, if you want to eat on my sofa, you go right ahead. If you
want to read a magazine on my floor, I have no problem with that.
And if you want to smear spaghetti sauce all over my walls and
floors, you're more than welcome to.
Just
remember. YOU'RE cleaning the sauce up. Not me.
I
guess the point that I'm making is that I don't mind if people wear
their shoes inside my living space because I'm far from being a
perfect housekeeper. To prove it, I was just going through my closet
the other day and I came across a pile of things from my hospital
stay in February 2011 still locked away inside!
(For
those of you who weren't aware, or for those of you who have just
discovered this blog, I had to have emergency surgery two and a half
years ago to remove a seriously infected gall bladder.)
But
seriously, I found a lot of things in my closet that kept me
entertained while I was recovering from surgery. There were a few
books that people brought me to read. I have a half-completed word
search and puzzle book that I worked on while I was healing from my
surgery. And, for some unknown reason, I still have the hospital
bracelet that I wore during my entire stay there.
As I said
before, I am considered to be a slight pack rat.
One
other thing that I found mixed in with the goodies that entertained
me during my recovery was a whole bundle of magazines. And when I
say magazines, I mean those really trashy ones like the National
Enquirer, Star, and The Examiner which feature celebrities that
seemingly cause one scandal after another. I'm not one to normally
go out and buy these kinds of magazines, but since I had family
members and friends who wanted my stay to be as comfortable as
possible, I read them...and re-read them...and re-read them some
more.
Yeah...if
you spend sixteen days in a hospital, you really do get that bored.
But
you know what? Whether the stories in those tabloids are absolutely
true or completely false...that's not for me to say. But I have to
admit that reading the various articles in these magazines sometimes
make me feel much better about my own life!
And
besides, it's not as though celebrity gossip is the only thing of
interest inside these magazines. They also have puzzles, horoscopes,
and other fun puzzles and games mixed in amongst the gossip, the
scandals, and the advertisements for Hydroxycut.
One
of my favourite features in these types of magazines is when
celebrities get interviewed by a representative of the magazine and
they reveal all kinds of personal info and secrets. I think most of
them come in a list of twenty-five mini-confessions and admissions.
I have to admit, the pop culture addict in me loves reading all about
the secrets and little known facts about celebrities. Some facts
didn't seem surprising at all, but others were kind of an eye-opener.
So
you know what I thought I would do? If celebrities can be
interviewed and asked about the twenty-five things that nobody else
knows, why can't I do the same?
So,
in this Thursday Diary entry...whether you want to know them or
not...I thought that I would reveal twenty-five things about myself
that you may or may not know about me. I think it would be a cool
way for all of you reading this to get to know me a bit better. And
if some of you are brave enough, I thought that maybe some of you
could do the same.
(Only
I think that 25 facts would be too much. I'll happily accept only
one or two!)
Okay,
so on with the list.
01
– I have a slight allergy to strawberries. I can handle
artificially flavoured strawberry things (which are disgusting, by
the way), but real strawberries cause me to break out in hives. It
isn't a fatal allergy by any means, but it's uncomfortable enough for
me not to ever want to eat a strawberry.
02
– I use a different coloured pen at work each and every day. If
one were to look through the safety sweep log books any given time
that I am on duty, you would see a rainbow of colours. The reason
why I do this is to stand out and be different. And besides...black
ink is so...monotonous.
03
– I played the baritone for my school band between sixth and ninth
grades. But admittedly I was forced to give it up because my class
schedule in tenth grade prevented me from sticking with it. Looking
back on it, I wish I had stuck with it just a little bit longer.
04
– I once spent an entire day off watching old reruns of “Three's
Company” on YouTube. Not exactly the most efficient way to spend a
day off, but it was entertaining. Besides, it rained all day that
day. What else was there to do?
05
– My first date was in the eighth grade. I took a girl to the
eighth grade graduation dance. Never saw her again after that.
06
– Hmmm...maybe number five explains the absolute hate I have for
Valentine's Day. Though the fact that I had my gall bladder removed
two days before that day could account for it (though in defense, I
did get a blood transfusion that Valentine's Day, so at least I got
something red!)
07
– I have a comic book collection that totals well over 3,000 books.
08
– The most embarrassing song I have downloaded on my iPod is the
song “Under the Sea” from “The Little Mermaid”. The reason I
have it downloaded is because it takes me back to the time in which
some friends and I were driving down Bank Street in Ottawa with this
song blasting from the car radio! Sigh...you had to be there.
09
– My very first celebrity crush was on Alyssa Milano. And to be
honest with you, I still find her unbelievably attractive.
10
– The first time I ever used a computer, I was four years old. I
seem to recall going to some sort of computer camp where I designed
my own banner. They even took my picture which appeared in the
newspaper...but my grandmother was the only one who had a copy, and
since she died twenty-two years ago, I have no idea where she would
have kept it.
11
– I still save all of the Christmas cards I have ever received
(pack-rat, I know).
12
– My dream vacation is to go to Australia. I hope that one day I
will be able to make it happen.
13
– I learned how to read before I learned how to talk. I didn't
learn how to talk until just before my third birthday. My parents
were concerned that I was hard of hearing, or that I had some sort of
developmental disorder, but in reality, I was just stubborn. On that
note...
14
– My horoscope sign is Taurus. But had I been born three days
later, I would have become a Gemini.
15
– I was born on the one year anniversary of the day that Mount St.
Helen's blew its top.
16
– My current drink obsession is surprisingly non-alcoholic. I'm
really into water that is flavoured with “Dasani Drops”. I
personally recommend the Cherry-Pomegranate and Pink Lemonade
flavours.
17
– I was once hypnotized on stage and it was broadcast in a
television special that aired later the same year.
18
– My current guilty pleasure artist? Admittedly, it's Selena
Gomez. At least I didn't say Justin Bieber!
19
– I play in the Survivor pool at work regularly. Out of five
attempts, I've only won once. Still, that is a 20% rating.
20
– My all-time favourite candy in the world are M&M's. Plain or
peanut butter will do. I also have a small collection of M&M's
memorabilia including a beach towel, a T-shirt, a wristwatch, a candy
bowl, and a candy dispenser.
21
– Least favourite candy? Almond Joy, Mounds, Bounty, or any other
candy with coconut inside of it. Blecch.
22
– I nearly failed grade eleven mathematics. Had it not been for a
freak ice storm which grinded everything to a halt, I most definitely
would have flunked.
23
– I hold the distinct achievement of actually setting a container
of Jiffy Pop popcorn on fire!
24
– I did not learn how to swim until I was twenty-one due to a fear
of drowning brought upon by nearly drowning in a swimming pool when I
was a youngster. And even then, I am not comfortable in really deep
water.
25
– I've never been on an airplane in my life. However, I've rode on
more trains than I could count, in part because of the fact that when
my dad worked for a railway, our family always got free train
tickets. It was one of the perks of my father's job!
First things first, I
wanted to take the opportunity to reflect on the events of September
11, 2001. If you are interested, I wrote a blog entry about that day
on the tenth anniversary of the attacks, which you can read about by
CLICKING HERE. I can't believe that it has been twelve years since
that devastating day. So many people lost their lives, and thousands
of families were never the same. But as the Freedom Tower at the new
World Trade Center nears completion, it is a symbol that life does go
on, and I think those who lived through that day are more stronger
and resilient than ever before. We'll never be able to forget what
happened, but we can become stronger people as a result of it.
And now, on with today's
entry.
Wednesdays have always
been a bane in the existence of this blog. I've changed the theme
day for Wednesday a total of...oh...four times over the last two
years. I don't know what it is about Wednesdays, but I can never
keep the same topic up and running for long.
The most recent attempt at
the Wednesday topic was All-Request Wednesdays, where I would ask you
all to submit requests on topics that you would like to see. And for
a few months, it went over very well. But as the request well dried
up in recent weeks, I came to the conclusion that the feature was
inevitably going to be short-lived.
So, I thought that I would
use this space and leave it up to fate instead. Though, that's not
to say that I won't accept any more requests. I will. I'll just
incorporate it into one of the other theme days, is all.
What do I mean when I say
that I'll leave it to fate? Well, I'm going to let the cards fall
and decide what topic I choose.
It's a little something I
like to call “Whatever Wednesday”. I've even designed a special
logo for the event!
Colourful, no?
Okay, so what I'm going to
do is simple. I'm going to grab six different coloured cards, and
assign each one a different theme day. Every Tuesday night, I will
select a coloured card from a bag, and whatever colour card I choose
will represent the theme of the Whatever Wednesday entry that I work
on this week.
Now, here's the kicker.
Where am I going to find six different coloured cards on such short
notice?
Oh, look...I happen to
have a copy of the board game Clue by my side with six different
coloured character cards! How's that for lucky?
Okay. Now that we have
our six cards, let's assign a theme day to each of the characters.
MISS
SCARLET – Sunday Jukebox
COLONEL
MUSTARD – Monday Matinee
MRS.
WHITE – Saturday Smorgasbord
Wks. 3-5 (Cartoons, Comics, Books)
MR.
GREEN – Saturday Smorgasbord
Wks. 1-2 (Toys, Games, Video Games)
MRS.
PEACOCK – Friday Night On
Television
PROFESSOR
PLUM – Thursday Diary
So,
for instance, if I selected Professor Plum from the bag, I'd be doing
a diary entry. If I choose Mr. Green, I would do a blog on cartoons
or comic books, etc, etc.
Makes
sense?
Okay,
so let's kick off the inaugural edition of Whatever Wednesday by
drawing a card at random out of the bag.
And,
we have Miss Scarlet,
meaning that we're going to be rummaging through our vinyl
collections and music trivia books for today.
And,
in some ways, I almost think that it was kismet because I really did
want to do a music spotlight today after hearing a particular song
playing on the radio just the other day. It was a song that I had
heard time and time again, and one that I absolutely loved...but for
whatever reason, I could not figure out who sang it. At first I
thought that it was The Beatles during their “Let It Be” period,
but I couldn't quite make out any of the Beatles' singing voices, so
I suspected that I was incorrect.
And I
was...partly.
Sure,
John Lennon, Paul McCartney, and Ringo Starr had nothing to do with
the composition of this song. George Harrison on the other hand? He
produced the song...well, at least partially. See, he already had a
prior engagement to produce the Concert for Bangladesh, so Todd
Rundgren took over the unfinished product.
And
this was the end result.
ARTIST:
Badfinger
SONG:
Day After Day
ALBUM:
Straight Up
DATE
RELEASED: November 10, 1971
PEAK
POSITION ON THE BILLBOARD CHARTS:
#4
I'll
admit that this song always manages to make me smile. Granted, it's
a song about a lonely man longing to see his true love again...but
there's just a timeless quality about it that is sorely lacking in
today's pop music. I would much rather listen to Badfinger non-stop
than any Justin Bieber album. Of course, that's just my own personal
preference.
Now
here's the double edged sword. This Badfinger song was light,
fluffy, and serene...which contrasted with the ultimate fate of the
band. Truth of the matter is that the history of Badfinger is a tale
filled with betrayal, hardships, and in the case of a couple of
members, death at their own hands.
This
is the story of the rise...and fall of Badfinger.
When
the band first got together in 1961 in Swansea, Wales, they went
through several band names (including “The Wild Ones” and “The
Black Velvets” before settling on “The Iveys”. The group's
original members were Peter William Ham, Ronald Llewellyn Griffiths,
David Owen Jenkins, and Roy Anderson.
(Or,
as they liked to be called, “Ham”, “Griffiths”, “Dai”,
and...um...Roy.)
In
1965, the group added member Michael George Gibbins to the lineup,
and soon after began to perform as the opening acts for several up
and coming British groups which included “The Spencer Davis Group”,
“The Yardbirds”, “The Moody Blues”, and “The Who”!
The
group began touring around the London club circuits playing cover
versions of a variety of musical genres. Top 40, psychadelic pop,
R&B, Motown...nothing was off limits. I suppose that their
versatility as a band worked to their advantage, as several record
companies were interested in signing the band as a result. Ray
Davies of The Kinks even helped the band produce some demo tracks to
ship around to various record companies. Bill Collins signed on to
be the band's manager in 1966, and throughout 1967, the band would
perform occasional concerts. There was a minor shake-up in the
band's line-up when Jenkins was asked to leave the group, but the
split seemed amicable. Jenkins would be replaced by Thomas Evans Jr,
completing the group line-up.
And
then in 1968, the group received their big break, courtesy of
Beatles' roadie and assistant Mal Young. Bill Collins invited him as
well as Apple Records A&R rep Peter Asher to view one of their
concerts, and almost immediately after the show, Young persistently
asked all four members of the Beatles to listen to the band's demo
tapes. It took some time, but all four Beatles eventually heard the
demos and put their stamp of approval on signing the band.
The
band signed to Apple Records on July 23, 1968 – making them the
only non-Beatles act to be signed to the record label. But while
their first few releases (under the name of The Iveys) did quite well
in Japan and several European countries, the singles stalled in the
United States and did even worse in their native UK. This was a
common occurrence for the band, and soon the band began to get
frustrated with executives at Apple Records, who kept rejecting the
new songs that the band wrote. They gave interviews to the press
explaining their disappointment, which Paul McCartney happened to
read! But instead of getting angry about it, he offered the band a
song. The song was called “Come and Get It”, meant for the
soundtrack of “The Magic Christian”. The only stipulation was
that the band had to perform the song exactly as McCartney had
intended for it to be performed.
But
shortly after the band recorded that song, as well as a couple of
others, Griffiths would depart the band ten months after the birth of
his first child, and reportedly his departure caused tension within
the band as Griffiths later revealed in an interview that his
decision to leave the band to spend more time with his family was met
with hostility by Evans, who he claimed made Griffiths feel as if he
was no longer a member of the band.
With
the release of “Come and Get It”, there were two final changes.
The band changed its name to “Badfinger”, which stemmed from an
early working title (Bad-Finger Boogie) of the Beatles single “With
A Little Help From My Friends”. And with the departure of
Griffiths, the band hired Joseph Charles Molland to replace him.
Long
story short, “Come and Get It” was released in late 1969, and it
instantly reached #7 in the United States and #4 in the United
Kingdom, and the single sold one million copies. Over the next few
years, Badfinger would enjoy three more chart successes; “No Matter
What”, “Baby Blue”, and the song which you heard earlier in the
blog entry, “Day After Day”.
And
in the case of Ham and Evans, they were even awarded a prestigious
songwriting award in 1972 following the success of this song that
Harry Nilsson (and later Mariah Carey) had on the charts.
So,
how did the band unravel so quickly, with many of its members
suffering tragic fates?
Well,
many people have pointed the finger of blame at the gentleman up
above...one Stan Polley. In 1970, Polley – then a New York City
based businessman – signed Badfinger to a business management
contract. Each member of the band signed a contract which dictated
that all receipts of touring, recording, publishing, and songwriter
performance royalties that automatically went into holding companies
controlled by Polley himself.
I
know what you're thinking. Giving control of everything you earn to
one man and his business skills? Instant red flag. But the members
of Badfinger trusted him, as Badfinger wasn't the only musical act he
was dealing with at the time (Polley also managed Al Kooper of Blood,
Sweat & Tears, and Lou Christie).
By
1972, the band's opinion of Stan Polley began to change, and they
were getting somewhat suspicious of how he really was handling their
money that was earned from album and single sales and concert tours
(which given that the band's heyday was in 1972, should have amounted
to a small fortune). Badfinger was doing very well, but Apple
Records were sustaining hard times (brought upon by the fact that
their biggest moneymaker, The Beatles, had broken up two years
earlier), and Apple Records flat out told the band that when it came
to signing a new contract, they wouldn't be as generous as they would
be the first time around.
Nevertheless,
the band's final album with Apple Records, 1972's “Ass” (yes,
that was the name of the album) was released, despite the fact that
there were problems in the production of the album (original producer
Todd Rundgren quit the project after just one week due to a financial
dispute). Unfortunately, the album did not do as well on the charts
as their previous work.
Still,
according to Polley, that didn't matter. While Badfinger was putting
the finishing touches on their final album, Polley was working out a
contract with Warner Brothers Records, which wanted the band to
release a new album every six months over the next three years. Once
the band's commitment to Apple Records ended, Polley presented the
band with a new contract with Warner Brothers Records, detailing the
two-album a year condition. The band was however warned by then vice
president of Badfinger Enterprises Inc., (a company started by
Polley) not to sign the contract. But the contract seemed too good
to pass up. It was worth three million dollars, and the deal would
provide the band with twelve per cent of all retail sales in the
United States, and 8.5% of sales everywhere else in the world. In
addition, the band would be presented with an advance of $225,000 for
each album they delivered under the new contract. It was too
irresistible to pass up.
But,
like the iconic image of the jackass chasing after the dangling
carrot on the cover of their 1972 “Ass” album, this contract
would have the band chasing after a golden opportunity that never
presented itself.
After
touring the United States throughout late 1973 and early 1974,
Badfinger returned to the studios to record the album “Wish You
Were Here”, and it was released in October of 1974, which Rolling
Stone magazine gave glowing reviews. The album could very well have
been Badfinger's best effort yet.
But
then it all fell apart.
It
all began with tensions erupting within the band, as Molland's wife,
Kathie, was becoming increasingly frustrated with the politics within
the band, and her assertiveness rubbed Ham the wrong way. In fact,
Ham became so annoyed with Kathie Molland that he up and quit the
band during an executive meeting! He stayed away for three weeks
before being convinced by Warner Brothers to return to the band, as
they would have no further interest in promoting Badfinger without
him. Ham returned to the band three weeks after he quit, but Molland
himself would be out of the band by the end of the year.
But
if the tensions within the band weren't bad enough, the behind the
scenes action that went on between Polley and Warner Brothers
Records.
In
1973, Warner Brothers began to get suspicious of Stan Polley due to
the fact that Polley was not communicating with them at all in
regards to an escrow account of advance funds. As it was written in
the contract, Polley was to deposit a quarter of a million dollars
into a mutually accessible account for safekeeping, which Polley did.
But Polley neglected to let Warner Brothers know where the account
could be accessed. The company sent him letters asking him to
divulge the location of the account, but Polley refused to
acknowledge them.
This
was all done WITHOUT Badfinger's knowledge, by the way.
With
Molland's departure from the band in December 1974, Polley pressed
the band to give up touring the United States in support of the “Wish
You Were Here” album to record the band's follow-up album, “Head
First” at the Apple Recording Studios – while under contract with
Warner Brothers! But when the band recorded tracks for the album and
submitted them to Warner Brothers American offices, they were denied.
Their publishing arm had already filed a lawsuit against Polley and
Badfinger in the Los Angeles Superior Court in December 1974.
Polley's
plan was to submit the tapes in hopes that they would secure one
final cash advance before the litigation, but Warner Brothers refusal
to accept the tapes meant no cash bonus. On top of all that, the
lawsuit that was filed forced the record company to stop production
on the “Wish You Were Here” album after just seven weeks, which
ultimately became the final nail in Badfinger's coffin.
By
1975, times became tough for the band, as all of the income they were
receiving had suddenly stopped. Every band member left in Badfinger
was worried and panicked, but none more so than Peter Ham, who had
just bought a house and whose girlfriend was pregnant with their
child. Out of desperation, Ham tried contacting Polley on numerous
occasions, but he was unable to reach him. The band tried to go on
without Polley, but the search for new booking agents lead to dead
ends, based on the restrictive contract that Polley had the band
sign.
Seems
like they should have taken that man's advice in not signing the
contract.
It
all came to a tragic head on the morning of April 24, 1975. The
night before, Ham received a call from the United States, and in that
phone call, it was revealed that all of his savings were now gone.
He and Tom Evans met up at a pub later on where Ham reportedly
drowned his sorrows in whiskey.
Hours
later, Peter Ham hung himself in his studio garage. In his suicide
note, he openly blamed Stan Polley for pushing him into the suicide,
proclaiming that he would find a way to bring him down with him.
With
Ham's death, Badfinger had no choice but to go their separate ways.
Gibbins would join “The Flying Aces” while Evans and Bob Jackson
(who was hired with the band after Peter Ham temporarily left
Badfinger) joined “The Dodgers”.
The
band attempted a reunion of sorts in 1977 (which reunited Evans and
Molland after three years), and had a bit of a comeback with their
1979 album “Airwaves”. But tragedy would strike again in
November 1983 when following an argument with Molland over past
events, Evans would commit suicide in his own garden – using the
same method that Ham had used eight years earlier. It was widely
reported that Evans – who had seen Ham's dead body – never got
over his death, and that months before his death, Evans was heard to
make comments about wanting to be where Peter was.
It
was a very sad ending to a band who ended up becoming the innocent
victims of a lawsuit filed without their knowledge, as well as the
victims of a man whose poor choices lead to the band's ruination in
the mid-1970s.
So,
what has happened to the people since?
Tragically
we know the stories of Ham and Evans. May they both finally rest in
peace.
Since
the 1990s, Molland still tours under the Badfinger name. Come to
think of it, I think that he's supposed to be playing at a nearby
fair later this month. I did see an advertisement for it on
television recently. It is good to see that at least one of the
members is trying to keep the name alive.
Bob
Jackson also performs some Badfinger staples along with his band, The
Fortunes, which Jackson rejoined in 1995.
Sadly,
Gibbins would die in his sleep on October 4, 2005 at the age of 56
from a brain aneurysm.
As
for the man who caused the Badfinger bad blood? Well, Stan Polley
pleaded no contest in 1991 to charges of misappropriating funds and
money laundering in California. In an unrelated case to the
Badfinger story, aeronautics engineer Peter Brock accused Polley of
swindling him for a quarter of a million dollars after the two set up
a corporation to manufacture airplane engines. Polley's sentence for
that case was a five year probationary period, as well as being
ordered by the court to return all missing funds to Brock. But
according to Brock, he never did honour that restitution.
Stan
Polley passed away in July 2009 at the age of 87, never really paying
the price for everything that he did to the members of Badfinger.