A quick read
I don't get to do this very often anymore, but I cleared a book cover-to-cover in one sitting tonight. Yeah, there were some starts and stops, especially with a thrilling and more captivating that it should have MNF game (fantasy football-wise), but it was a quick read and I went through it.
Steve Martin's Born Standing Up
I discovered Steve Martin at the same time as I did Richard Pryor, Cheech & Chong and George Carlin. The records flowed with comedy, wit and intelligence. I even took one of his lesser catchphrases and used it to just throw myself off, especially during a particularly mind-numbing swim practice - "Grandpa bought a rubber..."
In a way, the book was a "hey, I was a comedian and I was fucking good, too" tome to probably more than his share of critics who believe he's been rather dry and mundane as an actor these days. Some of his work deserves the slings and arrows - "Pink Panther" to name one - but overall, The Jerk is a masterpiece that came from his stand-up workouts. For that movie alone, he should get a pass, I believe. I don't see him as a dramatic actor. I still see him as a stand-up comedian who is in movies.
Actually, I learned from the book that the fame and popularity he earned on the road helped him get into the door in Hollywood and off the road for good. Hey, good for him for that. He went out and did what he had to do to get there. Words all of us could use once in a while, especially myself.
Speaking of first-discovered comics, on Saturday, I'm going to see Cheech & Chong at the Paramount Theater in Seattle. In a way, it is a tip of the cap to my uncle Monty, who helped expose me to a lot of different views over the past decades. I got to see Cheech & Chong's Up In Smoke at my grandmother's house with my younger Uncle Tim through his help - he rented the movie.
Both Cheech & Chong have admitted that they're out to cash in on what is left of their popularity and the nostalgia the shows will bring. And they'll cash in - they've added shows at nearly every stop. There's two in Seattle, which I got in on for the first show at 7:30 p.m. But my curiocity in seeing the 10 p.m. show is killing me, however.
Odds & Ends: XM's Friction channel isn't that bad. It isn't fantastic, but it is in my rotation now.... America Left, which is powered by Air America, was left unchanged, which is good, but you can't hear a promo for the channel anymore. All you seem to get is the America Right channel, powered by FauxNews Radio, and their "liberals hate America" promos on every fucking channel that allows commercials. And I thought XM was the "conservative" side of the SatRadio war... How to lose a fantasy football matchup: Have your wide receiver, who single-handedly got you back into your matchup, throw an interception on a double-wide receiver pass when the game is already in hand. Thanks, New Orleans. ... Just in case you need to sit down and listen to a good lecture, one where you'll learn something at the end of it, check out TED. Sometimes it is tough to find a good one, especially one that really grabs your interest. But like a golden nugget in the waters of a Sierra Nevada creek, the search is half the fun.
Steve Martin's Born Standing Up
I discovered Steve Martin at the same time as I did Richard Pryor, Cheech & Chong and George Carlin. The records flowed with comedy, wit and intelligence. I even took one of his lesser catchphrases and used it to just throw myself off, especially during a particularly mind-numbing swim practice - "Grandpa bought a rubber..."
In a way, the book was a "hey, I was a comedian and I was fucking good, too" tome to probably more than his share of critics who believe he's been rather dry and mundane as an actor these days. Some of his work deserves the slings and arrows - "Pink Panther" to name one - but overall, The Jerk is a masterpiece that came from his stand-up workouts. For that movie alone, he should get a pass, I believe. I don't see him as a dramatic actor. I still see him as a stand-up comedian who is in movies.
Actually, I learned from the book that the fame and popularity he earned on the road helped him get into the door in Hollywood and off the road for good. Hey, good for him for that. He went out and did what he had to do to get there. Words all of us could use once in a while, especially myself.
Speaking of first-discovered comics, on Saturday, I'm going to see Cheech & Chong at the Paramount Theater in Seattle. In a way, it is a tip of the cap to my uncle Monty, who helped expose me to a lot of different views over the past decades. I got to see Cheech & Chong's Up In Smoke at my grandmother's house with my younger Uncle Tim through his help - he rented the movie.
Both Cheech & Chong have admitted that they're out to cash in on what is left of their popularity and the nostalgia the shows will bring. And they'll cash in - they've added shows at nearly every stop. There's two in Seattle, which I got in on for the first show at 7:30 p.m. But my curiocity in seeing the 10 p.m. show is killing me, however.
Odds & Ends: XM's Friction channel isn't that bad. It isn't fantastic, but it is in my rotation now.... America Left, which is powered by Air America, was left unchanged, which is good, but you can't hear a promo for the channel anymore. All you seem to get is the America Right channel, powered by FauxNews Radio, and their "liberals hate America" promos on every fucking channel that allows commercials. And I thought XM was the "conservative" side of the SatRadio war... How to lose a fantasy football matchup: Have your wide receiver, who single-handedly got you back into your matchup, throw an interception on a double-wide receiver pass when the game is already in hand. Thanks, New Orleans. ... Just in case you need to sit down and listen to a good lecture, one where you'll learn something at the end of it, check out TED. Sometimes it is tough to find a good one, especially one that really grabs your interest. But like a golden nugget in the waters of a Sierra Nevada creek, the search is half the fun.
posted by R. Burns at 11/24/2008 10:55:00 PM
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