Van Morrison's F*You Album

After listening to Greg Hill on 107.3 WAAF in the mornings (thanks to Pete for turning me onto the show during the David Lee Roth train wreck), I usually flip over to WBCN 'round about noon. I like listening to Mike Hsu too, but Adam's da man.

What the hell was the point of this post? Oh, yeah! WAAF used a little snippet from an obscure Van Morrison tune as bumper, something inserted between commercials to keep listeners' attention, in which he asks somebody in the studio if they'd like to have lunch. I laughed outloud and clapped because I knew precisely from what song it was taken.

Long ago I downloaded all 31 tracks from Van Morrison's "f*you" recording session while under contract with Bang Records in 1967.

Rather than trying to explain it all over again, here's the copied-and-pasted explanation (with gentle editing for length) behind the bizarre and hilarious tracks. They're a bit difficult to find nowadays, but this site has a couple of samples.

In order to fulfill his obligation to his early solo label Bang Records,Van Morrison sat down in 1967 and cranked out 31 songs on the spot, on topics ranging from ringworm to wanting a danish, to hating his record label and a guy named George.

None of this stuff was ever issued in the '60's. I guess there's irony in the fact that Morrison recorded these tunes as a big f*you to his label - before he signed to Warner and recorded Astral Weeks - yet ultimately the joke's on him, now that they're being packaged as legitimate tracks (on "best-of" collections, no less).

Get Your Halloween Geek On

Are you curious about how much candy it takes to fill up a pillowcase? Take a guess by either weight or number of pieces, then read all about it.

Project Implicit

I found the concept and research methodology behind Project Implicit to be extremely interesting. Perhaps you will too.

Project Implicit blends basic research and educational outreach in a virtual laboratory at which visitors can examine their own hidden biases. Project Implicit is the product of research by three scientists whose work produced a new approach to understanding of attitudes, biases, and stereotypes.

The Project Implicit site (implicit.harvard.edu) has been functioning as a hands-on science museum exhibit, allowing web visitors to experience the manner in which human minds display the effects of stereotypic and prejudicial associations acquired from their socio-cultural environment.

Sometimes SPAM Is Awesome

I hate SPAM as much as everybody else, but I have a guilty confession. Sometimes the subject line cracks me up. Thereby, I enjoy scanning through the hundreds upon hundreds of messages automatically sent to purgatory.

Today I saw one which was a real gem. I always have the same thought ... "who the hell responds to this?"

Suffice it to say that the best SPAM message I've received in a long time was entitled "our love meetings." Did I miss something? Did I participate in multiple "love meetings" and have somehow forgotten about them? And why would I respond if the aforementioned love meetings were so forgettable? Wow.

Poking Fun at Palin

Regardless of your political opinion, there's no arguing the fact that clicking on various objects in the Oval Office with Sarah Palin behind the desk is amusing.

Make It Stop ... My Face Hurts from Laughing

** WARNING -- The following video is definitely not safe for work, and please do not play it if there are children in the vicinity. It's simply not appropriate for them, and it includes a couple of f-bombs and s-grenades. **

I laughed so hard at "sexy 1900's steel conglomerate tycoon .... sexy sexy ... and frog" that my face and stomach actually hurt. I'm still involuntarily breaking out into chuckling like a lunatic.

Not So Sweet

Perhaps it's because last night my beloved Red Sox lost their bid to play in the World Series, but I'm annoyed enough by an item in this morning's news that I'm going to talk a bit about politics on my blog.

School administrators in Newburyport Massachusetts have banned all sweets. No more happy children sharing cupcakes with their classmates on their birthday, no Twinkies in their lunch boxes, and no Halloween candy.

I could almost understand it if the school chose not to sell these items in the cafeteria, but who gives them the right to tell parents what they can or cannot include in their own children's lunches?

Sadly, Newburyport has joined a number of Orwellian towns in Massachusetts such as the People's Republic of Brookline that tells us we need to be protected from trans fats.

If my kids attended school in Newburyport, their lunches today would have been nothing else than Oreos, Starburst, Chips Ahoy, M&Ms, Ring Dings, and two cans of soda. Preferably something so obscenely sugary like Tahitian Treat or grape soda. I'd include a letter for presentation to whatever draconian administrator tried to confiscate their lunch. In that letter I'd declare that I and my children have a powerful belief in the holiness of sweet snacks. It's no more or less ridiculous than any other "religion" on the planet.

Val's New Flag

I've never claimed to be the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree. Proof of my dim-witted mind is evidenced by the fact that when I purchased a flag to replace the thin and slightly tattered nylon one which used to fly behind Val on Patriot Guard Rider missions, I didn't check the specifications carefully. Val now flies a cotton flag.

Without going into great details, I was forced to subject the aircraft aluminum mast to a trial by fire yesterday. When the hundreds upon of hundred bikes rolled through the streets of Rocky Hill Connecticut, I had one of those "oh no ... this can't be happening" moments of panic. The pack turned off the side roads and headed out onto the highway for the ride to East Hartford.

I'm shocked happy to report that Val's mast can survive holding aloft the heavy 4 x 6 flag while traveling at 60+ miles per hour. For the record, it is both extremely difficult and unsafe to ride a motorcycle in formation and at that speed while continually looking behind you at the flag on your bike. Not for the faint of heart.

If you're in the New England region, I highly recommend that you visit the traveling Vietnam Memorial Wall. It'll be on display until October 19th. For more information, go here. For a short video about the ride in which I participated yesterday, click here.