Large Marge Isn't Dead!

It seems that "Large Marge," from the classic Pee-Wee's Big Adventure, isn't deceased after all. IMDB claims that Alice Nunn, the obscure actress who portrayed one of the most famous bit characters in movie history, died in 1988.

Based on a post in The Smoking Gun, I now question that fact.

Large Marge was a truck driver. Donna Greenwell is a truck driver. Both inspire sheer terror, and the physical similarities are striking.

Donna Greenwell:


Large Marge:

Amusing Little Time Waster

Nope, this has got nothing at all to do with the pursuit of knowledge, literature, art, nor music. It's about the guilty pleasure of relishing the stupidity of others. I clicked on a banner advertisement (I think it was my first ever click-through ... seriously) after checking out The Smoking Gun's mug shots of the week.

Read Dumb as a Blog in moderation. It'll rot your brain, but you might get a chuckle or two in the process.

Music Night

Well, I've been listening to music tonight. As is always best, I had no intention to do so ... it just happens sometimes. If you've ever read this blog, you know I am a big fan of volume while listening to music. If you listen at "normal" levels, you miss so much! About an hour ago I put on the big DJ-quality earphones so as to not disturb the house nor the neighbors.

Here are a few things I observed and wish to share with you.

First, music is wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. I love listening to it, reading about it, playing it, sharing it, talking about it, and once in a blue moon even having the opportunity to do all of the aforementioned on the radio. Tangentially, Schtüm is currently pouring Skydiver blissfully and painfully loudly into my ears. It is wonderful. I wish it could be louder.

Secondly, I had forgotten about how frickin' much I love Van Diemen's Land by U2. Screw Bono. The Edge lays down a powerful, soulful vocal performance.

Thirdly (and I feel like I'm making a business presentation here because of the numerical count), I've got a new favorite song in Clapton's cover of Billy Myles' classic Have You Ever Loved A Woman? Yeah yeah yeah, I know you're sick and tired of me talking about how much I love One More Car One More Rider. But seriously ... really ... ain't it awesome? Nathan East playing sweet bass behind David Sancious' blistering piano solo. Wow. Wow. Wow. Yeah, and if you've read this blog before today you already know that I consider Steve Gadd and Billy Preston as gods.

Lastly, a Boston legend The Fools are awesome. Remember She Makes Me Feel Big? It's hard to find, but worth the effort.

I'm going to bed. As soon as Schtüm finishes telling me about jumping off the face of it. Jumping right off the face of it. Like a skydiver.

Sony Releases New Stupid Piece of Sh*t that Doesn't F*cking Work

The Onion has once again generated a piece of comedic hilarity. In case the title didn't already make you aware, this video uses language which should not be heard by wee ones.

Thanks to Tippy for the, um, tip!

A-Rod, A-Knob, A-Fraud, A-Cheat

Today I'm sad about the state of my beloved sport of baseball. Sure, I'm a die hard Red Sox fan. I watch 140+ games each year, I've got the license plates, and as anybody that knows me can attest I wear my grungy Sox hat every day.

Being a Red Sox fan you might think that I hate the Yankees with every ounce of my being. This may come as a shock, but indeed I do not. As I've stated publicly and privately, the Yankees are a big part of what makes being a Red Sox fan so captivating. They are the Ying to our Yang. They are the Goliath to our David. They are our [redacted to keep politics out of a discussion about sports.]

Today it was reported through various media outlets that Alex Rodriguez tested positive for anabolic steroids in 2003.

For those readers who may not be familiar with baseball nor the rivalry between the Red Sox and Yankees, buckle down the media hatches. There will be much vitriol spewed nationally, but especially in Boston over the next few days. Rodriguez (most commonly called "A-Rod") is an unquestionably talented baseball player. The Red Sox tried to have him play for us. The Yankees ended up landing him at a contract approaching the dollars in the recent Congressional stimulus package.

As a Sox fan, I have to hate the man. Even bigger than my love of the Red Sox is a love for the game of baseball. This is precisely why it pains me to hear that one of my team's arch enemies has been shown to be a cheater. I hated him because he was really really really goddamn good. I would prefer that he had not cheated, and just been a pain in our ass fair and square.

ESPN's Buster Olney makes an excellent point about the overall implications for the purity of a sport when he said

.... remember, in the summer of 2007 as Barry Bonds was chasing down Hank Aaron's record there were a number of columns written that [said] 'boy won't it be great when Alex Rodriguez eventually breaks Barry Bonds' record because then that record will be pristine again. That legacy is certainly changed forever.'

Resisting the Urge

I've had a really shitty day. Week. Tonight I particularly felt like listening to my old friend, the blues. However, iTunes changed my evening. I clicked "shuffle" (weighted to favor the songs ranked highest), and lo and behold 'round came Walk on Down by Aerosmith. Not only is Aerosmith one of my favorite bands of all time, but this song spoke to me tonight. After all, isn't that the purpose of good music?

You wonder why you got holes in your shoes
You wonder why they got more money than you
You wonder why you got nothin' to lose
It makes no sense, don't try to figure it out
You gotta . . .
Walk on down
Walk on down
Walk on down
When you're shit outta luck
There's just one thing to do and that's ...

Yep. When you're shit outta luck there's just one thing to do, and that's walk on down. To me that means keep on keepin' on. Thanks Joe and Steve. Wise advice indeed.