Monday, August 31, 2009

not your typical embroidery...

    These napkins and handkerchiefs are from a set of embroidery by Kate O'Conner (discovered via dainty doll). She gets her inspiration from the most unlikely of places: Craigslist, "missing" posters, and just goofy things she's heard people say. I love how these look like scribbled notes too. So neat (and funny) to see such every day language and handwriting on such a traditionally prime and proper place, the frilly hankie.


    (see more of Kate O'Conner's work on her flickr page or her website: http://www.kateoconnor.ca/)Source URL: https://jimhensons.blogspot.com/2009/08/
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"I wouldn't give you two cents for all your fancy rules if, behind them, they didn't have a little bit of plain, ordinary, everyday kindness."

    A few selections from my collection of random thoughts...



    When presented the question of "Who is the most influential guitarist that emerged from the Sixties?” one may receive a plethora of answers. Jimi Hendrix being the most popular I'm sure, sometimes Eric Clapton, or Pete Townshend. Then, sometimes you may meet such a phenomenal person who says Jeffrey Arnold Beck. The biggest singles the Yardbirds ever released were the ones flooded with loud, rude, unknown guitar sounds crafted by none other than Jeff Beck. While this was the peak of Beck's mainstream success, it was only the beginning of his still-strong career, spanning numerous decades and countless genres. The name Jeff Beck may not be as recognizable as Hendrix or Clapton, but his exquisite workings of the guitar make him far superior to any of his contemporaries. Roger the Engineer (aka Over Under Sideways Down, aka Yardbirds), the first record that truly provided the rumblings of a future guitar legend, was released on July 5, 1966 in the UK. (August 8, 1966 in America.) Roger the Engineer is, to me, one of the most influential electric guitar records of not only the Sixties, but of all time. It was released nearly a full calendar year before Are You Experienced? and was, no doubt, an influence on the man now deemed the greatest guitarist of all time.





    Upon my first listening of Electric Warrior, I could hardly say it was a great record. Though, I could very well classify it as a good record. And yet, with every listen, it seems to sound more like a great record. Electric Warrior is what made T.Rex a glam rock staple, and Marc Bolan a reigning king of the genre. In fact, Electric Warrior was T.Rex's only hugely successful record, with the help of their massive hit "Bang a Gong (Get It On)"; the title varies depending on which side of the Atlantic you lay. While some songs are rather boring, "Girl" and "The Motivator" among them, Electric Warrior also includes quite a few remarkable pop songs. The album opens with "Mambo Sun", an incredibly catchy tune; one of my absolute favorites off the record. "Jeepster" is an obvious choice as one of the highlights of the record. A minor hit for T.Rex in late 1971, "Jeepster" is also a delightful showcase of Marc Bolan's interesting use of words. "You've got the universe reclining in your hair." At present, my favorite song is "Lean Woman Blues", a brilliant blend of T.Rex's trademark glam rock sound and standard bluesy goodness. "Planet Queen" is the last of the truly incredible songs on Electric Warrior, with its enticing chorus, backed magnificently by perfectly placed vocals. To have a truly divine record, every single song must be a thrill. While this may not be the case with Electric Warrior, it is a great record, and helped turn Marc Bolan into the majestic character he is remembered as today.





    In comparison to "Round and Round", every other song on Toys in the Attic is just kind of precious and "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" is simply laughable. "Round and Round" captures the perfect stony essence that you find all over Aerosmith's next record Rocks, their heaviest ever. During Aerosmith's reigning prime in the 70's, they were such a groove orientated band. They thrived on their perfect musical chemistry. Tom Hamilton and Joey Kramer, together, created that heavy, angsty feeling that is so essential to Aerosmith's early records. Joe Perry was without a doubt, a bonafide guitar god of the 70's (just listen to the way he ends Live! Bootleg with "Strangers in the Night"), but Brad Whitford's terribly large importance in the band is often forgotten. "Nobody's Fault", the coolest fucking song on Rocks, is pure Brad Whitford. Joe Perry himself said that one of the main reasons why he was interested in getting back with Aerosmith (besides being a broke loser, as they all were in the early 80's), was so that he could once again experience the sublime guitar kinship that worked so well with Brad Whitford. Then, of course, you have Steven Tyler. One of the most talented singers in all of rock n' roll, and the ultimate showman. Together, Aerosmith are one of the greatest bands in the land.




    Shockingly, not released until The Last Waltz 4-disc box set, "Don't Do It" is one of the highlights of the concert. Martin Scorsese used it as the opening number of film, even if it was truly the final song of the evening, and I think that was a fitting choice. (Though he chopped it down quite a bit.) The Band had tried for ages to get a usable take on this Marvin Gaye classic, but weren't pleased until releasing it on Rock of Ages. I personally don't think they ever did it as well as they did at The Last Waltz. "Don't Do It" was the last song ever performed by the original lineup of the Band in front of a live audience, and it shows. Levon Helm and Rick Danko never gave such powerful vocal performances. You can feel in their voices that they are giving it all they have, because they never may get to again. Each and every member of the Band is performing with that same fury, literally pounding away on their instruments. Around halfway through the number, Levon and Rick sing "My biggest mistake was loving you too much...” with such intensity; my favorite part of the entire song. It is astonishing to believe that they all stood up there giving such a vigorous performance, after being on stage for hours on end. If there was ever proof that some members of the Band were unhappy with dispersing, it wasn't what they've said in interviews or wrote in books, it was simply the way they performed that Thanksgiving night, and with this song in particular.


    Source URL: https://jimhensons.blogspot.com/2009/08/
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Sunday, August 30, 2009

“When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.” - Karen, age 7

    photograph by ChelseaVictoria

    I'm sure this has already made the internet rounds ten times over, but I really like this list of children's answers to the question, "What is love?". Children can often say such true, poetic, and funny things. I want to ask some of my favorite little ones this question - I know I'm bound to get some great responses.


    “When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.” - Billy, age 4

    “Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.” - Karl, age 5

    “Love is what makes you smile when you’re tired.” - Terri, age 4

    “Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.” - Danny, age 7

    “Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss.” - Emily, age 8

    “Love is what’s in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.” - Bobby, age 7

    “Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.” - Chrissy, age 6

    “If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,” - Nikka, age 6

    “Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.” - Noelle, age 7

    “Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.” - Tommy, age 6

    “During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling. He was the only one doing that. I wasn’t scared anymore.” - Cindy, age 8

    “My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don’t see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.” - Clare, age 6

    “Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.” - Elaine, age 5

    “Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.” - Mary Ann, age 4

    “I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.” - Lauren, age 4

    “When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn’t bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That’s love.” - Rebecca, age 8

    “When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.” - Karen, age 7

    “Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Brad Pitt.” - Chris, age 7

    “You really shouldn’t say ‘I love you’ unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.” - Jessica, age 8


    discovered via wonderfuldreams

    P.S. I'm fully aware that some, if not all, of these answers may be fake, but I'm a sucker for them all the same...
    Source URL: https://jimhensons.blogspot.com/2009/08/
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Friday, August 28, 2009

Kennedys in summer

    Mark Shaw photo via svenskamobler.com

    Having lived in Massachusetts for a large part of my life, I know how much the Kennedys mean to so many (New England is as obsessed with them as it is with Whitey Bulger and stories of the Irish Mob in Boston). And, with the death of Ted Kennedy, the history of this family is again being passionately discussed (I saw a great documentary about them the other night on PBS).

    They were a beautiful and engaging family. And, as the reaction to Ted Kennedy's death exemplifies, their political and altruistic interests greatly shaped modern American life (I liked this brief article on Slate.com about the littlest brother's political legacy). They were, however, also a very troubled family that used their influence and power to win elections and cover-up scandals (see, now, the dark side of Ted Kennedy's legacy).

    The Kennedys seemed (and continue to seem) to exist on extreme sides of a spectrum. There is the beautiful myth captured in these photographs of a young family glowing with the haze and light of summer. There are the hard facts of profound and important political, social, and cultural accomplishments. And then there is the dark underbelly revealed in newspaper pictures of a car being dragged out of water and in stories of unfaithful husbands. The Kennedy family has such a contradictory and rich legacy, and we have such a complicated love for them.

    (Most, if not all, of these pictures (I can't id the last one) of this young Kennedy family were taken by Mark Shaw in the late 1950s, early 60s.)

    photograph via markshawphoto.com

    photograph via markshawphoto.com

    Mark Shaw photo via ultraswank.net

    photograph via markshawphoto.com

    photograph via markshawphoto.com

    image via ffffound.com
    Source URL: https://jimhensons.blogspot.com/2009/08/
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Thursday, August 27, 2009

Shambhala and JOTS Tour Pics

    We've played a bunch of great shows this summer, and usually I will take some pics so I can remember who I was hanging out with. (And sometimes try to forget.) Anyways - here are some pics from the last couple weeks - from Shambhala and on the road with JOTS.

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    DAWGS!

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    Lost: 1 mind, large in size but with limited capacity.

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    PLUR!

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    Brothers and friends

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    Neighbour killing the main stage

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    FK5 on the main stage

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    CHEWY

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    Vinyl Ritchie and Foxy Moron

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    Fractal Funk Jam

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    CHOON

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    With JOTS in Kelowna

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    Kelowna Party PeopleSource URL: https://jimhensons.blogspot.com/2009/08/
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Thursday, a boudoir, and Etsy

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