Loudon Wainwright III...there, I spelled it right....whew!.

Loudon Wainwright III was born this day in 1946, he turns 63 today.

Loudon began singing and playing guitar and writing songs in the late 1960's. With his first album released in 1970, he was heralded (yolked) as one of the many "New Dylans" of the day (Among which have been Bruce Springsteen, John Prine, Kris Kristofferson and on and on) such is the unimaginative, non-creativity of journalists and also reflects on the minds of the general public which feel a need for categorizing everything they digest.

Before I go on, here's my take on an early Loudon song.



Over the course of the last 39 years he has released 24 albums on 11 different labels.

Here's just a few of the great songs he's written and sings...enjoy...I hope you find a new favorite.

"He Said, She Said" about sexual incompatibility.

"Ukulele" cheering himself up

"OGM (Out Going Message)" Those tell-tale signs of an ended relationship.

"Rufus is a Tit Man" about his son and breast-feeding jealousy. No real video, but too good to ignore.

Loudon also takes a hand at acting on occasion.

Back in the early seasons of "M*A*S*H" he played the "Singing Surgeon" Captain Spalding for 3 episodes.

He appeared in "Big Fish" and "The Aviator" in recent years, and more steadily he has a bond with Judd Apatow who first saw Loudon on Saturday Night Live back in 1975 and when he grew up and became a big director/screen-writer, asked his hero to be in some of his projects. Loudon plays the priest at the end of "40 Year Old Virgin" and as the OB/GYN is "Knocked Up". He also composed and performs the soundtrack of the latter.

Happy Birthday Loudon!

And thanks for the songs.

Navigating the Time Stream-3 of 3: "Heaven" awaits.

As I look ahead at what's coming down the pike, the future is too unknown to really make a statement about. I had 3 or 4 "up and at 'em" "do the right thing" inspirational songs I was picking and choosing from for the closer to this trilogy, and they all felt a little false to me.

We all want to stay optimistic about what lay in store for us, but any song I had picked was too pointed...and what the hell do I know anyhow?

I don't think you can lay down a really specific path or plan for yourself...the world changes too fast now to plan that far ahead. I think all we can do is to always do what we think is right as we move on, hone our abilities so we're prepared to use them and watch for those opportunities when they arise.

The ultimate future? Well, whether you're one of the billions of superstitious natives on this planet hoping to be rewarded in an afterlife of harps and wings and fluffy clouds, or an evangelical agnostic like myself who believes this ain't no dress rehearsal and we should strive for our own paradise on Earth...there is "Heaven". Here's me doing a Loudon Wainwright III song of the same name.



Be careful out there. Have fun. Take it easy...but take it.

Navigating the Time Stream-2 of 3: "Living in the Future", present tense

Now that we've bitter-sweetly examined the past, to straighten out the time stream of our lives, we gotta examine our present.

This is a John Prine song which he wrote about the future...or at least that's what it started off to be...but it took him 7 years to get around to finishing it, so at best it's about the present. :) And that was 30 years ago, in the fading past.



Which just goes to show how closely linked all time and our journey through it is.



P.S. Excuse the disarray behind me in the video...we're still moving my prodigal roommate in, and my library hasn't found a home yet beyond spread through my kitchen.

P.P.S. Excuse the disarray behind me in my past as well...the future looks to be as interestingly detailed and disorganized. Ain't it great?!

Navigating the Time Stream-1 of 3: "A Piece" of the Past.

My old friend, T.C. Tahoe posted a request for an old original song of mine a couple of days ago in the comments section.

A friend from the past requesting a song from the past that's about the past. I couldn't pass it up.

You may have guessed from the subject of a lot of my posts, that I am a nostalgic person. Not the kind of nostalgic person who misses "80's hair bands" or disco or stone-washed jeans, though. Most people out there get nostalgic for things from their past, just because they can remember them, irregardless of whether they were good or not. I thought hair bands, disco and stone-washed jeans sucked back when they were new...why would I miss them now?

I get nostalgic for things from the past that I think were worthwhile (see the blogs subtitle) whether they happened during my lifetime or happened before I was born...I miss them.

Enough prattle, here's the song.



I love progress though. I love when things improve for the better. I just wish we could keep the good things from the past while we add the comfort and convenience of our advancements.

My MP3 player is chock full of music from the 1920's-2000's. My DVD/Blue-Ray collection has as many Marx Brothers and Busby Berkeley films of the 30's as it has THX enhanced/special effects/CGI features from the 1990's and 2000's as it has silent films of the 1910's and 1920's.

We don't have to give up the good things of the past as we move forward. We can pick and choose and leave behind the waste and keep what's worth keeping as we add new stuff to it.

"Pick It and Pack It" and have new good stuff. It's out there too.

Georges Melies: The First Man on the Moon!

Today in 1902...107 years ago, Georges Melies released "A Trip to the Moon". Written and directed by Melies, it is considered the very first science fiction film.


It is loosely (I repeat loosely...film narrative was still very much in it's infancy) based on both Jules Verne's "From the Earth to the Moon" and H.G. Wells' "First Men in the Moon"...and it's pretty cool!

George Melies is considered, not just the first science fiction film director, but also the grandfather of special effects.

Do yourself a favor and check it out.



I'm not one of those retards that thinks the 1969 moon landing was a hoax...but I do think that maybe Neil and Buzz did some concealing...I think that THIS is what it's really like!

Now THAT would be BITCHIN'!