Ghost chips

It seems like everyone has been talking about ghost chips lately. To be honest, I haven't had a clue what they were all talking about. It turns out that's what happens when you don't watch ads on tv, or watch them with the sound turned off.

This morning, I saw someone blog about ghost chips, had a few minutes spare and thought I'd watch the video. Yeah, it's kind of funny, but not really what I expected.

Turns out I was watching the wrong video - this version is a send up of what is on tv and makes more sense if you've seen the original ad, which is actually a clever way of addressing drink driving. Also, anyone outside of New Zealand will probably be completely dumbfounded by the kiwi style of humour, but believe me, this is funny for us.

Musical flash mobs

I love the delight that a highly orchestrated music or dance flash mob imposes upon an unsuspecting audience. Flash mobs are all the rage at the moment. This clip of Do Re Mi from The Sound of Music at Antwerp Station in Belgium looks likes so much fun. I'd have been right in the middle of it, that's for sure! Watch it on full screen for best results.


I’d love to try organising something similar to this ukulele flash mob and I hear there are plans for a dance flash mob in Wellington sometime in October (although you didn’t hear it from me). I also recall hearing about a Christmas carol flash mob at a mall in Christchurch last year but haven't yet managed to confirm whether it actually happened or was simply a figment of my overactive musical imagination.

Flash mobs aside, there is something about music and dance that has the power to touch everyone in a crowd, friends and strangers, even for just a brief moment in time. I was reminded of this on my ski trip this week. At the end of a tiring day on the slopes, there were probably 50 or so people returning ski gear they had hired. Boots were being unlatched, skis stacked and aching feet and legs being relieved of their loads. The radio was playing and suddenly a few dozen people join in with the chorus to Daniel Boone’s Beautiful Sunday. I looked up; the staff were also singing along with everyone around me. The grins on people’s faces was magic and I had that song in my head all the way back home.


Years ago, after a Christmas gig at a flash hotel in town, my band packed up the last of our gear and headed to a less than classy joint for a 3 am snack: McDonald’s in Manners Mall. I realised that now it was after midnight, it was our bass player, Aaron’s, birthday. Aaron’s a quiet, shy guy. Tim, our singer, was the opposite. “Oh, it’s your birthday!” Tim announced and started singing the first line of 16 Candles by The Crests. We’d created a birthday flash mob at McDonald's at 3 am! Here’s how it went:

Tim [singing]: Happy birthday …
A rather large woman with a falsetto voice à la operatic style [singing]: Happy birthday baby, oh …
Some random guy from over the window [singing]: I love you so
And then, the clincher … a guy with a deep voice [crooning]: Ooh …

It was AMAZING! Aaron turned the deepest shade of red I’d ever seen on a human being, Tim was in his element, and the rest of McDonald’s looked around in a drunken, confused delight.

Priceless.



Have you ever come across musical moments like these, or been lucky enough to experience an actual flash mobs in the flesh?

Musical sacrilege

Being female and of a certain generation, there are a few musical movies that, as soon as their titles are mentioned, will garner a uniform reaction from my peers. (Females, that is; the guys just roll their eyes.) I wouldn’t go as far as saying they form the soundtrack to my childhood, but they were significant at the time and therefore eternally timeless.

Footloose (1984) was incredibly memorable for me, but not because it was a particularly great movie (it wasn't) nor because it spawned a few pop hits that you’ll hear on high rotate at certain Courtenay Place establishments on a Saturday night. Footloose was the first movie I was allowed to see at the cinema without parental supervision. A friend and I went with her elder sister and her friend; this was pretty radical back in those days. I remembered very little about the movie itself except for one girl trying to get out of one car window (while it was still moving) and into another moving car. Racy!

Then there was Grease (1977). This is my ultimate favourite movie and one of just four I own on DVD. There’s nothing that this movie doesn’t have: sassy characters, great music, fast cars, and fabulous 50s style cool. I know every line and lyric by heart but didn’t particular enjoy the stage show. I shudder at the thought of this movie ever being remade; Grease 2 (1982) was bad enough. Here's the cool opening theme:


I grew up watching the TV series Fame on Saturday afternoons. Admittedly, there wasn’t much on TV back in those days, but Leroy and the gang with their leotards and legwarmers were the ultimate in cool. I still get a bit choky when I hear Starmaker by Kids from Fame. Go on - indulge yourself:


However, while nostalgia is a fine thing, tampering with something that should have simply been left alone is disastrous. Even the trailer for the 'new' Fame (2009) movie leaves me cold. What do you think?

And then I read yesterday that Dirty Dancing (1987) is to be remade. I am outraged! Doesn’t anyone remember Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights (2004)? No, of course they don’t, and those that do simply grimace at the memory. Poor Patrick Swayze will be turning in his grave; no other actor could say, "nobody puts Baby in a corner" as cheesily as he did. Sure, they might cast a female lead who can actually act (or dance) this time, but it won't be the same. Here's the original trailer. Just hearing the soundtrack brings it all back.


Personally, I blame the truly puzzlesome Glee phenomenon for all this. So what do you think about remaking classic movies – special or sacrilege?

Priceless

Just like the Mastercard ads say, there are some things that money can't buy; they are priceless. I've seen first hand the joy that a young child can get from playing with a cardboard box or wrapping paper in preference to the expensive gift contained inside. In the midst of a crappy day yesterday, a one-minute phone call from a gorgeous 3-year-old instantly made everything feel better. Yes, totally priceless.

Not for our princess

Our kitten seems to be from the same school of thought. We bought her a scratching post - not one of those big elaborate ones with several platforms for climbing up and into to, but a simple post that we had hoped would entice her away from scratching our furniture (or carpet). She is terrified of it. It seems to be the fuzzy carpet-type base that she's afraid of most; she'll do anything to avoid touching it but can sometimes be convinced to play with the post part if we lay it on its side and show her what to do. She has gone through stages playing with squishy rugby balls, ping pong balls and a laser pointer, but her preferred recreation materials are those we haven't paid for - and I'm all good with that. Currently, her favourite 'toys' are screwed up pieces of paper or envelopes, various leaves she has brought inside and a boot lace tied to a stick. Endless fun!

The pet shop gave us a cat tunnel when we stocked up on kitten pellets this weekend. We thought we'd give it a go but, given her previous track record with purchased cat toys, weren't sure how she'd react. Turns out she loves it and immediately started running through the tunnel and rolling around inside it. She must have known it was free; if we had bought her something similar, she'd probably turn up her pretty little nose and walk away.

I love this Mastercard ad. Money bought the essentials, but the resulting feelgood factor was truly priceless.



What is priceless for you?

Ukulele flash mob

How's this for something cool?

A colleague sent me a link this morning to an article in the Manawatu Standard about a ukulele flash mob that appeared at a shopping mall food court in Palmerston North on Saturday. Starting off with a single ukulele player strumming and singing The Beatles' classic song "Let It Be", 25 ukuleles (smuggled inside shopping bags), 50 singers and various members of the public progressively joined in, much to the surprise and delight of the crowd. Wow!

You know what I'm thinking, right? Yes, I know it's already been done elsewhere so the idea wouldn't be entirely original, but surely somebody would be brave enough to join me in a local ukulele flash mob?

Bei Mir Vist Du Schon

Every now and then, the musician in me falls in love with a particular song or artist. I’m enjoying rediscovering Stray Cats at the moment. Adele has caught my interest. But I had my iPod on shuffle this morning and it threw up a couple of gems I hadn’t listened to in a while. The first was Song For Guy, a song I need to be absolutely in the mood for as it has the ability to instantly transport me back to a funeral from many years ago that I really don’t wish to relive.

And then I was rewarded for my efforts with The Andrews Sisters’ Bei Mir Vist Du Schon. Wow – talk about a beautiful blast from the past. I first heard a version of the song at a dance class a few years ago and was fascinated by the sound, the instrumentation and the changes in tempo. Asking around, I learned it was by Janis Siegel and came from the Swing Kids (1993) soundtrack. I had to have it. I searched for other versions and listened over and over, analysing every detail – pure bliss for a musician. I’m not too fussed about The Puppini Sisters’ version but can appreciate their arrangement of the song nevertheless.

Here is a musical interlude for you to enjoy on your Friday.

Fascinating Aida

A colleague emailed a link around our team earlier this week; you know how it goes. I saw that it was a video and left it for later when I had more time. Within a minute or so, fits of laughter erupted from several desks - obviously others had decided to view it straight away. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em!

Fascinating Aida is a British satirical comedy singing group that has been around since 1983 and their work speaks (or sings) for itself. For anyone who has ever been lured by the temptation of cheap flights, the ladies have got some words of warning. I especially love the verse that begins at 2:30 - so very appropriate on St Paddy's Day.



If you're hooked (I was!), firmly plug in your headphones and listen to this one:


Enjoy!

Musical quiz

This morning on the Blog on the Tracks blog, Simon Sweetman posted a Welcome to 2011 reader questionnaire. I started drafting some responses then came back to it later at several stages through the day. This is my last piece of 'work' for the day before going away for the weekend. Here goes!

1. What do you consider to be the greatest record released in your lifetime?
Probably Thriller by Michael Jackson.

2. Name one band you were sure you'd always hate but as time has gone on has got better and better - become one of your favourites.
Well, if Simon is allowed to say The Carpenters (good choice - but not entirely perfect), then I'd add KC and the Sunshine Band. So cheesy, so cliched, so disco, sooooooo good.



3. Are you or were you ever a Chris Isaak fan?
Not even remotely. He is the Coldplay of the 90s. *shudder*

4. What was the first international live act you saw?
The Jeff Healey Band, 1991, St James Theatre in Wellington. Blew. Me Away. I was instantly hooked on the live concert experience.

5. If you could own one rare gem of a song on an original 45, what would it be?
In the Ghetto by Elvis Presley. Pure magic in the most haunting kind of way.



6. Do you have any signed memorabilia that you are particularly proud of? (Maybe you're proud of the story behind it or just because of what it is that you have signed.)
None, except maybe an ancient poster of Al Pitrelli signed at a guitar clinic he held at the James Cabaret circa 1992. Memorabilia like this just doesn't float my boat.

7. Who is your favourite guitarist who never seems to make it on to Best Guitarists lists?
This really got me thinking. I'll freely admit I'm stumped - when I think of 'best guitarists', everyone who comes to mind would easily make it onto The List. I might come back to this one.

8. If you had to name one song - possibly even of guilty-pleasure status - that you think is a masterpiece and others need to hear, what would you pick?
Sooooo many to choose from. A quick skim through my iPod and my pick (for today) is Eleanor Rigby by The Beatles.



9. Who do you think is New Zealand music's greatest songwriter?
Probably Dave Dobbyn a la DD Smash era. I trawled YouTube but couldn't find a link to my favourite song of his, Magic (What She Do) from back in 1985.

10. What is your favourite TV theme music? And what is your favourite movie theme?
Undoubtedly, The Muppet Show followed by Hill Street Blues for TV.



I don't know if I have a particular favourite movie theme but I'm a fan of John Williams' scores. Perhaps it's because I'm a child of the 80s but I have a soft spot for the flying theme from E.T. (1982).



Your turn?

Song list

I was listening to my iPod on shuffle today and randomly came across a song from my previous band's song list. It's been a few years since that band ended and I've only just started relistening to some of the songs we played during our seven years together.

As I explained in this post a few years ago, good covers bands don't play the songs they like; they play the songs you like. This often includes songs they hate. Here's a good example. Here's another. Sometimes they play songs they start out liking but quickly get thrashed to a musical death after playing them repeatedly night after night for several years in a row. Sometimes you get to enjoy them again a few years after you finish playing them, and luckily that happened with this song and this beautiful number, but it's not always guaranteed.

There are a handful of songs I've played over the years that survived this grueling process of musical destruction. They were songs I liked before we learned them, while we were playing them, and still love listening to now. I'd like to say there are more, but I was struggling to come up with five. It turns out I eventually found six - yay! Here are my picks:

Friday funnies

Here are some random funnies for Friday.

I've been desperate to include this image in a presentation or workshop recently. I haven't yet found the perfect vehicle for it but, when I do, I'm sure I won't be the only one laughing.

You can't keep a prolific blogger down ...

Ever come out of a meeting feeling like this?


An oldie but a goodie. I'm sure that everyone who has ever worked in the areas of IT, professional learning or corporate training can relate to this.


I'd love to do something like this! The film quality is dreadful but the final effect is awesome.

Happy Friday, folks!

The people in your neighbourhood

Who are the people in your neighbourhood?



We have a new neighbour. He started dropping by shortly after he moved in, but we don't actually know his name. We've deduced that he lives next door. We don't particularly like the look of him. We also have a name and a song for him. But, unlike the song from Sesame Street, neither are very complimentary.

When we first caught a glimpse of our new neighbour skulking around in our backyard, we, naturally, chased him away and thought it would be the last we saw of him. He returned. Repeatedly. We wondered whether we needed to call an aid agency, as he seemed to have nowhere to go and is incredibly skinny and unhealthy-looking. We came to realise that he probably lives right next door, and this is how he is supposed to look! And so the name Mangy Cat came about, and a version of this song from Friends, sung by Phoebe Buffay, has become his theme song. Mangy Cat, Mangy Cat ...

However, Zed is quite taken with our new neighbour. He's usually quite a good guard cat, determinedly chasing away others as fast as his 11-year-old legs can carry him, yet he will happily let Mangy Cat come inside and eat his own (expensive) food, barely raising a paw! Mangy Cat knows he's not supposed to be in the backyard and tries to hide under bushes where he thinks we can't see him, but comes back, defiantly, within minutes. Squirting him with water doesn't do much; he just stares straight back at you with contempt. Zed also had fleas recently; I'm pretty sure I know where they've come from.

We've tried to sit down with Zed and talk to him about making suitable friend choices. We've offered him a range of alternative, yet more suitable, cat friends in the area, like the beautiful white one he seems insistent on chasing away, or the fluffy grey one who wanders past occasionally, but with no success. Mangy Cat seems to be a fixture in the neighbourhood for the time being.

There's obviously no accounting for taste.

The Last Lecture

I first came across The Last Lecture some time ago. It was given by Randy Pausch (1960-2008), a former professor of computer science at Carnegie Mellon University, and became a YouTube hit with more than 11 million views. In it, Pausch, who knew he had terminal pancreatic cancer, talked about achieving your childhood dreams. This positive, upbeat lecture was his swansong at Carnegie Mellon University as he bowed out of academia and the workforce in order to prepare his young family for a life without him. I have watched it on a few of occasions and never fail to feel both inspired and amazed afterwards. There are new gems and pearls of wisdom that I pick up with each viewing, but the overarching message is the same: life is for living, now.

Yesterday, I finished reading The Last Lecture (2008), the follow-up book to Pausch's lecture. It encapsulates everything from the lecture and pads out some of the details, including the reasons why Pausch wanted to leave this particular legacy to his wife and young family. It's a very easy read, and you will find yourself nodding your head on more than one occasion. The advice is neither new nor preaching, and there's something for everyone.

Here is the video of The Last Lecture for you to watch. It is one of the most valuable things you can do for yourself in 1 hour and 16 minutes.

Summer nights

We have a busy social calendar for the next wee while. Last night, we had dessert and drinks with friends at their place, enjoying a great new year's catchup. Tonight, we are going to see Avatar in 3D, which I'm told is quite spectacular. Tomorrow night is a pool party, Saturday night is pizza and dancing night, and on Sunday night we are hoping to see The Beatgirls performing outdoors at the Botanic Garden Soundshell. Somehow, this timetable would seem untenable for us in winter, when I'm more than happy to just curl up early at night with a book or in front of the fireplace. Daylight saving makes it possible to pack more in to each day/night, while still maintaining energy levels and an overall warm buzz. I love summer nights!

Here's an excerpt from my favourite movie, Grease (1978) - so appropriate right now! Sing along if you wish and enjoy those Summer Nights.

The YouTube Game

A friend of ours likes to play The YouTube Game at parties. Apparently it involves someone choosing a genre, or a decade, or a musical style, or a key word (or something else) and types it into YouTube, then plays the first song that comes up in the search. Apparently it's a great thing to do at parties. Apparently it's lots of fun. I can't help but wonder whether I've misunderstood some vital detail along the way or if I've just missed the point entirely. She didn't manage to convince anyone to play this game the night she first explained it and I question her future success rate.

I was introduced to The Wonky Donkey tonight by The Well Read Kitty. Oh dear. Well, two can play at that game! Here are a few weird, wild, and wacky songs I dredged up from YouTube tonight. It's not quite The YouTube Game in its purest form, but I'm sure you'll get the picture. ;-)

Dominick the Donkey
This is my mother's staff request every Christmas from the radio station she works at. She would have us believe that the station is inundated with calls as soon as it is played from people asking where it came from; personally, we wonder if they're calling to have it stopped mid-track! Here is a homemade clip I found tonight.



Put the Lime in the Coconut
Every band needs a gimmick song in their repertoire, or one that sets them apart from every other band. This song is going to be our next band's gimmick.



Psycho Chicken
My sweetie thinks that this should be our gimmick song instead. He says that if we do play it then he will dance around in a chicken suit for us. Gee, thanks sweetie! Somehow, I can't see it happening.



Have you got something to top these three songs?

Stomp 09

Last night, we saw Stomp 09 on the opening night of their Wellington stint. Amazing! I'd seen their previous tour and, even though much of it was the same as before, I'm really glad I went again, this time with my sweetie in tow.

Stomp is a true celebration of percussion: sound, noise, and a pile of everyday objects. Incredibly funny, Stomp communicate via sound and mime to convey humour, complex rhythms, and urban culture. Brooms, cigarette lighters, newspapers, hollow pipes, sand, matchboxes, water, rubbish bins, 44 gallon drums ... everything including the kitchen sink. Check out the full list of instruments.

The show continues in Wellington until Sunday 31 May, before moving to Christchurch next week and then heading back overseas. If you can, I highly recommend going to see it. Yes, it's quite pricey, but absolutely worth every cent.

For anyone who has ever banged on a homemade drum kit made up of kitchen pots and pans, or danced around the room clapping their hands and slapping their thighs with great gusto, Stomp is for you. My 15-month-old nephew is already in training!

In the meantime, here are a couple of videos to give you an idea of what Stomp is all about.

Stomp in the kitchen



Basketballs



Sweeping the floor

The girl who silenced the world for five minutes

As part of my work, I am involved in preparing some online material for publication on a government website. One of these projects is based at an early childhood centre which uses a daily bread-making activity to provide an authentic learning opportunity and also demonstrate environmental sustainability in action.

Yesterday, as I was waiting for some content to upload, I re-watched the following video, The girl who silenced the world for five minutes. I'd seen it several times already and remember the stir it caused when my colleagues first became aware of it. However, to revisit it after several months reminded me that the message is as fresh as ever. Regardless of whatever political motivation may lie behind the video's release, and the sharp debate that it has stirred up worldwide, I think that the message is really quite simple. Adults: we have to do something about the world we are leaving to our children. If we don't know how to fix the world, then we should at least stop breaking it.

Bea Arthur's Sex and the City parody

With the passing of Bea Arthur (aged 86) this week, there has been plenty of mention in the media about her lengthy career on stage and television. While I can never confess to have been a fan of The Golden Girls, for which she was best known in New Zealand, it has been interesting to learn more about this talented actor and hear about some other examples of her work.

And then a friend of mine posted a link to this video on Facebook. Bea Arthur and friends parody Sex and the City, one of my favourite tv shows ever. See what happens to Carrie, Miranda, Samantha and Charlotte in years to come; you'll see that they've still got 'it' but, after watching this video, 'it' can never really be the same again.

Bea Arthur's Sex and the City Parody - watch more funny videos

Hilarious!

Remember to feed the cat

My sweetie forwarded me this video yesterday. As someone who is slowing becoming accustomed to cats (well, just my sweetie's Zed, really), I can now understand where this is coming from and see why it is so funny. It certainly explains those 5am visits when Zed is up and ready to play but we just want to sleep.



I resolve that we ensure three things happen every night before bedtime:

1. Zed is well-fed
2. all baseball bats and/or other objects which could do serious night-time damage are kept out of Zed's reach
   
3. we never buy a shotgun.

Credits unknown

And the winner is ...

Occasionally, in amongst all the doom and gloom we see and hear in the news each day, something so ridiculous turns up that one can't help but wondering at other people's stupidity. This happened earlier this week, when two prisoners escaped from a police escort through a side door at the district court. All well and good, except they were handcuffed together, and hadn't quite worked out some vital details.

It would appear that their communication and decision making skills were not quite in sync:

"Their break for freedom came to an embarrassing end when they chose to run on different sides of a lamp-post. They swung around the pole and collided with each other before collapsing in a tangle. Each blamed the other for their actions."

Their escape bid was made even more shameful when they were caught on closed circuit tv, and the video was promptly posted on YouTube, as well as on the news and a news site.



Read the full story here.

Thanks, guys. You win the award for "stupidest and most comedic recent escape attempt".

Wandering down (video) memory lane

I'm not a big tv/video/movie fan. My idea of an ongoing nightmare would be being made to watch episodes of Funniest Home Videos, or the cutesy-pie videos which get emailed to me by my aunt. Still, here are a couple that I do like and have on my hard drive. I thought I'd share them with you and hopefully make you smile. :-)

(And, before anyone asks, I don't have copyright or permission to use them ... but I'm not claiming them as my own either.)

How Italians tell the time



Sooooo very southern Italian. I love it!

Greek construction workers



This one came out in the lead-up to the Athens Olympic Games, when there were concerns that the stadium might not be finished in time.

IT history



This one is for anyone who has ever had to be in a training role, be it in ICT or another field, and have tried their best to remain patient even in the most frustrating circumstances!

Proof the Irish discovered Africa



These fellas dance better than a lot of people I know, and they come cheap, too - just $5 each and a bunch of bananas!

Enjoy :-)