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Like an '80s boy band gone badly, sadly wrong. 

Emails: Hoe Ramming

Emails I actually get:

Myron, 

MIS is lining up to hoe ram the existing tunnel footing this weekend, beginning Saturday. This work is required in order to clear a path for the new steam/condensate lines from the manhole to the areaway. 

We will have this work done prior to 7:00 AM Monday, October 20th. 

First of all, any email addressed to "Myron" is a win.


And then..."Hoe ramming"?  That sound like something Ludacris sang about:  "You doin' Ho activities, with Ho tendencies..."


Reach up in the sky fo' the Ho-zone layah!

On the Musical Stylings of Steve Horwitz

Okay, so I recognize that I am Prof. Horwitz's "Newman."  As in the Seinfeld character.  The way that Jerry said "Newman," Horwitz says "Munger."

Partly because I have long mocked his love of Rush.  Of course, I am hardly alone in this.  Consider this "review" from a "Most Over-rated" list:

These Canadian Prog-Rock mouthbreathers have earned a place in the history books for humble conceptual retardation and for having the most prolific legion of apocolyptically prententious fans under the sun. This band grew into maturity and developed a fan base after having produced a number of records. The inclination of their fanbase seems to to tally with the period within which they began producing some of the most disappointing concept albums of all time. And singing about dragons or whatever. This just goes to prove that pot wasn't as unpopular in the 70's as you were led to believe. This band also excercise the right to gargantuan respite periods, due to band break-ups and so forth; much to the chargrin of their fans. In my experience (as Anglo-Canadian Prog Metal Ambassador and Correspondant), Rush fans are the jacket-and-jeans wearing, male equivalent of bagladies that are willing to kill in the name of Lee, Lifeson and Peart. Genuinely, this band started life with a great of potential. They went from "Funny/Peculiar" to "OHMYFUCKINGGODTHESE-GUYSAREFUCKINGHILARIOUS!" within a few small steps. 

Still, it was sort of cute.  It's hard not to sing along with a Rush song in the car, if the radio is broken and you have no way of changing the channel to the "All Yani, All the Time!" station.

But....now.  Now Prof. Horwitz has launched off into new territories of tastelessness.  He has expressed the view that (wow) Steely Dan is "da bomb."  The Prof. has been heard crunching old fish bones and chortling about his Dan concert tickets: "Mine, preeeeecious.  All miiiiiine, precious."  Problem?  Yes.  Even "The Daily Kos" is right about "The Dan."

Personally, I'd be hard pressed to think of another major act that even approaches the sheer awfullness of Steely Dan. 

Their music reminds me of cottage cheese, tasteless and lumpy. And I don't like tasteless lumps. They natter. They noodle. Their music goes on and on and on with no discernable point or plot. And their singing?? Ay! yi! yi! A bandsaw hitting a hard wood knot sounds better. 

Here's the thing:  that quote is from...2005.  That's a long time ago.  Steely Dan has NOT gotten better in the last ten years.  Basically they are a tribute band that plays songs that their now geriatric fans listened to while smoking their first doobie. It all seemed deep.  But:  It wasn't the music that was deep; it was the doobies.  I'd rather listen to Lt. Dan. Tapdancing.

Ice, Ice Baby

Because of the ice storm on eastern seaboard, someone sent me this.

 

I was struck by several things.

1.  VI stole the "Under Pressure" riff so blatantly.  What happened with that?  I had forgotten.  Settled out of court, apparently.
2.  VI stole Justin's Bieber's hair-do and embarrassingly fake swagger 30 years before Justin even had the idea.  That's good stealin'.  Okay, fine, Justin stole from VI.  VI has some advice for Justin.
3.  "My Five Point Oh"?  Seriously, that was the cool car?  I vaguely remember that.  But it seems impossible now.

UPDATE:  Jackie Blue sends this.  As he should have.

 

Most Excellent Musical / Econ Site

This is nothing short of amazing, fantastic, wonderful.

Do you need some terrible 70's or 80's music to illustrate  a point in econ class?  (Answer:  yes.  Yes, you do.  You ALWAYS do).

Then here is the reference site for you!

And the best thing (and this goes out to YOU, Steve Horwitz!) there is not one shred of that awful sound abortion, RUSH, anywhere on the site.  Because the only principle Rush illustrates is that even functionally deaf people will apparently still buy music.  For proof, check this:  it is NOT intended ironically.

North Korean Music Video

A North Korean music video (ostensibly).  Apparently this woman ("Excellent Horse -Like Lady") is a favorite of Kim Jong "Big Un."  It's a good story, but..... not sure.

Anyway, the video has its own charm.  Not the worst I've ever seen, but then I lived through the '80s and '90s.  (Three words:  Ace. Of. Base.) The worst videos are surely David Hasselhoff's "Hooked on a Feeling" or perhaps  Jay-Z's inexplicable desire to look like "Joe Camel." 

But this is remarkable.  I give you....Excellent Horse-Like Lady!  Do check out the hot "comradess on comradess" action at about 2:00.  Forbidden love amid the thread spools.



With thanks to RPoD.  And a nod to sharp-eyed KPC fan M. Kaan.  Well done.

UPDATE:  A curious reader asks, in an email:  "Since that 'Hoff video was available, why in the world did anyone try "Rickrolling"?  Wouldn't "Hoffrolling" have been far worse.  Answers:  Don't know. Yes.  (Note to Shirley:  the link to Rickrolling is for you)

Bien venido a la Selva