R&R Saturday

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Mickey Mills

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Struggling writer on the Harley Davidson of life.

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R&R Saturday – CSNY

Posted on Jan 28, 2012 | 0 comments

CSNYThere’s bands, there’s groups, there’s supergroups, and then there’s legends. Somewhere near the top you’ll find an unlikely foursome, a quartet of musicians and songwriters who came together at the intersection of harmony and society to become the voice of a generation.

Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Young — First it’s very appropriate that the “and Young” is separated from the trio, like an afterthought, an add-on. Neil Young is without a doubt a superstar in his own right, but as a solid corner of the quartet he never seemed to fully embrace.

Before hooking up to become one of the generation’s greatest voices each member had been part of musical success with other well known groups of the time.  David Crosby from The Byrds, Stephen Stills and Neil Young from Buffalo Springfield, and Graham Nash from The Hollies.

After Crosby was forced from The Byrds in late ’67 and Springfield disintegrated in early 1968, Crosby and Stills were unemployed and spending time together making music in Florida. They were cruising the Keys with Jefferson Airplane guitarist Paul Kantner and together they wrote what would become one of their great songs, Wooden Ships.

At the same time Graham Nash was suffering creative frustration with The Hollies and left the band to join forces with Crosby and Stills, forming the first version of the supergroup—Crosby, Stills and Nash. With David Geffen signed on as part of the management team a deal was struck with Atlantic Records and off to the studio they went. The result was their 1969 self-titled album, Crosby, Stills & Nash. Two tracks went on to top-40 success. Marrakesh Express and Suite: Judy Blue Eyes reaching 28 and 21 respectively.

With the success of the album, Atlantic was pushing the trio to tour. To round out the sound prior to touring the trio became a tenuous quartet with the addition of Neil Young. Young’s contract allowed him to parallel the group with his own Crazy Horse band and from the beginning he maintained his independence from the others. On stage he was a solid piece of the music but away from the microphone Neil Young did what Neil Young did. He carved his own path.

Their first gig as CSNY was on Aug. 17, 1969 at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago with Joni Mitchell as their opening act. They mentioned they were going to some place called Woodstock the next day, but they had no idea where that was. They began their second set that night with the same line they uttered at Woodstock, “This is only the second time we’ve performed in front of people. We’re scared shitless.” They opened with Suite: Judy Blue Eyes before launching into a harmony-drenched version of The Beatles‘ “Blackbird“.

CSNY at WoodstockTheir second show was a baptism by fire at the Woodstock Festival. CSNY’s recording of the Joni Mitchell song memorializing Woodstock would later become a hit and the recording most associated with the festival.

By contrast, little mention is made of the group’s following appearance at the violence-plagued Altamont Free Concert, with CSNY having escaped mostly unscathed from the fallout of the show. The group’s Altamont performance was not included in the subsequent film Gimme Shelter, at the band’s request.

Riding high waves of success, their first album with Young, Déjà Vu, arrived in stores in March 1970, topping the charts and generating three hit singles. Déjà Vu was also the first release on the Atlantic Records SD-7200 “superstar” line, created by the label for its highest-profile artists; the subsequent solo albums by Crosby, Stills, and Nash would also be the next releases in this series.

Young and Crosby were staying at a house near San Francisco when reports of the Kent State shootings arrived, inspiring Young to write his protest classic Ohio, recorded and rush-released weeks later and providing another Top 20 hit for the group.

However, the deliberately tenuous nature of the partnership was strained by its success, and the foursome imploded after their tour in the summer of 1970. Concert recordings from that tour would end up on another chart-topper, the 1971 double-vinyl Four Way Street, but the group could never recapture the magic of past years.

After the quick flash of success in the early 70s, each member would produce their own solo effort of varying success. Still’s self-titled album rose to 3rd in the top-100 charts. Crosby’s If I Could Only Remember My Name had moderate success peaking at#12, and Nash’s Songs for Beginners reached #15.

Neil Young went on to a successful launch of his own solo effort, After the Gold Rush, with an augmented Crazy Horse. The album capped out at #8 with two singles, ”Only Love Can Break Your Heart” and When_You_Dance_I_Can_Really_Love, reaching 33 and 93.

The next few years saw the harmony of Woodstock collapse into egos adrift, rampant drug use, and waning success. Young distanced himself more and more from the other three and in 1976 veered completely away from the collaboration. Young sent an infamous telegram to Stephen Stills that read:  Dear Stephen, funny how things that start spontaneously end that way. Eat a peach. Neil. 

The CSN trio went back in the studio in 1977 and released CSN to high demand and chart success, climbing to #2. It was their first release as a trio since Young’s departure. The album had the unfortunate timing of releasing concurrent to Fleetwood Mac‘s Rumours  or it would surely have easily hit the #1 slot.

Over the next few years between Crosby’s drug use and the trio’s political activism, music seemed to take a sideline. Still, they would all produce individual releases and together put out five more albums:

Following the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center the quartet set their differences aside and starting discussing a reunion tour.

“We wanted to tour anyway, but Neil felt, and I think he may be right, that people really wanted to see us. The country went into shock for a little while, just because we really couldn’t accept that much pain all at one time. Then there’s a period of mourning, when you really do accept what the loss was and how bad it was. Then there’s a period when people really want to hold out their hands to each other and feel unity within their community and family and country with their peers. We have always felt that music is a healing thing. We all felt that we had entered that time and this would be a positive force. And, you know, that’s who we are and what we do.” — David Crosby

So in 2002 the foursome hit the road for their first tour together since the early 70s. The CSNY Tour of America kicked off on February 2nd at The Palace of Auburn Hills. It might have been a healing experience for fans but the reunion was a cash cow for the producers. Everyone wanted to see the foursome and hear the music that defined a generation.

CSN was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997; CSNY is the only band to have all its members inducted into the Hall twice. Crosby has also been inducted as a member of the Byrds (1991), and Stills as a member of Buffalo Springfield (1997). In 2010, Nash was inducted as a member of the Hollies. Young has been inducted for his solo work (1995) and for Buffalo Springfield (1997), but has not been inducted with CSN.

Together on stage or separately in the studio these four artists represents a unique style of music and collaboration during some troubling times. Through their individual successes and failures they have come to this point in life as nothing short of living legends. Our musical foundation is stronger for the experience.

Just a song before I go, a lesson to be learned.

 

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I’m a Bit of a Movie Buff

Posted on Jan 27, 2012 | 1 comment

MoviesYesterday I mentioned one of my loves. Today I’ll share another — movies.

I love movies. I would say I love all kinds of movies but that would be a bit untrue. I’m not a fan of romantic comedy or chick flicks like, The Notebook or Steel Magnolias. To the other extreme I’m not real crazy about slasher or horror films either. I used to but I guess I just lost my taste for gore.

What I do like is movies with a good story and characters. I love good writing. You can always trust the Coen Brothers to give us good writing.

I like good action films and spy dramas. I can’t believe they are considering another Bourne movie without Matt Damon. But then Sean Connery turned over the Bond role to George Lazenby who gave it back to Connery for Diamonds Are Forever. Future 007s include Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and now Daniel Craig.

The HobbitI like good Sci-Fi and Fantasy. I’m a big fan of the Lord of The Rings trilogy and am anxiously awaiting Peter Jackson’s movie, The Hobbit. (I just finished reading The Hobbit again.)

I like westerns, good gritty tough cowboy westerns. Clint Eastwood did for westerns what Ray Croc did for burgers. Some of my favorites are Unforgiven, The Outlaw Josey Wales, and The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly.

As much as I love John Wayne and his westerns, what the Coen Brothers did for last year’s True Grit was amazing. The girl who played Mattie Ross should one day be a super-star.

I also like the classics, the old films by actors and actresses long gone — John Wayne, Jimmy Stewart, Humphrey Bogart, Betty Davis and Katharine Hepburn.

From The African Queen to Casablanca, Citizen Kane to Vertigo. Give me The Maltese Falcon and a bag of popcorn and I’ll show you a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

This year I want to do a regular feature called Friday Films where I took a look at movies, past, present and future. What I like, what I didn’t like, and invite you to join in and share your opinions and insights.

“Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.”

— Betty Davis as Margo Channing in All About Eve

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Why I Like NASCAR

Posted on Jan 26, 2012 | 0 comments

NASCARI know there’s a lot of you out there that do not get NASCAR. At best you might think it a bit juvenile, at worst, stupid. Many of you buy into the stereotypical portrait of the  NASCAR fan.

Yes, I am from the south.

Yes, I eat fried chicken.

Yes, I spend Sundays watching races.

I gave up beer. It wasn’t agreeing with my waistline and pocketbook. (My lawyer seemed to think it would be a good idea too.)

I don’t smoke cigarettes and my cell phone carrier is not Sprint.

Perhaps in the early days of the sport it was primarily a southern affair with most of the races on tracks in the deep south. The drivers came from places like Hueytown, Alabama, and Level Cross,  North  Carolina – Timmonsville and Florence, South Carolina.

These days you’ll find more drivers from California than the Carolinas. (Driver Hometowns) More out west than down south. It’s no longer the domain of the southerner, it’s the sport of the masses. You’ll find race fans from coast to coast, border to border, and beyond. When I watch races on a pirated internet stream, I’m amazed at how many viewers are there from Europe and the far east.

The fact of the matter is there is no such thing as a typical NASCAR fan anymore. We are young and old, rich and poor, male and female; we come from all walks of life around the globe.

Yes, NASCAR is main stream and I like it. So back to what this blog is all about today – why I like it.

I like it for the cars, the drivers, the teams, the speed, the competition, the danger, the swagger, the sunglasses, the tee-shirts, the asphalt, the girls, the pit stops, the National Anthem before the race, (catching breath) the food, the statistics, Darrell Waltrip, the burn-outs on the victory lap, Daytona, Talladega, the fans, and a whole list of things stuck somewhere between my brain and the keyboard.

I love everything about it. I love writing about it and it’s not even about anybody reading it. That’s not the point.

Writing about something you love is good therapy. You oughta try it sometime. :-)

 

 

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Could Chuck Norris Defeat China?

Posted on Jan 25, 2012 | 0 comments

Chuck NorrisI don’t know whether John Q. Public knows it or not but I am about to clue John in.

The numbers are out and we are seriously getting our ass kicked by the Chinese. We are falling so far behind we may never catch up. And the bad thing about us the deeper we get in debt to the Chinese the worse it seems to get.

The shock of these numbers is so severe I thought it prudent to hide the data inside the pulldown boxes below. I did not want to be responsible for any window jumping or such nonsense if someone freaked out on the extreme visual of seeing these numbers together on one page.

Click  arrows for more info:

1-STEEL

China production: 627 million metric tons in 2010

U.S. production: 80 million metric tons in 2010

U.S. position: 3rd

In 1973, the U.S. was the largest producer of steel, making more than 136 million metric tons of crude steel, according to the International Iron and Steel Institute. Up to that point, the U.S. had enjoyed many decades of industry dominance, centered around the city of Pittsburgh.

2-COTTON

China production: 7.3 million metric tons in 2011

U.S. production: 3.4 million metric tons in 2011

U.S. position: 3rd

In 2000, the U.S. produced 4.2 million metric tons of cotton — the largest amount in the world. China was not far behind, producing 3.81 million metric tons. By 2008, however, China had not only surpassed the U.S., but made nearly double the U.S.’s production amount. China produced approximately 8.1 million metric tons to the U.S.’s 4.2 million. A year earlier, the U.S. lost its second spot among top cotton producers to India, thanks in part to technological breakthroughs in seed and production practices.

3-INITIAL PUBLIC OFFERINGS

China production: $73 Billion raise in 2011

U.S. production: $31 Billion raised in 2011

U.S. position: 3rd

Even in the world of finance the U.S. is losing its dominance to China. According to the National Bureau of Economic Research, “the yearly average of U.S. IPOs has decreased from 27 percent [global share] in the 1990s to 12 percent in the 2000s.” And as the U.S.’s share of IPO proceeds decreased, China’s share increased. It is now the world leader in IPOs.

4-TOBACCO

China production: 3 million metric tons in 2011

U.S. production: 0.33 million metric tons in 2011

U.S. position: 4th

Until 1976, the U.S. produced the largest share of the world’s tobacco. Today, the U.S. only produces 6% of the global output, according to Stephan Richter, editor-in-chief of The Globalist, in an interview by Marketplace. The most recent data from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations places the U.S. as the fourth-largest producer of tobacco in the world.

I’m okay with losing the tobacco race.

5-AUTOS

China production: 18.3 million autos in 2010

U.S. production: 7.8 million autos in 2010

U.S. position: 3rd

Automotive manufacturing is considered one of the U.S.’s most critical industries. But in recent years, other countries have surpassed the U.S., which is now the third-largest producer of autos in the world, according to the International Organization of Motor Vehicle Manufacturers.

6-BEER

China production: 443.8 million hectoliters in 2010

U.S. production: 227.8 million hectoliters in 2010

U.S. position: 2nd

Now this one is the worst. I’ve seen those beer bellies out there. I know blue collar America is fueled by beer and we should be beating the beer mugs off those Chinese. Come on guys, this is embarrassing.

The U.S. lost its top position even in beer production. In 2000, the U.S. beer industry was the greatest in the world, producing 232 million hectoliters, compared with China’s 220 million. One decade later, and China is in first place, generating 443.8 million hectoliters of beer, versus the U.S.’s 227.8 million. Not only does China have a population that is more than four times that of the U.S., but beer consumption in the country has increased dramatically in recent years. According to the World Health Organization, the average Chinese citizen drank about half a bottle of beer in 1961. By 2007, that amount had increased to 103 beers per year.

7-HIGH TECH EXPORTS

 $348 billion in 2009

U.S. production: $142 billion in 2009

U.S. position: 2nd

High-technology exports are defined as “products with high R&D intensity, such as in aerospace, computers, pharmaceuticals, scientific instruments, and electrical machinery,” according to the World Bank. The U.S. remains home to the largest pharmaceutical industry in the world, and the rest of industries mentioned are also huge domestically. According to the World Bank, China began earning more from high-technology exports than the U.S. as recently as 2005. In 2009, Chinese high-technology exports were worth $348 billion. High-technology exports from the U.S. were worth a more modest $142 billion.

8-COAL

 3.24 billion short tons produced in 2010

U.S. production: 985 million tons produced in 2010

U.S. position: 2nd

America led the world in coal production up until 1984, and it is now a distant second to China. According to the BP Statistical Review of World Energy, the U.S. produced just under 1 billion tons of coal in 2010. China produced more than three times that amount, generating 3.2 billion short tons. There has been exponential growth in the Chinese energy infrastructure in the past decade. Since 2005, American coal production has decreased slightly, while Chinese production has increased by nearly 38%. Despite the U.S.’s decline in coal production, it is still the world’s second-largest producer, and combined, the two countries account for more than half of the world’s total coal production.

Source: Fox Business News

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Sundance and the 99%

Posted on Jan 24, 2012 | 1 comment

Robert RedfordLast Thursday kicked off this year’s Sundance Film Festival in the playground of the rich and famous – Park City, Utah. I think they misplaced my invitation. Did you get yours?

To listen to founder Robert Redford, his vision has always been for an event catering to the 99% crowd.

“We show stories of what people in America are really dealing with, and really living with, against a consequence of having a government that’s let them down,” Redford said. “People can come and say, ‘God, at least we’re seeing how people are really living in America, and what they’re up against.’ We square away on the 99 percent.”

I don’t know too many ninety-nine percenters with condos in Sundance. Don’t get me wrong. I like Redford. He’s always been a favorite of mine. I just don’t believe the rich and famous can truly see the issues facing the 99% he is talking about. I don’t think it’s possible to see through Hollywood eyes and have an emotional comprehension of a single mother in America flipping burgers at McDonalds to make ends meet. You can’t truly appreciate middle class poverty until you’ve scrapped for every penny in the house just to buy groceries – beanie weenies and milk.

If you look at the Sundance Sponsor list it reads like a who’s who of the 1% — Starbucks, Accura, Chase-Sapphire, Bing and GE, to name a few. Now there’s a list of companies with our well-being at the center of their mission statement.

Oh and then there’s the celebrities who line up at corporate tents to get their swag from said corporate sponsors. Anyone of them could walk into any Apple store and buy 1,000 iPads to give to local schools, but there they are in line to get a free one.

And in a twist of irony, contrary to Redford’s vision, a group calling themselves ‘Occupy Sundance’ are camped out in Park City.  They point out that of 11,700 films submitted this year, only 180 were accepted — roughly 1 percent. The Occupy Sundance organizers recognize that that volume of films could not make festival screening at Sundance. They are there to represent the 99% that didn’t make the cut.

“Robert Redford may think Sundance reflects ‘the 99 percent,’ but while his heart is in the right place, I’m not sure he can even begin to fathom how hard it is for an average person to gain access to his elite world,” said Los Angeles-based pop culture and entertainment expert Jenn Hoffman. “It’s true that independent filmmakers still have a chance at securing funding through the festival, but even the so-called indie studios still are looking for ‘names’ to star in even the smallest films and are scouting for new movies they think will bring them the largest financial gain.

Sundance“The price of a plane ticket to Utah is more expensive than what most aspiring filmmakers can afford in this economy,” she added. “Let alone all cost of all the marketing, networking dinners and social climbing events it can take to get a movie made.

“While it was once a small little festival centered around movie screenings, the Sundance film festival is now more synonymous with gifting suites, corporate sponsored parties and free swag for the already wealthy members of Hollywood’s elite,” Hoffman says. “I dare any of the celebrities attending these parties to sit with the Occupiers on a freezing cold night or to donate their free gifts to members of Occupy Sundance.”

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The Humble Apple

Posted on Jan 23, 2012 | 0 comments

The Humble Apple

It’s an old saying with a simple meaning and a ton of truth.

“An apple a day keeps the doctor away.”

Frankly, I’ve never been much of an apple guy. I was more of a pig knuckles and beer kind of guy. You don’t hear people say, “A pig knuckle a day…”

Hey, it didn’t work out too good for the pig either.

It’s quite possible that I have eaten more apples in the last four months than I have my entire life. For some reason they don’t seem as bad as they did when I was ten.

About the only apple you could get in me  had to be hot, wrapped in two layers of crispy crust, full of cinnamon and sugar cooked to a sticky paste and best case, topped with a big pile of vanilla ice cream.

Jeeze, that don’t sound half bad right now.

Here are some health benefits derived from the humble apple.

Delicious and crunchy apple is one of the popular fruit that contain an impressive list of essential nutrients, which are required for normal growth and development and overall nutritional well-being.
Apples are low in calories; 100 g of fresh fruit slices provide only 50 calories. The fruits contain no saturated fats or cholesterol, but are rich in dietary fiber, which helps prevent absorption of dietary LDL cholesterol in the gut. The dietary fibers alsos help protect the mucous membrane of the colon from exposure to toxic substances by binding to cancer causing chemicals in the colon. 
Apple fruit contains good quantities of vitamin-C and beta-carotene. Vitamin C is a powerful natural antioxidant. Consumption of foods rich in vitamin C helps body develop resistance against infectious agents and scavenge harmful, pro-inflammatory free radicals from the body.
Apples are rich in antioxidant phyto-nutrients flavonoids and polyphenols. The total measured anti-oxidant strength (ORAC value) of 100 g apple fruit is 5900 TE. The important flavonoids in apples are quercetin, epicatechin, and procyanidin B2. Apples are also good in tartaric acid that gives tart flavor to them. These compounds help body protect from deleterious effects of free radicals.
In addition, apple fruit is a good source of B-complex vitamins such as riboflavin, thiamin, and pyridoxine (vitamin B-6). Together these vitamins help as co-factors for enzymes in metabolism as well as in various synthetic functions inside the body.
Apple also contains small amount of minerals like potassium, phosphorus, and calcium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure; thus counters the bad influences of sodium.

The more apples I’ve had over the past few months the more I appreciate Johnny Appleseed. A true pioneer of the American fruit. A hero to dieters everywhere. Go Johnny!

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My 2012 NFL Boycott

Posted on Jan 22, 2012 | 1 comment

Two big games today in the NFL. Two more games I won’t be watching. Two winners – two losers. The winners go to Indianapolis. The losers are left to figure out what went wrong. Sports is like that – winners and losers. I started out the season as a loser unlike many of the NFL players and owners who held the sport hostage for most of the year.

Who was sitting at the bargaining table representing me and the other millions of us who put the money in the team owners and the players hand? We are the ones who buy the tickets and the $200 jackets, the $8 hot dog and the $15 parking. Who is it in front of the television on the weekends and Monday night watching the commercials of the sponsors who pay the networks who pour money like water into the NFL’s coffers?

What bugged me about the whole thing is this. At the end of the day… in the final analysis… when it was all said and done… the whole thing was about money. It just bothered me that nobody ever pointed out that it was our money. From day one they acted like it was their money. It was only their money after we gave it to them.

The NFL boycott of 2011 is history. Two champions will be crowned today and in a couple of weeks go duke it out at Lucas Field – one winner, one loser. When the dust settles on the 2011 season, my little boycott will have absolutely no impact on the season except where it matters the most. The knowledge that I took a personal stand and stayed there. It might be the minority voice but it’s my minority voice and I’m okay with that.

I wonder if it will be okay to watch the Super Bowl for the commercials and not the football? That’s a dilemma I have two weeks to wrestle with.

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