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June 30, 2005
Kenny Rogers is a twit
Not that Kenny Rogers. Kenny Rogers, the Rangers pitcher. If you don't know what I'm talking about, click here. Life is hard when you are multimillionaire who only has to work every fifth day.
In somewhat related news: Our softball team (now overflowing with talent) won both ends of a doubleheader last night. I went 4-for-8 with 4 runs scored and an RBI. I got myself out all 4 times by either lunging at bad pitches or by getting way out in front of the ball. TIP: When hitting in slow pitch softball, keep your weight back until you are about to swing, swing a split second after you want to swing, and try to hit line drives. Four times, I didn't try to do that. Twice I tried to crush the ball over the fence, got under it, and hit deep, lazy flyballs to the warning track.
My night in left field was pretty uneventful, though I did catch a ball up against the fence that would have been a grand slam. In hindsight, the catch preserved our lead in the second game.
Our playoff tournament starts next week, and the East Ridge league starts in August.
Posted by colrus at 09:21 AM | TrackBack
June 28, 2005
Wiffle Ball anyone?
I have often read about "professional" adult Wiffle Ball leagues around the country. Most of these are in the Northeast (perhaps Wiffle's Shelton, CT headquarters has something to do with it) but the Wiffle craze also reaches all across the U.S.
So I ask this question...
I, being a nerd of the Wiffle persuasion, would like to either join or start one of these local leagues, and am looking for equally dedicated nerdy types to join me.
It's a fun, cheap game and I miss playing it.
Anyone else?
Posted by colrus at 07:12 PM | TrackBack
The REAL reason music and movie industry revenues are down?
The recent decision against file sharing software outfits was spurred, in part, by major music labels and movie studios because -- as they've argued for nearly ten years now -- illegal downloading hurts their profits.
While there is some truth to their claims, the amount of illegal downloading is down and the amount of legal downloading is up. The scare tactics seemed to have worked, though who's to say that other, newer technologies won't spring up to make the illegal downloading easier and, say, safer for the illegal downloader.
A bigger issue? The record labels and movie studios (two industries NOTORIOUS for screwing artists) are putting out, how do I put this, CRAP. In essence, SCREWING the consumer out of their hard-earned cash. On average, if people don't want to pay to see the latest Tom Cruise turd, they almost certainly don't want to go through the trouble of illegally downloading it, as it is still a TURD and the "oh, man, I can download this" craze wore off at least a year ago. Our eyes, ears and minds are FLOODED with product -- VERY little of it vital -- and we are rebelling, thank you. Go cry in your Maserati.
Give me something to buy. Give me something to watch. Not only have I not seen 10 movies this year (and I get free tickets), I don't think I can NAME ten movies this year. AND I LOVE MOVIES!!!
And before you shed a tear for the studios, keep in mind that DVD sales are through the roof. So I guess we ARE buying their crap. In more ways than one...
OK. I'm done.
Posted by colrus at 12:08 PM | TrackBack
June 27, 2005
REALLY important stuff that I MUST type before going to bed (or something like that...)
Just got back from visiting the in-laws (who will, weirdly, be coming here to visit in a week...) in Arcadia, Florida. Arcadia is a sad place. It has yet to recover from Hurricane Charley and street after street is filled with old tin-roofed homes held together by blue tarps. My in-laws will be moving soon, as they have really grown sick of the place.
There is a cool park across the street from them, though, where I repeated a longstanding ritual of mine: I threw roughly 400 pitches from the park's pitcher's mound into the backstop over the course of two days. With all of the throwing I did, I could've probably closed out the Yankees for the Mets tonight, who lost 5-4 to the (hah!) now-a-still-pitiful 38-37 Yankees. Meanwhile, my Red Sox have won 12 of 13. The Red Sox train in Fort Myers, where my in-laws (did I mention how much I love these people?) will soon be moving...
Thoughts on the recent Supreme Court decision to overtake private property for community tax/development benefit: I'll agree that this is horrible idea, if you'll agree that government-backed TV and radio is a sketchy (and often dreadfully dull) idea, too. (Though I'm not holding my breath.) And, oh yeah, Amtrak, too.
The Chattanooga Film Blog is close to completion. I'm just adding some links and fine tuning some organizational aspects of the site.
I am almost positive that I tore something in my right knee. I can walk and run (and throw 400 pitches), but when I sit down and try to bend it, it starts to seriously hurt. My left knee has no such pain, and I can bend it even more than the right. Yes, I think a visit to a doctor is in order.
Posted by colrus at 12:37 AM | TrackBack
June 22, 2005
Outlying library branch budget problems a conspiracy?
That's what Tony Campbell is arguing today.
My favorite quote?
"I have no intentions of going downtown!"
You go -- I mean don't go -- Tony!
Posted by colrus at 02:07 PM | TrackBack
And we wonder why we can't get great acts to come to Chattanooga more often...
"On Friday we drove to Chattanooga for an early sound check at 2pm...A police car stopped us as we (were) driving up to the stage area and a stern officer told us to turn around and use the other entrance, after which we got hopelessly lost on the other side of town. The promoter had to come find us and show us the way. During setup we were confronted with a rude stage manager who basically told Tyler (one of the CGT road crew members) not to touch anything. It turned into a tense situation with a few 'f-words' flying to and fro, but later he apologised."
-From the tour journal of Bert Lams, one of the members of the California Guitar Trio who blew the minds of two different Riverbend audiences last Friday night.
Posted by colrus at 01:22 AM | TrackBack
Ken Burns' Jack Johnson
I watched Ken Burns' Jack Johnson documentary again last night on PBS. As Mesh, my wife and my VCR can attest, I am a HUGE Ken Burns fan. I have watched Baseball -- in its entirety -- at least 100 times, and it never gets dull. And don't get me started on The Civil War...
Yes, folks, while you are out watching Lord of the Rings or the latest Star Wars flick, I am often at home watching dramatic accounts of what a musket ball sounded like crashing through a rebel soldier's skull. But I digress...
The Johnson piece was interesting in the choice of quotes that were used to illustrate the racial climate in the early 1900s, namely repeated quotes from New York Times articles and editorials disparaging Johnson based on the fact that he was black, that other people of his race shouldn't feel pride because one of their own won the heavyweight title, and that (after Jess Willard beat him) there would never again be another "colored" champion.
It is quite interesting, that the NYT -- the paper that all of our J-School teachers have always touted as the penultimate standard bearer of respectable journalism -- has such fantastically hateful roots.
Some would argue those roots are still there. That today they are just more cleverly masked for public approval. And aimed -- in a more "enlightened" fashion -- towards things that are more "popular" and "socially acceptable" to be opposed to.
All I know is that, like blood, their ink has always stained the crap out of my hands.
Maybe that's why we always read the Post and the Daily News in my house.
Posted by colrus at 01:01 AM | TrackBack
June 18, 2005
Why Tony Campbell's blog is my favorite
In a post today on his blog, Tony Campbell offers his musical advice (a DVD of Riverbend), confuses me with Dan Lyons (who actually played "The Corrector" on OTOH), and once again assails Sarah Warnock, to whom he recently sent a creepy letter (via my office) in which he managed to both insult her AND ask her out on a date within the span of just three paragraphs.
Posted by colrus at 04:01 PM | TrackBack
CGT+2 @ Riverbend = Blown Minds
I won't ramble as I'm still nearly speechless. But, simply put, the two shows by the California Guitar Trio (with Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto) last night on the UnumProvident Stage stole the festival from the often tired, bloated acts on the bigger stages. Look, I'm biased, but you can ask those in attendance and they'll tell you the same. Not only was it an outstanding performance, but the newly improved UnumProvident stage (and surrounding area) might be the PERFECT spot in town to watch a show.
Highlights:
1. Bach segued into "Riders on the Storm" by the Doors.
2. A lot of surf music.
3. The Yes tunes "Long Distance Runaround" (their first ever public performance of it) and "Heart of the Sunrise."
4. Duke Ellington's "Caravan" with all five musicians playing "drum solos" on their instruments.
4. Zundoko-Bushi: A traditonal Japanese song mixed with bits of "Vrooom" and "21st Century Schizoid Man" by King Crimson.
5. A raucous sing-a-long version of "Bohemian Rhapsody."
6. Their own, as I wrote earlier, dizzying compostions.
I got to chat with all five guys (all supercool and they all signed my CD booklet, too), thanking them for coming to town and mentioning the other times that I'd seen them. Talked a bit with Pat about Crimson and their plans for the future. He told me that Robert Fripp is pretty much opposed to touring right now unless it's at a venue like 12th and Porter in Nashville. (Adrian Belew lives just outside of Nashville, and that venue has often served as a tour warm-up spot in previous years, including a 2000 show I attended.) Pat had been to Chattanooga before with the Rembrandts (think Friends theme) and with Mr. Mister. Tony Levin borrowed my pen to sign some other people's stuff...though I didn't know it was him asking for it until I turned around to say yes.
"Sure, greatest bass player on earth, you can use my pen," I thought to myself.
Please, somebody, bring the CGT back to town as soon as possible.
You can check out Stephen Boatright's killer CGT pics here.
Also, Tony, Bert, Hideyo and Paul keep online tour journals.
Musings about their Chattanooga visit should appear soon.
(I like Hideyo's pic entries -- especially about what they ate -- the best...)
Posted by colrus at 03:18 PM | TrackBack
June 17, 2005
Happy Pocky Day!
My hometown homey now living in L.A., Jeff Carter, has devoted a good portion of his blog to the Pocky, the delicious cookie stick from Japan.
I found a box of chocolate Pocky's at Wal-Mart, and my wife and I are now officially addicted.
Thanks Jeff.
Posted by colrus at 02:06 PM | TrackBack
Things to mention today...
I am psyched to see the California Guitar Trio tonight at Riverbend. The CDs I burned for Jeff Styles made it to the airwaves this morning, and his interview with Paul Richards was great. Usually, I have to travel out of town to see my faves, but not this year...
We lost BOTH games last night. Originally, no games were scheduled during Riverbend, but we had two rainouts to make up. We were short a few players, and did the best we could (we're solid defensively), but just couldn't get anything going offensively. I had to play shortstop (I usually play left field, but Nick is out of town) and made it through both games cleanly, which was a bit of challenge with the new glove I'm now using. A few more weeks and then we start playing in the East Ridge league. I wonder if they've raised the lights at all. Not likely, though.
The Chattanooga Film Blog is getting closer to launch. I really hope it helps to galvanize the Chattanooga filmmaking community.
Why do I always wait a month before I pick up my dry cleaning? I stopped by the dry cleaner this morning, and picked up about 20 items, including 10 ties...
Posted by colrus at 11:51 AM | TrackBack
June 16, 2005
Things to mention today...
1. Big N' Rich? OK. Cowboy Troy? Pretty amazing.
2. After three weeks of rainouts, my softball team plays a double header tonight. If you are in the East Lake area between 6:30 and 8:30, holla!
3. I think I should mention the fact that Dog: The Bounty Hunter is my new favorite television show. It's quite unlike anything I have ever seen. While never shying away from extreme badassery, Dog and his team are compassionate folk who always giving touching (and hee-larious) advice to their captives en route to the joint. It comes on twice on A&E; on Tuesday nights at 9.
4. Things are moving nicely on the new Chattanooga Film Blog, and I will be among several Chattanooga film-types meeting next Tuesday to discuss plans for the next Firefly Film Festival. Get your films ready, people!
5. The Red Sox have won four in a row, and the Washington Nationals won again last night, with Chad Cordero getting out of bases loaded jam with no outs in the bottom on the ninth to preserve a 1-0 win over the Angels and earn his 21st save. How he was getting that 88-91 m.p.h. fastball past people is beyond me...
6. Doing my periodic used CD/DVD/BOOK unloading at McKay's this week.
7. I cannot stress enough how cool it is that the California Guitar Trio (with Tony Levin and Pat Mastelotto) is playing Riverbend -- for two shows -- tomorrow night. Hopefully, I can get some good pics. I've seen the CGT three times: twice in 1995 in Boston and New Haven opening for King Crimson and one other time in 1998(9?) at a Border's bookstore in Knoxville. I really should see them more often.
8. I have dumped about an hour's worth of "Faces" clips (All About Some Brian, Black Friends, Mayoral Race 2000, Truncphart, etc.) into my computer for editing and preparation for the Web. There's a few still missing, though. I need to see if my old copy of Final Cut for OS9 still works (for its great exporting features), and if it does, I will be making the material available soon. I have edited down almost all of the clips and will be doing some enhancements -- audio and video -- to them before posting online. Nathan Gebele, one of the featured players on Faces, can now be seen occasionally on Rock Bottom, a student-run show on UTC TV.
9. I can confirm that Ryan and Logan of Lazy Bear Productions are now both working at the Panera downtown and that, yes, they are STILL planning to do the radio show for the PulseBlog.
10. Man, Chattablogs seeems busier these days, eh?
Posted by colrus at 09:47 AM | TrackBack
June 13, 2005
Coming Soon: The Chattanooga Film Blog
I'd like to take a moment to mention that Chattablogs will soon be home to The Chattanooga Film Blog -- a site devoted to promoting Chattanooga filmmakers and their work.
While I will maintain the site, the CFB will be a group blog, with area filmmakers and media professionals lending a hand.
More info to come.
Posted by colrus at 04:39 PM | TrackBack
Inclusive Separation?
John Bailes' stellar comments yesterday defending his decision to post Matt Estes' Ronald Reagan-friendly piece on The Daily Bailout reminded me of something I read on the HamDems blog this weekend.
In the very first post on the HamDems blog, the site is characterized as the site for (among other adjectives) "inclusive" Democrats. The post goes on to say that, "If you are here to bash, ridicule, or stir the pot, your contributions will tossed in the virtual garbage can."
Now, I wonder if the word "for" is meant as "directed towards" or "representing." It would seem to make a big difference.
When so many of the posts and comments appearing (in just a week) on the HamDems site could be characterized -- by non-Democrats -- as "bashing," "ridiculing" or "stirring the pot" against the things the posters are seemingly collectively against, the Blog's opening salvo seems a bit paranoid and hypocritical.
In today's post, "A Message From the Chair," the Democratic party is characterized as believing "in the right to speak freely by exercising our constitutional rights of free speech and the vote." It goes to on to say that the Democrats "are the party preserving the rights of Americans in a free and open society."
"Inclusiveness," like free speech, is a two-way street and, unfortunately for them, bigger than the Democrats.
Feel free to bash me. I won't delete your comments over here at my political party-less blog.
Posted by colrus at 12:33 PM | TrackBack
June 11, 2005
How I Know My Workplace Is Magical
How do I know my workplace is magical?
Is it because I get do something I love to do?
No.
The scenic views of the Krystal?
No.
The fact that I occasionally wear shorts to work?
No.
Aaron's insightftul comments and admirable willingness to ceaselessly prod his interview subjects?
No.
Occasionally being recognized in public?
No.
Wi-Fi access?
No.
The vagrant who pees behind the abandoned gas station across the street?
No.
Voicemails from Tony Campbell?
No.
How do I know my workplace is magical?
Continue reading "How I Know My Workplace Is Magical"
Posted by colrus at 07:32 PM | TrackBack
June 06, 2005
Today's Video Clip: The Corrector Does Some Correcting
Click here to watch The Corrector in action.
(Quicktime file. High speed connection required. Be patient.)
Posted by colrus at 04:07 PM | TrackBack
June 03, 2005
MTV. Please kill it.
How can MTV go from airing the GODAWFUL Britney Spears reality TV show to airing a great show about people battling poverty? What are they doing over there?
Seriously, Britney and Kevin are just plain tedious. The show is damn painful to watch, and it cracks me up that Britney probably pushed for this show because she felt Jessica Simpson -- one of the dumbest people to ever grace the airwaves -- was stealing her white trash thunder.
White trash thunder. Yep, I said it.
Posted by colrus at 01:38 AM | TrackBack
Where I Be
So...
You've probably noticed that this blog is now called BillColrus.com. Enough fretting about names. It is done. And so it shall be.
So what is to be done with this blog?
I am doing a lot of work behind the scenes right now (kinda like at The Pulse) getting material ready for mass consumption.
I am working on some essays, which will find their intial home on this blog. The essays will be highly personal -- often (dare I say) funny -- being, frankly, the most fun kind of material for me to write. They will also often be accompanied by pictures.
I am preparing five years worth of video clips that will soon be available for viewing on this site. Right now I'm in the "testing bit rates" stage, with hopes of maximizing quality AND speed for those of you with nothing better to do than watch video clips of my stuff. You shall be rewarded.
I am preparing an audio stream of the hour-long Christopher Guest radio biography that I did at WUTC in 1998(?). The program was an independent study project under the supervision of current WUTC station manager John McCormick. OK, well, he didn't really supervise me. He just let make something fun for college credit. (I think my topic selection puzzled him some, too.) There are some great clips in the program going back to Guest's National Lampoon days. I must've spent $100 tracking down mint copies of National Lampoon vinyl for that show...
I almost sent the stupid thing out on satellite to other NPR stations, but it would've cost too much and I wasn't completely satisfied with the end results -- at least not enough to broadcast it all over the globe. But things change as years pass...
This site will also become home for my future "extracurricular" projects, like the short film I'm sketching out right now. Think Ken Burns meets bad band press photos.
As with all things I talk about doing (like the long overdue "On The Other Hand" DVD), progress is based on time. I'll get to it when I get to it, but I hope to get to it all soon.
Posted by colrus at 01:31 AM | TrackBack
June 02, 2005
My Victoria
Ray D'Antuono -- the bassist who I played with briefly in a band called Crouton in Connecticut in 1995 and who wrote the bulk of the original music for my "On the Other Hand" TV show -- is in a new band called My Victoria. Check out their website, which includes a handful of audio and video files.
The band was recently featured in The Onion.
Nice.
Posted by colrus at 01:52 PM | TrackBack
June 01, 2005
Ghetto Prom Pics: The Resolution
Contrary to my comments on Max Hackett's show last week, after two long years, the "Ghetto Prom Pics" entries -- and all their comments -- will be soon deleted from this site.
This decision comes after searching the web and finding that I am but one of MANY other people to have posted these pictures on the web and, frankly, I have grown bored with continuing the discussion and reading the tedious, circular range of comments.
The comments will be saved offline for possible future use, however.
I stand by my earlier statements that the comments produced by the posting of the pictures are not without merit. How can you know how people really think and feel about things unless, well, you can actually see, hear or (in this case) read how they feel about things? What better way to have an open discussion?
I am not offended by the comments -- saddened perhaps -- but do apologize if anybody else was. I reiterate the fact, however, that nobody was ever forced to view my site; including those who urged me to take down the posts due to their notions of relevance, deceny and/or sensibility.
Posted by colrus at 04:43 PM | TrackBack