Elvis when you least expect it

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Thu Dec 15, 2005 2:52 pm

miss buenos aires wrote:I dare say that looking at paintings on your computer screen is one of the least illuminating paths to judging their artistic worth. Second only to checking out a black and white photocopy, perhaps.

Ohhh I wouldn't say that. I think you can judge a lot of what the impact of seeing the real thing in a good gallery would be from a computer screen (especially if it's a 20" baby like mine with fabuloius resolution!). It's like saying you can't appreciate a piece of music on a cheap radio. Isn't it often the moment's perfection rather than the medium's that counts? (Whoops, good jopb I just saw the missing 'o' in that last word.) You might be face to face with a vermeer in the Frick, and find it less involving than on your computer screen one random afternoon in Argentina. Then again, seeing the real thing is like seeing your favourite band on top form live, nothing can really compare. Not sure I've ever seen a Vermeer in the flesh, maybe in London? The light is stunning, it's incredibly moving in itself. Light is everything if you're a painter, so capturing it like this is a rare thing. I think my favourite painting in gallery experience is Velazquez's Las Meninas. The painting is incredibly involving and exciting, and the darkened rom in which it stands alone is perfect.

alexv · Post by **alexv** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 7:35 pm

I kinda agree with both MBA and Otis. It's really difficult to do amateur or professional art criticism looking at computer screens, but I have to tell you that the pictures posted on this and the other thread look mighty beautiful to me, and looking at them gives me a kick that's not far off what I get in a museum. Having said that, I will never forget the impression made on me the first time I stepped in a room full of Pollock drip paintings (beautifully lit). I had been skeptical of the drip stuff, and was blown away by the impact of the light, colors and overall power of those beautiful "drip" jobs. There is no way, I think, that reproductions, computer or otherwise, can replicate that impact.

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 1:55 am

miss buenos aires wrote:I dare say that looking at paintings on your computer screen is one of the least illuminating paths to judging their artistic worth. Second only to checking out a black and white photocopy, perhaps.

If I know someone paints people uncomfortably out of proportion for instance I can move on and enjoy something better. Most of the time via a computer screen you can get a pretty good idea about what is pleasing or displeasing about an artwork.

anjabro · Post by **anjabro** » Sat Dec 17, 2005 2:32 am

I was setting up a new computer in my daughters' bedroom, and I was typing random words into Google image search as I was checking the broadband connection... I typed in 'Yahoo' and there, 8th on the list, was a picture of EC playing his guitar on stage.....it's still there as of now...

http://images.google.com/images?client= ... a=N&tab=wi

Emotional Toothpaste · Sat Dec 17, 2005 5:38 pm

PBS has a show called "History Detectives" that uses "Watching the Detectives" as its theme song.

http://www.pbs.org/opb/historydetective ... index.html#

click on the view video and you'll hear it toward the end.

Post by **spooky girlfriend** » Sat Dec 24, 2005 9:02 am

My apologies if this has been used before, but Doc and I just saw a commercial for gametap.com and the song Pump It Up was playing. It just wasn't being sung by Elvis.

King Hoarse · Post by **King Hoarse** » Sun Dec 25, 2005 2:58 pm

No, it's Canadian Danko Jones, who my drummer Martin will be roadmanaging for about 8 months this year. I'm sure there will be plenty of EC in the ol' liner (Martin's fave Elvis song is 13 Steps Lead Down. I wish Danko'd done that one instead, but PIU sounds like one of his own so I guess it's more of a career move).

RedShoes · Post by **RedShoes** » Wed Jan 04, 2006 9:00 pm

EC was a Jeopardy question!

The answer was something like "This eclectic British rocker's 1989 hit "Veronica" was co-written by Paul McCartney"

VonOfterdingen · Post by **VonOfterdingen** » Sun Jan 08, 2006 7:31 am

Watched "Bring it on" last night (could be worse) and the cool brother who listens to Clash had a huge EC Trust-era poster on his wall.

Poor Deportee · Post by **Poor Deportee** » Wed Jan 11, 2006 3:49 pm

For some unfathomable reason, 'American without Tears' surfaces from time to time in department store Muzak here in Canada - I've heard instrumental versions of it at least twice at Zellers. And I hear 'Every Day I write the Book' on a regular basis in public space. That one has definitely penetrated the mall playlists.

Boy With A Problem · Post by **Boy With A Problem** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 4:53 am

On the plane last night, reading my book and listening to my iPod on shuffle - "All Grown Up" came on and for some reason I stopped reading and looked up and there was Elvis on the monitor in "Two and a Half Men"

Post by **spooky girlfriend** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 9:03 am

Whoa! Double when you least expect it! You're setting a new standard here BWAP!

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Thu Jan 19, 2006 6:51 pm

I'm not sure a hit on the mighty BWAP iPod shuffle is all that unexpected, in fact, you Couldn't Call It Unexpected

. He probably has 20gb of just Elvis. But the synchronicity here is sublime. I would have been tempted to jump up, punch the air and shout 'yeeees' for the supreme Elvisness of the moment.

bobster · Post by **bobster** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 3:32 am

Poor Deportee wrote:For some unfathomable reason, 'American without Tears' surfaces from time to time in department store Muzak here in Canada - I've heard instrumental versions of it at least twice at Zellers. And I hear 'Every Day I write the Book' on a regular basis in public space. That one has definitely penetrated the mall playlists.

I can't even count the times I've heard "Every Day" on Muzak since as early as the mid-eighties. Pretty big hit here in the States. But "American Without Tears", was that a hit in Canada? In any case, Zeller's must be one enlightened department store.

VonOfterdingen · Post by **VonOfterdingen** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 7:19 am

Last night in a bar at 2 am they played Uncomplicated. How cool is that?

verbal gymnastics · Post by **verbal gymnastics** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 8:12 am

Did you ask for water (and they gave you rose wine)?

Otis - hmm. If BWAP had done what you suggested he may have gotten some funny looks.

mood swung · Post by **mood swung** » Fri Jan 20, 2006 12:25 pm

mood swung wrote:

Driving home from work one day last week I witnessed an incident of road rage. A Ford Explorer from WVa carrying a heavyset guy with a crewcut and a Ford pickup truck with Hillbilly Woodcarving painted on the side driven by an actual Hillbilly, complete with faded overalls, the Hatfield/McCoy hat, the long scary Deliverance hair and a big wooden stick. These guys stopped in the middle of the road and got out of their vehicles and began to scream and threaten each other, almost but not quite coming to blows. Hillbilly dude is shaking his stick at the fat guy, fat guy's got a fist the size of Kansas. It was this strange fighting dance: words, threatening gestures, back off. One of them mouths off and it starts again. I've got my cell thinking, should I call the police and if I do, what do I tell them? I keep waiting for the director to yell "cut!" Then they do start fighting. Fat guy's going to kill Hillbilly Man, so I call 911. Before I can finish punching the numbers, an off duty cop pulls up between them. Anyway, what's playing on my cd player? This Is Hell.

I love quoting myself - makes me feel all professorial.

In one of those strange coincidences my life seems to be overrun by, I saw Hillbilly Man at the grocery store yesterday. What I thought was a shirt was actually one big tattoo and he was wearing sandals with what I think set a new standard in gross bare feet. He had his stick in the buggy, along with two loaves of white bread and a 2 liter of orange soda.

I just thought I'd share.

bambooneedle · Post by **bambooneedle** » Sat Jan 21, 2006 12:50 am

I just saw Elvis walking down the street.

I didn't really.

Mike Boom · Post by **Mike Boom** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 4:33 pm

http://youtube.com/results?search=morri ... nce&page=3

I was just watching a The Smiths video of William, It Was Really Nothing from Top of the Pops or some such thing (at the above link - click on the The Smiths - I LOVE 1984 link) and Johnny Marr is playing an acoustic with Elvis Costello written down the neck in that scrolled writing. I found this very strange indeed.

John · Post by **John** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 4:58 pm

What a good spot, Mike.
Do we know if Johnny Marr was/is a fan ?

Mike Boom · Post by **Mike Boom** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 5:07 pm

Im guessing he just needed to borrow the guitar and Elvis may have been appearing on the same show or somesuch thing- not sure if Marr was ever a fan or not. Wouldnt surprise me if he was tho.

John · Post by **John** » Sat Jan 28, 2006 5:30 pm

William It Was Really Nothing was a hit in August 1984 - the same month as The Only Flame In Town wasn't !

I wonder if EC recorded a TOTP performance which was never shown ?

alexv · Post by **alexv** » Wed Feb 08, 2006 11:22 pm

So I'm leafing through this book on the 1001 Albums You Must Listen To Before You Die (or something like that), and EC gets a few mentions (IB, MIAT, TYM, AF, BY, and BC make it), but most interestingly the writer refers to MLAR as a "surf" record. Never expected that.

verbal gymnastics · Post by **verbal gymnastics** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 7:12 am

I was chatting to a friend last night and he said Richard Ashcroft (ex of The Verve) was on Jonathan Ross's Radio 2 show last week. Mr Ashcroft declared himself to be a massive EC fan and gave a few minutes talking about him.

Those of you who know me know my technomoligical deficiencies so if you want to check this out then please do.

Otis Westinghouse · Post by **Otis Westinghouse** » Fri Feb 10, 2006 9:16 pm

alexv wrote:but most interestingly the writer refers to MLAR as a "surf" record. Never expected that.

'From the foaming breakers of the poisonous surf' - I think it's an anti-surf record!