Puzzler: Mr. Loaf

So in the last Puzzler, all those weeks ago, I asked you good people out there what I thought was a fairly easy question - at least, one that was easy to look up the answer to. Who portrayed the character Eddie in the film The Rocky Horror Picture Show?

 Well, here's your answer.

That unmistakable game-for-a-laugh rocker, Meat (although I heard you have to call him Mr. Loaf.). He just toured here in the UK (Last At Bat was the title - geddit??) and announced that he and maestro Jim Steinman will once again be working on another album entitled Brave And Crazy, scheduled for release next year. You've got to hand it to the guy - he doesn't sit still or rest on his laurels for long.

Anyhoo, here's the next (related) question...

In the Chef Aid  episode of South Park,  Meat reveals in a flashback that his original unsuccessful stage name was.... what??

100 Records That Shook The World, #22

Rust Never Sleeps (LP)

Neil Young & Crazy Horse

Rust Never Sleeps is an album by Neil Young and Crazy Horse released in 1979. The bulk of the album was recorded live at San Francisco's Boarding House and during the Neil Young/Crazy Horse tour in late 1978, with overdubs added. Audience noise is removed as much as possible, although it is clearly audible at certain points, most noticeably on the opening and closing songs. The album is half acoustic and half electric, opening and closing with different versions of the same song; "Hey Hey, My My".

The album won the 1979 Rolling Stone Critics Poll for Album of the Year. In 2003, the album was ranked number 350 on the same magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

The LP marked a major shift in artistic direction for both Young and the entire music industry. "Rust Never Sleeps" signalled Young's recognition that that there was new force in music -- namely punk -- and that the face of Rock'n'Roll would never be the same again.

The album also represented a conscious recognition that Young's music had to evolve or he would become extinct. The lyrics of songs like "Hey Hey, My My" with the chorus "Rock'n'Roll will never die" signify Young's desire to remain a vital part of the music scene. Even the album's title phrase "Rust Never Sleeps" embodies the spirit of punk music and the embrace of the new at the expense of the old. Much as The Who sang "Hope I die before I get old", Young is saying that he would rather "burn out than fade away".


The opening acoustic track "My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)" and the closing electric track "Hey Hey, My My (Into the Black)" continue a theme of bookending albums with a "plugged" and "unplugged" version. Young pioneered this approach with the bookends of 1973's Tonight's The Night with the title track which opening acoustic and concluding electric. This unplugged and plugged approach was used again on 1989's Freedom's "Rockin In The Free World". The unplugged theme would later become a phenomenon in the 1990's with MTV's Unplugged series where artists showcased their "acoustic" versions of well known electric hits. It was considered quite novel back in the day. Of course, Neil had moved on by then and when he was asked to perform on MTV's Unplugged, a running joke was that Neil would probably plug in his acoustic tunes.

Enjoy.

Eek!

Outside, a world is just waiting for you to explore it. A book waits patiently for you to open its pages. A dog whines in its basket, looking forlornly at its lead.
Instead, you choose to ignore all this.
You choose to watch Honey Boo Boo.



I don't want to live on this planet anymore.

Things I Wish I'd Said

The older I get the more I have a tendency to look back on certain episodes of my life and think that maybe a well-chosen phrase at the correct time or a timely "no" or maybe even a "yes" would have possibly made a world of difference. This does not mean that I wish my life was different, necessarily... of course, we all wish certain things in our lives were better or somehow enhanced, but...

Anyway, here, in no particular order, are some of the things I wish I'd said at certain times in my life.

• No, I don't think so.
• Alright, well why don't you drive, then?
• No.
• Alright then, stop the car - see if I care.
• I said no.
• OK Jim, that's good advice, and I will take it and act upon it.
• Yes, actually, that would be nice, thanks.
• Go home, you're drunk.
• I'd really rather not.
• Hello, I'd like a Saturday job please.
• No.
• (to myself) Do I want to chat? Nope, I think I'll block you, Missy.
• Oh shut up, you complete loon.
• You know, it is really unprofessional to talk to me like that in front of other members of staff.
• Take this job and...
• No, I don't want to move clear across the country.
• No.
• You really are a conniving old cow, aren't you?
• Nuh-uh.
• Sod off!
• Well, perhaps if you didn't spend money like water every time you get some, I wouldn't have to take all my CDs to the friggin' pawn shop, would I?
• No.
• No.
• Whatever.

My New Favourite Film

I tell ya what - those guys at the Horror Channel know a good flick when they see one. This

MegaShark Vs. Giant Octopus. It's an edge-of-your-seat thrill ride!

was on the other day and I thought to myself - how did I miss this? I won't spoil it for you but if I tell you the two main protagonists are Deborah "Shake Your Love" Gibson and Lorenzo "The Bold And The Beautiful" Lamas, you know we are talking high-calibre acting.

I won't spoil it for you by telling you the plot, but at one point, the MegaShark of the title surfaces in the San Francisco Bay and bites a chunk out of the Golden Gate Bridge...

Like so.

If you are at all unsure about whether you will like this movie, I will play you a short scene which should seal the deal.




So there you go. Rent it, stream it on Netflix or Lovefilm or whatever. You are welcome.

Overheard: American Sports Explained

"Course, all the bloody sports they 'ave in bloody America, they're all crap, aren't they?"

"Well, I mean, yeah, I mean, bloody baseball, I mean, what's that then, it's so boring, innit? I mean people say it's like cricket, but 'sdifferent, I mean it couldn't be more different, could it?! Cricket's interesting. Baseball's a lot of blokes standing around and then running a bit, it's like bloody rounders, I mean that's a girl's game!"

"Yeah, an' that bloody American Football, I mean they stop and they start and stop and start again, it's confusin' an' borin' and they wear so much bloody paddin' they look like the bloody Michelin Man! Hahahahaaha!"

"I read somewhere wasn't it a few years ago like, the um, L.A. Raiders or someone invited one of the London Rugby Union teams, Harlequins or someone like that, to play 'em at American Football, like a challenge like. An' the 'Arlequins went over there an' played 'em at American Football and bloody beat 'em. An' then the bloody Raiders wouldn't come over 'ere an' play 'Arlequins at Rugby Union cos they weren't gonna be allowed to wear their paddin'!! Hahahahahahaaa!"

"An' then that bloody basketball, I mean you get some lanky bloke chuck the ball down the pitch and some other bloke seven foot nine or summink standing there by the basket just catches it an' drops it in, then the others catch it, and chuck it down the other end, and same thing 'appens. Bloody silly game if you ask me."

"An' then they got ice 'ockey, course they call it 'ockey over there and somebody playing a game of 'ockey outside, that's called field 'ockey. You can't see where the bloody puck is cos it moves so bloody fast, an' then they all fight! Hahahaahaaa!"

"Course with American Football, apart from the professional leagues, the NFL like, you can't play football after you leave school, college they call it, so if you don't get signed to a pro team after college, you can't play American Football."

"Whatcha mean, ya can't play it, ya bloody silly...."

"I mean like baseball, 'ockey an' that, they got them minor leagues, ain't they? If you play college baseball, you can go to a minor league team, same with 'ockey, there's loads of minor league teams an' that. But American Football, there's no minor leagues, is there?"

"Bloody silly. Give me footie any day. Stupid America."

"Yeah."

"Wankers."

100 Records That Shook The World, #23

Good Times

Chic

"Good Times" is a 1979 song composed by Bernard Edwards and Nile Rodgers. It was first recorded by their band, Chic, for their 1979 album, Risqué. In August of that year it became the band's second number one single on both the Billboard Hot 100 and soul singles chart. Along with the tracks, "My Forbidden Lover", and "My Feet Keep Dancing", "Good Times" reached number three on the disco charts. The song has become one of the most sampled tunes in music history, most notably in rap and hip-hop music. Billboard magazine named "Good Times" the number one R&B single for 1979.

The song is ranked #229 on Rolling Stone's list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.


The lyrics are largely based on Milton Ager's "Happy Days Are Here Again." It also contains lines based on lyrics featured in "About a Quarter to Nine" made famous by Al Jolson. Nile Rodgers has stated that these depression-era lyrics were used as a hidden way to comment on the then-current economic depression in the United States.

Enjoy.




NB: Purely out of interest, here are the lyrics to 'Happy Days Are Here Again':


So long sad times, go long bad times
We are rid of you at last
Howdy gay times, cloudy gray times
You are now a thing of the past

Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
So let’s sing a song of cheer again
Happy days are here again

Altogether, shout it now, there’s no one
Who can doubt it now
So let’s tell the world about it now
Happy days are here again

Your cares and troubles are gone
There’ll be no more from now on, from now on

Happy days are here again
The skies above are clear again
So let’s sing a song of cheer again
Happy times, happy nights
Happy days are here again!

Now here are the lyrics to Good Times by Chic:


Good times, these are the good times
Leave your cares behind, these are the good times
Good times, these are the good times
Our new state of mind, these are the good times

Happy days are here again
The time is right for makin' friends
Let's get together, how 'bout a quarter to ten
Come tomorrow, let's all do it again

Boys will be boys, better let them have their toys
Girls will be girls, cute pony tails and curls
Must put an end to this stress and strife
I think I want to live the sporting life

Good times, these are the good times
Leave your cares behind, these are the good times
Good times, these are the good times
Our new state of mind, these are the good times

A rumor has it that it's getting late
Time marches on, just can't wait
The clock keeps turning, why hesitate
You silly fool, you can't change your fate

Let's cut the rug, little jive and jitterbug
We want the best, we won't settle for less
Don't be a drag, participate
Clams on the half shell and roller skates, roller skates

Good times, these are the good times
Leave your cares behind, these are the good times
Good times, these are the good times
Our new state of mind, these are the good times

Good times

A rumor has it that it's getting late
Time marches on, just can't wait
The clock keeps turning, why hesitate
You silly fool, you can't change your fate

Let's cut the rug, little jive and jitterbug
We want the best, we won't settle for less
Don't be a drag, participate
Clams on the half shell and roller skates, roller skates

Good times, these are the good times
Leave your cares behind, these are the good times
Good times, these are the good times
Our new state of mind, these are the good times

Good times, these are the good times
Leave your cares behind, these are the good times
Good times, these are the good times
Our new state of mind, these are the good times

Good times, these are the good times
Leave your cares behind, these are the good times
Good times, these are the good times
Our new state of mind, these are the good times