.@Eminem: I don't think anyone wants an America where people are worried about retribution of what people will do if you make your opinion known. I think Vice President Harris supports a future for this country where these freedoms and many others will be protected and upheld pic.twitter.com/tVVHO00ANn
When my father passed away, I inherited his record collection, and after I got them all (a few hundred LPs) to my apartment, I set about to play each and every one of them. I never came close to listening to each one, but the few I did get to each seemed to have a tune or two (or three or four) that I came to love. One of those songs was this week's featured tune, though I have to admit having liked it (and the movie from whence it came) before having listened to it in the wake of my father's death. Still, knowing the song meant something to my father increased its stature, and that stature has not waned in the now twenty-seven years since he passed away.
Over the course of the last fifty some odd years, you'd be hard pressed to name too many entertainers who were as successful and as beloved as Barbra Streisand. You'd also be hard pressed to summarize her staggeringly varied career (singer, songwriter, actress, music producer, director, movie producer) in a paragraph, too. A short summary: one of the few individuals to have a career EGOT (Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony), she's been nominated for 43 Grammys and has won eight, she's been nominated for five Academy Awards and won twice (Best Actress, Best Original Song), starred in nineteen movies and directed three, and has sold over 150 million records. For her musical career, Streisand has released 36 albums, nine of which have gone to #1 (she's also had a soundtrack and a compilation--which is the album my Dad had--hit the top spot), and 117 singles of which five peaked at the top of the chart. Streisand is also well known for her politics (Democratic Party to her core), fighting for women's rights and LGBTQ rights, and her numerous philanthropic efforts.
Fun Fact: Streisand attended Erasmus Hall High School in Brooklyn (she graduated at age 16), and among her classmates were future music star Neil Diamond and future World Chess Champion Bobby Fischer (whom Streisand admitted she had a crush on).
"The Way We Were" was originally released as a single in conjunction with the movie of the same name, and its success lead to the quick release of the deftly titled LP, The Way We Were. Both the single (with a bullet!) and the album hit the number one spot on the Billboard charts. The single also went on to win the Academy Award for Best Song, as well as the Grammy for Song of the Year. Based on a Google Search, near as I can tell it is the only song to ever complete such a trifecta, though "Lose Yourself" by Eminem hit #1, won an Oscar, and won a Grammy for Rap Song of the Year.
As my regular readers (both of you) know, emaycee is a big fan of female vocalists and "The Way We Were" has a heaping helping of an incredible female vocalist. Frankly, at the beginning and ending of the song Streisand hums along with the melody and she probably could have done it for the entire three and a half minutes and it still would have been a great song. Add in the fact that it chronicles the sad fate of two star crossed lovers, and you have a ballad beyond compare. Just a stunning piece of music by a stunning talent--a hundred years from now it will still sound as fresh and passionate as it did upon its release in 1973....
Lyric Sheet: "Can it be that it was all so simple then?/Has time re-written every line?/If we had the chance to do it all again/Tell me, would we? Could we?...
Note that at Wednesday's Detroit Pistons home opener in their new downtown Detroit stadium, a surprise appearance by Eminem was met with wild cheers, while a Jumbotron shot of Kid Rock was met with boos.
Though I've always suspected Kid Rock's considering a run against Senator Debbie Stabenow in 2018 to be more of a way to sucker republicans out of their money than an actual bid to be in the U.S. Senate, he might just want to reconsider if he's actually planning on challenging Sen. Stabenow.
Seems that the folks in Michigan aren't all that fond of folks who support racist assholes.
While I had to look up what a cypher was and am woefully behind the times on hip hop and rap, I had a three word take on Eminem's bitch slap of Donald Trump at last night's BET Hip Hop Awards: Beyond fucking brilliant.
The best four minutes of art since the inauguration of Donald Trump--enjoy:
So I'm driving home from work yesterday on (Eminem's famed) 8 Mile Road, stuck at a red light behind a semi, wall to wall cars, and feeling pretty pissed about all the other assholes who are in my way, when I look to my right and I see a sign in big, bold, red letters: Oumy's African Braiding and...Tax Services.
How cool is that? I can stop in and while I'm getting my weave I can have my taxes done, too.
You know, our conservative friends talk about making America great again but if you ask me, Oumy's is proof that we still are.
I used the motto for the city of Detroit at the top of this blog ("We hope for better days; it shall rise from the ashes.") because I thought it described Detroiters and Michiganders, and their attitude, perfectly. Much the same can be said for this ad--props to Chrysler for pushing the envelope--which captures Detroit (and Michigan) perfectly. Yes, it's grim at times, but it's real and hopeful, and shows what not only Detroit and Michigan do best, but what America does best: we build things.
I'm not a native, but after nearly ten years living in the "Detroit suburbs," I can honestly say I love living here as much as anywhere I've ever lived. Despite the miserable winters, this is a beautiful place, with lots of green and a lake around every corner. And the people are decent and down to earth as any I've ever met.
It's been a miserable last ten years here--the state has hemorraged jobs, the standard of living has plummeted, but still we keep pushing forward, and I think the Chrysler ad nails that spirit. Here's hoping it's the first of many good blessings to come Detroit's way.
Thanks to the Free Press for their buzz kill in this editorial--standard crap about personal responsibility, living up to our potential, yadda, yadda, yadda (though I was somewhat surprised to hear the Free Press say Detroit doesn't have "an image problem"--really? and beans won't make you fart). The Chrysler commercial was a bold statement and solving Detroit's problems will take bold ideas and actions--not trite platitudes.
The average American gets paid just enough so he doesn't quit his job, and works just hard enough so he doesn't get fired.
"When fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying the cross." Source unknown
Uncle emaycee Wants You For the Coming Class War! Enlist today....
Capitalism: Give a man a fish, feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish and you can exploit his labor, become filthy rich, and keep the poor bastard living paycheck to paycheck for the rest of his life.
