Faster than a rolling 'O'!
Stronger than silent 'E'!
Able to capital 'T' in a single bound!
it's a word, it's a plan...it's LETTERMAN! (Dun Dun DUUUNNNN)*
If those words mean nothing to you, you have no childhood (or were born in the '80's. Same thing.). :)
This was the intro to one of my favorite segments of the 70's TV show The Electric Company(one of my favorite shows), The Adventures of Letterman. No, it has nothing to do with the late night talk show host. It was the Electric Company equivalent of Superman (but way cooler). There were about 60 done during the course of EC's run. I loved it. In it, the evil Spellbinder (voiced by Zero Mostel)ruins someone's day by gets his kicks by changing the word associated with whatever the event of the time would be with his magic wand. Our hero, Letterman (voiced by Gene Wilder), would run in, (most times) pull the letter(s) off of his Varsity Sweater, change the messed up word, and save the day. All while being narrated by Joan Rivers.
Why do I bring this up? The nostalgia bug bit me, of course. So I present to you a couple of clips of this wonderful piece of history courtesy of Youtube. By the way, you know this was done in the seventies when you listen to the opening music. Pure funk, baby. Can you dig it?
In the Beginning (the origin story, if you will)
The Roar of Rage
A Rolling Bun Gathers No Seeds
If you want to see more of this (of course you do), head on over to the usual spot. They need to put them all on DVD. I'd buy it. And yes, I know there is area couple of Best of Electric Company sets out, it's not all of the shows.
Stronger than silent 'E'!
Able to capital 'T' in a single bound!
it's a word, it's a plan...it's LETTERMAN! (Dun Dun DUUUNNNN)*
If those words mean nothing to you, you have no childhood (or were born in the '80's. Same thing.). :)
This was the intro to one of my favorite segments of the 70's TV show The Electric Company(one of my favorite shows), The Adventures of Letterman. No, it has nothing to do with the late night talk show host. It was the Electric Company equivalent of Superman (but way cooler). There were about 60 done during the course of EC's run. I loved it. In it, the evil Spellbinder (voiced by Zero Mostel)
Why do I bring this up? The nostalgia bug bit me, of course. So I present to you a couple of clips of this wonderful piece of history courtesy of Youtube. By the way, you know this was done in the seventies when you listen to the opening music. Pure funk, baby. Can you dig it?
In the Beginning (the origin story, if you will)
The Roar of Rage
A Rolling Bun Gathers No Seeds
If you want to see more of this (of course you do), head on over to the usual spot. They need to put them all on DVD. I'd buy it. And yes, I know there is area couple of Best of Electric Company sets out, it's not all of the shows.
This post got re-sparked by Fave of the Friday Favecast and EJ Flavors of Ejflavors.com (Old School Wednesdays, y'all) on Twitter. I say re-sparked because I've had this self same conversation with people for years. Hell, I have a co-worker with whom I STILL go through it with every now and then. If you are a Hip Hop lover, it has to have come up at least once. What it basically boiled down to was one question: "What was your favorite A Tribe Called Quest album"? Everyone has their favorites. Most, like me are split between two. Not sure if anyone but me disregards the last couple of albums, but hey. Anyway, That is where this post comes in. If you are a Tribe fan from way back, I want to know what your favorite album is. If you don't know who this is, consider this a ATCQ primer. So, I would like to know the answer to this pressing question. If you aren't so versed in the Tribe or need a refresher, then here is where you will get it.
It breaks down like this:
5 albums. 3 videos (or links) a piece*. The videos that are embedded are either the a single or the ones I like. :)
People's Instinctive Travels and the Paths of Rhythm (1990)
I Left My Wallet in El Segundo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kpPkGZ6zhzA
Bonita Applebaum
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46c8AqzjLCg
Can I Kick It
Low End Theory (1991)
Check the Rhime
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRrM6tfOHds
Jazz (we got) / Buggin' Out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_-4GFV7uTE
Scenario
Midnight Marauders (1993)
Award Tour
Electric Relaxation
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERQzl4xDpXk
Oh My God
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35oNDO7VrJI
I guess if you must count these, then go ahead. :)
Beats, Rhymes, and Life (1996)
1nce again
Jam
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_U8fQ7mrVIQ
Stressed Out
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W6CfC3Iax-Q
The Love Movement (1998) **
Start It Up
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrkBM1p2n3Y
Find A Way
Hot Sex on a Platter
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aw-tANVjUF8
Alright, folks, have at it. I should point out that this post is why I LOVE Twitter. Conversations break out at a moment's notice (Plus, getting a blog post out of the deal is cool, too). ;)
And whatever happened to Jarobi the rhythm Provider?
Maybe some light is shed here:
A Tribe Called Quest interview (1998) Pt. 1
A Tribe Called Quest interview (1998) Pt. 2
A Tribe Called Quest interview (1998) Pt. 3
A Tribe Called Quest interview (1998) Pt. 4
* - Links put instead of the videos because this gets to be unruly. There are a lot video to go through.
** - Kinda hard to find videos for an album that was phoned in & packed with b-sides & whatnot. Not trying to say anything
And you didn't have to ask, nor was I tagged.... this year. I guess what brought this on is that I check out many blogs and after a minute, you kinda know them. The way I write, it's pretty much the same, but I am personal but not so personal. Regardless, here are some things you may not know about me.
1. I used to be in the school choir or two.
In the eighth grade, my mom thought is it would be a good idea to put me into the middle school choir. I didn't know that until later in the year and I damn sure didn't sign up for it myself. She did it because I was an introverted child. I stayed in the house and read. I did get outside after some prompting, but for the most part, I was curled up with a book (I kinda miss those days). Anyway, supposedly I had a decent voice and I actually liked it. In fact, I liked it so much that I kept it up until I graduated from High School. Oh, the weirdest song that I've ever had to perform was the Ewok
Celebration Song from the end of Return of the Jedi in the 10th or 11th
grade. It's true. The problem was, you don't just throw somebody into something and not expect repercussions. Thanks to the experience, I'm little more social (or at least can be). I also ended having bad cases of performance anxiety which has followed me til now. It was so bad, that I would throw up before every show and a lot of time could or didn't sing very loud. Thanks, mom. And I still can't sing now, so don't ask. I did also meet my best Friend in the eighth grade because of Choir, so something good came out of it. That, and one etched-in-my-brain memory of a girl named Tara in a red dress.. C-LAWD!!
1. I used to be in the school choir or two.
In the eighth grade, my mom thought is it would be a good idea to put me into the middle school choir. I didn't know that until later in the year and I damn sure didn't sign up for it myself. She did it because I was an introverted child. I stayed in the house and read. I did get outside after some prompting, but for the most part, I was curled up with a book (I kinda miss those days). Anyway, supposedly I had a decent voice and I actually liked it. In fact, I liked it so much that I kept it up until I graduated from High School. Oh, the weirdest song that I've ever had to perform was the Ewok
Celebration Song from the end of Return of the Jedi in the 10th or 11th
grade. It's true. The problem was, you don't just throw somebody into something and not expect repercussions. Thanks to the experience, I'm little more social (or at least can be). I also ended having bad cases of performance anxiety which has followed me til now. It was so bad, that I would throw up before every show and a lot of time could or didn't sing very loud. Thanks, mom. And I still can't sing now, so don't ask. I did also meet my best Friend in the eighth grade because of Choir, so something good came out of it. That, and one etched-in-my-brain memory of a girl named Tara in a red dress.. C-LAWD!!
2. If my wife and I were to have a child, it would be
African American.
Well, maybe it’s
just me. I’m African American based on the descent of my ancestry. My
wife is from Africa… Zimbabwe, to be specific. Therefore, any
child we should have will actually be both……ok. Next!
3. My “Freak Potential” has yet to be accurately calculated. I had a formula, too. It was something like:
Score from Freak Test * number partners ever / 69 + (365 / 12(3.14 * Square root of 69)
This of course is a bunch of BS, so if you tried it..Bravo. Realistically, I'm one wet donut away from being either a full fledged freak or one sick pervert, whichever comes first. I'm being governed by 1) the fact that I'm married and I do love my wife as vanilla as she is and 2) my personal Freak Trainer backed off on me when I did get married (Hi Baby Jaguar!). Opening those gates might have been like Bruce Banner turning Hulk. I still have my moments though.... ;P By the way, there could be some pics or video floating around the interweb. Not saying that there are, but if so, that's what I get for sharing......
4. I once opened for Dru Hill...
Well ok, this is kind of misleading, but it caught your attention, didn't it? A few years back, a couple of co-workers of mine had a rap group with one other dude. I would sit in on their sessions and even went into the studio with them. Well, it just so happens that one of the guys was friends with a "concert promoter" (The quotes are there to symbolize air quotes (read: Dude was shady)). He asked the group to be one of the warm up acts for Dru Hill show at a club a couple of hours away. Needless to say, we went. It's was a pretty good show. I even got on stage as a mic-less hypeman. It was fun.
5. I have a running ever-changing playlist in my head at all
times.
I can’t turn it
off (not that I’d want to) and I can’t determine what will play most of the
time. I can plant a song in someone's head at 30 paces. You have to know your audience, that's about as much as I can tell you on that. So when you see the songs of the moment bits I put on a post, that's probably why. There's always one in my head, but I try to turn it down unless it fits what I'm posting about.
Now, that you know that, I don't expect much traffic much longer. :) And I'm sure someone called the Paddy Wagon on me by now, so it's time to be out. Maybe there's wi-fi in the looney bin.
Peace
Here's the nine...
I must be slippin' in my old age. I can't believe I missed this. Last night, I was listening to and catching up on "On The Real" w/ Chuck D when I heard that he was talking to Brother J from the X-Clan. Come to find out that not only that X-clan and Public Enemy are now on tour, but X-clan has a new album coming out in January (the 30th from what I see).
If you don't know X-Clan is a Hip Hop group from the 90's and the "face" of the Blackwatch Movement (which is still active) started by group member and Activist Lumumba "Professor X the Overseer" Carson, son of civil rights activist Sonny Carson. Their first album, "To the East, Blackwards", is classic material and their second album, "Xodus", was more of the same. They spoke a message of pro black radicalism not totally unlike aforementioned Public Enemy. Brother J, the lead and pretty much only, MC was and still is regarded as one of the nicest on the mic. Ok, I don't remember if he made the list, but I think he should have if he hasn't. X-Clan helped popularize the beads and black medalions (the "afrocentric look" as would be said nowadays) that were widely worn (I hate to say fashionable, but that's what it seemed to be) when they came out. They didn't seem to be doing it for fashion sake, but because of what they believed in and that's part of why they are one of my favorite groups.
The group consisted of the before mentioned Brother J and Professor X (points if you can tell what that was in reference to), DJ Sugar Shaft, Paradise (not sure what he did), and Lady MC's Queen Mother Rage (not to be confused with Lady of Rage) and Isis, AKA Lin Que. Professor X died earlier this year, and Sugar Shaft died some years ago. Of that group, Brother J and Paradise are what's left. I have now idea what Queen Mother Rage is doing and Lin Que was, at one pint down with the Wu Tang offshoot crew, the Deadly Venoms.
Anyway, you can read all of that elsewhere. Right now, you should check out the new video, "Weapon X" below. It's hot, personally. I'm a little biased, granted, but it is good and Brother J proves he's still nice with his.
And if you want to check out X-Clan, here is their website:
X-Clan Music
And their Myspace page:
www.myspace.com/Xclanmusic
More videos:
Funkin' Lesson
Heed the word of the Brother
Xodus
Oh, and by the way, this is still protected by the Red, the Black, and the Green, SISSIES!!
(Hey, the prof's not here to do it so someone had to)
Vanglorious!
Oops, I just checked the Singfool website and it says it has 7000 videos. Not sure if that is including movie trailers, but that sounds like a better number that I spoke of earlier. Oops!
In the midst of finding links to terrorize a friend with, I came across the site called Singingfool.com. On the surface, it looks like a site showcasing music videos from the major genres, not unlike Yahoo Music (formerly named Launch.com). It also has movie trailers and RSS feeds (if you don't know stay tuned) for the various features. If you are familiar with the site Allmusic.com, you may have seen some their videos streamed from there. Clocking in at around 700 videos (according to Allmusic.com), it may not hold a candle to Yahoo's offering, but I had noticed that this site seems to have a interesting mixed of known, not so known, and "who the F**K are the cats" in their video selections. Well, they weren't known to me, anyway.
You may ask yourself, why is this of any interest to anyone? Well, it might not be. I, on the other hand, found a couple of ditties worth watching. The site has videos ranging from Mariah Carey to The Veronicas (I don't know) to Air America's very own Kyle Jason. If you don't know who he is (and you probably don't), check out his Show on Saturday nights from 10pm-Midnight on your local Air America station. Here is a hint, it's probably AM radio where you are. Or you can check it out online at that time from here.
That's another story. I found a video from little known group Art N Soul (Tont Toni Tone spawn) and Tupac's "Hail Mary". A video i've never seen. One or two of the videos I found wasn't on Yahoo. I'm going to keep looking, but check it out when you get a chance.
(EDIT) This site also has the ability to make playlists of videos, essentially allowing you to become your own DJ. I think Yahoo does this too, but i've never tried it if it does. I will be trying this. You may see the fruits of my awesome labor. This could be a challenge to someone's "endless music repertiore". :)
You may ask yourself, why is this of any interest to anyone? Well, it might not be. I, on the other hand, found a couple of ditties worth watching. The site has videos ranging from Mariah Carey to The Veronicas (I don't know) to Air America's very own Kyle Jason. If you don't know who he is (and you probably don't), check out his Show on Saturday nights from 10pm-Midnight on your local Air America station. Here is a hint, it's probably AM radio where you are. Or you can check it out online at that time from here.
That's another story. I found a video from little known group Art N Soul (Tont Toni Tone spawn) and Tupac's "Hail Mary". A video i've never seen. One or two of the videos I found wasn't on Yahoo. I'm going to keep looking, but check it out when you get a chance.
(EDIT) This site also has the ability to make playlists of videos, essentially allowing you to become your own DJ. I think Yahoo does this too, but i've never tried it if it does. I will be trying this. You may see the fruits of my awesome labor. This could be a challenge to someone's "endless music repertiore". :)
Do you like watching the Super bowl ads, but not the actual game? (I do, I do!)
Well, now you can get them in a video podcast all bite sized and portable like. Yummy!!
Well, check out the link from the link below(it's a good post) and find out how. There will be
words like feeds and podcasts and video on Ipods (whatever those are). Check it out. I will
and I don't have an Ipod. I do have a PSP that I can use for on the go viewing. Ipods, after all,
are not the only video viewing options. We will get to all of that soon. That said, check it out.
TinyScreenfuls.com » Get Super Bowl Ads as a Video Podcast Feed
Well, now you can get them in a video podcast all bite sized and portable like. Yummy!!
Well, check out the link from the link below(it's a good post) and find out how. There will be
words like feeds and podcasts and video on Ipods (whatever those are). Check it out. I will
and I don't have an Ipod. I do have a PSP that I can use for on the go viewing. Ipods, after all,
are not the only video viewing options. We will get to all of that soon. That said, check it out.
TinyScreenfuls.com » Get Super Bowl Ads as a Video Podcast Feed
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- Roddykat
- Tech lover with a minor in geekiness, Movie watcher, Student of Human Sexuality, Video game player, Literature respecter. Dabbler of all aforementioned subjects. And it's all fair game. Except video games, that's taken care of here.
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