We Did It!!!!

A huge thank you for making my CD campaign a rip roaring success! We exceeded our funding goal, and soon I'll be off to La La Land to go into the studio and sing my heart out. Keep watching this space for regular updates.

Thank you again, I couldn't have done it without you!

Closing Time

The final countdown has begun. I've got 51 hours & $528 left until I reach my goal. If you've got any spare change lurking under those sofa cushions now's the time to send it in!

It’s All in the Movies

It’s hot. Brain melting, sweat dripping, wardrobe wilting, h-o-t, hot. In weather like this leaving the house is most definitely overrated. It’s far better to stay indoors blasting your a/c with a tall icy drink and a big tub of popcorn for a music movie marathon. Here in no particular order is a list of some of our favorites not including documentaries and concert films; we’ll save those for future posts.

This Is Spinal Tap: Spandex, Stonehenge and tiny sandwiches, oh my! How many music movies can claim to be both hilarious AND realistic? Or maybe it’s realistically hilarious, we don’t care we’re too busy laughing.

Lush Life: Jeff Goldblum and Forrest Whitaker star in this one about pals trying to make music in NYC. A bit difficult to track down, but well worth the hunt.

Still Crazy: The very funny story of the very fictional band Strange Fruit. There’s a Great cast that includes Bill Nighy, Billy Connolly, Jimmy Nail, Timothy Spall & Stephen Rea; and a great score by Foreigner’s Mick Jones, and Chris Difford of Squeeze.

 

Coal Miner’s Daughter: A great actress playing a country music icon; Sissy Spacek won an Oscar for portraying Loretta Lynn in her remarkable life story.




Bird: Forrest Whitaker makes another appearance on our list, this time playing Charlie Parker in this Clint Eastwood-directed biopic. A great flick, but a sad one.

Amadeus: Sex, intrigue, pretty costumes, and divine music - what more do you need? Oh yeah, great acting. Don’t worry it’s got that too!



Music & Lyrics: Perhaps not the most realistic movie of the bunch, especially if you like your music flicks with a bit more grit, but it’s great escapist fare. Drew Barrymore is charming and Hugh Grant is perfect as the happy has-been 80’s pop god.


Love Me or Leave Me: Speaking of gritty realism, it’s not a term one usually associates with Miss Doris Day, but that’s exactly what you get in this film version of the life of Ruth Etting. It’s a rare dramatic turn for her, and it pays off.


Immortal Beloved: Another costume drama this one featuring Gary Oldman as Bethoven . It’s tragic and romantic…sigh.

 High Fidelity: Not really a movie about musicians as much as it is a movie about people who love music. John Cusak (one of Miss Wendy Lane’s top five crushes) is terrific, and the soundtrack is killer. Nick Hornby, one of the funniest writers on the planet, wrote the book on which this film is based and the screenwriters did a great job of transferring Hornby’s unique humor to the film. This was made into a broadway musical as well, but without as much success.



So, that’s what we’re watching this summer. How 'bout you?

Ain't It Funny How Time Slips Away

We're in the home stretch for my CD fundraiser. You've only got until 11:59 PM Monday July 26th to join the party. Check out this handy dandy e-flyer for details....

'Only 8 Days Left...'

Wordplay

According to Save the Words, 90% of everything we write is communicated by just 7,000 words. When you think about it that’s not really a whole lot of verbiage. Apparently every day there are scads of words left abandoned and unwanted. The solution? Adoption, of course! I am well on my way to becoming the Angelina Jolie of the vocabulary world having already adopted some seventeen words. I am doing my best to rescarciate my past linguistic laziness. Besides words are neater, eat less, and will never blurt out your real age at public gatherings.

There are quite a few advantages to taking on rarely used terms. If you knew that cheesy reality make-over show was really about the fine art of venustation, wouldn’t you feel better about watching? Next door neighbor keeping you up all night while he rehearses his Post Hard-Core band? Four letter obscenities are so passé, far better to call him a senticious foppotee and watch his head explode. That uncle of yours that dominates every family gathering with his tall tales and answers to all the world’s ills? He’s not a crazy liar he’s a phlyarologist. (Not to be confused with your greedy brother who is a philargyrist.) A warning, most of your new adoptees will render your computer’s spell check tristifical.

It doesn’t seem fair that I should have all the fun. Try it yourself. Go to Save the Words adopt a word, and then use it in a sentence, a lyric or a poem in our comment section by August 2nd. The one we like best will win a copy of Ammon Shea’s book Reading the OED: One Man, One Year, 21,730 Pages.

Three weeks and counting…

I’ve got just a hair under three weeks left in my recording project fund drive, and we are 35% funded. Not too shabby, but I’ve still got a way to go before I reach my $6000 funding goal. You can help by visiting Kickstarter and pledging a few shillings to the cause. For as little as $10 you can pre-order an advance copy of the recording; if you’ve got some more pocket change rattling around you can make a larger pledge which will net you any number of cool gifts, including an Executive Producer Credit. I’m giving away an extra gift this week to everyone who pledges. Since my birthday is coming up if you pledge by this Friday July 9thyou’ll get an special musical birthday greeting from me when it’s your big day! All the details are here.

Muppets & Mondegreens

We’re carrying on our grand Fourth of July tradition of Muppets and Mondegreens.



We're thinking that maybe the title of America the Beautiful should be changed to America the Confused as it seems to be a bounteous source of misheard lyrics. Some of our favorites:



"My country ‘tis of thee, sweet land of liver trees"


"From every mouse inside, let freedom ring"


"Land Where the pilgrim’s fried "


Who knew America the Beautiful was about interplanetary travel?

"Oh, beautiful, for spaceship guys"


We’ll end this on a note from the Boss of Mondegreens, Bruce Springsteen, from Born in the USA. 

"I had a brother I can’t solve"

Happy 4th, y’all!

Jimmy Webb on Leonard Lopate

One of our favorite songsmiths, Jimmy Webb, was a guest on WNYC's Leonard Lopate Show yesterday. You can listen to the interview here. He’s got a new album out and will be giving a FREE outdoor concert in NYC Wednesday July 14th at the River To River Festival in Battery Park City. We’re off to buy hats and sunscreen right now!

Everyone Knows

There are times when I just can’t help myself, and this would be one of them. Did you know that on this day in 1967 the number one single in the US was Windy by The Association? Did you also know that this is one of the two sources of my name (the other was Wendy from Peter Pan)? Furthermore, did you know that July is the start of my birth month? All these things being the case I just had to post this wacky clip. By the way, a real lady never tells her age, but I will tell you that I was NOT born the year this song was number one!

Thanks to This Day In Music for the factoid!