Andy Kaufman’s Helpful Hints

Renfield and I caught the new Kaufman documentary at the Indie Memphis Film Festival yesterday, which of course sent me down the YouTube rabbit hole later. These clips are not in the movie, but a good sampling of some of the things he did to enrage the locals during his Memphis wrasslin heel stint in 1982. Hilarious.

The guy they keep cutting back to is Dave Brown, weatherman and co-host (along with Lance Russell) of the local wrestling program on our NBC affiliate.

Good Question

Thanks to Droogie for bringing this to my attention! Sadly, I don’t have Paramount+ …

Geddy Lee, legendary bassist and vocalist of Rush, stars in a new docuseries set out to answer one question: Are bass players human, too? He visits fellow bass players Krist Novoselic of Nirvana, Melissa Auf der Maur of Hole, Robert Trujillo of Metallica, and Les Claypool of Primus, to explore their expansive worlds beyond music.

Mothersbaugh Speaks

A rather interesting interview here on the always interesting Aquarium Drunkard with Bastard hero Mark Mothersbaugh. To misquote Makerbot, how many hours in a day does this fucking guy have?

Zombie Season

A lot going on here that I missed when I first listened.
My compliments to everyone involved.

Number Go Up

I’m only halfway through this book, and the author has already gone from innumerable parties of insufferable “crypto bro’s” and NFT suckers in the US  and Carribean (the funny parts), to the edge of Cambodian forced-labor complexes where victims of human trafficking are forced to lure marks into sending them bitcoin—so far the only successful real-world application for cryptocurrency (the unfunny parts)— to El Salvador, where almost no one will accept Bitcoin, despite the president’s naming it an official currency.  I got the Kindle edition after watching this interview.  The book is just as entertaining, if not more.  Highly recommended.

This One’s For You, Renfield

Mrs. Makerbot and I just watched Dracula last night, so this is a particularly timely find. We also streamed Renfield, which we thought was goofy fun.

In this in-depth retrospective, I tell the story behind the one that started it all: 1931’s “Dracula”, starring Béla Lugosi as The Count. I delve deep into its rocky development, cursed casting process, and messy production, as well as its public reception and timeless legacy, all while providing my own thoughts on the film. Also starring: Helen Chandler, Edward Van Sloan, Frances Dade, David Manners, and Dwight Frye. Directed by Tod Browning. Produced by Carl Laemmle for Universal Pictures.

Ring of Fire

“Ring of Fire” eclipse drops tomorrow.
Nashville – the center of the universe – only gets a 50% eclipse from about 10:30am to 1:30pm, with a peak at noon.

The full experience passes right through Roswell, so I’m pretty sure that this is the mother ship coming to get us. I’ll see you onboard.

And Now For a Bassist Who Sucks

Who’s the opposite of Jamerson or McCartney?  Phil Lesh, of course.  I could not listen to all of this, I just sampled here and there.  What I did hear sounded like the noodlings of a tin-eared fifteen-year-old who recently took up bass.  There is nothing remotely interesting going on musically or technically.  What he needs is a nun to slap his hand with a ruler.

I’m A Sucker For These Beatles Stems

This rhythm section kicked major ass, and Mr. McCartney was obviously paying close attention to James Jamerson by Rubber Soul.

Best YouTube comment:

The craziest part about Paul’s basslines is that, at least on Rubber Soul and before, he was playing and singing this LIVE with no monitors.