On June 12, 1970, Dock Ellis threw a no-hitter for the Pittsburgh Pirates. In 136 years of baseball history, only 276 no-hitters have been recorded. Dock is the only pitcher to ever claim he accomplished his while high on LSD.
Swim and Sleep (Like a Shark)
This is one of the singles off of Unknown Mortal Orchestra’s 2013 album, II. Something made me think of it the other day, so here you go. The video is both hilarious and poignant, in my humble opinion.
Sex Pistols At Winterland
Recorded January 14, 1978, at the Winterland Ballroom in San Francisco, CA.
Setlist:
0:00:00 – God Save The Queen
0:04:13 – I Wanna Be Me
0:08:19 – I’m A Lazy Sod
0:10:42 – New York
0:14:25 – EMI
0:18:09 – Belsen Was A Gas
0:20:22 – Bodies
0:25:15 – Holidays In The Sun
0:29:19 – Liar
0:34:15 – No Feelings
0:37:18 – Problems
0:41:56 – Pretty Vacant
0:45:14 – Anarchy In The UK
0:49:00 – No Fun
The Winterland Ballroom, originally called the New Dreamland Auditorium, opened on June 29, 1928. It initially served as a venue for boxing, opera, and tennis matches, but sometime in the late 1930s, it began to be used as an ice skating rink too – hence the name change.
In 1966, world-renowned asshole Bill Graham began renting the 37,675 square foot space for the rock ‘n’ roll, and it hosted concerts by artists including Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones, The J. Geils Band, The Who, Queen, Slade, Boston, Cream, Yes, Kiss, The Doors, Jimi Hendrix, Steppenwolf, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Styx, Van Morrison, The Allman Brothers Band, Big Brother and the Holding Company with Janis Joplin, Jethro Tull, Pink Floyd, Ten Years After, Rush, Electric Light Orchestra, Genesis, Jefferson Airplane, Traffic, Golden Earring, Grand Funk Railroad, Humble Pie, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band, Robin Trower, Emerson, Lake & Palmer, Loggins and Messina, Lee Michaels, Heart, Journey, Deep Purple, J.J. Cale, Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention, Foghat, Mountain, B.B. King, Elvis Costello, and the incomparable Sha Na Na.
Legal capacity was 5,400 souls, so the Winterland was decent-sized but cozy. It was where Zeppelin first performed “Whole Lotta Love,” Scorsese shot The Last Waltz, and parts of “Frampton Comes Alive” were recorded.
Unfortunately, it also served as a sort of home base for The Grateful Dead, so it had to be torn down. Okay, not really. It was purchased by Consolidated Capitol Inc in 1978, demolished in 1985, and replaced with apartments.
Mort Drucker Interview
Fantastic.
One of the most innovative, inspirational and imitated artists in the history of cartooning, Mort Drucker has illuminated the pages of MAD Magazine since 1956 with his brilliant movie and TV caricatures. His Time covers hang in the National Portrait Gallery and he holds an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from the Art Institute of Boston. In 1987, the National Cartoonists Society awarded him the profession’s highest honor, the Reuben Award for Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year.
In 2015, he became the inaugural recipient of the NCS Medal of Honor. To mark the occasion, the NCS created a commemorative video. Filmed at Mort’s home studio in Long Island, New York, the legendary artist talked to his friend and fellow cartoonist John Reiner, the artist on the hugely popular features The Lockhorns, Howard Huge and Laugh Parade.
In a warm and enthralling conversation, the pair reflected on Mort’s path from his teenage days as a comic book assistant artist to his rapid ascent to the pinnacle of the profession, and discussed the attention to detail and quest for cartooning excel;;once that haas been the hallmark of Drucker’s illustrious career.
Q: Are You A Sexual Misfit? (Answer Below)
1) Scantily clad woman? Check!
2) Older guy in charge, convulsing with laughter? Sorta!
3) Bald, shirtless, scarred henchman? Check!
A: Yes. Yes, you are.
Hmm.
It’s Just Not Labor Day Weekend Without Jerry
So here’s some highlights from the 1976 MDA Telethon, including Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, and Buddy Rich.
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for “fair use” for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.
This Is Your Brain On Drugs
So, the good folks over at Magic Leap have created some device that let’s you see music. Or something like that. As they describe it…
“Magic Leap One’s unique design and technology lets in natural light waves together with softly layered synthetic lightfields. Both the real world and virtual light rays initiate neural signals that pass from the retina to the visual part of the brain, creating unbelievably believable experiences.
Built for humans, not robots (sorry robots), Magic Leap One is inspired by human physiology. It makes the unreal feel real. And this is only the beginning”
Wait. What?
Sigur Ros teamed up with them, and now you can see their music and get the effects of LSD without all the drug possession charges. This looks pretty insane, but that $2000 price tag is a bit much for me. In the meantime, I’ll continue to get my psychedelic hallucinations from combining Pabst Blue Ribbon and Xanax.
Don’t think they are selling these in Nashville yet, but this could be something to watch in the future…