Prince and the Big 5-0

Happy Birthday to Prince Rogers Nelson who turns 50 today!
(And Happy Birthday to the twins: Peter and Juliana. I love you, much)

Can it be? How did Prince go from the 18 year old prodigy in a trench-coat and speedos to a Rock And Roll Hall of Famer (with 25 years of recording experience required) in a blink of an eye!? I've spent many blogs rhapsodizing about the Artist formerly known as the Artist formerly known as Prince, so I'll keep this one brief.

I can still remember the first time I heard When Doves Cry. It was music from another world and the first Prince single I purchased at Coconuts on the Arlington Expressway. And the flip side? 17 Days had a similar effect on my brain and music appreciation skills. Then came Purple Rain, the movie and LP. A paradigm shift with repercussions I couldn't escape if I wanted to. As I get older, there are songs of Prince's that make less sense to me, but they are still slamming recordings.

Of course, my guiltiest pleasure is the black & white carnival that is Under The Cherry Moon. Don't know if I'll have time to watch it today. But a day doesn't go by that I refer to it... And most people would never know. Unless, they're part of the old GU Posse du Cinammon. And you know who you are. The movie is silly and sublime and Prince at his celluloid best.

[It's pretty amazing that the big 3 of 80s Pop, Prince, Madonna and Michael Jackson all hit half a century this year. I will admit I'm not a Madonna fan (I like some of her music), but I'll cop to her cultural impact. But, Mike and Prince, hands down the best writers & performers of the past 30 years.]

Thanks for all the wonderful and strange rides, Mr. Nelson. Happy Birthday!!

A few favorite Prince highlights that I will cue up:
1999 (LP)
Purple Rain (LP)
Pop Life (single)
Parade (LP)
All My Dreams (unreleased track)
Sign 'O' The Times (LP)
Gold (album track)
3121 (LP) now playing!

Elephants and Flowers, Peace & Disco Beats

Remembering D-Day

After visiting the coast of Normandy and touring the beaches last month, I have a renewed appreciation for the undertaking of June 6, 1944. There was lots to learn about Operation Overlord while we were there. And I feel I only scratched the surface. Many monuments along the road from WWI & WWII.

It was very moving to see the last of the Mulberry Harbor. And incredibly heavy visiting the American Cemetery in low clouds and rain. God bless the men who sacrificed themselves for the victory in second World War. Here are a few snaps from our drive around Omaha and Gold beaches. I will post details tonight.

Peace


Mulberry Harbor, Gold Beach. British landing site. Brainchild of Winston Churchill.

Road signs along the Normandy Coast.

Omaha Beach from the American Cemetery.

The ceiling of the chapel at the American Cemetery.

A sculpted table-top displaying Operation Overlord's landing sites.

Me at Omaha Beach.

Patty and the statue for the American Spirit.

Long view of the cemetery.

Vintage heavy armored vehicle in front of the American Museum.

Goodbye, Mr. Kong

Sad day at work yesterday. I wasn't there, but I sure watched the news. One of my favorite pastimes at the studio was to walk around the New York Street sets and Courthouse Square. Especially on Saturdays. Like strolling through a Twilight Zone-esque deserted town. Solitude, mysteriously empty buildings and singing birds. Walking up New England St.; Georgetown St. and arriving at Courthouse Square. Always being careful to dodge any production that might be filming. There was one wedge of Brownstones that I particularly enjoyed.

Alas, most of it is gone now. But I'm happy to report that the courthouse (made famous in "To Kill A Mockingbird" & "Back To The Future") still stands. Bravo and 3 cheers for the fire fighters and Sheriff's deputies who responded to the blaze on the backlot. Just last Thursday I was tramming on the backlot and got to spend some quality time with King Kong. It's a shame that future generations will not see his likes again. But, I'm sure the studio's creative types will come up with sets and fun things to see on Kong's spot in no time.

I'm off to work in a new supervisory position today. Well, on-the-job training anyway.

I finally got all of the pictures from the tour loaded up into the computer. There will be a special page on my main website to view many of them. In the meantime, access my myspace page and you'll get a really good taste of my experience in France and Britain this past month.

I'm also happy to report that we are green for Go on the upcoming Summertime shows here in Southern California. Astro and Sterke, thanks for being there.

Have a safe and blessed day, y'all!

Peace & Disco Beats