Rain

Good to see you around, Dave!

If you're still not convinced, off the top of my head, I could introduce you to Clint Malarchuk, Borje Salming or that poor kid playing junior league in Ontario who practically had his leg sectioned by a skate a few weeks ago...

Me, I suffered a few concussions, a broken arm, injured knees - but overall, I inflicted more damage than I suffered (I was a nasty player, I'm told). But that's all very superficial compared to those guys, or Jacques Plante and Terry Sawchuck (last photo), who stopped pucks with their face...

Those guys in tights who spend most of their time bending over in rows,  passing a cigar-shaped object between their legs, staring at each other butt and then trying to pin each other down? 

Yeah, I guess that's the kind of sport where girls are not allowed - they just wouldn't get it.

But if you really are into big strong hairy men, I guess you can always look up Dave The Hammer Schultz, Bob Probert, Dave Williams, or Terry Tasmanian devil O'Reilly.  Should satisfy your urges and cravings.   

Be advised though - they don't just try to pin each other down - they actually beat the crap out of each other.  Teeth flying all around, blood everywhere - even blades to the face... Might be too much for a football fan.

(FWIW, all jokes aside, this Canadian IS doing his best to get acquainted with football).


 

FWIW, I ADORE those guys and consider them brothers -  but I don't think this recording does anyone justice, my wife included.

31 minutes ago, craigb said:

Nice pics Rain!  White guitar for live use, black and/or red for studio use, eh? 😁

The first rock album I ever had (translation "was allowed to have by my parents!" LOL) was KISS Rock and Roll Over.

It's actually my favorite guitar - although I really like to practice on the Jackson Randy Rhoads because it's so comfortable for someone who likes to play in the classical position. But I always get back to that white LP.

Rock and Roll over is the first KISS album I heard but I didn't really discover them until a few years later, with Creatures of the Night. One could say that that record set the tone to my musical life  - it was dark, heavy, simple and coherent and with HUGE drums.

Funny anecdote - I started listening to KISS again around the same time as I met my wife. I remember one evening in our room in Russia I was listening to I Still Love You and she asked me  "What's that song you're always listening to?" Fact is, I was listening to the whole album but she noticed this one in particular.

She was no fan of KISS back then so when I told her I could imagine her singing that song, she didn't really care for the idea. But after we moved here and met the KISS Night folks, they invited us to play and asked what song we'd play - to which I immediately replied I Still Love You. We played it together and the crowd went nuts (if I'm not mistaken, at least two of those pictures above were taken during that song).

It became HER KISS song, so now she gets to sing it every year with the biggest names on the bill. When they released the first single, of course they wanted it to be that one.

I am ashamed to admit that I never really liked Rush - that is until a few years ago.  Probably because they were so ubiquitous in my entourage, and everyone held them in such high esteem - but their music was like a foreign language to me. I could appreciate pieces like La Villa Stangiato and YYZ, but the music they were releasing when I was discovering rock and roll in the mid 80's was just to synth-y for my tastes - back then. Plus I didn't really like prog, so...

But I had my epiphany a couple of years ago and became a HUGE fan of theirs. The good thing about that is that, this left me with many great classic albums to discover, so no matter what's released by contemporary bands, I have a backlog of awesome Rush music to discover.

You perform Oomox on your cat?! That's disgusting!

Nah, I do it too.

To all 7 of them and they can't get enough. 

I'm a huge KISS fan too.  I couldn't possibly pick one favorite album but I have many friends who are huge fans of The Elder. My own guilty pleasure would probably be Unmasked. I just love a well put together pop rock song.

Every year in Vegas, we have this thing called KISS Night in Las Vegas, put together by friends of ours. I've participated a few times - actually my profile pic was taken at KISS Night a few years ago -  and my wife is invited every year. She also sang on their cover of I Still Love You which was released last year or the year before.

Each installment is centered around an album and I'm guessing that The Elder should be featured sooner or later.  I've spoke to hundreds of fans at those events, and no one has ever really put down any album - and we all have our "guilty pleasure".

By the way, The Elder door is down here in Vegas too, at KISS Mini Golf.  Here's a pic taken at my birthday a few years ago...

https://www.ajournalofmusicalthings.com/rip-rushs-neil-peart-dead-of-brain-cancer-at-age-67/

I have no words.

America's pastime, Canada style. Who wants to take their skates off for just a couple of summer days anyway... World Series, here we come!

41 minutes ago, Notes_Norton said:

I like Beethoven symphonies the best, especially 3, 4 and 7. #5 has a great first movement but the rest doesn't thrill me (it's still genius but not my cup of tea).

For me at this stage in my life, symphonic music starts with Beethoven's 3rd, what I consider the very beginning of the romantic era. But what I love best is Dvorak, Suk, Shostakovitch, Tchaikovsky, Prokofiev, Borodin, Smetana, Amirov, Saint-Sans, Vaughan Williams, Granados, Albeniz, Sarasate, de Falla, Rodrigo,  and quite a few others. The more emotional they are, the better I tend to like them. The darker and heavier they are also gain listening points for me.

I guess it's the Heavy Metal of the Classical world

Like this one:

Shostakovitch: Symphony #7, "Lenningrad" / USSR Symphony Orchestra, Evgney Svetlanov conductiong

 

 

3, 4, 7 are also my favorites!

Coming from a heavy metal background too, I totally get what you mean. Although I'll always be a fan of the classics, in recent years I started broadening my horizon, with Shostakovich among others. I also became a huge fan of the work of Penderecki, Lutoslawski and such.

Although, at the end of the day, for me, Beethoven's Late String Quartets represent one of mankind's greatest achievements. I don't know what it is - it just clicks with me.

I've been listening to almost nothing but Beethoven recently - except Elvis' Christmas records. I got myself a boxset of the complete String Quartets as well as one of the complete piano concertos as an early Christmas present this year.

But for the last 2 days, it's Handel's Messiah - which I'm ashamed to admit I barely knew, save for some of the more obvious passages.  

1 hour ago, craigb said:

Did Santa bring you any more furry presents Rain? 🐶🐱

Not this year. We've been downsizing the zoo a bit in the last two years and I believe Santa got the memo.

Belated Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays you guys.

I know I don't visit often, but I was worried there for a bit...

So I went ahead and watched the first few episodes of Discovery - and unfortunately, I seem to agree with many old Trek fans.

Personally, I find it very hard to see past the diversity + identity agenda.  And agenda wrapped in an orgy of special effects.

Obviously, when I mentioned that, it was implied by some people that I was - at least on some level - a racist phallocrat...

So I asked myself... And then I remembered Star Trek Voyager, with not only a female captain but a a cast of 3 very strong women - Janeway, B'Elanna, and Seven of Nine.  Actually, the male parts on the show never seemed as interesting to me.  And the male cast is as racially diverse at is can be. There is no majority vs minority. And I loved that show. Even better than that- not until I though about it again yesterday did I realize that Tom Paris was the only white dude on the bridge. That's how much it bothered me...

I also remembered my favorite show, DS9, with possibly my favorite captain.

And as I was watching the 3rd episode yesterday, I realized that Discovery just is not interesting to me. It's got none of the philosophical debates, none of the moral questioning - it's about the individual, her identity, her inner conflicts. And explosions and big scary Alien types of monsters hiding in a dark ship and tearing people's limbs... This was supposed to be exciting, but it was not even that. Just a boring rehashing of every cliché in the book. 

My opinion - avoid STD.

31 minutes ago, Grem said:

 

My exact thoughts on DS9 Rain. And I had forgot about Garak until I was watching the episodes of the first season and he was on the third one I think? Something about the way Andrew Robinson plays Garak that makes him stand out from the ordinary. I think most of the Cardassian's in DS9 are played really well.

My fav Cardasian show (from STTNG) was the one with Jean Luc as a prisoner. (There Are Four Lights!)

 

Will look up the Orville for sure now!!

The Four Lights episode is such a gem!

The Cardasians are indeed fascinating. I've always been a fan of Mark Alaimo (Gul Dukat). I remember first noticing him in old episodes of The Incredible Hulk. And Robinson - man...

 A few years ago, our friends dragged us to a convention here in Las Vegas one early morning and as luck would have it, the panel consisted of Andrew Robinson, Mark Alaimo and Casey Biggs (Damar).  Being a huge fan of Cardassians, I was happy that I went.  If I remember correctly, the delightful Chase Masterson, aka Leeta, was the only other panelist that morning. 

I am not much of a groupie-type of person, so I didn't try to meet any of them afterwards, although I did contemplate shaking hands with Robinson when my wife insisted that I should get my picture taken with my favorite character.

The main cast is fine,  and of course I like Shatner, Stewart and all those guys. But to me, those Cardassians as well as a guy like Jeffrey Combs who has played so many memorable characters on most of those shows are the most interesting. 

And then of course, there is Louise Fletcher, aka Kai Winn aka Nurse Ratched. That lady can portray a detestable character like few others. And saying that just reminded me of Brad Dourif's performance on Voyager...  And now I feel like watching Trek again. Oh well... 

On 1/14/2019 at 7:43 PM, Grem said:

I watched the first STDS9 episode "Emissary" today. That was a really good show. I think DS9 was one of the best ST series.

Will have to check out "Orville."

DS9 would have to be my favorite - characters have so much more depth to them than in other shows... There are a lot of grey areas, shade and light.  Garak is one of my favorite  ST characters and a great example of that.

But I love all the shows - although it took me forever to get into the rest of them as I had no interest for any of the sequels to TOS until a few years ago.  

I have not yet watched Discovery but I am really not sure I will enjoy it.  My best buddy - who never liked Star Trek - is a huge fan,  and that sends me a weird signal because he also loved the Abrams movies - which I hated.  I always felt like they were trying to make a Star Trek that would finally appeal to Star Wars fans. As much as I like both, I don't thing they mix together well...

The Orville is a great show. My wife and I were hooked 5 minutes into the first show.