Plagiarism is The Sincerest Form of Bloggery - -

- - or some such nonsense (and I should know).

Tee-hee, I'm honored...

Podcast on a Summer's Day...

... or at least a day like today.

Like a lizard atop a wooden stump, there's a new link posted to a new 'I'm Learning To Share' podcast, and it's parked over near the top of the lovely brown sidebar.

(UPDATE: Another one gone. You might try poking around the audio annex...)

Parked, basking in the summer heat, sitting still and quiet until someone like you comes along to nudge it - -
- - Or to hear an interesting batch of music.

Either one...

Return of the podcast

Happy to report the return of a semi-regular rotating feature - -

There's a link to a new In Crowd podcast posted atop the lovely brown sidebar.

The schizophonic mix of music represents samplings of things I've heard recently, and some other favorites that needed a good airing...

Enjoy!

(Update: This particular podcast has rotated out, replaced by a new one. But you might try taking a look over in the Audio Annex...)

Some kinda podcast or 'nother...

... or maybe something like a mixtape, 'cept it's here online.

Check out some musical selections that struck my fancy.

It's parked over near to the top of the lovely brown sidebar, and maybe you'll have your fancy struck as well.

Enjoy!

(Update: 'Nother podcast expired, but you might try looking for it at the Audio Annex...)

Gee, shucks, and thanks: It's The Dardos Award

The innerweb never seems to tire of spraying its referential pointers everywhere, but I hope you'll please allow me just a moment to send profuse thanks to Gilligan at Retrospace, for having recently presented 'I'm Learning To Share' with
The Dardos Award.

The Dardos Award is described as: "An award given for recognition of cultural, ethical, literary, and personal values transmitted in the form of creative and original writing. These stamps were created with the intention of promoting fraternization between bloggers, a way of showing affection and gratitude for work that adds value to the Web."

I'm appreciative and a bit humbled, as I know that my blog has really been running on fumes lately.

With this honor comes the responsibility of selecting five of my favorite bloggers to whom I may pass the award along, in accordance with the Dardos Award Rules:

1) Accept the award by posting it on your blog along with the name of the person that has granted the award and a link to his/her blog.


2) Pass the Dardos Award to another five blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgement, remembering to contact each of them to let them know they have been selected for this award.


An honorary mention should of course go to Retrospace, not just as a 'thank you', but for its continued excellence in presenting fun and engaging nuggets of '60s and '70s pop culture that make for exactly the sort of thing I love to pore over online.

Choices, choices, choices.
My candidates represent a particular cross-section of an incomplete list of sites I visit fairly regularly.

Though I loves me a good blog that's chock full o' pretty pictures and not a lotta chatter, I'll choose to place emphasis on the writing aspect stated as a component of this award, and so choose a few favorites who regularly provide a pleasing balance of words and image in their blogs...

1. Isn't Life Terrible.
Don Brockway sums up his site perfectly: "Life can be terrible; life can be wonderful. The heights and depths of popular culture, with lots of listening - music, interviews, and stories... spiced with books, quizzes, video, pictures... even a little commentary."

2. ephemera.
'Exploring The World of Old Paper' - - Beautifully crafted, I always enjoy a visit to the rarified atmosphere of Marty Weil's world. Amazing.

3. Funky16Corners.
Music bloggery at its best. Larry Grogan writes from the heart about old-school soul music, shares the good shit and knows his stuff.
As if that weren't enough, also check out his Iron Leg and Paperback Rider.

4. Again With the Comics.
"Brian Hughes goes on and on about comics. If he loves comics so much, maybe he should just marry one."
Great choices with perfect commentary for those who are voracious and omnivorous when it comes to funny books.

5. Kindertrauma.
"Your Happy Childhood Ends Here."
More retro pop culturosity, but not in a good way.
From their manifesto, it's "...about the movies, books, and toys that scared you when you were a kid. It’s also about kids in scary movies, both as heroes and villains. And everything else that’s traumatic to a tyke! Through reviews, stories, artwork, and testimonials, we mean to remind you of all the things you once tried so hard to forget…"
Fascinating and chilling, and a truly important public resource!

Changing of the podcast

Same story, different month - - I've swapped out last month's podcast for a new assortment of music for your perusal.

There's a new link nestled over towards the top of the lovely brown sidebar.

Check it out and enjoy...

(UPDATE: Out with the old and in with the new. This particular 'cast is gone, but you might look for it at the Audio Annex.)

November brings 'nother new podcast

- - as well as many other new things as change wafts through the air.

New links for a new podcast are perched near to the top of the lovely brown sidebar on this page.

Have a listen, have yourself a happy November, and
please enjoy!

(UPDATE: Like fallen leaves, this particular 'cast dried up and blew away. But you might find it in the Audio Annex.)

Update: A Li'l Mo' Big Ethel

Taking just a moment to direct your attention to the previously posted Riverdale Make-Over: The Changing Face of Big Ethel, where I've added a few more Archie comics scans displaying the charms of Ethel Muggs, from back in the days before she was politically-corrected beyond all recognition...

Two little shrine updates

Just a quick note to mention a light sprinkling of new media that have been added to two previous posts;

Please revisit The Ruth Buzzi Shrine and 'In Praise of Michael J. Pollard' for a few more images and other stuff that wasn't there before.

(And don't miss the oh-so unexpected 'Michael J. Pollard For President').

Podcast Alert!

Whoosh! There went last month.

Pow! Here comes a new month.

With it comes another nifty blast of podcast, poised near to the top of that lovely brown sidebar.

Dig it! (UPDATE: Time for digging has passed, another one buried. You might try exhuming this one at the Audio Annex)

Thanks for noticing.

September: A new month, another new podcast

A brand new In Crowd podcast is WAS up, waiting patiently near the top of this page's lovely brown sidebar.

(UPDATE: That one has passed on through, but you might look for it parked over at the Audio Annex.)

As always it's packed full of a variety of music, much of which you may never have heard before.
- - And as is often the case, the shifts in mood and segue choices make some form of perfect sense to me, if no one else.

Have fun and enjoy the ride!

Neato! A Plaudit, An Accolade!!

- - Much Kudos, even!

I'm very pleased and honored to announce that I awoke this morning to the discovery that 'I'm Learning To Share' has just received an Arte Y Pico Award.

I received an announcement from Preston of the
Me and the Blue Skies blog;

"I've awarded you the Arte Y Pico Award because yours is THE coolest blog ever."

Many thanks, Preston. You'll make me blush.

Crafting this blog has been a great pleasure from the beginning, and it's been hugely gratifying to know that the stuff I think is cool enough to share with others has been so well received.
Onward and upward!

And so onto the fine print, and a further opportunity to share...

Here are the rules for the Arte Y Pico Award:
1) You must choose up to 5 blogs that you consider to be deserving of this award for their creativity, design, interesting material, and for their contribution to the blogging community.

2) Each award granted must include the name of the awarded blog's author and provide a link to his/her blog so it may be visited by all.

3) Each award winner must exhibit the award, and provide the name of the person who presented her/him with the award, along with a link to that person's blog.

4) Both the award winner and the one who has given the award must show a link to
the “Arte y Pico” blog so that everyone will know it's origin.

5) You must also show these rules.

- A note from the Arte y Pico blog, perhaps poorly translated from Spanish, regarding the meaning of 'Arte y Pico':

"...basically, ironically, it translates into a wonderful phrase in Mexico, 'the maximum.'
"It will never find its exact counterpart in English, but if it HAD to, it would be something like "Wow. The Best Art. Over the top."

With that in mind comes the very difficult task of picking 5 worthy bloggers out of so very many regular favorites on a long and non-definitive list...

1. Fabulon.
Among the many delights of Thombeau's blog for me personally is that although a fair portion of his Grandly Glamourous and Divinely Decadent content is not strictly my cup of exquisitely-flavored tea, the beautiful presentation and joy that it conveys never fail to draw me in.


2. Bedazzled!
Videos, music, some similar sensibilities, and my introduction to the amazing world of Scopitones! Spike Priggen's essential site provided much inspiration for me to begin sharing what I love, and what's not to love about that?

3. Dark Roasted Blend.
Avi Abrams and crew have created a site full of 'weird and wonderful things' from the world over. The perfect place to visit if you've got just a minute on your coffee break for quick shots of intriguing sights and information - - but be prepared to still be chasing down more after your mug's gone cold and you're now running desperately late...

4. Martin Klasch.
Image! Color! Line! Design! Art! Inspiration! P-E Fronning's crisply visual blog sends sparks through my retinas and fires the imagination. An ongoing eclectic gallery of stuff that has COOL in common.

5. If Charlie Parker Was a Gunslinger, There'd Be a Whole Lot of Dead Copycats.
Speaking of cool, there's a whole lot of it here. Tom Sutpen and the other curators serve up a visual feast with results that delight in a similar fashion to that Martin Klasch blog, but using primarily photographs of notable personalities past and present. Truly stunning - - and how can you not love a blog that worships Joan Blondell?

But It Was Only A Dream: Pvt. Doberman's Magic Johnny Otis Record

This post relates to a dream I had early this morning.
I awoke from it around dawn, thinking 'What the heck was that?'
I'm still trying to piece it together before it evaporates completely, and I feel compelled to share it with you.

To preface, I've always felt that dreaming is by far the best entertainment value for your money.
I love being able to remember a dream.
I revel in a wild dream, even if it scared the bejeebers out of me.

'Wow, where did that come from?'

It's like being an auteur filmmaker with an unlimited budget and no hassles from the studio.

Despite my love of a vivid dream, I've never had too much interest in dream interpretation.
Sometimes meaning will assert itself, and that's fine - - but otherwise my preference is to let the mystery be and just 'enjoy the show'.

This morning's 'show' was just about literally that, at least at first; The dream presented itself as an old TV sit-com, a strange episode of 'The Phil Silvers Show'.

With at least one vividly-colored exception, what I recall is the dream being in 1950's black and white, complete with laughter from the studio audience.
It included Sgt. Bilko and the rest of his platoon at Fort Baxter, but featured the slovenly, slow-witted and gullible Pvt. Duane Doberman ▼ (as played by Maurice Gosfield).

In the hazy 'plot' of this dream, Doberman is nuts over the new Rock & Roll music on the radio, and specifically he's crazy for the tune
'Willie and the Hand Jive', the latest number from
(R&B pioneer) Johnny Otis. ▼

Doberman begins to cause a stir among his fellow soldiers by constantly singing the song to himself as he goes about his day.

He keeps fudging the lyrics, but belts out the chorus, bellowing - -

"Han' Jive. Han' Jive.
"Han' Jive,
"Doon' That Crazy Han' Jive."

'Hilarity ensues' sit-com-style, as various members of the platoon are driven to distraction by Duane's singing - - telling him to be quiet, trying in vain to correct him on the lyrics of the song, getting in arguments over the lyrics with others, and ultimately finding themselves 'infected' by the hand jive as they themselves begin absent-mindedly singing it, unable to get the tune out of their heads.

The thread of the dream changes gears slightly around this point, with Pvt.Doberman announcing excitedly that he's just seen an advertisement in the back of a comic book for a new 'magic' Johnny Otis record available by mail order.


It's here that details of the dream get fuzzier.

I recall some speculation and doubt from 'cast members' about what a 'magic' Johnny Otis record could be, as well as general disgust with Doberman.

Somehow this leads to a 'Cinderella' situation, where all of the platoon gets to go to some special event except for Dobie, who's been restricted to barracks, likely for some sort of 'hand jive mania' hijinks.

I suppose if this were really a sit-com episode and not a strange dream, the special event would be a Johnny Otis Show concert & dance, perhaps engineered via some Bilko chicanery.
Some further subterfuge would probably then lead to Doberman being snuck out to attend, ending with his being on stage to sing 'Hand Jive' with the band.

As it played out though, the remainder of the dream centered around the magic record.

Doberman is dejected as the others are readying to depart for the special event, leaving him behind in the barracks.

Suddenly, Mail Call. A package for Doberman. It's the Magic Johnny Otis record!

The other soldiers are ready to leave, but hesitate, curious about the record as an elated Duane opens the package and prepares to play the record on a little portable record player.

Okay, here goes.

The record itself looks like a standard 12-inch black vinyl LP, but instead of standard concentric grooves, you can clearly see that at least one side of the record bears some sort of crazy jumble of a criss-crossing pattern etched into the vinyl.

"Dobe, I hate to say it," says one soldier, "- - but I think you got gypped. That nutty thing's never gonna play right."
Doberman replies: "Aw, gee! Maybe that's why it's a Magic Rekkid. Have a little faith, willya?"

There's a moment of silence as Duane places the tonearm on the edge of the record. By now there's a small group of soldiers with him, crowded around the player.

Music begins playing. There's a gasp. "Gee, wouldya look at that..."

Not only is the record player's needle somehow tracking along the maze of etched grooves, moving at odd angles without incident, but as it travels through the groove, it changes the color along that line from the vinyl's black to various different vivid colors.

The men crowd in closer to watch and listen. More colored lines are revealed as the record plays, and it becomes clear that they are beginning to form a picture. Not only that, but the movements and color changes seem to be correlating to changes in the music as it plays.

"Gosh, it's beeyootiful..."

How ANY of this could been seen and interpreted on a disc that's spinning is something I can't explain to you. I can tell you that it worked just fine in the dream.

As the 'witness' of this dream, I know I don't remember the music, except that it didn't sound like any Johnny Otis I've ever heard, and that in the context of the dream it was gorgeous.

My fuzzy recollection of the image on the Magic Record is that the finished product revealed when it finished playing was figurative artwork, but I can't remember what it depicted.

Watching it form was like watching the continuous line of an Etch A Sketch moving quickly in time to music, so I suppose when you add vividly changing colors it's also kinda reminiscent of my iTunes 'Visualizer' gizmo.

- - Though it reminded me more of the elementary school art projects where you'd put a full layer of black india ink over a sheet of paper you'd already scribbled full of rainbow crayon colors, and then scratch designs through the black with some kind of stylus or the sharp end of a pair of scissors.

The end result 'painted' picture on the record gave a feel that was similar to the old
Vogue label picture records ▶
of the late 1940's, but with the angular continuous line in vivid color against black vinyl, I'm more reminded of some of
Jim Flora's artwork.
(see below) ▼

Huh. It was my dream, so I guess it can be an amalgam of all of those things, right?









As for Doberman and the rest of the Bilko crowd in the dream, my feeling is that by consensus the amazing Magic Johnny Otis record exonerated Duane of all of his transgressions, and that made a perfectly fitting end to the dream.

Again, had this nonsense somehow been a 'real' Bilko episode, it would have then ended with Dobie being sprung from the barracks to go rock out with the Johnny Otis Show.

In my dreams, I suppose. (And thanks for indulging me!)

A 2-part August podcast is ready to rock!

Cruising along with this busy summer, the time is right to shake it up, strike a calculatedly defiant pose,
fling a lotta snot, and rock out.

Stir up some 'tude, dude!

Over towards the right of this page, smeared somewhere onto the top of that lovely brown sidebar there's this month's podcast, a special two-part, double barrelled
blow-out of hand-picked rockers, punks and other gunk.

Stick part 2 onto the end of part 1 - - or don't.

Either way, dig in and have a blast!

(UPDATE: This cast blew through, but you can probably dig it out over at the AUdio Annex.)

A July podcast, all ready for YOU

Summertime, and the listening ain't always easy.

But there's a remedy...

Near to the brim of the lovely brown sidebar there's this month's podcast, properly steeped, full of yummy stuff and good for what ails you. Cheers!

(UPDATE: This one expired, but can likely be refurbished over at the Audio Annex.)

Take the new June podcast out for a spin

In addition to lovely scenery in new places, an excess of driving around and about affords more opportunities to enjoy an excess of eclectic music.

Fortunately it doesn't diminish the desire to share tunes with y'all.

Parked near the top of that lovely brown sidebar there's a new podcast, fresh from the assembly line.

Hope you enjoy! - - enjoyed - - (UPDATE: This 'cast traveled down the line, but can probably be found parked at the Audio Annex.)

A new month of May means a merry new podcast

As we journey further into the merry month of May, I hope you'll enjoy a new In Crowd podcast.

There's a link for it sitting over to the right, near to the top of the lovely brown sidebar.

Stick it in your ear and dig it!

(UPDATE: Done and gone - - Look for it over at the Audio Annex.)

The Skinny: A pause while life intrudes upon the scene

If life and our situations always stayed the same, it just wouldn't be life, now would it?
The only constant is change, and so on.

If you'll pardon a pause in the usual parade of whatnot, the time has come for me to share some personal changes in my life that will likely affect the future of my blog, certainly in the short term.

My wife and I are splitting up, and today's the day that I packed up a carload of stuff and began the process of moving out of the house, and out of Boise.

I'm OK. It's just a strange time. One that's been brewing for a long while.

As I'm writing this, I'm sitting in a motel room in Winnemucca, Nevada, a universal half-way point.

I'm headed back to the San Francisco bay area, where I'm from, and the plan is to try and swing moving back there permanently.

I took the photo below ▼ this afternoon. It's the view from the south end of McDermitt, Nevada.
Heading south, McDermitt is the very first thing you bump into when you drive across the border from Oregon into Nevada on U.S. Route 95.

Please note the former gas station canopy that currently shelters stacked hay bales.
(click on image to ENLARGE, if you are so moved)

So what does my news mean for you?

During all of the upcoming transitions, I frankly don't know what exactly will be happening with
'I'm Learning To Share'.

I'm confident it will continue, it's just too much fun for me.

At risk is the flow of new content, and its flavor and consistency while I'm in the middle of changes.

I'll be scouting a new place to live, and going through a lengthy process of packing and moving and storing and unpacking and all that big fun. Oh, and starting a new life...

I'm hoping that my regular blog visitors will bear with me while the effects of my being deprived my normal access to my own collections and archives - - the ones that have fueled so many of my posts - - are felt.

- - An aside: In contemplating this eventuality I kept flashing on an old image that had been buried in my brain for an embarrasingly long time;

It's one I hunted down and found in one of the many issues of Heavy Metal that I've been holding onto for an equally embarrasingly long time.

In a story from the December, 1981 issue, comics creator Caza ▶ tells one of his surreal 'Suburban Scenes' stories in which he
re-imagines his apartment building as a pirate ship, with himself as captain.

The one panel in question shows a pirate maid with a captive teenage boy, and part of the text reads - -
"Some of these middle-class kids turn out to be good recruits! (But) Most of them don't last for more than a night... Without his collection of records, he's a goner!"

- - And of course, ever since I was the
middle-class teenage boy laughing in recognition as I read that, I've sympathized.

I'm also hoping that any new blog visitors won't be put off if current events compel me to make my own day-to-day experiences more of a component of what I might write about.

For me, being able to write more freely about myself (without having to label it as 'vanity'), and also accept that someone could possibly be interested is a type of Sharing I'm still Learning.

By the way, it was my wife who encouraged me to do just that, long ago.
So, coming to a place in my life where I am enjoying the discipline of writing something most every day is something I have to thank her for.

- - And so for the record, not to bore you with my personal life, so far my wife and I have been able to keep this split amicable. Fingers crossed.

We've been friends about sixteen years, a couple for seven, married for four.
Our hope is that we're breaking up to preserve our friendship.

Still, it's a very strange time.

But enough about me.

To be continued - - ?

New podcast for April is up

If and when things are running smoothish, a new month brings a new In Crowd podcast.

You can access it over to the right, near to the top of that lovely brown sidebar in which it resides.

Enjoy!

(UPDATE: This one's time is done and gone - - Look for it over at the Audio Annex.)

"So, How Old Is That In Blog Years??"*

Today I'm proud to announce that it was one year ago on this date that I posted my first blog entry on 'I'm Learning To Share!'.

That was when I grabbed a nearby jpeg to upload, wrote a few quick lines and posted it all as an initial attempt to figure out how this particular flavor of
e-soterica functioned.

The next few days and weeks were all about attacking the learning curve, as I picked up new skills on the fly and began dragging in bits and pieces out of my various collections to see if anyone out there could be interested in what I had to offer.

One year later, and I'm still happily learning new gimmicks and finding more fun crap to share with you all. It's a blast! - - and a labor of love.

Yes, it's just another silly blog; perhaps the last thing the world really needs, but this blog has become chief among my many obsessions, and the response it gets continues to amaze me and warm my soul.

It's the getting from the giving, and the happy results stemming from the unexpected twists and turns it takes.

On this first of hopefully several anniversaries to come, please allow me to extend my sincere thanks to you all for your visits, thanks for your insightful comments and kind words, and thank you for sharing!

Cheers. Here's to what's ahead.

Okay - - back to it. So much essential ephemera and necessary nonsense to share, so little time...

* (thanks to my friend Topic for the title)