Four-Play (Week #6)

Welcome to the sixth installment of my musical blog’s 13-week experimental run. For those who’ve missed my past posts, they’re neatly filed away in my music category.

This week, my selections feature the 60s progressive British rockers, Procol Harum, and the 90s German / L.A. based Sweetbox project… spotlighting rapper, Tina Harris. These recording artists turned in peak performances while “sampling” the works of Johann Sebastian Bach. Oh btw, the Procol Harum headline, below, is a link… that’s to afford you the opportunity to hear the band performing, “live”, alongside a full symphony orchestra and choir.

And that’ll just about do it for the “in depth” musical analysis since my Four-Play focus is more about the pure enjoyment of great music.

While I acknowledge it’s nearly impossible to please all the people all the time, I’d also encourage everyone to be musically adventurous… to trade off marching in lockstep for marching to the beat of a different drum.

“Still not my ‘cup of tea,’” you say? Not to worry. You never can tell what you’ll be hearing, here, next Sunday… so do click back at that time.

Blog response will act as my Arbitron / Nielsen “radio ratings”… so… if you’ve enjoyed my “show”, click that “Like” Star. Of course, comments are always welcome, too!

Sweetbox / Tina Harris ~ Everything’s Gonna Be Alright

Johann Sebastian Bach’s Air on the G” string (Suite No. 3, BWV 1068)

Johann Sebastian Bach’s Prelude No.1 in C Major, BWV 846

Procol Harum ~ Repent Walpurgis

 

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99 Word Blog (#009) Writers Predicted 9/11

“I don’t think that anybody could have predicted that these people would take an airplane and slam it into the World Trade Center, take another one and slam it into the Pentagon, that they would try to use an airplane as a missile.” — Condoleezza Rice 05/16/2002

WRONG Condi! The Lone Gunmen FOX TV series screenplay writers, Chris Carter, Vince Gilligan, John Shiban and Frank Spotnitz had predicted an eerily similar scenario… that episode’s airdate… 03/04/2001!

Whether or not this TV program had inspired 9/11’s architects, I suppose we’ll never know.

Watch full episode here or climactic scenes below…

99 Word Blog (#008) XX Trumps Trump’s XY

Let’s reduce the Clinton vs. Trump issue down to the microscopic world of XX vs. XY.

Trump’s possession of / being possessed by that Y chromosome would capitalize the “T” in the word, “Trouble”. Testosterone intoxication would render “leader” Trump unfit… mislead him into believing he’s making sane decisions.

Indeed, in the heat of international crises, headless Trump would “think” with balls and not brains… would promptly bomb the crap out of his pick and choose enemies. Considering that anatomical 2:1 ratio, WTF else could anyone expect?

Clinton would favor brains over brawn. Her XX would trump Trump’s XY!

 

99 Word Blog (#007): You Make The Call!

How do you rank a society, which terrorizes / kills humanity on behalf of “god”… bastardizes “Thou Shalt Not Kill” to sanction foreign wars and neighborhood mass murder… lifts not one finger to deny guns to the itchy trigger-fingered insane… lets war criminal leaders escape justice… turns a blind eye to torture, human trafficking, ethnic cleansing, honor killing and rape… discriminates against minorities / the aged and disabled… rests a disproportionate tax burden upon the poor… intellectually / nutritionally starves billions of people… doesn’t boo hate / fear mongering, greedy, empty headed politicians off the stump?

Anyone care to comment?

99 Word Blog (#006) Trump’s Goons

Donald Trump wallows in filthy money like a squealing pig frolicking in feces. There’s no limit to WHAT and WHOM he can buy. Methinks he has infiltrated the Democratic Convention with his hired goon squads (a.k.a., fraudulent Bernie Sanders supporters), who bray like jackasses and incite anger, chaos and disunity amongst the genuine delegates.

Trump’s divide and conquer plot is but one of countless dirty tricks he’s got hidden up his sleeves. That’s the only way this subversive can get elected… and, subsequently, “take out” the White House… go on a rampage to overthrow America and conquer the world.

99 Word Blog (#005) Hey, Bernie Backers!

Dear “Bernie or Bust” diehards,

Like spurned lovers, you cling to your self-indulgent, Fatal Attraction to Bernie Sanders. He’s said, “It’s all over”, yet, you’ve refused to let go. Just to “show him”, you’d figuratively jump off Trump Tower… plunge to your ideological deaths… not giving a flying F about how many unfortunates you’d “take out” with you when your metaphorical bodies hit ground zero.

Unfortunates, who’d number in the billions… men, women and children, whose lives a Trump régime’s avarice and hate driven, global agenda would snuff out.

“Crash & Bern” politics was never “The Bern” Sanders had intended.

99 Word Blog (#004) ATTN: Bernie Backers

Dear “Bernie or Bust” people,

Please accept that Hillary Clinton is the Democratic Party’s POTUS nominee. Yes… like you, I would’ve preferred Bernie Sanders… his progressive agenda is far more compelling than Clinton’s centrism.

But, upon comparing Clinton to Donald Trump, I’ve gotta ask… who’d be better at selecting SCOTUS judges? Keeping the peace? Protecting the Constitution and environment? Standing up for the rights of women, minorities, LGBTs, workers, the middle class and impoverished?

All of that, and more, is what’s at stake. America cannot survive one minute, let alone four years, of Trump. He’d BUST America… beyond repair.

Are There Any Anti-DT ETs Out There?

Voters will oft swear during presidential election years… swear they’ll leave America if they wind up witnessing the Inauguration Day swearing in of a tyrant. With despot Donald Trump now one step closer to that end… with “Bernie or Bust” folks aiding and abetting that grotesque monster, this means Earth, itself, is also one step closer to THE END.

After all, once Trump is in possession of… possessed by… the nuclear launch codes, very few Earthlings could ever hope to escape his hotheaded hatred and wrath… and the resultant apocalyptic aftermath.

This means it’s not too early for survivor wannabes to start planning our escape. But, just how far would we need to go? For starters, check out this Top Ten List of purported, post WW-III terrestrial havens.

10. Switzerland

9. Tuvalu

8. New Zealand

7. Bhutan

6. Chile

5. Iceland/Greenland

4. Denmark

3. Malta

2. Ireland

1. Fiji

The following vid will elaborate how these ten nations might survive. Afterwards, I’ll add my two cent’s worth.

Now… re that above video vignette, I find it hard to believe that these ten nations will be fully exempt from the sunlight blocking nuclear winter and the massive levels of unleashed, lethal radiation following global thermonuclear exchange.

So, where do we go from there? Well, it’s time to think big. So, let’s all meet back here after we take a little spin around our “neighborhood”, via this link and/or the vid below…

So, now that we’ve scoped out the surreal, real estate, it should be clear that, while these images do prove to be breathtaking sights… breathtaking, literally, is the operative word! By human standards these worlds are inhospitable.

The four outer gas giant planets have no visible surfaces and, as for their moons, with the exception of Saturn’s Titan (with its dense nitrogen/methane atmosphere), the rest are in a vacuum… or close to it. And the whole kit and caboodle of these spheres is freeze your booty off cold, too!

As for the inner rocky surfaced planets, Mercury, in closest proximity to the Sun, gets totally “fried”. Next up is Venus, a thoroughly nasty world… sulfuric acid clouds, massive amounts of CO₂, crushing atmospheric pressure and a runaway greenhouse effect resulting in 800 – 900° F surface temperatures.

Only Mars seems to have any real potential and, even then, it would require the concerted efforts of terraformers, who’d likely need several millennia to make the red planet totally fit for human life.

Long story short, there’s no place like home… no known place like our home world.

So where does that leave us? Well, once again, we’re going to have to think big… this time, REALLY BIG! We have two options to totally escape Tyrant Trump…

EITHER the American voters will need to come to their senses by this November and elect Hillary Clinton…

OR we, who blog at WordPress, will need to, ASAP, harness the aggregate power of our blogging network to attract the attention of some truly out of this world “Followers”. Let’s band together to fire off a virtual reality flare… in hopes that extraterrestrials may be monitoring our Internet blogging activity.

Towards that end… I blog our desperate, interstellar plea for help!

ATTN: Benevolent alien spacefarers everywhere! Please dispatch, immediately, as many starships as you can spare. While we, of the planet Earth, could never expect you to rescue the multimillions of us attempting to flee from madman Donald Trump, perhaps you can save a small portion of us? Maybe transplant a few good women, children and men to an Earthlike new world? Please hurry! Please save us before it’s too late!

 

 

21 Verse Salute: Nocturnal Admissions

Part One ~ The Awakening

 

Why oh why are we cursed? What’s the cause, bizarre dreams?

Ones, which lock tight our muscles, and stifle our screams.

While real world type nightmares, can inculcate fright,

There’s far more to my strange dream, this midsummer night.

 

From toss and turn slumbers, I abruptly awaken,

Are night terrors at fault, for my feeling so shaken?

I cannot help but wonder. What’s the cause? Who’s to blame?

Was THE VOICE really real, which had called me by name?

 

The whole room is spinning, my head is a reeling,

Try as I do, I can’t shake that weird feeling.

I’m not buzzed on booze, doped on drugs, NO, not my scene,

So what the Hell won’t permit me to feel calm, serene?

 

I hide beneath blankets, pillows cover my ears,

Such childish defenses, can’t fight grown up fears,

Bits and snatches besiege me, my memory cache,

A fleeting image bursts forth, like a forked lighting flash.

 

Tries to snag my dream frags, are a task truly daunting,

Creepy, will-o’-the-wisp, not too unlike a haunting.

Revelation now strikes me, I nearly scream,

It dawns on me how, this is far from mere dream.

 

As I lie face up fretting, wide awake in my bed,

Decibels grow intense, the sounds spike in the red,

Were I to tell anyone, would I lose all my cred?

OMG! Once again THE VOICE talks in my head!

 

It knows all I know! All I think!! I think so!!!

“Yes we do”, it responds, “ESP’s our MO.”

I then pose the question, “Are you friend or foe?”

It drones, “Let’s meet in the woods. Just follow our glow!”

 

I’m enraptured, intrigued, entranced, in a daze,

A lightshow backlights closed curtains, rivets my gaze.

I’m suffused with blue hues, pastel greens, purples, limes,

Tick-tocking so softly, twice the clock chimes.

 

In awe of the unknown, I lunge for the phone,

Press handset to ear, yet detect no dial tone,

I shout in the mouthpiece, “I can take this no more!”

THE VOICE in my mind says, “Egress your back door!”

 

Deadbolt clicks, doorknob rattles, all hinges creek,

Which way should I go, in our game, hide and seek?

Perched atop porch, my skyward stretch and a yawn,

Precede my two downward steps, my stroll across lawn.

 

Part Two ~ “Miles To Go Before I Sleep”

 

I enter the woods, the nighttime chill’s everywhere,

Watch pale firefly flickers, both on land, in mid air.

Starlit sparkles above, twigs snap beneath feet,

I cannot help but wonder, whom on Earth I shall meet?

 

Looking skyward, I spot three disks, fly in formation,

They light up wood’s clearing, our shared destination,

Blue hues, pastel purples, all bathe the expanse,

Instinct warns I should flee, while I’ve still got the chance!”

 

Yet, Earth has no future, due to despots so manic,

They scare me more than ETs, ergo I don’t panic.

Silver saucers touch down, the pilots appear,

I approach, we shake hands, there’s no need for fear.

 

They’re large headed, gray skinned, but that’s not important,

It’s big thoughts that count, here, our behavior, comportment,

They seem to be stunned, by my no-nonsense amity,

As if fully expecting, a first contact calamity.

 

Our telepathic connection, our meld, mind to mind,

Greatly aids close encounters, of the third kind.

I feel just like Armstrong, who, need I remind,

Once took “one small step”, “giant leap for mankind”!

 

But our facial expressions, all the sudden, turn sad,

We’re all keenly aware, that my world has gone mad.

ETs tell me it’s too late, that needless to say,

Tyrants, who crave Armageddon, can’t stave off Doomsday!

 

ETs have heard about DT, they appraise him as dim,

Since they’ve seen Earth’s near future, they know that it’s grim.

Once this narcissist despot, upon world stage, encroaches,

He nukes the whole world! Sole survivors? Cockroaches!

 

Part Three ~ The Light-Years Shall Set Me Free

 

ETs next make an offer, I cannot rebuff,

I can leave Earth, forever, avoid the times tough,

They plan to rescue ten thousand, save our helix double,

Transplant us light-years away, to a world free of trouble.

 

My thoughts? I’ll go gladly, the zillions of miles,

And this lights up our eyes, turns our frowns into smiles,

Here on Earth there are too few, who care about me,

So, off to distant stars, planets, is where I shall flee.

 

I enter their starship, we prepare for our flight,

They’ll provide all I need, I’ll be traveling light,

We lift off, zoom outward, soon Big Blue’s a mere dot,

I bid, “Farewell cruel world”, though I know it will not.

 

The starfield blurs brightly, as our ship starts to gleam,

As we attain speed of light, we become a light beam,

But the whiteness of linen, replaces white light,

Back in my bed, my dream dies, in the dark dead of night.

 

 

 

Four-Play (Week #5)

This post is the 5th installment of my musical blog experiment’s projected 13-week run. For those who’ve missed any of my past posts, they’re all archived in my “music” category.

This week, I’ve segued four piano pieces with quiet hours / nocturnal / lunar themes. I choose not to get into any in depth musical analysis beyond this because I present the selections you hear, here, purely for the enjoyment of great music.

I do realize that tapping into humanity’s vast musical repertoire can oft involve genres, which cannot possibly please all the people all the time. Even so, I’d encourage everyone to be musically adventurous.

True, it may not seem cool to dig sounds that wander from the beaten path you may walk on. But would you not agree that people who are truly cool are those who resist mindlessly marching in lockstep with everyone else?

Well… if these selections still are not your “cup of tea”… do click back again… you never can tell what you’ll be listening to next week.

Blog response will act as my Arbitron / Nielsen “radio ratings”… so… if you’ve enjoyed my “show”, click that “Like” Star. Of course, comments are always welcome, too!

 

Yundi Li ~ Frederic Chopin’s Nocturne in Eb Major (Op 9 No 2)

Keiko Matsui ~ Presence Of The Moon

Ludwig Van Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata

Thomas Newman ~ Any Other Name (Film: American Beauty)