Memorial Day weekend YouTube-enhanced open thread
Just for the hell of it, here’s Stephen Stills doing “Black Queen” in 1969:
I grew up listening to CSN and CSNY — in fact, I remember being taught how to tell time by a friend of my Dad’s while “Suite: Judy Blue Eyes” was playing in the background. As a kid I never knew who was who — which guy was singing, which guy was playing the guitar. They all kind of blended together. Well, all of them except Neil Young. I always knew which one he was. Dude doesn’t exactly blend.
Anyway, it wasn’t until adulthood that I figured out the respective contributions of David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Graham Nash. At which point I realized that about 90% of the talent in that crew belonged to Stills. (Possibly about 90% of the ego as well, though I gather all three men had massive quantities of the stuff on tap.)
By the way, Stephen Stills now weighs 400 pounds and can’t sing.
36 Responses to “Memorial Day weekend YouTube-enhanced open thread”
-
Three Wickets says:
Who knew. Thanks. Hope all goes well.
May 28th, 2010 at 1:09 pm EST -
Violet Socks says:
I’m getting caught up on the news. This is fun: Rand Paul opposes granting citizenship to people born in this country. He rather hilariously refers to this (being born here) as an “easy path to citizenship.” Also, he plans to install an underground electric fence along the border to deal with illegal immigration. Of voles, I guess.
-
cellocat says:
Do these people believe their own rants about illegal immigration? I mean, what are they reading or seeing that convinces them that immigrants are really the source of all of our problems?
I really don’t like to invoke Germany pre-WW2 (it’s done too often), but the tone these days seems to be ramping up to even more flamboyantly and dangerously vicious levels than before. Unless that’s just a misperception based on the reporting of what’s usually more sub-rosa.
My husband and I are now fantasizing about moving to Canada.
-
quixote says:
Underground electric fence, huh? Well, they’ve solved the problem of how to ground the thing. Now, lessee, to get it to carry current we have to…uh, that’s right! insulate the wires! … No, wait,…maybe we could, um,…uh….
And this guy is a leader among men. (Gender specificity intentional.)
-
the15th says:
And then Young joined and HE was 90 percent of the talent. Or at least 50.
It always cracked me up that Joni Mitchell was involved with a total lightweight like Graham Nash. But then I wondered if I’d find it so funny if she were the vapid pretty one and he was the genius songwriter.
-
Violet Socks says:
Hi, quixote — welcome to the light. So sorry about the spam dungeon.
I’m actually hoping now that Rand Paul will remain a prominent fixture in national politics for the foreseeable future. He is too entertaining to lose. I want to see him continue to wage his brave battle against the millions of Mexican voles swarming into our country.
-
Violet Socks says:
Speaking of voles and CSNY! Synchronicity strikes, and the lyrics of Deja Vu are all coming back to me now:
And you know it makes me wonder
What’s going on under the groundDo you know?
Don’t you wonder?
What’s going on
Down under you…Mexican voles!
-
Violet Socks says:
hey the15th, you know she was first with Crosby. Briefly. Heh. I don’t know, Nash may be a very winning person in real life. He also wooed Rita Coolidge away from Stephen Stills.
Why do I know these things? I’m too goddamn old.
I wish there was a YouTube of the album version of Deja Vu. That is a really beautiful recording. I have always (and I mean since I first heard it as a seven year old) loved the guitar on that. It’s like this low bubbly bluesy thing…is that Stills trading lines with the bassist at the end? I’m not enough of a geek to know.
-
Violet Socks says:
No Deja Vu, but here’s a clip of Buffalo Springfield on the Smothers Brothers show (and by the way, young whippersnappers out there: this was back when singers could actually sing. Live.):
Is that not priceless? The half-second shot of Tommy Smothers reminded me that he was one of those rare people who could make you laugh just with the expression on his face. Tommy Smothers was (is) one of the funniest people I’ve ever seen or heard.
Showed my mom this video, and we grooved on the following:
1) the shot of Tommy Smothers;
2) the song, of course;
3) the incredibleness of just how young Stephen Stills was;
4) the even more incredibleness of Neil Young looking like a babyfaced moptop Beatle;
5) memories of watching the Smothers Brothers show in the 60s (I as a child of course), their hilarious comedy albums, Pat Paulsen’s run for President, etc., etc. The Smothers Brothers were cool.Happy 60s memories! Okay, guess I’m going to die soon or something.
-
Lynnerkat says:
You’re not as old as me- my dad threatened to break 4 Way Street if I didn’t stop playing 4 Dead in Ohio over and over… I just turned the volume down a tad. Still have it.
-
Adrienne in CA says:
Die soon? Hope not. You’re younger than me.
I listened to a radio interview (podcast link) with a writer named Barbara Strauch who made me feel much better about growing older. Strauch is Senior Science Editor for NYT. Her book: The Secret Life of the Grown-up Brain: The Surprising Talents of the Middle-aged Mind.
“Middle-aged” is defined as between 40 and 70.
From Amazon:
For many years, scientists thought that the human brain simply decayed over time and its dying cells led to memory slips, fuzzy logic, negative thinking, and even depression. But new research from neuroscien¬tists and psychologists suggests that, in fact, the brain reorganizes, improves in important functions, and even helps us adopt a more optimistic outlook in middle age. Growth of white matter and brain connectors allow us to recognize patterns faster, make better judgments, and find unique solutions to problems. Scientists call these traits cognitive expertise and they reach their highest levels in middle age.*****A
-
falstaff says:
Okay, I’m gonna win the ‘Who’s Oldest’ contest here. I saw Buffalo Springfield play in LA in the summer of 1966. I was 17 and about to head off to college. That was when Neil Young began his lifelong mission of getting me through.
They were bizarrely diverse, and the thrill was how all those trajectories came together to produce something very immediate. Unlike the Dead or Jefferson Airplane or The Doors, Buffalo Springfield didn’t have “a sound.” And in retrospect, it’s obvious they wouldn’t stay together. In contrast, CSN was a perfect blend — and though very appealing and talented, far less interesting or meaningful or moving.
Yes, Neil Young was the genius of the group. And it was quite something to be introduced to him before one knew that… to wonder who this guy hanging back, under his hair, was… while Steven Stills and Richie Furay took center stage, and Dewey Martin clowned, and Bruce Palmer grinned beatifically. And then he came forward and began playing “Mr. Soul,” and “I am a Child.”
-
falstaff says:
And as further demonstration of my long-in-the-toothedness, I think I conflated different concerts in the previous post. They couldn’t have done “I am a Child” in 1966.
Comes a time, when you’re mind’s driftin’…
-
anna says:
Have you seen this great news? The American Academy of Pediatrics has dropped their recommendation of female genital mutilation: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/05.....tml?ref=us
-
Delphyne says:
I’m pretty close, Falstaff. Never did get to see CSN live, but I saw Jimi Hendrix at Madison Square Garden in May, 1969 – I turned 20 in December of that year.
-
bob c says:
“Teach your children well”
-
Ciardha says:
Heh, to the Boomer commenters- it’s just 40 somethings like Violet and I are now in that age where you get those daily shocks of how many years have gone by since we were kids or even in our twenties.
It’s a daily occurrence for us now, used to be- it was an occasional thing. First one I recall was in 2001 when I was participating in a forum discussion about favorite LP’s, when a 21 year old member of the forum popped into the discussion and asked “What’s an LP?” All the then 30 somethings on the thread suddenly felt ancient…
-
falstaff says:
I hate to say this, but when I was growing up, our records were 78s.
-
Violet Socks says:
falstaff, I think Neil Young was (is) a genius songwriter, but I honestly think Stills was the better musician. Vastly better singer and guitar player — actually an everything player. The first CSN album is basically him in the studio. And he really created the complete versions of a lot of the songs that Nash and Crosby are credited with writing. Crosby especially, who seems to have been incapable of finishing a song. Pretty chords, one verse, and then…eh. Stephen will make it a song in the studio. Let’s go smoke some dope.
If I had to choose desert island music and my choice was Stephen Stills (in his youth) singing and playing guitar or Neil Young, I’d choose Stills. Easily. But that is simply personal preference: I love the sound he makes.
But I fully grant that Neil Young is a genius songwriter. His work has gravitas. Even as a little kid (albeit one raised on Bob Dylan) I appreciated that his lyrics were on a different level. It’s like, oh, this is an important song. This is actually saying something.
-
Sameol says:
If anyone’s interested, Jessica Valenti’s got a piece in the Post, “The Fake Feminism of Sarah Palin.”
-
Violet Socks says:
a 21 year old member of the forum popped into the discussion and asked “What’s an LP?” All the then 30 somethings on the thread suddenly felt ancient…
I saw a Facebook group the other day (think it was Facebook) called something like “I am old enough to have dialed a rotary phone.” I thought, old enough to have dialed one? Jesus. I’m old enough that I remember seeing the first touchtone phone and thinking it was like something from outer space. Little squares that you pressed! Far out!
-
Petro says:
I’m putting a vote in for David Crosby as having the biggest, and bitterest, ego. I saw him playing with the boys in Sedona in the ’90′s, and he went into an entirely inexcusable tirade against the sound mixers while on stage, with the friggin’ microphone blasting to all of the attendees. A decidedly classless display.
I love that band, though!!
-
cellocat says:
“I’m old enough that I remember seeing the first touchtone phone and thinking it was like something from outer space. Little squares that you pressed! Far out!”
Yes! I remember the beeping sound you got when you pressed those little buttons and thinking how weird that was.
We are sufficiently enamoured of rotary phones that we have two in our house; one that was here when we moved in, and one that we bought for the kitchen, on Ebay.
-
Nessum says:
Speaking of music, last night was the Grande Finale of not only the biggest song contest but also one of the longest-running television programmes in the world “Eurovision Song Contest”.
120 mill. people watched this totally over-the-top opulence of bling, kitch and off-key singing that you simply have to see and hear, to believe it.
I only just noticed in the side bar that Hoyden About Town had a live blogging of the event. The comments are hilarious. One of the first says, about the theme song: “This is the best music you’re going to hear all night.” About sums it up. :)
-
anna says:
A woman won Eurovision- Germany’s Lena Meyer-Landrut. I know it isn’t exactly the White House but I always like to see women succeed.
-
Violet Socks says:
Any reference to the Eurovision song contest makes me think of this:
-
Violet Socks says:
And of course this (click to embiggen):
-
Nessum says:
Ah yes, those Abba costumes! Makes you cringe … with laughter! But they made it part of their trademark, back then.
The funny thing about the winner this year is that her performance was, I believe the only one, devoid of any kind of bling or kitch. Just a cute, amazingly selfconfident, 19 year old, Lena, in a black tube dress, not much of a singing voice, but so much more charm – not least her English!
Certainly a far cry from the Abba-appearances. :)
And the Germans (like all winner nations before them) are beside themselves with joy and pride. This is only their second win; first in 28 years.
-
Grace says:
Yes, once upon a time there were rotary phones, LP’s, electric type-writers and before that the “Olivetti” manual ones, the gigantic first answering machines in the 70′s, the first PC’s or “word processors” that people started to own back in the middle 80′s, and many, many more….But feeling self-conscious about remembering these artifacts? I don’t think so.
What I have been noticing for a while though, is that many people younger than 30 tend to use their age as an excuse for ignorance. Example that comes to mind has to do with a T.V. interview that included Megham McCain and Paul Begala, in which someone confronted McCain about the Reagan’s era. As a 24 y/o, her response was she couldn’t say anything because she hadn’t been born yet. To which Paul Begala, very appropriately and with delightful sarcasm said: “Well, neither I was born during the French Revolution, but I know something about it.”
In general, these days people (to be fair,not just the young and the restless)tend not to engage much in simple intellectual pursuits such as reading and debating ideas. Instead, they text in an almost compulsive manner, have poor social skills and mumble like robots when talking instead of intelligently articulating their thoughts, play addictive video games, and become more obese at a younger age. In the process, there is an increasing alienation from other fellow human beings, while living most of the time in a self-made virtual reality, which, needless to say, doesn’t exist, or may be it does, like the songs in those old LP’s.
-
Violet Socks says:
Hey, anybody remember Malcolm Kirkpatrick? He’s been flailing away in the spam filter, calling me a Stalinist because I won’t let him post. Heh.
-
Angie says:
Grace — I agree with you about the under 30s (aka the “y” generation) I truly believe they are a generation of sociopaths under the literal clinical definition of the term — no empathy, no social interaction other than via technology, no sense of responsibility; overwhelming sense of entitlement. I hate to sound like the old foggy bemoaning “these kids today” but I find it truly scary.
-
Carmonn says:
In fairness, I’m sure Meghan McCain’s generation also knows something about the French Revolution, I’m just not sure where they’d be expected to find so much information on the 80′s. Few history survey classes, whether high school of college, are going to get anywhere near that far. It’s been a long time since I regularly saw books like “The Education of David Stockman” or “Who Will Tell the People?” on the shelves of B&N–and they’d only be looking for those if they were steered toward them by someone who lived through the period, probably. The 80′s don’t have the same kind of resonance in the zeitgeist as the 60′s or WWII. I have a hard time believing the children of the 40′s weren’t just as ignorant of say, the Harding and Coolidge Administrations. She probably does knows a bit about it in general terms, but not enough to engage in impromptu debate with someone as sarcastic and condescending and itching to play gotcha with her as Begala. I’m betting even the 24 year old hotshot Paul would have said begged off discussing events that occurred before his birth if challenged by someone who actually lived through that era and any way you slice it could be expected to know exponentially more about it, under the same circumstances.
-
Grace says:
Carmonn:
I see your point about the different kind of significance between the 60′s or WWII and the 80′s, and about the disadvantage in a discussion for the one who hasn’t lived through the particular historical time being discussed.
However, I have two points: First, that in every generation there have always been people who were well-informed, engaged, and interested in history, politics, philosophy, social issues, etc., and people who were apathetic and uninterested in the aforementioned topics, even during the 60′s (I wasn’t born during WWII, but I remember reading about it from….let’s see…books!!)
Second, my criticism of people like Meghan McCain is not about their not knowing enough about certain topics (which could be easily remedied), but about their lack of insight and the holding of the absurd and ignorant notion that whatever happened before one’s time it’s irrelevant, and this being expressed with a sense of pride and self-confidence. And the way McCain automatically reacted to Begala’s inquiry with a “I hadn’t been born yet” response was very telling (by the way, if she is 24, she was born in 1986, when Reagan was still president, so technically she is also wrong with her facts).
-
Carmonn says:
Of course it’s true that there are those who are better informed and those who are less well informed, and that’s always been the case. And it may very well be true that the current crop of under 30′s are especially ignorant. But it’s not necessarily true, and I’m just not so sure it’s such clear cut, proud, willful ignorance, either. It’s certainly possible that McCain meant that she felt anything that preceeded her was irrelevant, but it’s also possible that she just didn’t want to be manuevered into an uncomfortable situation with someone who was trying to make her look foolish, which isn’t necessarily unreasonable. To be perfectly honest, I’m not sure using youth as an excuse for ignorance is completely unreasnable, either. They are young, and they will learn, and many of them probably want to learn. If Begala had taken the opportunity to recommend some books that he felt would benefit her instead of taking a cheap shot, who knows, she might actually have read them. I am pretty sure there are many young people out there who are embarassed by their lack of knowledge and would like to learn but feel incapable and overwhelmed and being snarked at instead of helped by better informed people like Begala just doesn’t seem all that productive, imo.
-
Adrienne in CA says:
Oh look, someone’s finally noticed a trend.
Opponents of Abortion Advance Cause at State Level
*****A
-
Toonces says:
Net Neutrality is (still) in trouble:
http://act.credoaction.com/campaign/74_dems/
And Rue McClanahan died:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/ent.....231449.stm
Loved me some Rue :(
