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As I noted in July, the support of my readers through the years has given me the freedom and ability to analyze objectively the ongoing renaissance in space, as well as the cultural changes -- for good or ill -- that are happening across America. Fourteen years ago I wrote that SLS and Orion were a bad ideas, a waste of money, would be years behind schedule, and better replaced by commercial private enterprise. Only now does it appear that Washington might finally recognize this reality.

 

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Weird Al Yankovic – Smells Like Nirvana

An evening pause: Seems to me, this expresses perfectly the level of thoughtfulness seen in many hard rock music videos, only it does it more honestly.

Hat tip Gene Shipp.

Genesis cover

On Christmas Eve 1968 three Americans became the first humans to visit another world. What they did to celebrate was unexpected and profound, and will be remembered throughout all human history. Genesis: the Story of Apollo 8, Robert Zimmerman's classic history of humanity's first journey to another world, tells that story, and it is now available as both an ebook and an audiobook, both with a foreword by Valerie Anders and a new introduction by Robert Zimmerman.

 

The print edition can be purchased at Amazon. from any other book seller, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. The ebook is available everywhere for $5.99 (before discount) at amazon, or direct from my ebook publisher, ebookit. If you buy it from ebookit you don't support the big tech companies and the author gets a bigger cut much sooner.


The audiobook is also available at all these vendors, and is also free with a 30-day trial membership to Audible.
 

"Not simply about one mission, [Genesis] is also the history of America's quest for the moon... Zimmerman has done a masterful job of tying disparate events together into a solid account of one of America's greatest human triumphs."--San Antonio Express-News

13 comments

  • wayne

    Gene-
    great selection!!

    Weird Al & Nirvana (2013)
    Smells Like Teen Spirit: The Side-by-Side Comparison
    https://youtu.be/tSMRuK11Dxg
    3:44

  • wayne

    “Smells Like Social Justice”
    Finntronaut
    https://archive.org/details/smells-like-social-justice
    (5:04)

  • David

    What a brief, but oh so glorious time it was to live in Seattle during the birth of what would become known as “grunge.” Brilliant musicians doing their thing, creating music. Still brings a smile to an old guy’s face.

  • mivenho

    This is brilliant.

  • I must disagree with David. “Grunge” was a bunch of spoiled brats complaining about how dreadful their upper-middle-class lives were (while foreshadowing the lumbersexual look). Thank goodness it’s dead.

    I love this video. That’s exactly how I feel about Nirvana. I’m surprised I hadn’t seen it before.

  • David Ross

    Cobain was born from an auto-mechanic and a waitress. The band’s first album “Bleach” didn’t sell and when “Nevermind” started taking off, Cobain was living in his car.
    If that’s upper middle class then I’d hate to see what you’d think lower middle class looks like.

  • David Ross: In the America of my youth, the wages of a car mechanic and a waitress was definitely middle class at the least, not lower, and often was upper. My father had a very comparable job, while my mother worked as a part time secretary, and we lived very much in the center of the middle class.

    I suspect Cobain was living in his car because he hadn’t yet succeeded as a musician, and choose that life.

  • David

    Weird Al has done some great parody gigging various music videos!

    As I remember (hazy in sections), David Ross is spot-on. At that time (late 80’s into very early 90’s) plenty of the musicians in Seattle and elsewhere in the Pac. N.W. where from decidedly not upper middle class backgrounds. That showed in their music.

    I think I’m nostalgic of late, with the recent passing of Gary Rossington taking me back to all the styles of music I was impacted by at various times in my younger years. Grunge included!

  • David Ross

    I’m sorry, Zim, but Cobain’s home life was wretched. I forgot to mention that those parents divorced.

  • David Ross: Okay, except that a wretched home life is irrelevant to upper, middle, or lower class. Different issue entirely.

  • wayne

    Nirvana –
    “All Apologies”
    MTV Unplugged 1993
    https://youtu.be/-BsB8A3Todo
    6:10

  • Jeff Wright

    Courtney Love would drive Jesus to step out.

  • Gene Shipp

    Jeff Wright – What Jesus has is better than anything Courtney Love can dream of.

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