A nightly pause from the news to give the reader/viewer a bit of classic entertainment.
An evening pause: This pause seems most appropriate, following yesterday’s pause, since this is thought to be the last thing the Titanic’s band played just before the ship sank.
We can hope this also does not become the epitaph for America, following the election.
Hat tip Jim Mallamace.
An evening pause: About two years ago I said to Diane that I’d never seen any of The Simpsons animated TV show. Neither had she. Since then we have watched all the available episodes on DVD, covering most of the first twenty seasons.
What first impressed us about the show was how actually normal and family-oriented it was, in the beginning. It was not the “edgy” ugly portrayal of America its reputation had implied.
Over time that theme was more and more lost, though whenever the writers went back to those roots the show shined. Even so, what was most impressive was how the show managed somehow to remain fresh, for most of that time period. Except for a period around season nine, the satire and jokes remained solid for almost all of the first twenty years.
Since the last ten years have not been put on DVD, we won’t likely see them. No matter. Twenty years of The Simpsons was great, but it was more than enough.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman, who used numerous musical quotes from the series to find many great evening pauses.
An evening pause:
I ain’t a dime but what I got is mine.
I’m not rich but Lord I’m free.
Hat tip to Robert Pratt of Pratt on Texas, who doesn’t know he suggested this. This song is something he plays for his guests during commercial breaks so they don’t have to listen to commercials. I decided after last Thursday’s appearance it needed to be an evening pause.
An evening pause: Performed live on Royal Street, New Orleans, April 9, 2012. Don’t you wish we could return to this kind of free world?
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
An evening pause: In many ways I think this represents our civilization today. I hope I am wrong.
Hat tip Jim Mallamace.
An evening pause: As absurd as he portrays this situation, Stevens only captures a tiny bit of the stupidity.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
An evening pause: Performed live 1992. For my young readers, Nesmith was one of the Monkees, but was also a successful songwriter and performer in his own right.
An evening pause: From the youtube page:
Les and Mary perform “There’s No Place Like Home” with some classic add libbing, especially from Les. Mary Ford was a fine guitarist in her own right and that fact is ably demonstrated here. Watch for when Les goes wild and breaks his high E string. Mary is about to punish him when… Well, watch the video. And, dig those gorgeous 1952 Gibson Les Paul guitars, heavily customized by the master himself. Trivia: Les shattered and almost lost his right arm in a 1948 car crash. Les had the doctors set his elbow at an angle so he could still play guitar but he could never again fully extend his right arm.
Hat tip Wayne DeVette.
An evening pause: This is a clip from a robot competition in 2019 of what are called “kidsized” robots. Short but entertaining, especially because it demonstrates the relative stupidity and slow incompetence of state-of-the-art robots. Future versions might someday get to the level of Terminator, but these robots show that we are fortunately nowhere that close today.
Hat tip Roland.
An evening pause: Very nice cover, with both women playing on the same harp. Note however that this is not live, nor are the visuals from a single performance. It appears to me that the players recorded the song in a studio, then shot themselves performing it several times at different angles. Later they edited those visuals to match the studio taping.
No matter. Very well done, and quite hypnotic.
Hat tip Phill Oltmann.
An evening pause: A very detailed look at some of the behind-the-scenes history for one of John Ford’s best westerns, The Searchers (1956), starring John Wayne.
This isn’t my favorite Ford film. I prefer My Darling Clementine (1946). Nonetheless, The Searchers is still one of the best, and this short documentary will also give you a feel for the actual American culture of the time, a culture that cared about the truth and tried to treat people with respect.
If you want to watch but save time, you can set the playing speed at 2X normal and understand everything completely.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
An evening pause: In memory of the many ordinary and great people who worked and will work hard to build good things, now and into the future.
Hat tip Cotour.
An evening pause: I think I like this version of this Dire Straights song best of all, as played on the gayageum.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
An evening pause: A very silly but quite entertaining cross-breed between the opening theme to Gilligan’s Island and Stairway to Heaven by Led Zeppelin.
Hat tip Wayne DeVette.
A evening pause: Some forgotten history worth learning. Might even make you want to try the plant in your next salad.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
An evening pause: For my younger readers, Foster Brooks’s comedy was based on his amazing ability to play a funny drunk. And he did it when Americans still could laugh at this stuff and knew there was no reason to get outraged.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
An evening pause: This short video shows us what it is like for the pilot and co-pilot as they prepare for departure from Frankfurt, Germany, on a cargo flight to Africa and beyond. Note that even though the crew is German and the airport is German, all communications with the control tower are in English. Note also that their altitude is recorded in feet, not meters. The American big lead in the commercial airline industry in the first half of the 20th century allowed it to set the standards, including the use of feet and English in these matters.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
