André Rieu – Lippen Schweigen
An evening pause: From the opera The Merry Widow. If anything, Rieu knows how to put on a good show. And it helps that his Austrian audience understands the lyrics.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
Category: The Evening Pause
A nightly pause from the news to give the reader/viewer a bit of classic entertainment.
Red Skelton & Walter Brennan
Carolina Eyck – The Ecstasy of Gold
An evening pause: The music is by Ennio Morricone. She is playing a theremin, which is played without any direct contact by the player. The antennas sense the positions of the hands and fingers.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
Wayne Brady – Thriller
An evening pause: This Postmodern Jukebox version does Michael Jackson’s song in the style of 1930s jazz.
I remember the passion for this song when Jackson first released it in 1982, including crowds forming on the street near Times Square to watch the music video. Yet, I have always wondered why. To me the song and video has always seemed quite uninteresting, almost boring. This version, however, I think brings it to life much better than Jackson. The two dancers are especially good.
Hat tip Diane Zimmerman.
Homemade model StarHopper & Starship launch & landings
An evening pause: The youtube website only states that this was “constructed out of paint cans and an American football,” but I see some drone computer technology hidden in these models as well. Regardless, quite cool and quite breath-taking.
Hat tip Martin Kaselis.
Shashi Tharoor – Is Your Vocabulary Up to Mark?
An evening pause: This is entertaining, in that it demonstrates the ability of English to absorb an endless number of words, even words that are absolutely ridiculous. Most of these words are unknown because they are hard to say and their meaning can be stated more efficiently and simply using normal vocabulary. I must also add that Tharoor is a Indian politician from the socialist Congress Party, now the minority party in India with the rise the present conservative government under President Modi.
I am therefore not surprised that he is skilled with using big words that can help him obfuscate his meaning, while making him seem erudite.
Hat tip Diane Wilson.
The Snow Cruiser: Antarctica’s abandoned behemoth
An evening pause: I think I have posted previously about this 1930s engineering marvel, but no matter, this documentary does a very nice job of telling the wild story of biggest vehicle ever sent to Antarctica.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
Canadian Brass – Flight of the Tuba Bumblebee
An evening pause: This is just a bit of silliness with some nice music as well.
Hat tip Phill Oltmann.
Martha Raye – No Time At All
An evening pause: From the Broadway musical Pippin.
The words from this song mean more and more to me, with each passing year.
Here is a secret I never have told.
Maybe you’ll understand why.
I believe if I refuse to grow old
I can stay young till I die.
Now, I’ve known the fears of sixty-six years.
I’ve had troubles and tears by the score.
But the only thing I’d trade them for
Is sixty-seven more…
Chorus:
Oh, it’s time to start livin’.
Time to take a little from this world we’re given.
Time to take time, cause spring will turn to fall
In just no time at all.
And believe it or not, I see this also as a fitting song for Veterans Day.
Bonzo Dog Doo-Dah Band – Hello Mabel
An evening pause: The pauses this week have gotten steadily sillier. I think this one is a good way to finish off the week.
Hat tip Diane Wilson.
Carol Burnett – clips from the last show
An evening pause: A short section from the last Carol Burnett Show, March 29, 1978. Note how Tim Conway can make people laugh merely by pausing.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
Hey-ho!
A evening pause: Something short and silly for tonight. Don’t ask me to explain it.
Hat tip Frank Kelly.
Gene Wilder – Pure Imagination
Women Of Soul – Proud Mary
An evening pause: A live performance at the White House. As I watched I couldn’t help feel sorrow that these same performers are probably so partisan and filled with hate that they would never do the same for a Republican president, especially Donald Trump.
Hat tip Mike Nelson.
Jeanne Jolly – Long Way Home
Carnival of Souls
A evening pause: For Halloween, one of best low budget spook films ever made. No blood, no gore, no boring killer. Just style and atmosphere producing a creepy experience and a sense of dread.
And it was produced and directed by Herk Harvey for an estimated $33,000!
Bobby Pickett – Monster Mash
An evening pause: From American Bandstand with Dick Clark, October 13, 1964. Perfect in anticipation of Halloween. And yes, believe it or not it was a pop hit in the mid-1960s.
Hat tip Tom Biggar.
Luna Lee – Voodoo Child
A evening pause: The Jimi Hendrix song, played on a customized gayageum. I do not think the Koreans who created this instrument ever expected this kind of music to come from it.
Hat tip Mike Nelson.
Excavator Artistry
An evening pause: It is always important to recognize that our heavy machinery is really nothing more than an extension of our hands and arms. This video proves it.
Hat tip Martin Kaselis.
Asleep at the Wheel – Hot Rod Lincoln
An evening pause: Hat tip Robert Pratt of Pratt on Texas.
Robin Huw Bowen & Camille and Kennerly – Harp medley
An evening pause: Bowen is on the Welsh triple harp. They do two songs, Ar Hyd y Nos (All Through the Night) and the theme from Doctor Who.
Hat tip Marcus A.
Synchronized cavern diving
An evening pause: They call this a flash mob, but that’s not accurate. These divers did not mysteriously appear here to move in unison in order to surprise someone. They all planned it together.
Nonetheless where they are and what they do is beautiful. I especially like when they coordinate the pointing of their dive lights.
Hat tip Mike Nelson.
Bob Ross, artist
Deonis Kiroshka – Classical Guitar
An evening pause: Kiroshka made the film. Evgeny Kovalev made the guitar. Andrew Matveenko played it.
Hat tip Mike Nelson.
Dale Watson & The Texas Two – My Baby Makes Me Gravy
A evening pause: Somehow this seems a perfect way to end the week.
Hat tip Robert Pratt of Pratt on Texas.
Eric Mead – Coin Trick
An evening pause: I used to post magic quite regularly in my evening pauses. Hat tip to Cotour for renewing that custom.
Steve Hackett – After the Ordeal
An evening pause: Performed live in 2015.
Hat tip to Diane Zimmerman, who also discovered Hackett was performing in a Tucson concert tonight, so that is where we are, even as you watch this video.
Paul Robeson – Ol’ Man River
An evening pause: From the 1936 movie adaptation of the Jerome Kern & Oscar Hammerstein Broadway musical Showboat. While some of the visuals are a bit overstated and feel a bit preachy, this is still the best movie version of this song I have seen. Rather than strut about with big visuals, the film focuses on Robeson, who sings the song introspectively, as if it is something he is thinking.
A bit of trivia: The film’s director was James Whale, the man who made the 1935 classic The Bride of Frankenstein.
Hat tip Edward Thelen.
The amazing ibex climbing a dam
Best of Wingsuit Flying Compilation
An evening pause: I have posted several previous evening pauses on wingsuit flights, in 2011, 2012, and 2015. It has been awhile, so let’s do it again. The music is Prologue by Philter.
Hat tip Cotour, who added that this is “Without a doubt the most exhilarating and dangerous sport that humans participate in.”