It's the last day for Alpha Prime One. I'm not the most sentimental person, but I'm going to miss the people and antics of our class. But I'm also looking forward to a new class, new instructors, and classmates. Even though we've been broken up, I'm sure Team Ampersand will still convene in w308 for many more late night work sessions. See you in semester 2.
I mentioned in an earlier blog that I was writing for the Manitoba Junior Hockey League, so I want to give the site another plug. The MJHL's exciting, fast-paced hockey, where you can watch local talent play their hearts out. My last article is on Eric Coulombe, an up and coming rookie for the Steinbach Pistons. Head over to the site to check it out. While your at at it, take a look at the rest of the site. Games are held in the city at Dakota Arena in St. Vital and Century Arena in Fort Garry. I encourage all hockey fans to check out a game.
This is old news by now, but every time I see this I still have a good laugh. A Taiwanese television show, which appears to be an offshoot of the trashy tabloids Next and Apple Daily, put together a computer animation of the Tiger Woods car crash. It's good to see that they've diversified from their usual stories on how Canadians are corrupting Taiwanese youth with marijuana and what popstar Jolin is eating for breakfast.
The slapping sound effect at the beginning is especially effective. The video also manages to give both sides of the story. North American news shows should take some cues from this; when something wildly sensational occurs, speculate through the lens of computer animation. Who needs journalists anymore.
All joking aside, I know the Tiger gossip and news has reached a saturation point, but this is still hilarious.
Last night I was right in the middle of my usual mid-week homework procrastination, vegging out on the couch and flipping through the channels. I stumbled across a program on PBS showing the best of the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame induction concerts. Let me just say that it was an unbelievable hour and a half of footage. George Harrison, Ringo Star, Mick Jagger, Bruce Springstein, Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, and a guy with a keytar(!) doing some Beatles songs. Crosby, Stills, Nash, and Tom Petty doing Buffalo Springfield's "For What It's Worth"(Petty's puffing on a smoke throughout, looking pretty badass for an old guy. Not sure why I bothered to include this, but it's just so random). A reunited Santana jamming out "Black Magic Woman". These were just a few of the sonic gems that were included.
The highlight of the show was (and I'm sure you've probably guessed based on the title of this post) Tom Petty, Jeff Lynne, Dhani Harrison, Steve Winwood, and Prince jamming out The Beatles "While My Guitar Gently Weeps", in honour of George Harrison's posthumous induction into the Hall. Petty and Lynne alternate on Harrison's haunting vocals, while Winwood belts out the first section Eric Clapton's famous guitar solo. Then Prince comes out and just kills the solo. It's pretty ridiculous. Maybe one of the best guitar solos that I've ever seen.
This got me thinking about Harrison's original version. I had never really included it in my favourite songs, but I think it's definitely made the jump. I listen to it fairly regularly on my IPOD and whenever I hear it on the radio, I turn up the volume. It's underrated as far as Beatles songs go. I'd go as far as saying it's my favourite Beatles song. I can't really explain why, but the song just has that feeling to it that draws me in.
I'm not the best at describing music because honestly I'm not that musical of a person, so I apologize for the poor quality of my above description. I think I'll just let the music do the talking. Here's the original and some cover versions. Enjoy.
The Beatles and Eric Clapton
Tom Petty, Dhani Harrison, Jeff Lynne, Steve Winwood, and Prince
The Wu-Tang Clan, Eryka Badu, John Fruciante, and Dhani Harrison put a hip hop spin on it
There's also a great version by Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, and Dhani Harrison out there, but Youtube won't let me embed it, so you'll have search for it yourself.
