Well, that was quick

VPilf.com. Surprisingly safe for work.

Woody Allen is still funny

At least on paper. Haven't seen his new flick yet.

For that matter, Scoop has been sitting idly on our TiVo box for a couple months now.

Three noteworthy songs with substitute drummers

Not all drummers sound the same. Like any accomplished musician, they develop their own style. Contrast John Bonham and Keith Moon, for example: two drummers with a signature sound, each successful in his own way.

Sometimes, however, even the serious fan may not realize who is behind the drum kit. Here are three noteworthy tracks where substitute drummers were used. Can you hear the difference?

Artist: Pink Floyd
Track: "Mother"
Regular drummer: Nick Mason
Substitute drummer: Jeff Porcaro of Toto
Reason for substitution: Mason couldn't get the part right, so session drummer Porcaro was brought in.
Analysis: The folky song lacks percussion until the guitar solo. From there, Porcaro does an admirable job of pushing along the second half of "Mother," one of the best songs on "The Wall."

Artist: The Rolling Stones
Track: "You Can't Always Get What You Want"
Regular drummer: Charlie Watts
Substitute drummer: Jimmy Miller, producer
Reason for substitution: Same problem Mason had: Watts couldn't get the timing down.
Analysis: Miller fills in perfectly for Watts, no small feat considering he was stepping in for one of the great drummers in rock history.

Artist: The Beatles
Track: "The Ballad of John and Yoko"
Regular drummer: Ringo Starr
Substitute drummer: Paul McCartney
Reason for substitution: John Lennon was in a hurry to record the song, and Starr was away, working on a movie.
Analysis: The simplicity of "Ballad" matches McCartney's skills. He does OK, but his performance doesn't sound quite like Ringo.

Does the new business of music change the way music sounds?

One blogger says yes. All I can add to this from personal experience is that the rise of relatively affordable home studios over the last decade is the most significant change to the production of records. I clearly know next to nothing about the distribution and promotion of records, as evidenced by the 500 copies of "Better Now" wasting space aging like fine wine in my closet. But this next Ghost Town record sounds as professional as most of the CDs in my collection, at an estimated investment of about $40,000 in studio costs.

The nice thing? The next one's free. :)

Possible Dullard Feat of Strength

Get drunk with Brits while they visit the islands of Greece.

There's no escape from the music in the whole damn street

The accordion is back. Some Dullards might say it never went away.

Olympics & Citizenship

With so many atheletes crossing borders to play for other countries, and with USA basketball fielding all-star teams, the Olympics just ain't the same as when i was a kid. I got nothin' deeper than that to say, though someone smarter than me could draw this out into a discussion of what citizenship and nationalism are coming to mean in a trans-national-corporation-run world.

This Bud's for you — with tomato

I ran across this beer on the shelves of my local grocer the other day. It's a mix of Budweiser and Clamato — two great tastes that go great together, right?

The brew, sold in the convenient 24-ounce can, was apparently introduced last year. The reviews are not kind. I won't be trying it, but then again, I am probably not a part of the target audience.

(Image courtesy of Creative Commons.)

Olympic sports we'd like to see

As noted in the highly scientific survey on this blog, the Dullard community is reacting with a collective shrug to the Summer Olympics. What could the Games do to get our attention? How about adding these events:

Marco Polo: What better pool event for the Olympics than the internationally flavored Marco Polo? It would be more action-packed than synchronized diving, and we'd love to hear "fish out of water!" in Chinese, French or English (the official languages of the current Olympics).

Miniature golf: Traditional golf is a pretty dull thing to watch. Miniature golf, on the other hand, is fun for athlete and spectator alike. As an Olympic competition, the course would be designed and decorated to reflect the culture and history of the host country.

Dead man's float: Most swimming events are too difficult to be accessible to the average person. (Can you do the butterfly?) Anyone can do the dead man's float — but who can do it the longest? To up the ante, the pool for this competition will be infested with sharks with freakin' laser beams.

What other games can be added to spice up the Olympics?

Chef is no longer with us

Isaac Hayes, noted musician, "South Park" voice and Scientologist, is dead at age 65. So it goes.

Eat to the beet

Beets taste good. And they are good for you.

Here's how to roast them. Don't forget the seasoning, ya donkey!

Out of the box

A friend points us to Pandora, a music site that offers what it calls "radio from the Music Genome Project." It's a little hard to explain how it works, but it's worth a look — and a listen.