Ankidroid additions related to Science, History and Philosophy. More information about Anki can be found in this article.
Huckster
A Huckster is one who uses aggressive, showy or devious methods to promote or sell a product. The original meaning of huckster is a person who sells small articles, either door-to-door or from a stall or small store, like a peddler or hawker. The term probably derives from the Middle English hucc, meaning “to haggle”. During the medieval period, the word assumed the feminine word ending “ster” as in huckster, reflecting the fact that most hucksters were women.
Mestizo(adj.)
Mestizo refers to “Offspring of a person of mixed blood,” especially a person of mixed Spanish and Amerindian parentage,” 1580s, from Spanish mestizo, Portuguese mestiço, “of mixed European and Amerindian parentage,” from Late Latin mixticius “mixed, mongrel,” from Latin mixtus “mixed,”
Scoliosis
Scoliosis is a condition in which a person’s spine has an abnormal sideways curvature. The curve is usually S- or C-shaped over three dimensions. In some, the degree of curve is stable, while in others, it increases over time. Mild scoliosis does not typically cause problems, but more severe cases can affect breathing and movement. It is from Latinized form of Greek skoliosis “crookedness” from skolios “bent, curved“. As per the diagram above it is distinguished from lordosis and kyphosis.
Hearing Live’s music from their classic Throwing Copper record transports me back to Mornington in Southeast Melbourne and the golden age alt-rock scene. It seems to me ‘The Nineties‘ was a good decade in many respects and the music it contains reflect it. Extraordinarily, a previously unreleased track Hold Me Up is the third song to be presented here from Live‘s third studio record Throwing Copper after their previous entry All Over You. The album sold 8 million copies and hence certified 8× platinum. The cover art (see inset) is a painting by Scottish artist Peter Howson titled Sisters of Mercy. In 2005, it was sold for $186,000 by Christie’s in New York.
I think Hold Me Up is about the ebb and flow of a relationship, perhaps even some marriage vows, as the narrator says “All that to you in a church by the sea, Were late, but not in the same way, Were older today.” To me this sounds just like something that would be said at a marriage ceremony. Reading the lyrics from that perspective, they all make sense. He’s expressing his seemingly undying love for his partner. No matter the situation, he will always love her. In any case, it’s a very romantic song, set to rock. Oh, and this song was played in the movie (during the sex scene) – Zach and Miri Make a Porno.
Hold me up in the palm of your hand Lying to you is a river of sin Your metaphors, your silent calls Your feelings are too real Let them spew, a fall from grace Would do us good today
I’ll lift you up, we can love or cry Hey, I’m in love, I’ll take you up again Oh, oh…
All that to you in a church by the sea We’re late, but not in the same way We’re older today
According to songtell (written by A.I Help): Hold Me Up explores the complexities of a relationship, highlighting the desire for support, honesty, and growth, as well as the shared commitment to overcoming obstacles together. The song captures the vulnerability, love, and potential for redemption within the context of this connection….The repetition of “Images we cannot leave behind” and “Like two riversides we roll back” refers to the lingering memories and shared experiences between the two individuals.
Hey Joe is my favourite song by Jimi Hendrix. It was The Jimi Hendrix Experience’s first single, released in 1966 and a UK top 10 hit. Most of content in this article has been cherry-picked from the Wikipedia reference below:
This song has become a rock-standard and been performed in many musical styles by hundreds of different artists. The authorship of the song has been contested, and different recordings have credited its writing to either Billy Roberts or Dino Valenti, or have listed it as a traditional song. Some other performers including Pete Seeger recognised that it had been developed from Billy Robert’s girlfriend and later wife Niela Miller’s song Baby Don’t Go to Town.
When Jimi Hendrix was exploring a more rock-oriented sound in New York City in 1966 with his group Jimmy James and the Blue Flames, Hey Joe was one of the first songs he performed regularly. His arrangement used a slower tempo reminiscent of Tim Rose’s recent single version, which he had heard on a juke box. Looking for musical acts to produce, Chas Chandler, the ex-bassist for the Animals, checked out Hendrix. By chance, the first song Hendrix performed during Chandler’s visit was Hey Joe, a song Chandler was interested in promoting. As a result, Chandler decided to take Hendrix with him to England in September 1966, where he would subsequently turn the guitarist into a star.
[Verse 1] Hey Joe, where you going with that gun in your hand? Hey Joe, I said, where you going with that gun in your hand?
[Verse 2] I’m going down to shoot my old lady You know, I caught her messing around with another man I’m going down to shoot my old lady You know, I caught her messing around with another man And that ain’t too cool
[Verse 3] Hey Joe, I heard you shot your woman down You shot her down, now Hey Joe, I heard you shot your old lady down You shot her down to the ground
Released in the United Kingdom, December 1966, Hendrix’s version peaked at No. 6. The single was released in the United States on May 1, 1967, with the B-side “51st Anniversary”, but failed to chart.
Hey Joe was the last song Hendrix performed at the Woodstock festival in 1969 and as such, it was also the final song of the whole festival. The song was performed after the crowd, comprising the 80,000 who had not yet left the festival, cheered for an encore.
Ankidroid additions related to Science, History and Philosophy. More information about Anki can be found in this article.
Macabre
Macabre contains one of two pronunciations:
mə-käb′
mə-kä′brə
Macabre is having death as a subject : comprising or including a personalized representation of death. The origins of macabre can be traced back to the name of the Book of Maccabees, which is included in the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox canons of the Old Testament and in the Protestant Apocrypha. Sections of this biblical text address both the deaths of faithful people asked to renounce their religion and the manner in which the dead should be properly commemorated. In medieval France, representations of these passages were performed as what became known as the “dance of death” or “dance Maccabee,” which was spelled in several different ways, including danse macabre. In English, macabre was originally used in reference to this “dance of death” and then gradually came to refer to anything grim or gruesome. See Etymology special (Ankidroid edition) for more information is the history of linguistic form (such as a word) and tracing its earliest recorded meaning and its use over time.
Cacophony
kə-kŏf′ə-nē
Cacophony refers to the harshness in sound of words or phrases. Bad sound. (antonym of Symphony). It can also describe an incongruous or chaotic mixture.
Cacophony comes from a joining of the Greek prefix kak- (from kakos,meaning “bad”) with phōnē, so it essentially means “bad sound.”
Epidermis
ep.əˈdɝː.mɪs
The Epidermis is the outermost of the three layers that comprise the skin; the inner layers being the dermis and hypodermis. The epidermis layer provides a barrier to infection from environmental pathogens and regulates the amount of water released from the body into the atmosphere.
Epidermis can also refer to the protective covering ie the hide, the shell, fur and the leather.
A song that needs no introduction. This post will be short and sweet as there are no apt words to describe the magnificence and renascence of this piece.
Con te Partirò (I will leave with you) was first performed by Andrea Bocelli at the 1995 Sanremo Music Festival and recorded on his album of the same year, Bocelli. The song’s original single release by Polydor Records was not commercially successful in Italy, and received little radio airplay there. Elsewhere it was a massive hit.
A second version of the song, sung partly in English, was released in 1996 as Time to Say Goodbye, paired Bocelli with British soprano Sarah Brightman, and achieved even greater success, topping charts all across Europe, including Germany, where it became the biggest-selling single in history.
Poor Poor Pitiful Me by Warren Zevon is an exuberant upbeat country – rock track. In terms of intensity, liveliness, and even in its impropriety this song reminds me of the penultimate song to feature here from Zevon called Excitable Boy. I believe both of these songs which have a macabre sense of humour were recommendations from my friend Max at PowerPop who is a big Zevon fan. Thanks in large part to Max, my estimation of Zevon’s output has risen markedly since I started this music library project in July, 2019.
I love this song. Not many songs deal with a failed suicide, domestic abuse, and a brush with sadomasochism. I’m a huge Warren Zevon fan. His songs tend to be on the dark side…and anyone who has listened to Excitable Boy will testify to that.
When I heard Zevon’s version of this song for the first time I was sold. I first heard the Linda Ronstadt version and I loved it. I’m a Linda Ronstadt fan but something about Zevon’s version draws me in. It’s raw and crude and I love the way he sings it.
I have presented a live version of Poor Poor Pitiful Me by Zevon at the Capitol Theatre, NJ in 1982 below. His music talents not only as a songwriter, but as an effervescent entertainer seem to be marvellously showcased by this gold-standard version. Also the band are so solid. The version also transfigures unexpectedly into Bruce Springsteen’s Cadillac Ranch. It is said, Zevon never got the level of popular recognition he deserved, but ‘real’ musicians know how great he was.
[Verse 1] I lay my head on the railroad tracks And wait for the Double E The railroad don’t run no more Poor, poor pitiful me
[Chorus] Poor, poor pitiful me Poor, poor pitiful me These young girls won’t let me be Lord, have mercy on me Woe is me
[Verse 2] Well, I met a girl in West Hollywood But I ain’t naming names But she really worked me over good She was just like Jesse James She really worked me over good She was a credit to her gender She put me through some changes, Lord Sort of like a Waring blender
[Verse 3] I met a girl at the Rainbow Bar She asked me if I’d beat her She took me back to the Hyatt House I don’t want to talk about it, hey
Zevon had early music industry successes as a session musician, jingle composer, songwriter, touring musician, musical coordinator, and bandleader. In 1975, Zevon toured regularly with the Everly Brothers as keyboard player, band leader, and musical coordinator. Also, in this same year he returned to Los Angeles, where he roomed with Stevie Nicks and Lindsey Buckingham (Fleetwood Mac). Despite all of that, Zevon struggled to break through in his solo career until his music was performed by Linda Ronstadt in 1976. There he collaborated with Jackson Browne, who produced and promoted Zevon’s self-titled major-label debut in 1976 in which today’s featured track appears.
Time to head to the ’90s with a neat track by Big Head Todd and The Monsters, which is right up my alley and hopefully yours as well. This Colorado rock band was formed in 1986. After two albums in 1989 and 1990, they hit it big in February 1993 with Sister Sweetly, which went Platinum in the U.S. and remained on the Billboard 200 for more than a year, though curiously, it only peaked at no. 117. Off that album, here’s the lead single Bittersweet. Like all other songs on Sister Sweetly, it was solely penned by the band’s vocalist, guitarist and keyboarder Todd Park Mohr. Big Head Todd and The Monsters are active to this day and are currently touring, with Mohr remaining part of the current line-up. They also have a great new single out with a cool John Hiatt vibe.
I was introduced to today’s song Bittersweet from Christian’s Music Musings web site. The passion Christian exudes for music is palpable and I feel grateful to be able to converse with him about music. His blog contains a great cross section of music and I am learning to appreciate genres such as Jazz which I hadn’t heard much of in the past. I told Christian recently: ‘I just realised my music project will be elongated substantially listening to your recommendations over the next few years‘.
..Since I started listening in the mid-seventies, music has become my big passion. First came the radio, followed by my older sister’s vinyl records. Then I started buying my own records and spending endless hours taping stuff on music cassettes from other records and my favorite radio shows. From there it didn’t take long to get to the next level, which was learning the guitar and the electric bass, and playing the latter in two bands in my late teens and early twenties.
Fast-forward some 40 years until today. While I haven’t been an active hobby musician in close to 30 years, I’m still as crazy about music as back then. Nowadays, it’s primarily listening to music and for the past few years increasingly going to concerts – and, of course, writing this blog! Every now and then, when I grab my guitar or see some band perform live, I still feel the itch to resume playing music actively until reality sets in: my family, my job and mortgage, etc…
A little light looks through her bedroom window She dances and I dream, she’s not so far as she seems Of brighter meadows, melting sunsets Her hair blowing in the breeze And she can’t see me watching And I’m thinking love… Love… Love… Love…
It’s bittersweet More sweet than bitter Bitter than sweet It’s a bittersweet surrender
I was reminded of how much I like this song when I was watching the 2000 film Snatch in which this song appeared. I always found the unconventional harpsichord sound in Golden Brown alluring, but at the same time slightly unsettling. Golden Brown was intentionally written ambiguously to get past the censors. Singer and lyricist Hugh Cornwell said in 2001: “It’s about heroin and also about a girl… both provided me with pleasurable times.” It is said Hugh Cornwell was loath to admit it to the public but acquiesced to the pressure after bassist J.J. Burnel revealed the meaning to the public at large.
Thanks to being chosen as BBC Radio 2’s record of the week, Golden Brown peaked at No 2 on the UK singles chart, a chart high for The Stranglers, and, it is probably the band’s most famous song.
[Verse 1] Golden brown, texture like sun Lays me down, with my mind she runs Throughout the night, no need to fight Never a frown with golden brown
[Verse 2] Every time, just like the last On her ship, tied to the mast To distant lands, takes both my hands Never a frown with golden brown
[Verse 3] Golden brown, finer temptress Through the ages, she’s heading west From far away, stays for a day Never a frown with golden brown
The basis for the tune came from an unused part of Second Coming, a track which featured on their previous album The Gospel According to the Meninblack. According to bassist JJ Burnel, the song’s atypical style was intended to defy expectations. He explained, “The whole thing about that song is it really represented us sticking our fingers up to our detractors‘. “We were written off by then,” Burnell admitted.”There was a new record company at the time that had taken us over because they have swallowed up our previous record company. They said punk was over and we were finished, and then we forced them to release that record‘.
..It wasn’t the lyrical content that inspired so many to purchase the record, but it was the seductiveness of the melody: Wet with atmosphere and rich in sonic experience, the song signalled a more mature outlet that showed that punk was as malleable as the author intended it to be.
Concrete Utopia (Korean: 콘크리트 유토피아) is a 2023 South Korean disaster-thriller film which I had the good fortune to see at the cinema here in Bogota, Colombia. The premise was one of the best I had heard as far as disaster movies go, so my expectations were high going into it. Check this out:
Synopsis (wikipedia below):
Seoul is devastated overnight by a major earthquake. Everything has collapsed, and only one place remains intact: Imperial Palace Apartments. Residents begin to feel threatened as external survivors who have heard of this haven flock to the apartments. They unite for survival, and with a new resident leader, Yeong-tak, they create new rules for residents and prevent entry to outsiders. Thanks to this, unlike the hellish world outside, the utopian apartments remain safe and peaceful. In an endless crisis for survival, however, an unexpected conflict begins among them.
Concrete Utopia lived up to and exceeded my expectations. I normally don’t touch ‘Disaster’ movies with a ten foot pole, but I was lured by the following:
The above story line intrigued me,
Concrete Utopia is a foreign film, which means it doesn’t have the Rock in it and that can only be a good thing,
Concrete Utopia has excellent reviews.. so exceptional in fact it currently sits at 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, and
Concrete Utopia was the official submission of South Korea for the ‘Best International Feature Film‘ category of the 96th Academy Awards in 2024.
It Is an emotional force of a film. Not concerned with the disaster itself or the spectacle it could employ to focus on the moment of tragedy, the film offers epic landscapes but always keeps an intimate eye on the people in the high rise. It presents a disturbing picture of humanity that dribbles into the absolute worst when the social structure is dismembered and survival becomes the only need of the hour.
I agree with one critic’s appraisal that the film was “more creepy than most horror movies“. Concrete Utopia is a unique and intriguing disaster movie that skilfully blends black comedy, horror and psychological thriller. It’s confidently paced and craftily directed. Anna Miller, with Next Best Picture, graded the film 8/10 and wrote:
“Concrete Utopia is a gripping, disturbing, and powerful representation of the worst of society, yet equally showcasing the best qualities in humans and how hope, community, and decency will always exist through the dust and devastation.”
Concrete Utopia was pre-sold in 152 countries in Europe, Asia, and South America. It is said the film was be released in North America through Viki in the first quarter of 2024.
“One night when everyone was asleep and I was sitting at the kitchen table, nothing on the hillside but a shiny bed of lights – all that changed. I wrote about twenty verses for a song called ‘Political World’ and this was about the first of twenty songs I would write in the next month or so…With the song I thought I might have broken through to something. It was like you wake up from a deep and drugged slumber and somebody strikes a little silver gong and you come to your senses”.
It was written in the eighties but it explains what we are living in right now. The images in the video below could be mistaken for an Epstein Island. Political World is the second song to be presented from Bob Dylan’s Oh Mercy record after the previous entry Most of the Time. It is an uptempo folk rock song which was released as the opening track on his 1989 album.
Oh Mercy which was produced by Daniel Lanois and seen by critics as a comeback to form for Dylan after disappointing sales with Knocked Out Loaded and Down in the Groove. Daniel Lanois would produce Dylan’s Time Out of Mind 8 years later which won three Grammy awards. Here is Daniel Lanois speaking about the making of Oh Mercy.
[Verse 1] We live in a political world Love don’t have any place We’re living in times where men commit crimes And crime don’t have a face
[Verse 2] We live in a political world Icicles hanging down Wedding bells ring and angels sing Clouds cover up the ground
[Verse 3] We live in a political world Wisdom is thrown into jail It rots in a cell, is misguided as hell Leaving no one to pick up a trail
[Verse 4] We live in a political world Where mercy walks the plank Life is in mirrors, death disappears Up the steps into the nearest bank
[Verse 5] We live in a political world Where courage is a thing of the past Houses are haunted, children are unwanted The next day could be your last
[Verse 6] We live in a political world The one we can see and can feel But there’s no one to check, it’s all a stacked deck We all know for sure that it’s real
[Verse 7] We live in a political world In the cities of lonesome fear Little by little you turn in the middle But you’re never sure why you’re here
[Verse 8] We live in a political world Under the microscope You can travel anywhere and hang yourself there You always got more than enough rope
[Verse 9] We live in a political world Turning and a-thrashing about As soon as you’re awake, you’re trained to take What looks like the easy way out
[Verse 10] We live in a political world Where peace is not welcome at all It’s turned away from the door to wander some more Or put up against the wall
[Verse 11] We live in a political world Everything is hers or his Climb into the frame and shout God’s name But you’re never sure what it is
In their book Bob Dylan All the Songs: The Story Behind Every Track, authors Philippe Margotin and Jean-Michel Guesdon note how Daniel Lanois’ atmospheric production plunges listeners “into a dreamy, heavy, menacing but definitely original vibe. The fade-in subtly introduces the drum part, supported by an excellent bassline by Tony Hall. He puts an irresistible pulse to the piece on his four string. Dylan has finally found his producer“.
The phrase “You climb into the frame” from the final verse is taken from the 1970 song “Love Calls You By Your Name” by Dylan’s friend Leonard Cohen.
Observation Blogger 