I Got a Bad Feeling About This...

And no, it's nothing to do with Star Wars. It's about a planetarium light show.

Around here, we have a planetarium, named after a local astronaut (now deceased, unfortunately). What is also unfortunate is that they don't really do anything to pull in large crowds, and make science available to the general public. They are more interested in pandering to the rich people in town. And they, like the museum they are located at, charge exorbitant prices to see shows and exhibits. Because of this, they never have crowds. Also, because they never do anything that is popular.

One of the things that is popular are laser light shows. Now, they don't do anything to further the study and appreciation of astronomy and the sciences, but they bring some (usually) good music so the (mainly) stoners of the area can go, spend $7 each, and sit wasted for an hour. Their standby shows are Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. They have done some Led Zeppelin in the past, along with crappy music like Radiohead and Creed.

What I have said to them for years is "hey, do a Rush light show." There is a huge Rush fan base here in west Michigan, and they will have no problem selling tickets. Heck, all they would have to do is put the 2112 album to music and effects. It's perfect. And for years, nothing.

Now I hear that "sometime in 2008" there is a Rush show on the schedule. I made it quite clear that I would like to "be in on it" (I do have many contacts down there, and have "hung out" at the planetarium for years). Suddenly I see today that on February 16th there is a Rush show, featuring "a new lineup of Rush’s greatest hits." This scares me.

Why does it scare me? Because the "person" in charge of the production is frickin' 20-something years old!! He doesn't even like the music. How is he qualified to pick what songs should be used? I'm afraid he's just going to go for the popular ones, like Tom Sawyer, Spirit of Radio, and Closer to the Heart. Those are great songs, but probably not the best for a laser light show.

I was thinking Fly by Night, Countdown, an edited Cygnus X-1 (to name a few). But I am 99.999999% sure that these songs won't be used.

And when the show fails to bring in audiences, they will use their standard "it's not the right show for this area." And all because they themselves screwed it up. Which is too bad, because it could be glorious.

Snakes & Arrows

That's the title of the new Rush CD, out in stores today.

I've heard the whole thing a few times, and I can definitely say this....

"Eh."

That's right, I don't like it that much. Oh, it's not their worst album, but it sure isn't the best. Scale of 1 - 5, I give it a 2.

Sorry guys.

2001: North vs Kubrick

So to bring everyone up to speed.

When Stanley Kubrick was making the film 2001: A Space Odyssey, the studio forced him to use Alex North to score the film. Now, North scored Kubrick's Spartacus, so they had worked together before. But this time, Kubrick had it in his head what he wanted already, and didn't want anything North had to compose.

So Kubrick lead North on, letting him compose a score for the film, while all the time not even planning on listening to it, let alone using it in the movie. And North didn't even find out until the movie premiered.

Years later, North's music was finally released on CD, so we could all enjoy it. And what's better, the liner notes make it pretty clear where the music was going to be in the film.

So, a friend of mine mixed the music to the specific scenes in the film, and gave me a copy to watch, just to see if it would work. And here's what I think:

The music itself is wonderful, but in the film, it just doesn't work. I guess I'm going to have to give Kubrick his due. now, to be fair, I'm working on a nearly 40 year bias, as I've only seen 2001 one way all these times, and can never see it "for the first time" with North's music.

With the original North cues, the film takes on a very different tone. It's not as "deep" or "dramatic" as it was, and as I watched it, I seemed to not be able to immerse myself in the imagery as I could before. The music took me out of the experience.

Some places, like part of the Space Station Docking and Moon Rocket Bus do work to some extent, but it now - after knowing the film as I have - it takes away from the experience.

So I will continue to enjoy Alex North's music as it is on the CD - and wish he had scored more of the film - but I will continue to enjoy 2001 (the film) as Kubrick made it. And I won't wonder (much) anymore about "how it might have been."

"The Greatest Enthusiasm and Confidence in the Mission"

Prophetic words, spoken by an AI.

Those were spoken by HAL, as astronaut David Bowman was entering the computer's logic core to shut off HAL's higher functions.

The only reason I bring this up is that I got a CD in the mail today. It's the original score to the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, written by Alex North. He composed this music for the film, unaware that the film's director, Stanley Kubrick, had no intention of using it. So it sat unused and (basically) unheard for decades.

A bunch of years ago Mr. North gave Jerry Goldsmith a listen to the music, and Jerry convinced him that it should be recorded. The Varese Sarabande label put out a CD in 1993. It was marvelous music, even though a mistake was made, and the first track was actually for a different North score: the film Africa.

A few months ago word came out that the Intrada label was going to release the actual tracks from the score. Many people in the film score fan community were critical of this, as it wasn't going to be in the "new millennium super-duper-surround-sound-ultra-stereo." Didn't care: I wanted it. Trouble is, I couldn't really afford it, as I'm still unemployed. However, my friend - and fellow film music buff Ed - bought it for me for Christmas (even though it wasn't released until the end of January 2007).

I finally received it today, uploaded it into iTunes for my iPod, andwas going to listen, but...

While I was getting the computer going with iTunes, I found out that TCM channel was showing 2001 as part of their "31 Days of Oscar." So I just had to watch it; it's like a personal law to me.

So I still haven't been able to listen to the CD, but I will. And when visitors' nights at the observatory start up in the spring, this music, plus the music used in the film, the Varese issue of North's score, and the score to 2010 will be playing as I show people the wonders of the universe.

Dark Side of the Grail, or Python and the Moon

It's the Full Moon!

Tonight's full moon will be bigger than usual, thanks to where it is in its orbit around the Earth.

Exact time of the "full moon" is 11.13pm EDT. So get ready to be mooned big!!!

In fact, I'm going out to photograph it.

Interesting fact 1: There is no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact it's all dark.

Interesting Fact 2 (regarding the line above): [During the recording of Dark Side of the Moon] Studio time would be typically interrupted for one of two reasons, either soccer or Monty Python television broadcasts. In fact, Pink Floyd were such Python fans that they used some of the money they made from the initial success of the album to help fund Monty Python's The Holy Grail film.

Slowhand

Here's the setlist of the Clapton show. more later

Pretending
I Shot the Sheriff
Got to Get Better in a Little While
Old Love (with Robert Cray)
Everybody Oughta Make a Change
Motherless Children

**accoustic**
Back Home
I Am Yours
Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out
Running on Faith

After Midnight
Little Queen of Spades
Further On Up The Road
Wonderful Tonight
Layla
Cocaine

Encore
Crossroads (with Robert Cray)

The Guitar God II

Got my tickets for Clapton!!

Great seats, can't wait for the concert!

The Guitar God

Great music news!!!

Eric Clapton is coming to town!!!

September 21st - I'll be there!!!

25 Years of Exploration

Today marks the 25th Anniversary of the first space shuttle launch.

Just after 7am on April 12, 1981, the space shuttle Columbia rose off the pad at Cape Canaveral with astronauts John Young and Robert Crippen in the first operational test of the new shuttle system.

I remember sitting watching in awe and fascination as that beautiful ship rose up from the clouds of smoke and ascended to its rightful place in the sky.

The first mission didn't last long - just 36 orbits and 2+ days - but it proved that the system worked (despite some flaws). Watching her land on the dry lake beds of Edwards was a sight to behold.

The musical group Rush even had a song about Columbia....

"Countdown"
Lyrics by Neil Peart

Dedicated with thanks to astronauts Young & Crippen and all the people of NASA for their inspiration and cooperation

[Coming up on 45 minute point in out countdown. Everything going smoothly... T minus 45 minutes and counting…]
[Coming up on T minus 40 minutes. T Minus 40 minutes and counting… This is shuttle launch control.]

Lit up with anticipation
We arrive at the launching site
The sky is still dark, nearing dawn
On the Florida coastline

Circling choppers slash the night
With roving searchlight beams
This magic day when super-science
Mingles with the bright stuff of dreams

[…we are go for launch. At the present time, we know of no major problems, as we enter the final hold.]

Floodlit in the hazy distance
The star of this unearthly show
Venting vapours, like the breath
Of a sleeping white dragon

Crackling speakers, voices tense
Resume the final count
All systems check, T minus nine
As the sun and the drama start to mount

The air is charged - a humid, motionless mass
The crowds and the cameras,
The cars full of spectators pass
Excitement so thick - you could cut it with a knife
Technology - high, on the leading edge of life

[T minutes 27 seconds… sequencers start, T minus 20 seconds and counting…. T minus 15, 14, 13…
T minus 10, 9, 8 7 6 5 4... Main engines start, we have liftoff.]

The earth beneath us starts to tremble
With the spreading of a low black cloud
A thunderous roar shakes the air
Like the whole world exploding

Scorching blast of golden fire
As it slowly leaves the ground
It tears away with a mighty force
The air is shattered by the awesome sound

[T plus 30 seconds... 35... Columbia, Houston. you’re go at 40…]

Excitement so thick - you could cut it with a knife
Technology - high, on the leading edge of life
Like a pillar of cloud, the smoke lingers
High in the air
In fascination - with the eyes of the world
We stare...

[Columbia is now turning for it’s precise window in space for main engine cutoff…]
[Plus 2 minutes 40 seconds, Columbia now 39 nautical miles in altitude, 42 nautical miles downrange…]
[Columbia you’re looking a little hot and all your calls will be a little early...]
[Young and Crippin really moving out now – velocity now reading 6200 feet per second…]
[“What a view! What a view” “Glad you enjoyed it”…]
[Columbia Houston, we have 40 seconds to LOS, after LOS you’re looking good
for an over-the-hill and we’ll see you in Madrid…]
[“And we enjoyed the music Bob, thank ya.”…]
[“We enjoyed it. We just wanted to share some with ya.”…]

And sadly, nearly 22 years later, we would lose Columbia - and its seven astronauts - as it broke up over the skies of the United States that cold day in February 2003.

The Maestro!!!

Tonight's "Nightline" features John Williams!

And I just found this out by turning the channel to it!! And there's only 5 minutes left!

Rats!!! Rats!!! Grr!!! Arghh!!!

They asked him what his favorite scores were. He said two tracks/areas...

Ending from CE3K
Bicycles over the moon from ET.

Why oh why didn't I check the TV sooner??!!!

Yes, it's True

Just got back from seeing Yes here in Grand Rapids, and it was a great show. Proves that the music of the 70's (and the other times they have recorded) is TONS better than what passes for music today.

We were halfway back on stage right, and had wonderful seats. Steve Howe was on our side, with Wakeman on the right. The set design by Alan Dean was fantastic.

They started rocking right from the start, with "Going for the One" and taking a 15 minute intermission after "Yours is no Disgrace." Total time of the first half was one hour.

Coming back from break, they surprised us (well, at least me) by all sitting down for an acoustic section of the show. And the biggest surprise of that part was the re-arrangement of "Roundabout" with a Chicago-style Blues feel (the rearranging was described by Rick Wakeman). That brought the house to its collective feet.

Going back to full concert mode a few songs later, "Rhythm of Love" had Jon Anderson coming down off the stage and walking through the whole crowd on the floor level (figures, the first concert at this area I wasn't sitting on the floor).

They really kicked out a great version of Mind Drive, and just before the end they played "Ritual" and for the encore they featured "Every Little Thing" and "Soon." The lights came up at 10:30. Much too soon for all of us.

A few observations:

1. My god, can't people sit and watch a concert without having to get up every 15 minutes to get a frickin' beer? Sheesh. Wait until the intermission.

2. An older guy just to the left of us was up dancing and prancing around, much to his (much younger) wife's dismay. But by the end of the show, she had enough beer in her to put on an exhibition as well.:)

3. A show like this, from a group that has passed the test of time as one of the greatest bands, proves you don't need to hop/dance/bop around with a bunch of crappy backup people and lip-synching the songs because you can't sing. Hear that Britney? Christina?

4. I was disappointed that they didn't play "Starship Trooper" or "Close to the Edge." But hey, you can't have everything.:)

Too bad I can't afford the tickets to "The Eagles" and "Simon and Garfunkel" coming up here.