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Watch it While You Can
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There’s a RIDICULOUSLY awesome video making it’s way around the Internet that shows a bunch of fun-seekers rope-swinging from a natural arch in Moab, Utah. The footage is insanely brilliant but the music—in my humble opinion—is just too damn giddy for such death-defying bad-assery.
Go ahead and check-out the video on YouTube before reading further. You don’t have to watch the whole thing but just enough to get the gist of it.
Mmmmkay? .
Listen all ya’ll, I’m going to set it straight. There’s only one song that can do this video justice and I realized this the first time I saw the video—which was a whole two days before it went viral.
ONLY ONE SONG I TELL YOU!
So, I downloaded the video and changed only the music (and shaved a few seconds off the ending because it lingered too long). The new music synchronizes surprisingly well and creates a whole different vibe.
There’s two things that are proven in both videos that remain true however. First, the fact that white men can indeed jump and second, we’re horrible when it comes to spontaneously busting into cracker-ass dance moves.
You’d better watch this now before I have to take it down for various copyright issues.
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Rope Swing Revisted from TygeOD on Vimeo.
Of course nothing compares to the original and epic video of this song—and it’s parody of bad 1970′s police television that it depicts.
I hope if any of the gang from the original video sees this, they won’t be upset and have me take my remix off the Internet. I like to think of my music edit as an ode to their lunacy.
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Back to the Future Part II
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Back in July I posted a cool link to Irina Werning’s Back to the Future photograph series where she takes old photographs and recreates them in the modern day using the same people and subject matter. Werning has recently added another set of photographs to her website and you can see them here. She also has her future schedule posted for those of you scattered around Europe and wanting to be a part of her project.
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Grandpa Vonnegut
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Ezra Prior isn’t only a writer for New York’s The Free George online magazine, but he’s also the grandson of the late Kurt Vonnegut.
Ezra recently wrote a brief memoir about his “grampa,” and here’s an excerpt I enjoyed reading:
The one good thing we did share was a sense of humor. I saw that he had it coming, that he wouldn’t mind me screwing with him, that he might respect me if I messed with his game. And so I stuck a live wick in one of his cigarettes and waited a week. He called, my mom laughed and handed me the phone:
“Ezra, you’re a little piece of shit… I shat my pants and thought World War Three had begun.”
“Oh, so it worked?”
“Yeah it worked!”
“I’m sorry grandpa. I’ve been terrified ever since I put it there. I was worried I’d give you a heart attack. I didn’t even tell anyone about it.”
“You’re a real troublemaker. Hahahahahahahahahahahaha…” and then we’d laugh for a minute or two and talk whatever shop might have been small enough for him to handle.
“I have to go now Ezra.”
“Goodbye grampa.”
You can read the whole article at The Free George and you may notice the website’s layout is uncannily similar to another website you’re familiar with. Just a coincidence.
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Oscar Night Blogging
My buddy Darrin live-blogged during The Grammys on his Page 300 website. I thought it was cool until I realized he was watching the show two hours ahead of me and was spoiling everything. I’m stealing the idea though, and will be blogging live during next Sunday’s Oscars.
I’m doing two things differently from Darrin though. First, I’ll be using a live blog plug-in widget thingy so viewers can interact by leaving instant comments. Second, I’ll be drinking copious amounts of alcohol during the show.
Between these two things and the fact I’m not familiar with most of the nominated movies, it should be an interesting evening.
So remember to stop by The Neon Lounge during The Oscars and say hello!
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On the Digital Download
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After Darrin and Carl told me how great Sharon Van Etten’s new album Tramp is, I lended an ear and totally have to agree. It’s introspective folk-pop, and downright honest and endearing music. Sharon lives in New York City but many of her songs are influenced from music she discovered while attending Middle Tennessee State University.
Sharon Van Etten ~ We Are Fine
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Neon Photograph
I recently took this photo of a local bread company’s sign.
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And Finally…
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A guy eating at the Las Vegas Heart Attack Grill—where people over 350 lbs eat for free—actually had a heart attack while dining there. Surprise, surprise. Read NPR’s story about it here.
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FiN.
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Totally better with Sabotage.
“Sabotage” works great, but if the rope had also snapped…priceless. Not that I wanted to see someone splat on rock, just the ironic irony of the song title. Personally… I would have gone with Electric Youth by Debbie Gibson. I love that perfume.
The first time I watched that video I was too nauseous watching those people jump off that arch to even notice the music. But after another look and listen I agree, sabotage works much better. I’m looking forward to the Oscar blogging. I’ll check in during the parts of the show (sound editing, etc) that bore me to tears (90% of the show). I do like the original shorts although I can never figure out where to view them. Can you address this in your blog?
The first time through I didn’t even hear the music because I was too nauseous from seeing those people jump off that arch. After another look and listen, I thought “Sabotage” worked MUCH better. I’ll be tuning in during the Oscars. And, I know I must be missing something, but, what was Andy Warhol right about?
I’ve been tempted to call off the live blog on Oscar night, but I keep getting urged by a few people, so we’ll see how it goes.
“In the future everyone will be world-famous for fifteen minutes.”
-Andy Warhol
I thought it was appropriate with the various things I posted this past week.
I’m losing my mind…..I didn’t see my post and thought that it didn’t go through because I didn’t put my name on it
so I wrote a second reply. By then I had asked B about the Andy Warhol thing, to which he relied, you know, the 15 minute thing, which I then felt seriously stupid about (oh yeah, I knew that!). And now the Oscar blogging is up in the air?! Okay, I’m done now.
It’s always tricky when you start to re-edit somebody else’s work. Even if it turns out better it’ll become a dig that author probably won’t appreciate.
As for the Heart Attack Grill, if I was related to customer/heart attack victim we’d have been wheeling him into the nearest high priced lawyers office stretcher and all. Can anyone say “Ca-Ching?”
I like to think the people who did the video wanted to use “Sabotage” but didn’t for obvious copyright issues (a long shot, I know) but instead, since it was their “official” video release, they went with a band (who I believe is closely affiliated with these folks because they’ve used the same band in other videos)to make the process easy and with no red tape. And that’s fine. I just hope they don’t mind people like myself taking the gamble of using other appropriate music, even if there’s a chance it’ll be taken down eventually.
As far as Heart Attack Grill, I found out tonight that if you’re one of the obese who eat for free, they make you sign waivers and whatnot. I have no idea how this would play in a court of law, or even if the victim was in the “eat for free” category, but the whole thing is pretty sad when someone (in already bad physical shape) gorges themselves to the brink of death, and knowingly.
Waiver? That’s like inviting someone to come into your house and allowing him to put a gun to his head as long as he signs the release. A good contract lawyer would have that thrown out of court within 10 minutes, a better one would have gotten the settlement check for you before it even got that far.
Although I really do believe in self-responsibility, no institution should be allowed to entice or encourage people who already have a problem to do something that would acerbate that problem even further.
Re: Rope Swing… Yep your music choice was better!
Thanks for posting the link to Irina Werning’s photos. I love them. I am amazed at the attention to detail in the recreations. The sweet childhood innocence captured after so much time has passed is pretty wonderful.
Yep.. you’re music choice was better.. but I miss the yelling as they jumped! lol