I like the Black-Eyed Peas. I also like parodies of things. Imagine my surprise and delight, then, when I found this parody of their big hit, “I Gotta Feeling”.
Here’s the original video.
And, here’s the parody; or, rather, here’s A parody There are plenty.
Check it out. It has the Bevboy Seal of Approval (patent pending).
Bevboy
Last week’s post featuring the Four Yorkshiremen garnered much comment in the blogosphere. Dozens of you wrote me, IM’d me, commented on my facebook status announcing the post, accosted me on the street, called me at home, cut me off in traffic to tell me, that you loved it! Thank you for that.
My friend Elliott, who’s deaf, brought this version to my attention. Thank you, Elliott.
And, they still mount productions of The Four Yorkshiremen. This is one with Eddie Izzard and Alan Rickman.
I hope you like them.
More in a bit.
Bevboy
So, this morning, before work, I had to take my car in, in order to have a couple of tires replaced. It’s life.
My dilemma, what was causing me undue stress and aggravation, was: What radio station should I tune my radio to, in order to impress the mechanic who would be servicing my car?
Don’t tell me you haven’t thought the same thing!
Let me explain.
I listen to a bunch of radio stations when I’m drivin’ around. It depends on my mood, or what song a particular station may or may not be playing. In the run of a drive to and from work, I usually switch stations 6 or 7 times. This would include, of course, the few minutes I try to listen to WCBS, 880AM, in order to hear Joe Connolly’s droll financial report. I wrote about him last year.
The question remains: Which of these myriad stations would most impress the mechanic who works on my car?
Q104 would seem the obvious, although perhaps cliched, choice. Lots of mechanics like classic rock and adore Greasy Gary. Gary told me last year that he had been told that mechanics and construction workers don’t start work until Greasy Gary’s finished his morning bit, around 7:20. You really can’t go wrong with Q104.
Hal FM? Well, maybe. They play older-skewing classic rock, with much less patter which might be more attractive to mechanics. I don’t know. I’ve never seen such a poll, although it might be interesting to see one.
C100? Their target market is women in a particular age group. Mechanics typically are men. Men may not like that brand of music, so C100 may not be the best choice.
FX 1019, the sole Country station? I’m not sure about that one. I don’t associate Country songs, hurtin’ songs, with mechanics. Of course, many Country songs involve pickup trucks, so I may be totally off-base here. More research is required.
Z103.5, the Beat of Halifax? This would be a dark horse. I would think that many younger mechanics would enjoy the younger-skewing hip hop stuff that this fine station purveys. I don’t think I’d offend any mechanic if they worked on my car while listening to the Black-Eyed Peas on my car radio.. In fact, there is research to indicate that working to The Black-Eyed Peas increases productivity by up to 10%. Go figure. Time is money, you know.
Kool FM? Classic Hits? Now, there’s a real smorgasbord of content! What mechanic could say no to the tunes of ABBA, or The Eagles? I say you, no such person could.
CBC Radio One? That would convey the image to mechanics that I was erudite, but definitely not pedantic. It may strike you as a splitting hairs, but it is important not to come across as pedantic, as I was once told that I was, in fact, pedantic. Just as soon as I look up “pedantic”, I’ll figure out what it means and determine whether I should be offended.
Radio Two? That would say I was liberal with my music choices, brave and daring, and that should sit well with anybody fixing my car. “This guy listens to Radio Two! He’s brave and daring! I’ll do an extra good job for him!”
News 95.7? That would tell the mechanic that I was interested in headline news and the interesting commentaries of Tom Young and Andrew Krystal. Those guys speak to the common man the way few can. I think News 95.7 would be another fine option.
Lite FM, 92.9? Well, it’s got “92” in the name, so I should like that station a lot. But I’m not sure how many mechanically-oriented people would appreciate having a car radio tuned into that station upon receiving that car to work on.
I’m not sure I’m much further ahead than I was when I started. I had my car tuned to the Q this morning. I don’t think it was a bad choice. But, maybe, next time I’ll have it on Z or News 95.7.
Or maybe I’ll just have the damned radio turned off!
Bevboy
Of course, there are many Hitler rants videos on youtube. It’s the same footage shown over and over, only the subtitles are changed. Still funny, though.
This rant will make little sense unless you live in the Halifax area. There is a small but vocal minority trying to oppose the construction of a new convention centre in the downtown. This new centre would replace what is about to become… two city blocks of nothing. The old MIdtown Tavern occupied one block; the former Chronicle Herald building, ugly as sin even when they were keeping it up, occupies the other. They’re clearing both blocks now.
People who oppose change are called many things, but the polite term is “naysayers”. Naysayers have a legitimate place in our society. If not for them, you would have no effective opposition to any fool thing that a ruling party wants to do. In Halifax, to use but one example, it was the naysayers who managed, 40 or so years ago, to convince the city not to raze the waterfront district for a highway, meaning that we have the Historic Properties section, a lovely part of our city. I have time and respect for naysayers.
However, I think they’re wrong on this one. The CH building was empty and ugly. Tear it down. The Midtown Tavern property was 60+ years old and needed work to make it look more modern. The ownership of the property and what would become of it had been a bone of contention with the city and the family that owned it, pitting sibling against sibling, all because the patriarch did not have a firm succession plan in place. I don’t know the Grant family. I just hope that the siblings can one day make peace with each other. Those rifts are hard to heal.
Anyway, I believe that a new convention centre is a good thing for Halifax. Empty lots do not attract tourists; it turns them off. A nice new convention centre would attract conventions, big ones,to our environs. It would make surrounding properties up their own antes. It would create construction jobs at a time when they’re needed.
Here’s Hitler’s reaction to the “naysayers”.
BevboyDrove up here to see my father for a bit before buying groceries for my mother. Patricia prepared lunch for all of us. We decided to get out of the house, which is why we're here.
Shortly we will return to the house to cook some more. We will visit my friend Heidi. We will go back to the city. And we will sleep for a12 hours or so.
I live such an exciting life!
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to BevBoy's Blog!
Just preparing for tomorrow’s interview. Thought you might want to see my checklist.
| Item | Prepared? |
| Digital cameras, both of them | Yes |
| Digital camcorder | Yes |
| Digital Voice Recorder | Yes |
| Extra batteries (all rechargeable). AA and AAA | Yes |
| Battery charger, just in case | Yes |
| Spare alkaline batteries, just in case | Yes |
| Questions, printed off | Yes |
| Bevboy’s Blog business cards to distribute to radio station staff | Yes |
| CD’s to give to Tom Bedell and Bob Powers | Yes |
This is what I do for each interview. It is quite a process, and is constantly refined as I figure out how to do things better. Everything is a work in progress. After all, this is rapidly becoming my life’s work.
The CD’s contain copies of the text, video, audio and pictures that I take for every interview. I give the subjects a cd containing that stuff after I publish the final interview.
Getting an oil change for my car tomorrow at 7:30. No rest for the weary.
Another spin class tonight, my third this week. Like I said: No rest for the weary.
Bevboy
People don’t do it like they used to, but in the fairly recent past, they used to quote Monty Python. I’m not sure how much their humour stands up today. You either find it funny, or so weird as to be not amusing at all. I have always been in between somehow, liking some of their skits and not getting the majority of them. I did buy the Complete Python on dvd at Costco during the holidays and will make my way through them over time (by myself; Patricia would rather link the toilets at Scotia Square than watch Monty Python).
One of their most famous sketches is called The Four Yorkshiremen, in which 4 men from, um, Yorkshire, discuss how badly they had it as children. “Luxury!” entered the lexicon as a result of this sketch.
It occurs to me that most of you haven’t seen the skit all the way through, so here it is.
But, wait. There’s more. How much will you pay now?
I found the original version of the sketch, with Mary Feldman filling in for one of the Pythons. And, a more recent version, from the early 1980’s.
In both cases, you probably should take this to full screen, or you might think it' was just The Three Yorkshiremen.
Yeah, you’re welcome. You know I love you, don’t you?
Bevboy
Slept in but was determined to do some outside work today. Whilst Patricia raked the lawn, I cleaned out my car, finding the other half of that submarine sandwich I put aside about 6 months ago and planned to get back to. It’s a little worse for wear and tear, but looks perfectly edible.
While I was outside, my BlackBerry told me that I had a Facebook message. Two, actually. One was from the guy I’ll be interviewing at Friday, just firming up the questions. One was from… well, I’m getting ahead of my story.
I started this blog in late 2007. About a year later, I began to receive blog post comments from a fellow who it turns out was in California. These comments came quite regularly for a while. I found out his name was Ben, and he had discovered this here silly little blog by accident, but had become a fan, to use his word.
The comments stopped in early 2009, but a few months later I learned what had happened. Ben had become sick and was seeking treatment in another state. With other things on his mind much more important than reading a silly little blog, But I heard from him a bit later, when he told me that his wife had started a blog of her own.
I kept up on Ben’s treatment updates via his lovely wife’s posts. From time to time I’d post a comment, and Ben would write back. It was nice to hear from my far-away friend.
The blog updates stopped in January of 2010. I’d write but heard nothing. I hoped that my friend was doing well.
Anyway, fast forward to today. I was doing some yard work after having cleaned out my car and finding the other half of that submarine sandwich, when I got a Facebook friend request on my BlackBerry from… Ben! I accepted it right away, of course.
We’ve been getting caught up over the last few hours. Told him I update this blog pert near every day. He’ll have to take a month to read all the posts he’s missed. I just hope he doesn’t neglect his family during this important online pilgrimage!
People go on about how social networking sites like twitter and Facebook and Myspace are wrecking society. How people are revealing things about themselves they wouldn’t repeat to the guy sitting next to them on the bus, or would be reluctant to discuss with their physicians. How companies are trolling these places trying to find employees or would-be employees in compromising situations, all in an effort not to hire these candidates, or to justify dismissing someone. I get all that. But, except for the recent experience with my little troll friend, I have had virtually no problems. I have found many old friends, or had many old friend locate me. I have reignited many old friendships as a result of my tweets, my facebook updates, and this silly little blog. I have been blessed in so many ways, been so lucky, and had so much fun interacting with these folks, that I wish I had started it all sooner.
Ben, please keep in touch, my friend. We have much to catch up on!
Bevboy
I have lined up another interview, this one for next Friday, the 26th. Another person is out of town and will contact me upon her return. This is the first person best known for her years on television than on radio, and I’m looking forward.
You know, I really should give Ian Robinson a finder’s fee for helping me arrange these interviews. He’s got 25 years of experience in radio, and knows everybody. He’s from Cape Breton and probably asks everyone he meets, “Who’s your father?” If you’re from Cape Breton, you’ll get that joke. Ahem.
Did another spin class after work last night, my 5th in two weeks. Not bad, but I can try to up that a bit next week, as I want to do at least 3.
After I got home, we watched the second X-Files movie, which I had borrowed from the library a week ago, and which is due today. Glad I didn’t see it in theatres. Glad I didn’t buy or rent the dvd. Glad I didn’t see it on my movie channels, even though I pay one monthly fee for that. Glad I did see it for free through a library borrowing. I am already forgetting what it was about, although there were some nice touches of humour here and there. I think even Chris Carter and Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny would agree that it’s time to put the characters to rest.
Heading out for a bit. Seeya later.
Bevboy
This is the first part in the latest Mark Dooley epic called “The Letter”.
I am delighted to be the official Canadian distributor of Mark’s excellent work. I know he is, too.
The name on the return address brings back memories. I used to buy my monthly comics, many years ago, from a joint called Styx Comics Service, out of Winnipeg. Just so you know.
What happens when Mark gets home and checks his mail? Is it actually something from Time-Life? Is it related to Mark’s earlier health scare, which you can read for yourself by clicking on the Mark Dooley label on the right hand side of this post? I can’t wait to find out!
Looking forward to the remaining parts, Mark. Keep ‘em coming!
Bevboy
You are looking at a picture of me and my friend Paul taken on September 22, 2004. We were dressed up as convicts on a good, old-fashioned chain gang. 
You remember those from your childhood, don’t you? Sure you do. It was all an effort to raise funds for the provincial United Way campaign that year.
I remember it well. We marched down Lower Water Street in Halifax to the place of the United Way competition, where our department was competing against other departments for, among other things, best costume. Of course, the department that had the hazmat suits won. They always do. The bastards.
One of the competitions was to run like mad whores into the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic (the same place I went to last week for the talk about war-time Halifax) and find some stuff. But one of the rules was that we could not make too much noise while in there, and could not run. As you might have guessed, a bunch of women played a role in organizing these events.
The funny part of this story came afterward. I told my boss, Rod, about how tired and sore I was after running around with Paul for a couple of hours; we were handcuffed together, you see. Rod laughed, and then revealed to me that Paul had told him that he, Paul, was sore because I, Bevboy, had made him run so fast for a couple of hours! Turns out we were competing against each other and didn’t know it. Poor communication between the two of us, I guess. I talked to Paul about it afterward, and we shared a laugh, and promised we would never be handcuffed together again.
Besides, he’s married now. The wife wouldn’t like it.
Bevboy
When I’m stuck for a topic for a given Bevboy’s Blog post, I check out Mark Evanier’s excellent blog. More than a few times, he has saved my bacon. And he’s Jewish, so he doesn’t eat bacon, at least in theory. I mean, he can if he wants to. I’m not stopping him. It’s just that, typically, in theory, Jewish folks do not eat pork. Pigs are unclean animals, according to them, you see; and it follows that they wouldn’t eat pork as a result of that.
I’m off topic. Sorry about that.
Anyway, I was on Mark’s blog this evening and saw his post about the generic Academy Award winning trailer, the one that will contain every possible cliche you can imagine. It is very funny, but I decided to dig a little deeper and find more videos by these guys. I’m glad I did. I’m now a fan.
What a crappy shame that the internet and all these fun toys weren’t active when I was these guys’ age. I’d have had so much fun, nearly as much fun as the NSDucktoller must be having writing his illiterate comments, but not as much fun as I’m having cheerfully rejecting his delightful blog post comments every day. It’s the circle of life, folks. The smart fellas like me kick the asses of the dumbasses like him every day. I love it.
Unlike my troll friend, I finished elementary school and have all my teeth and know how to apply deodorant. I also can quote Shakespeare at length. Mr NSDucktoller: Shakespeare was a guy who lived a long time ago. He used big words that you wouldn’t have learned from all those years you rode the short bus to your special school. I know you won’t understand this video, but maybe if you play it a couple hundred times, you’ll begin to comprehend the first few seconds.
The 9 ways to treat a woman is as honest a video as I have ever seen. There is such truth to it, so much humanity and warmth, that it cannot be denied. Mr. NSDucktoller, you inveterate virgin you, play this a few times and reach for that plastic doll gf of yours.
Hope you guys like the videos. I’m a fan of these guys now. Check out their website if you want to for more videos.
Sweetly,
Bevboy
Hello again, gentle readers. Welcome to the fourth instalment of the Early Bevboy, the adventures and misadventures of my misspent youth.
You are looking at a picture of me taken on December 13, 1986 at the BIO Christmas party. BIO is short for the Bedford Institute of Oceanography, where I had a 4 month work term from September through December of 1986. Yeah. I remember dates. Get over it, already. I was 22 years old when this picture was taken.
I remember that place quite well. My boss was a middle-aged British guy named Aubrey Fricker. AFAIK, he still lives in Halifax. From time to time, he speaks at Halifax Council meetings and makes it on tv. Dawn Sloane may remember him. One day, Aubrey told me I was an anomaly. Another time he said, “Oh, Beverly. You can’t be as insecure as you make yourself out to be. You just can’t!!” I think it was a compliment. I’m still not sure.
BIO is a big, sprawling complex, and more than once I took a wrong turn and ended up someplace I shouldn’t have been. Typical male! I never asked for directions.
The appendage growing out of my chin belonged to a co-worker named Robin Wylie. I had never seen him before September 1986; and I haven’t seen him since the day I dropped him off at his Dartmouth apartment in December of that same year. But we got along great. He had told me that his brother was a paramedic. I’d see him around working, but he was murdered years later in a botched drug raid. Pretty sad.
But, Robin and I were friends for that period of time. We’d go out and have a liquid lunch at the nearby Ship Victory and stagger back to work for the afternoon. It was shameful. I’d never do anything like that now. Hic.
Robin was very gregarious. He was also popular with the ladies. I suppose he was a womanizer, but nobody was getting hurt and nobody was forced to be with him, so it’s nobody’s business. I do remember his mother told him, and he told me, that Robin thought with his balls. I can tell you that my mother has never told me that.
In the tease for this post, which I left at the end of the previous entry to this series, I promised to tell you about an event that had never happened to me before, and hasn’t happened in all the years since. Here it is.
Sometime around the time that photo was taken, another person we worked with, a German girl named Solly, asked me out to a Christmas party that would take place at… The Mic Mac Aquatic Club, I think it was.
I remember being shocked because… well, that had never happened to me before. I looked behind me to make sure she wasn’t talking to someone else. I did this, despite the fact that I was leaning against a wall at the time. The date was chaste. Nothing happened. Darn it. Solly and Robin started dating upon their return to Ontario in 1987.
This was my second co-op work term sponsored by my university. I’ll tell you about the first one, some other time.
There’s not much more to tell. There was the 38 year old woman who was going through a divorce and wanted to go out to dinner with me. That happened during that time. There was the dance at the MIc Mac Aquatic Club where I had a great time. But, the actual job at BIO was boring and monotonous. The dirty little secret of most of those co-op work terms is that we get the crappy jobs. Either that, or they’re worked nearly to death for not much money, which I saw happen as well.
Solly gave me a small Christmas present. I think it was a joke-type book and a Christmas mug. I believe I still have those items in my old bedroom at my parents’ place. I haven’t seen any of those folks since. But, I did hear about Robin and Solly’s relationship when I attended a friend’s wedding in 1991. Their mutual friend was there, and we talked about them.
This job kept me in Dartmouth every day for 4 months. I commuted every day, first with a private van company, and then with some guys who drove back and forth each day.
Barely a year later, I moved out of my parent's’ home and got my own apartment in Dartmouth, at 55 Dahlia Street. I continued to think of my friends at BIO while I lived there, but seldom think of them now. This post tonight represents my first thoughts on Robin, Solly, Darlene Nauss, Aubrey Fricker, and the others, that I have had in some time. I’m happy that most of those memories are pleasant ones. I hope that all of them are content with their lives and that they haven’t forgotten me completely.
Next time in this series: An important magazine. To me, at least.
Bevboy
Great news, JC! Congrats to Q104.
From Bevboy's BlackBerry to BevBoy's Blog!
Spent a very 
fascinating evening tonight. I think I’ll take a few paragraphs to tell you about it.
First of all, I did another spin class this evening, my second in 4 days. From there, I walked to my car and drove it to a local grocery store where I got some sushi. Scarfed that and then drove to the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic, where the topic of discussion would be Halifax during World War II.
I don’t go to that museum nearly often enough. Time was, all entry to all Nova Scotia museums was free. Now, it’s anything but, with fees ranging to several dollars per visit (although you can get a deal by pre-paying for a year). I resent having to pay to enter a museum, and out of silent protest, don’t go very much. As luck would have it, Tuesday nights are free at this museum.
At any rate, the presentation started around 7:30, and continued until 8:30. The presenter showed slides of the city during that famous period and told us some interesting stories of that time. He showed us a pic of the HIndenberg flying over Halifax. We saw Piercey’s, the lumber place on Robie Street, on fire. You can just make out the smoke stack which is the hallmark of that place to the present day.
They do these presentations nearly every week. There will be another presentation about Halifax at wartime coming up in April, this one by a guy who wrote a book on the subject in the last year. Try to keep me away from that.
I gave the presenter a Bevboy’s Blog business card. I don’t know if he’ll check out this blog, or throw out the card, but at least I’m trying, folks.
Bevboy
Xavier Cugat, the famous band-leader, was once asked what his favourite vacation spot was. “You see”, he replied, “When a man does exactly what he wants to do for a living, he’s always on vacation.” Zero Mostel, Xavier’s best friend, had the same opinion.
All of us are meant to do “something” with our lives. Because most of us don’t find that one special thing, we tend to live for the weekends, or our vacations, and getting the frig out of Dodge. Can we help it that educational opportunities are lacking, or the funds do not exist, to help pave the way to that special job? Don’t think so. Even the best of us fall prey to “settling”.
Frankly, I have never had the right attitude toward vacations. Give me a nice meal, a pleasant walk, perhaps a glass of wine, some time away from work, and I’m well on my way to being happy. Heaving myself from pillar to post, from airport terminal to airport terminal, is no recipe for bliss. I just don’t see the point of it. Judge me not. Kneeing myself in the groin would be easier, and more therapeutic, than the travails of reaching a vacation spot.
Let me tell you, however, about my very favourite vacation location. Maybe you remember all the times I have mentioned it here. Not for nothing do I love our cottage. Oh, it’s not perfect: We have no cable, or satellite, and tv reception on the over-the-air channels is spotty by times. Please remember, though: It is such a peaceful place for us, a refuge from the cacophony of city living, that it is difficult to imagine just going away somewhere else; and there is something to be said for just getting away from the bustling and bothersome aspects of our lives.
Quick-tempered folks reading this just would never understand. Reality for them includes all of the things that our cottage environs do not possess, and never will. Surely, nothing I state in this post will persuade them to consider a slower, more methodical lifestyle. There are too many different types of folks out there who feel that a vacation should consist of initial travel inconvenience to and from, punctuated by running around from tourist destination to tourist destination, that I would be wasting my time trying to convince them that there are many simple pleasures associated with cottage living. Until they have done it, they just won’t get it.
Well, it was good enough for Xavier Cugat and Zero Mostel, so what are you waiting for?
Released this week, and already at 18000+ hits on youtube, here is part 3 of Dave Carroll’s “United Breaks Guitars” trilogy.
Carroll has got millions of dollars in free publicity for what he endured at the hands of United Airlines. United has looked awful and even its best p.r. people haven’t been able to help them. Looks good on them.
This is the final part of this trilogy. I’m glad. The story has gone on long enough. Time to move on.
Bevboy
There is a store in downtown Halifax that’s closing at the end of March. They sell mostly used cd’s and dvd’s, but also have new stuff. CD Plus has been there for years, and I’ll miss it.
I was leafing through their heavy metal selection a couple of weeks ago and noticed some Metallica and Iron Maiden records I didn’t have (I snoozed, and they’re gone now). I also noticed a band called Kittie, an all-female heavy metal band. “That’s unusual”, I thought. And, they’re Canadian. “That’s also unusual”, I thought.
I thought, well, if they’re all woman, there’s probably a melodic aspect to their music that I might actually like. Since everything was 30% off in the store, I could get their latest album, “In The Black”, for only seven bucks. Not out much if I didn’t like it.
On my way to the Annapolis Valley last weekend to see my folks, I popped “In The Black” into my car’s cd player.
Holy Frig.
You know that kind of metal where the singers don’t actually sing? They scream as if their legs got caught in a bear trap? Well, that’s how most of the vocals are. Can’t make out a word of it.
This kind of music is not usually my cup of tea. I liked metal music back when I was a teenager and into my early 20’s. Around the time I started working for a living, I became so busy keeping body and soul together that that kind of music just fell by the wayside.
I listened to the whole album on that hour+ trip to the Valley. By the time I had played it all the way through, I thought I would never want to hear their music ever again.
So, how come, after work, and before my weekly Toastmasters meeting, I went back to CD Plus and bought the 2 remaining Kittie albums they had in stock: Oracle, and Spit?
There is something about Kittie’s music that is so seminal, so raw, so emotional, so full of hurt, that I cannot dismiss it. Damnitall, I like this band. And, the more I hear about these ladies, the more I like them, and the more I want them to play Eastern Canada.
I follow “OfficialKittie” on twitter. On Sunday, right after Sydney Crosby got The Goal, here’s what I saw:
Funeral For Yesterday is from an album I don't got yet, but give me some time, folks. I am just discovering this amazing band and have to get caught up.
Run Like Hell is their version of the Pink Floyd song. It's hard to think of the Pink Floyd song after experiencing Kittie's version.
I’m sorry to gush like this. I am perhaps a little old to be doing this. But when I discover something I like,I just feel I ought to let you guys know.
Kittie: Check ‘em out. If you like this kind of music, you’ll love them.
