"Hey, where the white women at?"

Today, my mother reminded me of a line from Blazing Saddles:

Hedley Lamarr: My mind is a raging torrent, flooded with rivulets of thought cascading into a waterfall of creative alternatives.

Taggart: God darnit Mr. Lamarr, you use your tongue prettier than a twenty dollar whore.

Just typing Blazing Saddles makes me laugh. It's my all-time favorite comedy. I'll take this movie over any Marx Brothers move including Duck Soup. The actors, the direction, the writing, the satire, the jokes--Blazing Saddles is about as perfect as perfect can be.

Interestingly enough, given that we live in a politically correct society, Blazing Saddles would never see the light of day if it was pitched to a movie executive. Case it point: ALL RIGHT! WE'LL GIVE SOME LAND TO THE NIGGERS AND THE CHINKS -- BUT WE DON'T WANT THE IRISH!

Thanks Mom for reminding me about this movie today. It put a smile on my face. And thank you for taking Stephen, my good friend Steve Murray, and me to the Tacony-Palmyra Drive-In so many years ago to watch this classic for the first time.

Click here for more Blazing Saddles quotes.

The Original Paul Altobell

I was named after my grandfather, Paul Altobell. He was a small, quiet man with a big, loud laugh who loved to listen to opera, smoke his pipes and cigars, and take photos.

Photography was more that his hobby. Photography was his passion. His favorite subjects included his dogs, my grandmother, my father, animals at the Philadelpha Zoo, statues, landscapes, and himself.

I want to share some of my grandfather's work and I'll start with five self-portraits.




Grandpop only took photos for fun. Once my grandmother died and my father was too big to dress up and pose he put his camera down and only took a few pictures thereafter.

More for new photos soon.

Joe's Garage

NYC Radio The Night John Lennon Died

My buddy Tim Weaver sent me a link to WFMU's Beware of the Blog featuring NYC Radio The Night John Lennon Died. Click here to listen to a dial scan of New York City's FM band from 25 years ago. It was recorded shortly after the news of John Lennon's murder broke.

Listen/Download
The Night John Lennon Died

'Groove Me' Singer King Floyd III Dies

NEW ORLEANS (AP) - King Floyd III, the soul singer and songwriter best known for his 1970 hit "Groove Me," died March 6 of complications from a stroke and diabetes, his record label said. He was 61.

As a young man, Floyd sometimes sang with the house band at the Sho-Bar on Bourbon Street. After serving in the Army, he tried to launch a career as an entertainer. On the West Coast, Floyd met Harold Battiste, a fellow New Orleans expatriate who was an established producer and band leader.

Battiste produced Floyd's debut album, "A Man in Love," which featured songs written with Mac "Dr. John" Rebennack. The album did not fare well, and in 1969 Floyd returned to New Orleans and took a job with the post office to support his family.

A year later, Wardell Quezergue, an arranger of R&B scores, brought Floyd to the Jackson, Miss., office of Malaco Records where he recorded a song he had written, "Groove Me," during the same session that Jean Knight recorded her classic "Mr. Big Stuff."

Atlantic Records picked up the song and promoted it nationally. It reached No. 1 on the R&B chart and No. 6 on the pop chart.

Listen / Download
King Floyd - Groove Me

Male Infantile Baldness

My son and millions of other male babies - spend months suffering through the shame and disgrace associated with Male Infantile Baldness. It's a scientific fact that males lag developmentally behind females. Add Male Infantile Baldness, and that means low self-esteem, decreased confidence, and even lowered social status.
I'm happy to say, however, that there is hope. Today I discovered baby toupees.
Thanks to a patented technology, and the cooperation of the Chinese government, it is now possible to take an adult-sized toupee and adapt it to fit your baby's head. It's fake hair with real results. Look at my son he's bursting with self-esteem and oozing with confidence. He's like a brand new person. And the best part is: you can't even tell it's fake!

Caption Contest

Submit your caption as a comment. Don't forget to leave your name.

Download Pearl Jam's "World Wide Suicide"

Taken directly from (the newly redesigned) www.pearljam.com

Beginning now, you can download the new single from Pearl Jam at bootlegs.pearljam.com. Or, if you like you can download "World Wide Suicide" by clicking here. This MP3 version of the song contains no Digital Rights Management so you can share it with your friends. Spread the word.




WORLDWIDE SUICIDE
(lyrics: Vedder, music: Gossard)

I felt the earth on Monday. It moved beneath my feet.
In the form of a morning paper. Laid out for me to see.

Saw his face in a corner picture. I recognized the name.
Could not stop staring at the. Face I'd never see again.

It's a shame to awake in a world of pain
What does it mean when a war has taken over

It's the same everyday in a hell manmade
What can be saved, and who will be left to hold her?

The whole world...World over.
It's a worldwide suicide.

Medals on a wooden mantle. Next to a handsome face.
That the president took for granted.
Writing checks that others pay.

And in all the madness. Thought becomes numb and naive.
So much to talk about. Nothing for to say.

It's the same everyday and the wave won't break
Tell you to pray, while the devils on their shoulder

Laying claim to the take that our soldiers save
Does not equate, and the truth's already out there

The whole world,... World over.
It's a worldwide suicide.

The whole world,... World over.
It's a worldwide suicide.

Looking in the eyes of the fallen
You got to know there's another, another, another, another
Another way

It's a shame to awake in a world of pain
What does it mean when a war has taken over

It's the same everyday and the wave won't break
Tell you to pray, while the devils on their shoulder

The whole world,... World over.
It's a worldwide suicide.

The whole world,... World over.
It's a worldwide suicide.

Listen/Download
Pearl Jam - World Wide Suicide

Tamar with Special Guest Prince

March 1, 2006, Electric Factory, Philadelphia, PA - Who else but Prince could announce a show with less than a week's notice, sell it out instantly and have fans lining up in the cold after midnight on a Wednesday? And here's the kicker: Prince wasn't even the headliner.

Part of a renegade theater tour intended to introduce audiences to his latest (in a long line of) protege, Tamar, Prince opted out of the main spotlight Wednesday night (actually, Tuesday morning) at a packed The Electric Factory when he and his band took the stage just after midnight. Instead, he handled lead guitar duties, allowing the glamorous Tamar, and a duo of identical twin backup singers, to front an old-school R&B-styled revue that kept people dancing until well almost 2 a.m.

Even before the show started the audience was dancing. Standing stage right behind two turntables was the hottest DJ I've ever seen who spun an incredible variety of old school funk classics and of some Prince tunes including the full length "Black Sweat." Check out DJ Rashida's website for more information.

The first half of the show was basically Tamar's soon-to-be-released album titled "Beautiful Loved & Blessed" and due for release on May 2, 2006. I'd say Tamar (www.tamaronline.com) had the body and moves of Tina Turner and Arthea Franklin's voice. Prince did his best to stay in the shadows and let the spotlight shine on Tamar. At one point--after playing a riff from the extended "Kiss" 12"--Prince even said, "No, no, no, its not my show." Tamar really won me and the crowd over. Despite her novice status, Tamar commanded the stage.

The second half of the show was a guitar funk party. Prince and Tamar treated the crowd to "Play that Funky Music," Aretha's "I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You)," and a searing "Rock Steady" (what it is, what it is, what it is), a Jackson-family special of "Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough" and "What Have You Done For Me Lately?", Sly's "I Want to Take You Higher." The only time Prince took the microphone on his own was with a full-out funky vocal on "Party Man," through which you could practically hear him laughing. With a stage filled with dancing audience members, Prince stopped his "Party" just long enough to tell a grabby older woman, "Excuse me grandma, I'm working."

Setting up a Verizon POP3 email account

My friend Wendi called me today about setting up her Verizon POP3 email account. To my surprise I was unable to quickly find any information about setting up a Verizon email account using Google. I ultimately did but the search took awhile. Hopefully, Google will index this entry and people will be able to find these instructions easier than I did.

Setting up your Verizon Online email with Outlook® 98/2000

1. Open Outlook.
2. From the Tools menu, select Accounts.
3. Select Add, then Mail.
4. Type your full name in the Display name field, then select Next.
5. Type your email address, then select Next.
6. From the My Incoming mail server is a drop-down menu, select POP3.
7. Fill in the server information:
* In the Incoming mail (POP3) field, type incoming.verizon.net.
* In the Outgoing mail (SMTP) field, type outgoing.verizon.net.
8. Select Next, then type your Account name (your Verizon Online user name).
9. Type your password, and check the Remember password checkbox.
10. Select Next.
11. Select Connect using my local area network (LAN).
12. Select Next, then Finish.
13. Highlight the Verizon Online email account name and click Properties.
14. Click the Servers tab and in the Outgoing Mail Server area, check the My server requires authentication checkbox.
15. Click Settings to verify that Use same settings as my incoming mail server is selected and then click OK.
16. In the Properties dialog box, click OK.
17. Click Close to close the Internet Accounts dialog box.