Remembering Harvey Korman

aka Hedy Hedley Lamarr

Harvey Korman always made me laugh. It didn't matter if I was watching him on the Carol Burnett show or in Mel Brooks movie - Harvey was funny. On the Carol Burnett show he'd make me laugh out loud whenever he would team up with Tim Conway. I always loved the way Tim would make Harvey break out of character and burst out laughing. On the big screen Harvey would play the best villain. Something about Harvey's sneer would always bring a smile to my face.

So when I learned that Harvey had passed away at the at of 81 I decided I would pay tribute to this great straight man and second banana by passing along the entire Blazing Saddles movie in 19 mp3 files. Anyone familiar with the movie will recognize the chapters below. Listen from your desktop or download the movie as a zip file then to my favorite Harvey Korman moment - his famous "Mugs, Pugs, and Thugs" speech.

Listen / Download:
01 - Opening Credits
02 - Dock That Chink A Days Pay
03 - Land...See Snatch
04 - Howard Johnson is Right!
05 - Holy Underwear!
06 - Can't You See That Man is a Nig?
07 - A Laurel and Hardy Handshake
08 - Blow It Out Your Ass Howard
09 - We'll Raise My Rent
10 - How About Some More Beans Mr. Taggert?
11 - Bullshit, What's The Job?
12 - Baby, Please, I Am Not From Havana
13 - Mongo Only Pawn In Game Of Life
14 - Mugs, Pugs, Thugs
15 - Ahhh, Prairie Shit, Everybody
16 - Does Anybody Got A Dime?
17 - Fight Interlude
18 - Throw Out Your Hands, Stick Out Your Tush
19 - Closing Credits

Blazing Saddles zip file

Smitten In Seattle

Jimi Hendrix: An Evolution of Sound

Last week I attended a conference in Seattle. From the moment I landed in Seattle I could feel that I was really going to enjoy this city. And I did. In fact, I'm down right smitten with Seattle. I'd go back in a heartbeat if I could. After the conference I had some time kill before my flight home so took in two of Seattle's famous attractions: Pike Place Market and The Experience Music Project Museum.

As a Philadelphian, "The Market," as the locals say, reminds me of a Ninth Street and Redding Terminal Market mash-up. It's made up of commercial businesses, craftspeople and farmers who rent table space by the day.

One of the Market's major attractions is Pike Place Fish Market, where employees throw three-foot salmon and other fish to each other rather than passing them by hand. When a customer orders a fish, an employee at the Fish Market's ice-covered fish table picks up the fish and hurls it over the counter top, where another employee catches it and preps it for sale.

The Experience Music Project Museum (EMP) should have been called The Experience Hendrix Museum. I had contemplated renting a car and visiting Hendrix's grave but this was better. Everywhere you turned you saw Hendrix. His guitars, stage costumes, notebooks, song lyrics, album covers, pictures, and video. Even better, you heard Hendrix all over the museum. There were huge screens and televisions at every turn and each tv featured Jimi live and doing what he does best - playing the guitar like nobody before or after him. It really was great and because I was alone I didn't have to worry about boring anyone with how long I sat and watched.

Now, I'd like to point out that the EMP is located at the foot of Seattle's Space Needle. The EMP is a building like no other. The physical structure of the building was akin to The Guggenheim - in that the building is an attraction in its own right.

The Experience Music Project Museum

One other joy associated with my trip was that my business colleague and long-time friend, Matt Henry, joined me at the conference for a few days. One particular evening we went to a vendor party at the top of the Space Needle. We ended up playing poker for charity. Matt kept saying to me,"You and me at playing poker in the Space Needle!"

Paul Altobelli and Matt Henry ripping Seattle a new one.

Seattle's famous Space Needle.

Listen / Download:
Jimi Hendrix - Driving South (BBC)

India: Day 5

Paul, Frank, and The Beatles visit the Maharishi

Paul, Frank, and The Beatles in search of the inner light.
(click image to enlarge)

Listen / Download:
Beatles - The Inner Light
Beatles - Tomorrow Never Knows (Love version)