The big story leading up the the 12-12-12 Concert for Sandy Relief last night was the news that Paul McCartney was going to play with the surviving members of Nirvana — Dave Grohl, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear. Although it might have first seemed like an odd pairing, remember that McCartney and the Beatles recorded songs like “Helter Skelter.” Anyway, if you missed the performance, here the group plays a new song, “Cut Me Some Slack.”
In addition to appearing on the concert’s soundtrack, “Cut Me Some Slack” will appear in Grohl’s upcoming film, Sound City Movie.
What do you think of the performance? Leave your two cents in the comments.
We return to our periodic “Online Time Killers” feature of providing links to websites to occupy your time so you do not get any work done. Today’s online time killers feature a Beatles-related webcam and a fun game. Check them out.
(1) Watch the Abbey Road webcam, which features the famous street crossing from the cover of the Beatles Abbey Road album. If you are lucky, you will catch some people trying to recreate the famous photo. From my time looking at the webcam, it appears that happens quite often.
(2) In the Impasse online puzzle, you have to navigate the plus sign (+) to the check mark using your arrow keys. Once you see how it works, it seems easy at first, but the screens get more complicated and you have to figure out new ways to achieve your goal, such as realizing you can go off screen. Check it out.
How far did you get in Impasse? Leave your two cents in the comments.
Arrr, matey, September 19 is “International Talk Like a Pirate Day.” Now I am not one to jump on a trend, but the holiday gives one a good excuse to watch George Harrison talk like a pirate. And to get a free doughnut at Krispy Kreme stores, which are giving a free doughnut to anyone talking like a pirate on September 19, 2012.
I wish George Harrison were still around to get himself one of those doughnuts. As the former Beatle shows in this 1975 Rutland Weekend Television sketch with Eric Idle, the man knows how to talk pirate.
My favorite part is how Harrison works the famous Monty Python “The Pirate Song” into “My Sweet Lord,” starting at around the 30-second mark. Check it out.
May all you landlubbers and sea dogs have a safe and happy Talk Like a Pirate day. What are you doing for Talk Like a Pirate Day? Leave your two cents in the comments.
On August 6, 1965, the Beatles’ album Help! was released in the UK, followed by an August 13 release in the U.S. In a 1970 Rolling Stoneinterview with Jann S. Wenner, John Lennon stated that the song “Help!” — along with “I’m a Loser” and “Strawberry Fields Forever” — were “personal” songs. He not only considered “Strawberrry Fields Forever” and “Help” his “best songs,” but “[t]hey were the ones I really wrote from experience and not projecting myself into a situation and writing a nice story about it.”
Lennon was critical of the recording of “Help,” though. He said, “We did it too fast trying to be commercial.” I understand his point, as the song sounds pretty happy for a cry for help from a person feeling down. I like to think about the possibility that had Lennon grown older, he might have recorded an slower acoustic version of the song, evoking the pain and sadness that is there in the lyrics. But as a Beatles song, I think it is absolutely perfect.
What do you think of the song “Help!”? Leave your two cents in the comments.
In this video, guitarist Alex Chadwick gives us “A Brief History of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” taking twelve minutes to go through 100 classic guitar riffs. He begins with a memorable riff from “Mr. Sandman” by Chet Atkins, goes through bands like the Beatles and Aerosmith, finishing with “Cruel” by St. Vincent. The name of the song shows up on the screen when he plays each riff, but if you want a list of all the riffs, check out Open Culture. The music store Chicago Music Exchange sponsors the video. Check it out.
What is your favorite guitar riff of all time? Leave your two cents in the comments.
