HUMOUR
(Note that we prefer the British spelling of the American word "humor." Makes us feel like ... uh ... "more smarter" or "more smarterer" or something ...)
From Steve Martin - Monte Vista Elementary - Class of '64
Some of Steve's brilliant humor was published in a number of National Lampoon issues, including January 1975, November 1975, January 1976, March 1976, and June 1976. (He is of course a different Steve Martin - not "The Jerk.")
Doug Kenney, legendary National Lampoon Co-Founder and comedic visionary, took a liking to Steve's submissions and encouraged that his jokes be formatted in a "Letters To The Editor" style to fit that very popular magazine section. Kenney's letters to Steve (1976 era - snail mail!) are included here, each one effortlessly funny and witty in its own off-handed way.
I was a long-time subscriber to National Lampoon from the mid 70's to mid 80's. It was so far ahead of the prevailing comedy that was stuck in the Johnny Carson / Bob Hope style. And from Nat Lamp directly sprang Saturday Night Live (first show October 1975), National Lampoon's Animal House (with John Belushi, released 1978), National Lampoon's Vacation (with Chevy Chase, 1983) and many other movies and shows. Nat Lamp set the standard for outrageous subversive comedy - its huge continuing influence can't be overstated. There is a phenomenal recent 2015 documentary, Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story Of The National Lampoon, with appearances by many in the original SNL cast members, writers and other famous comedians and comedy directors.
So imagine how surprised I was when I have my first phone conversation with Steve; he had moved away from Monterey in our youth and we had recently reconnected via emails after not having spoken in decades! I compliment Steve on the superb quality of his writing and ask if he has had anything published. Steve says that he has worked on two novels that have not yet found a publisher, and then casually mentions that a few of his jokes were published in the National Lampoon a number of years ago.
When I hear the words National Lampoon, I immediately launch into how much I love that magazine. I then proceed to quote my single favorite Nat Lamp joke of all time which had always stuck with me. Steve's response: "Yeah, that was one of my jokes."
WTF!! That joke (about "Tonto") is shown below with the checkmark - from the January 1975 issue. Steve actually wrote the first five jokes in the Letters To The Editor section of that issue! That one joke has always been my most memorable for some insane, sick, perverse, twisted inexplicable reason. Comedy is that way - some things just crack one up. Literally laugh-out-loud funny, without the phony "LOL" hipster bullshit! And Steve Martin, fellow Little Leaguer and Monte Vista 4th grade classmate in Mrs. Panetta's class in Monterey, had written that joke! Un-frigging-believable. What an incredibly small world; I still can't get over it. Steve is pretty modest and dismisses his National Lampoon jokes as "crap I concocted while all jacked up on Doritos and Coca Cola while watching 'Midnight Special.'"
"Au contraire" is my response. This is world class funny stuff and is obviously pitch perfect for the National Lampoon. Case in point: note that in the January 1975 issue below, the first five jokes are all Steve's! ~ DM
Some of Steve's brilliant humor was published in a number of National Lampoon issues, including January 1975, November 1975, January 1976, March 1976, and June 1976. (He is of course a different Steve Martin - not "The Jerk.")
Doug Kenney, legendary National Lampoon Co-Founder and comedic visionary, took a liking to Steve's submissions and encouraged that his jokes be formatted in a "Letters To The Editor" style to fit that very popular magazine section. Kenney's letters to Steve (1976 era - snail mail!) are included here, each one effortlessly funny and witty in its own off-handed way.
I was a long-time subscriber to National Lampoon from the mid 70's to mid 80's. It was so far ahead of the prevailing comedy that was stuck in the Johnny Carson / Bob Hope style. And from Nat Lamp directly sprang Saturday Night Live (first show October 1975), National Lampoon's Animal House (with John Belushi, released 1978), National Lampoon's Vacation (with Chevy Chase, 1983) and many other movies and shows. Nat Lamp set the standard for outrageous subversive comedy - its huge continuing influence can't be overstated. There is a phenomenal recent 2015 documentary, Drunk Stoned Brilliant Dead: The Story Of The National Lampoon, with appearances by many in the original SNL cast members, writers and other famous comedians and comedy directors.
So imagine how surprised I was when I have my first phone conversation with Steve; he had moved away from Monterey in our youth and we had recently reconnected via emails after not having spoken in decades! I compliment Steve on the superb quality of his writing and ask if he has had anything published. Steve says that he has worked on two novels that have not yet found a publisher, and then casually mentions that a few of his jokes were published in the National Lampoon a number of years ago.
When I hear the words National Lampoon, I immediately launch into how much I love that magazine. I then proceed to quote my single favorite Nat Lamp joke of all time which had always stuck with me. Steve's response: "Yeah, that was one of my jokes."
WTF!! That joke (about "Tonto") is shown below with the checkmark - from the January 1975 issue. Steve actually wrote the first five jokes in the Letters To The Editor section of that issue! That one joke has always been my most memorable for some insane, sick, perverse, twisted inexplicable reason. Comedy is that way - some things just crack one up. Literally laugh-out-loud funny, without the phony "LOL" hipster bullshit! And Steve Martin, fellow Little Leaguer and Monte Vista 4th grade classmate in Mrs. Panetta's class in Monterey, had written that joke! Un-frigging-believable. What an incredibly small world; I still can't get over it. Steve is pretty modest and dismisses his National Lampoon jokes as "crap I concocted while all jacked up on Doritos and Coca Cola while watching 'Midnight Special.'"
"Au contraire" is my response. This is world class funny stuff and is obviously pitch perfect for the National Lampoon. Case in point: note that in the January 1975 issue below, the first five jokes are all Steve's! ~ DM
January 1975 Issue - National Lampoon
Steve Martin - Monte Vista Elementary Class of '64
Some of Steve's Humor Published In National Lampoon in the January 1975, November 1975, January 1976, March 1976 and June 1976 issues.
Doug Kenney, legendary National Lampoon Co-Founder and comedic visionary, liked Steve's jokes and suggests that Steve format his jokes in a "Letter To The Editor" style to fit within the very popular section of the magazine. Kenney's written correspondence to Steve (1976 era - snail mail!) are included here - each one effortlessly funny or witty in its own off-handed casual way.
Brilliant Stuff !
Some of Steve's Humor Published In National Lampoon in the January 1975, November 1975, January 1976, March 1976 and June 1976 issues.
Doug Kenney, legendary National Lampoon Co-Founder and comedic visionary, liked Steve's jokes and suggests that Steve format his jokes in a "Letter To The Editor" style to fit within the very popular section of the magazine. Kenney's written correspondence to Steve (1976 era - snail mail!) are included here - each one effortlessly funny or witty in its own off-handed casual way.
Brilliant Stuff !
A Joke Of Mine Gets Published By Herb Caen
A Joke Of Mine Gets Published By Herb Caen
A Joke Of Mine Gets Published By Herb Caen
The story: In winter of '73 , I get an early morning call in Berkeley around 7AM from my ex-girlfriend Char who is living in SF going to nursing school - she is all excited. "Have you seen this morning's Herb Caen?" she asks.
She and I were both avid fans of Herb Caen and I grew up reading his column. Caen was the legendary columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle and the best known of a group of "golden era" Chronicle columnists that included Art Hoppe, Charles McCabe, and Stanton Delaplane. For many people, Caen's column was the first thing they read when they opened the newspaper; Caen really was that popular and influential. His was self-described "three-dot journalism" containing quips, humor, gossip, puns, plays-on-words, local and national celebrity name-dropping ... punctuated with stunningly brilliant writing about the Bay Area and his beloved city, San Francisco.
Well I immediately knew that Caen had printed the most recent joke I had sent him. Finally! I had sent a few original jokes and stories to Caen in the past with no response; this was the first and only one that ever ended up in print. I had phrased this one as a standard "joke" ("hey did you hear about," etc.) but Caen took artistic license and modified it into a "story" about me, saying that I was "at work on a movie" etc. Ah, the press twists things again!
I was quite surprised that Caen even quoted my line: "If you sincerely think this is in poor taste, you have my permission to print it," which is word for word. That was a throwaway line but I guess he got a laugh out of it; in retrospect that line may be unintentionally better than the joke itself.
Of course my friends knew it was a big goof but one or two "humor-deprived" acquaintances of my parents actually politely asked them if I was really was (ahem) ... involved with (ahem) ... "filmmaking." Of course Linda Lovelace was all over the news in that time period so it was quite topical. Many people today, even those not around at the time, might still "get" this 40+ year old reference ... I think! ~ DM
The story: In winter of '73 , I get an early morning call in Berkeley around 7AM from my ex-girlfriend Char who is living in SF going to nursing school - she is all excited. "Have you seen this morning's Herb Caen?" she asks.
She and I were both avid fans of Herb Caen and I grew up reading his column. Caen was the legendary columnist for the San Francisco Chronicle and the best known of a group of "golden era" Chronicle columnists that included Art Hoppe, Charles McCabe, and Stanton Delaplane. For many people, Caen's column was the first thing they read when they opened the newspaper; Caen really was that popular and influential. His was self-described "three-dot journalism" containing quips, humor, gossip, puns, plays-on-words, local and national celebrity name-dropping ... punctuated with stunningly brilliant writing about the Bay Area and his beloved city, San Francisco.
Well I immediately knew that Caen had printed the most recent joke I had sent him. Finally! I had sent a few original jokes and stories to Caen in the past with no response; this was the first and only one that ever ended up in print. I had phrased this one as a standard "joke" ("hey did you hear about," etc.) but Caen took artistic license and modified it into a "story" about me, saying that I was "at work on a movie" etc. Ah, the press twists things again!
I was quite surprised that Caen even quoted my line: "If you sincerely think this is in poor taste, you have my permission to print it," which is word for word. That was a throwaway line but I guess he got a laugh out of it; in retrospect that line may be unintentionally better than the joke itself.
Of course my friends knew it was a big goof but one or two "humor-deprived" acquaintances of my parents actually politely asked them if I was really was (ahem) ... involved with (ahem) ... "filmmaking." Of course Linda Lovelace was all over the news in that time period so it was quite topical. Many people today, even those not around at the time, might still "get" this 40+ year old reference ... I think! ~ DM
Year-End Issue
1967 Walter Colton Jr. High Newspaper
The Hilltopper
In a goofy article in this year-end newspaper issue, the graduating 9th graders at Walter Colton Jr. High are asked to "will" various items to the school, to fellow students, to teachers, etc. (Above is an excerpt - the entire article is in the Colton Jr. High page on this website). A dumb premise for sure - very junior high-ish. A tribute to lame adolescent humor. With one hilarious exception!
Background: Mr. Akard was the Assistant Principal of Attendance and Discipline (some title like that!) at Colton. He had a tough, thankless job in rounding up various flakes, dropouts, stoners, greasers, punks, hoods, thieves, vandals, wannabe future gang bangers, and various ne'er do wells and then expelling and suspending them or administering some other kind of punishment. We had some nut job kids at that junior high but most of us were pretty well behaved. Most of us never had to deal with Akard and in fact I don't know if I ever even ever spoke to the guy - perhaps once to say hello as we passed in the hallway. Akard had a perpetual scowl on his face and was rightly or wrongly disliked by many. He was a convenient target for puberty-challenged hormone-infused junior high anger! I don't think I ever saw the guy smile or laugh once. Mr. Henning the Principal was always the good, friendly, smiling fatherly type guy; meanwhile Akard played the bad cop. Again Mr. Akard had a tough job that would have driven anybody nuts. Funny how some teachers get out of teaching and for a little more money get into "administration." Guess he was paying his dues before moving up to a more desirable administrative job.
Anyway, I was there in the class when Bob Stanton made his "will" to classmate Susan Higashi, who was a writer and as it turns out was Editor of the Hilltopper newspaper. Susan dutifully wrote down what Bob willed to Mr. Akard as we tried to stifle our laughs. "How do you spell 'pud?'" I believe she asked as we erupted in laughter. Susan was a very nice person and was oblivious to the joke, and was just dutifully trying to accurately take down various "wills" and put that year-end article together. Most of the kids had appropriately goofy and lame answers for her (I'm semi-proud to say I didn't care to participate), but Bob Stanton came up with a great one! And to our surprise it got published!
Thanks to Martin Bradley for keeping a bunch of old Hilltoppers and Galleons and for finding and submitting this clipping. Nobody seemed to even remember this joke except for me! And this includes not only Martin, who had the actual issue shown here, but also Bob Stanton; I had to remind both of them. Somehow I always remembered this dumb junior high joke. In some ways it was the first time in a small way I blatantly saw one of my peers tell an authority figure to go "*&*&^" themselves and it was funny and pleasantly liberating for some reason!
Ah, junior high school humor! Still funny after all these years. Some things never change.
1967 Walter Colton Jr. High Newspaper
The Hilltopper
In a goofy article in this year-end newspaper issue, the graduating 9th graders at Walter Colton Jr. High are asked to "will" various items to the school, to fellow students, to teachers, etc. (Above is an excerpt - the entire article is in the Colton Jr. High page on this website). A dumb premise for sure - very junior high-ish. A tribute to lame adolescent humor. With one hilarious exception!
Background: Mr. Akard was the Assistant Principal of Attendance and Discipline (some title like that!) at Colton. He had a tough, thankless job in rounding up various flakes, dropouts, stoners, greasers, punks, hoods, thieves, vandals, wannabe future gang bangers, and various ne'er do wells and then expelling and suspending them or administering some other kind of punishment. We had some nut job kids at that junior high but most of us were pretty well behaved. Most of us never had to deal with Akard and in fact I don't know if I ever even ever spoke to the guy - perhaps once to say hello as we passed in the hallway. Akard had a perpetual scowl on his face and was rightly or wrongly disliked by many. He was a convenient target for puberty-challenged hormone-infused junior high anger! I don't think I ever saw the guy smile or laugh once. Mr. Henning the Principal was always the good, friendly, smiling fatherly type guy; meanwhile Akard played the bad cop. Again Mr. Akard had a tough job that would have driven anybody nuts. Funny how some teachers get out of teaching and for a little more money get into "administration." Guess he was paying his dues before moving up to a more desirable administrative job.
Anyway, I was there in the class when Bob Stanton made his "will" to classmate Susan Higashi, who was a writer and as it turns out was Editor of the Hilltopper newspaper. Susan dutifully wrote down what Bob willed to Mr. Akard as we tried to stifle our laughs. "How do you spell 'pud?'" I believe she asked as we erupted in laughter. Susan was a very nice person and was oblivious to the joke, and was just dutifully trying to accurately take down various "wills" and put that year-end article together. Most of the kids had appropriately goofy and lame answers for her (I'm semi-proud to say I didn't care to participate), but Bob Stanton came up with a great one! And to our surprise it got published!
Thanks to Martin Bradley for keeping a bunch of old Hilltoppers and Galleons and for finding and submitting this clipping. Nobody seemed to even remember this joke except for me! And this includes not only Martin, who had the actual issue shown here, but also Bob Stanton; I had to remind both of them. Somehow I always remembered this dumb junior high joke. In some ways it was the first time in a small way I blatantly saw one of my peers tell an authority figure to go "*&*&^" themselves and it was funny and pleasantly liberating for some reason!
Ah, junior high school humor! Still funny after all these years. Some things never change.
MEMORY LANE MONTEREY LITTLE LEAGUE HATS COMPANY!!
"BRINGING BACK MEMORIES OF THOSE LITTLE LEAGUE
DAYS OF OLD ... FOR LESS THAN $200 ! "
DAYS OF OLD ... FOR LESS THAN $200 ! "
Mark Bibler and I were reminiscing about our team hats at Rotary and Herald as we were getting closer to the Ichi Miyagawa tribute event on May 5, 2018. I was toying with the idea of recreating a Monterey Herald Little League hat and maybe one of Saunders Mortgages for Bob Stanton.
So I decided to create a new subsidiary - Memory Lane Hats Company ("Bring back the memories of those Little League days of old ... for less than $200 ").
For Only $199.95 you too can be brought back to those carefree days of youth (Were they carefree? I don't recall being that carefree!) Of LIttle League and Ichi and snack shack candy!
Enclosed are recreated Rotary, Herald, Saunders Mortgages (also Schulken Morton!), Optimists and Collins hats.
Just send check and your hat size and the Monterey LL team name to Memory Lane Productions!
Note that I here I added a little customization of the eyelets and button colors - and added gold to the Herald cap in keeping with the MHS colors for the Toreadores (you know the team named after sadistic bull torturers and murderers! always hated that Monterey HIgh team name). I remember Optimists hats being Red. But a little more orange tint than the red shown here as I recall. I think Collins green was different shade than Herald green? No probably the same given the limited color options probably available at the time. But the navy blues of Rotary, Saunders and Schulkens were all the same as I recall. I had only a few colors to choose from here at thegameheadwear.com site.
Too bad all our old Little League team photos and black and white - I'm just going from memory here - Mark Smith's 1964 all star video at the derekmo.net/littleleague page is the only color photographic evidence - thanks Mark Smith !
(BTW - these is from the thegameheadwear.com site - I have two great Santa Barbara City College hats shown below from "TheGame" that are excellent and these are the same model - GP302 is you must know.
PS: FYI, The Game headwear seems to be wholesale only. Big orders. I know a local place Arosha in Santa Barbara that does great' work - I've seen their custom hats. Excellent. However I checked with them and their initial quote for a one-off was like $90 per hat! WTF. (Maybe they were just trying to get rid of having to deal with a one-off order. haha) So actually the $199 joke may not be that nuts after all! Vistaprint is priced at $45 shipped for quality wool blend flex fit baseball cap embroidered. But who knows how decent the vista print hats are. Hats are odd - many junk hats - but The Game hats are the best I've seen so far - except for New Era which I think is comparable. And Vista hat fit quality might be iffy So I’ll pass! But a nice thought experiment!
This was an incredibly fun waste of an hour! ~ DM
So I decided to create a new subsidiary - Memory Lane Hats Company ("Bring back the memories of those Little League days of old ... for less than $200 ").
For Only $199.95 you too can be brought back to those carefree days of youth (Were they carefree? I don't recall being that carefree!) Of LIttle League and Ichi and snack shack candy!
Enclosed are recreated Rotary, Herald, Saunders Mortgages (also Schulken Morton!), Optimists and Collins hats.
Just send check and your hat size and the Monterey LL team name to Memory Lane Productions!
Note that I here I added a little customization of the eyelets and button colors - and added gold to the Herald cap in keeping with the MHS colors for the Toreadores (you know the team named after sadistic bull torturers and murderers! always hated that Monterey HIgh team name). I remember Optimists hats being Red. But a little more orange tint than the red shown here as I recall. I think Collins green was different shade than Herald green? No probably the same given the limited color options probably available at the time. But the navy blues of Rotary, Saunders and Schulkens were all the same as I recall. I had only a few colors to choose from here at thegameheadwear.com site.
Too bad all our old Little League team photos and black and white - I'm just going from memory here - Mark Smith's 1964 all star video at the derekmo.net/littleleague page is the only color photographic evidence - thanks Mark Smith !
(BTW - these is from the thegameheadwear.com site - I have two great Santa Barbara City College hats shown below from "TheGame" that are excellent and these are the same model - GP302 is you must know.
PS: FYI, The Game headwear seems to be wholesale only. Big orders. I know a local place Arosha in Santa Barbara that does great' work - I've seen their custom hats. Excellent. However I checked with them and their initial quote for a one-off was like $90 per hat! WTF. (Maybe they were just trying to get rid of having to deal with a one-off order. haha) So actually the $199 joke may not be that nuts after all! Vistaprint is priced at $45 shipped for quality wool blend flex fit baseball cap embroidered. But who knows how decent the vista print hats are. Hats are odd - many junk hats - but The Game hats are the best I've seen so far - except for New Era which I think is comparable. And Vista hat fit quality might be iffy So I’ll pass! But a nice thought experiment!
This was an incredibly fun waste of an hour! ~ DM
MEMORY LANE LITTLE LEAGUE HATS COMPANY
"BRINGING BACK MEMORIES OF THOSE LITTLE LEAGUE
DAYS OF OLD ... FOR LESS THAN $200 ! "
DAYS OF OLD ... FOR LESS THAN $200 ! "
Derek Morris Meets Justin Hayward & The Moody Blues !!
Universal Amphitheatre - Los Angeles, California - August 29, 1986
Universal Amphitheatre - Los Angeles, California - August 29, 1986
After recently sending out this 1986 photo to a couple of old friends who have a prior family connection to one of the Moody Blues members (a cousin of theirs was once a live-in girlfriend of a band member) - I got a response to the effect of "Hey Derek what are you wearning your polka dot pajamas?"
My response is below:
My response is below:
(Excerpt of my email response to friends:)
OK - I have a confession to make ....
Regarding your "wearing your pajamas" comment about my shirt- which really was hurtful .... I cried for hours last night ....
.... I was almost inconsolable ...
Here is the original unedited photo of me and Justin Hayward backstage at Universal Amphitheater. Yes, a little embarassing I must admit.
I was initially afraid of being accused of being too much of a "fanboy" by dressing just like Justin at the show, so I later altered my shirt appearance in Photoshop. I guess I also may have made a bad choice in selecting the Sears Roebuck "Happening Cool Dude Mens and Boys Rodeo Clownwear" mini catalog from 1963 as the source for my replacement shirt photo.
Anyway, this is the original unedited picture.
I'm rather ashamed to having been "outed" as a fanboy but it was an innocent mistake - hopefully this will clarify things in the interest of transparency.
Derek
OK - I have a confession to make ....
Regarding your "wearing your pajamas" comment about my shirt- which really was hurtful .... I cried for hours last night ....
.... I was almost inconsolable ...
Here is the original unedited photo of me and Justin Hayward backstage at Universal Amphitheater. Yes, a little embarassing I must admit.
I was initially afraid of being accused of being too much of a "fanboy" by dressing just like Justin at the show, so I later altered my shirt appearance in Photoshop. I guess I also may have made a bad choice in selecting the Sears Roebuck "Happening Cool Dude Mens and Boys Rodeo Clownwear" mini catalog from 1963 as the source for my replacement shirt photo.
Anyway, this is the original unedited picture.
I'm rather ashamed to having been "outed" as a fanboy but it was an innocent mistake - hopefully this will clarify things in the interest of transparency.
Derek
A few extremely snide comments from friends in response:
"Hey Derek. That was clever how you were able to wear a tie AND show all that sexy chest hair. Casual, yet professional! Love the look!" MB
"The scoop neck and tie thing make for easy access to those furry breasts
I can see by the twinkle in Justin’s eye and the wide eyed shock in your eyes that something more or Morris was going on! Where are the before and after photos that you are not sharing!?" RS
"Hey Derek. That was clever how you were able to wear a tie AND show all that sexy chest hair. Casual, yet professional! Love the look!" MB
"The scoop neck and tie thing make for easy access to those furry breasts
I can see by the twinkle in Justin’s eye and the wide eyed shock in your eyes that something more or Morris was going on! Where are the before and after photos that you are not sharing!?" RS
My response to these horrific attacks:
"No, it was just innocent fanboy hero worship - nothing more
But in the future if you don't mind ... would you from now on simply refer to me as "Justin?"
I'm in the process of fully absorbing Justin's identity into my own - since I myself am such a hollow vacant empty shell.
And yes I'll be performing as part of the Moody Blues at the Cleveland induction ceremony. I just confirmed this with myself!
And frankly I'm a little pissed that this guy "Justin Hayward The 1st" has some problem with what I am doing!
It's his fault you know! Doesn't anybody realize this?"
"No, it was just innocent fanboy hero worship - nothing more
But in the future if you don't mind ... would you from now on simply refer to me as "Justin?"
I'm in the process of fully absorbing Justin's identity into my own - since I myself am such a hollow vacant empty shell.
And yes I'll be performing as part of the Moody Blues at the Cleveland induction ceremony. I just confirmed this with myself!
And frankly I'm a little pissed that this guy "Justin Hayward The 1st" has some problem with what I am doing!
It's his fault you know! Doesn't anybody realize this?"
TONGUE-IN-CHEEK "CRITIC" REVIEWS, RANTS, SATIRE,
AND FAKE NEWS STORIES!
FROM MY OWN ORIGINAL MUSIC WEBSITE WWW.DEREKMOMENT.COM
AND FAKE NEWS STORIES!
FROM MY OWN ORIGINAL MUSIC WEBSITE WWW.DEREKMOMENT.COM
REVIEWS AND COMMENTARY
“Haunting, hypnotizing, melodic and ... DEEP! ... I'm simultaneously moved to tears and enraged by anger... Overjoyed and elated yet oddly sad. Deeply disturbed yet satisfied and gratified .... Or perhaps it's the Xanax. Not quite sure..."
~~~~~~~STUBFORD "STUBBY" PEEPS, PhD.
Editor, Incendiary Combustible Drummers Quarterly
From Spring 2014 Edition
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"... Singer-Songwriter Derek Moment is substantive while not afraid of bland superficiality. My heart was moved; my insides were stirred; I was deeply moved. Never will I be the same, nor will be my pacemaker or bathroom plumbing. Bravo, Hip-Hip Hooray, and....Neato! Five Stars. An Absolute Classic. In summary, really rather....um... Quite Pleasant!”
~~~~~~~PROFESSOR VLAD IMPALERONI, Dr. Impaleroni is a Visiting Professor of Music History at UC Berkeley and holds the Stoker-Harker Chair of Brit-American Music History at University of Bucharest in Romania and is Editor of the quarterly journal "Compendium of Research in Applied Musicological Musicianship Interface Technology of Transylvania. He is also Publisher of Mother Folker Magazine.
From the Fall 2015 Edition of CRAMMITT Quarterly.
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"Hello; my name is Marty DiBergi. I'm a filmmaker. I make a lot of commercials. That little dog that chases the covered wagon underneath the sink? That was mine. A few years ago, I heard a British-American band that for me redefined the words 'symphonic psychedelic folk rock.' I remember being knocked out by their... their melody ... their layered vocal harmonies ... their blending of acoustic, classic rock and orchestral instruments ... their exuberance and raw power ... and their punctuality. That band was Derek Moment and Moment7. But hey, enough of my yakkin'; whaddaya say? Let's boogie!"
~~~~~~~MARTY DiBERGI, rock documentary filmmaker.
From a March 15, 2015 YouTube video.
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"You know, in this crazy music business, it's not easy avoiding random spontaneous drummer combustions and bizarre gardening accidents. Yet Derek Moment and Moment7 have always managed to walk that fine line between clever ... and stupid. For example, they took our blending of Mozart and Bach, fashioning it into their own unique 'Mach' style. And we love their never-to-be-released cover of our haunting and humourous love ballad 'Lick My Love Pump.' We are honoured to hear Derek say that his songwriting was inspired by our 'Smell The Glove' album and our legendary puppet show/county fair version of 'Jazz Odyssey.' Indeed, we recognise the flavours and colours of our influence at the centre of many of Derek's compositions. To conclude, we are pleased as punch to say to Derek Moment and Moment7: "Well done !!... Pip Pip!! ... and Huzzah!!"
~~~~~~~NIGEL TUFNEL, DAVID ST. HUBBINS, AND DEREK SMALLS of The Originals, The New Originals, Thamesmen and Spinal Tap. London, England, United Kingdom June 7, 2015
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“DEREK MOMENT AND MOMENT7 are considered by many music critics, most of whom are either band relatives, employees, vendors, or tone deaf... as potentially being one of the most melodic, prolific, and haunting artists to emerge from the 'post - Beatles / Beach Boys / British Invasion / Buffalo Springfield / Moody Blues / ELO / CSNY / Slim Whitman / Tiny Tim' era."
~~~~~~~PROFESSOR SPARKLAND ("SPARKY") FARQUARDT, PhD.
Former Chair of Dept. of Musicology, King's College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England. Currently Acting Chair of Dept. of Revisionist Rock Music History, University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Farquardt is Editor of two related publications, the "Berkeley Applied Research Facilitating International Technology" and the "University Professors' Compendium of High Utility Critical Knowledge. Dr. Farquardt is a direct descendant of Freddy Farquardt, the industrialist who dominated the international musical instrument, cat litter, toilet paper, monocle, sanitary wipes, and railroad industries in the mid to late 1800's; his initial fortune was made supplying reveille bugles to the both the Union Army and Confederacy during the American Civil War.
Published in Spring 2014 Edition of UPCHUCK Quarterly.
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"Let's look back: It has been 50 years since the Beatles were on Ed Sullivan in 1964 as the real Rock revolution began.... It progressed roughly for another 20 years until 1983 or so. And today it feels that, despite the wonderful Internet enabling many artists to be heard independently, freeing themselves from record label dominance and enabling them to connect more directly with fans....still it feels like we've regressed to a musical Dark Ages in our mass culture. It is rather ironic - we are in a golden age of TV shows and TV comedy offerings, yet the music landscape is a wasteland of Rap, Hip Hop, Tween Pop, Dance Disco, and faux "Alt Rock.' Very odd. Still there are melodic alternatives out there ... Derek Moment could be one of them. Or maybe not ... how the hell should I know?"
~~~~~~~PROFESSOR VLAD IMPALERONI, excerpted from his TED keynote address at the World Economic Forum Arts Symposium, Davos, Switzerland. Dr. Impaleroni is a Visiting Professor of Music History at UC Berkeley and holds the Stoker-Harker Chair of Brit-American Music History at University of Bucharest in Romania and is Editor of the quarterly journal "Compendium of Research in Applied Musicological Musicianship Interface Technology of Transylvania."
From January 2014 TED Arts Symposium Keynote
Published in Spring 2014 edition of CRAMMITT Quarterly.
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“DEREK MOMENT AND MOMENT7 set a new standard for the 'British-American Neo-Psychedelic Orchestral Folk-Art-Rock' genre ... highly original yet strongly incorporating the best elements of rock’s rich past ..."
~~~~~~~YAWN WEINER, Publisher & Managing Editor, Trolling Gnome Magazine
From February 2014 Edition of Trolling Gnome
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***The MOMENT7 BAND STORY***
** Rumour? Legend? Sick Joke? Inspirational Love Story? **
“Here is how the story goes: All seven band members - three and a half Yanks and three and a half Brits, joined forces during a lavish party on board the very final Anglo-French Concorde SST flight from New York to London on October 24, 2003. Right during mid-flight they became fast friends and spontaneously put together a 45-minute set of some of Derek's original songs and then performed them acoustically before a Concorde SST jet full of luminaries and celebrities. The on-plane audience included Paul McCartney, Justin Hayward, Richard Branson, Tom Hanks, Jerry Weintraub, Ron Howard, Brian Grazer, Rob Reiner, Bill Maher, Jimmy Kimmel, his wife Adam Carolla, and Arianna Huffington. The band of seven musicians came to be called Derek Moment & Moment7, magically coalescing at ‘Mach 2' (1350 miles per hour) while screaming over the Atlantic. By the time they landed at Heathrow, news had spread to the major news and entertainment media; thousands had already descended at Heathrow to see the final Concorde landing. A bidding war among all the major record labels soon erupted that got massive press coverage. Within weeks, Derek Moment and Moment7 had put together a "360" multi-album / tour + merchandise endorsement deal with an entity they co-created. The newly-formed 'Branson-Weintraub-Howard-Grazer-Reiner-Hayward-McCartney-Hanks-Carolla-Kimmel & Moment' USA-UK media conglomerate was named 'Moment7 Music'."
"This is how the band was formed and the rest is history. Any other version of this story is simply unadulterated rumour, hokum, nonsense, twaddle, crock, lie, bull, tale, urban legend, distortion, claptrap, tripe, gibberish, drivel, bunk, garbage, baloney, hooey, hogwash, fiction, slander, whopper, subterfuge, poppycock, fraudulence, myth, deception, malarky, flim-flam, libel, untruth, fabrication, misinformation, deceit, falsity, disinformation, tall tale, innuendo, misrepresentation, bullshit, bullcrap, hocus pocus, invention, falsehood, prevarication, fable, perjury, mendacity, spuriousness, hype, mega-hype, and balderdash!”
~~~~~~~PROFESSOR MICK TRAVIS, PhD, Chair of Department of Rock Music Historical Revisionism at King's College, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England. Dr. Travis previously was on the faculty of University College, University of Oxford, Oxford, England. Professor Travis currently serves also as Research Director at the Millar Clinic for the Study of Melodic Musicological Musicology, London, England. He is also Associate Editor and frequent contributor to the academic research journal "Berkeley Applied Research Facilitating International Technology."
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"I personally can confirm the above story. Yep ... definitely ... for sure."
~~~~~~~DR. RONALDO SNARDLEY, Rock HIstorian, Editor in Chief, “Mother Folker Magazine” and frequent panelist on the PBS Series "Writing About Music is Like Dancing About Architecture." Dr. Snardley is Director of Research and a frequent contributor to the scholarly journal "University Professors' Compendium of High Utility Critical Knowledge."
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"Yes, it is twue what they say about Derek Moment and Moment7. It's twue ... it's twue ... it's twue ...
~~~~~~~LILI VON SHTUPP, PhD, Professor, Berlin Institute Germany and Teutonic Institute of Technology, Stuttgart. Dr. Von Shtupp also serves as Director of the Gov. William J. Le Petomane / Hedley Lamarr Archives at the Taggart School of Music, Rock Ridge University, Johnson City, Texas.
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"Je adore la musique de Derek Moment. Il est très mélodique ... avec de superbes harmonies vocales ... Je me souviens d'un grand rocher du passé. Ceci est la musique qui est libre de la rap et hip hop poubelle américaine. Ces jours-ci, les Américains semblent pour bourrer leur visage gras avec beaucoup de musique de la malbouffe. Pourquoi font-ils écoutent McMusic Big Mac avec du fromage & Freedom Fries et boire leur diabétique 'Big Gulp "Cokes? Je ne comprends pas. Alors s'il vous plaît ...les Américains ... se réveiller et sentir le café ... et le brie! "
~~~~~~~ Karen LeCleavage, Critique Musical, LeMonde de Paris 04/07/2015
(TRANSLATED TO ENGLISH: "I love the music of Derek Moment. It's very melodic ... with stunning vocal harmonies ... I'm reminded of great rock of the past. This is music that is free from USA hip hop trash. These days, Americans seem to stuff their fat faces with much junk food music. Why do they listen to McMusic Big Macs with cheese & Freedom Fries and then drink their diabetic 'Big Gulp' Cokes? I don't understand. So please ... Americans ... wake up and smell the coffee ... and brie!")
~~~~~~~Karen LeCleavage, Music Critic, LeMonde of Paris 7/4/2015
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THE POETRY CORNER
"AIN'T DEVOLUTION"
by *Elmer The Poet Laureate
'Listen close and double your dose
Drink some more and open the Door
To Perception
Jimmy Mo, The Do ...
Was potent
But hearing the music
Of Derek Moment
Of sound waves ...
Explotent
My mind begins ...
To foment
Thoughts
Of Musical Revolution
Could this be the Solution?
(Well, at least it ain't devolution)
So don't get hysteric about Derek!
Just open the Door
Like Ray Manzarek ...'
~~~~~~~ELMER THE POET LAUREATE of the greater Mecca / Indio / Thermal, California SMSA. Elmer was recently confirmed for this position by the Director of Poetry Operations at the United States Bureau of Land Management (BLM), Western Region.
*As channeled by DR. RONALDO SNARDLEY, Editor in Chief, “MOTHER FOLKER MAGAZINE” and Host of the PBS Series "Writing About Music is Like Dancing About Architecture."
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*** THE EDITORIAL CORNER ***
**AN ONGOING COLLECTION OF COMMENTARY ON THE CURRENT STATE OF AMERICAN MUSIC AND POPULAR CULTURE**
~~~~~~~ (Curated by Prof. Ronaldo Snardley, PhD.)
"Won't someone with a major voice in the national media or elsewhere speak out ... somebody who isn't intimidated by the politically correct culturally diverse sensitive leftist media elite and the political correctness forced down people's throats on college campuses ... won't somebody please grow a pair and shout out the truth ... that the major media companies and record labels are subjecting America and the world to rap and hip hop and other types of non-music that is pure garbage ... wake up you PC American sheeple .... the Emperor has no clothes!"
"Of course, maybe this is Big Media's last gasp swan song attempt at cultural relevance as the people gravitate to other sources and distribution channels. I hope this is the case. But Big Media won't go down without a fight - and they have a lot of money to fight with to get your attention forcibly! So here comes more rap and hip hop... bend over and take it! And what I fear the most is that it is not just Big Media alone anymore ... but that at this point the sheeple have been conditioned, through mass repetition over the years, to actually like this garbage. The sheeple are at the point that they don't know the difference. And that is scary!"
"What should we do then? Try to assimilate? Become pretend hip hop fans? Merge with the rap borg? Smile while we take it up the ear? Hopefully the creation of quality melodic rock and pop music will delay the cramming of dumbed down hip hop dipshit culture down our collective throats ... staving off the decline of western civilization. But who am I kidding. Game over. We are all screwed. Rap has already won. It will take years and years for this garbage to disappear from our culture if it ever disappears. Luckily we have many channels of distribution these days to find good music if we seek it out ... but when you turn on mass TV or mass movies or mass media commercials in the mass market, expect to continue to bend over while big media companies pander to the Idiocracy and try to ram it up your ear."
~~~~~~~GREG FITZSIMMONS, comedian, podcaster, host of Greg Fitzsimmons show / Fitzdog podcast, and Sirius show on Howard Stern network.
From a September 2014 podcast
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"Here's one thing: I guarantee that any kind of melodic classic rock style music these days ... will never get noticed by the the Cheetos-eating basement-dwelling critics from rags like Rolling Stone Magazine who worship at the Temple of Hip Hop and the New York Altar of Lou Reed, Patti Smith, The Ramones, Television, Iggy Pop, Sonic Youth, The New York Dolls, - you know, the twisted melodically challenged acts who have just the right angry alienated New York 'attitude' to please many New York critics from the Rolling Stone Magazine hipster school who get off on cigarettes, tattoos, piercings, punk, and anything deemed 'alternative.'"
~~~~~~~DANA GOULD, stand-up comedian, actor, writer, podcaster ("The Dana Gould Hour") former long-running writer for The Simpsons. His 2013 comedy special "I Know It's Wrong" was recently broadcast on Showtime.
From a April 2015 podcast
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"Oh yeah, speaking of junk loved by Rolling Stone critics ... let's talk about rap and hip hop ... I don't get it ... and I wonder if rap "fans" themselves even get it or are they just robots worshiping the latest fad ... I've grown so tired of the rap chicks dressed like hookers ... and the wanna be gangsters bragging about their cars and bling and ho's ... and witness the ho's themselves in the videos... "I know you want it boy" and "I want you to give it to me" blah blah blah... give me a break. And have you seen the size of the asses on these ho's who seem to be so revered by the sheeple... such as Nikki and Kim, etc?? Since when has it become attractive and fashionable to have two HUGE cellulite ridden butt cheeks the size of beach balls filled with quivering jello? This is beauty? This is some sort of feminine ideal? I say it is more like proof that these women have given up! Talk about trying to culturally turn lemons into lemonade!"
"Meanwhile, all this "music" if you want to call it that is created by some cynical "producer" with a laptop and a Casio, a drum machine and a rhyming dictionary. Feeding the sheeple. Dumbing down the culture. And Rap "lyrics" themselves.... what a joke. My 8 year old twins could write better lyrics ... And now ... rap "artists" are being inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame ? WTF? Am I the only one who thinks this is insane? This alone is proof of the complete dumbing down of our Idiocracy culture. Besides that I have no opinion on the matter!"
~~~~~~~ADAM CAROLLA, podcaster, comedian, cultural critic, author of four New York Times best selling books, and co-creator of the world's most downloaded podcast, The Adam Carolla Show; Carolla's TV and movie projects include Catch A Contractor, Loveline, The Man Show, Crank Yankers, The Hammer, Road Hard, and the 2015 documentary "Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman."
From a February 2015 interview
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"Speaking of the Rock Hall of Fame.... so many deserving bands have NOT been voted in. Just look at the list: The Moody Blues, YES, Chicago, Journey, Electric Light Orchestra, The Doobie Brothers, Foreigner, Bad Company, Boston, Steve Miller, Deep Purple, Jethro Tull, The Cars, The Zombies, Joe Walsh, Supertramp, Guess Who, Carole King (as performer), Badfinger, Moby Grape, Loggins & Messina, Kenny Loggins, Warren Zevon, Love (w Arthur Lee), Emerson Lake and Palmer, Walker Brothers, Gordon Lightfoot, Crowded House, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Huey Lewis & The News, Paul Revere & The Raiders, Bread with David Gates, Dan Fogelberg, The Carpenters, Big Star, Peter Paul and Mary, Joan Baez, The Monkees, The Youngbloods, Clannad, Poco, The Tubes, The Knack."
"Sure, there will always be arguments concerning which of the above artists deserve to be in the Hall of Fame. But ALL of them are MUCH MORE DESERVING THAN ANY OF THOSE LISTED BELOW! Now look at those who HAVE been inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame:"
"Sex Pistols, Lou Reed, The Ramones, Grandmaster Flash, Parliament-Funkadelic, Metallica, Joan Jett, Green Day, Madonna, Kiss, Public Enemy, Velvet Underground, Run DMC, Beastie Boys, Alice Cooper, Stooges, Black Sabbath."
"LOOK AT THIS LIST! These people are in the Rock Hall of Fame! WTF?! I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!"
"So when you look into it more closely, the entire Rock Hall Of Fame 'nomination and induction process' is run by a small secretive cabal dominated by Jann Wenner of Rolling Stone and current / former Rolling Stone writers PLUS major label music executives who advertise in Rolling Stone. The whole process is a mystery and totally opaque and reeks of corruption. You hear stories of intense lobbying being done behind closed doors by various record labels and supposed journalists and 'friends of friends' pushing their own personal preferences and their own label's artists. And then this secret cabal annually magically come out with their annual "inductees." What a total sham. More and more stories are coming out about the whole corrupt Rock Hall of Fame induction process and it is starting to anger lots of music fans."
~~~~~~~GREG FITZSIMMONS, comedian, writer, and host of 'Fitzdog Radio' podcast and 'The Greg Fitzsimmons Show' on the Sirius "Howard Stern 101" channel.
From a March 2015 podcast
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"I pity the Rock Hall Of Fame visitors of the future. What exhibits will the visitor see? .. a bucket of Gene Simmon's fake blood and artificial tongues and wigs, or some AK-47's and Glocks formerly owned by Public Enemy? Hoodies worn by Run DMC? Heroin syringe collection of Sid Vicious ? Nose and penis piercing hardware worn by Johnny Rotten? Collection of Joan Jett's leather jackets and black hair dye? Sid Vicious and Nancy Spungen OD technology and and/or methods used to kill each other until success was finally achieved? Patti Smith's discarded cigarette butts and broken-down wife-beater tshirts? Chronology of Billy Joe Armstrong eyeliner and mascara (Green Day exhibit sponsored by Maybelline)? Perhaps an exhibit of Madonna's cone shaped bras and other faux media bullshit that her fake career revolved around? Perhaps a list of songs Madonna had no hand in co-writing yet where she still forced her way into getting co-writing credit?"
~~~~~~~GREG FITZSIMMONS, comedian, writer, and host of 'Fitzdog Radio' podcast and 'The Greg Fitzsimmons Show' on the Sirius "Howard Stern 100" channel.
From an April 2014 podcast
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"Hey tourists, visit the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland NOW before it's too late. In the near future it will be full of full of rap, hip hop, punk, tween pop, and disco memorabilia. The "Rock" section will housed in a beaten up warehouse annex down the street from the phenomenal majestic main I.M. Pei-designed building ... a shuttle bus will take you there to the "annex" or "satellite" building on the other side of town across the tracks to visit the "Rock" section ... I predict in 10-15 years, the only time the Rock Hall Of Fame will be in the news is because of the periodic stabbings, shootings, and related mayhem committed by descending hordes of bussed-in thugs from scattered urban rat holes ... all attending free rap shows created by well meaning museum bureaucrats and docents in order to 'educate and entertain the public.' Yeah right. Can't wait to see what this musical future looks like. I'll watch it from afar from my bunker."
~~~~~~~ADAM CAROLLA, podcaster, comedian, cultural critic, philosopher, professional ranter, and co-creator of the world's most downloaded podcast, The Adam Carolla Show, along with Loveline, The Man Show, Crank Yankers, The Hammer, Road Hard, and the 2015 Paul Newman documentary "Winning: The Racing Life of Paul Newman."
From a January 2015 podcast
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GREEN ECO NEWS
ENVIRONMENTAL PLAN ANNOUNCED FOR
MOMENT-MCCARTNEY CALIFORNIA SHOWS
(From The London Daily Mail, by Hugh Jass)
“INNOVATIVE ENVIRONMENTAL CONCEPTS”
Shortly after announcing an exciting series of upcoming Central California shows, Derek Moment and Sir Paul McCartney have upped the ante: they are vowing to conduct their entire series of shows in an unprecedented “green” fashion which has never before witnessed in California.
For one, all shows will be performed outdoors in the daytime when the sun is directly overhead, thus avoiding the need for unnecessary spots and stage and outdoor security lighting. An added benefit: this will allow the crowd to be exposed to healthy doses of Vitamin D from the naturally healthy rays of the golden California sun.
In connection with that sun, special booths run by tour sponsor Coppertone will distribute reduced price (20% off Bloomingdales NYC retail price!) sunscreen to all attendees. Plus sun protection hats from the Moment7 clothing line will be sold at a 20% discount from the MSRP of $69.99. And Special M7 sun protection long sleeved white shirts will also sell for 20% off their $89.99 MSRP. (For online hat and clothing purchases, visit MoMent7.com). “We are doing everything we can to help reduce the damaging rays of the sun,” said a concert spokesperson. We have never discounted the Moment7 sun hats and shirts to this extent. And sponsor Coppertone is being very generous also. I mean we’re giving up a lot here, so I hope people appreciate our sacrifice.”
Also, in a revolutionary green innovation debuting at the Fresno show, the air conditioning and all sound equipment and lighting in the Moment-McCartney “Go Green” tent will be powered by a group of 300 local Fresno school children. Throughout the show the kids will be pedaling an assembly of especially built electricity-generating bicycles wired in to the air conditioning, sound equipment, and lighting.
This is heralded as a great first step in the combined goals of environmentalism, combatting childhood obesity, and giving at-risk youth “something to do.” The Fresno school kids will be working for class credit only - on their way to a GED - and will not be paid in cash which as kids they would not fully appreciate anyway. The concert promoters are exploring payment via a special child labor exemption for 501c(3) non-profits that are subsidiaries of profit making shell corporations - a provision that was just enabled by a recent decision of the Roberts US Supreme Court, with Scalia, Thomas, and Alito jointly writing the majority opinion. If not enough volunteers are found, then the payment option will be employed.
Concert representatives indicated that the kids donating their time to a good cause is a good character builder for the kids and to pay them would send the wrong message to environmental activists everywhere. “Hey, we’re in this together, said Moment. With the global warming crisis looming, there is not time for petty selfish profiteering. We must work together and all pitch in now! Enough of the ‘me me me’ attitude already!”
And in order to deliver the best possible sound for their fans and to optimize the acoustic performance of their sensitive music equipment which could be damaged from the dust, dirty air, and hot sun within the Melvin W. Cowpie Memorial Rodeo Showgrounds, Moment and McCartney will perform from inside a special clear tent. The tent will be air conditioned, humidified, dust-free and hypoallergenic. The clear tent will allow full views of the performers. In addition, a bank of large solar and bike powered LED monitors will be mounted to the sides of the stage for better views from those in the back of the standing room only show, expected to fill the Rodeo Grounds with 40,000 people. (For sit down shows, the facility only accommodates 7,500 so things will get a bit crowded. Thank goodness for the roaming Big Gulp beverage carts selling 48 oz Coke for only $9.95! Credit cards accepted!).
Meanwhile the crowd will enjoy the enriching warmth of the direct sun in the middle of the afternoon on dusty rodeo grounds in a hot Fresno day that typically averages 95 Degrees (F) temperatures in the spring, summer, and fall. To reduce the effects of the sun and dust, an aerial spraying helicopter from Fresno Crop Dusters Inc. will fly overhead periodically dropping a gentle mist on the crowd, creating a rainforest atmosphere. “We don’t believe that the relatively low 5% concentration of residual insecticides and fertilizers within the spray will negatively affect any of our attendees,” said a concert spokeswoman. “But in case anyone is sensitive to fertilizer and insecticide and DDT, we will have a medical tent staffed with junior college trained LVN’s who will be authorized to distribute both aspirin as well as Claritin and Benadril to reduce any possible brain swellings and allergic reactions caused by the helicopter rain forest misters/ crop dusters.”
“We really do want to be outdoors to share the experience with our fans… we really do … you know, connecting with the crowd directly - being with our peeps.” said Moment via speakerphone from within his personal hyperbaric chamber with which he always travels. Sipping from a bottle of Reykjavik Icelandic Distilled Glacial Water which he has flown in weekly via private jet, Moment continued: “But in order to deliver the best possible sound for our audience and to protect our equipment - particularly my custom Gibson EDS-1275 white double-neck and my Taylor acoustics and vintage Rickenbackers and Telecasters - we simply have no choice but to perform within that air conditioned hypoallergenic clear tent. Further, because of the stress of touring, despite media criticism, we must continue to haul the hyperbaric chamber, three variable temperature hot tubs, a cold plunge, portable dry sauna, steam rooms and showers - all powered by natural gas and propane - from show to show with our fleet of big rigs. These items are a necessity to ensure high quality shows so that our fans get the best entertainment possible - please do not call them a frivolous luxury.”
Moment did point out that despite the powering of the spa equipment by propane and natural gas, that 10% of the fuel use by the big rigs is indeed comprised of green-friendly bio diesel.
“The bio diesel - i.e. grease - is actually being generated from my chain of Burger King franchises in Nevada, New Mexico, and Arizona,” said Moment.
“Burger King is another show sponsor, and my Burger King franchise operation will be the exclusive caterers for the concert. Though I personally detest factory farming and the effect that beef cattle has on the environment, who am I to deny our good American customers their constitutionally protected right to eat all the cheeseburgers they can stuff into their happy fat faces? We want them to have a good time! Hey this is the American way. Similarly, who am I to deny them their right to drink as many Big Gulp 48 oz Tubs of Coca Cola as they possibly can at the show? Let Freedom Ring as Sean Hannity would say! Hey it is not my fault that obesity and diabetes is epidemic in this country. Diet and lifestyle has nothing to do with it. Obesity and diabetes is a genetic issue - lifestyle has nothing to do with it - if your mom was fat and had diabetes, then watch out, you may catch it - we just hope a vaccination is developed soon! Besides, we’re just catering to the needs of our wonderful all-American customers,” Moment concluded.
“Motivational Tomatoes”
To motivate those children showing any signs of faltering in the hot midday sun, the audience has been supplied with fun “motivators” like tomatoes, potatoes, and other “throwables” to help inspire the kids and to help show them the value of hard work.
All kids who complete the “green fun ride” as it is called will get gold stars and full credit, along with the grade of “A”, for their “Green Air Conditioning 4-H science project” that demonstrates the ability to power large concert equipment and air conditioners and stage fans and a personal food refrigeration units, which Moment and McCartney use for refreshments… for an entire 2 ½ hour show.
By having the show in mid day in an air conditioned hypoallergenic tent, Moment and McCartney have saved the high cost and native green house gas impact of using evening lighting. (The show will end promptly at 3:30PM in order for Moment and McCartney to board their chartered 757 tour jet to travel to Las Vegas. Moment and McCartney have a night show booked later that evening in Las Vegas for the International Hookers, Escorts and Happy Ending Massage Association Convention at the MGM Grand Ballsroom. Asked about the apparent contradiction here, Moment replied: “Hey, my understanding is that lights in Vegas are basically free since they are powered by the Hoover Dam or something … plus the jet is sponsored by Coppertone, which purchases carbon offsets or something… so we feel no hypocrisy here…. however I’ll look into it and as Sarah Palin once said: ‘I’ll get back to ya.’ “
In any event, to transform the rodeo grounds into the proper music setting, crop sprayers filled with purified Reverse Osmosis water / with a Distilled Water chaser from Fresno Crop Dusters Inc. will periodically fly overhead spraying a gentle mist upon the crowd, not only controlling dust but creating a rain forest ambiance in the 95 Degree (F) heat for all in attendance. Think of the Tonga Room at the Fairmont San Franisco, or the Disney Jungle Ride, but only in Big City Fresno - the cultural capital of Central Valley California! Hey everybody says California is where it is still all happening - this is the state that is the thought leader in the world. And Fresno is smack dab in the middle of the state. It is the geographical center. It is centered in the most mentally centered state in the USA. And that must mean something spiritually and psychically and metaphorically and allegorically and satirically.
It is guaranteed that any residual amount of pesticide in the water spray will be negligible and almost undetectable by the human tongue or nose, unless of course it is breathed in or ingested or even looked at through binoculars. As a result of the ongoing dust control created by overhead spraying, the rodeo grounds will be raked completely clean of cow pies before the show, so everyone will be comfortable sitting down on their blankets to take in the entire show. (Suggestion, put a plastic tarp under the blanket just to make sure.) Further, it is guaranteed that all of the livestock exhibitions will be either re-located downwind from the rodeo showgrounds prior to the performance and /or completely tented and vented with fans, so as to optimize the air quality for the show. In summary, this should defintely be the least smelly and least dusty show in the history of Fresno’s Melvin W. Cowpie Memorial Rodeo Showgrounds!
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(THE DIALOGUE BELOW IS FROM THE PHIL HENDRIE SHOW PODCAST, AUGUST 23, 2015)
www.philhendrieshow.com
PHIL HENDRIE: Hi, it's Phil. All the characters that you hear on our show today will be performed by me, with the exception of some editing that you hear at the end of the show. We don't use any tricks, no overdubbing, no multitracking ... none of that stuff, OK? Our entire show is recorded in real time, that is, as it is happening. So sit back, relax, and enjoy "The World Famous Phil Hendrie Show."
(Music of metal band SLAYER starts in background ... at a louder and louder volume.)
MARGARET GREY (trying to talk over increasingly loud SLAYER music): And this is the World Famous Phil Hendrie Show... I'm Margaret Grey ...
(Head-banging metal music of SLAYER is now even louder in background)
MARGARET GREY (angrily and exasperated): Could you turn this ... this caterwauling and screeching disgusting demonic brain damaged garbage ...
PHIL HENDRIE: huh?
MARGARET GREY (reversing herself, with a phony smile): Oh...hmm ...oh, I love this music... what's it called?
PHIL HENDRIE: It's SLAYER. Do you like it?
MARGARET GREY: OH...yes yes, it's wonderful! I love them! (singing) Doo, doo doo doo... (sighing) hmm yes very lovely ...
PHIL HENDRIE: Glad you like it... well, before we start the show, Margaret, will you take over here briefly? I have to leave the studio for a moment.
BUD DICKMAN (chortling and giggling): Ha ha.... Mr. Hendrie's gotta go to the "Lttle Boys Room.' haha He can't hold it no more ! hahaha
PHIL HENDRIE: Grow up, Bud. And Margaret, I'll be right back.
MARGARET GREY: Certainly, Phil... we'll carry on until you return.
MARGARET GREY: Well now that we briefly have the show to ourselves, I need to say something. We, the characters of 'The World Famous Phil Hendrie' Show," want to give our thorough praise and complete unabashed endorsement of the wonderful music of Derek Moment and Moment7. I'm Margaret Grey."
BUD DICKMAN (clapping): Yay!
MARGARET GREY: Additionally... speaking on behalf of the entire "Phil Hendrie Show" cast ... we all have frankly grown weary of the trashy music that Phil insists on using in the show ... you know, the Heavy Metal, Death Metal, Speed Metal, and especially the Rap, and the Hip Hop garbage that you hear as "bumper music" played at the beginning and end of commercial breaks. Obviously, Phil Hendrie is a brilliant and gifted performing genius ... but why he insists on playing that vile 'music' is beyond me. I will admit that the Rap and Metal can be rather stimulating to some listeners who are on a lower level of mental awareness and consciousness if you will... and perhaps Phil wants to infuse the show with a certain energy and shock value ... but seriously this music is deeply, deeply disturbing to anyone with more than two brain cells to rub together. It hurts my ears, gives me a migraine, and really triggers my acid reflux."
BUD DICKMAN (trying to be helpful): "Miss Grey, can I get you a P...P... Prozac I mean P...P.. Paxil for your A...A... Acid Re...Re...f..f... f... flux?"
MARGARET GREY: "That is Prilosec, Bud. Not Prozac or Paxil. And yes, please, I will take one Prilosec. Thank you.
MARGARET GREY (gulping the Prilosec and refocusing): To continue.... frankly, nobody here is quite sure whether Phil Hendrie really likes this "Rap Metal Hip Hop" 'music' or whatever you call that trash ... or if he just plays it as an ironic joke. We suspect the latter, but that is the magic of The Phil Hendrie Show: Phil likes to keep people guessing. Those of us in the cast of The Phil Hendrie Show of course don't want to anger Phil or disrupt his creative flow, so we just simply "put up with it' and at times we even pretend to like it.
BUD DICKMAN: Yeah... we pre...pre... pretend...th-th-that like we li... li.. like it... we-we p-p-pretend.. yeah...
MARGARET GREY: Bud please.... let me finish. Now, on a positive note, we do know for a fact that Phil does greatly enjoy Derek Moment's music privately when not on the air. And though Phil has not yet played Derek's music publicly on this show, we certainly would welcome it. But then again, perhaps Derek Moment's melodic music does not provide the sufficient shock value and angry energy of Metal and Rap music that Phil wants for the show... I don't know... Anyway, I have noticed that Phil, during quiet, private times, will often play Derek Moment songs when alone and not on the air."
BUD DICKMAN (mockingly chortling): "Ha ha ha ... you mean that Mr. Hendrie's alone playing with his privates that don't have no hair? Ha ha ha ha! Ha ha ha ha!"
MARGARET GREY (frustrated and exasperated) : "Oh ... my ... god. Bud Dickman... you... you useless yammering nincompoop waste of space ... this is my final warning... if you EVER interrupt me again with one of your foul, crude sexual references, I am going to slam your head so hard into the wall that you'll need two more metal plates in your skull just to support that empty volume of air between your ears."
BUD DICKMAN (apologetically): "Sorry Miss Grey..."
MARGARET GREY: "All right, then. To summarize: we thoroughly endorse Derek Moment's music and find it to be, if you will, a rather refreshing 'musical palate cleanser' in comparison to the vile, noxious music that Phil Hendrie plays on his otherwise wonderfully brilliant show."
MARGARET GREY: "There ... I said it. I'm Margaret Grey."
BUD DICKMAN (clapping): "Yay!"
"SIGNED"
"(Or "Pretend Signed - sort of like 'Pretend Hanging Up'),"
MARGARET GREY AND THE ENTIRE PERFORMING CAST AND SPONSORS OF THE PHIL HENDRIE SHOW"
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Margaret Grey, General Gaylen Shaw, Bud Dickman, Harvey Weirman, Robert Leonard, Lloyd Bonafide (Mouth Siren Cop), Bob Bakian ("Nine Pounds Of Swinging Meat"), Sky Boy, Sky Baby, Boyd Sweetan, Bobbie Dooley, Steve Dooley, Brass Villanueva, Pastor David Castornini, David G. Hall, Western Estates Homeowners Association, Frank Grey, Steve Bosell, Ted Bell, Ted's Of Beverly Hills, Ted's Hot Dog, Vernon Dozier, Doug Dannger, Jay Santos. Citizens Auxiliary Police, Bob Green, Herb Sewell, Dr. Jim Sadler, Mavis Leonard, Justin McElroy, Austin Amarka, Chris Norton, Pastor William Rennick, Rick Bonefeel, Dr. Jim Sadler, Chris Putay, Dr. Ron Tarner of the Mount Meadow Observatory in Cloverdale, Colorado, Dave Oliva, Hong Kong Charlie, Don Parsley, Kevin Coneal and the Real Estate Foreclosure Hour, Attorney Delores Blasingame, Paul Blasingame, Deane Wheeler, Emerelda Wheeler, Wes Hurlford, Elcott Arc Of The Novitiate, Professor Emory Clayton, Karen Deauville, Leon Dunphy, Dr. Ed Elcott, Overlord K, The Elcott Redeemery, Elcott - The Next Step, The Overlords, Karen Blatherman, Bozo's Pep Pills, Barney's Roses, Meatball's Clown Supplies, Audrey Bailey, Jack Eigagder, Bret Moreson, Earl Cooch, Touch Gerber, Edna Gerber, Marty Lufthansa, General Johnson Jameson, Don Burman, Don Micksa, Rudy Canoza, Larry Grover, Gloria Grover, Kenny Slag, Brad Rifkin, Art Griego, Father James McQuarters, Clara Bingham, R.C. Collins, Chef Carl Chodillia, Jeff Dowder, Raj Fahneen, Alf, Art Bell, Art Griego, Austin Amarka, Ben Rothchild, Bob Bakian, Bob Green, Bob Heverly, Bob McGraw, Bobbie Dooley, Brad Rifkin, Brass Villenheuva, Brett Bouchette, Buck Nigro, Bud Dickman, Carl Misla, Charlie LaFountain, Chris Norton, Clara Bingham, Colleen Kristin Brewster, Colonel Baker, Combover Boy, Craig Dooley, Darryl Fitzgerald, Darryl Webber, Dave Oliva, David G. Hall, Dean Wheeler, Esmerelda Wheeler, The Dunfey Brothers, Deb Turner, Don Burman, Don Keegan, Doug Dannger, Dr. Jim Sadler, Dr.Alvin Cooper, Duane James, Earl Robinson, Eddie Van Halen, Eric Hestor, Father Dwayne Poppick, Father James McQuarter, Frank & Al, Frodo the Puppet, Gene Gebell, General Gayland Shaw, Harvey Wireman, Herb Sewell, Jay Santos, Jeff Dowder, Jim Kettering, Jim Rome, Justin McElroy, Karl Kyle, Larry Grover, Lil' Ian Anderson, Lloyd Bonifide, Logan Benson, Margaret Gray, Mavis Leonard, Mike O'Neill, Pastor William Rennick, Paul Lane, Paul McNamara, Phil Hendrie, Phil The Prophet, R.C. Collins, Raj Fahneen, Ralph Dahl, Robert Reischal, Roland Schwinn, Rubin Ramon Escobar, Rudy Canoza, Skippy & Frank, Steve Bosell, Steve Nichol, Steven Paul, Ted Bell, Ted Ziegenbusch, Tony Neal, Tree Salesman, Vernon Dozier, Vic Prell, Warren Benman.
www.philhendrieshow.com
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