The Rolling Stones did their second of two 50th anniversary shows at London's O2 Arena Thursday night, and it was just as much of a spectacle as the first show last weekend. Former bassist Bill Wyman appeared for "It's Only Rock and Roll" and "Honky Tonk Women," and former guitarist Mick Taylor sat in on "Midnight Rambler." Eric Clapton joined the band for "Champagne and Reefer" (not literally; it's an old Muddy Waters song.)
At Sunday night's show, Mary J. Blige filled the all-important role of female vocalist on "Gimme Shelter;" last night the honors went to Florence Welch of Florence + The Machine, on what must have been the most thrilling night of her career. Flo gave Jagger a run for his money when it came to cocky strutting. Take look, and a listen:
The Stones take a break for a week as they travel across the pond for the first of three East coast U.S. shows -- Brooklyn, NYC on December 8.
The setlist for Thursday's London show:
1) Get Off of My Cloud
2) I Wanna Be Your Man
3) The Last Time**
4) Paint it Black
5) Gimme Shelter (w/Florence Welch)
6) Lady Jane**
7) Champagne and Reefer (w/Eric Clapton)**
8) Live With Me**
9) Miss You
10) One More Shot
11) Doom and Gloom
12) It’s Only Rock ‘N’ Roll (But I Like It) (w/Bill Wyman)
I don't deliver a lot of fashion news, but I thought you'ld like to know: Just in time for the holidays, Yoko Ono has launched a new John Lennon-inspired fashion line, and the concept is really very straightforward. Yoko wanted to celebrate the parts of John's body that she found exciting. So the clothes tend to showcase the crotch, the butt, and in some cases the nipples.
Would John Lennon himself wear these clothes? Questionable. But hey, they're not supposed to be worn by John; they're a tribute to Yoko's love for John. And his parts.
Yoko's partner in this venture is the clothier Open Ceremony. There are only 52 pieces available in each style, so the collection is very limited. You can check out the full line at OpeningCeremony.us
Joe Smith was a big record company executive who interviewed dozens and dozens of music icons for a book he wrote in the 1980s. He just donated all the raw tapes from those interviews to the Library of Congress, and you can listen tot hem on the web, for free. Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Mick Jagger, David Bowie, DIck Clark, Graham Nash, Ray Charles, Bob Dylan, Steven Tyler, Bo Diddley . . . . an amazing who's who of the history of rock & roll.
Some of the highlights:
B.B. King on the blues:
"I feel it’s dying as we’ve known it. But there will continuously be blues as long as there are people on the planet, because people gonna continuously have problems."
Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones’ outlaw image:
"I think there was a lot of time wasted with this band with all that image stuff. And eventually, of course, I think it contributed to Brian (Jones) cracking up completely and to a certain extent Keith (Richards) becoming a junkie."
Mick Jagger on The Beatles’ early influence:
"Both Keith and Brian were very much influenced by The Beatles – everyone was at that point. I must say I don’t think I was as much as they were. One envied their success, but I never really liked their music as much."
Yoko Ono on the breakup of The Beatles:
"Paul was the only one trying to hold The Beatles together. But, then again, the other three felt that Paul was trying to hold The Beatles together as HIS band. They were getting to be like Paul’s band, which they didn’t like….There was an incredible period of unpleasantness for John, so he was in fact delighted that he was out of it."
Paul McCartney on drugs:
"That was one hell of a period – completely different, like another lifetime. We were like different people by then because of the drugs thing. … We’d just become introduced to it. Sgt. Pepper owes a lot to drugs, to pot. That was us getting into that. It was rather innocent compared to what you talk about these days. It was very innocent. It was never seriously heavy stuff. Things got heavy later with one or two of us. Then, it was quite mild. It was like a drink. It was nothing. It was never lethal. It was never that crazy. We were never sort of out on the floor like you’d hear about Stones sessions where you couldn’t wake the guitarist up. … Possibilities started to come in like mad. So that was a very rich period."
David Bowie
"I’m more of a sucker. I’m more of a fan. If it’s wearing a pink hat and a red nose and he plays a guitar upside down, I’ll go look at it. I love to see people being dangerous."
A bunch of them are streaming free, right now. Click here to check them out.
J&D’s Bacon Shaving Cream™ is proudly Made in America and is the highest quality meat-scented shaving cream on the market today. Bacon Shaving Cream is a high end, luxurious bacon-scented shaving cream for all skin types. It is best used after a hot shower or before an important date with someone you may want to spend the rest of your life with. Our rich creamy moisturizers and hearty essential oils ensure a high-performance, velvety smooth shaving experience. Our advanced heat-activated aromatic technology lasts for hours and delivers maximum bacon scent when you need it most.
A jar will cost you $14.99 and -- fair warning -- supplies are limited (probably a good move on their part.) To buy Bacon Shaving Cream, go here.
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Tonight’s Powerball jackpot is up to 500 million bucks. I found some good pointers from Forbes about what to do when you win.
First of all, sign the back of your ticket or somebody else can claim your prize if they get their hands on the ticket. Stay anonymous if possible so people don’t start clamoring for handouts. See a tax professional before you cash in the ticket. You have 60 days to get everything together and sort out the financial ramifications. Avoid sudden lifestyle changes. Wait six months before you buy a McMansion or quit your job. ("Hey, Bob, what’s up? I noticed you traded in your ’97 Camry for a sterling silver Lamborghini!") That might be tough, but I guess a lot of lottery winners go completely off the rails with the extravagant spending and blow through amazing amounts of money in no time at all. A little restraint will serve you well as you get used to your new status as a wealthy person.
Good luck, even though your odds of becoming an astronaut are better than your odds of winning the jackpot . . . . but you can read all these helpful tips here.
Jimi Hendrix would have been 70 years old today. What would he be up to musically if he were still with us? We'll never know, but it's hard to think of a dead artist who left us with so much unreleased material from the prime of his career, and we're about to get a nice big serving of some more new Hendrix music: People, Hell, and Angels will show the Northwest icon at his most adventurous and experimental. He stepped away from his fulltime band and recruited Stephen Stills to play bass and Buddy Miles as his drummer as he tried new sounds and new approaches, although you sure won't mistake this music for anything but classic Hendrix.
Eddie Kramer was a studio engineer for most of Jimi's career, and he gave Rolling Stone a sneak peek at the new stuff as well as some behind-the-music insights into what Hendrix was thinking at the time.
Click here to see that video, in case the one below doesn't work yet.
The Rolling Stones kicked off their 50th anniversary celebration Sunday night at London's O2 Arena by turning in a 25-song set. Opening with Lennon and McCartney's "I Wanna Be Your Man," (which was an early hit for the Stones) they ended two-and-a-half hours later with "Jumping Jack Flash."
They rocked a stage in the shape of their lips and tongue logo, with a giant video screen in the mouth and the tongue extending into the audience so Mick Jagger could walk out to be close to the people. Mick sported a flashy sport coat and a . . .what is that, a porkpie hat?
In addition to their longtime backing band that includes former Allman Brothers Band keyboardist Chuck Leavell and sax player Bobby Keys, they were joined by Mary J. Blige on "Gimme Shelter," Jeff Beck on Freddie King's "Going Down," (a classic for The Jeff Beck Group,) former Stones bassist Bill Wyman on "It's Only Rock n' Roll" and "Honky Tonk Women," and the band's former guitarist Mick Taylor on "Midnight Rambler." Their second London show is Thursday followed by one in Brooklyn, New York on December 8th and two in Newark, New Jersey on December 13th and 15th. And then, in 2013? The rest of the USA? Count on it.
If you have questions about the impending changes in the pot laws in Washington, you 're going to want to check out a post on the Seattle Police blog that’s gone viral – it’s called “Marijwhatnow? A guide to legal marijuana use in Seattle” and it’s shown up everywhere from MSNBC to a newspaper in Ireland. It answers many of your pot related questions, like can you legally carry around an ounce of marijuana? (Yes, as long as nobody can see it.) Can you spark up at the Bite of Seattle? (You wish -- think of the possibilities for alleviating the munchies -- but no, you can't smoke in public.) Can cops get high? (Not right now. The blog says "this is still a very complicated issue.")
It’s very informative and it ends with this clip of Gandolf hitting a pipe and blowing artsy-fartsy smoke rings in Lord of the Rings.
Twinkies may be leaving store shelves, but they'll live on for eternity thanks to Hollywood. Here's five minutes of clips of Twinkies in the movies. Watch and weep.
You know there are two new Rolling Stones songs on their 50th anniversary compilation album GRRR! And they just released a video for one of them – "Doom and Gloom." The video combines footage of the band playing in what looks like a rehearsal hall, with a fairly literal interpretation of the song’s lyrics. As usual, it’s funny to watch Charlie Watts on the drums, who looks like he finds the whole thing vaguely amusing but rather silly.
You know Hempfest, the annual 3-day celebration at Myrtle Edwards Park, right? At one point they couldn’t even get anyone to rent them office space. Now they have a big new office and Hempfest retail store on Lake City Way. They call the store a "hemp boutique and 420 culture specialty shop." This is your new one-stop spot for hemp-based products like hemp body lotion, hemp oil soap, hemp protein powder, and hemp mud masks, not to mention accessories for your pot smoking pleasure like hand-made pipes and bongs and “chronic art” created from rolling papers and Elmer’s glue. ("Dude, look what I made . . .")
Seriously, it shows how far this little festival has come, and how pot-friendly we are around here now. And it’s a great reason for a road trip to Lake City. The store’s called Hempfest Central.
If you're dining at Yanni's Greek Restaruant in Seattle's Phinney Ridge neighborhood next week, it's probably Chef Gordon Ramsay, the star of TV's Kitchen Nightmares. You know, the show where the guy drops in to troubled restaurants and gives them some tough love as he whips the place into shape? He's going to be working his magic on Yanni's. I'm not sure what the problem is -- they get pretty positive Yelp reviews, so it's not clear why they need Ramsay to come in and start yelling at everybody, but apparently you can make a reservation to dine at Yanni's during Ramsay's visit. Don't contact the restaurant, though -- you have to email the producers of the show. According to the Phnneywood blog:
Producer Joe Di Lauro contacted us to say they’re looking for people to dine at Yanni’s during filming. To make reservations to eat during filming, diners need to email the producers at seattlerest@gmail.com. Reservations can’t be made through Yanni’s. Dinner patrons need to be at least 18 years old, and are responsible for paying for their own meals and drinks.
Have fun, and if you go to Yanni's you simply must try the Spanakopitakia Piatela. Fantastic. (If it stays on the menu!)
Are you a dog person, or a cat person? Either way, there's a new gadget in the works that lets you feed your pet when you're not home, and it fights pet obesity, too, which is apparently just as much of a problem as human obesity. PintoFeed connects with your home wifi, and then, using a mobile app, you can dispense li'l Skippy's food from anywhere. or automate the feeding schedule. The app can notify you once your pet has eaten. And PintoFeed monitors your pet's food intake and shows you that data on the app, so when you get home, if your dog tries to fake you out with that "I'm hungry" face, you can show himi the app and say, "come on, you already ate!" (What? You don't talk to your dog like that?)
They have a PintoFeed prototype right now and they're trying to raise funding for production. Here's the video that explains it:
If you can't face a world in which Hostess Twinkies don't exist, here's one solution -- make your own! The Seattle Times ran the recipe over the weekend from a new cookbook called Real Snacks: Make Your Favorite Childhood Snacks Without All The Junk by Lara Ferroni.
Instead of high-fructose corn syruip and preservatives, the faux Twinkies can be made with whole wheat pastry flour and cane sugar. Or you can make them just as toxic as the real thing; that recipe's in there, too, because "healthy" and "Twinkie" are two words that just don't belong together.
Here's the recipe, if you're ambitious in the kitchen:
Vanilla Snack Cakes
Ingredients:
3/4 cup white spelt or all-purpose flour
1/4 cup ground millet or cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 egg whites
1/3 cup cane sugar
2 tablespoons honey
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons safflower oil
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 batch (about 1 cup) Snack Cake Creme (recipe online here)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease a canoe-style snack cake pan. If you don't have a snack cake pan, you can use 4-ounce loaf pans. Alternatively, create your own molds out of foil by shaping double thicknesses of aluminum foil around a spice bottle and setting the individual foil pieces next to each other in a cake pan.
Sift the spelt flour, ground millet flour, baking powder, and salt together and set aside.
In a dry mixer bowl with dry beaters, beat the egg whites until stiff, about 2 minutes.
Transfer the beaten egg whites to a clean bowl and set aside.
In the same mixer bowl, add the sugar, honey, water, oil, egg yolks, and vanilla and beat for 1 minute. Add the flour mixture and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes. Fold in half of the beaten egg whites; once the first half is fully incorporated, fold in the second half.
Pour the batter into the prepared molds, filling them 2/3 of the way full. Bake until golden, 15 to 20 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Cool the cakes in the pan for at least 20 minutes, then remove to a wire rack and cool completely before filling with the Snack Cake Creme.
To fill the cakes, use a skewer or chopstick to poke 2 holes partially through the snack cake from the bottom, and wiggle around to hollow out some space. Use a piping bag fitted with a Bismarck (#230) tip or a very small star-shaped tip to fill the cake with the Snack Cake Creme.
Eric Clapton has covered various artists' songs over the years, most notably Bob Marley's "I Shot The Sherrif" and J.J. Cale's "Cocaine" and "After Midnight." But who knew he recorded an obscure track by the Canadian mellow rock singer/songwriter Gordon Lightfoot?
On the same day he recorded "Cocaine" for his 1977 Slowhand album, Clapton cut a Gordon Lightfoot song called "Looking at the Rain." He ultimately decided to leave the song off of Slowhand, but a 35th Anniversary edition of the album is coming out on December 18, and the song, along with three other previously unreleased songs, will be part of the deluxe reissue.
"Looking at the Rain" is a pretty laid-back track, and it doesn't contain any especially sizzling guitar work from Clapton, which might be one of the reasons it didn't make the cut back in '77. But it's worth hearing, so now we have it.
The 2012 Seattle Auto Show doesn't happen without a lot of pre-show prep. Here's what I saw about an hour before they opened the doors on the first day:
And Craig Chastain, the show's Communications Director, told me about a very cool feature of the event -- your chance to test drive a bunch of cars. As you can see, Craig's head and my head did not fit into the frame at the same time, but you get the idea . . . .
The show runs through Sunday at the CenturyLink Field Event Center, and it's a rainy weekend, so what else is there to do? Details about the show here.
Here’s more of my adventures behind the scenes at the 2012 Seattle Auto Show. Most people who attend don’t get a guided tour from the Communications Director of the show, but I did. Craig Chastain has been steering me to the highlights, but enough of the exotic cars that are out of reach to the average person like you and me. Let’s check out some fun cars we could actually buy, starting with a fun pair of twins from Japan, the Subaru BRZ and the Scion FR-S.
After Craig ditched me, I checked out a few other quick, fun, sporty small cars.
BONUS VIDEO! Did you know that you can actually take some of the cars at the show for a test drive? It didn’t seem possible to me, but it’s true. I grabed Craig again to get the scoop.
More from the 2012 Seattle Auto Show over the weekend, including a look at all the show personnel scrambling to finish last-minute preparations an hour before they open the doors on the first day of the show. Can you say Swiffer?
Since they let me in to the 2012 Seattle Auto Show before they opened the doors to the public, I had a chance to get a guided tour from the show’s Communications Director, Craig Chastain. Craig was eager to get me up to the second level where the exotic cars live. You can see these cars when you go to the show; you just might not be able to go behind the ropes to check out this exotic McLaren, unless you convince Alessandro that you might be interested in a purchase:
One of the big problems when you’re a Ferrari owner has been space: It’s hard to go on a double date when your car only has two seats. Problem solved! Meet the 4-seat, 4-wheel drive Ferrari FF:
There’s plenty of eye candy at the show, but there’s a lot to see if you’re just interested in checking out the normal cars that you and I might drive, too. The show’s at the CenturyLink Field Event Center through Sunday; get all the details here.
Maybe it’s because I grew up in Detroit, but I’m a little bit of a car guy. I’ve been going to auto shows since my dad took me to my first one as a toddler in the Motor City. (And that’s also where I saw my first live radio broadcast, which might have had some influence on the rest of my life, too!)
Anyhoo, the 2012 Seattle Auto Show is this week, and I snuck in before they opened the doors to the public to get a little preview and wander around checking out the hardware. My host was the Communications Director for the show, Craig Chastain.
We started on the second level of the show, where the really exotic stuff lives.
The Seattle Auto Show runs through Sunday at CenturyLink Field Event Center. For all the details, click here.
And check my blog tomorrow for more of my adventures behind the scenes at the show, including a look at a $300,000 exotic ride with my new pal Alessandro.
Bruce Spirngsteen obviously deserves to be the subject of a documentary, and now he's going to be -- with a twist: A lot of the film's footage will come from you.
The filmmaker, Ridley Scott, and his team, are looking for fan-generated footage for their film Springsteen & I. They want Bruce fans to make short films that express what Springsteen has meant to them, or how his music changed their lives, or maybe they have good video of magic moments at Springsteen concerts.
We are searching for a wide variety of creative interpretations, captured in the most visually exciting way you can think of, whether you've been a hardcore Tramp since '73 or have heard one of his songs for the first time today. If you have a parent, a sibling, a neighbor or a colleague who has an interesting tale, we want to know about them. If you can't use a camera or are not sure how to capture your story, then get in touch and we will link you up with someone who can.
For all the details about how to get your video to the producers, click here. See you on the red carpet?
Luckily, the people at the Auto Show actually GAVE me a cool car to drive for a few days. It's one of the brand-new rides you can check out at this year's Seattle Auto Show, which runs from Wednesday through Sunday of this week (November 14-18) at the CenturyLink Field Event Center. It's the 2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek. I think the best way to describe it is a roomy, useful crossover that's sporty and a blast to drive.
As you can see, its exterior has a little bit of an attitude -- plenty of ground clearance, some tasteful cladding on the lower body, 17-inch alloy wheels, very handy roof rails for whatever you feel like strapping on top.
Basically it's a smallish car on the outside, with plenty of room on the inside, and it's decked out to take you up into the mountains for bking in the summer or skiing in the winter. Obviously, Subaru's legendary all-wheel-drive helps with the winter part, and there's a fifth door in the back that allows you to stow all kinds of stuff behind the rear seat while keeping everything accessible.
You can tell they mean business with this thing -- just take a look at those wheels!
And for me, the best part is the stick shift. Sure, you can get a very efficient and responsive continuously variable transmission -- an automatic that gives you great gas mileage while it powers all four wheels. But a car like this just screams "fun to drive," so I'd opt for the 5-speed manual -- it's a blast to zip through the gears and besides, you've got to give your left foot something to do, right?
If you've been a little intimidated by manuals in the past, especially in hilly Seattle, you're going to love Subaru's Incline Start Assist. When you're stopped at a light facing upward on a steep hill, it momentarily prevents the XV Crosstrek from rolling backwards as you depress the clutch. Where once upon a time you created a cloud of smoke and a bad smell as you mashed the gas pedal on a hill, you now look like the smoothest, most capable driver around as you get moving without a hitch. Nice.
Of course, you have to stay connected these days, so you've got Bluetooth for hands-free phone and audio streaming. Hey, you only have two hands -- you don't need to be dealing with a phone; you've already got one hand on the wheel and the other on the stick shift, right? And if you want to upgrade to a nav system with a touchscreen in the dash and a rear vision camera, that's an option for you.
I think this Subaru XV Crosstrek is a genius solution to a very common dilemma in the Northwest: How do you get around all year long, though rain and snow, with room for you and your friends and your stuff, while still having more than the usual amount of fun behind the wheel? This is it. Unfortunately, they made me give it back . . . . .
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You can check out the XV Crosstrek in person this week at the Seattle Auto Show, along with the Bugatti Veyron supercar, the sporty new Subaru BRZ, the awesome Audi R8, the exotic McLaren MP4-12C Coupe, and a ton more new cars. I'll see you there!
SInce you'll be able to legally posess an ounce of marijuana after December 6, but you're technically not allowed to consume it outside the privace of your home, you're going to need some activities to occupy your time while you're laying around the shanty with a good buzz on.
Problem solved: It's Classic Rock Album Cover Jigsaw Puzzles! High-quality 16" by 16" reproductions of classic album covers, chopped up into 300-piece jigsaw puzzles. And these are two-sided puzzles -- the front cover and the back, so it's like two puzzles in one. Finish the front cover, flip it over, break it apart, fire up the bong, and start over.
The covers so far:
David Bowie's The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars, Jackson Browne's Late for the Sky, Johnny Cash's At Folsom Prison, Bob Dylan's The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan, the Grateful Dead's Aoxomoxoa, Jimi Hendrix's Axis Bold As Love, Nirvana's Nevermind and the Rolling Stones' Let It Bleed.
You'll find them at Barnes & Noble and Urban Outfitters; suggested retail is $21.95.
Next week the Stones' 50th anniversary celebration continues with the release of GRRR!, a 50-song compilation album that contins two new songs. "Doom and Gloom" arrived a few weeks ago, and now comes "One More Shot." "Doom and Gloom" had kind of a contemporary vibe about it, with political commentary that obviously reflected 21st Century events. This new song could have popped up almost anywhere in the long timeline of the Stones' career. Check it out:
Besides feeding their own clients this Thanksgiving, Seattle's Union Gospel Mission is committed to supplying food banks and community meal programs with turkeys. They need 2,000 turkeys by the end of next week, and so far they only have 13. That's not good. They figure they can get 10 meals from each turkey, which adds up to 20,000-plus meals if they can hit their target. You can drop off a turkey, or just kick in a few bucks in person. They recommend $20 if you can swing it.
This is a good organization, and they need our help. Here's the link.
Are you one of those peopple who gets holiday shopping started way ahead of time? Well goody for you. Thanks for making the rest of us seem like procrastiating slugs. Anyway, here's a new website you might like. It's Wantful.com. You go on their site and fill out a little questionnaire about the person you're buying for. You indicate your price point -- anywhere from 30 bucks to $500. -- and Wantful creates a mini-catalog of 16 items they think will fit the personality of your giftee. You pay one price, because all the gifts in the booklet will cost the amount you specified. Wantful actually prints a lovely, upscale-looking catalog, sends it to the recipient in a fancy little box, they pick a gift, click ont he site to order, and boom -- the gift arrives. Pretty cool.
And yes, it is traditional to give a small gift to DJs you like, but hey -- don't go overboard, okay?
Won't it be great when we're all done with the political ads, the debates, the accusations, the lies? First we have to vote, so take this as a friendly reminder: If you haven't filled out your ballot and mailed it in yet, whey don't you make that a little weekend project and git 'er done. (Unless you really don't know hwat you're doing; then feel free to skip it.)
Vice President Joe Biden popped up on Letterman last ngiht with the Top 10 Good Things About Voting Early. Here we go . . . .
Movember is that special month of the year in which we guys are encouraged to grow our moustaches. Why? Glad you asked. Here's how they explain it on the Movember website:
During November each year, Movember is responsible for the sprouting of moustaches on thousands of men’s faces, in the US and around the world. With their Mo's, these men raise vital awareness and funds for men's health issues, specifically prostate and testicular cancer initiatives.
Once registered at www.movember.com, men start Movember 1st clean shaven. For the rest of the month, these selfless and generous men, known as Mo Bros, groom, trim and wax their way into the annals of fine moustachery. Supported by the women in their lives, Mo Sistas, Movember Mo Bros raise funds by seeking out sponsorship for their Mo-growing efforts.
Mo Bros effectively become walking, talking billboards for the 30 days of November. Through their actions and words they raise awareness by prompting private and public conversation around the often ignored issue of men’s health.
At the end of the month, Mo Bros and Mo Sistas celebrate their gallantry and valor by either throwing their own Movember party or attending one of the infamous Gala Partés held around the world by Movember, for Movember.
Unfortunately, I happen to be one of those guys who can't grow much of a 'stache. If I don't shave, my beard comes in a lot thicker than my moustache, which makes me look like an Amish sea captain -- not a good look. Which is why I love a little 99 cent iPhone app called 'Stachetastic. Grab a picture from the photo library on your iPhone, and add anything from a wispy little soul patch to a massive Tom Selleck-Magnum PI scrub brush.
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