Summerhaven Swim Club

I heard this song the other day, and it reminded me of my youth, but more specifically, the pool I swam (lived) at when I was a kid. It's Aretha Franklin ft. George Michael "I Knew You Were Waiting".



Great song. Makes me flashback to smells of chlorine, tastes of deep-frozen Snickers bars and that irreplaceable feeling of having the time of your life just splashing around with your best friends. The sounds of soft rock ever-present in the background.

Summerhaven, later Paddock, wasn't exclusive. It wasn't ritzy. Hell, I'm not afraid to admit the place was kind of a dump. But it was the community's dump. And we loved it. My parents, along with a group of others kept the place weedless, wet and working until and amid the 90's North St. Louis County white-flight. They did all they could do, but couldn't keep the place going, so it closed. It was a church for a while, but I think now its just a concrete hole filled with rain water. Disgusting, desolate and depressing.

What my parents and the others may now see as a worthless struggle or wasted time, I look back on as some of the best times of my life. Due to their hard word I not only learned the Butterfly and Backstroke, but how hard work, cooperation and friendship can accomplish amazing things.

"Thanks."

Here is short list of other songs that graced mine ears while frolicking in the sun and splashing in the pool... wearing Speedos, mind you. I looked good:

1. Every Little Kiss - Bruce Hornsby



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2. Valerie - Steve Winwood



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3. These Dreams - Heart



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4. I Want To Dance With Somebody - Whitney Houston



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5. The Motown Song - Rod Stewart



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6. Do You Believe In Love - Huey Lewis and the News



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7. Middle of the Night - Billy Joel



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8. When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Get Going - Billy Ocean



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9. Hard To Say I'm Sorry - Chicago



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10. Free Fallin - Tom Petty



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Check back in the next few days, and I'll post some photos of the pool and my Speedos.

Super Michael Bros.

Have we seen this. I like it.



This game would be awesome.

Saw this on Twitter from FWA.

Best Post-Beatles Song by a Former Beatle...

It dawned on me today the the answer to this question was not at all hard for me.

"What is our favorite song by a Beatle in the Post-beatles era?"

That's right, John? Paul? George? Hell, Ringo? Why not.

For me, hands down it's "Got My Mind Set On You" by "Georgie Boy" Harrison as his friends called him.

The song dominates. It automatically makes you want to dance, or at least smile and kind-of wobble your head. Maybe do a Carlton from Fresh Prince if your feeling up to it. The song has a clear message, that is transcendental... if you want a girl it's, "gonna take money, a whole lot of spending money". This is true, just ask George's ex-bandmate Sir Paul. Largest divorce settlement in British history. And lastly, amazing music video:



So, what about my Top 10. No, you say? Tough.

Top 10 Favorite Songs by Beatles in the
Post Beatles Era.

#10. "Nothing Too Much Just Out Of Sight" - Paul McCartney



This album came out last year, and was released under the artist The Fireman. It came out, at least to me, later that it was Paul. I like this song because it shows that with so many artist taking from The Beatles over the years, that Paul can be inspired by influences he's hearing now. And then/still write and play in that realm.

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#9. "Wonderful Christmastime" - Paul McCartney / "Happy Christmas (War is Over)" - John Lennon





That's right. A tie. I feel that writing a Christmas song has got to be one of the hardest songs to write. It's the one time throughout the year people are guaranteed to be listening to music. They are wanting something nostalgic, which is why A Christmas Song and Joy to the World is covered so much, so something new is not always invited. Plus, since the music is being played so much that if the song sucks, it's very clear, very fast. But these two have become mainstays of the season, playing again and again without annoying (too much). One is pop-ie, the other cause oriented, but they both are quality songs that brighten my December. November. Part of October, now.

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#8. "Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" - Paul McCartney



I like "Butter pie". What can I say?

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#7 "My Sweet Lord" - George Harrison



You gotta love when an artist can take a fundamentally religious song, and make it a broadly popular and iconic track. You feel love, joy and excitement when you hear the song. And the lyrics are inspirational, yet not overdone.

#6. "Live and Let Die" - Paul McCartney



Arguably the best Bond song of all time. This song has an extreme range and depth. It's a genuine Rock song, yet the strings and the chorus make it a beautiful song to listen to as well. I like to make a gun with my fingers, and duck around corners when listening to it. Sometimes somersaulting.

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#5. "Say, Say, Say" - Paul McCartney



Paul and Michael. Can't be beat (except by the next 4 songs).

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#4. "Instant Karma!" - John Lennon



Classic. It's been covered by everybody, but noone quite lands it like John. A rallying cry still today, regardless of your personal issues or endeavor.

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#3. "Maybe I'm Amazed" - Paul McCartney



Beautiful love song. Heavy Rock. This is a love song for men. Huge range here as well. Paul's vocals are spot on. Not to much screaming, not to much singing. Just right.

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#2. "Imagine" by John Lennon



Probably most people's number one. I love it. It's sweet, has meaning. Its sad, inspirational and makes anyone who hears it feel empowered to change the world. Perfect song.

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AND

#1. "Got My Mind Set On You" by George Harrison



Again, perfect combo of salty and sweet. The epitome of a pop song. You here that drum track in the beginning, some synth and Georges voice, and you're done. Two times out of 10, if "Imagine" comes on my iTunes, I'll skip it. I never skip this song, in fact, in all likelihood I'll play it twice.

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Tell me your list. Comment here or find me on Facebook and Twitter.

Wes Anderson's 'Fantastic Mr Fox'

I love Wes Anderson. Some people don't get him, his style, his humor or his movies.

I do.

He's probably my favorite director, and definitely my favorite Art Director. He was roomates with Owen Wilson at the University of Texas where they collaborated on short films, most notably Bottle Rocket, which was later made into a feature length film. His other films include Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou and The Darjeeling Limited.

In Life Aquatic we saw Anderson's fasination with Stop Motion Animation in a lot of the wild life portrayed in the film. Well, his most recent film Roald Dahl's The Fantastic Mr. Fox, is a feature length animated movie. I was curious how Anderson would keep his signature stlye (balanced cinematography, panning one-take shots and a keen eye for set and character organization) in the animated universe.

Check out the Trailer and you'll see it wasn't that hard.



I've been excited for this film since I read about it, and I'm more excited now.

It looks like the entire this was done stop-motion. Think Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, not Pixar. No CGI, or not much. He just made sets, made characters and started shooting and moving, one frame at a time. Here's a little featurette that explains the technique Wes Anderson and his team used.



The movie comes out this November and stars a lot of the standards, Bill Murray, Owen Wilson, Jason Schwartzman, but this time adds some newbies including George Clooney as Mr. Fox and Meryl Streep as Mrs. Fox.

Check it out.

Vampire Weekend - New Album Date

New album, apparently called Contra, out January 12 in the US of A.

Just a little news flash. Music has been boring me lately, I need this I think.

What are you listening to? I want in. Let me know here, or Facebook, or Twitter.

Digital Distraction Pyramid

I am easily distracted, thus... take a look at this.



This would qualify as a second tier distraction. Saw it on FFFFound, which got it here.

Enjoy.

Boondock Saints II: All Saints Day

Troy Duffy finally did it? After the fiasco that was Boondock Saints and his life, he finally got his long awaited sequel made and ready to distribute. Fiasco? Have you seen this film, Overnight:



Basically Troy Duffy sold the script with little to no experience in the industry. Made a million dollars then started spending, abandoning friends he considered leeches and drinking a ton. At the same time, the studios faith in the film and Duffy began to sour. Instead of instilling confidence, Troy Duffy lashed out at producers and studio execs, likening himself to the next John Woo or Tarantino. All in all the film barely got made, was never released in theaters and Duffy had to sell his rights to the movie just to get a distributor to release it strait to DVD. Meaning as popular as it got, he never made a dime.

This is why the first film went strait to DVD, but also why it became a cult classic among college aged guys across the country. It wasn't a movie forced down their throats, it was a film they happened upon or were referred to by a friend. And they loved it.

Boondock is action movie porn and directorial masturbation, but it works. It appeals to the masses, while having the feel of an indie film. It's super quotable, just mention needing a rope to any guy between 19 and 30, and see what they say. Gratuitous violence in the name of God has a soft spot in my heart, and every guy wants to be a vigilante at some point in their life.

But, the sequel:



All Saints Day, which features the majority of the original cast (Except Willem Defoe) could go either way. Either it will try too hard to be the first movie, and not reach a full potential. Or, it will try too hard to be a different film, and abandon the fans that have made the, now, franchise popular. I guess there is a third option, and that is that it will completely dominate. I'm not holding my breath, but I'm sure one of my hundreds of friends that consider the first Boondock Saints one of the best movies ever made will get me into the theater to see it. October 30, 2009.

Unsanctioned 9/11 World Wildlife Ad

Check out this ad for the WWF, think Gorillas not Macho Man Randy Savage.It has sparked a lot of controversy, and understandably so.

It is well art directed and interestingly concepted. I wish the writing was better. Something which ties to the idea that, "you thought 9/11 was bad ...". I don't feel that using "The Tsunami" as an example, especially art directed the way it is, works. I guess they mean the Tsunami that ravaged Indonesia a few years ago, but I think that it gets lost in translation.

However, what are our thoughts on using September 11, 2001 for marketing purposes? Cause marketing? Is it time?

I think its ok. It's unfortunate this ad has a few too many flaws to be effective. But, I feel with the right tact, the emotional luggage that 9/11 pulls along with it can be an effective tool to help push social issues, or at least give them a benchmark for comparison. An example would be comparing the 1,000s that died on Sept 11 to the 100s of 1000s that have been massacred in Darfur. Something like that.

Just make sure it all makes sense, and works really well. Even a slightly poor idea or execution will not be effective.

I should mention again, as I did in the title, that this ad was and is not sanctioned by the WWF, and if you do find this ad über offensive and want to lash out, please aim your anger somewhere else. Trust me as a designer, it is sooooo easy to get companies actual logos and rip off their style. In this case it was done by a DDB Brazil creative team, and according to this article from AdFreak, that team is, "No longer with the agency."

Let me know what you think? Find me on Facebook or Twitter.

Michael Jackson, Warewolves and YeahYeahYeahs

My friend Niki commented that she liked this song on Facebook today, and I have to say that I agree.

Not much to say here, just watch.



Also, speaking of videos, check out this. Jack White in the video for The Dead Weather song "Treat Me Like Your Mother". Decent song, amazing video.



Enjoy!