Bildwasser
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Posts posted by Bildwasser
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Jane's Addiction, Of Course. Viewer discretion is advised.
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Since everyone makes mistakes sooner or later, it's best not to make too
much of others'
Speaking of mistakes, I'm still having trouble with this site. Firefox didn't work
most of yesterday and, so far, not today. It's a minor annoyance, but still a
pain.
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Not to go all **** here, but the title of the song is just Flowers on the Wall.
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I'm sure most American students remember CliffNotes with their
distinctive black and yellow covers. In some stores they had their
own individual display rack. I presume they're still around, though I
haven't been in the market for them in some time. Of course they were
supposed to be used as a supplementary study guide for the book
itself, but it seems some unscrupulous individuals actually read them
instead of the book. Hard to believe, isn't it?
CliffNotes would seem to be the perfect product for George Costanza,
though he was so lazy he may not have even made the effort to read
them.
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It is good to keep in mind that Shakespeare's play is a work of fiction
and not of history and that he used the material to suit his own artistic
ends and not those of a historian. I believe he was the one who popularized
the Et tu, Brute line.
I'm sure Coppola got some of the sweep of the film from the book and
perhaps some from general knowledge about organized crime, its expansion
into Las Vegas, its getting more involved in legitimate businesses, etc. This
is just following the timeline of Mafia history. He likely added things from his own
experience as an Italian-American, and then something from human nature,
such as the fight for power and retaining it, which is a pretty universal impulse.
Yes, Caesar was a pretty nasty piece of work, but considering the environment
he was operating in, he almost had to be just to stay in place.
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No doubt that when it came to sophisticated cunning, smarts, and general style,
Michael was a few levels above old school knuckle draggers like Vito and hot-
heads like Sonny. He was a pretty perfect fit for the family moving out into the
larger world, heading west, and posing as semi-legitimate businessmen. He is
definitely as cold as ice, especially when he's wearing that gray suit and homburg
hat getup. Very chilling and calculating. But at the end of the day, it still comes
down to violence and the threat of violence. Unless he also has someone in a
financial hold, why do what he wants? Because he might just get someone to whack
you, baby.
In a very general way I can see somewhat of a relationship between Julius Caesar
and The Godfather. It's in the specifics that there is a weakness. Julie was a much
more cultured gent than Vito, and there isn't the family blood ties that there are in
the film. Then it's hard to see Fredo in the Brutus role, as the poor lad wouldn't
think of killing his pappy. And then there is the problem of Sonny as Antonius, as
Sonny predeceased Vito, and Antonius stuck around for the war against Augustus,
Michael. I think the Corleones using Roman references was just another way to
sugarcoat their usual self-serving ways. Yeah, you should kill yourself (and keep us
out of trouble) just like those old noble Romans did. Thanks, sucka.
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The Pretenders, Criminal.
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I kind of doubt thugs like the Corleone family really needed any
pointers from Machiavelli. I'm guessing they learned most of their
lessons from their environment. Violence, intimidation, and a little
deceit and cleverness don't require much education. Hard to see
Vito or Sonny with their noses buried in The Prince, though Mikey
may have come across it in one of his college courses. Kill someone,
threaten to kill someone made up a big part of their "technique" For the
most part their methods were rather crude but effective.
Don't forget that Vito divided all of Brooklyn into three parts.
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That's why it's just a project in my imagination. Michael would of course
outsource the job (maybe even to someone outside the U.S.), and have a
solid alibi ready. AMC ran all three Godfathers movies a while back. I was
tempted to watch the third one, since I haven't seen it since it first came out.
Maybe it would be better than I remember it, and I've also forgotten much of the
plot details too. But it started very late at night and AMC has a whole lot of
commercials. Maybe some other time.
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Since most (though not all) American mobsters were of Italian descent andsince most Italians are Catholic, it's not surprising that they did their duty asCatholics. That would add another thematic possibility to the Mafia as typical
businessmen trope, one that is probably best left alone here. They also playedup the family values schtick while having their mistresses on the side.As spectacular and well-done as the Godfather movies are, when you comeright down to it, Vito and Michael are just murderous scumbags, maybe interest-ing, well-dressed ones, but scumbags none the less. I like to imagine Michaelgetting the same treatment as the Joe Pesci character in Goodfellas, though thatobviously ain't going to happen. -
See, these boards also have an educational purpose, despite much evidence
to the contrary. Back in the day I didn't pay much attention to which band
did the song, and it wasn't until much later that I heard of The Statler Brothers.
I guess as far as the Hot 100 chart went, they were a one hit wonder.
I only have one or two of Elvis' albums after the late 1970s period. He had to move
on from that new wave sound sometime, and open things up a little. I sort of lost
track a while back.
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Yeah, the chorus was very catchy. This was the first and only Top Ten Hit
they had. Of course they had a lot on the country charts.
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Not to split hairs too finely, but Jimmy was doing that at the behest
of Mr. Elster, the hubby. Though once Jimmy got a load of Madeleine,
a little secondary stalking might have been in the mix.
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Yep, they're laughing now, but one day they'll look back at the liver
phosphate with awe and the name Howard Roark will go down in history.
*The Soda Fountainhead*
Rebel soda jerk Howard Roark will not bow to the whims of the mass of
ignorant, knee-jerk, unthinking sheeple. He will make his own fountain treats,
no matter what others think. Thus the broccoli malted, the carrot split, and
the hot onion sundae are born. But when another employee puts two cherries
on the sundae instead of one, Roark goes berserk and dynamites the entire
drugstore.
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The Statler Brothers singing Flowers on the Wall.
I remember hearing this on the radio when I was a kid. The kooky lyrics
fit right in with the mid 1960s, though we didn't realize until later they
were a country group.
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Anybody know the whereabouts of Lee Harvey Oswald on the night of
August 5, 1962?
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Never taken a midnight train to Georgia, but sure have taken a lot of
midnight rides around Georgia.
One should never Train In Vain.
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I did a quick switch between Firefox, IE9, and Chrome. All three access
the board, but only Firefox gives the numbers for guests and users.
But you have to watch what the "rockers" are up to.
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B.A.D. fightin' The Battle of All Saints Road.
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I suppose Peace Train could be criticized for being too simplistic and
naive, but then again a lot of the well-known protest songs, or whatever
you want to call them, are like that.
Instrumentals are not my favorites, but this one is pretty good, better than
those recorded by The Estelle Winwood Quintet. Maybe next week I will
put Traffic onto a main artery.
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Sometimes I do some quick switching between one browser and another
and IE9 comes up with zeroes and Firefox has the numbers, though there
could be certain times when FF doesn't, though I haven't hit them yet. Just
wish they'd get it straightened out.
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Adlai Stevenson and John Sparkman--that must have been a rather unusual
duo. Politics have certainly changed since then. I believe Hearst was in the
U.S. House of Representatives for a few terms and also ran (unsuccessfully)
for mayor of New York City.
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Being such a brainiac, she likely would have left Hollywood in a few
years, earned a doctorate from good old Heidelberg U., and written
a sequel to Goethe's Faust, or something along those general lines.
There is too much valid evidence that JFK was a major ****. He
did have physical problems, but he also had a Dr. Feelgood who helped
him with that. Fiddle and Faddle were the nicknames of his two White
House secretaries who were there for something other than typing, and
there were a slew of others from near and far. He might have made Monroe
too. As to her death, I still think it was suicide. I don't think there is enough
convincing proof to think it was anything else. There was an interesting article
in the newspaper a few days ago about how with modern forensic techniques,
more answers would have been provided, as things were relatively sloppy back
in 1962.
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has anyone sat through Godfather 1 and 2 non stop?
in General Discussions
Posted
I remember many years ago reading about Caesar's magnanimity toward
his enemies, something that came back to bite him very hard. Like that old
saying No good deed goes unpunished, though the punishment is usually not
fatal. Rome was definitely an oligarchy, with the top dogs in dispute among
themselves. In addition to the fear that Caesar might try to become an all-
powerful dictator, I believe some of the conspirators had personal and family
issues that made them feel slighted and now it was time to get revenge. There
is some similarity with the Corleones, though they were obviously working with
a much smaller canvas.
Some of the patron-client relationships in The Godfather also likely had to do
with the immigrant experience, the newcomers from the old country looking for
help from those who had come before, especially if they were powerful and could
provide favors and jobs. A little bit like Tammany Hall, but on a more intimate level.