re.Gonter Grammar - I'm rather fond of his confusing 'perchance' for 'penchant'. The two don't even SOUND alike when you say them. It's like every vocabulary word he's ever wanted to try, he's only heard underwater.
And I second Bill's assertion that self-proofing is tricky. HE had to correct a few typos for me! And one of them was an animation reference. I feel shame ;)

Well, i'm sorry i've been away, stuff happened.

Mainly, and what i'd have to let you know here (maybe i post the rest on DJ) Kiwi passed away.

We found out, terribly, because of the stench, and i was the one who had to retrieve him from under the stairs that climb from out patio to house. (it's cement and has a bunch of bricks stored there, so he was hard to find)

Theory runs that someone in the neighborhood poisoned him. maybe he was too noisy.

That's all for now. you must understand how i feel.

Zef, I'm so very sorry. I know how much the little black cat meant to you.
I only knew him from your pictures and stories but I miss him too.

Hi, first time poster...

Bill, you should check out the original "League of Extraordinary Gentlemen" comic book. PLEASE. The movie made mincemeat of one of the most elegantly written comics around. The comic was faithful to the original source material, clever and witty, and stuck to 19th century retro-future technology, none of this "driving cars through the streets of Venice" crap. Which seems to have been inserted only because someone wanted a car chase. Feh.

Prankster:
I liked how Nemo declaimed, "I call it an AU-TO-MO-BILE," like they didn't already have those in 1899. It'd be like me saying "What I'm typing on is called the IN-TER-NET" right now.

I've been trying to find it on Bittorrent. I ordered my replacement for Super Green Beret last night, thought "Any other comics that I want?" and didn't think of it.

How's the second series? There's a briefly-seen poster in "LXG" that reads "Explosions on MARS probably just Volcanos" and I'm a big HG Wells fan, especially WotW, so I'm already interested.
Unless it involves Zombie Alan Quatermain...

Concerning automobiles in 1899; They did have them, but they were generally referred to as "horseless carriages" and were almost all of an open-seated design. A few manufacturers had added an overhead cover for the passengers, but they more resembled the sort of thing you'd find on a surrey then a coach. Closed-compartment designs really started to pick up from 1903-1906. Between this time and 1912 the term "automobile" came into use to describe what had previously been the horseless carriage (now with some doors and a windhsield). Regardless of all this, we're talking about 9 and 13 horsepower engines on these things with speeds topping out at 25-30 mph; Nemo's 300 horse, 100 mph+ (the jump scene confirms some very high speeds indeed, considering the flight time vs. what must be some incredible weight) supercar would be unheard of. Then again, I guess that's the idea behind Nemo's super-advanced technology. Still seems loony to me.

If only I'd learned something useful, instead of cramming my head full of all this crap, I'd be out of college by now! :)

A lot of people feel that the second series is inferior; certainly the last three issues are a little aimless (well, except for being VERY dark and violent) and it's not as self-contained as the first, so it's a tad unsatisfying. However, the first issue, set on Mars, is a retro-SF geek's wet dream come true. Best rendition of John Carter EVER.

By the way, I sorta kinda almost agree with you about Finding Nemo. I don't think it was Pixar's best, though it wasn't due to the execution, which was well done, but rather the fairly standard cartoon concept. Their next two movies, The Incredibles and Cars, have much, much more interesting concepts behind them (and Incredibles is directed by Brad Bird, who did "Iron Giant", and who has a much edgier style than Andrew Stanton, who I find a little bland at times). Not that I didn't think Finding Nemo was still great, but I'm so psyched to see Pixar's take on the Fantastic Four and early silver age Marvel that I couldn't help but see a movie about a cute fish as merely an appetizer. So to speak.

Oh, and while we're talking about Victorian-era comics by Alan Moore that Hollywood completely screwed up, see "From Hell". At least "LXG" bears a vague resemblance to its source material. Again, the comic is much, much better than the movie that got made would indicate.

I'd advise you to check out "Watchmen" while you can, too, assuming you haven't already...that's due for a Hollywood hack job in a year or two as well...

That Byron is growing to be quite the handsome gentleman.

umm...I was gonna say something about the Beatles...Oh yeah. I like their boy-band stage, and I like their soulful love songs well enough, but the songs I always come back to are the weird-ass ones, like Hey Bulldog, Maxwell's Silver Hammer, I'm So Tired, Baby You're A Rich Man. Favorite album is probably Yellow Submarine, favorite beatle...John, with every other one coming a close second. I always liked the Pleasantville ending theme song as a Beatle cover: Fiona Apple doing "Across the Universe." Best post-Beatle album? Well, I was always quite partial to the Travelling Wilburys' eponymous record. Though "Imagine" rocks my socks.

Anyway, my favorite Beatle track is Hey Bulldog, which is also my favorite song. It'd make a good Cowboy Bebop video, too. Least favorite? Yesterday, because it's SO. FREAKING. DEPRESSING.

the League of Extraordinary Gentlemen comic rocks hardcore, as do most, if not all, or Alan Moore's books. Though many of my friends have said the Invisible Man rape scene in the second series was a bit much. That's *of* the Invisible Man, not by. And considering what was done with that, and From Hell, in Hollywood, I shudder to think what will be the fate of Watchmen (probably the best comic book ever written, IPEO (In Practically Everyone's Opinion)).

In addition, Prankster, I'd like to have your babies, so depending on your gender, we can work out some kind of exchange of fluids through the mail. Thanks!

Whoah! That Byron sure has a yellow eye.

About that whisky: Weird, but not too weird. I mean, AK-47 (and the innumerable variants made in just about every third-world or former East Block country, plus Finland and Israel) is just about the world's commonest firearm, so there's got to be a brand recognition thing there. It's cheap, pretty accurate if you treat it well, easy to strip and clean, and rugged enough to keep on working even if you bang it against trees or bury it in a swamp for a month.

And there's always this: A mp3 player built into a Kalashnikov! http://www.audiobooksforfree.com/kalashnikov/ak-mp3.asp

(audio intro - slapping sneakers on tile floor, exhausted panting, slap of disheveled pile of papers on dusty wooden desk)

Camilla: Mister Young! Mister Young! Here's my homework from last week, I know it's totally late but my Dad was in the hospital and uh well I just didn't have time. Do I still get credit?

Favorite Beatle Album:
Yesterday & Today remains high on that list (*disclaimer* Not including "Yesterday", I'm with you, Kiru) but there were a few LPs released at the crest of the wave of pure pop productivity before burnout began to set in and the Maharishi, wives, and dope became more noticeably influential (Not that there's anything wrong with that! Some of my best friends are Maharishis/wives &/or dopes). Not exactly the critics choice but I stand by "Meet the Beatles", "Beatles '65" and "Beatles VI".
 
Least Favorite Beatles Album:
How can Magical Mystery Tour's existence be justified over that of the White Album? Honestly. Almost an entire disc wasted on McCartney's self-indulgent, masturbatory noodling. Lennon saves the day with his attempts to dilute the saccharine.

Favorite Beatle:
I'm with you on John but George certainly had a wonderful sly sense of humor.
 
Favorite "Fifth Beatle":
Brian Epstein. What patience that man had. Alternatively, I rather like that little old man - he's very clean.

Best Beatle Cover:
Bwaahaahaa - the BUTCHER Cover! Snap, Bill! Ok, but seriously folks. I am a huge fan of that particularly sensitive interpretation of "All Together Now" by Dr Tooth & the Electric Mayhem/The Muppets. Any Beatles tune covered by Sergio Mendes is OK by me too - hilarious audio Xanax that makes me want to samba as I Swiffer. "And Your Bird Can Sing" - the Jam.

Worst Beatle Cover:
Please kill Anne Murray's version of "I'm Happy Just to Dance with You". Make it stop.

Best Post-Beatle Album by a Beatle:
All Things Must Pass, by George Harrison - Nothing like a little stifled creativity to bring out the best in a guy.

Worst Post-Beatle Album by a Beatle:
ANYTHING by Paul McCartney. I mean, name it. Shut it, already, Sir Wanker! For more on this subject, see my friend Tim's scathing review of the "Liverpool Oratorio" ("Tim Page on Music" - Amadeus Press, 2003).
Snaps once again to Bill on the Klaatu reference.

Best "Beatle-esque" Songwriter Who is Not a Beatle:
Well, yeah, there could never be another as such but I give Paul Weller my vote here. For example, The Jam - "Start!". No credit whatsoever to those Oasis dildos.

Beatle Tune I'd Play For Someone Who Never Heard a Beatle Song Before:
If video is allowed, I offer a clip from "A Hard Day's Night", the card game in the baggage cage played to "I Should Have Known Better".

Best Beatle Tune:
We're experiencing a massive 50-song pileup in my head right now. Impossible to declare, does not compute. I could only submit a list and risk annoying/anesthetizing all your other devoted readers.

Worst Beatle Tune:
Agreed on "Mr.Moonlight" - Beatles for skating rinks. "Love You Too" grates on me horribly. " Revolution #9" - well DUH! Finally, a slap in the withered nuts goes to McCartney for "Ob-La-Di - Ob-Bla-Bla-Bla-Bla" - For the love of GOD, shut yer friggin' cruelty-free Seitan hole, Sir Raffi with an MBE.

Oh sorry I didn't mean to be so opinionated.
*Snerk*

Yikes - apologies for being a space-hog, Bill. Love the pics of the babies, btw.

Edited by author 02-19-2004 06:21 PM
Camilla: whoo. Serious Paulophobia there. Whatever. I think Paul is actually a very good songwriter - WHEN he has someone to moderate him. That's why John and Paul were such a lethal combo - John was always ready to say to Paul 'That's crap', if he got too saccharine. But how can you not love 'Lady Madonna' or 'Fool on the Hill'? As for his later sugar-coated stuff like 'Ob-la-Di', well, that's when they were JUST beginning to do their own things, so a few had to inevitably slip through the cracks. There's 'Ob-la-di' and there's also 'Revolution 9', so it's not like Paul was the ONLY one who needed a quiet word. I hardly know any of Paul's Wings stuff (my 'why is a PHOTOGRAPHER playing in the band, I don't care if she IS his wife!!' bias creeps in :)), but I know most of John's stuff intimately. Ultimately, I think John was just the better standalone songwriter. Paul was a luvvy who does a lot of philanthropic work for the arts, that's why he's a knight. John was an anarchist, that's why he sent BACK the OBE ;). It's still tragic that John was struck down too soon.
And I LIKE Liverpool Oratorio, so nyeh ;) It's hardly on the immortality scale of Gershwin's 'Rhapsody in Blue' and it DOES have a healthy dose of Sir Colin Davis (co-composer), but it's a colossal risky step for a pop musician to cross-over to classical and I think it was good for a first try.

And Bill: Your little 'happy and you know it' song made me laugh far too much. Damn right. Cats. More.
Byron is indeed a big boy! he's only, what, 6 months old? If that? And he's already as big as Killsy! If he's still growing, I think you'd better reinforce the joists of your bed, Bill...;)

Kiru Banzai, I find you highly disturbing. Yet, I wish to subscribe to your newsletter.

For the record, gender: Male. Expect a soggy envelope.

Edited by author 02-20-2004 01:21 AM
WOW. Most. Posts. EVER.
I guess the ultimate subject would be "What if Alan Moore wrote a comic based on a Beatles Song? About CATS?"
"All our cats live in Cap'n Nemo's Submarine!"

I don't know why this decided to desublimate itself from my memory, but I just remembered my real Worst Beatle's Cover. Back in my managing days at the Kay Bee Toys in Tri-City Plaza, I got rid of the lazy employees I'd inherited by making sure that they realized that they'd have to WORK for their PAY. I hired a cute teenaged girl from the local high school, and she worked out so well that I asked her to see if any of her friends needed a job. After a year, all my employees, even my assistant managers, were teenaged girls in the cute-to-hot range. All of the part-timers were from the same high school. The Kay Bee Clique, we called it. Part of being in the Clique meant the desire to work hard in a demanding environment--believe me, you don't KNOW demanding until you work in a fucking toy store at Xmas time.
The only real point of contention was the damn Playschool radio. I wanted to hear, or more accurately, ignore, the Oldies station. The Girls wanted to hear the Top 40 station. We agreed to alternate between them.
One day, when it was my turn to control the Playschool radio, the Beatles' "I Saw Her Standing There" came on. The Clique disgustedly said, "The original was so much better!"
And I had to say "The original of this song was NOT done by TIFFANY!!"