Like a Virgin, Nominated For the Very First Time

Oh, Joy! The latest batch of nominees for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame were announced. Rolling Stone magazine scooped the list last night.

The nominees are (drum roll, please):

Madonna (first time nominee)
Beastie Boys (first time nominee)
The Dave Clark Five
Leonard Cohen (first time nominee)
Afrika Bambaataa (first time nominee)
John Mellencamp
The Ventures (first time nominee)
Donna Summer (first time nominee)
Chic

Apparently five of the nine nominees will be added to the HoF roster.

I am not going to quibble over whether the R&RHoF should include Rap or Disco versus straight Rock. It seems a silly argument. It's the R&RHoF for cripes sake. Its most important addition to our collective culture is the building it's housed in. Besides, what genre should we pigeonhole the Beastie Boys into? Why should we bother? Another dimension. Do it.

However, perusing the list of current inductees gives me pause to wonder what kind of shop they're running over there. Bob Marley but not he Wailers. Ike and Tina Turner...together forever? While Clapton eases in on his own, as well as with Cream and the Yardbirds. Michael and The Jackson Five. Paul Simon and Simon and Garfunkel. I don't see the logic being applied.

Secondly, I'm looking at the new nominees list and I'm missing the boat on Chic. Yes, I understand that every cheesy bar full of big-haired suburban gals and 19-year-olds fresh out of their Mommy's grasp are really jiving to "Freak Out" on a regular basis. However, I don't buy it. I just don't. I'm going to picket the induction ceremony if Chic makes it over The Dave Clark Five....while in platform boots, a sparkling mini and a mauve bob-cut wig.

Assuredly, everyone can run down the list and see something that makes them cringe. Hell, ZZ Top is in the HoF already. Fuzzy guitars and the CadZZilla can take you a long way, but I think "Tube Snake Boogie" and "Pearl Necklace" is what got them in.

This says it all...

I got a girl, she lives on the hill.
She wont do it but her sister will,
When she boogie,
She do the tube snake boogie.

And if that doesn't, this surely does....

She was gettin bombed,
And I was gettin blown away,
And she took it in her hand,
And this is what she had to say:
A pearl necklace.
She wanna pearl necklace.
She wanna pearl necklace.

No matter. Groove to your own beat....whatever leaves you glad all over. The Universal Zulu Nation salutes you.

___________________________________________________


Some brief and random factoids, or semi-factoids, as I didn't check multiple sources for some of them due to extreme lack of care on my part and a need to uphold the long history of careless blahggering (NOTE: The final factoid is gospel truth. AMEN!):

• Donna Summer holds the record for having three consecutive double albums hit #1 on the Billboard charts and also became the first female artist to have four number-one singles in a twelve-month period.
• Chic's famous refrain "Aaa, freak out" began as "fuck off", conceived as an impromptu protest song after Edwards and Rogers had been turned back at the door of New York's infamous club, Studio 54. Edwards and Rogers had been invited to see Grace Jones perform, who was allegedly interested in working with the pair.
• Madonna began a short fling with artist Jean-Michel Basquiat in the fall of 1982, the year she signed a singles deal with Sire Records for $5,000 per song.
• The Beastie Boys formed in 1979 as a punk band called The Young Aborigines, before Adam Yauch (MCA) joined in 1981 and the name was changed.
• The Dave Clark Five had 17 records in Billboard's Top 40 between 1964 and 1967 and holds the record for the most appearances by a UK group (18) on The Ed Sullivan Show.
• Cohen made a guest appearance on a 1986 episode of Miami Vice entitled "French Twist" as Francois Zolan, a senior executive in the French Secret Service engaged in an illegal operation to blow up Greenpeace boats. He appears in the show speaking French on the telephone in a few short bits.
• Mellencamp has five children from three marriages. His most recent marriage (and still current, as far as I know) produced sons Hud and Speck.
• The Ventures are the world's best selling instrumental rock group, with over 90 million albums sold worldwide and are, of course, popular in Japan (40 million albums sold in Japan). The Go-Go's wrote "Surfin' And Spyin'" and dedicated it to The Ventures.
• Afrika Bambaataa is just fuckin' stone cool, yo.

Kitchen Hell and Back Again

I have a dirty secret. I find that when circumstance requires you to reveal such things, it is best to do it quick. Like ripping the duct tape off your captive prior to tube feeding her some broth.

So...I watch Hell's Kitchen...and I like it (sort of). So, you know, fuck you.

To be sure, the show has some very rough edges. It is a reality show (reality-based, anyway) and blusters with all the seamy TV elements that such a show normally comes with. Of course, any reality TV watcher will inform you that many of those exact same foibles are why they watch. Yes, the people are fake and awful, the situations are contrived, the story is cut in a way that doesn't always accurately reflect what happened. It's crass, loud and unwholesome. Hell's Kitchen even adds to the mix a brash, foul-mouthed egotist leading the charge. On the whole, though, the cooking makes it interesting for me (though the other cooking challenge shows offer a better version, cooking wise - I rather enjoyed the PBS version, Cooking Under Fire).

Now, I also happen to like Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares, a BBC program showcasing some of Gordon Ramsay's skills in a way that his efforts on Hell's Kitchen do not (To further that, Ramsay's show, The F Word, even posits that Gordon Ramsay is not actually a charicature. Witness the man attempt to raise pigs with his wife and children). BBC presents to us a passionate man. Someone who tells it straight, but who is also a confidant and a teacher. The concept being that Ramsay, in each episode, assesses and attempts to remedy the various woes of a particular restaurant. Ramsay uses his valuable experience to help people get on the right track. It's interesting. Food, real people, business, the plight of the underdog, etc.

OK, now to the nitty gritty. What is angering me today? The Fox Network is taking Kitchen Nightmares and making it The Fox Way. I haven't seen it yet, I just couldn't bring myself to watch. However, I know that in typical fashion, Fox has taken the unadorned and comfortable BBC show and transformed it into a spectacle. All indications are that the US version of the show will highlight the sorts of things that made Hell's Kitchen a success, while using only the basic template of the BBC version and paring away the more supporting and real nature of that original. Fox also did Ramsay the favor of putting this new venture on Thursdays at 9ET, opposite CSI and Grey's Anatomy.

More innovation in action!

Greetings

0915071118.jpg
Originally uploaded by Gabe Lippmann

The dogs and I, we have mutual respect. However, we suffer some relationship issues. Don't get me wrong, the communication is there...sort of. We do talk amongst each other quite a bit. Almost non-stop. The usual 'how you doing', 'check this out!' and the normal airing of grievances.

The thing is, there is a serious language barrier. We talk and talk and it just ends with stern stares and occasionally, strenuous pushing and pulling.

They have their desires. I have mine. It appears that our desires do not necessarily mesh. I'm not even sure they speak the same language, much less mine. Although, I gather theirs is more of a dialect issue and, obviously, a generation gap.

We seem to get on OK, though. We all love to yell at the neighbors. I guess that's the point really. You have to find some common ground.

All sorts of lulz

I had heard that the young kiddies these days were breaking new ground and speeding up the technoramp with abandon, while simultaneously lacking in concentration and obsessing over sex. However, it appears that they cling fiercely to the old ways. So much so, that you have to admire their raccoon-like grip on the traditional methods. The clarion call for original content has been rebuffed in the face of a need to maintain the culture from days of yore.



Newly minted avatar, Nichove Abramovic (Born on Date 9.11.07) was kind enough to help me relive my most recent turtule spam adventures. He chose Spetember 11th, the National Day of Reflection for the new millenium. This might seem odd to you, but it happens to be expected and far be it from the likes of Nichove to let the populace down.



This proud member of the Jews of Second Life group was also quite generous in that he allowed so many of my SL compatriots to be a part of the action this time. The wonderful spectacle spanned far across the grid, from the barren veldt of Jessie all the way to the New Continents and back to the dens of iniquity in Crimson.

Witness the glorious rain of cash.

...and yes, see too my old turtle friend.

Yet, in the end, the Hand of Linden came from on high to crush the rebelion. Where did all the money go? The coffers of your Masters are lined with just such treasures as these, freely bestowed on the people by forward thinking avatars, not content to let Evil reign. Poor souls crushed underfoot by the Ruling Family.

The last note, but a figment. A ghost of riches wiped clean by Gods. Our avatars remain shackled to an unjust economy, suffering the Wrath of Lunacy. Heroes are fantasy, even in the metaverse.

Zing

Jamaica Hell Fire Doc's Special Hot Sauce.

I love this stuff. Allspice gives some great flavor, followed quickly by a heat spike. I've seen some reviews claiming otherwise, which could be a result of inconsistent method, but the one bottle I've had has a nice freakin' kick. I'll have to get another bottle to compare, but for now I'm enjoying the hell out of the one I have.

In case you care:

The chemical in the peppers called Capsaicin irritates the pain receptor cells in the mouth, nose and throat (trigeminal cells). Brain gets passed a note and responds by kicking out some endorphins (the body's natural pain relief). At the same time, consumer gets increased heart rate, metabolism, salivation, sweating, and runny nose.

Natural pepper high ensues. Must have more. Next thing you know, you are flopping at abandoned houses and selling your Mom's toaster for pepper money.

Check out the International Society of Hot Sauce Aficionados for pepper and sauce links.


Sweet
Flush
Heat
Rush

You wasted good beer on what? >:-(

Well, yeah, I did. During the whole shank experience, I was concurrently preparing a mix for ice cream that sat chilling overnight and which I churned into ice cream today.

I was looking for something different, but without much direction, when I stumbled onto a recipe for Guinness Ice Cream. I couldn't quite get my head around the concept and delved further on the web. Eventually, I landed on a blog I actually read occasionally (Accidental Hedonist) with a similar version pulled from the Boston Globe.

Why the hell not?

I can tell you, the Accidental Hedonist blogger's description was dead on. It is very deeply flavored and very rich. However, it is also very good. I deviated by throwing in some Ghirardelli semi-sweet chocolate chips. I found it added a nice balance to the molasses and beer flavors. Besides, I like stuff in my ice cream.

Outside of special equipment (which you don't need, but is immensely helpful), making ice cream is another really easy task. Armed with some Guinness, molasses, egg yolk, sugar, milk and heavy cream, I was set to create a miracle.

Assembled arsenal.

Bring molasses and beer to boil and remove from heat immediately.

Mix yolks, sugar, then whisk in milk and cream.

Slooooowly add in the beer concoction, eventually getting this nice coffee cream colored liquid.

After chilling that mixture overnight (could do it shorter, but you have to give the flavors time to get to know each other before the orgy starts), the whole mess gets dumped into the handy ice cream churning machine.

There we go, nicely nestled in a plastic container.

And preparing to get eaten.

And in a last minute decision of excess, why not add some caramel topping and nuts.

Shank

In the mood for something with strong flavor, I set out to cook some lamb. Lamb foreshanks, to be exact. The foreshank is essentially the front shin. It's a cut of meat teeming with connective tissue and is best done in a stew or similar. A long, slow cook to help break down that tissue and leave a nice, flavorful bit of meat when it's all said and done.

These methods take time, but are ridiculously easy. I grabbed some stuff at the grocery (and yes, it was a typically hellish trip) and got down to bidness. Into a largish pan goes a number of unpeeled garlic cloves and an amount of light red wine. The liquid amount is around a cup or so, but varies depending on your pan. You're most likely going to skim off the fat and cook it down for a sauce later.

So let's get going.

Simple pan, liquid, garlic, and meat.

Cooked about 2.5 hours on low simmer, turning every 30 minutes, which is crucial. The shanks turn a nice golden color.

The Three Dancers celebrate in preparation for the final finishing on the grill.

Prior to putting the meat on the grill, I covered the shanks in a paste of fresh mint, cilantro, minced garlic, olive oil, coriander, grated ginger, salt, chili powder, black pepper.

Just a few minutes per side, to char the paste on the outside. The result is a mouthwatering, minty, spicy, salty charred coating, while the meat itself is tender as it should be after the slow cooking and begging to come off the bone.

A final drizzle of the reduced sauce that was used for the slow cooking is a nice finish just at plating.

Combined with the shank, I threw together a Moroccan Carrot Salad. A simple mix of lightly cooked carrot (essentially, al dente), garlic, olive oil, vinegar, cumin, paprika, cilantro, salt and pepper. I did this early and chilled it during the slow cooking. Serving it cold, for me, highlights the nice paprika/cumin flavorings.

Also added a salad with a bit of bite. A Fennel Salad, that pairs fennel, onion, radish, watercress and arugula with a light dress of orange and lime juice, orange zest, pepper and olive oil. Served over a bed of butter lettuce.

No fancy plating. It's been too long coming. Let's just toss it on something sturdy and eat it with a nice chianti in a stemless wine glass. Shut up and get one, stems are for losers.

My finger is starting to throb from the traditional pre-feast blood offering. I need to sit down.