Hola, Sneakers! Welcome to Episode 596 of the coolest podcast never!
This week: litter bugs; making it hard; off the caterwaul; pets rock; panda-monium; shooting Blank; all those ears ago; Star worries; sword play; short-term gifts; farewell Gordon Lightfoot; medi-scare; the ostrich method; what does Terry Fox say; he’s your man; monking around; a mayor’s nest; liminal spaces; down for the council; exclusively inclusive; Question of the Week – Sneakers respond; guardian angels; big on Macs; soundalikes; and, finally, the girls have landed.
Question of the Week: Who is a hero of yours?
Sub-question of the Week: What is a clever name for a food dish based on a favourite movie?
Thanks for listening.
A trailer for the Les Blank film Dave was talking about – The Maestro: King of the Cowboy Artists.
Mandalorian sub-text:
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I didn’t see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 either…and I definitely didn’t love it. I definitely wasn’t sobbing at multiple emotional beats in the movie.
But seriously, I thought it was by far the best MCU project since Sam Raimi’s great Doctor Strange movie last year. I would love to hear what you all thought of it.
I saw our beloved Guardians last Friday night, another perfect balance of emotion, comedy and music to round out their cosmic journey. As much as I love their trilogy, my favorite scene is from “Avengers: Infinity War” and it’s the Guardian’s intro. You hear “The Rubberband Man” by The Spinners and the scene plate that simply says: “SPACE”. You knew immediately that The Guardians of the Galaxy were on their way…and the rest is just magic.
https://youtu.be/Cz23Cw-Z6SE
Sneakers near and far!! (Well, you’re all pretty far from me),
I remember speaking of our heroes in the past for a question of thew week and I personally gave that to my Father. In a broader sense, I find my heroes within the men and women who do what’s right for others, stick up for those who haven’t a voice of their own or solve problems in ways that benefit us all. They come from all walks of life and anywhere on Earth, if those individuals give us peace and hope, they’re my heroes.
For example: I saw a customer in a store once stand up to another customer who was being rude to the clerk behind the counter. The clerk was disabled and took more time than usual to ring up the items for the belligerent rude customer. I wanted to step in and say something as I waited but I hesitated just long enough before the guy in front of me gave the rude customer a piece of his mind. That guy was my hero because he stepped up in a way I wished I could have. I’m in that store all the time and the disabled clerk has been there for years, so I help him in my own way by being patient and friendly then saying a prayer for him once I get back in my car. He works so hard at that store and does his best, so he’s also my hero. They’re everywhere…we might even be someone else’s hero too.
I’m not imaginative enough to think of a clever name for a food from a film but I have been on the receiving end of one meal in particular. Back in the mid-90’s, our local Science Museum in Dallas was raising money by having a charity event. The entire event was Star Trek themed with a silent auction full of costumes, art and props, attendees dressed as Klingons, Vulcans and Romulans, and a full orchestra playing music from all the Star Trek films. The venue was a futuristic-esque trade center that was perfect for the event and onstage were William Shatner, Jonathan Frakes, Kate Mulgrew and Avery Brooks each discussing the importance science has in our world. Then, dinner was served. The food was all themed after Star Trek in-universe food and beverage, think of the food they were eating in Star Trek VI onboard the Enterprise along with the Klingons. They named it all too, stuff like “Cardassian Greens”, “Klingon Blood Pie”, “Romulan Ale” and “Vulcan Plomeek Soup”. It was obviously regular food with some food coloring added and strange garnishes to make it look like other worldly cuisine from around the galaxy but it was an awesome spread like I’ve never seen before. I never made it to the Star Trek Experience in Las Vegas but I’m sure this event came pretty close. To top it off, the highest donors were given a seat at the Captain’s Table with Shatner and Company…sorry to say, that wasn’t me, I can only imagine.
Just one word about the great Gordon Lightfoot, his soothing ballads always gave me a musical peace that only a few musicians could command. My personal favorite is “Rich Man’s Spiritual” and it immediately came to mind when I heard of Lightfoot’s passing. Maybe he’s my hero too.
Alright Sneakers! Let’s all get out there and be someone else’s hero! No cape required.
I’ve got too many heroes to pick just one, but they’re mostly writers and musicians. And speaking of the latter, I wanted to pay a little tribute to the late Gordon Lightfoot.
When I was 8 or 9 (I think), my mom went to see him in concert with her best friend. She had Gord’s Gold amongst her album collection, an eclectic blend of jazz, Eagles, Streisand, Dan Hicks, The Kingston Trio, and musicals, among various one-offs like Beethoven’s 3rd. Gord’ was a frequent turntable presence, and I was a little offended she didn’t take me with them to the show. I was too young to understand a single mom’s need for an occasional night off from the kids. Or maybe she’d heard of Gord’s penchant for ribald anecdotes, who knows? I discovered a wealth of great songs beyond the hits album when I was able to buy music myself, but there are 3 songs I love above the rest of his amazing oeuvre:
“Don Quixote” has that gorgeous Travis-picked guitar (2 of them, one finds, when trying to learn it) steadily underpinning one of the most evocative set of lyrics he ever wrote. Deceptively simple, effortlessly memorable.
“Canadian Railroad Trilogy” speeds and slows like a freight train, of course. He deftly plays with the tempo throughout, as we journey through the song like we’re crossing the country, too—across the rails, through history. And there’s little better than the moment right before we start up again after the instrumental section: “Sooo over the mountains/ and over the plains…,” the music accelerating and speeding gloriously along, right up to the coda.
Part of me wishes I had a cooler number one, but “Sundown” is my hands-down favorite. Structurally, it’s a weird hit song, but it’s three-and-a-half minutes of perfection, all the same. We get a shiny acoustic intro, and then a badass bass line laying down an irresistible groove that never stops. Every verse is only two lines long. Every chorus is a little different, the 2nd & 3rd each adding a couple new lines. I’m a sucker for tight harmony vocals, and Gord’ does an effortless 3-part for these. There’s an understated guitar solo before the last verse, then the 4th chorus combines all 3 of the couplets together. Then we get a 2nd solo on the fade-out. I’ve been listening to it for 50 years and it never gets old. Just genius.
Pia is my hero for her Pulitzer Prize-nominated “Illustrated Reporting and Commentary.” Being on a short list of three artists out of all the entrants from American publications and news sources makes her a winner in my books! When I fume helplessly over world events, Pia picks up her stylus and put her outrage into words and pictures. She lets the rest of us know we aren’t crazy for believing that the shameless and powerful should be held accountable.
For your 600th podcast, I would be happy to grumpily share with your Sneaky Dragon listeners my latest list of TV and movie trope pet peeves.