Cold Comfort for Dirk - Return of dür Hasselhoffmeister

I noticed today that Google's finally made it simple to post Google Videos into blogs. So here's my first Google Video post - in honor of Dirk Nowitzki & his valiant NBA Finals effort and Germany's big match tomorrow against Argentina in the World Cup. The Germans do love their Hasselhoff. Can you blame 'em?



Here's Google's official description of this zaniness:

Well That's right, it's Hofficial... your favourite cult icon wants to take you home! The one and only David Hasselhoff of "Bay Watch" and "Night Rider" fame returns with a cover of the
1975 classic 'Jump In My Car' and its a doozy. Recorded in Sydney last year with the legendary Harry Vanda (AC/DC, The Angels), the Ted Mulry Gang tune has been re-vamped with full Hoff gusto and this music video promises to rock the socks off all his Hofficial fans. Watch it, enjoy it, share it on Google Video, courtesy of Sony BMG Australia.
Here's Google's official description of this zaniness:

They aren't the Budweiser Frogs - Brad & Hall sell Bud to the Brits

Yes - I know - more World Cup coverage - those of you reading this who have not been consumed with Soccer Fever will be disappointed by me again. Yes - another soccer post. So sue me. It beats more coverage of the NBA draft & pre-training camp coverage of the NFL. There'll be plenty of time for boredom once the camp coverage begins. That's when the real dog days of summer begin.

And you soccer purists will note that I'm not really blogging about the games so much as the coverage - well, true enough. I did get to enjoy the first halves of the Brazil/Ghana & Spain/France games. The play was superb. Sorry Spain & Spanish friends - I guess Spanish Coach Aragones' Thierry Henry slurs caught up with him. Has Hooliganism moved to España? France & Brazil are still powering up - believe it or not. Upcoming matches should top those games though- tomorrow - Argentina versus the 2006 hosts - Germany. That one will surely be a doozy.

Can Argentina beat the hosts at home on European soil? Can Brazil do the same to France? They'll be looking to get revenge on France for 1998. As soon as the U.S. was ousted, my favor fell to the Socceroos of Australia. Now I'll root on the South Americans. The Argentines need this win more than Germany.

The NY Times' World Cup blog has been a treat to read. Turns out they're following the coverage here stateside more than the soccer too. Yesterday they posted a great link to the British Budweiser series of ads starring the hapless American soccer broadcasting team of Brad & Hal. You can enjoy them at the British Budweiser site or enjoy them here at Pablo's Point courtesy of YouTube:





Do they really drink Budweiser in Great Britain?

Great article in the New Yorker about the 1966 World Cup hosted and won by the English in England. (E-mail me if you can't get the NewYorker.com link).

Linux, Soccer - the Metric System?

Ghana gana a EEUU

Well - so much for the U.S.A. in this 2006 World Cup. We had some exciting moments - in particular in the Italy match. There is lots of discussion about firing Coach Bruce Arena. There's complaints about the referee's calls. (Mark Cuban might take some solace in knowing he's not the only one complaining!)

But today's all about the Black Stars from Ghana - in their very first World Cup appearance. This win means so much more to them as players, their country & Africa - as the sole remaining African team than it does to disappoint us. And they played beautifully throughout the group round. Congratulations, Ghana. Well done and good luck against Brazil.

There's really no alternative as a U.S. Soccer fan - might as well be philosophical about our early exit. It was a great feat to make it to the World Cup to begin with. We tied a European perennial contender on European soil. And we finally scored a goal on our own today. And it was an MLS star who did it - Clint Dempsey. It's not all bad news.

Linux & Ubuntu

I'm posting this entry on my old computer. It's 6 years old - ancient in computer-years. I've installed Ubuntu LInux on it - a distribution of Linux that's based on Debian - which was concocted by an American - Ian Murdock - back in 1993 - but has been worked on collaboratively ever since with help from programmers all over the world. Ubuntu was begun as an effort to make an Open Source desktop OS available that's relatively simple to install & use for non-techies around the world. And it was started by a very successful South African businessman by the name of Mark Shuttleworth. "Ubuntu" is the South African philosophy of humanity to others.

I mention all of this techie stuff because I draw certain very loose connections between the popularity of Soccer as a sport here stateside with Open Source Software. (Humor me, here, patient readers.) Folks here have tasted the greatness of the sport through our national team's qualifying matches, the 1994 World Cup, the MLS, & the 2002 World Cup Quarterfinals. In a country where football, baseball, basketball, even golf & hockey are so dominant - it's a real accomplishment to get a small percentage of interested spectators. And what that percentage represents is a very vocal & passionate group of outsiders who are thirsty for soccer - its uninterrupted play, agility, athleticism. As fans, they are the types that make up the feverish ranks of Sam's Army, & locally, the Inferno.

I see the same kind of enthusiasm from users of Open Source software. They're interested in something besides the dominant operating systems. They first tasted Open Source goodness within their commercial OS desktops with the Firefox browser. And this is where I started. Having used Firefox in place of Internet Explorer since 2002, I became very interested in trying out Linux. It was the first time I saw how advantageous not having the limits of proprietary software was to being stuck with the same ole, same ole.



Along came Ubuntu in 2004 & my old Sony VAIO PC (from 2000) was so sluggish running Windows XP that - not having anything to lose - I installed Ubuntu Linux over Windows on it. It has been challenging but fun - much like following soccer in the World Cup. The passionate fans of both Linux & Soccer are a big part of why I have enthusiasm for both groups of outsiders.

South Africa 2010

The next World Cup happens to take place in South Africa - the land of Ubuntu, the Truth & Reconciliation Committee, Endless Summer surf adventures & Nelson Mandela. This will be the first time a World Cup has been held anywhere on the continent of Africa - a milestone without parallel. (I give FIFA credit for awarding it to South Africa. The Olympics have some catching up to do!)
I'm hoping WAY ahead of schedule that our U.S. squad qualifies for this 2010 World Cup. I think it'll take the continued success of Major League Soccer & its expansion into Canada & the inclusion of Mexican League teams, Youth Soccer, Americans playing in Europe, and who knows what else - Freddy Adu will be of drinking age!

I've never followed the different international soccer leagues - Spain's Primera Division, the Bundesliga, Serie A Italia, the English Premiership. But it would be nice to, at the very least, follow our American players playing abroad. Who knows - maybe the MLS could start a European team like Chivas Mexico did with the MLS. And I know the Redbulls will be trying to pull another NY Cosmos in the coming seasons.

My pal Chris has fallen head over heels with Arsenal & following the English League. He loves how teams must fight to stay in their division season-to-season. That makes every game count. It's a real embrace of free market values in Europe that perhaps MLB & the NFL could learn from - a funny lesson to learn from Europeans admittedly.

I'm also hoping that Ubuntu or some other Open Source platform finds great popularity among desktops here stateside & throughout the world. No - not quite ready to embrace the Metric System - but I'll put it up for consideration.

So long Golf, Hello Again Rabbit

VW lovers everywhere are jubilating or cringing - depending on their preference...but the stateside VW compact car will no longer be called the Golf. It is being rechristened the Rabbit.

I never did understand the Golf name for this Volkswagen car - were it an automobile made for the game of golf, then it would be a gas-guzzling Cadillac-style cruiser with plenty of room for a set of clubs in the trunk. Say what you will - but at least a rabbit more closely resembles this car. It's not furry and can't hop - but it's got 4 wheels - similar to the 4 legs that our bunny friends have - and it's small. Welcome back to the VW Rabbit, I say. We barely noticed you absent - but we're glad to have you back.

My pal B-Bry will have to hold on to his Golf - he surely will appreciate its uniqueness now.

Soccer Simpsons' Style

Confession: 4 years ago pledged to go to Germany

Confession: 4 years ago after the U.S. beat México in the Korea/Japan World Cup 2002, a few of us pledged to travel in 4 years' time to Germany for 1-2 weeks of World Cup 2006 games, fun & travel. "Oh the beer, pretzels & schnitzel we'll consume!"

We didn't follow through on our pledge. Point of fact, none of us have dared speak of it since. I guess 4 years ago, getting up in the middle of the night - or staying up until the middle of the night to watch a game felt enough like being in college again to think that in 4 years' time we wouldn't be so busy with work & family that we couldn't get away with such a plan. Hah!

I'm content to watch the so far fantastic tournament reveal itself to us through TV, radio & internet. That's plenty good enough and I don't have to worry about accomodations in Leipzig or filling prescriptions or too much luggage. But it's disappointing having to watch games at 8AM while getting ready for work - work that I know my European counterparts are probably on vacation from - or at the very least they get to watch the games at night their time.

And no one has yet to get together to watch any of the games yet either - that might help me get in the spirit of things. But it helps to read these terrific Dispatches from the World Cup on Slate.com. These posts really transport you.

(Congratulations to Slate.com for their 10 year anniversary!)

Coffee left in the cup!

Do you ever have those forgetful kinds of Monday mornings? I'm referring to those moments when you're sitting at your computer and you're trying to remember what the task at hand is. Then you look over at your coffee cup and realize that there's still some coffee left! YES! It's scary just how slippery the mind's gears get over a weekend. This morning I was so pleasantly surprised that I still had 1/4 cup left of coffee to drink. Weird.

I'm posting as I watch Switzerland beat Togo (1-0 at the 70').

I'm surprised that the ABC/ESPN commentators for the World Cup don't mention what MLS teams the U.S. stars play for more often. Given the lag that soccer here stateside will experience after the World Cup, you'd think they'd be doing everything they could to spur more interest in seeing these players at your local soccer stadium.

Major League Soccer renamed the NY/NJ MetroStars the NY Red Bulls. Did anyone notice this? I see also that August 12th that Giants Stadium will be hosting F.C. Barcelona & Brazil's star Ronaldinho. Nifty. We need to get these kinds of friendlies more often in Frisco.

USA/Italy on Saturday was a blast to watch. It's really fun to think of Europe's soccer powers being taken completely by surprise by our USA squad. From the U.S. players' perspectives it must be akin to being pirates. Even though we only got a tie out of it, it felt triumphant. Bongiorno, Italia. Did anyone else think of the movie "Breaking Away" while watching this? You know, when the Bloomington, Indiana townie is obsessed with Italian cycling? And when he finally gets to ride with them they ruin his image of them?


(I see that Owen Wilson does a nice little homage to "Breaking Away" in the trailer to his new movie "You, Me & Dupree". Nifty.)

Recap This Week en el Mundo Deportivo

Rather than recap every great moment in sports this week, I want to focus more on how we're following the action in 2006 - that is, the technical advances and changes in media coverage.

Following the 2006 World Cup in Germany

Korea/Japan was a booger to follow - you had to get up at 3AM to watch matches live. It was exciting at the moment but you would really feel it about 12 hours later at work trying to stay awake. But you could watch the games in their entirety - really get into the flow of things. This time around, the time change has been a bit more "Breakfast At Wimbledon". The live broadcasts of each game here in Dallas have been at 8AM, 11AM & 2PM. You find yourself at work wondering about the game & its progress. So you keep up with it online or sneak out to the pub for lunch.

Technical Advances

Online I've been using a combination of things - Yahoo!'s Official FIFA World Cup page with video highlights, Google's Joga Bonito Companion for Firefox, & FootieFox. Here is when I would urge you - if you are still using Microsoft's Internet Explorer or Apple's Safari browser, to switch to Mozilla Firefox. The Joga Bonito Companion add-on to Firefox gives you game updates right in the browser as you work. The companion lets you know when an infraction occurs (Yellow card to Ballack! 49') or when someone scores. (It's 1/2 time now for Mexico/Angola 0-0). After a game, you can mosey on over to Yahoo!'s World Cup page & watch video highlights of all the important moments in the games with quick-loading Macromedia Flash video.

I managed to convince the office to have a TV rolled in to the common area to catch the Univision broadcasts "for the students' enjoyment". But it's torture having to keep up appearances while in the other room there's a whole world of soccer excitement going on. (I might even prefer getting up at 3AM in the morning to knowing there's a great game going on during work hours.)

Back home, Satellite TV & the DVR have really helped me follow more closely the tournament. Univision, Telefutura, ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, ESPN Classic, ESPN-U aka"the Ocho" (Does ANYONE get this channel?) all show the games, interviews & highlight shows.
World Cup Live -, Eric Wynalda & Julie Foudy are semi-pro commentators doing their best to cover the game with a SportsCenter sensibility. Ideally we would have a combination of the fun that is the Spanish broadcast & the analysis that ESPN offers.

My brother Larry mentioned to me that he'd been listening to the World Cup matches on XM. I had no idea that XM was going to be broadcasting the games! XM channels 147 & 148 American Soccer Radio Call-In, Andres Cantor (Can someone tell me WHY this guy's not on the network broadcasts?!!) on the Spanish play-by-play and it's all offered 24-7. I can't recall this kind of coverage for ANY sport event - not to mention soccer. So these are good times.

I've had the XM World Cup coverage on all week in the car. It has really been terrific to hear America calling in to talk soccer with the announcers. If there's a burgeoning sport sub-culture, it's soccer. But as one of the callers said, the World Cup is a special event - and the rest of soccer pales in comparison really. So - there's always a bit of a let-down after the month-long international soccer extravaganza that is World Cup Soccer.

Univision & ESPN - The Joy of the Festival & The Sober Analysis

Spanish-language television vs. ABC/ESPN English-language coverage is not a fair comparison. We simply don't have the same caliber announcing as Spanish-language television does - and that's merely a function of the regular practice that Spanish-language announcers have. But even with practice, I wonder if ESPN/ABC could match the enthusiasm that the Argentines & Mexicans bring to the games? We get bogged down in the stats & analysis and are afraid to dance.
Nice to see that Major League Soccer is now covering World Cup too. Before they almost seemed to completely ignore it.
Kicks - Steve Davis' World Cup Blog is the Dallas Morning News' attempt to cover the travel expense for their Germany correspondents. Belo Gang - buy a vowel & put an RSS feed on the blog for cryin' out loud. How can we be expected to follow it otherwise?

Online newspapers (like the Star-Telegram & the Dallas Morning News) have a really difficult time putting together successful blogs. It's understandable that reporters with looming deadlines would be less than enthusiastic about the blogging medium and yet another writing assignment. Frontburner is a successful blog in comparison because it's maintained by writers and guest contributors that work for a MONTHLY publication - they don't have the pressure of the daily deadline. Frontburner is also refreshingly irreverent in a way that the regional newspaper of consequence can't afford to be.

The end of the 2006 World Cup won't spell the end of soccer this summer for us here stateside either. There's Major League Soccer, yes. But also coming out July 14th is the documentary on the New York Cosmos, "Once in a Lifetime". This was directed by the same guy who did the neat production work on "Dogtown & Z-Boys" and it looks like it's going to capture the same 1970's magic-in-a-bottle that Dogtown did. (Not to mention the killer soundtrack to expect from them!)

NASL, the NY Cosmos, Kenny Cooper, Kyle Rote, Jr. & The Dallas Tornado - all of this brings back really good memories of soccer spectating in the seventies/early eighties. As we were learning the Metric System AND the English System, we were also following American Football, Baseball, Soccer, Tennis - maybe it was all too much. Anyone out there remember the Metric system?

I'm not forgetting the Mavs Heat finals. It's an honor for Dallas to finally be in the NBA Finals. But the timing is difficult. I can only imagine what Dirk's going through trying to focus on the next game & knowing that his countrymen are completely rapt with the soccer right now.

Soccer!!! One month till World Cup 2006

The spectacle that is the world's most watched sports event - Soccer's World Cup - begins in one month. Happened to see this fantastic commercial yesterday.

I want to know which ad agency put it together for Gatorade here. This is a fantastic tv ad. Regardless of how our U.S. squad performs in Germany, this ad captures the state of the game of "futbol, soccer, football" in the United States in 2006. There's the frustration of early-stage growth vs. high expectations. And we see plenty of how the rest of the world feels about us trying on their sport for our XXL size: "Yankees Go Home!". Then it ends with the thrill of qualification for the big show - goal-by-beautiful-goal. In 30 seconds I was ready for World Cup 2006 - no matter the outcome.

I'm lobbying hard to get my office to bring in a television during the World Cup to show the games live. (With a lot of 11AM & 2PM CST game times, what else am I supposed to do?)

D Magazine's FrontBurner blog is a guilty pleasure for Dallasites. I noticed this Adam McGill soccer-related post tonight. Adam's FrontBurner post links to a great LA Times article responding to W's weak endorsement of soccer. Dallas' role in the history of U.S. Soccer has come full circle with Kenny Cooper Jr. playing for F.C. Dallas.

The faux Irish pub revolution & the Texas Wine Industry

"Whether you are in Kazkhstan or the Canary Islands, you can now hear the lilt of an Irish brogue over the sound of the Pogues as you wait for your Guinness to settle. "

Happy St. Patrick's Day! This is an article written by Austin Kelley in Slate Magazine. It explains the development in the early 1990's of the "Irish Pub Concept" by the Irish Pub Company. The evolution of modern Irish acceptance of St. Patrick's Day, American-style revelry is also detailed.

I've conducted my own fairly extensive research into this phenomenon. My studies began at The Dubliner on Greenville Avenue. But the Dub is the real Nellie. It's featured in today's Dallas Morning News. Having celebrated many a St. Patrick's Day at the Dubliner, I can attest to its authenticity as a proper Irish drinking establishment. (Well - I've never been to Ireland in person - but I had Astral Weeks & The Unforgettable Fire on my headphones constantly as a kid.) So visits to an Irish pub were embraced with open arms. And on the many St. Patrick's Day celebrations that I've witnessed at the Dub, it's always fun to see the Irish waitstaff observe up close what we Americans do with their religious holiday. They positively revel in it.

I've seen faux Irish implemented everywhere - Dallas, Austin, Las Vegas, Miami, Chicago. Our very own Trinity Hall was built, assembled, dismantled in Ireland & shipped over to Mockingbird Station in order that we here in Dallas also enjoy our very own variety of "craic". From the article: "IPCo will assemble your chosen pub in Ireland. Then they'll bring the whole thing to your space and set it up. All you have to do is some basic prep, and voilà!"

Other favorite local establishments overflowing with Irish "craic":

The Old Monk

The Londoner

The Idle Rich

And Guinness has even taken the step of reaching into your homes with the Surger!

The other mentionable article is from CNN/Southern Living & it's about the burgeoning Wine Industry in the Texas Hill Country. My wife & I were down in Fredericksburg in February & conducted our very own sampling of the local varietals. It was splendid. And it's nice to see it highlighted in the national press. Too bad we didn't take the Texas Wine Trail back home.

Monty Python at KERA Studios 1975

Python in Dallas, 1975

This is brilliant! KERA engineers unearthed this marvelous PLEDGE DRIVE footage from 1975. It begins with the promo "11 Nights of Great Public TV" - which is borderline Pythonesque in its irony. (11 Nights followed by 354 hum-drum evenings of nature broadcasts & Nova.)

Who would've thought that a Public TV Pledge Drive would be so enjoyable to watch? All you have to do is wait 31 years before you have a look! The telephones are ringing in the background & volunteers pick up the yellow standard-issues while the interview is conducted with the Python gang.

No John Cleese here, but the rest of the players are having a smashing time in Texas. They remark about how large & deserted DFW airport is. (It's still huge, but no longer empty!) They discuss the soon-to-be-released Monty Python & The Holy Grail (and the Dallas studio audience giggles at first hearing the title.) Then they play the Lumberjack scene from Flying Circus & the camera lands on Michael Palin for a reaction shot.

Loved seeing Graham Chapman smoking his pipe. He doesn't chime in until near the end of the footage but his limited moments are masterful.

I'm so proud of my hometown & KERA for having been WAY ahead of the rest of the country in embracing the now legendary troupe of Brit humorists. It's funny to hear how much more distinctive our Texas accents were back then before Dallas was invaded by both coasts.

And we learn just WHO Monty Python is!

Also:

KERA's Online Argument Clinic

I wandered by the D Magazine Frontburner blog & found this link to footage at The Sound of Young America blog.

Alamo Drafthouse & the Casa Linda Theater

Sorry to see this deal fall through. Alamo Drafthouse in Dallas would be fantastic. "Why another movie theater" you ask? The Drafthouse is a draw not just because of Granada Studio Movie Grill-style eats & drinks. But also because they are movie buffs & hold special events - festivals, speakers, actors, movie premieres.

Walked by the Casa Linda Theater. It's a mess. They could really use a well-matched tenant. The Alamo Drafthouse was one last year when they signed the letter of intent. In 2005, Entertainment Weekly called it "the best theater in America".

The Dallas Business Journal reported last August that, "Retrofitting the theater will cost about $1.2 million. The Austin-based company will "maintain the look and feel of the landmark," says John Martin, president of Alamo Drafthouse Cinemas. "We are not bringing in a megaplex. We want to keep it cool and open to the community."

They also pointed out that, "Alamo Drafthouse also is actively scouting sites in west Frisco, where it would like to build an eight-screen prototype, said Vaughn Miller, president of Dallas-based Henry S. Miller Commercial's retail division."

Copia from the Trial Watch blog talks about how the investment group was a different management team than the Austin Drafthouse. She spoke with Karen Davis: "I cannot say how the franchise will develop their programming style there in Dallas. I do not know if they are willing to take the risks in Dallas that we do here in central Austin with our liberal demographic. I can tell you one thing. The more they hear input like yours, the more likely they will be to take such a risk. We love getting programming suggestions. Tell your friends who feel the same way to write the franchise folks."

A couple of thoughts as to why the potential investors backed off - first in regards to parking - not enough spots & not enough area to really make more available without a multilevel parking garage. It's noteworthy to see just how crowded & cramped the lot is. Secondly - the theater tower & Casa Linda location are significant historical & aesthetic draws here. But perhaps the megaplex theater being finished at Northpark is too much competition for Alamo Drafthouse to handle with a charming location like Casa Linda.

BlimpSpotting - Future Flights of Fancy

News this week from two sides of modern airship development - the military and travel & tourism. CNN & Popular Science report that Igor Pasternak of Worldwide Aeros Corporation in California is developing a hotel in the sky (as in the doctored-up airport photo above). His Aeroscraft (pronounced out loud, is this too similar to Eros Craft?) is an airship that would cross the continental United States in 18 hours - not exactly jumbo jet speed - but not snail slow either. And it really looks comfy!

A part of my enthusiasm for these airships is a frustration with the current air travel system. It is largely based on 1950's technology. I'm 6'3" tall (1.9m) and loathe trying to squeeze into the seats of these glorified Greyhound Buses in the Sky they call jet airliners. I can really see myself stretching out in an airship like this one.

It's kind of hard to hide a blimp

The military is interested in troop & gear transport. From the LA Daily News article: "Code-named "Walrus," the new airship would fly using a combination of lighter-than-air gas - like conventional blimps or World War I zeppelins - and aerodynamic lift generated by the craft's shape, as well as thrust vectoring." The photo below is from a Lockheed Martin test flight on Valentine's Day. Looks a little like the Aeroscraft, huh?

Researcher: iPod earbuds could damage hearing

From this Reuters' story that I saw on CNN.com this morning: "The ever-popular earbuds used with many iPods and other MP3 players may be more stylish than the bigger and bulkier earmuff-type headphones, but they may also be more damaging to one's hearing, according to a Northwestern professor."

I've always hated the earbud. I never have been able to keep those in my ear well. They always fall out. That's a great frustration I have with iPods. You pay top price for these beauties but then they ship 'em with these cruddy earbuds rather than proper headphones like Starsky's (here at the left).

Apple should ship iPods with noise-canceling headphones of some sort lest iPod enthusiasts should end up like Pete Townshend. This is a post from his website's diary section yesterday explaining his hearing loss & his concerns for the future what with the popularity of iPods, MP3 players, etc. He observes that, "we use earphones at almost every stage of interaction with sound." And it's really slowing him down in the studio working on new material for the next Who project.

Holiday Greetings!

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I meant to get these photos up from the Major League Soccer Championship 2005 that I went to with my close friends, Ben, Brandon & Bryan way back in November. But I'm kind of glad that I procrastinated until the holidays. Firstly because I discovered BubbleShare - a worthy challenger to the Flickr Photo Upload & Share phenomenon. It allows for a set of photos to be uploaded easily & quickly without any account info hassles. Even cooler though, you can post your photos with 30-second Audio Captions. What a wonderful thing! I highly recommend you give it a shot (no pun intended). They make posting a set on your blog a cinch as well. I love it.

The holidays are a wonderful/dreadful time. Wonderful in that you get to see people you haven't seen in forever & catch up. Dreadful because you realize just how infrequently you get to see them otherwise. The wife & I have this week between Xmas & New Years' Eve off & it's terrific. But it's been so long since we had any time off that it's a bit overwhelming when you think of all the things that you need to get around to doing in these few days (not to mention the things that you'd like to get to do as well!).

What's everyone doing for New Years' Eve?

Banksy

Banksy is an English graffiti artist that I read about first in Wired Magazine & then later on in Esquire Magazine. On the whole, graffiti is a nuisance to the public's common interest- but if there should be any in your town, I hope it's as clever & artsy as this. And I hope Banksy inspires your local graffitizen to artistic accomplishment & to work with stencils rather than ego-marking a common wall with some indecipherable squiggle.

Have a look at some of his work. It's impressive. (Banksy - how about hawking some t-shirts from your webpage?)

The Deep Ellum Tunnel comes to mind when I think of some good local graffiti here in Dallas. But that's going away soon apparently. Shame really - hope they find a way to keep some of this homegrown charm in the future Deep Ellum. But I suppose that's the least of Deep Ellum's worries these days.

Anything You Ever Wanted to Know

With the recent passing of Dallas radio presence, Glenn Mitchell, I was reminded this morning on the way into work of his Friday talk shows on KERA 90.1FM. Anything You Ever Wanted to Know shouldn't have been nearly as fun as it was. And that's a testament to Glenn Mitchell's talent as a talk show host & also to his intelligent listenership. Many of you will agree with me when I call what Glenn Mitchell meant to Dallas - he was like a Public Utility. I will miss him terribly. I'm glad to see that KERA is moving forward with his legacy intact.

Here's a nice report from his memorial service from the Dallas Morning News. KERA 90.1 also has posted the audio of the memorial as a podcast here.

The Edge

The Edge
Originally uploaded by ultraviolet1975.

Nothing like a Saturday night concert to welcome U2 back to Dallas. The Dallas Vertigo Tour stop was their 2nd consecutive evening & final stop through Texas. Here's a nice shot of Edge strutting along a plank. (A very nice photo set of the show from the GA section posted on flickr by Crystal from Arlington - thanks, Crystal.)

The setlist offered something for everyone - from new fans to cranky, old fans that long to stay anchored somewhere in 1982. The photo here is of Edge struttin' his stuff (maybe during "Electric Co."?) on the ellipsis stage plank- U2's contribution to arena-rock advancement & evolution. At any given time during the concert - you could be front-row center for the moment of the show. The show displayed a combination of soul, musicianship, sonic power & energy. During "Vertigo", Bono channeled the Ramones & it appeared that somewhere along the elliptical catwalk he stumbled on a live-wire as he belted notes from Patti Smith's "Rock & Roll Nigger" a moment doused in electricity. (Hadn't heard that song since the seventies & was racking my memory to remember the artist!) A highlight early in the show - "Miracle Drug" from the new album How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb . It felt then & there like the band managed to make this basketball & hockey arena lift off the ground & soar. Edge sang a verse all by himself! He's got a fantastic voice, that one.

Bono recalled U2's first stop here in Dallas 25 years ago and thanked the fans for giving them the privileged life they have (very kind of him to say). We were situated in section 124 row W behind the stage. (I think you can make us out a little to the left of Larry Mullen Jr. in one of the Flickr photos.) The rear-of-the-stage vantage point allowed a chance to see Adam Clayton & Larry anchor the band - but they also strutted out a couple of times (albeit a bit tentatively) on the elliptical stage ramp. It must be weird for a drummer to amble out there off his seat into the audience - off the safety of his little drumkit and feel what it's like for the lead singer out there. That's when it occurred to me that I'd never really witnessed anything like that - at a number of points in the show, the band members were equally spread out on the arena floor- rocking the house, yes, but also shrinking the arena considerably from the vantage point of the fans - quite the little magic trick upon reflection - 4 points holding together the music from 50+ yards away of each other. Brilliant!


They played "Miss Sarajevo" & Bono sang Luciano Pavarotti's Italian part beautifully (this, by the way, might be the only way I like to experience opera - in short , minute-long quotations in the middle of a 2+ hour rock show.) But it goes to point out that these guys really do walk the plank - opera during a rock show?! "Dici che il fiume trova la via al mare..." And during "Sometimes You Can't Make it On Your Own" - he again stepped out on the vocal high-wire - "Can you hear me when I SING, you're the reason I sing, you're the reason why the opera is in me." These moments were exhilarating in the musical sense, but you're also thinking performance-wise - gosh, if he doesn't hit that note - he's screwed. Yes - he hits the note - but you're breathless until he does so successfully because it's a very steep precipice from which to jump. And yes - we ate it up - just like the pasta that Bono said he'd been at!

Other highlights - the kid they pulled up onstage to play guitar with them during "Angel of Harlem". The show is so carefully orchestrated technically that it was really something to see this kid so nonchalantly get up with them & play & not be completely petrified. We were all up there with him.

Also - we got to kick the soccer ball around outside in the AAC parking lot before & after the show. That was way more fun than it should have been considering it was on concrete & while cars are entering and exiting hastily. But it was a great way to channel some of the pre & post-show energy on a beautiful late-October night in North Texas. (Apologies to the guy with the fancy white Lexus next to us. The dent should pop right out.)

Can't wait to hear what everyone else thought of the concert.

U2's DFW Appearances Listed

Credit George Gimarc & Thor Christensen of the Dallas Morning News for putting together a really nice little retrospective of U2's concert appearances in Dallas. It reminded me of a high school tennis team teammate who said that the Alarm stayed with his family when they came through town (this is Fall 1984). "How cool that the Alarm stayed at your house!" (I remember now as I made that remark, I made a mental note to myself to familiarize myself with the Alarm - as I had no clue as to who they were. Does anyone else remember how back in the 80's, the verdict was still out as to who was a bigger live act- the Alarm or U2?)

Search video.google.com for U2 & you get 3 query pages worth of U2-related videos submitted by the general public. It's fun to check out the beginning of their Boston show from the perspective of Kate Krackenberger's cell phone camera. You can really taste the excitement in the crowd at the beginning of the show.

Feel free here to share your U2 Dallas moments with everyone.

Dallas: U2 Week Begins!

Hello Hello

6 days till the Dallas U2 show. I have to admit - I've not had it in the forefront of my mind. My pals Mo & Mo were going on & on about it the past few days & that made me perk up a bit. Took a peek at the calendar & noticed that my hype-level was woefully underpowered.

So - a quick perusal of my music feeds found this Rolling Stone interview.

Put that in your podcast oven & light 'er up. It's an hour + interview with Bono in the tradition of the classic Rolling Stone interview - the kind I used to read in my high school library - with 5 other guys hovering around looking at me to eagerly finish digestion & pass on the mag to them. (And there were plenty of times when I was of the ones floating around waiting for another dude to finish reading the latest Rolling Stone).