tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-65986972024-03-16T20:09:16.493-05:00GibberishThe dubious and questionable ravings, rants and musings of science fiction and fantasy writer (not to mention Chicken Ranch authority) Jayme Lynn Blaschke.
Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.comBlogger3160125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-38098510855323860892024-03-08T12:56:00.004-06:002024-03-08T12:56:47.629-06:00Friday Night Videos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s1600/FridayNightVideos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" alt="Friday Night Videos" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s320/FridayNightVideos.jpg"></a></div></p>
Up until 24 hours ago I had no idea this existed. The Cardigans? Tom Jones? Performing together in this fever dream cover of the Taking Heads' <a href=https://youtu.be/iYuldgIOelY?si=WWAcBi1ZGcJTWMFi>"Burning Down the House"</a>? I find it weirdly unsettling... but, I must confess, I am also fascinated by it. It's as if watching it amounts to participating in an involuntary cult initiation. You have been warned.</p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/iYuldgIOelY?si=WWAcBi1ZGcJTWMFi" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
Previously on Friday Night Videos... <a href=http://jlbgibberish.blogspot.com/2024/02/friday-night-videos_23.html>The Smoke</a>.</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Don Tiare and His Enchanting Violins <i>Strings Over Tahiti</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-50012982850359786512024-02-23T15:35:00.000-06:002024-02-23T15:35:16.652-06:00Friday Night Videos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s1600/FridayNightVideos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" alt="Friday Night Videos" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s320/FridayNightVideos.jpg"></a></div></p>
Scott Cupp introduced me to The Smoke, a somewhat obscure British Invasion band from York (they only had one album and a handful of singles), during a road trip to Aggiecon back in 2010. It's a fun band with a catchy sound that deserves wider recognition than it receives. Here they are on a live television appearance performing <a href=https://youtu.be/6A53abvDQWs?si=dQlysXOuvkoz0iFK>"She Put the Hurt on Me."</a> Enjoy.</p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6A53abvDQWs?si=dQlysXOuvkoz0iFK" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
Previously on Friday Night Videos... <a href=http://jlbgibberish.blogspot.com/2024/02/patty-loveless-was-absolutely-dominant.html>Patty Loveless</a>.</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Axel Stordahl <i>Jasmine & Jade</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-74092336170250740002024-02-21T14:30:00.003-06:002024-02-21T14:30:34.968-06:00Success Made to Last<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-KZkOHu-057PBsOVcjVd9QXe3j_2imfwaXWODD90tiIt1GkzBsD3AHzmb-7tJdNfACL7zD4DfCp93tBLETbU55deTOg-taz1XbfWiJfJ442y5TdjR0rAXT0_BsfRK8LcXIZTump38tDmS5QCHbP-8akukzhkBrQb76plz6xLM93hPWi1peTO-Q/s400/SuccessMadeToLast.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: right; float: right;"><img alt="Success Made to Last podcast" hspace="15"border="0" width="200" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU-KZkOHu-057PBsOVcjVd9QXe3j_2imfwaXWODD90tiIt1GkzBsD3AHzmb-7tJdNfACL7zD4DfCp93tBLETbU55deTOg-taz1XbfWiJfJ442y5TdjR0rAXT0_BsfRK8LcXIZTump38tDmS5QCHbP-8akukzhkBrQb76plz6xLM93hPWi1peTO-Q/s200/SuccessMadeToLast.jpg"/></a></div>Okay, I've got a bit of egg on my face here. No excuses, this is embarrassing: I did a podcast interview with the <a href=https://www.spreaker.com/episode/success-made-to-last-author-s-corner-with-jayme-blaschke-inside-the-texas-chicken-ranch--58067107>Success Made to Last</a> podcast for their "Author's Corner" feature to discuss the new edition of <a href=https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/products/9781467153935/?queryID=7550615c019d6b3163d10ed6657f737b&objectID=9781467153935&insightsIndex=arcadia-publishing_products><i>Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch</i></a>. We did the interview quite a while ago--last fall, if I'm being honest. They did a great job with the questions and editing and getting it published online... and I completely forgot about it with all the hustle and bustle of the holidays.</p>
My bad.</p>
I've remembered it many times since then, but always when I was driving someplace or falling asleep at night, pretty much any time where it wasn't convenient for me to share. Well, it's only taken me three months to get around to sharing. I hope you give it a listen--it was a fun interview and we discuss some topics my previous podcast interviews haven't touched on. </p>
<a class="spreaker-player" href="https://www.spreaker.com/episode/success-made-to-last-author-s-corner-with-jayme-blaschke-inside-the-texas-chicken-ranch--58067107" data-resource="episode_id=58067107" data-theme="light" data-playlist="false" data-cover="https://d3wo5wojvuv7l.cloudfront.net/images.spreaker.com/original/42ffa70361f4f360fc950b904ef34c11.jpg" data-width="100%" data-height="400px">Listen to "Success Made to Last Author's Corner with Jayme Blaschke, Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch" on Spreaker.</a><script async src="https://widget.spreaker.com/widgets.js"></script></p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Robert Drasnin <i>Voodoo II</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-3688731093440004052024-02-16T09:54:00.002-06:002024-02-16T09:58:05.458-06:00Friday Night Videos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s1600/FridayNightVideos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" alt="Friday Night Videos" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s320/FridayNightVideos.jpg"></a></div></p>
Patty Loveless was absolutely dominant in the 80s and 90s, but has pretty much vainished these days. This woman sang at George Jones' funeral and everything she sang turned into a hit until country radio decided to move on. Which is a shame, because she could switch between traditional country and crossover stuff without blinking an eye. Case in point: <a href=https://youtu.be/Hx0kPNEIY1M?si=Cx-w3GHQGqD29jGz>"I Try to Think About Elvis."</a> I mean, really, she makes it look so easy.</p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Hx0kPNEIY1M?si=Cx-w3GHQGqD29jGz" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
Previously on Friday Night Videos... <a href=http://jlbgibberish.blogspot.com/2024/02/friday-night-videos_0967367748.html>The Chicks</a>.</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: The Who <i>30 Years of Maximum R&B</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-3956696800274133132024-02-09T10:00:00.001-06:002024-02-09T10:00:00.239-06:00Friday Night Videos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s1600/FridayNightVideos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" alt="Friday Night Videos" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s320/FridayNightVideos.jpg"></a></div></p>
For some reason this song's been stuck in my head all week. Here are the Chicks with <a href=https://youtu.be/pojL_35QlSI?si=SkXcCbOh-gomqchE>"Not Ready to Make Nice."</a></p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pojL_35QlSI?si=SkXcCbOh-gomqchE" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
Previously on Friday Night Videos... <a href=http://jlbgibberish.blogspot.com/2024/02/friday-night-videos.html>Billy Joel</a>.</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Richard Marino and His Orchestra <i>The Magic Beat!</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-53016950905600594382024-02-02T09:40:00.000-06:002024-02-02T09:40:08.918-06:00Friday Night Videos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s1600/FridayNightVideos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" alt="Friday Night Videos" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s320/FridayNightVideos.jpg"></a></div></p>
Billy Joel has released his first new song in more than a decade with <a href=https://youtu.be/hexZ5hwia08?si=nKw3Vx5ETiCnsxoQ>"Turn the Lights Back On."</a> I like it a lot. Now, as an unapologetic Billy Joel fan who's seen him live twice, I'm not particularly objective here. It's not the best thing he's ever recorded, but it's a thoughtful, well-crafted piece with an elegiac theme that is as self-aware as "Famous Last Words," which closed out the last album he released more than 30 years ago now. Musically (if not themeatically) the new song would feel right at home on his later albums, "Stormfront," "The Bridge" or "River of Dreams." It really does sound like classic late-period Joel, in more ways than one. I was particularly struck by how his voice hasn't audibly aged like some other singers I dearly love who are getting up there in years. That is remarkable. I just hope this leads to a new album, because it's been too long.</p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hexZ5hwia08?si=i8oGhxw5Txr_CiLp" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
Previously on Friday Night Videos... <a href=http://jlbgibberish.blogspot.com/2024/01/friday-night-videos_19.html>Kitty Wells</a>.</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Russ Garcia and His Orchestra <i>Carioca</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-57062423196071343542024-02-01T10:17:00.001-06:002024-02-01T10:17:33.160-06:00Chicken Ranch anniversary: Happy birthday Aunt Jessie!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0-hU2mKCHFA/WnOaSD0vUXI/AAAAAAAAGVk/oW_eKwpB-c8J6XyljjYrBI38FpnFnYpUgCLcBGAs/s1600/webChickenRanchYellowPages.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-0-hU2mKCHFA/WnOaSD0vUXI/AAAAAAAAGVk/oW_eKwpB-c8J6XyljjYrBI38FpnFnYpUgCLcBGAs/s1600/webChickenRanchYellowPages.jpg" data-original-width="217" data-original-height="320" /></a></div>On this date in 1885, Fay Stewart was born in Waco. She would've been 139 years old today. Stewart would later adopt the alias of Jessie Williams and operate a small brothel in Austin's Guy Town district before moving to La Grange in 1913. In 1915, she bought 11 acres of land outside of city limits and opened what would eventually become known as the Chicken Ranch. Known locally as Aunt Jessie, she ran the brothel until selling it to Edna Milton in 1961.</p>
Fay Stewart’s parents came from Georgia or possibly Nashville, moving to Waco well before she was born. The family lived for years on Franklin Street. While it is entirely possible that Stewart learned the ropes of prostitution in Waco's infamous Two Street vice district, there’s scant evidence she was successful enough to own her own brothel there.</p>
Curiously enough, despite the fact Aunt Jessie spent nearly three decades in La Grange and was as well-known a civic benefactor as anyone in Fayette County, I have found no photographs of her. Zero. Nada. Which is strange, since I know photos of her exist somewhere. So in lieu of Aunt Jessie's photo, we'll have to settle from the 1958 edition of the La Grange phone book. Think that cover art is coincidental? Or was someone with the Yellow Pages making a not-so-subtle joke? In any event, here's to Aunt Jessie, the woman who turned a number of shoddy prostitution operations into the brothel remembered today as the Chicken Ranch.</p>
Buy <a href=https://jaymeblaschke.bigcartel.com/>Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch</a> to learn more about Aunt Jessie and the brothel that became the infamous Chicken Ranch!</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Don Tiare and His Enchanting Violins <i>Strings Over Tahiti</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-205777094314635812024-01-19T14:39:00.000-06:002024-01-19T14:39:07.451-06:00Friday Night Videos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s1600/FridayNightVideos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" alt="Friday Night Videos" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s320/FridayNightVideos.jpg"></a></div></p>
I've shared before that while growing up I listened to both kinds of music (that's be country <b>and</b> western) and of late I've been revisiting some of those sounds. One singer I've rediscovered is Kitty Wells, who blazed a trail for Patsy Cline, Loretta Lynn and pretty much every woman who sang a country note since. One of her biggest hits was <a href=https://youtu.be/tKleTa94dC8?si=B1Vc9hUBUXmLWfT2>"It Wasn't God Who Made Honky Tonk Angels,"</a> recorded in response to Hank Thompson's "Wild Side of Life." THe lyrics are pretty blunt and unapologetic for the time and are no less relevant today. </p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/tKleTa94dC8?si=kP_2_Ny-3gIboHLh" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
Previously on Friday Night Videos... <a href=http://jlbgibberish.blogspot.com/2024/01/friday-night-videos_12.html>Sugarland</a>.</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Paul Page <i>Pacific Paradise</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-47999080263733801612024-01-17T15:53:00.000-06:002024-01-17T15:53:08.818-06:00Dick Fagan & the Hi-Scores<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxIiGMiRyoLo5mnKH_F39uqn_lwP299sOATPs6_7gFhbZm2zwjr14AEOZ7MFJMady8rHwCXv4Rcrd8FirTORB1qyfzZtYIWhGe0OxSDdy5hCNkrmEHqP-jQG7yHZa0fyHDINVHMxXqpc7YCw9O3EnW654QQKoBkMo5Z1qGbw16QXau7EQHiFhew/s599/Dick%20Fagan.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: right; float: right;"><img alt="Dick Fagan" border="0" hspace="15" height="400" data-original-height="599" data-original-width="440" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPxIiGMiRyoLo5mnKH_F39uqn_lwP299sOATPs6_7gFhbZm2zwjr14AEOZ7MFJMady8rHwCXv4Rcrd8FirTORB1qyfzZtYIWhGe0OxSDdy5hCNkrmEHqP-jQG7yHZa0fyHDINVHMxXqpc7YCw9O3EnW654QQKoBkMo5Z1qGbw16QXau7EQHiFhew/s400/Dick%20Fagan.jpg"/></a></div>I've intended to write this blog post for more than a year now but have put it off simply because it's awkward. Awkward to present in a way that doesn't imply meaning that isn't there, awkward to present in a way that preserves others' privacy. And this is more personal sharing than I normally engage in, so that's a factor as well. So please understand I share this because I think it is <i>interesting</i> (though perhaps not particularly <i>meaningful</i>) and others may find it interesting as well. </p>
I'm adopted. That's not something I walk around shouting to the world but it's nothing I've ever hidden, either. I don't remember ever not knowing so in that light I don't think I'm going out on a limb to say that I'm as well-adjusted as any other Gen-Xer to <i>*gestures broadly to the dumpster fire that is the world today*</i> this. When I was in college I jumped through a bunch of hoops and met my birthmother. One never knows what to expect with these things, but things went well and we had a friendly, cordial relationship until her death last year. I did not seek out my birthfather at that time because I'd learned he'd died more than a decade prior, so what was the point? A little over a year ago, quite by accident, I happened to encounter a paternal half-sibling online, which lead to my learning a great deal more about my birthfather than I'd known before. That baby-faced guy above? That's Dick Fagan, my birthfather. He died from a heart attack in 1978, when I was 7 years old. He had three other children. He lived in the Houston area most of his life. Others have claimed a striking resemblence between his facial features and mine. Personally, I don't see it. </p>
Here's where it gets interesting: he was a musician all his life, although he never had any great success. His biggest claim to fame is recording six songs for three singles with Sarg Records out of Luling, Texas, in 1958. This is the same record lable that gave Willie Nelson his start. Most of his recordings have been reissued on various compilations through Bear Family Records, including a pricey Sarg Records boxed set. He performed at the time alternately as Dick Fagan and the Scores and Dick Fagan and the Hi-Scores. Here's the <a href=https://www.bear-family.com/fagan-dick/>Bear Family Records</a> bio on him:</p>
<blockquote>DICK FAGAN was another singer from Houston to join Sarg in 1956. Fagan's debut recording for the label was a nondescript country outing, but by the next year he was experimenting with rock 'n' roll. He cut the Eddie Cochran-esque lament "I Got A Ticket" twice for Sarg: the previously unissued demo version (probably dating from 1957) is less frantic but better recorded than the released version, which was cut at Don Robey's studio sometime in 1958. Both are heard here. The equally rocking "I Gotta Learn" also dates from the Robey session.</p>
On all of these songs, Fagan is accompanied by a white vocal group known as the Scores. Their identities, as well as the names of Fagan's backing musicians, remain unknown, save for lead guitarist Dickie Blevins. Blevins would go on to extensively record under his own name and as Dick Allen; Fagan would only record once more, for Dan Mechura's Nu-Star label in Houston, before his death in 1978.</blockquote></p>
Fagan's early recordings leaned heavily into rockabilly, but as he got older his sound gravitated more to mainstream country and western. By the 1970s he was playing regular gigs in the Houston area as Dick Fagan and the Country Pros, with his brother, guitarist Ron Fagan, in the band. It's unclear if he ever made additional studio recordings--I've not been able to find any information on the Nu-Star lable mentioned by Bear Family. I know live recordings exist and these give the impression of a tight, experienced group performing mostly popular covers during various gigs. It's all interesting as a piece of Texas music history. The fact that I have a connection to it--tenuous though it may be--is just a bonus. In an idealized world I'd be a huge rockabilly fan and this would explain much about my musical tastes. Alas, although I respect rockabilly as a genre I'm largely indifferent to it. For anyone curious about Dick Fagan's early flirtations with musical stardom, the available singles are linked below for your listening pleasure.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO7Qw6CvdASpfZKLSde3ZqxxOoP90GlRpC93rzm-5RGmbE54Aj1Nybt62MiUpDboFRTKEgWNhUMm9Y2Xx8T6PouF0VDUJuN7oBvrkefyFDhLpxMdHm2nSEhJL1Z4uwixJexizH7Yzh_WyqlIROY2fj-bDDrHiPOf1u6geZp0gsg30_JCrfQ_UpYQ/s1500/DickFagan3.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="Dick Fagan & the Hi-Scores" border="0" height="400" data-original-height="1500" data-original-width="1468" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgO7Qw6CvdASpfZKLSde3ZqxxOoP90GlRpC93rzm-5RGmbE54Aj1Nybt62MiUpDboFRTKEgWNhUMm9Y2Xx8T6PouF0VDUJuN7oBvrkefyFDhLpxMdHm2nSEhJL1Z4uwixJexizH7Yzh_WyqlIROY2fj-bDDrHiPOf1u6geZp0gsg30_JCrfQ_UpYQ/s400/DickFagan3.jpg"/></a></div></p>
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mgWahHkThIg?si=76PRWVqK0wigPpAH" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Mike Simpson <i>Jungle Odyssey</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-80015688702956492232024-01-12T15:07:00.002-06:002024-01-12T15:10:25.930-06:00Friday Night Videos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s1600/FridayNightVideos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" alt="Friday Night Videos" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s320/FridayNightVideos.jpg"></a></div></p>
So we've got a massive Arctic front barreling down on Texas expected to push temperatures down into the teens by Sunday, so I'll be spending this evening and Saturday covering banana and citrus plants and hauling other frost-sensitive tropicals into the garage and other places of warmth so they're not killed by the unnatural cold. Needless to say, I'm not terribly thrilled by all this because I intensely dislike the cold. So this week's installment of Friday Night Videos has me dreaming of warmer climes and sunny weather with Sugar Land's <a href=https://youtu.be/npbiMJzNJII?si=XkLMOGEgy76uUTVE>"All I Want To Do."</a> Man, summer cannot get here fast enough!</p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/npbiMJzNJII?si=XkLMOGEgy76uUTVE" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
Previously on Friday Night Videos... <a href=http://jlbgibberish.blogspot.com/2024/01/friday-night-videos.html>Styx</a>.</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Lalo Schifrin <i>Music from Mission: Impossible</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-3961581627998649362024-01-05T14:47:00.000-06:002024-01-05T14:47:07.163-06:00A Moment of Tiki: Nathanael Ross Smith<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_yf3k_q7uxCi1FqDblwbZP0_68zy4ozYmG7lDXpMmm_DXKBKfZh19y4I46yICyrjzxTsvuDlqRIHeJVAyfyPvq-oaxLjQMvA4NC2G9sg0Ry9PYGXrYs2oNukbApp469T_e8OqqHI5LPs2Vpuodzm_HNA82APyeppI5P6LRD7O8IMiLGMSKXF1w/s5700/matt%20wargun.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="Nathanael Ross Smith mai tai glass design" border="0" width="600" data-original-height="1370" data-original-width="5700" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9_yf3k_q7uxCi1FqDblwbZP0_68zy4ozYmG7lDXpMmm_DXKBKfZh19y4I46yICyrjzxTsvuDlqRIHeJVAyfyPvq-oaxLjQMvA4NC2G9sg0Ry9PYGXrYs2oNukbApp469T_e8OqqHI5LPs2Vpuodzm_HNA82APyeppI5P6LRD7O8IMiLGMSKXF1w/s600/matt%20wargun.jpg"/></a></div>
Happy 2024! In the first episode of A MOMENT OF TIKI for the new year, Jayme sits down with Nathanael Ross Smith, an artist probably best known for his illustration work done for the tiki bar Pagan Idol in San Francisco. During our conversation, Nathanael discusses his love for Universal monsters, film noir, tiki culture, the mid century design aesthetic, bad Roger Corman movies and touring as a professional bassist for the folk rock group The Oh Hellos. Nathanael mentioned he'd designed a custom mai tai glass for a home tiki bar and I said I would share it during the episode. Well, that didn't happen, but the glass design may be viewed above for those who are curious. The episode itself may be watched at the link below:</p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/OMCLa75ugo0?si=_kK9VsBEzg0IPrzd" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
I also realize now that I've been lax in sharing recent episodes here, so let me catch up real quick. In episode 62, I carved a tiki based on the logo/mascot from the late 1950s television series "Hawaiian Eye":</p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/b1iQaxoopso?si=1VmYqPycNrC_urfI" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
In episode 61, I acquired a replica whaling harpoon from an estate sale and took viewers on a step-by-step restoration of the piece:</p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/WQ-6lzoAAnE?si=zYTyz8_bVbucuvu9" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
In episode 60, I construct way too many tiki light covers for a soon-to-be open new tiki bar in downtown New Braunfels:</p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ShI4BeH-acA?si=EFmxNcYv1SXuHhM2" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
And finally, in episode 59, I show how I power carved two Tiki Bobs--one an outdoor sculpture and the other an indoor side table. These were a lot of fun to put together and I hope you find them equally entertaining:</p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pgBGNhSsUvY?si=qttA0cBqxQdC5kOy" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Martin Denny <i>Hynotique</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-46879032765134971352024-01-05T14:28:00.001-06:002024-01-05T14:28:18.070-06:00Friday Night Videos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s1600/FridayNightVideos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" alt="Friday Night Videos" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s320/FridayNightVideos.jpg"></a></div></p>
Styx had largely faded from the radio by the time I got into pop/rock music, but there's no denying they put together a greatest hits collection of catchy tunes. <a href=https://youtu.be/5XcKBmdfpWs?si=REF0PrU9yoI1x0Xj>"Too Much Time on My Hands"</a> is a prime example of that. And the video that accompanies it is a convincing argument that Spinal Tap was based (at least visually) a great deal on Styx. Change my mind.</p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/5XcKBmdfpWs?si=REF0PrU9yoI1x0Xj" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
Previously on Friday Night Videos... <a href=http://jlbgibberish.blogspot.com/2023/12/friday-night-videos.html>The Kinks</a>.</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Gene Rains <i>Rains in the Tropics</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-26619822879694619872023-12-22T20:55:00.002-06:002023-12-22T20:55:59.275-06:00Friday Night Videos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s1600/FridayNightVideos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" alt="Friday Night Videos" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s320/FridayNightVideos.jpg"></a></div></p>
Best Christmas song? Or best Christmas song ever? The Kinks' <a href=https://youtu.be/fPPCPqDINEk?si=ueBBXQ6xB7IRkgn->"Father Christmas"</a>.</p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fPPCPqDINEk?si=ueBBXQ6xB7IRkgn-" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
Previously on Friday Night Videos... <a href=http://jlbgibberish.blogspot.com/2023/11/friday-night-videos_17.html>Amadeus Electric String Quartet</a>.</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Kacey Musgraves <i>A Very Kacey Christmas</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-9789705440276361482023-12-13T09:47:00.002-06:002023-12-13T09:47:59.910-06:00Kaiju theater: Godzilla Minus One<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTm-zSQYAZF_-v1KkUltTqIOxQKu6uYjwtxPPa12ieHkKcRxze-4rm21RdiO7DpBXgap92edNN2S_aYpmU7ZhqCt_Vo09vnVFuiF0DILGTzejp_jPBiMiBgXvQmdf7HSBP99qG6Tsaki9U-RbAQ63gA8jHwSMbT17No7j4u7B_zYYbxhyphenhyphenUBqhdxQ/s1600/GodzillaMinusOne.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" data-original-height="360" data-original-width="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTm-zSQYAZF_-v1KkUltTqIOxQKu6uYjwtxPPa12ieHkKcRxze-4rm21RdiO7DpBXgap92edNN2S_aYpmU7ZhqCt_Vo09vnVFuiF0DILGTzejp_jPBiMiBgXvQmdf7HSBP99qG6Tsaki9U-RbAQ63gA8jHwSMbT17No7j4u7B_zYYbxhyphenhyphenUBqhdxQ/s1600/GodzillaMinusOne.png"/></a></div>I finally saw <i>Godzilla Minus One</i>. I went on a Tuesday night and was equally surprised and delighted to see the screening was maybe 75% full. Contrast that with my previous experience of seeing a first-run Japanese Godzilla in theaters, when I was the only person there for a showing of <i>Godzilla Millennium</i> back in 2000. I have to report, with no degree of exaggeration, that <i>Godzilla Minus One</i> is easily the best Godzilla movie ever made. The conventional wisdom with Kaiju films is that the human characters/plots don't matter, that they are merely filler between monster fights. This is the first GOdzilla film where not only are the human characters compelling, but they are critical to framing the sheer scale and terror of Godzilla's rampage. This is what I was hoping we'd get (but didn't) with the U.S. Godzilla/Kong films (not in terms of plot, but rather in compelling human narrative, ie a smart script).</p>
This is a film that has a <b>LOT</b> to say thematically about Japanese culture, WWII, PTSD, found family, the ease of dying vs. the difficulty of living, forgiveness, vengeance... I'm still processing it all. </p>
The cinematography is lush and sophisticated. The direction is confident and intentional. The script is tight, thoughtful and very smart. The performers are all acting in an intense period drama... that just happens to have a giant Kaiju destroying cities. I won't go so far as to say this is the best film of the year as others have, but I will say it is among the best films of the year. It should absolutely earn a Oscar nomination in the best foreign film category.</p>
While I don't think this is technically a remake of the original 1954 <i>Godzilla</i>, it is absolutely a remake. There is no way this film exists without that predecessor. So many story beats and visual cues are direct callbacks to that landmark movie. That said, this is its own film that is not slavishly retreading the trail blazed by the first. A significant part of the narrative was recycled from 1991's <i>Godzilla vs. King Ghidorah</i> (a very fun film, but also a very dumb one) far more effectively than in that earlier film. Also, Isao Takahata's 1988 masterpiece <i>Grave of the Fireflies</i> echoes throughout. I never thought I'd say that about a Toho Godzilla film, but the comparisons are inescapable. My one complaint is that the monster design is influenced by 2016's <i>Shin Godzilla</i>, an interesting film but not my favorite Godzilla interpretation. </p>
Not all in this film is doom and despair, however. I literally <i><b>squeed</i></b> in the theater when I saw what plane would be used in the finale. No spoilers, but this is literally my favorite fighter design of World War II and was the clearest sign that the filmmakers are 1) history buffs and 2) were pulling out all the stops. </p>
<i>Godzilla Minus One</i> was produced for a reported $15 million. It <i>looks</i> like a $150 million film. Seriously. It is magnificent. Like <i>Colossal</i> did in 2016, it resets expectations of what stories Kaiju films are capable of telling. Among <i>Godzilla Minus One, Shin Godzilla</i> and the Godzilla anime trilogy, Toho is pushing the proverbial envelope with its Godzilla films. There is an inventiveness in these films, a willingness to think outside the box and take risks with a franchise recognized around the world. For this, I applaud them and hope they continue to surprise us for decades to come. If you have even passing interest in giant monster movies, so see this one. It's that good.</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Various artists <i>Ultra-Lounge Christmas Cocktails</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-2519808130968174212023-11-17T10:52:00.002-06:002023-11-17T10:52:58.783-06:00Friday Night Videos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s1600/FridayNightVideos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" alt="Friday Night Videos" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s320/FridayNightVideos.jpg"></a></div></p>
Ever since Wustfest last week I've been on a Falco kick. Which isn't unusual, as I have long enjoyed the music of that late Austrian pop star ever since he hit it big in the U.S. with "Rock Me Amadeus." So it is understandable how baffled I am that I am only now discovering this cover of <a href=https://youtu.be/4DYoXhIu6T8?si=vDMkYoCibxrp3h3N>"Rock Me Amadeus"</a> by the supremely talented group, Amadeus-The Electric String Quartet. This is a magnificent interpretation of the song, combining Falco's pop hooks with Mozart's classical compositions in an elegant, high-energy, gonzo presentation. Seriously, this is gloriously nuts.</p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4DYoXhIu6T8?si=vDMkYoCibxrp3h3N" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
Previously on Friday Night Videos... <a href=http://jlbgibberish.blogspot.com/2023/11/friday-night-videos.html>Julie London</a>.</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Ethel Azama <i>Exotic Dreams</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-86077078626468334802023-11-10T09:12:00.003-06:002023-11-10T09:12:38.703-06:00Friday Night Videos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s1600/FridayNightVideos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" alt="Friday Night Videos" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s320/FridayNightVideos.jpg"></a></div></p>
Julie London started out as an actress but made an unplanned foray into jazz, where she became an absolutely dominant torch singer in the 50s and 60s despite having only a handful of actual hits. <a href=https://youtu.be/SwheXIa8Cl0?si=8D2uI6Mcm6m2sPri>"Cry Me A River,"</a> is probably her best-known song, although she recorded close to three dozen albums in her career before smoking ruined her voice and forced her to stop singing. This sequence from the 1956 film "Girl Can't Help It" gives a hint of the charisma that made London such a star. </p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SwheXIa8Cl0?si=8D2uI6Mcm6m2sPri" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
Previously on Friday Night Videos... <a href=http://jlbgibberish.blogspot.com/2023/10/friday-night-videos_088557075.html>Shel Silverstein</a>.</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Various Artists <i>Music for a Bachelor's Den, vol. 2</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-48410486027908549412023-10-27T15:00:00.001-05:002023-10-27T15:00:00.156-05:00Friday Night Videos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s1600/FridayNightVideos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" alt="Friday Night Videos" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s320/FridayNightVideos.jpg"></a></div></p>
And now for something completely different: Shel Silverstein performing <a href=https://youtu.be/kw3eU5yTZsg?si=Kuuw4XszLmtsgQON>"Show It At The Beach,"</a> with a cameo from Dr. Hook and the Medicine Show (for whom Shel wrote several popular hits as well as multiple album cuts). Silverstein's prowess as a poet is well-lauded but his songwriting skills are often overlooked. His wry social commentary may be more relevant today than it was back in the 1970s when he recorded this. </p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kw3eU5yTZsg?si=Kuuw4XszLmtsgQON" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
Previously on Friday Night Videos... <a href=http://jlbgibberish.blogspot.com/2023/10/friday-night-videos_20.html>Peter Gabriel</a>.</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Brian Wilson <i>Smile</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-19091649864096484692023-10-27T13:27:00.000-05:002023-10-27T13:27:01.137-05:00Chicken Ranch anniversary: Sheriff T.J. Flournoy (1902-1982) <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SUzTycUIRww/Vi9vmj-I40I/AAAAAAAAEl0/NW8D58YbIkU/s1600/BigJim102715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SUzTycUIRww/Vi9vmj-I40I/AAAAAAAAEl0/NW8D58YbIkU/s400/BigJim102715.jpg" /></a></div>On this date in 1982, Fayette County Sheriff T.J. "Jim" Flournoy died at the age of 80. Big Jim, as he was known, was the longest-serving sheriff in Fayette County history, had a two-year run as a Texas Ranger during World War II and several stints as a deputy in various jurisdictions. He shot to fame, of course, by defending the Chicken Ranch brothel when KTRK-TV newsman Marvin Zindler campaigned to shut it down. Zindler returned to La Grange on December 30, 1974 to do a follow-up story, and that's where he encountered Sheriff Flournoy. The altercation ended with the Sheriff stomping on Zindler's toupée in the middle of the street, and Zindler heading back to Houston with several cracked ribs. Lawsuits flew back and forth for years, before the two eventually settled out of court.</p>
Autographed copies of <i>Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch: The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse</i> 50th anniversary edition are available from my <a href=https://jaymeblaschke.bigcartel.com/>Big Cartel shop.</a> It's also available as an ebook in the following formats: <a href=https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01HFZAOY4/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp=1789&creative=9325&creativeASIN=B01HFZAOY4&linkCode=as2&tag=jaymeblaschke-20&linkId=eed51780609da7dfe6f7d10c580d03fb>Kindle</a>, <a href=http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/inside-the-texas-chicken-ranch-jayme-lynn-blaschke/1123636649;jsessionid=B163094C476E2233A643AA16017C1085.prodny_store02-atgap05?ean=9781439657041>Nook</a>, <a href=https://play.google.com/store/search?q=9781439657041&c=books&PA>Google Play</a>, <a href=https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/inside-texas-chicken-ranch/id1127282637?mt=11>iBooks</a> and <a href=https://store.kobobooks.com/en-us/ebook/inside-the-texas-chicken-ranch>Kobo</a>.</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Buffalo Springfield <i>Retrospective</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-65029728611660521862023-10-20T16:53:00.000-05:002023-10-20T16:53:06.943-05:00Friday Night Videos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s1600/FridayNightVideos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" alt="Friday Night Videos" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s320/FridayNightVideos.jpg"></a></div></p>
Peter Gabriel played Austin earlier this week. I wanted to see the show, as he's one of my favorite performers who I've yet to see live, but the stars did not align for me. Bummer. So instead I'll share the song of his that I love above all others <a href=https://youtu.be/CnVf1ZoCJSo?si=Mqti3tBvzNFb6B-4>"Shock the Monkey."</a> My freshman year in college I dressed up as the "tribal" Peter from the video. I looked amazing with full face paint. Sadly, absolutely nobody knew what I was supposed to be. Typical. </p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CnVf1ZoCJSo?si=CZTwa6AZ2Iwzhqo2" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
Previously on Friday Night Videos... <a href=http://jlbgibberish.blogspot.com/2023/10/friday-night-videos.html>The Mike Curb Congregation</a>.</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Don Henley <i>California Desperados</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-78204318138829600172023-10-19T10:33:00.003-05:002023-10-19T10:33:40.689-05:00I watched all of Clone Wars so you don't have to (but maybe you should)<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWE2IscAbvaf3EtuG69kuhBTaQtu1JJnxuiTiXgnzgBFhK4Bufn93IQZfHo6Vud4sOAPuS6faRtSnlvNE4yh78sGXbUnL13IeOTU-UsFEXpbwIpEL4CIlnm95rtcJWf9mIPakHeS9VZhGUF8FjC2E3f1PbOMVIvXfitoWBoljfuSf8wAIVzv9OTg/s1400/Screenshot%202023-10-19%20at%2010-13-55%20Maul-and-Ahsoka-fight-in-The-Phantom-Apprentice.avif%20%28AVIF%20Image%201400%20%C3%97%20700%20pixels%29.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="Darth Maul and Ahsoka Tano lightsaber duel from The Phantom Apprentice" border="0" width="600" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="1400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWE2IscAbvaf3EtuG69kuhBTaQtu1JJnxuiTiXgnzgBFhK4Bufn93IQZfHo6Vud4sOAPuS6faRtSnlvNE4yh78sGXbUnL13IeOTU-UsFEXpbwIpEL4CIlnm95rtcJWf9mIPakHeS9VZhGUF8FjC2E3f1PbOMVIvXfitoWBoljfuSf8wAIVzv9OTg/s600/Screenshot%202023-10-19%20at%2010-13-55%20Maul-and-Ahsoka-fight-in-The-Phantom-Apprentice.avif%20%28AVIF%20Image%201400%20%C3%97%20700%20pixels%29.png"/></a></div>So I watched the entirety of the <i>Clone Wars</i> animated series. I know there are many who are passionately devoted to this show and Dave Filoni is drawing on significant elements of continuity established therein for the live-action Disney+ shows, so I wanted to grok all the interconnected threads. </p>
Being the obsessive that I am, I started with the Genndy Tartakovsky <i>Clone Wars</i> shorts. I didn't get Cartoon Network when they first aired so had never seen them. I'm glad I made the effort. Highly stylized and action-oriented, these shorts introduce character who play significant roles in Filoni's <i>Clone Wars</i> series, even if Tartakovsky's version is no longer canon. </p>
The animated <i>Clone Wars</i> movie that launches the series introduces Padawan Ahsoka Tano and pairs her with Jedi Anakin Skywalker. This movie was met with much criticism upon release. It's not great. It tries very hard to be hip and edgy for pre-teens but only manages to come off as annoying. Quality wise, it's about on par with the direct-to-video animated sequels Disney used to pump out for their classic films. It is understandable why this one is not held in high regard. It almost put me off watching the series, but I soldiered on. </p>
Seasons 1-4 of <i>Clone Wars</i> is much better, relatively speaking. I didn't feel it great, mind you. Compared to the animated shows aimed at kids from the 80s and 90s, yes, these episodes are more sophisticated and polished. There's still an echo of shoehorned "life lessons" apparent throughout, though. It's still a kid's show, albeit one parents can watch with their kids and not get too restless. The mid-Atlantic newsreel voiceover to start the episodes was certainly a choice, but I don't think every Star Wars project needs to replicate the opening crawl from the original films. The stylized animation took some getting used to but I came to accept it. So yeah, light years ahead of <i>Ewok Adventures</i> and <i>Star Wars Droids</i>. </p>
Season 5 sees an interesting shift. Stand-alone and two-part episodes are abandoned in favor of five story arcs. Some are juvenile with those pesky life lessons, but others... Darth Maul returns. There is intrigue on Mandalore. Ahsoka is framed for murder and expelled from the Jedi Council. The series takes a serious turn and stops being a kiddie show. I take exception to George Lucas' revisionist history that <i>Star Wars</i> was "always a kids show." No, the original <i>Star Wars</i> was an "all ages" show. There's a big difference. In season 5 Filoni took <i>Clone Wars</i> from being a kids show to being an all ages show. It started feeling more like <i>Star Wars</i> and less like a <i>Star Wars</i> spinoff. </p>
Season 6 and 7 came about after <i>Clone Wars</i> had been cancelled by Cartoon Network. At the time, they had 65 unfinished episodes in various stage of production for (presumably) three more full seasons. 25 of these unfinished episodes were ultimately completed (heavily referencing some of those other unfinished episodes that weren't so fortunate) to comprise two final seasons of 13 and 12 episodes. Again, these seasons lean heavily on multi-episode story arcs. What's more, they directly reference events from the prequels and build on the personalities of various clone troopers established earlier in the series. There are stakes here. Even a casual fan of <i>Star Wars</i> knows the ultimate outcome of many of these plotlines, but it's engrossing because we don't know <b>how</b> it will play out, who will live or who will die or who will fall somewhere in between. The final four episodes take place concurrently with events from <i>Revenge of the Sith</i> and presented as a story distinct from the rest of the <i>Clone Wars</i> series. And it works so well. The final two seasons of <i>Clone Wars</i> elevate all three of Lucas' <i>Star Wars</i> prequels, flawed though they may be. This isn't some backhanded compliment like saying JJ Abrams' sequel trilogy making the prequels look better in comparison. No, these final 25 episodes genuinely make the prequels better, filling in certain plot holes and adding context and character and a great deal of "what if?" for roads not taken. </p>
It's doubtful seasons 1-4 could ever had achieved that level of sophistication and depth given the corporate and studio mandates Filoni was operating under, but the early cancellation likely gave him the freedom to go for broke and tell the stories he truly wanted to tell, corporate pushback be damned. If that's the case, then bravo, sir. Success on all counts. </p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: The Moody Blues <i>Time Traveller</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-57710981419141619872023-10-15T22:58:00.004-05:002023-10-15T22:58:56.030-05:002023 Annular Eclipse <div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcywHbNxOWhzKv805ASRxm_UnOBdVgLd8U3KgMLa7O3RuEBnanNqAXQlcocc-pLE35mSAWRgFrvUHR5Ts4q2YyVthro47IkljtFGjpfNs0w3j_OZbTe1EWURX29YLC41RjwjXGU2vOAW5m7UeAPbAkmquSdW46k8QEVIJ61oGn6Zru8RmUuLPfg/s4128/20231014_103010.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: right; float: right;"><img alt="Jayme in front of telescope during annular solar eclipse Oct. 14, 2023" hspace="15" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="3096" data-original-width="4128" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDcywHbNxOWhzKv805ASRxm_UnOBdVgLd8U3KgMLa7O3RuEBnanNqAXQlcocc-pLE35mSAWRgFrvUHR5Ts4q2YyVthro47IkljtFGjpfNs0w3j_OZbTe1EWURX29YLC41RjwjXGU2vOAW5m7UeAPbAkmquSdW46k8QEVIJ61oGn6Zru8RmUuLPfg/s320/20231014_103010.jpg"/></a></div>So, the 2023 annular eclipse has come and gone. I have long harbored interest in astronomy, and by extension, astrophotography. Alas, due to a number of frustrations my efforts have dwindled almost nil over the past decade. The coming double-whammy of the anular eclipse and total solar eclipse sparked a stirring of ambition in me, and I resolved to photograph both. As New Braunfels is outside the zone of totality for both eclipses, I had to travel west to experience the full effect. Unsure of how many people would turn out for this thing (many otherwise free public parks were charging admission!) I hit upon setting up my viewing in a somewhat obscure picnic area on Interstate 10 between Boerne and Comfort. Sure enough, when I arrived shortly before 10 a.m. on Oct. 14, the picnic area was mostly deserted save for a handful of truckers pulled over to grab a bit of sleep.</p>
I quickly staked out my preferred site and set up. For those intersted in the techical aspects, I used a Meade 645 Newtonian telescope with a basic, worm-screw tracking drive. I plugged the drive into a inverter connected to a deep-cycle marine battery for power. I rough aligned the tracking mount using a compass to determine north. Over the front of the scope I attached a filter I constructed using Baader Planetarium AstroSolar Safety Film--the same setup I used to photograph the <a href=https://jlbgibberish.blogspot.com/2012/06/sometimes-when-faced-with-once-in.html>transit of Venus</a> a decade ago. The camera I used is a Rebet T3i modified for astrophotography. Camera settings were 100 ISO with a shutter speed of 1/2000. Aperture is f/5 set by the telescope. Focus was manual and seeing (turbulence in the atmosphere) was only fair, hampering my efforts to get really detailed images. To the camera I attached a Neewer remote programmed to trigger the camera once every 20 seconds, resulting in three photographs per minute.</p>
The clouds stayed mostly away. I managed to capture some sunspots in my images but beyond that there was almost no detail for my simple setup to capture. In hindsight, I did better with focusing than I thought at the time. I'll be better prepared what to expect next April for the total eclipse. Ultimately, I ended up with 566 photos, start to finish. I'm working on a detailed edit of a selection of them, but here's a sampling with a quick bit of processing:<br><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ70YlcEDEaHFzA-Df6whQaL1pmYmDkbTxvX7HMxLSFnSkcJCdy7Tu-u9U7rrJi-w3AwhH2A_e8-Y-1OgAq5p8r17uNEymOUoW-TCNLlZb9lFc_mwbiJs5eXsZSvJdOMyX0WdxPRUyluFrTXnFqt84tQ5UDrAtUyWpFNSuOx6hhfAzku2Q_pcgFA/s1600/IMG_8396-sq.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="Annular eclipse from Texas Oct. 14, 2023" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQ70YlcEDEaHFzA-Df6whQaL1pmYmDkbTxvX7HMxLSFnSkcJCdy7Tu-u9U7rrJi-w3AwhH2A_e8-Y-1OgAq5p8r17uNEymOUoW-TCNLlZb9lFc_mwbiJs5eXsZSvJdOMyX0WdxPRUyluFrTXnFqt84tQ5UDrAtUyWpFNSuOx6hhfAzku2Q_pcgFA/s400/IMG_8396-sq.jpg"/></a></div></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQ1d-byTDdHQSmkDFtG2KJbTxWqe4DHnTx9Ega0DOC9Cpf6_Z7N2TsYfO7xxmIuKUnK0ZFGqdaFe0Rauo90_Cg-_-INBiVjWRiqe42xN-ilQEMcRNOTRhp069nf-ZSfcRDqOYkexMnriIEbyXj-rTzf6CCPzAbQy9zR6hQvQtO7ZDTJeNQQqIXw/s1600/IMG_8588-sq.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="Annular eclipse from Texas Oct. 14, 2023" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUQ1d-byTDdHQSmkDFtG2KJbTxWqe4DHnTx9Ega0DOC9Cpf6_Z7N2TsYfO7xxmIuKUnK0ZFGqdaFe0Rauo90_Cg-_-INBiVjWRiqe42xN-ilQEMcRNOTRhp069nf-ZSfcRDqOYkexMnriIEbyXj-rTzf6CCPzAbQy9zR6hQvQtO7ZDTJeNQQqIXw/s400/IMG_8588-sq.jpg"/></a></div></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhct9cc9_XGqYu7dp81druEnDLZImQ8ZTn7CJ3XuDYrb1CdjIQSgW17CSy9eaIGDfBQKbh62mN9wLvYmIt3NtNwRt1gG8ptZeyGNfRfrpNUcQvYvsV1tzVY5Ko57XCZgCYhqO2vp52XDF4EvyD7GUc_9ntyusUE0uLcZZkT6tipikSKiH1txB_Gxg/s1600/IMG_8610-sq.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="Annular eclipse from Texas Oct. 14, 2023" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhct9cc9_XGqYu7dp81druEnDLZImQ8ZTn7CJ3XuDYrb1CdjIQSgW17CSy9eaIGDfBQKbh62mN9wLvYmIt3NtNwRt1gG8ptZeyGNfRfrpNUcQvYvsV1tzVY5Ko57XCZgCYhqO2vp52XDF4EvyD7GUc_9ntyusUE0uLcZZkT6tipikSKiH1txB_Gxg/s400/IMG_8610-sq.jpg"/></a></div></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLOui5eQq79vFt2RThJz42lAJj4zVIyhU4hNfzJCt12SBno4NKtx0sdkeO_Dq9YOy-GUovRNLcqPotwSLEFzh_F7WeIgq15OYo-EcPWrEUXUVVG-OveyVzrc2GdnFJMW4n1Vo365kdM3UkR88K9DvIzGqoNjp11e_v8183aqZp-CZ6VvXzhM0nEw/s1600/IMG_8615-sq.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="Annular eclipse from Texas Oct. 14, 2023" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLOui5eQq79vFt2RThJz42lAJj4zVIyhU4hNfzJCt12SBno4NKtx0sdkeO_Dq9YOy-GUovRNLcqPotwSLEFzh_F7WeIgq15OYo-EcPWrEUXUVVG-OveyVzrc2GdnFJMW4n1Vo365kdM3UkR88K9DvIzGqoNjp11e_v8183aqZp-CZ6VvXzhM0nEw/s400/IMG_8615-sq.jpg"/></a></div></p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUhnnfcUNR1YtpyL6JlUjdTL1TZ0YAh3Z_kXAZdN_G7cZ0lPaIZ9o5TzRrXibKG_k7bMkZ2ul7ocUrmUtWDP7PtKh265remz_yHlcxlwaU6ZdLKvVO0E5RKjCro-7SqfaYLhyYpQAMahP7iVW6edpRTgoeZJXlIn8zJnkbGnyngYmxFvgAgcO6Q/s1600/IMG_8777-sq.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="Annular eclipse from Texas Oct. 14, 2023" border="0" width="400" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUhnnfcUNR1YtpyL6JlUjdTL1TZ0YAh3Z_kXAZdN_G7cZ0lPaIZ9o5TzRrXibKG_k7bMkZ2ul7ocUrmUtWDP7PtKh265remz_yHlcxlwaU6ZdLKvVO0E5RKjCro-7SqfaYLhyYpQAMahP7iVW6edpRTgoeZJXlIn8zJnkbGnyngYmxFvgAgcO6Q/s400/IMG_8777-sq.jpg"/></a></div></p>
As i said, the picnic area was mostly deserted when I set up but it didn't stay that way for long. By peak eclipse I'd been joined by dozens of folks who pulled off the highway to watch. One guy from Houston had a nice little Celestron scope he was shooting the eclipse with--he hadn't set up any alignment but was using the electronic controls to slew the scope and manually track the sun. Another guy brought his daughter all the way from New Jersey(!) to see the spectacle--they'd originally planned to go to Hondo, but early morning weather reports indicated cloudy skies so they decided to head to Kerrville instead. Unfortunately the rental agency botched their reservation and they almost missed the show. We had a good talk and he took selfies with myself and the Houston astronomer before rushing back to San Antonio to catch a departing flight. Another couple sat on the picnic tables behind me and chatted amiably during the event. Once the "ring of fire" broke and the moon began to uncover the sun the crowd dissipated quickly. Only myself and the Celestron guy from Houston stuck around to the very end. </p>
All in all, I quite enjoyed the experience. I've only experienced partial solar eclipses before and had never gone into any with purpose. I'd planned my strategy, packed my car the night before and everything went as planned--whick is unheared of for me. I learned some valuable lessons this outing and am hopeful that I will be better prepared for the total eclipse in April of 2024. We shall see.</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Andre Kostelanetz <i>Lure of Paradise</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-7286221901405908702023-10-06T15:08:00.001-05:002023-10-06T15:08:26.330-05:00Book signing news<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgte1uxuzHUtKkiem9Yv19dyzyxdJfAdC2FN4IIxa1lCzfh0hyphenhyphenO85KXjRX75gu7ZQ0TMV8dB6e2ilOHX04iVn0XBQLALn_RdbmGfIfyEdmLC0IErTG3ZGv5CGDmNkZaTuSaYsvjdGn3H1FBDBaZML8oKf3IqIyAkrkEhArz3CZouPtxvplliw2rmA/s680/Pecantown.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: right; float: right;"><img alt="Pecantown Books and Brews in Seguin" border="0" width="320" hspace="10" data-original-height="453" data-original-width="680" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgte1uxuzHUtKkiem9Yv19dyzyxdJfAdC2FN4IIxa1lCzfh0hyphenhyphenO85KXjRX75gu7ZQ0TMV8dB6e2ilOHX04iVn0XBQLALn_RdbmGfIfyEdmLC0IErTG3ZGv5CGDmNkZaTuSaYsvjdGn3H1FBDBaZML8oKf3IqIyAkrkEhArz3CZouPtxvplliw2rmA/s320/Pecantown.jpg"/></a></div>In the "let's try this again" category, I have a book signing and discussion for my book, <i>Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch</i>, coming up on Oct. 7 from 1-3 p.m. at <a href=https://pecantownbooks.com/>Pecantown Books and Brews</a> in Seguin. Those of you who've been following along may recall a previous attempt at a signing here back in September had to be scrubbed because of an unexpected conflict. But we're back and looking forward to seeing folks turn out on Saturday. Pecantown is a nifty shop with several rooms filled with books plus a wine and beer bar. I think every bookstore should have a wine and beer bar incorporated into the general layout. Everybody wins!</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8K1yeXtUz7-8AhiBY1PEsMNazMgpDZH6WHDwu1Uy-0NmpVfs8dg6GGEuPumh_qOHLECr-T2VEqietfJ6_vkvTqi8wQ7qnRKAhTBa9Kvo72vnJVP7CclGeo8VISAYb6DNgxgQYXclmq2d3GoxeX9H-cBC4v_YHccI4VDDy1a5xXH5zTi0Js3AJQ/s849/MonkeyDog.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; clear: left; float: left;"><img alt="Monkey and Doge Books logo, Fort Worth" hspace="10"border="0" width="200" data-original-height="619" data-original-width="849" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjG8K1yeXtUz7-8AhiBY1PEsMNazMgpDZH6WHDwu1Uy-0NmpVfs8dg6GGEuPumh_qOHLECr-T2VEqietfJ6_vkvTqi8wQ7qnRKAhTBa9Kvo72vnJVP7CclGeo8VISAYb6DNgxgQYXclmq2d3GoxeX9H-cBC4v_YHccI4VDDy1a5xXH5zTi0Js3AJQ/s200/MonkeyDog.jpg"/></a></div>I also have fresh news to share--as in just confirmed minutes ago. I'm <i>finally</i> coming to the Metroplex for a signing event! After many false starts, misfires and schedule conflicts dating back to 2016 I am delighted to announce that I will be at <a href=https://www.monkeyanddogbooks.com/>Monkey and Dog Books</a> in Fort Worth on Nov. 4 for a 2-4 p.m. signing and discussion. The Dallas-Fort Worth area plays such a significant role in the history of the Chicken Ranch--both in Miss Edna's early days as a sex worker before she found her way to La Grange, to the start of that brothel's weird afterlife when the parlour section was shipped to Dallas to become a short-lived, chicken-themed restaurant. I mean, it's crazy I haven't made it up there, isn't it? Well, I go where I'm wanted and Monkey and Dog Books want me, so I hope to see you there in November!</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Various artists <i>The Virtuoso Trumpet</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-1995889735273134712023-10-06T14:40:00.002-05:002023-10-06T14:40:20.753-05:00Friday Night Videos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s1600/FridayNightVideos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" alt="Friday Night Videos" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s320/FridayNightVideos.jpg"></a></div></p>
"Kelly's Heroes" is probably my favorite war/heist movie. Its lunacy and irreverence brings me unconditional joy. I love it unconditionally. And you know what else I love? The film's defacto theme song, <a href=https://youtu.be/HXEUNh4dCmc?si=4DOZZXWszqAe_N9k>"Burning Bridges"</a> by the Mike Curb Congregation. This group never really did anything else that managed to hold my attention, but this one song is certainly a relentless earworm. And Mike Curb himself carved out an interesting and varied career. </p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HXEUNh4dCmc?si=4DOZZXWszqAe_N9k" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
Previously on Friday Night Videos... <a href=http://jlbgibberish.blogspot.com/2023/09/friday-nigt-videos.html>Greg Kihn Band</a>.</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Martin Hummel <i>Eternal Love: 17th Century German Lute Songs</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-13380842890412443262023-09-22T21:14:00.000-05:002023-09-22T21:14:13.309-05:00Friday Nigt Videos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s1600/FridayNightVideos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" alt="Friday Night Videos" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-EB63nV5fvOg/VQw967n64RI/AAAAAAAAETs/gXitFpdejvw/s320/FridayNightVideos.jpg"></a></div></p>
I am so happy to share this with you. In high school I went through a Greg Kihn phase. I literally wore out the cassette I had of <i>Citizen Kihn</i> because I thought it so great. Lots of cool, trippy, moody songs on that one. Alas, the first single off that album, "Lucky," struck me as one of the weaker tracks. It was a minor hit, barely cracking the Billboard top 20. Then the second single, <a href=http://jlbgibberish.blogspot.com/2023/09/friday-night-videos_0113210112.html>"Boys Won't"</a> came out. I saw this video on either Night Tracks of Friday Night Videos when it came out and thought it <i>amazing!</i> I told my friends about it in school. I was certain it would be a huge smash. Folks, I <b>NEVER</b> saw that video again until about eight years ago, and that was a grainy, Nth generation copy on YouTube with terrible audio. Kihn's career cratered after that, and I'm still baffled to this day how that album--which I thought the best of his career--just went nowhere. Regardless, this video is a hoot, from Kihnnedy High School to Nurse Canker, there's a playfull joy here with fun visuals and a catchy song. Enjoy!</p>
<center><iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/A3fwgecc_Os?si=Sm_r__KYBe8pgoO1" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" allowfullscreen></iframe></center></p>
Previously on Friday Night Videos... <a href=http://jlbgibberish.blogspot.com/2023/09/friday-night-videos_0113210112.html>Jim Stafford</a>.</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: Arthur Lyman <i>The Legend of Pele</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6598697.post-1464053121520570362023-09-22T09:00:00.001-05:002023-09-22T09:00:00.150-05:00Chicken Ranch anniversary: Happy birthday Sheriff Flournoy!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wVd79MO1R7c/WcUauhtCtrI/AAAAAAAAF6U/sU6stnZQB6UCbvZUr5Kn-u04CXVQ1-jOACLcBGAs/s1600/JimFlournoy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-wVd79MO1R7c/WcUauhtCtrI/AAAAAAAAF6U/sU6stnZQB6UCbvZUr5Kn-u04CXVQ1-jOACLcBGAs/s400/JimFlournoy.jpg" width="400" height="300" data-original-width="410" data-original-height="308" /></a></div>On this date in 1902, Thomas James Flournoy was born to Tom and Etta Flournoy on a ranch near Rock Island. He would grow up to work as a ranch hand on the famous King Ranch, a Texas Ranger patrolling the Big Bend region during World War II and--most famously--as the long-serving sheriff of Fayette County. Sheriff Jim famously defied political and media pressure to close down the infamous Chicken Ranch brothel outside of La Grange in 1973 before acquiescing to a direct order from Governor Dolph Briscoe. A year later, Sheriff Flournoy confronted Marvin Zindler on the town square, ripping off the reporter's hairpiece and throwing it in the street. The resulting lawsuits and counter suits were eventually settled out of court with a large donation to the Shriner's Children's Hospital.</p>
Sheriff Flournoy died on October 27, 1982, from heart problems. He would've been 121 years old today.</p>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.arcadiapublishing.com/texas-crime-history" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://3.bp.blogspot.com/-ZfZoWfSn9iw/V63yqTDBGzI/AAAAAAAAFAM/ZIB8108jbrE73jNIa65BfoKAp8v_NCrzQCLcB/s640/a-texas-chicken-ranch-banner.jpg" width="640" height="156" /></a></div></p></p>
Autographed copies of <a href=https://jaymeblaschke.bigcartel.com/><i>Inside the Texas Chicken Ranch: The Definitive Account of the Best Little Whorehouse</i></a> 50th anniversary edition are now available from my <a href=https://jaymeblaschke.bigcartel.com/>Big Cartel site</a>.</p>
<font size=2>Now Playing: John WIlliams <i>The Phantom Menace Original Soundtrack Recording</i></font>
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<a href=http://www.jaymeblaschke.com>Chicken Ranch Central</a>
Jayme Lynn Blaschkehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02919766841748858790noreply@blogger.com0