Blanksgiving

Thanksgiving. I’ve heard more than one person say it’s their least favorite holiday. One of my buddies has echoed that thought from the original Rocky movie “Yeah, to you it’s Thanksgiving; to me it’s Thursday.” Personally, I’ve been looking forward to it this year. Here are some options and observances:

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade – it’s on NBC. We didn’t have Macy’s where I grew up, but the Stix Baer & Fuller Thanksgiving Day Parade doesn’t have the same ring to it, does it?
Christmas Music – I look forward to our local classic hits station going 24/7 with it on Thanksgiving. I’ve never actually determined exactly when it starts, but I’ve already heard two different versions of “Santa Baby” on the first day.
Blanksgiving – Per this blog entry title, you can create your own one syllable event of your own like “Friendsgiving”. I’ve also seen Drinksgiving more than once this year. I can’t until we officially have Spanxgiving.
NFL Football – The Detroit Lions and Dallas Cowboys always play on Thanksgiving. I’d love to say more, but it’s not my thang.
Protesting – I can’t say I’ve seen any protests of the holiday in person, but it seems like pilgrim popularity has been waning. I wonder when buckled shoes and hats will be all the rage again? Also, should the name Myles Standish be part of it?
New Traditions – I did a quick search for songs with “turkey” in the title and found this gem. It’s the Johnny Otis Orchestra with “Turkey Hop”.

I’d love to say more, but I should probably see which stores are open today. More specifically, where can I buy some antacid?

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Geddy’s Baseball Adventure

I wasn’t too inspired to blog last week, but have an interesting story which I heard on a local Kansas City talk radio station (KMBZ-FM) and I think it bears repeating. Canadian band RUSH has been in the headlines recently because they announced they will tour again with a new drummer to fill the enormous shoes left by the death of Neil Peart. (Her name is Anika Nilles.)

That said, the story isn’t really about that at all. Instead, it’s something new I learned about RUSH bassist Geddy Lee. Apparently, he’s an avid baseball fan and collector. Recently, he donated a collection of 400 autographed baseballs to The Negro Leagues Baseball Museum, which is located in Kansas City, Missouri. https://www.nlbm.com/exhibit/the-geddy-lee-collection/ He wants to keep things “Closer to the Heart.”

I never knew Lee was into baseball or even collected for that matter, but that must be old news to fans of the Toronto Blue Jays. I saw at least one pic of him sitting behind home plate at a home game.

There is no shortage of division, differences, and animosity in the world today, but I think this story shows human beings CAN still find common ground regardless of race and nationality for starters.

Play Ball!

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Hairless Truman?

Well it’s a sad day in Independence, Missouri. Leila’s Hair Museum has officially closed its doors. In case you’re wondering, yes…I said HAIR museum. I’m pretty sure the first time I heard about the unique place was on a radio commercial for the Missouri Division of Tourism. I know I have driven past the nondescript looking building quite a few times. Apparently, hair art was all the rage in the Victorian era. I thought about including a song from the Hair soundtrack, but have instead opted for The Walter Trout Power Trio’s version of “Give Me Back My Wig.”

The original song was released by Lightnin’ Hopkins and covered by Hound Dog Taylor, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and others.

Getting back to the museum, Leila Cohoon was a cosmetologist who started collecting hair in the 50s and her collection grew too large for its own good. (I don’t think was in 1950s sci-fi movie kind of way, but you get the idea.) If you’re the slightest bit curious, please check out the following link: https://leilashairmuseum.net/history.html . Apparently, the museum boasted hair from a wide variety of historical figures including George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Elvis Presley, and Michael Jackson. Ozzy Osbourne even visited the museum!

If I could choose my all-time famous hair list for my own museum it would have to include Rapunzel, President Trump, Don King, Ron Wood, Rod Stewart, Conan O’Brien, Farrah Fawcett, Stevie Wonder, and any number of Viking conquerors…possibly Thor, too.

Oh, and the title of this blog entry is in reference to America’s 33rd President, Harry S. Truman. I don’t think he had any affiliation with the museum, but he is associated with Independence, Missouri.

Here are some alternate titles:

Hair ‘Em Scare ‘Em
A Night at the Hair Museum
Hairless-Kiri
Follicle Frenzy
Harry, Harry…Lend Me Your Comb

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Betwixt or Between?

It’s weird how we all are exposed to different pieces of art, whether it’s music, film, paintings or something else. Sometimes it comes via friends, family, or co-workers. Sometimes it seems completely random. Such is the case with the 2011 film “Twixt” which not only starred Val Kilmer, Bruce Dern, and Elle Fanning, but was directed by Francis Ford Coppola. I was basically channel surfing and came across this one. I couldn’t think of any songs with “betwixt” in the title so I’m sharing George Harrison’s tasty cover of “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea.”

I’d never seen the video prior to today, but it looks George was having good ole time with his musical mates.

Getting back to the film, “Twixt” was apparently inspired by a dream of Francis Ford Coppola’s. The basic story involves a low-budget writer (Kilmer) who arrives in a Gothic, Stephen King-eque town where he encounters the sheriff (Dern) and a ghostly young girl (Fanning). After Kilmer’s book signing at the local hardware store, he stays at The Chickering Hotel. It’s a place where Edgar Allen Poe stayed (at least in the story). There’s a lot more supernatural aspects to the story and it’s visually interesting to watch. There’s also some clocktower with 7 different times running simultaneously. “Twixt” is definitely an off the beaten path film.

From what I read, Coppola intended to release the film and then sort of extend different scenes as an audience was watching in the theatre. Cool concept, but it was costly.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

P.S. “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” was written by Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler. Cab Calloway recorded the original version.

Riffin’ on Diddy

In case you missed it, Sean “Diddy” Combs is on trial for sex trafficking. What do I think? I say he’s innocent until proven guilty, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun with his numerous aliases. He is known as the aforementioned “Diddy”. He has also been known as “Puff Daddy”, AKA “Puffy.” Man, that’s almost as many aliases as John Cougar Mellencamp! Here are some of my immediate and hopefully comedic alternative suggestions on his name(s).

Diddy or Didn’t He? I’ll be surprised if that hasn’t been a newspaper headline to date.
Puff Doodie. What does Diddy’s dog do or is it dog doo? He could sell officially licensed pooper scoopers to offset his legal fees.
Katydiddy. In case he ever wants to get his inner Kafka on and run around like a bug.
H.R. Did-N-Stuff. When I was in 4th grade, I was out sick for a week or more. When I returned, I found my classmates had started playing this bizarre record “H.R. Pufnstuf” in art class. I wanted to do a double Van Gogh and cut off both ears.
Maybe we should just call him “Manfred”?

6. In keeping with the musical theme, maybe “Diddie Wah” would be more appropriate?

7. How about a t-shirt with Mr. T on it? “I Pity the Diddy.”

8. Another t-shirt idea: Don’t tase me, Diddy! It’s a stretch, but thinking about that guy cracks me up.

9. Sean “Brushy” Combs. I wonder if he got called this on the playground?

10. Supercalifragilisticexpial DIDDY osous. This would only apply when it’s raining or he’s sweeping chimneys.

11. TAFKAD: The Artist Formerly Known As Diddy. I’m going to let him come up with his own non-verbal symbol for this one and hope it’s G-Rated. Or should it be TAFKADWFKAPD: The Artist Formerly Known As Diddy Who Was Formerly Known As Puff Daddy?

12. Cheesy Poof Daddy. He could advertise these snacks during South Park.

If I think of more, I’ll let you know.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

J.D. Who? — Word Search Included

I watched a film about J.D. Salinger…the author of “The Catcher in the Rye” today and it got me thinking about famous people who go by the moniker of “J.D.” In Salinger’s case, the letters actually stand for Jerome David, which is an interesting bit of trivia I most likely won’t remember. Friends of his in the film refer to him as “Jerry.” I thought about doing a series on him, but I don’t know that it will happen. Some considered him to be reclusive after the success of his aforementioned book. Apparently, people kept tracking him down and treating him like their own personal 8-ball fortune teller. “The Seeker” by The Who seems appropriate here.

Next on the list is J.D. Souther (pronounced SOUTH err). To me, he’s best known as a songwriter and an associate of The Eagles and penned “How Long”, which they recorded. The song was originally released on his album “John David Souther.”

Souther also co-wrote a number of other Eagles hits and worked with Linda Ronstadt. Apparently he did some acting a long the way and also grew up in Amarillo, TX.

Perhaps the best known “J.D.” of all time would be Jack Daniel, the Tennessee distiller whose name appears on the black and white label which bears his name. I don’t know if he people ever called him “J.D.”, but it would have been shorter than his actual name of Jasper Newton “Jack” Daniel.

As a Mother’s Day bonus, I have included a word search which includes the last names of the three famous dudes named “J.D.” My mom likes word puzzles.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Rabid Anti-Dentite, Part One?

It’s pop quiz time!

Going to the dentist:

A. Is necessary for overall health and wellness.

B. Is a necessary evil.

C. Was mistakenly left out of the Geneva Convention.

Hmmm… ? Yes, I made it into the dentist’s office for my 6 month checkup this morning and got out with ZERO cavities! I credit my brushing discipline to my preference for keeping foreign objects, power tools, and adult human hands out of my mouth as much as possible. My biggest issue with the whole visit is the SOUND of getting the plaque scraped off my teeth. There’s some device called “Cavitron” which uses water and high frequency to minimize my suffering on this front. That said, there are still other discomforts to endure. For example, the hygienist was still completing Phase One cleaning when she leveraged the device so hard against my back teeth I thought she was going to pole vault over my head. It reminds of the AC/DC song “Kicked in the Teeth”. (Sometimes you lose, sometimes you win.)

Getting back to my latest chapter in “Surviving Dental Adventures”, the hygienist eventually completed Phase One cleaning. I got the refreshing, minty rinse and was starting to relax ever so slightly…then came the flossing. I’m sorry, but ramming a piece of string in between every single one of your teeth hasn’t really advanced so much, has it? For better or worse, I was born with a physically small mouth so it doesn’t naturally lend itself to being a tug of war field. I rebelled (refused) to get braces as a teen and I have to say I don’t see as many teens wearing braces these days.

Part Two may be coming, but there’s a Mountain Dew calling my name.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

‘Murican Monsters

“How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.” Naturally, I’m talking about monsters. Call them an appeal to my imagination or an escape from everyday life, but they are powerful. I’m a sucker for shows about Sasquatch, lake monsters, or any other random creature you’d rather not encounter in everyday life. One hour long documentary I really enjoyed watching is called “American Monsters: Werewolves, Wildmen and Sea Creatures”.

J. Michael Long directed this 2015 effort. I really enjoyed the cool graphics, minimalist descriptions, and spooky voice over. It’s sort of like a cross between the original “In Search Of” program and a guide to birdwatching. I think “I Was a Teenage Werewolf” by The Cramps is the most appropriate music for this one.

I couldn’t remember the name of this film so when I found it again on the Tubi network, I immediately had to blog about it. It’s my kind of party.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

‘Tis Tart Season?

Halloween has come and gone and our clocks have “fallen back.” Thanksgiving is fast approaching and big box retailers are assaulting our senses with pre-Black Friday deals. That can only mean one thing… it’s Pop Tart season.

Perhaps it’s seasonal instinct or a general disdain for food preparation, but I always find myself craving the tasty, convenient breakfast treats during this time of year. Like most things in America, consumers now have an OVERWHELMING number of flavor choices. More in a moment. I couldn’t have told you who sang “Yummy Yummy Yummy” for a lifetime’s supply of Pop Tarts, but it was Ohio Express.

Before I share my favorite flavor(s), I think a quick review of the choices is warranted. Apparently, there were four original flavors, but now there are at least two dozen. I would consider the “frosted” Pop Tarts the traditional ones, but that’s me. You also have “unfrosted” ones as well. I suppose unfrosted is sort of like diet soda pop or low tar cigarettes. You know you’re being unhealthy, but now you feel better about it.

You have some flavors you might expect like Frosted: Cherry, Raspberry, and Blueberry. None of these do much for me. Frosted Strawberry is probably my second favorite overall flavor to date. In the chocolate category, there are multiple choices. Frosted Chocolate Fudge is very rich, but tasty. Then you have things like Frosted Hot Fudge Sundae and Frosted S’Mores. (I think the latter one is for when you go deer hunting.) There’s even a “Gone Nutty” Peanut Butter option which I would also describe as rich, but tasty. Here’s one to consider for food prep slackers like me: Frosted Pumpkin Pie. I haven’t tried it, but it sure seems quicker than spending your Thanksgiving holiday actually baking a real pie.

The most important recommendation I can make is this one: Brown Sugar Cinnamon. Apparently, it was one of the 4 original flavors. I also recommend a microwave setting of 33 seconds on power level “8”. Here’s a sorta-kinda related 80’s TV commercial for rock station KSHE 95 in St. Louis.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Red, White, & Blue-Neck

It’s officially America’s Independence Day. BOO-YAH!! In your face, rest of the known world! We’re red, white, and blue and we kick ass. That’s just a little bit of the whole American attitude, right?

What does the 4th of July mean to me? One random memory I have from growing up American during the 1970s is not only the Bicentennial, but Red, White, & Blue brand beer. Apparently, the style of can was the original pop top with removable razor sharp tab. I wonder if we could bring those back.

For better or for worse 2024 is an election year. Ironically, I saw a political ad while previewing Ace Frehley’s Hendrix-ish take on “The Star Spangled Banner.”

I’m already tired of all of the political commercials, the disagreements of view points, but that’s part of life in the “U-S-A, U-S-A, U-S-A.” Perhaps our elected officials could take a lesson from David Spade (aka Joe Dirt). They just need to crack open some Red, White, and Blue beer…then try to agree which fireworks are the most ‘Murican.

Good times. One thing I noticed this year is the overwhelming number of fireworks stands where I live. I’m not complaining, but I just don’t remember seeing the NUMBER of them in years past. Perhaps my memory has sustained damage from the combo of drinking beer while shooting off fireworks and listening to rock n’ roll — perhaps America’s greatest invention.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!