Evel American Nostalgia

Recently, I had the pleasure of visiting the Evel Knievel Museum in Topeka, KS. I know very little about motorcycles, but as a kid in 1970s America, you can bet I knew about Evel Knievel. As a matter of fact, I even had one of those action figures with the wind up motorcycle.

Naturally, one of the bratty neighbor kids had the whole Knievel-Palooza mega toy pack with that times ten.

As for the museum, it was interesting to see his different successful and less than successful jumps and the years they took place. His injuries are pretty well documented, too. For me, seeing his red, white, and blue motorcycle and matching jumpsuit reminded me of 1976 and America’s Bicentennial. Good times.

In the American way, he achieved worldwide fame and even appeared on a Wheaties box. More on his collectibles later. Unfortunately, the films about him or including him didn’t fare as well so in celebration of E.K., I’m including this song by The Road Vikings.

This song sounds like a combo of Iron Maiden and Ronnie James Dio to my ears. It rocks — which seems to fit the man. Another cool thing about the museum was the inclusion of his 1974 red custom Cadillac Pickup Truck. It looks like a pimped out El Camino, which somehow seems appropriate. Other items I saw included things like a pinball machine, a matchbook with the word “EVEL” on it, a zillion motorcycle toys, a tire shaped radio, and so much more.

As a person, I don’t think Evel Knievel was any angel, but he’s definitely an American success story. Give the guy credit. Most of us, myself included, don’t want to risk breaking most of the bones in our bodies to achieve our goals, but he was.

In the bigger scheme of things, thinking about Evel makes me think about a question I’ve seen on news reports and polls. The short version is most Americans don’t feel the U.S. is headed in the right direction. My response to that is, “Where/when did things start to go the wrong way?” I have joked with friends of mine about it in terms of pop culture, but was 1976’s Bicentennial our peak as a nation? Is there one event which derailed things for the U.S. of A.?

As an example, Knievel successfully jumped seven Greyhound buses in 1976, but he crashed during a separate practice jump in 1977. Should he have stopped in 1976? While I don’t think the 1977 movie “Viva Knievel” did him any favors either, I still say: VIVA KNIEVEL!

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Hunt for Half-Ass October

Okay, so it’s not technically October, but I think I’m ready for it. Summer is officially over, schools are back in session, and the major retailers have been pummeling us with their Halloween stuff for weeks. (I will say I’m impressed with the ever-increasing amount of random front yard projection lighting. It must be reassuring to leave for work in the morning and know you’ll be returning to a psychedelic pumpkin show projected onto your garage.)

I have never been a huge fan of horror films, but there are some interesting ones which I have enjoyed. Instead of doing an actual blog on each individual film today, I’m going to try a short list. I could call it a preview, but I don’t know if I’ll get around to full reviews. I’m describing these in a smart ass way, but they are worth watching.

Here is my Half-Ass Horror-ish Movie List for October 2023:

1.Dig Two Graves (2014) – I’ve wanted to blog about this film for awhile, but it seems like it comes and goes from the streaming channels. It’s a story about a young girl whose brother dies young, then these three freaky gypsies show up when she’s walking home from school. There’s more to it than that, but Ted Levine (Buffalo Bill in Silence of the Lambs) stars as the young girl’s grandfather/sheriff. It’s described as an “independent gothic thriller” and was filmed in Southern Illinois.

2. The Witch (2015) – This generically-titled film is anything but generic. It’s actually spelled “The VVitch”, but whatever. A pilgrim resembling Mick Fleetwood and his family are banished from their village. One of his children disappears, two of his children start worshiping the family goat named Black Phillip, and then things really go downhill. I remember watching a YouTube video which referenced the fungus ergot, which appears in the film — apparently, some think it could have been a factor in that whole witch paranoia trial thing. Naturally, I can’t find the video so I’m including the original “Black Magic Woman” by Fleetwood Mac.

3. Bullitt County (2018) – The plot of this film revolves around old friends reuniting for a bachelor party on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail. A hunt for buried treasure seems to derail the fun. The film is set in 1977 so you could call it a period piece. The spirit of Jack Nicholson is involved in this one as is actor Richard Riehle (Tom Smykowski from Office Space). Also, it won several awards at the 2018 Hoboken International Film Festival — I’m not making this up. This one is hard to categorize, but I think it’s an interesting film.

I’d love to make more recommendations, but my neighbor’s lawn projector has gone crazy or I have ingested ergot and am just having my own rye bread fungus induced trip.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Dooley & Molly

If you’re like me, you might have heard The Kingston Trio’s version of “Tom Dooley” via your parents’ record collection. Their version has some cool vocal parts, harmony, banjo, and a dramatic story — I’ve seen some of these songs called “murder ballads.” It doesn’t get much more “folkie” than that. That said, I hadn’t heard the first known recording until today, thanks to the entry here: https://mostlymusiccovers.com/ . (If you have the slightest interest in cover songs you have to check out this blog. It’s stellar.) The duo of Grayson and Whitter have the distinction of that first known recording.

When I heard this, it immediately made me think of another old folk tune called “Handsome Molly.” It turns out, the duo of Grayson and Whitter also recorded that song as well. It sounds like they are basically the same arrangement with different lyrics for Dooley and Molly.



Here’s another example of how a song “found me.” In the early 90s, I picked up a free magazine at a music store. It mentioned Mick Jagger had a solo album called “Wandering Spirit” that was soon to be released. One of the tunes on it was the traditional tune “Handsome Molly.”

Whether you love or hate his version, you gotta give Mick credit for this one. ( By the way, the fiddle player listed on the album’s name was Robin McKidd.) It makes me wonder exactly how, where, and when Jagger encountered this tune. Also, did his record label’s marketing department find that a shirtless Mick would sell more albums than a shirted Mick? I doubt Grayson and Whitter thought much about that part.

Here’s the link to the blog entry which inspired this blog entry:

“Tom Dooley” Between a Rock and a Country Place

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Green Mantis-Lishi, Part Deux

After a small amount of internal turmoil, I decided to offer a second installment of what I call the Green Mantis-Lishi. Basically, it’s a random combo of music and movies that sort of intersects. I also think there should be some time for some Kung Fu.

In case you missed “Part Un”, part of this pairing was inspired by the Peter Green tune “The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown).” There’s a story about his LSD influenced dream inspiring the song you can Google. I found a cool cover of it by Melvins.

There’s a second part to this cover song which goes into some sort of freaky ending. Ironically, they were both included on an album entitled “Maggots.” Catchy, huh?

Another part of this blog entry was inspired by the 1950s sci-fi film called “The Deadly Mantis“, which is pretty freaky in its own right. Basically, a giant Praying Mantis attacks this and that.

I also feel obligated to mention Praying Mantis Kung Fu while we’re on the subject. Just when I thought it couldn’t get any freakier, I found this completely bizarre clip from the 1978 film “Warriors Two.”

Judging by the mantis-like character’s hair, it looks like the actor or costume designer must have been a big Dracula fan, too…that or Eddie Munster. I saw a YouTube video where an actual practitioner of Praying Mantis Kung Fu bemoaned its inacurate portrayal in film. I guess this is what he meant. In any event, there’s actually Northern Praying Mantis Kung Fu and Southern Praying Mantis Kung Fu. I’ll leave the rest of that exploration to you.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Green Mantis-Lishi

I thought about doing a blog entry about NFL football season, but it’s not really my thing. As an example, the Kansas City Chiefs played today (Sunday). I was the only person in the church band not wearing a red Chiefs jersey. Instead I was wearing a green button down shirt. Whoops. As a matter of fact, I usually avoid the TV news when the Chiefs are playing. It’s just a bit much…. I’m talking about everything from contract holdouts to the star players and their children. Then there’s the NFL arrest report — and that’s not including idiotic relatives of Chiefs powerhouses like Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid. In one word, I would have to describe it as “overkill.”

Instead, I prefer to focus on the important things in life like off the wall sci-fi movies and the music of Peter Green including “The Green Manalishi (With the Two Prong Crown). “

Green apparently wrote the song following a dream, which was a pretty wild one. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Green_Manalishi_(With_the_Two_Prong_Crown). There are other versions out there as well so I’m already considering a second blog entry.

In an odd intersection of music and movies, I happened to turn on a 1957 film called “The Deadly Mantis” following the Chiefs’ game.

The film has plenty of the elements you might expect: authoritative male voice-over, an inventive story line, military involvement, and it’s in black and white. Oh yeah, then there’s also the gigantic mantis as well! It’s hard to believe this film only has about 5 out of 10 stars on one of the movie sites I saw. Shouldn’t a title like “The Deadly Mantis” be an automatic score of six or higher?

By the way, I can remember the first time I ever saw a praying mantis. I arrived on the first day of a cub scout camp dreading this event, and a friend of mine emerged from the nearby creek.

Friend: Check it out, I caught a praying mantis.

Author: Whoa!

I don’t know if I slept through insect day at school, but this thing was about as alien a creature as I’d ever seen. Bulging eyes, those hooks, and the green! It truly blew my mind. Maybe Mind-Blowing Mantis-Lishi would have been a better title.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

6 Degrees of Rick James

Sometime during the 90s, there was a book and a game called “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon.” The idea behind it was Bacon had worked with a lot of people in Hollywood and was, therefore, connected to every actor out there via different degrees of separation. If he didn’t work with YOUR favorite director, he’d worked with someone who had. It’s a pretty interesting idea that could be applied outside of the film industry.

Initially, what made me think about this was an obscure band called The Mynah Birds. If you’ve never heard of them, you’re not alone, but their big claim to fame was the unlikely pairing of Rick James and Neil Young in the band’s lineup.

I’m not sure where I learned this random fact. It might have been in a Young biography or magazine article. (I think James had to do some time in the military due some arrests or avoid being drafted.)

Another interesting thing about James is he dated Linda Blair. She’s best known for playing the demonically possessed girl in The Exorcist. “Superfreak”, anyone? As I was scrolling through one of my streaming channels recently, I saw Blair was in a movie with David Hasselhoff. I don’t think “Bail Out” was exactly Oscar material.

The next logical question is, “Why hasn’t someone done a movie mashup where David H. (in Baywatch getup) runs in to save Linda Blair and she projectile vomits on him?” I mean these scenarios could just keep going. How about Neil Young strumming his acoustic guitar on a trailer while he’s pulled around by the Hoff in the KITT vehicle?

Incidentally, Kevin Bacon had a musical duo called The Bacon Brothers with his actual brother. I suppose everyone involved could form a supergroup.

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Love is Alive

I was listening to a talk radio station yesterday and they mentioned the recent deaths of three fairly well-known musicians. The biggest name on the list was Jimmy Buffet. I think of him as Mr. Margaritaville. I wouldn’t call his music “yacht rock” — maybe “partied out on the beach rock” would be a more accurate description. Every once in a while, a friend will turn me on to another of his songs like “Cheeseburger in Paradise” or “A Pirate Looks at Forty.” He was also an author and a restaurateur (had to spell check that one). His net worth was listed around one billion dollars if you’re into that kind of thing.

The second person on the list was Gary Wright. You might think of him as Mr. Dream Weaver. That song was a hit in 1976 and enjoyed a resurgence via the 1992 film “Wayne’s World.” While I enjoy the song, I think his other 1976 hit “Love is Alive” is getting a bit overlooked and deserves a bit of attention, too.

If I had to pick a word to describe the two songs, ethereal might work. I think soulful also describes them as well. I found a couple of covers by Joe Cocker and Joan Osborne, but I don’t think they eclipse the original. It was also recorded by Chaka Khan.

Finally, the last person mentioned was former Smash Mouth singer Steve Hartwell. That band had a few hits including “All Star” and “Walking on the Sun.” I’ve found a few 60s rock covers in their catalog so I reserve the right to do a separate entry.

In conclusion, I would also mention Gary Wright played in a band called Spooky Tooth and Ringo Starr’s All-Star Band. If you search YouTube, you’ll find versions of “Love is Alive”… alive.

Till next time keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Round-Headed Jazz?

I was listening to my local public radio station recently and heard part of an interesting song. It was sort of an extended jazz jam. I would say I go for some songs that are jazzy or jazz-ish, but not usually to be found in the Jazz section of your now defunct record store. I used the Shazam phone app to identify the song and it turned out to be a live version of “Charlie Brown” by Dr. Lonnie Smith.

I couldn’t quite place the tune, but, in my defense, I joined this eight-and-a-half minute song in progress. I sort of scratched my head when I saw the result from Shazam, but if you pay attention, you can hear elements of the original song in Lonnie Smith’s cover. Leiber and Stoller penned the song, which was originally released by The Coasters.

From what I’ve read, the Peanuts cartoon character wasn’t actually the inspiration for the song, but I certainly think about him when I hear it. King Curtis played the sax on The Coasters’ version.

The other weird thing is when I hear the name Lonnie Smith, I think about the former Major League outfielder. He played on the St. Louis Cardinals team that won the 1982 World Series. What’s even weirder is one time I got his autograph at the airport. He was talking with his wife about a new Motown release. My impression of him was polite, soft-spoken — and his biceps were HUGE!

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

The Oppositional-Defiant Ramones

If you had to list the elements of a great punk rock song, what descriptors pop to mind? Fast…angry…aggressive…perhaps thought-provoking? Maybe you’d be better off checking out the lyrics and then listening to The Ramones’ “I’m Against It.”

Well I’m against it
I’m against it
Well I’m against it
I’m against it

I don’t like politics
I don’t like communists
I don’t like games and fun
I don’t like anyone

Well I’m against it
I’m against it
Well I’m against it
I’m against it

I don’t like Jesus freaks
I don’t like circus geeks
I don’t like summer and spring
I don’t like anything

I don’t like sex and drugs
I don’t like water bugs
I don’t care about poverty
All I care about is me

Well I’m against it
I’m against it
Well I’m against it
I’m against it

I don’t like playing ping pong
I don’t like the Viet Cong
I don’t like Burger King
I don’t like anything

And I’m against it
I’m against it
Well I’m against it
I’m against it
Well I’m against it
I’m against it

From what I’ve read, guitarist Johnny Ramone ran the band like an army unit. I don’t think the matching leather jackets are a coincidence. Neither are the matching white and black guitar and bass he and Dee Dee are playing at 150 mph.

The songwriting credits on this song from “Road to Ruin” are credited to all four band members. Lyrically, the message is pretty clear. They don’t like “anyone” and “anything.” Then, in true Ramones fashion, there are other randomly ridiculous things they don’t like including water bugs, Jesus freaks, the Viet Cong, and circus geeks to name a few.

I didn’t search for a long time, but I found a true to the original cover by the band Rancid.

I majored in psychology in college and this song makes me think of “Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD).” I think The Ramones would qualify as oppositional, defiant, and odd…but they were also fantastic!

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!

Plus de Jolies Blondes

So this blog entry is Part Deux on the Cajun waltz song called “Jolie Blonde” or “Jole Blon.” I’m not 100% sure where I first encountered the tune — it might have been by reading something about Cajun and Zydeco music (most likely Buckwheat Zydeco) or on a collection of music from Louisiana. Basically, the song is about a pretty blonde leaving the singer and he’s all sad and weepy about it. The tough part for me is trying to narrow down which version of it to share. I think Doug Kershaw’s short version of “Sweet Jole Blon’ “from “The Cajun Way” is a good introduction.

Yes, it would suck to go to a fais do do (dance party) without your pretty blonde or get stuck in your pirogue without one. I wasn’t familiar with fiddler Harry Choates prior to writing this, but recorded a version in English…

…and one in French.

Wikipedia lists him as “The Cajun King of Fiddle Swing.” I have also heard versions by Roy Acuff and another one featuring Waylon Jennings with Buddy Holly and sax player King Curtis.

Another interesting fact I learned via Wikipedia is McNeese State University in Lake Charles, LA uses it as a fight song. When I looked a little further, it turns out there’s even an affiliated beverage — Joli Blon, the official McNeese beer. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

Till next time, keep your Mojo on the Horizon!