Happy Place Diversion ~ Astronaut Sings "Space Oddity" IN Space

source: crunchiness

So enjoyable!

CHRIS HADFIELD SINGS SPACE ODDITY IN SPACE!“Hallo Spaceboy...”Commander Chris Hadfield, currently on... fb.me/24sZNW5ly
— David Bowie Official (@DavidBowieReal) May 12, 2013

How it all came about via David Bowie's Facebook:

It’s possibly the most poignant version of the song ever created and you may recognise the name of one of those involved in its creation.

We’re talking about Chris's fellow Canadian, the lovely Emm Gryner, who was a part of the Bowie live band in 1999/2000. Here’s what she said on her blog regarding her involvement:

“The task was in front of me. I came up with a piano part. i then enlisted my friend, producer and fellow Canadian Joe Corcoran to take my piano idea and Chris' vocal and blow it up into a fully produced song. Drums! mellotrons! fuzz bass! We also incorporated into the track ambient space station noises which Chris had put on his Soundcloud. I was mostly blown away by how pure and earnest Chris' singing is on this track. Like weightlessness and his voice agreed to agree.

And voila! And astronaut sings Space Oddity in space! I was so honoured to be asked to be a part of this. You wouldn't get too many chances to make a recording like this and not only that, to make music with someone who - through his vibrant communications with kids in schools to his breathtaking photos to his always patient and good-humoured demeanour - has done more for science and space than anyone else this generation. Planet earth IS blue, and there's nothing left for Chris Hadfield to do. Right. Safe travels home Commander! ”

From Guardian UK

A Soyuz space capsule carrying a three-man crew returning from a five-month mission to the International Space Station landed safely Tuesday on the steppes of Kazakhstan.

The Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield, American Thomas Marshburn and Russian Roman Romanenko landed as planned south-east of the town of Dzhezkazgan at 8.31am local time on Tuesday. The Soyuz TMA-07M capsule slowly descended by parachute on to the steppes under clear, sunny skies. Russian search and rescue helicopters hovered over the landing site for a quick recovery effort.

. . . Hadfield, 53, an engineer and former test pilot from Milton, Ontario, was Canada's first professional astronaut to live aboard the space station and became the first Canadian in charge of a spacecraft. He relinquished command of the space station on Sunday.

Hadfield bowed out of orbit by posting a music video on YouTube on Sunday his own custom version of David Bowie's Space Oddity. "With deference to the genius of David Bowie, here's Space Oddity, recorded on Station. A last glimpse of the World," Hadfield said via Twitter. It is believed to be the first music video made in space.

Hadfield sang often in orbit, using a guitar already aboard the complex, and even took part in a live, Canadian coast-to-coast concert in February that included the Barenaked Ladies' Ed Robertson and a youth choir.

"It's just been an extremely fulfilling and amazing experience end to end," Hadfield told mission control on Monday. "From this Canadian to all the rest of them, I offer an enormous debt of thanks."

Has Reality TV Jumped the Shark?

Do we really need 12 shows about Alaska? Or 3 shows about the Amish? And that's just the first letter of the alphabet!

Funny or Die asks the question . . .

I Can't Believe These Are All TV Shows - watch more funny videos

Sandy Hook Choir Sings at Super Bowl

These children are just precious - imagine what they have been through at Sandy Hook! When Jennifer Hudson started singing I had chills up my spine. Beautiful.

Music of the Inauguration

Marine Corps Band "Liberty Fanfare"



Lee University Choir from Cleveland, TN



Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir:



James Taylor:



Kelly Clarkson:



Beyonce

Happy Place Diversion ~ Percy Faith Retro

Enjoy these retro instrumentals from my play list. Serenity Now!

Happy Place Diversion: Peace on Earth

At one time most people in our country could agree that the winter holidays were a time for contemplating Peace on Earth. Nowadays, I guess not, thanks to the NRA.

But I'm going to do it today anyway with this extended Happy Place Diversion. No guns today. Serenity Now!

RIP to Cool Jazz Great Dave Brubeck

I fell in love with Cool Jazz in college and still think of it as background music to my younger years, although growing up in the seventies I was two generations removed from Brubeck. Some people might think "Who is Dave Brubeck?" and "Have I ever heard his music?" Yes indeed, you probably have! Not only has it been played in movie soundtracks, but also on countless commercials. More important is the influence the artist had over his long career, and not just musicians. Fans range from Mr. Rogers to Clint Eastwood.







From the San Francisco Chronicle Obituary:

Mr. Brubeck died of heart failure while on his way to a regular doctor's appointment, according to Russell Gloyd, his longtime manager. Mr. Brubeck would have been 92 today.

Born in Concord and raised on a ranch in the Central Valley Mr. Brubeck became a San Francisco bandleader and pianist credited with one of the major innovations in popular music. Working with the San Francisco saxophonist Paul Desmond, Mr. Brubeck was the first pianist to break 4/4 time in jazz, by adding a fifth beat to the measure, according to jazz historian Ted Gioia.

"Take Five," written by Desmond and released in 1959 on the album "Time Out" by the Dave Brubeck Quartet, popularized this 5/4 time signature and became a pop hit, a rarity for a jazz instrumental. In 1961, "Time Out" reached No. 2 among popular albums on the Billboard chart, and "Take Five" topped out at No. 5 on the adult contemporary chart. "That meter later showed up in everything from the theme to "Mission Impossible" to the Jethro Tull song "Living in the Past," said Gioia. "Dave was an innovator who started out as a leading light of San Francisco jazz but soon brought his artistry to the whole world."

. . . Survivors include wife Iola, and sons Darius, Chris, Dan, Matthew, and Michael, and a daughter Catherine Yaghsizian. Services are pending.

Third Presidential Debate Auto-tune

source: gifwich
LOL! This is surely a new experience for Bob Schieffer. After a long career as a journalist at CBS he is now starring in animated gifs and youtube parodies.

Obama and Romney Town Hall Auto Tune from Gregory Brothers

Videos Snarking the Vice Presidential Debate

The jokes from the Biden - Ryan debate almost wrote themselves. Here's the Gregory Brothers Autotune as well as Saturday Night Live's funny spin on the debate.

RIP Andy Williams

Aw, we will miss Andy Williams, such an evocative singer from the 60s and 70s whose voice ruled Easy Listening radio, as well as the Christmas season.

R.I.P., dear man. Your music will live on!

Huff Post Obituary

He died Tuesday night at his home in Branson, Mo., after battling bladder cancer for almost a year. Williams was diagnosed with cancer in November 2011 but still continued to perform at his Moon River Theater in Branson even after his devastating diagnosis.

The host of NBC's "The Andy Williams Show" from 1962 to 1971, Williams is known for lending his voice to timeless songs like "Moon River" and "Can't Help Falling In Love" -- songs that led President Ronald Reagan to dub him "a national treasure." Over his 75-year span in the business, Williams has earned 17 gold and three platinum records.

Williams is survived by his wife, Debbie, and his three children (his children are the product of a previous marriage to French dancer Claudine Longet).

Songs of the 47% ~ Are You Listening, Mitt?

It used to be that music brought people together. Everyone listened to the same songs on the radio, in the elevator, in the grocery store, and on MTV. It was a common bond between us - and a common band -  so a song about a social issue could be a hit and might even change society.

Today, not so much. Like everything else in society, music is fragmented, not just by the death of MTV, but by endless playlists available YouTube and on websites like Pandora, or the focus of your personal iPod or iPhone. The songs that tend to rise to the surface are catchy oddities like "Call me Maybe" or "Gangnam Style."

And while I love all the variety, I believe that music does touch the heart, and in the past we had songwriters who could give us a gut-check about society, whether it was the anti-war movement or the plight of the poverty-stricken here at home.

But now, even the Boomer generation seems to have forgotten the empathy of days gone by, and Mitt Romney is a prime example with his callous remarks in Boca Raton that echo is party's hard stance on anyone who makes the actual median income of this country or lower.

Yesterday, Chris Matthews opened Hardball on MSNBC by singing a few lines from Fiddler on the Roof:

Caught! Let's Play Hardball
(Hardball Theme plays)
Hello this is Chris Matthews in New York.
Let me start tonight with:
(singing)
If I were a rich man,
Yubba, Dibby, Dibby
Dibby, Dibby, Dibby, Dibby Dum.
Dumb!!!

Good point, Chris. I stole your idea and put the complete song below.

The past few days have made me realize that Mitt's playlist, and indeed the playlists of the Republicans in general, might be lacking some compassion and knowledge of the American experience outside their marble halls full of $50,000-a-plate donors, so here are some reminders. Whether you are in the 1%, the 47% or the 99% - listen up!


If I were a Rich Man from Fiddler on the Roof

(SPOKEN:) Dear God, you made many, many poor people. I realize, of course, that
it's no great shame to be poor... but it's no great honor, either. So what would have
been the difference if I had... a small fortune?

...The most important men in town will come to fawn on me--
They will ask me to advise them,
Like a Solomon the Wise--
"If you please, Reb Tevye?"--
"Pardon me, Reb Tevye?"--
Posing problems that would cross a rabbi's eyes--
(chanting) Ya va voy, ya va voy voy vum...
And it won't make one bit of difference
If I answer right or wrong--
When you're rich, they think you really know.



Man in Black by Johnny Cash

Well, you wonder why I always dress in black,
Why you never see bright colors on my back,
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone.
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on.

I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down
Living on the hungry hopeless side of town.
I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down,
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town,
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime,
But is there because he's a victim of the times.

I wear the black for those who never read,
Or listened to the words that Jesus said,
About the road to happiness through love and charity,
Why, you'd think He's talking straight to you and me.

Well, we're doin' mighty fine I do suppose,
With our streak a'lightnin' cars and fancy clothes
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back
Up front their ought to be a man in black.

I wear it for the sick and lonely old,
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold,
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been,
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men.

And, I wear it for the thousands who have died,
Believen' that the Lord was on their side,
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died,
Believen' that we all were on their side.

Well, there's things that never will be right I know,
And things need changin' everywhere you go,
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right,
You'll never see me wear a suit of white.

Ah, I'd love to wear a rainbow every day,
And tell the world that everything's OK,
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back,
'Till things are brighter, I'm the Man In Black.



Fast Car by Tracy Chapman

You got a fast car
And I got a plan to get us out of here
I been working at the convenience store
Managed to save just a little bit of money
We won't have to drive too far
Just 'cross the border and into the city
You and I can both get jobs
And finally see what it means to be living

You see my old man's got a problem
He live with the bottle that's the way it is
He says his body's too old for working
I say his body's too young to look like his
My mama went off and left him
She wanted more from life than he could give
I said somebody's got to take care of him
So I quit school and that's what I did

You got a fast car
But is it fast enough so we can fly away
We gotta make a decision
We leave tonight or live and die this way

I remember we were driving driving in your car
The speed so fast I felt like I was drunk
City lights lay out before us
And your arm felt nice wrapped 'round my shoulder
And I had a feeling that I belonged
And I had a feeling I could be someone, be someone, be someone

You got a fast car
And we go cruising to entertain ourselves
You still ain't got a job
And I work in a market as a checkout girl
I know things will get better
You'll find work and I'll get promoted
We'll move out of the shelter
Buy a big house and live in the suburbs





Walk a Mile in my Shoes by Joe South

If I could be you, if you could be me
For just one hour
If we could find a way to get inside
Each other's mind

If you could see you through my eyes
Instead your ego
I believe you'd be, I believe you'd be surprised to see
That you've been blind

Walk a mile in my shoes
Walk a mile in my shoes
Yeah, before you abuse, criticize and accuse
Walk a mile in my shoes

Now your whole world you see around you
Is just a reflection
And the law of karma says you’re gonna reap
Just what you sow, yes you will
So unless
You’ve lived a life of
Total perfection
You’d better be careful
Of every stone
That you should throw, yeah

And yet we spend the day
Throwing stones
At one another
‘Cause I don’t think
Or wear my hair
The same way you do, mmm
Well I may be
Common people
But I’m your brother
And when you strike out
And try to hurt me
It’s a-hurtin’ you, lord have mercy

Now there are people on reservations
And out in the ghetto
And brother there, but for the grace of god
Go you and I



Little Pink Houses by John Mellencamp

There's a black man with a black cat
Livin' in a black neighborhood
He's got an interstate
Runnin' through his front yard
You know he thinks that he's got it so good
And there's a woman in the kitchen
Cleanin' up the evenin' slop
And he looks at her and says, hey darlin'
I can remember when you could stop a clock

Oh, but ain't that America
For you and me
Ain't that America
Something to see, baby
Ain't that America
Home of the free, yeah
Little pink houses
For you and me
Oooh, yeah
For you and me

Well, there's a young man in a t-shirt
Listenin' to a rockin' rollin' station
He's got greasy hair, greasy smile
He says, Lord this must be my destination
'Cause they told me when I was younger
Said boy, you're gonna be president
But just like everything else
Those old crazy dreams
Just kinda came and went

Oh, but ain't that America
For you and me



A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke

I was born by the river in a little tent
And just like that river I've been running ever since
It's been a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

It's been too hard living, but I'm afraid to die
Cos I don't know what's out there beyond the sky
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

I go to the movie
And I go down town
somebody keep telling me don't hang around
Its been along time coming
But I know a change is gonna come, oh yes it will

Then I go to my brother
And I say brother help me please
But he winds up knockin' me
Back down on my knees

There were times when I thought I couldn't last for long
But now I think I'm able to carry on
It's been a long, a long time coming
But I know a change gone come, oh yes it will




Coat of Many Colors by Dolly Parton

Back through the years
I go wonderin' once again
Back to the seasons of my youth
I recall a box of rags that someone gave us
And how my momma put the rags to use
There were rags of many colors
Every piece was small
And I didn't have a coat
And it was way down in the fog
Momma sewed the rags together
Sewin' every piece with love
She made my coat of many colors
That I was so proud of
As she sewed, she told a story
From the bible, she had read
About a coat of many colors
Joseph wore and then she said
Perhaps this coat will bring you
Good luck and happiness
And I just couldn't wait to wear it
And momma blessed it with a kiss

My coat of many colors
That my momma made for me
Made only from rags
But I wore it so proudly
Although we had no money
I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors
My momma made for me

So with patches on my britches
Holes in both my shoes
In my coat of many colors
I hurried off to school
Just to find the others laughing
And making fun of me
In my coat of many colors
My momma made for me

And oh I couldn't understand it
For I felt I was rich
And I told them of the love
My momma sewed in every stitch
And I told 'em all the story
Momma told me while she sewed
And how my coat of many colors
Was worth more than all their clothes

But they didn't understand it
And I tried to make them see
That one is only poor
Only if they choose to be
Now I know we had no money
But I was rich as I could be
In my coat of many colors
My momma made for me
Made just for me



Workin' at the Car Wash Blues by Jim Croce

Well, I had just got out from the county prison
Doin ninety days for non-support
Tried to find me an executive position
But no matter how smooth I talked
They wouldnt listen to the fact that I was a genius
The man say, we got all that we can use.
Now i got them steadily depressin, low down mind messin
Working at the car wash blues

Well, I should be sittin in an air conditioned office in a swivel chair
Talkin some trash to the secretaries
Sayin, here, now mama, come on over here.
Instead, Im stuck here rubbin these fenders with a rag
And walkin home in soggy old shoes
With them steadily depressin, low down mind messin
Workin at the car wash blues

You know a man of my ability
He should be smokin on a big cigar
But till I get myself straight I guess Ill just have to wait
In my rubber suit a-rubbin these cars

Well, all I can do is a shake my head
You might not believe that its true
For workin at this end of niagara falls
Is an undiscovered howard hughes
So baby, dont expect to see me
With no double martini in any high-brow society news
Cause I got them steadily depressin, low down mind messin
Workin at the car wash blues



The Way it Is by Bruce Hornsby

Standin' in line marking time
Waiting for the welfare dime
'Cause they can't buy a job
The man in the silk suit hurries by
As he catches the poor old lady's eyes
Just for fun he says, 'Get a job'

That's just the way it is
Some things'll never change
That's just the way it is
Ha, but don't you believe them

Said, 'Hey little boy you can't go
Where the others go
Cause you don't look like they do'
Said, 'Hey, old man how can you stand
To think that way
Did you really think about it
Before you made the rules?'
He said, 'Son

That's just the way it is
Some things'll never change
That's just the way it is'
Ha, but don't you believe them

Well, they passed a law in '64
To give those who ain't got, a little more
But it only goes so far
'Cause the law don't change another's mind
When all it sees at the hiring time
Is the line on the color bar
But who knows

That's just the way it is
Some things'll never change (right)
That's just the way it is
That's just they way it is, it is, when you're waiting.

Peace

Seems like a good time for this song. Here's hoping for better news tomorrow about the strife in the Middle East.


Now I've been crying lately, thinking about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating, why can't we live in bliss

Cause out on the edge of darkness, there rides a peace train
Oh peace train take this country, come take me home again

Political Battle of the Bands 2012

When Bill Clinton spoke at the Democratic National Convention this week, he ended his marathon speech with a familiar refrain - "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow" by Fleetwood Mac, which the band played for him at his 1993 inaugural ball.

Via Time: A Brief History of Campaign Songs

Fleetwood Mac wasn't the hippest musical choice, though, and at the time, Clinton's aids tried to get their candidate to switch to something cooler. He wouldn't have it, and the song stuck. Don't Stop proved to be such a malleable theme song that Clinton still uses it regulary; he plays it at fundraisers and speeches, he name-checked it at the 2000 Democratic National Convention and . . . in Denver [2008], he walked on stage to it.

I guess you would call that the perfect melding of a candidate and a song, with the blessing of the band behind the music.

But a long-running theme with the right is that during every Presidential Election they try to use a song from a band whose liberal members would never vote for the Republican candidate.

Dee Snider of Twisted Sister threw a cease and desist at Paul Ryan for using "We're Not Gonna Take It."
Via Huff Post:

Ryan spokesman Brandon Buck wrote a pithy email in response: "We're Not Gonna Play It anymore."
Snider says in a statement that he does not support Ryan and denounced use of the song, an anthemic 1984 hit for the glam metal band.
It joins a long list of songs that musicians have asked politicians to stop using. Most recently, the rock band Silversun Pickups asked likely Republican nominee Mitt Romney to stop using the song "Panic Switch" last week. The campaign said the song's use was inadvertent.

Ryan also got lambasted by the frontman of Rage Against The Machine, Tom Morello, just for name-dropping that the band was on his iPod.
From Rolling Stone

Paul Ryan's love of Rage Against the Machine is amusing, because he is the embodiment of the machine that our music has been raging against for two decades. Charles Manson loved the Beatles but didn't understand them. Governor Chris Christie loves Bruce Springsteen but doesn't understand him. And Paul Ryan is clueless about his favorite band, Rage Against the Machine.
. . .Don't mistake me, I clearly see that Ryan has a whole lotta "rage" in him: A rage against women, a rage against immigrants, a rage against workers, a rage against gays, a rage against the poor, a rage against the environment. Basically the only thing he's not raging against is the privileged elite he's groveling in front of for campaign contributions.
(More at Link)

Now R.E.M. is upset that Fox News used the famous "Losing My Religion" over video of the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, North Carolina, this week.
A statement on the band's website says:

R.E.M.'s "Losing My Religion" was used in the Fox News coverage of the Democratic National Convention last night. R.E.M. today, through its music publisher, Warner-Tamerlane Music, demanded that Fox News cease and desist from continuing its unlicensed and unauthorized use of the song.
Michael Stipe said, "We have little or no respect for their puff adder brand of reportage. Our music does not belong there."

Huffington Post received a snarky and unrepentant reply from Fox:

"FOX News Channel’s use of an R.E.M. song during Thursday’s edition of 'Fox & Friends' was in full accordance with its license agreements with all appropriate parties. Nevertheless, we’re always flattered to have this much attention for a song selection and we hope R.E.M. was able to satisfy their publicity fix.”

Oh Fox . . .

Conversely, rocker Tom Petty was tickled to death to have Obama use one of his songs at the DNC, as he told Rolling Stone:

"I've been on the wrong side where I've had to tell some candidates to stop using my music," he told Rolling Stone on the MTV VMAs red carpet.

But Petty was pleasantly surprised on Wednesday night, when his song "I Won't Back Down" played as President Obama walked onstage at the Democratic National Convention, after former President Bill Clinton's speech. "I got chills," said Petty. "They knew it would be okay. I've had a chance to meet the President and talk to him about the music he listens to."

Ironically, Petty stopped George Bush from using the same song during the 2000 election.

Bush spokesperson Ray Sullivan says songs by other artists have been used on the campaign trail "from time to time," depending on "what CDs we brought with us that day."
This haphazard practice has been troubling a number of musicians besides Petty, including Sting and John Mellencamp, who found their songs "Brand New Day" and "R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.," respectively, being used without permission. "I don't think that anybody that knows me would think I have the same position as [Bush]," Mellencamp told Rolling Stone in August.
And with artists like Petty making it into a legal matter, Bush's campaign is beginning to rethink its musical policies. "We're now entering into agreements with
BMI and ASCAP to work out arrangements to pay for use of songs on the road," Sullivan says.

Last year, Petty told crazy-eyed Michele Bachmann to stop using the song "American Girl" when she made her entrance on stage.

It's so much better when the artists themselves are willing to step onstage and play for the crowd at a convention. This year, the Democratic Convention featured many artists, including James Taylor, The Foo Fighters, and Mary J. Blige. Enjoy the videos!!!

The Foo Fighters


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

James Taylor


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mary J. Blige

Happy Labor Day!!!

Let's go to a picnic . . . with ants! :) Happy Labor Day!

"Elect Obama Now" Song Catchy and Old-Timey!

This is a cute, catchy and pleasantly old-fashioned election song for Obama! And a nice inspirational video to get you jazzed for the election. :)

RIP Scott McKenzie

Obituary: Here on Rolling Stone

Singer Scott McKenzie, best known for the 1967 hit "San Francisco (Be Sure to Wear Flowers In Your Hair)," has died at 73, the BBC reports. McKenzie had been suffering from Guillain-Barre Syndrome, a disease affecting the nervous system.


McKenzie was born Philip Wallach Blondheim and grew up in North Carolina. He and John Phillips, who later formed the Mamas and the Papas, played together as teens in a doowop act called the Abstracts and moved to New York, where Blondheim changed his name after comedian Jackie Curtis noted that the singer resembled a Scottie dog.

. . . McKenzie released two more solo albums but left music in the late Sixties, relocating to Virginia Beach, Virginia, to escape the limelight. He made a comeback in the late Eighties, touring with the Mamas and the Papas and penning the Beach Boys hit "Kokomo." He also performed at the 20th anniversary of the dedication of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in 2002.

If you're goin' to San Francisco

Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair

If you're going to San Francisco

You're gonna meet some gentle people there

For those who come to San Francisco

Summertime will be a love-in there

In the streets of San Francisco

Gentle people with flowers in their hair

All across the nation such a strange vibration

People in motion

There's a whole generation with a new explanation

People in motion 

People in motion

For those who come to San Francisco

Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair

If you come to San Francisco

Summertime will be a love-in there

If you come to San Francisco

Summertime will be a love-in there

Devo Sings about Romney's Dog

No one is ever going to forget that Romney put Seamus the dog on the roof of that station wagon. You're stuck with it, Mitt!

Dogs Against Romney Facebook Page

Dogs Against Romney Blog


The Song "Don't Roof Rack Me, Bro" by Devo will be relased on National Dog Day. August 26, the day before the National Republican Convention starts in Tampa.

Happy Place Diversion ~ Olympic Swim Team Lip Dub

Congratulations to the U.S. Olympic Swim team, who have won about half the gold medals for our country so far in London, plus breaking many world records! And now they have a viral video of "Call Me Maybe" that shows they are a creative bunch as well. Seriously, some of these kids belong on television or in movies. Hear that, Hollywood?

Happy Place Diversion: Be Free

This is my 200th post and it's my birthday!!! Enjoy!