And Here's What We Got ( #BOTB )

       I've spent the past two days at the dentist.  I was just waiting for my wife the first day because due to a misunderstanding on my part I scheduled my appointment for today (Tuesday) so I went back twice.  My appointment was a longer waiting than I had anticipated, but a short time for the procedure itself.  Now two more appointments to address the toothache I've been having the past few weeks. 

     I can't really afford this work, but the pain had to be addressed and then I'll figure out what to do next.  There is so much more to do.  If I had the means I could probably have  standing weekly appointment until everything is taken care of.  Seems like it at least.  The reality is that a good dentist can take care of a lot of issues in a relatively short time.  Next time I go I might consider wearing one of those adult diapers if you know what I'm talking about.  All in all I'd rather not go to have dental work done, but I don't want to have tooth pain so what else can I do?

      But let's get down to the business now overdue.  Battle of the Band results.  My previous Battle was a showdown between wacky musicians Frank Zappa and Spike Jones.   Several voters did so with little enthusiasm.   I guess they just need to listen more to appreciate these artists, both whom I think are great.  

        When I was a kid, my parents had a wonderful RCA compilation album on vinyl that had among its many great numbers "Cocktails for Two" as performed by Spike Jones and his zany orchestra.  I was always thrilled when I saw them on TV.  I even composed my own Spike Jones tribute when I was learning to write music.  It wasn't very good, but at least I did my effort of showing my fandom for the artist.

        When Zappa came along years later, I was immediately captivated by the music.  I've listened to Zappa albums throughout the years and have several of his CDs on my shelves.  Spike is certainly fun and a music pioneer, but in this Battle I vote for Zappa by a narrow margin.

       So I'm happy with my outcome.  Thanks to all who voted!

 

Final Voting Results

Frank Zappa      7 votes

Spike Jones        7  votes  

Holiday Fun ( #BOTB & #IWSG ).

 Sometimes what you think you're going to get is not what you really get.  And sometimes you just get something without thinking about it.  The real question is did you get what you really needed?

Battle of the Bands

 

        Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and  StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   I do this event  each month on the 15th and the 1st of the month.  The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.

A Couple of Holiday Songs

      Before you get into a Christmas mood, let me start off by saying that this is no Battle of Songs of the Season.  Instead we have two perhaps seemingly disparate musical pieces from two different decades that have much more in common than one might expect. Both songs have "Holiday" in their titles and both are pretty weird while at the same time being quite musically complex.  To me it's sheer fun.

      I grew up loving the music and performance antics of Spike Jones and His Orchestra.  Years later I became enthralled with the music of Frank Zappa.  Like my own musical experience growing up, Zappa was greatly influenced by Spike Jones.  I think it is reasonable to say that without Spike Jones there would not be the Frank Zappa that many of us have come to appreciate.

       Here is a "Holiday" piece from each artist--one an original composition by Zappa against Spike's cover of the David Rose of "Stripper" fame's classic "Holiday for Strings".  Enjoy and then tell us which you liked best.

Frank Zappa  "Holiday in Berlin" (1970)

Spike Jones   "Holiday for Strings"  (1945)

Time to Vote!

        It's not your holiday yet so get to work and vote on this Battle.   Which song interpretation do you prefer?  Battles are no fun without you the reader participating.    Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind.  You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

        Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours. I don't know if anyone else will be doing a Battle this time around, but you can still check out these sites.

Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands
 
'Curious as a Cathy' 

Sound of One Hand Typing

Landmark Sounds (Diedre Knight)

BATTLE OF THE BANDS BY DEBBIE D

Trivial Music Silliness

Mike's Ramblings

Results in the near future

****************************************

The Insecure Writer's Support Group

Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog. 
     The co-hosts for the December 3 posting of the IWSG are Tara Tyler, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Pat Garcia, Liza, and Natalie Aguirre.

December 3 question - As a writer, what was one of the coolest/best gifts you ever received?

       I don't know that I've necessarily received any "gifts" as a writer.  As a blogger I've received many items as giveaways, prizes, or maybe you could call them gifts.  But since I've been writing since I was a kid--I'd say that makes me a writer--I guess I'd have to include the many books, writing materials, and other similar items that influenced my writing that were given to me as gifts by my parents.  Otherwise I don't think I've gotten gifts specifically intended for me as a writer.  Come to think of it, I don't get many gifts anymore.  Since I hit Social Security age, gift exchanging doesn't fit into my budget like it used to.

      One unexpected gift was sent to me out of the blue by one of my regular blogging Battle of the Bands voters a while back.  That person who goes by Six-Gun sent me a copy of a book called Lee After the War by Marshall W. Fishwick.  What a terrific book that even a year or more after having read it, I still think about it.  It's a book that I'd highly recommend especially to anyone interested in Civil War history.  Thank you Six-Gun!

      Christmas is a-rapidly on it's way.  Don't get caught up in too much frenzy.  I plan to stay home a lot this Christmas.

      So, bah humbug, and everybody have a truly wonderful Christmas season!

What gift have you received as a writer?  Did I get the question wrong?   Have you ever known me to be wrong?

 

It's My Life ( #BOTB )

          

   Do you sometimes look back upon your life and think "I should write an autobiography"?   Or think of some period of your life that might be good material for a memoir?   Maybe you should write it.  Maybe I should too.  It's my life after all.  And that sounds like a cue for...

Battle of the Bands

 

        Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and  StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   I do this event  each month on the 15th and the 1st of the month.  The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.

It's My Life

     This song originally by the English New Wave/Synth Pop movement band Talk Talk was a big favorite of mine back in the eighties and the band produced music that I continue to enjoy to this day.  Talk Talk did not achieve the recognition that I think they deserved, but "It's My Life" did reasonably well on the world wide charts.  Years later the bigger rock group No Doubt released their excellent version to even greater chart success.  I think they are both good.  Which one do you like best?

Talk Talk    "It's My Life"  (1984)

No Doubt   "It's My Life"  (2003)

Time to Vote!

        It's your life, but put some fun in it by voting on this Battle.   Which song interpretation do you prefer?  Battles are no fun without you the reader participating.    Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind.  You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

        Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours. I don't know if anyone else will be doing a Battle this time around, but you can still check out these sites.

Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands
 
'Curious as a Cathy' 

Sound of One Hand Typing

Landmark Sounds (Diedre Knight)

BATTLE OF THE BANDS BY DEBBIE D

Trivial Music Silliness

Mike's Ramblings

Results in a week or so

         You've got time to vote, but don't wait!  Do it now!  I'll tell you who won later on.  And in the mean time I need to work on my autobiography.  It's my life.

Imagine That! ( #IWSG )

    Where am I?  What am I?  Why am I here?  We have questions, but are we asking the right ones?  Sometimes I ask just because. Answers aren't necessarily necessary. It's just something to do.  Or maybe something to write about...

The Insecure Writer's Support Group

Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog. 
     The co-hosts for the November 5 posting of the IWSG are Jennifer Lane, Jenni Enzor, Renee Scattergood, Rebecca Douglass, Lynn Bradshaw, and Melissa Maygrove.

 

November 5 question - When you began writing, what did you imagine your life as a writer would be like? Were you right, or has this experience presented you with some surprises along the way?

        I'm not really sure that I thought much about having a writing life.  I thought about writing more than I actually wrote.  And still do for that matter.  I still don't have a life as a working money-making writer, but I do write sometimes so I'm a writer in a way.  So no real surprises there.  I write. And that's about it. If I didn't have a blog to vent on then I'd be accumulating notebooks.  More notebooks than I already have.

        What would my life as a writer be like?  I guess I already know and I don't know depending on how I look at it. So my real question now is:  What should I fix for dinner?  And will I have time for a nap?

Drunk and Crazy ( #BOTB )

    

    I'm not drunk and crazy, but I'm talking about the song "Drunk and Crazy" which is actually not the real name of the song.  It's just what some people call it.  Crazy isn't it, but "crazy" it isn't.  Read on and find out...

Battle of the Bands

 

        Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and  StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   I do this event  each month on the 15th and the 1st of the month.  The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit thHe links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.

Bolivian Lament

       In this Battle I'll be sharing covers of one of my all time favorite rock songs. It's a "rock en español" song that was a big hit for the Argentine group Enanitos Verdes in 1994 and that's how I first heard it.  However, it was first recorded by Alcohol Etílico (Ethyl Alcohol) in 1986.  The song as recorded by Enanitos Verdes was frequently played on Los Angeles Spanish language rock stations back then and I was captivated by it.  At the time I was dating my present wife who is Latina and sometimes I would knock on her door to pick her up and I'd sing the chorus "here I am drunk and crazy" and she would get a big kick out of that.  I think she might have also appreciated that I was singing to her in Spanish--and that I actually wasn't drunk and crazy.

     This Battle will feature a showdown between two live recordings of the song.  The first will be a more recent performance of the song by the original artist and then a version as performed by a female artist.  See which you like best....

Alcohol Etilico  "Lamento Boliviano"   (2006)

Ana Victoria  "Lamento Boliviano"  (2014)

If you are curious about the English translation here is a link to a version that is sung in English and displays the lyrics as such.  Kind of strange lyrics in a way, but I guess it's about Bolivia, so there. Please do not vote for this version as it is here for your reference only.

English version:   Bolivian Lament

Time to Vote!

        Don't use the excuse that you don't understand Spanish!   Enjoy the music!  Which song interpretation do you prefer?  Battles are no fun without you the reader participating.    Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind.  You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

        Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours. I don't know if anyone else will be doing a Battle this time around, but you can still check out these sites.

Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands
 
'Curious as a Cathy' 

Sound of One Hand Typing

Landmark Sounds (Diedre Knight)

BATTLE OF THE BANDS BY DEBBIE D

Trivial Music Silliness

Mike's Ramblings

Results on November 8th or Sometime Around Then

Scary (not because they're scary) Songs for Halloween ( #BOTB )

     How about Halloween?  It's soon to be here.  Do you care?  Are you scared?  I don't and I'm not.  Halloween doesn't have that much impact on my life anymore.  But it's good for inspiring another Battle of the Bands...

Battle of the Bands

 

        Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and  StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   I do this event  each month on the 15th and the 1st of the month.  The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit thHe links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.

Halloween and All That

      My blog was started some 16 years ago and I'm still in the game to some degree.  Not like I was when I was posting every day.  When I started this blog Tossing It Out I was focused on Halloween since that had been my business prior to 2009.   Since those early days I've gone on to topics related to writing, politics, music, and whatever I had on my mind to toss out to my audience.  I'm still trying to figure out what to do with my blogging.

      As Halloween approaches, I thought it would be appropriate to pay homage to my blog roots and to the event day at hand.  Nothing to put us in the mood better than some "scary" music.  And I mean scary as in kind of bad music.  For it's time I guess it was kind of cool perhaps.  Not so much to my ears, but what the heck.  Here goes.  Which do you like best?

      

The Damned  "Black Leather Rock"  (1962)

       I heard this one recently in a film called The Damned or These Are the Damned.  It was part of a series that started with Village of the Damned.  It's good stuff for its time, but the music is an earworm that might drive you nuts.  Or maybe you'll like it.

The Nightmares  "Ooh I'm Scared"  1959

      I'm not sure how this song related to the British film Horrors of the Black Museum and I'm not going to do much research to find out.  And what's with the Chipmunk sounding singing break.  A lot of music was kind of bad back then I think.  Sometimes.  

Time to Vote!

        Don't be scared.  This is all just silly fun.  Enjoy the music!  Which song  do you prefer?  Battles are no fun without you the reader participating.    Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind.  You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

        Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours. I don't know if anyone else will be doing a Battle this time around, but you can still check out these sites.

Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands
 
'Curious as a Cathy' 

Sound of One Hand Typing

Landmark Sounds (Diedre Knight)

BATTLE OF THE BANDS BY DEBBIE D

Trivial Music Silliness

Mike's Ramblings

Results on Wednesday October 22

Puttin' on My Shoes and Presentin' a Results Post ( #BOTB Results )

Last night I was standing on my front porch and looking at a great big full moon. Not a star could be seen although the night was perfectly clear. But I'm in the Los Angeles metro area and there's a lot of light pollution.  Then this morning I'm reading a story from some publication that the Earth is getting darker.  Well, whatever...

Battle of the Bands Results

        My previous Battle was another good one I thought since I liked both versions quite well. However, my vote definitely goes to Barefoot Jerry.  They somehow seemed almost like homeboys to me.  Or at least I'd heard about them back in my heyday of the 70s.  Did I ever actually have a "heyday"?  That's another post I guess.

        A lot of you agreed with my vote for Barefoot Jerry.  Here's the outcome:

Final Vote Tally

Alabama                 8 votes

Barefoot Jerry        7 votes

   

      New Battle coming on Wed Oct 15!

        

Falling into Fall ( #IWSG & #BOTB )

      It's that time of year again:  Halloween will be here soon, then Thanksgiving, Christmas, and, inevitably, another New Year.  If I didn't have the same old things to say every year I'd have to think up new same old things to say...

The Insecure Writer's Support Group

Join us on the first Wednesday of each month in Alex J. Cavanaugh's Insecure Writer's Support Group--a forum of writers who gather to talk about writing and the writer's life. For a complete list of participants visit Alex's Blog. 
     The co-hosts for the  October 1 posting of the IWSG are Beth Camp, Crystal Collier, and Cathrina Constantine.

October 1 question - What is the most favorite thing you have written, published or not? And why?

       Back around 1974 I think it was, I started what I decided would be my epic novel.  Every now and then through the following years I might tinker with my idea.  Sometimes I write snippets.  Sometimes I've even written several pages.  Not much in recent years, but I think about that early novel often.  I even think I might sit down and write it. 

       Probably the main reason why I like this particular idea so much that it's basically an autobiography of sorts.  A fantasy autobiography more like, but still kind of based on things from my own life.  Maybe I should just write some kind of memoir.  But maybe I should do a lot of things that I haven't done yet.

 Battle of the Bands

 

        Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and  StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   I do this event  each month on the 15th and the 1st of the month.  The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.

Barefootin'

     Continuing on with my theme of "Hits from the summer of '66" I offer up a couple of covers of a song that was popular with a lot of kids at my school. "Barefootin'" was written and performed by Robert Parker and got a lot of radio play on Knoxville's WNOX during my first summer in Tennessee. See what you think of the following covers and vote on your favorite in the comment section...

Alabama   "Barefootin'"   (1988)

Barefoot Jerry  "Barefootin'"  (1977)

 

Time to Vote!

        Kick off your shoes and get up on your feet.  Enjoy the music!  Which song interpretation  do you prefer?  Battles are no fun without you the reader participating.    Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind.  You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

        Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours. I don't know if anyone else will be doing a Battle this time around, but you can still check out these sites.

Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands
 
'Curious as a Cathy' 

Sound of One Hand Typing

Landmark Sounds (Diedre Knight)

BATTLE OF THE BANDS BY DEBBIE D

Trivial Music Silliness

Mike's Ramblings

Results on Wednesday October 8th 

    Or thereabouts.  I'm gonna have to get back to some regimented blogging schedule I think.  Or maybe not.  

Whispering Pines ( #BOTB )

      These past weeks have been a bit of turmoil personally as has it been for the world.  But time just moves on and so does life.  It's good to just sit back and relax and reflect on the good things of life and the positivity that we can get out of it all. It's there.  Somewhere...

 Battle of the Bands

 

        Battle of the Bands is the blogging event started by Far Away Series and  StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands.   I do this event  each month on the 15th and the 1st of the month.  The premise is simple:  Listen to the songs presented below and then in the comments vote for your favorite and tell us why you liked it.  Then visit the links listed near the bottom of this post for more Battle action.

Whispering Pines

    Ever since I first heard this song on The Band's second album, it has haunted me through the years.  It's one of my favorite songs by The Band and one of my favorite songs period.  I find it so dreamy and relaxing.  But it is also a great piece of songwriting.  Take a listen to these versions and let me know which you like best...

Doris   "Whispering Pines"  (1970)

 

Outer Park  "Whispering Pines"   (2023)

 

 

Time to Vote!

        Relax.  Enjoy the music.  Which song interpretation  do you prefer?  Battles are no fun without you the reader participating.    Hopefully you have an opinion of some kind.  You don't have to know about music to have an opinion since it all comes down to your own personal taste.

        Please vote on your favorite by letting us know your choice in the comment section and tell us why you prefer the version you chose. Then after you've finished here, please visit the other blogs listed below who may or may not be participating this time around. And if you've put up your own BOTB contest let us know that as well so we can vote on yours. I don't know if anyone else will be doing a Battle this time around, but you can still check out these sites.

Here are some other places where you might find BOTB posts:

 StMcC Presents Battle of the Bands
 
'Curious as a Cathy' 

Sound of One Hand Typing

Landmark Sounds (Diedre Knight)

BATTLE OF THE BANDS BY DEBBIE D

Trivial Music Silliness

Results on Monday September 22

      What do you think of this song featured here in this Battle?  Are you familiar with it?   What are songs that "haunt" you?