Gunfighter: A Modern Warrior's Life

My Blogging Brush With Celebrity

  So, yesterday, I posted... OK, RE-posted something that I had written a while back at my old blog.  If you haven't read it yet, I'll wait.

Done?  Good.  At the end of that post, you will see a link to a woman named Sharona Alperin.  No, she isn't the Sharona from the story... well, only she really is, sort of.

As I said in the post, the story was mostly fiction.  The part about being in love with a girl named Sharona was ALL fiction. 

Anyway, I know that most of you are probably old enough to know the great 1979 hit song "My Sharona" by The Knack, right?  Well, the song "My Sharona" was actually about a real person... the person whose website I linked to, yesterday.

After I made that post yesterday, I visited Ms. Alperin's website and saw that there was a "contact" function, so I did what geeky fans probably do more often than they should.  I sent her an email and told her about my blog post.  Well, she read it and emailed me back.  She thought that it was a funny story and wished me well, etc... I asked her permission to tell this little story here and she was very cool about it.

How about that?  That song has been one of my top 10 favorties for 30 years, and I get to talk to the woman who it was all about.

I know.  Geeky.  Go on, laugh at good ol' gunfighter.  I can take it.

There you have it, my celebrity brush for the day.

Maybe next time I'll tell you the story about when I was almost run over by the Speaker of The House of Representatives (true story).

(Alperin  today)

CD Review: Taylor Swift, by Taylor Swift

I have mentioned before that Soccer Girl is growing into (or has grown into) her own person.  There are many ways that this manifests itself, but lately it has been in the realm of the kind of music that she enjoys.

Last weekend, while we were enjoying our final soccer-free Saturday (did I mention that the season starts in two days?) we spent some time at Border's, and when we got home, I discovered that Mrs GF had purchased the new self-titled Taylor Swift CD.  I thought that it was an unusual choice for her, since, in the time I have known here (since 1992), I have never known her to have the slightest interest in country music.  I wasn't unhappy about the choice, because I had heard two Taylor Swift songs on the radio in the previous few days, and had actually given some thought to buying the CD myself.  When I told Mrs. GF that, she laughed and said that the CD wasn't for her, but for Soccer Girl, who had apparently become a fan.

Come again?  Where does she know any of Taylor Swift's songs from?   Well, apparently, when Mrs GF takes SG to school, they listen to other radio station's than me.  I don't mind, except when I turn on the XM, I hear the Top 20 station as opposed to my beloved 70's music (and really, is there anything better than Disco Inferno?).  SG really enjoys Swift's "Teardrops On My Guitar" quite a bit.  I like that song, too, but my favorite is the poppy, bubblegum cute "Our Song".  Well, that's my girl... she has a mind of her own, and doesn't have any qualms about self-expression... and I say that this is a good thing.

I have never been a huge fan of country music, but I don't really hate it.  There are a some country artists that I enjoy (no, Carrie Underwood isn't one of them), and there is one song that I hear on the radio sometimes, called "I Shoulda Been A Cowboy" that I really like.  I will confess that in my youth, I rather enjoyed Dolly Parton's "Here You Come Again" and "Islands In The Stream" duet with Kenny Rogers, and a few others, hell, I even liked John Denver's "Thank God I'm A Country Boy!"... which, I suppose is a bit strange for a black boy growing up in the dense New Jersey suburbs of New York City... but that's me, never what you expect, I guess.

As for the CD itself, it's quite good.  The whole thing is filled with what you might expect from an 18 year-old young woman:  Love, boyfriends, breakups, heartache, etc...  The music is good, the lyrics aren't inappropriate for young ears, the songs are tightly written (and all written by Swift, herself, if I am not mistaken).  I give the CD full marks... and I give Soccer Girl full marks, too, for hearing it with her own ears.

This review is cross-posted at my Review blog, The Review From Here.

CD Review: "Back To Black" - Amy Winehouse

Having listened to British soul singer Amy Winehouse's 2006 CD, I have to say that it isn't the unpleasant experience that I expected it to be... not at all. 

Simply, the troubled Ms. Winehouse has talent.  The songs are all done in the bluesy, early soul style that is very retro... reminiscent of the late 50's or the early 60's.

Just about every track is catchy and interesting to listen to, and the musicianship is great and Winehouse's vocal style is enjoyable.

There are tracks that you'll want to sing along with or even have a nice slow dance with someone that you are fond of.

Winehouse has fairly solid writing credentials as well.  She wrote or co-wrote every track on the CD.

One song in particular stands out, and I'm not talking about Rehab, which is catchy, but not that special.  No, I'm talking about track number seven, Tears Dry on Their Own.  This song was written with Nick Ashford & Valerie Simpson of Motown fame. This song samples a couple of musical phrases from "Ain't No Mountain High Enough"... I really like it.

OK, enough love and kisses... even though the hooks are good, I have a couple bricks to throw, and here they are:  Several of the songs have sex and drug references that I could do without.  Yours truly is no prude, but,  I suspect some of these lyrics were done just for shock value.  I suppose one saving grace is that you either have to listen very closely to hear many of them, or read the lyrics to see them.

Amy Winehouse has talent, sure enough, and like so many talented people, she seems hell-bent of self-destruction.  I hope she lives long enough to do another CD... I would like to see what she does next.

****Cross-Posted (with video) at The Review From Here****

The Lion King

Can I take a moment to brag?

Thanks!

For those of you who live in or near New York city, I would like to encourage you to go to the theater...   Specifically I want you to go and see the Lion King for the matinee.  Not only because supporting the arts is important, and not only because my sister is in the business, either.  I want you to go to see The Lion King because my little sister, will be playing the lead role of Nala!  She is normally a member of the ensemble, and works as the Nala understudy, but tomorrow is going to be a big day for her.

I'm so proud.

As happy for her as I am, I am happier still for soccergirl.  Soccergirl will be traveling, by train, with her grandfather (my dad) and her same-aged cousin to New York (from Baltimore) first thing in the morning to go see the show.  She is so excited, she can barely stand it.... We are excited for her.  It's going to be such an experience for her.

There is an additional benefit to this as well... you see, I will be heading to Baltimore tonight so that SG can spend the night at granddaddy's house, so Mrs GF and I have all day Saturday, and early Sunday A-L-O-N-E!!!

How will we ever fill the time?

CD Review: Lenny Kravitz - Love Revolution

Lenny Kravitz' new album hit the stores on the fifth, and I wasted no time in picking up my copy while SoccerGirl and I were on the way home from school. 

I always look forward to Kravitz' stuff, because  he isn't afraid to break a few rules, or to do the unexpected.   Kravitz isn't afraid to go against stereotypes, and he won't be pigeonholed.  He can be counted on to do his own thing.  I enjoy his guitar-centric, unapologetic, funky, rock and roll.

When we got home, I had to be a responsible parent and wait for SG to finish her homework, but as soon as she was done, and we had gone over it, she went upstairs, and it was time for Gunfighter to to rock out like only a fat middle aged man with a bad knee can! 

I have to tell you that I think that Kravitz really came up with the goods this time.  If you are already a fan, you won't be disappointed.  If you are new to his music, you'll be glad you found it.

I  liked all of the tracks, but the standouts are "Love, Love, Love" which is almost guaranteed to make you move (whether you get up and dance or throw the devil horns and dance is up to you... you might even do both), "I'll be waiting", "Will You Marry Me?" (which is reminiscent of James Brown circa 1971), and the poignant "Long and Sad Goodbye".

I recommend this CD to rockers, dancers, and to people who only dance when they are behind the wheel of the car.

Guilty Pleasures II

Do any of you remember that irritating song from about fifteen years ago, "Shiny Happy People"?

You do?

Well I do, too. I love that song.

I have no idea what it is about, I really don't, and I don't even know all of the words, but I love it.

If you don't remember it, look to your right and click the player at mt the top of the sidebar.

It's infectious, I'm telling you.

Oh, and am I the only person on the planet that thinks that Michael Stipe looks like John Malkovich?



I made soup last night... I'll post about it later once I get my pictures loaded.

GF

Posted by Gunfighter at 1:21 PM 14 comments

CD Review - One Wintry Night: A David Phelps Christmas

This is THE holiday CD of the year at Castle Gunfighter!

This guy has a great voice, and sings with range and power.  He sings with joy.  The harmonies are tight, the songs are mostly uptempo.  You'll enjoy it.

Until this CD came home, I had never heard of David Phelps.  He is a singer of Christian contemporary music... and if that really isn't your thing, don't let it put you off.  This is a great CD.  Go here for audio samples... I recommend track number three and number fifteen to start with, but they are all good!

Mrs Gunfighter brought this CD home without having heard it first, and she really scored with it.

Woo Hoo!

Some Days You Just Have To....

...back away.

No, I don't mean from blogging... I'm addicted, but what I meant was that from time to time I have to stop talking about Domestic Violence, Pictures, dog rescue, Larry Craig, George Bush, and the myriad things that I talk about here.

Sometimes you have to stop talking about soccer, rugby, sex, racial and sexual bigotry in the church... and outside of it. Sometimes I want need do do what I am doing right now: Sometimes you just need to take a minute to get down with your bad self!

(and believe it, I am a bad MoFo!, just like Shaft!)

So! You know this song, get out of your chair, and shake your tail feather a little bit.

You'll be glad you did.

That goes for you, too!

Yeah, you... the repressed lady in the Midwest!

Sing it! "Uh! It's gettin' hot in here!"

Lighten up, Francis! I'll bet even the ordained clergy reading this are dancing!

C'mon... You people in Australia... do it upside down! You New Zealanders, you friggin' blew the Rugby World Cup (and got beaten by FRANCE????) you blokes NEED to dance... do the Haka or something. Crikey!

"Uh!"

You, too, Canucks... you know I love you, and there is probably 14 feet of snow in Saskatoon, but dance anyway! Do it like Jean Chretien (because you KNOW Stephen Harper can't dance!)

"I like when you uh!-uh! With a little bit of uh-uh!"

See you tomorrow!

GF

CD Review: Sara Bareilles - Little Voice

Have any of you ever heard of this young woman?

I confess that I never had until a few weeks ago, when Mrs Gunfighter brought home this CD that she bought on a whim. The song that you are listening to now, is the first song on her recently released cd, titled Little Voice.

Sara Barielles (pronounced Ba-rell-is) is from Humboldt County, Californina and attended UCLA. Her music has been compared to that of Fiona Apple, Nora Jones and other female songstresses. Some of hose may be fair comparisons... but that in no way diminishes the talent of this young singer-songwriter.

I could go on and on about Bareilles' raw talent and driving piano-playing, but I don't have to, you can hear it for yourself.

If you are of a mind to trust me, trust me when I tell you that if you buy this cd you will be really glad you did.

GF

A cd Review: Katherine McPhee

Kat McPhee has finally released her first post American Idol cd. The following are my thoughts about it.

Katherine McPHee is a pretty girl with a sweet, strong voice but…

There is already a Christina Aguilera in the world.

There is already a Mariah Carey in the world.

Kat McPhee is neither one of them, and she shouldn’t try to be… but she tries on this cd. In fact, she tries too hard!

Bloody awful is what it is. It’s musical torture.

Don’t buy it.

Don’t download it.

Don’t put it on your iPod.

DON’T DON’T DON’T