blogovich

What next for Vick — execution??

OK, what Michael Vick did with dogs was dastardly, cruel, etc. etc. etc. I'm not defending it. It's sickening. He deserves to be punished and will be.

But talk about piling on. Now he's been indicted not only on federal charges but on state charges in Virginia as well. And, for good measure, he's being sued by the Royal Bank of Canada because the impact on his football career resulting from the charges is preventing him from repaying money he borrowed from the bank. He's being sued for more than $2.3 million by the bank, from which he borrowed $2.5 million earlier with plans to use the money for real estate investments and no, we don't know if he was planning to build dog-fighting facilities on the real estate. Nor do we know why he needed to borrow such money when he was being paid millions by the NFL's Atlanta Falcons.

The point is, everyone is trying to take their pound of flesh from this guy. Yet there are dozens and dozens of NFLers who have beat up their wives or girlfriends and/or engaged in other unsavoury and unlawful activities who are roaming free on the football fields of America.

I won't be surprised to read or hear in the next news flash that Vick has been sentenced to hang, fry in the electric chair, be burned at the stake, thrown in the gas chamber or given a lethal injection for what he did.

Talk about a double standard.

More Zeppelin feedback . . . and what a Rush

I've got a migraine. Going home. But first, more Zep feedback; this from Ron on the Zep as ripoff artists theme:

"could not agree more."

Short and sweet. Thanks, Ron.

OK, outta here.

But first: got into Rush again on the weekend. The new album's great but aside from that I sorta gave up on 'em in the mid-80s when they released a few too many synth-based (in my opinion) albums. My own personal fave Rush album remains either A Farewell To Kings or Moving Pictures.

But a buddy of mine is a major fan of the Canadian progressive power trio, every phase of their career, and has been bugging me to view the 30th anniversary video. So I finally did, and now I'm hooked . . . again. I've only ever seen them live once and that doesn't really count because it was at the SARS show so it wasn't a tour event.

Very impressive DVD, though. I'm told Rock in Rio is even better.

More later. Time to drive home to a dark room, cure the migraine. I think I'll let Vapor Trails put me to sleep and I mean that in the best sense of the word. Another good latter-day Rush CD.

Led Zeppelin as rip-off artists

Kudos to Jeff out there in cyberspace for commenting on my little aside about rock ripoff artists Led Zeppelin (see my previous post about Led Zep and rock reunions). I love this topic.

Jeff writes: Led Zeppelin ripped off more than Willie Dixon. Ever hear of Jake Holmes? They stole his song Dazed and Confused.

Yes, Jeff, I’ve heard of Jake Holmes and Zep ripping off Dazed and Confused. Zeppelin ripped off so many songs and artists it’s almost beyond belief.

Visit www.warr.org/zep.html for a full list.
There’s a zillion such sites, just search something like “Zep as ripoffs” and read on . . .

OK, folks, we’ll save you the trouble:

Here’s the list, and comments, from the above site, which also contains reviews of Zep albums . . .

• ""Babe I'm Gonna Leave You" - A folk song by Anne Bredon, this was originally credited as "traditional, arranged by Jimmy Page," then "words and music by Jimmy Page," and then, following legal action, "Bredon/Page/Plant."

• "Black Mountain Side" - uncredited version of a traditional folk tune previously recorded by Bert Jansch.

• "Bring It On Home" - the first section is an uncredited cover of the Willie Dixon tune (as performed by the imposter Sonny Boy Williamson). Blogovich sez: This gets complicated in the “imposter” Sonny Boy part. There were indeed two of the dude, Rice Miller (the second Sonny Boy) and John Lee Williamson (Sonny Boy I) although Sonny Boy II wound up being, arguably, the more well-known, partly because he lasted longer — Sonny Boy I was murdered at age 34 during a robbery, but we don’t have time or space to get into all that; read a blues book if you’re interested. Bottom line: Zep ripped the song off.

• "Communication Breakdown" - apparently derived from Eddie Cochran's "Nervous Breakdown."

• "Custard Pie" - uncredited cover of Bukka White's "Shake 'Em On Down," with lyrics from Sleepy John Estes's "Drop Down Daddy."

• "Dazed And Confused" - uncredited cover of the Jake Holmes song (see The Above Ground Sound Of Jake Holmes). Blogovich sez: This is the one to which Jeff, who commented on the blog, refers.

• "Hats Off To (Roy) Harper" - uncredited version of Bukka White's "Shake 'Em On Down."

• "How Many More Times" - Part one is an uncredited cover of the Howlin' Wolf song (available on numerous compilations). Part two is an uncredited cover of Albert King's "The Hunter."

• "In My Time Of Dying" - uncredited cover of the traditional song (as heard on Bob Dylan's debut).

• "The Lemon Song" - uncredited cover of Howlin' Wolf's "Killing Floor" - Wolf's publisher sued Zeppelin in the early 70's and settled out of court.

• "Moby Dick" - written and first recorded by Sleepy John Estes under the title "The Girl I Love," and later covered by Bobby Parker.

• "Nobody's Fault But Mine" - uncredited cover of the Blind Willie Johnson blues.

• "Since I've Been Lovin' You" - lyrics are the same as Moby Grape's "Never," though the music isn't similar.

• "Stairway To Heaven" - the main guitar line is apparently from "Taurus" by Spirit. Blogovich sez: Not “apparently”. This one is startling. Taurus, by Spirit (great band, pick up a compilation at least, highly recommended), is an instrumental of three minutes' duration; Zep copied the entire song and used it as the intro to Stairway. Give it a listen. But sit down first. Ridiculous.

• "White Summer" - uncredited cover of Davey Graham's "She Moved Through The Fair."

• " Whole Lotta Love" - lyrics are from the Willie Dixon blues "You Need Love."

• Here’s one not from the site but from Blogovich: Give “Sail Away” by Deep Purple (1974 Burn album with David Coverdale on lead vocals) a listen and tell me Zep’s Trampled Underfoot from Physical Graffiti (1975) isn’t the same borrowed-from-Ritchie Blackmore riff, just speeded up. And Zep singer Robert Plant had the gall, at the height of the later Whitesnake’s admittedly Zep-derivative success, to call Coverdale “David Coverversion”? Amazing arrogance and the pot calling the kettle black crap. Further, Plant’s got the gall to write forwards to blues books and such, while his band so overtly ripped off those same artists. Amazing arrogance, Percy.

Zep defenders say old blues artists did the same thing with tunes, borrowing, adjusting, and so on. And that is in some measure arguably true. But nobody ever did it to Zep's extent.  Not even close. Perhaps they could have given just a wee bit of credit where it was due?

That’s why, despite the hours of enjoyment (and maybe that’s enough for some people and that’s OK) Zep provided, they’ll always be a few cuts below the all-time greats in my estimation.

Memo to Guy Lafleur: Wake up and smell the flowers

Guy Lafleur was quoted the other day giving his typical and tiresome rant about the state of hockey today, how it’s too commercialized, money has taken all the fun out of it, blah blah blah.

Hmm. This is the same guy who was making six figures with the Habs, retired, was given a cushy office glad-handing job at $70,000 per year and whined about how underpaid he was.

Welcome to the world, Flower. And by the way, Guy, back in the 1970s, the guys who played in the 1950s and 1960s were all saying how bad hockey had become and how players (like you) were overpaid and blah blah blah.

Yet another example of tiresome former athletes and, we dare say, people in general who seem to subscribe to the notion that: the older I get, the better I was, the better things were.

Not necessarily.

Berkobits: Palmer and Marcia Clark

Berkobits:

Jesse Palmer, failed NFL and CFL quarterback, sure leads a charmed life. Am I jealous? No, just commenting on it. Palmer is now a broadcaster and the critics are saying he’s good at it.

Maybe so. I haven’t heard him enough to make a judgment but I’m sure he’s fine. But someone, please, tell the man how to properly tie a tie. Your knot is WAY too big, bud. (Sorry, readers, I don’t have a pic handy but when I find one I’ll post it). This guy can’t even dress himself and he was on The Bachelor? Let’s not even mention that his appearances on The Bachelor are what essentially led to the TV gig, which tells you all you need to know about the vacuous celebrity society that’s been created. . . . What’s with original O.J. prosecutor-turned TV talking head Marcia Clark and the cleavage? She looked cheap and pathetic.

Yankees, Red Sox, 1978 and the wild card

Remember 1978 when the Yankees came from 14 games behind to overtake the Red Sox (who actually then rallied from 3.5 games behind the Yanks) and win the famous one-game playoff on Bucky Dent’s pop-fly home run over Fenway Park’s Green Monster?

Same thing is happening this year. The Yankees were double-digit games behind at one point and as we write this are just 1.5 games back.

But because of the wild card system which will likely still see both of the two longtime rivals make the playoffs anyway, it just isn’t the same.

Call me an old fogey traditionalist, but there’s something wrong with that.

Led Zep and rock reunions

So Led Zeppelin is finally reuniting for a one-off show. Well, check my use of the word "finally". Zep has done this before, on at least two occasions and more if one counts Page/Plant tours.

Now, if it was a tour that would be news. But it isn't.

And here's another thing. They are going to look very old and, besides, what's the point anymore? Same thing with David Lee Roth-era Van Halen. It's been too long, this pining for a reunion, and who really cares now?

I like Zep (blues ripoff artists that they nevertheless are, ask the estate of Willie Dixon) but they either should have kept on going with a new drummer once John Bonham died or just packed it in permanently.

Same thing with Genesis. Anyone seen pictures of Phil Collins on this current Turn it On Again tour? Boy, he looks old. And that's because you have not seen him in ages. So it's stunning to see how the years have treated him, as they do us all.

That's why (and I'll confess I'm a Stones freak) I think the Rolling Stones get abused too much about their age. Yeah, they look old and craggy and they are, particularly Mr. Self Abuse himself, Keith Richards. But at least they've aged right in front of us over the years, since they never stopped. It's not so dramatic that way.

No critical thinking on A-Rod

Is it just me, or is New York Yankee Alex Rodriguez, baseball's new golden boy, getting a free pass from media types who seem to think their job is to create and sustain heroes — until they fall from grace, whereupon they are set upon like sharks to a bloody carcass?

A-Rod is bashing the ball with impressive numbers but even in this era where eyebrows are raised about performance enhancement, nobody seems to be even raising the possibility, so quickly do they want to move on from Barry Bonds and embrace a new "hero". You saw this immediately upon Bonds breaking Hank Aaron's career home run record — people begain writing that, hey, it's OK, because Bonds won't hold the record long since A-Rod will soon break it.

Not saying A-Rod is or isn't using performance-enhancement and it doesn't even really matter. Regular readers of this space will know by now that the view here is that the key question that is never asked is: how do you define performance enhancement?

But why the free pass?

Here's a solution to Belichick-gate

I find the reaction to the New England Patriots' taping of New York Jets' coaches relaying signals during week 1 of the NFL season a bit over the top.

Yes, it's against the rules and the NFL has meted out its justice and may add to it if, as commissioner Roger Goodell says, more evidence comes to light.

That aside, here's what the NFL, and indeed football in general, should do to prevent any of this in future. Take technology right out of the game; give the game back to the players and take it back to its roots by:

• eliminating the use of videotape, period.
• taking radios out of helmets. What is this, auto racing? Let the quarterbacks fend for themselves. Make them actually call their own plays as was the case many years ago and no, we're not saying things were better then. But they certainly were more human.
• cutting the army of coaches each team employs down to size. Take them out of the press box and have people coach, without the aid of headsets and so on, from the sidelines.
• outlawing situation substitution — let's see if the players of today can be as well-rounded as their predecessors, i.e. play every down, passing or running. Seriously, who can name all the members of any team's offensive or defensive units these days? In American football, each side of the ball is populated by 11 men, yet in reality it's probably about 30 guys per side given all the situation substitution that is done. Let's have some complete football players rather than your basic 3rd and 8 rush-end specialist or what have you.
• having offensive and defensive starters play on special teams. Imagine the salary savings. Imagine the fatigue. Imagine the mistakes. Imagine the excitement.

Imagine the game, back in the hands of the players instead of deified coaches. Oops, sorry. Coaches. With a capital C as if they're some higher life form.

Another sign of the Apocalypse

News from China:

Chinese man drops dead in Internet cafe after 3-day gaming binge

BEIJING (AP) — A man in southern China appears to have died of exhaustion after a three-day Internet gaming binge, state media said Monday.

The 30-year-old man fainted at a cybercafe in the city of Guangzhou on Saturday afternoon after he had been playing games online for three days, the Beijing News reported.

Paramedics tried to revive him but failed and he was declared dead at the cafe, it said. The paper said that he may have died from exhaustion brought on by too many hours on the Internet.

The report did not say what the man, whose name was not given, was playing.

It said that about 100 other surfers “left the cafe in fear after witnessing the man’s death.’’
China has 140 million Internet users, second only to the United States. It is one of the world’s biggest markets for online games, with tens of millions of players, many of whom hunker down for hours in front of computers in public Internet cafes.

Several cities have clinics to treat what psychiatrists have dubbed “Internet addiction’’ in users, many of them children and teenagers, who play online games or surf the web for days at a time.

Now, maybe he had a congenital heart defect. However, yet another for the "what kind of world have we created" file.