IF: wrinkles

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The illustrationfriday.com challenge word this week is “wrinkles”.
hey-ho-a-lina wup-wup a-wittena-yea
Chippewa Indian John Smith, also know as Ga-Be-Nah-Gewn-Wonce (Chippewa Indian for “wrinkle meat”) and commonly called “Old Wrinkle Meat”, lived in the Cass Lake, Minnesota area and is reputed to have died on February 6, 1922 at the age of 137.
The exact age of John Smith at the time of his death has been a subject of controversy. Federal Commissioner of Indian Enrollment, Ransom J. Powell argued that “it was disease and not age that made him look the way he did” and according to records he was only 88 years old. Indian biographer Paul Buffalo who, when a small boy had met John Smith, said he had repeatedly heard the old man state that he was “seven or eight”, “eight or nine” and “ten years old” when the “stars fell”. The “stars falling” refers to the Leonid meteor shower of November 13, 1833. Birthdates of Indians of the 19th Century had generally been determined by the Government in relation to the shower of meteorites that burned through the American skies just before dawn on November 13, 1833. Some thought the meteor shower was the end of the world.

This puts the age of John Smith at just under 100 years old at the time of his death.

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SFG: imagine

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The challenge on sugarfrostedgoodness.com this week is “imagine”.
what about science?
On March 5, 1983, Journey Into Imagination opened in Walt Disney World’s EPCOT Center (as the theme park was known at that time). The ride began with riders boarding their omnimover vehicles that seemed to be “floating” in the clouds. The clouds would part and riders would see the silhouette of a strange blimp mixed with a vacuum cleaner and hear the humming and singing of its pilot. In the next scene, riders come right next to this vessel and the pilot, an audio-animatronic man with a red beard dressed in a blue suit and top hat. He introduces himself as the Dreamfinder (voiced by Chuck McCann) and he says that he uses his vehicle (called the Dream Mobile or Dream Catcher by some fans) to collect dreams and ideas to create all sorts of new things. Soon he creates a Figment of his imagination: a small, purple audio-animatronic dragon (voiced by Billy Barty). [McCann and Barty previously appeared together in the 1978 film “Foul Play“.] Both of them come up with ideas to fill the “idea bag”. When the idea bag is full, Dreamfinder states that the ideas need to be emptied in the “Dreamport” which he states is “never far away when you use your imagination”. Academy Award winners

The Sherman Brothers (whose compositions include songs from Mary Poppins, Winnie The Pooh, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the Disney staple “It’s a Small World”) wrote the song “One Little Spark”, which is played throughout the entire course of the ride.

The omnimovers leave the side of the Dream Mobile and enter the Dreamport’s storage room, which includes a massive washing machine like device for sorting ideas. Also in the room there are numerous objects including boxed applause, a plasma ball, and a birdcage of musical notes. After leaving the storage room, the ride continues to go through several rooms representing Art, Literature, the Performing Arts and Science.

The Art room was mostly white colored, to represent a massive canvas, and had a large painting Dreamfinder was making using a large fiber optic paint brush, a carousel with giant origami animals, and a pot of rainbows held by Figment.

The Literature room was mostly focused on suspenseful tales and had Dreamfinder playing a massive organ with words coming out of it, words that turned into their meanings, a massive book featuring the raven from Edgar Allan Poe’s poem cawing menacingly, and books of horrible monsters Figment tried to keep closed.

The performing arts had Figment trying on costumes backstage while Dreamfinder was conducting a laser light show in the manner of an orchestra conductor.

The last room, Science, featured a large machine that Dreamfinder was operating that took a closer look at the workings of nature such as the growth of plants, the formation of crystals from minerals and looking into space.

At the end, Dreamfinder tells Figment and the audience that Imagination is our key to unlock the hidden wonders of our world. The ride then entered the final show scene as our picture is taken as we see Figment surrounded by several movie screens of him being a scientist, a mountain climber, a pirate, a superhero, a tap dancer, a ship captain, a cowboy, and an athlete. Dreamfinder, who is behind a movie camera gives us one last inspiring message and tells us to use our newly found sparks of imagination in the ImageWorks and the on-ride photo is shown to us on a screen next to the camera. This version of the ride closed on October 10, 1998 in order to begin a major renovation.

The ride reopened on October 1, 1999. This version featured Dr. Nigel Channing (played by Monty Python’s Eric Idle) and a considerably-reduced role for Figment. Figment only appeared in filmed cameos in the ride’s queue area and not at all in the actual ride. And Dreamfinder? Dreamfinder was sent packing. This incarnation closed a mere two years later, on October 8, 2001 and went through another rehab.

The current version of the attraction opened on June 2, 2002. Dr. Channing was back, with an altered storyline and Figment returned with a larger role and appeared in every show scene. The song “One Little Spark” also returned with new verses. Dreamfinder, once again, is nowhere to be seen.

Dreamfinder, I believe, is living in a discarded refrigerator box beneath the water bridge that connects Bay Lake and the Seven Seas Lagoon. Throw him a quarter on your next visit to Walt Disney World.

Imagine that.

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Monday Artday: war

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The challenge word this week on Monday Artday is “war”.
Generals and Majors always seem so unhappy 'less they got a war
Ashton Kutcher on “punk’d“, the missing December 7, 1941 episode:
“Dude, we are totally going to set up Admiral Husband Kimmel and Lt. General Walter Short. These two dudes are the two senior military commanders in Hawaii. Our accomplices are President Franklin Roosevelt, the US Military and we even got the Empire of Japan to play along. We are totally going to withhold information of an impending attack on Pearl Harbor. Dude, everyone knows about it, except the Admiral and the Lt. General! For, like, months now, we have been breaking codes and intercepting Japanese radio transmissions. We have tons of vital information that would be so useful if you were in charge of a US military installation, but we are keeping the two commanding officers in the friggin’ dark! This is gonna be awesome! And … wait! wait!….when it’s all over, these dudes will be tried in court for negligence of duty and stripped of their ranks and forced into retirement. Dude! Their families will fight to clear their names long after they are dead! Presidents Nixon, Reagan, Bush and Clinton will all totally ignore their families’ request for posthumous rank reinstatement. This will be the best punk’d yet!”

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from my sketchbook: yfz

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I want it long, straight, curly, fuzzy, snaggy, shaggy, ratty, matty, oily, greasy, fleecy, shining, gleaming, steaming, flaxen, waxen, knotted, polka-dotted, twisted, beaded, braided, powdered, flowered, and confettied, bangled, tangled, spangled and spaghettied!
The story of the YFZ (Yearn for Zion) isolated compound in Texas has been front and center in the news for the past few weeks. One of the most intriguing parts of this story is the women of the community. Since the first pictures of the women surfaced, I know I have been fascinated by their appearance. They all seem to share similar characteristics. They are very soft-spoken. They speak slowly, deliberately and monotone. They all have that same calm and far away look in their eyes.
I have seen several television interviews with some of the women, where they were questioned about their plain, solid-colored, pastel dresses and their plain yet elaborately arranged hairstyles. One woman eerily smiled and said their clothes and hairstyles have no significance, that they make their own clothes and they all like to wear long hair.
I read a conflicting explanation. It said: “the dresses are meant to show modesty and conformity. They go down to the ankles and wrists, and are often worn over garments or pants, making sure every possibly provocative inch of skin is covered. The appearance of unity through uniform dress, however, can belie the jealousy that often arises when the women — who might all look alike to an outsider — find themselves in competition with one another over the affections of the same man. The clothing is also stitched with special markings “to protect the body and to remind you of you commitment.” The report went on to explain the hairdos, saying “the women never cut their hair because they believe they will use it to wash Christ’s feet during the Second Coming. A Biblical quote says a woman’s hair should be her crowning glory.”

It brings to mind the Rado/Ragni lyrics….
They’ll be ga-ga at the go-go
when they see me in my toga
My toga made of blond, brilliantined, Biblical hair
My hair like Jesus wore it
Hallelujah I adore it
Hallelujah Mary loved her son
Why don’t my Mother love me?

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IF: primitive

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The challenge word this week on illustrationfriday.com is “primitive”.
Tina's here. We're getting back together.
My mom collected records, a hobby I picked up and, in turn, my son inherited from me. My mom and I shared the same unusual sense of humor, and it was reflected in our similar taste in music. I was introduced to Spike Jones by my mom. Spike Jones was essentially the “Weird Al” of the 1940s. Along with his band, the City Slickers, he performed goofy takes on popular songs of the time. He is most famous for “Cocktails for Two”, the raspberry-laden “Der Fuhrer’s Face” (which Hitler hated, much to Jones’ delight) and “The William Tell Overture” complete with a horserace announcer and his cries of “Feetlebaum!“.

My mom also introduced me to the 1960 one-hit wonder by the Hollywood Argyles – “Alley Oop” written by Dallas Frazier.

Click HERE to listen to the Hollywood Argyles version of the song.

With its “oop-oop” backing vocals, the song told of a caveman allegedly appearing in “the funny papers”. When I was a kid, I read the Sunday comics religiously. I never saw or heard of any character called “Alley Oop”. Much the way I currently obsess over useless trivia, I felt this situation called for some research.

Alley Oop was a syndicated comic strip, created in 1932 by cartoonist Vincent T. Hamlin. Alley Oop, the strip’s namesake and leading character, was a caveman living in the prehistoric kingdom of Moo who rode his pet dinosaur, Dinny, carried a stone war hammer, dressed in nothing but a pair of fur shorts, and obviously would rather fight dinosaurs in the jungle than deal with his fellow countrymen in Moo. In spite of these exotic settings, the stories were mostly satires of American suburban life. Alley Oop’s name derived from the French phrase allez, hop!, (meaning “let’s go!”) used as a cue by French gymnasts and trapeze artists. Hamlin wrote and drew Alley Oop through four decades. When Hamlin retired in 1971, his assistant Dave Graue took over. The last daily by Hamlin appeared December 31, 1972, and his last Sunday was April 1, 1973. Graue wrote and drew the strip through the 1970s and 1980s until Jack Bender took over as illustrator in 1991. Graue continued to write the strip until his August, 2001 retirement; on December 10, 2001, the 75-year-old Graue was killed in Flat Rock, North Carolina when a dump truck hit his car. The current Alley Oop Sunday and daily strips are drawn by Jack Bender and written by his wife Carol Bender.

Alley Oop has been referenced throughout pop culture. A thinly disguised Alley Oop was the central figure in Philip José Farmer’s The Alley Man, a 1959 novella about the last Neanderthal who has survived into the 20th Century. An educated Neanderthal known as Alley Oop is a character in Clifford D. Simak’s science fiction novel The Goblin Reservation (1968). In the 1970s, the song “Alley Oop” was used by the American choreographer Twyla Tharp in her ballet Deuce Coup. Alley Oop was a segment in Filmation’s 1970’s animated series Fabulous Funnies alongside Broom-Hilda, Nancy and Sluggo and The Captain and the Kids. It has even been said that Alley Oop was the inspiration for The Flintstones and Jurassic Park.

And that Hollywood Argyles’ song “Alley Oop” has been covered countless times by such bands as The Bonzo Dog Band, Ray Stevens, Buck Howdy, George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers and The Beach Boys.

Click HERE to listen to the The Beach Boys cover of the song.

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SFG: noir

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The challenge this week on sugarfrostedgoodness.com is “noir”.
You'll see it coming toward you, real slowly for a shake
I saw “Scream” a few days ago on one of the many movie channels on cable television. I had seen it several times before. It’s not a great movie, but it is funny the way Wes Craven pokes fun at himself and the genre that made him famous.
The soundtrack features one of my favorite songs, Nick Cave’s “Red Right Hand”.
Nick Cave is an Australian musician, songwriter, author, screenwriter, and occasional actor. He is best known for his work with his band, the Bad Seeds, and his fascination with American music and its roots. He has a reputation, which he disowns and dislikes, for singing dark, brooding songs which some listeners regard as depressing. His music is characterised by intensity, high energy and a wide variety of influences. Cave’s music exhibits his obsessions with religion, death, love, America, and violence with a bizarre, eclectic blend of blues, gospel, rock, and punk. “Red Right Hand”, while obviously falling into the noir category, tells a story that is wide open to interpretation.

Take a litle walk to the edge of town/Go across the tracks
Where the viaduct looms,/like a bird of doom/As it shifts and cracks
Where secrets lie in the border fires,/in the humming wires
Hey man, you know/you’re never coming back
Past the square, past the bridge,/past the mills, past the stacks
On a gathering storm comes/a tall handsome man
In a dusty black coat with/a red right hand

He’ll wrap you in his arms,/tell you that you’ve been a good boy
He’ll rekindle all the dreams/it took you a lifetime to destroy
He’ll reach deep into the hole,/heal your shrinking soul
Hey buddy, you know you’re/never ever coming back
He’s a god, he’s a man,/he’s a ghost, he’s a guru
They’re whispering his name/through this disappearing land
But hidden in his coat/is a red right hand

You ain’t got no money?/He’ll get you some
You ain’t got no car? /He’ll get you one
You ain’t got no self-respect,/you feel like an insect
Well don’t you worry buddy,/cause here he comes
Through the ghettos and the barrio/and the bowery and the slum
A shadow is cast wherever he stands
Stacks of green paper in his
red right hand

You’ll see him in your nightmares,/you’ll see him in your dreams
He’ll appear out of nowhere but/he ain’t what he seems
You’ll see him in your head,/on the TV screen
And hey buddy, I’m warning/you to turn it off
He’s a ghost, he’s a god,/he’s a man, he’s a guru
You’re one microscopic cog/in his catastrophic plan
Designed and directed by
his red right hand

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Monday Artday: dinosaur

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The challenge this week on Monday Artday is “dinosaur”.
I ain't tellin' you a secret/I ain't tellin' you goodbye
J Mascis formed the short-lived hardcore group Deep Wound with Lou Barlow and Scott Helland in the early 1980s. He started out on drums, but moved to guitar when he went on to found Dinosaur Jr. with bassist Barlow and drummer Emmett Jefferson ‘Patrick’ Murphy (aka ‘Murph’) in 1984. His vocals have been described as “Neil Young-like” and his guitar riffs as “monolithic.” After Mascis dismissed Barlow from Dinosaur Jr. in 1989, he recorded several more Dinosaur Jr. albums until 1997, including a 1996 acoustic solo album. In 2000, he then went on to produce albums with his new band, J Mascis and the Fog. In April 2005, Mascis rejoined with Barlow and Murph, as the original trio of Dinosaur Jr., to begin a tour celebrating the re-release of the group’s first three albums.

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SFG: shy

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Sugarfrostedgoodness.com‘s challenge word this week is “shy”.
Dear God, sorry to disturb you, but... I feel that I should be heard loud and clear
Andy Partridge, the founder of eclectic rock group XTC, suffered a nervous breakdown, which manifested itself as uncontrollable stage fright. It was brought on by his wife, Marianne, throwing away his supply of Valium. Andy had become dependent upon the drug after it was prescribed to him as a teenager during his parents’ divorce. He was never fully withdrawn from the drug and became dependent on it.
Concerned about her husband’s dependence on the drug, Marianne threw his tablets away — without seeking medical advice — just before a 1982 Paris concert. Not surprisingly, Partridge suffered anxiety attacks of such severity that he was forced to withdraw from touring permanently. The remaining European and British dates were cancelled and after completing only one show in San Diego the whole US leg was also abandoned. Since then, XTC have been exclusively a studio band.

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