LeeMail- 12-03-99

LEEMail

If you set your mind free, baby, maybe you'll understand.

I can tell you why Prince can't make a good record anymore, Beck stole his soul (pun intended). With 'Midnite Vultures' [DGC], Mr. Hansen checks in with another record destined to make many year-end best lists. This record is a big funky mess that shakes your funny bone almost as much as it shakes your booty. He said he wanted to make a "party album for the millennium". Well, he did. It's a gas. And I'm not joking about the Prince thing. "Nicotine & Gravy" is the best Prince song Prince didn't write. Screw doing Stylistics covers, Mr. Artist - and forget having "Prince" produce your next record. There's a skinny white kid in Pasadena who just kicked your black ass.

Favorite Album Of All Time This Week©: 'Slave To The Rhythm' - Grace Jones.

Happy Birthday To Thee From LEE This Week©:

12/04/40 Freddie Cannon

12/04/42 Chris Hillman

12/05/32 Little Richard

12/05/40 John Cale

12/06/96 Ira Gershwin

12/06/38 David Ossman

12/07/10 Louis Prima

12/07/49 Tom Waits

12/08/39 Jerry Butler

12/08/44 Neil Innes

Saw a presentation on "The World Of Sid & Marty Krofft" at the Museum Of TV & Radio this week. Sid, Marty, Billie Hayes, Johnny Whittaker, Fred Willard and (to everyone - including the panel's dismay) Ruth Buzzi. Didn't get a chance to ask Johnny all of my burning 'Family Affair' questions - but Sid autographed my 'WOS&MK' box set "Thanks for being a lifetime fan". No, Sid - thank you.

HistoricaLEE Speaking This Week©:

12/03/68 Elvis Presley's "comeback" special airs on NBC.

12/04/56 The "Million Dollar Quartet" records a 2 & 1/2 hour session at Sun Studio.

12/06/69 The Rolling Stones play Altamont.

12/08/80 John Lennon is assassinated. Everybody wear black on Wednesday.

12/09/64 Sam Cooke is killed. Don't change your clothes from Wednesday.

Man, are those Cnet.com ads funny.

'The Iron Giant' [WHV] - The first of the cartoons on this list, and a great freakin' movie. If I still cared enough about movies to make a best of the year list, this would be on it. Great widescreen transfer, great animation, and could that be a tear in my eye?... Extra features ain't much to crow about, but with a movie this good, I'll excuse it.
[This film (not so coincidentally) made me rediscover Pete Townshend's 'Iron Man' record which is a fine goddamn listen, as well.]
'South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut' [Paramount] - Because of the 'BWP' fiasco, I hesitate to express my excitement about things that may induce the diarrhea of the keyboard that accompany such raves, but here goes... Now, I intended to laugh. I knew it would be funny. I just had no idea how goddamn funny it was. And if you didn't think so, I'll just quote young Eric Cartman and invite you to "suck my balls". Now, if you're not a fan of the show - there's really no reason to see this. But, Satan's "Up There" could be 3 of the funniest minutes committed to film. Again, no real extras on the DVD, but an unbelievable exercise in how to take four steps more than anyone could ever imagine you would.

I was watching A&E's "Biography of the Millennium" thing, and I only have one thing to say: Gloria Stienem needs something shoved into her mouth. "We won't know until the next millennium the true impact women had in this one..." Yeah, at least we know in THIS millennium what a whiny, overbearing cow you are, MS. Stienem. And, how important can you be when A&E asked Robin Williams for more commentary? Excuse me, I'm gonna go shave my armpits.