Sunday, March 12, 2006
Purim Party at the Samuel Field Y
Saturday, March 11, 2006
Game 6 (The Movie)
Bruce, the Internet surfer, found references to a new movie call Game 6 about the 1986 World Series when the Mets beat the Boston Red Sox. The movie came out this weekend but in limited release. We had to take the subway to Times Square to see it at the AMC Empire 25 Multiplex. I guess after a while I got tired of the College Point Multiplex even if it is within walking distance of home. The protagonist of the movie, Nicky Rogan, played by Michael Keaton is a playwright whose show opens on October 25, 1986, the day of Game 6 of the World Series. Rogan who is a diehard Red Sox fan wants to see his team win a world series. He skips his opening and goes to a sports bar to watch the game on TV. The highlight for me was seeing Mookie Wilson hit the ball that Bill Buckner at first base could not handle. I always fantasized about playing a video of that inning while Pagebyrner was chained to a chair. With that play, the Mets tied the series at 3-3 and eventually won game 7.
The movie was somewhat of a disappointment. It was not nearly as good as the Red Sox movie Fever Pitch, a romantic comedy with Drew Barrymore.
Friday, March 10, 2006
A Bob Dylan Biopic is coming
Found out some good news by surfing the web looking for new Bob Dylan information.
Todd Haynes Helming I'm Not There
Christian Bale, Catch Blanchett, Colin Farrell, Richard Gere, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Haynes regular Julianne Moore are among those attached.
The film follows seven characters, each embodying a different aspect of Dylan's life story and music. It's the first biographical feature project to secure the approval of the pop culture icon.
Haynes is planning a summer start in Romania.
If filming will not begin until this summer, the movie would not be out until 2007. So 6 men and one woman will play Dylan at different points at his life. This makes sense since ther is an Alias theme in many of Dylan's work. He assumes the identity of other people. In the forthcoming film, the tables are turned since other people assume the identity of Dylan.
Getting back to Internet radio, right now I am listening to http://www.bluebeat.com I am listening to a channel called Dylan Undercover. This stream plays covers of Dylan songs. The stream must abide by the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) which restricts the number of songs by a single artist that an Internet stream can play. By featuring Dylan covers this stream abides by the DCMA.
11:58 AM today
Monday, March 6, 2006
Bruce, the Internet Radio Enthusiast
In my January 1 entry I discussed my hobby as an over the air radio enthusiast. Over the past few years Internet radio has grown by leaps and bounds. I wrote every message to this blog listening to an Internet radio station. There are several types of Internet radio stations:
1. Over the air station - in this way a station is no longer localized. A person in Boston can listen to a station from Seattle for example.
2. Internet only station. Many radio enthusiasts who can not break into the radio business can broadcast their own stations on the web.
3. XM radio. I had been thinking for over years about subscribing to XM radio. I was reluctant to pay money for a satellite radio plus $13/month. I can get the music stations form XM through my AOL subscription.
Below is a copy of an article I wrote in December 2004 for Decalcomania, a newsletter for radio enthusiasts. Since that time I have discovered more Internet radio stations. Right now I am listnening to WJMK.com which is also available in Chicago on HD radio. When the CBS radio Jackasses took over oldies at WJMK they brought the oldies format including some personalities to the HD stations which is also available on the Internet at http://wjmk.com. Likewise in New York City WCBS-FM is now available on HD radio and on WCBSFM.com. It is just not the same without the radio personalities who graced the station for 33 years.
Music of Your Life – http://www.musicofyourlife.com - There are many broadcast stations that carry this format, but none in New York City. This a change of pace for me.
WXPK – The Peak - http://www.1071thepeak.com/listen/index.php This AAA station is in Westchester County about 30 miles north of my home. I can barely pick it up even on my car radio. They play some classic rock with current album cuts.
WUSN - Chicago – America’s Country Station - Since there is no country radio station in NYC, I need to go to web to get my weekly dosage of country. I use Radio@AOL to access it.
WLNG – http://www.wlng.com From Sag Harbor Long Island. A good blend of oldies. I don’t have to trade for airchecks of it any longer.
WLBU- Santa Fe New Mexico - http://www.blu1029.com/ I am listening to this while I am composing this article. The music format on blu 102.9 FM has never before been heard as a full-time radio format in the US. Originating on the beaches in Café del Mar on the Spanish island of Ibiza, the musical genre we call blu, sometimes referred to as Chill, has been a European phenomenon in the adult club scene." blu has its roots in pop, dance, electronica, smooth jazz and world music. I really hope this format grows. It is very hard to turn it off. WQCD (CD101.9) in New York plays some of this music.
WRLL – Chicago - http://realoldies1690.com/main.html Plays mostly 1950s – 60s oldies. There are move AM stations adopting this format. WMTR – Morristown and WPEN – Philadelphia come to mind. Mainstream FM oldies stations like WCBS-FM have deemphasized this era of music.
Superoldies - http://www.superoldies.com/main.html . The current library boasts approx. 12,000 songs from over 3600 artists. The time frame is 1955 – 1969. I have listened to oldies stations for many years and find songs here that I have never heard. You will not hear burnouts like Happy Together", "I'm A Believer", "Baby Love", "Sweet Caroline", "Satisfaction", "Twist & Shout" & "Big Girls Don't Cry"
Capital Gold - http://www.capitalgold.com/ - This is a British oldies station with an American accent. It is similar in scope to WCBS-FM
My Generation - http://www.my-generation.org.uk/ Gary Jackson is the DJ. I remember back in 1966 the late Scott Muni played British hits on WOR-FM that did not chart in the USA. Gary plays those on http://www.live365.com/stations/278851 He knows his British 60s oldies.
Mr. Aircheck Radio - http://www.live365.com/stations/mraircheck4159 Russ Horton, I believe a former Decalcomaniac, plays classic airchecks. Other sources for airchecks on the web include http://www.reelradio.com , http://mp3airchecks.com , http://www.airchexx.com , http://northeastairchecks.com/, and http://www.bigappleairchecks.com
BBC Radio 2 - http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio2/ - It is online live, but I listen to the archived show Sounds of the Sixties that changes weekly. Brian Matthew is the host. Many shows are archived.
Blue Beat – http://www.bluebeat.com - This service has absolutely everything and the quality is excellent. They have streams playing, blues, classical, country, folk, oldies. You name it and they’ve got it. They claim they offer 400,000 tracks and 320 channels of pure listening pleasure.
Boomerradio – http://www.boomerradio.com This service appeals to baby boomers as its name implies. There are four channels; Acoustic Café, Smooth Jazz, Sweet Soul Music, and ClassicMix.
WFUV – 90.7 FM in NYC or http://wfuv.org - Fordham University’s station has a Folk Music/Americana format. I can get it over the air from my home, but I like the web stream to hear archived shows like Pete Fornatale’s Mixed Bag..
WBGO – 88.3 FM from Newark, NJ – Traditional Jazz station. The reception of this station is fuzzy at home, so I like to access the web stream.
