What do you mean you're not mean? You're the meanest person I've ever met! If you take the average of all the people in the world, you're way meaner than the mean! & I mean that.
The word mean has lots of meanings (pun intended) & I hope to get to the bottom of how the definition "selfish in a petty way; unkind; cruel, spiteful, malicious" relates to "to intend to convey or indicate" & "to act as a symbol of; signify or represent." I know, one's a verb & the other's an adjective (the "mean" meaning "average" is a noun) but surely they're related. Aren't they?
I especially like the slightly old-fashioned (but prevalent in lots of blues songs) meaning of "mean" that's "low in social status; of humble origins." "Mean" can also mean "humiliated or ashamed" (just perfect for blues songs!) & "in poor physical condition; sick or debilitated," which I've never heard anyone else say ever.
I didn't mean to suggest you were mean in that first paragraph. It's not what I meant. I don't know what I meant. I might just have been acting mean.
& by "mean" I meant "excellent; skillful," as in "He plays a mean game of bridge"!
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Friday, September 23, 2011
Gone To Boomslang!
I'll try to write in this blog the next couple of days but it may be tough - it's the third annual WRFL Boomslang Festival starting tonight & continuing all through the weekend. Here, let me put up a banner-like thing taken from the website to show support!
I'll be volunteering at the Cosmic Charlie's first show tonight, so you should come say hello. & enjoy the weekend - a lot of people - a lot of them volunteers - helped put this together. It should be a blast.
I'll be volunteering at the Cosmic Charlie's first show tonight, so you should come say hello. & enjoy the weekend - a lot of people - a lot of them volunteers - helped put this together. It should be a blast.
Thursday, September 22, 2011
A Joke A Day A Week, Episode Thirteen
Oh you know. The week was all like:
Did you hear about the two radio antennas that got married?
The wedding was terrible, but the reception was excellent!
& then it was all like:
Vicky was at a business conference. During a break, she decided to call home collect. Her six-year-old son picked up the phone and heard a stranger’s voice say, “We have Vicky on the line. Will you accept the charges?” Frantic, the six-year-old dropped the receiver and came charging outside screaming, “Dad! They have Mom! And they want money!”
& then it was all like:
Okay, so a Texan rancher comes upon a farmer from Maine. The Texan looks at the Mainer and asks, "Say, how much land you think you got here?" Mainer: 'Bout 10 acres I'd say." Texan (boasting): Well, on my lot, it takes me all day to drive completely around my property!" Mainer: "Yep, I got one of them trucks too."
Oh, & something insulting to a particular place/person/thing made it through, doubtless pissing off one or two U of Michigan fans:
Q. Why do University of Michigan graduates hang their diplomas from their rear view mirror?
A. So they can use handicapped parking.
Ho hum.
(Do they really call people from Maine "Mainers"?)
Did you hear about the two radio antennas that got married?
The wedding was terrible, but the reception was excellent!
& then it was all like:
Vicky was at a business conference. During a break, she decided to call home collect. Her six-year-old son picked up the phone and heard a stranger’s voice say, “We have Vicky on the line. Will you accept the charges?” Frantic, the six-year-old dropped the receiver and came charging outside screaming, “Dad! They have Mom! And they want money!”
& then it was all like:
Okay, so a Texan rancher comes upon a farmer from Maine. The Texan looks at the Mainer and asks, "Say, how much land you think you got here?" Mainer: 'Bout 10 acres I'd say." Texan (boasting): Well, on my lot, it takes me all day to drive completely around my property!" Mainer: "Yep, I got one of them trucks too."
Oh, & something insulting to a particular place/person/thing made it through, doubtless pissing off one or two U of Michigan fans:
Q. Why do University of Michigan graduates hang their diplomas from their rear view mirror?
A. So they can use handicapped parking.
Ho hum.
(Do they really call people from Maine "Mainers"?)
Monday, September 19, 2011
Whispers Gettin' Louder
I don't know how to make whispers in plaintext. I was thinking just little dots, like ...... , but that usually indicates a loss for words. I do know how to make whispers on the radio, & I in fact played a lot of songs about whispers today which, strangely enough, had very few whispers in them. It seems like it's all right to talk about whispers using your normal everyday voice. In fact, some people even scream about whispers.
I like the word whisper because it is basically onomatopoeia, & that's a figure of speech everyone loves. The whispering that the show did is listed in song form below, & you can find the show at the Self Help Radio website where I have divided it into two parts: part one & part two. They have better names that than but I can't say them out loud - come closer, I'll whisper them to you.
(part one)
"Doo Wop Whispers" PBNJ Buchanan _Speak Up!_
"Whisper" Pelle Carlburg _The Lilac Time_
"Mr. Whisper" Dory Previn _On My Way To Where_
"Whispering" Joni James _Put On A Happy Face_
"The Words That I Whisper" Sal Mineo _The Complete Epic Recordings_
"Whisper Not" The Florentines _él: The Legendary B Sides_
"Whispers (Gettin' Louder)" Jackie Wilson _The Very Best Of Jackie Wilson_
"Whisper You Love Me Boy" Chris Clark _The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 8: 1968_
"Whisper" Morphine _Yes_
"Heard Your Whisper" The June Brides _Every Conversation: The Story Of The June Brides & Phil Wilson_
"There Is No Sun" Jay Reatard _Watch Me Fall_
"Wallpaper Whispers" Seashells _Sunshine Eyes_
"Chinese Whispers" Melys _Suikerspin_
(part two)
"Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream)" Acumen Nation _Newer Wave_
"Reduced To Whispering" The Shirts _The Shirts_
"From A Whisper To A Scream" Elvis Costello _Trust_
"Cries & Whispers" Polyrock _Polyrock/Changing Hearts_
"Whisper Whisper" The Postelles _The Postelles_
"Do You Whisper?" Dressy Bessy _Holler & Stomp_
"Whispering Pine" Doris _Did You Give The World Some Love Today Baby_
"Whispering Weeds" Frank Black & The Catholics _Black Letter Days_
"Whisper" Kickstand _Kickstand_
"The Whisper Of Your Mind" The Lilac Time _Astronauts_
"Forever Whispers Secrets To Me" Celestial _Crystal Heights_
I like the word whisper because it is basically onomatopoeia, & that's a figure of speech everyone loves. The whispering that the show did is listed in song form below, & you can find the show at the Self Help Radio website where I have divided it into two parts: part one & part two. They have better names that than but I can't say them out loud - come closer, I'll whisper them to you.
(part one)
"Doo Wop Whispers" PBNJ Buchanan _Speak Up!_
"Whisper" Pelle Carlburg _The Lilac Time_
"Mr. Whisper" Dory Previn _On My Way To Where_
"Whispering" Joni James _Put On A Happy Face_
"The Words That I Whisper" Sal Mineo _The Complete Epic Recordings_
"Whisper Not" The Florentines _él: The Legendary B Sides_
"Whispers (Gettin' Louder)" Jackie Wilson _The Very Best Of Jackie Wilson_
"Whisper You Love Me Boy" Chris Clark _The Complete Motown Singles, Vol. 8: 1968_
"Whisper" Morphine _Yes_
"Heard Your Whisper" The June Brides _Every Conversation: The Story Of The June Brides & Phil Wilson_
"There Is No Sun" Jay Reatard _Watch Me Fall_
"Wallpaper Whispers" Seashells _Sunshine Eyes_
"Chinese Whispers" Melys _Suikerspin_
(part two)
"Birds Fly (Whisper To A Scream)" Acumen Nation _Newer Wave_
"Reduced To Whispering" The Shirts _The Shirts_
"From A Whisper To A Scream" Elvis Costello _Trust_
"Cries & Whispers" Polyrock _Polyrock/Changing Hearts_
"Whisper Whisper" The Postelles _The Postelles_
"Do You Whisper?" Dressy Bessy _Holler & Stomp_
"Whispering Pine" Doris _Did You Give The World Some Love Today Baby_
"Whispering Weeds" Frank Black & The Catholics _Black Letter Days_
"Whisper" Kickstand _Kickstand_
"The Whisper Of Your Mind" The Lilac Time _Astronauts_
"Forever Whispers Secrets To Me" Celestial _Crystal Heights_
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Whither Whispers?
/whisper
Just between you & me, I was a loud kid. In third grade, the teacher had a little throw rug she kept in the corner which she called the "bicker rug" where she put children who were talkative or noisy (in fact, because I hardly ever got into fights, I had no idea that "bicker" meant "fight" until later on - I thought it meant "rambunctious" or "loud"), & where I often found myself. Only years later, after I met people who were quite loud as adults did I realize I chatted up a storm because I was insecure & wanted attention. My voice was high, then, so it probably made things worse.
Now that I am older & even more insecure, I'm not very loud, because I don't want anyone to know how insecure I am. But I don't whisper a lot, either. My voice is naturally quiet these days, which is a shame because I live with partially deaf beasts & wife. If I had a dollar for every time my wife has said, "What was that again?" I'd have a bunch of dollars. Which I'd give to her to clean out her ears.
I often whisper on the air to create a feeling of intimacy between me & the listener, if such a person really exists. It's more a stage whisper, though, not the sort of whisper that gets shushed in libraries or movie theaters.
I am in whisper mode now, though, because it's imperative that you listen tomorrow at 7:30 am, either on the 88.1 fm frequency in Lexington or online at wrfl dot fm, because I will be whispering further information about whispering directly to you.
Though, now, that I think about it, I'll also be archiving the show later that day at self help radio dot net, so maybe it's not that imperative. I didn't have to whisper after all.
No, no. I did.
Just between you & me, I was a loud kid. In third grade, the teacher had a little throw rug she kept in the corner which she called the "bicker rug" where she put children who were talkative or noisy (in fact, because I hardly ever got into fights, I had no idea that "bicker" meant "fight" until later on - I thought it meant "rambunctious" or "loud"), & where I often found myself. Only years later, after I met people who were quite loud as adults did I realize I chatted up a storm because I was insecure & wanted attention. My voice was high, then, so it probably made things worse.
Now that I am older & even more insecure, I'm not very loud, because I don't want anyone to know how insecure I am. But I don't whisper a lot, either. My voice is naturally quiet these days, which is a shame because I live with partially deaf beasts & wife. If I had a dollar for every time my wife has said, "What was that again?" I'd have a bunch of dollars. Which I'd give to her to clean out her ears.
I often whisper on the air to create a feeling of intimacy between me & the listener, if such a person really exists. It's more a stage whisper, though, not the sort of whisper that gets shushed in libraries or movie theaters.
I am in whisper mode now, though, because it's imperative that you listen tomorrow at 7:30 am, either on the 88.1 fm frequency in Lexington or online at wrfl dot fm, because I will be whispering further information about whispering directly to you.
Though, now, that I think about it, I'll also be archiving the show later that day at self help radio dot net, so maybe it's not that imperative. I didn't have to whisper after all.
No, no. I did.