How out of it do I feel about this:

Justin Hansen, the drummer from the group behind the annoying song M'bop, has not only been married now for a year, but is also the father to a 7-month old child. Oy...

This didn't seem appropriate to print yesterday, but I feel I have to speak out:

All of this supposed patriotic zeal in the US, booing the Dixie Chicks just because lead singer Nathalie Mayne spoke out on "president" Bush? Grow up people!

Last I heard, Freedom of Speech was a right in America. Now people are giving them grief because they actually used it. To me, that's really pathetic.

37th Montreux Jazz Festival

Seems like the Montreal Jazz Festival isn't the only one to deviate to other musical styles. Jamiroquai?

Diana Krall Already At Work On Next CD

Personally, I'm not a fan of hers, but she has won many accolades of late (Grammy, Juno), and General Motors has really pushed a series of ads with her... I guess I have to grudgingly accept her as one of ours.

We had hot water again this evening. The city turned it off since Tuesday.

That meant my first shower in 3 days. Words can't adequately express how good it felt!

It's been far too long that I haven't been updating this blog. Time to change that.

I think that in trying to post mostly jazz-related content here, I may have limited it a bit. I mixed in many other things before, and it resulted in more frequent postings. So, I'm returning to that.

This week's Friday Five:

1. Would you consider yourself an organized person? Why or why not?
I try to be, but there's always room for improvement.

2. Do you keep some type of planner, organizer, calendar, etc. with you, and do you use it regularly?
I used to go with a manual paper organizer, but as writing by hand became more difficult I migrated to using Outlook on my PC.

3. Would you say that your desk is organized right now?
Far from it! My desk is a mess.

4. Do you alphabetize CDs, books, and DVDs, or does it not matter?
The most I've done here is to group CDs by the same artist together.

5. What's the hardest thing you've ever had to organize?
Just organizing unpacking in a new apartment. Almost a year later now, and I still have a lot to do.

I can't believe how much time has passed since I last posted here!

Musically, I've been following this year's American Idol, just like last year. It's obssession enough that I've been missing the final episodes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer for it. Those I'll likely be able to see in re-runs.

This is a few days late, but here's this week's Friday Five:

1. Who is your favorite celebrity?
Since I mentioned him in the last quiz, this should come as no surprise: Billy Joel.

2. Who is your least favorite?
Least favorite would either be Tom Green or Geraldo Riviera. Green because he's possibly the least funny comedian, Geraldo because he always does dumb things, often that put others at risk, and tries to claim they're for the public good.

3. Have you ever met or seen any celebrities in real life?
I met Doctor Demento and "Weird" Al Yankovitch when they came to the Just for Laughs festival in Montreal in the late 1980s. I even have autographs from them.

4. Would you want to be famous? Why or why not?
Not really. With the lack of privacy that comes with fame, I'd probably go crazy.

5. If you had to trade places with a celebrity for a day, who would you choose and why?
If I had to, I'd love to have been Charlton Heston, just to meet some of the other great figures he's known.

From the Friday Five:

1. What was the first band you saw in concert?
The first solo act I saw in concert was Cindy Lauper. I think the first group I saw was Huey Lewis and the News.

2. Who is your favorite artist/band now?
That's a mix. In jazz, the Marsallis Family have really been capturing my interest. In other genres, Moxy Fruvous are a perennial favorite for me. Billy Joel is my favorite solo performer.

3. What's your favorite song?
Holly Cole's version of I can see clearly now. Actually, pretty much anything she sings.

4. If you could play any instrument, what would it be?
That would be the saxaphone.

5. If you could meet any musical icon (past or present), who would it be and why?
No-brainer here! Billy Joel again. Every interview of his that I've heard he sounds like a fun person to talk with.

I realized the date... it's only two months away from the Montreal International Jazz Festival! I'm hoping to actually attend it this year. The high heat and lack of courteousness in attendees to folks with canes or what-not has kept me away... but a fellow physio participant has been going for years even with such problems. That encourages me to try.

Legal MP3 Downloads

This site offers a good selection of jazz MP3s.

Fateback was down for a while... so even though I've been updating since the 5th, nobody got to see it. Sorry.

Cindy Lauper's 2-part "Goonies" video (from i-mockery.com).

Very sarcastic, but any reminiscence about some of what I loved in the 1980s is cool to me.

I haven't posted anything here in over a month? Ack! I'll try to get back on track. Maybe trying to limit my subject matter here is part of the cause...

Nora Jones was announced as a headliner at the 2003 Montreal Jazz Fest. She apparently played at last year's shows; after winning all those Grammys, getting her to perform now is a real coup, apparently.

Outside of her one hit song though, I don't know anything of her music. Years ago, I suffered through a Julian Lennon concert in town for the same reasons. Not a situation I want to repeat!

The vigil is over. Charlie Biddle died last night.

I was never really a fan of his music - but then again, jazz bass doesn't tend to be showy - however we can't in the least discount his contributions to the jazz scene in Montreal.

Cloned Baby Case Ends up in Court

And the undeserved attention continues...

It just came to me: it has been a month since Eve, the supposed first cloned child, was born. If other scientists were provided with data on her, we never heard about it.

Can you say hoax? I guess it was after all.

A Montreal jazz legend is really in bad shape: Charlie Biddle has cancer.

Charlie is a jazz basist, but his contribution to the Montreal jazz scene is much more: he's the owner of Biddles, a rib restaurant downtown that often has live jam sessions. He was also a pioneer of the Montreal Jazz Festival. He opened the first one 25 years ago, and he's always been a major supporter.

The latest Friday Five:

1. Where do you currently work?

At home. I'm a freelancer.

2. How many other jobs have you had and where?

Let's see... if I count a summer job each time, I've had 10 altogether.

3. What do you like best about your job?

I set my own hours and I don't have to worry about dress codes.

4. What do you like least about your job?

No regular paycheques.

5. What is your dream job?

Having a freelance writing gig become a full-time position.