Dealing With A Trio Of Deadlines

Lately I've found myself in the clutches of a very diverse trio of approaching deadlines, which means that I'm three times as cranky as usual. But at least two of the three seem to be getting resolved. The first deadline is being taken care of right now, by the act of writing this. You've probably … Continue reading Dealing With A Trio Of Deadlines

Getting Relief From The Heat

With triple-digit temperatures everywhere you look, my thoughts have turned to ways to stay cool. I think that might be at least one reason for my attention being caught by pictures of a huge new statue in Chicago. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it.) It's a delightfully realistic Marilyn Monroe in her iconic … Continue reading Getting Relief From The Heat

Classic Bluegrass – Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper

It's been a while since we featured country music on the ol' GMC, and even longer since the sub-genre known as bluegrass has made an appearance. That being the case, it seems only fitting to take a look at one of the best of the traditional bluegrass acts, a husband and wife team that also … Continue reading Classic Bluegrass – Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper

Music Legends Inspired By ‘Blackface’ Entertainer

With our modern sensibilities it can be a little jarring to look at a picture like the one below, but 'blackface' performers are a part of music history, and most of us will recall reading about early minstrel shows or will remember Al Jolson, who specialized in blackface for many years. But in at least … Continue reading Music Legends Inspired By ‘Blackface’ Entertainer

The Contrarian Strikes Again

Always proudly contrary, I thought I'd post some pictures of unusual wedding cakes today, since I already covered divorce cakes in a previous piece. But to be even more contrary, I decided to show pictures of just the little figurines they put on top of wedding cakes. They're called -- appropriately enough -- toppers. And … Continue reading The Contrarian Strikes Again

What Really Happened In Tombstone?

Regular visitors to the GMC will have figured out by now that I sometimes write something related to books or movies I've recently enjoyed, although it can sometimes be a little challenging to find a musical connection. Lately I've been reading The Last Gunfight, a new book by Jeff Guinn that takes another look at … Continue reading What Really Happened In Tombstone?

Charlie Walker – From DJ To Country Music Star

One of the most respected country music songwriters of all time would have to be Harlan Howard, who composed over 4,000 songs during his long career, many of them classics. But he would have been the first to give credit to DJ turned singer Charlie Walker, who helped give a boost to the songwriter's early … Continue reading Charlie Walker – From DJ To Country Music Star

Stay Away, Spider-Man!

I was reading recently about all the problems that have arisen in the attempt to turn Spider-Man into a Broadway musical, and it got me to thinking. Not about Broadway musicals or even superhero movies, but about spiders -- I hate 'em. I think it started when I was a kid. Whenever we visited my … Continue reading Stay Away, Spider-Man!

The Hairy Ape

We haven't had one of those slideshow things for a while, so I thought I'd do one today. As a subject I've picked something near and dear to me -- whiskers. Although I've been relatively clean-shaven for the last few years, for most of my adult life I've had a full beard.  (I say 'relatively' … Continue reading The Hairy Ape

Red Sovine – Speaking To Truckers

It's always fun to take a look at those performers who made a specialty of story songs, especially the kind that are  sentimental to the point of cheesiness -- which includes most of them, I guess. It's territory I've visited before -- for example, T. Texas Tyler's "Deck of Cards" -- but today's subject is … Continue reading Red Sovine – Speaking To Truckers