(Dyslexia). I didn’t know what it was – there was no word for it when I was at school. All I know I was being streamed into a non-academic place because they thought I was a moron. I couldn’t do the work or read. I can read but I don’t really understand what I read very much. What I’ve come to realize is that so called disability has made me who I am in how I’ve approach my craft. I was born at the right time as you know – we were just making it up. There weren’t any schools teaching kids how to write pop songs or play rock n’ roll. That was perfect for me because I couldn’t do the academic thing. Trying to read music was a nightmare. Anything with a stick and a ball – a B, a D a Q or a note, moves around.
I can’t keep them straight when I look at it. It was painstaking to try to figure out a piece so I’d get my teacher at the conservatory to play the piece before I left. I tricked them into doing that. I learned to remember the basic vibe of it and sort of piece it together. That developed my ear in a way nothing else probably could. I’ve never had that sense of a beginning middle and end.
Punk bass starts with Douglas “Dee Dee Ramone” Colvin. As the pounding heart of the Ramones, he pioneered a no-frills sound and style that left a permanent mark on rock music. On a white Fender Precision Bass slung impossibly low, he defined punk bass with simple but breakneck bass lines delivered with such pulverizing sound, speed and conviction that he singlehandedly set the template for generations of punk bassists to come. The Dee Dee Ramone Precision Bass honors him with reverence and authenticity, just like any bassist since who’s ever planted his feet in a wide stance, slung a Precision below the beltline and yelled a manic “1-2-3-4” count-off.
Features include an Olympic White gloss finish, maple neck with “C”-shaped profile and vintage-style heel truss-rod adjustment, 9.5”-radius maple fingerboard with 20 vintage-style frets, split single-coil pickup, three-ply black pickguard and vintage-style bridge with four single-groove saddles.
Los Angeles-based a capella group Pentatonix performs a medley of 25 of Michael Jackson’s biggest hits in chronological order, from 1969 to 1995. The list is below:
Evolution of Michael Jackson songs:
I Want You Back 1969
ABC 1970
I’ll Be There June 1970
Ben 1971
Dancing Machine 1973
Shake Your Body (Down to the Ground) 1979
Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough 1979*
Rock With You 1979*
Billie Jean 1983
Beat It 1983
Wanna Be Startin’ Something 1983
Human Nature 1983
Thriller 1983
I Just Can’t Stop Loving You 1987
P.Y.T. 1983
Bad 1987
The Way You Make Me Feel 1987
Man In the Mirror 1988
Dirty Diana 1988
Smooth Criminal 1988
Black or White 1991
Remember the Time 1992
Heal The World 1992
Will You Be There 1993
You Are Not Alone 1995
Two of Monty Python’s comedic geniuses are set to tour in the US in autumn as “John Cleese & Eric Idle: Together Again At Last … For The Very First Time” have announced dates.
Britain’s living legends of comedy will blend scripted and improvised bits with storytelling, musical numbers, exclusive footage, aquatic juggling and an extended audience Q&A to craft a unique comedic experience with every performance. No two shows will be quite the same, thus ensuring that every audience feels like they’re seeing Together Again At Last… For The Very First Time, for the very first time. And now you know why the show is called that, don’t you? As founding members of Monty Python, Cleese and Idle are unarguably among the godfathers of modern comedy, helping to pioneer an irreverent, absurdist sensibility that is emulated by comics around the world. As individuals, they have written, performed and produced some of the most beloved and critically-acclaimed shows of all-time like Spamalot, A Fish Called Wanda, Fawlty Towers and The Rutles.
On the small screen, John Cleese is known for his work on programs such as Cheers, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Will & Grace, and the Emmy®-nominated TLC documentary The Human Face with John Cleese. His film credits include Silverado, The Out-of-Towners, Rat Race and Kenneth Branagh’s Frankenstein. He also co-authored two best-selling books on psychology – Families and How to Survive Them and Life and How to Survive It – and served briefly as Minister of Defense in the John Major Cabinet. He recently completed his autobiography So, Anyway… which was described by the Daily Mail as “self-obsessed.” In his twilight years, John passes his time writing film scripts, giving speeches to business audiences, doing seminars on creativity, teaching at Cornell, paying alimony, and doting on three huge cats and a fish.
Long unmemorable as an actor, Eric Idle has trotted out an interminable number of glib performances in funny wigs and a bad moustache in numerous films and television appearances. But it is as a writer that he will be best forgotten, with credits that include Hello Sailor, Pass the Butler, The Greedy Bastard Diary, The Road to Mars, Monty Python’s Flying Circus, The Rutland Dirty Weekend Book, The Rutles, Spamalot, Not The Messiah and What About Dick? He also sings, tours, acts in bad movies, writes annoying songs, and generally never shuts up. Despite having Grammy, Tony, Writer’s Desk, Lifetime Achievement, and numerous other awards thrust at him, Eric refuses to go away quietly. It’s not right. He is currently sullying the internet at ericidle.com (and @EricIdle onTwitter).
Here’s the schedule:
Oct. 2 – Sarasota, Fla., Van Wezel Perf. Arts Hall
Oct. 3 – Fort Myers, Fla., Barbara B. Mann Perf. Arts Hall
Oct. 7 – West Palm Beach, Fla., Dreyfoos Hall
Oct. 10 – Miami Beach, Fla., Fillmore Miami Beach At Jackie Gleason Theater
Oct. 14 – Clearwater, Fla., Ruth Eckerd Hall
Oct. 15 – Clearwater, Fla., Ruth Eckerd Hall
Oct. 17 – Orlando, Fla., Dr. Phillips Center For The Performing Arts
Oct. 20 – Savannah, Ga., Johnny Mercer Theatre
Oct. 21 – Atlanta, Ga., Cobb Energy Performing Arts Centre
Oct. 23 – Charlotte, N.C., Ovens Auditorium
Oct. 30 – Baltimore, Md., Hippodrome Theatre / France-Merrick Perf. Arts Ctr.
Presales begin this week with general onsales launching June 19 at 10 a.m. EDT. Click here for info.
