Feb

10

Tommy Emmanuel and Edgar Cruz, Guitar

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While working on the new Joomla site NoFearIRS.com, testing some new media plugin for the new Joomla 1.5, I found this fascinating little video of Tommy Emmanuel playing the Guitar Boogie…

…and as I don’t want to just leave you with this feeling of inadequacy, here some lesson that will get you on the way to play just as well - in a few years or decades…

This is Edgar Cruz showing you how to play Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody.

Posted by Merlin Silk - February 10th, 2008

Dec

3

Nothing’s gonna change my world - Jai guru deva - OM

Filed under Inspiration, Music | Leave a Comment

Was working on content for a new web site www.UniversalSerenity.com and I had finally figured out how to do the recordings that I needed for that.

Spiral Galaxy

I had tried many different combinations of microphones and pre-amps, USB interfaces etc and had settled down to recording onto the laptop with a Plantronics USB headset. That worked OK but even though the laptop is pretty quiet, it does have a fan and is was audible in the recording so I had this extra step of removing the noise.

I had experimented with my iRiver H340 and the sound recording with the built-in microphone was pretty good, but unfortunately this mike also picks up the hard drive when it starts up to write some recorded data onto it. There is an external microphone for this mp3 player (which by the way can do mp3 encoding on the fly when recording) but I have not managed to get one - the only place apparently selling them is in the UK and they just don’t want to talk to me.

Finally I managed to use a good dynamic phone with a pre-amp feeding into the line-in of my iRiver and that works like a charm.

That’s what I did this morning - recording a training session to groove in ‘create and destroy’ - and it worked nicely.

Now, having the mike connected to the iRiver and monitoring with headphones when I was done I just looked around my music collection which calls the iRiver its home I ran into the Beatles song ‘Across The Universe’ - a song that has some impact on me. I still remember the emotion I had listening to it many, many years ago when I just finished a science fiction novel from the Perry Rhodan series. This story, the song and the emotion of huge space of multiple dimension is - since then - intricately entwined.

Today, after finishing my recording, I listened to this song for the first time with headsets. I can listen to lyrics much better when they are crooned directly into my ears - believe it or not - this was the first time I really listened to the lyrics!

And I was fascinated. It was such a surprising match to what I had just done before - training to create my own world, and then listening to the Beatles telling me from a time rift of 40 years that nobody can change that creation - I suppose they implied ‘except for I myself’ in contrast to an external force.

So, thank you, John, Paul, George and Ringo for telling me - it only took me 40 years to get what you said - a short time, all things considered.

Words are flying out like
endless rain into a paper cup
They slither while they pass
They slip away across the universe
Pools of sorrow waves of joy
are drifting thorough my opened mind
Possessing and caressing me

Jai guru deva om
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world

Images of broken light which
dance before me like a million eyes
That call me on and on across the universe
Thoughts meander like a
restless wind inside a letter box
they tumble blindly as
they make their way across the universe

Jai guru deva om
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world

Sounds of laughter shades of life
are ringing through my open ears
exciting and inviting me
Limitless undying love which
shines around me like a million suns
It calls me on and on across the universe

Jai guru deva om
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Nothing’s gonna change my world
Jai guru deva
Jai guru deva
Jai guru deva

The Beatles - Across The Universe

I had to look up “Jai guru deva OM.” The internet, through some of it’s representatives, told me that it means something like “Hail to God Devine” with “OM” representing the vibration of the universe used in meditation.

Posted by Merlin Silk - December 3rd, 2007

Oct

26

One or Two Tubatrons - Flaming Tubas

Filed under Fun Stuff, Music, Video | 3 Comments

Watching boing boing tv today I leaned that it is David Silverman, the Simpson’s director, who mans this most dangerous instrument.

I had seen and enjoyed a video clip from what looks like burning man of a man playing “Oops I did it again” (Britney Spears). The accompanying text on the YouTube video does not mention David Silverman, so I am now wondering if Silverman is really the only Tubatron player in the world, or if there is another doing this at burning man.

But whoever it is - it’s definitely worth watching.

Posted by Merlin Silk - October 26th, 2007

Sep

24

Weired Al Yankovic - The Saga Begins for me

Filed under Fun Stuff, Music | 1 Comment

Today I learned about Weired Al Yankovic - it was a good day!

I have only seen a few of his works so far, but this already convinces me that I will probably waste some quality time on YouTube over the next few days. Here is one example…

(if this above does not work, try directly at YouYube)

As there is nearly no other way but to sing along, here are the lyrics to make that a bit simpler.

The Saga Begins

A long, long time ago
In a galaxy far away
Naboo was under an attack
And I thought me and Qui-Gon Jinn
Could talk the federation into
Maybe cutting them a little slack
But their response, it didn’t thrill us
They locked the doors and tried to kill us
We escaped from that gas
Then met Jar Jar and Boss Nass
We took a bongo from the scene
And we went to Theed to see the Queen
We all wound up on Tatooine
That’s where we found this boy…

Oh my my this here Anakin guy
May be Vader someday later - now he’s just a small fry
And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye
Sayin’ “Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi”
“Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi”

Did you know this junkyard slave
Isn’t even old enough to shave
But he can use the Force, they say
Ahh, do you see him hitting on the queen
Though he’s just nine and she’s fourteen
Yah, he’s probably gonna marry her someday
Well, I know he built C-3PO
And I’ve heard how fast his pod can go
And we were broke, it’s true
So we made a wager or two
He was a prepubescent flyin’ ace
And the minute Jabba started off that race
Well, I knew who would win first place
Oh yes, it was our boy

We started singin’ …
My my this here Anakin guy
May be Vader someday later - now he’s just a small fry
And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye
Sayin’ “Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi”
“Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi”

Now we finally got to Coruscant
The Jedi Council we knew would want
To see how good the boy could be
So we took him there and we told the tale
How his midi-chlorians were off the scale
And he might fulfill that prophecy
Oh, the Council was impressed, of course
Could he bring balance to the Force?
They interview the kid
Oh, training they forbid
Because Yoda sensed in him much fear
And Qui-Gon said “Now listen here”
“Just stick it in your pointy ear”
“I still will teach this boy”

He was singin’ …
My my this here Anakin guy
May be Vader someday later - now he’s just a small fry
And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye
Sayin’ “Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi”
“Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi”

We caught a ride back to Naboo
‘Cause Queen Amidala wanted to
I frankly would’ve liked to stay
We all fought in that epic war
And it wasn’t long at all before
Little Hotshot flew his plane and saved the day
And in the end some Gunguns died
Some ships blew up and some pilots fried
A lot of folks were croakin’
The battle droids were broken
And the Jedi I admire most
Met up with Darth Maul and now he’s toast
Well, I’m still here and he’s a ghost
I guess I’ll train this boy

And I was singin’ …
My my this here Anakin guy
May be Vader someday later - now he’s just a small fry
And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye
Sayin’ “Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi”
“Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi”

We were singin’ …
My my this here Anakin guy
May be Vader someday later - now he’s just a small fry
And he left his home and kissed his mommy goodbye
Sayin’ “Soon I’m gonna be a Jedi”

Posted by Merlin Silk - September 24th, 2007

Aug

30

Pink Floyd Twenty Years Later

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Pink Floyd albums where very early members of my album collection, and they were plentiful. It all started in college where some smart marketer started to sell music albums for sometimes up to 25% cheaper than the going price in music stores.

At this time of growing up, hanging with friends, drinking beer and listening to music, being cool, Pink Floyd was definitely one of the favorite musics. The right stuff to totally space out.

Running into a video of a Pink Floyd concert from 1988 on YouTube today brought these memories back and for all of you who like their music, here is what I found…

Believe it or not, up to now I never listened to the lyrics of the songs except some snippets that you could not miss, like “Teachers, leave us kids alone” from The Wall.

That shall be remedied today with the lyrics of the song above, “On The Turning Away”

On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we won’t understand
“Don’t accept that what’s happening
Is just a case of others’ suffering
Or you’ll find that you’re joining in
The turning away”
It’s a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting it’s shroud
Over all we have known
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that we’re all alone
In the dream of the proud
On the wings of the night
As the daytime is stirring
Where the speechless unite
In a silent accord
Using words you will find are strange
And mesmerised as they light the flame
Feel the new wind of change
On the wings of the night
No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
It’s not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there’ll be
No more turning away?

Blows your mind, doesn’t it?

And, by the way, I still have those vinyl albums.

Posted by Merlin Silk - August 30th, 2007

Jun

2

Bliss - Chris Bliss

Filed under Fun Stuff, Music, Politics | Leave a Comment

Just spent some time in a very enjoyable fashion.

So why shouldn’t you do this too - here it is…

And again, if you don’t see this video here (for example if you are using Thunderbird to aggregate) just go to the blog and look there.

Obviously I had to look up this guy Chris Bliss and found him to be a very interesting guy ChrisBliss.com.

Particularly interesting his project to put the Bill Of Rights into every state capitol.

Chris Bliss

Posted by Merlin Silk - June 2nd, 2007

May

10

TV - as good as it gets - The Japanese Way

Filed under Fun Stuff, Music, Video | 6 Comments

This is TV as good as it can get!

Why don’t we have such good shows here in the US??

In the RSS feed you can probably not see the video - go the web site and enjoy!

Update: the clip was gone on google video, so I had to find it on YouTube. Will see how long that stays there.

And, by the way, if you want to find out more, look for Hinoi Team with Korikki and obviously the title of the song is “Night Of Fire.” This is one of the clips that I have to go back once in a while and reinforce it back into my consciousness.

2nd Update: Should you love this clip so much that you would rather sing it yourself, there is help. I found the karaoke version of it where these five beautiful people just create the mood and dance so you get the chance to sing.

Posted by Merlin Silk - May 10th, 2007

Apr

25

The House of the Rising Sun

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‘The House of the Rising Sun’ by the Animals has been one of my favorite songs of all times (OK - this lifetime).

I certainly had the album - still have the vinyl and even a player to play it and long time ago when I learned to play the guitar that were the notes I dug up somewhere and practiced, practiced and practices.

Then when the synthesizer came along I dug out that old notes sheet and figured out how to do the melody and cords with both of them hands. It turned out to be one of the two songs that I ever taught myself to play on keyboards.

And now the video of the Animals with that song fell into my lap from YouTube-land - and believe it or not - that is the first time I see the band perform.

July 5, 2007: I just had to update this video link because the previous one was not longer available - so I got one with even the lyrics on it - so sing along.

And to make it even better - here is another famous one from the Animals.

Posted by Merlin Silk - April 25th, 2007

Apr

20

The Backstreet Girls

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Here we have a great time-waster. It all started with a search of YouTube for the video that prompted Thailand to block the whole of YouTube. Someone probably rather stupid had defamed the King who is held in high regards and is beyond any critique.

Instead of just letting it go, half the nation stood up in protest and caused quite some ruckus. Guess they never understood that you don’t give that, which you don’t want, any energy, and kind of energy, neither good nor bad - just none.

But something really good came out of it after all. YouTube usually makes you stuck because they understand the principle of similarities - you see something similar and you have to take a look there too, and then something else, and something else, and something else, ad infinitum.

Fortunately on the way to infinity we came across these Backstreet Girls from the other side of the planet.

Lean back and enjoy - if you are Thai you might be a bit embarrassed though (you have been warned), but I totally enjoyed it.