an open letter to the kaiser chiefs

dear kaiser chiefs,

i think i might like you. i have certainly like everything i have heard from you. unlike a lot of your contemporaries, you don't make me shakingly angry when i hear you on the radio.

in short, i would like to purchase your new album, yours truly angry mob.

but, i can't.

you see, kaiser chiefs, in your "hippness" you have made a grave error. when i say that i would like to buy your album, i mean i would like to purchase the following:

- one (1) compact disc containing the tracks on said album
- one (1) plastic jewel case (any of the known variations; a suitable substitute would be a "digi-pak" case)
- some catchy art work on the front and back of the case/package

what i would NOT like to purchase is:

-a small hardcover "book" that contains a compact disc AND a mandatory DVD of you playing in berlin.

no, kaiser chiefs, i just want to buy the album. please let me know when it is available.

i look forward to your response.

sincerely,
cade

can't resist

i kinda told myself i wasn't going to post about the tournament until it was over, but i have to share this. apparently the local cbs affiliate in wichita wouldn't allow highlights of last night's KU/SIU game...so they go creative.

LINK.
(it's under "featured videos" on the right-hand side. the one called "KU VS SIU SOUTH PARK STYLE")

theatre review: LOVE

currently playing at the mirage resort and casino, las vegas



to say that i am still haunted by cirque du soleil's latest spectacle that is based on the incomparable catalog of music by the greatest band ever, the beatles, just wouldn't quite do it justice.

i have been haunted by it since i first listened to the soundtrack shortly after christmas.

there is something deeply magical and lovely about the beatles' music. it goes beyond any "pop music" paradigm or "kitschy" mindset. for those who truly get and love the fab four, it is simply a universe of never ending surprises and beauty. a tapestry of sound and imagery that was woven perfectly over the span of a mere 10 years. there are also many more colorful and useless analogies i could make here, but you get the point.

honestly, who else other than the surreal pride of quebec...cirque du soleil, could even think about tackling such a subject? well, cirque is known for it's unbelievable (literally) imagery and characters. so, why NOT merge the two?

why not indeed?



the marriage is one that i will not soon forget. i was so moved by the production that it literally did not even HIT me until days later. the flawless remaster of a solid number of classic beatle tunes (produced from master tapes by the foursome's long-time producer and collaborator, george martin, and his son, giles) is an accomplishment if only for one reason; that it takes the familiar and known and creates something completely new. songs are mashed together and lifted and placed into each other to dizzying new results. if you are at all a beatles fan and think you have heard it all, buy this soundtrack. you won't be dissappointed.

the live version of the show had some outtakes from various abbey road studio sessions recounted by 30 ft tall silhouettes of the men themselves. just hearing them mess with each other in between takes...truly this could have been the highlight of it for me.

but as in all of cirque's shows, the highlight was the imagery. beloved characters like sgt. pepper (above), elanor rigby (below), dr robert, lucy in the skies and the walrus all lead the audience on this journey through the oft-psychadelic, and in every sense of the word, magical, mystery tour through the progression of not only the band but the world surrounding them.

i'm not afraid to admit that i wept openly (ok, maybe just teared up a little) on several occasions. the opening montage leading from the gorgeous vocals of "because" into the hammering drums of "get back" just about did me in and it was only 6 minutes into the show. but the one that truly got me was their interpretation of george harrison's iconic "something." i can't describe in words how or why it moved me so much...but it did.



i've rambled on enough. i will just leave with this. i thought that KA was the most amazing thing that cirque du soleil has ever done. it might still be, but i cannot see any circumstance or scenario where they will ever do anything that comes as close to my heart as LOVE.

sweet emotion

listenin' to aerosmith and fillin' out my tourney bracket.

MAN, i love traditions!*




* - every year i fill out my bracket while listening to aerosmith's "sweet emotion" over and over again until all my picks are made. it's one of the many superstitions that i relish around this time of year. wanna make something of it? i didn't think so.

sunday, march 11th, 2007, 3:17 edt

the jayhawks of the university of kansas are in the big XII championship game for the second year in a row. a conference room in indianapolis bustles with the members of a shadowy committee trying to set the final pieces in place for the 6 pm deadline. teams who have had better seasons than they have in years gather together to watch the fate of their post-season on tv. and teams who have fallen off from past seasons gather for the same reasons. wondering. waiting. wishing.

what was once 65 open spots has dwindled to just a few. a precious few that will be unveiled this evening. and somewhere, deep under the ground, dick vitale is plugged into his charging chamber computing countless threads of babbling nonsense that will be utilized tonight for all of our benefit.

it's selection sunday. and NO one can convince me that it is not the beginning of the best week in all of sports.

for those of you who celebrate it, enjoy.

for those who do not. i would urge you to find SOME reason to get involved.

further proof...

...that theatre people may be the coolest people in the world.

LINK

two reasons to post this

1) it's hysterical

2) as most things that are hysterical normally are, it is loosely related to the kansas city royals. in this case, it's former royals pitcher ryan bukvich (while he was in college at ole miss.)

it's march 1st

the snow is melting.

the days are getting longer.

and the sound of basketball is in the air.

let the madness begin.