Monthly Archives: May 2014

Yo, Ding Dong, Man, Ding Dong, Ding Dong, Yo

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Nathan

While “Weird Al” Yankovic’s Polka Party! didn’t sell all that well, Al came back onto the scene with 1988’s Even Worse, with its lead single again parodying Michael Jackson with a food-related theme. This was the first time the album … Continue reading →

Posted in Advertising, Albums, Humor, Music, Weird Al Yankovic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Psycho Killers

Posted on May 31, 2014 by Nathan

Stop Making Sense – This Talking Heads concert film from 1982 is a lot of fun to watch, and I already liked the music, so I’d say it’s a winner. David Byrne’s jerky movements are pretty entertainingly weird, as when … Continue reading →

Posted in Music, VoVat Goes to the Movies | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Needs More Oz

Posted on May 27, 2014 by Nathan

Here are thoughts on a few of the Oz books I’ve recently read online: The Silver Tower of Oz, by Margaret Baum – This author has admitted she’s not related to L. Frank Baum, although it’s been pretty well proven … Continue reading →

Posted in Book Reviews, Characters, L. Frank Baum, Magic Items, Oz, Oz Authors, Ruth Plumly Thompson | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Lend Me Your Coat

Posted on May 25, 2014 by Nathan

The selkies of Irish and Scottish folklore, as mentioned in songs by Frank Black and Tori Amos, are part of a larger tradition of shape-shifting animals marrying humans. The selkies are seal-people who live in the water but occasionally shed … Continue reading →

Posted in Animals, British, Celtic, Fairy Tales, Frank Black/Black Francis, Japanese, Music, Mythology, Tori Amos | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments

All the Girls Are Complicated

Posted on May 24, 2014 by Nathan

It’s been a long time since I’ve listened to any new music. I just got my late anniversary present from my wife, however, and it included three albums that came out this year. All by artists I already knew, mind … Continue reading →

Posted in Albums, Art, British, Celtic, Frank Black/Black Francis, Music, Mythology, Tori Amos | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

It’s a Nice Day for a White Wedding

Posted on May 23, 2014 by Nathan

Hey, isn’t this funny? See, the groom doesn’t really want to go through with the wedding, so the bride has to drag him down the aisle! Um, but he apparently agreed to get married, right? All I can figure is … Continue reading →

Posted in Capitalism, Economics, Gender, History, Humor, Relationships, Snobbery | Tagged , , , , , | 2 Comments

Where’s My Liquid Paper?

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Nathan

I believe “Weird Al” Yankovic’s 1986 release Polka Party! remains his worst-selling album. It does seem to have been somewhat rushed out after his last record, and lacks a big hit parody. At the time I was getting Al’s albums … Continue reading →

Posted in Albums, Humor, Music, Weird Al Yankovic | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

The Island That Wasn’t There

Posted on May 22, 2014 by Nathan

While looking up information on the Fortunate Isles for a previous post, I came across the Wikipedia page on phantom islands, which is pretty interesting. Some of these islands turned out to actually be parts of other lands, or something … Continue reading →

Posted in Iberian, Mythology, Star Wars | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Wii Fat

Posted on May 21, 2014 by Nathan

When Dueling Analogs featured this comic, they pointed out how weird it is when Mario is in running competitions with Sonic the Hedgehog. It’s the fastest thing alive against an overweight Italian plumber. Shigeru Miyamoto once commented on why Mario … Continue reading →

Posted in Cartoons, Comics, Food, Mario, Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario Bros. Super Show, Television, Video Games | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Return to Philmland

Posted on May 20, 2014 by Nathan

Oh, I see. Legends of Oz was a flop because of a vast Hollywood conspiracy to take it down. “Here’s to the failure of another movie promoting those Magic Belt thieves!” You know how I know that isn’t true? Because … Continue reading →

Posted in Characters, L. Frank Baum, Oz, Oz Authors | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 34 Comments