This blog was begun Friday night, March 20 :
Stayed inside most of the day, with the exception of two CSUN walks in the afternoon and evening. I got a lot of reading done at least, of Neil Peart's "Roadshow" and David Icke's "The Trigger", books with vastly different tenors, one a lighthearted travelogue, the other a grim and brutal political assessment. I also listened to Eric Johnson's new album "EJ Vol. II". It arrived from Amazon a week ago but I wanted to wait until I had no distractions to hear it. My impression after one listen is that it's an exceptionally beautiful record of heartfelt compositions. The songwriting is deep and highly polished, Eric's lyrics and singing can bring a tear to your eye on a few songs. It's mostly acoustic and not an Eric Johnson Guitar Shredding Extravaganza (with the exception of a few short Chet Atkins style instrumentals), but there are Strat flourishes here and there to punctuate certain phrases. What you really notice is the production. He's taken his time with this one, the sound is full bodied and it harkens back to the warm sounding albums from early in EJ's career. In some ways it reminds me of "Tones", even though it does not have the up front presence of the electric guitar, but it does have the same elevated level of songwriting. The lyrics are all about love and finding a spiritual connection in our lives, and again, even on one listen you can tell this album meant a lot to Eric. He dedicated it to his Mom Irene, who recently passed away but lived to be over 100.
I think it's his best work since "Venus Isle", which came out in 1996. That album is in my All Time Top Ten, a certified "desert island disc", so this is high praise from yours truly for the new one. It's just the right tonic for the times we are living in, so thanks to Eric for his beautiful music which for me has been a big part of the soundtrack to my life. I love so many bands and artists, but a few rise up to the level of feeling like family, and that's how I think of Eric, as part of my musical family. ////
Elizabeth, I've gotta say that your new director's reel is very beautiful as well. You have three elements in perfect sync : the landscapes, your music, and the physical grace of your dancers, in addition to the look and dress of each dancer. They all match their locations. You have an eye for texture and a good feel for editing, and you've generated a flow between the different videos so that all the dancers are in harmony, with your piano providing a framework for their motion. You did a really great job - I agree with Steve and the other comments on your FB post 100% - and I think that you have a huge well of feeling in your artistic style also, as evidenced in your music, your outstanding Red Dress series, and your work overall.
Somebody once said that "sometimes the only thing you can say is 'Wow' ", so that's what I'm sayin'.
And wait a minute!..........the somebody who said that was me. :):)
Well anyhow, I did watch a movie tonight, and it was the other Tarzan feature I missed out on last year, "Tarzan and The Leopard Woman". This time, he gets involved in the investigation of a suspicious death, when a guide is killed during a caravan of merchants into a desert community. The guide has been mauled, his body is covered with claw marks. "Leopards"!, he cries with his dying breath. "Leopards"......
But Tarzan isn't so sure. "Leopards not kill", he states after examining the body. Lol, if it seems that Tarzan has suddenly become a medical examiner, that's just one of his many talents. He uses common sense combined with his intuition and vast knowledge of the jungle to solve any mystery. "Leopards always use teeth. This man only claw. Leopards not kill this way".
The man in charge of the caravan, a town commissioner, disagrees. "Why would he tell us it was leopards if it wasn't"?
"Maybe man not know. Maybe think leopards, but something else". Hmmmm.....but what could that "something else" be? At the far edge of the jungle, where it opens to the desert, lies the town of Zambesi. It is relatively uncivilised; the tribesmen there follow a Queen (played by the singularly named Acquanetta) who claims to be descended from the Leopard God, whom they worship in cave ceremonies. One inhabitant, however, has been educated in the outside world. He is a doctor, who has worked in the town of Burgandi, from where the merchants come on the other side of the jungle. The doctor abhors the way in which Burgandi has been turned into a tourist trap, filled with stalls selling trinkets. He swears that Zambesi will not be sullied by such low commerce, and has set out to stop the merchant caravans. He is also in a secret relationship with Acquanetta, the Leopard Woman. Is he by any chance behind the murder?
As the commissioner and Tarzan make their way to Burgandi to investigate (along with Jane, Boy, Cheetah and their guides), they are set upon by.........a pack of leopards. Real ones, spotted, vicious and toothy! And lightning fast. Good thing the commissioner has his rifle and Tarzan have knife.
"You still think it wasn't leopards, old chap"?, says an incredulous commissioner.
"Is trick"!, replies Tarzan, but he is openly scoffed at now, not only by the commissioner but by the guides, too. Even Boy and Jane trust the official conclusion, believing everything is safe now that the pack of leopards are dead. But Tarzan know different.
In the middle of all of this, in Zambesi there is a boy, Kimba, who desires to prove himself as a warrior. He's a tough little squirt (as played by Tommy Cook), and though the doctor feels he is too young to fight, he agrees to let Kimba infiltrate Tarzan's group in order to spy on the Big Guy and see what he is up to. In the process, Kimba ingratiates himself with Jane, which makes Boy jealous! Man, there's all kinds of skulduggery underway in this one.
You'll have to see for yourself if the Leopard Woman has real leopards under her control, or if Cheetah can charm a snake. She's not a bad oboist, or whatever that instrument is that they play, and you'll get a kick out of what she uses as a practice setup. Cheetah will also get the last laugh as she does in nearly every Tarzan movie, and you'll have a great adventure along the way. I of course loved "Tarzan and The Leopard Woman", and was glad to be able to see it all the way through this time on an unscratched dvd. Last year, a different copy kept freezing up midway through and I had to eventually pull the plug. But it was worth the wait and I give it Two Big Thumbs Up. Now I have seen the full dozen of the Johnny Weissmuller "Tarzan" movies, which have become one of my favorite film franchises. Let's watch 'em all again before too long. ////
It's now Saturday morning and I am sitting here listening to The Opera Show on KUSC. I'm going a little buggy in my Tiny Apartment. I barely went out at all yesterday and came in contact with no people on my CSUN walks, but at some point I'm gonna have to go to the store. I guess I could try Vons later on, and if there's a line I'll just skip it and wait another day. I hope you are well and hanging in there. We'll get through this and things will get better. In the meantime, we'll be watching movies and I'll be back here at the Usual Time (and on FB too).
I send you Tons of Love, from the heart. xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo :):)
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