Meanwhile... Pt. 1

[Lone Ranger]

And speaking of bad, my kids are both heavily into Star Wars at the moment and they were watching a bit of Phantom Menace the other night - holy hell, but I had forgotten how brutal that movie is. What a disgrace.

My kids saw it for the 1st time a couple of weeks ago.

They really did like Jar Jar. The are 3 and 5, so I guess that's the target audience.

[dan bailey]

As it happens, Purple Rain was one of the very few -- & quite possibly the first of the -- movies that my wife & I saw in the summer of '84 after we moved back from Phoenix to our backwards little college town after my mother died. We drove 30 miles west to Texarkana for the privilege, & we both enjoyed the heck out of it.

I've watched it a couple of times since then (though probably not in at least 20 years) & still like it a lot.

Now, the quasi-sequel, Graffiti Bridge ... that's another matter. One of the worst things I've ever sat through.

[dan bailey]

There are so many bad songs it would be hard to pick the worst, but the one that always has me flying towards the radio dial is "Wonderful Tonight" by Eric Clapton. Just awful.

Which I happen to love.

Kan-Man? Dead.

Doornail-dead.

[adam_warlock_2099]

I love country but there's a lot of atrocious country covers out there. Janis Joplin should rise from her tomb and bitchslap Faith Hill for her gutless, chirpy cover of "Piece of My Heart."

Cei-U!
I summon the travesty!

I am in the camp that Janis Joplin, just shouldn't sing, but yes if you are going to cover a song at least make it close to the original. There is some kids (I say as I don't know the band name) that are covering Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" that really isn't that bad. The music is fair to the original and the singer has a similar voice to Steve Perry's.

[Lone Ranger]

The bills have been a bit insance so far in 2011 and we need to get a bit of work done on our home, so it looks like I'll be heading back to eBay to raise a few dollars.


I'm at a loss of what to sell, as I have sold so much since '05 or so that I am running out of non-essential materials.

I have a couple of Dick Dillin pages that I may sell. It break my heart, but money is tight. I once owned 50+ pages of artwork, now I'll dip under 10 pages.

I also need to sell some books - but I'm sort of sick and tired of selling books in the $2-$5 range (a lot of Silver and Bronze stuff sells there) because packing and shipping is a real drag.

I never though I'd do it, but I'm eyeballing my run of All-American Westerns. Those are 20+ books that will (hopefully) get a nice price each and help with the money situation.

I'm really torn as there's nothing really left in my collection that I see as expendable.

[dan bailey]

And speaking of bad, my kids are both heavily into Star Wars at the moment and they were watching a bit of Phantom Menace the other night - holy hell, but I had forgotten how brutal that movie is. What a disgrace.

Never saw it, thank god. Never even got around to Return of the Jedi. The first two were pleasant enough, but I've always been sort of amused at the people to whom the things are tantamount to some sort of religion. A good friend of mine was like that up until the full awfulness of Phantom Menace & all the implications thereof about Lucas' creative bankruptcy sank into his brain a few years ago.

Maybe if I'd been younger when the series started (on pretty much the day I graduated from high school, I've learned fairly recently), I'd be one of those odd individuals, too.

[dan bailey]

There is some kids (I say as I don't know the band name) that are covering Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" that really isn't that bad. The music is fair to the original and the singer has a similar voice to Steve Perry's.

What a horrible shame for all involved. They should do the right thing & find a nice-sized oven to crowd into, perhaps with Mr. Perry as their special guest, & then have someone turn on the gas.

I'd be happy to volunteer.

[dan bailey]

I'm really torn as there's nothing really left in my collection that I see as expendable.

*Ahem* What about those two hapless tattoo targets in that photo?

[adam_warlock_2099]

As it happens, Purple Rain was one of the very few -- & quite possibly the first of the -- movies that my wife & I saw in the summer of '84 after we moved back from Phoenix to our backwards little college town after my mother died. We drove 30 miles west to Texarkana for the privilege, & we both enjoyed the heck out of it.

I've watched it a couple of times since then (though probably not in at least 20 years) & still like it a lot.

Now, the quasi-sequel, Graffiti Bridge ... that's another matter. One of the worst things I've ever sat through.

I have "Graffiti Bridge" but have yet to watch it. I didn't care for the soundtrack much so I never taken the chance on the movie. This doesn't help waver me in that direction to do so. I think I have another one too on VHS. I believe "Under the Cherry Moon" I haven't watched either.

[dan bailey]

Pearl Jam seems to have developed a similar following these days.

Ugh. Two good songs that I can think of -- "Spin the Black Circle" & ... ummm ... I think some other one that obviously I can remember nothing else about (I'm thinking the cover of J. Frank Wilson's great "Last Kiss" was Vedder solo) -- & that's it.

I do give them props for having the good taste to do a good job covering the Dead Boys' "Sonic Reducer" when I saw them at the first or second Lollapalooza in Dallas back in the very early '90s, before anyone knew who the hell they were. Not that 99 percent of the bumpkins in the audience knew anything about the song, I'm sure, but still.

(Unless I'm misremembering, & it was actually the normally even more useless Soundgarden, who were also early on the bill, who did "Sonic Reducer.")

[dan bailey]

I have "Graffiti Bridge" but have yet to watch it. I didn't care for the soundtrack much so I never taken the chance on the movie. This doesn't help waver me in that direction to do so. I think I have another one too on VHS. I believe "Under the Cherry Moon" I haven't watched either.

Not sure if I have Cherry Moon (& if I do, as in your case it's on VHS, as is my Purple Rain), but no, I've never seen it either. I remember when it was playing at the diminutive two-screen dollar theatre at the end of the block my second wife & I lived on in North Little Rock, but we just couldn't work up the enthusiasm to make the walk (as we did for one memorable Halloween double feature I'll never forget -- Aliens & Cronenberg's The Fly). The previews just didn't seem at all promising. I've never regretted that decision.

[adam_warlock_2099]

I am at that point to Lone Ranger, that I intend to this week start culling my collection and get some stuff sold. I usually do it through Lone Star, but I would only get pennies on the dollar for what I have. I've never sold anything on ebay, but I may try it this time. Most of what I want to sell isn't long runs. And random lots (of which I have bought and why I buy them) rarely bring much that it's almost like desperation.

But I am going to have to do something. Even if I get a job tomorrow it may still be two weeks or more before I get paid, and unfortunatly, those bills don't stop coming because I don't have income.

[Cei-U!]

I am in the camp that Janis Joplin, just shouldn't sing

You blaspheme! Heretic!!!

I have a couple of Dick Dillin pages that I may sell. It break my heart, but money is tight.

That sucks, LR. Wish I could afford to buy one.

I never though I'd do it, but I'm eyeballing my run of All-American Westerns. Those are 20+ books that will (hopefully) get a nice price each and help with the money situation.

Promise you'll scan 'em first, pleeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeease.

What a horrible shame for all involved. They should do the right thing & find a nice-sized oven to crowd into, perhaps with Mr. Perry as their special guest, & then have someone turn on the gas.

I'd be happy to volunteer.

I suppose if I say I like Journey, you'll mark me as dead again. I swear if I die and resurrect too many more times I'll have to change my name to Jean Grey!

Cei-U!
I summon the easy-open casket!

[dan bailey]

But I am going to have to do something. Even if I get a job tomorrow it may still be two weeks or more before I get paid, and unfortunatly, those bills don't stop coming because I don't have income.

It goes without saying, of course, that I feel your pain. The only reason I've got any spare cash to spend these days is my bankruptcy filing last fall. It took me years to give in to reality (a concept with which I'm never on particularly good terms at even the best of times), but things were just too hopeless; my finances never got over the unemployment & underemployment (the latter of which actually continues, though it's much better than it was just a few years ago) that followed my dismissal as metro editor at the newspaper back in 11/02, especially since I foolishly played the all-too-typical game of credit card shuffle to maintain myself in the lifestyle (i.e. buying lots of music, books & later comics) to which I'd become accustomed.

And that was without anyone depending on me, other than a couple of dogs for most of that time. If I'd had family ... oy.

Anyway, that's why I went the eBay route as well. Raised a few thousand bucks through punk vinyl; as noted elsewhere, comics are barely worth the effort of listing, all too often.

[Fesch_]

They really did like Jar Jar. The are 3 and 5, so I guess that's the target audience.

Have your kids seen these?




I always recommend these movies for children of those ages (not that they can't be enjoyed by adults, I absolutely love them!), they are simply magical.