BruceH

Could have been Fredric Brown. Sounds like him.... (Damn. I feel like I should know this.)

Apparently the main reason Duck had sex with Peggy was to taste the liquor on her breath. Well, maybe that wasn't the main reason, but it was sure turning him on. Which was creepy.

Well, if you're using Triumph on the Tonight Show you can't be accused of being totally square.

I've long thought of John Lewis as a sort of be-bop version of Basie.

It was the Red album (or compilation) that first got me into them.

Alexander, imo, you're going a little overboard with these Beatles lectures. To each his own. You certainly don't have to read them. Someone else on this thread has said that they are "more confident of their rock knowledge than their jazz knowledge", or words to that effect. Well, that's kind of how I feel about the Beatles. I've literally been listening to them my whole life. Not passively listening either. This is music I know as well as I know myself. They are probably the one artist that I REALLY feel qualified to discuss. Now the flip side of this is that I can come off as a bit of a know-it-all. A few years ago, my wife and I were in the car when a Peter and Gordon single came on the radio (one of the songs Lennon/McCartney had written for them. Possibly "World Without Love," I'm not exactly sure). She asked me, "Is this the Beatles?" I said no, it's Peter and Gordon, but it's a song the Beatles wrote for them. She asked me, "Are you sure?" To which I replied, "Look who you're talking to. Of course I'm sure." I will put my Beatles knowledge (lyrics, trivia, etc.) on the line against anyone else's. That's fine with me. Where better to display your knowledge of, and enthusiasm for, the Beatles than on a Beatles thread? I don't really understand these people criticizing you for it...that's a little like going on the Grateful Dead thread and dumping on someone for being so damn positive about The Grateful Dead. Myself, I don't much care for the Dead and don't know much about them either, so I don't go on that thread, because I don't think I'd have much to add. Make sense? I think so.

Sorry; the American one. Ah. For years I avoided the American version (even though I'm a fan of Steve Carell) then a couple of years ago we were at the in-laws' for Thanksgiving or something and some channel was having an Office marathon. I watched five or six of them in a row and became a big fan of the show. A different "vibe" from the British original, to be sure, but I like it.

Saw the Mad Men repeats yesterday. And the new episode. The repeats were welcome because I managed to miss one, the fourth episode I believe. The one where Betty's father dies.

Indeed! (For me to poop on!) Has he used Triumph on the Tonight Show yet? If he does, he deserves some sort of kudos for that.

It's the timeslot. And the show itself. Carson long ago put a middle-of-the-road, middle-American, slant on the Tonight Show. You're expected to appeal to everybody by offending nobody. With the changed landscape of television I'm not sure you can do that these days, but Conan's obviously giving it the old Brookline try. And yes, the Leno 10 o'clock show seems pretty terrible. Which is why Conan is a bad choice. Jay Leno did a far better job with those expectations, IMHO. Perhaps, but they had more-or-less promised Conan the Tonight Show gig years ago. They couldn't very well back out of the deal. Yes, but he's got a later timeslot and HAND PUPPETS!!!!

OK, I was thinking of Kornbluth's "The Rocket of 1955" and I just re-read it, and it's not the one. Sorry.

Larry, I believe the short story was written by C. M. Kornbluth. (But I can't remember for sure...I could be wrong.)

I've got a lot of Ellington, but can't say I regret it at all. Could use more, in fact.

Definitely discussion of this book way upstream the thread. I agree--I've probably read it (in toto) about three times now. I just finished my fourth reading. I was going to recommend the book but Cliff beat me to it. Reading it right now. MacDonald is clearly VERY bright and an incisive critic. He's also a bit...well...grumpy in parts. He really comes down on George for his singing and playing at times. Now, I have often made the point that George was the least of the Beatles in the beginning (not too surprising...he WAS a freakin' kid at the time), but I don't treat it like a personal failing. John and Paul were a force to be reckoned with. And Ringo was an experienced professional when the other three were just getting their feet back in Liverpool and Hamburg. That George had to hustle to keep up at times is only natural. And he developed quickly under the constant pressure to prove his worth in the band. "Abbey Road" is the first and only time that I feel like all four were really operating as equals (or at least near equals) as vocalists and songwriters. With "Something" and "Here Comes the Sun" George had FINALLY written something that was every bit as good as anything Jon and Paul could come up with, without qualifiers or reservations. And Ringo, while never a GREAT singer, had developed a confidence in his voice that allowed him to perform "Octopus's Garden" with something more than just his usual zest. Yes, I agree with the "grumpy" complaint, and he's a little hard on George. Hey, MacDonald is human; he has his quirks, flaws, and occasional blind spots. Some Beatles songs that he knocks I just plain disagree with him on...in other cases (not many) he praises a song rather more highly than I would have. But on the whole, I think his book is VERY worthwhile. And the last time I read it I really noticed how much he dug Ringo's drumming. He's one of the few critics to give Ringo his due in that regard.

That may never have been the plan to begin with... You never know with Duck.

It's the timeslot. And the show itself. Carson long ago put a middle-of-the-road, middle-American, slant on the Tonight Show. You're expected to appeal to everybody by offending nobody. With the changed landscape of television I'm not sure you can do that these days, but Conan's obviously giving it the old Brookline try. And yes, the Leno 10 o'clock show seems pretty terrible.

This is what I love about the show. The entire course of the season has just been completely changed again. Don signing a contract only after Cooper holds a career gun to his head. No question Don now definitely hates Roger. Betty once again looking for attention. Duck and Peggy, WTF? I really don't see how Don can avoid seeing Roger once in a while, given that it's such a small firm. Also, Roger can pretty much do whatever he wants. As for Duck and Peggy...now Peggy should DEFINITELY not move to that other firm. I've said it before and I'll say it again: Duck is a spreader of chaos. Pete may have put it in a hysterical way, but his instincts concerning Duck (stay away from him) are right.

Ghost, have you seen "Shoot" yet? That's the episode in Season One where Betty tries to revive her old modeling career. A real gem of an episode, and notable also because it's a bit more "stand alone" than most and it's directed by Paul Feig, the creator of the "Freaks & Geeks" show.

Definitely discussion of this book way upstream the thread. I agree--I've probably read it (in toto) about three times now. I just finished my fourth reading. I was going to recommend the book but Cliff beat me to it.

Thanks. I was surprised to find out that "Demon with the Glass Hand" was from the second season. That's a great episode. Yes, there were some solid episodes in the second season, but they tended to be few and far between. The bulk of the first-rate episodes were in Season One. I bought the DVD box of Season One some years ago, and couldn't bring myself to buy the second season because I'd basically be getting it for just two (three at the most) episodes. BTW, television was different back then for another reason...there were 32 episodes in that first season!

I listen to just about anything during breakfast, but I make sure to turn it down to a very low level.

Well, I wasn't really trying to make a point, just an observation of fact about my occasional slowness on the uptake.

.......It took me two years to realize that "Mad men" as a self-styled sobriquet means, literally Madison Avenue man.

Hope he's OK and recovers quickly and completely. Wonder what the stunt was?

Ghost---if you haven't finished Season 1 yet, you've got a treat in store! I recently reviewed Seasons 1 and 2 on Netflix and and got into the show even more than before. Seeing the episodes close together, in proper order, and without missing some parts (which I occasionally did when they were originally broadcast) really brings home how good the series is. I'm really tempted to buy Season 1. "It's subtle...but potent."