Speaking of MTV...

 ...here's something significant.

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by PAM

After speaking in my recent post here about how Duran Duran and their contemporaries in the second 'British Invasion' dominated the beginning of the MTV era in the '80s, I got reminded of the iconic collaboration between one of the best guitarists the world has ever seen, Mark Knopfler, and his famous band, Dire Straits, and the one and only legend himself, Sting.  Their song is called, "Money for Nothing"... which started with Sting filling the airwaves with his peculiar voice declaring how he wants his MTV.  And the very best time they shared the stage to perform their iconic song is at the historic Live Aid concert on 13 July 1985 in front of 72,000 people at the Wembley Stadium in London while 100,000 more watched them live via satellite from the other venue of Live Aid, at the John F. Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, PA.  It was watched all over the globe via satellite... and it dropped on our TV set in the Philippines, too.  And what an amazing experience it was!   

"Listen here, now that ain't workin' that's the way you do it.  You play the guitar on the MTV.  That ain't workin' that's the way you do it. Money for nothin' and your chicks for free."

The Live Aid concert was the coming together of the greatest music artists of the '80s across the Atlantic, organized by Sir Bob Geldof of the Irish band, Boomtown Rats, of the "I don't like Mondays" fame, and the Scottish musician, Midge Ure of Ultravox, to raise funds for and awareness of the famine in Ethiopia, Africa.  It started with the gathering of the frontrunners in the 'British Invasion 2' as a 'charity supergroup' called, Band Aid, to record the song, "Do they know it's Christmas?" (DTKIC) in 1984.  I remember, I was freshman in College.  I stepped out of my classroom one December morning to listen to it when it was played for the first time on radio... because I knew it was history unfolding.

One of the very best performances at  Live Aid happened in Wembley Stadium.  It was that of Queen with their larger-than-life late frontman, Freddie Mercury, showing why they are one of the very best music legends of all time.  And, of course, the genius guitar player that is Sir Brian May showed up, too, as well as their painfully awesome drummer, Roger Taylor, and their great bass player, John Deacon, strutted his thing on stage, too. 

"Mama, ohh, didn't mean to make you cry.  If I'm not back again this time tomorrow, carry on, carry on as if nothing really matters."

Ahh... didn't that make you feel nostalgic?  And speaking of MTV and other music media that sort of pushed back that classic music medium that endured many generations: the good old radio, how does this make you feel...

"You had your time, you had the power, you've yet to have your finest hour.  Radio, radio..."

Ahh... man, what I wouldn't do to go back to the '80s!  Queen is too good, right?  Right!  Alright!

Of course, the great Irish band, U2, with their legend of a frontman, Bono, and their legend of a guitarist, The Edge, also made their mark in Wembley as they performed two of their greatest hits, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" and "Bad".

"How long, how long must we sing this song?  ...'cause tonight we can be as one..."

Powerful, isn't it?  Then and now, U2 and U2 music are just so iconic... in so many ways.  They are absolutely brilliant!  I saw them in the Manila leg of their Joshua Tree World Tour... and I lost it, I wept! 

Let me end with a song that was staple in the '80s, "Everytime you go away", by the owner of the voice who sang the first line in DTKIC, Paul Young.  He just turned 68 yo... and he just got married for the second time, too.

Ah... there so many challenges in this world, but with great music such as these, it just makes our burden a bit lighter.  Thank goodness for good music, and thank God for brilliant music artists!

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Video credit:  All videos belong to Live Aid - thanks, YouTube, for the video links.

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Friday Night Music...

 ...with long-time faves.

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by PAM

All these 'whispers' about one of my favorite bands ever, Duran Duran (DD), coming to the Philippines to give our current President a private performance on his 67th birthday is just distressing!  It is putting DD in bad light.  However, until I hear DD's side of the story, I give them the benefit of the doubt, and I remain a loyal Durannie!  

Anyway, I am now reminded about a milestone in DD's career that I missed to chronicle here.  Now, after enduring a very long week, indeed, I am definitely in the mood to talk about them and listen to their old and most current songs... and watch some of those interviews that show what incredible artists they are, indeed.  So, yep, it's a Friday Night Music time!

One of the things that my 'rock chick' self is very proud of is that day when I finally managed to set foot on the 'hallowed grounds' of Rock Hall - home to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (RRHOF), in Cleveland, OH back in July 2019.  It was incredible... I absolutely went crazy!  But what is crazier is that, two years ago, the stars did align... and Duran Duran was inducted to the Hall of Fame, Performance Category, to join the illustrious RRHOF Class of 2022 with the likes of Carly Simon, Pat Benatar, Lionel Richie, Eminem and Dolly Parton.  The all-British band that originated from Birminghan, England was inducted to the RRHOF by none other than Iron Man himself, Robert Downey, Jr... thank you very much!

"The origin (of the) story of this iconic band comes down to two words: confidence and faith... and the fact that they have always been transparent about being a work in progress like we all are, I feel that's why I adore these men.  That's the gift they've given us.  They bestowed that on their fans: permission to grow, and change, and age out of one mode and embrace the next... I'm grateful that these gifted souls are finally receiving long-deserved cementing of their legacy."

Listening to them accept their award brought back a deluge of memories from those days when my siblings and I would wait patiently for the publication of our favorite music magazines to see articles about Duran Duran... and to see whether our comments from the previous issue, which we sent via snail mail would be featured in the latest issue; and those days when we worked ferociously on our school homeworks in order to merit watching MTV and American Top 40, and all other shows that might feature them, their songs and their music videos... as our late Mother has the "undone homework, no TV" policy.  In a way, Duran Duran and our other favorite music artists helped us become good students.  Duran Duran were one of the first few artists that made MTV the iconic music platform that it is today.  As such, they revolutionized the music industry... and I am glad to be a part of that revolution!  

Some forty years later... here we all are, finally seeing Duran Duran get inducted to the RRHOF.  What a milestone - for them and for us, Durannies! 

"I am so very proud of these four brothers... the essence of our job is this: we get to make people feel better about themselves... music nourished us and gave us identities... we finally got here, it's a long way from Birmingham - thanks a lot... we are all driven by fans, and we were fans - thank you to all the fans."

While I got to see them perform live at the height of their fame in 1989 at the Araneta Coliseum in the Philippine segment of their "Arena" World Tour, I may never afford to have them perform for me privately on my birthday. It is enough though that I have been a loyal fan for more than four decades now, and my siblings and I have an incredible amount of memorabilia and a vault in our heads full of great memories as we grew with this band... and as they kept going until passing this incredible milestone.  

Ahh... the rhythm section is tight, tight, tight! Whew!  How is it possible that they sound even better now than some forty years ago?  I am sure that this is a product of hard work in continuously polishing their gifts as music artists. Ah, such a commitment to one's craft - amazing! I am sure that, brilliant music artists that they are, their journey continues... and our own journey as Durannies continues as well, and that feels absolutely fantastic!

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Video credit:  The videos are from the RRHOF website - thanks, YouTube for the video links.

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Sunday Foodie

...because it's about time.

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by PAM

Crisp outside, light and airy inside... and many more... that is all good!

A very long introduction...

Living alone has its benefits, the most important of which - at least, for me - is the opportunity to savor solitude.  

I like solitude, I enjoy it. These days, I realized that the one company I never get bored of is my own. No, that is not being self-important, self-centered nor being selfish. It's just my love for the quiet. I'd much rather listen to the sound of my own silent thoughts, and of others' whose quiet thoughts are in harmony with mine, than to be confused in the dizzying chaos of a many multitude of opinions and 'great ideas' from so many, many (many, many... many) 'brilliant individuals'.  Today's basis of 'brilliance' has eluded me hopelessly... and I do not believe I have the energy, nor the time, to embark on a greatly futile journey and the great hopelessness of ever finding it.  So, I decided to just take the opposite route... the route of quietness - the beautiful moments of stillness of an unhurried living... with ample time to walk silently as one pays attention to one's surroundings... and be filled with wonder.  That is not to say that I don't enjoy being in the company of people with whom I share the appreciation of meaningful conversations... and fun endeavors that touch the soul and make the spirit soar!

I like reflection, quiet reflection... and I enjoy discernment. I like long walks... and prayers while I walk. These days, as I walk around my new neighborhood, I like admiring those green canopies above me that those marvelous trees make as they reach out to join their long and graceful branches from each side of the road. I like sipping coffee quietly as I read a good book at the front porch, and once in a while looking up to marvel at the clouds and the incredible beauty of the blue skies behind them. Yes, I do have time to contemplate these days... or, rather, I can afford to make time for contemplation these days... and I am, indeed, very grateful.  But that is a story for another time.  Today, I am just being the foodie me.

Finally, the 'foodie' part...

As I mentioned in another post on this blog, I now have a 'second home', which is very close to a new 'second work location'.  I usually live alone in the second home.  I was dreading it before... but now, I am beginning to appreciate it.

These days, I am discovering that another benefit of living alone is being able to choose to eat what one craves without having to feel guilty that others may not appreciate one's cravings.  The other day, I was suddenly reminded of Italy, and the unforgettable trip that I took over there some years back.

Spaghetti - Filipino style

 And that made me crave Italian food... specifically, my favorite Italian bread: ciabatta. So, I dropped by one of my favorite specialty stores, Santis Delicatessen, to pick up a loaf of ciabatta and a box of spaghetti pasta.  Ah, ciabatta is so good, especially when dipped in olive oil with a dash of balsamic vinegar.  While I love this very Italian bread for its light and airy texture inside and its crisp thin crust, I decided to make my spaghetti 'Filipino style', which is with red sweet sauce.  I tried re-living my childhood days, enjoying sweet meaty spaghetti complete with slices of hotdog.  I 'cheated' a little... and bought a ready-to-use spaghetti sauce... just to save time.  Again, this is one of the perks of living alone, you can decide whichever way you want to prepare your food without making anyone roll their eyes. Uhm, wait... are you rolling your eyes right now?  If you are, well... aren't you glad you're not living with me? 

Ah, the mind meanders and stopped at the 'Bridgerton station'...

All and all, I had a splendid time eating my Mediterranean-meets-Southeast-Asian meal while I watch "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story" (QC) on Netflix for the nth time... which is a story for another time.  Ah, dear reader, you didn't think I'd stay quiet about Bridgerton - the version so 'mangled' by Netflix, huh?  No way!  I am a fan - of the original and authentic Bridgerton book series by Julia Quinn (JQ)... but not so much of the 'mangled' version by Netflix.  But I do like QC, which is not a part of JQ's Bridgerton series.  I think that the reason why QC was so good is because it stole, er, 'borrowed' many of the good things in the original Bridgerton series by JQ... which were omitted in the Netflix (mangled) version. Especially noticeable for me was how QC borrowed many beautiful moments from "The Viscount Who Loved Me" (TVWLM) - the second of the Bridgerton series by JQ.  The reason why I know... well, it's because I so loved  TVWLM in the JQ series. I read it at least five times!  And the feeling I got while reading the tenderly special moments were the very same feeling that I had while watching the special moments in QC... and which I never felt in the Netflix 'mangled' version of TVWLM.  And, the young King George III (KG3) in QC, uhm, on his sane moments, that is, is almost the exact same image of Colin Bridgerton in my head, except that KG3 did not have green eyes and his hair was not longish and curly.  But the beautiful smile, the wit, and all that charisma... ah, they're all so Colin.  

I hope that Netflix does not mangle "An Offer from a  Gentleman" - Benedict's story - as much as they did the previous books in the upcoming Season 4 of Bridgerton.  In case I have not been clear previously... let me be clear this time.  This is a 'warning' from us, avid and loyal Bridgerton fans, Netflix!  Leave the beautiful story alone!

But I digress... I did enjoy my spaghetti with my ciabatta. I think that is all the point I am making here, which took me forever to say. Hahaha... sorry, 'gentle reader'.

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Image credit:  I own all the photos in this post as I took all of them.

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