Friday 80s Flashback for November 30, 2012

Neon EAT sign via "Food Cravings That Wreck Your Diet"

[Food for Thought] -- In a dialog (twialog?) with Travis on Twitter earlier this week, I got both this week's Flashback theme and its first song. As you probably guessed from this post's accompanying image, this week's songs will have something to do with ... food. This is all the more appropriate when you consider that we are poised right between the Thanksgiving holiday and the beginning of December, which also hosts a holiday season or three that feature eating and drinking. So, if you need a break from your shopping, and you're already tired of Christmas carols, you can enjoy some tasty 80s tunes right here. Just read and hear more after the break.

Venn Will I Achieve Success and Bliss?

Found an interesting Venn Diagram by way of the Oxford Leadership Academy's FB page:

"Success is ..."

Oxford Leadership Academy's point was to say, "Success is less about intensity, and more about balance, order, rhythm and harmony."

As I look at it, and see how they have located Bliss so centrally, I find two important questions:

1. Where am I currently on this diagram, and 
2. What must I do to move to where I want to be?

Friday 80s Flashback for November 23, 2012

[Black Friday] -- It's the day after Thanksgiving, colloquially known as Black Friday here in the States. It's a special, special day when all those prices that have been steadily jacked up over the past few months are lowered (just a bit). Some folks could not even wait for this morning, and began shopping last night or at least camped out in the hope of nabbing huge deals. As the 80s are considered the "Me Decade" during which "shop till you drop" was a constant mantra, I thought I could find a few tunes to reflect the inanity of Black Friday. Read and hear more after the break.

Thor's Giving at the Norse Mythology Blog

The following is adapted from Dr. Karl E. H. Seigfried's 4-part interview with Jóhanna at The Norse Mythology Blog. The interview starts here. 

 Our 3rd Annual THOR'S GIVING continues with more thoughts on humanity & nature. Jóhanna G. Harðardóttir is an Icelandic journalist, author & artist. She's also Staðgengill Allsherjargoða (Deputy High Priestess) of the Ásatrúarfélagið (Æsir Faith Fellowship), the pagan church founded in 1972 that is officially recognized by the Icelandic government. 

"People knew - and we still know in Iceland - that we don’t rule the world. We are not the rulers; we are just part of this system. Here in Iceland, it’s still so obvious we don’t rule. We have to work with nature and not against it. 

"We don’t know when we are getting an earthquake or volcano outburst. We’re not thinking about it all the time; that doesn’t help at all. When we’re there, we’ll have to face it. It’s the same thing - we work with nature and not against it. There’s another word which is very hard to explain - æðruleysi. Don’t worry about things, but when you get there, do your best. That’s the main thought. 

"We have this Earth, our mother, and once we have polluted that and killed it, there is no other. So, we’d better take care. 

"It’s so sad, to look at what’s happening in the world. People don’t realize. It’s the same thing - life is starting here, and then it’s over here, and it’s okay whatever you do, as long as you go to heaven. My children and my grandchildren will be alive, I hope, and I want them to have a world, too. 

"Women are sometimes - here, at least - more green than men are. They think more about nature and connections to nature than men do. It may be not right to say this, but I feel that.   

"Talking to new women in the group of Ásatrú people, they are really very green. They are thinking about the future for their children and for the world. This is maybe what brings women into Ásatrú. 

"The population of young people in the Ásatrúarfélagið is growing very rapidly. I think young people are starting to think differently. They do understand that we have to be in peace. It’s not all about money."

Friday 80s Flashback for November 16, 2012

[Making God Laugh] -- I got the idea for this week's Flashback while in the middle of working tech for Making God Laugh, the final production of Montgomery Theater's 2012 season. This show follows a Catholic family -- mom, dad, and three siblings -- in the Midwestern U.S. over the course of four decades. Each of the four scenes focuses on a different holiday in a specific decade, and the very first scene takes place in the 80s. As there are three siblings in the show -- Ricky, Maddie, and Tommy -- I thought I could choose an 80s tune to represent each one of them. Which songs best characterize these three siblings as portrayed by Bob McDonald, Tabitha Allen, and Adam Danoff? Well, to learn that, you will have to read and hear more after the break.

Friday 80s Flashback for November 9, 2012

[Post-Election Edition] -- I know. I know. Everyone has something to say about the 2012 election. And I've certainly said my share in the last few days (mainly to pick on Donald Trump and Karl Rove). But not now. No, right now, rather than something to say, I have some things I want to sing. Or, rather, things I want to sing along to. I want to use music, particularly our shared love of 80s music, to begin the healing process. And if I cannot do that, I'll at least draw some interesting parallels between current issues and the lyrical content of a few 80s songs. Ready? Well, then, read and hear more after the break.

Friday 80s Flashback for November 2, 2012 (Blackout!)

[Blackout!] -- Hello, 80s-philes! I hope you are faring well after Hurricane Sandy. My home has been without power since Monday evening, and it looks like it will not be restored until Sunday, November 4. That means ... we have been without power for about 84 hours at this point. Therefore, I proclaim a blackout today! I'll be back next week with a full post.

But I wouldn't leave you with no music whatsoever, you know. I took a few minutes while at rehearsal today so I could post at least one video. I hope you'll agree that it is most appropriate: "Blackout" by Scorpions from their 1982 album of the same name.

Friday 80s Flashback for October 26, 2012 (on a Saturday)

"Spooky Moon" taken by me on 10/22/2004

[Halloween] -- Welcome to a very special holiday edition of the Friday 80s Flashback. Yes, it's time for another flashback of a Flashback. I'm re-running my special Halloween edition from October 29, 2010.

Now, as far as I'm concerned, Halloween songs typically fall somewhere between being (1) Oh-so-obviously Halloweenesque, and (2) Stealthily Halloweenish. That is true regardless of the decade. Right off the bat (no pun intended there), we have to agree that Michael Jackson's "Thriller" is squarely in the first camp. And you have to understand, that I'm not going to feature it in today's Flashback. Yes, "Thriller" was huge for radio and MTV, and everyone wanted to learn the Thriller dance in 1983. Hell, that dance continues to inspire popular culture. But it's not featured today because it's just too obvious a choice. Moving on the other end of the spectrum, we have stealthily Halloweenish songs like "Dr. Heckyll and Mr. Jive" (1982) by Men At Work. This song is a clever riff on Robert Louis Stevenson's "The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde." It also features that wonderful stock science fiction character who has made numerous appearances in Halloween/horror flicks, particularly of the b-grade variety. You know him, you love him, he is The Mad Scientist!

Now that I have provided a longer-than-usual intro, you are probably waiting not-so-patiently for me to unveil the actual Flashback choices, right? Well, please know that I needed to provide that info so you can understand that, for your Halloween listening today, I offer one song from the obvious camp and two that hue a little closer to the stealth end of the spectrum. And maybe, just maybe if you're very good, there will be a bonus track.

Read and hear more after the break.

Friday 80s Flashback for October 19, 2012

Puddle Reflection by ~Mustardplz

[Pacific Rain] -- You may recall that I was recently in the Pacific Northwest. Specifically, my trip was to points in and around Washington's Olympic National Park bookended by stops in Seattle. Now, I know you will find this hard to believe, but it rained there. No, really. It RAINED. Sure, this is characteristic weather for that area, but the region had been facing a rather uncharacteristic dry spell until we arrived. And, coincidentally enough, the book I've been reading -- Grave Peril (The Dresden Files #3) by Jim Butcher -- has had quite a bit of rain in the narrative. Oh, and today, we're getting quite the deluge:

Radar Map from wunderground.com at 10:00am EDT

So, I figure precipitation is a timely theme for the Flashback this week. Yes, I know there was a similarly themed Flashback last year (Rain Over Me on April 8, 2011), but there are plenty of other songs about rain, even within a single decade like our beloved 80s. So, what soaked songs made the cut this week? Read and hear more after the break.

Friday 80s Flashback for October 12, 2012

[Washington Rocks Redux] -- I am in Washington State again for a little vacation of hiking and relaxing. I figure this is a good time to re-run my Flashback post that originally ran one week after my first visit to the Seattle area and Olympic National Park (October 7, 2011). As I wrote then: "I thought it might be interesting to see what the 80s music scene was like in this state. Turns out, Washington was quite the hotbed for punk and heavy metal during that time (once you discount the brief fad of Twee Pop). Now, I had intended to post this flashback from the road, but I was not able to finish it in time. So, I'm brushing off the draft, cleaning it up, and posting it this week! If you would like to know what heavy rockin' gems I found, just read and hear more after the break. (Warning: These songs are loud, and possibly disturbing!)"

So, if you dare, crank up your volume and have a flashback to a Flashback!