Dave Mancuso dot Com

I just read a great article at The Onion about the Bush Administration’s first days. It’s from January 2001, so it’s already a bit strange to read from a post-September 11th perspective. It’s a different world now–but I think the article is still hilarious.

Fun–a quiz to figure out which political stereotype you are. Try it out.

So why can’t anyone make a good Beatles cover song? OK, there are a couple. But the good ones are usually good singers or good bands singing the same songs the Beatles sang. No one seems to be able to reinterpret these songs in a new way (at least not well–I have heard some attempts that sound hideous).

I mean, look at the Grateful Dead and the tribute album Deadicated for comparison. The cover songs there are awesome–they make you think of the songs in a whole new way. To hear Lyle Lovett doing Friend of the Devil is amazing. So why can’t anyone do that with the Beatles?

I think the answer is one of two things. My first thought is that the Beatles songs aren’t really open to new interpretation. Maybe they’re just done the only way they can be done–perhaps the Beatles didn’t write music that could be appreciated in new ways by creative recording. I’m betting (and hoping) that this is wrong. My second idea is that the Beatles catalogue is so powerfully ingrained in the mind of every music fan and performer on this planet that it is virutally impossible for a fresh version of a Beatles song to be produced.

I hope that’s the answer, and that we hear in the future some cool John, Paul, George, and Ringo tunes from, well, someone else.

Having said that, if you’re interested in some good Beatles covers, I can name some. The soundtrack from I Am Sam has some excellent covers, and the cover album Come Together has a couple of really good covers (Phil Keaggy and PFR do a great We Can Work It Out and Collin Raye does a solid Let It Be). The tribute to John Lennon just after September 11th had much of what I’m talking about, including Alanis Morissette’s version of Dear Prudence and Rufus Wainwright, Moby, and Sean Lennon singing This Boy and Across the Universe. Sean did a wonderful solo of Julia. Heck, Kevin Spacey did a (literally) rocking rendition of Mind Games (I am not making this up). Who would have thought it? That’s the kind of stuff I’m talking about.

I’m wiped. We just got back from Hershey Medical Center. Alyssa’s apparently fine, but she had a huge reaction to one of the vaccinations she got yesterday at the doctor’s. Her arm around the shot swelled up, became very red, and got very hard. The doctor said that it was essentially one giant hive (3 or 4 inches around). We had to cover it with Benadryl creme (it itches incessantly) and give her oral Benadryl (the first time she’s had antihistamines in her life). She’s taking it well. In fact, if she were taking it any better, she’d be bouncing off the ceilings. I think the Benadryl finally kicked in, though–she’s now out for the count.

We are entirely too familiar with the emergency room at Hershey Med. I think if we go back there any more often they’ll name the waiting room chairs after us.

Sorry I missed my post yesterday–I accidentally burned my hand and dealt with that all night instead of posting to this blog. Really, you say?

Yes, really. Since I managed to keep ice on my hand all night, I seem to have staved off blisters in all but two small areas on my hand. Moral of the story: never touch a pan you’ve taken out of the oven with your bare hand, even (and especially) when you’re crowded and in a hurry.

This burn is nothing compared to the burn from my ’87 VW Camper, though. It’s time to tell that story soon.

My dad called the other night and while we were talking, my son Drew was running around the family room and playing (Drew’ll be 4 years old in May). As I continue talking to Dad, Drew runs out of the room for a few moments and then returns. Without pants. He then runs around for a bit and again runs out of the room. He comes back a few moments later. Without a shirt. Drew then proceeds to run around in his underwear for a few moments. Then he sits down and strips off his underwear and continues his frolicking.

Now, I have a decent-sized family room with a couch in the middle of the floor. Alyssa and I are on the couch, Alyssa watching TV and me in conversation with my dad. For eight solid minutes, Drew proceeds to run in circles around the couch, naked as a jaybird, apparently in great and joyful spirits, leaping and cavorting. Then he sits down and watches TV for a few moments, and then puts his underwear back on. Then he runs around the couch for 5 more minutes. Then he sits down, apparently satisfied with his quest. I finish my phone call, take the kids upstairs, and put them to bed. When my wife gets home, I completely forget to tell her about Drew’s “unique behavior.”

The next night, I tell my wife about Drew’s escapades and we discuss the situation. Is this normal? Is Drew acting out for some reason? Has Drew developed nudist tendencies? Will Drew grow up to become a professional nudist? We decide to ask Drew himself. Drew seems puzzled–perhaps he doesn’t remember his nude adventures? Then the light dawns and he looks at us like we’re idiots. “Daddy, I was Tarzan!” he exclaims in his “don’t you get it?” voice. Tarzan runs around nudie-butt, I ask? Yes, apparently he does. According to Drew, Tarzan runs around in the nude all the time, except when he doesn’t. Then he runs around in his underwear all the time.

Somebody tell me–they do grow out of this, right? Because I don’t think they’ll go for this when he’s 21 and out in the workforce. Running around his coworker’s desks in the nude might be considered improper workplace etiquette–or maybe I’m just old-fashioned….

This is interesting news buzzing around the Net the last few days. The Shuttle Radar Topography Mission has some up with some images that show a huge impact crater from a long time ago here in North America. They believe that this impact caused the dinosaurs to become extinct millions of years ago.

So, if this hadn’t happened, dinos would still rule the earth? Would we be living a strange coexistence with brontosauri? Are the Flintstones now a bizarre view into a strange parallel universe? Am I thinking way too hard about this?

You can find a good story about this at the ScienceDaily site.

One more top movie to add to the list. If you hate Kevin Costner, then this movie might not impress you as much as it did me. My feelings about Costner are neutral, but I thought the movie was great. A great message. Whoever could have thought that a post-apocalyptic postal service could generate the gripping tension and epic sweep of this movie? Even at three hours long, I thought it was great. The Postman rules.

Field of Dreams leaves us with a refreshed sense of innocence; it doesn’t stand out in any one particular way, but it’s got great moments, and most everyone knows the line “If you build it, they will come.”

Plus, it’s got a ’73 (or so) VW Transporter in it. They even got the sound right in the audio track. That alone gives it a place in my top movies list.

Brad, that’s who. My friend and colleague Brad’s top ten movies list has another set of top movies. I think as our top ten lists develop they’ll have some interesting contrasts, since Brad is ten years younger than I am. Music might be a sore spot, as Brad continually fails to appreciate even the best ’70s music–Car Wash, Kung Fu Fighting,and Play That Funky Music, to name a few. You know, the classics. I just keep playing and playing them, and he’s not coming around.

I feel a ’70s fest coming on, playing in the office all day tomorrow…