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Tag Archives: CNN

Fare Thee Well or: A Man Crush Confidential

08 Friday Jun 2018

Posted by TGBII in Blogging, Food, Life as We Know It, Travel

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

Anthony Bourdain, Asia Argento, Billy Joel, CNN, Culinary Institute of America, Elton John, Eric Ripert, Kitchen Confidential, Life, Life as It is, Paris, The BCPF, The Grateful Dead, The Ramones, Travel, WSNC

Salutations™!!

My interest in Anthony Bourdain came right after The BCPF and I met. She talked about liking his show, No Reservations, and how she really loved it and his bad-arsed qualities. It was an immediate reaction for me. Dang! This cat is cool and he loves food and travel. He dug into things that went beyond just food and travel, though.

170905122613-anthony-bourdain-parts-unknown-trinidad-exlarge-169

©David Holloway/CNN

 

He was a social activist. Which I know being a bleeding-heart liberal can turn a lot of people off. But, he was able to do that without being too in-your-face about it. He was outspoken about sexual harassment in restaurant kitchens as well as the circus that has become Hollywood’s own fight within about the same subject. In fact, his partner/girlfriend, Asia Argento, was one of the women that Harvey Weinstein allegedly harassed. But, he worked for better working conditions for restaurant workers.

Another thing that drew me to him was his willingness to try just about any food. He was especially fond of using varietal bits of animals, the stuff that most 21st century people wouldn’t think of eating. That caught on. I mean, a few of my favorite local chefs here in WSNC do what is called an offal dinner and use glands, hearts, gizzards and just about anything else they can find to use. That rubbed off on me, too. It was because of his adventurous eating that inspired me to do more of it myself. Sweetbreads. Foie gras. Glands. Organs. I will try many things like that, now. I love steak/beef tartare and it’s because of him.

But, it wasn’t the food and the activism alone. It was about the travel, too. He had a fascination with the people and cultures of Southeast Asia. He always said when he retired he would move there. The BCPF and I totally expected him to do just that. He loved Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. He loved China, Malaysia, the Philippines and one of the most memorable episodes of his latest show, Parts Unknown, was filmed in Myanmar.

He loved to show his “TV friends” places that most likely would have been way off our radar. Sure, he went to some glamorous parts but mostly he dug deep into deep areas that were “less desirable,” and brought awareness, by way of “documentary-style” television. He got to know the natives. He befriended them, got to know them, lived with them for small amounts of time, learned about them and, perhaps most importantly, he learned from them. Thus, we learned from them.  He was a rock star in travel and food.

The BCPF and I love to travel. We love being places. So much of our “wish list” is based on places that he’s been. The only reason we don’t follow through is financial reasons. But, we both love to learn about different cultures and immerse ourselves in those cultures. He did that for us and we would sit with him in our living room and learn more, benefiting from his insight, knowledge and learning. I’ve loved him. I’ve had a man-crush on him.

Just this past week, 3B, my 16-year old culinary hopeful, asked me who my favorite celebrity chef was. Without hesitation, I said Anthony Bourdain (and followed by Gordon Ramsey), even though he had technically moved from the culinary aspects of his life. He wasn’t completely out of it. He talked a lot about cooking, methods, ingredients, techniques and it was never not part of his conversations, at least on television.

He graduated from Culinary Institute of America in 1978 with an associates degree. He went on to become the executive chef of Brasserie Les Halles in NYC and eventually moved on from there. But, up until their closing last year, he was considered their “chef-at-large.” He was given an honorary doctorate from CIA in December 2017.

I haven’t always agreed with him, though. He’s a fan of the Ramones and I don’t care about the Ramones. He doesn’t like Billy Joel or Elton John and I really like both of them. I am with him on the Grateful Dead though, I don’t care for them, either. He’s been tough on some celebrity chefs and lenient on others. But, he admits when there are mistakes that he’s made and apparently he’s made a lot.

He’s had demons. He was an abuser of illicit drugs. He’s admitted to using LSD, cocaine, heroin, psilocybin mushrooms (which he would soak in honey and flavor his tea) among others. He was a two-pack-a-day smoker until a few years back which he quit for his daughter’s sake. That little girl is 11 years old, now. And she’s without a father.

You see, Anthony Bourdain was found dead in his Parisian hotel by his best bud, Éric Ripert, who appeared on many of “Tony’s” shows. It was an apparent suicide, although as of this writing, I don’t know how he did it. And, I don’t know if there is a note. I think this is hitting me as hard as it did when Prince and Bowie died two years ago. As I said, he was a rock star, at least to me. He sat in my living room. He helped (indirectly) strengthen my incredible marriage to my beautiful wife.

I feel awful about this. I think I’d feel less bad had it been natural causes or something that wasn’t his doing. But, this was suicide and I have an especially hard time with that. I feel for his 11-year old daughter. I feel for his fans. I feel for others that loved him that have also dealt with suicide directly by a loved one as this is reliving a situation. I talked to just a person like that this morning. I won’t go into that because it’s not my story but she touched my heart with her story.

Something very interesting is that he always said he didn’t care for Paris. The BCPF and I call it our favorite city. The last time we were there, we actually purchased his book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly in Shakespeare and Company, an English-speaking bookstore which happens to be one of the most famous bookstores in the world. I look at it often and say, I want to read that. I have a feeling that I may get to that, now.

I also have a feeling that there will be a lot of binge-watching of old eps of No Reservations and current eps of Parts Unknown. Tony, I miss you already, sir. I need to pick up my culinary chops and do you proud (at least in my mind). Thank you for the inspiration and guidance, though we never spoke. Thank you for the cultural lessons and the social advocacy.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Sad Scorp out…

—
“If I’m an advocate for anything, it’s to move. As far as you can, as much as you can. Across the ocean, or simply across the river. Walk in someone else’s shoes or at least eat their food.” – Anthony Bourdain

Happy New Year or: I Am the Champion!

01 Monday Jan 2018

Posted by TGBII in Life as We Know It, Rant

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

2018, 3B, Anderson Cooper, Andy Cohen, Antonio Brown, Ben Roethlisberger, Ciara, Cleveland Browns, CNN, Dick Clark, Don Lemon, Fantasy Football, Fitz and the Tantrums, Foothills Brewing, Imagine Dragons, Jacksonville Jaguars, Jenny McCarthy, Lucy Hale, Mariah Carey, Martavis Bryant, Matthew Stafford, New Year, Pittsburgh Steelers, Ryan Seacrest, The BCPF, The Less Desirables, Willow's Bistro

Salutations™!!

So, it’s a whole new year! 2018 in da house! I hope this one is a great one. It seems like they all get harder to be “good ones,” with our aging. But, still, here’s hoping. We went to Willows and had prime rib and salmon and other things, then we came home and fell asleep on the couch until about 11:45pm or so. So we got to watch the ball drop. Happy-New-Year-Images-2018-300x199

Do you remember when you knew who the people performing on NYE was? And Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve was the only show in town for it? Now, some other channels were just doing regular programming but I kept switching back and forth between Ryan Seacrest and CNN’s atrocious pairing of Andy Cohen and Anderson Cooper. It was awkward and uncomfortable. I love me some Don Lemon, though and he was funny.

Seacrest had, once again, Jenny McCarthy with him and, other than her horrible plastic surgery on her face, was a good co-host. I know her face has nothing to do with her hosting abilities, but it was a distraction. It was like a bloated lipped version of the two models that died with Joker smiles in 1989’s Batman. And, jeez, Ciara was downright horrible. Lucy Hale wasn’t bad as hosting the New Orleans part, but the time delay and the fact that she just couldn’t keep from talking made that whole thing awkward, too. I didn’t at all mind Fitz and the Tantrums or Imagine Dragons. I thought they were great. Mariah Carey got to redeem herself after the last debacle she did for one of these things. But, it was okay. I got to kiss my girl at midnight, so I guess that’s what’s important. And, I got to hug 3B, that was great, too.

But, earlier in the night, with the football games going the way they did, I became the 2017 Willows’ Sweep the Leg Fantasy Football Champion! I finished the regular season with a losing record (6-8), but because I had Ben Roethlisberger, Antonio Brown and Jacksonville Defense, they all finally decided to turn it on the last part of the season so that led to a few victories which put me ahead of the others in my division. It was nerve-wracking and my stomach was in knots. Ben and Antonio didn’t even play and I knew that Jacksonville was going to have a hard time against division rivals Tennesee. So, I put Matthew Stafford in and Martavis Bryant along with the Steelers defense. Steelers were playing the Browns and it was inevitable that they’d do good against them. Cleveland tried, but the Steelers held them off in the end. Anywhat!

During the regular season, The BCPF ran roughshod all over the whole league. She was 10-0 until someone (that lives in the same house with her) finally beat her. She ended up with a 12-2 regular season record. She won the regular season. The divisions (she and I were in two different divisions; her Willows, me Foothills) were torn up after that and the top eight got to play in the playoffs. I beat the first team, then I beat The BCPF (again) and then I beat the winner of my division for the whole thing. He was predicted to win all the way up until about 10 minutes before he didn’t. He was scary, though. Another accolade that I got was I had the highest point win during the season (202) and The BCPF had the “Most Points For” for the regular season (2051.1). We had fun.

In the TLD league that I run… yeah, let’s not talk about that. I finished first in the “consolation bracket.” Let’s just leave that there…

Congrats to me. The prize was almost $400. I’ll take it!

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right.” – Oprah Winfrey

Cease and Desist or: No More Political Use?

05 Thursday May 2016

Posted by TGBII in Life as We Know It

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

Adele, Aerosmith, AP, ASCAP, Bill Gates, BMI, Bruce Springsteen, CNN, Microsoft, Ronald Reagan, Steven Tyler, Super Bowl, The Rolling Stones, Travis M Andrews, Washington Post

Salutations™!!

First, let me be clear. I’m not at all trying to get into or start a political conversation as a) I’m tired, and have been tired since 2012, of hearing about politics, the people and even issues and b) I try to stay out of political conflicts with my friends and family. Any comments that have to do with endorsement of or to talk crap about any of the candidates (even if it’s positive about the one that I personally like and want to win) outside of just a mention to this article, will be deleted.No Use of Music

Now, the reason I’m posting this is just that I found it an interesting read. It’s about what can artists actually do to enforce their demands that candidates stop using their music for celebrations or to make a point. It really goes beyond politics, but it seems that politics are the most polarizing of circumstances and we’re in the heat of the political season.

I give FULL credit to Travis M Andrews and The Washington Post for the article. It isn’t mine, it’s theirs. I’ll post part of it here, but I recommend that you read the whole thing.

“As reality television star and real estate mogul Donald Trump took to the stage at Trump Tower on Tuesday to deliver his victory speech, a familiar tune filled the room: ‘Start Me Up,’ that rough, thumping anthem by the Rolling Stones. (Perhaps Trump hadn’t listened to the final two lines of the song beforehand, which Salon reported had to be cut for their raunchiness during the band’s Super Bowl appearance in 2006).

The song has a history of advertorial usage — it was the first Stones song used in a TV commercial when Microsoft co-opted it to sell its Windows 95 operating system, Business Insider reported — but the band might be more fond of Bill Gates than of Trump. On Wednesday, it released a statement that read, ‘The Rolling Stones have never given permission to the Trump campaign to use their songs and have requested that they cease all use immediately,’ Entertainment Weekly reported.

It’s far from the first time this sort of thing has happened. Numerous examples have appeared in this election season alone. Trump’s candidacy kicked off with Canadian rocker Neil Young blasting the businessman-turned-politician for using ‘Rockin’ in the Free World’ during his candidacy announcement. Adele and Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler have both demanded Trump stop using their music, the Associated Press reported.

And a glance at history reveals many more examples.

Perhaps the most notable one is Bruce Springsteen versus President Ronald Reagan. During his successful run for reelection in 1984, Reagan announced to a crowd in New Jersey, ‘America’s future rests in a thousand dreams inside our hearts. It rests in the message of hope in the songs of a man so many young Americans admire: New Jersey’s own Bruce Springsteen,’ CNN reported.

He was referencing ‘Born in the U.S.A.,’ which he had requested to use in his campaign, only to be denied by Springsteen. The New Jersey rocker was so angry, the previously apolitical rock star began speaking out against Reagan.

‘I think people have a need to feel good about the country they live in. But what’s happening, I think, is that that need — which is a good thing — is getting manipulated and exploited,’ Springsteen told Rolling Stone, regarding the candidate’s request.”

The article (which you should read all of here), goes on to talk about other artists in the modern era that have demanded that candidates not use their material on the campaign trail. Then the question is posed as to whether there’s any recourse if the candidate refuses to stop using it. Here’s that part of the article:

“With that in mind, do bands have any true recourse to stop politicians, aside from making public statements and hoping to shame them into pulling the songs from their campaigns? As it turns out, the answer to that question is both yes and no.

First, it depends on how the songs are used. Most of the complaints listed above are for politicians using their songs at campaign rallies, which the Associated Press reports is legally okay so long as either the political organization or the venue acquires a ‘blanket license’ for an artist’s entire catalogue from ASCAP and BMI — both of these are non-profit performing rights organizations that license music and distribute royalties.”

The article goes on: “Then, there’s what the song’s usage might denote. Musicians can (and have) sued politicians for false advertising claiming that the song makes it seem as if the musician has endorsed a particular candidate, the New York Times reported. The ‘right of publicity’ also potentially allows an artist to protect his or her image in the public realm.

‘It’s untested in the political realm,’ Iser told Rolling Stone. ‘Even if Donald Trump has the ASCAP right to use a Neil Young song, does Neil have the right to nevertheless go after him on right of publicity? I say he does.’

An ‘explainer’ released by ASCAP states, ‘As a general rule, a campaign should be aware that, in most cases, the more closely a song is tied to the ‘image’ or message of the campaign, the more likely it is that the recording artist or songwriter of the song could object to the song’s usage in the campaign.’

It remains a legal gray area, but lawsuits against politicians have become more common since 2008.”

Now, I’ve never had the pleasure or displeasure of having a song played at a political rally or equivalent. I don’t really know how I’d feel about having that happen. If it were a candidate that I can’t get behind, don’t like their platform or think they’re completely wrong for the country, then I would probably want to disassociate myself. If I agree with them, I may go along with it. But, hey!? Who wouldn’t want to have that kind of publicity if you’re in the business of publicity? Again, if it was the candidate that I support and believe in. I’m wondering if candidates shouldn’t hire artists to write them songs specifically for them? That would give them exclusivity and work for the artist, am I right?

To my music friends (or even my friends who aren’t musical but wish they were), would you let your music be used by a candidate that you don’t agree with? Do you weigh the royalties vs. integrity (if you think that’s what would be compromised)? Do you weigh the publicity vs. damage? I’m sure you do, but would you allow them to use it? I’m just interested.

Again, FULL credit to Travis M Andrews and The Washington Post for the article which you should read in its entirety, here.

Until tomorrow, same blog channel…
Scorp out!

—
“Because nobody sued, the candidates always thought they could get away with it, and they still think that today,” – Lawrence Iser

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