OK, I ALSO GET A KICK OUT OF THESE TOO

OK, now maybe I'm just easily amused but another thing that I also get a kick out of the large display balloons you will typically see advertising some type of sale. Now I don't mean any old balloon with a sale sign. No, I mean a balloon that is usually in the shape of a monster, or gorilla, or Godzilla. Typically these are at car dealerships and accompanied with a sign that says Monster Sale! When I'm driving on the feeway and spot these I always point these out to my wife. I dunno......she doesn't share the same enthusiasm as me when we see them. All I know is I sure get a kick out of them. HAHA!

NOW I REALLY GET A KICK OUT OF......

Now I don't know what it is but I really get a kick out of certain things. One thing that never fails to entertain me is when I see people on the street dressed up in various costumes advertising food or something for sale. Today on the way home I saw a guy in a chicken suit so I can only assume he was trying to solicit customers for a chicken place.
Now I always make a point to honk and wave at these people although my wife feels I'm making fun of them. My wife also says I was very close to doing that job myself. What? Anyway, when I honk and wave at them I'm really just acknowledging them and letting them know I appreciate what they do. So next time you see one of these characters, give them a honk and a wave for SAXOMAN! HAHA!

HITTING THE MOTHERLOAD.....WELL NOT EXACTLY

The other day I went to the car wash to wash my dirty car. I put a dollar in the change machine and instead of hearing the clunk-clunk sound of four quarters dropping down I hear a "swoosh". To my surprise the change machine had let fly a whole bunch of quarters! My eyes got big and I immediately stuffed all of this change in my pocket. Now I figured if this could happen once it could happen twice right? So I slipped another dollar in the machine and heard the clunk-clunk sound of four quarters dropping down. Oh well.......no such luck twice in a row.
Now I can honestly say that I didn't feel bad about this whole event because there have been many times when I have put my money in the machines at this car wash and they didn't work so I consider this payback. Now I guess I could have done something nice and give this money to the lady who looked like she was living in her car in the car wash stall next to me. Oh well, maybe next time. When I got home I counted my treasure and it was a little over 10 bucks. Oh yeah!

TEARS OF JOY......ONCE AGAIN

Well last night it was tears of joy once again. My beloved Lakers received their Championship rings and displayed the new Championship banner on the Staples Center wall. In addition to this the Lakers even won the game as well which is something they don't usually do on ring night. Anyway, another emotion filled evening for me as the tears of joy flowed freely. I have to say that this is one thing that never gets old!

JAZZ CD PICK OF THE WEEK - JOHN COLTRANE

This weeks Jazz CD Pick of the Week is the classic recording by John Coltrane titled A Love Supreme. Now way back when I was first getting hip to jazz there were always three recordings that I constantly heard about. These were: Kind of Blue and Bitches Brew by Miles Davis and this recording by John Coltrane. Now I sadly have to admit that when I first bought this recording on vinyl and put it on I was definitely not ready for it. This was way too advanced for me and I couldn't get into it all. I moved the needle forward and forward to see if it changed much but it didn't. I put it away wondering what this recording was all about. Well I can say that over time as my ears developed and I began to be more open to jazz that was a little more free, I really began to enjoy this recording. Now it is one of my favorites. I have attached the first part of this recording but be cautioned that this is not for the casual jazz fan. Listen and enjoy! Which cd to buy? Why the Deluxe Edition with outtakes and the only known live recording of A Love Supreme! Check it out!

LATIN FUNK CD PICK OF THE WEEK - LOS AMIGOS INVISIBLES

This weeks Latin Funk CD Pick of the Week is from the super funky band from Venezuela, Los Amigos Invisibles with the cd titled Commercial. Although not quite as strong overall as some of their other releases this cd still contains several funky cuts and is worth checking out. Here's one of my favorite tracks from the cd, Mentiras. Check it out and hip yourself up!

HALLOWEEN, NOT MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY

Now I know there are many people that really get into Halloween but I can honestly say that it's not my favorite holiday. I don't know if it's because I used to start crying when I saw the guy change into the Wolfman or what but all I know is I prefer more happier type holidays. Now as a kid Halloween was a lot of fun because you would go out trick or treatin' and get a pillowcase full of candy and eat till you were sick. Back then it was all about pumpkins and ghosts and harmless stuff like that. Somewhere Halloween took a turn for the worse and it became much more gory. Now Halloween is all about blood, severed limbs or intestines hanging out. You know, really really gross stuff (to me). Now I have to admit that I am a pretty squeamish guy (an upcoming blog topic) and that probably explains why I'm not much of a horror movie fan. Anyway, all I can tell you is Halloween just ain't' my thang.

BLACK DYNAMITE - OH YEAH

Well I somehow was able to convince the wife to go with me and see Black Dynamite. HAHA! As usual we were running late and had to rush to the theater to get there in time. I wanted to get there early as I was expecting the place to be sold out. When I got to the box office to get the tickets the kid behind the window gave me a puzzled look and said, "What movie?" I looked at him like he was an idiot and said, "BLACK DYNAMITE, and hurry up cuz it's getting ready to start!" Imagine my surprise when I walked inside and there were only 3 people there! What the??? Where are all the blaxploitation fans? Well eventually more people showed up bringing the grand total to about 11 people. Anyway, the movie was hilarious as it was a total spoof of all of those great blaxploitation films of the 70's. Now when was the last time you saw a movie where somebody was called a jive turkey, a honky or a poop-butt? Huh? Anyway, a must see in my humble opinion. Check it out while you can. Up next for me? Why Ninja Assassin of course which is coming soon (see trailer)

DVD PICK OF THE WEEK - HARD BOILED

This weeks DVD Pick of the Week is the classic action film from John Woo titled Hard Boiled. Starring Chow Yun-Fat and Tony Leung this is a bonafide classic action movie! The body count in this film is incredible! HAHA! John Woo is one of the great directors of action films and this film speaks for itself. A must see! John Woo has also directed some notable American films as well such as Broken Arrow, Face/Off, Mission Impossible 2, and Red Cliff (oops! sorry, Red Cliff has yet to be released in this country but is coming soon. I've already seen it and it is a must see!) Anyway, check out the trailer for Hard Boiled and pick it up for your film library or rent it. Me? Why I own the 2 Disc Ultimate Edition of course.

ADULT ENTERTAINMENT - WHAT?

Now maybe I'm just a little bit odd but for some reason I really get a kick out of browsing the adult entertainment (pay per view) channels. No, No......it's not what you think, really! I'm not watching the movies. What I mean is that I get a kick out of browsing the titles of these adult entertainment movies. On Direct TV it's the 690 series channels. There you will find some of the most filthy and hilarious (to me) adult entertainment titles. Now there is no way I could ever explain to the Mrs. if one of these filthy titles were to appear on our cable bill. No way, whatsoever. HAHA! Anyway, take a look at these channels and see what I'm talking about!

LATIN FUNK CD PICK OF THE WEEK - OAKTOWN IRAWO

This weeks long overdue Latin Funk cd Pick of the Week is by Oaktown Irawo with the cd titled Funky Cubonics. Mixing funk and latin jazz together, this is one funky cd! I couldn't find any audio or video clips of this cd and don't know if the group may have been short lived or not but this is definitely worth checking out! One interesting thing I like about this cd is one of the musicians is playing latin funk on the bassoon! What? I kid you not. Anyway, check it out because I wouldn't recommend it if it wasn't funky! Right?

BLAXPLOITATION FILMS ARE BACK - WHAT? BLACK DYNAMITE STARTS THIS FRIDAY

For those faithful followers of my blog, you all know that I am a big fan of the 70's blaxploitation films (see blog post of 6/1/09). Well I am proud to announce that blaxploitation films are back! What? Yes, it's true. This Friday begins the sure-fire smash hit Black Dynamite. The film description says it all: When "the man" murders his brother, pumps heroin into local orphanages, and floods the ghetto with adulterated malt liquor, Black Dynamite is the one hero willing to fight all the way from the blood-soaked city streets to the hallowed halls of the Honky House. WOW! Who could ask for more! HAHA! Although it's only one movie, I'm sure there will be many more to follow with this sure bet of a breakout hit. Check out the trailer for Black Dynamite and go see it this Friday! Why me? SAXOMAN will be there on opening night of course!

DOING DUMB THINGS

Now I'm sure that all of us have done a lot of dumb things in our life. It seems that when we were young we constantly did dumb things but at the time we really didn't know any better (at least that's my excuse). Some dumb things you get caught at and pay the price and some things you don't get caught at but still realize it was a pretty dumb thing to do. Hopefully as we all get older we get a little wiser and think of the consequences and ramifications of our actions. So take it from SAXOMAN and don't do any dumb things you dig?

A MAJOR MILESTONE - 200 BLOG ENTRIES

WHOOHOO! Yes, that's right! Today marks a major milestone. My 200th blog entry! Who would have thought that when I started this blog way back in February of 2009 that I would have so much to say on such a wide variety of topics. Hopefully you are all enjoying my mindless rambling as I can assure you there is plenty more to come! The creative well has yet to run dry as I have an endless supply (I hope) of stories as well as music and dvd picks. Keep reading as you know there is never a dull moment in the life of SAXOMAN!

BASKETBALL.........AT LAST

Well after what seemed like an eternity (to me) basketball is back! That's right! After my beloved Purple and Gold (Lakers) won the championship last June I have gone without any basketball since then and no, I'm not watching the WNBA out of desperation. Anyway, the Lakers open the pre-season tonight on KCAL Channel 9. Oh yeah! I look forward to sitting on my butt and watching basketball and being totally unproductive for the next nine months. Come to think of it, I have been pretty unproductive for the last nine months as well. HAHA!

Oh well........

FUNK CD PICK OF THE WEEK - PARLIAMENT

This weeks Funk CD Pick of the Week is The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein by Parliament (what a title huh?) I had been aware of this cd for some time but had never picked it up until yesterday. I can say that not all of Parliament or Funkadelic cd's are must haves, at least to me so I had passed on this cd in the past. I did a little cd shopping yesterday at my monthly PCC Flea Market and picked this cd up for $5 along with several other hip titles. To my surprise this cd was much funkier than I had anticipated. The horns on this cd are really, really funky. I only wish these older cd's had a little more bass when they were recorded cuz you can't have the funk without the bass right? Anyway, for those of you that aren't hip to this (yes, you!) give it a listen with the link provided and I'm sure you will say that SAXOMAN has hipped me once again!

http://www.amazon.com/Clones-Dr-Funkenstein-Parliament/dp/B000001FUB/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&s=music&qid=1254796238&sr=8-7

GETTIN' FUNKY AT THE L.A. COUNTY FAIR (ONE MORE TIME)

After a long first week of working and commuting (ugh!) it was time to cut loose and enjoy some funk on Friday night at the Fair. Up first were The Brothers Johnson who threw it down with all of their hits. A really funky show. Now the Brothers Johnson are typically guitarist George and his brother Louis on bass. Standing in for Louis was a young cat who could really play the bass. I wondered what happened to Louis because when I saw him perform 2 years ago he was wearing one of those things on his wrist like when you have carpel tunnel syndrome. I can only guess that age and too much slappin' and poppin' of the bass with his thumb has taken its toll.
Up next were The Gap Band. Decked out in all white suits and matching white brims (cool) they preceded to rock the house. Playing all of their hits they put on a great show. I had never seen The Gap Band live and they really put on a funky show. I did have a few minor complaints though. I thought the set was a little too heavy on ballads and should have been more upbeat. You need to rock the crowd and not have people huggin' and smoochin' in the aisles (gross!) HAHA! The Gap Band also had four female dancers. This seems to be a growing trend with some of these bands and although the dancers are nice to look at and the choreography is cool, I just don't get the concept. To me it makes it feel like more of a Las Vegas type act when they do this. I think it cheapens and dilutes the show. I feel the music should speak for itself. I dunno......just my two cents. On a side note, if you look at the Gap Band photo (below) you notice they are all wearing cowboy hats. Now I have never understood brothers that wear cowboy hats. I would never wear one and I seriously doubt any brothers in the L.A. area would wear one either. It must be a southern thang.....I guess.

THE VOTES ARE IN AND THE POLLS ARE CLOSED

Well as you know I recently ran a poll to gather data as to what people like most about my blog. I must say that I was sadly disappointed by the low turnout of my many (2? 3?) readers. The results of the poll are as follows: 5 people like my music picks, 11 people like my real life stories, and 11 people like everything abut my blog. Hey, where are the Asian cinema lovers out there? Anyway, so there you have it, a dead even tie! In other words, the blog stays as is.

Now in late August I added a counter at the bottom of my blog to get an idea as to how many people where viewing my blog. In just over one month I have received over 900 hits! With that many viewers I would expected more voting unless that was me looking at my blog so often. Hmmmm.........