Ken

MIke is always there to make me smile. "Y'all want chicken wings or chicken legs?" "Four fried chickens. And a Coke.

"Their not gonna catch us.... We're on a mission from God." "It's a hundred and six miles to Chicago, we got a full tank of gas, a half a pack of cigarettes, it's dark, and we're wearin' sunglasses... Hit it."

Above is the Montreaux Casino, the next morning. Smoke On The Water We all came out to Montreux On the Lake Geneva shoreline To make records with a mobile We didn't have much time Frank Zappa and the Mothers Were at the best place around But some stupid with a flare gun Burned the place to the ground Smoke on the water, fire in the sky They burned down the gambling house It died with an awful sound Funky Claude was running in and out Pulling kids out the ground When it all was over We had to find another place But Swiss time was running out It seemed that we would lose the race Smoke on the water, fire in the sky We ended up at the Grand Hotel It was empty cold and bare But with the Rolling truck Stones thing just outside Making our music there With a few red lights and a few old beds We make a place to sweat No matter what we get out of this I know we'll never forget Smoke on the water, fire in the sky

I am surprised Deep Purple's "Smoke On The Water" hasn't been included here yet. It tells in depth what the band was experiencing, and what was happening around them. And it tells it with those three fantastic chords, too! We all came out to Montreaux On the Lake Geneva shoreline To make records with a mobile We didn’t have much time Frank Zappa and the Mother's Were at the best place around But some stupid with a flare gun Burned the place to the ground Smoke on the water, fire in the sky They burned down the gambling house It died with an awful sound Funky Claude was running in and out Pulling kids out the ground When it all was over We had to find another place But Swiss time was running out It seemed that we would lose the race Smoke on the water, fire in the sky We ended up at the Grand Hotel It was empty cold and bare But with the Rolling truck Stones thing parked outside making our music there With a few red lights and a few old beds We make a place to sweat No matter what we get out of this I know, I know, we'll never forget... Smoke on the water, fire in the sky

Paul Stanley!

I couldn't agree with you more, Mike. I just had a friend return (after 6 months of having it, he had it longer than I owned it) all of the Beatles performances on the Ed Sullivan show. Man, Sullivan does his "Here they are, the BEATLES" thing, and doinnnnng! each and every female lost their minds. And those guys were tight. In tune, and brilliant harmonies. And laughing, not at the fact that those girls had sprung their brains, but that this was happening to them. Their egos are firmly in check. I am glad that I live in an era wheen Dolby 5.1 exists and I can have those magic performances and keep them for always. I always laugh when those women go bananas. It's why every guy picks up a guitar. Ken.

Without question. One fantastic album. Ken.

Mark, that video was really good, thanks! It was a bit like an extra included on the superior "Ramones - End Of The Century" DVD where Marky Ramone (Mark Bell) explains how he had to learn Tommy's drum style then shape it as his own. Neither Tommy or Marky get the credit they richly deserve. The Ramones were unbelieveably solid . Ken.

'Nuff said. Ken.

Hi Mark. A guy I work with here tells me it is Jody Cortez playing drums on that song. I am from Windsor too! Welcome to Songfacts. Ken.

Sorry RJ..... I saw the shot and thought of you.... Ken.

The mentions here about the Twilight Zone brought delicious memories of Disney's "Tower Of Terror" ride last week. They crowd you into a dusty, mildly creepy library. The 'bellhop' closes the door, and a small black and white television winks on. A startlingly accurate Rod Serling lookalike then delivers this monologue via the typical tinny old television speakers..... (Lightning flashes.) "You unlock this door with the key of imagination, beyond it is another dimension. A dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into . . . The Twilight Zone." "Hollywood, 1939. Amidst the glitz and the glitter of a bustling young movie talent at the height of its golden age, the Hollywood Tower Hotel was a star in its own right. A beacon for the show business elite. Now, something is about to happen that will change all that." (Now you hear a strange high-pitched noise and ominous sounding music. You see a shot of the exterior of the hotel and then an interior shot of the elevator. Lightning hits the elevator shaft and the Twilight Zone music starts playing. The elevator crashes to the ground and the monologue resumes . . . ) "The time is now, on an evening very much like the one we have just witnessed. Tonight's story on The Twilight Zone is somewhat unique and calls for a different kind of introduction. This, as you may recognize, is a maintenance service elevator, still in operation, waiting for you. We invite you, if you dare, to step aboard because in tonight's episode you are the star. And this elevator travels directly to . . . (And through Disney magic, this last line is delivered in unbelieveable total Surround Sound) ............"The Twilight Zone." Ken.

The worst thing about a scary movie? Eight bucks for a bag of popcorn? And six for a POP? Almost caused me to faint. Ken.

Buffett's "Meet Me In Margaritaville" is the be-all and end-all for summer party music. It is an excellent introduction to Jimmy's music, and if you aren't careful, you just may find yourself on some Caribbean beach with rum in you and a tattoo of a Mexican cutie and no idea how it got there. The downside to this is that you are afflicted with 'notacareintheworld-itis', an affliction of many a parrot-head. Ken.

I was there but it was a long time ago. The photo isn't mine. Ken.

The photo is 11 years old, but he's still as cute.... Ken.

The person you had hurt, was her name................ Judith?

The Crazy World of Arthur Brown! I can't look at this and not think of Pesci in "Home Alone" and then I just laugh harder. Ken.

Hi Mike. I bought it, was disappointed. "Hell Freezes Over" is the high-water mark. I found the horn section overpowering and took away from the feel of the songs. Like, "Hotel California" with a horn section was weird, and without Felder there the harmonies weren't what they were on HFO. Certainly not 5-part. Ken.

As frightening an appearance as the Great White Shark has, they are in danger of becoming extinct. Ocean warming, gill nets, and fishing them for their fins has caused their numbers to fall, drastically. Peter Benchley, author of "Jaws" says he couldn't write the book again in good conscience knowing now what he knows about the behaviour of this magnificent fish. And what science knows about whites is limited. But I'll tell you what I DO know. Before God, fate, or whomever is controlling all of our lives ends my ride here, I am going to swim with one of these guys. I will do so from the safety of a cage, but you mark my words, I WILL reach out and touch the side of him as he goes by. You can bet on that.. Ken.

Noooo. Nice try though. King of the underworld belongs to carcharodon carcharias. The "Ragged Toothed One". He and I have a date one of these days. Say hello to my little friend....... Ken.

There are thousands of accessable wrecks in the Great Lakes. As for water temperature, well, wetsuits are a wonderful invention. I have a 2-piece 7mm (1/4") thick wetsuit. As it is a 2-piece you get 14mm (1/2") of warmth-holding neoprene over the major organs. Toss in a 5mm hood over your head and it cuts heat loss quite a bit. A thermalcline is something you have to see / feel to fully understand. It is where the warmer upper layer of water meets the lower colder layer of water. Like, in some cases, a 25 degree difference. THAT, you can feel right through the 'suit. But you are only in that for a half-hour so it isn't that bad. Your fingers and toes are a bit cold, but what you are seeing is worth the chill. Ken.

I did my first wreck dive today and as an experience, I can honestly say I've never had anything like it. We dove the wreck of the "Wexford", a package freighter that sank in the Black Friday storm of 1913 taking all 17 aboard with her. The wreck is about 9 miles off the shore of the town of Grand Bend, Ontario, in about 75-80 feet of water. When we got out there I was a bit unnerved by the fact I couldn't really see land and was about to use all of the training I have recently received. We entered the water, made our way to the tether rope, and began the descent. One of the first things I noticed was an odd rhythmic clunking sound. It turns out it was the point of attachment of the other tether at the boat making time with the waves. This is the pilothouse, or, rather, what is left of the pilothouse. Every single bit of the wreck is covered with zebra mussels. This was the first view of the ship and whatever I thought I would feel, exhileration, awe, excitement, wasn't there. What was there was the same feeling I get when in a graveyard or a funeral home. Quiet respect. This is another view of the pilot house from the top. The inside is strewn with wreckage but amid all that is the weirdest sense of peace. This was the last section of the ship we were in before air supplies dictated that we head back up to the surface. I wish I would have started this hobby years ago. Ken.

This will go down in my own personal history as a week I'll never forget. It started a couple of weeks ago when a client and I were talking. Being adopted, I told her that her last name was the same as my biological father's. I dodn't know much, just, his name and that he was deceased. She told me that he was her first cousin. Early last week she brought in a small packet of information for me which was quite a kind thing to do. The packet contained a photograph of him. Again, I had never met him, but it was one of the weirdest feelings, looking at someone bearing a striking resemblance to me, and never meeting that person. Also in the packet was a copy of his obituary. Reading that it mentioned that he was survived by a daughter in a popular Florida city. God sure does love those curveballs. I have a blood sister I didn't know of, nor she of I. I called that city's directory assistance, and called the only number listed. Alas, it wasn't her, but it was her ex-husband, and they were on good terms. He provided me with her number. I waited a bit, and built the nerve up. I placed my call, and she answered. I told her that this was going to be the weirdest call she was ever going to get. I asked about her father, name, date he had passed, etc. I had the right girl. I asked her if she knew the existance of a blood half-brother and she said no, she didn't. I said that I didn't know how to put this, but I was her half-brother. I supplied the information I had and described a photograph only she would know. She let out a whoop, and so did I. Truly, the most extrordinary weeks of my life. We exchanged photographs via e-mail, and the resemblance is comical. What a week.... Ken.