Otokichi

Submitted for you approval, a very down to earth TV host from the 1960's to early 2000, who has yet to be matched. (PBS' animated "Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood" is the current iteration.) By the time Mr. Rogers arrived on the local public TV station, I was a know-it-all-into-myself-smug high school teen. My mother, a second grade teacher, used to watch this in the afternoon, which is where I came across his talk on Death. It began with a Guppy lying on the bottom of the fish tank, progressed to an "Is it still alive/can it be brought back to life?" segment, and ended, not with the Guppy flushed down the toilet or given to the cat, but the kind of funeral service held for a beloved family member. He had a profound respect for all things living, from children to aquarium fish. This short introduction revealed what he was all about, and I hope that Tom Hanks realizes the giant-size shoes he has to fill in the upcoming movie.

There has been much written about the "Aloha Spirit" and what it means to the people of Hawai'i. Tavana spells it out in song "as more than a feeling."

In 1969, fledgling Public TV, in the form of PBS, was about to fall under the budget axe as President Nixon sought money to pay for the Vietnam war. Sen. John Pastore, weary of testimony by PBS officials, had the hatchet ready when Fred M. Rogers appeared to defend PBS. This segment can also be found in the "Would You Be My Neighbor?" documentary, and shows what can happen when both parties have enough respect for the other to listen. See "Would You Be My Neighbor?," but bring enough Kleenex/handkerchiefs/towels, there's "a powerful lot of onion cutting going on" during the movie.;) 20 Facts about Mr. Rogers...

"Techmoan" is just full of surprises. Submitted for your approval, a 2019 MiniDisc recording! Yes, it's time for another "blast from the past," the magneto/optical recording system that I saw locked up in a glass case and priced at "Apple Macintosh" levels in the 1990s. (I plodded along with compact cassettes until CD-Rs came along with MP3s and iPods just over the horizon.) This "video short" makes me want to look into this technology out of curiousity, since blank MiniDiscs and new recorders can still be found in Japan. So, Captain Ahab, is it time to "hunt for Moby Dick"?;)

Digital Radio was announced...then disappeared in the U.S. Out here in the North Pacific, analog AM and FM radio continues to pollute, er broadcast what ever Corporate Radio deems important. (I can't remember the last time I tuned in a radio station. The last power outage? That's it!) Presented for your approval, "Techmoan" went shopping for an up-to-date Radio/CD player combo, and found a fork in the road. You will find out something/more than you ever wanted to know about Digital Audio Broadcasting in the UK. Long story short, the (somewhat) pricey Radio/CD player combo was a hit. (Sorry, no puppets.)

I've seen other reviews and retrospectives about this ground breaking 1998 Anime series, but what we've got here is Something Completely Different. There is a short followup video on Jet, Spike, Faye, Edward, and Ein, so look for that if you're a Space Cowboy. I haven't seen anything like this with the possible exceptions of "Samurai Champloo" and "Space Dandy," since Anime is (usually) aimed at kids. So, Speak Like A Child, to the Heavy Metal Queen as The Real Folk Blues plays in the background...

Since it's Ice and Snow in the Lower 48, I was looking for the Fountains of Wayne "Valley Winter Song," when I came across this. Here's something for people living "The Office" in real time. "Julie" is something else!;) Happy Chinese New Year!

An lighter-than-air instrumental of Chris Isaak's "Wicked Game." Jazz on Guitar, Taimane on 'Ukulele for Chinese New Year Saturday in Honolulu's Chinatown.

I remember seeing this on TV during the VCR years, but it had all the impact of wet cement. Who would play "Bud Abbot" and "Lou Costello" today? Would any of today's Hipsters even know "Who's on first?" Hollyweird could do a "flipped version" with Black comedians from the Comedy Central talent pool to send up the "humorous Blackface politicians" of recent times. (But Key & Peele have better things to do these days.)

I was dimly aware of this movie when it arrived in theaters in late December of last year. However, BBC America's "The Graham Norton Show" featured the actors playing Stan Laurel and Olive Hardy, so I'd like to point out this film, which is playing locally at an "Art House" theater 30+ miles away. And now, for those who've never heard the lyrics to "Dance of the Cuckoos," here it is: "Dance of the Cuckoos" (1932) See you "Way Out West," you "Sons of the Desert.";)

It's 1978, and a band you've been following for years is going to do a video concert on TV. How do you make a recording from the 20 inch Sears Silvertone TV? Get out one of the cheap microphones the kids have been using to record audio letters, park it in front of the TV speaker and keep everyone away/silent as one-time-on-TV-only Creedence Clearwater Revival plays "Fortunate Son"? Take apart the TV and plug alligator clips to the TV speaker leads? J C Penney had an elegant solution via it's MCS line of audio/video components, where all you needed was an ordinary patch cord to record off TV. What's that you say? "Record the show on the brand new Panasonic VCR?" By cracky, that's a splendid idea! Breaking News! The "Moan Family" puppets are BACK!

"Techmoan" sees the light! It's the end of the CFL-and-tripod-light-stands at the Techmoan video cave, and the beginning of the LED age. For those "Oxford=Scientific-film-wannabes," here's how Great Britain's obsolete tech boffin examines sticky rubber belts and smoking/burning "Mission Impossible" (TV) props. I've often wondered what kind of a rat's nest is needed to show the innards of, say, an off brand Boom Box, and here it is in living LED light. Now do a video of grandpa's old Edison cylinder phonograph playing John Philip Sousa and The U.S. Marine Band doing "The Liberty Bell.";)

It's Summer Time...in Australia. Here's a dream-like movie set in late Victorian times that's become the first of the "Australian Film" wave that continues to this day. David Hamilton's "Dreams of a Young Girl"-soft-and-gauzy look influenced the film maker into a movie that blurred the boundaries between history and fantasy. The tale is so influential that a UK TV Miniseries has been/is playing in 2019.

It's a dark a snowy morning, made for staying warm and asleep. Hawaii's wedding singer duo, Ben Vegas and Maila Gibson won't let you "hit the snooze bar" with this bright, lively, get-out-of-bed-and-live song. So what are you waiting for? Work/School/Life await, meet it head on with a song on your lips!

Good morning, the ubiquitous YouTube videographer, "Techmoan" has struck again! Using his spider skills across the Internet, the British man of gadgetry has unearthed another real world tape recorder that "Mr. Briggs" and "Mr. Phelps" used for "Impossible Missions Force" briefings. The arch explainer has threatened YouTube users with insomnia, featuring this latest tale of defunct Japanese tech. Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to glean information to bring this amateur thespian accolades enough for yet another "IMF Tech" segment on YouTube. Good luck, Fishies. Should any members of your SongFacts team by caught or killed, The Secretary will take an early coffee break, put everyone on "Hold," and say: "What, Me Worry?" while displaying monumental indifference.

"Techmoan" hasn't seen fit to post a video about audio/video foibles, so here's his sometime-U.S.A collaborator. Here is a public service announcement from "VWestlife" on goofy/strange/wrong RCA cords. I'm not sure if I have a problem of this kind, but Murphy's Law applies everywhere.;)

I was looking at the movie listings on Spectrum when I spotted "The Ring 2" as something to see besides "Dunkirk." A quick Google! search for the movie "covering the same ground as "The Ring," made me realize that I hadn't seen the original. A YouTube search for "Ringu" led me to this movie, which was new to me. As usual, Beware of strange links or unlabeled VHS cassettes, something might visit you when you least expect it and...

It's 1980, and your at-home stereo headphones won't stay in place as you go about Jogging, walking the dog, or mowing the lawn. What to do? There's an answer to this problem, the wonderful "Bone Fone." which channels radio through your body instead of speakers. "Techmoan" takes a look at the "bone conduction" AM/FM radio appliance for the young and mobile. Can this over-the-shoulder-and-around-the-neck audio device live up to the brochure's many claims ?

Quite an interesting site for music trivia from the 1960's to the present. The Cat quiz took me back to "reel" cartoon felines of the past.;)

In 2003, 84 year-old farmer, Kimane Maruge, set out to enroll in school to learn to read. He faced an uphill battle with officialdom, resisting efforts to place him with less-than-studious adults. This film has Turkish subtitles, but this is the largest, clearest, non-fee version on YouTube. So, why does Kimane need to read?

John Denver's "Rocky Mountain High" was on AM radio, when this "Dr. Demento"-like song popped up for a while. Here's what I remember of this "Homer & Jethro"-like song: The campers were "natural food" freaks fond of Granola and such. They weren't prepared for Winter in the mountains and were soon snowed in. Food ran out, one member died, and "she tasted pretty good." A Yeti carried off one of them. (Later on, "she didn't want to leave her man.") "Fascist health officers" broke in and rescued them. As soon as they've recovered, they're going back to the mountains again. ("I can hear the mountains calling, 'Hey You!") Are there any old timers who remember this 1970's novelty song?;)

Since this is a "music website," it's time to ask The Big Question. Not every body likes "music," (The Taliban, for instance.) which is more than "just vibrations." Have you had your "cheesecake" today?;)

A bluesy tune/song to bid goodbye to 2018...

It's the most wonderful time of the year, as the kids go back to school. The heat of Summer is going away, so get out and enjoy the outdoors!;)

OMG, it's that time of the year again, when Christmas shopping season crashes into retail outlets like a green Tsunami! Stay Away From The Mall! Search out and find the most obscure store far from Macy's or Target.