So I have this idea for a cake recipe. In order to make it work, I need peppermint Jell-O.
Unfortunately, they do not make peppermint Jell-O. Okay, so that became a tad discouraging.
But only a tad.
Not to be defeated, I decided that if they do not manufacture it, then I would simply have to craft it myself from scratch.
(And I mean REAL people "from scratch", not Amish people "ground-the-horse-hooves-and-grow-my-own-mint from scratch".)
So, after much trial and error, I hit upon the right flavor and consistency. I didn't bother taking a picture, because it is visually indistinguishable from lime Jell-O -- depending on the amount of food coloring you use -- but here is the recipe.
Homemade Peppermint Jell-O
1 cup hot water (not quite boiling)
½ cup cold water
4 tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. peppermint extract
1 packet Knox Unflavored Gelatine
food coloring (optional)
Pour the cold water into a small container or measuring cup, and set aside. In a small saucepan, dissolve the sugar and the peppermint extract in the cup of hot water over medium heat, stirring frequently. Once the sugar is completely dissolved, add the Gelatine to the cold water, allowing it to soften. After two minutes, pour the water/gelatin mixture to the hot sugar/extract/water solution. At this point, you are stirring a clear liquid. If you want it colored, add in liquid food coloring until you get the desired hue. (I used green, but you could also use red if you were going for a candy cane look.) Stir combined solution for an additional three to four minutes, then pour into bowl, cups, Jell-O molds, or what have you. Refrigerate for at least four hours.
Note: you can substitute regular mint extract in place of peppermint, if you want. Just use the same amount.
I have eclectic tastes. Some days I like Frank. Some days I like The Monkees. Some days I like Eminem. Some days I listen to science fiction movie soundtracks. Some days I listen to musicals. I've never been beholden to any one type of music, because I find that incredibly restrictive.
The same goes for Christmas music. I have yet to find a single Christmas CD wherein I love every single track on it. So, every year or two I mix my own. A little of this, a little of that, and suddenly I have a CD that I can play over and over in my car, filling me with the holiday spirit, as illustrated below.
This year, admittedly, I may have gone a tad overboard. I've got 50 tracks, but each one is solid gold.
Lacking anything better to write about tonight, I present the track listing for the greatest Christmas collection of all time. The links provided will either send you to Amazon or iTunes, where you can purchase them, or to...other destinations... if they're not available for purchase.
Diverse, right? Fiona Apple doing "Frosty"? The guy who played Johnny Fontaine doing "What Child Is This"? Annie?! Trust me. This is a banging CD.
Disagree with some of my choices? Did I forget something? Let me know. (And if any of you says "Christmas Shoes", you're off my friend list. Permanently.)
It started off small. Innocuous. A simple Facebook status update by Mike Nesmith on August 7th: "We may be coming to your town."
Later that day, fans of The Monkees saw this:
Then I started to lose my mind. On August 8th, we were treated to this:
Two days later, tickets went on sale, and the show at the Keswick Theater in Philadelphia (Glenside, if you want to get technical) sold out in five minutes. Not to be defeated, I clicked over to Stub Hub, paid through the nose, and didn't care. I got my tickets.
Then, on Thursday, November 29th, 2012, at a little past 8 p.m., I finally got to cross something off my bucket list that had been there since I was 8 years old: I saw The Monkees in concert. Ten rows back from the stage. Close enough for ME to clearly make out their facial features.
I had all these grandiose plans to rush right home and blog all about it. At the start of every track, I sent myself a text so I'd remember the complete set list. I had so many ideas of how to convey to all of you how magical, and how incredible, and how amazing the show was.
Then I sit down to write, and all I've got is, "OMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGOMGTHATWASFUCKINGAWESOMEOMGOMGOMG!!!!!"
I have eked out a living, from time to time, on my ability to use the written word to convey exactly what I think and how I feel about any and everything. This time, though? Yeah. I got nothin'.
How do I put it into words for you? How can I make you come close to remotely understanding what it was like to see The Monkees in concert? What it meant to me? And how bittersweet it was to see Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith without Davy Jones? Yes, okay. Seeing Mike Nesmith as a Monkee is a Big Fucking Deal that non-Monkees Maniacs really don't understand. Once in a lifetime. HUGE.
But seeing the Monkees without Davy, who has been with every iteration of the band since its inception, was a bit heartbreaking. (I've written before, both here and here, of my thoughts on Davy, and of how this particular fan felt his loss. I won't go into that here.) Davy's absence on stage was the elephant in the room. You noticed it. No way to miss it, especially since it seemed at times that they set their instruments up so that there WOULD be a space for him.
Anyway. Enough of the maudlin crap. On to the show.
Like I said, I had texted the complete playlist to myself so I wouldn't forget it, but found that was unnecessary on Friday when I found my way here. For those of you who were unable to attend any of the twelve shows, I heartily recommend visiting that link. If you WERE able to attend, I still recommend it, because it's almost identical to the Philly show, so it's probably close enough to your show, too.
The songs. Oh, the songs. I'm not going to list them all -- visit the aforementioned link if you want that -- but I will highlight those that stick out in my mind.
They did the hits you'd expect, sure -- Last Train to Clarksville, I'm a Believer, (I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone.
They did some surprise tracks: Mary, Mary, You Told Me, Sweet Young Thing (featuring a new arrangement with a really driving, almost tribal beat to it).
They went deep into their collection to pull out some fan favorites: Daily Nightly (featuring Mike as the Moog Synthesizer, which was brilliant and comical and must be heard to be fully appreciated), Randy Scouse Git (written by Micky, describing a party thrown in their honor by The Beatles -- the line "The four kings of EMI are sitting stately on the floor" refers to the Fab Four), Porpoise Song (the theme from their originally-panned-and-later-appreciated motion picture co-written by Jack Nicholson, Head).
Then there was shit you'd NEVER expect them to perform, ever: Your Auntie Grizelda, Tapioca Tundra, Going Down. You know the songs that a band does that you love, and you think nobody else does because the average schmo never heard of them? Yeah. They pulled out as many of those that they could fit into a two-hour set.
Of course there was the question, what to do about Davy's absence? For my money, they handled it in the best possible fashion. After the first song set, the stage went dark, and the large screen showed the video from I Wanna Be Free. During the song set from Head, the screen showed Davy performing Daddy's Song, while the band played along onstage. Right after the Head set, the stage went dark again, and the screen showed a clip retrospective, featuring a nice medley of some of Davy's better known tracks, interspersed with his audition reel.
Immediately following the retrospective, the band started vamping the opening bars to Daydream Believer. Here is a staple of The Monkees stable, but its singer is gone. How could they do this, in anything but poor taste? Simple. As Micky explained, when they were talking about how to do the song, Mike pointed out that it doesn't belong to them anymore. It's not their song now. It's ours. All of ours. Micky called one enormously lucky fan, David Levin, onstage (and my inner 8-year-old was so jealous!) to lead the entire audience in the song, while the band played in background. It was elegant in its simplicity. Brilliant. Perfect.
They closed out the show with What Am I Doing Hangin' 'Round, another track I never expected to hear, then came back for an encore with Listen to the Band and Pleasant Valley Sunday. They introduced the band, took their bows, and then the show was over.
I was very nervous about seeing them live. Oh, I knew I'd have a good time -- if you can't have fun at a Monkees concert, you ain't trying -- but I was afraid that 26 years of anticipation would set me up for major disappointment. Especially since, you know, these guys ain't the young generation anymore: Micky is 67, Peter is 70 and Mike'll be 70 in four weeks.
I needn't have worried. Are their voices the same? No. Are they close? Surprisingly. Mike's is more seasoned, and more soloistic in nature; Peter's is higher, but that is no doubt due to the throat surgery he had as part of cancer treatment; and Micky's is virtually unchanged. Some songs were played in lower keys than their album counterparts, but that's par for the course when you're dealing with a song you've been singing almost 50 years. Did they sound good? No. They sounded great. Better than I could have ever hoped to expect. Combine that with their expert instrumentals, and a stage energy far more kinetic than any other act I've seen, and this becomes, honestly, the best, most enjoyable, most memorable concert experience of my life.
So, after twenty-six years, I finally got to see The Monkees. And I've got the pictures, the t-shirt, and the tour book to prove it. And even if the pictures end up deleted, and the t-shirt falls apart, and I lose the tour book, I still have the memories, and they'll NEVER fade.
Special thanks to my friend Geroge Hayes III, who -- in exchange for a free ticket -- offered to drive, pay for gas and tolls, and take pictures and video of the concert while I sat on the edge of my seat and screamed like a little girl. You're the best, George!
Last night, Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork and Mike Nesmith reunited for the first gig of a 12-city tour which, as most of you know, I am stupidly excited about.
Here are some pictures to get you riled up.
Yeah, they're older. Sure. But they're still The Monkees. And Mike Nesmith going back on tour is HUGE. Just fucking HUGE.
I managed to locate a couple of videos of the show last night. Here they are, if you're interested. If you're going to the show and don't want the surprise spoiled, well, don't click on them. Also don't read the review in Rolling Stone.
Now that you've been warned...
I get to see the guys, finally, on November 29th at the Keswick Theatre just outside of Philly. I've wanted to see them live since 1986. I almost went to see them last year in Atlantic City, but it fell right during blueberry season. Now, with Davy Jones' passing, I wish I had gone anyway.
So a few weeks ago, I made mention of the fact that I had struck a book deal -- a solo project, just me and only me -- but I couldn't tell you anything about it. Also that I was excited beyond the capacity for rational thought.
Had you Googled the last six words of that sentence, you would have gotten a clue as to the nature of the project.
Go ahead and Google it. I'll wait.
♫ Tall and tan and young and lovely, the girl from Ipanema goes walking... ♫
Back already? That was fast. Did you find it?
Yep. That's right.
Ghostbusters, ladies and gentleman. The subject of the book is Ghostbusters.
The goodly sirs at Hasslein Books (publishers of my forthcoming collaboratve project It's Alive!: The Unauthorized Universal Monsters Chronology, with Jim and Becky Beard) have graciously decided to give me a crack at tackling the complete Ghostbusters universe, and compiling one massive lexicon (i.e. encyclopedia).
"Complete universe?" you ask. "Wasn't it just two movies and some cartoons?"
Pfft. Two movies. Seven seasons of "The Real Ghostbusters" cartoon (including the switch in season four to "Slimer and The Real Ghostbusters"). One season of "Extreme Ghostbusters". Novels. Comic books galore. Video games (including the 2009 multi-platform smash that reunited the original cast in voice form). Action figures. Role-playing toys. Role playing games. If it's an offical Ghostbusters product or media source, it'll be looked at.
This lexicon will attempt to cover EVERYTHING in the GB universe, from Alice the Librarian to Zuul the Gatekeeper. It's gonna be massive. It's gonna be exhaustive. It's gonna be awesome.
With Ghostbusters III slated to begin filming this summer (presumably for a 2014 release, to coincide with the 30th anniversary of the first film), there is no better time to delve into Tobin's Spirit Guide, check under the hood of Ecto-1, find out what Winston keeps in his locker, and, most importantly, to tell 'em about the Twinkie. With a little bit of luck, The Complete Unauthorized Ghostbusters Encyclopedia will be out in time for the anniversary, too.
So there it is. You'll have more updates as I have them.
The last post at my erstwhile blog was on the night before Inauguration Day. At that time, I espoused the notion that no one president would be able to fix our economic quagmire in one term. I believed that then, and the past four years have proven me right.
That is not to say that the current POTUS hasn't tried, and achieved some successes. Unemployment is down. Jobs are up. Taxes are at the lowest since Truman, and he has managed to stretch governmental dollars more than any president since Eisenhower. Detroit has recovered thanks to the bail-out. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" has been repealed. The war in Iraq is over. Student loans have been restructured to make tham slightly more affordable than before. Osama bin Laden is dead. While individual testimonies may vary, we, as a nation, are better off than we were four years ago.
His opponent would have you believe differently. His opponent would use the lowest fear-mongering tactics available him to make you believe that re-electing Barack Obama is a betrayal of our nation's ideals.
He would have you believe that the Affordable Care Act is communisim at its worst. He caled the removal of troops from Iraq "tragic". He would, if elected, eliminate the entire student loan system. He would, if elected, work toward a Constitutional Amendment banning same-sex marriages between two consenting adults. He would, if elected, cut funding to Planned Parenthood. He would, if elected, do all that he could to overturn Roe v. Wade. He would, if elected, do everything in his power to eliminate FEMA and all federal disaster aid and, if he had his druthers, would leave such matters in the purview of the private sector. ...paid for, naturally, with government money, a la the role of Halliburton in the rebuilding of Iraq. His tax plan has confounded everyone from The Economist to FOX News. He would arm Syrian rebels, miring us in yet another war where we don't belong.
This is not hyperbole. This is a summation of the positions stated by the man himself.
He is dangerous for this country. He is dangerous for you. He is dangerous for the women you know. He is dangerous for the LGBTs you know. His policies would stunt their basic civil rights. His policies, had they already been enacted, would leave the coastline of New Jersey, New York and Connecticut a wasteland, from Cape May to Manhattan to Long Island and beyond.
I am a registered Republican, and was once proud to be so. I voted for Bob Dole in 1996, and George W. Bush in 2000. Sometime after that election, though, my party's leaders started to lose their minds. I had hoped that John McCain would set things right in the party, then he picked Sarah Palin, and I couldn't vote for him. And I can not, in good conscience, vote for Mitt Romney.
You may feel differently. You may believe that Barack Obama is a terrible president, and that Mitt Romney is the way to go. That, as an American, is your right. Or you may believe they're both awful, awful human beings, and vote for Jill Stein or for Gary Johnson. That, again, is your right.
I've stayed largely quite during election season, trying to make my political posts as humorous as possible. This manner of post is unlike me, but I feel very strongly about this.
All I ask is that you please, please, heavily consider their positions before you vote. Don't just vote party lines. Don't vote for race. Don't vote for color. Don't just vote for Obama because he's black, or Romney because he's Christian, or Jill Stein because she's a woman, etc. Vote with your minds. Vote with your hearts. Vote with your consciences. Sit down and think about where you are now, and where you were four years ago. Think about where the nation is now, and where it was four years ago. Ask yourselves, "Am I in a better place? Is the nation in a better place?" If you find the answer is yes, then please remember the president who helped to make that happen.
