Sunday, April 3, 2016

360 - Frank Herbert's "Nude", "Oh You Canada", Harrison Hears A Who, "Now Next Friday Come I Drank Up All The Rent & Out The Door I Went", and Setting Russian Espionage Back Decades

Mr. Silver
I still want to do my nudist remake of Dune: “Nude”
(Paul...stoned on spice...) "A-nakis...Nude...Naked planet...never one stitch of clothing on A-nakis..."
Mr. Brown
That would suck on a desert world
Mr. Silver
Not sure what to replace the stillsuits with...sports bottles?



Mr. Silver 
So...Toronto at New York, opening game. The band played the Canadian national anthem.
Like most folks, I know two words of "Oh Canada"
They are "oh"
and "Canada", I think.
This, however, never prevented me from singing lyrics.
Mr. Blue
Oh Canada, our home and native land, true patriot love in all our hearts (our sons?) command. With growing pride we see thee rise the true north strong and free. From far and wide oh Canada we stand on guard for thee. God keep our land glorious and free, oh Canada we stand on guard for thee.”
Just by memory
Mr. Silver
I couldn't remember all my exact old ones, but reconstructed as far as I recall, it was "Oh Canada, your flag has got a leaf! Sy-rup and moose! In June you still get sleet!"
Mr. Blue
Heheh



Mr. Blue
"Yes, barber? I want you to make my beard look fake as hell."
Mr. Silver
Wow
Ms. Rose
OMG.
Mr. Silver
"Ok, I'm finished, Mr. Harrison. I know you were nervous when I made you agree to trust me, but I think you'll be pleased with the results... ready? (turns the chair) Et voila!"
"WTF dude?!?"
"I KNOW! You LOVE it! Right?"
Ms. Rose
Reminds me of those little magnetic shavings games you play with the magnet stick. Wooly Willy! That was his name!
Mr. Silver
I have to be honest and thought "NAACP successfully petitions to add black 'Who' to Grinch Xmas special"
Ms. Rose
HA!
Mr. Silver
Mr. Blue
It looks like Will Ferrell as James Lipton on SNL
Right when he started to sweat and the beard started to detach



Mr. Silver
OK...the stupid early morning obsessive thought has come to a head this morning to the point of actually doing some research. Ready?
"How much of George Thorogood's rent could he have paid with the bar tab he racked up in 197x in 'One Bourbon One Scotch One Beer'?"
(AKA 'Things Mr. Silver wastes time thinking about half awake in the shower')
Mr. Brown
So your talking, like, every time he says that line how much that would be?
Mr. Silver
Well there's all sorts of clues in the story and his other work.
There are clear absolute minimums, probable estimates, and then reasonable limits.
But yeah...how much did he spend vs rent money, Wilmington Delaware, working class man in his late 20s, in what sounds like a brownstone apt or the like?
Mr. Brown
Well, liquor then was probably a dollar a shot.
Mr. Silver
(Sings) "I think alone...yeah with nobody else... Yeah, you know when I think alone... I think like nobody else..."
Point against...George never mentions anything cheap when drinking alone.
So...it's a local bar, but he doesn't talk like he's a regular there.
So he's paying cash.
He's a straight scotch and bourbon man...experienced drinker.
Calls for a 'triple shot of that stuff'.
Now one could interpret his 3 drink order as that...but no one does that. Not an experienced bar drinker. A triple shot is a triple shot. He's getting either the bourbon or scotch as a triple, maybe both. And the beer is to chase it because that's what you do.
(How's this going? Clear so far?)
Mr. Brown
I understand
Mr. Silver
Hehe
According to his literal in-song pacing, he orders this three times:
One when he comes in...one in the middle...and one at last call at 3am.
Oh, about his apartment...
It's furnished
Mr. Brown
I would say its a 50 dollar tab, he pays 300 a month for his apartment.
Mr. Silver
He was able to collect ALL his stuff and sneak it out without being detected and then take it all with him into the bar. He's in one bag...definitely not a well-heeled fellow. Maybe two bags
His landlady clearly lives there too...might even be a boarding house
Anyway...
He has a 1 room flop.
So...
(shall I go on?)
Hehe
Mr. Brown
OK, more like he spends 60 a month to live there
And spent 50 on his drinks
He has 10 dollars
Hehe
Mr. Silver
Yup...gettin' there...
Mr. Brown
I’m thinking scotch, you’re going to ask for the good stuff, so its more expensive.
Mr. Silver
Oh he does
He sings in the exact same tone in "I drink alone"
Hehe
His only cheap drink is his Budweiser chaser
------------
(other side after Brown signed out)
Mr. Silver
It was quiet enough that I was able to argue successfully to Mr. Brown that George Thorogood probably spent enough at the bar that he could have paid a substantial portion of, if not all of, his rent.
And I wasn't even done with my list of clues
:D
Mr. Yellow
Yes. He could have. A lot of that is top shelf stuff.
Johnnie Walker Red costs around 27 to 30 and Black is 25-ish
Mr. Silver
Well it's 1977...inflation...but the guy lived in a flophouse
And yeah...he never talks about anything cheap but the beer in "I drink alone" and he sounds like the same GT character
I say flop but more like a boarding house, maybe.
Regardless he was able to sneak out with everything he owned in a bag or two and took it to the bar.
Mr. Yellow
Yep
Mr. Blue
I don't picture the bars being fancy.
Maybe I'm picturing the actual music video and it was a dive
Mr. Silver
No...it wouldn't be.
And note that it's Friday night...not a party spot if he's just warming the bar stool all night
Mr. Blue
So I don't think he's getting expensive stuff
But not cheap. Mid-range.
Mr. Silver
Depends on the 'I Drink Alone" theory.
Mr. Blue
How many days a week was he drinking?
Mr. Silver
Good question
He drinks a good bit in general if he could get through 6 ounces of hooch and a beer, then ask for another round of the same.
And only then suggest he was getting dry mouth and "pretty high".
Interesting tale about this song, BTW...it's made of two other songs by the same blues man, with permission, to combine the stories.
Mr. Blue
Maybe he's famous enough that he drinks for free
Mr. Silver
I'll bet he does NOW
(George seating family at nice French restaurant) "This is really nice, honey. I'm really looking for-...what's this?
(Waiter) "With zee compliments of the 'dudes' at zee tabelle over theyre, sir...un bourbon, un scotch, un beer."
(second waiter arrives) "Weeth your permission, monsier...drinks a compliment la femme in zee cornair with zee meesauge...'oooo dooo you love'."
(George) "We're leaving..."
Point is...I think it's safe to say that GT's avatar could probably have easiliy paid his rent if he wasn't such a soak.
Mr. Blue
Probably
But that wouldn't make a good song
"Gonna pay my rent boy... I'm gonna stay straight..."
Mr. Silver
Oh...he's a gin man too. He doesn't order it in the main line but he talks about having it.
He couldn't even remember til later that he last saw his girlfriend two nights before.
Mr. Blue
I guess since it's a cover, it's not really him
Mr. Silver
True
But the character is a cultural icon now and looks like him...Hehe
Yeah...I guess we know how he lost his job.
"Well I ain't seen my baby since I don't know when,"
"I've been drinking bourbon, whiskey, scotch and gin"
Dude...it was 2 nights ago. How loaded do you get every night?!?
I like your proposed followup
Mr. Blue
The sober version?
Mr. Silver
Yes
Mr. Blue
Heh
Mr. Silver
Real potential
Mr. Blue
"One hoagie.. some doritooos.. an iced teaaaa."
Mr. Silver
"An ice water...with a twist...and one Coke...."
"Well I ain't seen my baby since the movie last night...been eatin double burgers, shakes and fries..."
"AA guy says I shouldn't binge eat... But I'm clean and I'm back on my feet."
Like your iced tea line better than mine



Mr. Silver
Someone in Russia likes us
21 hits one day...
Then last night 21 more...
AND they're starting at the beginning.
I like to think it's some spy program trying to get a team up to speed on our behavior and topical stuff for the past several years.
Won't they be surprised.
(Normal American Guy with perfect accent) 
"Haha! Hello Mr. Dude! What did you think of the popular and funny Mr. Blue's comments on the Batman this last episode?"
(Yinzer) 
"What'r yinz tawkin' baht?"
("Normal Guys" huddle...new man moves forward, new accent) 
"Yeah. Haha. Yinz guyz is crazy gnat. Yo, where is deh Katzenjammer company gnat?"
(Yinzer) 
"That near Heinz?"
"Chto?"
(Yinzer) 
"Yinz from, like, Polish Hill?"
"... ... Da?"
Mr. Blue
"Howdy fellows! Lets all grab a beer and discuss.. *squints at cue cards* shooting planets through the sun?"
Mr. Silver
"President Put-... ... Nobama wants to know how Mr. Brown's weapon experiment … is going."
Mr. Blue
Heheh

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