tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-314794372008-05-14T09:06:24.121+09:30Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-38398705920442211962008-05-14T09:00:00.002+09:302008-05-14T09:06:24.153+09:30

I've talked about Iris DeMent on this blog before, and I make no apologies for doing so. After attending her performance in Lake Placid on May 2, 2008, I took another look at YouTube to see what Iris DeMent material was there. I was delighted to see a lot more songs than had been available the last time I looked. So I've put together the best of the videos and you can see them all here via this

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-23626647659881922702008-05-14T06:19:00.004+09:302008-05-14T06:30:10.197+09:30

~ The Bitter End, at 147, Bleecker Street is one of those classic Greenwich Village venues that has been around since 1961. So many famous and infamous musicians have performed at the Bitter End, that it would take a couple of pages just to list them all. However, since we’re talking about it, how about Woody Allen, Peter Allen, Mose Allison, America, Tori Amos, Joan Armatrading, Joan Baez,

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-15956037249580031592008-05-13T08:42:00.002+09:302008-05-13T08:46:32.774+09:30

~ I'm counting down the days I have left in New York, and the United States for that matter. It is now eight weeks since I landed at JFK International and started my long awaited visit. It has been a great learning experience for me, and I have discovered so much about myself and the country I am in, that it will take quite some time for me to digest and absorb all my experiences. I have loved

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-90361430812864279732008-05-10T09:43:00.002+09:302008-05-10T09:49:49.583+09:30

There is something intensely solemn and sobering about seeing so many headstones laid out in uniform row upon row of white marble, as they are here at the Cypress Hills National Cemetery run by the Veterans Administration of the United States. NOTE: I should point out, that those buried here are servicemen and women who survived the initial conflicts they were involved in, but who have

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-11393347172250015942008-05-09T09:17:00.003+09:302008-05-09T09:47:16.173+09:30

Wednesday, April 30, 2008 My Econo Lodge accommodations are luxurious compared to what I’ve had for the past six weeks. A room with a view containing two double beds, a television with an endless number of channels to select from, coffee maker, bathroom and shower facilities, free WiFi internet access, plus continental breakfast as well. Luxury! Pure luxury! (Spoken with mock regional English

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-88280022149991537332008-05-06T00:27:00.003+09:302008-05-06T00:31:59.313+09:30

Dateline: Monday March 17, 2008 London, England (Heathrow airport) Sitting in the terminal building waiting for boarding of flight AA105 to JFK International in New York City. I’ve decided that nowhere can you get a decent cup of coffee in London. No-one quite knows how to make a great cappuccino and the ones that you do buy never seem to be full cups. You always seem to get a cup that is only

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-26928039061600381642008-05-05T07:48:00.006+09:302008-05-06T00:39:21.605+09:30

Wednesday, April 30, 2008 After six and a half weeks in London and New York, it was time to get out and see some country: Trees and meadows, lakes and rivers, mountain peaks and open skies – that sort of thing. So today I boarded a Greyhound bus and came to Lake Placid in upstate New York. As the journey progressed I began to make notes of the things that caught my attention: buildings, trees,

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-17807907680964413362008-05-04T02:18:00.007+09:302008-05-05T08:14:58.977+09:30

I don't know why I do this to myself. I start out with the best intentions, but somewhere along the line I get sidetracked with life and living, and things like this blog, just get left by the wayside. Anyway, I'm alive and well, and in America as I write this. So much has happened since my last entry, that I don't know how or when I'm going to be able to keep this blog up-to-date, but while I'm

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-40824509138163234642008-03-17T08:06:00.003+10:302008-05-06T00:37:33.534+09:30

Dateline: London, England - Saturday, March 15, 2008 Got up late, missed breakfast. Spent a couple of hours at an Internet café checking emails and updating online sites. Went to town in the afternoon, after some lunch. Caught tube to Westminster, where the Houses of Parliament and other central government offices are located. Walked across Westminster Bridge to the south bank of the Thames.

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-62650853961568079002008-03-17T07:51:00.003+10:302008-05-06T00:35:53.196+09:30

Dateline: London, England - Friday, March 14, 2008 Caught up with my nephew Kos. Met him down at Trafalgar Square. I have so many memories of this place. Most of them associated with political rallies and demonstrations I attended during my years in London in the early 1970s. Spent time catching up with his life here in London, and the news from home. Visited the National Portrait Gallery.

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-86654488629168281442008-03-15T21:52:00.004+10:302008-05-06T00:34:37.940+09:30

~ Dateline: London, England - Thursday, March 13, 2008 The Natural History Museum, Cromwell Road, London. Went out walking. Found myself at the Natural History Museum. London is full of buildings like this. The building is magnificent – inside and out. But inside especially, the building is a testament to the craft and engineering skills of master builders who are long gone, and

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-43861984875661939522008-03-15T21:38:00.005+10:302008-05-06T00:33:28.577+09:30

~ Dateline: London, England - Wednesday, March 12, 2008 Arrived London, Heathrow Airport at approx 5:15am (local), or 3:45pm Adelaide time. Total time traveling or in transit - 24 hours and 15 minutes. We left Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia at 3am (local time). Stayed at the airport until 8am or so, before catching train to Earls Court station and Earls Court Hotel. It did occur to me

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-67177389496823603022008-03-06T16:04:00.002+10:302008-03-06T16:09:06.679+10:30

We all have problems, large and small. My mountain, may be your mole-hill, while your mole-hill may seem completely insurmountable to me. Of course, everything is relative. However, it's how we deal with our problems, that matters; how we learn to face the future no matter how insurmountable our problems may seem is what really counts. I recently became aware of Tony Melendez via a short video

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-37951645925591775042008-03-04T22:18:00.002+10:302008-03-04T22:31:51.508+10:30

Both these reviews first appeared on my Movie Mania blog, which is now effectively shut down until further notice. In Review: Stardust (The great actor, Peter O'Toole in his brief role as the dying king, in Stardust) ~ I'm sorry. I had high hopes for this movie, but not even the chance to see Robert DeNiro in drag could save this shlock from a fate worse than death. Quite frankly, it should

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-86590948760742237382008-03-03T11:34:00.005+10:302008-03-03T12:00:24.546+10:30

~ I was clearing out some papers today, and found the following quote about enthusiasm on a sheet of paper. At the bottom of the page was written, "from SAASA News Bulletin No.5, April 1987". I've long forgotten what SAASA is, but I was mighty happy to find the quote, as I get ready to embark on my trip to England, the USA, and Europe. You can do anything if you have enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-44465420546656701222008-03-02T21:31:00.002+10:302008-03-02T21:34:27.351+10:30

It's not often that I am profoundly moved by a documentary, but this film, by two Irish film makers not only moved me to tears, but to anger, outrage, and finally to a feeling of triumph. The film in question is, THE REVOLUTION WILL NOT BE TELEVISED (also known in a made shorter for television version as, Chavez: Inside The Coup. Directed and photographed by Kim Bartley and Donnacha O'Briain,

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-88638710911847068852008-03-02T21:27:00.000+10:302008-03-02T21:28:21.659+10:30

Another oldie but goodie from my Singing Muses blog. If you haven't had a chance to catch up with this series - it's still available for your listening pleasure. This is your second reminder, so you have no excuses now. I've just discovered The Folkways Collection, a podcast series from Smithsonian Folkways and CKUA Radio. The Folkways Collection is a series of 24 one-hour programs exploring

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-83730839136678944182008-02-28T22:03:00.005+10:302008-02-28T22:55:45.267+10:30

Note: A couple more entries from the archives. One, a review of Casino Royale, from my Movie Mania Blog, and the other a review of a 2006 Daniel Lanois gig, that first appeared on my Singing Muses blog. At The Movies: Casino Royale Caught the new James Bond movie last night. Casino Royale is a blast. Much darker, and more realistic than many of its predessors, the film dispenses with many of

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-32203290296223792922008-02-27T23:18:00.003+10:302008-02-27T23:25:09.531+10:30

This entry is a compilation of two previous blog entries which first appeared on my Singing Muses blog in 2006. I will soon be visiting the USA for an extended vacation, and Iris DeMent is one performer I would dearly love to see while I am in that country. ~ The human voice. Has there ever been an instrument more dynamic, versatile and beautiful? Some people have wonderful voices. Whether

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-48664826829151105382008-02-27T23:01:00.004+10:302008-02-27T23:11:53.585+10:30

~ I recently sat through a home movie marathon featuring the complete Alien movies franchise. What a great series of film these were. Apart from the wonderful production design behind these movies, I couldn't help but be struck by the great performances Sigourney Weaver gave throughout this series. Surely it's way past time Weaver reprised her role again as Lt. Ripley. Males have a wealth of

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-56006218792788130572008-02-26T22:06:00.002+10:302008-02-26T22:10:40.802+10:30

This entry first appeared on my Movie Mania blog in November 2006. If you haven't seen a Robert Altman movie recently - or God forbid, never seen an Altman film - do yourself a favour, hire one tonight and settle back to watch one of the great American directors in action. Robert Altman, the wonderful satirist behind M*A*S*H, Nashville and The Player, died on the night of Monday, November 20,

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-80396726501169198212008-02-26T21:49:00.001+10:302008-02-26T21:54:01.261+10:30

[Note: a version of this entry first appeared on my main website Home Recording Blog] When I first decided to get into home recording, I had no idea where I was going to start. I did however, know that I didn't have $10,000 to set up the perfect home recording studio. Anything I did would have to be done on a tiny budget, and with the most basic of equipment. Believe it or not, this is my very

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-70545151669614473402008-02-19T22:17:00.002+10:302008-02-19T22:23:07.434+10:30

Australian film critics Margaret Pomeranz and David Stratton delve into the world of cinema every Wednesday night on At the Movies, on ABC TV, just as they have been for the past 20 years. David and Margaret combine years of experience immersed in the world of filmmaking with an encyclopaedic understanding of cinema history. Each year they invite viewers to nominate their favourite movies of the

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-64579534334694248362008-02-07T22:30:00.000+10:302008-02-07T22:40:27.147+10:30

When I first saw the video for the Fatboy Slim song, Weapon Of Choice, I was completely blown away. The shock of seeing the actor, Christopher Walken dance was amazing enough, but to see him dance with such joy and enthusiasm, turns this into one of my all time favourite music video's. Christopher Walken is one of the great American character actors, up there with Robert De Niro, Al Pacino,

Jim Lesseshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08246641739909183223noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-76085784822489693582008-02-07T22:25:00.000+10:302008-02-07T22:33:36.758+10:30

This review first appeared on my Movia Mania blog in 2006. I have moved some of the more interesting content here before I close that blog down. This is a slightly edited version of the original review. Saw Clint Eastwood's new film Flags of Our Fathers tonight, and a mighty good film it is too. Utilising a cast of mostly unknown (or little known) actors, Eastwood has beautifully captured what I

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