tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437Fri, 09 May 2008 00:17:15 +0000http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/honouring.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)Blogger64125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-1139334717225001594Thu, 08 May 2008 23:47:00 +00002008-05-09T09:47:16.173+09:30Wednesday, 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 http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/05/lake-placid-new-york.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-8828002214999153733Mon, 05 May 2008 14:57:00 +00002008-05-06T00:31:59.313+09:30TravelVacationAmericaDateline: 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 http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/05/flashback-to-march-17-2008.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-2692803906160038164Sun, 04 May 2008 22:18:00 +00002008-05-06T00:39:21.605+09:30SongwritingTravelVacationAmericaWednesday, 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, http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/05/three-days-three-songs.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-1780790768096441336Sat, 03 May 2008 16:48:00 +00002008-05-05T08:14:58.977+09:30I 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'mhttp://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/05/im-back-again.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-4082450913816323464Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:36:00 +00002008-05-06T00:37:33.534+09:30EnglandTravelVacationLondonDateline: 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. http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/03/london-england.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-6265085396156807900Sun, 16 Mar 2008 21:21:00 +00002008-05-06T00:35:53.196+09:30EnglandTravelVacationDateline: 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. http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/03/trafalgar-square-london.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-8665448862916828144Sat, 15 Mar 2008 11:22:00 +00002008-05-06T00:34:37.940+09:30MuseumEnglandTravelVacation ~ 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 http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/03/natural-history-museum-london.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-4386198487566193952Sat, 15 Mar 2008 11:08:00 +00002008-05-06T00:33:28.577+09:30EnglandTravelVacation ~ 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 http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/03/london-england-after-31-years.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-6717738949682360302Thu, 06 Mar 2008 05:34:00 +00002008-03-06T16:09:06.679+10:30We 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 http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/03/tony-melendez-i-salute-you.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-3795164592559177504Tue, 04 Mar 2008 11:48:00 +00002008-03-04T22:31:51.508+10:30Both 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 http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/03/in-review-stardust-vs-hairspray.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-8659094876074223738Mon, 03 Mar 2008 01:04:00 +00002008-03-03T12:00:24.546+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 http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/03/enthusiasm.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-4446542054665670122Sun, 02 Mar 2008 11:01:00 +00002008-03-02T21:34:27.351+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, http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/03/revolution-will-not-be-televised.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-8863871091184706885Sun, 02 Mar 2008 10:57:00 +00002008-03-02T21:28:21.659+10:30Another 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 http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/03/folkways-collection.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-8373083913667894418Thu, 28 Feb 2008 11:33:00 +00002008-02-28T22:55:45.267+10:30Note: 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 http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/02/at-movies-casino-royale.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-3220329029622379292Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:48:00 +00002008-02-27T23:25:09.531+10:30This 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 http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/02/iris-dement.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-4866482682915110538Wed, 27 Feb 2008 12:31:00 +00002008-02-27T23:11:53.585+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 http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/02/alien-aliens-alien3-alien-resurrection.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-5600621879278813057Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:36:00 +00002008-02-26T22:10:40.802+10:30This 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, http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/02/robert-altman-1925-2006.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-8039672650116919821Tue, 26 Feb 2008 11:19:00 +00002008-02-26T21:54:01.261+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 http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/02/home-recording-101-beginners-start-here.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-7054515166961447340Tue, 19 Feb 2008 11:47:00 +00002008-02-19T22:23:07.434+10:30Australian 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 thehttp://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/02/at-movies-viewer-top-100.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-6457953433469424836Thu, 07 Feb 2008 12:00:00 +00002008-02-07T22:40:27.147+10:30Classic Music VideosWhen 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, http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/02/classic-videos-weapon-of-choice.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-7608578482248969358Thu, 07 Feb 2008 11:55:00 +00002008-02-07T22:33:36.758+10:30In ReviewThis 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 http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/02/in-review-flags-of-our-fathers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-8898478511594491645Mon, 04 Feb 2008 10:51:00 +00002008-02-04T21:49:06.491+10:30AmericaIn six weeks or so, I embark on my first visit to the United States. To say that I am looking forward to it, is an understatement. In many ways I am feeling overwhelmed by the prospect of my American holiday. Although I am planning a stay of two months, and although that may seem like a long time, I am well aware that I won't even 'scratch the surface' of this vast country during the brief timehttp://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/02/america-america.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-5039651406804589497Sun, 03 Feb 2008 02:29:00 +00002008-02-03T13:14:18.689+10:30Movie Mania ~ Once Upon a Time in The West is a timeless masterpiece. There - I've said it. I have written about this magnificent movie previously on my Honouring The Muse blog. To recap: the film was made in 1968 by the great Italian director, Sergio Leone, and starred Henry Fonda, Claudia Cardinale, Jason Robards, and Charles Bronson. It was the last of Leone's four western movies (following A Fistful http://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/02/movie-mania-3-once-upon-time-in-west.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-2086678724273049496Sun, 03 Feb 2008 02:17:00 +00002008-02-03T13:14:54.389+10:30SongwritingNOTE: This is another post dating from August 2006, which first appeared on my Singing Muses blog. My niece is hosting a group of artist friends in the back yard, as I write this. They have gathered to spend the afternoon creating artworks using mosaics. Creativity is such a strange beast! I was driving home from work earlier tonight, and out of the blue began singing this line: Lately I've beenhttp://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/02/creativity.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-31479437.post-3824491059030623528Sat, 02 Feb 2008 00:55:00 +00002008-02-02T11:40:24.306+10:30Movie ManiaNOTE: This entry first appeared on my Movia Mania blog during August 2006. Before I eventually shut down the Movie Mania blog, I am moving some of the more interesting content from there to this one. Before we get started, why not take a look at the Blade Runner Directors Cut Promo now… O, Blade Runner, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways... The hauntingly, beautiful score by Vangelishttp://www.jimlesses.com/honouring/2008/02/movie-mania-2-blade-runner.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Jim Lesses)