Mixed Messages

Dead Ice Cream Cone ...

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 03:21:59 -0700

Dead Ice Cream Cone

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Can’t see the cone? Click the drain.

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"What if you spend your life attempting to create beauty and nobody cares?"

Thu, 24 Jul 2008 06:56:00 -0700

“What if you spend your life attempting to create beauty and nobody cares?”

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from this article Composing behind closed doors by David Patrick Stearns, classical music critic of the Philadelphia Inquirer, about the composer Harry Hewitt.

No, I never heard of him either. That’s the point.

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The Red Mask ...

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 08:59:26 -0700

The Red Mask

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Click to see both eyes of the mask.

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"What is the appropriate time to applaud in a symphony concert? A. A pause in a musical..."

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 21:56:09 -0700

“

What is the appropriate time to applaud in a symphony concert?

A. A pause in a musical composition.

B. After the whole musical composition ends.

C. Any time when you feel happy.

”

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One question from an online quiz in China, taken by 17 million people, on proper etiquette for the Olympic games.

Found in this LA Times sidebar

Personally, I wish the correct answer was “C”.

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Right Face ...

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 04:03:15 -0700

Right Face

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Or is it left?

Click it if you can’t see it all.

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"As an international pianist I combine both artistry and enthusiasm for sports - especially football...."

Sun, 20 Jul 2008 00:45:07 -0700

“As an international pianist I combine both artistry and enthusiasm for sports - especially football. This was the beginning of a concept to make a special Adidas artist shoe model. Adidas as a brand is more than only sports. Adidas is strongly showcased in the music scene. Therefore the linking of sports and culture is a very natural combination.”

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Pianist Lang Lang speaking about the Lang Lang Gazelles by Adidas - yep, running shoes named after and endorsed by a musician.

From this article which also contains this description of the shoes:

The special black and gold Lang Lang Gazelles bear the pianist’s Chinese name on the heel as well as a silhouette of him in typical concert pose and golden piano pedals on the inside lining. They hit shops worldwide this month, retailing at $85 or €85 (£67).

Read about Lang Lang

Read about a different Lang Lang

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Blue and Stuffed, Octo and Pus ...

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 07:29:19 -0700

Blue and Stuffed, Octo and Pus

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If you can’t see all the 8-pus, click on it.

To see another stuffed blue animal found in the wild, click here.

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"Is this 12-tone thing the reason why the piece is so horribly bad?"

Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:42:15 -0700

“Is this 12-tone thing the reason why the piece is so horribly bad?”

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A question asked of critic Gregory Sandow about an opera named Die Soldaten by a nameless non-musician. Read Sandow’s answer.

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Christmas in July ...

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 22:58:00 -0700

Christmas in July

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Actually, this picture was taken last month, in June.

Click on the Deflated Homer Simpson Santa Claus Christmas Ornament to see all of it. The picture will not inflate however.

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"Our planned activity is to film exterior dialogue in front & backyard, water effects simulating..."

Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:06:08 -0700

“Our planned activity is to film exterior dialogue in front & backyard, water effects simulating an oil geyser and 20 chickens.”

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Descriptive text from “Notification for Intended Filming” of a television commercial being created somewhere in our neighborhood. An oil geyser and 20 chickens: there’s a combination you don’t see every day.

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Twiggy Shadow ...

Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:48:26 -0700

Twiggy Shadow

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Click to see the whole shadow

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"Dear friend, I am happy to be your host, but I’ve found something even better for you. Metro Goldwyn..."

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 17:49:30 -0700

“Dear friend, I am happy to be your host, but I’ve found something even better for you. Metro Goldwyn Mayer is looking for a new general music director. They want you. They are waiting. It’s a great position - financially, you will become completely independent. 20 000 dollars a month, two secretaries, a swimming pool, and a sauna next to your office.”

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Artur Rubinstein writing to composer Roman Maciejewski, quoted by Hernyk Czyż translated into English at the blog Fantastical melancholy (of the musical wren)…

I’ve never heard of Roman Maciejewski. Apparently he lived in Redondo Beach from 1951 until 1977. Read about him here and here.

Maciejewski took the job which Rubinstein arranged for him and then quit one week later.

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Light In A Wall ...

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 21:09:50 -0700

Light In A Wall

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(click if you can’t see the whole light)

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"The average American can name all Three Stooges but not all three branches of the federal..."

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:20:13 -0700

“The average American can name all Three Stooges but not all three branches of the federal government.”

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from this article, In search of the average American, by Brenna Maloney of the Washington Post, found in the L.A. Times, July 8, 2008.

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Cement Flag With A Blue Device ...

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 00:15:51 -0700

Cement Flag With A Blue Device

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(click to see the whole flag)

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"I find myself happily warbling about wanting a Jewish husband on the bus home. “Kosher food is..."

Wed, 09 Jul 2008 02:01:33 -0700

“I find myself happily warbling about wanting a Jewish husband on the bus home. “Kosher food is pricey,” I sing gaily during the weekly shop at Sainsbury’s, while the checkout girl bleeps through my prawns and pork pies and gives me a suspicious look.”

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English journalist and bass vocalist Neil Fisher from his article Chorus of disapproval: the complaints choir in the Times (of London) online version. Found via.

Apparently Complaints Choirs (groups of people singing their negative comments about the world around them in front of audiences) were invented in Finland and are popping up all over. Here’s the Complaints Choir Worldwide website.

Mr. Fisher belongs to a Jewish complaints choir in London and the line “Kosher Food Is Pricey” should be sung to the melody of “If I Were A Rich Man”

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Pasadena Sign #14 ...

Tue, 08 Jul 2008 03:47:37 -0700

Pasadena Sign #14

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Located on Colorado Blvd.

Click picture to see the whole sign.

Click here to see the previous Pasadena sign. Then click there, somewhere, to see the previous previous one. Then click on the previous previous one to see the previous previous previous one. You’ll soon get the idea.

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"I am a mighty hunter of wild fowl, operatic librettos and attractive women."

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 01:03:43 -0700

“I am a mighty hunter of wild fowl, operatic librettos and attractive women.”

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Composer Giocomo Puccini - whose sex life it turns out is vastly more interesting than his operas. Read this article Scandalissimo! Puccini’s sex life laid bare.by Adrian Mourby in The Independent.

Found via.

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Blue Lights ...

Sun, 06 Jul 2008 16:01:09 -0700

Blue Lights

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Three Swords - Architectural Version ...

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 04:10:46 -0700

Three Swords - Architectural Version

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Click the picture if you can’t see all three.

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