Friday Fun Link

Rush takes batting practice. Take it away, Kent Brockman!

Link via the Orange County Register.

Comments

[Pro Libertate]

Beauty, eh?

[deified]

Before this clip started, I was trying to guess whether it would be more or less embarrassing than President Barry on the mound.

Holy shit was it less embarrassing.

Our President is lousy in every way.

[Pro Libertate]

He can’t pitch as well as even a circus performer.

[db]

I don’t low if they still do it, but I’ve read somewhere that Rush used to split their album production crew up into teams and play baseball during breaks in production.

[Tman]

ROD CAREW!!!

Love that dude. Used to style my hitting stance like his when I was in little league. Was he the last one to hit .400?

Also Rush rules.

[robc]

Ted Williams.

Rod came close, as did Brett.

[robc]

Carew: .388 in 1977
Brett: .390 in 1980

[Tman]

I have this SI issue burned in my brain for some reason and I always thought he made it to .400-

http://i.cdn.turner.com/sivaul…..13_mid.jpg

[robc]

Its hard to read, but Im pretty sure that cover says “June” on it.

Both he and Brett made a good run at it but faded late.

[Tman]

Yeah, it was a June issue. I just always thought he made it. I forgot that he did fade towards the end that season.

He was still one of my favorites though.

[Sudden]

Hell, even Chipper Jones was on a tear early on a couple seasons ago.

[robc]

Gwynn hit .394 in 1994, forgot about that one.

[Tman]

I forgot to mention this factoid about Geddy Lee-

Lee, a longtime fan of baseball, donated 200 baseballs signed by famous Negro League players, including Willie Mays, Hank Aaron and Josh Gibson, to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum in June 2008.

Rush fucking rules.

[Jason S.]

That’s cool to know.

Also, on the back of the “Signals” record, there’s a blueprint for a subdivision and a reference to Warren Cromartie Secondary School to be completed in Phase IV of construction. LOL. Don’t know much about Cromartie’s career, though.

Why they named their band “Rush”, is something of a conundrum, however, since their music is so boring! Hahahaha.

[Otto]

Cromartie was with the Expos for almost all of his career.

Neil Peart (at least) was apparently an Expo fan, wearing their hat in the video for Vital Signs.

[Jason S.]

Sweet.

Rush is a tremendous live act. When Geddy Lee tells a joke to the audience, Peart blasts a 6 minute *rim shot* to emphasize the punch line. Fantastic.

Go Nats. I miss the Montreal stadium that had feet and meters on the fence. Good for Canada.

[aix42]

Of course, it would be wrong to suggest this sort of mayhem began with rock-and-roll. After all, there were riots at the premiere of Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.” So, what’s the answer? Ban all music? In this reporter’s opinion, the answer, sadly, is ‘yes’.

[Restoras]

Rioting in Paris after Rite of Spring.

Yes, and Rush rules.

[ClubMedSux]

Don’t forget Lisztomania (and not the kind that attacked my intestinal lining some years back).

[db]

I heard there was widespread rioting and an epidemic of VD that followed in the wake of JSB’s Bach in Black tour.

[ClubMedSux]

Bach could bring down the house (by which I mean the Thomaskirche) with his Minuet in D-struction.

[db]

Legend has it he had slots cut in the sounding board of a klavier so he could play the strings with a violin bow that he would thrust down into the instrument in a suggestive manner. It’s also not well known that Keith Emerson had the idea of holding keys down by jammng daggers into the keyboard when he read an obscure account of Bach using a carved goat skull to hold difficult chords while he played with both hands.

[Achtung Coma Baby]

I liked the part when the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame hadn’t inducted them yet.

[robc]

The main dude at the R&R HoF is the guy in charge (owner/editor something) of Rolling Stone. He has said that as long as he is alive, Rush wont be in the HoF.

[Troy]

The fucking Bee Gees are in the HOF but Rush isn’t. What the fuck is up with that?

[robc]

The main dude at the R&R HoF is the guy in charge (owner/editor something) of Rolling Stone. He has said that as long as he is alive, Rush wont be in the HoF.

Its like I answered your question 4 minutes before you asked it!!!! Im the Kwisatz Haderach!

[Jon Schaffer's Right Hand]

robc’s name will be a weapon!

[Otto]

…the guy in charge (owner/editor something) of Rolling Stone

Jann Wenner.

[Achtung Coma Baby]

Fuck Cleveland.

[Almanian]

SECOND!

[Proper Response from Rush:]

Well, fuck you, Cleveland!

[ChrisO]

Jann Wenner has long had some weird anti-prog fixation. Rush, Yes and King Crimson all deserve to be in the RRHOF. Of course, the RRHOF itself is a self-masturbatory boomer shrine, so maybe it’s more of an honor not to be part of it.

[deified]

Don’t you have to be retired to get into the HOF?

[Pro Libertate]

Retired, like replicant retired?

[Almanian]

No, but you SHOULD be (I’m looking at YOU, Pete Townsend…)

[Matt Felch]

…but those are my favorite bands….

[Otto]

See my link above. Wenner has used his influence to make sure several bands he personally doesn’t like stay out.

Although I agree that not being in the RRHOF could almost be a point of honor.

[ClubMedSux]

The idea of a hall of fame is antithetical to rock ‘n’ roll. I don’t even think it’s worth bitching about.

[robc]

I agree. And seems to be Rush’s attitude too.

Also, as Im a huge YES fan, Wenner can go fuck himself.

And yes, I fully admit the hypocracy of bitching about something not worth bitching about. But to quote a member of the HoF (class of 1998): “I cant complain, but sometimes I still do.”

[Tman]

-Lifeson has expressed his indifference toward the perceived slight saying “I couldn’t care less, look who’s up for induction, it’s a joke”

Fuck the HOF.

[Otto]

That’s a great “f–k you” quote. Neil might have been more eloquent, but that got right at the heart of it.

[Restoras]

Or, closer to the heart?

[Otto]

Jesus. How did I miss that? +1

[ClubMedSux]

I think it’s still worthwhile to debate who are the greatest rock ‘n’ roll bands. I just think you shouldn’t get mad about them not being in the R’N’R HOF. It’s like Groucho Marx said about clubs…

[ClubMedSux]

And I realize you’re not actually mad about it. I just like to point out the absurdity of a R’N’R HOF every time the subject comes up.

[robc]

Speaking of absurd things Im not mad about – did you see tha AB-Inbev is trademarking a bunch of area codes? Im guessing an expansion of 312 Urban Wheat to other areas.

Anyway, a friend of mine gave me a good suggestion: 502 Suburban Sticke Alt.

[ClubMedSux]

I can get on board with that! (The 502 Sticke, that is.)

Yeah, everybody’s been up in arms about it here in Chicago. Personally, my guess is if anything they’ll just do a small promotional release of 312 rebranded as the local area code. It’s too big of a brand (~50% of GI sales now) for them to introduce specific beers in specific markets.

Also, I talked to a friend who’s an IP attorney and she said it’s pretty common for big companies to trademark stuff as soon as an idea pops up, so they could very easily decide tomorrow that it’s a stupid idea and abandon it. Either way, I could give two shits about 312 so I won’t lose any sleep over it.

[robc]

Actually, looking at the area codes in question, I think it could be an NFL stadium promotion. Sell the urban wheat locally-rebranded in NFL stadiums.

Yeah, and I agree on 312. Other than wanting my hefeweizen to replace it and Oberon on every tap handle possible.

[dunkel]

Hey robc, do you know anything about this?

http://www.loubrew.com/

[robc]

Yeah, I met the guy.

The other new one in town is Against the Grain brewpub and smokehouse. They are taking over Browning’s.

Im gonna try to get my website/facebook/twitter up this weekend. Well, maybe not the website, have some graphics work to do.

[dunkel]

Nice. Will you shoot me a link?

[robc]

will do.

My robc will probably turn all orange instead of black, for one thing.

[dunkel]

Excellent…

It’s gonna be a good beer weekend, I just got 2 ’09 Bourbon County Stouts and a 4 pack of Devil Dancer…
🙂

[robc]

Because the wont be in the HoF any time soon:

Freewill

[Sudden]

Don’t let Obama hear that anytime…

“If you choose not to decide you still have made a choice.”

Sounds like a pretense for considering inactivity an activity subject to interstate commerce clause….

[Achtung Coma Baby]

EPIC MUTHERFUCKIN’ +1

[Shmenge]

Permanent Waves is their best album

[Troy]

I know what you are gonna say John, so just shut the fuck up…. because RUSH fucking rules!!!!!!!

[Sudden]

Neal Peart could knock a Roy Halladay pitch out of the ballpark with only a drumstick.

[Yours in Darwin]

+2112

[ClubMedSux]

Actually, he’d also need two bass drums, 17 toms, 31 cymbals, some wind chimes and probably a cowbell.

[db]

Now he just uses a MalletKAT.

[kinnath]

I never really cared that much for Rush.

[Nipplemancer]

I have a severe dislike of Rush, the only other bands I dislike more are Led Zepplin and the Beatles.

[Pro Libertate]

Ye gods, man, what is wrong with you? Were you tortured while listening to those bands?

[Shmenge]

Rush is a tremendous live band, one of the best. I’ve seen them six times and each was great. Their recorded work is good, but inferior to their live stuff.

[Pro Libertate]

I saw them for the first time last fall in Tampa. Very impressive.

[?]

Jann Wenner has long had some weird anti-prog fixation.

It’s simple. Girls hate prog, and Jann’s not very secure.

He started RS with money he borrowed from his girlfriend, and that shame at the heart of his rock-guy persona ate away at him so deeply and sickly it made him turn gay, just to avoid women’s judgy eye.

Can a shriveled violet like that summon the jizz to go “Yeah OK I guess King Crimson isn’t less rock than Herb Alpert, now that I think about it” in mixed company?

(Yes, I’m going with that.)

[ClubMedSux]

I consider myself a pretty serious fan of popular music but I’ve never read an issue of Rolling Stone cover-to-cover, let alone had a subscription.

[Almanian]

Wow, that was awesome.

Also, “Dialogue! Duilogue! Diatribe! Talk that trash! Double talk! Double talk!”

Fucking King Crinsom for the WIN!

[robc]

My favorite Closet Classic back when MTV still played music.

[ChrisO]

The funny thing is, Rolling Stone gave very favorable reviews to a number of prog albums back in the early ’70s, including “Fragile” and “Close To The Edge” by Yes, but then actually redid them to be negative in their record guides released in later years. Other reviews in the guides were lifted straight from the magazine, but not those.

Rush never had any luck at all with RS, since they came along after RS decided to imitate the British music press and become reflexively anti-prog. In the UK, it had class connotations, but in RS it was just a case of aging hippie editors pretending to be “hip to what the kids are listening to.”

Most of the anti-prog stuff from the late ’70s is gone from popular culture now, and people realize how much influence those bands had on later genres, including New Wave. But not in the mind of Jann Wenner, apparently.

[sailor]

Can all Friday Funnies be Rush related from now on?

[Troy]

Rush or Floyd please.

[Meister574]

A video that not only features one of my favorite bands, but also my favorite Angels player. Thank you from one Halo fan to another.

[Almanian]

Just for the record, although I still have my “Geddy Lee Model” black Rickenbacker 4001 (purchased when I was 13), and have a number of Rush albums, Neil Peart was, is, and will continue to be one of the WORST lyricists in the history of man. Just dreadful.

Plus “Overdone Drums R Us!” You ever heard of “rests” in music, Neil? No? You might wanna look into it before you use up all the notes and there are none left for the rest of us. Oh, and your lyrics are insipid.

That is all.

[Otto]

Some of Neil’s lyrics are overdone, but he’s written some decent lyrics as well. Frankly, it’s good to have a band that takes subjects most wouldn’t write about and does so in a way that’s also different from the average.

Another thing – even if you don’t like his lyrics, I’d heartily recommend Ghost Rider (no, nothing to do with the comic or movie) about his travels after he lost his wife and daughter.

[Almanian]

For those of you who mentioned King Crimson – Live 1982, man, if I just had some acid, I could go ALL the way back…enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v…..re=related

[Steve Horwitz]

Geddy also has an incredibly amazing collection of baseball memorabilia (and is a major fantasy leaguer). If you can get your hands on the DVD of the recent documentary, the bonus features include a tour of his baseball room. Amazing stuff.

And yeah, Rush rules.

[ChrisO]

Rush used to schedule their tours around spring training if they could, though I don’t know if they still do that.

[scarpe Nike Store]

is good