Sargent's Madame X

This is a brilliant analysis of a terrific painting by John Singer Sargent.

One Way Out - The Allman Brothers Band, Live - 1995

An Allman Brothers classic live:

Interview Marc Bolan and Documentary Part 1

This is a rare interview with T. Rex's leader, Marc Bolan. "I never believed in security, and I still don't," says Bolan.



This is part 1 of a documentary about Bolan.

T Rex Going Downhill

Hey, not every performance can be terrific.

Thomas Eakins Hidden Images

Talk about subliminal messages! Thomas Eakins, considered by many to be the greatest American painter, hid something in his painting William Rush Carving His Allegorical Figure of Schuylkill River. If you look at the naked model's buttocks, you'll see a drooping phallic image.

Song about a Girl Who's Nine

Here's a song about a girls who's nine. Written by Chuck Berry. Performed by the one and only Marc Bolan and T. Rex.

What If You Had To Direct This Actor?

How would you like the chore of having to direct one of the most mercurial actors of all time, the inimitable Klaus Kinski? Of course, Werner Herzog did it many times, so it was possible to direct Kinski. But easy? . . . Fun? . . . My god! Just look at those eyes! (Photo: http://www.listal.com/viewimage/158623.)

What if this Conductor Had a Secret Agenda?

Yes, when you board a train you expect politeness and consideration from the train crew. And you usually get it. After all, these guys have been trained to be nice to people. Their job is to keep the train moving. But suppose the conductors, brakemen, baggagemen and the engineer were all in on a secret, and that they had a secret agenda. What if they were keeping something from you, something very sinister and forbidden. What of they had a secret right on board and weren't telling anyone about it? Take a close look at this conductor. Notice that the passengers are scrutinizing him carefully. Maybe it's because he's replacing a bulb and they want to see what he's doing. Or maybe . . . they suspect . . . that something is amiss. Maybe they have a secret notion that this conductor has something he's hiding from all of them!

References

1. Photo from http://www.pacificcohistory.org/sw2004_2_11.jpg (accessed Dec 13, 2009).

http://www.pacificcohistory.org/sw2004_2.htm.

T. Rex - "Telegram Sam"

Marc Bolan and T. Rex playing "Telegram Sam." Bolan, a lastborn with a brother (Harry), two years and three months older, was a natural performer and a highly underrated guitarist. His fame flared to white heat in the 70s when he outsold the Beatles and the Rolling Stones in Great Britain. He was killed in a car crash on September 30, 1977, fourteen days before his 30th birthday. Known as the inventor of glam rock, Bolan wore glitzy costumes and glitter on his cheeks while performing.

The Meaning of "Crimson and Clover"

Here are Tommy James and the Shondells doing "Crimson and Clover." You may, if you wish, speculate on what the words mean in the comments section. They have been rather adequately symbolically explicated by various writers, and the most convincing explanation, to my mind, is that the song is about sex, specifically sex with a younger woman, indeed, a virgin, the word "crimson" referring to the blood that is spilled during that act, and the "clover" referring to the clover field where they met. The word "clover" simultaneously refers to the female private parts. In this way the song has depth of meaning that unconsciously added to its becoming one of the most popular songs of the 60s. (Recorded in 2000 at the Bitter End, Greenwich Village, New York City.)