Monday, March 13, 2006

Cinefest 26 Here I Come.


This weekend I'll be attending Cinefest 26 held in Liverpool, NY , a convention where film enthusiasts from all over come to appreciate old movies. There's a large dealers room containing 16mm films,movie posters,dvd's-anything movie related can be found. Old,rare films are shown to an audience to whom a black and white film isn't automatically relegated to a forgotten antique status.

It's a place where movie buffs can talk to one another about the rich history of movies past and not just rave about the latest blockbuster playing at the local cineplex or the newest, hottest stars on the screen today while entirely ignoring the classics from cinemas past masters.

People such as Arthur Lennig (author of a biography on Bela Lugosi titled The Immortal Count)and esteemed critic Leonard Maltin can be found rubbing elbows, not as luminaries but as just"one of the fans". Cinefest is for those who collect as well as enjoy the art of film. I'll provide you with a detailed report and a few cool pictures.

So until next week,I'll leave you with a favorite quote of mine from the film AUNTIE MAME : " Life is a banquet and there are suckers out there who are starving to death."

Sunday, March 12, 2006

Thought for the week.


I found myself at the dentist a few weeks ago getting my six month check up. As the dental assistant was cleaning the tartar from my teeth I had a thought: Tartar is bad on your teeth and yet it's great on fish.

I know,I have entirely too much time on my hands.

My Peaches and Herb Story.


So, there I was auditioning for a wedding band. As a rule, I loathed the idea of playing in a wedding band. I wanted to rock out on stage and at these functions you had to play crap like Daddy's Little Girl and similar middle of the road songs. You could play a few rock and roll numbers for the younger audience members, but your band had to appeal to everyone at the wedding reception. The father of the bride was more than likely footing the bill for his darling daughter's special day, so a lot of musical compromising was in order.

It was for that reason I swore on a stack of bibles I would never play in a wedding band and sacrifice my rock'n'roll heritage for a few dollars. But,when I learned that wedding bands could rake in some nice cash, suddenly playing lame songs in a formal setting didn't seem like such a bad deal. And sometimes they fed you. Another plus.

So it was for this reason I found myself,along with other hopefuls, trying out for one of the most popular wedding bands in the area called The Dream People. They enjoyed a reputation as being a polished and professional group who always wore matching powder blue tuxedos during a gig. Sure, the music was lame and the thought of having to wear a powder blue tux was enough to induce vomiting, but the money was the main inducement for the long line of musicians at this audition.

As I waited my turn, another guitar player and myself struck up a conversation. He told me, " You know, I once played with Peaches and Herb." (For those who don't remember, Peaches and Herb's biggest hit was a song called Reunited) I thought to myself," Pack up your guitar and go home, Joe. This guy's got the audition in the bag. He's a professional and you're not."

Well, when he got up to play, this guy didn't show anybody anything. I was as good as he was.If he did play with Peaches and Herb it must have been in his dreams. After he left, another guitar player who overheard our conversation said to me," I think what he meant to say was he packed peaches and smoked herb."