Play With Fire by The Rolling Stones
Sometimes I really hate the Rolling Stones. Sometimes I really love them. This is a song that I love.
Lyrics
Well you got your diamonds
and you got your pretty clothes
and the chauffeur drives your car
you let everybody know
Don't play with me cause you're playing with fire
Your mother, she's an heiress
she owns a block in St. John's wood
and you're father'd be there with her
if only he could
Don't play with me cause you're playing with fire
your old man took her diamonds
and tiaras by the score
now she gets her kicks in Stepney
not in Knight's Bridge anymore
Don't play with me cause you're playing with fire
Now you got some diamonds
and you will add some others
but you better watch your step girl
or start living with your mother
Don't play with me cause you're playing with fire
Don't play with me cause you're playing with fire
Friday, May 27, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
Top Ten Episodes of G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero - Number 04
"Hearts and Cannons"
Written by Alfered A. Pegal and Larry Houston
I think one of the strongest elements of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero concept is the distillation of cliches and stereotypes into well rounded characters. The characters are pastiches of America. Sometimes it's a little heavy handed, and a few times it's embarrassingly tacky, but most of the time the Joes are representative of the different types of people that make up America. And America has, if nothing else, lots of different types of people in it.
That brings us to Footloose. I was never a big fan of Footloose, I never had his toy, and he wasn't in many episodes. It's not hard to see why, most of the time he came off as a single joke character, and the joke is pretty thin. He was a pretty straightforward pastiche of hippies. He was kind of detached from reality in a zen sort of way and said "like" a lot, heck, even his helmet is covered with "leaves". The problem with Footloose was that he felt like he was being written by people who didn't actually know any hippies, but saw them on TV once. I don't know if the writers didn't know what to do with that type of character or if they just didn't want to go there in the first place, but Footloose didn't see a lot of action in the cartoon series. But when he did, he called everybody "man" and said "far out" a lot.
Hearts and Cannons is one of the better episodes that he stars in. In this episode, he is partnered with Dusty. Footloose is an existential free thinker and Dusty is just a rugged, good ol' country boy. They work really well together. Although they have opposing competitive styles, it never devolves into Odd Couple style arguing and bickering. They come across more as two guys from different lifestyles who have bonded to become friends.
At the beginning of the episode we find out that Cobra is attacking unnamed villages in an unnamed Middle Eastern country. They have kidnapped a scientist, Dr. Winters, and are forcing her to create a prototype plasma cannon tank. The Joes are flying over the area looking for the secret facility. After their plane is struck by lightning, they are forced to jettison the cargo and supplies, including the Mauler tank. But that wasn't enough to lighten the load, so Footloose and Dusty are forced to parachute out as well. After spending the night in the desert, they find Destro's secret weapons testing compound, sneak inside, rescue the scientist, and make their escape.
This is where the fun begins, because Dr. Winters happens to be a very pretty lady. So the entire time they are rescuing her, Footloose and Dusty are competing for her affection. It leads to some genuinely great comedy and action. After escaping the compound, our heroes get caught in a sand storm and are separated.
This episode makes great use of Footloose. There's a particular scene where Destro forces his troops to drive through a mine field in order to catch the Joes. The Cobra troops are naturally reluctant to do so and, after being forced at gun point, proceed with a humorously half hearted battle cry. They are promptly blown up and (presumably) killed off screen. Dusty comments how he feels sorry for them. Footloose replies that he has no sympathy because "they're just livin' out their karma." Interestingly, the scene is played pretty straight, and actually comes off pretty dark. One of the reasons Footloose fairs better in this episode than in others is that the writers actually give him more to say than the usual hippie "buzz" words, but still maintain the cultural feel. His response to the unrelenting sand storm is, "All Things Must Pass. Keep On Keepin' On." It's a nice reference.
Dusty found refuge in a stolen Cobra Hummer, but Footloose and Dr. Winters are trapped in the storm. Fortunately for them, they are found by a mysterious Arab man named Jabal who, at first, thinks they are Cobra soldiers. After realizing that Footloose is G.I. Joe, Jabal lets them go and helps them fight Cobra.
Now, this is where it gets a little embarrassing. Jabal is presented as a kind of Sinbad style, scimitar wielding, fantasy caricature. It wouldn't have been so bad if he didn't say things like "snake warrior" and "sky chariot" and such. But despite being a presented as an ignorant third world nomad, he's also a suave, romantic warrior poet and he totally sweeps Dr. Winters off her feet, much to Footloose and Dusty's chagrin.
In the end, Jabal found the Joe's Mauler so he and Footloose use it to fight Destro's prototype super tank. What follows is a pretty neat desert tank battle. Using teamwork and Dr. Winters' knowledge of the prototype, they are able to defeat Destro. As it turns out, Jabal is the rightful monarch of the land and with Cobra gone, takes control of the country and gives Dusty and Footloose medals. Then he takes Dr. Winters to his palace, leaving the two Joes to argue about whose chick she really was.
Footloose really shines in this episode. He's got a real Jeff Bridges style about him. He and Dusty really gel. The two characters have good chemistry and it's a shame they didn't have more appearances together outside of this episode.
Written by Alfered A. Pegal and Larry Houston
I think one of the strongest elements of the G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero concept is the distillation of cliches and stereotypes into well rounded characters. The characters are pastiches of America. Sometimes it's a little heavy handed, and a few times it's embarrassingly tacky, but most of the time the Joes are representative of the different types of people that make up America. And America has, if nothing else, lots of different types of people in it.
That brings us to Footloose. I was never a big fan of Footloose, I never had his toy, and he wasn't in many episodes. It's not hard to see why, most of the time he came off as a single joke character, and the joke is pretty thin. He was a pretty straightforward pastiche of hippies. He was kind of detached from reality in a zen sort of way and said "like" a lot, heck, even his helmet is covered with "leaves". The problem with Footloose was that he felt like he was being written by people who didn't actually know any hippies, but saw them on TV once. I don't know if the writers didn't know what to do with that type of character or if they just didn't want to go there in the first place, but Footloose didn't see a lot of action in the cartoon series. But when he did, he called everybody "man" and said "far out" a lot.Hearts and Cannons is one of the better episodes that he stars in. In this episode, he is partnered with Dusty. Footloose is an existential free thinker and Dusty is just a rugged, good ol' country boy. They work really well together. Although they have opposing competitive styles, it never devolves into Odd Couple style arguing and bickering. They come across more as two guys from different lifestyles who have bonded to become friends.
At the beginning of the episode we find out that Cobra is attacking unnamed villages in an unnamed Middle Eastern country. They have kidnapped a scientist, Dr. Winters, and are forcing her to create a prototype plasma cannon tank. The Joes are flying over the area looking for the secret facility. After their plane is struck by lightning, they are forced to jettison the cargo and supplies, including the Mauler tank. But that wasn't enough to lighten the load, so Footloose and Dusty are forced to parachute out as well. After spending the night in the desert, they find Destro's secret weapons testing compound, sneak inside, rescue the scientist, and make their escape.This is where the fun begins, because Dr. Winters happens to be a very pretty lady. So the entire time they are rescuing her, Footloose and Dusty are competing for her affection. It leads to some genuinely great comedy and action. After escaping the compound, our heroes get caught in a sand storm and are separated.
This episode makes great use of Footloose. There's a particular scene where Destro forces his troops to drive through a mine field in order to catch the Joes. The Cobra troops are naturally reluctant to do so and, after being forced at gun point, proceed with a humorously half hearted battle cry. They are promptly blown up and (presumably) killed off screen. Dusty comments how he feels sorry for them. Footloose replies that he has no sympathy because "they're just livin' out their karma." Interestingly, the scene is played pretty straight, and actually comes off pretty dark. One of the reasons Footloose fairs better in this episode than in others is that the writers actually give him more to say than the usual hippie "buzz" words, but still maintain the cultural feel. His response to the unrelenting sand storm is, "All Things Must Pass. Keep On Keepin' On." It's a nice reference.Dusty found refuge in a stolen Cobra Hummer, but Footloose and Dr. Winters are trapped in the storm. Fortunately for them, they are found by a mysterious Arab man named Jabal who, at first, thinks they are Cobra soldiers. After realizing that Footloose is G.I. Joe, Jabal lets them go and helps them fight Cobra.
Now, this is where it gets a little embarrassing. Jabal is presented as a kind of Sinbad style, scimitar wielding, fantasy caricature. It wouldn't have been so bad if he didn't say things like "snake warrior" and "sky chariot" and such. But despite being a presented as an ignorant third world nomad, he's also a suave, romantic warrior poet and he totally sweeps Dr. Winters off her feet, much to Footloose and Dusty's chagrin.
In the end, Jabal found the Joe's Mauler so he and Footloose use it to fight Destro's prototype super tank. What follows is a pretty neat desert tank battle. Using teamwork and Dr. Winters' knowledge of the prototype, they are able to defeat Destro. As it turns out, Jabal is the rightful monarch of the land and with Cobra gone, takes control of the country and gives Dusty and Footloose medals. Then he takes Dr. Winters to his palace, leaving the two Joes to argue about whose chick she really was.Footloose really shines in this episode. He's got a real Jeff Bridges style about him. He and Dusty really gel. The two characters have good chemistry and it's a shame they didn't have more appearances together outside of this episode.
Sunday, May 8, 2011
Blog-A-Song 06
A Four Legged Friend - written by Roy Rogers
Lyrics:
A four legged friend, a four legged friend
he'll never let you down
he's honest and faithful right up to the end
that wonderful one, two, three, four legged friend
A woman's like cactus and cactus can hurt
'Cause she's just a tight waisted winky eyed flirt
She'll soon have your land and your pride and your gold
And bury you deep long before you grow old
Who carries your burden?
Who carries your load?
On tumbleweed land or a long dusty road?
Who asks you no questions?
Who tells you no lies?
That four legged friend with the two honest eyes
Lyrics:
A four legged friend, a four legged friend
he'll never let you down
he's honest and faithful right up to the end
that wonderful one, two, three, four legged friend
A woman's like cactus and cactus can hurt
'Cause she's just a tight waisted winky eyed flirt
She'll soon have your land and your pride and your gold
And bury you deep long before you grow old
Who carries your burden?
Who carries your load?
On tumbleweed land or a long dusty road?
Who asks you no questions?
Who tells you no lies?
That four legged friend with the two honest eyes
Monday, May 2, 2011
Top Ten Episodes of G.I. JOE: A Real American Hero - Number 05
"Memories of Mara"
Written by Sharman Di Vono
One of the tactics used by voice actors in creating voices for cartoon characters is doing impersonations of other actors. For example, Homer Simpson's legendary voice grew out of Dan Castellaneta's Walter Matthau impersonation. Such was the case with Neil Ross' voice work for one of the most popular G.I. Joe characters, Shipwreck.
Shipwreck's voice was heavily influenced by iconic actor, Jack Nicholson, and this vocal style really informed how the character was written as well. Shipwreck was played as a sarcastic, arrogant womanizer. The women he hit on found him insufferable yet attractive. He was a capable rogue who often played by his own set of rules. He butted heads with his superiors but always got results. This made him a very endearing character, after all, it was the 80's and we all wanted to be Han Solo.
So, it should come of no surprise that Shipwreck was used frequently throughout the cartoon. Memories of Mara is one of his most memorable episodes. The episode follows a standard formula. Duke, Lady Jaye, Gung Ho, and Shipwreck are aboard a Navy ship searching for a missing submarine. As it happens, a Cobra submarine is in the area and attacks the Navy ship. Before the battle begins, Shipwreck sees a drowning woman in the water and dives in to save her. The Joes try to keep Cobra busy while they save Shipwreck and the mysterious blue skinned woman.
After a couple of action scenes, the Joes scare off Cobra and get the
drowning girl to safety, though it is not easy. The woman, named Mara, was a Cobra soldier who had been experimented on by Cobra scientists trying to create the perfect amphibious soldier. Unfortunately, the experiment was a failure, Mara has gills and can breathe water but she can't breathe air. She was trying to escape Cobra when Shipwreck rescued her. Naturally, most of the Joes don't trust her., though they promise to try and reverse her condition and pressure her to reveal the location of Cobra's secret undersea laboratory. Shipwreck sympathizes with her and thinks she's being treated unfairly.
Knowing that Cobra is aggressively looking to reclaim Mara, the Joes try to get her to a concealed island where she can be hidden while they study her. Shipwreck and Mara get separated from the rest of the Joe team and spend the day fighting Dreadknoks and having romantic swims in tropical bays.
One of the strength's of this episode is the focus on Mara's character. She reveals why she joined Cobra. It doesn't go into too much detail, but she clearly describes a rough childhood, probably in a violent third world country. She has little to no concept of honor or valor, and the only loyalty she understands is loyalty to herself. Through Shipwreck, she learns that people can be good, and really can do something for nothing in return.
After meeting up with the rest of the Joes, Mara reveals the location of the Cobra undersea laboratory where they are hiding the stolen submarine. They lead a mission to rescue the submarine crew and destroy the Cobra base.
With the Cobra lab destroyed, and all of the research with it, Mara realizes that she'll never go back to the way she was. Under romantic moonlight, she gives a tragic goodbye to Shipwreck and dives into the sea.
It's a touching episode. The drama is centered around two people
from different worlds learning and growing during their brief period together. Thematically, it sticks to strong concepts like Heroism, Altruism, and Friendship, and stars one of the most likable characters to ever appear on the show.
Written by Sharman Di Vono
One of the tactics used by voice actors in creating voices for cartoon characters is doing impersonations of other actors. For example, Homer Simpson's legendary voice grew out of Dan Castellaneta's Walter Matthau impersonation. Such was the case with Neil Ross' voice work for one of the most popular G.I. Joe characters, Shipwreck.
Shipwreck's voice was heavily influenced by iconic actor, Jack Nicholson, and this vocal style really informed how the character was written as well. Shipwreck was played as a sarcastic, arrogant womanizer. The women he hit on found him insufferable yet attractive. He was a capable rogue who often played by his own set of rules. He butted heads with his superiors but always got results. This made him a very endearing character, after all, it was the 80's and we all wanted to be Han Solo.So, it should come of no surprise that Shipwreck was used frequently throughout the cartoon. Memories of Mara is one of his most memorable episodes. The episode follows a standard formula. Duke, Lady Jaye, Gung Ho, and Shipwreck are aboard a Navy ship searching for a missing submarine. As it happens, a Cobra submarine is in the area and attacks the Navy ship. Before the battle begins, Shipwreck sees a drowning woman in the water and dives in to save her. The Joes try to keep Cobra busy while they save Shipwreck and the mysterious blue skinned woman.
After a couple of action scenes, the Joes scare off Cobra and get the
drowning girl to safety, though it is not easy. The woman, named Mara, was a Cobra soldier who had been experimented on by Cobra scientists trying to create the perfect amphibious soldier. Unfortunately, the experiment was a failure, Mara has gills and can breathe water but she can't breathe air. She was trying to escape Cobra when Shipwreck rescued her. Naturally, most of the Joes don't trust her., though they promise to try and reverse her condition and pressure her to reveal the location of Cobra's secret undersea laboratory. Shipwreck sympathizes with her and thinks she's being treated unfairly.Knowing that Cobra is aggressively looking to reclaim Mara, the Joes try to get her to a concealed island where she can be hidden while they study her. Shipwreck and Mara get separated from the rest of the Joe team and spend the day fighting Dreadknoks and having romantic swims in tropical bays.
One of the strength's of this episode is the focus on Mara's character. She reveals why she joined Cobra. It doesn't go into too much detail, but she clearly describes a rough childhood, probably in a violent third world country. She has little to no concept of honor or valor, and the only loyalty she understands is loyalty to herself. Through Shipwreck, she learns that people can be good, and really can do something for nothing in return.After meeting up with the rest of the Joes, Mara reveals the location of the Cobra undersea laboratory where they are hiding the stolen submarine. They lead a mission to rescue the submarine crew and destroy the Cobra base.
With the Cobra lab destroyed, and all of the research with it, Mara realizes that she'll never go back to the way she was. Under romantic moonlight, she gives a tragic goodbye to Shipwreck and dives into the sea.
It's a touching episode. The drama is centered around two people
from different worlds learning and growing during their brief period together. Thematically, it sticks to strong concepts like Heroism, Altruism, and Friendship, and stars one of the most likable characters to ever appear on the show.
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