GroovyMan

We wonder if Jesus had not lived whether another individual would have taken his place in the American pantheon. Christ-mas, which literally means “a mass for Christ”, has been perverted beyond recognition. That is the real reason you should offer others a ”holiday greeting” instead using the sacred word “Chistmas. While we love capitalism, we hate its influence on today. Better to shift December 25 to to February 28 in Minnesota, when hell usually blows across the street.

Yes, never.

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No.

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In the early days of television there were no retakes; it all ran live. This commercial ran in the Bay Area only once but the salesman rode his way into legend. The ad libbing is nearly flawless. Insert Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley or Columbia Funds for the name of the car dealer being touted and the commerical works for today. Daniel Tosh is not required.

If you haven’t read Shalom Auslander, or heard him on This American Life, you’re missing out. We have curated the story below for comic relief from the holidays. It just might make you laugh out loud about the Holocaust. Seriously. Croak and Dagger – by Shalom Auslander > Tablet Magazine – A New Read on Jewish Life.

If you haven’t had the opportunity to see the Metropolitan Opera at a movie theater in High Definition – I highly recommend it. The Met does 8 plus operas yearly that are simulcast to movie theaters around the country in high definition. It is as if you are sitting a dozen rows back at the Met, watching the best opera singers in the world perform. Incredible. Go to fandango.com or the Metropolitan Opera website to find operas.

Last night, I saw the opening of this year’s Met in HD – Das Rheingold, the first of the Wagner ring cycle. It was an incredible experience. The opera was highlighted by a “machine,” a set of planks that move up and down almost 270 degrees during the show, and that help create powerful effects and scenes that flow with the waves in the music. There was an amazing cast, voices, and the rhinemaidens – oh the rhinemaidens – were to die for (thus the tragedy of Alberich’s decision to “give up love”). Lighter highlights include James Levines’ hair (see it to believe it), bryn terfel’s six-pack abs costume, and a general eurotrash aura with the projected videos.

A related note – since it was Wagner, you were forced to ignore the frightening 19th century Anti-Semitic portrayals of Jews as ugly, money grubbing dwarves who live underground and whose only power is to curse the gods before they enter Valhalla.

On to Die Walkure in the spring. Don’t miss it. Get to a movie theater and experience opera anew.

Years ago, while growing up in Italy, a contributor to Groovyman.com witnessed frequently smoky clouds emitted from the tailpipes of Moto Guzzis favored by the Italian Police. These corpulent cycles could never hold anything but a overly rich fuel mixture in their carbs, which frequently caused them to belch and break down. The same can be said of numerous older Harleys which remain prized pieces of trash for what can only be considered misplaced patriotism.

Unlike the American, Italian and British horrors of that period, Hondas still perform reliably and suddenly look very groovy with their two tone paint jobs, chromed parts, screwed together chassis’ and, of all things, fuel injection..

Aesthetics and quality aside, its also worth noting that Soichiro Honda was a true maverick and was shunned ocassionally by a society that prized conformism. Honda shares that distinction with the auteur Akira Kuozawa, Godzilla and other Japanese creatures that are frequently misunderstood.