Monthly Archives: November 2013

What we’re listening to on Thanksgiving — Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) by Sly & the Family Stone

Blogging could be sporadic with the upcoming Turkey Day blowout but wanted to throw this great Sly & the Family Stone tune out there for y’all because it seems just right for the occasion…

One of the last gasps from that great interracial collective before drugs destroyed the band, 1969’s “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)” could be cited as truly revolutionary for its bass line alone. Seeming to infuse nearly every funk track to follow in the 70s, Larry Graham’s “slapping” style of percussive bass is literally the sound that launched a thousand R&B bands. And of course the pure stoned compositional genius that is Sylvester “Sly Stone” Stewart is on full display here, with enough sonic and lyrical mischief happening to bring a smile to the most jaded hipster. It may be a cliche but it happens to be true: If Prince has a musical daddy, it’s Sly Stone.

Even after a full turkey dinner with all the trimmings, when you hear “Thank You” you’ll wanna shake it to the groove. So let’s take a moment to give thanks for great music and great food. And especially to the great friends & family who so importantly let us be ourselves–Thank You!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Ptrc2cWRxU

Thoughts on the astounding results from Christie’s Rolex Daytona “Lesson One” Auction

Like many vintage Rolex enthusiasts, it’s taken me some time to fully digest the incredibly high results from Christie’s November 10th auction, “Rolex Daytona ‘Lesson One’: 50 exceptional examples of the world’s most celebrated chronograph wristwatch”, held in Geneva. When I say incredible, I mean it literally: the prices achieved by the majority of these Cosmographs really did defy belief. Some examples…

Right out of the chute, Lot 1’s lovely pump pusher 6239 with Underline and double-SWISS markings and slightly “Tropical” brown sub registers hammered for $296,250.

Lot 1, ref. 6239

Previously, I would have said that the estimate of $44-$88k was spot on with $88k being very ambitious.

Continue reading →

What we’re listening to today – Ode to Sad Disco by Mark Lanegan Band

Of the Big Four megabands to emerge from the Seattle grunge explosion of the early 90s, the one that stayed below the radar the most is Screaming Trees. Everyone knows Nirvana, Soundgarden and Pearl Jam. But for many, the more psychedelically inclined ‘Trees have been somewhat forgotten as the years have passed. And that’s a shame. Because not only were the Screaming Trees very often the best of those four bands in purely musical and creative terms but their lead vocalist, Mark Lanegan, was arguably the second best behind the superhuman lungs of Chris Cornell. And really “best” is a massively subjective term to apply in this instance because it assumes we are judging all vocalists by the same measure. If Rock ‘n Roll has taught us anything it’s that the guy with the rough hewn, damaged and soulful sound can trump the fellow with the operatic range. The epically beautiful “Ode to Sad Disco” from the most recent Mark Lanegan Band album, Blues Funeral, is another strong performance in favor of that argument.

So, equally mystifying to me, is why Lanegan remains a fairly subdued commerical force in his many years as a solo act. Continue reading →

F1 News & Notes

As we prepare for the United States Grand Prix at the wonderful new Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas, here are some quick hits that you may have missed in a busy week of F1 news.

  • Lotus driver Kimi Raikkonen will miss the last two races of the season, although not because of a pay dispute, as had been threatened. The Ice Man had season-ending surgery to correct a recurring back problem that had bothered the Finn over the last several races. Bypassing their official 3rd driver, Davide Valsecchi, Lotus plucked another Finn from his unwilling retirement: former McLaren and Lotus/Caterham veteran Heikki Kovalainen will man the seat on Sunday and in Brazil. Valsecchi was understandably less than thrilled with being passed over but Kovalainen posted very respectable times in Friday’s Practice sessions after not having a drive for nearly 2 years.
  • Sergio Perez is out at McLaren for next year. In a surprise move, McLaren have chosen young phenom Kevin Magnussen to replace the 23-year-old Mexican as Jenson Button’s teammate. Magnussen, the son of 4-time LeMans winner Jan, was this year’s Formula Renault 3.5 champion.
  • Departing Ferrari #2 Felipe Massa will join the Williams F1 team next season to partner young Finn Valtteri Botas, leaving Pastor Maldonado temporarily out in the cold. But Maldonado, who brings bags of Venezuelan oil sponsorship money to wherever he may land, should be able to find a drive among the cash strapped teams despite a lackluster season in a poor Williams chassis.
  • Russian teenager Daniel Kvyat earned his Formula 1 Super License and participated in Friday Practice in Austin. Kvyat, a 19-year old GP3 champion, will join Jean-Eric Vergne at Torro Rosso for the 2014 season, which not coincidentally should feature the first-ever Russian Grand Prix. Kvyat replaces Aussie Daniel Ricciardo, who is moving up to the senior Red Bull team upon Mark Webber’s departure to sports cars and the new Porsche Le Mans prototype program.

Gorgeous lady of the week — Gina Carano

Gina Carano in Berlin 15.02.2012

Gina Carano, the sexy former MMA champ, burst — and ran, and punched, and kicked — onto the scene in Steven Soderbergh‘s underrated Haywire in 2011, where she smoked Channing Tatum, Michael Fassbender and Ewan McGregor’s asses as deluxe super agent Mallory Kane. Take a look-see here what you get for treating Ms. Carano poorly, as Fassbender finds out the hard way (note: this clip contains spoilers):

Despite some controversy about her voice being altered (read: deepened) in post, Gina can walk with her held high for her work in that demanding and satisfying action epic. She manages to be tough, smart and vulnerable at the same time as she deals with a mission gone south and treachery from her former boss. And did I mention that she kicks everyone’s ass pretty much all the time in emphatic fashion?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g6UTRX8SajY

Since Haywire, Ms. Carano has acted in Fast & Furious 6, the soon-to-be-released In the Blood and rumor has it that she will be playing the title character in an adaptation of the comic book Avengelyne, which seems like perfect casting for that scantily clad avenging angel.

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Sure, it takes a certain kind of confident man to squire a lady around town who can probably take you in a throwdown. But here at MFL we think keeping company with a stunner like Gina is a no-brainer and we can check our macho at the door for the privilege. Besides, when it comes to the ladies, we’re lovers not fighters.

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