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Even Worse

Even Worse is the fifth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on April 12, 1988. The album was produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between November 1987 and February 1988, this album helped to revitalize Yankovic's career after the critical and commercial failure of his previous album Polka Party! (1986).

The music on Even Worse is built around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music of the late 1980s. Half of the album is made up of parodies, featuring jabs at Michael Jackson, George Harrison, Tiffany, Los Lobos, and Billy Idol. The other half is original material, featuring several "style parodies" or musical imitations that emulate existing artists. These style parodies include imitations of specific artists such as Oingo Boingo, Beastie Boys, and James Taylor. Even Worse has the distinction of being one of two albums by Yankovic lacking any polka renditions of pop songs or medleys, the other being his self-titled debut album from 1983. This album's title and cover art are spoofs of Michael Jackson's 1987 album Bad.

Even Worse was met with mostly positive reviews and peaked at No. 27 on the Billboard 200, becoming Yankovic's best-selling album. The album also produced one of Yankovic's hit singles, "Fat", a parody of Michael Jackson's "Bad", which peaked at No. 99 on the Billboard Hot 100 and became a staple on MTV. The album was certified as a gold record, and later as a platinum record with sales of over one million copies in the United States, becoming Yankovic's first platinum record. "Fat" won the Grammy Award for Best Concept Music Video.

Background and recording
After success in the early '80s, Yankovic released Polka Party! in 1986. Although featuring parodies of hit songs like "Living in America" and "Addicted to Love", the album was a critical and commercial failure. It did not yield a charting single and it peaked at number 177 on the Billboard 200. After the disappointment with Polka Party!, Yankovic went on record saying, "I thought it was the end of my career." For most of 1987, Yankovic took a break from recording.

Originals
Near the end of 1987, Yankovic returned to the studio to record the original songs that would eventually appear on Even Worse. Once again, former the McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer was brought in as producer. The album's originals were recorded in three sessions: During the first (which began on November 30, 1987), Yankovic started to record "Stuck in a Closet with Vanna White" and "Melanie"; during the second session (which began on December 1, 1987), he began working on "Good Old Days", "You Make Me", and "Velvet Elvis"; and during the final session (which began on February 18, 1988), Yankovic recorded "Twister".

In "Stuck in a Closet with Vanna White", the singer recounts a bizarre recurring dream about Vanna White. AllMusic described the song as a "real winner for Yankovic" because it "was the first song [Yankovic] wrote that his [...] target audience [...] actually liked as much or even more than his parodies." "You Make Me" is a song involving a person's desire to engage in strange or violent behavior compelled by the weirdness of another person. According to the liner notes of The Permanent Record, "It's about as close as [Yankovic has] ever come to writing a real love song." Musically, the song is a style parody of Oingo Boingo.

"Melanie" is a stalker's twisted love song to his neighbor Melanie. According to Yankovic, he wrote several additional verses for "Melanie" that he would only sing to his friends. "Velvet Elvis" is written in the style of the Police, and is an ode to the kitschy type of titular painting. "Twister" is an ode to the Milton Bradley game Twister. The song is a style parody of Beastie Boys. When Yankovic was recording the song, he initially recorded about 20 vocal takes. However, when it came time to pick the right take, he opted for the first because it sounded "more raw and more off-the-cuff." The album's closer, "Good Old Days" is about a psychopath fondly remembering his childhood. Yankovic described the song as an "experiment". He "wanted to see if [he] could write a song as if Charlie Manson and James Taylor were collaborating."

Parodies
On February 18, 1988, Yankovic began recording four of the album's five parodies: "I Think I'm a Clone Now", "Alimony", "(This Song's) Just Six Words Long", and "Fat". The first of these is a spoof of on Tiffany's 1987 cover of "I Think We're Alone Now" that recounts the story of a man who lives with a clone of himself. "Alimony"—a parody of "Mony Mony" as covered by Billy Idol—is a musical diatribe aimed at the narrator's ex-wife, who has taken everything he owns for alimony payments. Although "Alimony" sounds as if it were recorded live—complete with clapping, screaming, and yelling—the track was entirely recorded in the studio. "(This Song's Just) Six Words Long" is a send up of "Got My Mind Set on You" as performed by George Harrison of the Beatles about a song that does not have enough lyrics to fill 3 minutes worth of time.

When it came time to record a lead single, Yankovic once again turned his attention to Michael Jackson. Jackson had just released his album Bad, a follow-up to 1982's immensely successful album Thriller. After Yankovic first heard the lead single, "Bad", he immediately envisioned a parody entitled "Fat". Initially, Yankovic did not want to record another Jackson parody. He later said, "I was still primarily known as the 'Eat It' guy and I didn't want to become known as the guy who just rides Michael's coattails." He later relented and sought out Jackson for permission. Jackson, a fan of Yankovic's work, had already let Yankovic parody his 1983 hit single "Beat It". When presented with the new potential parody, Jackson not only approved it, but let Yankovic use his own Moonwalker subway set for the music video. Yankovic later presented Jackson with a gold record of Even Worse after the album sold over 500,000 copies. Jackson was so pleased with the song and video, he ordered twelve copies to give to his friends. Yankovic later said, "He doesn't have to let me do this kind of stuff. [...] The only reason he would let me is because he has a great sense of humor."

The music video for the song features a leather-clad Yankovic "expanding to 800 pounds and bouncing around a subway set." To find suitable back-up dancers, ads were placed in Los Angeles newspapers for "Very Fat Dancers". One of the men used in the video was actually a pizza delivery man who had delivered food to the casting offices. Due to the music video, "Fat" became one of Yankovic's biggest hits. Although only managing to peak at number 99 on the Billboard Hot 100, the song's music video got extensive play on MTV, which helped the album attain platinum status. In addition, "Fat" was later nominated and won a Grammy Award for Best Concept Music Video at the 1989 Grammy Awards, Yankovic's second Grammy Award.

On February 19, 1988, Yankovic began recording the album's final parody: "Lasagna", a take on the traditional folk song "La Bamba". The song is mainly about Italian culture with a heavy emphasis on cuisine. When Yankovic began writing the song, he originally wanted it to be sung in Italian. He later said, "I was actually going through Italian phrase books and dictionaries until I realized that the humor would be lost on 99% of the audience, so I decided to do the whole thing in English but with kind of a bad Italian accent." Although "Lasagna" is a parody of the Los Lobos cover version of "La Bamba", Yankovic did not seek permission from the band to record his spoof, given that "La Bamba" is a traditional folk song with no attributable writer. In the liner notes to Even Worse, Yankovic is thus given sole credit for writing "Lasagna".

According to the Dallas Morning News, both Prince and George Michael turned down parody ideas that Yankovic asked permission to record for Even Worse. In addition, Even Worse did not contain a polka medley, Yankovic's second—after his debut—and last album not to include one.

Critical response
Even Worse has received relatively favorable reviews. AllMusic awarded Even Worse four out of five stars, one of the highest ratings for Yankovic on the site. Reviewer Eugene Chadbourne said, "Trust Weird Al Yankovic to name an album Even Worse even as his recordings were getting better again." Bruce Britt of Daily News of Los Angeles praised that album, and wrote that "It is tempting to dismiss 'Weird Al' Yankovic as a joke [...] but those who dismiss Yankovic so easily overlook the fact that his lampoons are often wittier than the songs he spoofs." Many critics praised the lead single, "Fat". Chadbourne wrote that "the arrogance of 'I'm Bad' [sic] was perfectly trumped by Yankovic's musical pile of lard, the appeal of the video's visuals clearly not the only ace in the hole." Britt called the song and video "so absurd, they are almost certain to be a hit this spring."

Unlike previous albums, which were praised for their parodies but criticized for their originals, Chadbourne wrote that "Yankovic even manages to shatter all previous barriers and comes up with some funny original material as well," citing "Good Old Days" and "Stuck in a Closet with Vanna White" as some of his best originals. Both Even Worse and "Fat" were nominated for Grammys. Although Even Worse was not a winner, "Fat" won a Grammy Award for Best Concept Music Video in 1989.

Commercial performance
Even Worse was released April 12, 1988, and, at the time of its release, was Yankovic's best-selling album. Even Worse peaked at number 27 on the Billboard 200 on July 2, 1988. The album spent a total of 26 weeks on the chart. On July 18, 1988—less than three months after its release—the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). On January 27, 1994, the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA. At the time of its certification, it was Yankovic's first Platinum record and, until 1992, it was his best-selling album.

On May 21, 1988, Yankovic appeared as a contestant on the game show Family Double Dare to promote Even Worse.

Personnel
Credits adapted from LP liner notes.

Band members
 * "Weird Al" Yankovic – lead and background vocals, keyboards, accordion
 * Jim West – guitars, mandolin, background vocals
 * Steve Jay – bass guitar, background vocals
 * Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz – drums, percussion

Additional musicians
 * Kim Bullard – synthesizers
 * Rick Derringer – guitar
 * Joe Sublett – saxophone
 * Ronny Jay – scratching
 * Nicolette Larson – background vocals

Technical
 * Rick Derringer – producer
 * "Weird Al" Yankovic – arranger
 * Tony Papa – engineer, mixing
 * Jamey Dell – assistant engineer
 * Tony Lane – art direction
 * Nancy Donald – art direction
 * Sam Emerson – photography
 * Christine Wilson – Even Worse lettering

title: Even Worse


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Kim Goodman

Kim Goodman is a woman who holds the world record for the farthest eyeball protrusion (0.47 inches). She lives in Chicago, Illinois. One day, she discovered her eyeball-popping talent when she was hit over the head. Her eyeballs popped out much further than usual, and ever since that day, she could pop them out on cue, as well as when she yawns.

She has appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman.

In 2004, Goodman was included by Guinness World Records in their 50th anniversary list of the top ten "feats" of all time.

In the Malcolm in the Middle episode titled "Carnival" which premiered May 6th, 2001, Goodman was featured as one of the "circus freaks" displaying her abilities at the 18:06 mark.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Kim Goodman


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Polka Party

Polka Party could refer to:

 * Polka Party!, the fourth studio album by "Weird Al" Yankovic
 * "Polka Party!", a polka medley included on the album
 * Polka Party with Brave Combo: Live and Wild!, an album by the American polka band Brave Combo

title: Polka Party


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Dare to Be Stupid

Dare to Be Stupid is the third studio album by American musician "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on June 18, 1985. The album was one of many Yankovic records produced by former McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between August 1984 and March 1985, the album was Yankovic's first studio album released following the success of 1984's In 3-D, which included the Top 40 single "Eat It".

The music on Dare to Be Stupid is built around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music of the mid-1980s, featuring reimaginings of Madonna, Cyndi Lauper, Huey Lewis and the News, and the Kinks. The album also features many "style parodies", or musical imitations that come close to, but do not copy, existing artists. These style parodies include imitations of Devo and Elvis Presley, as well as imitations of various musical genres such as doo-wop, sci-fi soundtracks, and music from the 1920s and 1930s.

Despite a mixed critical reception, Dare to Be Stupid sold well and peaked at number fifty on the Billboard 200. The album produced one of Yankovic's more famous singles, "Like a Surgeon", a parody of Madonna's "Like a Virgin"; the single peaked at number 47 on the Billboard Hot 100. The album was Yankovic's second Gold record and became certified Platinum for sales of over one million copies in the United States. The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording in 1986.

Recording
In January 1985 Yankovic began the recording sessions for his In 3-D follow-up album. Rick Derringer, former guitarist for the McCoys, returned as producer. Backing Yankovic were Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz on drums, Steve Jay on bass, and Jim West on guitar. The first session yielded four originals: "Dare to Be Stupid", "Cable TV", "Slime Creatures from Outer Space", and "One More Minute". The band also recorded a cover of the theme from George of the Jungle. The following month, Yankovic began recording the album's four parodies and polka medley: "Yoda", "Like a Surgeon", "I Want a New Duck", "Girls Just Want to Have Lunch", and "Hooked on Polkas".

Originals
"This Is the Life", originally commissioned for the gangster spoof movie Johnny Dangerously and comically describing a gangster's lavish lifestyle, had already been recorded and released as a single in November 1984. The album's title track, "Dare to Be Stupid", is an ode to living life stupidly. According to the liner notes of The Ultimate Video Collection, the song represents "Al's motto in life". The song is a style parody of the band Devo, whose reaction to the pastiche was positive. Yankovic said "Right after I finished 'Dare to Be Stupid', I went over to Mark Mothersbaugh's house and played it for him. He seemed to enjoy it a lot." The song was later released on the soundtrack to the 1986 film The Transformers: The Movie, and Yankovic later mused that more people were introduced to the song by the movie than by his own album.

"One More Minute", about an ex-girlfriend, was written in the style of an Elvis Presley doo-wop song. According to the liner notes of Permanent Record, Yankovic was preparing to write songs for Dare to Be Stupid when his then-girlfriend broke up with him. In order to mentally deal with the heartbreak, Yankovic decided to write a humorous song to express his anger, eventually writing "One More Minute". Yankovic tears up her picture in the video. "Slime Creatures from Outer Space" features prominent usage of a theremin, courtesy of Steve Jay, in order to emulate the sound of "cheesy 50s sci-fi soundtracks."

Parodies and polka
On February 21, 1985, Yankovic began recording the parodies for Dare to Be Stupid. The first parody recorded for the album was "Yoda". "Yoda" was originally written by Yankovic during the initial run of the 1980 American film The Empire Strikes Back. After the success of the movie, Yankovic toyed with the idea of writing a song based on the break-out character, but was unable to find a suitable song to use as the base. Yankovic remembers, "I was still in college at the time, and a friend of mine named Mike suggested that I do the song to the tune of 'Lola'—which I couldn't believe that I hadn't thought of myself, since I was such a huge Kinks fan." Yankovic wrote and recorded a version of the song, using only an accordion, on a four-track cassette Portastudio. This version of "Yoda" was a hit on The Dr. Demento Show, and even managed to hit, and hold onto, number one on the Funny Five countdown for several weeks. This early demo was later released on the sixth volume of Dr. Demento's Basement Tapes.

After the success of the demo version, Yankovic wanted to put the song on one of his albums. However, securing permission from George Lucas and the Kinks delayed the release of the song for about five years. Eventually, after Lucas gave Yankovic permission, the song's publishers turned Al down. Several versions of why the parody was turned down exist. In a 1985 interview with Spin, Yankovic explained that, "We approached Ray Davies [the song's composer], we've been approaching him every year and a half, two years before each album comes out and he's always been a little skeptical, a little afraid because 'Lola' was a very personal song for him. Then just out of the blue he decided this time to let us do it." However, the liner notes to the Permanent Record present a different story. According to the album's notes, the song may have remained unreleased for some time had it not been for a chance encounter Yankovic had with the song's original songwriter, Ray Davies. When Yankovic asked why he hadn't given him permission, Davies remarked that he had never been asked. Davies immediately gave Yankovic permission to record the song, and the song was later released on Dare to Be Stupid.

The day after recording "Yoda", Yankovic started recording "Like a Surgeon", the lead single for the album. Although Yankovic normally refuses to use parody ideas from other people, Madonna is partly responsible for "Like a Surgeon". Madonna asked one of her friends how long it would take until Yankovic satirized her song "Like a Virgin" into "Like a Surgeon". This friend was a mutual friend of Al's manager, Jay Levey. When word got back to Yankovic, he decided it was a good idea and wrote the song. This is the only known time that Yankovic has gotten a parody idea directly from the original artist.

The third parody recorded for the album was a parody of "I Want a New Drug" by Huey Lewis and the News entitled "I Want a New Duck". After the recording of "I Want a New Duck", Yankovic was comfortable with releasing the album as it was. However, Scotti Bros. insisted that Yankovic include a parody of a Cyndi Lauper song. Yankovic complied, producing "Girls Just Want to Have Lunch". However, because he was effectively forced to record the parody, Yankovic has cited "Girls Just Want to Have Lunch" as one of his least favorite songs, and ultimately left it off his 1993 compilation album The Food Album. Yankovic also approached Prince about a potential parody of "When Doves Cry", circa 1984. Prince refused, and did not accept any future parody ideas Yankovic presented to him.

On March 25, 1985, Yankovic rounded out the recording of his new album with a polka medley of then-popular songs in music. Dare to Be Stupid also includes "George of the Jungle", a cover of the theme song to the 1967 TV series. It was the first of only a few cover songs, not counting polka medleys, released by Yankovic. The song later appeared on the soundtrack to the 1997 film adaptation of George of the Jungle.

Promotion
After the release of the album, Yankovic undertook the 70-city "Stupid Tour"; this was his biggest tour of the 1980s, and featured "costume changes, carefully designed lighting, and several of Al's videos cleverly integrated into the stage show". Yankovic's on-stage wardrobe changed dramatically during the tour, and he specifically stipulated that every promoter "had to supply one garish Hawaiian shirt" for him to wear. Yankovic eventually acquired "a couple closets full" of them. Yankovic also started wearing exclusively Vans, and joked that "whenever I need some they let me go to their warehouse and take home an armload."

The videos that were made to promote Dare to Be Stupid were later compiled, with additional material, into a direct-to-video mockumentary called The Compleat Al. This production, directed by Yankovic's manager Jay Levey and Robert K. Weiss, was one of "the first programs of its kind to be made specifically for the home video market". A 60-minute version was later aired on Showtime. To go along with the video, the tongue-in-cheek book The Authorized Al was also released. The book, co-written by Yankovic and Tino Insana, has since gone out of print.

Critical response
Dare to Be Stupid received moderately favorable reviews from critics. AllMusic reviewer Eugene Chadbourne awarded the album three and a half stars, and cited "Like a Surgeon" and "Dare to Be Stupid" as some of Yankovic's best songs. Christopher Thelen from The Daily Vault wrote that "while Dare To Be Stupid is not Yankovic's finest album [...] there's enough on this one to recommend it". The song "Yoda" has gone on to become one of Yankovic's most famous songs. Although it was left off his first greatest hits album, the song was featured on the second volume, the box set Permanent Record, and the 2009 compilation The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic. The song appeared on "The Time Machine" episode of The Weird Al Show, and on the compilation album Radio Disney: Kid Jams.

Although the lead single "Like a Surgeon" and the parody "Yoda" were met with praise, many criticized the album's other parodies. Many critics were split on the amount of emphasis the original songs were given. Rolling Stone writer David Hinkley wrote positively that "the pick of this album's original litter is 'One More Minute', which is a parody of a style (Fifties vocal group) rather than a specific song and is a superb tune besides – right down to the perfect little gasp right before the final chorus". In contrast, Chadbourne was disappointed with the original material, stating that "only someone who is missing important brain cells would suggest this artist's original songs are any good". The album was nominated for a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Recording in 1986, though it lost to Whoopi Goldberg's Whoopi: Original Broadway Recording.

Commercial performance
Dare to Be Stupid was released on June 18, 1985; it was the first album of musical comedy to be released on compact disc. Dare to Be Stupid eventually peaked on the Billboard 200 at number 50. The album spent a total of eight weeks on the chart. On January 27, 1986, a little less than a year after its release, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). On February 24, 2003, the album was certified Platinum by the RIAA.

Personnel
Credits adapted from LP liner notes.

"The Stupid Band"
 * "Weird Al" Yankovic – lead vocals, background vocals, accordion, keyboards, theremin
 * Jim West – guitars, background vocals
 * Steve Jay – bass guitar, banjo, background vocals
 * Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz – drums, percussion

"Our Stupid Guests"
 * Pat Regan – synthesizers, piano
 * Sonny Burke – piano
 * Rick Derringer – guitars
 * The Waters Sisters – background vocals (track 10)
 * Warren Luening – trumpet
 * Jimmy Zavala – saxophone
 * Gary Herbig – saxophone, clarinet
 * Joel Peskin – clarinet
 * Tommy Johnson – tuba
 * Al Viola – banjo
 * The Glove – scratching
 * "Musical Mike" Kieffer – musical hands
 * Bill Scott – George of the Jungle (track 6)

Technical
 * Rick Derringer – producer
 * "Weird Al" Yankovic – arranger
 * Tony Papa – engineer (tracks 1–8, 10–11)
 * George Tutko – engineer (track 9)
 * Lane/Donald – art direction
 * Dennis Keeley – photography
 * Lou Beach – illustration

title: Dare to Be Stupid


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Talk:Anti-French sentiment in the United States/Archive 3

Accusations section
I have moved this section here because contributes nothing to the understand of the subject and only serves to perpetuate boorish stereotypes. It is a collection of bad clichés disguised as opinions, none of which are attributed, with no explanation of the origins of such sentiments. As such, it is unworthy of Wikipedia. If the author of this material disagrees strongly, let's discuss it below. -- Viajero 15:08, 24 May 2004 (UTC)

Often, anti-French Americans allege that France is a weak country that chronically appeases and surrenders to its enemies:
 * France has never had a military victory. see joke This of course diminishes the French military contributions throughout history.
 * France is a cowardly country that chronically prefers surrendering rather than to fight. Alluding to France's invasion by Nazi Germany in World War II, this of course disregards the huge toll that France paid for not surrendering to Germany in World War I.
 * The French are ungrateful. The implication is that France displays an obstinate and unreasonable opposition to the United States' foreign policy, treating the US intervention in World War I and the American liberation of France in World War II with either forgetfulness or perhaps a sense of resentful shame for their necessity. One could also interpret this as a demand that French should feel indebted to the US and refrain from having an independent foreign policy.

Other accusations target France's internal policies:
 * France is a communist or socialist country that cannot manage its economy.
 * France is racist and anti-semitic.
 * France does not recognize civil rights. (freedom of religion, freedom of speech, presumption of innocence...)

Such accusations are generally mixed with clichés often inspired by immediate post-World War II life or the lifestyle of the artistic minority:
 * The French are lazy and spend their time chatting in cafés and smoking cigarettes.
 * The French don't bathe.
 * French women do not shave their bodies.
 * The French eat frogs, snails, rats and horses.
 * The French men are largely homosexual/bisexual.
 * The French are emotional and flamboyant.
 * The French are rude and disrespectful to tourists.

 * It has been discussed above, please read talk/discuss in talk before removing large blocks of text, as per policy. Sam [Spade] 15:20, 24 May 2004 (UTC)

 * Sam, this article is also being discussed on the mailing list Wikien-l and there is general agreement that is a biased, poorly written article. Parts of the accusations section really don't belong in Wikipedia. "French don't bath", what kind of nonsense is that? I suggest that rather than revert again you take a good look at that section, perhaps some small part of it could be salvaged. Right now the article probably belongs on Votes for deletion. Fred Bauder 18:09, May 24, 2004 (UTC)

 * I'm sorry, but the proper place to discuss an article is on the talk page. It is, I think, not nonsense to state that the mainstream US media and politicians sometimes make very cliché and ill-tasting jokes on France. David.Monniaux 19:47, 24 May 2004 (UTC)

 * I think some of this should be discussed in some context. It is a widespread notion in American culture, and to some extent British culture, that French people do not bathe and their women don't shave their bodies, among other stereotypes, and this forms the backbone of quite a few popular comedy routines.  Anti-American sentiment has a similar set of stereotypes about Americans, including nonsense like "low intelligence" that's no less offensive than these French stereotypes are. --Delirium 18:18, May 24, 2004 (UTC)

 * If the mailing list is going to be the method of determining article content, I'll happily leave the project. If this is the policy please show me where it is specified so that I can protest, attempt change, and give up if necessary. Otherwise, please list your objections to the section on the Talk page if it is longer than a few sentances of text which you'd like removed. Sam [Spade] 19:09, 24 May 2004 (UTC)

 * Simple, just remove the insulting material. Wikipedia is viewed by a world-wide audience. Fred Bauder 19:18, May 24, 2004 (UTC)

 * So? I'm French and I think that it is entirely appropriate that the crude and uninformed views of some Americans should be documented, if they are repeated as part of attacks against a certain foreign country.
 * If we were to discuss nazism, I'd find it appropriate to state a few of the favourite allegations that the Nazis had against the Jews, including the most ludicrous ones. David.Monniaux 19:30, 24 May 2004 (UTC)

 * Any article that doesn't mention these stereotypes--inaccurate and insulting though they may be--is incomplete, just as no article about anti-Americanism could go without a reference to cowboys. Maybe not a list, but the article is about popular perceptions, not reality. Meelar 19:23, 24 May 2004 (UTC)

Encyclopedic
Apparently some feel that certain sorts of documentation is too insulting to be encyclopedic, perhaps even violating the "no personal attacks" policy. If this is so I'll need at least a dozen articles removed in their entirety ;) What it comes down to, IMO, is Factual accuracy and NPOV. Some (prob. most or all) people are insulted by the truth, a fact I know quite well. The reason I love encyclopedias is that they are (supposedly ;) impartial places where I can look up the wacky stuff near and dear to my heart which would elsewhere be censored as too insulting/disturbing/offensive. If we begin censoring useful, factual, NPOV material from the wiki, I think we'll need to substantially alter the project goals as well, and might well wander into the realm of Newspeak. Just a thought. Sam [Spade] 20:33, 24 May 2004 (UTC)

 * To explain what I think Sam means: documentating that a person or a group make "personal attack", even copying the attack themselves, is by no means an endorsement of them. It's just factual information. It's like when we say that Khomeiny called the US the "Great Satan". David.Monniaux 20:38, 24 May 2004 (UTC)

 * Right. And I am offended by the personal attack of someone calling the USA a "great satan", being american. But its encyclopedic, and should be here. What if someone wants to know why some americans (or english speakers generally) dislike the french? I have heard ALOT of anti-french jokes BTW, and heard them more often, not less, over-seas. In fact the only time I saw a real act of descrimination was against 2 frenchmen, not in the US but in Amsterdam. Anyways, this is nothing so very new, there are several articles w similar listings. Sam [Spade] 21:25, 24 May 2004 (UTC)

Israel
Hi.

First of all, sorry for my english, but you know french people and the english language....
 * Would you be so kind as not to mistake *your* ignorance for a general case? :-)

So I found some mistakes in this article. I Just want to start with one : "France also ended its traditionally close relations with US ally Israel and began to support the Palestinian cause in the Middle East." . I think this sentence is partialy false. For Israel, I want to remenber you that french scientists helped Israel between 1949 and 1960 to have the atomic power.
 * That's exactly the point. France distanced itself from Israel, which it was formerly very close to (France used to be Israel's foremost supplier of weaponry).

Next, that France was (is) supporting the palestinians... that means that France is supporting the palestinian terrorism wich is the more known "politic" :No, it does not. You may support the Palestinian desire of a state while not supporting the methods of groups like Hamas activity since many years, that totally false. So If someone can re-establish the true in this sentence ? Kelson 07:58, 25 May 2004 (UTC)
 * I tried to rephase the sentence. The sentence was probably not as bad as you said in the first place; I suspect that your poor English may have resulted in a misunderstanding. David.Monniaux 09:40, 25 May 2004 (UTC)

 * Hi,
 * Your sentence implies that since there is this opposition between french and americans, we change of side because the ameicans are with the israel, and now we are with their ennemies. This is completely false. fr:Colette.

 * Not really. I tried to make it clear that the Israel/US alliance was a consequence of the decision of the French government to distance itself from Israel rather than a cause. David.Monniaux 13:15, 25 May 2004 (UTC)
 * pardon, I had not seen that it was in the past. My English is approximate

I just wanted to say, solidly, that I don't think any reasonable person thinks France supports terror, despite their obvious sympathies for the palistinian people, and attempts to support them (as MANY nations are doing) in the U.N. I don't think the article misrepresented that, but perhaps we can make it especially clear. Sam [Spade] 19:32, 25 May 2004 (UTC)

Anti-americanism
I think that your item is an occasion for you to express your anti-french feeling. This is a little as if I created an entitled aticle anti-us and that I link it with pages of bad ones joke, or in which ones I said this that I thought about the war: the Americans want the oil of the Iraqui ones to pay less their gasoline, or the americans eat on the Iraqui ones because they are racist. But reassure you this is not that I think about you; You there cannot nothing. but know that there is not clean war. Surtout continuez ça manque d'illustrations ;o)

 * There is a page for this, see the header. Sam [Spade] 20:46, 25 May 2004 (UTC)
 * Is there a page to say that you understand nothing ?

 * For your information, the jokes on the French were inserted into the page by me, and I'm French. According to me, they are a testimony of the bad taste and the arrogance of some US politicians and journalists.
 * I advise you to learn how to read and write English before contributing further to the encyclopedia. Also, you may want to get acquainted with the concept of "quotation", which does not imply endorsement. The page on Jean-Marie Le Pen is full of quotations from the man itself, which I think say more about him than merely chanting "oh, he's a bad bad man". David.Monniaux 20:51, 25 May 2004 (UTC)

 * Sure that they are the political powers and the medias which create the tensions or which make believe that they exists tensions between the populations.  But this article for me is propaganda, since before the war, you would have spoken of  the friendship between french and americans. this not step is measured.

 * In the French translation, I added editor notes to help French readers connect allegations with related facts. I think it should also be done in the english article, mainly for the non-american audience. They are also a few allegations I have no idea where they come, like the French are homosexual allegation I've never heard of before (BTW everydody knows that tea-drinking Englishmen are homosexual :-)) Marc Mongenet 00:11, 26 May 2004 (UTC)

 * I have added a couple of extra links in response to your concerns. Sam [Spade] 00:33, 26 May 2004 (UTC)

Canadian Bacon
I removed the following text from the article-- "The U.S. media's encouragement of Francophobia rings a bell for those who have watched Michael Moore's film Canadian Bacon – in which anti-Canadian feelings in the US are deliberately stirred up by television sequences."

I felt that it endorsed the POV that U.S. media encourage Francophobia, not to mention endorsing the POV of Candian Bacon that the U.S. is irrationally xenophobic. Meelar 20:47, 25 May 2004 (UTC)

Affirming your point, Meelar, Canadian Bacon is a broad satire, and Michael Moore is not exactly in the business of making anyone else look bad at U.S. expense. Cecropia | Talk 21:07, 25 May 2004 (UTC)

 * Yeah, I probably shouldn't have put it in - sorry. It just came to me when I was reading that section and recollecting watching FOX News last year (what a scary station). Zoney 22:01, 25 May 2004 (UTC)

 * If it helps, I agree with you on that one ;) Meelar 01:48, 26 May 2004 (UTC)

French translation
Complete (and neutral I hope) French translation finished and saved: ressentiment anti-français aux États-Unis. with some editors note. Marc Mongenet 21:48, 25 May 2004 (UTC)

 * I translated it into English using and I found you to have done a very good job. The only problems are I saw were ones with the English article, that the fact of American anti-French attitudes being largely a carry-over from British historical anti-French attitudes, as well as those from English speakers generally is not addressed (it should be the focus really). I have never seen any French person treated rudely or given poor service in the USA (we almost never see French people where I live in any case) but when I was overseas I heard anti-French jokes or conversations far more often than in the US, and even saw two Frenchmen given poor service by the Dutch shopkeeper, and jokes made of them in their presence (in English, and largely insulting their poor English skills). This is personal research, and has no place in the article of course, but I know that anti-French sentiment is neither something unique to Americans, nor has its origins here. The start of the problem is the title, which should be a redirect to "francophobia" or "anti-French", a larger article of which this would be a section of. Sam [Spade] 22:26, 25 May 2004 (UTC)

 * The english article is (for me) not very clear with the French toast-German toast affair. It says that only the hot dog invention was successful But it also says that French toast replaced German toast. So, if it wasn't successful, what it a French toast toast (or what was it at that time)?Marc Mongenet 00:01, 26 May 2004 (UTC)

 * This business with the names of food is foolishness, you correctly summed it up with "gammineries". I never saw anyone selling or asking for "freedom fries", but rather it was done in Washington where food is served to politicians. It was an exciting fact for the media, but little substance. What the war has done is enlarge and enbolden previous francophobia, rather than creating many new opinions. The foolishness w the "chips of liberty" and "toast of freedom" should not be overemphasized ;) Sam [Spade] 00:15, 26 May 2004 (UTC)

 * Oops, it's «gamineries», not «gammineries». My dictionnary wasn't providing a good definition for "gimmickry", so I summed it the best I could. But I still have a problem. What is a "German toast"? Marc Mongenet 00:27, 26 May 2004 (UTC)

 * It is almost always French toast, and it is bread dipped in egg, and fried. Here are some recipes . Sam [Spade] 00:41, 26 May 2004 (UTC)

 * Wouldn't an American francophobia section in a francophobia article take a disproportionate amount of place? Not because american are more francophobe, but because they seem to have more gripes. I am not sure the POV of americans, described in this article, can/should be mixed with the POV of Dutchmen, Italians, Swiss... I feel it's already big, interesting and complicated enough, with only the americans POV on France. Marc Mongenet 00:01, 26 May 2004 (UTC)

 * I agree mainly, but then we ignore these other important aspects (unfriendly opinions of Dutchmen, Italians, Swiss, etc...) as well as the historical British roots of American (and other english-speaking) francophobia. Sam [Spade] 00:06, 26 May 2004 (UTC)

 * Is american francophobia specific enough to warrant a specific article (like Anti-Semitism)? Maybe the fact that an article was spontaneously created speaks for itself? Or maybe not. Marc Mongenet 00:20, 26 May 2004 (UTC)


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Abraham Bosse

Abraham Bosse (c. 1604 – 14 February 1676) was a French artist, mainly as a printmaker in etching, but also in watercolour.

Life

He was born to Huguenot (Calvinist) parents in Tours, France, where his father had moved from Germany. His father was a tailor, and Bosse's work always depicted clothes in loving detail. He married Catherine Sarrabat at Tours in 1632. He remained a Huguenot, dying before the Revocation of the Edict of Nantes, but was happy to illustrate religious subjects to Catholic taste.

Work
Roughly 1600 etchings are attributed to him, with subjects including: daily life, religion, literature, fashion, technology, and science. Most of his output was illustrations for books, but many were also sold separately.

His style grows from Dutch and Flemish art, but is given a strongly French flavour. Many of his images give informative detail about middle and upper-class daily life in the period, although they must be treated with care as historical evidence. His combination of very carefully depicted grand interiors with relatively trivial domestic subjects was original and highly influential on French art, and also abroad — William Hogarth's engravings are, among other things, a parody of the style. Most of his images are perhaps best regarded as illustrations rather than art.

He was apprenticed in Paris about 1620 to the Antwerp-born engraver Melchior Tavernier, who was also an important publisher. His first etchings date to 1622, and are influenced by Jacques Bellange. Following a meeting in Paris about 1630, he became a follower of Jacques Callot, whose technical innovations in etching he popularised in the famous and much translated Traité des manières de graver en taille-douce [Treatise on Line Engraving] (1645), the first to be published. He took Callot's highly detailed small images to a larger size, and a wider range of subject matter.

Unlike Callot, his declared aim, in which he largely succeeded, was to make etchings look like engravings, to which end he sacrificed willingly the freedom of the etched line, whilst certainly exploiting to the full the speed of the technique. Like most etchers, he frequently used engraving on a plate in addition to etching, but produced no pure engravings.

Controversy
In 1641, he began to attend classes given by the architect Girard Desargues (1591–1661) on perspective and other technical aspects of depiction. Bosse not only adopted these methods but also published a series of works between 1643–1653 explaining and promoting them.

In 1648, Cardinal Mazarin established the Académie Royale de Peinture et de Sculpture. Bosse was made an honorary member in 1651. However his publicising of Desargues' methods embroiled him in a controversy with Charles Le Brun and his followers, who had different methods, and also a belief that "genius" rather than technical method should be the guide in creating artworks. In 1661 Bosse was forced to withdraw from the Academy; he established his own school as an alternative, but it was suppressed by Le Brun.

Etchings & Images

 * Le jardin de la Noblesse françoise — fashion (partly after Jean de St-Igny)(1629)
 * Les Cris de Paris (c. 1630) — street cries
 * Les gardes françoises (1632)
 * Le mariage à la ville, le mariage à la campagne (1633) — bourgeois vs pastoral weddings
 * Les métiers (1635?) — The trades
 * Plates for L'Ariane (1639)
 * Plates for Le Trésor des merveilles de la Maison Royale de Fontainebleau (1642)
 * La manière universelle de M. des Argues Lyonnois pour poser l'essieu & placer les heures & autres choses aux cadrans au Soleil (1643), printed by P. de Hayes, Paris
 * La pratique du trait à preuve de M. des Argues Lyonnois pour la coupe des pierres en Architecture pratiquer la perspective (1643)
 * De la manière de graver à l'eaux-forte et au burin (1645)
 * Traité des manières de graver en taille douce sur l'airin par le moyen des eaux-fortes... (1645) The "Manual of Etching".
 * Manière universelle de M. des Argues pour pratiquer la perspective par petit-pied comme le géométral... (1648) — Manual on perspective
 * Moyen universel de pratiquer la perspective sur les tableaux ou surfaces irrégulières... (1653)
 * The famous frontispiece for Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes (1651) was created with input from Hobbes.
 * Plates for La Pucelle ou la France délivrée (1656)
 * Des ordres des colonnes (1664) — Architecture
 * Traité des pratiques géométrales et de perspective (1665)

Later Collections

 * Die Kunst, in Kupfer zu stechen, Ilmer, Osnabrück 1975 (Repr. d. Ausg. Nürnberg 1765)
 * Radier-Büchlein. Handelt von der Etzkunst, nemlich wie man mit Scheidwasser in Kupfer etzen, das Wasser und wie auch den harten und weichen Etzgrund machen solle, Moos, München 1977, ISBN 3-7879-0088-8 (Repr. d. Ausg. Nürnberg 1689)

title: Abraham Bosse


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User talk:Elz dad

Welcome to the Wikipedia
Here are some links I find useful

 * Policy Library
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Feel free to ask me anything the links and talk pages don't answer. You can sign your name by typing 4 tildes, likes this: ~.

Cheers, Sam [Spade] 21:27, 26 May 2004 (UTC)

title: User talk:Elz dad


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"Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D

"Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D (often referred to simply as In 3-D) is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter "Weird Al" Yankovic, released on February 28, 1984, by Rock 'n Roll Records. The album was one of many produced by former McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Recorded between October and December 1983, the album was Yankovic's follow-up to his modestly successful debut LP, "Weird Al" Yankovic.

The album is built around parodies and pastiches of pop and rock music of the mid-1980s. Half of the album is made up of parodies of artists like Michael Jackson, Men Without Hats, the Greg Kihn Band, the Police, and Survivor. The other half of the album contains many "style parodies", musical imitations that come close to but do not directly copy a specific work by existing artists. These style parodies include imitations of artists such as Bob Marley and the B-52s. This album marked a musical departure from Yankovic's self-titled debut, in that the arrangements of the parodies were now closer to the originals. Also, the accordion was no longer used in every song, but only where deemed appropriate or comically inappropriate. The album is also notable for being the first album released by Yankovic to include a polka medley of hit songs. A similar pastiche of hit songs, set to polka music, has since appeared on nearly all of Yankovic's albums.

"Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D was met with mostly positive reviews and peaked at number seventeen on the Billboard 200 and number sixty-one in Australia. The album also produced one of Yankovic's most famous singles, "Eat It" (a parody of Michael Jackson's "Beat It"), which peaked at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100. This song was Yankovic's highest-charting single until "White & Nerdy" from his 2006 album Straight Outta Lynwood peaked at number nine in the October 21, 2006 Billboard charts. "Eat It" also charted at number one in Australia, making it Yankovic's only number one single in any country. The album also produced two minor US hits, "King of Suede", which peaked at number sixty-two, and "I Lost on Jeopardy", which peaked at number eighty-one. The album was Yankovic's first Gold record, and went on to be certified Platinum for sales of over one million copies in the United States. "Eat It" won a Grammy Award for Best Comedy Performance Single or Album, Spoken or Musical in 1985.

Recording
In October 1983, Yankovic began recording his second album at Santa Monica Sound Recorders, in Santa Monica, California. To produce it, he brought in former McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer, who also produced Yankovic's first album. Backing Yankovic were Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz on drums, Steve Jay on bass, and Jim West on guitar. During the first recording session for the album, five original songs were recorded: "Nature Trail to Hell", "Mr. Popeil", "Buy Me a Condo", "Midnight Star", and "That Boy Could Dance". Two months later, Yankovic began recording the five parodies and polka medley that would appear on the album: "Eat It", "King of Suede", "I Lost on Jeopardy", "Theme from Rocky XIII (The Rye or the Kaiser)", "The Brady Bunch", and "Polkas on 45".

Every song on Yankovic's debut album was played on an accordion, accompanied by bass, guitar, and drums. On In 3-D, Yankovic decided to restrict the accordion to certain sections, most notably the polka medley "Polkas on 45". In the "Ask Al" section of his web site, Yankovic explained: "Nowadays, I only use it on original songs where I feel an accordion is appropriate, and on parody songs where I feel an accordion is [comically] inappropriate ... and of course, on the polka medleys. I'm not really downplaying the accordion at all – I usually feature the accordion on three or four songs every album, which is three or four more accordion-based songs than most Top 40 albums have!"

"'It's kind of a backlash from the first album, where we had accordion on everything. It just became a little overwhelming to me. For a while I was relegating the accordion to just the polka medleys. I'm probably going to be using a bit more accordion in the future; I get letters from people saying they miss the accordion on the records.'"

Originals
One of the first originals recorded for the album was "Midnight Star", a loving ode to fictional supermarket tabloids. The liner notes to Permanent Record state that a Weekly World News article about the "Incredible Frog Boy" helped to inspire the song. According to Yankovic, most of the tabloid headlines were real. He spent several weeks collecting and looking through old tabloids to find inane titles. Initially, he thought that "Midnight Star" should have been the lead single for the album, but later relented and released "Eat It" instead. "Buy Me a Condo" is a style parody of Bob Marley and the reggae genre in general.

"Mr. Popeil" is a song discussing the inventor Sam Popeil (the father of inventor Ron Popeil) and his myriad inventions of varying usefulness. Musically, it is a style parody of the B-52s, which Robert Christgau wrote "exploits Yankovic's otherwise fatal resemblance to Fred Schneider." One of the backing vocalists on the track is Ron Popeil's sister, Lisa Popeil. When recording the song, Yankovic came across an article about Lisa Popeil and her singing career and later asked her if she would be interested in appearing in the song, to which she agreed.

The last original song to be recorded for the album was "Nature Trail to Hell", about a fictional slasher film "in 3-D"; 3D film had enjoyed a brief resurgence in 1981–83, with the likes of Parasite, Friday the 13th Part III and Amityville 3-D being successful 3-D horrors. At the 3:40 mark, the song has a backward message that says "Satan eats Cheez Whiz!" This, in turn, was a parody of the Satanic backmasking scare during the early 1980s. Online magazine Pitchfork Media has alluded to the song several times, once comparing it to "Thrill Kill" by the Damned, and another time sarcastically calling the song a "classic".

Parodies and polka
The first parody recorded for the album was "The Brady Bunch", a parody of "The Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats, in which the narrator expresses his dislike of the sitcom The Brady Bunch. The song also contains a lyrical adaptation of the "Brady Bunch Theme Song", something that Yankovic would later do in his "Money for Nothing/Beverly Hillbillies" Dire Straits parody from UHF (1989).

On the same day that "The Brady Bunch" was recorded, Yankovic started working on "I Lost on Jeopardy", a parody of "Jeopardy" by the Greg Kihn Band. The song describes a situation in which the narrator loses spectacularly on the game show Jeopardy!. Show announcer Don Pardo lends his voice to a segment of the song. In order to create the parody, Yankovic cleared the idea not only with Greg Kihn, but also with Merv Griffin, who created the show. Don Pardo, Art Fleming, and Kihn all appeared in the music video. Kihn, the composer of the original song, was extremely pleased and flattered by the parody. In 2009, Kihn wrote a blog on his MySpace called "Weird Al and Mailbox Money", in which he complimented Yankovic's comedy and explained the mechanics of how a parody works. Kihn referred to the royalty checks he still receives from "I Lost on Jeopardy" as "Mailbox Money".

The next parodies to be recorded were "Theme from Rocky XIII (The Rye or the Kaiser)", a parody of Survivor's "Eye of the Tiger", about a washed-up Rocky Balboa who now runs a deli and occasionally beats up on the liverwurst; and "King of Suede", a parody of the Police's "King of Pain", about a clothing store owner who claims the titular title. In order to research information for the latter, Yankovic would walk around in fabric stores taking notes. He later remarked, "I got a lot of nasty stares from store managers."

The final parody recorded for the album was "Eat It", a parody of Michael Jackson's "Beat It", about an exasperated parent whose picky child is refusing to eat. Yankovic formulated the idea during a brainstorming session between himself, Robert K. Weiss, and his manager, Jay Levey. They were bouncing ideas off one another until suddenly "[they] had the whole thing written." Although he knew that the best way to get permission to parody a song was through the official songwriter, Yankovic was unsure what type of reaction he would get from Jackson when presented with the parody lyrics. However, Jackson allegedly thought it was a "funny idea", and allowed the parody. In the mockumentary The Compleat Al, there is a scene portraying the fictitious meeting of Yankovic and Jackson. Musically, the parody is slightly different from the original, being set in a changed key, comic sound effects, and an Eddie Van Halen-inspired guitar solo from Yankovic's producer, Rick Derringer.

"Eat It" was Yankovic's first—and, until "Smells Like Nirvana" (1992), his only—Top Forty hit, peaking at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100. It was also Yankovic's highest-charting single until "White & Nerdy" reached number nine on the October 21, 2006, Billboard chart. "Eat It" was a worldwide hit, even managing to peak at number one in Australia. For many years, Yankovic became known colloquially as "The 'Eat It' guy." He referred to this sarcastically on his own personal Twitter; at one point, Al's Twitter Bio read: "You know ... the Eat It guy."

One of the last songs recorded for the album was "Polkas on 45". The song, whose title is a take on the novelty act Stars on 45, is a medley of popular rock songs from the 1960s and 1970s. "Polkas on 45" evolved from an early polka medley that Yankovic had played when opening for new wave band Missing Persons in 1982. This early version included parts of various new wave songs, including "Jocko Homo" by Devo, "Homosapien" by Pete Shelley, "Sex Junkie" by Plasmatics, "T.V.O.D." by the Normal, "Bad Boys Get Spanked" by the Pretenders, "TV Party" by Black Flag, "Janitor" by Suburban Lawns, and "People Who Died" by Jim Carroll. After being asked how he picked the songs to include, Yankovic responded, "I just pick songs that sound slightly better done polka style—the way God intended."

Critical reception
The album received a score of four and a half stars from AllMusic, with Eugene Chadbourne saying, "With an album behind him, Weird Al Yankovic makes much of the improvements expected of new artists when they get a second crack at a release a year later." Christopher Thelen from The Daily Vault wrote that "All in all, this disc held out the promise that Yankovic was destined for greatness ..." In addition, "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D was also named one of the Year's Top 10 Albums in 1984 by People magazine. Den of Geek even named In 3-D as one of the "10 Reasons Why 1984 Was a Great Year for Geek Movies"—despite it not being a movie. On November 1, 2011, Spin magazine named In 3-D as the seventeenth greatest comedy album of all time.

Not all reviews were positive, however. Robert Christgau of The Village Voice gave the album a C+ rating, calling it "Mad for the ears." Some critics were split on how Yankovic composed, performed, and recorded his parodies, compared to his 1983 debut album. The Daily Vault commented thus:

"Parody-wise, Yankovic still always managed to throw a different loop into the music to make it sound different than the song it was based on. (I happen to like the fact that Yankovic now writes parodies to sound exactly like the original song.) As a result, 'Theme From Rocky XIII' doesn't have the crispness as the original song from Survivor did, 'The Brady Bunch' is sped up (in both tempo and pitch) from Men Without Hats's 'The Safety Dance', and 'Eat It' takes Michael Jackson's 'Beat It' and raises the pitch."

Many of the songs and singles from In 3-D would later appear on greatest hits albums. "Eat It" and "I Lost on Jeopardy" appeared both on Yankovic's first greatest hits album (1988) and on The Essential "Weird Al" Yankovic (2009); the latter also included "Polkas on 45". Seven of the album's songs ("Polkas on 45", "Midnight Star", "Eat It", "Mr. Popeil", "I Lost on Jeopardy", "Buy Me a Condo", and "King of Suede") appeared in Yankovic's box set Permanent Record: Al in the Box.

At the 27th Grammy Awards in 1985, "Weird Al" Yankovic won his first Grammy Award, the Best Comedy Performance Single or Album, Spoken or Musical, for his hit single "Eat It".

Commercial performance
"Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D was released on February 28, 1984. On April 28, it peaked at number 17, where it remained for three consecutive weeks. In 3-D spent a total of twenty-three weeks on the chart. It was also successful in Australia, where it peaked at number 61 on the album chart. Many of the album's singles also went on to be successful. "Eat It" eventually sold over a half a million copies, peaked at number twelve domestically on the Billboard Hot 100, and was certified Gold. It was also a worldwide hit, peaking at number thirty-six in the United Kingdom and number one in Australia. As of March 2012, "Eat It" is currently Yankovic's only number one single in any country. "King of Suede" and "I Lost on Jeopardy", the album's follow up singles, peaked on the Hot 100 at numbers 61 and 82, respectively.

On April 30, 1984, two months after its release, the album was certified Gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), making it Yankovic's first Gold record. On August 18, 1995, it was certified Platinum by the RIAA.

Personnel
Credits adapted from LP liner notes, except where noted.

Band members
 * "Weird Al" Yankovic – vocals, accordion, piano, synthesizer
 * Jim West – guitars
 * Steve Jay – bass guitar, banjo, talking drums
 * Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz – drums, percussion

Additional musicians
 * Rick Derringer – guitar, mandolin; backing vocals
 * Lisa Popeil – female background vocals
 * Pattie Brooks – female background vocals
 * Petsye Powell – female background vocals
 * Andrea Robinson – female background vocals
 * Bob Tebow – bass vocals
 * Pat Regan – synthesizer, piano
 * Jimmy Zavala – saxophone
 * Warren Luening – trumpet
 * Joel Peskin – clarinet
 * Jim Self – tuba
 * Joel Miller – bongos
 * "Musical Mike" Kieffer – musical hands
 * Don Pardo – spoken word vocal (track 5)

Technical
 * Rick Derringer – producer
 * Tony Papa – engineer
 * Lane/Donald – art direction
 * Jim Heimann – cover illustration
 * Jay Pope – cover photo

title: "Weird Al" Yankovic in 3-D


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"Weird Al" Yankovic (album)

"Weird Al" Yankovic is the debut studio album by American parodist Alfred "Weird Al" Yankovic. The album was the first of many produced by former The McCoys guitarist Rick Derringer. Mostly recorded in March 1982, the album was released by Rock 'n Roll Records as an LP and on Compact Cassette in 1983.

Consisting of five direct parodies and seven original songs, "Weird Al" Yankovic parodies pop and rock music of the late 1970s and early 1980s, and satirizes American culture and experiences of the same time period. Nearly half of the album is made up of parodies based on the works of Toni Basil, Joan Jett, Stevie Nicks, the Knack and Queen. Yankovic's trademark instrument—the accordion—is used on all songs featured on the album.

Fueled by the underground success of the singles "My Bologna" and "Another One Rides the Bus", the album charted at No. 139 on the Billboard 200. Critically, the album received a lukewarm reception, with many reviewers feeling that Yankovic was a throw-away act who would not be able to overcome the stigma of a novelty record.

Production
After hearing Yankovic's parody of his song "I Love Rock 'n' Roll", "I Love Rocky Road", songwriter Jake Hooker suggested to guitarist Rick Derringer that he would be the perfect producer for the burgeoning parodist. Agreeing, Derringer used his music industry prestige and convinced Cherokee Studios to record an album's worth of Yankovic's songs gratis, to be paid from sales revenue. Then, in March 1982, "Weird Al" Yankovic stepped into a professional recording studio for the first time and recorded nine of the songs for "Weird Al" Yankovic. "The huge irony of my life; [...] it was difficult for me to get signed to a record deal back in early 80s because all the executives were saying 'Oh, you do that ... novelty music. You're gonna have maybe one hit if you're lucky and then [...] you'll go right to oblivion. You know, nobody'll ever hear from you again.'"

After encountering difficulty picking up a record label for the first-time album, Jay Levey (a Los Angeles artists' manager) provided KIQQ-FM with a copy of "I Love Rocky Road". Impressing the program director of the Top 40 station, he played it immediately; "I Love Rocky Road" was one of the most-requested songs by the next day. At the same time, Rock 'n Roll Records president Tad Dowd had been trying to convince parent company Scotti Brothers Records to sign the 22-year-old Yankovic. The positive furor over the KIQQ playtest provided Dowd with the leverage needed to convince Scotti Bros. to offer a contract for Yankovic's first album.

Scotti Brothers Records' contract planned an April 1983 release date for a twelve-track album: "I Love Rocky Road" and eight other tracks were already recorded, "Another One Rides the Bus" would be the original 1980 live recording from The Dr. Demento Show, and the last two songs ("Ricky" and "Buckingham Blues") would be recorded at Scotti Brothers' own studios in Santa Monica, California in February 1983.

To promote the album, Levey coordinated a three-week tour in late Summer 1983 across the United States' East Coast and Midwest for both Yankovic and Dr. Demento. Promoted as ""An Evening of Dementia with Dr. Demento in Person Plus 'Weird Al' Yankovic", Demento opened with recorded hits and short comedy films from his show before introducing Yankovic and the band. During their three weeks, the tour played in several famous clubs, including The Bottom Line in New York City.

The album cover for "Weird Al" Yankovic was designed by Brazilian artist Rogerio. The band chose Rogerio because of his "Mad magazine-like drawing style." The cover art specifically features individual elements that correspond with each of the album's twelve songs.

Composition
"Weird Al" Yankovic is the only album in Yankovic's discography to use the accordion in every song; in subsequent albums it is only used where deemed appropriate or wholly inappropriate for comedic effect. "Ricky" is a parody of "Mickey" by Toni Basil; an ode to I Love Lucy with Yankovic performing as Ricky and Tress MacNeille as Lucy. "Gotta Boogie" is a play on words discussing a man with a "boogie" on his finger and his quandary therein. "I Love Rocky Road" is a parody of Arrows' "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" made famous by Joan Jett; in the song the narrator expresses feelings about the titular ice cream flavor. "Buckingham Blues" is a blues song satirizing the socialite lifestyle of the Prince and Princess of Wales (Prince Charles and Diana). Originally, the song was going to be a parody of "Jack & Diane" by John Mellencamp; worried about spoiling a Jack and Diane movie deal, Mellencamp shot down the parody. Yankovic considered tweaking the "Jack & Diane" melody to avoid the song being a true parody, but decided against it and later rewrote it as an original song. Answering a fan in 1998, Yankovic replied that he would not rewrite and rerecord the song in light of the death of Diana. He would later perform a parody of "Jack & Diane" titled "Homer and Marge" for a 2003 episode of The Simpsons called "Three Gays of the Condo".

"Happy Birthday" is a style parody of Tonio K, one of Yankovic's favorite artists. The song is a morbidly depressing birthday song detailing ails of the world, including poverty, nuclear holocaust, and eventual solar cataclysm. Only seeing two popular birthday songs at the time—"Happy Birthday to You" by Patty and Mildred J. Hill, and "Birthday" by the Beatles—Yankovic decided to write his own "severely twisted version of one." "Stop Draggin' My Car Around" is a parody of "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" by Stevie Nicks; the lament of an otherwise "cool guy" forced to repeatedly save his 1964 Plymouth car from impoundment due to illegal parking, shame, and non-payment. "My Bologna" is a parody of "My Sharona" by the Knack; the narrator talks about his obsession with bologna sausage. This is a re-recording of the song; the original Capitol Records single version would not appear on a "Weird Al" album until the 1994 box set Permanent Record: Al in the Box. "The Check's in the Mail" parodies business-related prevarications, exampling avoidance, litigation, and the titular payment delay. "Another One Rides the Bus" is a parody of "Another One Bites the Dust" by Queen; the narrator laments about a crowded public bus. This is the original 1980 recording from The Dr. Demento Show. "I'll Be Mellow When I'm Dead" is a rejection of the stereotypical attitudes and accoutrements of the hippie/yuppie lifestyles.

"Such a Groovy Guy" parodies narcissism specifically noting fashion, demeanor, dominance and submission, and relationship breakup. Yankovic wrote the song for a woman he was dating in homage of her previous boyfriend who, upon the breakup asked her, "I’m such a groovy guy! Why would you break up with me?" Out of concern the individual may not be aware of his status, Yankovic does not identify him. "Mr. Frump in the Iron Lung" is an audience favorite from Yankovic's days playing in coffeehouses at Cal Poly; the song describes the rather lopsided relationship between the narrator and the eponymous "Mr. Frump" in his iron lung, until the latter's death. The sound of the iron lung is an accordion's air release valve. "It's Still Billy Joel to Me", Yankovic's 1980 parody of Billy Joel's "It's Still Rock and Roll to Me", was originally planned for this album. Wary of the song being considered "dated" three years later, and doubtful that Joel would give his blessing, the band never bothered to ask. "Yoda", Yankovic's parody of the Kinks' song "Lola", was written in 1980 (during the initial theatre run of The Empire Strikes Back) and was a "huge hit" on The Dr. Demento Show. However, the complexities of receiving permission from filmmaker George Lucas and the Kinks' publishers delayed its release until 1985.

Promotion and tour
To promote the album, the songs "Ricky" and "I Love Rocky Road" were released as singles with accompanying music videos. Yankovic embarked on his first official concert tour, officially named "An Evening of Dementia with Dr. Demento in Person Plus "Weird Al" Yankovic", which began at the Bottom Line in New York City on May 21, 1983 and ended June 10, 1983 at Mickey's in Milwaukee.

Critical reception
Eugene Chadbourne, reviewer for AllMusic, felt that while "Weird Al" Yankovic was a detailed harbinger of parody to come, the album does not hold up well on its own. Chadbourne extolled most of the parodies ("Another One Rides the Bus", "My Bologna", "I Love Rocky Road") for their comedic value in contrast with their originals. However, also according to Chadbourne, "Ricky" lacks the comedic connection Yankovic cultivates in later albums, and the original songs "may not seem like they were written in ten minutes, but the ideas behind them don't seem to involve that much contemplation. [They're] like little bits of puff [whose ...] impact on the flow of an album side is more like ballast."

Introducing Yankovic as the guest DJ for All Songs Considered on National Public Radio in 2006, host Bob Boilen opined that upon his debut, Yankovic "seemed the epitome of a throw-away novelty act". Reviewing Yankovic in 2008, Brian Raftery of Wired magazine wrote that "Ricky" introduced the world to "an accordion-playing spaz with a coif like Rick James and a voice like an urgent goose." Raftery noted that in 1983, Yankovic was considered a fad of the time—"like parachute pants and Contras"—and "thoroughly disposable." Musical databasing and review websites AllMusic and Artistdirect rated "Weird Al" Yankovic three and a half out of five stars.

Personnel
Credits adapted from LP liner notes, except where noted.

Musicians
 * "Weird Al" Yankovic – accordion, lead vocals, backing vocals
 * Rick Derringer - guitars, backing vocals
 * Steve Jay – bass guitar, backing vocals
 * Jon "Bermuda" Schwartz – drums, percussion, backing vocals
 * Richard Bennett – banjo, ukulele; guitar solo (track 10); additional guitar
 * William K. Anderson – saxophone, harmonica
 * Joel Miller – bongos
 * "Musical Mike" Kieffer – musical hands
 * Dorothy Remsen – harp
 * Tress MacNeille – voice of Lucy (track 1)
 * Dawn Smithey – female backing vocals
 * Zaidee Cole – female backing vocals
 * Joan Manners – female backing vocals
 * Jay Levey – male backing vocals
 * Damaskas (Dan Hollombe) – male backing vocals
 * Jake (Jake Hooker) – male backing vocals
 * The Doctor (Dr. Demento) – male backing vocals

Technical
 * Rick Derringer – producer
 * Tony Papa – engineer (tracks 1, 4)
 * Peter Kelsey – engineer (tracks 2–3, 5–12)
 * Ted Jensen – mastering

title: "Weird Al" Yankovic (album)


text:
User:Maradine

Haha, Maradine is a dork.

''We concur. --mgmt''

title: User:Maradine


text:
The Fionavar Tapestry

The Fionavar Tapestry is a book series of fantasy novels by Canadian author Guy Gavriel Kay, published between 1984 and 1986. The novels are set in both contemporary Toronto and the secondary world of Fionavar.

Premise
Five University of Toronto senior law and medical students who are drawn into the 'first world of the Tapestry' by the mage Loren Silvercloak. Once there, each discovers their own role and destiny in the framework of an ancient conflict.

Primary

 * The Summer Tree
 * The Wandering Fire
 * The Darkest Road

Secondary
Ysabel, while not part of The Fionavar Tapestry proper, features two of the same characters and often refers to the events of the trilogy.

University of Toronto students

 * Kevin Laine (Liadon) is described have fair-coloured hair, and is witty, bright, outgoing and spirited. He has fair-coloured hair. He is characterised to be often intensely and deeply affected by acts of love.
 * Paul Schafer (Pwyll Twiceborn) is described to be highly intelligent and withdrawn. At the beginning of the story, he is haunted by the death of his girlfriend in a car accident that he believes was his fault.
 * Dave Martyniuk (Davor) is a character who is a star basketball player who carries emotional scars from his Eastern European immigrant father's rough treatment of him as a child. Throughout the story, he has difficulty accepting or offering friendship.
 * Kimberly Ford (The Seer) is portrayed to be quiet, intelligent, sensitive, but decisive.
 * Jennifer Lowell (Guinevere) is described to have green eyes, beautiful but appears cool and reserved. In the backstory, she is a former lover of Kevin's, but they remain good friends.

Arthurian characters
The story borrows elements of medieval literature its plot, particularly King Arthur, who is known to the characters in the books as "The Warrior", Lancelot and Guinevere. Parts of the story focuses on the reenactment of the Arthurian stories.

The Deities

 * The Weaver is the creator of the tapestry, the fabric of time, causality and existence, and all the worlds within the trilogy. They are described by the inhabitants of Fionavar as "hands-off" deity, who acts only to bring about events required by fate (the "weave of the Tapestry") and who otherwise does not interfere with free will. It is mentioned that The Weaver's only law is that the gods cannot act directly upon the Tapestry without being summoned and bound by mortals to do so, an act that always requires sacrifice, a rule which is enforced by other gods if it is violated. The gods can, however, act indirectly by choosing mortal champions and bestowing gifts and powers upon them.
 * Mörnir is the lord of the summer tree, the patron god of the royal house of the High Kingdom of Brennin. He is described to be a sky god who is connected with ravens and oak trees.
 * Dana is the goddess of the earth and the moon and written as the "mother, sister, daughter, bride of the God". She is stated to be an earth mother deity worshipped by the Priestesses of Gwen Ystrat, the ruler of blood magic and the avarlith, the power derived from the earth. Her name is directly inspired by the Irish goddess Danu.
 * Ceinwen is a goddess of the wood and the hunt who is revered by the Dalrei, a tribal people of the plains of Fionavar. She is seen to kill all men of Fionavar who witness her hunting.
 * Cernan of the Beasts is the god of animals and wild things who is also revered by the Dalrei. He is characterised to be crowned with the antlers of a stag. His name is derived from the Celtic deity Cernunnos.
 * Macha and Nemain are twin goddesses of war who are directly inspired by the Irish mythological figures associated with The Morrigan.
 * Liranan is the god of the sea, whose name is derived from the Celtic deity Manannan mac Lir.
 * Owein and the Wild Hunt is a group of once-mortal kings who together comprise a cosmic force of randomness and wildness; their existence is said to be necessary for mortals to have free will. In the books, they are described to be bound to the Cave of the Sleepers and can be woken and summoned by the artifact Owein's Horn but must be led by a mortal child who becomes one of them and rides with them. The group is inspired by the Wild Hunt of European folklore.
 * Rakoth Maugrim is the renegade god, characterised as the enemy of the Weaver. In the series, he is seen to be jealous of the Weaver's creation and breaks into Fionavar just as the Weaver completes his work. Since he came from outside the Weaver's Loom, he has no thread in the Tapestry and cannot be destroyed. A thousand years ago before the trilogy is set, the combined might of all the races of Fionavar came against him, and after a tremendous battle, they defeated him and chained him beneath the mountain Rangat. His escape begins the events of the trilogy.
 * Galadan is the lord of the Andain, which is defined as an offspring of a mating between god and mortal. He is seen to be a shapechanger who can take the form of a malevolent black wolf with a silver splash on its head. He is described to be nihilistic.
 * Flidais is another Andain who lives in Pendaran Wood who claims to have lived as the legendary bard Taliesin in the trilogy's version of Earth.
 * Fordaetha of Ruk is the ice queen of the Barrens in the far north. She is seen to be able to freeze men by touching them.

Other characters

 * Darien is the son of Jennifer and Rakoth Maugrim, Darien is described to be precisely balanced between Dark and Light. He is seen to take the form of a white owl.
 * Ailell dan Art is the High King of Brennin. He has two sons, the elder Aileron, who is in exile. The younger Diarmuid is described to be a fearless and elegant fighter, but also frivolous, impulsive, and shallow. Diarmuid falls in love with and is eventually betrothed to Sharra in the series, who is known as the Dark Rose of Cathal.
 * Council of the Mages, which includes Loren Silvercloak, and his source Matt Sören, a dwarf; Metran, First Mage, and his source Denbarra; Teyrnon, and his source Barak. According to the story, each source is bound to the mage he serves by magical rituals and oaths, and provides from his lifeforce the energy needed to power the mage's magic works. This link can be drawn upon even to the source's death, although this will then render the mage permanently powerless. The Book of Nilsom (a grimoire belonging to a mad mage of the past) is a book in the trilogy that is described to include secret knowledge of an abominable method by which a mage may gain power from more than one source. The Council of the Mages is headquartered in Brennin and said to include up to seven mages. At the time of the story, there are only three.
 * The Dalrei are seen to be plains-dwelling tribes of nomadic hunters who both hunt and guard the vast herds of eltor in the northern part of Fionavar. Each tribe is led by its chieftain, helped by the tribe's shaman, who is ritually blinded in youth the better to focus the sight of his inner eye. The Third Tribe, under the leadership of Ivor dan Bannor and their shaman, Gereint is a major character in the trilogy. Ivor's wife Leith, and their children Levon, Tabor and Cordeliane also play important parts.
 * The lios alfar or Light Elves, live in Daniloth, which is described as a beautiful land in the northwest corner of the land which is wrapped in a confusing mist as protection from Maugrim and others who wish them evil. The lios alfar are said to be Maugrim's bitterest foes, "most hated by the dark, for their name is light" (ST, p. 138).
 * The dwarves dwell in the mountains near the twin peaks of Banir Lök and Banir Tal. Before the exposition of the story, fierce fighters have recently been led into questionable acts by Kaen and Blöd.
 * The Men of Eridu, a proud and independent race, have been wiped out by a mysterious poisonous rain before the beginning of the trilogy. The only remaining man is Faebur, who is in exile and thus not present during the rainfall.
 * The Paraiko, the peaceful giants of the mountains. In the story's setting, the ancient Paraiko long ago bound Owein and the Wild Hunt to obey Connla's Horn. The Paraiko refuse violence even in self-defense; in exchange, they are protected by the curse of the Paraiko, drawn down on whoever sheds their blood.

Creatures

 * Avaia, a black swan with vicious teeth and an odor of corruption who is servant of Maugrim.
 * Curdardh, nicknamed "the Eldest", who is a metamorphosing earth-demon of rock and stone who dwells in and guards Pendaran Wood.
 * Imraith-Nimphais, which is a red unicorn capable of flight, a gift of Dana for the war against Maugrim.
 * Uathach, an "enhanced" urgach who, with Galadan, directs Maugrim's forces in battle.
 * Urgach, who are large powerful warriors of the dark.
 * Svart alfar, which are small, loathsome, dispensable dark creatures that eat men and elves.

Themes
Kay's central concept in the novels is that Fionavar is the first of worlds, particularly in a mythological sense; the sagas and tales of other worlds originate (or culminate) in this most primary of settings. Because of this, what happens in Fionavar ripples into other worlds—thus, the victory or defeat of Rakoth Maugrim has immediate importance for Fionavar and implications for the fictional Earth within the trilogy.

The story puts an emphases on the importance of free will, as demonstrated in Jennifer's decisions to keep Darien and later to send Lancelot away, Finn's choice to follow his destiny with Owein and the Wild Hunt, Paul and Kevin's acceptance of the role of sacrifice (though in different ways), Diarmuid's decision to take the final battle with Uathach on himself enabling Arthur to survive the last battle, and the importance of Darien's ultimate choice of allegiance at the end. When the Baelrath (the "Warstone"), a ring given to Kim by Ysanne which is crafted to call various powers into the battle against the Dark, demands that Kim summon and bind the secret power in the Dwarves' sacred lake of Calor Diman, she refuses due to her characterised moral reasons.

Another theme is that of forgiveness. For example, Arthur has long since forgiven Guinevere and Lancelot; throughout the series, one of Paul's goal is to learn to forgive himself for his girlfriend Rachel's death; Galadan, in the end, is forgiven his evil past and offered a second chance; Darien at the end understands his mother's treatment of him and forgives her.

One prominent theme is power and the price one pays for it. Often in the book, the price for power lies with someone else, as witnessed by the sources to the mages; as well as Kim's summoning power, the fee is often paid by whatever or whoever was summoned.

Real world
Stonehenge is featured in the second book. The ancient caves of Dun Maura are inspired by the Oracle at Delphi as well as prehistoric caves such as Lascaux. The association of blood with magic (Kevin/Liadon, the avarlith) are inspired by ancient mythologies. The Dalrei are shown to share many aspects of Native American lifestyle, beliefs and ritual, including being mobile people without permanent settlements, relying on wild hoof stock for most of their resources, and their use of totems, dream quests, shamans.

Tolkien
Fionavar has many similarities to J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, and may have been directly influenced by it (Kay worked with Christopher Tolkien to edit The Silmarillion and prepare it for publication). The map of Fionavar shares many similarities to that of Tolkien's world.

Myths and legends
The stories incorporate, directly or indirectly, several other myths, the most direct being King Arthur, with Arthur, Lancelot, and Guinevere/Jennifer, who in the story works out their love triangle and atones for their sins. Kay uses a fragment of the Arthurian cycle, the May Babies, to explain Arthur's punishment of repeated rebirth/death in battle against evil, as shown in "[T]he Weaver had marked him down for a long unwinding doom. A cycle of war and expiation under many names, and in many worlds, that redress be made for the children and for love" (WF, p.40). The grey dog who fights Galadan to protect Paul is shown to be Cavall, a dog from King Arthur's stories. Lancelot's encounter with Leyse of the lios alfar, her love for him, and subsequent departure by boat for the lios alfar's home in the West is a retelling of the tale of Lancelot and Elaine of Astolat. When Leyse of the Swan Mark, a member of the lios alfar, gives up her life as a result of her hopeless love for Lancelot, she lies down in a boat and sails away, which is a retelling of Tennyson's "The Lady of Shalott," and the story of Elaine.

The powerful oak known as the Summer Tree is similar to Yggdrasil, the World Ash Tree of Norse mythology. Norse elements also appear in Mörnir, who, with his twin ravens Thought and Memory (Odin's Huginn and Muninn), and the epithet "of the Thunder," is inspired by a combination of Thor and Odin. The lios alfar (light elves) and svart alfar (dark elves) are influenced by the Scandinavian Álfar.

The Cauldron of Khath Meigol and its powers of resurrection are inspired by Welsh mythology's tale of the Cauldron of Annwn. A number of the deities may have Celtic or Welsh roots: Paul is known as Pwyll after his sacrifice, while Macha and Nemain are directly taken from Irish mythology. The wild boar that attacks Kevin, marking him as Liadon, closely resembles the Twrch Trwyth. Cader Sedat, the island where the renegade mage Metran works his dark magic in The Wandering Fire, is the analogue of Caer Sidi from the poem Preiddeu Annwfn, a poem that is, in the trilogy, ascribed to Taliesin, one of the names used by Flidais.

The Wild Hunt was a folk myth prevalent in former times across Germany, the Sub-Roman Britain and also Scandinavia.

The entrapment of Rakoth Maugrim the Unraveller is similar to one of the Four Great Classical Novels of Chinese literature, The Journey to the West. In the prologue of The Summer Tree, Rakoth Maugrim is bound by five wardstones and imprisoned under Mount Rangat.

Awards

 * The Wandering Fire won the 1987 Prix Aurora Award in the English category.
 * The Wandering Fire won the 1987 Casper Award for best speculative fiction.
 * The author was nominated for a Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Adult Literature in 1985 for The Summer Tree.

title: The Fionavar Tapestry


text:
American gamelan

American gamelan could refer to both instruments and music; the term has been used to refer to gamelan-style instruments built by Americans, as well as to music written by American composers to be played on gamelan instruments. American gamelan music usually has some relationship to the gamelan traditions of Indonesia, as found primarily on the islands of Java and Bali in a variety of styles. Many American compositions can be played on Indonesian or American-made instruments. Indonesian gamelan can be made of a variety of materials, including bronze, iron, or bamboo. American gamelan builders used all sorts of materials including aluminum, tin cans, car hubcaps, steel, antique milk-strainers, etc. American gamelan may also describe the original music of American ensembles working with traditional instruments.

Dennis Murphy is often credited as being the first American to build instruments modeled on those of the Javanese gamelan, circa 1960. This work led to his doctoral thesis at Wesleyan University, entitled "The Autochthonous American Gamelan". Murphy started a gamelan group with his instruments at Goddard College in Vermont in 1967; that group later became the community-based Plainfield Village Gamelan.

There have been other American builders of gamelan as well, on both the East and West coasts. Following Murphy's model was Barbara Benary, who built the instruments still used today for Gamelan Son of Lion. On the West coast, the airline industry made aluminum affordable, and this became the material of choice for several gamelan builders. Daniel Schmidt, a composer-builder, built an ensemble called "The Berkeley Gamelan" (independent of the University of California, Berkeley) as well as the set of instruments that would develop into Gamelan Pacifica in Seattle. Paul Dresher also used aluminum.

Harrison and Colvig
Harrison worked with John Cage in the 40s on percussion compositions with found metal objects, resulting in alternate scaled music. Lou Harrison and William Colvig, who met in 1967 in San Francisco, built a set of tuned percussion instruments that they called "an American gamelan" in order to differentiate it from Indonesian ensembles. It was first used in Harrison's work La Koro Sutro in 1972. These are now referred to as "Old Granddad", and Harrison wrote some pieces that can only be played on this set, including La Koro Sutro. Lou Harrison spent some time with a Javanese gamelan in 1976 (when Kyai Udan Mas, now at the University of California, Berkeley, was in residence at San Jose State University). This inspired him and his partner William Colvig to build a gamelan modelled specifically on Udan Mas (in instrumentation, although not in tuning). For this he used aluminum primarily, although the "great gong" was eventually fashioned out of iron.

Colvig and Harrison built two large "double" gamelan (meaning that there were instruments in both the pelog and slendro tunings). The first was Si Betty, named for the financial benefactor Betty Freeman. Si Betty was bequeathed to Jody Diamond, and was in residence at Harvard University from 2007 to 2017; in 2018, Si Betty moved to Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA. The second was named "Si Darius/Si Madeleine" after Darius Milhaud and his wife, because it was while holding the Milhaud chair at Mills College (where the gamelan still resides) that Harrison and Colvig had the support for its construction; a group there (as of 2008) is directed by Daniel Schmidt. Lou Harrison was well known for his compositions for gamelan; he was particularly adept at combining western instruments with his Javanese-style gamelan ensemble. (The scores for all of his gamelan works are published by the American Gamelan Institute).

Listening

 * New Music America 1981: A Concert of New Gamelan Music (June 13, 1981)
 * A New Gamelan, audio recording of Lou Harrison and William Colvig describing the theory and construction of one of the first American Gamelans, followed by a performance on it (free registration required at RadiOM)
 * A multimedia slideshow of Gamelan Si Betty at Harvard University

title: American gamelan