Music

17
Jun
2024

Happy MONDAY, everyone!!

Today is Icelandic Independence Day. Also called Icelandic National Day or simply ‘the seventeenth of June’, the day marks Iceland’s move to complete independence from Denmark. Iceland was proclaimed an independent republic on June 17th 1944.

Iceland actually gained independence from Denmark much earlier, on December 1st 1918 with the signing of the Act of Union with Denmark. The Act recognised Iceland as an independent state under the Danish crown.

The formation of the republic in 1944 was based on a clause in the 1918 Act which allowed for a change to the relationship between Iceland and Denmark in 1943.

The referendum was held in at the end of May 1944. Voters were asked whether the Union with Denmark should be abolished and whether to adopt a new republican constitution. Both measures were approved with more than 98% in favour and a voter turnout of 98.4%.

Although he would have preferred a different outcome in the referendum, King Christian X of Denmark sent a letter on June 17th 1944 congratulating Icelanders on forming their Republic.

The June 17th date was already a significant date in Iceland’s history as it is the birthday of Jón Sigurdsson who was the leader of the 19th century Icelandic independence movement which led to the 1918 Act of Union. Sigurdsson died in Copenhagen in 1879.

Juxtaposition…

Yesterday was Fathers’ Day

Today is the birthday, in 1957, of Philip Chevron, guitarist from Irish-British Celtic punk band The Pogues who scored the 1987 UK No.8 single ‘The Irish Rover’ and the 1987 UK No.2 single with Kirsty MaCcoll, ‘Fairytale Of New York’. Chevron died on October 8, 2013 in Dublin, Ireland from oesophageal cancer at age 56. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s11BuatTuXk

Posted by Tom in eighties music, Humor, Music
14
Jun
2024

The dawn breaks and with it FRIDAY!

Today is King Charles’ Birthday. Now those of you who pay attention will know that King Charles was actually born on 14 November, 1948. However, now that he has taken the throne he receives the privilege of celebrating his birthday not once, but twice every year.

It was the same with Queen Elizabeth. Queen’s Birthday was celebrated in June each year, even though the Queen’s birthday was on April 21st.

The idea behind the double birthday is that having a summer birthday means a higher chance of good weather during the Trooping the Color parade, which marks the official celebration of the monarch’s birthday in the UK. Trooping the Color is held outside Buckingham Palace on a Saturday in early June and has marked the celebration for over 270 years.

The King is the monarch of 15 countries, the United Kingdom and 14 commonwealth realms.

OOPS!!

Today is the birthday, in 1961, of George O’Dowd, (Boy George), English singer, songwriter, DJ, fashion designer and photographer. As lead singer of the Grammy and Brit Award winning Culture Club, he scored the 1983 UK No.1 & 1984 US No.1 single ‘Karma Chameleon’ and global hits ‘Do You Really Want To Hurt Me’, and ‘Time’ (Clock of the Heart). As a solo artists George had the 1987 UK No.1 single ‘Everything I Own’. He became a coach on The Voice UK in 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmcA9LIIXWw

Posted by Tom in eighties music, Humor, Music
13
Jun
2024

THURSDAY is a nice day

Today is the Feast of St. Anthony, a holiday in his hometown of Lisbon. It commemorates his death in 1231.

St. Anthony of Padua was born in Lisbon, Portugal to a wealthy family; his father was a captain in the Royal army. He was ordained as a priest and became inspired after meeting five Franciscan friars who were on their way to Muslim Morocco to preach the Gospel. A few months later he discovered that the monks were martyred and he joined the Franciscan order to follow in their path, adopting the name of Anthony, after Anthony the Great, who was one of the first monks and noted for his travels in desert lands.

Anthony’s life was changed when he was almost accidentally forced into giving a sermon. This uncovered his great gift for making speeches which led to Saint Francis asking him to travel around Italy preaching the Gospel which he did. He converted many people and became famed for his sermons.

In his hometown of Lisbon, festivities in his honor start on the evening of June 12th with a display of walking groups of singers and musicians, who parade along the Avenida da Liberdade. The celebration continues the next day with more processions and traditional dancing.

SIGNZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

Today is the birthday, in 1941, of Marv Tarplin, American guitarist and songwriter, best known as the guitarist for the Miracles from the 1950s through the early 1970s who co-wrote several of their biggest hits, including the 1965 Grammy Hall Of Fame inducted ‘The Tracks of My Tears’. He died aged 70 on 30 Sep 2011. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCwkZrj2VT4

Posted by Tom in doo-wop, Humor, Music, sixties and seventies
12
Jun
2024

In the middle is WEDNESDAY

Today is Philippine Independence Day. Known in the Philippines as ‘Araw ng Kasarinlan’, or ‘Day of Freedom’, this day commemorates the Philippine Declaration of Independence from Spain on June 12th 1898.

Since the middle of the sixteenth century, the Philippines had been part of the Spanish Empire. A secret group called ”Katipunan’ consisting Philippine activists who wanted independence had been uncovered in 1896. This led to the beginning of the struggle for independence.

By 1897, a truce had been signed between the revolutionaries and the Spanish with the leaders of the revolution accepting to be exiled outside the Philippines. In 1898, after attacks on Americans interests in the region by the Spanish during the Spanish-American War, the US gave support to the independence movement, bringing back the rebel leader Emilio Aguinaldo from exile, who rallied local Filipino support.

United against the Spanish with the American forces, over 300 hundred years of Spanish rule was brought to an end when Aguinaldo proclaimed the independence of the Philippines in Kawit, Cavite, on June 12th 1898.

Under the Treaty of Paris, Spain agreed to cede the Philippines to the United States for a payment of twenty million dollars. A year later, some Filipino’s started to feel that all that had happened is that Spanish rule had been replaced by American rule, leading to the Philippine–American War. The result of that was the suppression of Filipino insurrection and ongoing American occupation with limited self-rule.

It wasn’t until July 4th 1946 that the islands gained their full independence.

I couldn’t find any good videos of musicians with birthdays today, so here is the Spanglish version of the Ketchup Song. Go dance!!! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AMT698ArSfQ

Posted by Tom in Humor, Music, World
11
Jun
2024

Shiny TUESDAY

Today is King Kamehameha I Day, a public holiday in the State of Hawaii. It honors Kamehameha the Great, who unified the Kingdom of Hawai’i. Kamehameha is noted for uniting the Hawaiian Islands in 1810 and becoming Hawaii’s first king. He ruled until his death in 1819.

Kamehameha Day was established in 1872 by King Kamehameha V, the great-grandchild of Kamehameha, as a national holiday to honor the memory of Kamehameha.

All state and county offices throughout the state will be closed on June 11th in observance of the holiday on Kamehameha Day. Public transport may run on a modified schedule.

Since 1901, it has been a tradition to drape leis (Hawaiian floral garlands) from the statues of the King on the islands.

BADA Bing!!!!

I have reached an age where my mind says, “I can do that,” but my body says, “Try it and you’ll be sorry.”

My wife spent an hour at the salon, and when she came home, she got mad because I didn’t notice she had gotten her hair cut. But my spouse would have been REALLY MAD if she’d known I didn’t even notice she had left the house.

It only took 24 hours for your grandpa and crazy Uncle Jethro to spin it into “Jesus was convicted too.”

How difficult is it to get any 12 people to agree on any 1 thing? Now, multiply that by 34.

Stormy Daniels has set a new world record for pleasuring the most people in a single day.

Dear life, when I said “Can my day get any worse” it was a rhetorical question, not a challenge.

Whoever put the S in fastfood is a marketing genius.

At my age, I don’t often roll a joint, but when I do, it’s my ankle.

Does anyone know where I can get fresh ice cubes? I don’t want any of those frozen ones.

I completely misunderstood Pride Month. Who wants to buy 15 lions?

In honor of Pride Month, I’m using napkins from Chick-fil-A to clog the toilets at Hobby Lobby.

When a man says he will do anything for a woman he means fighting bad guys and killing dragons, not vacuuming or doing dishes.

If someone asks indignantly, “Do you know who my father is?” Answer, “Didn’t your mother tell you?”

Whoever named it “Parmesan Cheese” and not “Spaghetti Confetti” missed a great opportunity.

My half-brother and I are not allowed to play with chainsaws anymore.

A good Smart TV would increase the volume when you start eating something.

I find that the first 5 days after the weekend are always the hardest. (Well, for some people.)

People often mistake me for an adult because of my age.

Domesticity…

Today is the birthday, in 1864, of Richard Strauss, German composer and conductor best known for his tone poems and operas. Along with Gustav Mahler, he represents the late flowering of German Romanticism, in which pioneering subtleties of orchestration are combined with an advanced harmonic style. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Szdziw4tI9o

Posted by Tom in classical, Humor, Music