Muffin Bottoms [not] Just another WordPress weblog

04/27/2012

just made it onto iTunes, hint, hint…

Filed under: Academic,Humor,Mundane Or Sublime,Tech — admin @ 5:14 pm

“Technology’s nice but if you don’t have a story, forget it.”

—  Filmmaker Randy Ericksen

“Technology is great, but the story is greater.”

Ibid.

“Everyone wants to save us, and help us, but no one wants to know us.”

— 22 year old Lakota Songwriter and Producer Frank Waln who grew up at Rosebud.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/nativetrailblazers/2012/04/27/filmmaker-randy-ericksen-hip-hop-artist-frank-waln

OK, those quotes are unrelated to what I’m about to blog but I just found those very profound just minutes ago so I had to include them here.

So, I spell a special ed teacher about once a week for an hour and a half or so; and it’s this one middle schooler named ___ who has full-on autism, downs, and many other issues so he’s very low functioning. Essentially I just babysit him while he watches his favorite cartoons on VHS and he has a button that can start it or stop it and that’s it. He loves to stop it and laugh — then start it again, and watch some more, “rinse, repeat,” etc.

Every once in a while though, something most people don’t ever notice OR care about — he’ll grab my hand or arm really lightly to get my attention and then touch his nose, his teeth his ear or his foot, etc., and he’s willing to wait almost forever until I say what he just pointed to, and the moment I say it he laughs hysterically and grins from ear to ear and either points to something else to continue or goes back to clicking his videos.

A friend who works full-time with special ed issues just blogged that a kid just gave her a noogie which made me giggle so much I had to pen these thoughts immediately.

It really is the little things, huh?

🙂

http://www.reverbnation.com/play_now/song_12273051

SOFFTY FASNFFTOF (my debut folk full-length) just made it onto iTunes, hint, hint…

http://itunes.apple.com/us/album/soffty-fasnfftof/id522966480

[I lied didn’t I? Those quotes turned out to be “sublimely” pertinent!]

02/18/2012

Can’t Stop Thinking About Whitney’s Daughter Bobbi

Filed under: Mundane Or Sublime,News,Pop Culture — admin @ 2:56 pm

I lost my dad at 20, so I can relate a little bit to what Whitney Houston’s daughter  Bobbi Kristina ‘Krissi’ Brown must be going through right now. Wow.

I’ve never met her, or her folks, but I can’t stop thinking about all my own stuff because of this. It took me a decade and a half before I even began to start feeling right again after all that.

Anyhow, here’s a reprint from my Facebook page that I thought deserved a wider “audience.” Cheers, marco.

First time I ever heard of Whitney Houston (RIP) was when I had a gig at a place called Mystic Oral School which got some kids ready for Gaulludet University in DC, known as the deaf college. I was only 17 or so myself. They also tended to kids with autism and other “special needs.” We were hired there to headline an all-school dance.

Before we played was a dj who was running a singalong and this song “Greatest Love Of All” by Whitney was presented by almost every girl and several of the guys in the course of a couple hours. Most of the band split after sound-check to get ready for the show but I stayed to watch many of the performances. I’d never heard this song before that night but it brought shivers up my spine when some of these kids sang this song!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Love_of_All

And to think Clive Davis tried to talk Whitney out of adding this song to her rekkid. I’m sure the George Benson version before her was a fine tune, but it would’ve slept at the middle of the charts and went away probably had Whitney not championed this song. Wow. Makes you think.

[ref=][https://www.facebook.com/notes/marco-frucht/i-keep-trying-to-think-of-other-things-but-keep-coming-back-to-feeling-loss-beca/10151321042705657]

02/13/2012

FLIM-FLAMMYS: reviewing this year’s Grammy/Naras Ceremony

Filed under: Academic,Humor,Mundane Or Sublime,Music and Stuff,News,OpEd,Pop Culture,Tech — admin @ 6:23 am 
FLIM-FLAMMYS: A Marco-Style Review of the Grammys.
  12feb12. Mystic, Konetiuk!

And now I’ll attempt to make all my snarky remarks over at FB and Twitter into one large post so I can delete all the one liners for good.

Most of the words are mine, unless the little iKons show you otherwise. J

😉

@tinselkorey LOL I did JazzHands 2day too. Also friends of mine sang at pregrammys at the Renaissance. Wish I were on that coast this wknd!

18 hours ago

Open

Adele, I have Amy Winehouse on line 1. She wants you to give her back her hairstyle. #grammys #grammy #grammys2012

rosannecash rosanne cash

The Minaj outfit just screams ‘GREAT MUSICIAN’! #IWoreThatInThe80s

12 hours ago

in reply to ↑

@MarcFrucht Marc Frucht

@rosannecash You’re being sarcastic, right?

11 hours ago via web

replies ↓

rosannecash rosanne cash

@

@MarcFrucht um.yes.

11 hours ago

marco capellimarco capelli @atizine

Close

@rosannecash @Terry_Ware @SandraBernhard I’m with you there, Roseanne. I’m watching it in a bar with the sound off, and reading tweets. 🙂

@calinative LL Cool who? I guess at least he kept his same name forever instead of changing it every week like P doody, diddy wah daddy…

11 hours ago

rosannecash rosanne cash

I notice The Boss doesn’t need to wear a miter to sound like he owns the whole freaking world.

11 hours ago

»

jamileh Pump up the Jam

@

@rosannecash I know I could just google it but…what is a miter in this context?

11 hours ago

rosannecash rosanne cash

@

@jamileh Minaj showed up on red carpet with a.. Bishop. Wearing a miter.

11 hours ago

in reply to ↑

@MarcFrucht Marc Frucht

@rosannecash @jamileh If she really wanted 2 shock us she coulda ripped up a picture of Pope Ratzinger, oops. n/m. Sinead already dunnit..

11 hours ago via web

· Open

I ribbed Adele at the end of last year a bit, and now she sweeps. What’s up with that? twitpic.com/81bcur/full

Oh wait, Adele won an award? holy wah. Who’d’a thunk it. Congrats lady. Here’s hoping you win a couple more, eh?

11 hours ago

@NeyomFriday I haven’t paid attention to anything by him since Grenade. What’s new with him?

Steampunk was popular at the last 2 NAMMs. I think I’ll play my folk music and classical guitar in front of gears, maybe I’ll win a grammy

10 hours ago

@mrdaveyd Man, I reached for my Pick Of Destiny and it wasn’t there. Who stole my pick? Nicky Minajjjj, you got my pick???

10 hours ago

@M_CCarpenter @rosannecash woah, first I thought that was Tina Turner doing her Pinball Wizard stuff all over again.

10 hours ago

Have U seen Katy Perry play guitar? I’m scratching my head trying to figure out why her label won’t let her shred in public!

10 hours ago

I thought for sure she was Tina’s granddaughter. Time for some family tree stuff! She’s got Mark Anthony’s belly though.

10 hours ago

Please 4give my allcaps; but since WHEN DID MY GRAMMYS BECOME A REALITY SHOW??? Deep breaths…

10 hours ago

“Has Snookie shown up yet? If not…be grateful.”

— Susan ______

Just spied my buddy Little Steven. I swear if he showed up w/o the round bandana over his head everyone would think he was me! #grammys

10 hours ago

“Men Without Women one of my fave albums ever.”

— Dawn ______

“Too funny, when I saw him playing I did a double take I was like does Marco have a twin? Lol”

— Cody ____

Dawn, you know that long bluish purplish coat he wore with Disciples of Soul is at Foxwoods Hardrock out in the hallway there, right?

http://twitpic.com/ome1f

🙂

Woah, what’s Lady Gaga wearing, that French inquisition helmet thingie???

10 hours ago

And I’m sorry, I mean no agism here, seriously. Do each of the Beach Boys look like Senator McCain in intense pain or what???

“That net thing made think of those things they put on hams or turkeys…well, it did.”

— Allison ____

@Podemskichick I’m not a fan either. Plain White T’s are the only Violent Femmes wannabes I’ll tolerate really. #grammys2012 #grammy

10 hours ago

OK I give up, who’s the blond dude doing Bm looking stratocaster solos on a cutaway classical guitar while Sir Paul’s tryin’ to sing? (I’ve got the sound off so I think it was that, or was it C? Anyhew…)

“Joe Walsh. Diana Krall on piano.”

— Colin _______

Oh that makes sense. He’s still doing Rocky Mountain Way no matter what axe you put on his lap. 😛

“LOL…it actually wasn’t bad. But kind of surprising to see ol Joe up there with the classic acoustic.”

— Colin

neat. I’ll have to catch it on youtube or reruns. 🙂

I definitely saw some interesting vibrato but for the most part it looked quite boring. In my not so humble opinion. 😛

@CatalinaByrd wait that’s taylor swift? I thought it was Grace Potter just not showing panties or anything…

9 hours ago

@FolkAlley Dust Bowl? I thought she was recreating that Orwellish Hillary Clinton 1984 ad they did before the primaries last time around.

9 hours ago

I love Chris Brown!

Could someone maybe please help me find out if maybe I might’ve caught Stockholm Syndrome maybe?

Got to agree with you there. Losing /world/folk/nativeamerican was a punch in the gut, to be sure. Not to mention all the others!

8 hours ago

@DanteRoss @lorrieboo you’re right, that says it right there!

2 hours ago

@lorrieboo LED ZEPPLIN never won a Grammy and TRAIN have won 3. #grammys The whole shabang in a nutshell right there

5 hours ago

Retweeted by atizine

@tinselkorey once in a while something musical happens at a grammys. It’s like watching The Dead for hours hoping for that moment. Oops…

2 hours ago

“Too late, you said it. The living deadheads will be coming to get you soon. Don’t panic.”

— John ____

hahahaha. Well I won’t be the first to have said it. I don’t think Jerry Garcia was the first either. I just made the analogy. 😉

@ThatEricAlper I think Michael Jackson broke Roger Miller’s longstanding streak on the male side. How far back do the female records go?

2 hours ago

Slowly wake up to realization that “Breaking Dawn” didn’t sweep, didn’t even win any… Wait wrong Ceremony…

2 hours ago

@459GangNutty wow! Maybe my favorite quotable of the whole nite! You said a mouthful, toots. “Whitney Houston died YESTERDAY and the WHOLE GRAMMYS CHANGED..JESUS DIED 2000 years ago and he is STILL waiting on US TO CHANGE”

1 hour ago

@ThatEricAlper Nothing wrong w’ AmericanIdol as realityshows go. I just came up hoping 4 Grammys 2 B THE LAST event 2 cave & become one.

1 hour ago

RT @YummyMummyclub : Dear Adele. Please don’t do drugs. Ever.

9 hours ago

Retweeted by atizine

@ThatEricAlper Truly believe the worst side effect of the move from hippy to yuppy was the global shift from pot to coke

1 hour ago

Levon Helm took americana? That man IS americana, and I mean that in a good way.

1 hour ago

[earlier refs]

http://muffinbottoms.org/?p=330

http://www.textfiles.com/magazines/ATI/ati347.txt

http://www.sandiegoreader.com/weblogs/bands/2009/feb/09/monday-round-town-plus-soft-pack-says-hi-from-la-w/

01/11/2012

Woah, I Guess “Frybread’s” Gonna Get Out There and Impact So Many People!

Filed under: Academic,Food,Mundane Or Sublime,Music and Stuff,Pop Culture,Tech — admin @ 5:33 pm

The other day I saw a friend in a coffee shop and related a moment when I went out in the hallway as a substitute teacher and a schoolkid yelled “mr marco,” smiled and waved and then began singing slightly altered lyrics to my song “frybread,” something like “nana… nana… make me some frybread, make me some frybread, nana make frybread…  but s/he did it in key and right on to the rhythm and tempo.

He immediately called his toddler who’s the one you can hear offstage in my music video because of her fisherprice fone-on-wheels. He wanted to ask her while I was there what her favorite song was. He said there was too good of a chance she’ll say it’s “Frybread” because he’s heard her sing it all the time. Well she listed two songs as her all-time favorites. Uncle Kracker’s “Smile” and my “Frybread.”

I’m grateful, thankful, embarrassed, awkward, humbled, and elated each and every time someone responds like this to my humble little 3-chord song written in C with the simplest most honest lyrics about a relationship between a 4-year-old Navajo girl and her great grandmother. I really don’t know how to express all those feelings in words really.

I did want to mention this though as a follow-up to that first story I’ve been relating all week because this kind of stuff just keeps happening.

Here’s the post I’d put up about that earlier event:
OK nothing more thrilling this life than having someone about 3 feet tall who you haven’t seen in more than a month recognize you in the hallway, wave say hi and smilingly, sing a couple lines from the chorus of a song you wrote!
Related food oriented links?
Music?
Frybread Video (you can hear Little Evie in this)
Sincerely,
Marco Frucht
http://www.frucht.org
🙂

01/01/2012

Sacred Cows make the tastiest hamburger…

Filed under: Academic,Mundane Or Sublime,Music and Stuff,Pop Culture — admin @ 11:26 am
For those of you who think John Lennon would roll over in his grave because of Cee Lo Green‘s rendition of “Imagine,” I’ve got one Abbie Hoffman quote for you:

Sacred cows make the tastiest hamburger.

I’ll bet Lennon is laughing at/with all of us.

The lyric change is at about 5:01 mins.

Hear for yourself, and as a professional folksinger I simply say if you can’t handle parody, this says more about you than Cee Lo or John.

K thx bye.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ourduRjODPA&feature=player_embedded

Live – New Year Eve 2012
http://www.frucht.org

12/20/2011

Try this great recipe for Marco’s Sweet Tanka Chili

Filed under: Academic,Food,Mundane Or Sublime,Music and Stuff — admin @ 7:07 pm

Marco Frucht of Connecticut is a poet, songwriter, folksinger and classical guitarist who is a big fan of Tanka Bar. He participated in early test marketing for our products. You can hear his music on his Reverbnation page.

Marco has concocted a chili recipe of his own design which we have dubbed “Marco’s Sweet Tanka Chili.” Sounds perfect for a cold, winter night.

4 T. olive oil *
1 white onion, finely chopped
1 T. paprika
2 large red peppers
1 bell pepper
4 garlic cloves, chop finely
1 bag Tanka Bites, cutting some of them just a little tinier than they
already are.

Saute these first ingredients (in order of appearance) in a frying pan.

IN A LARGE CROCK POT OR SLOW COOKER

4 more T. of olive oil
1 can tomato paste
2 cups water
2 small slices of fresh ginger, chop fine
2 t. ground cumin
1 t. cayenne *
1 jalapeno *
1/2 sweet potato chopped fine *
1/2 sweet potato solid (for cutting down on saltiness)
2 cans organic black beans *
1 bay leaf

Bring water to a rolling boil, add tomato paste, change heat to medium, add
all the sauteed ingredients, then add everything else. change heat to
simmer.

*Extra virgin cold press oil if possible. If you’re cooking for children go easier on the hot stuff. I’ve soaked and boiled dry beans but it doesn’t add a huge flavor or texture difference for this recipe.

  • Cut the sweet potato in half and dice up the other half to add in to pot.

  • Simmer the solid half in the pot the whole time; remove it along with the bay leaf about 10 minutes before serving. This takes away the saltiness from the tomato paste can and the dried cranberries that are already part of the Tanka Bites.

  • If you like it much thicker you can use one more bag of Tanka Bites or you could keep mixing in some commercial chili powder each time you stir until you’re happy with the texture.

  • If you like things extra sweet, you could add 2 small blocks of dark chocolate, 1 cinnamon stick or a teaspoon of local honey.
  • [ref]=[ http://goo.gl/bUzvV ]

    • 12/04/2011

    An artist speaks no matter how shaky his or her voice gets.

    Filed under: Academic,Mundane Or Sublime,Music and Stuff,News,Pop Culture,Tech — admin @ 7:54 am

    Lives in the Balance (Literally)

    Please do not pay anyone besides Jackson Browne, Richie Havens or me for your ability to get this song.

    http://abmp3.com/download/6337274-mp3.html

    This is the only place left I’ve found that it’s still free of charge from me.

    The internet is beginning to frustrate me. The only two songs I’m selling ANYWHERE currently are my “Chiapaneca” and my “Frybread” as a CD single for 5bucks or less. I’ve seen it for sale for 9 dollars, and I’ve stumbled upon the single downloads for as high as 2 dollars.

    I get 64 cents from iTunes and amazon, 70 from CDBaby, 99cents at Digstation.com, a whopping three cents from rhapsody and only a penny from napster. Spotify, who I had so many hopes and aspirations for gives me absolutely nothing two fiscal quarters in row which angers  me greatly.

    Also something you should know. Apple WAS giving me 70cents per download until Amazon came in at 64 cents as a win-win for EVERYONE BUT the artist. Why? Because Apple responded by going from 70 down to 64. (I would love to start a class law suit for half the difference at 3 cents and nail the both of them some day, but that’s for another discussion ok?)

    Listen, I’m not going to make any real money as an award winning independent songwriter and producer, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to let someone else make real money off of your ability to get free music from me.

    Thank you, and have a nice day.

    Marco Capelli Frucht

    http://www.frucht.org

    http://www.oilpanalley.com

    http://www.tinyurl.com/reverbmarco

    So much time, and so little to do!

    Filed under: Academic,Humor,Mundane Or Sublime,News — admin @ 6:55 am

    POETICALLY PARENTHETICAL: (Umm, Strike that, reverse it…) Looks like Ron Paul might win Iowa this time around. I have problems with Paul just as I do Obama but if he does take it, I know an awful lot of Democrats and Independents (and a huge amount of angry disenfranchised Veterans) who will flood the polls to vote him in. This may in fact be the Revolution that every facet of our police state has tirelessly derailed and frustrated for the past 20 some odd years now. (perhaps my entire adult life when I look back at Iranscam, S&L and EnronValdez)

    11/16/2011

    mr rove, I know many mainstream (R)’s in this nation who dont appreciate your work.

    Filed under: Academic,Humor,Mundane Or Sublime,News — admin @ 8:09 am

    Listen up, you stingy old self-appointed rhetorical guru, thinking you’re all that. Really. You’re just one bad Lee Atwater wannabe, really. Here’s my open letter to you.

    Mr. karl rove, You’ve been mic checked.

    For too long you’ve been given the bully pulpit of expensive ad campaigns, costly think tanks, moneyed secret interest and offshore taxdodge groupthink seed money aiding your attacks on not just your candidate’s perceived enemies; but those of your own personal moneyed interests as well.

    Well here it is, we all stumbled on a way to beat your bully pulpit with no microphones, no corporate media favors, no war-room cloister meetings and no per-diem payments to paramilitary logic, philosophy and thought.

    Just a bunch of creative folk gathering together and verbally kicking your ass. You don’t need to recognize but your asskicking took more than just courage; but conviction, cause, and a desire to reject last Millenium’s entire way of doing things.

    You’ve been mic checked,

    You’ve been owned;

    And you’ve been occupied.

    I could say so much more but I will leave it like this. Racist, sexist, class-apartheid oriented leverage-capital and its lazy abusive cronies the likes of you, are on the losing end from now on.

    Go ahead and ply your wares in someone elses’ nation mr. rove you little little whatever-it-is-you-are, man; because you can’t do that thing you do around here no more: we ARE the 99% and you ARE the weakest link.

    Sorry, I’ve wanted to say that for “so long.”

    for the non corporate media,

    I’m marco

    10/28/2011

    HOMEMADE PRIMER FOR REMAINING EFFECTIVE DESPITE INFILTRATION

    Filed under: Academic,Mundane Or Sublime,News,Tech — admin @ 10:24 am

    Lately every group with SET GOALS AND EFFECTIVE WAYS TO GET THERE gets attacked directly with every c0int3lpro dirty trick available to the US Government.

    I’m sure your group wishes to be that exception but I’m afraid if Uncle Sam knows you exist then you’re already being watched, infiltrated and harmed by dirty-tricks every day.

    Here is one excerpt and some links to other snippets from  Brian Glick’s incredibly helpful book “War at Home: Covert action against U.S. activists and what we can do about it.”

    l. Establish a process through which anyone who suspects an informer (or other form of covert intervention) can express his or her fears without scaring others. Experienced people assigned this responsibility can do a great deal to help a group maintain its morale and focus while, at the same time, centrally consolidating information and deciding how to use it. This plan works best when accompanied by group discussion of the danger of paranoia, so that everyone understands and follows the established procedure.

    2. To reduce vulnerability to paranoia and “snitch jackets”, and to minimize diversion from your main work, it generally is best if you do not attempt to expose a suspected agent or informer unless you are certain of their role. (For instance, they surface to make an arrest, testify as a government witness or in some other way admit their identity). Under most circumstances, an attempted exposure will do more harm than the infiltrator’s continued presence. This is especially true if you can discreetly limit the suspect’s access to funds, financial records, mailing lists, discussions of possible law violations, meetings that plan criminal defense strategy, and similar opportunities.

    3. Deal openly and directly with the form and content of what anyone says and does, whether the person is a suspected agent, has emotional problems, or is simply a sincere, but naive or confused person new to the work.

    4. Once an agent or informer has been definitely identified, alert other groups and communities by means of photographs, a description of their methods of operation, etc. In the 60s, some agents managed even after their exposure in one community to move on and repeat their performance in a number of others.

    5. Be careful to avoid pushing a new or hesitant member to take risks beyond what that person is ready to handle, particularly in situations which could result in arrest and prosecution. People in this position have proved vulnerable to recruitment as informers.

    http://www.whale.to/b/glick.html

    Most importantly, read the whole book as soon as you can. ISBN 9780896083493

    Informed and aware people can deal quickest with each and every incident in ways that won’t consume all our time and energy. This leaves so much more time for our SET GOALS AND EFFECTIVE WAYS TO GET THERE.

    Peace and love,

    marco frucht

    http://tinyurl.com/GlickBook

    http://milwaukee.indymedia.org/en/2005/08/203959.shtml

    http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2011/10/411691.shtml

    ____________________________________

    Dear Mr Glick,

    I’m a huge fan and humble “co-worker” of sorts. I think a couple friends of mine from Global Indymedia circles know you personally.

    I cannot tell you how many times I’ve bought several at a time and handed one each to someone I think is being snitch jacketed and also the person I think is doing the snitch jacket-ting. Several dozen maybe.

    Anyhew, I’m helping get as much info to the Occupy Providence this week. I haven’t seen the same thing yet in New Haven or Hartford, or even at the small little park that started it all at Liberty Plaza.

    Have you seen what Carl Messineo and Mara Verheyden-Hilliard have been going through in DC? Yikes!

    cheers,

    marco

    ____________________________________

    Thanks Marco.  So glad my little book is still of some use.

    I’m attaching a pdf of the full text.  You have my permission to reproduce it for OWS and give it out to all the folks who are finally stepping forward to challenge and overturn the plutocracy.

    It’s also supposed to be available on http://www.publiceye.org, but I wasn’t able to find it on a quick try.

    In solidarity,

    brian

    Yes, this image is print-ready.

    Yes, this image is print-ready.

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