Artist Bruce Munro created the remarkable and eye-catching installation, Waterlilies — located on the Large Lake in Pennsylvania’s Longwood Gardens — from 65,000 recycled CDs secured atop floating foam discs. While this installation is best viewed by day, you can see from the photo below that it looks pretty cool at night as well. Continue reading CD Waterlilies By Bruce Munro
Someone Left the Cake Out In The Rain
Disco legend Donna Summer has passed away today, May 17th, 2012, after a brief battle with Lung Cancer. She was 63 years old. Favorite Donna Summer Songs: “On The Radio” and “MacArthur Park Suite.”
Welcome to Rasputin! ( Image Source)
On the topic of a visit to Brooklyn’s famous Russian hotspot, Rasputin Restaurant & Cabaret, whether you read an online review or ask people who’ve been there what to expect, what you’ll likely hear is that you are in for a real “Experience” – capital E intentional. Rasputin successfully combines an evening of multi-course fine dining with a full sensory night of entertainment that progresses from live singers to a Las Vegas Style floor show to an afterhours disco inferno. Every step of the way you can immerse yourself in an authentic slice of Russian American culture. Continue reading Rasputin Restaurant & Cabaret: A Taste of Russia!
Farrell with the Lovely Ladies of Boney M
Bobby Farrell, outrageous front man for the German disco group Boney M has passed away on December 30th, 2010, following a performance in Russia. He was 61, and the cause of death is under investigation at this time. While Boney M were virtually unknown in the US, the group was absolutely huge in Europe, scoring great chart success with hits like “Ma Baker,” “Rasputin,” “Daddy Cool” and the Christmas favorite, “Mary’s Boy Child.” I was first introduced to the music of Boney M by my friend Randy, and their videos were always an in-demand and much-loved staple of his semi-annual video parties. Bobby’s dance moves were unrivaled.
Please enjoy the video for “Daddy Cool” – one of my favorite Boney M Songs – below. RIP Bobby. You were truly one of a kind.
Crazy Like a Fool
Holy shit. I was just in the local bodega buying a bottle of dish washing liquid and a housewarming gift for some friends I’m visiting later (pot holder / oven mitt / dish towel set – so cute!) and Donna Summer’s extended disco dance mix of “MacArthur Park” came on. And I almost lost my shit right in there the store, because that song is just insane. You know, it’s Donna’s version that goes on for, like, 20 minutes and just takes off on its own little journey? Hot damn, what a great fucking song.
When I was a kid in the ’60s, listening to Richard Harris’s overwrought, melodramatic version of this arguably enigmatic song, I thought the lyrics were meant to be taken literally, and I could not comprehend why the fuck someone would leave a fucking cake out in the rain. I mean, what the hell? It used to just kill me; wondering why the person singing had left what must have obviously been a very delicious cake (hence the degree of chagrin caused by this  careless act) out in the rain? And why would they “never have that recipe again”? What did it all mean, and why did it feel like the world was ending over some fancy pastry every time Harris sang that line? Even back then, I was a big fan of cake, so “MacArthur Park” never failed to cause me significant emotional distress. Because, anyone can see that cake left out in the rain is bad news.
Of course, now that I’ve lived life to adulthood, and had the opportunity to have my heart stomped-on and ground into tiny pieces of detritus, I understand that the lyrics to “MacArthur Park” are a metaphor for tragically lost love. It’s a sad song, for sure.
Even now, I would still rather have the cake.
