Zombies and Ho's

Happy Sunday everybody! Also, Happy Halloween. I know it's Wednesday, but everyone already celebrated this weekend. Plus I don't have a lot to say about the holiday because I don't care about it a whole lot, so trick or treat and what have you.


I did get somewhat into the spirit last night, however. After working a double shift at the PPT (last chance to see Born Yesterday this afternoon!) I went with my friend Jodi to see the original Night of the Living Dead. It was a return trip to The Manor movie theater for me and this was the last of their four-part Vintage Horror Movie series.

I had never seen the horror classic before so I was really excited about it. A nice little surprise was that Russell Streiner, a producer and actor in the film, was at the Manor last night. He was taking pictures with fans and did a Q&A after the movie (we didn't stay, we had to work in the morning). Mr. Streiner has done a lot of work with bringing film production to Pennsylvania, and is chairman of The Pittsburgh Film Office.

Anyway, I thoroughly enjoyed Night of the Living Dead. I was surprised at some of the gore (zombies arguing over eating intestines was a nice surprise) and that the main hero was African-American, which was a huge deal at its time. However, there were a few clear anti-feminist themes in the film. Our main heroine, Barbara, spends the movie in a cationic stage which annoys the other heroes (and, frankly, the audience). But it was a different time then, so I suppose I'll overlook it.

In other news, I know I haven't blogged about books in a while, but I just finished a good one. It's Pimp, the autobiography of reformed pimp/author Iceberg Slim (real name Robert Beck). Sounds like an odd choice, probably. I decided to read it after a recurring joke at the PPT had people calling me Iceberg Slim. Since Slim was a rough, famous, black pimp and I am none of those things, the nickname is a bit ironic. But the book intrigued me.

Published in 1969, Pimp recounts Slims life up to the age of 43, when he stopped pimping. He talks about the love for his mother, his first experience pimping, multiple trips to jails and prisons, doing hard drugs, and building a "family" of whores. The slang is a bit hard to get into, but eventually I got used to it all. Slim has quite the way with words, making phrases that can be incredibly graphic while also oddly poetic. Here's an excerpt: "He looked at me and made that clacking sound against the roof of his mouth with his tongue. You know, that mischievous, weirdly joyful sound that a young kid makes the instant before he rams a hat pin into your ear drum" -Iceberg Slim, Pimp.


The term "pimpin ain't easy" proves very true here: Slim had a rough life during the pimp game, and in the end of the book he admits he'd have died much earlier if he had kept it up (Slim died in 1992). Here are one of the final thoughts he has about the subject:

"I had spent more than half a lifetime in a worthless, dangerous profession. If I had stayed in school, in eight years of study I could have been an M.D. or lawyer. Now here I was, slick but not smart, in a cell. I was past forty with counterfeit glory in my past, and no marketable training, no future. I had been a bigger sucker than a square mark. All he loses is scratch. I had joined a club that suckered me behind bars five times." -Iceberg Slim, Pimp.

So that's what I've been up to, friends. Hope everyone has a lovely Halloween week. I'll probably have nightmares about undead prostitutes, but then that's normal isn't it?

Wednesday with Wanda

Hello y'all.

I've had quite the busy week, at least by my standards. In personal news I started a new job (actually, it's the same job at a different location) and trust me, there's nothing blog-worthy about it. I've started playing Tiny Tower on my phone, so if you don't like your job I suggest downloading that.

Monday I was fortunate enough to participate in FUNDS: True Stories About Money. I told a little story about life in WV and transporting a baby calf in the back of my father's blazer. It was for a good cause, but I'll just suggest you read the post Chelsea wrote, she tells you all about it there. Plus I don't like to toot my own horn.

Then on Wednesday I had off work from the PPT so I went to the Altar Bar to see the Queen of Rockabilly, Ms. Wanda Jackson.

Never heard of Ms. Jackson? You're not alone. I only discovered her recently. Which is crazy bizarre, because she's been singing for years and hasn't stopped yet. Wanda helped bring awareness to the rise of rock and roll back in the fifties, even working with (and dating) the King himself. Her rough, gravely voice made her songs unlike anything else at the time. While she may not have the same "bite" she did back then (Ms. Jackson celebrates her 75th birthday tomorrow), she sang her concert last night without any signs of struggle and KILLED IT.

Daniel Romano playing.

I had never been to the Altar Bar before. It's a really neat-looking place with a wide open area for dancing and a bar off to the side. There wasn't a huge crowd (it was a Wednesday, after all) but the respectable crowd made up for it with their enthusiasm. Wanda's opener was Canadian country singer Daniel Romano, who had a nice mellow charm as he crooned out a more "traditional" country sound. Give him a listen, if you'd like.

Wanda takes the stage.

When Romano was over, there was a brief break and then Wanda's band play a few tunes (I forget their names, but they were fantastic). Then the Queen entered, dressed in her trademark pink fringed vest. She was being escorted and needed help climbing the stairs to the stage. When she finally reached the stage she quipped "You all act like an old lady just got on stage". It was the first of many funny lines she'd give throughout the night.

Wanda's set list picked songs from all over her 58 year career. She opened with the first song she ever recorded "I Gotta Know" and then one of her more popular hits "Funnel of Love". While signs of age are inevitable, this woman stills know how to sing, rock, and entertain a crowd.

Wanda eventually got to the part of her show where she talks about Elvis. It was just fascinating to hear her talk about him- I mean, she worked (and dated) ELVIS. That's pretty freaking cool. While she admits he wasn't her one true love, she says she owes everything to him and pays tribute to him at all her shows. She then proceeded to sing "Heartbreak Hotel". I recorded a minute in the middle for y'all.

She then moved on to the album she made a year ago with Jack White, The Party Ain't Over (which I love). On that CD she covers Amy Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good". She talked about how she was reluctant to sing that song at first, but after Jack White insisted, she fell in love with it. Then she talks about how she never got the chance to meet Ms. Winehouse. I recorded her talking about Amy, and singing the first two verses of the song. (Blogger is having issues uploading the video, so I put it on Youtube. Enjoy.)

"You know I'm no....good."

Then she moved on to her latest album, Unfinished Business, which was produced by country/folk singer Justin Townes Earle. Unlike Jack White's production, Earle took Jackson back to her country/rockabilly/blues roots on the new album (released only two weeks ago). Wanda took out some note cards, confessing she needed a little assistance with lyrics on these new songs. She then told a story about when she saw Elvis pull out some written lyrics on television. "If it was good enough for the King, it's good enough for me!"

Her new album sounds like it's gonna be great, so I put it on my wish list of CD's I'll buy next. I really had a fantastic time at the concert, seeing a legend not many people are familiar with. It's very inspiring to see someone who's almost 75 years old still doing what they love to do and still rocking it out. I hope I'm half as lucid when I'm her age. And I hope I'm still singing her songs in the shower.