Tuesday, June 30, 2009

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Billy Mays


Wow, tv spokesman Billy Mays was found dead this morning. Mays was 50 and found unresponsive by his wife. Love him or hate him for his LOUD selling technique he was a late tv icon of info commercials Oxy Clean.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Zatoichi


Hey a post about something other than someone dying!

I'd like to talk about one of my favorite Japanese chambara/sword film series, Zatoichi.
Shintaro Katsu starred as the blind swordsman Ichi in 26 films and a tv series, from the early 60's to the 80's. It's a wonderful series of drama,action and humor as Ichi travels feudal Japan fighting Yakuza and wrong doers. I can't recommend these films enough.
Zatoichi meets Yojimbo has Toshiro Mifune is his "Yojimbo" role meeting up with and fighting with Ichi and in a later film Ichi meets the "One Armed Swordsman" played by Jimmy Wang Yu, star of the have to be seen to believe film "Master of the Flying Guillotine".
A few years ago Beat Takashi made his own Zatoichi, so far no sequel has appeared.
Seek the DVDs out (they may be out of print) you won't be sorry.

Michael Jackson

Here we go again, worst news for Michael Jackson fans.
Reports just in that he's died from a cardiac arrest this afternoon.

http://www.tmz.com/2009/06/25/michael-jackson-dies-death-dead-cardiac-arrest/

Jackson was 50 and had been planning a new tour.
I'm not really a Michael Jackson fan but i remember watching his career since he was a kid. He did have a few tunes i liked, ok i could sit and listen to. Not going to go into his private life and odd skin color change and all his plastic surgery but his fans loved him and his music.

Farrah Fawcett


My seems to be turning into an obituary page this week. More sad news to report.
Farrah Fawcett has died at 62 after a long battle with cancer.

Sky Saxon


Just read on a music list i'm on (twangshebang)that Sky Saxon has passed away. Pushin' Too Hard by Sky and the Seeds is one of the garage rock proto punk classic songs of all time.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Nancy Sinatra




The Sixties Beat! posted about Nancy and i thought i'd share a few caps i've made of her in Speedway,Ghost In The Invisible Bikini (where she sings Geronimo!) and Burke's Law.
Check out Kel's post The Sixties Beat! link to the right ---->

Tuesday, June 23, 2009

Ed McMahon


1923 - 2009

Ed has left us at 86, you did a good Ed time to join Johnny.

Shonen Knife Tuesday

"Top of the World"

Monday, June 22, 2009

ABBA


One of my 6 ABBA LPs from my vinyl collection, wish the picture came out better but it was a spur of the moment pic i made for my Mur (i'll show it to her later, she's a bigger ABBA fan then me).
"Waterloo", love that song and ABBA.
I have them stacked by the Ramones.

It's Summer!


Hit the beach like Frankie and Annette!

Sunday, June 21, 2009

The Head Banana



This is what i look like lurking on the internet and being all eclectic.
And remember "I before E except after C" rule but not in the UK anymore!

Happy Father's Day to my Dad and all Dads out there.

Saturday, June 20, 2009

Flowers



Here's a couple of pictures of the plants blooming in my yard.

Friday, June 19, 2009

Friday


It is in my power as the owner of this oh so cool and popular blog to make Friday, PIZZA DAY!
I will have no argument over this and you will obey the Eclectic Banana!
So let it be blogged, so let it be done.
Fridays = Pizza Days

ENJOY! :)

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Best TV Western



The best tv western ever made was "Have Gun Will Travel" starring Richard Boone as Paladin. Running for 6 seasons from the late 50's to the early 60's the show never failed to entertain and sometimes make you think. Paladin a man of honor, worked for a fee but a lot of times he didn't ask for payment, not as a hired gun but more like a western era Knight righting wrongs. Intelligent scripts and intense acting by Boone made this series unique among the dozens of westerns on American tv at the time.
The first 3 seasons are on DVD and worth looking for and buying, sadly Paramount has stopped releasing the series to DVD, so may never get the final 3 on DVD.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Strange Hobby



I have a strange hobby of making screen grabs of movie titles and the menu screens from my DVDs. Sometimes a DVD menu can be a work of art or a bland static thing.
I've tried to screen grab the "End" titles to films, a hard task since most movies now don't even have a "End" or a "Fini" anymore.
Why yes i do have too much time on my hands, why do you ask? :)

Tuesday, June 16, 2009

Shonen Knife Tuesday

Yes, it's Shonen Knife Tuesday again!
Here's on of my favorite SK songs and dig the cool 80's video.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

Dave Clark Five Song Of The Week

Kelly Gannon at the Sixties Beat!(wonderful blog,check it out) reminded me i haven't done a DC5 Song of the week here at the E Banana Blog, so thought i'd carry on this tradition from my late lamented Dave Clark Five yahoogroup.

http://thesixtiesbeat.blogspot.com/2009/06/dave-clark-five.html

Bits & Pieces




PLAY LOUD AND ENJOY!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Digital Day

It may be the day we switch to digital but i still feel analog.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Zotz



Remember Zotz? I loved zotz, the fizzy explosion in your mouth as the alka seltzer like fizz broke out. The thing me and my buddies would do is swallow them and let them dissolve in the stomach and they'd make you burp. The things you did as a kid.
I wonder if they still make Zotz?
My favorite flavors were lemon and orange.

Some Sunday Music

April March - "Chick Habit"



Groovy

Saturday, June 6, 2009

Twits

Am i the only (in)sane person left on this planet that thinks Twitter is stupid?
Do you really want to follow or post every mind numbing thing you do during the day, don't you have a life?
If you have something to say or share with people get a blog or a Live Journal where you can write a post that isn't limited to 140 characters .
I can see where the ADD crowd would love this "read and forget and oh look shiny stuff" texting.
Has writing and reading been dumbed down to the level of twitter?
I hear someone is trying to make a Twitter tv show, i thought that was what commercials are.
The world didn't end with a bang but with a tweet.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

David Carradine


News reports saw that David Carradine has died at the age of 72, he was found dead in his Bangkok hotel room where was making a movie, something called "Stretch". Local media in Thailand initially reported Carradine had committed suicide by
hanging himself in his hotel suite, but the star's agent has told a U.S. TV
channel he believes the actor died of natural causes.
I remember seeing Carradine first playing villians in westerns and tv shows and then as Caine in the classic "Kung Fu" ( a series Bruce Lee wanted to star in but they gave it to Carradine ).
I think Carradine did some of his best work recently in the Kill Bill movies. As i get older more and more of my favorite actors pass away.
Rest in peace David.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

Archie Club


I don't remember what year it was maybe 1968 or 1969 but i joined the Archie Club and got the membership card and button (badge for our British readers) (exactly the same as the ones in this pic i found on the web). Cost a whole quarter to join and it came in the mail in that small brown envelope. I can't tell how excited i was and it was a bit of surprise i think it took about 3 months for it to get to me and i had forgotten all about it. :)
I still have the button, i wonder if that means i'm still a member?
Haven't read a Archie comic in years but they were fun way back when.

Tuesday, June 2, 2009

Shonen Knife Tuesday

konnichiwa

It's Tuesday and that means Shonen Knife around here.
My favorite rock band from Japan and one of my all time favorites from anywhere.
Punk,Rock,Pop,Girl Group and that cute Japanese girl sound all combined for an intoxicating one of a kind sound.
The girls from Osaka, ROCK!
Hey Ho Let's Go!

Monday, June 1, 2009

Dead Critter


The thing you find in your yard. Have no idea what happened to the squirrel, there were no marks of attack from a cat or dog, maybe he was zapped walking on the power line.
My silly dog Mo was going "Mmmmmmmmm dinner!" had to keep away from the deceased critter.
Just had to share.