Why Not?: Recent Episodes
Max
Hello!
Been a little while. Nice to see you again. Got a buncha fun stuff for ya today. Let’s get right into it.
Delights of the Day: 11.22.19
Today in History: Hack Attack
What you see above is what was seen by anyone watching the nightly news in Chicago on today’s date in 1987 – but this wasn’t part of any breaking report. For both viewers and producers of WGN-TV, the sudden interruption of their broadcast came as a total surprise. After a 15-second blackout, the man you see appeared wearing a Max Headroom mask, swaying and dancing slightly for half a minute – which is how long it took the engineers to switch their broadcast link back to the studio.
But that wasn’t the last Chicago would see of this TV hacker. Later that night, he reappeared during an episode of Doctor Who. This time, the 90-second transmission included a middle-finger-dildo, spanking-by-flyswatter, and a can of Pepsi.
To this day, the man behind the mask remains a mystery. Had he been caught in 1987, his maximum potential punishment would have been $10,000 in fines and a year in prison.
And now we’ll return to our regularly-scheduled programming.
Today’s Photo: The Fab Four Meet the Champ
Since I mentioned both the band and the sport of boxing in today’s audio component, this photo seems to fit the bill for today. On February 18th, 1964, The Beatles went to meet Cassius Clay at his training gym in Miami Beach, where the 22-year-old underdog was training for his fight against Sonny Liston. In a few weeks, he’d change his name to Muhammad Ali – but that day, he was just another guy sparring with the boys, trading insults instead of punches, according to Biography.com:
At one point, Ali reportedly told The Beatles, “You ain’t as dumb as you look!” Fired back Lennon, “No. But you are!” Following a brief awkward silence, the whole group erupted in laughter.
Song of the Day: “Rocky Raccoon,” The Beatles
I figure we should top it all off with a track from the very album that debuted 51 years ago today. This is a favorite of mine to listen to while traveling by motorcycle somewhere in the black mining hills of Dakota.
Ciao for Now
Thanks again for stopping by. Hope to catch you again soon.
Cheers,M
P.S. – The song heard in today’s audio component is “Alberto Balsalm” by Will Van Horn.
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Hello!
We’re back with a little auditory accompaniment for today’s missive. Always nice to gab atcha again.
Other than that, not much else to report. So let’s just jump on in to our Delights, shall we?
Delights of the Day: 11.15.19
Today in History: Happy 50th, Wendy!
On November 15th, 1969, the very first Wendy’s Old Fashioned Hamburgers chain opened its doors in Columbus, Ohio. Named after founder Dave Thomas’s fourth daughter, the fast food restaurant served hamburgers with square patties, allowing the quality of the beef to be visible outside the buns.
Today, the chain boasts over 6,700 locations around the world. While their original slogan is still used today (“Quality is Our Recipe”), many others have come and gone over the years, including “Where’s the Beef?”, “It’s Good to Be Square,” “Parts is Parts,” “That’s Right,” and “Uh-Huh.”
Note: Why Not? is not affiliated with Wendy’s in any form. Yet.
Today’s Photo: ‘69 Shine
Ernst Haas took this photo of Route 66 in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1969. No Wendy’s in sight quite yet, but we can see how it’d fit right in next to the as-yet-unabbreviated KFC.
Haas had this to say about highways of a different sort:
I don’t want to declare there are no highways of fruitful directions. In learning there are. Follow them, use them and forget them. Don’t park. Highways will get you there, but I tell you, don’t ever try to arrive. Arrival is the death of inspiration. Beware of direct inspiration. It leads too quickly to repetitions of what inspired you. Beware of too much taste as it leads to sterility. Refine your senses through the great masters of music, painting, and poetry. In short, try indirect inspirations, and everything will come by itself.
Song of the Day: “Different Drum,” The Stone Poneys
Boy, Linda Ronstadt really belts this one out. I find it’s best to listen to about 100 times in a row. Every morning. At full volume.
Ciao for Now
That’s all for today. Can’t wait to see you again soon.
Cheers,M
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Hello again!
3 for 3. Big stuff.
We’ll just get right into it, I think. What do we got?
Delights of the Day: 11.8.19
Today in History: The Birth of HBO
You’re looking at the original logo for HBO, which launched on this date back in 1972, nearly 50 years ago. While now known as the home of countless original feature films and television shows, the very first program to be shown on the channel was actually a live NHL hockey game between the New York Rangers and the Vancouver Canucks. Sure, it now boasts billions in revenue and over 140 million subscribers – but on the day it debuted, nobody was interested enough to show up to its launch ceremony, including the city manager of Wilkes-Barre, PA, where the company was founded. Even the CEO of Time Inc. (then the parent company of HBO) didn’t make it because he got stuck in traffic on the George Washington Bridge leaving Manhattan. At least, that’s what he said…
Today’s Photo: Ragged Jagger
Annie Leibovitz shot this portrait of Mick Jagger while the Rolling Stones were on tour in 1975. Here are her words about this very moment:
At the end of the performances, the band would do two or three encores that had been planned. Nothing was ad-libbed. They were professional in a way I hadn’t seen until then. They’d been doing it awhile. After the last encore, when everyone in the audience thought they were coming onstage again, they would get out of Dodge. Mick dumped several pails of water on his head every night as part of the show and he would leave the stage totally wet, with his eye makeup running. He wrapped himself up in towels and jumped in the car. Usually the band went straight to the plane, but we were staying in town the night I photographed him in the elevator. The picture was taken on the way up to Mick’s room. He and I were alone. We were on some level out of it. Not because of drugs, but because of all that travel, and sleep deprivation, and the exertion of the performances.
Rock and roll.
Song of the Day: “Indian Girl”, Rolling Stones
Seems apropos to feature a song sung by the man seen above. And one that’s perhaps a little mellow in tone, reflecting the energy levels on display in that portrait. I hope this tune helps you to drift into the weekend with ease.
See You Next Week
We’ll be back at it again in a few days. Until then, I encourage you to do something a little out of character for a change – perhaps asking yourself…“Why not?”
Cheers,M
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Hello!
Back-to-back missives. Not too shabby. Let’s jump right into it.
Daily Delights for 11.7.19
Today in History: The Birth of MoMA
A mere nine days after the Wall Street Crash that started the Great Depression, three women opened the doors of the Museum of Modern Art on today’s date in 1929. Abby Aldrich Rockefeller (wife of John D. Rockefeller, Jr.) and her two friends established the cultural center in a modest six-room suite on the corner of 57th Street and 5th Avenue in Manhattan. Its inaugural exhibition featured the works of European Post-Impressionists Paul Cézanne, Vincent van Gogh, Georges-Pierre Seurat, and Paul Gaugin. The museum and its collection soon outgrew those humble beginnings, and in 1939 it relocated to occupy an entire building on 53rd Street. That is where it still stands today, having undergone another recent renovation that was unveiled to the public just last month.
And that new MoMA is terrific. While not a new addition to the collection, I particularly enjoyed Max Bill’s Half Sphere around Two Axes.
Today’s Photo: A Picasso Portrait
Speaking of modern artists, here’s a shot of perhaps the most famous of them all. Called Les Pains de Picasso, Robert Doisneau’s 1952 photo shows the renowned painter displaying the fun to be had by playing with one’s food.
Song of the Day: “Doralice,” Stan Getz and João Gilberto
Careful with this one. You just might find yourself slipping into something more comfortable – like a bubble bath in a champagne coupe.
Ciao
That’s all for today, another short, sweet one – à la mode, you might say.
Until next time,M
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Hi there. Long time!
Here’s to new beginnings. I’m going to try to take the advice from wisdom of the ages and start small here. Baby steps. Little by little.
I was thinking it’d be nice if you could reliably find certain things in each one of these missives. Things like:
A Song of the Day
A Photo of the Day
A Tidbit about This Day in History
And then, of course, anything else I damn well pleased.
That much seems like it could be manageable.
I also wanted to take advantage of the audio/podcast feature. That said, I don’t want to be too redundant – so what you’ll hear there ought to be a little different than what you’ll read here. Click play above to find out if it is!
If I’m really intent on starting small, maybe I should just leave it at that for today, and move on to our…Daily Delights? Sure, let’s call them that. And let’s do ‘em in reverse order – I think that’ll read better.
Daily Delights for 11/6/19
Today in History: Lincoln Elected President
Quite a few Presidential elections have been held on November 6th, but today we’re recalling the one from 1860, when Abraham Lincoln – then beardless, you might notice – garnered 1,865,908 votes to become the first Republican President of the United States.
In that election, voter turnout was 81.2%, the second highest of all time. For comparison, the last election in 2016 saw a mere 55.5% turnout, and it hasn’t been higher than 62% since 1908. Today’s experts suspect (read: hope) voters might just top that in 2020.
Today’s Photo: Arnold Palmer
Damn. Right?
You don’t have to know anything about the sport of golf (nor the man depicted) to recognize this image as a classic – a work of art in itself. The balance of form, the natural contrapposto, the vibrant colors. A confidence-exuding man in admirable physical condition towers over the viewer. See his slight smirk, his hair tousled just so. Note the crisp crease and cuff of the pant leg, the white serif font popping on the navy bag, the ephemeral puff of a cloud.
American nostalgia at its finest – we’ll take it.
Song of the Day: “Do I Ever Cross Your Mind,” Chet Atkins and Dolly Parton
Speaking of American nostalgia, I love this one – on repeat, more often than not. Come for the heartfelt tune about romantic reminiscing from a duo of musical dynamos, stay for the genuine love revealed in the banter between said performers – not to mention Dolly’s infectious and irrepressible giggle.
Thanks!
That’s all for today – thanks for taking a look and/or a listen, I do hope you enjoyed. Will be back at you soon with another one.
Cheers,
M
P.S.
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P.P.S.
Have a burning question or topic you’d like me to address in the next missive? My digital door is always open – do drop me a line, I’ll be glad to hear from you.
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