The DU Lounge
Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsIt's time, everyone, for another edition of ASK MrScorpio...
This is going to be a delayed reaction edition, as I am signing off right now.
Please leave your questions and musings and I promise to answer each and every response as soon as I get back.
As always, I do not guarantee that you will like any of my answers, but I do promise that your questions will be carefully considered and answered in an honest fashion.
Be daring, you have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
Peace out.
ret5hd
(20,491 posts)I turn on the light to find that I have disturbed my cat using the litter box.
Is the look on her face more:
A) "Hey, asshole! Turn off the light! It's 3 fuckin' AM!!!"
or
B) "Hey, asshole! A little privacy???"
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)AnneD
(15,774 posts)I suffer fools less and less. I only have 4 more days until I retire but I find myself really wanting to correct some of these mistakes before I go but there isn't an eraser big enough. I am trying really hard to visualize retiring but that isn't working for me. Help!
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)I'm having less and less patience with humanity every single day
It's only natural
AnneD
(15,774 posts)That is oddly and most disturbingly a comforting thought. I may make it to retirement with out going postal MrScorpio.
A Simple Game
(9,214 posts)Phentex
(16,334 posts)Oh, and can you do the remix yourself? We need about 2 minutes of the top hits.
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)Be on the look out for my input!
Dyedinthewoolliberal
(15,571 posts)it is said youth is wasted on the young. Does it follow therefore that experience enlightens the elderly?
Sign me,
Almost to retirement and therefore 'elderly'
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)You can get away with being much more evil in your later years than you can when you're young.
Also, the consequences are much shorter lived.
Give in, give in to the POWAH of the Dark Side.
Join me, and together, we shall rule the galaxy as the evilest of bastards.
Callmecrazy
(3,065 posts)I couldn't agree more.
benld74
(9,904 posts)MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)Here we go:
African or European swallow?
benld74
(9,904 posts)LisaLynne
(14,554 posts)MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)Lay it on me
LisaLynne
(14,554 posts)MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)I hope that my answer was to your satisfaction.
LisaLynne
(14,554 posts)LeftofObama
(4,243 posts)I recently bought a $1 lottery ticket and I won $2! Where would you advise me to invest my new found wealth?
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)Clearly your investing skills are at the level of Guru.
Well, the first thing that you need to do, obviously, is assess your portfolio. Do that.
Study the market, see whether it's bull or bear, or consider investing in bonds.
Then, of course, you need to take your credit in account.
But then there's my own personal favorite, a fixed immediate annuity fund from savings CDs, or 401(k)s or an IRA.
Whatever you chose, the world is your investing oyster.
Liberal Veteran
(22,239 posts)MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)Seriously.
LynneSin
(95,337 posts)Jack and Rock agree to meet in London for the weekend. Jack travels 164 miles and Rock travels 106 miles. If Jacks rate of speed is 8 mph faster than Rocks then at what rate of speed does Jack travel?
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)LynneSin
(95,337 posts)edbermac
(15,939 posts)MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)However, freshwater fish don't drink freshwater, they absorb it through their skin and gills.
Salties, however, are notorious lushes, known for their drunken bouts, bar room fights, lost weekends and frequent lapses in sobriety.
LiberalEsto
(22,845 posts)MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)With Pizza Hut rising.
ailsagirl
(22,896 posts)And I ought to know!!
rurallib
(62,411 posts)what was your first reaction when you saw the clip of Iowan Joni Ernst's political ad discussing how she castrated hogs?
1) narghhhhunhhh
2) brilliant!
3) WTF? FTW?
4) hide this quick
5) other - describe
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)rurallib
(62,411 posts)MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)I'm all for intervals of ten.
baldguy
(36,649 posts)MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)lovemydog
(11,833 posts)Can the Thunder or Spurs beat the Heat in the NBA Finals this year? I was hoping the Pacers strong defense could prevent a Heat threepeat, but they don't appear to have enough offense in their arsenal.
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)Don't take that bet.
LynneSin
(95,337 posts)I've always wanted to know the answer to that one!
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)LynneSin
(95,337 posts)Canadian woodchuck whose forebearers we're misplaced due to Hurricane Agnes back in 1971 because they were stuck on a log that floated from Dunville Ontario Canada, across Lake Erie and migrated southeast to The far southeast of the Allegheny Resevoir inside the Allegheny State Forest which bore a generation or 20 of new woodchucks were one travelled south on rt 321 (known as the Marshberg-Kane Road where it made a home outside the West Side Grill where it just forage some crab artichoke dip doggie bag that an older woman about 165lbs with bleached blonde hair, hazel eyes who regularly takes medicine for her high blood pressure.
Does that help?
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)The traditional meal of the Canadian woodchuck.
Initech
(100,068 posts)MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)Taitertots
(7,745 posts)I'm leaning toward so big around that you cut it like a pizza and so tall that you need two bites to through it.
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)Then you're obligated to share it.
I love Reubens.
sakabatou
(42,152 posts)TheRadBrad and TTarantoX are mine.
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)I pretty much confine my online gaming to miniclip.com
struggle4progress
(118,282 posts)MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)Never mind that other guy.
steve2470
(37,457 posts)Better don your flame-wear after this
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)steve2470
(37,457 posts)But dear MrScorpio, I was asking for YOUR answer, kind sir
eta: Never mind, your answer was of sufficient comedic value as to satisfy my curiosity.
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)You've got some great listening ahead of you, starting with this song, which has the greatest underrated guitar solo ever:
MrScorpio
(73,631 posts)When you hear the name The Isley Brothers, what do you think of? The funk of the 70s? The Quiet Storm era? The songs they did with R. Kelly in the 90s and 2000s? Or even the old school Twist and Shout or Shout?
What about this. Do you think of them as one of the greatest American bands ever? Or perhaps one of the most underrated groups in music history? Follow me for a second.
How many bands/artists do you know have existed for over 50 years and have universal respect. The Beatles are still royalty. James Brown is an American institution. The Rolling Stones could sell out any place in the country. Ray Charles will never be forgotten especially thanks to his biopic. Stevie Wonder? Bob Dylan? Legends.
The Isleys may not have made as much groundbreaking music as the folks who came in that era. But they succeeded in so many genres that its amazing they arent more recognized as an American institution.
(Also its funny how much great R&B/funk came out of Ohio. Bootsy Collins, the OJays, Zapp, Slave and the Ohio Players urban music owes a lot to that state)
Consider their first hit Shout co-written in 1959 when Ronald Isley was 18. Ronald, Rudolph and Kelly Isley created a song thats become as much an anthem five decades later as James Browns I Feel Good, released 3 years later. The raw energy in that song symbolized the power of early rock-n-roll that made people fear Black artists at the time.
You know a song is enduring when the Beatles and Green Day both cover it and its made into an iconic movie scene in Animal House.
The Isleys shined in the rock era of the 60s with classics like Twist and Shout (I remember being bugged out in HS hearing their version having grown up with the Beatles version) and Its Your Thing.
They thrived in the funk era in the 70s by adding Marvin Isley, Chris Jasper and the criminally underrated Ernie Isley to play instruments. Theres no better evidence of this than my favorite Isleys song, That Lady
Tell me that Ernie Isley doesnt introduce himself with fury on that guitar intro and outro solo. Tell me that Ron Isley didnt transform his voice from raw power to the smooth control that we mostly know. The crooning harmonies were still there in some form but that song was all about Ron and Ernie and those incredible Latin drums.
This was the 3+3 era and their soul/R&B sound became funkier and they made even more classics while also becoming known for their ballads. Fight the Power (co-written by Ernie) was a funky protest jam a decade before Public Enemy made it an even bigger anthem. Ernie Isley co-writing more of the songs added more funk/edge to their lyrics while Ronald, Rudolph and Kelly made their harmonies match that powerful rhythm.
But those ballads For the Love of You At Your Best Voyage to Atlantis are all timeless songs that never get old. A personal favorite? Groove With You from their Showdown album for its smooth feel like the title says. I bet you a whole lot of folks today are alive because of those songs.
Those ballads helped influence the Quiet Storm era of R&B in the 1980s. So did their final 3+3 album Between the Sheets, which I consider a classic for its influence alone.
We all know the title song cause it gets right to business. The music was almost secondary (yet still vital) to Ron Isleys strong yet sensual voice. It was a perfect backdrop for Ron to tell you what he wanted without being dirty yet it wasnt for the kids either. I love how the music changes near the end because it takes you higher in ecstasy probably the same reason Jay-Z and Just Blaze used it for Ignorant Sh-t because its so mystical and angelic.
Just in case you thought they were only lovers at this point, the Isleys also had Ballad for the Fallen Soldier, . Discussing fallen soldiers from Vietnam and those M.I.A., it shows you the anger in wondering what war is for and the detachment of the powers that be. Even though its muted compared to Fight the Power since the album is so smooth, the frustration in Rons voice and Ernies brilliant guitar solo is evident.
Choosey Lover sounds great when Aaliyah sings it but when you hear Ron Isley over that same instrumental that his brothers played, its even more magnificent. Its also one of the beautiful pieces of music they composed, as evidenced by one of my favorite Trackmasters beats for one of my favorite Nas songs.
I guess its fair that Quiet Storm sound came to define them in the MTV/BET era because that was their last successful album before Kelly Isley died and Rudolph Isley joined the ministry. Ernie and Marvin Isley came back but after diabetes kept Marvin off touring (and led to his 2010 passing), they became a duo.
Yet Once again, the Isleys found a way to stay relevant thanks to their influence. By 1996, Aaliyah had covered two of their songs, UGK sampled them for one of their most enduring hits and R. Kelly needed to add some old soul to his repertoire. He called up Ron and Ernie Isley and they created Down Low introducing Ron Isley as Mr. Biggs. The ode to creeping around fit the times perfect and even though I dont jam the R. anymore, it was one of my favorite songs.
If youre counting, thats a FOURTH decade where they made a Top 40 hit (Shout was in the Top 50 despite going gold), 1962, the 70s, 80s AND the 1990s. Down Low brought the Isleys back and in 1996, they had their first platinum album in 13 years.
For good measure, the Isleys kept that good measure with R. Kelly going in 2001 with Contagious I remember hearing that song all over radio in high school and the video was an awesome mini-movie. But it said how timeless the Isleys became. They were the legends who kept on making great music.
Contagious was a Top 20 hit. A band that debuted in 1959 had a hit and double platinum album over 40 years later. And yet people dont mention the Isleys as one of the all-time greats. They also had a No. 1 album in 2003 and were actually still on the radio not just living off past glory.
Fans of R&B and funk know how great the Isleys are and yes they are in the Rock and Roll Hall Fame. But to me, they should be talked about more as one of the best American born groups ever.
You want to talk about influence? Listen to their 1964 single Testify, featuring a guy that Kelly Isley found named Jimi Hendrix. That was the first time Hendrix was ever heard on vinyl. That song also influenced Stevie Ray Vaughan to do his own cover on Texas Flood.
s I said, the Quiet Storm format owes a lot to the Isley Brothers because so many ballads fit that style. Hip-hop has sampled them to death from Ice Cube, Notorious B.I.G., J Dilla, Beastie Boys and many more.
You can listen to an Isley Brothers record and just fall into it. It sucks you in because of Rons voice and the music behind it. I was literally on Spotify letting it shuffle on their page and songs I didnt hear before sucked you in. If Ron Isley was just a good singer, youd listen but that music and production behind him was so tight and irresistible.
Rons one of our finest love poets with one of the most unique voices in music history. Hear the rawness of the early Isley records to the smooth control in the funk/Quiet Storm era. You wont hear too many like it. It evolved with the sound of the band. You also cant forget the great harmonies with him, Rudolph and Kelly and those older records still sound as amazing as the funkier ones.
Ernie Isley deserves way more love as a phenomenal guitarist (as should Marvin Isley and Chris Jasper for their musicianship). Just like Eddie Hazel of Funkadelic, he played with soul and fury. He could play behind Rons voice or he could carry a song with his guitar work. He could rival anybody whos ever picked up a guitar. One more reminder his solo on the cover of Summer Breeze.
The Isley Brothers are consistent. They are versatile enough to impact several genres with defining hits. Theyve influenced generations of folks from all races and backgrounds. They had or were part of charting hits in six different decades and theyve made some of the most recognizable songs of different eras. They are legends but I don't think some folks realize just how great they really are and that folks from 20 to 70 know their music for their different eras.
They might not be as creative as Stevie Wonder, Curtis Mayfield, Prince, Sly and the Family Stone or others but they deserve to be mentioned as one of the greatest American-born groups ever.
steve2470
(37,457 posts)Baitball Blogger
(46,703 posts)I keep forgetting.