Nothing runs like a Deere...

..but apparently nothing keeps time like an Farmall:

I been framed!

And brake'd, and lit up, and axled and wheeled... sounds like a good start to a blues song, right? *makes mental note*

But what really happened is a fresh infusion of parts to give the ol' T project a little jumpstart. I started off trading some artwork to Roddychops, head honcho of Vintage Rods--the site logo, the official site flyer here, and a "Roddychop's Customs" logo for his personal builds in exchange for a nice F100 brake setup and some dropped steering arms. Then I found out he's an even bigger fan of the art department at the Royal Canadian Mint, and traded a few of their handy wallet-sized portraits of Robert Borden and the Queen for a frame, a dropped tube axle and some headlights... the result is this:

Just another mockup pick, but the wheelbase and front ride height should be right on...  Rear end is gonna come up maybe 4-6" since the frame kickup is actually resting on the rear axles right now, but it looks good for a classic highboy stance imho.  I'm not 100% sure I wanna run a tube axle with split wishbones though, but the alternatives are either chopping off those beautiful frame horns for a suicide front so I can run my '40 axle, Z-ing the frame in front or sweeping it at the firewall for same, or maybe adapting my rear hairpins to run 'em in front instead. 

In any case, here now for your musical entertainment is Mr. Ry Cooder, doing "Crazy 'Bout an Automobile":

The original Star Trek opening credits, revealed

Drinking age: 55

I can't decide offhand whether Fred J. Eaglesmith is the best country singer in Canada, or just somewhere in the top three[*], but he's definitely the best stage banter artist. Here he is, demonstrating why on an unreleased tune called "Tryin' to Buy Alcohol in Abilene."



[*] The other two: Stompin' Tom Connors and Corb Lund.

A great disturbance in the lunch line

British comic genius Eddie Izzard's "Death Star Cafeteria" bit, now with stop-motion Lego animation. (vaguely NSFW, swearing)

[via Whatever]

Two wheels is plenty

It takes two (three?) things to do what the guy in the Messerschmidt microcar does here: balls made of steel--and brains made of, well, steel. Or anything else that isn't nerve tissue.



Tip o' the hat to Melvin C. Thudpucker for this one.

VAY-KAY-SHUN, or, Je commence un voyage

Well, I'm off to the land of poutine and Leonard Cohen for a week. This isn't the standard "I apologize in advance for neglecting my blog" post because I pretty much do that anyway, so expect me to actually have something interesting to say and/or share when I get back, if not sooner.

Unless the Language Cops drag moi away for le murdeur vicieux de langue francais, in which case send baguettes, Camus and a t-shirt that says "I didn't mean that about Levesque".

To celebrate, here's Flight of the Conchords explaining in musical fashion what to do with un anana you find in la supermarche.

Brought to you by the letter "B"

Tonight's feature presentation: Arch Hall Jr. in "The Choppers". Crazy beatnik slang? In like flint, Daddy-O. Juvenile delinquents stealing car parts? Oh yeah. Enough shots of a Nailhead-powered T-Bucket that it ought to have gotten co-star credit? Koolsville...

and the crowning touch, a song called "Monkey in a Hatband?" Burn rubber, baby!



[via the H.A.M.B.]

Carlos & Buddy

Carlos Santana joins Buddy Guy onstage at the Montreaux Jazz Festival.

More blues in 6/4 at MeFi.

You know those guitars that are, like, double guitars? (AKA the ICFBTHDG's 138th200th episode spectacular)

Zack Kim plays the Simpsons theme.

Two guitars not enough for you? Okay, then, double it with the Aranjuez Guitar Quartet:


Also, in lieu of intelligent commentary on last night's Rush gig, I direct you to the estimable Sir Mark de Zaugg, with only the additional comment that the sound managed to suck in an entirely different way where Melvin and I were seated. Yay for the acoustical properties of western novelty-shaped hockey arenas! The show itself, though? Frickin' sweet, man. I wish they'd have gone as deep into the '70s stuff as they did on the Vapour Trails tour, but the swing era tribute Neil ended his drum solo with and the South Park and Bob & Doug Mackenzie cameos went a long way towards making up for it.

Well, Bert would be happy with this one, then

Top Gear's James May races a Ford SportKa against... are you ready for it? A pigeon.

Swim, Gollum, Swim

[via mefi]

Elvis has definitely left the building

"Heartbreak Hotel", featuring John Cale, Shawn Colvin, Richard Thompson and David Sanborn. Eerie, transcendent.

Things to do in Saskatchewan when you're sober

...open a can with your teeth:


You know, in Alberta we have this thing we do where we pull the pull-tab forward with our hands so it pops the spout open. True story!
[via MeFi]

The joint is jumpin'

Duke Robillard (ex-Roomful of Blues), live in Paris, October 2006:

Kill the hippie! Kill the hippie!

It's official: The Young Ones is Britain's 31st best sitcom EVAR!



*smashes other 30 shows over head with cricket bat, screams "shut up you bastards!"*

Ye cannae' change the laws o' physics, Captain!

There's a term in German, which translates roughly as earworm (I believe the original term is something like achtungeinzweivolkswagenleibensraumlengthendeustchenwordmitdercreepyfandomdasderdavidhasselhoff)[*] At any rate, it means "unwelcome song stuck in your head", but the word always reminds me of that scene in Star Trek II where Khan sticks that space slug in Chekhov's ear to try to discover the secret of the fine Corinthian leather the Federation used to upholster the luxurious USS Plymouth Reliant. Which kinda makes this video... apropriate, somehow.


[via the artist formerly known as ambush bugPhasor Burn]

[*] This, clearly, is a joke upon the Germans and their habit of forming ridiculously long compound words to describe every single situation, or as they would have it, gesundheitdasistcompletelytruethatanyphraseingermansoundenderscarylikeeinerammsteinlyric. [**]
[**] This, clearly, is an unnecessary footnote to explain a joke that probably wasn't all that funny to begin with, or as the Germans would call it, blinkenlightsistnichtfuhrgerfingerpokenuntnomatterhowmanyfootnotesyouuseyouarestillnotdavidfosterwallacejackassenschnitzelbratwurst.

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• music
• sf
• star-trek
• parody
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• youtube
• annoying

LEONARD BERNSTEIN!

Celebrate the early years of the definitive '80s college rock band (R.E.M., naturally) with an all-star jam on "It's The End Of The World As We Know It (And I Feel Fine)" at Athens, Georgia's 40 Watt club (where the boys had their earliest gigs.) Note that, while it is great, it does not start with birds, snakes or aeroplanes. Lenny Bruce, however, is not afraid.

Filed under:

• music
• '80s
• r.e.m.
• video
• youtube
• all-star-jam