I was doing a crossword puzzle today, and a certain character from a certain magazine was one of the clues. When I realized the answer, it hit me that this character perfectly suited the image the magazine wanted to project. This led me to think of other perfect examples of creative expression. Here are a few that entered my mind. What are yours?
The sly, mocking, knowing grin of Alfred E. Neuman. Could MAD Magazine have been a success without him? Can you even think of MAD without seeing his smirking mug?
The song, “Lookin’ Out My Back Door”. John Fogerty wrote many great songs, but there’s something about this one. I can’t explain it, but the melody seems like it always existed, and Fogerty and CCR merely put it into recorded form for the first time.
Wassily Kandinsky’s Composition No.8, 1923. My eighth grade art teacher had us students make an abstract ink drawing, and tried to explain to us how the various forms should balance each other out to create a harmonious, beautiful whole. I had no idea what she was talking about. She should have shown us this painting.
Ray Charles singing “The Sun’s Gonna Shine Again”. Listen to some of it here. Bring a credit card, because I’m quite sure you’ll want it.
Truman Capote’s short story, “A Christmas Memory”. Sentimental to its core, but don’t let that dissuade you (as if sentimentality was a bad thing).
Simon and Garfunkel’s Bridge Over Troubled Water (did Gafunkel do the singing?) Of all the ‘I’m here for you’ sort of songs, this one’s my favorite, I love the lyrics and the music.
“If you need a friend, I’m sailing right behind.”
Charlotte’s Web - one of my favorite books ever, and it deals with friendship, death, loyalty, loneliness, and talking animals, which I always loved when I was a kiddie.
-Dippin ‘wearing gloves and holding a wad of tissues cause I just saw a spider in my room and it hid before I could get to it, and now I’m waiting for it to duck out again so I can get it, blargh’ Dots
Cholo, I remember an interview with Keith Richards when he said Jumping Jack Flash was one of his least favorite Stones songs, certainly one of his least favorite hits. Something about the guitar riff being too simple and repetitive.
Leonids, Nov, 2001 Shawshank Redemption - The casting of Tim Robbins and Morgan Freeman. The X-Files - The casting of Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny Seinfeld Kendall Jackson Chardonnay Linger - Song by the Cranberries To Sir, With Love - The movie and the song Silver Queen - corn-on-the-cob
Toilet bowls. We just installed these fancy new “self flushing” ones at work, and they’re absolutely terrible! It’s frightening to be sitting on the can and have it automatically try and pull you in like some porceline water demon. GAH!!! Leave well enough alone, people.
“Ace Of Spades” by Motorhead. When I try to think of the perfect heavy metal song, one song that can easily introduce the genre to the first time listener, I always think of this one. Not anything by Sabbath, AC/DC, or anyone else comes close. Loud, fast, ugly, and in your face.
The Right Stuff. Even someone as jaded as myself feels a sense of pride watching this one. It tells you a patriotic epic tale, warts and all, and I still can’t help but smile when I finish watching it.
Melencolia I by Albrecht Durer. Not one thing could be added to or taken away from the composition of this engraving. The possibilities and frustrations of creativity intermingling perfectly.
The Kalashnikov assault rifle (AK-47, AKM, AK-74, and variants). Deadly, simple, cheap, rugged, reliable, instantly recognizable, menacing. Probably the best icon of mass-production and the Industrial Age.
The Atomic Mushroom Cloud. The first time you see a still picture of one you feel how horrible it is. Nothing that looks like that can ever be considered harmless. It always looks out of place and commands your attention.
Where the heck did my post go? This isn’t another one of those “the hampsters ate my post” complaints: I posted a long wordy post, someone posted in reply to it, and I posted in reply to THAT, and they are all three gone now? WTF?
Stealth hamster post eating. The black helicopters and cattle mutilations of the SDMB.
But seriously, AHunter3, for some reason your post and the replies are in another thread called “some things that cannot be improved upon” with the same OP and poster.
Well, Cholo, you and I are of the same mind (sort of). I was considering in my thread mentioning a perfectly formed electric guitar, but couldn’t decide upon a Les Paul, specifically the '57 Gold Top, or perhaps a Gretsch Duo Jet, or maybe any of a myriad of gorgeous Rickenbackers, so I just gave up and punted. Sort of makes me want to start a thread on great guitar designs.
