Quote of the Day/Week- Kareem Abdul-Jabbar

Well, since a quote from 1976 Olympic track gold-medalist Bruce Jenner_of all people has been_has been very popular on this blog, there is a temptation to quote him again, but not today.

Instead, we will quote basketball great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, 65, who was actually friends with another guy named Bruce (that being Bruce Lee) as we continue to quote African-Americans who were subjects for photographer Timothy Greenfield-Sanders' "The Black List," which was on display at the National Portraits Gallery until April 22nd (this shot was not taken by the photographer).

Abdul-Jabbar remains the NBA's leading scorer with 38,376 points; he played for the Milwaukee Bucks and Los Angeles Lakers from 1969-89. Before becoming a pro basketball player, Abdul-Jabbar won three NCAA titles with the UCLA Bruins, a team that was coached by the recently-deceased John Wooden.

Here is his quote:

"One man can be a crucial ingredient on a team, but one man can not make a team."

SIDEBAR: We thought we'd promote two of our favorite cinemas today as Cine in Athens, Ga., will be screening the French film "The Kid with a Bike" and the Israeli film "Footnote" starting today. In the nation's capital, The West End Cinema is also showing five films, including "The Kid with a Bike" as well as  the documentary "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" and the Canadian film "Monsieur Lazhar," which was nominated for Best Foreign-Language Oscar.


http://www.kareemabduljabbar.com

http://www.athenscine.com

http://www.westendcinema.com

Casulaties of Modern Technology (9 of 12)_ The Compact Disc

Yes, we are using an image of a compact disc of REO Speedwagon as a bit of an in-joke, as it is a band that one often hears one annoying adult contemporary radio stations, such as WASH-FM (97.1, Washington DC).

The compact disc, which is refered to as the cd, is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was first developed in labs in Belgium and The Netherlands in 1979, according to Wikipedia, and the cd became commercially available in 1982.

The first cd that we personally purchased was "Storm Front" by Billy Joel in 1989; it's the one with "We Didn't Start the Fire," which seemed like such a great song at the time.

As "Rolling Stone" writer Rob Sheffield has noted in his memoirs about his youth and how the pop music of the time ('80s and '90s) affected his life, he noted that the cd was instrumental in allowing music artists to store more music in one unit. Bands, ranging from The Cure to Guns N Roses, have taken advantage of this.

There are also enhanced cds, such as "Naked" (Talking Heads, 1988), which have music videos stored on them in addition to music from the recording studio.

According to a recent "Rolling Stone" article (not written by Sheffield) and the public radio music show "Sound Opinions," sales of cds have been plummeting. But, many are still made in spite of more modern gizmos because older artists like Leonard Cohen, Tom Waits and Bob Dylan rely on cd sales for their older customers whereas young artists like Lady Gaga rely on going directly to I-Tunes and I-Pads, and other gadgets that were the brainchild of the late Steve Jobs.

However, vinyl sales have improved. In fac, 2011 was a banner year for vinyl record sales as 3.9 million records were sold. This was the first in sales in the product since 1979.

And, many though music stores have been disapperaring at an alarming rate, the remaning succesful ones, such as CD Alley in Chapel Hill, Hill, and Wuxutry Records in Athens, Ga. (which also has a store in Atlanta) have relied on both the cd and the record to get music to their customers.

Greensboro vs. Roanoke_ Thespian Showdown (Entry 5 of 6)

For starters: There are two conflicts of interest here as I have performed for No Shame Theatre in Roanoke, Va., though my last stage appearance was when George W. Bush was president, and I am a Facebook of Triad Stage in Greensboro, NC.

The two cities are separated by a vast stretch of Route 220, also known as the Moonshine Highway, for the vast number of moonshine stills in Franklin County, Va., which one passes through on the journey between the two zip codes.

Mill Mountain Theatre was the main stage company in Roanoke, but it abruptly shut down some five years ago though reportedly it will back within the next two years. So, I can not directly compare one stage company in one town with another's.

But, I can compare No Shame Theatre, in Roanoke, which is actually a group of either stage amateurs, master thespians, stand up comics or jugglers, who grace the stage each and every Friday night at 11:00 p.m. with their talent (or lack of talent!, oh did I just say that!).

No Shame Theatre started with a performance in the back of a pickup truck in Iowa City, Iowa, which included No Shame Theatre Roanoke's founder Todd Ristau, on Oct. 3,
1986.

There are also No Shame troupes in other parts of America, including Minot, North Dakota- of all places. I was surprised to see there was a No Shame in Athens, Ga., when I visited there last year. And, while there is a No Shame in Asheville, NC, there is no such entity in Greensboro.

But, there is Triad Stage, which is currently performing the Frederick Knott thriller "Dial M for Murder" that was the basis for an Alfred Hitchcok movie of the same name. According to the Triad Stage web site, Lenise Willis of "Yes Weekly," an alt weekly in Greensboro, said the production 'submerges the audience into a sinister world of perplexities and suspense.' Many performances of the production are selling out.

Triad Stage was co-founded by Richard Whittington and Preston Lane, who is also directing "Dial M for Murder." The stage company opened in 2002 at the old Montgomery Ward Building downtown (where they are still located) with a production of the Tennessee Williams play "Suddenly, Last Summer."

The Greensboro stage company was also named 'one of the ten most promising theatres in the country,' and with the excellent production of the William Inge play "Picnic" I saw at Triad Stage in 2009, I would have to agree.

But, now is the time for the hard part of the entry, where I make a statement of personal preference. I certainly admire the fact that Triad Stage keeps their prices considerably lower than theatre venues in Washington, DC, or Atlanta, Ga., as the tickets range from $22-44. But, we are living in a recession. And, No Shame Theatre has maintaned its five dollar fee since it first started in Roanoke in 2003. So, I will have to slightly, by the thinnest of margines, go with them.

However, for those who have the opportunity to see "Dial M for Murder," I highly suggest going to see it. Though I have not seen this particular show, I know that anything directed by Preston Lane is guaranteed to be quite well-done. There will be wine-tasting after tomorrow's night show, which begins at 8:00 p.m.

Greensboro vs. Roanoke- Dive Bar Hopping (4 of 6)

Today, we have our fourht installment of our Greensboro vs. Roanoke, which looks at familiar local things in Greensboro, NC, where I reside, and Roanoke,Va., my hometown.



And, we now move to a look at two of the most familiar bars in both cities.



First, there is the Coffee Pot on Brambleton Avenue, which is actually just outside the city limits in Roanoke County. The Coffee Pot is a historic roadhouse with a stucco coffee pot structure near its roof. The establishment was built in 1936. Willie Nelson and the Rev. Billy C Wirtz, who is actually a South Carolina blues singer/comedian are among the famous singers who have graced the stage of the road house.



The Flatiron on 221 Summit Avenue is actually in the city limits of The Gate City and it is close to Elm Street, which is the main street in downtown Greensboro. The bar was built much, much later than the Coffee Pot as it opened in 1993.



Though I could not find out if any big name celebrity singers have performed there, the venue has hosted acclaimed local and regional acts, including Greensboro folk singing legend Bruce Piephoff (a personal friend of mine) and the band Jews and Catholics, which has an interesting and confusing name.



Of the two, we would choose the Flatiron simply for the fact that Greensboro has a much mroe thriving local music scene. Since I don't drink beer very often, although I'd love to have a Terrapin Beer brewed in Athens, Ga., some time, one is not too likely to see me at either place. But, I am told that bars are supposedly the best place to meet women. Hmmmm........



SIDEBAR: Kudos to Ragsdale High School, located in the Greensboro 'burb of Jamestown, NC, as they defeated Grimsley High School 37-7 last night. But, the Tarheel State's most thrilling high school game may have been Carrboro High School's 47-36 win over Central Davidson.

Road Trips USA (4 of 20) West Virginia and Georgia

Well, for starters, we hope our image of West Virginia University gymnast Hope Sloanhoffer, a freshman from Cornwall, NY, was posted correctly. Secondly, we hope our friends in Portland, Oregon, are enjoying their lunch hour and telling everyone they know about our blog.

Today, we look at the distance between Black Bear Burritos in Morgantown, WVa, and the very famous/hip/greasy diner The Varsity in Athens, Ga., since WVU will be traveling to the University of Georgia this weekend for a regional meet along with UCLA, Maryland, North Carolina State, LSU and the host Gymdawgs.

Is the distance:

A) 9 hours even

B) 9 hours, 20 minutes

C) 9 hours, 40 minutes

D) 10 hours, 5 minutes

Alas, both towns have had problems with their historic old movie cinemas. The Warner Theatre in Morgantown closed in September, and the Georgia Theatre in Athens had a fire in 2009, but we gather they are in the process of renovating that building.