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Monday, August 21, 2006

Rockabilly Discrepancy   According to various news services, today was the birthday of James Burton. They say he is 67, meaning that he was born in 1939. Wikipedia agrees:   James Burton (born August 21, 1939 in Minden, Louisiana) is a legendary American guitarist and member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He moved to Shreveport, Louisiana, with his family in 1949. A natural guitarist without professional training, Burton started playing seriously by the time he was thirteen years old and a year later was hired to be part of the staff band for the enormously popular Louisiana Hayride radio show in Shreveport. A Telecaster player, while still only fifteen, Burton played on Dale Hawkins 1957 hit song "Suzie Q," a record that would become one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. This is all wonderful. I worship James Burton, but I have this math hang-up too. If he was born in 1939 and is 67 today, how could he be 15 in 1957 when the calendar would make him closer to 18? I don’t care, so somebody fucked up, no big deal. His solo on that song defined rockabilly guitar even though legend has it beginning with Elvis, Scottie Moore, and Bill Black jammin’ in Sam Phillips’ Memphis studion on July 5, 1954. when Elvis suddenly started doin’ “That’s Alright Mama” and Sam started the tapes rollin’. On that day, James Burton would have been nearly 15. So let’s wish him a happy birthday today, whatever. Happy Birthday!   It’s only rock and roll.     Update: Since anyone can edit a Wiki, if you haul over to the James Burton entry right now, you will see this update immediately after the part I lifted up above:   Not many prodigies from this era managed to remain only 15 in 1957 when their official birthdate was 1939, but no calendar ever played a Telecaster either. You'd hope that someone will remove the legend from the Wiki, but a good story dies a much slower death than the truth, in fact some gain immortality, so my bet is that my addition will simply be deleted instead of the obvious error being corrected...       8:31:03 PM    comment []

Captain Earthworm's Composting Tips Never burn leaves or grass clippings. Create a compost bin. Keep it evenly damp and stir it from time to time for best results. Add freshly cut grass to create a mixture than can be used later as a fertilizer. Use compost as mulch in flowerbeds and around shrubs. Add it to soil as a conditioner or spread on lawns as top dressing. Try creating a vermicomposting bin inside your house to observe the composting process. Have some good music on your iPod. Composting is hard work and a happy tune will lighten your load.   4:24:31 PM    comment []

Ustad Bismillah Khan Sahib   Master of the shenai   March 21, 1916 – August 21, 2006   Sadly missed already.           (Yo! Lighten up, Francis, what the fuck is a shenai? Looks like some kinda douche bag to me...)       2:02:57 AM    comment []

Wilted spinach dressed with lemon juice – that’s a major inspiration – is placed atop the mushroom, then cherry tomatoes sautéed with oregano until they burst, and finally the deboned chicken leg quarter.   Chef Joey uses his minimal time on the video to emphasize that the chicken skin is a major component of this entrée. You must use it and the initial sauté is done on high heat with the skin down to get the crisping started, then it is baked in the oven to finish. Here are the exact instructions from the web version of the recipe:   1.       Season the chicken with salt on the skin side and salt and white pepper on the meat side. Add canola oil to a hot skillet and carefully rest the chicken, skin side down, in the skillet. Place in a 400-degree oven for 6 minutes.   (It’s not really number 1, it’s number 5, but I don’t have the patience right now to reprogram Microsoft Word’s automatic numbering robot).   Chicken, In the oven. For 6 minutes! Ha. That’s this week’s fuck-up. The video is correct at 40 minutes. I’m not complaining, just noticing, and I’m very happy that chef Joey didn’t make me quarter the grape tomatoes. That’s a lot of work. The hardest part of the prep on all this is deboning the chicken. I ended up using the kitchen shears and cutting up from the leg knuckle to the joint at the thigh. There are a lot of tendons and cartilage at that joint and it’s easier to cut around it all rather than try and get fancy.       12:34:27 AM    comment []

Mushroom Mushroom   Sautéed shiitake, Oyster, and cremini mushroom are mixed with Italian parsley and form the base of the plated main course.     12:13:33 AM    comment []

The “Fruit Salad”     12:07:21 AM    comment []