Knute Rimkus— just back from a delightful tropical vacation where he was steeped in cocktails, dazzled by sunsets and frequently massaged in a former Spanish colony— was asked the following question by East Portland Blog: “Do you have any memories, funny stories, comedy riffs, etc. related to this old song?” (Referring to the divisive Roger …
Something is molten in the state of Denmark. With her new single, “Bring Back My Man,” Danish singer-songwriter Dicte evokes Amy Winehouse and Janice Joplin. Urgently growling over a driving soul groove, Dicte pleads hopelessly. Maybe it’s just the ghost of Winehouse haunting the chorus, but top-shelf gin seems to infuse this song. When Dicte …
If a band announces it’s disbanding, but that the frontman and keyboardist will form a new band of the same name, has it really broken up? The Cat Empire, a joyous dance band from Down Under, did just that in September 2021, with most of the members who’d played with the band since its formation …
I, Knute Reinhardt Rimkus must confess. I am forever fond of 1970’s music. I don’t know if it’s the lengthier tracks, the thematic albums, the colorful artwork, and vintage lyrical phrases like, “spend all your bread”. Honestly, no one uses the term “bread” for money anymore, unless of course you are Robert Downey Jr. in …
Hey Carrie Anne… What’s your game now, can anybody play? Topic of the evening: what up wit Carrie Anne Moss (CAM), the actress in The Matrix series??? Now, I’ve never been a Matrix fan – they’re just so overwrought (in fact, I pretty much swore off since the 1st one)- but I just stumbled on …
Rarely has a movie captured a time and place as “Saturday Night Fever” does. As a cultural artifact, “Fever” is remarkable. Bell bottoms, working-class Brooklyn and the brief reign of disco are all celebrated in the 1977 story of young Tony Manero, ruling New York dance floors at night while struggling on the city’s mean streets during the …
Pray for the Wildcats is so very good. This 1974 glory stomp through Baja features William Shatner, Robert Reed and Andy Griffith all playing against type, and they can’t even hold a candle to Angie Dickinson. I just watched the first half hour, seated in my parked Dodge Dart in the rain, staring at the …
I heard a blurb on the NPR this morning that the classic Charlton Heston sci-fi movie Soylent Green was set in 2022. Surely Rimkus must have something to say about that? Well he DOES! People eating just isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. It’s hard to get a uniform fat content (or ANY lean …
What a coinkydink! On the day that I heard that 2 Oregon counties filed petitions to secede from the state – so they could join with Idaho instead….cuz, who wouldn’t? – I also stumbled upon this episode of Green Acres, where HOOTERVIILLE DOES THE SAME!! It SECEDES from the State! Because of the Guv’ners’ mean …
I’ve been seeing the TV ad (above) with Matt Damon hawking Crypto currencies recently; the angle of the ad is that participating in cryptocurrency speculation is the (almost literal, per the ad) equivalent of the greatest adventures of discovery the world has ever known. Huzzah! So what does Average Joe Investor make of this? Is …
So I was in Tacoma on a soggy, dreary December Saturday afternoon (btw, few stories end well with this beginning), and I happened across the old Brown & Haley candy factory and their cute, less dreary, octagonal sales kiosk outside on the corner. I’ve always known of and enjoyed their mainstay product, the Almond Roca; …
I miss mixtapes! I didn’t make many and have received even fewer, but it’s illuminating to see what tunes friends and lovers dig. As anyone who compiles a mixtape (this includes CDs) knows, it’s an act of creation bringing together those complementary cuts that connect to the person who’s getting the CD. Mixtapes can be …
I like to think I’m fairly well acquainted with obscure bad movies but tonight I’m watching part of a treasure I’d never seen before: Escape to Athena – a 1979 “caper” movie set in WWII and but still oh so wonderfully steeped in the late 70s in fashion, hairdos, speech – the whole package. It’s …
As I sat in my cab today, listening to “Stayin’ Alive” at crushing volume and appreciating that delicious bass line which seems to have a life and a manifesto of its’ own, I realized the BeeGees and disco by extension have enjoyed a dramatic reversal in my level of artistic appreciation. In that brief two- …
“Slap Shot,” the 1977 movie about a minor league hockey team, is widely hailed as one of the best sports comedies ever made. It’s certainly got strong trailer material with Paul Newman smiling rakishly in the rink and a trio of affable brothers clotheslining opponents with a smile. The movie may even be brilliant as …
Seattle police’s lip-sync video of Macklemore’s “Downtown” (above) has rightfully drawn a lot of attention. The department still under a Department of Justice order to eliminate brutality, especially against people of color, has thoroughly embraced the Seattle rapper’s one-love vibe while putting their show on the road, blowing away police department lip-syncing videos from around …
My niece and I recently attended the double header soccer game of the national women’s teams, Japan vs Brazil then US vs Australia. It was interesting to watch the game between Avani, my nine-year-old niece who, like many in the stadium, is a big Alex Morgan fan, and a pair of serious women soccer fans, …
Just listened to Simon and Garfunkel’s Bookends. So many things anachronistic about the activity — 1967 album, listening to a whole album, actually was an LP I digitized. And I’m not the first to observe the weirdness of Paul Simon, who sings “how terribly strange to be 70” being over 70 now. I think Simon …
Believe it or not, I’ve been to two Prince concerts. Not out of a “hometown boy made good” support kind of thing but mostly because Mrs. Rimkus was always smitten by him. And liked his music I suppose. They were electrifying shows. Those who never had the pleasure… Back in Prince’s early days, we boring …
So Monday we finished a week long cruise from Seward Alaska down to Vancouver Canada on Norwegian Cruise Lines. It was more fun and enjoyable than I expected. But about the only Norwegian thing about it was the Captain and that they had herring and lox every morning in the breakfast buffet. Of the close …
Rimkus grew up mere blocks from the sprawling permanent Minnesota State Fair grounds – near halfway between St. Paul and Minneapolis and a virtual city in and of itself. As a kid, planning for a few precious days at the fair was a big deal; Rimkus and his best friend would prepare a detailed budget …
SEATTLE – Obafemi Martins may not wear a cape, but he is most certainly a superhero for the Seattle Sounders FC. The Nigerian striker can snare long passes on his feet and juke defenders into submission. Bringing peace to his troubled homeland might be a stretch, but Oba racks up goals and assists that astound. …
“It’s a line. From a song. From, like, forty years ago. About this guy…who’s standing on a corner. THIS corner…” Rimkus said to his 14 year old daughter. She stared back blankly at him, slightly incredulous at this reasoning for the detour on the family spring break road trip. Rimkus continued, a bit more animated… …
I’m reading a book right now, Red or Dead, a fictionalized biography of Bill Shankly, the maniacal manager of the Liverpool football team who made it a dynasty in the English soccer league in the ’70s. I believe the Smiths were slamming him in the song “Frankly, Mr. Shankly.” Being from Manchester, which has had …
Linda Ronstadt, one the great folk chanteuses, has been in the news lately, receiving a National Medal of the Arts in July for all of her work. She released a collection of duets with various artists in April, and her memoir, Simple Dreams, was published in September 2013. Ronstadt was a leading member of the …
Microfiction by Knute Rimkus They lived in a white microhouse. It was a shoebox, for baby shoes, in the Varane neighborhood. Their neighbors lived in shoeboxes too. This misery did not love company. They ate dinner quickly. She thought the steak was too red and only ate half. She drank water. Murdoch drank a Cutty …
I went to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes last night and found it highly enjoyable. In addition to all the amazing CGI stuff, they manage to create a very compelling drama with a lot of biblical and Shakespearean themes that are quite thoughtful. This film is closest to the original Planet of the …
Rimkus!’s old pal – and Pacific Northwest National Treasure cartoonist – Ambrosavage was born and raised “across the (proverbial) tracks” on the blue collar side of Madison Wisconsin in the 50’s and 60’s, where he is presently spending the holidays with his Dad (now in his 90’s) – an original swingin’ “Mad Men” who worked …
…MRS. Rimkus was, along with the 13 year old Rimkus daughter and one of her BFF’s (the friend got Rimkus’ ticket – Rimkus MAD!). All reports are that it was a “f___ing awesome” concert. Enough so that the increasingly sullen early teen 13 year old Rimkus said “Thanks Mom – I really enjoyed it” (this …