DIG THIS WITH BILL MESNIK AND RICH BUCKLAND- THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS
My Fellow Americans, Life is actually just a microscopic, deluded moment in time, so let's cut to the freakin' chase. One look at our impending election debacle can solidify my case. It has been my contention since birth, that the answer to every difficulty we encounter on this sacred yet demented Stone, can be revealed with ultimate clarity through the ultra neurotic engagements of Music, Art, Literature, Film, Poetry and a good Pastrami sandwich. Why would any sane human spend so must time on a film set (Do you know how long you gotta wait until your 8 second deliverance of an edited beyond repair line gets a chance to become a professional embarrassment etched in time forever? ) or expend so much energy in a recording studio, piecing together another ode to a man or woman who could not care less how much love existed within your digestive tract? It's all about hymns and prayers and a quest for mercy and forgiveness and silence and faith. We were blessed with Charles Bukowski, Gene Chandler, Lenny Bruce, Mitch Ryder and a legion of creative explorers whose influences provided the air we breathe. So Let's Dance! This site shall explore the reaper, find a way to disarm the stench of injustice, discover some true loves and talk it all over before it's all over. So what's the worst that our desires could produce? Failure? So sue me. I'm going to require your assistance in making as much trouble for the grown-ups as possible. Let the record show that my childish heart yearns to disrupt the madness. Join me Ladies and Germs!
DIG THIS WITH BILL MESNIK AND RICH BUCKLAND- THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS
BILL MESNIK OF THE SPLENDID BOHEMIANS PRESENTS: THE SUNNY SIDE OF MY STREET - SONGS TO MAKE YOU FEEL GOOD - EPISODE #75 - MAS QUE NADA by Sergio Mendes and Brasil ’66 (A&M, 1966)
Blame it on the Bossa Nova’s magic spell that the Samba craze swept the nation in the mid-‘60s. And, two of the main proponents of this joyful, sun-splashed celebration were Sergio Mendes and Herb Alpert. Herbie had the record label, A&M, and Sergio had the secret sauce, not to mention the lovely lead singer Lani Hall, who later became Mrs. Alpert.
Mas Que Nada, translated from the Portuguese, means “Whatever,” and the lyrics are insisting that whatever else may be happening, the singer passionately craves the Samba. The rolling syncopation of Mendes’s piano, along with the percussion and the siren call of Lani and her partner Janis make the seduction irresistible: this is just, good sexy fun, and you don’t have to understand the lyrics to get the message.
The song, originally written, recorded, and made a hit in Brasil by Jorge Ben, was spread around the world by Sergio and Herbie, making it to #47 on the Billboard Top 100. I hope that the tune’s creator took some pride and pleasure it that - (along with the royalties)… so, “whatever!”
