GURU: TABLESCRAPS 8/2/05

When the PP Guru is a little knackered and isn't capable of fully blogging about the myraid of multiple topics - he'll just compose a few sentences and whisk you off to maybe a link instead.

However, the PP Guru has a follow-up to yesterday's story about the cancelation of the Yes solo member tour comprising of guitarist Steve Howe, bassist Chris Squire, and drummer Alan White with special guest star ex-keyboard player Geoff Downes that was traveling under the moniker, Howe, Squire, & White - the More Drama tour (named after one of the PP Guru's favorite all-time prog rock album). The PP Guru mentioned that he had spoken to Geoff after the performance with his main bread-winner band, Asia at their House of Blues gig last Sunday night and told him that he was so excited to see Geoff tackle this material again after a twenty-five year absence which the PP Guru has fond memories of when was starting out at his junior year of high school (Geoff as a goof gave us the opening staccato synth lines of Tempus Fugit to whet this Yes Fan's ravenous appetite. High school sweetheart, 3rd time runner up for Miss New Jersey, Linda Freeman attended that tour with the PP Guru at that time...not that it really matters, but Geoff said to the PP Guru that he'll see him Friday in the audience for Friday's show that was supposed to take place at the Wiltern Theater.

But less than twelve hours, a announcement was made from Yes' management that the whole tour was scraped less than a day it was supposed to begin in Seattle.

Well, last night, Geoff wrote in to the PP Guru to relay(er) his condolences - so to paraphrase him:

Hey PP Guru,

Really sorry I couldn't say anything to you last
night, because I was sworn to secrecy on the
'official' announcement today from Yes's management.
Hope you understand this put me in an awkward position
over the last few days. It's all a real bummer,
because I too was really looking forward to these More
Drama dates.

Anyways, hope you enjoyed last night's Asia show, and
lets hope we can at least get the 'White' band out
there this summertime in the absence of the Drama
show.

Something good will come out of it all

Take care and keep the faith.

Regards,

Geoff Downes

Never let it be said that members of Yes (and Asia ) don't share their fan's disappointments. Look, the PP Guru will not be holding grudges against anyone involved in this fateful decision. The entire city of London is so practically under siege now that you have bobbies scouring the rooftops with more than just billy clubs (try AK-47s) looking for these nutcase bombers taking pop shots at all the double decker buses and trains. The PP Guru can only assume that most of Steve Howe's family and band members along with members of Chris Squire's Syn are based in the London area and it will do no one any good to risk life and a limb or two (can't imagine Steve playing the mandolin with just one arm, rather to have that arm stay intact and see it fall off naturally with age- jeez, the PP Guru wishes that guy would just order a plumb juicy steak with garlic mash potatoes on the side once in a while) over a concert tour. Lately there seems to be a new terrorist plot unraveling on every Thursday.

Image © Frontiers Records 2005
The PP Guru forgot to mention yesterday that he had scored picking up the new Geoff Downes and John Wetton collaberation called Icon. He hasn't had a chance to listen to it yet- probably won't get around to it until Labor Day when he plans to lock himself away in Hog Hi-Fi Heaven with the new Yes boxset.

Well- here are more tidbits to keep things moving along. The PP Guru may be hooking up with Tantalizing Tara to catch a special Q & A with the cast of Queer as Folk- but he can't leave without heaping on this exciting newsblurb:

courtesy of http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=3816

Flash - The Complete Series IS in the works, and WILL be on DVD in the future! The studio hasn't said anything officially about this release yet, so we don't have a date or any other details, but stay tuned and we'll let you know more when we do.The 1990 series starring John Wesley Shipp as "Barry Allen/The Flash" and Amanda Pays as "Tina McGee" was short-lived (22 episodes) but has become a fan favorite. The show was based on the classic DC Comics superhero about a police scientist who gains super-speed in an accident involving lightning and chemicals, and who uses his powers to fight crime. M. Emmet Walsh, Jason Bernard, Angela Bassett, Priscilla Pointer, Denise Crosby, Jeri Ryan(??? The PP Guru is going to have to look that one up!) , Bill Mumy, David Cassidy as "The Mirror Master", and Mark Hamill as "The Trickster" are among the many guest stars in this cult classic.

The PP Guru felt this one was a no-brainer since David Goyer made the announcement that he was going to produce or direct a feature film of the Flash with Blade: Trinity co-star, Ryan Reynolds in the lead role. This is another show that made the PP Guru fall in love with his job at the studio. On his down time, he likes to walk around the studio lot pointing out the various locations they have used on the show, of course all those same wooden plank and cheap styrofoam buildings and streets have also made their recycled way onto Lois & Clark: the new Adventures of Superman sets.

Finally - The PP Guru wants to cover the new Amazing Spider-Man scandal that J.Michael Straczynski is trying flick past the longtime fans. J. Michael is up to something that is going to make the Gwen Stacy/ Norman Osborn debacle look like a piece of Disney soft porn . Why can't J.Michael kindly leave the sex lives of the supporting characters out on the sidelines and just concentrate on having Spidey kick major bad guy bootie (and shouldn't he be writing tv shows - since when does writing comics pay the bills around here?) ? But the PP Guru wants to tackle the subject full on as a sequel to his Peabody award blog entry "Green Teabagging the Goblin's Gonads" The PP Guru needs more tin plated statues on his mantlepiece. There's only so little precious time that the PP Guru can keep his four color journalistic discoveries bottled up inside before tabloid magazines such as Wizard can distort things out of major porportions.

The PP Guru has made a complete about face lately concerning his comic book purchasing habits. He's been reading a lot of spandex sob stories of late, and turned his tunic back on the revolution of self-publishers with the sole exception of Stray Bullets. But as a rapid follower of David Lapham's work - he jumped board the mainstream inflation express on some titles that David is working on the railroad for both DC and Marvel. Lapham has a whole year story arc going on in Detective Comics that's supposedly taking place before the events of War GAMES that went all over the place for a better part of a half year in all the Batman titles. David is also writing and penciling a Daredevil Vs Punisher mini-series which the PP Guru has the first two issues lying around to read.

The PP Guru figures it's more economical to be reading the mainstream stuff since he's able to find it at a decent discount in some area specialty stores. The PP Guru doesn't have a comic book store racket going on anymore since the owner of Rookies & Allstars passed away. The PP Guru used to manage that store for a good three years and had a relationship that gave the PP Guru full wholesale privileges and he used to buy a whole plethora of eccentric material- but that clout is goine these days as the PP Guru tries to save mucho bucks and stick with the 'cheap monthies'. Plus the PP Guru's social calendar has made major strides that the only time he has to even read his pile is on commuter trips back and forth from work and little spurts of rest at his Purple Papa Guru's house in Las Vegas.

The PP Guru is straining his DC reading abilities on most of the Batman core titles, Flash, Green Lantern, Hawkman, The Demon, Aquaman (damn the PP Guru is jonesing for a real good free-for-all brawl between Aquaman & the Black Manta) and the titles based on the animated shows of Teen Titans, The Batman, & Justice League.

And on the Marvel side, the PP Guru thinks that Brian Michael Bendis' work on the New Avengers and Daredevil is the fucking bomb- although, the PP Guru thinks his work on the Ultimate titles is just as exciting as peeling off paintchips and putting them in his mouth. Ed Brubaker does engaging work on Captain America as well and Black Panther with Reginald Denny at the writing helm is equally intriguing.

The PP Guru would say nice things about Warren Ellis on Iron Man - but Warren has no appreciation for the PP Guru's delicious talents of stating the obvious when he says 'it's always goddamn fucking late' that the titles' numbering is no longer neck to neck with Captain America. the PP Guru likes to read both Iron Man and Captain America side by side. He was teethed on Tales of Suspense ever since he was a tiny PP Guru. One does not go without the other- like a fucking Reese's peanut butter cup. Sure it sounds a little tad on the psychosomatic side, but then again, so was potty training.

Of course, as the PP Guru mentioned before, even though he lodges a heaping pile of shitty complaints upon it, J. Michael Straczynski taking on double duty with both Fantastic Four and Amazing Spider-Man invokes a wave of nostalgia the PP Guru hasn't felt since waking up early to get his bowl of soggy Quisp in order to watch the old cartoons on ABC Saturday morning. Even though, his plots are on the hokey side, Straczynski, along with Bendis are masters in the game of writing believable concise and hula hoop intellectual dialogue.

The PP Guru also sticks around with anything that's Hellboy related that Dark Horse barely seems to shit a few road apples to these days (It's heartening to see that Mignola's success hasn't gone to his head- who knows how many badly written or drawn Hellboy books the public needs to get it's head around- but Mignola decided to remain true to the integrity of the character and didn't have Dark Horse get into a glut of releasing amatuer movie tie-in junk to the average movie tie-in consumer ) The first mini-series: The Island is the first Hellboy mini-series to appear since the movie came out last year.

It appears the PP Guru is a rat fink when it comes to keeping his word:

To be continued in another senior moment to:

~ Coat

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A645428 - worth a click