Jul 30 2006
In addition to this site and The Jason Crane Show, I also run a site (with my friend Pat Domaratz) called SignWall.com. SignWall.com is dedicated to preserving local history through photographs of wall signs, painted advertisements, and engravings on buildings.
Today, SignWall.com was featured in Rochester’s daily newspaper, The Democrat & Chronicle.
Jul 28 2006
The Daily Show exposes the idiocy of Senator Ted Stevens, particularly his ignorance about the Internet … which he is in charge of regulating:
And then John Hodgeman skewers him again:
Finally, once you’ve watched those, there’s this.
Jul 28 2006
…is now available at thejasoncraneshow.com. Here’s the description:
In which our hero hip-mo-tizes the listener with an 8th-grade mind trick, and the relative lack of cooperation between two groups is investigated.
Jul 26 2006
My good friend Kevin Baird is a composer, computer code writer, geek, and all-around hip guy. About a decade ago, he used a speech by George H.W. Bush on the eve of the Gulf War to create a wonderful audio piece called “Just Two Hours Ago.” I came across the audio of the original speech recently, and I asked Kevin if I could post his version on the site. He agreed, so here you go:
Jul 23 2006
I went with my friend Gary tonight to see A Scanner Darkly, the animated adaptation of Philip K. Dick’s 1977 novel. The film was directed by Richard Linklater, and was made with the same rotoscoping process used in Linklater’s film Waking Life. Whether or not you’re a fan of Dick’s writing, this is a film worth seeing, both for its wonderful acting and insightful commentary on American society.
Standouts in the cast include Keanu Reeves — no, that’s not a misprint — as the protagonist and Robert Downey, Jr. as one of his cohorts. The film is playing at several locations here in Rochester, including one of our independent theaters, the Little Theatre on East Ave.
Jul 21 2006
I don’t know which fact in this story I like more — that creationist Kent Hovind was arrested for not paying his taxes, or that the judge’s name was Miles Davis. Either way, it’s a great story.
Jul 21 2006
A new episode of The Jason Crane Show — titled “Shave Your Head And Join The Union” — is now available at thejasoncraneshow.com. In it, you will learn how this happened:
Enjoy!
Jul 20 2006
In 2000, I worked for Nikkei News Bulletin in Manhattan as a copy editor. It mostly sucked, but I rediscovered one bright spot while looking through my hard drive tonight. Here are two ads I wrote for a product line I was envisioning called People’s Republic of Food:
V.I. Lenin’s Russian Dressing
First TV Ad
SCENE: Camera enters room through doorway. In room we see a John Lennon look-alike with his back to the camera. He is seated, playing a grand piano. Lennon’s song “Imagine” plays on the soundtrack. Camera slowly closes in on man.
VOICE-OVER: Years ago, a great man told us to imagine a different world.
Song continues. Camera continues to move toward pianist.
VOICE-OVER: A world of choices. … A world of freedom.
Song continues, as does camera’s slow forward movement.
VOICE-OVER: He was a great man, and his name was Lennon.
Camera speeds up, shoots over man’s shoulder to show jar of V.I. Lenin’s Russian Dressing sitting next to a salad or sandwich. Sound of needle scratching on turntable, song stops as voice says…
VOICE: No, not that Lennon, V.I. Lenin.
Pianist’s hands open bottle of dressing, which he pours on salad/sandwich.
VOICE: V.I. Lenin’s Russian Dressing. From the People’s Republic of Food. Join The Taste Revolution.
Chairman Mayo
First TV Ad
THE SCENE: A group of people marching along a nondescript road on an overcast day. Gloomy martial music plays in the background.
VOICE-OVER: For years, people all over the world have been caught in the steel grip of two industry titans. They eat the same things every day in a world without choice.
Close-up of people in the crowd eating sandwiches with looks of distaste.
VOICE-OVER: But a revolution is beginning. A revolution in taste, and in the way people make something that none of us can live without…
Music swells slowly as camera pans in on face of man and woman in front of crowd. A shaft of light hits their faces and brightens as they look up. Camera pans to horizon, where sun is rising.
VOICE-OVER: Something you never think about, but that millions of people use every day…
Sun rises fully in the sky. Jar of mayonnaise appears in center. Music becomes triumphant.
VOICE-OVER: Mayonnaise.
Chairman Mao’s face appears on label. Cut back to shot of man and woman as smiles break over their sun-bathed faces. Then back to jar.
VOICE-OVER: Chairman Mayo. The new spread from The People’s Republic of Food. Join the taste revolution.
Jul 20 2006
Jazz trumpeter and composer Malachi Thompson has died. Read a tribute to this musical pioneer.
