Things That Matter To People Who Matter

Rock Block | Jazz videos | Amateur Party | Ricky Gervais Meets Christopher Guest

Rock Block

A sacred ritual in the Ziegler household is our weekly "rock block." Basically, my wife and kids and me eat hoagies, drink Yuenglings and watch three Rocky movies back to back. We was watchin' Rocky Balboa the other day and it really made me buy stock of my life. I began to wonder if I'd really achieved anything. Soon, I was flooded with memories: Whippin' batteries at Mike Schmidt at the Vet. Sneakin' into Live Aid (with 'shrooms). Walkin' out of I. Goldberg's wearin' 13 sweatsuits under my street clothes. Holdin' up my "NJSUXDIK" license plate in Passyunk Square Park during Springsteen's "Streets of Philadelphia" video shoot. My mini-life review only reinforced what I suspected all along: Ol' Roy did pretty damn good for himself! Thanks Sly!

Jazz videos

YouTube.com has not only changed the American social and cultural landscape, it's elevated jazz's visual moxie. Unfortunately, jazz is decades behind the production acumen of pop music, but there is enough flavor for your ear to do some musical surfing. Upstart vocalist Sachal Vasandani has good looks and smooth jazz veneer, but his "Naked as We Came" uses death as an interesting metaphor with its posh elegant setting. The avant garde multi-instrumentalist Anthony Braxton has the vibe of a nutty professor yet his take on John Coltrane's "Impressions" is incendiary. If you are like me and view the Internet with fear and trepidation, then check out The Jazz Icons DVD featuring John Coltrane in performances from the 1960s hitting with songs he never recorded.

Amateur Party

: Chrissy Piper

Local bands singing about local issues. It doesn't happen enough. There is a lot to love about Philadelphia, and also a lot to loathe. So where are the anthems that we can sing along to, sharing our love and our frustration for this city we call home? Amateur Party is one of the few bands I've come across that fills this void. At a time when pushing for change in the world seems almost downright hopeless, it's inspiring to be reminded that our friends and neighbors are facing local issues that we can make a difference in. This is what DIY punk is about!

Ricky Gervais Meets Christopher Guest

If I had to pick a favorite comedian, it would be Christopher Guest from his work with National Lampoon to all of his improv. Well, the latest cool thing to leak its way onto YouTube is an amazing show called Ricky Gervais Meets ..., in which Ricky talks to the comedians who influenced him. Gervais' and Guest's work are so similar, but they are coming at it from opposite directions. Guest's films are almost entirely improvised, while Gervais scripts everything. Highlights include the birth of Spinal Tap, "Catch Phrases 101" and the use of focus groups.