Bishin Speaks » Video

Clinton Foundation: Celebrity Division

Bishin — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 18:03:41 +0000

Clinton Foundation: Celebrity Division from President Bill Clinton

Think About It

Bishin — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 21:13:11 +0000

While recovering from Strep throat this week, I spent countless hours in bed nestled between my two dogs, laptop on lap-top, watching old Fleetwood Mac concert footage. In my medicated haze I could barely remember my own name, let alone song titles, so I checked out Wikipedia’s Rumours page for a list of songs I might have forgotten, in order to find them on YouTube.

Given my long-term love affair with Fleetwood Mac, I was surprised – albeit very pleasantly – to find a song I’d never heard. The Stevie Nicks tune Think About It.

I love Rumours, and the 1997 retrospective making of DVD is a staple in my collection. I would have sworn I knew everything there was to know about that record. I knew about the often discussed love affairs and breakups that inspired the songs, I knew the personnel -both in front of and behind the booth- and about life in Sausalito’s Record Plant. I also knew Silver Springs had been cut from the original Rumours album, not to be released until 1992’s The Chain box set.

Evidently, I didn’t know as much as I thought I did. In the years since I’ve been on the Rumours Wiki page a new section had appeared: Disc two: Remastered reissue outtakes and demos. Ummm, how have I missed this? At first I thought Think about it might be a typo, and that the song being referenced was the Christine McVie standard Think About Me. Nope. This is an entirely different and fantastic song. Written for Christine by Stevie, Think About It is a song about love, relationships, the enduring power of friendship, and above all, a reminder that “Heartbreak of the moment is not endless -Fortune is your life’s love”. It also has a melody that just touches the soul. And of course, the voice singing doesn’t hurt.

Upon closer inspection, I found that this song actually exists in several incarnations. There’s the demo, a number of remastered versions, and an 80’s infused Bella Donna era Stevie version (which isn’t bad, but has a bit of ‘80s synth edge which turns me off a bit.) Of all the versions I was able to dig up in my fever delirium, this is the version that I fell in love with.

Stevie Nicks/Fleetwood Mac – Think About It from Agusia D. on Vimeo.

Turns out something good did come out of my strep throat after all. Long after I can eat something other than Frozen Yogourt, I’ll remember this song, and the enduring message;

Take on the situation but not the torment
Now you know it’s not as bad as it seems…

The Beastie Boys Revisit Fight for Your Right

Bishin — Thu, 28 Apr 2011 17:33:19 +0000

The Beastie Boys expand on their classic 1987 video for ‘(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right (To Party!)’ with a 30 minute short starring Elijah Wood, Danny McBride, Seth Rogen.
Written and directed by band member Adam Yauch, the film is being touted as a sequel to the original music video.

While I didn’t love it, it did give me a good chuckle, and a good dose of nostalgia. The plot isn’t all that interesting, but it picks up about seven minutes in when the music picks up. And it’s worth a gander simply for all the actors and musicians who make cameo appearances. Is that David Cross dressed as a drunken Keebler Elf?

See if you can spot Rainn Wilson, Will Ferrell, Jack Black, Will Arnett, Steve Buscemi, Stanley Tucci, Jason Schwartzman, Laura Dern, Mary Steenburgen, Amy Pohler, Kirsten Dunst, Ted Danson, Chloe Sevigny, and all the other familiar faces popping up throughout.

Disclaimer: There’s a ton of profanity throughout so opening this up at work likely isn’t the best idea!

Rock on, gold dust woman

Bishin — Sat, 16 Apr 2011 02:20:22 +0000

One of my all-time favourites, Stevie Nicks, sang on Oprah this week. She and Sheryl Crow did a duet version of Landslide. I’ve seen a lot of performances of this song over the years. I went through an obsessive Fleetwood Mac phase, and used to relish watching the early concert footage. In fact, I still do. I’ve got five versions of this song on my iPod, seen it performed countless times on film and in person at concerts, and I just don’t tire of it. It’s the sort of song you fall in love with as a teenager, rediscover as a young adult, and really start to understand as you age.

Stevie’s voice isn’t the same as it was when she recorded the first version of this song 30 years ago, of course. In many ways, it’s better. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again; I really respect her for not trying to sing it the way she did back then. She tailors all her songs to her present vocal range -which is lower, but also much more textured and rich- doesn’t try to hit notes she can’t, and sounds really soulful and smooth as a result. She also has a deeper quality to her singing, as though she now understands the lyrics she herself penned decades past. As a result, songs like Rhiannon and Landslide are revisited with a soulful knowing maturity that is as emotionally evocative as it is beautiful.

Here’s the clip of Stevie and Sheryl performing on the April 13, 2011 edition of the Oprah Winfrey show:

So Long, Elizabeth.

Bishin — Wed, 23 Mar 2011 16:20:53 +0000

Elizabeth Taylor

Elizabeth Taylor died today at the age of 79.

She was a movie star, yes. But she was also a person to be admired. She was an AIDS activist, and a true survivor; in her career, in her terms of her health, and in her personal life.

Here’s a little tribue to Elizabeth Taylor narrated by Paul Newman:

So long, Cleopatra.

Killer Queen

Bishin — Wed, 09 Jun 2010 03:16:59 +0000

I’ve been on a real Queen kick ever since I accidentally came across Queen Rocks Montreal-a show filmed in 1981 at the old Forum- on TV last week. I knew Freddie Mercury was a great performer, but I don’t think I quite understood the magnitude of his presence, and I certainly didn’t know he had the capacity to make me cry.

I don’t think I’d ever really taken the time to sit down and watch footage of a live Queen show. It blew my mind. I watch a lot of recorded performances but this one really stood out. I actually ran out and got a DVD of the show this week and I love it. You can get the Montreal Show alone, but I recommend getting the extended version released in 2007. It’s around the same price, the sound is great, and the latter version includes Queen’s performance at Live Aid.

I’m compiling a list of my favorite performances captured on film, and I’ll blog about my selections as soon as I stop arguing with myself. Until then, here’s Freddie doing “Play the Game” from the ’81 show – it gets me every time. Enjoy!

Bishin speaks for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation

Bishin — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 19:16:21 +0000

Each year, thousands of Canadians of all ages and from all walks of life unite to participate in the Run. Their reasons for participating vary, but they all have the same goal; to create a future without breast cancer. You can read about my reasons for participating here.

This past November, I was lucky enough to travel to Toronto to work with the amazing people at the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation and be part of the Run for the Cure 2010 video. Despite my preference for remaining behind the camera, I’m very proud to have been a part of this video, and to speak up and share my story. You can see me featured in the video posted below:

The Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation CIBC Run for the Cure is Canada’s largest single day, volunteer-led fundraising event dedicated to raising funds for breast cancer research, and education and awareness programs.

For more information, please visit the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation.
You can also pre-register for the next run; October 3rd, 2010.

Next on CBS: Angry Women

Bishin — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 00:47:00 +0000

Well, CBS hasn’t botched their late night programming quite as effectively as NBC has, but they’re racking up major idiot points of their own: Next Sunday is the Superbowl, and CBS has come under some serious fire for its decision to air an advertisement by the organization Focus on the Family – who vehemently oppose abortion- ie: a women’s right to choose.

Really? Because last time I checked there was a division between Church, State and the Media. Or there was supposed to be, anyway.

Despite their longstanding tradition of prohibiting controversial spots during the Super Bowl, “CBS now claims to have changed its policy on accepting advocacy ads. But its decision to debut this policy by associating itself with the anti-choice, anti-equality Focus on the Family raises serious questions about CBS policies and bias” (Souce: The Women’s Media center.)

As part of their efforts to get CBS to drop the add, the Women’s media center has launched a campaign, urging viewers to suggest what CBS stands for. Their examples include “Corporate Broadcast Sell-outs” or “Completely Blatant Sexism.”

Palmer’s Snowboots dance

Bishin — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 19:32:24 +0000

When it gets very cold, Palmer needs to wear little boots to go outside (otherwise he refuses to walk, and stands with one leg in the air like a tripod). He loves the boots once he’s outside, but everytime we put them on, this is what happens:

Social Media Revolution – Video

Bishin — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 00:24:40 +0000

Social Media Revolution is a video from Socialnomics. It’s a great visual response to the question “is social media a fad?”

Social Media Revolution: Is social media a fad?