Three years ago this month, Yma Sumac passed away at the age of 86. Most Americans are not familiar with her work. In the 1950s, she came to this country from Peru and recorded many songs in the genre now known as "exotica" (the kind of music one listens to while drinking libations garnished with umbrellas and tropical fruits). She was called an "Inca Princess" (though I suspect that was as fictional as her stage name).
What made her so remarkable was her incredibly flexible voice (which could reportedly span five octaves). At the low end of her range, she sounded like a Tuvan throat singer. At the high end, she left Ella Fitzgerald's glass-breaking Memorex commercial in the dust.
This is my favorite Yma Sumac song:
I didn't discover her work until the 1990s, and it took me a while to really appreciate it. She has continued to influence modern pop musicians. The Black Eyed Peas have sampled her. In 1981-82, Adam Ant recorded two albums that had obvious Yma Sumac influences. Go back and listen to Prince Charming, Stand And Deliver, and Friend or Foe after you've listened to Goomba Boomba and this classic Sumac track:
She was still working in the 1980s, and she still sounded amazing. Here is a 1987 appearance on David Letterman's show:
I hope you've enjoyed this little bit of the tropics on this chilly and rainy Wisconsin day. If you've traveled for Thanksgiving, have a safe trip home.
Showing posts with label David Letterman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label David Letterman. Show all posts
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Friday, August 19, 2011
Letterman's Ratings Just Got a Boost
A jihadist blogger has issued a death threat against David Letterman for joking about the death of Al Qaeda figure Ilyas Kashmiri. While the FBI is taking it seriously, as is its job, this Boston Herald entertainment writer gives it the respect it probably deserves.
When David Letterman returns from vacation, I suspect his television audience will grow, as everyone will want to hear his own jokes about the death threat. Perhaps he'll joke about his "conversion" to Judaism.
When David Letterman returns from vacation, I suspect his television audience will grow, as everyone will want to hear his own jokes about the death threat. Perhaps he'll joke about his "conversion" to Judaism.
Friday, June 12, 2009
Top 10 Tacky Jokes About David Letterman
I'm no fan of Sarah Palin. I think she is an opportunistic prima donna, as well as a liar and a hypocrite. However, I became increasingly appalled with Andrew Sullivan's obsession with her medical records. I do not believe that politicians have no right to privacy, and I am unconvinced that the voting public has the right to know about any potential health problem.
I am no fan of "family values" politicians using their children as media props. However, I do not believe that makes those children fair game for any subsequent media harassment or humiliation. The children do not choose to be props, and they should not be seen (by either side) as mere extensions or accessories of their parent(s).
David Letterman made a joke that was in extremely poor taste on many levels. While it can be argued that it was aimed at Bristol Palin, who has hypocritically chosen to make herself a spokeswoman for teenage abstinence, the fact that Bristol was not present at the Yankees game supports Sarah Palin's belief that the joke was really aimed at 14-year-old Willow.
The fact that Letterman (and undoubtedly many of his viewers) thought it was funny shows that much of America still thinks female sexuality is inherently degrading, and that a powerful female can have her social status undermined by the implication that she (or her daughter) is a slut.
I believe very strongly in the right to free speech. I do not think CBS should censure Letterman, or that any of his sponsors should be boycotted. I think even David Letterman would agree that he has made himself fair game, and that turnabout is fair play.
Therefore, I present my very own Top 10 List:
Top 10 Tacky Jokes About David Letterman
10. He didn't mean to be offensive -- Indiana's age of consent was 13 when Dave was growing up.
9. What can you expect from a man who attended school at Broad Ripple and Ball State?
8. That's what happens when a 62-year-old tries to be edgier than Conan O'Brien.
7. Dave loves the Palin clan, because their names are even funnier than Oprah and Uma.
6. Dave wanted to get back at Alex Rodriguez for scoring with Madonna.
5. Dave was just helping out a fellow Hoosier by hiring Bobby Knight as one of his joke-writers.
4. Dave can take the moral high ground, now that he's finally married his baby-mama.
3. Thanks to Viagra, jokes about sex get a rise out of Dave again.
2. Dave hasn't gotten this much attention since his bypass surgery.
and the number one tacky joke about David Letterman:
1. You can't expect good taste from a man who uses Stupid Pet Tricks to get dates.
I am no fan of "family values" politicians using their children as media props. However, I do not believe that makes those children fair game for any subsequent media harassment or humiliation. The children do not choose to be props, and they should not be seen (by either side) as mere extensions or accessories of their parent(s).
David Letterman made a joke that was in extremely poor taste on many levels. While it can be argued that it was aimed at Bristol Palin, who has hypocritically chosen to make herself a spokeswoman for teenage abstinence, the fact that Bristol was not present at the Yankees game supports Sarah Palin's belief that the joke was really aimed at 14-year-old Willow.
The fact that Letterman (and undoubtedly many of his viewers) thought it was funny shows that much of America still thinks female sexuality is inherently degrading, and that a powerful female can have her social status undermined by the implication that she (or her daughter) is a slut.
I believe very strongly in the right to free speech. I do not think CBS should censure Letterman, or that any of his sponsors should be boycotted. I think even David Letterman would agree that he has made himself fair game, and that turnabout is fair play.
Therefore, I present my very own Top 10 List:
Top 10 Tacky Jokes About David Letterman
10. He didn't mean to be offensive -- Indiana's age of consent was 13 when Dave was growing up.
9. What can you expect from a man who attended school at Broad Ripple and Ball State?
8. That's what happens when a 62-year-old tries to be edgier than Conan O'Brien.
7. Dave loves the Palin clan, because their names are even funnier than Oprah and Uma.
6. Dave wanted to get back at Alex Rodriguez for scoring with Madonna.
5. Dave was just helping out a fellow Hoosier by hiring Bobby Knight as one of his joke-writers.
4. Dave can take the moral high ground, now that he's finally married his baby-mama.
3. Thanks to Viagra, jokes about sex get a rise out of Dave again.
2. Dave hasn't gotten this much attention since his bypass surgery.
and the number one tacky joke about David Letterman:
1. You can't expect good taste from a man who uses Stupid Pet Tricks to get dates.
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