MetaFilter posts tagged with Legend

Well (s)he did wear a dress....

adamvasco — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:48:35 -0800

Pope Joan aka La Papessa is the second card of the major arcana in the Tarot. However there were pre tarot images of a female pope. It's a myth that won't go away. There is sometimes historical truth behind legend. The Cathoic Church relegates everything to fable; especially with a film around the corner. Some more thoughts on the facts behind the legend.

Ozmapolitan

crossoverman — Fri, 28 Aug 2009 05:59:20 -0800

Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high,
There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby.

The MGM musical version of L. Frank Baum's 1900 children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz turned 70 this week. It wasn't the first time it was a movie, nor the last time it was a movie or a movie musical. You just keep on keepin' on the road that you choose Don't you give up walking cause you gave up shoes Ease on down, Ease on down the road (come on) Many people read politics into the story, some read queer sexualties into it. Adapted as a radio play in 1908, Oz has been sequalised, reinterpreted, reimagined twice as science fiction and Muppet-ised. So if you care to find me Look to the western sky As someone told me lately - Everyone deserves the chance to fly Gregory Maguire's literary reinterpretation is a parallel novel (and the musical a further interpretation on top of that), while Ruth Plumly Thompson followed Baum's 14 Oz books with 19 novels - the bulk of the "Famous Forty" canon novels. Talk of another film. The Wiki of Oz.

Football legend Sir Bobby Robson dies

Webbster — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 09:06:28 -0800

Football legend Sir Bobby Robson dies, following a long battle with cancer. Further tributes via the Guardian. Donate to his foundation via here.

Goodbye, Mr. Han Man!

bwg — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 20:38:16 -0800

You probably knew him as the evil drug kingpin, Mr. Han in Enter the Dragon. In Hong Kong he was an action movie legend. Sadly, the amazing Shek Kin, a true martial artist, is dead at 96.

Don't Throw The Blues On Me So Strong

chuckdarwin — Thu, 28 May 2009 05:09:28 -0800

The extraordinary T-Bone Walker was born this day in 1910. Previously

Chiseled in Stone

dawson — Wed, 29 Apr 2009 23:31:19 -0800

"The ability to convey the depths of despair, the heights of jubilation and the serenity of an abiding faith are all that is required to be known as “The Voice.” Unfortunately, very few possess the ability to do all that and what’s more unfortunate, we lost one of those few–possibly the best of those few–with the death of Vern Gosdin at the age of 74." Hard core country singer-songwriter Vern Gosdin, affectionally known as "The Voice", who achieved mainstream success in the '80s with hits such as "Set 'Em Up Joe" and "Chiseled in Stone," died peacefully in his sleep, late Tuesday (April 28), at a Nashville hospital. CMT bio,(obit). His many timelss songs include the afore mentioned Chiseled in Stone (and live), Jesus Hold My Hand (with commentary), Do You Believe Me Now, Sarah's Eyes, and Till The End. "'The Voice' is now silenced but he left behind an incredible legacy of recorded performances. Other than George Jones and Roy Orbison, the world has never known a performer as expressive and capable of conveying the emotions of loneliness, despair, desolation and heartbreak as Vern Gosdin." Sit back with a bottle of Tanqueray, and salute one of the all time greats.

Snooks' Soul Train pulls out of Nawlins

msconduct — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:15:48 -0800

Snooks Eaglin has died. One of New Orleans' most authentic and underrated guitar players won't be making his jazz fest gig this year. Next time you have some red beans & rice, take a moment to remember the guy who some called the human jukebox.

Ron Asheton, R.I.P.

Dr-Baa — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 11:17:02 -0800

Ron Asheton, influential guitarist and bassist for The Stooges and Destroy All Monsters, has passed away at age 60.

It's a bird, it's a plane... its su... wait, nope not him.

flipyourwig — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 13:57:52 -0800

Here's Razorhawk a superhero who also wrestles and makes suits for other superheroes. This is Master Legend who recently had an article published in Rolling Stone about him. Meet Superhero who patrols the streets of Clearwater, Florida in his custom Corvette. They call themselves real-life superheroes. A documentary film featuring them has the first 10 minutes free online at google video. More clips of real-life superheroes here. Happy New Years everyone and stay safe.

"[They] had no idea what LSD was other than what they seen on TV with the hippies"

Item — Sat, 20 Dec 2008 07:25:30 -0800

Dock Ellis, an American baseball pitcherprev, won more games for the champion 1971 Pittsburgh Pirates than anyone else that year. Of course, he was under the influence of the performance-enhancing drug known as LSD on at least one no-hit occasion. Ellis died yesterday at the age of 63. Here's a nice little NPR piece/interview from last spring about the event.

Van Halen's "No brown M&Ms" concert rider found.

amyms — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 23:38:44 -0800

The stuff of legend, Van Halen's "No brown M&Ms" concert rider (most recently mentioned on MetaFilter here) has made the rounds by word of mouth, and word of internet, for years. Now, the Van Halen 1982 World Tour backstage rider has been found. It consists of 53 typewritten pages and contains the M&Ms prohibition - which actually says M & M's (WARNING: ABSOLUTELY NO BROWN ONES) - as well as other interesting demands, excerpted at The Smoking Gun. Via.

Causing false public alarm

tkolar — Sun, 07 Dec 2008 21:53:11 -0800

As those of you on the wrong email lists can probably guess, Snopes is overflowing with gang initiation rumors. What you may not know is that the New Jersey police recently arrested someone spreading those stories for "causing false public alarm." On one hand, I'm having a hard time equating this directly with yelling fire in a crowded theater. On the other hand, I'm not sure I would miss Aunt Betsy if she was deprived of her email privileges.

Lyonesse - shadow island of the Atlantic

the_unutterable — Sat, 27 Sep 2008 05:26:37 -0800

In Tennyson´s epic poem Idylls of the King, Lyonesse is the place where the final, epoch-shattering battle between Mordred and King Arthur takes place. In the older Arthurian romances, Lyonesse is the birthplace of Sir Tristan, and it is supposed to have bordered Cornwall in the southwest of England. No historical evidence of Lyonnesse has been found, and the academic consensus seems to be that the French author of the Prose Tristan got his British geography catastrophically wrong, and that he really meant Lothian in Scotland. There are, however, those who believe that Lyonesse was a real realm which once reached from the Scilly Islands to Land´s End. The people of Penzance and southwestern Cornwall certainly seem fond of stories about sunken lands, church bells in the deep, and drowned forests. According to family legend, the ancestor of the local Trevelyan family was a sole survivor who rode across the causeway to Cornwall as Lyonesse crumbled into the sea behind him.

Beautiful Dynamite

spec80 — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 14:58:48 -0800

Cyd Charisse passed away today at 86. Part of the MGM Golden Age, she first started out in minor roles usually as a dancer (1:52). It wasn't until the Gotta Dance routine with Gene Kelly in Singin' in the Rain did she begin to get meatier roles. -The Girl Hunt and Dancing in the Dark with Fred Astaire in The Band Wagon (There is a fantastic parody by Steve Martin and Gilda Radner of the Dancing in the Dark routine that I cannot find.) -Opposite Gene Kelly in Brigadoon (Also fun to watch for ridiculous Scottish accents) -Her "makeover" solo and The Red Blues number in Silk Stockings -Janet Jackson (and her family) was such a fan of MGM movies, Cyd and other MGM stars were featured in her music video, Alright (3:00)

excuuuuuse me!

parmanparman — Thu, 31 Jan 2008 06:25:49 -0800

Well, excuse me, princess. Youtube one-link, but very much a catch-phrase.

Attend the tale of Sweeney Todd. He served a dark and a vengeful God!

Ambrosia Voyeur — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 13:19:33 -0800

Quick, before Tim Burton's "re-imagining dark gems of the 1970s" spree continues with the film version that will obliterate all recollection of the original musical thriller's style! Check out 1982's Emmy-winning televised performance of Sweeney Todd, with George Hearn and the inimitable Angela Lansbury. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15. Or, just skip to the highlights, A Little Priest, Epiphany. Also, check out the style of the inventive, minimalist revival or read the original penny dreadful!

Arriverci, Scooter.

jonmc — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 16:57:52 -0800

A shortstop extraordinaire, loan pitchman, vocal accompanist, announcing icon. and friend to yogi's ...has left the building. RIP, Scooter.

Old Lady Leary Left Her Lantern in the Shed

Miko — Wed, 16 May 2007 08:53:24 -0800

The Chicago Fire and the Web of Memory compiles a fascinating array of primary sources about the 1871 fire that destroyed 4 square miles of the city of Chicago, killing hundreds and leaving nearly one out of five residents homeless. Explore 3D images, music [embedded], children's drawings, and personal recollections. See also a pictorial survey of the damage, including fused marbles and metal hardware, related documents and images at the Library of Congress, and an exoneration of Mrs. O'Leary and her bovine companion, along with a suggestion by John Lienhart that police corruption and class struggle were more to blame than a cow [embedded audio].

Venus, get your gun.

tizzie — Fri, 20 Apr 2007 05:32:03 -0800

I support gun control, but for 82-year-old Miss America Venus Ramey, I make an exception. The first redhead and the only native Kentuckian ever to be Miss America, she's pretty fearsome with a snub-nosed .38.

Myths and Legends Story Creator

Burhanistan — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 14:46:27 -0800

Make your own myth or legend online using Story Creator 2.

Code Breaking

Miko — Tue, 23 Jan 2007 13:27:30 -0800

Did Anyone Really Follow the Drinking Gourd? Were you taught that slaves in the antebellum South sang this traditional song to convey coded instructions for escaping Northward? Were you taught that quilt block patterns could be read as a map to freedom, or that quilts were hung outside safe houses as signals to escaping slaves?Though these are among the most often taught stories of the operation of the Underground Railroad, current scholarship indicates that these aren't survivals of pre-Civil War African-American folklore, but legends constructed and popularized within the twentieth century, frequently by white writers and performers. In today's New York Times, these legends battle it out with fact in debate over the proposed design of a new Frederick Douglass memorial [PDF].

world tales

dhruva — Tue, 02 Jan 2007 19:07:50 -0800

World Tales : See folk tales, myths and legends from around the world, brought to life by twenty Australian animators.

You better watch out...

Miko — Fri, 22 Dec 2006 09:17:34 -0800

You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen, but do you know Stekkjarstaur, Giljagaur, Stufur, Thvorusleikir, Pottaskefill, Askasleikir, Hurdarskellir, Skyrgamur, Bjugnakraekir, Gluggagaegir, Gattathefur, Ketkrokur and Kertasnikir? They're the Jolasveinar, the impish "Yuletide Lads" of Iceland, and those are only some of their many names. During the thirteen days before Christmas, legend says that they do their best to monkeywrench the celebrations with hijinks like stealing sausages, milk, and candles, and peeping into windows and up skirts. The children of gruesome child-eating trolls Gryla and Leppaludi, who were known for snatching naughty children, the elves got their start in the 17th century. In the years since, their image has apparently mellowed, and now they leave children presents in their shoes and limit themselves to mild pranks.

Lee Friedlander: "I only wanted Uncle Vern standing by his new car"

matteo — Tue, 14 Jun 2005 11:41:53 -0800

Little visual miracles. For more than forty years that most American of photographers, Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters Lee Friedlander, has recorded modern American urban life -- with its jumble of people, signs, buildings, and cars, and television sets. He likes to turn a common blunder of amateurs -- photographing something nearby with one's back to the sun -- into a leitmotif. His shadow plays the role of alter ego, sticking to the back of a woman's fur collar, clinging to a lamppost as a parade of drum majorettes passes by, reclining like a stuffed doll on a chair. Clever jigsaw puzzles, his pictures frequently reveal themselves to be laconic, austere poems to what Friedlander has termed "the American social landscape',' meaning mostly ordinary places and affairs. "Friedlander," an exhibition of more than 480 photographs and 25 books covering decades of work, runs at MoMA through Aug. 29, before traveling to Europe until 2007. More inside.

Hogzilla!

obloquy — Sat, 19 Mar 2005 16:07:10 -0800

The legend of Hogzilla approaches its dramatic conclusion.