A musical theme park? Please, tell me no. I thought this was a parody when I stumbled upon it online, but sadly, it’s not. It’s hard to figure out exactly what Freestyle Music Park, located in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, is designed to be — some minotaur-like cross between an entertainment complex and a theme park, for certain — but what is the point? Many of the rides feature musical connections: for instance, “Monstars of Rock,” a “monsterific reunion concert with all your favorite dearly departed rock stars” (!); “Get Off of My Cloud,” where eight “festively colored balloon baskets” ascend to the heavens (perhaps with Stones to help you plummet back to earth?); and “Ring My Bell,” a collection of traditional midway games “with a unique musical twist.” Of course, there’s also a Guitar Hero Arcade.
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Tags: culture, humor by Jon O
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I just purchased an iPhone 4S. Although I was motivated less by the allure of new technology than frustration with my cellular service provider, the new features are plenty exciting. The feature that has everyone chattering — and understandably so — is Siri, Apple’s intelligent personal assistant, which takes voice recognition software to the next level by interacting with the user. Apple wasn’t content to leave it at the simply functional level, though. Siri responds in interesting ways to unusual questions. [Read more →]
Face it: we’re fascinated by ghosts. Especially this time of year, during the season of Halloween and the Day of the Dead. Whether as metaphors or as intimations of our mortality, you don’t need to necessarily believe in ghosts to appreciate them. These ten songs and CDs represent a variety of styles, from somber to playful, from traditional to experimental. But they all share a sure sense of artistry that deals with the dead, the dying, or things departed. 
Long before the clueless singers who clutter American Idol try-outs, there was Florence Foster Jenkins, a coloratura soprano who had little sense of rhythm and pitch yet managed to have a musical career between 1912 and 1944. Convinced of her greatness, she dismissed the laughter that came from audiences as coming from jealous rivals. She concentrated on standard opera repertoire and wore elaborate costumes that she designed herself. 
