Da Code / Twitter in 1949Back to the Future 回到未来 ›
Twitter in 1949
We twitter, therefore we are. Public timeline is supposed to be the real form in which history is written. If there had been Twitter, "Let it be light" might have been the first tweet. But @jesus and @confucius could have been the biggest Twittering spammers. What could have been the most retweeted statements in 1949, if possible? Mao and Stalin would definitely have their share. Harry Truman tweeted via a wooden sign, while George Orwell expanded his tweet into a book titled 1984.
Twitter 符合我们的表达习惯，也在改变着这个世界信息流动的速度和方法。如果 Twitter 从开天辟地那一颗就存在的话，那历史上第一条推可能只有三个字：「要有光」。而 @耶稣 和 @孔丘 则成为不同时代的推神，拥有数以百亿计的关注者。几乎在人类历史上的任何一个年头，你都能找到一批 Twitter 风格的名言。而我们只摘取了风起云涌的 1949 年中的几句：这一年，中国建国，苏联成功发射原子弹，毛泽东和斯大林分别在 140 字内第一时间向推友们炫耀。而开始第二任期的美国总统杜鲁门证明，在前互联网时代，发推的成本有多高：你必须把一句话刻在木板上。哦，这一年，乔治·奥威尔还写出了《1984》：为了推一句，他写了整整一本书来烘托！
July 31, 2009
Da Code / Twitter in 1949 (THIS SHIT IS PRICELESS, AND SINCE I'M THE ONLY WESTERNER I KNOW WHO ROUTINELY READS CHINESE BLOGS, I'M PRETTY SURE, UNBLOGGED)
Phil Spector's Wall of Sound | BBC NEWS | I STILL CAN'T COME UP WITH A SPECTOR MANSON TITLE THAT'S UP TO MY STANDARDS - SUGGESTIONS ANYONE?
BBC NEWS | Entertainment | Phil Spector's Wall of SoundPhil Spector's Wall of Sound
Phil Spector brought a new sound to pop musicRecord producer Phil Spector has been found guilty, after retrial, of murdering actress Lana Clarkson at his home in Los Angeles.
Spector is credited with creating the "Wall of Sound" recording technique.
Characterised by bombastic, reverberating instruments which constantly threatened to drown out the vocals, the Wall of Sound was one of the first attempts to use the recording studio as an instrument in its own right.
Below are some of the prime examples of Spector's music.
THE CRYSTALS - DA DOO RON RON (1963)
Spector put together an enormous ensemble of musicians to record his Wall of Sound records.
His studio group often consisted of three drummers, bassists, keyboard players, plus numerous guitars, a string orchestra and brass section.
The music was then fed into the echo chambers at the Gold Star studios in Los Angeles, resulting in a rich, booming sound.
His records stood out over the crackle and hiss of AM Radio, making stars of bands like The Crystals.
UK chart position: 5
US chart position: 3
THE RONETTES - BE MY BABY (1963)
Often cited as the perfectionist producer's crowning achievement, lead singer Veronica Bennett (later Ronnie Spector) rehearsed this song for weeks.
Nonetheless, Spector required 42 takes before he was satisfied with the recording.
Brian Wilson called it "the most perfect pop record of all time" and even paid tribute to it in the Beach Boys' song Mona.
"Listen to Be My Baby, I know you're gonna love Phil Spector."
UK chart position: 4
US chart position: 2
THE BEATLES - THE LONG AND WINDING ROAD (1970)
After producing John Lennon's solo hit Instant Karma, Spector was asked to turn the Beatles' abandoned Get Back sessions into a workable album.
The resulting record, Let It Be, was a commercial success and the band's swansong, but Paul McCartney took exception to Spector's mixes and overdubs and later released his own stripped-back version of the album.
The other Beatles were less worried and Spector continued to produce records for Lennon and George Harrison throughout the 1970s.
UK chart position: Not released
US chart position: 1
PHIL SPECTOR - A CHRISTMAS GIFT FOR YOU (1963)
Spector was resolutely a singles artist, famously describing albums as "two hits and 10 pieces of junk".
The only long-player he ever poured his heart into was A Christmas Gift For You, on which the producer wanted to capture the spirit of the season while making an enduring pop record.
Containing the pick of Spector's girl group stable and the ample talents of Spector's usual "Wrecking Crew" session musicians, it is an exuberant example of the Wall Of Sound recording process.
UK chart position: 19
US chart position: 6
IKE AND TINA TURNER - RIVER DEEP, MOUNTAIN HIGH (1966)
Bandleader Ike was banned from the recording session for this single, which Tina Turner said left her "drenched with sweat".
Spector was intensely proud of the song but after its failure in the US charts, his behaviour - often unconventional - became even more erratic.
The song was warmly received in the UK, and over time it has become accepted as a classic in America too. Rolling Stone magazine recently voted it number 33 in a list of the 500 greatest songs of all time.
UK chart position: 3
US chart position: 88
RIGHTEOUS BROTHERS - THAT LOVIN' FEELING (1965)
Spector called his records "little symphonies for kids", but You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling transcends that description.
The epitome of the Wall of Sound technique, it is replete with echo, strident percussion and swelling strings.
But many listeners thought the record was being played at the wrong speed when they first heard it, thanks to the deep baritone of singer Bill Medley.
Despite that, You've Lost That Lovin' Feeling became the most-played song in the history of American radio.
UK chart position: 1
US chart position: 1
STARSAILOR - SILENCE IS EASY (2003)
Twenty-year-old Nicole Spector introduced her father to this British rock band in 2002, leading to a dinner date where drummer Ben Byrne had to perform the Heimlich manoeuvre on the ageing producer when he choked on a morsel of food.
Perhaps as a mark of gratitude, he insisted on producing the group's second album, but the sessions ended acrimoniously and only two of his tracks were used.
"The great thing about Phil Spector, and also his weakness, is he's a kind of one-trick pony," said lead singer James Walsh.
"But his one trick is pretty impressive, like a dog that could talk."
UK chart position: 9
US chart position: Did not chart
History to tell 'Manson' story
History to tell 'Manson' storyHistory to tell 'Manson' story
Family's lookout driver featured in Sept. 7 special
July 27, 2009, 11:00 PM ET
Charles Manson's lookout driver will tell her story to viewers for the first time in decades in a History special on the Manson Family murders.
For the 40th anniversary of the shocking Hollywood murder spree, the network has scheduled the two-hour "Manson" on Sept. 7. It features an extensive interview with Linda Kasabian, who stood guard while her fellow cult members murdered actress Sharon Tate and others.
The star witness for Manson's prosecution, the reclusive Kasabian hasn't been extensively interviewed since an "A Current Affair" special on the 20th anniversary of the murders in 1989.
The special recounts the nine months leading up to what Manson dubbed Helter Skelter, a two-night murder spree that he and his LSD-addled followers thought would incite a race war.
Susan Werbe, Nick Godwin and Simon Lloyd will executive produce the special.
What's the Verdict on Phil Spector's Hair? - Phil Spector : People.com
What's the Verdict on Phil Spector's Hair? - Phil Spector : People.comWhat's the Verdict on Phil Spector's Hair?
Originally posted Tuesday March 20, 2007 01:00 PM EDT
Spector in 2005 (left) and on March 19
When Phil Spector appeared at a Los Angeles courthouse Monday for the start of jury selection in his upcoming murder trial, he sported a dramatically different look.
The legendary producer, who has become nearly as famous for his wild, curly hair as for his signature "Wall of Sound" music style, had traded his unruly locks for a smooth blond bowl cut.
Why the makeover? Some experts offered their opinion.
"He's projecting a younger, toned-down look," beauty expert Scott Vincent Borba, who has worked with Eva Longoria and Kristen Bell, tells PEOPLE. "He's always extreme, but he's trying to be more approachable to the jury, judge and media. Honeycomb highlights project warmth."
But the image overhaul could backfire, Borba says: "Such a dramatic change can send the wrong message. He's a chameleon, which makes you wonder who he really is."
Spector's friend and former companion, entertainment journalist Anita Talbert, has a similar take. "Phil wants to look kinder and softer and gentler," she tells PEOPLE, "but someone is giving him some bad advice. Maybe this idea was that if you look like the devil or you look like Dracula, change your hair color."
Loyola Law School Professor Laurie Levinson says Spector's unusual hairdos underscore his eccentric nature. "I just think he lives in his own world," she tells PEOPLE. "This is his image. He likes to make a statement. It gives him and identity and he likes attention."
But, she says, it could backfire with a jury. "When the jury first sees him, that are going to think, 'Who is this guy? He is not like the rest of us.' But whether it helps him or hurts him is another question."
Prosecutors from the Los Angeles County District Attorney's office would not comment on the case or Spector's new hairstyle. Members of his defense team also declined to comment on the new look.
